last night

Jason and I went to Urban Solace for dinner and had a great meal. After that we went to the Turf Club to meet up with our friend Josh and his friend who was visiting from Texas. It was a fun night!

owl or pocket

Does this skirt need an owl or a pocket?

OWL

I made an owl hair clip and I am almost done with an owl shirt to sell or trade at the craft fair next weekend at my house. I am excited to see what everyone brings and buy some cool holiday presents.

Circus Class

We went to try out circus class again today. The last time we went was in August and Porter was a little out of hand and did not do that well. Now that he has been in school and knows how a class works I thought we could give it another try. Porter has talked about circus class and about going again, on and off since we went so he was excited to go today. Porter was not that into doing forward rolls but he did have fun running around and jumping on the platforms. I had Liesl in a gym class that just ended today so she is used to a lot of the exercises and wanted to join in on the class. Liesl had a lot of fun and Oli was being really cute helping her off the platforms. The teacher was helping Liesl do a forward roll and said that she was really flexible and could be a contortionist. After class the teacher asked if she could test Liesl's flexibility and she stretched her into all these positions. The teacher said that only 2% of the population are born with good flexibility. Jason is double jointed and really flexible so I was not that surprised that Liesl is too. Anyway, Porter did really well in school today and I had a good day for the most part.

boring and bad

I was talking to Jason the other day and I was wondering if anyone other than people that I know will read this blog. I am not a good writer and I really don't think my life is that interesting to read. Jason said that you don't have to be a good writer you just have to wright about interesting things or you can be a good writer and wright about boring things. Anyway, I am just boring and bad.

Today we went to a park that I don't really like but Porter and Liesl had a lot of fun. I was feeling really bad with cramps but I took some ibuprofen and was better. I was going to go buy a birthday resent and pick up some wool felt today but a friend stopped by for a while and that was fun.

wrap up

Saturday morning my mom and dad said they were going to come over to help us trim a tree. We have to take the help when they offer because it may be months before they offer again. They are really busy with their own home remodel project so we are very grateful for the help. We were just going to trim the tree to get it out of the wires but then my Dad convinced Jason that we should just remove it.
Before

After


When we were done with the yard work we went over to my parent's house to celebrate my brother and sister's birthday. Shauna was down from LA so the kids had a great time playing with their cousins. Liesl gets so excited to see Miranda it is really cute and sad that they don't get to see each other more often. There was a lot of alcohol consumed by all and we had a fun time.



Today I basically stayed in bed until 1 sleeping and trying to feel better. We went to baby Loves Disco in the afternoon and it was fun. Liesl had fun dancing and Porter had fun too but it took him a while to get into it.

goat milk

I don't have much time right now so I am just going to list some things so I don't forget.

massive tree romoval
party at my parent's house until 2AM Drunk Natalie did not show up but Trashed Natalie was there dancing on the bar in a mini skirt. I will post photos later.

Spent this morning in bed and did not get in the shower until 1PM.

Baby Loves Disco

cramps again

I seriously want to die right now this feels like labor. I had two periods with little pain when I was taking the herbs but my problem was supposed to be solved. Right now I just want to go to a Dr. and get a prescription for some drugs so I don't have to deal with this anymore. I felt the cramps coming on and I was waiting to see if they would go away but I had plans to go out so I took one Ibuprofen. I met my friend at her house and I just wanted to throw up I was in so much pain. We went to dinner anyway and I felt a little better after I ate but I just came home afterwards. This sucks. I don't know if I should go see the herbalist or try something else. Kombucha is supposed to help but I drink it almost everyday so I don't know about that. WHat else can I do other than have a hysterectomy?

8 minutes left

Okay I am going to follow Lorien and try to blog once a day for a month.
Today Porter rode his bike to the park like he does a few time a week. We kind of have a routine where we ride to the park, play at the playground and then go see if the velodrome is open. There was a cross country meet going on today and they run on the sidewalks and the trails. Porter was ahead of me and when I came around the bend I saw this lady pushing him off the sidewalk onto the grass. When he saw me he started crying and the lady said he is upset because she moved him. I just went and comforted him while my friend Kim talked to the lady. The runners were on the walkway where Porter was riding and she said 5 people told him to move and he did not listen. She said she had three kids and they all listen and he should listen. Kim told her that he is three years and what do you expect him to do it is a walkway. I was pretty upset and felt really bad for Porter. I told him that she was a bad lady and to run her over the next time. I then felt bad for saying that so I told him that she was just not nice and that we would stay away from her. When we were riding back home we had to go past all of the runners and parents because the set up right by the playground and Porter just wanted to ride slow right next to me. That was the drama for the day.

