Memorial Day 2010

It's been a whole week and then some since I have blogged!
That's the longest I've gone without doing a post in quite a while.
Our lap top crashed last week so we were without internet for a few days.
We ordered a desktop so we have that up and running now, but our lap top is still down.
At first I thought I'd die without the internet, but somehow I've managed.  And kind of enjoyed it too.
I've really been spending a lot of time working on this portraiture class I am taking. 
I've really enjoyed the lesson we had this last week on window lighting and harsh lighting.
I've taken tons of pictures and I'm not sure which to blog.
Hopefully I'll figure out where to start and share a few very soon.

For now I will leave you with this picture...

Hope you are having a nice Memorial Day.

And remembering the men and women who serve our country.

This, That, & a Question For You...

So tell me the truth...

Do I look 29 now?

I realize it may be hard to tell because the aviator sunglasses are hiding the beginnings of crows feet from your view.

So...

How bout now?

What's that?  You think I still look 25?

Why thank you. 

I think it's funny to see a picture of my two blonde girls with me and my dark hair.  Can you still tell that I am their mother?

So, seriously, my birthday was great.

Who doesn't love getting calls, texts, well wishes, and gifts from their family and friends?

We had a nice low key night hanging out in my backyard.

Talking, eating, laughing, drinking, gift opening, eating...

it was great.

I didn't get pictures of everyone who was there, but if you want, you can click here to see more pics from my Mom's blog.

Mr. Hass really outdid himself with my gift this year.

I mean seriously he did.

I am going to have to start thinking of something good for his birthday in July.  I swear he is the hardest person I know to shop for.

He got me the Jil E camera bag that I wanted (pictured above).

It fits my camera and 3 of my favorite lenses perfectly.

Inside the bag when I opened it was ...

Pioneer Woman's cookbook!

If you don't have this book, go get it. Now.

Not only do I love her, her photography is amazing, and every single recipe in this book looks so mouth watering and delicous.

I read through it this morning while drinking my coffee, and when I finished I was starving.

Also inside the fun camera bag was this envelope.

6/5/10 rang a bell.

It rang a bell because one day while I was at work Mr. Hass called me and said are you working on June 5?

I said no, and he said, ok well don't book any clients on that day, and don't ask me any questions about it.

Want to know what is going on June 5?

This is me, just realizing what is going on June 5. 

Or rather, where Mr. Hass is taking ME on June 5...

Can you tell by my face that I am saying "Seriously? For real? Shut up! Really?"

Tickets to see Tim McGraw and my favorite Lady Antebellum at the outdoor theater at San Manuel.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!

And dinner reservations at the Steak House there too.  And babysitting by my parents so that we can go! So a BIG thank you to my Mom & Dad for this gift too.  I am so excited.  What am I gonna wear?  I'm gonna need new shoes.  Good thing Nordie's sale starts on Wednesday eh?

What a guy my Mr. Hass is too huh? 

Real men drink beer while blowing bubbles.

My Mom made this scrumptious birthday dessert.  It is one big sugar cookie loaded with frosting, all different fruits, and drizzled with chocolate sauce and whip cream.  Oh my gosh is it good. 

It was so nice that my Grandma drove out to have dinner with us too.  I meant to get a picture of her and I.  Grandma we need a picture!  Next time.  Not next birthday, but next time I see you.

Anyway, I better go.  I have homework to do.

Who says you can't still make photo collages from magazine pictures and hang them on your wall when you are 29?  This was an assignment for a new photography class that I started this week on portraiture.  I thought this first week would be more technical like the last class I took, but this week has been more of a soul searching week.  Discovering what kind of an artist/photographer you want to be and determining your style.  We have to write an artist statement like professionals do to go with their photographs at gallery showings.  I am working on mine.  It's almost done.  Maybe I'll share it with you soon.

Hope you enjoyed my weekend ramblings.

Have yourself a good one.

Be good humans.

