Baby Wagner and Wagner... and other things

I wish I blogged more

2010-12-17T15:52:00.000-08:00

Today I had to write a difficult letter. Bob is estranged (not sure if that is the best description but I don't have a better word and it isn't my story to tell) from his father. He last saw him when he was 16 (I believe). Bob's older brother looked their father up about six years ago and kept in touch with him and his wife for a little while. At the time when Charlotte was born (September 2006) they were in touch with his father and let them know about Charlotte's birth. His new wife sent a very nice book and a long letter welcoming the birth of Charlotte. I wrote them back around Christmastime and have since sent them a note every year around this time of year.
This year we received a short note saying that in November Bob's father had had a stroke and was doing well with the exception of needing speech therapy two times a week. He is about 80 years old. As I began to write them a letter, I realized that they had not heard the news of Bob's youngest sister's death in February. Bob thought it would be a good idea for me to let them know, after all, this is his daughter, too.
I type a lot faster than I write, and time is of the essence these days. So I typed them a letter summarizing our year and finally filling them in on the passing of Eileen. I can't really get it out of my mind. I wonder what type of reaction he will have when he learns that his daughter, who he hasn't seen or heard from in almost 40 years passed away. I ponder the reasons why families become estranged and how you can go for years not talking to your own children. Bob has shared countless stories about his childhood with me and I listen and try to be open minded and non-judgmental. If my husband holds no bad feelings or resentment towards these characters from his past, how can I? After all, my husband is a generous, kind, loving and basically all-accepting kind of person. Someone I look up to and only hope some day to have his strength of character. If he is able to move on from the past then what reason do I have to pass any judgment of all on these people who I don't even know?
So I wrote, and wrote. I wrote like I knew them well, and them us, and that we just haven't seen each other in a while. I shared with them Eileen's passing and attached the eulogy that was read at Eileen's funeral. It was beautiful, and funny, much like Eileen. It made everyone in the room (all 200 people) feel like they were connected to Eileen, just as I hope my letter did the same for them.
If we were the type of people who put a newsletter in our Christmas card, I think it would read something like this:

December 17, 2010

Dear Bob and Margaret:
Thank you for your note. We are sorry to hear about Bob’s stroke but glad to hear his fighting spirit has him back on his feet with little to no side-effects and hoping the speech therapy continues to improve your speech.

Life seems to move at a frantic pace when you have a 4 year old and a 19 month old. Charlotte is loving pre-school and continues to keep us on our toes. She talks non-stop and her quest for knowledge never ceases to amaze us. She is interested in just about everything and lately it is dinosaurs. She has learned the names of many of them and tells us she wants to be a “dino expert” when she grows up. She truly seems to have a love of animals first and foremost and dreams up all sorts of imaginary worlds for her and the animals. She has an infectious sense of humor and regularly tries to “test us” because she doesn’t see herself as a child, and us parents, but more of an equal. For any idea we have of something to do, or what to have for dinner, Charlotte has her own idea and negotiates with passion why her idea is truly the best one. By Friday I am usually exhausted (she wears me down most days) but I sure don’t want to dispel that spirit of hers.

Abigail (Abby or Abs as we like to call her) worships her sister first and foremost and her parents second. She loves to hug, cuddle and play. She wants nothing to do with “age appropriate” anything and prefers to play with all of her sister’s toys. In fact, because she was walking at such a young age her motor skills really impress us and I think she’s better at feeding herself with a fork and spoon and using a cup to drink her milk than her big sister is at age 4! She has shown a love for babydolls that Charlotte never had. She drags them around, feeds them, gives them bottles and rocks them in her rocking chair. She is extremely outgoing (where Charlotte was not at all) and says, “HI and BYE!” to everyone she crosses paths with. It can’t help but make even the grumpiest person smile. While she loves being with us most, she is learning to love her babysitter and the child-care at our gym so I am getting a couple moments to myself lately to exercise, play tennis, or grocery shop in silence.

Bob had a great year at Wagner & Bonsignore Consulting Civil Engineers. They have roughly 25 employees, moved into some really nice new office space and opened an office in Santa Barbara. The office is small and run by a couple guys but the location works well for all of the Southern California work Bob does and the potential for childless weekend getaways is sure enticing. This has yet to happen, but a girl can dream!

In July the family met in San Diego to celebrate Michael’s youngest daughter Alex’s wedding. She married Casey in Point Loma/Shelter Island at sunset overlooking the water. Casey’s family is from the Point Loma area and his grandmother, also named Pat, still lives in the house she raised all her children and was obviously thrilled to see her first grandchild get married. The wedding happened 4^th of July weekend and our daughters along with Claire and Mallory (Melanie’s daughters) were in the wedding. They were adorable in matching dresses. Charlotte and Claire danced the night away and were thrilled to be flower girls in the wedding. It is funny how today the trend is to have no children at weddings, or adult only affairs. Seeing the kids on the dance floor at Alex’s wedding really reminds you what life is all about.

Bob was able to get away for a week’s vacation over Thanksgiving and we traveled to Hawaii. We had such a relaxing and nice time. We rented a condo on the Big Island and were able to walk to the pool and beach daily, sometimes twice! We enjoyed being barefoot, eating freshly made meals in the condo and soaking up the sun. It isn’t often that we get to have so many days together as a family and we really loved every minute of it.

Just this past weekend we spent in Orange County celebrating Pat’s 80^th Birthday. It was a whirl-wind trip but we were treated with 85 degrees weather for two days. Charlotte thinks her Grandma is one of a kind, and truly she is. What, on her 80^th Birthday she was a trooper climbing into the back seat of our mini van and going to Disneyland to ride the canoes and the tea cups with her granddaughters. The happiest place on earth was pretty special to see at Christmastime, even if the crowds were unbearable. That evening we celebrated further with a standing rib roast prepared by Patsy and her grown children and Pat’s twin great-granddaughters, Stella and Fiona. They are Brian’s (Patsy’s 33 year old son’s) two year old twin daughters. In the past four years four great-grand daughters and two grand daughters have been born, according to age: Claire, Charlotte, Stella, Fiona, Mallory and Abigail. What are the chances of that? I think it is time for someone to have a boy!

Unfortunately we have some sad news to share as well. On February 17 Eileen passed away at 51. She had struggled over the years with her epilepsy and other ailments. Interestingly she had not been struggling prior to her death and had been more lucid and herself than she had been in years. We were all shocked and devastated. We organized a beautiful funeral here in Sacramento and over 200 people came. I attach a eulogy written by her childhood friend, Robert Bray (called Hugger by his family and friends). It was a touching tribute and I think you should read it. I apologize we did not get this news to you sooner. Her death was hard on everyone but knowing that Eileen isn’t suffering anymore gives us peace.

We hope to correspond sooner this time and hope you have a very special Christmas with your family and loved ones.

Love,

Diane & Bob

Project Manager x10

2010-09-13T08:35:00.000-07:00

I know this sounds pretty un-motherly but the job of a stay at home mom often feels like being a project manager. You are balancing the house, the kids, the errands, the laundry, personal time (what's that?) and trying to get it all done efficiently and on-schedule. You have daily deadlines (bath and bed by 8:00 pm) and weekly deadlines (clean sheets, laundry folded and put away, groceries stocked in the fridge, sack lunches made, dinners planned). The weekend comes and the schedule is thrown off and then Monday you do it all over again. One of the extra twists in this project management role is that in addition to all the above mentioned "to-dos" you are actually managing two small people. And one of them, 3 going on 4 (*this* Friday) needs constant interaction, dialogue and re-direction. The younger one needs a lot of the same, too, but her needs are different. Basically, what I am saying is that in addition to all the shit that you need to get done around the house to keep the house and our lives managed, you need to be one step ahead of your kids so that not only do they feel loved, comforted, and secure, they also need constant reminders of the acceptable and appropriate behavior and that there are consequences for behaving badly. Charlotte has been testing me hourly. Its been a struggle.
I'll be honest. Some of the best moments in our days are when both kids are locked into their respective seatbelts/car seats and we are driving someplace. I know they are both "safe" and that they can't get anywhere. A moment of peace. How sad is this? Honest reality I'm afraid.
Okay so get this... my amazing husband... decided we needed to engage in some "home improvement" projects. Stuff we've put off. Our home is 100 years old (or 90 actually) so in reality there is always a home improvement project necessary. We put them off (they are expensive) and you can say our house has character but really it is dilapidated.
So much to my delight (horror) he says we need to engage in the following: replace three sets of doors that are operating poorly with french doors, replace hood over kitchen with new hood (the old one does not meet the necessary requirements for our range output), paint kitchen (including sanding and covering old oil-based trim in kitchen...smelly), replace deck off back of house and build new fence separating driveway from backyard, and some minor gardening work that requires a dump truck, a few cubic yards of mulch and some tree trimming and gutter replacement.
How does that sound for a to-do list? Guess who is responsible for collecting multiple bids/estimates on the bigger projects (doors & deck) and organizing all these simultaneous events? Yep, me! Does Bob help with any of this? Well by help, I'd say he's providing financing for the projects. I run the numbers by him and he says yay/nay. I run some of the various contractor's ideas by him and he asks more questions which in turn, I must ask, and report back to him.
Needless to say the phone is ringing regularly and the doorbell too (except our doorbell is broken so KNOCK LOUDLY PLEASE) with various faces. I am actually doing a pretty good job of juggling it all!
Am I overwhelmed? Yes! Do I have crazy dreams where everything works out, or doesn't, in various re-arrangements? Of course!
Do my children feel that mom's attention is spread too thin right now? Most likely. The evidence: any time I'm on the phone thing seem to spiral out of control. Charlotte and Abigail hang on me, nag, whine, etc. Can you blame them? I guess not.
If my job was in an office, I'd be expecting a BIG FAT BONUS this year! Project Manager of the Year award!!!
However, this is not an office, it is our home. The bonus can't be quantified! But I'm only complaining a little. When it is all done, we'll have a little quiet time, and then we'll do it all over again. Such is life... or as the French say, C'est la vie.
Charlotte turns 4 on Friday and Bob's birthday is the 25th. I've been working on the details of a very special purple party for Char and a dinner party for Bob. These two things I enjoy more than any of the other stuff so I guess things do balance out. Can't wait to share some pictures from Charlotte's special day... and pictures of our home "improvements"! Stay tuned!

Barf-o-Rama

2010-08-09T12:54:00.000-07:00

I was writing this really thoughtful post last Wednesday around 7:30 am when Charlotte asked me, "Mommy... where is Abigail?" She was asking a very valid question.
Abigail does not typically sleep past 7:30 am. And as I pondered her question I couldn't even remember hearing a peep out of her that night. I went upstairs to check on her and say good morning. Whoa! Foul odor upon entering room! Barf everywhere in her crib.
I got her up, bathed her, stripped the bed and helped her to some dry cheerios and a little water. One parenting tip I have learned (the hard way) is to not give milk products to a baby who is vomiting for a good 24 hours, assuming they truly have a stomach bug.
We got Charlotte off to school and spent the day at home. I was on barf-watch. Around 2 o'clock I broke my rule, assuming Abby was fine and the barf-filled crib was a freak accident. I gave her a bottle of milk. 45 minutes later she came to me crying and threw up all over me.
A trip to the doctor's office the next day confirmed Abby had a double ear-infection. I actually suspected this. And then trusty internet told me that vomiting accompanies an ear infection. A sigh of relief that we were all spared the potential, awful stomach-flu.
But no! Thursday around 4:30 Bob calls and says he is on his way home from work, feeling nauseous. By 6:00 pm he's hugging the toilet. By midnight it is my turn.
Charlotte lasts until Sunday morning and then she falls, too.
Sheesh... the barfs passed through all of us in under a week. We are all feeling okay now.
I deleted my unpublished-post. It was about the feelings (some good, many exasperated) that came with being home with your kids all the time. Spend a few days with your kids sick, and you want to take away all their pain. Nothing makes me weaker in the knees than my own kids being sick.
I am so thankful their sickness is over almost faster than it comes on. How lucky I am to have a strong, healthy family.
Now... I could go back to complaining about my woes being a stay at home mom. But I think I'll save it for another day.

Vacation

2010-07-16T07:33:00.000-07:00

We've been back almost a week, now. Life is kind of returning to normal. In a good way. Vacation is fun. Unpacking, re-organizing, laundry, kid's schedules... not so fun.
It is Friday and things seem to be returning to our usual tempo.
I think the greatest part of vacation was all of us being together for two straight weeks. Next time though, Hawaii. I'm already looking for rental houses on the North Shore of Kauai.
A summary and some random thoughts on our trip.
1. Collecting snails at Grandma's house is just about as much fun as any amusement park. Something about the "hunt" and finding every last snail. Charlotte excelled at it. She didn't want to touch the snails (can you blame her?) so Grandma picked them up (with her hands wrapped in plastic).
2. Knotts Berry Farm is where Bob's mom used to take Bob and his siblings way back when she had very little money and wanted to treat them to something fun. (late 1950s early 1960s). A good half of the park is now covered in Roller Coasters. We spent the first half of our morning in Camp Snoopy going on the kiddie rides that are under the Roller Coasters. Fun, but noisy. We spent the second part of our day in the original part of the park. The Ghost Town, etc. No towering roller coasters zooming over head and very very peaceful and uncrowded and fun! I am a sucker for nostalgia and vintagey and I loved to think that Bob used to roam that very area when he was Charlotte's age. Next time we go straight to the old part of the park and skip Camp Snoopy altogether.
3. Got to Del Mar and the sun found its way out for a few days. The few days included our "busy" days of vacation. Among them: Niece Alex's wedding, rehearsal dinner and picnic with family. It was all wonderful and I'm glad Alex and Casey had sunshine on their wedding day. Charlotte, Abigail, Claire and Mallory were adorable as flower girls. Charlotte and Claire took their task very seriously and really had a blast. All four girls were so fun to watch on the dance floor. Kids should be invited to weddings. It isn't so fun/easy for the parents but it creates great memories for the kids.
4. The sun disappeared on July 3rd never to be seen again for the duration of our vacation. This put a little bit of a "cramp" in my idea of spending mornings, mid-day, and evenings swimming in the ocean. The water temperature was bearable (around 68) but the air temp was a chilly 63. We did spend a few days in the sand/water. We just didn't camp out on the beach. Both of my girls LOVED the sand and ocean.
5. Charlotte impressed me with her excitement at the waves and wonders of the ocean. She wanted to go out further and further and jump the waves. When she was clearly shorter than the wave height she wanted us to pick her up and take her out farther. We have been to the beach/ocean a couple times a year since she's been born and this was the first year she really "got it" and didn't want to go back the instant we got there.
6. Abby is a born beach baby. She loved it all. She loves her big sister most so anything Charlotte wants to do, Abigail is not far behind. So cute.
7. We headed inland in search of sunshine to the SD Wild Animal Park. Probably one of the greatest places we've ever visited. It felt like we had most of the park to ourselves. The people seem to really congregate in the center area where the bus tour is located. We saw elephants, rhinos, lions. zebras, and more. Charlotte had her face painted with a unicorn and she couldn't stop looking at herself. She thought she looked pretty neat and she was right, she did.
8. The condo we rented was perfect. Perfect in the sense it was located in a nice quiet area and we had a lot of open space and room to explore (rare for San Diego). But... anytime we drove anywhere we were reminded that we were in Southern California (freeways, traffic to consider, etc.). Next time we go on "vacation" we're going someplace a little more wild and scenic.
9. I think the sun has been out in San Diego all week. Oh, and it is a whopping 103 degrees here at home. Ick. I'll take fog any day of the week.
10. Opening day of the racetrack is next Wednesday. We're going to see if we can't escape for a day to the track and leave the kids at home (with a sitter, of course)!

