Click HERE to see the sneak peak pictures from my photo shoot. If 10 people to post a comment on her site we get a free 8x10. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest!
I know I'm behind and I promise I will post about the Texas part of my trip soon, but better late than never ...
We can now say we've been to Oklahoma. Well, Sarah, Will and I have been to Oklahoma. And what a fabulous time we had!
The flight actually wasn't too bad with both kids. Rog got a gate pass to help me through security, changing diapers, feeding William, and watching the kids while I went to the bathroom, etc. Once on board, a nice gentleman from first-class noticed my plight and asked if he could help me with my car seat. He will definitely get points for that one. I strapped Sarah into her car seat for the flight and that made all the difference. She watched Finding Nemo on the way there and I pulled out a new Peter Pan book for the "turn off all electronics" time. Will sat on my lap and he slept for 45 minutes. Bliss. And when we landed, the flight attendant assigned a helper to help me to the baggage claim area to get my bag. It was lovely. I did get a little lost as to where I was supposed to meet Natalie, but when we finally got together it was a great reunion!!!
The 4 1/2 hour drive from Dallas Fort Worth ended up taking 6 1/2 - we did stop for a late lunch/dinner and hit rush-hour traffic leaving Dallas. The kids did remarkably well. And could I have had better company in the front seat? Nah. I loved getting to see a part of the country that I've never been to before. One of my preconceived notions of Texas evaporated. No cactus or barren landscape here. I didn't realize how GREEN the Dallas area is.
What did we do while in Altus, OK? Well ... we worked out - Natalie's exercise ethic is pretty remarkable. Gym 2-3 times a week and weight class 2 times a week. Wow. She looks absolutely stunning btw. I think she'd have the rest of my baby weight off of me and then some if I stayed a couple more weeks! This photo doesn't really have anything to do with the gym other than I took it on our way to the gym. I love the minivan life!
We played in the backyard.
We fed the birds.
We sang songs. "I'm gonna get you. You'd better run" is still in my head Charly! Loved it.
I love this video - my favorite part is when she obviously cuts me off and says, "my turn." The only sadness with this video is that I wish you could all see how sweetly she sang "Aurora Song" the first time - all the way through with just a little help. I was hoping against hope that we'd get a repeat, but for now this will have to do.
We made aprons - well, we made an apron for me. Natalie's super sexy apron inspired me for sure. I couldn't have finished it without her!
Thanks again for such a fun week! I can't believe I didn't break out the camera more. We were just too busy having fun! We can't wait to get together again. Rog definitely wants to come too.
I love Autumn. It's such a beautiful time of year. And what's not to love about visiting a pumpkin patch? We got to go on a choo-choo train, watched Sarah ride a pony, we fed the goats and picked out pumpkins. It was a blast!
The pony ride ...
Here are the rest of the photos for those interested in the plethora we took ...
I know. I know I should be posting about my super fun trip, but this last week I have been consumed with family photos. Yes, it took an entire week to figure out what we were all going to wear. Fun, nice, casual, not too casual, not too dressy, blue/black/white, blue/brown/tan, pink/black/white ... ugh it was way too much for me. Throwing in a fourth person into the mix really does make a difference. I guess I was mostly particular because I was paying for the photographer. I didn't want to do jeans, well, because every other photo I have is of us in jeans. But, I just felt that me in a dress was too dressy for the beach. Cyndi's laughing right here because I went back and forth several times. I even braved shopping with both kids by myself on Thursday to find a brown dress that might work. We did take a break and have fun ...
In the end, I borrowed a white shirt from my friend Kim and I borrowed Cyndi's silver jewelry. Sarah ended up in a dress because how could I not buy it? I L.O.V.E. it!
While we wait **patiently** for my photos from the photographer, here's just a sneak peak to show you the coordinating colors. You'll just have to imagine all four of us together. We had a blast playing on the beach - even if it was super, super cold!
I will post the link to our photos when I get them!
I promise I will update soon about my trip. I realize I haven't posted since Mary left. I'm still in mourning. She comes to visit next weekend so maybe I'll be back in the saddle by then! In the meantime I have a couple of crusades to note.
My sister called me today upset about a mailer she received from Bath and Body Works. I was sad to hear that their advertisement had an obviously naked woman on the front. We often hear that sex sells, but I echo her disapproval of having pornographic mailers sent to the home. She has three young boys - what if one of them happened to pick up the mail that day? Click HERE if you want to voice your opinion.
And as a California resident I also took the opportunity to call the Governor's office regarding two bills on his desk. Here's the info:
SB 572 (or what some would call "gay day at school"“) it would require California to declare May 22 Harvey Milk day and schools would have to perform "suitable excercises" to celebrate this politician and his contributions to the homosexual community of San Francisco. Governor vetoed a similar bill last year correctly stating that Milk's contributions should be recognized at the local level by the communities he influenced the most. Let's ask the Governor to be consistent and veto this version of the bill this year. "No movie or medal of freedom makes one a national figure worthy of a day of recognition. Especially when more deserving Californians, who were actually known beyond one city and have more accomplishments, such as Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Walt Disney, William Randolph Hearst, are overlooked. Harvey Milk has a long line to wait in before he is even justifiably considered for a day of his own.”
SB 54 This bill would force California to recognize any homosexual marriage performed in other states. This would serve as an excuse for further legal challenges to Prop 8. This bill was also authored by Mark Leno, an openly gay politician who seems to be in polictics for the self-serving purpose of creating bills that give the homosexual community special recognition and status.
Here's what we can do:
1. Call (916) 445-2841 you don't even have to talk, simply use the touchtone to "vote" on these bills. Don't have to give your name either. It is possible you may have to try a few times before you get through. An automated system will answer, press option to to "voice your opinion on a piece of legislation" then follow the prompts. Then, after choosing the correct bill, dial 2 to indicate you OPPOSE the bill. You can only vote on one bill per call so you will have to call twice in order to voice your opinion on both bills. It really is easy.
Sorry for the late notice, but try to contact the governor's office today. If the Governor doesn't veto them by Oct. 11, they automatically become law.
We were let in on one of the biggest secrets a couple of weeks ago - the city has several very inexpensive classes for kids (and adults) through the recreation department. One of these is tot time. For $3, Sarah and Will get to attend a 1 1/2 hour preschool-ish class. There is free play in a big gym, craft time, circle time, snack time, and story time. I was a little worried they would be unhappy with me bringing William, but no problem there. The answer I got was "As long as the older sibling pays, he is free until he turns 2." Awesome!
I got some helpful hints from Cyndi in regards to my nightgown making. She reminded me of the "turn the hem under twice" trick to get rid of the frays. While I would LOVE to have a serger, it did work wonders. And the real test ... Sarah LOVES her Tinkerbell dress. I think the short sleeves are adorable. Don't you?!
"At the beach. At the beach. The salty, sandy beach. Life is a ball at the beach!"
Our apartment was sweltering by 9:15 this morning so we decided it would be a PERFECT day to head down to the beach. We met up with Stephanie and Jenna and had, well, a ball.
William was content to sit on the blanket for about an hour. I couldn't believe it!
He eventually started digging by the blanket and then ...
He was off! He LOVED the freedom of crawling all over in the sand.
He crawled right on over to the big girls and fit right in. I had to put down my camera when he crawled into the water. He LOVED splashing all over in it.
Kenzie and Sarah had a great time playing with their sand toys, running in the water and throwing pebbles in the water. It was so relaxing just to sit and enjoy the morning!
It's days like today that I LOVE being a mommy in San Francisco!
