MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I know, I know - I'm a couple days early, but I figure I won't have time to post this before Christmas. We are soooo ready for Christmas. And by we, I mean me. I've got all the presents wrapped, the kids and I baked Santa some cookies and I even had Andrew and Alivia make some thank you cards to give to Santa. We. Are. Ready.

This here's the card we sent out this year - if you didn't get one, it's because you're not on our super elite mailing list. Sorry! That means you didn't meet our super strict elite mailing list requirements, which are as follows:

1. Send me your mailing address.

See? It's pretty complicated. Soooo.....You can look at it here instead. Merry Christmas everybody!!!

Oooooohhhh, the weather outside is frightful...

It finally hit us. And when it did - it hit big. We got alot of snow yesterday!!! I had plans to take the kids to go see Santa yesterday, but by the time I got the kids ready, I looked outside and my back yard looked like the last frontier in Alaska. So....we stayed home. And I banished the two older kids upstairs with a movie and lots and lots of toys - with strict instructions to not even think about coming downstairs. And then, I wrapped presents for 3.5 hours. I almost finished - but I still have a few more to go. And you betch'er rear end it's all the odd shaped packages that are left sitting on my shelf. Why do I always wait to torture myself till the very end?

Extremely long side note: I would just like to say that Jason (and other men in his position) have the Christmas season pretty easy. Jason hates shopping - but especially during Christmas. He hates the crowds. He hates the sales people who pressure him to buy things he's too nice to say no to. He. Hates. It. And get this - he only has to shop for one - that's right folks - one person. Me. He takes an entire day to shop for me. You see, he needs this entire day so that he can take "beer breaks" between stores - just so he can keep shopping. That's his tradition.

My tradition?

I generate present ideas for every other person on our list - which usually totals around 30 people. Then, I shop for those 30 people - most of which I get done in a Annual One Day Power Christmas Shopping Extravaganza. How do I do that, you ask? It's one of the many perks of being so awesome.

I then wrap those presents for 30 people, and stuff 4 stocking to the brim.

Just so we're clear - let's do a little recap:

Jason - one person to generate ideas, shop and wrap for.

Alecia - 30 people to generate ideas, shop and wrap for.

Yeah, yeah, yeah....he makes the money that pays for those presents....(sigh)...whatever.

Anyways......this morning I was feeling a little bit guilty about not letting the kids go outside to play in the snow yesterday, so first thing this morning I bundled them up and let them hit the back yard. And they did. They ran. They laughed. They made snow angels. They threw snow at our dog. For about 15 minutes. Then they were begging to come inside. But being the photographer mama that I am - I snapped a few pictures of them in the snow. So here you go. They were cute while they lasted!

Awwwww yeah.....it's business time.

I just had to share my new favorite. song. ever. If you are married - heck, even if you're not, enjoy....because....thass right....it's business time.

Look what she can do!

She can do it, yes she can!! Amelia is sitting up! Yeah!!!.....So what if it's only for 30 seconds at a time, propped up with her balled up fists. It still counts, right? I think so..

This is just a quick little update - she's 5 - that's right, 5 months old today. I swear I do not know where the time is going. Poor little girl caught her first cold, and she's really trying to keep her chin up. She'll be smiling, then all of the sudden she'll cough and then just start bawling. I feel so bad for her! And I feel so bad for me, too. She was up 5 - that's right, 5 times last night because of her nasty little cough/cry cycle. And she takes her pacifier for a few seconds before she realizes she can't breathe from her nose, so then she drops it and starts crying all over again. I'm tired. She's tired. Can't we all just go to sleep now?

I did catch her being really sweet this afternoon, so I decided to break out the camera and capture her happy little self - doing her new trick, even if it was just for a few minutes.

7 Years Ago

Seven years ago, my life changed forever. On November 5th at 3:14am, my view of the world shifted in an instant. His very first breath completely transformed my identity. He didn't know it, but he gave me the gift that I treasure most of all. He made me a mama. His mama. And I am so completely honored that God chose me to be Andrew's mother. He really is something else...

When he was born, it took him good 30 seconds or so to take his first breath. They immediately took him off my chest and to the warmer to rub, pat and stimulate that first deep breath out of him. I knew he was alive, he was looking around with those big eyes in shock, blinking at the bright lights. But not breathing. Just looking. And then, after what seemed like an eternity, I heard him cry. And it was the. most. beautiful. sound I ever heard. I just looked at him over in the warmer - and looked at Jason, that "new daddy" pride in his eyes. I looked back and forth, back and forth. Between my two guys. I was so unbelievably happy, we had our son. I was so tired, but I didn't - couldn't - sleep for two days after he was born. I couldn't stop looking at him. Every time I closed my eyes, I just had to open them again to make sure he hadn't disappeared. I felt like he was almost too good to be true. And oh my goodness, I was in love. Butterflies and all. (Andrew loves it when I tell him this part of the story.)

Andrew's first few months of life were pretty tough on me. I quit my job and became a stay at home mom. BIG transition. He was a fussy infant, to put it mildly. He screamed if I wasn't holding him. And it had to be me. Not Daddy. Not Granny. Not Auntie - not anybody else, just me. That wore me out. Big time. And when he cried, I would cry, (chalk that up to being a first time mommy) so I held him. Alot. And we cried together many times in those first few months. But then, right around 4 months old, his disposition suddenly changed overnight. He became the most easy going, happiest little guy you'd ever meet. He would go to anybody and was more than happy about it. He laughed easily (still does) and often. By his first birthday, he was very close to walking and was obsessed with doors. He would just open and close them, over and over and over. He didn't care at all what was inside the door, he just liked making them open and close.