Happy Halloween!

Porter woke up this morning and asked if it was Halloween after I said yes he said "but it's not dark out". This morning I was trying to clean the house so I let Porter watch Dora's Halloween show two times. He wanted to keep on watching it but we had to get dressed to go to Jason's work. Jason's work was having a party so the kids and I put on our costumes and went down there. The food was really good and we had a fun time.

The kids both took a three hour nap today and when they woke we carved pumpkins. My parent's came over with a pizza, salad, pie and ice cream for dinner. It was a little crazy around here trying to get the kids in their costumes but we did go trick or treating for a few blocks. Porter was so excited that I could not get a picture of them both looking at me.



When we got home Porter just wanted a red lollipop so I found one that our neighbor gave us that was organic and good. He wanted this bright red one but I convinced him that the other one was better. Liesl ate a lolly pop as well and then they both ate a little ice cream. After ice cream they took their bath and I put the great pumpkin presents in the laundry room. Porter was excited and liked his block and Liesl really liked her little doll. It was a good day.

daddy song

A few weeks ago when I was driving Porter home from school I turned the radio on and Gewn Stefani's Holla Back Girl was on. I asked him if he liked the song and he said "no I want a Daddy song". I changed the station and Marilyn Manson's Beautiful Prople was on and he was all "yeah this is a Daddy song turn it up". When I turn on the radio now I ask him if it is a Daddy song or a Mommy song. The funny thing about it is that Jason and I listen to the same kind of music and I have no idea where he got the idea of a Daddy or Mommy song.

never again

I did something today that I hope to never have to do again. I went to the funeral of a 3 year old girl who pulled a dresser on top of herself. My friend Sara was over this morning and I was still not sure if I wanted to go but she offered to watch the kids so I went with my mom. I am happy I went and my heart aches for the family.

Imagination Stick

This evening Porter pointed a pen at me and said his imagination stick was going to turn me into a bear. He then turned me into a parrot, fox and dinosaur and we ran around the house acting it out. Liesl stopped coloring to join in on the fun and Porter said he learned about the imagination stick at the art studio at his school. I have been feeling lately that I don't want him in school but he is learning so much more there than if he was at home with me.

The fires got really close to my parent's house last night but they were not too worried about having to evacuate. My brother called them at 3AM because he was in the area for some reason and they all stood in the back yard watching the fire.

Saturday night we went to my friend Sara's 30th birthday party. It was a prom themed party so I wore my prom dress from 1995. It looked really bad on me and I was not feeling that great in it but oh well. We had a fun night and Sara had a fun time too.


I told Porter earlier in the evening that the babysitter was going to come and he told me that he did not need a babysitter because he was not a baby. I told him that we could call her the kid sitter and he was okay with that. Sunday morning Porter told me that he had ice cream and asked me if I was mad. I asked him why and he said that when he asked the sitter if he could have ice cream she asked him if I would be mad and he said no.

Saturday I went to JoAnn's for some fabric and when I got there I turned around and looked at Liesl and she just started throwing up all over herself. I did not have a change of clothes so I just took off the dirty ones, put a jacket on her, put her in the sling and went into the store. We met up with Jason and Porter at the Mexican restaurant up the street and Liesl threw up a little bit more but that was it. Yesterday my stomach was feeling bad and in the evening I threw up so maybe it was the same thing that Liesl had.

Sad Day

My sister called earlier today and asked me if I had talked to our mom. I said "no, why" then she asked if I was sitting down and told me that an old friend's 3 year old daughter died on Thursday. Niki and I were really good friends in High School but I was a year older than her and we lost touch after I graduated. The last time I saw her was at Porter and Henry's 1st birthday party. Her daughter Kendall was so cute and looked just like her dad, a friend of ours from youth group. My mom ran into an acquaintance at the store who told her about it so the story I have is that Niki put Kendall in her crib for a nap and a shelf fell on her neck. When Niki went in to get her she was blue so they think she died instantly. I can't even begin to understand the kind of pain they are going through right now. Shauna is going to come down and we are going to try and go to the funeral this week. I have to figure out what to do with the kids because I would not feel right bringing them with me. All day I have been hugging the kids a little more and just hoping that noting ever happens to them.
We have done a lot this week but I just don't feel like writing about it right now.

Beana the bunny and the pumpkin patch

Last weekend we took Liesl to Build A Bear to use a gift certificate that she received for her birthday 7 months ago. Liesl picked out a bunny and Porter helped fill it with stuffing and three hearts. Porter was really good and only asked a few times why he did not get to have one too. Before we went to the mall I told him that Liesl was going to get a bear and he was going to get some clothes so he was alright with it. Anyway, after the bear was stuffed and ready to go Porter decided to name the bunny Rabbit. Liesl started calling Rabbit, Beana her version of bunny so that is was we call it now. She loves Beana and will wake up in the middle of the night saying Beana until she finds it.

