Where the Month Went...

For Mother's Day my very nice husband gave me a new camera, but I haven't really figured out how to use it yet. The manual is pretty thick and I feel incredibly stupid every time I open it up because everything is in a foreign language. Foreign to me at least. Apparently Wolf Camera offers free classes on Thursday nights, but that sounds pretty boring. I will put this on my list of "Things to Do." That list grows bigger every day.

What we've been up to lately:

*Ellie and I took a week long trip to Denver to visit my mom and dad. The weather was gorgeous and we spent time entertaining Ellie with trips to the park, Children's Museum, and Tiny Town. We had so much fun and were sad to leave. The plane ride there and back was not so great. It was actually kind of miserable to be honest. I feel really bad for anyone who sat within a ten row radius of us.

*After spending a couple days at home we headed up to Angel's Camp for a fun Memorial Day Weekend with friends. Ellie stayed behind at home with her Nana and Grandpa. It was our first overnight trip without her. I don't think she was hurting for attention. I missed her, but it was good for us to get away for a little adult time. We enjoyed cooking, staying up late playing games, drinking too much beer, and going out on the boat during the day (I even got up to Wake Board). Knute was impressed with his invention of a S'Moreo. It's pretty self-explanatory: a S'More with an Oreo cookie included. Sick.

*We've adjusted to our everyday routine again this week. I have a tornado that lives in my house. Her name is Ellie and she's eleven months old. She pretty much destroys everything in her path. She no longer enjoys playing with her toys, but rather throwing them. Also, how many times does she have to try eating dog food before she realizes it's nasty? I've never tried it myself, but I'm just assuming. When she goes down for a nap I try my best to clean up the wreckage, and when she wakes up, we pretty much repeat this same cycle. I like to get out of the house a lot for this reason. We need a fun, focused activity during the day.

A Few Pictures of our trip to Denver:Visit to Tiny Town

At it again. You can't tear her away from the stuff. My favorite...Cuddle Time
Who doesn't love ice cream?

First Mother's Day

It was 10 months and 16 days ago that I had the great pleasure of becoming a Mother. Elizabeth, thank you for blessing me with one of life's greatest gifts. Thank you for bringing so much joy, love, tears, dirt, and laughter to our home. Thank you for being the wonderful and lovely daughter that you are. Because of you, I am a better person. Because of you, I lead a much richer life.*Ellie has a new obsession with dirt. Yes, dirt. She likes to go outside and throw around bark. I think she would do it for over an hour if I let her. I thought that when you had a girl they would love baby dolls, but my daughter is more interested in dirt.

The Perfect Weekend

I LOVE the weekends. Sometimes they're crammed with so many activities that I feel like we need a couple days to recuperate after the weekend (which is supposed to be a time of rest, right?). Sometimes they're lazy and we spend most of our time hanging out on the couch. Sometimes they're highly productive and the garage gets cleaned, projects get done, etc. Sometimes the combination of a happy child, well-rested mother, and beautiful weather make for a perfect weekend. That was how this one went.

On Saturday morning I made breakfast burritos after Knute took Rudy out for exercise, and then we headed to Anthropologie (I had a gift card that's been burning a hole in my pocket since Christmas). It's my favorite store. Knute and Ellie stayed outside and watched the ducks while I took my sweet time. On our way home they dropped me off at Tomatina to have lunch with Shawn. She was in town from San Diego for a couple days. I love Shawn and I love Tomatina.

On Saturday night we headed to El Charro for a 30th Birthday Party and left Ellie with her first babysitter (that wasn't family). She didn't even cry when we left which I was relieved about, but it secretly made me a little sad. I called about once every hour, but I was OK. I was in the company of good friends and I was still able to enjoy my Margaritas.