Where the Turf Meets the Surf

2010-06-28T09:28:00.000-07:00

We're headed out of here on an airplane today! Del Mar bound with a stop for two nights at Grandma's house in Brea. The fun should be never ending and we're all looking forward to a "beach vacation". Charlotte wants to build sand "volcanoes" (have I mentioned she's not a princess/castle person)? Abby will be happy to do whatever everyone else does and Bob and I hope to sleep, swim, and maybe even play a little tennis.

We're going to be seeing most of our family while we're down there. Alex is getting married and this means cousins, aunts, uncles, grandmas, etc. etc. My parents will be at the wedding, too. And Aunt Shelly is flying into San Diego on the 3rd and she'll be staying with us for the week.

I am counting down the moments until I'm swimming in the ocean and enjoying daily highs of 70 and lows of 61 degrees.

Too bad the ponies won't be running while we're there. We try to go every year when they are. We just might have to plan a trip back down there in August. On that note...

WHERE THE TURF MEETS THE SURF
(Johnny Burke / Bing Crosby / James V. Monaco)

Bing Crosby
Where the turf meets the surf
down at old Del Mar
take a plane
take a train
take a car.

There is a smile on every face
and a winner in each race
where the turf meets the surf
at Del Mar.

Friends

2010-06-14T06:49:00.000-07:00

Saturday we headed to El Dorado Hills to hang out and have dinner with our friends the Chaquicas. Melissa was my "suite mate" freshman year at UCSB and we were roommates all through college and have been great friends ever since.
I miss seeing them regularly and watching our kids play together. The beauty of friendship is that you don't have to talk on the phone all the time or see someone every week to know they are your friend. Melissa is a true friend. In fact, it had been almost a year since we've seen each other and we picked up where we left off as if I had last seen her a week ago.
Seeing Charlotte interact with Natalie and Jake was too fun. Charlotte loved the freedom that came with hanging with the older kids (Jake is almost 7 and Natalie 5). They swam together, jumped on the trampoline together, and at the end of a hard day of playing took baths and showered together. Does it get any better than that?
Here's hoping a whole year doesn't pass before we get to see them again. And that backyard? Wow. Enough said.

A little anxiety over this one

2010-06-09T07:33:00.000-07:00

Our niece Alex is getting married July 3rd in San Diego. She is the sweetest. And she thought it would be fun if her nieces Claire and Mallory and her cousins Charlotte and Abigail were in the wedding. You see Claire and Charlotte are less than a month apart and Mallory and Abigail three months apart. Cute as can be, right? And teamwork is good for following directions and doing that "walk down the aisle" thing, right?
Well all Charlotte has said when I've shared fun things about Alex's wedding are "no" and "I don't want to" and "uh-uhh".
We tried on the dress last night. The face tells it all:

But she sure looks pretty!

We're hoping she cheers up when she sees Claire in a matching dress and Abby and Mallory in coordinating ones.

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!

2010-06-07T07:22:00.000-07:00

Garden pictures coming soon! The tomatoes are going off! I don't know if we'll actually get fruit, but the garden sure looks good!!!
A collage of our fun in the garden last night! Big thanks to Aunt Darcy, Uncle Eric and Jessalyn for the fun "play sink" for Abby's birthday! An instant hit!

Popsicles

2010-06-07T07:01:00.000-07:00

We've been trying for weeks, no months, no YEARS to get rid of crap/stuff around the house. It is a full time job. And that full time job is kicking my butt. I have managed to put baby clothes and baby stuff in black bags and it is all downstairs. I am donating our clothes/gear to the Crisis Nursery in Sacramento. It is a good organization and helps mother's get on their feet and helps babies in need. I hope to get it all in the back of my car today (one step closer to being donated).
But in our efforts to get items OUT of the house we made a big purchase yesterday. A FREEZER! We have a basement in our 100 year old house. It isn't fancy, and it isn't big. But it is cool, and somewhat clean and it is empty (except for some wine). I had this great idea that we could buy a freezer and store the staples that freeze well. The refrigerator/freezer combo in our kitchen is small, especially the freezer portion. Lately all I ever do is go to the grocery store (you really do eat more food when you have another mouth to feed)! So my thinking was if we could stock up on the items we eat most days, and only needed to do weekly shopping for produce and milk we could not only save money (hello, costco!) but we would eat at home and eat healthier food simply because it was here in our house.
So yesterday the Wagner Four cruised the aisles of costco stocking up on food to freeze. It was fun, and funny at the same time. We bought popsicles (we have a big of a family obsession with them... when all looks wrong in the world, have a popsicle!) You should try this. It truly works.
We bought meat, cheese, fresh ravioli and other items. Many of the items we stocked up on do not get frozen but we decided we will store them in our basement, too.
And a personal best for us... after stocking the house full of food, we did NOT go out to eat last night! We ate at home... in our backyard! It was the second night in a row.
As much as I hate the heat and the looming 100+ degree days (I need the beach, baby) I can get used to eating outdoors with my family!
And for dessert? We had popsicles, of course!

Happy Birthday Abigail Rose, You're 1

2010-05-21T11:09:00.000-07:00

Abby turned one on Sunday. I wanted to have a special party for her... and weeks prior to the party I was lacking any and all inspiration and motivation. At the last minute some ideas came together, and I did a little shopping and some online ordering (paying extra shipping to get things here on time... the joys of procrastination).
It all came together nicely. A garden/flower theme for our little one who loves the outdoors. Family and only our closest friends with the hopes of keeping it intimate and fun and simple. I think it came off as "simple and fun" though I must say I was exhausted (the pictures show it). I caught a cold a few days before the party, Abby had her first ear infection, Bob's been crazy busy at work, and Charlotte... well she's 3 going on 13 what more can I say?
The birthday girl truly had a great time and our great friend Raymond took amazing photos. He's really turning into quite the photographer. We are humbled to have such a loving supportive group of family and friends to share our lives with.

The 4 o'clock crazies

2010-05-06T16:47:00.000-07:00

Abigail's nap schedule is not particularly "regular:" It is and it isn't. It is in the sense that she takes two naps a day, most days. Her naps are usually about 1.5 hours each. But depending when she wakes up in the morning (also not regular), the afternoons can be long. Very very long.
Today we're trying to think of something to do and we're also trying to keep from destroying the house even more. Have I ever mentioned she does NOT stop moving the minute she's up? It is exhausting (for me). To be honest, I think it is exhausting for Charlotte too. In a STOP MESSING WITH MY STUFF kind of way.
We need to think of something to do, and fast.
The garden is coming along nicely. I need to find some neat decor for the area to cozy it up.

Spring is here

2010-04-26T16:59:00.000-07:00

Spring is here and things are feeling crazily hectic. It didn't help that all of us (except for Bob) were hit with this awful stomach bug that went around Charlotte's school. I got it about 48 hours after Abigail and was unable to eat or do much of anything for a good four days. Not the way I like to lose weight but now I just hope I can keep it off and lose a few more.
While we try to enjoy the little things I feel consumed with accomplishing things. Notably a garden... not every kind of vegetable under the sun but the basics... zucchini, tomatoes, peppers and Charlotte requested strawberries. I hope they grow (for her sake). She said she looks forward to picking them and putting them in baskets. We've also been re-vamping the "thoughtful spot" and this year it is hopefully going to be better than ever.
We got most of the plants in the ground and the thoughtful spot somewhat cleaned up today. We've been working on this all week. I'm psyched.
Have I ever mentioned Charlotte's Brooklyn accent? It is strange. Strange as in we have no idea where it comes from. She had a fun sleep over at Nana and Grandpa's this past weekend. They were working in the garden. Nana says, "Charlotte put it here in the dirt." And Charlotte replies, "in the doit?" So Nana says, "No Charlotte, dirt." So Charlotte says, "Doit!"
Nana:"Charlotte can you say dirt?"
Charlotte: "Doit."
Nana:"Charlotte can you say dirt?"
Charlotte: "Doit."Nana:"Charlotte can you say dirt?"
Charlotte: "Doit."Nana:"Charlotte can you say dirt?"
Charlotte: "Nana, I think I'll just call it soil."

I'm telling you we have quite the smarty pants on our hands.
Pictures of the backyard coming soon...In the meantime, look who is almost ready to party!

Stuffy Stuff

2010-04-14T10:25:00.000-07:00

I think we survived the stomach flu epidemic. Charlotte was the only person who fell prey in this house. It went around her school (is still going around) and she was down and out for a good 48 hours. She's eating and back to her normal feisty self and our house is very very sanitized and clean.
But... cluttered. Not cluttered to someone who would walk in and take a look. It looks neat and tidy and somewhat spartan in decor. BUT... we have piles and piles and piles of CRAP! None of us are good at throwing things away, but more importantly how on earth does it find its way into our house in the first place???
It doesn't help that we have kids and with kids comes crap but still!!!
Charlotte is a collector. She loves little piles of stuff in little boxes and bags everywhere. But it isn't only her. We all have piles of stuff. And we aren't organized... at all.
I have a dream of having an organized stuffy-stuff free house!!! I wish some magic fairy would fly into our house (we have two chimneys if they prefer) and organize... and then vanish. I promise magic fairy if someone did all the initial organizing I would stay up on it!!!

Easter baskets are basically full of "stuff" that eventually ends up in piles around our house!!! A perfect example.
And the letter that comes between i and k in the alphabet, I'd love to type it but the key is missing from our keyboard. Which means if I need that letter, then I have to think of a synonym for the word because I can't type the word and leave out the letter (you know the letter that comes between i and k)... how annoying is that? We need a new keyboard!

Templates and Stuff

2010-04-07T15:31:00.000-07:00

I am experimenting with making the window wider... and improving my space so my pictures can be bigger... I don't think I got it right but I'm going to try uploading a picture and see what happens...
Wendy of Bluelily took our pictures in December. It was right after Christmas. She had taken our pictures in March of 2009 when I was pregnant with Abigail and we got some great shots. We wanted her to take some of the new addition and try for a family shot. Charlotte was a mess. Would not even talk to or stop for a second and smile for the camera... this face captures the day perfectly. Wendy is awesome and we can't wait to try again next time she comes to Sacramento! And even though there were no real "framers" out of this photoshoot, we got a great collection of photos that captured our family and home.

Finally!

2010-04-07T10:31:00.000-07:00

Check one more item off the list.

Next up:
Empty dishwasher, load dishwasher, fold laundry, put away laundry. Why is washing and drying so easy yet folding and putting away so daunting???

Grumpy

2010-04-07T09:49:00.000-07:00

I've got a bad case of the grumps today. I can think of lots of reasons why... but focusing on that makes me more grumpy! I am trying to turn my frown upside down and often times I find that when I am productive, I feel better.
After dropping Charlotte off at school this morning Abigail and I came home so she could nap (she too was grumpy). I have been productive since walking through the door:

Started a load of laundry so Bob would stop asking me if his jeans were clean. He will probably still ask, but now I will be able to say yes. They have been in the back of his car for over a week which makes it hard to wash them. Especially because his car is at work every day!
I organized some tennis-team stuff including emailing the captain of the team we're playing tonight and calling the away club to find out which courts we are playing on. I then emailed my team to let them know where we would be playing.
I prepared an invoice for the work I completed in March. This is $atisfying because it means I will get paid (hopefully).
I am about to go complete a craft project I have been working on for over a month. It was a birthday present for one of Charlotte's friends who turned 4 the first week in March. The present will be a month late... or even later if I don't stop blogging and get on it. Picture of completed project to be posted...

I feel better already.

Looking at these pictures makes me smile and warms my heart..

Abigail Rose 10 Months

2010-03-16T10:50:00.000-07:00

Wow, 10 months old, already??? Time is flying by so fast I don't even know what hit me. I am much more nostalgic now than I was as Charlotte approached her first birthday. Lately, I find myself reminiscing about this point in my pregnancy a year ago and about the months leading up to Abby's birth. One of these days I will get around to writing her birth story. It was amazing. I never felt so empowered in my whole life. Split seconds after she was born I wanted to do it all over again, and again. To say it was easy is not fair. The actual point of when my body was in active labor was easy. Pushing her out of my body, easy. I was completely overcome with endorphins and my body and mind were in sync and knew exactly what needed to be done. But... the 9 months (plus an extra week) plus the 12 hours where I was induced to get me there were not easy. Wait, this isn't Abby's birth story. Another time. Another time.

Abigail Rose is 10 months old today. I do not remember the first six months. I am sorry to say this. We have pictures, thankfully, that remind us of things we did and what she looked like but I have a hard time remembering what it felt like to hold her when she was so tiny. I have a hard time remembering what our days were like during those first few months. Truly, it is all a blur. But at the same time, that was almost a YEAR ago??? Where the hell did the time go???
Abigail Rose is outgoing, she smiles at just about everyone and if someone is in her sights, but hasn't acknowledged her, she makes sounds and flirty eyes until they look at her. And then they smile. How can you not smile? She's chubby. Not the chubbiest baby ever. But chubby. Rolls on the thighs, arms and cheeks chubby. She loves to eat. Loves just about any kind of food as long as she can feed herself. She prefers spicy to bland. Abby is active. In fact, she NEVER stops moving. She refuses to lie on her back for a diaper change. This worries me that something could be " wrong" with her. But Bob points out that something must be WRONG with me because that is silly to get all worked up about her not wanting to lie on her back. I'm going to talk to the pediatrician about it anyway at her next checkup.