(That is a Mark & Brian reference.  Anybody ?)

And So Begins the Last Year of My Twenties...

That's right.  Today I am 29.  Goodbye 28.  You were good to me.  It's funny because so far every year of my twenties I don't really feel that much older, but the number just keeps going up.  I actually forget how old I am all the time.  I rarely get asked for my id in the grocery store anymore, but when I do it's always nice.  Once a checker rang up my wine and looked at me and asked, "How old are you?".  I completely forgot for a minute and I said, "Errr, 21.  Err, I mean 28."  And then she asked to see my id.  Something tells me I'll remember I am 29 though.  The last year of my twenties.

I'm not one of those people who hates their birthday as they get older.  I don't mind getting older, and I'd like to think that I am smarter each year.  A little more life experience under my belt.  I think back to the girl I was when I was 21, newly married, and so naive.  I used to say that before I had kids I would make sure I had a six pack so that after pregnancy my abs would get right back into shape.  Ha ha ha.  So funny I was.

I'm not even worried about turning 30.  30 will be fun.  What does seem weird, and in someways "old" are some of the birthdays throughout the 30's that I remember my Mom turning.  My Mom was 21 when I was born, so when she was 34, 35, and 36 I was 13, 14, and 15 years old.  I don't remember a lot of details from those birthdays of hers, but I remember things about them.  And while I do not think that 34 is "old", it is old enough for me to be as old as I remember my Mom being.  That's weird. 

I catch myself saying things to my kids that my Mom said to my sister and I all the time.  Things like "Because I said so, that's why", or "Well that's what I made for dinner.  If you don't like it, don't eat it."

So far it's been a very nice birthday.  Jake took the day off work so I got to work out AND take a shower today. That's a gift right there.  He also took Hannah to pre school and picked her up so I could go to my favorite nail salon for a nice long pedicure after the gym.  I picked up some Miguel's Jr for lunch (calories don't count on your birthday) and later today my family is coming over for dinner.  Jake asked what I want for dinner and I said I don't care, I just don't want to have to decide.  I feel like I make decisions all day long sometimes, and I just didn't want to have to on my birthday.  So he ordered BJ's for dinner and my Mom is bringing dessert.  Can't wait.

Yesterday when I was at work Jake and the girls dropped by to bring me these beautiful flowers. 

This morning my bff stopped by and gave me these adorable flip flops.  I wore them to get my pedi.

I think it was meant to be that I was born in May, the same month that Nordstrom has their Half Yearly sale every year.  Fortuitous, right?

I received some very nice cards in the mail today.

And I am smiling because I just finished listening to my brother sing me "happy birthday" on my voicemail.

The last year of my twenties.  Here I come!

 

Derek's 4th Birthday

I'll never forget the day when my best friend called to tell me some very big news.  Almost 5 years ago, Jake and I were stopped at Sam's Club to fill up our VW Touraeg (I miss that car) with gas, and then we were heading out to dinner for a date night.  Remember this was before kids, so do not assume this was a Friday or Saturday night.  It was probably a Tuesday and we were going out just because we can.  Oh how I miss doing that.  Anyway, Kelly called my cell phone and said in her usual happy and excited voice, "Genny guess what!!"   So I said, "you're pregnant!" And she said "Yes!!"  I think I said "Nuh-uh!" And then we screamed together. 

Kelly was one of the first of my friends to become a mom.  I was so thrilled for her and Jason, but I will never forget that I was also a little bit sad.  Not because I didn't want her to have a baby, but because I was afraid that I might lose my best friend to this new little bundle of joy who was going to be entering their lives.  I had not experienced for myself just how much work motherhood truly is, but I had an idea of it (or so I thought), and I was selfishly sorry for myself that if my best friend had a baby, I might not get to hang out with her as much as I'd like.

