Picture Perfect

Mr. and Mrs. Alvear and my sweet baby boy.

Love!

Speak Out

Isn't it funny how hard it is for some of us to just say what's on our mind? You may have no problem telling your over opinionated friends she needs to chill out. It might be no sweat to tell that pushy teacher to ease up on your kid. And it's definitely no problem to tell some mouthy POS to you-know-what when they are being mean, rude or offending you. But why is it so hard when it's someone that you're closest with?

Fear. It's fear that you're going to hurt the person you're talking to. Fear of the person getting angry. Fear of causing a fight when you'd rather just keep the peace. Why is it so difficult to just open your mouth and speak the truth? Why are truth and fear directly connected to each other?

.

I found that the time I was the most open about my feelings with my significant other was when I had no fear. I wasn't worried that they would get mad, hurt or leave. I didn't mind rocking the boat because I wasn't afraid of it capsizing. But along with the freedom of my mouth being filter free, came the feeling that something was missing. The love was there, just not in the form that it should be.

.

For me, when it's real love, there is always some fear attached to it. It sounds kind of sad when I see these words on paper. It's not meant to be. I just need to find a balance that will allow the best of both worlds.

Pals

I love how Nicolas loves his family.

He told the waiter at House of Pancakes "this is my favorite cousin Dominic!"

Park Day

I took Dom to Tewinkle Park today and he loved it. We've been to parks before, but not since he's been totally mobile and able to run and walk. He had so much fun running all over the place, climbing on the jungle gym and going on the swings. There were lots of other kids there too, all older than him, and he loved that. He'd walk up to them and say "hi" in a casual, nonchalant kind of way. Some of those kids, by the way, are pretty bratty. They have no problem pushing other kids to get to the slide and run around like maniacs, almost knocking Dom over a few times. Where are the parents you ask? They are over on the bench with their Starbucks and fellow Mom friend discussing how cute it was when 8 year old Timmy threw his plate on the floor at dinner because he wanted chicken nuggets, not macaroni and cheese. Ok, ok, I guess that's sort of a generalization. Not all the Mom's are like that, but there are some that completely hang up their "Mom hat" while their kid is playing. They don't look up, they don't do a quick up glance to make sure the kid hasn't been abducted. Nothing.

There is a big sand pit behind the swings so I took Dom over to it for some sand castle building fun. I sat on the edge of the wall and stuck my feet onto the sand and sat him on my lap. As soon as I began to stand him up on the sand he lifted his legs and climbed back into my arms. Well, I wasn't expecting that! There was nothing that he liked about it. I tried showing him how fun it was to let it run through his hands but no, he was having non of it. The above photo is as close as he got to actually going into the sand pit.

There were a few dogs at the park and he was all excited, running up saying "woof woof!" If we ever got a dog, it would be fun to take him there too. We ended up playing for a couple of hours before the sun started to go down. Boo on 5pm sunsets! Dom was bummed to leave the park, but I promised we'd go back soon.

Cut Off

I have worked for my Dad for six years and for the past year, my hours were cut to part time. Business is slow and the economy still stinks so everyone is feeling the pinch. It's actually been a blessing because I have been able to spend a lot of time with Dominic for his first year of life. I got to see him crawl for the first time, take his first steps, say his first word. I supplemented my income by participating in a work share program through the government. They basically paid a portion of my wages for the days that my hours were cut. It's worked out great and I'm thankful that opportunity was there.

But unfortunately, it's come to an end. I knew it would, but I was anticipating it being at the end of December. Turns out, I used up the annual maximum per person and so my last check was in September. The worst part? I got no notice, no warning. The checks just stopped coming. Now I'm out $1,000 per month and have to figure out a solution asap. There is a slight chance I can reapply and still get some finanical assistance, but it won't be as much as before. I'm going to submit my paperwork and see what happens though.

I was dreading telling Rob because he works so hard and we were finally at a place where things were going pretty good. The bills were getting paid, we went out to eat a couple times a month, Dominic had a full bounty of toys and new clothes. I was nervous to tell him that now I have lost half my income because I didn't want him to be stressed out and upset. After really thinking about why I was nervous, I figured it out. I really wanted Rob to say "it's ok babe, I got this, don't worry." I wanted him to swoop in and save the day. I wanted him to save me.