Abby loves me but she loves her Daddy and she loves her big sister more than life itself. All she wants to do is touch Charlotte. Pulling her hair is just about the greatest thing ever. Luckily for Abby, Charlotte sometimes lets her pull her hair. Abby loves her babysitter, Felicia and Felicia's sisters. They are a wonderful addition to our entourage and they make me feel more human. Those "breaks" during the week help me be a better person.
Abby is starting to enjoy daycare at the gym. This brings us one step closer to having normal lives. By normal I mean Friday nights where Bob and I play tennis and the girls go to the gym. This is looking to be a mighty fine summer, indeed! I could go on and on about this little baby of mine but mostly, she just makes me happy. She makes Charlotte happy. She makes Bob happy. Our little family of four is happy (most of the time).

Notes from the Desert

2010-03-15T15:43:00.000-07:00

We had a great vacation. Everyone needed a break from our routine and I think we got one! Some take away tips/facts/thoughts:

1. To ride on a plane as a lap child, you now need proof of age. That would be in the form of a birth certificate or passport. Did not know this. We almost always purchased a plane ticket for Charlotte when she was of lap-child age (under 3). And in the few instances when we didn't, we were never asked for any form of identification for her. This was a lesson we would have preferred to learn BEFORE we left for the airport.
2. Palm Desert is a neat place. The air is clean, the weather is nice, and the environment is laid back and slow. This is in large part due to the overwhelming number of "old" people in Palm Desert. Old wealthy people if you judge by the shops, and other surroundings. Despite the old folks, we found fun things to do with our kids.
3. All you need is a hotel with a swimming pool when you're in the desert in March with kids. Best. Thing. Ever.
4. Dragging a 10 month old and 3 year old to two days of professional tennis is not fun for kids. There was no bouncy house, face painting, or anything else remotely kid fun. We enjoyed collecting desert rocks (or landscape rocks if you want to be specific). Number of times a 3 1/2 year old said, "But I dooooonnnn'ttt liiiiiikke tennis."? I lost count at 50.
5. Roger Federer is more awe inspiring up close than he is on TV. He carries himself like a Greek God. I was in awe (almost like a teenager) when he walked right past Charlotte and I after an inpromptu photo-shoot and then hit the practice courts. Charlotte was taken by Roger, too. Mommy... I like his red headband!
6. Abby appears to be a tennis fan. She was pretty content to watch tennis and loved the people and activity. She did grow tired of it after about 20 minutes, though. I attribute her love of tennis to the countless hours she played in utero.

5. We splurged on tickets for Saturday and our awesome nieces Kristin and Kami drove to Palm Desert for the day to play with Charlotte and Abby. They were our saviors! Celebrities to Charlotte and allowed for us to spend a whole day watching tennis without hearing any whining or fussing. We were treated to a lot of great tennis and a truly relaxing day.
6. Four nights isn't long enough away... though it was long enough at the Embassy Suites Palm Desert. Sort of a dingy hotel to be honest. Luckily we used points so it didn't cost us anything. But how on earth can a hotel in the desert smell like MILDEW? That is just wrong.
7. Vacation is a great place to experiecne day-light savings with kids. Their schedules are so off that coming home and making all the adjustments seems pretty easy really.

8. Finally... traveling with two kids is TEN times harder than traveling with one! But worth it, oh so worth it.

Desert Bound

2010-03-10T06:23:00.000-08:00

Ohhhhh a vacation! We're heading to Indian Wells for four whole nights! Going to spend two days watching tennis!!! I am pretty darn excited. So excited I deleted the facebook app on my iPhone. How liberating it felt! Can't wait to snap photos in the desert and enjoy some warm weather with my three favorite people.

Pork Products

2010-03-03T11:00:00.000-08:00

Pork products... you either love em or hate em, right? I mean come on... bacon, sausage, ham, salami, prosciutto, ribs, tenderloin, chops, whatever. I'm making it clear I am in the "love" category. In fact, I often make it known that it was bacon that brought me back from vegetarianism. Yep, bacon.
So why is it that people get so weird about the basic food group of pork products? Like you mention you are having hot dogs and they go ewwww gross? As if it is socially "not cool" to enjoy hot dogs and sausages. I understand if it is for health reasons. But people... there are organic, lower calorie, nitrate free options. They taste just as great. And a hamburger with all the fixins is "okay" but sausage or hotdog not okay? Sorry but calorie wise... a hot dog is a better choice. Kind of like the donut versus bagel with cream cheese argument. But we won't go there.
So anyway... we really do enjoy our fair share of pork products in this household. And even baby Abby loves her some sausage (the all-natural nitrate free kind of course)!!!
Think it is a coincidence that Charlotte's favorite animal is a pig???

Back at it!

2010-03-02T11:29:00.001-08:00

I was exchanging emails with a friend a while back and was told I should write more. It is therapeutic and fun and a great outlet. Here goes nothing. Another attempt to blog regularly. Hopefully this will not be a failed attempt.
It was a heavy past couple weeks here. Eileen, my sister-in-law, passed away. She struggled with her health for many of her adult years. She had epilepsy, and lupus, and brain surgeries and I think she was tired. Her body and mind and spirit were all tired of fighting each other for survival. Her passing was a surprise to everyone, but at least it was peaceful. She is missed. Charlotte had a blast playing "tag" with Aunt Eileen on Halloween. Her and Mark wanted to trick-or-treat with us and showed up, much to our surprise, in costumes ready to go. Eileen was a fun person. Mark was such a loving and supportive husband to her. They were two peas in a pod. As much as I know he will miss her, there will be some solace for him knowing she is no longer suffering. My life is changed having known her and am lucky to call her my family.
Baby Abby is nine months old... sheesh, almost ten months old. Where did the past ten months go??? I have no idea. Most days we are trying to just stay afloat. I've lowered my expectations in myself and my surroundings. I struggle to wash, fold, and put away the laundry. Exercising regularly requires a lot of coordination and sometimes a little luck but it is worth it. My tennis game is picking up, and my forehand is better than ever. But my Friday nights with Bob playing tennis and drinking beer feels like a distant memory. I am crossing my fingers that when the weather improves we can get back out there.
Charlotte... our beautiful independent red-head who made it through her twos without ever having one tantrum turned three with a fierce vengeance. It might have something to do with that baby sister who showed up right around the same time. Consistency is key, but we're learning to adapt as she turns out to be our best teacher.
Abby smiles at everyone, makes us laugh and loves her big sister more than anything in the world. She never stops moving unless it is for a meal. She eats just about anything but seems to prefer cheese.

Sisterly Love

2009-10-08T14:02:00.001-07:00

Numbers and Crafts

2009-10-03T14:25:00.000-07:00

My brother and I are a year and ten days apart. When I turned 5 and him 6 (or perhaps it was 4 and 5) my parents made these tee shirts for us at a store in our mall. They were silk screened a big number "5" for me and a "6" for him and on the back in all capitals was each of our names. It was a baseball type tee with the 3/4 sleeves. They were cute. The following year, when I turned 6, my parents took the shirt into the mall, had my brother's name crossed off and my name silk screened on below. I remember this clearly. I think my parents thought it was "cute". Not that it wasn't cute, but I don't remember wearing that shirt too much.

When Charlotte was turning "1" I made her a cute little onesie. I cut out a stencil using the computer of a "1" and spray-painted it with fabric paint. It didn't turn out great, but looking back at the pictures the onesie (and our little 12 month old Charlotte) it was pretty darn cute.

I made a photo book documenting Charlotte's first birthday and having just turned 3, she's really been enjoying this book about turning "1". Two weeks ago she was making quite the raucous in her room and I went upstairs to find out why she wasn't napping. She told me, "I'm trying to find my ONE shirt!!!" It took me a little while to figure out exactly what she was looking for. She said, "I want to wear it!"

A couple days later I dug the onesie out of her special keepsakes box and showed it to her. She was excited but realized that it definitely wouldn't fit. I told her we would make a special shirt that had a "3" on it!

A childhood friend of mine, Mike, has an awesome blog. In addition to being a great writer, he's quite crafty. He documented on his blog (and on a local television show) how to use cute fabric and make fun shirts. This would work perfectly for Charlotte's "3" shirt! And if they really truly are that easy... let's make one for cousin Jessalyn's birthday! She's having her 4th Birthday party next weekend.

They turned out really, really cute! We didn't go to the greatest fabric store and were limited in cute patterns. I will find a store around Sacramento that has some more unique stuff. And I truly wish I could sew and put a more finished look to the shirts.
It really is as easy as he says (possibly easier). Charlotte had a blast helping me, too! I think we are going to have a lot of fun with this new crafty idea. Baby sister need something made by mommy next. Perhaps we will be asking Santa for a sewing machine?

Doing it!

2009-07-08T08:00:00.001-07:00

We are totally doing it! Family of four that is... In the past couple weeks things have gotten much, much "better" around here. By better I mean my anxiety has gone WAY down. I realized I can do this! And... it is rewarding.

A few of the contributing factors to the success we've had around here lately:

1. Sleep...

Abigail is sleeping much, much better. I attributed this to so-called "gripe" water but I also recognize that the decrease in her gassiness also coincided with about the 6 week mark, which is when babies are at their so-called gassiest phase, hmmmmmm. She's sleeping in good long stretches throughout the day and at night which makes mommy much more relaxed.

2. Smiles

Abigail smiles all the time. There is nothing better than a sleeping baby, who wakes up and is a smiling baby. Enough said.

3. Exercise

I've been getting some regular exercise. It is tough some days because I'm exhausted (she's sleeping... but I'm still not getting good, long nights of sleep). After a workout I feel like a new person. A better mom & wife.

4. Nana

None of this would be possible without the help of my mom. She's amazing. She not only helps (she treated Charlotte to two nights at her house last week which is amazing for us but also for Charlotte... she thinks going to Nana and Grandpa's house is the greatest thing in the world) but she gives moral support, and always a healthy dose of perspective when I need one.

5. Parties

We actually had a "party" at our house on the 4th of July. It was a last-minute spontaneous thing. As in Bob was at Trader Joes buying some BBQ items because we knew my parents would be here and I got a call from a friend saying they'd come over before the parade and thought BBQ'ing at our house after sounded like a great idea. Awesome! I got a hold of Bob (he was in line at TJs) and he got out of line and stocked up with enough food for everyone. At one point there were 8 children 4 and under, and 9 adults here on a beautiful July 4. We did it! And everyone had fun! And the house was clean, the meal was good and organized... and the dishes were done post-party (huge shout out to my mom and dad for that one).

I didn't take one picture at the party, and only a few on 4th of July at the parade, but that is a lot to ask.

My next goal is to get better at taking pictures. I want to get some of Abigail awake, smiling and just some general pictures documenting our days. We've been getting out a lot and having adventures to the park, the gym to build sand castles in the volleyball pit, etc.

I also want to get better at blogging. It is nice to write and clear my head. But most days I have no time at the computer so this is a pretty big goal... we'll see.

Adventures in Parenting

2009-06-04T13:18:00.001-07:00

So long as we're still counting her age in days...
Abigail Rose Wagner is 19 days old and I've compiled a short list of her likes/dislikes.
I will give her an opportunity to re-visit her list, as the days wear on. We certainly hoping some of the "dislikes" make it to the "likes" (e.g. her swing) but we're keeping an open mind.
Likes
· being rocked to sleep by mamma
· being rocked to sleep by nana
· being held by just about anyone (but right now mamma is her favorite)
· nursing (not round the clock, but about every three hours or so during the day)
· to sleep (so long as there is someone to either rock her or hold her)
· daddy
· big sister Charlotte
· baths
· clean diapers
· bouncy seat
· car seat
Dislikes
· dirty diapers
· having gas in her tummy
· her swing
· being set down
· 5:30-8:30 pm
· her swing (we're hoping to move this one up to the list of likes)
Well that is all the dislikes I can think of. Not bad really. She's a great baby so far. Really cute and cuddly. We're getting about 5 1/2 hours at night before she wakes up needing to nurse. She typically goes back to sleep after a little "snack" and sleeps another two or three. I'm starting to feel a lot less groggy which is a good thing. I'm not someone who does well without sleep.
And in toddler news... Charlotte is wearing UNDERWEAR! She told me she wanted to wear underwear so they would sing the song at school... I don't know the lyrics but something about the kids name and underwear. It is a big deal, you know! Yesterday post-nap she stripped down to her favorite attire (nothing) and came running in the house telling me she had to pee-pee. Sure enough she sat on the potty and when she was done she dumped the contents into the toilet and flushed... without ANY help or anything. Gotta love that school of hers! Today she wore underwear proudly to school and when I picked her up she announced, "Mommy I peed on the potty!!!" Her teachers were happy to report no accidents! Yay Charlotte! She's really into this big girl status!
It is bittersweet seeing that your "baby" is no longer a baby but a big girl. It becomes that more apparent when you have a newborn around the house. We miss that little baby Charlotte but we are loving getting to know the opinionated, independent fun and silly Charlotte, too!

Look whos here!

2009-05-29T13:52:00.000-07:00

Abigail Rose Wagner

May 16, 2009

8 pounds 9 ounces; 20 inches

She's already 13 days old! Amazing! To be completey honest, life has changed dramatically since Abigail came into our lives. I have NO TIME FOR ME anymore! I'm not complaining... I'm simply stating the facts. She's a great baby. She nurses well, sleeps well and cries when gassy or often when her diaper is changed. She reminds us of Charlotte... but I'd say Charlotte was a little more mellow.

Charlotte loves being a big sister and is as sweet as can be to her baby sister. We've been having lots of fun... but we don't leave the house much!
More soon!

A-Bee-Gail

2009-05-09T21:27:00.001-07:00

We all went to the Dixon May Fair today! It brought back some fun memories of high school and my high school boyfriend. He was in FFA and used to show cows or pigs or sheep or something... I don't remember which. The Dixon May Fair is super mellow, compared to the CA State Fair. We got there when it opened, 10 am, and stayed until about 12 when the crowds started lining up outside the gates and the heat started to set in.

Charlotte had a blast! She knows what a "carnival" is but hasn't really seen or been to one. Lucky for us there was nobody around so we had the run of the place. A full carnival experience. And we visited the livestock, too. Old MacDonald and anything "farm" related is a huge hit at our house so that scored equally high points at the fair!

After running around we enjoyed a cold lemonade and headed to lunch. We opted NOT to eat the fair food. Something about enjoying 40 weeks of pregnancy without swollen ankles has been very eye-opening to me this time around!

While enjoying that lemonade we snapped a picture of Charlotte saying "A-Bee-Gail". Too cute.

