To myself I would like to say....

WELCOME HOME! After nearly 20 months of being on the hunt, 2 cities, 6 rejected properties, we have found a place to call home and here she is...
My favorite space....

The kitchen opens right to the family room. The bottom picture is taken from the kitchen.

Where you will not be showering.......

........ but I will be!

Not to be too concerned though. In our effort to lure in visitors, a picture of the guest suite........

Not pictured is the 42" TV that will be at your dispense, or the bathroom that has it's own entrance. (Not its own entrance to the bedroom, but to the house.) Somehow we got to keep all their TV's, so the one we own will go right in this room.

Move in date: sometime after Sept 17th. Make your plans accordingly!

I kid you not...

I think I'm being stalked. And I'm for real. Would somebody please tell Heidi Montag to stop following me around? I mean I let it fly as a coincidence when I saw her and boy toy in their car a couple of times, but seriously, can't a girl enjoy a Saturday morning with her family, alone, with no one following her? Apparently Ms Montag thinks that is too much to ask as she casually showed up at Noah's bagels minutes behind me. I had the manners to not follow her to Coffee Bean right next door. And then I see her at Restoration Hardware ordering the same bed as Yosh and I? Seriously, that is too much. In fact I'm so disgusted that I don't think I'll get that bed anymore. Or the nightstands that she ordered to go with it. And then she had the audacity to call Spencer right in front of me and tell him... this has got to stop. Heidi, no more "coincidental" show ups please. Unless you plan to say hi to me next time. And then maybe, maybe, we can be friends...

OK I've been getting harassed, mainly by my husband. Seriously been in a blogging slump. But I'm going to pull it together for at least 5 min to put together a decent post!

Yosh has loved this classic dialogue I had with B while getting him dressed...
"Mom, what does this say?" pointing to his shirt.
"Gap."
Looks at me quizzically, "How do you play 'Gap'?"

Because surely I wouldn't be dressing him in something non-sports! What a crack up. That alone explains who my Dallin B is.

So what else? Spent a lovely night at the ball park, just in time to see Manny hit his first homerun as a Dodger. There was electricity in the stadium. And then to see all three of my boys chanting, "Manny, Manny..." It was quite a hoot.

Did I mention Chels and Pistol were making out on the way to the game? And that she was taking pics of it?! Did I also mention I miss Chels? She left on Friday after being my p.i.c for the summer... sad.
Before Chels ditched me we had an escape to San Diego. A lot of fun. One of the highlights was renting bikes, which I wish I knew the correct term because they are not really bikes. They are like huge cars with no motor. Hence, the need to pedal. And sometimes get out and push when necessary. Because they are freakin heavy. And when you have no momentum and a hill someone is going to be out pushing. And the other one is going to be the manual blinker. Gotta love it. And look how cute the boys look in their helmets...

And let's be honest, 5 minutes after we left the rental place the helmets were ditched. Cuz that's how kids roll.
Last thing that is definitely blog worthy... my most recent purchase called the waterpik. And why aren't orthodontists telling everyone and their mom about this? I mean for real, this is almost as good as going to the dentist for a cleaning. Put a little mouthwash in the mix and you are feeling good. It's as easy as going to Target and picking one up for yourself. And braces or no braces, it's a $40 well spent.

Let me redeem my leave of absence by grabbing your attention with my latest star sighting. Prepare yourselves cuz this is a big one (if you're a teeny bopper wannabe like myself!). So cruisin down West Channel in the Palisades waiting to turn onto the PCH, I look to my left and peek inside a black M8 BMW and who do I see? ........ Spencer. As I look to the passenger seat, sure enough the reunion is affirmed as I see Heidi. She apparently was seduced by his career-devastating intervention. Or else they're "just friends" rollin around together again. I really wish I would have followed them. Not to approach them, simply to see where they were going and what they do on a normal day when the cameras aren't rolling. I will keep my eyes peeled for future sightings. And now I have a plan so that I know what to do and won't get lost in the moment. I will for surely stalk. And possibly pull out the Nikon to document the experience.