I have never been "saved" by any man except my Father. My Dad has been the only man I have ever truly trusted 1000% to be there for me no matter what. I never doubted that if I fell, he'd pick me up without even blinking. I could count on him until the end of time. I always felt that no matter what happens in this life, I can turn to my Dad to make it all better. No judgement, no making me feel bad about it....just love. Maybe that's an unfair expectation for another man to compete with. Big shoes to fill. Maybe I set myself up to fail on that one.

Not once has a man that I have been in a relationship with ever come in and saved the day. I have always either paid the way for both of us, or split things down the middle. I'm not saying I want someone to totally support me for the rest of my life so that I can sit around and do nothing...I pride myself on being independent and always taking care of myself. But I wonder what it would be like to not worry about money all the time.

I was so caught up in wanting Rob to "save the day" when I told him about the news that I totally lost focus on the actual problem at hand. We can't afford for me to work part time. That's a no brainier. I need to bring in more money. That's a given. Why did I think, even for a second, that this wasn't the case? It's not Rob's responsibility to make the extra $1,000 appear out of no where. He's already working two jobs. The truth is I just wanted to feel taken care of by my man and have him miraculously come up with a solution and the extra money. I feel sort of ashamed to admit that, because that's so not who I am. I have never expected anyone to carry me, so why was I yearning for that response?

I finally snapped out of it and remembered that this is the real world. I had to pull my head out of the clouds and refocus. Rob and I are a team. We both need to be pulling our weight. As much as I love and cherish my my never ending and tireless job as a Mom and as a "wife," it's a non paying gig. So even though I know I'm working my ass off all day every day, unless someone is cutting me a check, it's not going to fly.

The best part about all this is, when I told Rob, he wasn't mad or upset. He didn't make me feel bad about it. He was logical in his thinking and actually made me feel better about the whole thing by talking to me about it in a calm and interested way. It turns out he did make me feel taken care of... by reminding me that we are a team. We're a family and we do this together.

My plan is to ask my Dad for more hours. I'm not sure it's even a possibility, but it's worth a shot. Plan B is to find a new job, which I (and my Dad) would be heart broken about. The other sad fact is that my baby will have to go to daycare full time. That means our Monday and Friday time together is a thing of the past. I'll miss spending the day with him, running our errands, going to the park etc. But I'm thankful I got to spend his first year with him, watching him hit all his milestones with flying colors.

This is all part of the journey and we'll get through it like we always do.

Got a dollar?

I saw this the other day and thought I'd pass it along:

7 Good Things to do with a Dollar

1. Buy from a lemonade stand, a bake sale, or another fundraiser
2. Leave a dollar in a vending machine for someone else to find it
3. pay the toll for the car behind you
4. buy a sheet of stickers and hand them out to kids
5. put four quarters in parking meters
6. tip a street musician
7. send a thank you card to someone who made a difference in your life

Splitting Hairs

Dom knows how to grow a full head of hair. He's had about 7 haircuts since he was born. The stuff is thick and dense and just keeps growing!



Usually we take him to "Cool Cuts for Kids" where he sits in an airplane or fire engine while watching cartoons on the tv in front of him. Pretty smart set up for kids, but it takes forevvvver for the stylist to finish. They always go soooo slow, taking their time and then some. By the time we leave, we're out $20 and 45 minutes!



Dom is now a connoisseur so he no longer needs that baby stuff so this time we took him to Super Cuts by our house. We brought his little step stool from Ikea to sit on and voila! He sat in the chair like a big boy and let his stylist, Bhernard, work his magic. $13 and 10 minutes later we were outta there!

Ta Daaa! This should keep the hair out of his eyes for at least a month or two.....

Go Big Red

Our family, decked out in our Arizona Cardinals gear!

Testify

I found an email that Lanie sent to me on Novemeber 5th, 2007. It had been forwarded to her and she was sharing the goodness. Weirdest thing ever....today is Novemeber 5th, 2010. (No seriously, it is. I know. So weird, right?) So much change has happened over the past 3 years, it's nice to know that these valuable nuggets of advice are still to swallowed whole like an every day life lesson vitamin.

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, cheese, and or comfort foods,
resistance is
futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their
journey
is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye no matter what you
do... so
don't forget to close your eyes and breath every once in awhile.

16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get
busy
dying.

17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.

18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one
is up
to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no
for an
answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except "you".

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years,
will
this matter?"