Liesl and Beana ready to go to the pumpkin patch

Our little family

corn maze

Looking for Porter

Porter said he would only smile on the fence

train ride
Porter and Liesl also went on the pony ride and Porter had fun but L was a little scared. Porter was asking about the horses and if they were fast because the last time he was on a horse was at Griffith Park in LA a few months ago. We need to go to LA again but now that Porter is in school it is a little harder to make it work. I guess he could just miss a day or we could drive up right after school.
This week we have a spaghetti social at Porter's school and I am part of the clean up team. Yay!

sick

The kids and I have been sick for the last two weeks and I just want to be 100% again. I have not written in a while because I get kind of bummed when randoms find this site and post stupid comments. I removed the posts but anyway on to other things.
Last weekend we went up stairs to hang out for a while because Letty was cleaning the house. I turned on the Karaoke machine and we all started rocking out.


Later we went bike shopping again but did not have any luck. My Mom, Dad and Shauna's family came over Saturday night for pizza and had a nice time but our clean house was not so clean when they left. Saturday night we went to the Ken Theatre to see the musical Buffy sing-a-long. It was a lot of fun but it went late and we did not get home until after 2AM. Sunday we spent the day at my parent's house celebrating my Mom and Miranda's birthday.

Jason had Monday off so we went and got both of the kids hair cut in La Jolla. While we were up there we tried to go to a bike shop but it was closed so I was a little bummed but oh well.
Not much went on this past week but I did meet up with some friends and we checked out this new restaurant The Commonwealth Cafe. The food was good but we were not all served at the same time and the food was a little cold but I will definitely go back. One thing that kind of bother me was that my veggie burger was served on a really small plate and there were no condiments other than ketchup and mustard. It was nice to get out with friends and talk so it was a good night.
Last night we went to the new Cafe Zia on Adams but they were not really ready to open so just got a few pieces of cake and we went to Dao Sun with some friends.
Today we went to the North Park Library and then I took Port to a fun birthday party.

Engine Turtle

At school yesterday the kids were talking about what they were going to be for Halloween. Porter said that he and Tanner want to be Superman, Harrison is going to be a fireman, Athena is going to be a rabbit and Owen and Bruno are going to be Engine Turtles. I think he was trying to say Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

I thought it was a bruise

Sunday I was at my parents house and my mom said to me "you have a varicose vein" I said "what, I thought that was a bruise" I have had a bruise on my leg for months and I never could remember how I got it. My mom said "well you know Natalie you are getting older". Yay, I am 30 for a week and I have a varicose vein. There is someone on my kombucha yahoo group that has treated them with kombucha cream. I made some kombucha cream but I ended up throwing it away after a day because it freaked me out.

When we were living in Golden Hill we never had home improvement solicitors but we get them at least once a week over here in NP. They usually come in the early evening when I am feeding or bathing the kids and I can't help it but be a little rude to them. This evening Liesl was eating at the bar(where she has fallen off the chair at least 5 times) eating and I went to the door and the man said to me "is a homeowner around" WTF do I look that young? I said "yes and I am not interested in any home improvements" the man tried to give me some flyer but I just said no thank you and shut the door. He left mad and I felt bad later because he is just trying to make a living.

I was really rude on Monday night at knitting and I kind of feel bad about it. I bought one of my favorite desserts, a lemon bar and I ate it all without offering it to anyone. What made me feel bad is that my friend(who I was sitting next to the whole time while I was shoving the yummy bar in my mouth)bought one when we were leaving.

School is going well for Porter and he has some friends so things are good.

best gift ever

Projects

I am sick and I can't remember what I was going to wright about so I am just going to list the projects I am working on.

I am working on this top for Miranda's first birthday present. I decided to knit it in the round instead of flat like the pattern said and I think it will turn out cute.

I am working on a pole warmer that is made up of a bunch of single letter wrist warmers that you can take off. The idea would be that you could come up and rearrange the letters into a new word or take a wrist warmer to wear.

Porter told me he would like to be Superman for Halloween so I am going to have a costume made. I could just buy one but the store ones are so cheesy with the fake puffed out chest. I could do it but I just don't have the time right now and am lazy.

Thursday evening my friend and I went to Urban Solace for dinner. The food was excellent and I had a really nice time.

Friday night I went to the Casbah with some friends and had a good time. I wish that Jason was able to come with us but I was not able to find childcare.