When my little guy turned 2, we had moved to California for the year. We had so much fun there - took that little guy all over the Bay Area. I knew he was smart - he could recognize every letter of the alphabet before his second birthday. He was obsessed with trains. We lived really close to the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and every time he'd see one go by - he would get all excited, point and yell "FREIN, FREIN!!!!!" He also really liked trucks. And he didn't quite know how to pronounce truck correctly. He replaced the "tr" sound with the "f" sound. That was super fun when we were out in public and he would see a truck, and yell: "Ooooooooh, f*ck! BIG F*CK!!!!!" Needless to say, we got some strange looks from some folks, but a few smiles too. He was becoming more and more independent. He wouldn't cuddle with me to save his life. He was far too busy for that nonsense. So at night, when he was sleeping, I would go into his bedroom, lift him out of his crib and hold him while he slept, just so I could get some cuddle time in with my little man.

By the time Andrew turned 3, I was pregnant with Livie. We had (sadly) moved home from Cali and were back in our house. During his third year - I began to realize just how incredibly stubborn he could be. Potty training him was not easy. He didn't see why he needed to change what he'd been doing his whole life. He was content to poop his pants until the day he died. But finally, with a sticker chart and the promise of Thomas the Tank Engine trains, he caved and decided to officially become a big boy. He also became a big brother for the first time. Before Alivia was born, I spent alot of time talking to him about his role as a big brother. I explained to him what an important job it was to be a big brother. He needed to be gentle with her. He needed to protect his baby sister and keep her safe. I talked to him about my older brother, and how much I love him and how Livia would look up to him just as I look up to his Uncle Clinton. I also told him that he was very special to be because he was my first baby, and my only son. I still tell him that. And if I don't tell him often enough, he'll ask me if it's still true.

When Andrew turned four, he had just started his first year of preschool. I was so insanely proud of him - to see my baby boy in a classroom. With friends and a teacher and the constant projects he worked so hard on. They were so darn cute! But it made me feel a little sad that he was growing up so fast. I'd always looked forward to watching him grow. When he was a newborn, I would just look at him and try to imagine him at the age of 4. What would he look like? What would be his favorite things? What kind of personality would he have? And here he was, four - in the blink of any eye. What happened to my baby? I never expected to mourn. But in a way, I did. He was transforming from a baby into a little boy. But, oh, how he made me proud! He began to learn how to write, and started leaving me love notes. The first one I ever got from his was on his magnadoodle. He figured out pretty quickly that mama can be buttered up with an "I love you" and a "You're so pretty, mama." That year was definitely a transition for me. I was so torn between the sadness I felt from watching my baby disappear and the overabundance of pride I felt about the amazing little boy he was turning into.

When Andrew turned 5, he had just started his 2nd year of preschool. I absolutely loved the school he went to because he learned so much. He was always coming home asking me if I knew about this or that. He just had such a desire to learn, and sometimes he would blow me away with his capability to absorb so much information. He was still just as social, if not more than ever. Andrew made friends wherever we went. Literally. And still, loved to laugh. He definitely inherited my sense of humor.

When Andrew turned 6, he had just started kindergarten. This was a brand new school, and I wondered how he would feel about being in school full time. He went from going to school 3 days a week, for 2.5 hours each day - to school 5 days a week, 6 hours each day. But, the big - huge - deal for him was that he got to ride the school bus. I'll never forget that day when I walked him up to the bus stop for the first time. When the bus started to come around the corner, I thought he was going to explode, he was so excited!! He'd been asking to ride a school bus since he was two, and now, finally it was really happening. I helped him get on the bus, and then stepped back off, and watched my life drive away, in the hands of some woman I'd never met until that moment. I didn't follow the bus, I wouldn't let myself. I told myself this is just the first of many times I was just going to have to let him do it on his own. This is a part of the process. That day, when he got off the bus, he literally ran to me and gave me a huge hug. Then proceeded to tell me all about his day as we walked into the house. I held his little hand in mine and looked down at him chattering away and again my heart swelled with pride.

Now here he is at the age of 7. I swear, he'll be taller than me within the next couple years. I know, I know, that's not saying alot, being that I'm a borderline "little person." But I imagine watching your child outgrow you proves to be quite a shock for any mother. Even for the 5'11" giants I know. (Ahem....kathy....) He started playing soccer this year. I LOVED watching him play! When he scored his first goal, I almost burst with pride. I was on the sidelines screaming and clapping like a blithering idiot. He saw me. And he laughed. He is still very affectionate with me, and I just eat it up. I know the day is coming where it's no longer cool to approach your mama just for a hug, so when he comes to me just to say I love you, I hang on to him just a little bit longer. Just so I can remember through those teenage years, when I have coax a hug or two out of him. Who knows? Maybe he won't change. But most likely, he will. Then maybe I'll sneak into his room and pick him up like I used to when he was one - just to get a hug out of him. There is a part of me that hopes - as hard as I can - that he'll never stop being the way he is now. He is so sweet, sensitive, loving, stubborn, funny, helpful, mischievous, smart and I love him more everyday that goes by.