She can't wait to meet her baby sister and neither can we!!!

Cinco de Mayo

2009-05-05T15:52:00.000-07:00

So much for a planned c-section. The good news is sweet baby girl #2 decided last night to get into the proper "birth" position! Our whole "plan" was in effect this morning and Bob and I showed up at the hospital at 9:30 am. The plan was to get admitted, have a "scan" to confirm the breech position, then prep for surgery. My doctor warned me that her last breech c-section baby turned the night before surgery, so it didn't come as a complete surprise to me when low and behold the scan showed the baby's head down and the legs in my ribcage.
Funny thing was while we were waiting to be admitted I had some sharp jabs in my ribcage. The first of this pregnancy and I thought it was a little strange. Just yesterday the baby's head was in the same spot I was feeling the jabs.
They listened to baby's heart during some sleeping/awake cycles to make sure she was behaving like a healthy baby and sent me home to let nature run its course! While it was sort of a bummer leaving the hospital, nothing ever felt quite right. Like for one, I feel great! I didn't feel anything near great the day I had Charlotte. I am certainly "ready" mentally and at home, but it just didn't seem like it was going to happen this way. I never felt like I was going to be robbed of a "birth experience" by having a c-section, but I didn't really feel like it was time.
And I guess I was right! To be honest, I'd be thrilled to not have a c-section. I don't like the idea of the surgery or the recovery time but I will do it if it is necessary for the health of the baby.
So ...we'll wait and see! The pain in my back/sciatic nerve area has increased in the last 24 hours, so I'm hoping some simple stretches and rest and a little elliptical trainer will ease the pain out. I don't see my doctor again until next Tuesday at which point I will be over-due! Maybe my doctor scheduled the appointment hoping I'd have the baby before next Tuesday?
Stay tuned!

Firsts...

2009-05-03T20:05:00.000-07:00

Charlotte had her first haircut today. In a fancy salon, no-less! She was amazing during the experience. She told the woman when her hair gets a little longer she might like to try some layers, or even an a-line bob. The girl has style.
We've been enjoying this time with Charlotte before her baby sister arrives. Earlier in the week we took advantage of the wind and flew a kite for the first time. I never knew flying a kite could be so fun. We used and awesome Dora kite (thanks Eric, Darcy and Jessalyn) and gave it a whirl in front of the house. Between trees, cars, sidewalks and streets we decided we'd try again the following day. We also picked up a kite that was a little stronger (Dora didn't last that long) and headed to a nearby park that didn't have trees. The wind didn't cooperate as well but we sure had fun running around with it and chasing each other.
Tuesday is the big day for baby sister. May 5th. I have a scheduled c-section due to the breech position of the baby. We have a whole plan for the day that involves family, friends, an awesome babysitter, etc. I am sure it will all go great but we're all a little anxious around here. Been stocking up on groceries, toilet paper, diapers, wine, beer... you'd think we'll never leave the house again! But at least we'll have nice beverages and snacks to offer if people want to stop by and visit (hint, hint)...

Planting a Rainbow

2009-04-27T08:01:00.001-07:00

Charlotte and I have been reading this great book at bedtime called Planting a Rainbow. It is by the same author/illustrator of another favorite of ours called Eating the Alphabet. Eating the Alphabet has made shopping in the produce section of grocery stores so, so fun. Not many kids under age 2 could identify the likes of: kiwifruit, starfruit, mangoes, tangerines, huckleberries, figs, dates, etc.

Planting a Rainbow tells the story of how "mommy and me" plant bulbs, seeds and seedlings from the nursery and wait until summer comes when they grow into pretty flowers. It is a simple story with beautiful illustrations. But the funny thing is Charlotte can identify some pretty unique flowers: phlox, zinnia, daisy, cornflower, aster, daffodil, tulip, crocus, etc. I thought it would be fun to go to the nursery, pick out our own rainbow and plant it in one of the beds where our veggie garden was last year.

We haven't gotten our act together yet in veggie garden land... and might not this year. But at least we can have a rainbow. Charlotte doesn't quite get the concepts of prepping the soil, planting and being gentle but she had a great time in the backyard with us. I can't wait to see the all the pretty colors this summer! I'm most excited about this big dahlia but I can't remember the name of it. It has bright red and yellow blooms. My mom grows them from seed/tuber/bulb but I'm not that awesome. I cheated... but I think I deserve credit regardless! How many 38 1/2 week pregnant women do you know who get on their hands and knees and garden!?!?

"prepping" the soil

digging

gardening au'naturel... and a pregnant mamma

The makings of our rainbow!!!

Before and After...

2009-04-06T20:23:00.000-07:00

We had this room in our house... it was covered in wood. Lots, and lots of wood. Knotty pine they call it (I think). Horizontal siding (indoors). Wood bookshelves, wood cabinetry, wood beams. All knotty pine. It did not match the style of our house at all. It was a love-hate thing. That being you either love it or hate it. I would say the "love it" was mainly some of the guys who have checked it out. They no doubt have visions of hanging dead animals or guns or something on the wall. Luckily I have a husband who is not fond of guns, and who found the room dark and depressing.

We spend a lot of time in this room. Most of our non-sleeping, non-cooking time. Television, trains, computers, office, laundry, etc. all concentrated back here. There are four doors in this room that lead to the backyard which means in the summer we run in and out from the backyard to the back room regularly. The thought of spending countless hours with a newborn in the dark, depressing, wood room gave me anxiety. So I proposed that we do something about it... let's paint the wood or something. I was thinking of the least expensive way to lighten it up a bit.

Bob had a better idea (he always has good ideas, but they typically double, or triple the budget). So... we got a dry-wall contractor, and then a painter and presto... the room has been transformed. We're not finished yet.

There is electrical work to be done, light fixtures to pick out, hardwood floors to be refinished, and oh, all new furniture to buy (of course)... but we're getting there. Progress! I love it! Bob loves it! Charlotte can't stop dancing and rolling around the floor! Success! I'll post more pictures after we do the floors (hopefully next week) and after we furnish (hopefully in a few weeks after we win big on Kentucky Derby Day!). A girl can dream!

p.s. That awful brick work and woodburning stove (in the first picture) are now gone. Not even sure why someone would have put them there but I guess it went with the "woodsy" look. Not the most practical way to heat a house in this California climate.

p.p.s. That monster huge television (in the second picture)... it is gone too. It disappeared on that fateful day some big losers burglarized our house. The image of two guys hauling off this huge TV is something I care not to imagine. Wish they would have walked off with the bricks and the stove though while they were here removing things from our house.

Happy Birthday Lucy & Mia

2009-03-29T19:53:00.000-07:00

The Lederer gals Lucy and Mia turned 1 and 3. They celebrated with a fiesta! We had a great time. Mia and Lucy were oh so stylish in their birthday outfits and seemed to have a great time at their party. Charlotte seemed to be into the festivities and in the bathtub last night sang Happy Birthday twice, once to Mia and once to Lucy. She's really getting the hang of this Birthday thing. We have been to a lot of birthday parties lately and it seems she finally "gets" it.

Happy Birthday Mia #3

Happy Birthday Lucy #1

Charlotte helping Mia blow out her candles

Feeding the neighborhood kitty

I think the appropriate caption for this picture is cupcake coma

Go Green or Go Home!

2009-03-18T11:39:00.000-07:00

We've always enjoyed St. Patrick's Day! My mom made a big deal as long as I can remember. I used to get all sorts of goodies in my lunch including shamrock shaped peanut butter sandwiches on white bread. Yum! In years past my mom has had little parties at her house for family complete with a delicious meal and fun favors for the kids. The past two years however my dad and her were in Arizona, enjoying the sun and some baseball.

This year I thought it would be fun to have a little festive dinner at our house! I told Charlotte we were having a party for St. Patrick's Day and she asked if we could have cupcakes... I told her yes but they needed to have green sprinkles. So she asked if we could have green balloons too... I thought it over and said sure!

We had a nice evening with a few friends. I think dinner tasted great. Charlotte woke up from her nap to find the house transformed into a St. Patrick's Day Party. She proclaimed, "Happy Birthday!" When we asked her whose birthday it was she replied, "Mine!" Since March 17th is officially her half birthday we figured why not!

Plenty of food, laughter and good times. We need to celebrate St. Patricks' Day more than once a year!!!

Nesting by Necessity

2009-03-02T07:35:00.000-08:00

Do you have any idea what it feels like to come home in the middle of the day, only to realize (even upon entering your house) that something just isn't quite right. To hold onto your two-year olds hand ever so tight as you walk through the door only to see things strewn about and know within a split second that somebody has been in your house, looking through your things? Last Wednesday was the scene of a movie at our house. Not a good scene in a movie, either. We were burglarized. Thanks to a brother in law enforcement, I know it wasn't a robbery but a burglary.
It was pretty bad. They made off with our televisions, cameras, my prized bicycle, every piece of jewelry I ever owned, alcohol from our liquor cabinet and even the fresh strawberries, meat, cheese and flour tortillas from our refrigerator. The entire contents of our bedroom were tossed, dumped on the floor. Stuff was strewn everywhere. Clearly they were looking for more. But, alas, we have a great big house with not a whole lot of valuables. No cash in the panties drawer, no huge diamond rings from great-grandmother, no guns, nada. So the burglars made off with a bunch of "stuff" and we were left feeling completely broken hearted (with a shattered glass door, too).
Police suspect that they are your run-of-the-mill criminals... go around nice neighborhoods knocking on doors and when nobody is home they go around the back knocking then figure out a way in. Our house has a lot of doors, and a lot of glass, an open invitation I guess.
Our neighbor across the street realized after the fact (hindsight is 20-20) that the two men she saw with their truck in front of our house (parked on the street, not the driveway) who were straightening their "load" were actually strapping down our television before driving away. Perhaps when she came home they decided to split. They must have made multiple trips from the back of our house, down the driveway to their truck to drop off our possessions. WHO DOES THIS KIND OF THING? Clearly, they crossed the line from good to evil many many years and crimes ago.
Luckily I was able to reach Bob quickly in Los Angeles and he was at the airport and on his way home faster than I ever thought possible. Our sweet Charlotte was completely dumbfounded by the missing TV's. Her good friends Thomas, Dora, Elmo, Kipper... they all LIVE in that TV and without the TV where could her friends visit her in the evening. Her bottom lip quivered and she was scared. There is nothing worse than seeing your own two year old scared in her own house.
Bob took the subsequent days off work and we spent the past four days as a family doing some much needed spring cleaning. I hope nobody has to add ridding your house of fingerprint dust to the list of spring cleaning chores. Let me tell you, that stuff is a mess, and it gets everywhere, and it is awful and disgusting. We filled bags and bags of items for the goodwill, items for the trash, organized closets and I am still folding and washing over 20 loads of laundry (and we have an extra large capacity washer). But in spite of being forced to do this, it felt good. Cleansing. Necessary.
We also improved the security in our house. Turns out we had the Cadillac of alarm systems. Installed by a local company that has been in business forever and the owner came over and remembers our house, installing the system over 15 years ago. We turned that Cadillac back on and now it is functioning. We improved locks, are building a fence along one side of our house. All in all we are much more prepared now than we were before and it is a good feeling.
Did I mention that I’m 30 weeks pregnant? One more thing to add to the fun. However, one of the happiest things that happened in all this chaos was the crib for baby sister was delivered. We put the crib together, and began getting the room ready. It is going to be very girly compared to Charlotte's room which was initially "neutral" for the unknown boy-or-girl baby. Charlotte's room is now truly Charlotte's room in that it matches her personality and everything.
So I'm wondering... dear daughter #2, will you be a girly-girl simply by virtue of the fact that your mom decorated your room with a vintage rose buds? If so... we can deal with girly-girl so long as you don't mind splashing in a puddle or two on a rainy day.
We’re going to be okay, in fact we have never been stronger as a family. Pictures of the baby’s room will be posted soon.

Train Town 1977

2009-01-28T20:50:00.000-08:00

We found two pictures from Train Town taken in 1977. Here is my mom, Eric, Grandpa Vic and me. I was about 1, Eric 2. My mom's outfit rocks! Next time we go we will try to take some pictures similar to these for posterity. But it is pretty neat that 32 years later the place is still going.

Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Buttercream Frosting

2009-01-26T15:42:00.000-08:00

I think I need to work on my frosting technique so they look smoother and more uniform... I kind of like the messy look though, too.

Train Town

2009-01-26T14:07:00.000-08:00

I met up with my parents on Saturday and we went to Train Town in Sonoma. My parents have pictures of my brother and there when we were Charlotte's age. We're going to dig them up and I'll post one once they find them. We had a blast! Charlotte was in choo choo heaven. Her favorite part (besides being with Nana and Grandpa) were the tunnels!

Ohhhh the conductor is gone... wonder if anyone will notice if I try to drive this train....

Cupcakes...

2009-01-26T13:53:00.000-08:00

We have been trying to eat most of our meals at home, and I kicked it up a notch by trying to cook with the food we already have, versus dreaming up fancy recipes and running to the store for ingredients we might or might not have at home. I jokingly called it "Recession Cooking" in the sense that we needed to use up all our canned and frozen goods before loading up on new stuff. But, we've been enjoying some pretty gourmet "Recession Meals" with our frozen and cupboard food.
In addition, I've had a pretty bad sweet tooth this pregnancy. The kind of sweet tooth that isn't satisfied by some junky candy bar. We're talking fancy baked goods, homemade chocolate chip cookies, cake, etc. I've been really trying to stay within my weight gain goals set by the doctor because I certainly don't want the blood pressure, swelling, etc. etc. I had to deal with last time. Some days I kick the exercise up a notch to make up for the extra calories (i.e. chocolate chip cookies) but I'm what 25-26 weeks along now and my exercise isn't quite what it used to be. I was practically immobile after two hours of what I considered "hard" tennis on Sunday. Bob informed me after that he didn't even consider it a workout. Gee, glad to hear you're suddenly Mr. Exercise but cut your pregnant wife some slack! Incidentally, I won the match.
So anyway, cupcakes, homemade ones, appear to be the perfect balance of homemade gourmet goodness and lighter on the calories assuming you eat only one! I have the greatest cookbook... it is called Cupcakes! by Elinor Klivans. Some of the reviews I read complained that there weren't enough pictures of the finished products. I have plenty of experience cooking and baking to know how awesome these little cakes are going to come out just by reading the name of the cupcake and list of ingredients to follow. The best part of this cookbook is that every recipe make 12 cupcakes. That's it... a dozen, PERFECT! Enough for the family to have a couple each, and a couple left over to share with important people... the babysitter, tennis friends, gym friends, neighbors, etc.
Which brings me to today... Banana Butterscotch Cupcakes with Butterscotch Buttercream frosting... HOLY CRAP! Delicious! I didn't have butterscotch chips and sticking with my "Recession Cooking" motto I substituted chocolate chips. They look fantastic. I'll post a picture once they are frosted. I plan to take a few to tennis tonight to share with my friends at clinic, and the rest will stay home for Bob and Charlotte to enjoy.
I've neglected all my Monday chores to satisfy my inner sweet tooth so better get back to folding laundry and putting away a weekend's worth of mess!

