My Top Five List..**

Never judge someone unless you've walked a mile in their shoes.  That's one the main things I've learned to really (try to) live by since becoming a parent.  You just cannot judge someone's actions unless you're in their position...well, you CAN, but you SHOULDN'T.    There are quite a few things that I did, do,  or would consider doing that in the past I would have NEVER imagined myself allowing to happen.  All since parenthood.  Here are a few:

1. Letting my child wear Crocs...

Me Before Kids:  I hate, I'm sorry, ...STRONGLY DISLIKE those shoes called Crocs.  They are hideous.  They are the weirdest looking shoe...totally unattractive.  I would NEVER wear them or ever let anyone related to me wear them in my presence.

Now:  For the most part I still feel the same as above, HOWEVER, I'm now more accepting of them. For others.  Others being kids.  At this point, Chloë has gone through about 3 pairs in her lifetime (all gifts...thanks to my mom and Kara who gave them to her).  She loved them.  They were easy for her to slip on, hence no work on my part.  Easy.  Convenient.  Could get wet and not be ruined.  Could be worn year round, with our without socks.

This photo makes me dislike Crocs all the more...

  While we are on the topic of shoes...

2.  Let my child wear those annoying shoes that light up when they take a step.

Before Kids:  Ewww...ridiculous and annoying.  Embarrassing.  Why would anyone ever let their child wear those??

Now:  They were the ONLY way I could get Chloë to wear a sneaker that wasn't a big black velcro shoe with Cars or Spiderman on them.  They had to have something "cool" (in a toddler's eyes) or she would poo-poo them and never wear them.  So I went with the lights.  Santa brought them for her on Christmas.  She likes her shoes.  She wears them.  That's all that matters these days.  I've realized my time for choosing Chloë's style of dress and fashion expired a LONG time ago.

What?!  They make them for adults now, too?

3.  Music in the car...

Before Kids:  "When I have kids they will listen to MY music in the car.  There is no way we will be listening to nursery rhymes, Wiggles, and toddler music!  They will learn to like my music"

Now:  All we listen to is Veggie Tales songs, the Mary Poppins Soundtrack and one Baby Einstein CD. 99% of the time it's Veggie Tales that she asks for even before her seatbelt is buckled.  She can't wait to ride in the car JUST to listen to this CD.  It keeps her quiet (well, besides the singing along with the CD part...but at least she isn't asking me a million questions).  She is RARELY quiet.  This gives me time to think, breathe, focus on driving.  I love the Veggie Tales CD....but...I miss my music.  It's a trade off. 

4.  Rent a Bouncy House for a birthday party...

Before Kids:  Who does this??  People really blow all that money on a kid's birthday party??  Ridiculous.  People love to show off and flash their money out here.  

Now:  Bring on the bouncy house!  I love a bouncy house!  Okay, we have actually never rented on (yet) for Chloë's birthdays, but I wouldn't say it won't ever happen.  Here in San Diego you see them ALL the time at birthday parties.  It's probably more common to have one than to not have one at your kid's party.  Back on the east coast (and maybe times have a'changed) but if you had a bouncy house at your party you were probably made of moo-la$$.  It would have been considered pretty show-off-y and over-the-top I would think.  Here, like I said, it's the norm.  Your average Joe rents a bouncy house for their average kid's party.  There are so many competing party rental companies out there that it keeps the cost down.  And with the option to hold your birthday party outdoors pretty much year-round here, you may as well have something fun to keep the kids entertained.  

Will you be seeing one of these at Owen & Eli's 1st birthday party??

You'll have to come to find out!!

5.  Wear Sweatpants...

Before Kids:  I don't like sweatpants that much-- they are only for running or going to the gym.  Too many moms just "let themselves go" and don't even TRY anymore to look decent during the day.  'Nuf said.  

Now:   But mine are yoga pants!  There's a difference, dammit!  (and besides, they are comfortable and I'm up and down off the floor with a toddler and two infants...I need comfort and versatility..wait, why am I defending myself?  'Cuz mine are "yoga pants" not sweatpants!  Right?)