Trade Offs

As a stay at home mom, there isn't much alone time or do-what-i-want-without-getting- interrupted time. And that's ok. That's what I signed up for, I imagine. But sometimes those unsolicited moments come when no one is bothering me, and yes, they are at home. It happened this morning. I had showered and was getting ready for the day. No one was coming to ask me anything, tell on anyone, or ask for anything so I was taking my time. At one point, I realized it was very quiet and asked, "Are you boys making a mess?" to which they replied, "Yes." That put me in a bit of a pickle. Do I go stop the madness (which I didn't really know what that was at the time) or do I go along with my alone time? Well I busted out the blow dryer and straightener and decided to do my hair for the first time in a very long time. I don't know why I decided to do that with my free time, but nonetheless that is what I did. When I finished, I went to the crime scene. What did I find? Two boys in the middle of 100 dice and 11 decks of cards, individually scattered throughout a 5 foot circle. Yes, that is a big, annoying mess. The dice... not so much. The cards... annoying. Having to sort through them and put them with their matching deck, just not so fun. The boys were proud of their creation and I really wasn't all that bothered. I mean, is it kinda like spending $5 to make $30? I had to spend 10 minutes cleaning up to have a half hour to myself. I think it might have been worth it. Nothing comes without cost, right? Not even "free time."


We had a fun, relaxing weekend in San Diego. We hit up Sea World and a Padres game. The boys were entertained by Cal and Owen and that's what matters! Monday we got to hang out with Yosh's aunt, uncle, and cousins. We ate at all the best beach spots, Paradise Cove and Duke's, and got to know the cousins better. In fact, we had never met Miss Lucy, their little 8 month baby. Lots of fun. I must say, I love Southern California. I really do. I often feel like I'm on vacation when I'm right here in my own city.

What Am I Loving Right Now?

Really just a couple things. First off, Zappos.com. My little guys have been needing some new shoes, but sometimes I feel like it takes all I have to take the two of them shopping since that isn't their number 1 idea of fun/entertainment. Also, it feels like it takes at least takes a half hour to drive anywhere to look with no guarantees of finding anything I will like. So yesterday I shopped myself right over to Zappos.com and found what I was looking for. Great selection, very organized, gas efficient, time efficient, no screaming kids... seriously, is this shopping heaven? Did I mention free shipping both ways? That's right, have them send all kinds of shoes to try on and send back the ones you don't like... at absolutely no cost to you. And let's look at things how they are, driving to the mall anymore can cost a good $10. It's a no brainer. I have shopped at Zappos before, but I don't think I appreciated it as much as I do now. Oh yeah, and did I mention I ordered them yesterday and already have them today? Yeah baby!

I wish the picture showed how small and cute these little boxes are. Serious, everything that is miniature is ten times cuter... even shoe boxes.

And what else have I been loving? Let me tell you... Honey Baked Chicken with American Basmati Brown Rice. So good and so easy! I cooked it tonight for my little fam but used 6 chicken breasts b/c I also absolutely love the leftovers. Those flavors get to mixing and they aren't messin around. Claire sent me this recipe sometime back and it has been a show stopper (is that the right saying? Who knows.) when we cook for others and is definitely a family favorite. I serve the chicken with Basmati brown rice and it is G- double O- D good! And I will probably cook it for you if you ever come over to my house!

(The tweeks I make to the recipe are the following: I take the advice given at the bottom of the recipe and use 1/2 tsp garlic salt and 1/2 tsp regular salt. Add a bit of cayenne pepper and a little extra curry. Use about half the butter recommended. I use boneless skinless chicken breast. I cut them up in about three pieces so that the chicken is flavorful throughout and moist.)

In all fairness to my husband, I should add an appendage. I'm guessing that if I were him he would say the thing he is loving in life right now is going to Jazz and Lakers play-off games. He was there for game two, and then this week game 5. Oh and did I mention his seats for game 5... center court, 14th row. Yeah, I think that is what he would say he's loving right now!

Wow... it's been a long time. Summary of my life: Chels and friends came for 5 days, Hailey and babies came for four days, AJ came for 1 week! In between we had a few frinds' get togethers, a couple dates with the husband, and then just last weekend a trip to Utah. So we've been busy but I haven't felt like posting. Sorry! Side note: I've been checking everyone's blogs and have been really lazy about posting comments... I'm going to step up my game and show some love!

Top things on my mind right now:

1) Where would be a great vacation for Yosh and I to go on in October without the kids? Who wants to come with us?!! I'm a little bitter right now b/c I want to be on the cruise with the others... I should be in mexico right now!!!

2) How do I raise my kids so that they don't end up on the show INTERVENTION? That would break my heart.

3) How come I'm not motivated to workout, clean, shower, cook, or do anything else? Can you believe I went to the gym for an hour today and only worked out for 20 minutes?!! That's right, I snuck out of my class 20 minutes into it then checked my email and relaxed on one of the loungers in the sun for the rest of the time. Who goes into a class and 20 minutes into it just doesn't feel motivated? Oh well, maybe Thursday I'll have more luck!

4) How do I have a three year old? Is it really possible that three years have passed?

Cousins B's B-day!

The friends! Cheese!