picnic lunches

One of my favorite part of this summer has been surprising Charles a couple of times now with a picnic lunch. JC and I pick up a couple sandwiches and head over to Charles' job at lunch time. Charles works very close to a big park so we go over there and find a shady spot to enjoy our sandwiches.

The best part about any park is the ducks (duh). JC got to have his first real duck encounter. I was surprised that this duck let us get so close to him without any bread to entice him.







I'm pretty sure I heard JC say "duck" a couple of times. He definitely said "bird".

We also got to experience JC's new favorite activity: pointing. At everything. I think because there was so much new stuff, JC was in pointing overload.







You can see how much work it took to get this picture



I love going to this park because the trees are huge and there are no shortage of geese and ducks. I'm excited to do more surprise picnic lunches this summer!

wordless(ish) wednesday: grown up time at the state fair

While I'm a little upset that we weren't able to take JC to the fair (ok, I'm a lot upset), I am happy that we were able to go with our besties for some grown up no kiddos fun times. It was really nice to get out of the house and act like we didn't have offspring for a little bit.

The evening was filled with all sorts of fun goodness like,

deep fried oreos



(they were amazing, bytheway)

and carnie rides



(do you see the smug smile on the guy who runs the ride? yeah, he almost killed us. i wish i was joking.)

and beer and corn dogs





(what is that you ask? am i a midget? no i just look that way in comparison to the foot long corn dog that i enjoyed. it was amazing)

Next year JC. Next year. I promise!

ice cream safari

Ok, here's the premise. Zoo open after hours. All-you-can-eat ice cream. What else do you really need?

We met up with our friends, their son and Charles' sister. We also brought our honorary nephew with us to give his mommy and daddy a mini-break since they just welcomed another little boy a week ago. It was so much fun and I can't wait to go again next year! I ended up getting there kinda late so I felt a little rushed; next year, we will plan it better.

Marley, Auntie Jessica, Charles and JC checking out the giraffes

The giraffes were definitely our favorite yesterday. They were coming up pretty close and the kids really enjoyed them.

Auntie Stephanie and JC, of course JC noticed the red ball hanging from the pole before he noticed the giraffes

Auntie Stephanie, JC, Damian, and Uncle Garrett

oreo cookies n' cream, yum!

Then, of course, there was the ice cream. Oh, the ice cream.

a little double stroller action

Just look at these two boys. Their chocolate beards crack. me. up.

Marley

I love all the fun stuff going on this summer! The state fair is tomorrow and I'm so excited!!!

week in iphone pics, w.10

Whoo hoo! I did way better with pictures this week! We did a lot of running around this week. If you read my post about goals for the rest of the year, you'd know that one of my goals was to open an etsy shop. I've been doing so much prep for that this week and I'm so excited to finally open shop. My goal is to get everything open by the first of August. We'll see!!



Monday, Grandma Janie came over for a little bit in the morning. JC and Tsunami had to say bye. The afternoon was spent running all over the house and getting into new cabinets that he hadn't discovered yet. In the evening, we went to Papa John's house and got to sit in the big chair. JC also had his first experience with corn-on-the-cob. I'm not sure he got much corn off of it but he got a little butter. And I think that was alright by him. And one bathtime nudie pic. That belly gets me everytime.



Tuesday, was a little less crazy. We hung out in the Old Navy dressing room while I tried on some shorts (fail). Then we hit up the grocery store and JC couldn't wait to dig into his favorite pasta. And my Toddler 411 book finally came!! I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed with it so far. I was looking for more advice on discipline but it's kinda generalized. I guess every kid's different sooooo. If you have advice for disciplining an almost 14 month old, it would be much appreciated.



Wednesday, JC slept in until 10:20! It was crazy. Of course, as soon as I tried to do something he woke up. This was a new discovery this week; apparently, we have a busy little beaver on our hands. I guess I need to get one of those gummy crib protector thingys now. We got JC's new sandals!! These are his first pair of "legit" shoes. He's definitely not as good at walking in them as he is while barefoot but practice makes perfect, right? Right before nap time, we hit up Goodwill to get stuff for my etsy store. Found a couple cute items. Then, it was frappacino o'clock. This definitely doesn't fit with my plan of making healthier choices but I haven't had one in soooooooooooo long. I deserved it. And JC is super adorable when he brushes his teeth. I just wish he would let us brush his teeth also.



Thursday, we hit up Target to get stuff for the backpack we donated. School supply shopping! Then we came home and played a little before dinner. JC tried to share Curious George and he continued his "ball" obsession (I realize how that sounds...teehee) by pointing to his alphabet train to proclaim the he found the "BALL!" on it. This kid loves balls (teehee) so much, they are definitely his favorite toy right now. We had the most awesome pizza for dinner. It straight up had balsamic vinegar on it. SO GOOD! Healthy factor, notsomuch. LAY OFF ME I'M STARVING! Points if you get the reference. We finished out the night by playing with JC's second favorite "toy", the spatula. He carries this thing E.V.E.R.Y.W.H.E.R.E. And he tries to beat the cat with it, but we try to discourage that. He also had been carrying around the pack of Uno cards this week so I finally gave him what he wanted.