In the famous words of Robert Munsch:

"I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be."

Laina....this is for you, sister.

Poor Alivia. Kathy came over on Sunday with her girls (Maile and Laina) and well, her girls are shy. Really, really shy. My kids, on the other hand don't understand the concept of shy. So, Alivia was doing her thing, being all up in Laina's grill - and Laina didn't like it. She hadn't "warmed up" to Liv just yet - and Alivia wasn't picking up on her social cues. I've spoken with Liv about it, and she had a response for Laina that she wanted to record on video. This was 100% her idea. I didn't put her up to this at all. And don't accuse me of lying either. I had nothing - I mean, NOTHING to do with this. I'm not lying.

If the first 2-3 words out of Alivia's mouth don't convince Laina to be friends with her, I don't know what will. So, without futher adieu, I present...

Do it...

Today is the day, people. Go. Vote.

Amelia thinks Jill is funny...

...and she's not the only one! Jill IS funny. She is the one person who can make me laugh so hard I can't breathe. When I'm with her, it's like a hardcore abdominal workout. And forget my eye make-up. I don't even know why I put make-up on when I know we're gonna hang out. It's like Tammy Faye Baker after a real good prayer.

Moving on.....Jason started this nasty little rumor that Amelia full on laughed last weekend when I was at the studio. (grrrrrrrrrr...) See, I don't miss anything because I'm a stay-at-home-mom and that is one of my God given rights. I get to see all her firsts.

So to rid myself of this cognitive dissonance, I have convinced myself that my baby's firsts don't actually occur until I've seen it with my own eyes. I will do my best to recreate the so-called "first whatever" and then and only then, do I admit that the particular "first" has occurred.

So, I've been trying very hard to get her to laugh. All day. Every day. All week. And the most I've gotten out of her? A courtesy giggle or grunt. And then a strange look that clearly says: "Stop it, Mama. You're disturbing. And it's not funny."

But then Jill comes over, makes a couple of fart noises and it's all sorts of funny. Enjoy!

Reason #947 Why I Love My Son...

I was so tired last night. It was one of those nights where it was all I could do to make it up the stairs just to get into bed. Just as it was one of those nights, it had been one of those days with the kids. In fact, I sent both Andrew and Alivia to bed at 8pm with no story because - again - they were squabbling. Needless to say, they were not very happy with me. So, at 9pm, I decide to make the climb up the stairs to crawl into bed. I walked in my room, turned on my lamp and this is what I found, from my dear sweet wonderful son who I had just sent to bed with no story.

Page 1:
(In Andrew's phonetically correct spelling, which I love. It cracks me up!)

Mama

I hope you are haveen fun. You and me can go on a date. You are the best mom in the whole wide world! Let's play the wii or make book's or have fun. You have fun. I have fun. Let's do it eney day you want. So... Um... Have fun.

PS. For mama

Page 2:

PSS. From Andrew
PSSS. When we go have fun bring me.
PSSSS. We will have fun dooin fun things.
PSSSSS. Let's make a scrap book and take pickshers.
PSSSSSS. We will have so much fun.
PSSSSSSS. Let's go to the moive theder's and eat popcorn and jreck.(I'm not sure, but I think he's trying to spell drink? And he better be talkin' about soda!)
PSSSSSSSS. We will have so much fun.
PSSSSSSSSS. I love you so much.

Are you kidding me? Could this kid be any sweeter? He really knows how to tug at his mama's heartstrings. I put the letter down and went into his room and gave my big boy a big hug and kiss while he slept. Man, just when I think I couldn't love him anymore, he goes and does something like this.

"My cup runneth over...."

Birdie Pruitt and Romana Calvert. Hope Floats. 1998.

Spotlight Interview

I was recently contacted by another photographer, Tommy Peterson, who requested an interview from me for his blog. I feel completely honored that he would ask me....little 'ol me! We did the interview a few weeks back, and now it's up for the world to see. Go check it out!

Click Here

BeeMan

Andrew has created this super hero persona named BeeMan. He has written three books (40 pages, front and back) about BeeMan and all of his adventures. Andrew will bring these books to me, and ask me to staple them so that he can bring them to school the next day to show his friends. Mostly, BeeMan does a lot of the things that Andrew does during his day, but it's way cooler because it's BeeMan doing it. And BeeMan is awesome! He's always trying to avoid that darned giant spatula! (I think he means fly swatter, but he calls it a spatula.)

Last night was Andrew's parent/teacher conference. I was really excited to hear how he's adjusting to the first grade. I talk to him about it and he's having a great time, but I really curious about his teacher's perspective. I say this because Andrew is........um, chatty? He. Loves. To. Talk. In kindergarten, his teacher said she had to remind Andrew quite often to be quiet. He just has a lot to say. All the time. Even in his sleep. But I digress...

The first thing his teacher said to me is:

"So, I'm sure you're familiar with BeeMan."

I instantly smiled.

Me: "Oh, yes, I'm quite familiar with BeeMan."

I was a bit surprised that she knew about BeeMan.

Teacher: "Did you also know that he's got the entire class writing books about BeeMan?"

Me: "Uhhhhh, no?"