She really is cute...

2009-01-22T13:32:00.000-08:00

We can't wait to meet her sister! In the meantime we're sure having fun! I don't know why they call the two's "terrible"?

Nesting...

2009-01-14T14:47:00.001-08:00

I'm not normally a Pottery Barn person... but I think the new baby *needs* this in her yet to be decorated room... And totally by circumstance, this is the "blue" I had originally thought would look really nice. But then a friend told me it would look like we thought we were having a boy and ended up having a girl. Needless to say we're painting the room green. But, I did have a dream a couple nights ago they got the sex of the baby wrong and when we had her, it was a he. Coincidence? I think not...

24 Weeks Pregnant

2009-01-14T13:42:00.000-08:00

Have gained 14 pounds total this pregnancy. Doctor says great job but must limit it to about two pounds in the next four weeks. I will resist the temptation to eat (1, 2, 3) cookies and any other sweet items flashed before me in the day. I will try to curb my sweet craving with fruit... 1/2 a grapefruit (ruby red) will kill the great taste of any cookie... doesn't the sound of those two things together make you want to wretch?

A Carry You

2009-01-13T14:05:00.000-08:00

Charlotte has been saying the same thing whenver she wants to be carried for as long as Bob and I can remember. It goes something like this, "Mamma Carry You?" Or, "Dadda Carry You?" It seemed normal when she first started talking... she was confused and said little. We figured this was her learning how to talk and simply getting the words mixed up.

Well over the course of the past few months she's totally getting pronouns and stuff. It, he, she, you, me, ours, theirs, hers, his, etc. Those are pronouns, right? Well, we kind of figured, she'd start saying, "Will you carry me?" I mean, she says things as sophisticated as, "Her dress is blue, just like Thomas."

But nope, "Mamma Carry You?" is the only phrase she uses when she wants to be carried. Bob pointed out last night that perhaps when we carry her, she thinks it is called a "Carry You". Kind of like a "Piggy Back Ride" which she fully grasps and asks for. We think she is saying, "Mamma a Carry You?" which makes a lot more sense (if any of this is making any sense) and it makes me smile. For the longest time, every time she says, "Mamma a Carry You?" I respond, "You want to carry me? Well I think I'm too heavy!" She repeats (completely ignoring what I just said), "Mamma a Carry You?"

I think this is pretty funny. Two year olds really are the best.

On a totally unrelated note tomorrow I go in for my 24 week checkup. I can't even imagine what the scale is going to say...

Stay Two Forever Please

2008-12-16T07:19:00.000-08:00

So Charlotte… our non-huggy, non-kissy, non-affectionate but certainly confident daughter has become the cutest, most lovable kid of late. She ran up and hugged me when I came to get her at my parents last week, has been blowing and giving kisses. Last night, she crawled up onto Bob and said, “I STAY HERE… COZY WITH DADA!” While this may just sound totally the norm for most parents, it is something she has never done before! She has always been the type of kid to observe from a distance and certainly show her love… but not in the touchy feely way (I can’t hardly blame her, both Bob and I are very similar in our displays of affection, we aren’t overly huggy or kissy and certainly don’t share hugs and kisses with most people)…

They were watching Kipper. She loves Kipper… and I must admit I’m happy to watch Kipper any time of the day. We all have fun imitating his accent.

My Friends Tigger and Pooh in the Bath

2008-12-15T20:58:00.000-08:00

Charlotte discussing her favorite episode from My Friends Tigger and Pooh... it is about Christmas.

Trains

2008-12-14T09:26:00.000-08:00

We had a totally fun family day at the California State Rail Road Museum. Charlotte loves that place. She's a caboose member which means we get in for free. She usually heads straight upstairs where all the Thomas trains are set up on tables for the kids to play with but we lucked out and convinced her checking out all the real trains downstairs was fun, too. The Train Museum is truly one of the best parts about living in Sacramento. It is a gem. We need to go there more often.

Charlotte is more and more a kid and not even a toddler anymore. She follows directions, communicates what she wants and how she feels about things and is typically a source of non-stop entertainment. Yesterday while I was at the grocery store she was resisting her nap. Bob finally went up to her room to see what the noise was all about. She says to him, "Just watch a little bit of Thomas, dada." He said, "No Charlotte you are going to take a nap." She ended up needing a diaper change and said to him probably ten times, "Watch just a little bit of Thomas, dada." Then she sits up and says,
"Here's the deal. Watch just a little bit of Thomas."

Which resulted in her going downstairs to watch a LOT of Thomas. How do you resist a two year old that bargains with "Here's the deal..." I am afraid she learned that one from me.

Spending the week packing and having the house organized before our big Hawaiian adventure!

New Routines

2008-12-02T12:48:00.000-08:00

We are embarking on a new routine here in Wagner land. The old routine was gym or errands in the morning, followed by lunch, nap, and often gym again in the evening where I would either meet up with Bob to workout or participate in some organized tennis activity. It isn't as much gym as it sounds, but we truly do go often. Bob is amazed at the number of people I say hi to and enjoys the smile on my face and the fact that his wife can hammer out 60 (3 sets of 20) full-on-man push-ups... He can do them too. But he isn't 17 weeks pregnant and able to do them so I have one-up on him!!! I digress. Tuesday and Thursday around 11 a babysitter came over and I went to work. Two guaranteed work afternoons and then any other time during the day/evening I squeezed in work when I could. This routine was fine for a while (a long while) but it was growing old. I needed a little more time to work, I often found myself not getting to the office until 1 pm or so because of other little errands I would do Charlotte-less, I didn't really like putting Charlotte into the gym day-care twice a day, and the babysitting was expensive for the amount of work I was actually getting done on those two days.
So we made an abrupt change to all that. Starting last week, Charlotte goes to Busy Bee Nursery School three mornings a week. We picked Tues-Wed-Thurs with the logic being she gets three days in a row of school followed by four days of no-school. Four day weekends... AWESOME! With Thanksgiving last week, it was all a bit of a trial-run.
Now here we are an official week of the new routine. Today went well. I spent my time working, doing a necessary blood-draw/glucose test, and was finished with everything just in time to pick up Charlotte. We came home and went straight upstairs to get "cozy" read books and take a nap.
I finished lunch and started something for dinner and am making a mental list of all the things I'd like to accomplish during naptime: clean kitchen, make dinner (to re-heat when Bob gets home), finish decorating for Christmas, put away Thanksgiving and Halloween decorations, laundry, organize desk.
I am not sure what the new routine will do for our exercise routine. I don't see taking Charlotte to the gym day-care environment after she has spent the morning in pre-school... but maybe she won't mind? Too bad it is so dark or else we'd go for walks when she wakes up.
So much to figure out.
On a different note, I'm almost done with all our Christmas shopping... we leave for Hawaii December 19th and I can't wait. Bob has worked so hard this past year, and like mad lately, and I hope that Christmas on the Big Island with his favorite girls is relaxing and special.

Fist Bumps and Stuff

2008-11-25T15:14:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty much over blogging. I often wish I used this space more for clearing my head... but thanks to a few good friends, and Bob who is always listening (or at least pretending to), I have a lot of opportunities to get all the crazy things that go on in my head out...

A lot is going on around here. I'm working... a lot. More than I'm comfortable with but it is fun and interesting (most of the time) and keeps my brain fired up.

We're having another baby! I'm 16/17 weeks pregnant... in a couple weeks we find out if Charlotte will have a brother or a sister. Pretty exciting. We're totally ready (well not ready, but certainly willing) for the chaos that comes with a 2 kid household!

Charlotte started pre-school. It is a pre-school/daycare facility for 18 mos and older. She's in a classroom with other non potty-trained kids. As soon as she learns to pee in the toilet she'll move to a different class. She goes three mornings a week (Tuesday-Thursday) and was sad when I dropped her off today (her first day) but happy when she saw me and exclaimed, "Mamma this is fun!" when I picked her up. They served her favorite food today for lunch, black beans and rice... the kid was in heaven! She's such a trooper. I'm excited about three mornings a week when I'll be able to get work done, either at home or at the office and excited for Charlotte to teach me the things she learns in school.

When I picked her up today she and the teacher "fist bumped" goodbye after a high five. Our president-elect would be proud, her father would be proud, I was proud! Gotta love the fist bump!

Can't wait to see what she learns next week. Maybe something geared towards the financial crisis? Or perhaps she'll learn to tackle global warming? Potty training can wait!

Viva La Fiesta!

2008-09-15T13:02:00.000-07:00

We had a fun weekend with family and friends celebrating Charlotte's Birthday. I think Charlotte is looking forward to some "momma, dadda, Charlotte time." I think this because she told me so... Gotta love this girl.

We're planning a fun evening, just the three of us, at the Tower Cafe to blow out a candle in honor of our sweet Charlotte on Wednesday, her actual birthday.

It's Almost Party Time!

2008-09-10T07:49:00.001-07:00

Weddings and Ponies

2008-09-01T07:49:00.001-07:00

Paula and Larry were married on Saturday in Menlo Park, CA. What a beautiful part of California. I felt a little under-gunned all weekend, what, with only one iPhone, one digital camera, and one laptop. Everyone there is "wired" so to speak. Geeks. Computer nerds. We are cavemen by comparison in Sacramento.
I managed to snap a few photos and had a great time hanging with friends who I do not see enough! Paula and Larry are perhaps the cutest couple in the whole world and I can't be more excited to hear about their married adventures in Chicago. I hope we can visit them soon.
After the wedding we stopped in Vacaville for a surprise 60th Birthday Party for someone Bob works with and has known a long time. Dorothy's party was great. The highlight of the party for Charlotte was the pony they had at the house. She was pretty overwhelmed by the koi pond, the chickens, the doggy, and then she saw the pony. Jessica and I showed Charlotte how you feed hay to the pony and she followed our lead and held her little hand full of hay right up to the pony's mouth. Amazing that she loves creatures big and small and isn't the least bit afraid.
I'd like to take credit for encouraging her to try new things and not be afraid but I think the real reason she's such a brave, stellar gal is because she has her daddy's genes. I'm pretty sure that when I was two there was no way I would ever even go near a pony.

That Face...

2008-08-27T08:26:00.000-07:00

Today is our 3-year wedding anniversary. A lot has happened in three years and I think it is great that Bob and I continue to learn new things about each other, and find new things to do together as time goes by. The three of us are going to Tower Cafe tonight to celebrate. Tower Cafe has turned into our "celebratory" restaurant which is fun and funny in the same. For one, none of us are crazy about the food. It is okay, not spectacular. However, we ate there when Charlotte turned 1, then on Bob's birthday, and again on my birthday this year. The decor is very funky, there is a neat fountain outside, and it is always crowded and pretty lively.

We've had a busy week and it is only Wednesday! Yesterday we drove out to El Dorado Hills to Melissa's house and finally met Chase Martin, Wendy and Andreas's new baby boy. It was so great to see that beautiful baby with the big blue eyes. He's happy and adorable and looks exactly like his parents. Charlotte was excited about it but quickly turned her attention to Melissa's kids, Jake and Natalie who are 5 and 3 1/2 and their two new kittens. I am pretty sure Jake and Natalie have the coolest toys, and are the most fun kids to play with in all of Northern California! Charlotte is still talking about them!

Friday we all head to Menlo Park to go to Paula's wedding. Paula and I have been friends since pre-school and I am so excited she met such a special guy. Paula will be joining him in Chicago after the wedding/honeymoon and I hope the Wagners can pay them a visit soon, I love Chicago!

Tennis Weekend

2008-08-15T21:07:00.000-07:00

Bob and I are playing in the semi-finals of a tennis tournament this weekend. Mixed doubles. Pretty exciting. We won our first round match and should we win tomorrow we play in the finals on Sunday. We have only played doubles together once before (1st round of the tournament) and the results were good enough to get us into the next round. Charlotte is excited, too, because she is going to Nana and Grandpa's house... her favorite place these days!

Mommy Blogging

2008-08-13T21:12:00.000-07:00

So much blogging about the kid... but it is crazy. We had thought the terrible twos were upon us after a very long five-day "vacation". Wondering if we were going to have to change our parenting style, routine, etc. Well since we've been home Charlotte is a completely different kid. She is her old self. Happy, funny, talkative, loving, fun, easy-going... basically she's AWESOME! Speaking of awesome, it is one of her favorite words right now.

A bit premature

2008-08-10T15:45:00.000-07:00

So maybe I was a bit premature to declare Charlotte's love of the ocean. Something happened between the night we got here and the following three days. For one, she hasn't had much sleep. Let's just say the tent we made with the dingy curtains and the pack-n-play that hotel provides aren't exactly as classy as her digs at home. She's been sleeping much less than usual which has resulted in what I think they call the "terrible twos". Bob jokingly said she is finally showing some behavior similar to her mother (e.g. moodiness).
Some of her favorite new terms, "go home" "go home" and "go home". Typically this comes out when we are at the beach. We have to laugh it off. But for whatever reason the ocean is no longer cool, the sand and making sand castles is okay. The pool at the hotel (I mean, the spa) is AWESOME... So if your thought of fun is sitting in a 95 degree spa while it is 80 degrees outside in the sun is fun... then come hang out with Charlotte!!!
Charlotte met this six year old girl, Sammy at the pool. Sammy was telling Charlotte she likes to watch TV. Charlotte leaned over and looked her in the eye and asked, "Thomas?" I told the girl Charlotte wondered if she liked Thomas. She said she didn't know who Thomas was. So Charlotte looked at her and said DUMBO? The girl shook her head no (who doesn't like Dumbo?). Anyway, so I took a third try and said "Strawberry Cake?" And she said, YES, I have it with me. She ran to the other side of the pool and returned with a whole case full of DVDs! Charlotte saw them and exclaimed, "COOL!" Bob and I cracked up. Then sweet Sammy gave Charlotte the DVD case to look through (did I mention we were IN the spa while this was going on). We explained to Sammy that Charlotte really shouldn't play with her DVDs on/near/in the spa and Sammy said, okay well I better put these back before my mom sees... um... good idea Sammy. Six year olds are funny!
When sleeping beauty wakes up we're heading to the track for "family day" and those cute little ponies are going to be on the infield for that pony ride we promised. If she says "go home" when she rides the pony, it just might break our hearts...
I think we're all looking forward to getting home tomorrow and seeing our beds!