Of course I was absolutely wrong.  And I got over feeling sorry for myself.  When Kelly was 6 months pregnant with Derek, I found out that I was pregnant too.  I was so excited to tell Kelly, and once again we screamed together on the phone.  Getting to experience the many joys and trials of motherhood with my best friend has been such a gift.  And now when we meet up with our kids at the park, they think it is for them. Ha!

Last Wednesday her little baby turned FOUR.  I know I keep saying it, but time flies.  I remember going to visit Kelly and Jason at their home in Huntington Beach when they were just home from the hospital with Derek.  The proud new parents had been up all night, Derek was fussy when we were there, and Kelly was frazzled.  I remember thinking oh no, this looks tough.  Turns out it is tough, but looking at these kids and their excitement for the little things in life make every single tough moment so incredibly worth it.

Kelly and Jason just invited family over for Derek's birthday and I am so lucky that I get to be on that invite list too.  I can't even tell you how great it is to feel like I am part of these families. 

It's tough getting a picture of all the kids, but we did it. 

From left to right is Jillian, Derek, Aiden, Hannah, Claire, and up in front is James.

Jillian and James are only two months younger than Claire, and for those who might not know they are twins.  I love how happy Derek looks in this picture.  I think he really enjoyed his birthday party.

Mr. Hass got to man the extra large Woody pinata.

I think he was enjoying himself up there.

Hannah really impressed me with her bat swinging pinata skills.  She just swung away and loved every minute of it.

Did you notice baby James up there on the slide?  It cracks me up that he was sitting up there because I don't know if anyone even knew.  Can you imagine trying to keep tabs on twins all the time?

With a little assistance, Claire even got to take a few swings.

All of the kids were pretty happy once all that candy hit the ground.

Kelly and James, her little mama's boy.  Don't they both have such beautiful eyes?

Note to self- if there's a pool, there's a way.  Bring suits next time.

Happy 4th Birthday Derek! 

Thanks for letting us celebrate with you!

And for those who asked where the girls matching outfits are from...

Drumroll please...

Target clearance rack for $11 each!

Man I love Target!

The Weekend

Seriously, how did we go from Valentine's Day to May 16th in the blink of an eye?!  Time just flies.  I am trying to soak it all in, but it flies fast.  I have always heard that once you have kids time really flies.  I guess it's just that your life becomes so busy and so filled with the day to day routine, that everything else blurs right in there and it goes so fast you can't even wrap your head around it sometimes.  I feel like I've been so busy that even things I love like blogging, are becoming harder to find time for. 

I'm not one to say "I don't have time" for things though.  I think that time is the most precious gift that we have.  And we all get the same 24 hours every single day.  If it's important to me, I make time for it. 

We had a nice weekend.  Saturday was busy, and today was nice and laid back. 

We made a few phone calls...

We gave Abbey a bath...

I went on an organizing spree.

I've been on one the last week.

I've cleaned out my make up and hair drawers,

my underwear drawer,

my closet,

cupboards in the kitchen,

the kids toybox,

the toys and baskets in both girls rooms,

and today...

I tackled the closets.

I went through both girls closets. 

Did laundry, folded, hung back in closets, organized,

put away winter clothes in storage bins, and hung up summer clothes.

I saved everything of Hannah's and it has been so nice to pull out every time Claire has a growth spurt.  I found three pairs of crocs today that fit Claire perfectly right now that I had completely forgotten about. 

I also found some pj's that will fit Claire soon too.

Hannah's had a major growth spurt recently.

I've been buying her new things for summer here and there.

This weekend at Target I was so excited that I found some Princess and the Frog underwear for her.  She was just as happy as I hoped she'd be when I gave them to her. 

The girls wore new matching outfits today.

And we went to a party.

We had a great afternoon.

Want to know who's party it was?

Come back soon and I'll tell ya.

Hope your weekend was nice too.

My Mother's Day Weekend

It went a little something like this...