Teacher: "He's been bringing his BeeMan books to school and reading them in front of the class. And now all the other children have been writing their own books about BeeMan. BeeMan has sort of taken our class by storm. I keep telling them that they can write books about things other than BeeMan, but all they want to write about is him."

At this point, I was just laughing. I had no idea that he had started this little trend in his classroom.

Teacher: "I typically don't introduce story writing until later in the year, but all the kids have started doing it early because of Andrew."

Then she went on to say how she taught both second and third grade prior to teaching first grade, and Andrew's books aren't something she'd expect out of the average child in the second or even third grade. She also said that in her 20+ years of teaching, she's never met a child like Andrew.

I told her that I've always felt like he was unique. She agreed, and added:

"Unique, in a good way. I wish I had more time just to sit and talk with him. He's definitely one student I'll be thinking about in 20 years wondering what happened to him. Who knows? Maybe his BeeMan books will be his retirement!"

I walked out of there feeling so incredibly proud of my son. I'm always proud of him, but it really made me feel so good to hear his teacher say such wonderful things about him and confirm that my little guy is frickin' rad!

The Portrait Place Blog

I did it. I went and got myself a blog for my business.....What's that you say???......Oh, my goodness gracious, NO! Not my lady business! Get your mind out of the gutter. Sheesh! It's for The Portrait Place.

Any and all comments, questions, suggestions, concerns, considerations, and or requests are welcomed and much appreciated. Unless they're mean. Then I don't want to hear 'em. And if you can't think of anything to say, well, you can always tell me I'm pretty.

THE PORTRAIT PLACE BLOG (click me)

Don'tcha wish sometimes...

...you could turn them off for just a minute or two? Or maybe three or four?

When I was a teenager, my mom told me about how she used to feel like her head was going to explode due to my older brother's incessant question asking. She said from the minute he got up, until the minute he went to sleep, he was talking. Asking why this, or how does that, or what is this, or who smells like what? She said his talking literally made her brain hurt.

Me: "MOTHER! That is so mean! He was just a little boy. How on earth could you think something like that about a sweet curious little fella like that? What kind of mom feels that way?"

Mom (smiles knowingly): "A mom with kids, that's what kind of mom."

I walked away completely appalled. I thought to myself, boy, if I ever had children, I would treasure their every word. I would use every question as an opportunity to shape their sweet innocent little minds into the perfect little beings I just knew I could and would produce.

(sigh)

Cut to me having three kids.

And then, cut to me totally eating my words.

Yes, mother. You were right. Again.

Chubba Chunka

Holy moly, Amelia is 3 months old! I hate to sound redundant in these posts, but time is going by way too fast. My little newborn is not really a newborn anymore. But I prefer living in denial, so I will continue calling her my newborn until the day she leaves for college. To become a neuro surgeon. After that, she will be Dr. Newborn.

Again, with the redundancy, but she really is such a good baby. She smiles all the time, and is talking up a storm. She's always telling me how pretty I am. And how funny she thinks my jokes are. And how much she loves me. And how she's pretty sure I'm a genius.

Huh?

You think I'm making that up?

Whatever. You're just jealous.

For those of you who are wondering, yes, she is in leg warmers. Clearly she's been sitting on her tush for way too long because look at those rolls! We had just finished doing baby yoga before I took these pictures. In my very honest and extremely valid opinion, there is nothing more adorable than baby chub. I love it. And I get the pleasure of being able to see and photograph a lot of it. I don't tend to produce very chubby babies. But since she hates nursing, she is primarily drinking formula now. And although I'm pissed that she doesn't want to nurse anymore, I definitely love her chunky thighs. I wanna bite 'em, they're so cute! But I won't. Cause that would be child abuse.

She's so sick.

This morning Alivia was walking around the house coughing. Fake coughing. Over and over and over and over and over and over and over.....so finally, I asked her:

"Why are you coughing so much? Are you okay?"

Alivia: "No..(cough, cough)....I'm sick."

Me (in my over the top sing-song mother voice): "You are??? Oh, noooooo!"

Alivia: (cough, cough)...."Yeah, I am. I'm sick. I need ty-wah-nol. I'm really, really homesick. "

Bags, Bags, Bags

Do you like bags? Not the ones under your eyes, but the fancy ones that make you look like a rockstar whilst walking down the boulevard? Me too. This website is having a contest giving 24 bags away in 24 hours. Go enter. You may just win. That would be great!.....Or I could win. That would be even better, don'tcha think?

Note to self: Shhhhh......

Okay. Here's the thing about me. I may, on occasion, have a slight touch of road rage. I detest slow drivers. They irritate me to no end......(sigh)....... and I kindof have a tendency to be verbal about it. I know what your thinking....Alecia, be verbal? Never. But, alas, it's true. And apparently, my son has been listening to me! The nerve of that child...

So the other day, (and by other day, I mean sometime within the last year) we were all sitting at the Costco food court eating pizza. A couple tables down I see the sweetest, most adorable old couple sitting together eating their pizza. They keep glancing over at the four of us with this look in their eyes, which I can only imagine must be nostalgia for days gone by. They must have been thinking of the days when they were young, and heard the pitters and patters of little feet running about in their house. You could almost see the tears glistening in their eyes...

Just as we are almost done with our pizza, my sweet son Andrew looks over at the older gentleman and says:

"Hi! Do you drive slow? Do you drive 4. Miles. Per. Hour???"