Where the Turf Meets the Surf

2008-08-08T15:52:00.000-07:00

Hi from Del Mar! Charlotte loves the ocean and the beach just like her mama does! Last night we took an adventure before sunset down to Del Mar Beach to introduce Charlotte to the ocean. You would think she spends every day at the beach! She ran right into the water and was very curious about the waves. A little unsteady on her feet, she was completely knocked off balance and then a second wave came and washed over her. Bob pulled her to her feet and picked her up, worried that she would be scared. Nope. She had this BRING IT ON attitude and was running around like a crazed beach baby until sunset. It was hilarious. That's my girl.

While we were driving back to the hotel she announced, "Charlotte in ocean. Charlotte knocked down. Charlotte under water!" Bob and I laughed all the way back to the hotel. Didn't have our camera with us last night but here's a picture from today.

Garden Pictures

2008-08-06T07:19:00.000-07:00

I'm posting a couple pictures of our garden. While it looks nothing like the Sunset Garden I was so inspired by, it looks pretty good! We've had some delicious veggies even if some of our plants look a little sad. And one last thing, it is amazing the way you can upload pictures to your blog from picasa, I can't believe I've been doing it the ridiculously lame old way!

Beach Bound

2008-08-05T07:17:00.001-07:00

We're going to Del Mar for a few days on Thursday. I'm pretty excited. We went last year around the same time and are hoping to make it an annual tradition. We'll be there for Arlington Million weekend. That is a big horse race in Chicago (on the turf with horses shipped in from Europe, etc). Bob loves his turf races. Of course it doesn't make sense why being in Del Mar on a big horse racing weekend in Chicago is significant but it is... and I can't really explain why. Saturdays at Del Mar there are pony rides, etc. on the infield. We've been looking at last year's pictures and I think Charlotte is pretty jazzed about vacation. So jazzed that when I said, "Charlotte do you want to go on vacation?" She said, "Nope, Nana's house." So I told her yes, Nana's house is really awesome but vacation will be fun too. I'm pretty sure she's too young to enjoy countless hours digging in the sand while mommy body surfs and swims in the ocean but here's hoping.

Oh, and we bought a new camera! It arrives today. I'm sensing an increasingly annoying amount of photos to be shared very soon!

Marine World

2008-08-01T07:32:00.000-07:00

When we were growing up, it was called Marine World Africa USA... now it is called Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. Charlotte, Nana, Jessalyn and I went for a fun day. We met up with my good friend Claudia from Santa Barbara and her husband, mother and little guy-- Sheldon. Thomas Town was by far the big winner for Charlotte who talked about Harold the Helicopter, Bertie the Bus, Thomas, Percy, James, etc. in the car and once we got home. We all had a great time but it was exhausting... that place is HUGE!

Behind in Blogging

2008-07-28T06:50:00.001-07:00

I haven't been the world's best blogger lately. I've been busy I guess. Lots going on around here and sometimes I don't even get a free moment to catch my breath. All good stuff, just busy.
This weekend I got 24 hours of girl time! My friend Paula, who I've had the longest (since pre-school) is getting married and her cousin threw her a girls-night dinner party in SF! It was a blast. I got to visit Shelly and have wine with her at a cute new wine bar down the street from her house, then go to Paula's dinner party. We laughed, and laughed, and laughed. Of course, a lot of time was spent talking about kids, but the time to myself was totally appreciated!
I found out that Charlotte has developed a passion for digging in the dirt. No huge surprise here. However, she enjoyed it so much that when Bob went upstairs in the morning to check on her she greeted him with "HI" and then "DIG OUTSIDE!!!" Not, "where's mama?" or "watch Mickey?" or "juice?" which are some of her standards when I'm around. Apparently Bob grilled two bone-in NY Steaks for him and Charlotte and the remainder of what she didn't eat for dinner she had for breakfast! Yep, Dad rolls in style. Apparently she prefers her steaks medium-rare, just like Dada.
Our garden is going off so last night I made homemade pesto using the recipe from my favorite cookbook, The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. It turned out delicious. We had linguine with pesto, sliced heirloom tomatoes (also from the garden) and grilled chicken breasts. Put the rest of the pesto in the freezer for a day when we're all feeling "thin" because I am pretty sure you can gain weight just looking at it!!! We loaded up on great food yesterday and are planning on eating at home (and not in restaurants) for weeks!!! We'll see how long we last...
The tennis team I'm captaining has its last match on Tuesday night. I hope we win. We get a few weeks off before the Fall season starts. Tennis sure takes up a lot of my time but we all seem to be adjusting to the schedule and I don't get as much grief at home anymore. Perhaps the fact that Bob is taking tennis lessons (and recently said he wants to take two lessons a week) means we have succeeded in getting him to "cross over to the dark side"... I used to beat him quite easily. Not so much anymore. Pretty soon he's going to be kicking my butt on a regular basis!

A fun weekend

2008-07-08T14:58:00.000-07:00

We had a great weekend! First of all, the weather was AWESOME! 4th of July was celebrated in style with the annual East Sacramento Parade. We decorated the wagon and pulled Mini-Liberty in the parade. Well, that was the plan but about 1/4 way though she said, "CHARLOTTE OUT!" That was followed by "CHARLOTTE PUSH!!!" We quickly learned push meant "pull" and Charlotte actually pulled the darn wagon for the rest of the parade. We were amazed at her determination and strength. She pulled the wagon the rest of the way home. We're estimating over 1/2 mile of pulling that Radio Flyer. What a girl.

She took a power nap and we were off to the airport for a visit to Grandma's house. Charlotte's first trip to Grandma's house. We saw everyone. Aunt Patsy, Uncle Jack, Kristin, Kami, Aunt Eileen, Uncle Mark, Uncle Michael. Charlotte figured out who everyone was immediately and was even saying their names within minutes. Where did this little talker come from?

We took our first Disney adventure, too. Disneyland is 10 miles from Bob's mother's house so we all went to brunch at Goofy's Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel. A HUGE Mickey greeted us as we pulled into the hotel and we saw a few characters during breakfast. Seriously, Charlotte LOVED it! I wasn't sure what she'd think of the whole thing.

She thought ALL of her relatives were the coolest people in the world, thought Grandma's house was paradise (it is, actually) and thought Mickey, Goofy, Pluto and the others were the BEST! It was good to know breakfast at Goofy's kitchen is as much Disney as Charlotte can handle right now. I don't think she'll be ready for the actual Disneyland for quite some time.

I'm kind of itching to go back though... I never thought I'd feel that way about Disneyland. I guess it is a sign that I'm changing. Hopefully in a good way.

Fireworks Friday

2008-07-04T08:08:00.001-07:00

Busy 4th of July planned...
Parade starts at 10 am. We'll make sure and take pictures!

Post-parade we're heading south to visit all of Bob's family. It should be quite a zoo. His mother and all of his siblings will be there, even Eileen and Mark who live in Sacramento. We have reservations on Saturday morning at 7:50 am for 10 people to have breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel. It is about 10 miles from Bob's mom's house. Post Goofy's Kitchen we're going to walk around Downtown Disney District and visit some huge Disney store.

Charlotte has really been loving Mickey and Minnie lately so I can't wait to see how it goes. I think the chaos of 10 relatives she's only met a couple times combined with everyone staring at her to see how she reacts to Mickey is going to be a bit much but maybe we'll be pleasantly suprised.

I don't know how many stuffed animals she'll try to talk us into buying. She loves all the character animals and the crib is currently full of the cast of Sesame Street, and Winnie the Pooh. Bring on Mickey and Minnie!

Air Head Moment

2008-06-29T13:05:00.000-07:00

We've always loved watching Wimbledon on TV... it is a bit of a ritual on the weekend of the finals to have "Breakfast at Wimbledon" and we'll set our alarm (Bob has a great internal alarm clock) and wake up at 4 or 5 am so that we can watch tennis live. We often have a fun breakfast planned and will eat in bed, or downstairs. Well last night I checked the schedule, saw that Federer was playing at 5 am PST and we were fired up for some good tennis. We will be out of town next weekend and unable to watch tennis (flight Sunday morning) so figured this weekend we'd make up for it.
Well we both woke up and groggily could not find tennis on the TV! Here it is 5:30 Sunday morning and we're dumbfounded. So I check the on-line site where I saw the schedule and realized that was MONDAYS MATCH SCHEDULE!!! The Sunday in the middle of Wimbledon has traditionally been a REST DAY! No tennis! Oh man, that sucked!!! Bob decided to go to the office and work for a couple hours. Me, I went back to bed! I slept til 8:00 am!!!

Are you ready for the weekend?

2008-06-27T06:56:00.000-07:00

It has been a long, eventful week. All things considered, life is great... no complaints.
We replaced the main sewer line that runs from our house to the street. Our house was built around 1920 and the sewer was the original terra cotta pipe. It had shattered just about everywhere. Luckily we realized this before things got incredibly disgusting at our house. One of the joys of owning an old house means somewhat routine projects like replacing your main sewer line result in all sorts of hidden surprises. Ours was no exception. We had hoped to go "trenchless" which would mean not removing our driveway but those hopes soon dashed when we realized that at some point our sewer connected to the apartment building next door, and we had various diameters in pipe which required them to remove our driveway (a one foot wide section the entire length of the driveway), dig down about 5 feet, and replace it the old-fashioned way. Kind of figures the old-fashioned house would require the old-fashioned sewer... right? So much for the $$$$ we were hoping to use on something fun. At least we don't have raw sewage in our side yard!!! Did I mention Bob was out of town during most of this process. I was construction manager/decision maker and I did an excellent job!
We have new tenants moving into the rental house. That all happened this week... I think they are going to be great.
We have a new babysitter and while she is a super sweet girl, and awesome on all fronts, she isn't the old babysitter. I have been pretty nervous the past two weeks but upon hearing about their wrestle mania party last night I'm positive she's a keeper and that Charlotte will find a special place in her heart for her, too.
Major tennis fiascos this week. The weather here sucks. Air quality is bad. I had to make the call to cancel our tennis match due to bad air. The call was made about two hours before our match and I had to call everyone (and the visiting team) to let them know. I think I made the right call, even if one girl (who didn't get my voice message) showed up to play and was looking everywhere for us. We'll play two matches next week. Our scheduled match and the make-up. It should be fun playing Tuesday and Thursday and next week will be pretty mellow by comparison to this week. My work is in a holding pattern and Bob doesn't travel.
Needless to say, I'm totally ready for the weekend. Saturday my mom and I are going to a bridal shower for the friend who I've had the longest... we went to preschool together. Tomorrow night we're going to the concert in the park at McKinley Park. We're loading up Charlotte's wagon with picnic goodness and some cold, frosty beverages and meeting up with our friends the Lederers' (Jon, Laurel, Mia and Lucy).
It is probably a bit optimistic, but I'm hoping to squeeze in a nap somewhere this weekend, too! I think I need to harvest all the basil in our garden and make pesto. I hope the basil isn't past its prime.

Counting

2008-06-22T13:16:00.000-07:00

Charlotte... while she wasn't slow to talk, we certainly got the feeling she understood everything we were saying LONG BEFORE she gave us verbal feedback. She's very easy going, and will do just about anything but was pretty quiet for some time. She's full of it now. Quite talkative. Slowly she's beginning to say more and more, and string sentences together. It is great. We love it. Nonstop laughs and smiles at our house at some of the things she says.
One favorite... clearly we eat too much Mexican food at the Wagner house. We've made it a habit of going to a favorite spot, called 524, on our way home from the gym. We probably eat there once a week (minimum). When you ask Charlotte what she wants for dinner, in the cutest voice you could ever imagine she replies, "RICE AND BEANS!!!" She'll throw in a 'dilla and chips but clearly rice and beans are her favorite foods!
But today, we were at one of our favorite Sunday spots, Hoppy Brewing Company. Kids eat for $0.99 on Sunday, and for each meal you buy you take home a 20 ounce bottled beer. What a deal. So here we are, eating our hamburgers and Charlotte starts moving french fries from my plate, to her plate. As she's moving the fries she's saying, "one, two, three four..."
Bob and I are looking at each other completely silent thinking... did we just hear that? So I say, good job Charlotte... you counted to four. You know... "one, two, three, four, five!" to which she replies...
"Six"
So I say, "seven"
and she says,
"Eight!"
I'm like, um, wow! I said nine and she didn't give me a ten, but I suspect she knew ten came after nine. I'm thinking she probably knows her A, B, C's... shes just not interested in saying them out loud yet!
We love this kid!!!

Happy Father's Day... Dada

2008-06-16T15:13:00.000-07:00

Vegas, Baby!

2008-06-08T20:21:00.001-07:00

My parents were awesome enough to watch Charlotte for a few days and Bob and I escaped to Vegas for a little fun. We tried a hotel we've never stayed at before... the Wynn. It was awesome. A little pricey, for sure but dang the room service was amazing. The bed was comfortable, the picture window overlooking the strip was amazing, the flat screen TV, the artwork, the toiletries, etc. I was impressed. HUGE bathroom. It is so fun getting ready to go out in a huge bathroom.

The highlights of the weekend were shopping at Nordstrom and taking a bunch of size Large's into the dressing room only to have to replace all of them with size Medium. The sales lady said to me, "Face it, you are not a size Large!!!" I always have a great shopping experience in Vegas but this won took the cake! Perhaps my hard work at the gym really is paying off!!!

We had a great horse racing weekend and while Big Brown didn't win the Triple Crown (Bob knew he wouldn't... but the anticipation was awesome in the Race and Sports Book) we had fun and picked a couple good winners in other races.

I had the big pay-day and hit a jackpot on dollar slots. Three "7"s and it was the progressive style of slot machine so I won the big number at the top. WOW! I couldn't believe it. I was just saying earlier in the day, "Who wins these things anyway?? Winning feels good... especially when it is by sheer random LUCK!

We enjoyed delicious mojitos at the Parasol Down bar at the Wynn. These were taken post-Belmont Stakes, Post Slot Machine Crush... so we were feeling pretty happy!!!

Fun!

2008-05-28T20:55:00.000-07:00

Charlotte... 20 months

Charlotte... 10 weeks...

