lately

oh man, i love when this little guy wakes up from his nap. so cute and disheveled.

cooking dinner while my little ones play outside. it isn't always this easy.

us on an early morning.

been going to centennial farm a lot lately.

picnic dinner by john wayne. big hit for wally watching the planes fly overhead.



saturday morning breakfast routine. wallace helps rian with pancake ingredients.

then we juice some oranges.

then we eat.


our dland passes have officially expired. in the last few weeks we were there A LOT.

excited to tell me all about the bumper cars with daddy.

my cute girl messing with her brothers bike helmet.

Aunt Carol

Aunt Carol used to make me the best toast. She’d load it up with butter and cover it in sugar. I remember sitting on the living room floor in her Costa Mesa condo savoring each bite. My mom would never make something like this for me, I’d think. I was in grade school. Years previously, as a 3 year old, she had me walking down the aisle as her flower girl and much later, she had me working in her Balboa peninsula gift shop, learning to make the perfect bow and wrap the prettiest brown packages. It was there that she had me feel a lump she found next to her armpit. She was going to get more tests done. That lump became the cancer that took her life today. But there were many years in between that day in The Handmaiden and today when she took her last breath. Aunt Carol was here when I found out I would be having my first baby. She took me out to lunch and shopping all over town for everything “maternity” I would need. She watched Wallace for me while I went to have my hair dyed dark and bangs cut, a postpartum change I felt necessary. Wallace loved Aunt Carol. He loved wearing her wigs. He loved listening to her read to him. She brought such joy and energy to our family when we were all together. I will miss her long hugs and multiple kisses while whispering in my ear how beautiful she thought I was and how proud she is of Rian and I. Aunt Carol knew how to love people, how to be real and vulnerable, how to make someone feel fabulous, and how to have fun. She will be missed by many.

Happy Birthday!

That's right. Skyler turned ONE on Sunday. We celebrated with family and some friends on the big day.

SPRING

is in the air! rian brought home tightly closed daffodils over the weekend and throughout the week they've turned into this.

we're in between rain showers and it's been warm enough for the kids to eat lunch outside. i love not having to clean up crumbs!

february

wallace helping his sister out.

he likes to wear his mickey gloves when he reads sometimes.

dinner with the mellema's. the twins and skyler are the same size and love romping around together.

rian's been traveling for work about once a month lately, at the most. usually just for a night or two. but when he's gone, i invite these girls over to play after the kids go down!

art time with the kids of my thursday night mama's group.

our disneyland passes expire in a few weeks so we've been playing over there a lot.

skyler waiting for the monorail and picking up all sorts of diseases.

me and my little toddler in the back row. on our way to drop them off with aunt lolo & uncle bumble. rian and i got a free date night and played all over L.A. we spent the night at their place and enjoyed an amazing french toast breakfast made by lauren.

it was GORGEOUS in LA. it sure doesn't look like this everytime we drive up.

well...a few of us had some changes done to our hair. here is a before shot.

here is gypsy after her haircut. she's so sweet.

here is wallace getting a haircut after i butchered the front during a trim. and that's me with my brown hair.

poor gypsy gets really tired after playing hard. and she drools and naps with her tongue out.

another typical morning.

wally and his new haircut. giving a flower to his sister.


somehow rian and i scored a hot date each weekend this month. thanks to our amazing family members living close by! these pics were taken at this japanese place he goes to and has wanted to show me. we had gyoza, asahi, ramen and then hit up the theater to watch "valentine's day". bonus: didn't have to pick up the kids 'til morning!