I'm so tired I can't even remember Friday.
Oh wait, I do remember.  It was not a great day.
I went to the grocery store and Claire cried the whole time.  We met friends at the park.  I hate the park.  I went to Trader Joe's to shop some more.  I also popped into Francesca's Boutique to see if there was anything I couldn't live without.  There was.  So I bought it. I mean them.  So there were a couple things I couldn't live without.  A couple necklaces that screamed my name.  A scarf.  And maybe some earrings.

This guy had to work all weekend.

I hate it when he works the weekend.  The days just drag on and on.  I can't get my hair washed.  It's rough.

My house was a mess all weekend.  It still is. 

These pictures don't really do anything justice.  There was way more mess. 

It is next to impossible to try to get myself fully ready the way I would like to without Mr. Hass around on the weekend.  Hannah is no problem, but Claire.  Oh Claire.  She is just not content to sit and watch a cartoon.  No no.  She has to roam the house, constantly looking for something to break, or make a mess of.  She pulls every single one of my shoes off their shelves and tries them on.  She wants me to pick her up.  She cries.  She leaves a trail wherever she has been.  She cries.  It's just not a great way to start the day.

So this morning before going upstairs I thought what can I give them to keep them happy and entertained long enough for me to take a quick shower.  Licorice.  Red Vines.  That's right, I used the tv as a babysitter, and I fed my kids Red Vines at 9 in the morning.  You gotta do what you gotta do. Well, that didn't work out so well. (Note to self- Never give Claire red vines in your bedroom ever again.  You will never get the bright red sticky drooly stains out of your pretty off white bench at the foot of your bed.  And those sticky red handprints all over the doors and walls were not fun to clean either.  Bad idea.  Maybe next time just put Claire in Abbey's kennel.)

We made blueberry muffins yesterday morning.

Hannah showed Claire how it's done.

Lick and enjoy.

I was able to get out of my mom uniform for a few hours last night.

My friend Kelly and I went to dinner and a movie.  A good dose of Kel always makes me feel refreshed.  She's good medicine.  So was the wine.  We saw Back Up Plan with J Lo.  It was really cute and funny.

While I'm on the subject of movies, let me say a BIG THANK YOU to the makers of The Princess and The Frog.  Claire has never sat still long enough to watch any show, and she is completely enamored with this movie.  Both girls were.  And yes, I used the tv to babsit again while I laid on the couch and tried to gather my strength.  You know you've done it too.

And one more movie I must talk about before wrapping this up.

SATC2!!

Sex and the City 2 people!

18 more days til it's released, but who's counting?

I'm a big fan.

I have all of the dvds from every season.

I have watched most episodes multiple times.

I have memorized lines from several episodes.

I repeat these lines from time to time.

I get chills when I see the previews for the new movie.

Mr. Hass bought tickets for us to do the SATC tour when we were in NY 4 years ago.

It was so neat and so fun.

(He was 1 of 3 men on the tour.  And he was the only straight man on the tour.  Hats off to him.)

Here's a few pics from that trip.

That's me, 3 months pregnant.  Trying so hard not to throw up at the millions of smells that New York City has to offer.  I am sitting in front of the Pulitzer Fountain, across from The Plaza Hotel.  The same fountain where Carrie runs into Mr. Big after his wedding to Natasha.  Remember that epsisode?  I was sitting right there.  Cool huh?

This is the stoop of Carrie Bradshaw's apartment.  How cool is that.  All of the people milling about are actually the neighbors that live on that street.  They were having an outdoor garage sale type thing for the whole street.  It was pretty neat to see.  They are also used to the screaming and adoring SATC fans that come by to see Carrie's stoop.

Times Square.

New York was fun.  I can't wait to go back someday.

Okay, I'll wrap this up now.  Sorry I got so excited about SATC I got a bit "Carried" away.  hee hee

Happy Mother's Day to my Mom and my Mother In Law!  Hope you both had a fantastic day.

PS- The highlight of my mother's day was my hour long bubble bath at 4:45pm this afternoon.  I got to read my fabulous book without any interruptions, so thank you to Mr. Hass for making that possible.