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends
will.
Stay in touch.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. Music heals, listen to it so loudly that you can't even hear your
own
voice as you sing at the top of your lungs in the shower or your car.

35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

38. Vote.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,
we'd
grab ours back.

41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

45. The best is yet to come.

46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

48. If you don't ask, you don't get.

49. Yield.

50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

51. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

16 Months Cub

My little boy is such a toddler these days. 16 months old and he's turning into a whole new kid. He runs around the house with his drum sticks, banging on the walls and climbing anything we'll let him. His legs seems to have grown overnight, and when I look at him sitting in his car seat, i wonder how he got so tall!

His vocab is increasing too. Now, whenever he sees Cuddles he says "bad cat!" Yea, ok, so I taught him that, but in my defense, she is usually being annoying or scratching at something she shouldn't be. He'll also says "cracker" when he wants his goldfish or a cookie, splish splash when it's time for a bath and a few others. Here's the full list:

Dada

Mama

Yia Yia

Bappa (Bapou)

What's this/that

Cracker

Splish Splash

Bye

Hi

Waa waa (water)

Baba (bottle)

Bubba (bubbles)

Ba Ca (Bad Cat, ie Cuddles)

WOW

Uh oh

Bless (whenever someone sneezes or coughs)

Eye (while sticking his finger in my eye)

Da (yes-when he's doing his German accent)

Aye (yes- when he's doing his Irish accent)

I love how he points his tiny little finger at everything. He is still asking us "what's this" or "what's that" a thousand times a day. He knows the correct sounds for dog, cat, duck, lion, monkey, cookie monster and his newest one, a dinosaur. He also knows where to point when you ask him where his nose, teeth, eye and belly button are. We are currently working on ears and head.

With all these exciting new developments, there are also some bad habits that have shown up. In a word, crankypants. Hmmm, maybe that's two words, but never the less, Dom sure can be moody when he wants to be. He will throw his toys, push me away, make his body turn to jello and just kind of melt down. He had this fave he makes if he's mad and it's really the cutest thing ever. He furrows his browns and really makes a scowl on his face. There is no misunderstanding how he's feeling at that moment.

He's also figured out that he's pretty hilarious. If you ask him to make a funny face, he'll do this weird (and hilarious) thing where he sticks out his arms, makes them very tense and then shakes them while freezing. When I laugh he throws his head back and laughs too. He's finding new ways to express his emotions, which is good. But along with that comes more meltdowns, more struggles with just getting his pj's on sometimes and more work for Mommy.

It's kind of amazing how much more tiring it has been this past month. Now that he is fully mobile and wants to be in everything, there is no rest unless he's napping or in bed for the night. I love his curiosity and really let him try to explore as much as possible, as long as he's not in danger. He's figured out how to pull himself up into the couch and he is so proud of himself for that. He also likes the climb on the arms which could result in him falling off, so it's eagle eyes at all times. I do love how he knows how to get down though, always feet first and slides down to the floor. He loves to turn his chair upside down and find new ways of sitting or standing it. Pretty creative huh?

Monday was Dom's first time using a spoon all by himself. I was really dreading the mess it was going to make while he figured out how to get it into his mouth without spilling it. But guess what? I showed him once and he totally got it! There was very little applesauce on the floor and mostly ended up in his mouth. He loved being a big boy and feeding himself and it kept him entertained for about 20 mins! The next night we took a shot at jello and then introduced him to a fork. He stabbed at his turkey dogs and chicken and was able to get a couple on there. When he would get frustrated he'd just pick up a piece and stick it on the fork, or straight into his mouth.

Teething is still part of our life. He's got four on top and four on bottom now and his back molars are starting to come in. I have to say, he's been pretty great so far. Not too much fussing or crying. Now that he has some chompers, he loves, loves, loves to brush them. It just might be one of his favorite things to do right now.

Music is still the one thing that can stop Dom in his tracks. He loves when the various bands play on "Yo Gabba Gabba" and now will dance in the living room or in his car seat. He has figured out how to spin in a circle and it's pretty funny to watch him get dizzy and then try again.

I'm happy to say he's totally adjusted to daycare. He was pretty much there, but he was still crying when I would drop him off in the morning. For the past 2-3 weeks there have been no tears at all. It's the best feeling be able to drop off a happy baby in the morning!

