Stinky starfish

T cleaning his sea treasures

Yesterday I took full advantage of the beautiful sunny weather and took T over to Santa Cruz for a few hours before work. We went to a new beach this time, not our regular stomping ground at Twin Lakes. We went to a small beach called Live Oak which is near The Point off of 41st, it is a small little inlet in the middle of a quaint neighborhood, not very busy, close parking, and on this particular day there were tons of seashells and other sea treasures for us to collect! We even found a bright pink starfish - it was half hidden under the dry sand near where we were sitting, and was still soft and its little fingers reactive so after I took some quick pictures I had T "save it" and put it back in the ocean where it belongs. I don't know how long it had been out of the water, and not sure if it was too late for our little starfish friend but I hope it made it. And boy was that little guy stinky!

On days like this when I can visit my favorite place, the beach, enjoy the salty air, sun, relax and watch T run around the sand and splash in waves, I can't help but feel just overwhelmingly blessed and truly lucky to be able to experience this with my adorable, amazing son. Being his mommy gives me the greatest sense of joy and pride.

Also, I realize that, once we do have another baby, these day trips will become fewer and far between...just not as convenient and easy to pull off on a whim as they occur with one child. Recognizing this just helps me to appreciate the one and one time I have with T, the special bond we have together just the two of us, and how precious he is.

"Little Cube"

Jason and I FINALLY attended his company party this Saturday, after several years of unsuccessful urging and begging on everyone else's part to convince Jas he would have a good time. The theme was decades of dance and music, or some variation of such cheesiness. So I decided on 80's prom/rocker chic in an all black ruffled taffeta and lace number... keep in mind that I rarely get dressed up for Halloween let alone any other reason so this was my first grown-up costume party if you will so I naturally gravitated towards a girly 80's outfit! I had a blast shopping at Moon Zoom of San Carlos in San Jose - such an awesome store in general, with an unbelievable selection of authentic clothing from many eras, mostly 50's through 90's, but most importantly the entire top floor devoted to 80's chic...you name it they had it - spandex unitards, poofy prom dresses, sequin tube tops, stonewashed denim, tracksuits. I could have played there all day, unfortunately T didn't find this selection nearly as exciting, so I grabbed what I could.
Jas went as Ice Cube (all his idea, I had no say whatsoever, his favorite genre of music and time period also.) So we made quite an unlikely pairing...pictures to come eventually! We had a really great time at the party, played poker, hung-out with Jason's sister and brother-in law who works for Air Systems also, and I was able to meet many of Jas's co-workers for the first time. Not to mention that this was our first date in months so this was long overdue!

T saw the wig Friday and immediately had to wear it! Here he is working the pik

Little Ice Cube, Jason named him

Fluffing his curls!

Friday, we had a playdate with Shelley and her Baby G. She is due to have her baby in 2 weeks although I believe it will be sooner! We walked to the neighborhood park and had a really great time visiting. T found a headlamp and wanted to show the light to the baby...this was so cute to see! I am so excited for Shelley to join the new Mommy club and to share our new experiences with each other for years to come!

Our closeup...a little too much of me in the shot, sorry!

Picture this...

THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE WASHABLE PAINT....THIS WAS AFTER HANDWASHING...NICE

In typical T fashion, tonight when I asked him to go downstairs to say goodnight to Daddy it looked a bit like this...

Before leaving his room, he had to run over to his bed, roll on his back, hang upside over the side and roll off onto the floor!

Off to the stairs...which he proceeded to take one at a time, slowly sliding both of his feet all the way to the edge of each step until he plopped on to the next. Again each step, and there are 15 I believe, so this was a hilarious yet tedious process. And then the token high jump from the bottom step!

Instead of walking easily over to Jason on the couch, he took an obstacle course, climbing over our reclining chair, again rolling onto his head to the floor, T-Rex stomped and all fours to kiss his Daddy, then galloped back to me!

Maybe it's just me, but I adore the silly way T does things.

Tonight in particular he just brought warmth to my heart and a joy to my smile! Very much needed after the tragic news of a family friend last week.

T also attempted a new word today: Armaduyehyo (Armadillo)...just cute.

Why?

I only wish I had more words....I have no idea what it feels like to experience such loss. I don't want to imagine it, that would only diminish its relevence and magnitude. I can't relate to how you feel, how you cope, how you move on. This loss is unfair, too soon, too tragic. And now a family and countless friends are left helpless, lost and grieving. My thoughts are with those who I love deeply...I know there are no words.

Each day I haven't been able to hug, squeeze, kiss, smell, hold or stare at Talan enough. I am so very sad...

Blasted time change!!! I sooo dislike (hate is such and ugly word!) feeling like I've lost an hour, and we woke up late...Argghh!