Friday, JC played with another game cabinet discovery while I gave the dog a much needed bath. Hey, whatever works. During naptime, I worked on something for my etsy shop. And I die a little bit when I see this picture. This kid loves to play peek-a-boo and be chased. He goes around the corner and waits for you to come and then he crawls full speed to get away. All while giggling uncontrollably. He's awesome.

Well, that was our week! Just going over it again made me tired. Alright, now I've got to try to get some other stuff done before the boss wakes up.

Linking up with a good life and life rearranged.

high on school supplies

I don't know about you but, for some reason, I get super stoked when back-to-school time rolls around. It doesn't matter if I'm taking classes or not. Ever since I was little, I get a rush every time I go into a Staples or Office Max. I just love office/school supplies. I love that feeling of a fresh start for the year. All new supplies in pretty patterns and colors that make you feel happy just looking at them.

So since I watch the noon, 5:00, 6:00 AND 6:30 local news casts (remember, I'm home. all. day.) I couldn't help but notice that the Volunteers of America were holding "Operation Backpack". Basically, they are trying to get people to donate backpacks filled with school supplies to give to low-income and homeless kids. While I am taking one class the fall, I won't really need any new supplies so I decided to get my helping-other-people fix and my school supply fix at the same time.

JC and I decided to get supplies for a fifth or sixth grader because fifth grade was my all time favorite grade. We created our own archaeological dig y'all. With artifacts and digging up and everything. That's pretty cool if you ask me.



I loaded up my little dude and with our list in hand we made our way to Target. JC wasn't AS excited as I was for school supplies but I think he had fun anyway.

When we got home I got to use Charles' fancy camera (canon 7d, for you camera nerds out there) and take some pictures of my porn school supplies.



Had to get the pink Paul Frank backpack.



I fell in LOVE with this notebook. I actually got one for me too.



Had to get the pencils to match.



Are these not the cutest folders ever??

I hope the little girl who picks this backpack out is pretty girly. I realized that 10 year old me probably would not pick this backpack out or these supplies. But 25 year old me totally would, and did.

the bike trailer's maiden voyage

Last Christmas, Charles's sister gave us a bike trailer. JC was only six months at the time and it was winter so the bike trailer sat in the garage for awhile. Now that he's finally big enough and the weather was nice, we decided to shake off the spider webs and go for a ride.

{ getting strapped in }

I wasn't sure how JC was going to "take" the ride since he has shown a great disdain for his stroller and this is a kinda similar idea. So we made sure he had a companion to keep him company.

{ elmo was a great ride along buddy}

We only went for a ride around the block just to see how he would do. He actually seemed to really enjoy himself. I think we are ready for a longer trip but I want to get a bike helmet for him before we actually go on the road.

{ it took me at least four attempts and almost eating sidewalk three times to get this picture }

By the way, do you know how difficult it is to take a picture while you are riding a bike? Very.

week in iphone pics, w.9

Errrr, I was pretty bad about taking pictures this week. In fact, I barely touched my phone the whole time my sister and brother were here. Oh well, I got some good ones when I did take pictures.



Sunday, we went to the antique fair that they hold month on the second Sunday of the month. This HELLA creepy doll spotted me at one of the vendor's booths and JC got to try his best to balance on this tractor so as not to need a tetanus shot. Thursday, (yeah quite a bit of a gap there) JC and I woke up to a quiet house so we watched some Sesame Street in our jammie jams. Friday, JC tried to sneakily get to the dog toys that for some reason are put out of his reach. And we practiced some more shaky walking. Saturday, our besties had their second baby boy!! Congratulations Kris, Moriah and Marley! Baby Max is adorable! JC wasn't having much patience while we waited at the floral counter at Safeway. I was detoured on the way home by this shop coming in by our house. Um, what. Donuts AND Yogurt? And if you can read, the little green circle says AND MORE! What else is there?? We managed to get home with enough time for me to put together a lovely bouquet WITH a balloon (see Moriah, it did exist) that ended up detaching itself from the string as we arrived at the hospital. I haven't had very good luck with balloons lately.

Today we finally tried out our bike trailer for the baby! Hopefully I'll be able to post about that soon.

Linking up with Amy from a good life.

summertime

Oh man I have seriously been neglecting my little blog. I have a good excuse though. I've been having a lot of fun! My little sis and bro came to visit from Southern California over the weekend and we had a blasty blast. The past few days have been unseasonably cool, which is awesome because I HATE the heat. But, it kinda (just a tiny bit, almost non-existent) sucks because it's not as fun to go swimming when it's not smoldering outside. Saturday was still pretty warm so we managed to squeeze in some pool time after the fam arrived. It was so much fun, I'm not even afraid to show you pictures of myself in a bathing suit.