He's still sleeping through the night with a typical schedule of bed at 7pm and waking up at 6:30am. I never thought I'd be getting up so early every single day, but it just seems so normal now. Even when I'm really tired and am wishing for five more minutes, as soon as I see his face, I don't even care that he woke up early at 5:30am and peed through his diaper. I'm instantly awake and ready to take of my Cub. Funny how being a Mom just kind of takes over:)

Halloween

Actual Halloween day was kind of a bust. We took Dom around our neighborhood at 5pm and we got hardly any action. Most people weren't ready for trick or treaters so they told us to come back when it got dark. Um, hello, my kid is 1 and is in bed by 7pm. We did have a TON of kids ring our doorbell looking for candy, and Dom actually had more fun seeing all the kids than going door to door.

These photos are actually from a couple days before Halloween. We met up with Steve, Martha and the kids at their school for a Halloween carnival fundraiser they were doing. It was totally last minute, but luckily Dom already had his Tigger costume on stand by. My parents got it for him about 5 months ago and now it was showtime. I threw a little eyeliner on his nose and cheeks and he was good to go.



The cutest thing about this costume is when he walks, the spirialy tail on his butt bounces up and down. It's adorable! Dom loved running around, saying hi to all the other kids and paying some carnival games with this Uncle Steve.



It was his bedtime by the time we left and he was pooped out. I know I'm his Mom, but I think it's safe to say he was the cutest kid there:)

Wedding threads

Well, it's official. Lexi is now a married woman! I can hardly believe it. The wedding was beautiful and full of love and joy. Everything went perfectly and thankfully there was no rain. Lexi was the most beautiful bride I have I ever seen and the happiness that her and Luciano shared that day is something I will never forget.

Dominic look so incredibly cute, it was hard to not kiss and squeeze him a thousand times. He was supposed to walk down the isle with Nicolas and Max but the poor Cub was so tired and overstimulated by 2pm, it just didn't happen. But it definitely didn't take away from how adorable he looked in his black converse and suspenders:)

Snuggles

When Dominic was a baby, he would always love to snuggle and fall asleep in my arms. I loved it so much that I would just hold him during his whole nap. These days he's more indpendent and doesn't even want to snuggle in the morning.

On this particular day, he was exhauted from playing at his cousins house and when I tried to put him down for a nap when we got home, he passed out. The problem was that it was already 3:00pm so when 4:00pm rolled around and he was still sleeping, I had to go wake him up. He'd never sleep that night if he didn't get up. When I scooped him out of his crib, my poor baby was still so tired that he nestled his head onto my shoulder and proceeded to pass out again. It just felt so good that I let him sleep another 20 mins:)

Snapshot Love

The man that can make me laugh, has my heart. And when you look as good as Rob does in a hat, it's a done deal:) I love this photo...it's cheeky, and totally us.


Rob took me to San Diego for the weekend and we had a great time. On Sunday we went to the Cardinals vs. Chargers football game which was a blast! On Saturday night we went downtown and got prime seating at a bar/restaurant called "Nicky Rottens." They had great music, food and beer prices so it was a win all around. We sat out on the patio all night, people watching, making new friends, talking, singing, just enjoying each other.


Life can get busy so it was nice to slow down for a sec and have some time alone. This was the first time we've had a trip away alone since I was pregnant so it was long overdue. But I have to be honest, we both missed Dominic.....but can you blame us?

52 Card Pick Up

Lately he's been practicing letter sounds. I'll hear him in the back seat of the car making throaty "chhh" noises, or hissing like a snake. He still asks "what's this" every five minutes and I love how interested he is in everything. The words his saying right now are "plane" (every time he hears one in the sky,) waa waa (for his sippy cup of if he sees a pool, fountain or any body of water,) baa baa (for his bottle of milk,) baaaaa (this goes for balloons and bubbles,) Baabe (this is baby, whenever he sees himself in a photo or his cousins when they were younger,) and of course DA! (this is whenever he sees his Daddy, he gets super excited and cheers his name out loud!

Dominic found a pack of cards and now loves taking them all out the packet and playing with them. Sometimes he'll pick one or two and hide them in different areas of the living room. One usually goes into the "oven" or "microwave" of his play kitchen. Since the original packet the cards came in is long demolished, I've been keeping them in a little fabric box. Dom loves to dump the cards out and then go crazy swirling them around or kicking them with his feet. I just may have a little card shark on my hands!