I think we are going to go to the Adams Ave. Street Fair for a little while in the morning. I hope I feel well enough to go.

mensa baby

Liesl was siting at the bar playing with cars while I was doing dishes this afternoon. She started to cry so I gave her a bowl, put a car in it and said one and she took the other car and said two. My 18 month old can count what can yours do?

Last night

Porter woke up around 10:30PM so he watched the last part of Heros with us before Jason took him back to bed. About 6 months ago when I would put Porter to bed I started telling Porter true stories about when Porter was a baby. Porter started asking Jason for stories and Jason would make up stories about Porter being on adventures and stuff. So last night when Jason took Porter back to bed he wanted a story. Jason told a story about how Porter and his friend rode their bikes to the grocery store and when they were coming out there were these big boys who said "give me your money" and Porter said "and I had a knife and I cut their heads off" Jason just started laughing and told him no you went back in the store and told the manager. Anyway I was cracking up when Jason told me but it was a little disturbing to me that he said that.

30th Birthday Party

I spent the first part of the day laying out by the pool, reading and drinking. I was on one side of the pool and everyone else was on the other side with the kids. It was nice to just sit and relax for a while. Jason went and picked up some food for us and it was so good. There was a lot left over because three families ended up not coming but we ended up eating it all in the evening.

Liesl has a cool new trick.

Jason bought me a kerioke machine and we had so much fun with it! Some memorable moments were my two costume changes and a fall that left me with many scratches. It was so much fun and I really enjoyed me birthday weekend.

Palm Desert-day two

We woke up and went for a nice walk on El Paseo. Jason and I both got a new pair of flip flops and then we went to Trader Joe's. After all that we went swimming and just hung out waiting for our friends to arrive.




Later in the evening we went to a little bar not far from our hotel.

I went up to this character and asked for a photo with him.

Palm Desert day 1

The drive was just two hours and the kids slept the whole time. We settled into our room and then went out for some food. When we got back we went in the jacuzzi because Porter kept on asking to go swimming. Liesl and Porter both had a great time in the water and it was a nice first day of vacation. The weather is nice and comfortable! I can't wait for all our friends to start arriving tomorrow.
A view of the pool from our room.

countdown

Today is the last Sunday I am ever going to have in my 20's. Thursday we leave for a weekend birthday celebration in Palm Desert. 19 adults and 14 kids are going to be there to celebrate with me. I am going to spend the whole time sitting by the pool drinking, reading and swimming. In that order.

First day of school

Porter had so much fun at school today he cried when I came to pick him up.


Porter and Daddy walking up to the school.


Porter at his classroom.


Porter wanted to ride this bike when we were at the school on Tuesday.


After school we met Jason at his office in little Italy and took Porter for some ice cream.

gym and school

Yesterday I dropped Porter off at Kim's house and took Liesl to a mom and tot gym class. Liesl was not that into it and wanted to nurse when we were warming up and stretching. Most of the other kids look to be around two so they could follow the directions a little bit more than Liesl. After a while Liesl got into it and during free play she just wated to go down the little slide. If another kid walked toward the slide she would say "no mine". She is so cute it is hard not to laugh when she says that but I did take her off it so other kids could have a turn. I went and picked up Porter and took him to meet his teacher. It was a really short meeting because we were the last one of the day and I think she wanted to get home or something. Porter and Liesl had fun playing and Porter was not happy to have to go home.
Today we stayed home because I was expecting a package of clothes I ordered. We just played at home and all took a nap in our bed at 12:30. Porter slept for 2.5 hours and I finally had to wake him up because I wanted to go to Target. I bought Porter some new underwear in a bigger size so he can pull them up easier at school. Porter was a little off today and I wonder if he is getting sick. I hope not because I would hate for him to have to miss school tomorrow.

bloody nose

Porter was playing in his room this evening and he came out with a bloody nose and said "different colors were dripping out of my nose". There was not much blood and it dried up pretty quickly.

Tonight Jason and I went to Parent Night at Porter's preschool. It was a little weird and I am not so sure I want Porter to go to school. We are going to see how it goes but I am not 100% sure it is the right choice. Tomorrow I am taking Porter over to Kim's house so I can take Liesl to her parrent/tot gym class at 10AM. That is so early for us I just hope we are not late. At 12 we have a meeting with Porter's teacher so Porter can get to know the classroom and her. I hope it all goes well.