The gentleman is clearly caught off guard. He has this look of "What the hell did that kid just say to me?" mixed in with the remnants of nostalgia he was previously feeling. What was I doing, might you ask? Oh....dying. Dying of utter embarrassment because I know exactly where my son has heard about old people driving slow and at the exact speed of 4 miles per hour. I. Wanted. To. Die.

So, I smile one of those sheepish "please excuse my child" smiles at the older couple, you know the ones - kids will be kids, sort of thing. But it was mixed in with such horror, that I'm sure I looked like a serial killer.

Me: "Come to the bathroom with me, NOW!"

Andrew: "But I don't have to go!"

Me: "Yes, you do. I have to get you cleaned up!"

Andrew: "But I'm not done eating my pizza!"

Me: "Sure, you are sweetie!"

So, I drag him to the bathroom and while we clean his face and hands up I say to him:

Me: "Andrew, that was not a nice thing to say to an old man. It's not nice to ask old people if they drive slow. I know you've heard that from Mommy, and I shouldn't have said that. It's not nice. I don't want to ever hear you say something like that to an old man ever again, okay?"

Andrew: "Okay, mom."

I'm surprised! He's not fighting it or asking why 9 million times. Whew! So we walk back to the table, where Jason was just finishing throwing our stuff away and I said I wanted to refill my soda. So, off to the soda machine we go. As I'm standing there filling my soda, I see Andrew walk up to another elderly gentleman and start talking to him. I have no heartburn over this because, you see, I've already taken care of the previous situation, so I just know he's gonna be on his best behavior.

Andrew: "Hi, my name's Andrew."

The man smiles. I see Andrew start patting him on his back.

Andrew: "That sure is a nice jacket you have on, with the Unites States of America Flag on the back."

I look over and sure enough, the gentleman is wearing a black leather jacket with the US flag on the back. The man smiles and nods at Andrew, most likely thinking about how insightful and patrotic my young son is to notice such a thing. Whilst continuing to pat the old man on the back, Andrew looks up at me and quite innocently hollers:

"Hey, Mom! Is that a nice thing to say to an old man!?"

NOOOOO!! I couldn't believe that he had found another way to embarrass the crap out of me again!!!! And again, the man is just stunned. He doesn't know what to say, because he just got backhandedly insulted by a then, 5-year-old. And sweet, sweet Andrew - here he was, trying to be nice - trying to do the right thing and he still managed to ruin me.

I couldn't get out of Costco fast enough!

So, here I am, in the old familiar place, thinking that Andrew cannot possibly out-do himself after this one, but I have come to learn that this is simply not true. As long as Andrew is alive, he will always out-do himself. I know he will. I tell you, this kid will give me gray hairs before I was ever supposed to get them.

These are a few of my favorite things (in no particular order)

1. Designer Jeans - Yes, I know they cost too much, but what you don't know is they are magic. You slip a pair of those bad boys on and suddenly you've got yourself the ass of a rockstar. Totally worth the $$$.
2. Useless Celebrity Gossip - Yes, I know. Who cares, right? ME! I can't help it. I'm just drawn to these magazines, even though I fully believe that 93% of what I read is artificial nonsense created for the sole purpose of duping me out of my hard earned $3.99. Slap a picture of Jennifer Garner, Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie on the front and that's a guaranteed purchase by me.
3. Gin Rummy - I've played this game since I was a wee lass, and I'll never turn down a game. Unless it's with Jason. Because he cheats. I don't know his exact method, and I don't actually have concrete evidence, but no one wins that often.
4. Super Mario Bros - I got hooked when I was 11 and babysitting the neighbors kids. And by babysitting, I mean sitting on my keister trying to save the Princess Peach. I actually got paid to play Mario. That was a sweet job! We recently got a Wii. I own Paper Mario, Mario Kart and my latest Super Mario Galaxy. I love them all.
5. Pantene - It's what I feed my hair. I don't care about all the urban legends that it coats your hair with wax or that it's 98% plastic or that it will make your hair fall out. It's not true and I challenge you to prove me wrong.
6. Bubble Baths - Now that I have a giant soaking tub, I really should be taking bubble baths more often. I believe a good bubble bath requires LOTS of bubbles, candles, a glass of wine and a good book. And at least an hour of uninterrupted kid-free time. I've got the first 4 requirements, but can never seem to find the 5th.
7. Harry Potter - the books. The movies.......? eh.....they're okay, I guess. The books are awesome. And yes, I'm a Christian. And I do not believe if you read Harry Potter books you are going to Hell. Regardless of what my Pastor Dad tries to tell me.
8. Felicity - Go. Rent. This. Series. On. DVD. I really miss it. I need to watch it all over again.
9. Old Navy Flip Flops - the most wonderful disposable summer shoes. 2 for $5? C'mon, you can't beat that. And it totally makes up for what you spend on designer jeans! I get many colors, but mostly end up wearing white. I'm sad that summer is ending, and now I'm going to have to start wearing socks. BOOOOOOO!
10. Blueberries - yummmmm........they just taste good. Real good.
11. The Judds - I have been a fan for as long as I remember. I was so sad when they "retired" in 1991 because I never got a chance to see them in concert. But then they made my dreams come true when they reunited for a tour in 1999. I forced Jason to go with me and sang and clapped my heart out. Jumped up and down. Screamed. Got goosebumps. Shed a few tears of joy. Grabbed Jason's arm at the start of every song, shouting "Oh my God, I LOVE this one!!!!" Jason, on the other hand, gave me a condescending nod/smile, half-heartedly clapped off beat, whistled the tune to Inspector Gadget and people watched. Whatever. His taste in music sucks!
12. Babysitters Club - I know, I know. I'm too old to like this. And while may be true, I'm what you would call an old-school loyal fan. I still have my entire collection (Books #1 - 42). When I was 12, I used to call Walden's book store multiple times every month to see if the new book had been released. "Hi, I was wondering if you have #32 of the Babysitters Club books?.....No, not yet?......Oh, okay.......What that you say?......No, I didn't just call 5 minutes ago!......You totally have me confused with some other obsessed fan...........Yes, you DO!!"
13. Newborn Photography - it's my favorite. I can't even stand how much I love it. And yes, it takes a long time, they poop and pee all over my stuff (it's all washable!!!) and the studio is so hot I look like a sweaty pig by the end of the session (just ask Nona) but it is so amazing working with these sweet little new babies. I love all of them. (Especially Nona's sweet little guy - oh my goodness, he is so stinking cute!!!)
14. Starbucks - Venti Iced Vanilla Latte. At least once a day. But most likely twice. I'm gonna go broke, but they are sooooooo good. Mmmmm......I can taste it now.
15. Bare Minerals - I started using this about a year ago, and I'll never go back to regular liquid foundation. I love the way it looks, it's super light and really good for your skin. And since my skin still think I'm a PMS-ing 15 year old teenager, it needs all the goodness it can get.
16. Sun Ripened Raspberry - it's one of my favorite smells of all time. It smells so good, I wanna eat it. But I won't. Because that would be gross.