6. Let me kids watch TV...

Before Kids:  Kids should not be watching TV.  TV rots the brain.  Go outside and play.  Explore. Build.  Create.    "People use TV as a babysitter" and "that's just lazy parenting."  My kids will not watch much, if any, TV.

Now:  I do try to seriously limit Chloë's TV exposure (the boys, however are allowed 5-8 hours of TV per day.   Kidding).  Myke and I don't love TV.  I've never been a big TV person.  I don't "have a show" that I have to watch every certain day at a certain time.  Even on my 10 weeks of bed rest.  Yes, we have a huge 48 or 52 inch (?) flat screen (which is probably small by todays standards) but we rarely even watch it.  HOWEVER, when I need a break or a "babysitter" for a little bit, then I will turn on a show for Chloë.  It works great!  It's like her Veggie Tales CD..it keeps her nice and quiet for a little bit.  Did I mention that she talks a lot?  A LOT.  Like non-stop.  Sometimes even the most patient of moms (and that is not necessarily me) needs a break from the chaos that is a toddler.  A chance to breathe.  I should probably turn on the TV more often come to think of it :)  

And last, but not least....

7.  Drive a Minivan...

Before:  I've discussed this many of times...I DESPISE mini-vans.  I would NEVER in a million years drive one.  You couldn't PAY me to get one.  I will drive a huge, hard-to-park, SUV before getting a minivan if that's what it takes to fit 3 car seats, a big stroller and a large golden retriever.  

Now:  I drive a minivan.   And I actually kind of like it.  There, I said it.  The old me cringes at the new me saying it but there it is....   It works.  It does the job.  There's not a lot of EASY when it comes to having three small kids, but my car is.  It fits 3 car seats, my stroller, my dog, and even a guest (if someone else would actually ever consider getting in the car with that crew), I can get in and out of doors with an infant seat in a tight parking space (which there are many of in crowded San Diego), I can open three of the five doors with the push of a button.  It has a back-up camera....another thing I never thought I'd need but now I truly love.  Oh man, I'll stop gushing now...

Okay, I'm done.  As you can see from this list (besides the bouncy house and the TV)...at the end of the day, convenience trumps coolness.  It just is what it is!   My point is, I've really learned that you just can't judge another person unless you've walked a mile in their shoes (even if their shoes are Crocs).  :)

"Don't judge me"

(**You may have noticed that what started as my "top 5" list turned into my "top 7" by the end of my tangent....and I'm sure I could go on...)

Teething Times Two...Fun Times...

Both Owen & Elijah are teething.  They already both have their two bottom front teeth but now some of the upper front ones can be seen poking through the top gums.  The amount of drool that comes out of Owen's mouth is amazing.  He is literally a faucet.  I've had to go back to having him wear little bibs during the day or the entire front of his shirt is soaked within minutes.  Eli isn't quite as bad.  Chloë never drooled. Okay, I'm sure she drooled on a rare occasion or two, but nothing like this!  Another "new" thing we are dealing with is the baby who puts EVERYTHING into his mouth.  Again, Owen.  He crawls all over the place and gets into mischief.  Yesterday he was under the kitchen table eating my laptop cord (which was plugged into the wall...that's gone now.  Don't judge.)  He also ate my CVS Extra Bucks!  I had $5!  Gone!  Well, it's not actually gone, per se.  He chewed on it, soaked the paper, swallowed a little of it, decided it wasn't tasty enough, then regurgitated it onto the rug.  So I have the remnants of it: It is not readable but the bar code part is still there.  I put it into a ziplock and we'll see if I'm able to still use it.  My point is, Chloë was never the "put-everything-into-the-mouth" type so I'm not used to this level of baby proofing.  We have to vacuum and clean the floors every single day to make sure we get up any hidden little pieces of things that Owen might try to eat for lunch.  