Charlotte having the same amount of fun in this thing (that we pulled out of the attic because our friend's baby was coming over) that she did in November 2006 when she was ten weeks old. Pretty funny to look at how she's grown!

What does a crocodile do?

2008-05-22T08:04:00.000-07:00

Charlotte in all her glory at the Tower Cafe after dinner with Mama, Dada and Jessica!

Green Thumb

2008-05-17T07:17:00.000-07:00

This mug is from the California Farm Water Coalition. I got it at the ACWA conference. I went over to the booth to pick up a bumper sticker and a mug and they were all out of mugs. I was pretty bummed. They told me they'd mail me one. I said that isn't necessary, but thanks. Five minutes later the guy hunts me down and hands over his mug (with coffee residue in bottom). He said, "As long as you don't mind that it has been used, you can have my mug." I was really touched by his generosity. Then he said, "Hey, you live in Sacramento?" I said yes. He said they would love it if I happened to be driving by the State Capitol that I could snap a picture of my car, with the bumper sticker showing, and the Capitol in the background...

Picture Volvo wagon bumper sticker product placement with CA Capitol in background. I'm all... uh... okay... but thinking to myself, yeah-right.

Anyway so I'm out in the garden watering the veggies, with my cool mug and I decided to snap a photo with the veggies in the background. Not exactly the product placement the California Farm Water Coalition had in mind but so what!

Confusing Times in Tomato Town

2008-05-16T15:56:00.000-07:00

So I'm outback hand-watering the veggie garden because we haven't installed the drip irrigation yet. Not too big of a deal, it is only May 16th. However, it is the second day of 100+ degree weather. I think the weather jumped 30 or 40 degrees overnight. Hello summer!

I'm out there watering and I'm thinking... how strange for the tomatoes. I mean, it sucks for us to adjust to the heat. But the poor tomato plants, they probably don't know what hit them. One minute they are getting comfortable in their new home (our back yard) and the next minute they get hit with REALLY HOT uncomfortable weather. Probably makes their little roots want to shrivel right up.

Tomato plants, pepper plants, squash plants, etc. want to ease into summer. I want to ease into summer.

I talked to the plants. Told them to hang in there. Told them the weather would cool off again and they just needed to learn how to survive and produce award winning veggies. In a few months I guess we'll know if they heard me or not.

Our Little Redhead...

2008-05-15T07:08:00.000-07:00

Her hair is still way too short (and it is so fine) for pig tails but I couldn't resist. Pretty darn cute.

The Rules of Beach Combing According to Diane

2008-05-12T14:18:00.000-07:00

Bob and I spent a few days in Monterey last week. He was giving a presentation at the ACWA conference and I tagged along. It was a great opportunity to see not one, two but THREE of my former employers (SAIC, Bookman Edmonston/GEI Consultants, EDAW). I am kind of embarrassed about that fact. Mainly because I should have never quit employer #1 in the first place. However, I did. I worked at employer #2 for about four months. The drive/commute sucked so I called up employer #3, asked them if they would hire me. They said yes and I promptly quit employer #2 and went to work for employer #3. About one year and a half later I got pregnant and quit employer #3 and started working on my own. Looking back, it was really cool collecting a paycheck every two weeks. Working on your own is more rewarding, but there are a lot of great perks about a regular job for a big corporate firm.

So the conference was fun for me. I went as a "spouse". We went to some various happy hours sponsored by various law firms and engineering firms. I ran into all my old bosses and associates. It was really great to see all the familiar faces that you never see when you are immersed in changing diapers, chasing an 19 month old and being a domestic goddess. I proudly exclaimed a few times that, "No, actually, I do NOT miss Santa Barbara!" I should blog about that subject some other time. But anyway, people from Santa Barbara think that EVERYONE wants to live there, and if you once lived there, then surely you must miss it and wish you still lived there. Well I can say with absolute certainly that I am someone who a) used to live there, b) does not miss it, and c) does NOT wish I still lived there! You have no idea how liberating it was to say that out loud!

The very best thing about being away for a few days, besides getting quiet time with Bob to talk, enjoy each others company and chew our food at meal time slowly was walking on the beach. Mother Ocean and I have a special bond. She speaks to me and I speak back. I feel home when I'm near the ocean. One of my favorite things to do is to beach comb and search for beach glass (also called sea glass). Sea glass (or beach glass) is glass that has been tumbled and smoothed by the water and sand, creating small pieces of smooth, frosted glass. Sea glass originates from bottles and jars that enter the water as litter and become broken up by the waves and rocks.

I have a set of "rules" that dictate what pieces you keep, and which pieces you throw back. The rules change depending on the day. For example, a great day, when there are many pieces of beach glass along the sand, perhaps you can only collect the rarest colors: blue, red, yellow, etc. Green, brown, and white are left behind. Some days, when there are only a few pieces of to chose from, the rules change and brown, green, and white are keepers so long as they are smoothed. Rough, sharp pieces get sacrificed back to Mother Ocean until she works on them some more. My ultimate rule of beach combing is that you take no living creatures (or future homes of living creatures) from the ocean. Shells, sand dollars, abalone shells, ANYTHING that could possibly constitute a home for a living creature must stay at the beach.

There wasn't a lot of beach glass to collect while in Monterey. It is a bay after all and there isn't a lot of wave activity. However, I did find three special pieces and I'm happy that I haven't lost my touch.

A couple days off

2008-05-05T06:08:00.000-07:00

Bob and I are heading to Monterey tomorrow. He's presenting at a conference and I'm tagging along, sans Charlotte. Charlotte is going to Nana and Grandpa's house. I'm positive she'll have more fun with them than she will with us. She loves Nana and Grandpa.

I'm really excited to be going away for two days. I'm trying to keep my excitement bottled in because Bob is really not into conferences (at all) and he really really isn't into presenting at conferences. Needless to say for weeks he has been saying, "I really don't want to go."

We're staying at a nice hotel, going to a cocktail party hosted by one of the law firms that both he and I have done work for in the past, eating dinner out, and breakfast in bed. What is not to look forward to? I'm going to walk and take deep breaths and soak up the ocean air. I hope to find a massage while I'm down there. I'm going to sneak into the conference too, and listen to Bob's presentation.

I have a list a mile long of things I'd like to get done before we hit the road. I better get started!

Run for the Roses #134

2008-05-03T07:03:00.000-07:00

Today is Kentucky Derby #134...

The run for the roses...

The first Saturday in May...

The most exciting two minutes in sports...

Basically a holiday in the Wagner household. Bob and I have celebrated six Kentucky Derbys "together". He has celebrated many, many, many more. Derby day brings back so many fun memories for me. Not to live in the past but here are my top three...

Kentucky Derby #130

Year: 2004

Went to Las Vegas with Bob, his brother, and his brother's family. It was niece Alex's 21st Birthday too. I bought Alex and Golden their first mojito a at the Bellagio.

Winner: Smarty Jones

Kentucky Derby #132

Year: 2006
Pregnant with "Baby Wagner" Bob and I opted out of a trip to Vegas and headed to Reno. Lots and lots of Derby analysis that year. Number crunching, research, spreadsheets, replays, etc. It came down to two horses. Days before the Derby, Bob wrote a very poignant email about a certain horse named Barbaro. Jokes were made that depending on the Derby winner (especially if he went on to win the triple crown) Baby Wagner could be named after a horse! Needless to say minutes before the race, we picked a different horse, bet all our money and hoped for the best... Minutes later we stared in disbelief (or was it sheer awe) as Barbaro kicked 19 other horses butts and we threw away a bunch of loser tickets. We made a vow to never do that again!!! Barbaro went on to captivate the country as he fought to survive after an ugly leg break in the Preakness two weeks later. I still believe that he could have won the triple crown... but am glad we didn't have to name Charlotte Barbaro!

Winner: Barbaro

The most memorable Kentucky Derby...

Kentucky Derby #131

Year: 2005

Bob, his brother and I headed to Vegas. All the talk was about a horse named Afleet Alex. Lemonade stands, cancer, a real heart wrenching story. The kind that makes you NEVER want to bet your money or get involved in horse racing. But alas... there we were at the big Derby party at Ballys... nervously sipping mint juleps and waiting for the big race to start. About one minute and forty five seconds later we are all watching with our mouths hanging open as Afleet Alex gets beaten at the wire by not one but two horses. It just so happens that Bob had all of the four finishers on his ticket... in the wrong order. The superfecta paid 1.5 million dollars (or something like that). We won $0.00. Our ATM withdrawls were capped for the day, the race was over... we were losers. I was so overcome with emotion I stormed off and went back to the room. I was crying, exhausted and beat. Wasn't the point of all this to have fun? Bob comes back to the room to check on me. I explain to him (sobbing) that the whole thing was ridiculous and that it is supposed to be fun and that none of that matters in life and what really matters is people, not horses and then somehow I said to Bob... "DON'T YOU EVER WANT TO GET MARRIED... TO ME???" I still can't believe that came out. So Bob gave me a big hug and asked me to marry him. We had lost all our money, we had nothing but each other and yep... he proposed... though I think I sort of forced his hand. What was I to say? I basically asked him to ask me. So I started sobbing even more.

We showered, got dressed and met his brother for margaritas (charged to the room because nobody had any cash left). Three months later, in the very city where I forced Bob's hand... we were married. It was one of the greatest days of my life.

Winner: A horse named Giacomo ... the real winner was me!!!

Garden Progress

2008-04-20T19:24:00.000-07:00

We had a busy weekend painting, picking out plants, and planting. The thoughtful spot is coming along nicely but I'm a little dissapointed with my color choices. I wanted barn red and marigold and Bob says it looks more like McDonalds! We planted a bunch of veggies, and need to figure out the drip system but it is all a work in progress!

A great weekend is one that is spent outdoors!

Yep... she's mine!

2008-04-16T13:20:00.000-07:00

Most of the time I look at Charlotte and think to myself... how could this beautiful girl be mine? She is so adorable, pure, sweet, funny and clever. She looks nothing like me! It doesn't help that everyone talks about how much she looks like her father. She looked just like him when she was born, I agree. She's starting to look less like him as she gets older. But look like her mom? Not so much. Then she makes this face and I think... yep... she's mine!

Time flies when...

2008-04-16T07:03:00.000-07:00

1. You're having fun
2. You're chasing around an 18 month old
3. You're playing lots of tennis
4. You're working out at the gym 2x a day
5. You're trying to meet a deadline on a big job that is somewhat over your head
6. You've re-entered the work force of sorts by occupying a workspace at your husband's office
7. You're playing too much tennis (listed twice intentionally)
8. You're juggling the roles of mom, wife, landlord, hydrologist, tennis player, yogi, laundress, friend, gardener

But... we're having fun and life is good so who could complain???

An Uh-Oh Moment

2008-04-06T21:17:00.001-07:00

I think she looks for reasons to dump things out so that she can say "uh-oh"...

It is pretty cute. The cheerios were my bad though. I somehow knocked the box over. One big uh-oh and I somehow found the camera in time to snap a couple cute pictures... that is so unlike me!

Cousins, Nieces, Great Nieces

2008-04-06T14:33:00.000-07:00

Melanie, Bret and Claire were here this afternoon for lunch and some play time. Claire is Charlotte's first cousin once removed. Charlotte is actually Melanie's cousin (Claire's Mom) and Melanie is Bob's niece (my niece too, actually). It is strange having a niece who is only five years younger than you... but so wonderful having such great family and relatives that the age differences are simply something to baffle and confuse people with.
Claire and Charlotte (affectionately referred to as Charlie, by Claire) are four weeks apart. Claire was born first. It is really funny seeing them together. I am pretty sure nobody expected these two would both be beautiful red heads! It will be so fun watching them grow, and watching their hair grow, too!!! Here are a couple cute shots from today... playing in the garden (rocks), eating lunch and reading books.

Life is Good

2008-03-31T12:42:00.000-07:00

When your names are Mia and Charlotte and you get to go to the park with your mommies!!!

Ta Da!

2008-03-26T20:03:00.000-07:00

I'm proud of it! Mia has a new sister, Lucy, who was born last week. I know it is a little (okay, a lot) early to start planning for her 1st Birthday, but I made a Lucy banner (to hang in place of Mia), anyway. Unfortunately, I ran out of ribbon so it is sitting here waiting to be strung up. Luckily, we have a little less than a year until Lucy's birthday. I better get back to work, or laundry folding. Enough goofing off for one week!

I almost forgot

2008-03-26T14:50:00.000-07:00

Sometime in-between Charlotte turning 1, and Jessalyn turning 2, Aunt Shelly turned 25! We couldn't let the event pass without a banner for her, too!

Birthday Banners

2008-03-26T14:29:00.000-07:00

When Charlotte turned 1 we had a big bash. I'll be honest... it was really a party for me (I love to throw parties and this was the perfect excuse)! We had a rubber duckie themed party in the backyard (a pond and ducks too) and some of Charlotte's pals and a bunch of family and friends. It was fun. I wanted a special banner to go with the theme and colors of the invitations that I made. I made it nice and big so it could stretch across the backyard. We used the colors pool and curry from Paper Source (one of my favorite places)!
The banner turned out great but it was hard to photograph because it was SO BIG!
A month after Charlotte turned 1, Jessalyn had a big 2nd Birthday Bash. It was a combo costume Birthday Party (she was born on October 31st). I volunteered my services and made her a Birthday Banner. It too, was huge and it hung across Eric & Darcy's entire family room/kitchen. I tried to snap a picture in our house for my files but it was impossible!A month later... Sheldon turned THREE! Charlotte and I were so excited to travel to Santa Barbara/Goleta to see Claudia and Shel that we offered to make another banner! I think this one was the most fun because Sheldon wanted a big "train with no face" party! He got a banner with a train with no face!

So quite a few months have gone by and I've been busy doing real work... hydrology, water resources planning... things that pay the bills! But our good friend Mia is turning TWO on Friday! Guess what I've been working on (nope, not hydrology).

Yep, you guessed it... a very special birthday banner! I'll post pictures later but this is my favorite creation to date. They keep getting better. Mia is a lucky gal! We feel so lucky to know Mia!

Charlotte's Thotful Spot

2008-03-23T17:26:00.001-07:00

Charlotte doesn't understand why we need to prime, paint, etc. She likes it just the way it is...
Today we cleaned and primed... next weekend we'll paint, put some siding on, and get the roof on. It's going to be great!

Nothing beats hanging with Aunt Shelly!!!!

Gardening requires lots of water -- most of it in the form of perspiration

2008-03-22T13:31:00.000-07:00

Progress in garden land. The gravel and beds are in. Right now it looks a lot like our trip to Arizona... rock gardens! However, once the plants are in, and the flowers grow... it will look quite nice. I plan to "accessorize" with a bistro table and chairs, a market umbrella, some potted plants in the gravel areas, too.