Dear Alecia,

First I need to start off by saying - I am no poet. In fact, I can say freely that I suck at poetry. So don't judge my juvenile attempt to be creative, the point is this came from the heart. This is a message to myself today - from myself twenty years from now. This letter was assigned and inspired by Miss Kathy.

Dear 30 Year Old Alecia,

Get off that darn computer.

You're missing who they are.

They strive for nothing more,

Than to be your little star.

Get off that darn computer.

Cause one day, he'll be gone.

No more constant questions.

No more silly songs.

Get off that darn computer.

You'll miss her big blue eyes.

Looking at this world,

With wonder and surprise.

Get off that darn computer.

She's over two months old.

Two years and then two decades,

Will soon and fast unfold.

Get off that darn computer.

Photoshop can wait.

Put down the broom and dustpan,

And all the dirty plates.

Answer Andrew's questions.

Let Livia make a mess.

Snuggle Amelia close at night.

Don't worry about the rest.

Hug them when they're happy.

Forgive them when they're bad.

Laugh when they're silly,

And kiss them when they're sad.

Pick up your precious babies.

Look into their eyes.

Tell them that you love them.

Because this time will fly.

Love,

50 Year Old Alecia.

Girly Hair...Take 2

I found another one to try...from A Story of A Princess And Her Hair. I love how she did hers, but I couldn't figure out how to keep the all the twists twisted tight, so I just did tiny braids instead. Liv was really patient, it took about an hour to finish this style. She's really into the Lady and a Tramp VHS tape I found at a garage sale for a buck last weekend. Thank god it's longer than the average Spongebob espidode, or else I'd never have the time to do anything cute with her hair. It looks so stinking cute, I can't even stand it!

Back to School

It's that time of the year again! My wittle man is now a big first grader! Tuesday was Andrew's first day at his new school. I use the term new fairly loosely as I'm pretty sure the actual school was built in 1872.

This year was a little different because every year prior to this one, he was the first student to jump right in the mix and be like "See ya, Mom!" His first year of preschool was really hard on me. I thought he might miss me a little bit, since you know, he'd been with me everyday of his entire life previously to that. But missing me wasn't really in his plans. Second year of preschool. Same, but even more extreme. Kindergarten? You guessed it - he never even looked back. This year, he was really different. He seemed almost nervous. Not his usual chatty self. Sort of quiet, soaking it all in. If you know Andrew at all, he and quiet have never met. He couldn't even give me a real smile for pictures. He tried. But ended up mastering the "Jason Silva Fake Smile" instead. There he goes again, making his daddy proud!I asked Jason to take this picture, because well, I'm never in any pictures. I'm always taking them. And I want my children to have proof that I was actually there for these big moments in their lives. Yeah, remind me never to do that again while I still have baby weight to lose, which incidentally I'm carrying all in my fatty face. And don't even ask me what Alivia is looking at. I haven't the slightest clue. But she seems really happy about it.
Andrew got his first big boy desk. Last year, all the kids just sat at tables and had cubbies to store their stuff in. Now he has his very own desk. With his name on it. At the very back of the room. I think the teacher will eventually move him into arms reach. Wanna take a poll to see how long it takes?
Now, poor Miss Livie also thought it was her first day of school....but since I couldn't get her into any of the (many) preschools I called, she had her first day of school at home. And since I let her paint, she was perfectly okay with it. This girl L-O-V-E-S to paint. And if I walk away from her, it's in her hair, on her finger nails, on her clothes, smeared all over the table. She doesn't believe in confining her work to just a simple piece of paper. No, she needs to "express herself" everywhere.
This is the before picture. I didn't get a chance to take an after picture because I was too busy cleaning paint off of everything in Alivia's reach. She had a blast though. And that is what really matters, right? That's what I tell myself when I'm cleaning up after her, because she has integrated painting into her morning routine now. It comes right after breakfast, and just before bathtime...in case you were wondering.