Monterey

Last Sunday we visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium with our neighbors and good friends, the Andrade Family, Bette, Marcio and Leo. Leo is 2 and T loves to show him the ropes of being a big boy! It was a blustery, wet, rainy day, but our little boys paid no mind of course! When we arrived it was time to have lunch so we headed to a delicious BBQ restaurant, who's name escapes me, but when sweet potato fries are on the menu and "hickory smoked" describes every dish, you know the food is going to hit the spot! YUM! Off to the Spindrift Hotel where Marcio used to work many years ago, he stopped by to visit old co-workers, who were kind enough to show us their newly remodeled suites...waterfront private decks and master room ocean view, very impressive. When we arrived at the aquarium it was crazy crowded, but I believe within 30 min. it began to clear out fairly quickly...after all, past lunchtime/naps due/rain/and Sunday afternoon means people were headed home with their kiddos early. Hooray for us because the boys had a blast with all the open space and elbow room to play and explore. Highlights of the day were the River otters who were super active, T spent an hour in the water play area, he held a hermit crab for the first time, and attempted to touch a stingray - but his arms were too short!
We had a lovely day sharing the trip with some good friends and hope to go back with our new membership passes very soon! Oh, and they have an IMAX theater at Cannery Row that is showing that Prehistoric Sea Creatures movie that I attempted to see a month back when we decided to go to SF Zoo instead, so hopefully that will still be around when we go back!

T at the touch pools

Crashing waves room...they LOVED this

Creepy Octopus, but so cool

Holding the hermit crab

Raelly cute bright green tree frogs all huddled together

T playing in the water forever

River Otter exhibit

Leo and T at the Outer Bay exhibit looking for sharks

Sunfish

Touching the Sunfish

Playful Sea Otter

Jas loves the Sea Otters

Dads with their boys!

"Clutter sucks the life out of any space..."

"It is impossible to have a centered inner space, when your outer space is a chaotic mess." (article, Peter Walsh, Enough Already)

As I mentioned back when I started our blog, I was going to attempt to include other aspects of my life besides my zillions of pictures of the little man! Although my whole life revolves around him, and I live and breathe for being a mommy, I thought I would show you around our condo. Our home is a constant project for me, with my mind constantly reeling about how to use the space more efficiently, provide for the most floor space possible, all while trying to be budget-friendly, use and rearrange what we already own, and stick to my modern seaside decor.

Although our condo is over 1000 sq.ft., with 2 bedrooms and 2.5 baths, it is quite narrow and has an awkward lay out. When we moved in as newlyweds, we didn't buy any new furniture except for in our bedroom (because we didn't have any!) so what large pieces we have are what stayed and found a comfy place to remain since. When we put the condo up for sale a year ago and that fell through, we had to come to the realization, as so many others have in the state of our economy, that we will be here for quite sometime. And we really do appreciate how fortunate we are to have a home, own our home, have comfort and safety in it, and do with it as we please, but we have taken some time to get over the disappointment that our son doesn't have a backyard he can roam around in and be adventerous in, and that when we do have another baby, they will share a super duper tiny room, not ideal, wasn't in our life's master plan.

That's my same old sob story and I'm sticking to it.

These are the only sculptural pieces we own. They are from Crate and Barrel, and to me resemble the back of a sand dollar, again keeping with my modern seaside theme. However Jason thinks they look like inverted nipples on wrinkly boobs...to each their own! I love them though!

I was on a whirlwind organizing kick this past week after reading the March issue of Better Homes & Gardens...every page offered great ideas on how de-clutter, organanize all of those random toiletry items that pack our drawers and cabinets, and utilize the space you have. One woman's linen closet had itemized woven baskets which separated everything from cold/allergy meds, and vintage pillowcases, to guest soaps, and dental products. I took a cue from this idea, bought some lined baskets and off to de-clutter I went. Besides the baskets, I purchased some tags at the dollar store which are currently awaiting to be assigned labels. I used some wire shelving that we already owned. So all in all, I think my OCD is more under control with this new storage. I am quite pleased, Jason thinks I've gone mad.

This cabinet is in our kitchen, and used to be the catch-all area for anything from OTC meds, sunscreen, cameras, pictures, artwork, lightbulbs, cologne, and fish food. Now although many of those items are still in this cabinet, they each have their own collectively assigned basket, and no longer roll around, get knocked over, fall onto the floor, or become lost.

My closet is a constant work in progress

T's closet installation has made a huge difference. I didn't want to use up the little floor space he has in his room for a separate bookshelf, so we decided to put them in the closet organizer...this new better-used space really has made a huge difference for all 3 of us when it comes to clean-up time, finding outfits, and storage! Hooray and thank goodness for OSH!

My frugal attempt at giving our bedroom a more streamlined, clean appearance. I do want it to feel more like a hotel, with not a lot of clutter. Again, this is still a work in progress also. The headboard, which is actually a woven screen, is from Cost Plus World Market, lamps from Target, and pillows from Marshalls.

We remodeled the bathrooms last Spring but didn't actualy complete painting, touch-ups and hanging the mirrors until this past November....it's funny how 8 months can pass by and we lived with such chaos in our bathrooms for so long that it just became normal!

My Dad and I hung some Ikea shelves in our living room to have a place for my shells, other knick-knacks and pictures. I feel like they have given the room more openness and height, which it lacked before. The baskets hold T's movies.

That hole to the right, which is above the fireplace, is a big empty gaping hole which is meant to house a TV. For anyone else who has one of the so-called "TV nooks" know just as we do how completely ineffecient they are, as putting a TV at that height causes back and neck strain, headaches, and in general is awkward. After taking the house off the market, we bought a bigger TV and placed it where you currently see it, and the TV nook has become an eye sore. We would like to use it as DVD storage but again, have a limited budget, and don't want it to become a bigger eye sore!

Any thought or comments are welcome