You can make out a shed like thing in the picture. It has cute window flower boxes and Bob and I plan to turn it into a play house for Charlotte. We were thinking it could be Charlotte's "thoughtful place" like where Pooh hangs out in the hundred acre-wood. Of course we'd have to spell it incorrectly like they do in classic Pooh... because I think it would be really cute!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2008-03-15T20:22:00.000-07:00

Date Night

2008-03-13T21:26:00.000-07:00

Thursday nights are "date night". Date night varies but lately it has been very "routine". I pick up the babysitter right after tennis (around 11:30 am) and we head home. The babysitter plays with Charlotte, feeds her lunch. If I have a client and current work, I work. I don't really have a set place to work.

I work at home, if I can stay out of the way of Jessica and Charlotte, I work at the library, I work at Peets Coffee... today I worked while shopping at the mall and Target... that is one of the added benefits of having a cool wireless device (in my case, an iPhone).

Around four-thirty I headed to the gym. I had neatly packed clean gym clothes for Bob. We worked out with our personal trainer for an hour. Tonight after working out the weather was so nice we enjoyed an ice cold beer outside by the tennis courts. What a treat. We got dressed and went to Bandera for dinner. That was a REAL treat! I think Bandera is my favorite restaurant in Sacramento.

I decided date night with Raymond (the trainer) and Bob isn't so bad! We're both feeling really good. Strong and healthy... is there anything better? Life is good.

p.s. when is it acceptable to use "nite" instead of "night"? Is it EVER acceptable?

Rock Gardens, Cacti, Baseball and Choo Choos

2008-03-12T21:31:00.000-07:00

Charlotte and I enjoyed a three-night getaway to Sun City, Arizona to visit my parents who are there for the month of March. Instant relaxation in Sun City. Perfect desert weather... 80 degrees every day! We enjoyed a baseball game, a day-trip to Scottsdale and the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park and some merry go round rides.

Charlotte fine-tuned her skills as a rock collector. Maybe some day she'll be a geologist? Probably not... but regardless she found sitting in the rock "gardens" and picking up and throwing rocks was very fun and passed the time nicely.

We had a great time but are really happy to be home!

How does your garden grow?

2008-02-29T07:56:00.001-08:00

I love Sunset Magazine! Their feature story this month, "The Ultimate Veggie Garden" totally motivated me! We have the perfect spot in our back yard to make it happen! I showed Bob the pictures and he's into it. We need to get moving if we're going to get the veggies planted in March...
This is the layout:

Before

After (4 months later)

So maybe our after won't look anything like theirs but we have the perfect space in our back yard. I chose the worst picture I could find in the hopes there is a dramatic before/after effect...

Stay tuned!

Peach Pie in February

2008-02-25T07:59:00.000-08:00

Ta Da..........

Sunday

2008-02-24T14:56:00.000-08:00

I'm baking a peach pie today. Kind of strange... a peach pie in February. This summer my mom and dad's neighbor's peach tree produced the most delicious peaches ever. One of my favorite variety's... O'Henry. They are easy to peel and are freestone peaches, which means the pit pops out very easy, versus cling peaches. They don't keep well. The bruise easily, they ripen fast and for those reasons you find them at farmers markets and food co-ops, etc. but rarely at grocery stores.
We had so many I decided to peel them, slice them, and freeze them in the hopes of making a pie when I was ready to consume all the calories that come with homemade pie a'la Diane... (butter, sugar, flour, ice cream).
Bob and I were driving home from the gym today and discussing dinner and he said lets make things that we have in the house already. So I said how about chicken for dinner and veggies and peach pie for dessert? OKAY!!!
He's picking up vanilla ice cream on the way home from work because that is not the type of thing we keep on hand in our freezer. The peaches are just about defrosted and the pie crust is in the refrigerator getting ready to be rolled out.
Charlotte is starting to wake up from her nap. I hear her up there talking to her buds Big Bird, Cookie Monster and Elmo. Maybe I'll be lucky and she'll go back to sleep. I hope the pie comes out good. I hope the peaches taste half as delicious as they were this summer.

Rain, Rain, Go Away. Come again another day.

2008-02-23T23:11:00.000-08:00

Watering the flowers, the sidewalk, her cute kitty cat rain boots yesterday. She really enjoyed it and I loved watching her concentrate as she filled the watering can and hurried all over the back yard.

Acronyms...

2008-02-23T23:01:00.000-08:00

When I was at UCSB acronyms became a way of life. My freshman year I lived in FT, I ate burritos at TA's in IV... sophomore year we lived on DP, etc. etc. etc.
Acronyms have become part of life in so many ways. Bob and I always make up silly little acronyms that only he and I get... our secret code of laughter and life.
But correct me if I'm wrong acronyms in the Environmental Industry are the WORST! There are MILLIONS. You have to know the lingo or you are so SOL. I was so happy to be rid of acronyms when I went on maternity leave and later resigned from EDAW (the name of the company I used to work for that, ironically, is not an acronym).
Well here I am working again... and tonight I find myself reviewing my report to make sure all of the acronyms are listed in the page immediately following the TOC (table of contents). Yep, a whole page dedicated to acronyms. Twenty four total acronyms in my 12 page report. Hmmmm an average of two new acronyms introduced each page. That is nothing really compared to other reports I've seen.
I'm lost in a sea of cfs (cubic feet per second), af (acre feet), mgd (million gallons per day), UWMP (Urban Water Management Plan) and there is no getting out. I'm in for the long haul. I can't say I'm happy to be making sure all my acronyms have been listed (it is a PITA), but it is fun working again.

Her Mama is for Obama

2008-02-22T21:32:00.000-08:00

How can you not smile when you look at this girl? Aunt Cathy says she looks like she's saying, "Hillary... are you serious?" That made me laugh. Charlotte says very few words, but she says Obama. I think it must be fun to say.

To blog or not to blog...

2008-02-22T21:16:00.000-08:00

I've been feeling inspired by a friend from the gym's blog. She's clever, her blog is cute and it motivated me to update my blog and try to be better about posting. I don't know if anyone actually reads this blog. So I thought I'd start a new blog but what is the point... especially if nobody is reading the old one.
This blog came into being as we waited for "Baby Wagner". It was a place where we could share pictures and other things as we waited for the baby. After Charlotte came along we posted pictures of her but not much really came of it.
So here I go again... I will try to blog. I am thinking it will be a good way to share my thoughts and clear my head. I'm busy lately. Really busy. Bob thinks I over-exaggerate. I think being a SAHM (stay at home mom) of a 17 month old, starting your own consulting business (with clients and actual work), and being obsessed with the gym and my fitness constitutes being busy... overwhelmed most of the time. I rarely have time anymore to send thoughtful email and hardly ever have time to IM with my friends. I never cook the way I like to. My baking pans are collecting dust in the cabinet. Woe is me.
Maybe blogging will help me clear my head. Maybe I'll start to sleep though the night... like sweet Charlotte (12 hours most nights). I'd love to sleep like her and wake up with a smile on my face every morning. I'm already feeling better. Maybe this blogging business works!

2007-07-23T07:53:00.000-07:00

Wow, 10 Months!!!

Where does the time go? These days all we seem to do is chase Charlotte all over the house. She's into everything and can sure move fast! She no doubt inherited her curiosity from her mom! Her favorite thing these days are dogs. She yells "og" whenever she sees one, or anything resembling one. We think she yells "og" just to make us smile as well.

A couple pictures of her showing off her 10 month old cuteness... in Steamboat Springs to visit her newest friend Seamus Malia born 4/22/2007!

2007-05-24T17:12:00.000-07:00

What does an 8 mos old baby do?

Crawls like crazy
Stands up on EVERYTHING

Says da da da da da da

Laughs hysterically (especially at Nana for some reason)

And uses just about everything for teething (she has six, maybe seven teeth)...

But hey, the kid has great taste in beer!!!

2007-05-06T20:38:00.000-07:00

The Charlotte Boogie!

Charlotte officially crawled big-time tonight! All the way to the bath in search of some warm water, and a rubber ducky!!! Lucky for us she's still moving slow. Let's hope she doesn't discover the stairs anytime soon!

2007-03-30T07:45:00.000-07:00

Charlotte... 6 months old and growing!

Sweet Charlotte celebrated her 1/2 Birthday on St. Patrick's Day in style... wearing green of course! Everyone enjoyed a wonderful party at Ellen and Bills! Charlotte was lucky enough to hang out with both of her grandmas... and there was more than enough corned beef and cabbage to go around.

Charlotte enjoyed hanging out with her older cousin Jessalyn and loved watching her run all over Nana and Grandpa's backyard. She can't wait for the day when she too can eat "grown up" food, run after balls and torment poor old Zeb!

Let's see... what do six month old babies do? Well Charlotte is loving the baby food! She doesn't seem to have a favorite, but she definitely did NOT like the "organic spinach and potato dinner" we tried out the other day. Spoonful in, spoonful spit out! I was curious so tasted it also and promptly through the jar away! It was disgusting! She loves avocado, sweet potatoes, prunes, peas, butternut squash, apples, mangos, apricots... just about anything really!

We're not crawling but she seems to have figured out how to drag her body across the floor if there is something she wants to get. Usually it is the remote control, a book, toy, her dad's foot (a favorite).

Bathtime and feeding the ducks at McKinley Park are the hilights of the day. They are the hilights of my day too. We get a little exercise and post bathtime I get a little quiet time after Charlotte goes to sleep!

2006-12-31T09:02:00.000-08:00

Charlotte Crushes Christmas... actually her mom does!

So our sweet baby girl who was so affectionately coined B-Wag for months upon months of waiting has a new nickname.

Some day it may be Charlie... but for now it is "Chief". You kind of have to hear mom or dad say it to get the exact way of saying it but for now Chief is The Chief, so it is a fitting name. Why Chief, you ask? Well for one, she rules the roost with her adorable smile, the way she bobs her head, shoulders and legs at once when she sees her dad but mainly because when she puts out her bottom lip, and her mouth forms a frown, she looks so sad everyone runs to her attention to make her smile. We’ve figured out that she isn't sad, merely it is "the lip" that seems to get her whatever she wants. Usually she wants some acknowledgement that she is in the room too, and after that she is happy to watch, listen and play. For now Chief will be Chief. Mom and Dad report to the one and only Chief.

So now to the crush. For those who don't know, Bob's favorite day of year isn't Christmas, but the day "after" Christmas, referred to as the first REAL day of Christmas. December 26th just happens to be the opening day at Santa Anita Race Track. If having to ditch the new bicycle or whatever you got for Christmas and pile into the family car to go play the ponies the day after Christmas doesn't sound like an acceptable form of entertainment as a child, then read no further.

Santa Anita Racecourse is not within driving distance so Bob settled on Cal Expo Satellite Wagering Center as a place to "watch and wager". I decided who could pick a better day to introduce Chief to Daddy's favorite place! She went to the races plenty while inside Mom so what the heck!?!? I convinced the people at the door we were just "dropping something off" so they let the under age minor through the door.

Charlotte visits with dad, mom grabs racing form and checks out the "feature" at Santa Anita. That would be the Grade I Malibu Stakes, the 8th (or maybe the 9th) race of the day. Mom sees a horse she likes, makes a bet, gives Dad the ticket, Dad rubs the Chief's foot for good luck, and they head home.

So we're at home, eating, napping, cleaning up (the top three things we do these days) and I decide to turn on the TV and see the big race at Santa Anita. Sure enough, my horse wins. I collect $121.00 for the day!!! When you only bet $10 or so dollars that definitely counts as a CRUSH! Who couldn't bet a horse named latent heat, trained by Bobby Frankel going off at 5-1 odds??? WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?!?!?! At least that is what those who didn't bet the winner are probably thinking... BOB? Okay, that isn't nice.

Anyway... back to Christmas. Santa brought Chief her very own Barbaro Beanie Baby. We were excited to hear that Barbaro is making great progress and will be heading home soon. We are pretty sure the Chief liked her present as it instantly went into her mouth. Everything goes into her mouth these days so who really knows.

Here's to a healthy, happy and peaceful 2007!

Baby Wagner and Wagner... and other things

I wish I blogged more

Project Manager x10

Barf-o-Rama

Vacation

Where the Turf Meets the Surf

WHERE THE TURF MEETS THE SURF(Johnny Burke / Bing Crosby / James V. Monaco)Bing CrosbyWhere the turf meets the surfdown at old Del Martake a planetake a traintake a car.There is a smile on every faceand a winner in each racewhere the turf meets the surfat Del Mar.

Friends

A little anxiety over this one

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!

Popsicles

Happy Birthday Abigail Rose, You're 1

The 4 o'clock crazies

Spring is here

Stuffy Stuff

Templates and Stuff

Finally!

Grumpy

Abigail Rose 10 Months

Notes from the Desert

Desert Bound

Pork Products

Back at it!

Sisterly Love

Numbers and Crafts

Doing it!

Adventures in Parenting

Look whos here!

A-Bee-Gail

Cinco de Mayo

Firsts...

Planting a Rainbow

Before and After...

Happy Birthday Lucy & Mia

Go Green or Go Home!

Nesting by Necessity

Train Town 1977

Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Buttercream Frosting

Train Town

Cupcakes...

She really is cute...

Nesting...

24 Weeks Pregnant

A Carry You

Stay Two Forever Please

My Friends Tigger and Pooh in the Bath

Trains

New Routines

Fist Bumps and Stuff

Viva La Fiesta!

It's Almost Party Time!

Weddings and Ponies

That Face...

Tennis Weekend

Mommy Blogging

A bit premature

Where the Turf Meets the Surf

Garden Pictures

Beach Bound

Marine World

Behind in Blogging

A fun weekend

Fireworks Friday

Air Head Moment

Are you ready for the weekend?

Counting

Happy Father's Day... Dada

Vegas, Baby!

Fun!

What does a crocodile do?

Green Thumb

Confusing Times in Tomato Town

Our Little Redhead...

The Rules of Beach Combing According to Diane

A couple days off

Run for the Roses #134

Garden Progress

Yep... she's mine!

Time flies when...

An Uh-Oh Moment

WHERE THE TURF MEETS THE SURF
(Johnny Burke / Bing Crosby / James V. Monaco)
Bing Crosby
Where the turf meets the surf
down at old Del Mar
take a plane
take a train
take a car.

There is a smile on every face
and a winner in each race
where the turf meets the surf
at Del Mar.