Girly Hair

The other day, I stumbled upon this blog Piper's Hairdos and as a mom of two little girls, I was thrilled. Alivia has wild hair. (Shockingly, Amelia has very little hair right now. Both Andrew and Livie were born with mullets. Even still, if she's anything like her older brother and sister, when it grows in it will be thick, wild and crazy. That's just the kind of children Jason and I produce.) I'm completely out of ideas when it comes to doing Alivia's hair. My choices consist of a braid or ponytail. Or maybe, if I'm feeling super adventurous, two braids or two ponytails.

This website is so cool, it shows a bunch of tutorials for all these different hairstyles. AND - there are links to other similar blogs on her sidebar. Some are way too advanced for me, but some I was excited about trying. I tried "the braided flower" today and this is what I ended up with. I know it's not nearly as perfect as her's but it's not too shabby - for my first try!

This is one of the many reasons I love having little girls! Now, if I could just get Alivia to like Barbies.....or even Polly Pockets. Actually she likes Polly Pockets. She thinks all the parts and pieces are super chewy and tasty! Did I mention she's almost 3 1/2? And still likes to put things in her mouth? Super!

2 Months......already?

How can my baby girl be two months already? When did TWO months go by? She is the perfect addition to our family - she fits right in. Her favorite things:

Rocking in the rocking chair with Andrew.
Being swaddled.

Having her back/buns patted.
Looking at her mama's smile.
Sleeping close to mama in bed. Has to be touching me.

Being held, being held, being held.

Random (Nicole made me do it...)

My friend Nicole tagged me this evening, and being the respectable blogger that I am, I cannot turn this down. My only question is, how did Shannon avoid being tagged??? Hmmm.....

Okay, so this is pretty simple. I have to tell you all 6 random things about me. Then I have to tag 6 of you. Keep your fingers crossed, it just may be you!

Here are 6 random things about Alecia:

#1 - I prefer Blueberry Muffin over Strawberry Shortcake. Not the dessert, the dolls. Okay, the dessert, too. Anyway, Blueberry Muffin smells way better than Strawberry Shortcake and I love her blue hair. For my birthday a couple years ago, one of my friends found on Ebay the exact version of the doll I used to play with as a little girl and gave her to me. I was so excited to smell her!! As soon as I opened the box, I had to smell her and you know what? That dang doll smelled like mildew. And not even blueberry tainted mildew. Just straight mildew. And I got a nose full of it. But I still love her. And everytime I see her, it makes me happy.
#2: When I was 13-ish, I actually convinced myself that I when I grew up, I was going to move to Hollywood, become a soap opera actress and marry John Stamos. Sure, the soap opera acting would have been fun, but it would have been more fun to know how much it would have irritated my dad. He forbid me to watch soap operas. Threatened HELL in the afterlife. Did I mention I've watched All My Children and Days of Our Lives since I was 12-ish? That's not as important as the fact that I really believed I, Alecia, was John Stamos' type. I thought once Uncle Jesse laid eyes on me, he would just know (just as I did) that we were destined to be together. Forget the fact that I am probably 28 years younger than him. And forget the fact that, contrary to popular belief, I am not a supermodel. I know, try not to be shocked. Oh, but here is a picture of what could have been. And it's a very accurate dipiction. Did you know he's only 4'11"? Well, you do now.


#3: I love the color purple. Not the book/movie (although the movie was fantastic), I really love anything purple. Every shade of it makes me happy. Growing up, my room was lavender. My wedding colors were various shades of purple. Alivia's room? You guessed it, purple. I wear purple eyeshadow. I love it. I even like saying the word. Puuuurrrrrrr-pullllll. Doesn't it just roll right off your tongue?

#4: I have randomly met, or randomly been in the presence of 6 celebrities.

1 - Ice Cube: At Seaworld in San Deigo during my honeymoon. We hung out at the dolphin show together. Okay so maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration. Maybe we were both in the same crowd. Of like 300 people. BUT - when we walked out, we were shoulder to shoulder and I so desperately wanted to say something, anything, to him but all I could think to say was: "So, how 'bout them dophins, eh?" I respect a brotha - and I wasn't sure if that particular comment or even just me speaking to him would get me shot, so I decided to stay quiet. And silently rap "Today is a Good Day" in my head.

2 - Dean Stockwell: I have a friend that worked for the Pebble Beach Golf Courses. Dean was a frequent visitor/golfer at the Del Monte where my friend worked. I came to visit her. Dean was there. Smoking a cigar. I'm not kidding. I felt just like I was in an episode of Quantum Leap. I wasn't allowed to introduce myself to him. My friend had to remain professional at all times, and she wasn't allowed to behave in a star-struck fashion. Nor was she allowed to bring in star-struck little friends. So I hid behind a bush and watched him through my binaculars.

