Park Hopping

This is an old picture, but we've temporarily misplaced the battery charger for our camera.

In college, we used to go "bar hopping." I'm not to sure what we were in search of, but we would aimlessly hop from bar to bar until they closed and we had to be dragged out kicking and screaming. Sometimes we would buy a diet coke and then head into the bathroom to mix in an itty-bitty bottle of rum that we had concealed in our purse. Other times we would bat our heavily made up eyes and get nice boys to buy us drinks. I realize now that this sounds pretty desperate, but we always had great stories the next day. That was then. These days, Ellie and I are busy park hopping. Yeah, it's pretty intense. Sometimes we go just the two of us. Other times we meet friends. On Tuesdays, my Mom's group has a whole park schedule where we rotate to a new park every week. On the weekends, Knute is lucky enough to join in on the fun. We pack a picnic lunch and away we go! My little Earth Muffin loves being outdoors, and because shopping trips to Broadway Plaza are off limits these days, this is a good, cheap way to have a nice time (at least I have convinced myself of this). Let me know if you would like to join in our adventures in park hopping. We love new recruits!

*If someone had told me a year ago that this is what I would be blogging about, I would have laughed in their face.

Sand and Sun

Last week we packed up our flip-flops, bathing suites, and SPF 60, and headed to the beautiful, sometimes rainy, island of Kauai. It was nice to leave the gray weather behind us and enjoy some quality time with our little family of three. We ate Macadamia nuts and fresh pineapple (little wedges accompanied with our strawberry daiquiris, of course) while lounging pool-side. We walked along beautiful beaches. We saw waterfalls, sea lions, gorgeous sunsets, and hula dancers. We read on the balcony that looked out over the ocean while Ellie napped. We dined early in the evening and had tons of delicious sushi. We went to bed early (not necessarily by choice). We woke up VERY early (also not necessarily by choice).

Unfortunately, the trip was not all sunshine and rainbows (and there were some lovely rainbows). Ellie had an ear infection which landed us in Urgent Care. Looking back, I think she probably had it before we even left. We knew that something was either wrong or our child had morphed into a Monster overnight. Luckily, she was prescribed a big, pink bottle of Amoxicillin. I'm pretty sure it's a miracle drug. We were able to fly home with a nice, peaceful baby.

Now it's back to the real world, which I don't have much to complain about these days. The wonderful thing about vacation is that it gives you time to reflect. I rested. I reflected. It's a good life. For now.

A Day Without Rain

We had a nice reprieve from the constant rain today. Not that I don't enjoy cuddling on the couch on a gloomy day with my favorite Snuggle Bug, but it was a treat to have the sun show it's lovely face. Spring is creeping closer and it makes me excited for pastels, florals, Easter eggs, and longer days. Am I sounding like a Hallmark card yet? I know it's only the beginning of March and we probably have plenty of stormy, dark weather in the near future, but the break was so appreciated!

Wicked!

[Insert evil cackle of a laugh here]. My friend Lindsay oh-so-generously offered me a free ticket to see the show "Wicked" with her at the Orpheum last Saturday night. Fortunately for me, her brother was unable to go. I only had about two hours notice, which didn't help with my "I never have anything to wear" issue, but I was too excited to care. I have been wanting to see this show ever since I heard about it over two years ago. I am a sucker for musicals! I told Knute that it was comparable to him being offered court side seats to a Warriors game.

We had a delicious and extremely garlicky Mediterranean dinner before heading over to the theater. The seats were incredible, the company delightful, and the show was beyond entertaining. I would highly recommend it to anyone, like me, who can't resist a great performance. It makes you want to jump out of your seat and break into song and dance (a very scary thought). Now I can finally retire my Jersey Boys CD that I've been playing in the car for almost three years.

Flashback

When you haven't blogged in a while, sometimes it's hard to know where to start. I guess I can't chronicle every little (yet sometimes significant) event that happens in our lives, but I try to get the bigger ones. Most recently, Ellie was Christened. I was thinking of labeling this post "Ellie's Christening," but then decided that no one would read it. So....that's the news. I am relieved that it's over because it had been one of those things weighing heavily on my mind that I wanted to have done. Fortunately, my parents and brother were able to come in town and we had ourselves a good 'ole time as usual.

Ellie with Mom and Dad before the bow came off. Selfishly, I look at this picture and think how badly my hair needed to be highlighted.

The Bucklew Fam. Eric was the Godfather and Celeste was the "stand-in" since Ellie's Godmother, Amanda, was unable to come in town from West Virginia.

Ellie with Gram and Grandad. Yes, she had shoes, but those came off as well.

Ellie and her Uncle Dane.

The Yummy Cake from Walnut Creek Baking Company that Ellie got a tiny taste of.

Other Happenings Big and small:

*The Hooks Family also made a trip up to Sonoma while everyone was in town. We were lucky that the weather decided to cooperate with our plans and it was a gorgeous day in the Wine Country.

A First taste of Dirt.