JC and his Auntie Kimberly hangin poolside



Of course the baby pool got turned into a floatation device. We are seriously lacking in pool toys, which you will see more of soon. Oh and ignore the giant pile of dirt in the background. If you ask Charles, he swears it has a purpose.



After a few minutes, it was apparent that JC needed a nap. So he went inside and we decided to play the ghetto-est version of street ball pool edition you've ever seen. We used JC's baby floaty disk as a hoop and the ball his cousin Marley (thanks Marley!) left behind as the basketball.

Note the concentration on my face.





This picture makes it look like my brother might be playing water street ball in the special olympics but I promise, he was better than me or my sister.



Even Tsunami got in on a little pool action.

Hope everyone's having a great summer! We've got so many fairs and festivals that we are planning on partaking in during the next couple weeks, I can't wait! Neither can my belly, mmmmm garlic fries, corn dogs.

week in iphone pics, w.8

Thought I'd try a different format for my iPhone pictures post this week. I think it will be work because I'm really lazy it's more efficient.



Sunday, we gave kisses to our world music bear, shared some cheerios, and went diggin in the toy box. Monday, we skyped with Grandma Stella in the morning. Tuesday, JC was wearing his sun hat in preparation for swimming in our big pool for the first time. Wednesday, JC really started picking up steam pushing his little cart all over the house. Some adorable baby toes. Thursday, drinking some H2O before enjoying some delicious Chipotle. Friday, I prepared some way too saucy noodles to lunch. Daddy/baby time. Annnnnd we had cereal for dinner. Saturday, JC helped me pick up some cake pop supplies at Jo-Ann.

My sister and brother are coming in Sunday!! So excited!

Linking up with Amy!

flashback friday - hawaii 2007

Oh man I wish I was in Hawaii again SO BAD! I have these pictures in a frame in our entryway so I get to walk past them everyday and swoon. We went with my family back in 2007 and it was probably the best vacation ever. We decided to go parasailing on a whim and I know we were all super stoked with our decision. I'm so excited because my sister and brother are coming to visit on Sunday!! I haven't seen my sister in a couple months so it will be nice to have both of them here to keep my company. And our pool is up and running!

sister and brother

dad and mom

charles and me

walking on the fourth of july

We had so much fun this past weekend, it should be outlawed.

I know I just talked about how I'm enjoying my little pre-walker and I didn't care how long it would be before we saw some steps. Then, as if he was trying to prove me wrong, JC took two independent steps on the Fourth of July. Charles saw it too so it is totally verified. It just happened out of nowhere. I saw him standing in the kitchen as we were about to leave to go to our friend's house and I noticed that he wanted my keys that I was holding. I thought, "Let me hold these, JUST out of his reach and see what happens." Then he took two steps and grabbed the keys. It was amazing, to say the least. I don't know how long it takes to go from this to actually walking around everywhere but I'm so excited and proud of him!

Besides this colossal news, we headed over to our friend's house for BBQ, swimming and fireworks. It was just what I needed. It was (and still is) SO hot and I don't do very well in the heat. I swear I have seasonal affective disorder but I have it for both winter and summer. I can't stand being really cold or really hot. I just want to sit inside all day, but then I get all crazy and cooped up.

It was still about 90 degrees at 7 o' clock so I tried to just suck it up and embrace the sweat. Once I did, I had a great time!



We were greeted with watermelon, hot dogs, baked beans and corn-on-the-cob. It was awesome. JC got to try some watermelon. He really liked it but he kept wanting to eat the rind instead of the fruit.





JC got to escape the heat for a little bit by jumping in the kiddie pool with his honorary cousins. This was the first time he got to play in a bigger kiddie pool and he loved it. He was crawling all over, splashing, and playing with Lady, our friend's water-loving labrador.

After the pool, there was an epic baby bath that I wish so bad that I had pictures of. Unfortunately, I was trying to wrangle one of three babies that we managed to fit in one bathtub so I didn't have a free hand for my camera. We'll definitely have to recreate a dramatic reenactment of the event at a later date.







Did I mention that our friend's have the best backyard ever? They have this swing on one of their 12452345 trees and JC had a fun time swinging around before fireworks.



We enjoyed a pre-fireworks root beer float together. Sorry I look horrendous, I was sweating profusely most of the day. The ice cream helped JC get a little extra boost to stay up and watch his first fireworks.



Our friend's had the best idea of putting the fireworks on a ladder. It really allowed us to get the most out of the fireworks that we had. JC was only a little scared of the fireworks that made a really loud noise but besides that, he loved them! And I finally got to show JC what Katy Perry has been singing about all this time.

JC managed to stay up a little past his bedtime to watch fireworks. Then he ended up falling asleep in my arms while fireworks were still going off all around us. He was so tired! We brought him home and he fell asleep so fast. I think we all had a great Fourth of July!