Less is More.

The Wheatfield

With the babe nearly crawling, we are simplifying anywhere we can.  She is already rolling her way around the living room and I know soon I'll have little control over the strewn toys around the house.  So I'm trying to create the simplified living room space with all the baby proofed bumpers we need.  I'm trying to get creative and baby-proof in a decorative way.  Is that possible?  I'm gonna give it my all because I am so not a fan of plastic everywhere.  I'll take some pictures to show you what I come up with.  Do you have any ideas? I welcome suggestions.

Less, really is more.
Mission Organization starts tomorrow.  Should I have let Kevin in on his weekend plans before posting?  Probably.  But he's always such a good sport.

Swinging high.

The only place Chloe napped today was the car.  I'm sure I burned through about $10 in gas just driving around.  But it was a slice of quiet that I desperately needed.  I drove through Starbucks (for a so needed decaf), then stumbled upon our favorite new park.  It is right up the street and I had no idea.  It had lots of nice shade so we stopped, Chloe slept another 20 minutes while I enjoyed the sun (yay for sunroofs), then we spread out our blanket.

After work Kevin met us there, we had a picnic dinner and tried out the swings for the first time.  They were a big hit!  We will be back tomorrow.  I think I'm gonna walk there tomorrow.  It's 1.5 miles from our house on a steep incline...it'll be great workout and some fresh air.  Today's weather was gorgeous.  We had planned an afternoon at the beach but little miss was not having it.  I know better than to make plans.  The impromptu afternoon at the park gave me the outdoor time I was craving. 

Too high, mom!

Check out this sweet face.

What next?

Other than be a Wife and Mother, I've always wanted to be:
a world traveler
an indie folk singer
a  painter
an anthropologie display artist
a dancer
a photographer
a kindergarten teacher
a professional organizer
a jewelry designer
a pastry chef, an anything chef
a wine enthusiast

and I've tried my hand at being:
a baker
a shop girl
an esthetician
an administrative assitant
a wine club manager
a collage artist
a florist

I definitely wanna:
surf, run a (half) marathon and train to be a yoga instructor.
These three are actually already in the works.


I'm constantly curious about learning and crafts.  And if not professionally I'd love to dabble in more creative ventures.  So this year, I turn the big 3-Oh!  And I decided I ought to take a little time for myself and really give a couple more of these a try.

Which one to tackle first?  
My creative juices are flowing, what to do next?

Anything you've always wanted to try?

Movie & Photo Booth.

 Last night was our first night out to a movie since I was 8+ months pregnant.  Let's just say movies are much easier to concentrate on when you don't have a giant baby bump and the urge to visit the ladies room constantly.  My friend Roxana stayed the night with us and generously offered to watch Chloe so we could get out of the house.  We saw The King's Speech, which was great.  We loved the drama and humor of a touching friendship and theme of overcoming obstacles.   We'll definitely be seeing that one again.  I'll admit the we had a bit more candy than was good for us but justified it by the realization that date night's are few and far between.  It was so nice to go on a date again.

*Photos from the photobooth in the lobby.  Kevin is not a fan of having his picture taken but abliged because I think they are so fun. 

The Perfect Moment.

It was a long day but this moment totally made up for it.  She had me in stitches.

Always growing.

On my fridge as a daily reminder.

Sweet Potatoes, Take Two.

Meal #2 of Sweet Potatoes was a success.  She actually ate much more food and also made much more a mess.  I was trying so hard to be okay with the mess and failing on so many levels.  She got cleaned up numerous times.  I had to at least take (and share) one or two pictures to remember just how messy it really was.  It's a good thing I fed her in just a diaper and bib.  Then it was off to the bath.  Another new baby skill she has been developing is drinking water from a sippy cup.  She gets so excited when I give her that cup too.  She looks so grown up with a sippy cup though.  It kinda makes me sad.   

Pizza, yes please.

My dad and brother drove up for a mid week dinner last night.  It was so nice to have them here and to have pizza and salad delivered right to the front door by them.  As usual they goofed of and practiced yoga poses and stretches together.  Chloe had fun showing off her rolling skills to a new audience too.  We ate and reminisced about old family stories.  It was so nice to have company, just because.   

Chloe and some handsome men.

Read his shirt closely, yep Oldlymics.