#3 - Jay Leno: I met him at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 2003. For all of you who don't know (just as I didn't) the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is nothing more than an extremely fancy car show. The cars there are priced in the million dollar range. I took Jason there for our 4th wedding anniversary. And as soon as I saw Jay Leno, I made a b-line for him. He was being interviewed by some chode working for some lame newspaper and I interrupted and asked if I could have a picture with him. He was so nice and of course said yes. Two things about Jay Leno. One, his hands are extremely soft. Like baby's skin. I'm not kidding. Two, his head really is gihungous. And apparently so is mine. Holy God. They're like the same size!!!

4 - Christopher Titus: I was shopping in California - and it was hot. So I decided to hit up Starbucks to get me some iced coffee and there was quite a line. But I didn't care. I needed coffee and when I need coffee, I get coffee. The end of that discussion. Anyhoo, I'm standing in line and I look behind me, and I see this guy that really looks like the guy from the show Titus. (Old sitcom on Fox. Got cancelled. But it was really funny. Jason and I loved it.) Then I think, no wait, that guy really looks like Titus. I think it is him. So I turn around and bluntly ask: "Are you Titus?" (I couldn't think of his first name to save my life). He instantly puts on his celebrity face and responds in a booming voice: "Yes, Christopher Titus. Nice to MEET YOU!!!" And people start looking. And whispering. And then asking for autographs. But not me, I had coffee to drink.

5 - Sean Hayes: Last year, I took Jason to the opening night of Young Frankenstein. I had just gotten seated when I look up to see Sean Hayes prancing down the aisle to find his seat about 20 rows in front of me. People all around were freaking out! "Oh my GOD. It's Jack.....Will & Grace.....the gay one......Sean Hayes." And while I was pretty impressed, I wasn't nearly as excited about him and I was his friend walking in behind him.....(continued below)

6 - Victor Garber: At this point, I almost started to hyperventilate. Because for all of you that don't know, Victor Garber happens to be none other than Spy Daddy, Jack Bristow himself. And if you know anything about me at all, you will know that I was/am/and will forever be obsessed with the show ALIAS. I have watched every single episode of that show, multiple times. I can't even tell you how amazing the first 3 seasons are. The last two were not so great, BUT once you hook me like that, I'm loyal to the bitter end. So, you can imagine my sheer JOY when I see him walking behind Sean Hayes. I cannot believe my luck. See, all the other celebrited I've met/seen have been cool. Fun. Something to tell my friends about. Meeting someone from the show Alias is a dream come true. So, during intermission, Jason and I went out to go get some wine and I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that Spy Daddy was back in that theater and I needed to go meet him. I would have kicked myself forever for letting that opportunity pass me by. So I told Jason: "I'm going back in there to find him and introduce myself." Jason: "Don't. Leave the poor man alone." Me: "Bite me. I'm going. I love him." Jason: "Your psycho." Me: "So?" I marched myself right down to him and asked if I could shake his hand. He seemed caught a little off guard, but was very pleasant and agreed. (What the heck do those Hollywood men do to their hands because, he ALSO had the silkiest hands ever!) Then I told him what a huge fan I am of ALIAS and how I miss it being on the air. And he very politely nodded his head and said thank you. I don't remember what else I said, but I walked away from that on cloud-frickin'-NINE! Rest in Peace Jack Bristow. Our hearts are forever with you.

#5 - I am obsessed with the show ALIAS. Just watch the first episode and if you're not hooked, then you and I are no longer friends. How's that for a random fact?

#6 - I suck at all sports. Except tetherball. I rock the house in tetherball. By the time I was in the second grade, I beat almost everyone I played. I knew just how to hit it, so it would go up high and come back down low. One time, I beat this little asian girl named Naomi. She was two years older than me. And apparently she had a temper, cause as soon that ball wrapped around the last time and touched the pole, she had me up against the wall by my throat. Threatened to kill me. I totally didn't believe she had it in her. Thought she was all talk. Then, about 5 years later, she had a major crush on this boy. Okay, she was obsessed with him. He was not nice to her in return. So she walked to his front door and rang the door bell. He opened the door and she shot him in the stomach. He didn't die, but she still went to jail until she was 18. She was even on Oprah to talk about her teenage crimes of passion. I tell you what though, I don't care who she shot, I'd still take that little girl in a game of tetherball.

There you have it. 6 random (and long) facts about me. Now my chosen 6.

1. Shannon - c'mon you didn't see it coming?
2. Kathy
3. Nona
4. Jen
5. Presca
6. Toni
   

Rules of Engagement:
1) Link to the person who tagged you.

2) Post the rules on your blog (copy and paste 1-6).

3) Write 6 random things about yourself.

4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them.

5) Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.

6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

If my children were black teenagers in the 1970's...

DYING. LAUGHING. I need to stop this madness and go to bed. But I just can't stop...

Senioritus

Ever wonder what you would have looked like back in the day? Like waaaaaaaaaaay back in the day?.... Me too. I don't know if this website is old news or not, but it wasn't to me and I was laughing hysterically and what it generated for me. 1954 and 1960 look freakishly like my Granny. 1990 looks like one of Kathy's older sisters and well, 1994?......The scary thing is that I actually looked exactly like that circa 1994. I have pictures to prove it. Too bad I haven't unpacked them yet. But soon, I will. And I'll scan them. I'm going to do an entire post of my various looks. And you can all get a good laugh at how hideous I used to be.