Ellie slept in until about 7:30 on Sunday. She's been doing that lately and I love her for it. We had a leisurely morning drinking coffee, reading the paper, and eating toast. We headed to the Oakland Zoo in the afternoon with the Schroeders. I think Ellie is more entertained with her own dog then the zoo animals, but it was still a nice time. On the way home we stopped at In-N-Out for an early dinner. I had been craving fast food for weeks and today I had to succumb to my craving. It was totally worth it.
When we got home I spent time in my garden (see...I told you I was serious) planting seeds, tomato plants, and then watering them. Mark really likes to stress the importance of watering. That's all I have to do...just WATER everything! I don't think he realizes that this is what I've struggled with in the past.
Later I went on a run with Ellie and Rudy (well...sort of a run/walk).

Now it's Sunday evening and I just got finished reading my exhausted 10-month-old "Goodnight Moon" and putting her to bed. No, I can't believe she's 10 months old. It sounds so much older then nine.

I'm contemplating ending my Sunday night with a warm bath before snuggling into bed with my favorite person.

It was my version of the perfect weekend. I know they can't all be like this, so I will try my best to treasure these memories.

My 10-Month Old!

See Paris Run!

I ran a 10K on Sunday. Yes, I really ran the WHOLE thing. The weather in Santa Cruz was beautiful. The company was entertaining. My adrenaline was pumping. So...I just kept running! I was unstoppable. Sure, my pace was a bit slow, but I didn't care. There will be a next time. Everything about the day was PERFECT. Thank you Melissa, Amy, and Celeste! Maybe I'm being a bit dramatic, but I seriously couldn't have done it without them. Wow...I sound like I'm collecting some medal, which is definitely not the case. In the end, my body never ceases to amaze me. *Knute thought this last line sounded egotistical. What I meant was, the things my body can do ceases to amaze me (example: give birth). OK. I'll stop now.

Little Happenings

I've been a little uninspired lately. Not really sure why, but I guess I've had a bit of a "Blogger's Block" if you will.

Anyways, here are the little happenings going on in our life:

*My good friend, Jen, visited from Denver last week. She was actually in Sonoma for a work trip and then stayed a couple extra days here. We enjoyed doing what we do best, which usually involves bumming around. She would wake up at about 10:30 each morning and tell me how GREAT she had slept. I was a little bitter.

*We had a nice Easter Sunday with the Bucklew family that involved attending Mass, lunch at our house, and an Easter egg hunt (one for Ellie and one for the big kids). I realize that I'm getting a bit too old for an egg hunt, but I just can't resist those Reese's Peanut Butter eggs. Nothing can make me run so fast. Which brings me to...

*Knute and I have been in a bit of a health kick lately. Knute much more so then me. He's been doing some muscle confusion program. PX90 something. Maybe. It lasts for 90 days and each session is about 60-90 minutes. We work up a sweat in the comfort of our own living room. I join in every so often. I'm trying not to be such an all or nothing type thinker. I like the Yoga and ab exercises. Which also brings me to...

*I'm running a 10k this Sunday in Santa Cruz. I haven't trained for it like I should have. Actually, not really at all. Sometimes when I take Rudy and Ellie for a walk I turn it into a part run, but it doesn't usually last very long. I'm pretty nervous about Sunday to say the least.

*I'm sort of starting a new hobby. About a week ago my Father-In-Law,Mark, showed up at our front door with a packet titled "The Garden Helper." I really wasn't sure what to think of this at first, but now I've kind of embraced it. He told me that he wants to help me grow a garden. I didn't know if I should laugh or cry. I thought that maybe it would be some fleeting idea of his, but last night he showed up with a truck full of gardening soil (I think that's what it was). He said that he would be back tonight to build a fence around the gardening boxes (to keep out Rudy) and rototiller (sp?) the soil. I can't even tell you what a rototiller looks like or what it does. In a couple weeks we are going to plant tomatoes, onions (or whatever my heart desires) and it is MY responsibility to keep them alive. It's kind of a lot of pressure, but I'm actually really looking forward to it. I hope to show up at your front door soon bearing baskets of squash! Please let me in.

*There are two words to describe Ellie these days: BUSY and HAPPY. She learned how to crawl a few weeks ago and has been non-stop ever since. She likes to follow Rudy around the house, climb stairs, play in the trash, and make a mess of just about anything. This, in turn, makes me very busy. Nine months has definitely been my favorite age so far.

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.