Stylish Kid

I know all Mom's must feel this, but I look at my kid and think "Wow, he must be the absolute cutest baby ever!" He just has such a cool sense of style. I know what you're thinking, How can he have a sense of style when I'm the one who dresses him? Well, it's how he wears his clothes. You could put the above outfit on a kid, and he would just look silly. Somehow, Dom totally pulls it off and makes it looks COOL!

He has a new obsession...my make up bag. He loves to sit and go through each piece, one by one. He examines each piece, checks to see if it opens, then puts in down and moves to the next one. When he gets to the powder brush, he sweeps it across his face like he has seen me do a hundred times before. Once he's emptied out the whole bag, he puts it all back in very carefully. It's pretty adorable to watch and is a vast improvement from what he usually does with something that's in a bag, box or container.....dump it upside down.

I started brushing his teeth a few month ago with a little infant "toothbrush" that slips onto my finger like a finger cot. I put some baby toothpaste on there (safe if swallowed) and show him how to brush up and down, side to side. The other day, as I was combing his hair (which he helped with, see the comb in his hand?) he saw my toothbrush and was intrigued. After showing him how to use it, he wouldn't put it down. He just held onto to, sucking all the toothpaste flavor off the bristles. He was hooked! Now that he has about 5 teeth on the top and 3 on the bottom, I'm going to change him over to a big boy toothbrush. It's like mine but much smaller and I'm hoping the interest remains.

Dominic has the best personality. I know I've said it before, but he is truly a happy kid. it doesn't take much to make him smile and he loves to get you to laugh. Peek a boo is still a popular game in our house. Dom mixes things up by sometimes hiding behind the curtains, a newspaper, his little tiny hands. To see the joy he gets from it is so awesome. Imagine if we all could still be that amused from something so simple...

September Round Up

It happened again. Another month has slipped by me. It seems the clock keeps spinning faster and faster and there's not much I can do about it. Dom is now 15 months old and amazed me every day. Let me fill you in on some of the September highlights.


The biggest occasion took place on Sunday, September 19th. Dominic was finally baptised a Greek Orthodox. His Godparents are Dimitri and Courtney, and it was such a special day. We had our families and best friends gather for the ceremony at Church followed by a reception at the Newport Bluffs Clubhouse. I was nervous because the ceremony was at 2pm and Dominic hadn't taken a nap all day, but he was actually very well behaved and didn't even cry when Father Steven dunked him in the water. I have to admit, he looked totally adorable in his all white Christening outfit...his little chubby legs and white shoes....just too much!

Dom has really changed this month. He's figured out how to run and loves to charge down the hallway. One of his favorite things to do is climb. He's pretty much mastered the couch, but if he can't reach something, he'll grab one of his toys and stand on it until he can get to what he wants. Smarty pants.

Every Friday Dom and I go to his Gymboree class. He has so much fun running around, climbing on everything, playing with the other kids and participating in the various activites. He's on of the oldest in his class, most of the other kids are barely crawling or walking. I think Dom likes that he's one of the oldest. He sorta feels like king of the class, head honcho, the man in charge. The next class up starts at 16 months, so he's almost there.

We have had some INSANE heat waves here in Orange County. A couple of weeks ago it was 112 degrees at our house! Wow! The bummer is we don't have air conditioning so trying to keep Dom (and myself) cool was a challenge. We went and hung out at the mall and lapped up their nice cold air for a couple hours. One of Dominic's favorite things was playing with his water table in the yard. He's just totally fascinated with water and could play with it for hours. He likes filling up cups, measuring spoons, anything with water and then dumping it out. He'll repeat this over and over again squealing in delight. My favorite part of this is seeing his little cute tushy! I know, I know, that's so "Mom-ish" of me, but seriously, how cute is it?!! He looks like the little character in that "Love is..." cartoon!

Another thing Dom does a lot recently is wear one shoe. He has these red converse that his cousin Jake handed down to him. They don't fit him yet, they're about 3 sizes too big but he doesn't care. He'll pick up one of the shoes, walk over to Rob or I, sit down on the floor and lift his foot while handing us the shoe. He loves to put only ONE on and cruise around the living room, playing with this toys. Why just one shoe, I have no idea. But it's hilarious to see. Rob calls him Ronald McDonald when he does it hahaha!