If we had to label the kids (and we have to, right?  kidding) at this point we'd say the Owen is the funny one, Elijah is more sensitive but easy to smile, and Chloë is the drama queen/daredevil.  Chloë got a bike just two weeks ago.  Her first real bike.  Training wheels and all..and she has just gone WILD with it!  She rides all over the place and goes fast!  After just a week and 1/2 of having it (and not even getting to ride it every day, by any means) she started STANDING UP while peddaling after seeing a man do it on his bike when he was riding up a hill.  So a few days ago while she's out riding on the sidewalk in front of our house she says, "Mommy, watch this!" and she stands up and pedals away.  No bottom on the seat.  The child isn't even 3 years old!   I know I'm new to the toddler thing, but doesn't this seem early???  Like I said, she has barely had the bike for two weeks.  On Friday we took her across the street to the school parking lot where she had a lot of turf to ride on and she just went nuts.  Our neighbors came over to watch her and were amazed with how fearless she is.  They said she's ready for ramps and jumps.  Pretty much. I'm guessing it's part naivety since she has yet to fall down and get hurt.  She wears a helmet (of course! just because I leave easily-accessable lap top power cords plugged into the wall when I have a crawling infant doesn't mean I'm also neglectful with my bike-riding toddler...give me some credit :)), knee & elbow pads.  I'll have to get some footage of her new-found skills.  She can brake (thank God!), turn corners without slowing down (and hence give her mother near-heart attacks), and zig zag around obstacles.  In less than 2 weeks.  Do I see BMX biker in my future?  X games?  I hope not!  

Owen in the dryer.

When Chloë saw this photo she said, "Look Mom, Owen is in the dryer!  He's all clean now!"

That's my Dad in the middle--we see a big resemblance to Elijah!

Don't let the pink shirt and cute smile fool you- this girl is TOUGH STUFF!

Enjoying the warm weather!

Don't they just look like little troublemakers??

More Photos from Santa Monica

Here are some photos taken by our friend and wonderful photographer, Angie.  

Here's her site in case you want to check it out: angelagraves.com

Video Clip

Chloë's Weekend   <----click on this link

Heather put together a bunch of little video clips on her iPhone for Chloë.  Thought I'd share...

Girls' Trip to Santa Monica!

Chloë and I jumped in the car and headed north this past weekend to visit friends up in the L.A. area.  It was fun to get to go on a mini-mother-daughter adventure together!  We stayed at our friend Heather's house in Santa Monica.  She's Chloë's godmother and she is so good to Chloë!  She has been a big part of her life from the start which is so special.  We had a busy weekend: Chloë and Heather exchanged Christmas presents and Chloë got A BIKE!!!  And not only a bike, but A CARS BIKE!!  Then, we had a one-year-old birthday party to attend.  It was someone Heather knew and Chloë and I were tag-alongs.  Chloë is big on the birthday party circuit here in San Diego so she really worked the party up there in L.A.  She made herself right at home at the party: blowing bubbles, playing with the little boy's toys, eating the Elmo cake, having a near tantrum because she couldn't open his presents, etc.  Good times.  She even was sent home with a goody bag.  After the party we let her ride her bike around the neighborhood and she just took off like she had been riding bikes for years!  She absolutely LOVES the bike and rode and rode and rode.  We were jogging to keep up with her and I had about 30 near-heart-attacks as she zoomed around corners, kept looking back at us and nearly going off the sidewalk, etc.  We also went to a football playoff get- together later that afternoon.  The get-together was at a home where a 5 year old boy lives so Chloë was in hog heaven with all of his toys.  She played with trains, legos, spaceship stuff, rubber snakes and insects, etc.  She was on cloud nine.  The next day we hit up the Santa Monica farmer's market.  Heather lives close to it so we walked and Chloë rode her bike.  We headed back to San Diego later that afternoon.

Anyways, we are back in home now.  We missed Myke, Owen & Eli but we definitely enjoyed our road trip!  Some photos:

Ready for our road-trip!  