Classic AJ.

Elizabeth.

This Carter's sweater is gift from Chloe's Great Grandmother Elizabeth.  We called her Grandma Bee.  It was still in the original packaging from some point in the 50's I'm sure.  She bought years ago with future grandchildren in mind.  It was found amongst her special belongings and was passed on to us at Chloe's baby shower last summer.  It brought tears to my eyes upon opening it.  We saved the box but decided we should capture a few pictures to think of our sweet Grandma Bee when we see them.  She was a mother to four and teacher for most of her life, even volunteer teaching well into her late years.  She would have loved seeing this little one learn and grow.  We sure do miss her.

Chloe Elizabeth, after her Great Grandmother, Grandmother, Great Aunt, Aunt and Cousin.  I really love family and tradition.

Mother-in-law to the rescue.

On Thursday, after a long week (er, 6 months) of very little sleep, I was completely tuckered out.  I called Kevin's mom Karen to see if she'd be up for visiting soon.  Of course, she was and drove up the very next day.  It was like Mother-in-law to the rescue.  I was totally spoiled by her presence.  She took Chloe for a walk while I napped for a blissful 45 minutes, then happily did 3 loads of laundry and if that wasn't enough, she then treated me to a delicious seafood dinner from one of our favorite restaurants, Fish Camp.  By the next morning I felt like a new woman.  It was just what I needed.  Thank you Grandma Karen, Chloe and I were happy to have you visit.  Aren't moms great?

The next day at Chloe's Well Baby check-up with the pediatrician really explained all the fussiness that had been going on. 
In 4 weeks Little Miss had a major growth spurt.  
Pounds gained: 1   Inches grown: 2  1/4
It's no wonder all her pants have become high waters.  Time to move into the next size...wow, baby clothes are a lot to keep up with.  I think I've already reorganized her drawers half a dozen times already.

Baby Yoga.

This is how Chloe spends about 75% of the day.  Its' the only thing this girl is interested in doing when she's not rolling about the room.  It cracks me up.  Well, she's already mastered Happy Baby.  It looks like this girl is an early Yogi.

 

Sweet Potatoes all around.

 Our little bloom Chloe is six months into her babyhood already.  It's hard to believe but today Kevin took the day off from work and we celebrated every minute of it. 

Breakfast . Banana Pancakes (whipped up by my sweetie)
Lunch . Leftover Thai food
Dinner . Grilled Shrimp . Mashed Sweet Potatoes . Pan fried Garlic Kale
Dessert . Stag' Leap Viognier . Dagoba Lavender Blueberry Chocolate

It was all pretty delicious. 

Chloe tried out her first food today.
Homemade, baked and mashed Organic Sweet Potatoes.  It was easier than I thought to make.  Bake 45 minutes at 400, peel, mash and add momma's milk or water to thin.
It was all over the place and she loved it!

 





















(It was one of those days you don't count calories.)
It was a great day.  Most of the morning was cold and rainy but I snuck out for an amazing yoga session during Chloe's nap and we even too a beach walk before bath time.  Now that is success.

St. Patrick's Day.

It's an annual event at Uncle Bob and Aunt Gael's every year.  We go to Seal Beach and eat, chat and eat some more.  Gael decorates the entire house for the occasion and her and Bob cook up quite a delicious spread.  Her mother used to celebrate their Irish heritage in a similar manner and now she continues the tradition.  We enjoy any opportunity to be together with family.  Chloe got to meet a few more of her cousins and by the end of the night, they were inseparable.  I wish I got pictures of everyone.  Kevin's brother Matt even made the trip down from Paso Robles for the weekend.  It is always so nice to see him.

We are so ready for spring and Easter here at home.  We tried out the new gorillapod tripod to capture a few family shots at home before the party. 

Oh those sweet cheeks.

Gael's St. Patty's Decor.

Cousin Jans, Uncle Ivor, Cousin Andrew and Kev.

These girls just,  LOVE each other.

Karen and sister Linda.

Our hosts.

Our new babysitter? Cousin Teal.

Or Dolan? 

 Happy St. Patrick's Day!  We'll be laying low on the celebrations this year.  Kevin has a final and Chloe and I will have an early bedtime to catch up on lack of sleep.  Oh the joys of teething and growth spurts!