Life is constantly whizzing by me, and I look at Dom in disbelief at how big he's gotten and how smart and funny he is. I love my baby boy!

Big Boy Playtime

Dominic is almost 14 months old now, wow how time flies. He's walking all over the place and is just so proud of himself. He gets so excited to discover new things and places now that he's mobile. He's learning new things every day and it's so amazing to watch. When I ask him where something is, like his puppy, he walks right over to it and picks it up. It's incredible to me that he is understanding what things are now.

I'm proud to say he's officially off formula. He drinks whole milk with gusto, although it was a process to get there. We had to slowly ween him off it by giving him a bottle with a quarter milk and the rest formula. After a couple of days we moved to half and half. The day that he drank a bottle full of 100% milk was a proud moment.

He had this habit of walking around with the bottle hanging from him mouth, then he's trip and bang his mouth on it. We made a new rule that he can only drink his bottle when he's sitting in his chair. It took a few times of taking the bottle away when he got up, a few tantrums of frustration, a few times of picking him back up and putting him back in his chair...but in less than a week, he got it. Now when it's time for his milk (after dinner, around 6pm) he'll climb into his chair, all by himself, and gulp it down. If he decides he wants to take a break in the middle and play, he'll hand me his bottle, slide off his chair, play for a while and then climb back up and finish up. I'm just so proud of him for grasping what we're telling him and for listening to the rules.


Dom has really grown up so much over the past couple of months. He's a total chatterbox and it's the most adorable thing to hear. First thing in the morning he wakes up chatting away. He talks to himself, his bunny (stuffed animal that he sleeps with,) the cat, Rob and I. He just has so much to say. It's all baby talk, well for the most part. He has this cute little squeaky voice and says "what's this?" about a hundred times a day. Rob and I make sure to always engage him with return conversation and explain what it is he's pointing at. He will make the correct sounds when you ask him "what does a doggy say? what does a monkey say? what does a lion say? what does cookie monster say?" We'll ask him questions and he'll say "yea!" He'll give you high fives if you hold your hand up. He dances all day long and always claps after a song. He cruises the hallways of our home with glee, peeking into the bathrooms and bedrooms. Rob's office is off limits so he'll run down the hallway, giggling and clapping, and step into the office. He knows he's not supposed to be in there, so he'll cheer and clap some more and then runs out. Little rebel!


Today was Dominic's first class at Gymboree. I wanted to find a class or come kind of activity where he could play and learn and have some fun. I can only take him to the park so many times, so we were excited to check out a free class at Gymboree. From the moment we got there, Dom was so excited. He was walking up to the other kids, running around checking out the new scenery.
He made friends quickly and right off the bat was sharing the toys. It was so cute because he handed this little girl each ball, one at a time, until there were none left. We have been practising that at home so it was awesome to see him put it into action. Instead of him throwing stuff all the time, I ask him "please hand that to Mommy" and he hands it over. Seems he's got the hang of it:)


He couldn't wait to get started. He went straight for anything he could climb and had no problem shuffling his little legs and getting to the top. He did bonk his head a few times because he was so excited he was rushing and not always paying attention to putting his hands down.

Rob was able to come join us and it was so fun doing family play time. There was singing, dancing, jumping, climbing....it was basically heaven for Cub. At the end of the session, Rob surprised us by signing Dom up! Now we get to go to the class once a week! What a great Daddy!

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Sublime!

Saturday night was a night to remember. Rob, Marcus, Megs and I went to go see Sublime at the OC Fair...yes, you heard me right....Sublime! It was such an amazing concert, we sang out loud to every song and the crowd was awesome. I love going to see live music. It always does something to my soul to be in the moment, to experience the atmosphere and be right in the thick of it.

As if going to see Sublime wasn't awesome enough, since it was at the fair, we got free admission. After the concert we cruised around, drank many beers and sampled some of the fine cuisine such as fries (a double order for me) massive turkey legs (it was on Rob's wish list,) funnel cake (we split the decadence) and of course, my favorite...bbq corn!


The fair has always been one of my favorite places and it truly marks "summertime" when I see the big ferris wheel going up. I didn't go last year because I had just had Dom, and I remember thinking, "I can't wait until next year!" And then, all of a sudden, it was here!

I had such an awesome time hanging out and getting to cruise around the fair hand in hand with Rob was a highlight. Hopefully we can make it back there again with Dom and start a tradition with him of going every year.