*Our Girl Scout Cookies have arrived! My favorites are Tagalongs, but they are sitting in the pantry unopened because I wonder if they're safe to eat with the whole peanut butter scare. I don't think I care enough and will probably dig into them anyways.

*Ellie is busy teething. She already has six teeth, but is getting in her seventh and eighth. GRRRRRR! This means there's not a whole lot of sleeping going on for anyone.

* I finally got my hair hightlighted. I will stop complaining about it and focus on more important things.

* I have spent the majority of today on the phone trying to straighten out health insurance issues. Major headache.

* My mom left today. She stayed a few days longer than everyone else. We were busy as usual doing really important things. I am always sad for a day or two after she leaves. The company is all gone and the house seems extremely quiet.

Love is all Around

Ellie received a Valentine in the mail today from a B-O-Y. I thought it was a bit premature too, but this little one is an absolute Heartthrob. His name is Owen. He is a Roly Poly, Cute and Cuddly, Lovey Dovey baby. Ellie is 'smitten! What's a girl to do?

The BOY
Answer: go out and buy an overpriced headband of course. Yes, I know we're in an economic crisis. Can we talk about something else? I have been really good lately, but my girl has got to look her best for her Tuesday rendezvous with Owen at Mom's group.

The GIRL

Love is in the air. I am bombarded with commercialized pink and red crap at every store I walk into. I LOVE it and I got caught up in the moment!

In honor of Valentine's Day I added a few favorite love songs to my play list. Yes, some of them are a little "old lady," but they are classic.

XOXO

The Happy Couple

Kelly and Christian are getting married! We decided to celebrate and celebrate and celebrate! You know it's a great party when there are jell-o shots, lots of dancing to Daft Punk's "one more time" song (not quite sure of the name), and a taco bell run at the end of the night. When Ellie was up and ready to play at 6:30 this morning, I was regretting those last couple glasses of wine. Now I remember why I don't celebrate like this too often anymore, but it was a lot of fun at the time. Congratulations to Kelly and Christian!

A Few Pictures of the event:

The Beautiful Bride-to-Be

The Happy Groom

Some crazy people I don't know

Cute girls

Cute girls

The pregnant lady I gave unsolicited advice to all night long. Sorry Heather!

More cute girls!

Last, but never least....the gorgeous smile that greeted me the morning after!

Special Friend Day

On Friday, I had the privilege of going to Assumption School, in San Leandro, as Joey's special friend. I felt extremely honored that she picked ME of all the important and wonderful role models she has in her life! This may be due to the fact that I am a stay-at-home mom, but still...

After arriving at the school, all the special guests were shuffled into the first grade classroom to sit in teeny tiny chairs. Joey showed me her cubby, special craft projects she made that were hung on the wall, the inside of her not-so-organized desk, etc. Even though I was in first grade 20 plus years ago, memories came flooding back to me. I almost wanted to cry from the nostalgia. Things really weren't all that different between her first grade classroom and mine. It still smelled like glue, the boys were extremely loud, and her teacher (like mine) spoke in a super warm and fuzzy voice that made me want to curl up on the floor for a nap. After a church service with a message about friendship, the school day was over. It was a shortened schedule and I was kind of disappointed that I wasn't invited to recess.

I took Joey to McDonald's for lunch afterwards where I too got a Chicken McNugget Happy Meal. It was extremely delicious. I'm pretty sure they put some kind of addictive chemical in those McNuggets because I've been really craving them since.

Anyway, I am so thankful to Joey for the opportunity to be her special friend. First graders are really quite interesting and it was fun to hang out with them for the day.

Great Friends

To our delight, Ellie has discovered a new love for Rudy. When they first met there was indifference on both sides. Then Rudy was probably more interested in her then she was with him for a while, but now there is a beautiful relationship in bloom. So cute! A few special moments together:

"That" Mom

After Music Together, I joined a friend over at Tulio's for lunch today. They have 'slammin' sandwiches (to use a term my husband likes). She has a son about six weeks younger than Ellie. We've gotten together several times since our children have been born, yet I've never witnessed him having any kind of mini-meltdown or being the least bit difficult. While he slept quietly in his infant seat, Ellie continued to bang on the table, eat the paper place mats, smash saltine crackers everywhere, and try to snatch everything within a three foot radius of her. I actually kind of find it cute, but she's definitely not as easy to take to restaurants as she used to be. As we were leaving, I looked around the table where we had been sitting at the destroyed paper products, smashed crackers, napkins I had used to wipe her runny nose, and realized that I had become "that mom." I was completely in my own world and too involved in conversation with my friend to notice that I was oblivious to my behavior. That is so not okay! I used to work at a restaurant in college (as a hostess because I could never quite graduate to waitress status) and I remember how annoyed everyone would get at "those moms." They would leave broken crayons, food all over the floor, spilled drinks, etc. I had become one of them. The horror! If my child is only seven months old, it can only get worse. From now on, I promise to police my area before I leave and clean up any mess my child has created. This is my pledge. If this isn't possible for one reason or another, I promise to leave an extra generous tip at the least. How did I let this happen?