Strapping on the hat and ready to work the party!

little piano at the birthday party

bike time!

Chloë & Heather

How did my baby get so big?!

She found a friend to play with at the football gathering.

snakes!!

I wear my sunglasses at night..

Chloë & Angie

Checking her bike at the bike valet at the Santa Monica farmer's market

Giant pancakes and balloon animals!  This is great!

Chloë & the Heathers

Chloë and James

Heather rode back to San Diego with us on Sunday afternoon to spend time with the boys, too

(and to see some San Diego friends)

Heather & Elijah

Breakfast on Monday morning in Pacific Beach

Heather & Owen 

Our Manny Has Left the Building...

A farewell trip to Tower 23 on "Pop's" last night with us

We took the kids with us for this portion of the night but then had a babysitter come so we could go to dinner afterwards

Myke & I out on a Friday night!  Woo!

Thom getting the run-down on his flight of beers at Local Habit

We have had family in town for just a few days shy of 4 straight weeks so we have been quite spoiled with all the extra helping hands around here.  Myke's father was our final visitor and he left yesterday morning to head back to the 12 degree weather in Philly...brrr!  We/He got a lot of things done while he was here - a pantry put into the laundry room, Chloë got her big girl bed, he cleaned out the piping that goes from the dryer to the outside (He pulled out a 1/2 bucket full of wet gunk was in there!! no wonder our clothes weren't drying properly...gross!), I cleaned out the boys' dresser (everything size 9 months and smaller is history already!), we got the Christmas tree and decorations all taken down and put away, Myke and I got a new mattress etc.  It was good to take care of all of these things and feels good to start the new year off fresh.  

Eli & Owen on the swing

The Joovy Big Caboose's final stroll - sold it on Craigslist later this day! 

Good riddance!  

Chloë & Eli in the big-girl bed

Owen is getting into EVERYTHING now that he is crawling...

luckily I had just put a clean liner in this trashcan a few moments before

A January Hike

All three kids are napping, Myke is out running some errands, and I'm having a few minutes of peace and quiet...ahhhh...so I thought I would share some pics from our hike earlier today.  

We woke up this morning and decided that the weather looked ideal for being outdoors (surprise, surprise, right?) so we decided to pile the crew in the car and head out for a hike out east.  I chose Hollenbeck Canyon in Jamul, mainly because it's one of my favorite hiking trails that I've found here in San Diego, and also because it has wide trails and easy terrain- more ideal for a jogging stroller.  

Being out there always conjures up some crazy memories, as this is where I went into labor when I was pregnant with Chloë (almost 3 years ago!).  I think they started about a mile in from the trailhead when we were on the return portion of the hike. 

 WHY did I go hiking the day after my due date, you ask??  On a trail out in Jamul, which is a good 45 minute drive from our home and our hospital?  I have NO clue!  I must have been nuts.  However, my parents and Myke were there, too, so we were all nuts.  Not just me.  In hindsight the whole idea was absolutely insane.  At the time (in our defense), I had not had any signs of impending labor, no contractions, and was scheduled to be induced 6 days later, so I felt that I was in the clear.  Obviously not.  Anyways, going on this hike always brings back memories of that day.  I told Chloë, "You were almost born on this trail..." and then we passed a Subway store on the way home where I had stopped to use the restroom back on that fateful day, as the labor pressure had become enormous and I didn't think I could make it home at that point.  I told her, "There is the Subway where I almost gave birth to you in the bathroom.".  Myke and I laugh at this now but at the time it was pretty scary!  

Anyways, today was a beautiful day for a hike.  The scenery out there is a so gorgeous, the air was clear and refreshing, and it was peaceful and quiet, unlike where we live in the hustle bustle of San Diego.  

Hollenbeck Canyon...where it all began!

The start of the trail

The January sun peaking through the branches

Eli riding in the Bjorn

Kyla & Chloë

The "Bob Duallie" stroller

Heading back to the car