This Old House

When people ask me if I love my house I always say "yeah I do" but I really don't. We just moved here in February and I thought I would love having a bigger house, a private yard and the neighborhood but I don't. When I can't sleep at night I think about how we could get out of the house and wonder if we could get what we paid for it. We bought a fixer upper but my husband is not the fixer upper kind of guy. I should have put my foot down and said no to the house but I got caught up in the whole new house idea. I did like it but the idea was that we would get enough money from the sale of the old house to put in a new kitchen in this one. That did not happen and now we don't even have enough for the foundation repairs let alone a new kitchen. I want the foundation to be fixed so I can start some landscaping so at least the outside of the house looks nice. I wonder how long we will live in this house.

quiet

Friday night my parents came over to babysit so we went to The Guild for dinner. We had about 10 of our friends come out for dinner and drinks and we had a great time. The food was good and it was just a really nice time. After dinner we went to the Turf Club for a few drinks and then over to the pink Elephant before we went home. The kids had a fun time with my parents and they got to have some ice cream for a special treat. Saturday we hung around the house and Jason broke down a bunch of branches that I had cut from this hedge earlier in the week. We were going to go for a walk and the kids got in the stroller then both of them fell asleep for at least an hour. When they woke up we walked over to Sara's house for a BBQ. It was fun and after that we went to a birthday party for our friend. Liesl was a little clingy at first but Porter really had fun running around with Audio. I was tired and passed out putting Liesl to bed but woke up around 10 and stayed up for a few hours. I went to bed but it took me a long time to fall asleep so I was still tired when Liels woke me up in the morning. I just want one day a week where I don't have to get up with the kids and I was pissed that Jason was not getting up so I went up stairs to sleep. I have no idea what time it was but when I woke up and went down stairs it was 12:22. The house was empty so I took a shower, are some breakfast, read the paper and cleaned up a little bit. I was a great morning for me, well I guess it was more of an afternoon! The kids were a little grumpy when they came home from the Zoo but we got through it. I made some tortillas and they wanted to play with the dough so I made them some play dough. They were both quite for 15 minutes it was amazing.

"it's good morning time"

Porter has been coming into our bed at night and it has been a little hard to sleep with all four of us in bed. I do love waking up and lounging in bed together. Porter woke up the other day and said to Jason "I love you Daddy, look the lights are off that means it is good morning time" It was so cute and just makes me love that little boy so much more.
I had to go out to Santee to give the Dr. a form to fill out for Porter's school. Liesl had been sick to I made an appointment to have her checked out. The Dr. said she had a soar throat and an ear infection. He prescribed some ear drops and an antibiotic for 10 days. Liesl was better at this point and I was not sure if I should give it to her so I waited until the next day to see how she was doing. The thing is that I would not have taken her in if I did not have to go there anyway and I just thought that the Dr. would say that she was fine. I decided not to give her the medicine and she is better.
We went to a birthday party tonight at Chuck E Cheese and two other families that we know where there for their own celebrations. Porter and Liesl had cake for dinner so it was a good night.

nine

Jason and I were talking on our way home from LA on Saturday about the number of people we know who have had a DUI. I don't drink and drive now that I have kids but I used to do it all the time. When Jason and I go out at night he always drives and he is really good about not drinking too much but I am sure if we got pulled over he would be over the legal limit.
Saturday we went to LA for the third birthday of my cousin's daughter. It was a hawaiian themed party and it was a lot of fun. It was really hot there and miserable but the kids had fun. Liesl has had a fever on and off since Saturday night. It has been between 102 and 104 and she is just miserable. I am going to the Doctor tomorrow to drop off some school release for Porter so I am going to see if he can see her. I have been giving her ibuprofin because that is what is giving her some releaf and alowing her to sleep. I hate having a sick kid, it really just sucks.
Sunday and Monday we celebrated my dad's birthday and just hung out by the pool. Liesl just wanted me to hold her and it was hot but she did get in the water for a little bit.

Peter Pan

My mom, the kids and I went up to LA to see my niece Amelia perform in Peter Pan as Tinker Bell. It was a lot of fun and Porter loved it. Liesl on the other hand just wanted to nurse the whole time so I did to keep her quiet but it pissed me off. This nursing relationship is not going very well for me. I just got the new issue of Mothering and there was an article on nursing your toddler and it really came at the right time. I am committed to nursing her until she is two so I have 6 months left and I can do it.

Pink Elephant

I am siting here trying to write something and I can't remember what I did this past week.
Monday we went to Lorien's house for the coop pick up.

Tuesday we did something but I can't remember what. Oh I think we went down to Bonita to swim in my parent's pool.

Wednesday we went to Java Mama for story time and the kids went to Esther's house while I went to the dentist. The story time at Java Mama was fun but that place overall in my personal nightmare. The dentist was supper high tech compared to my old dentist and he was really nice. I have two cavities under old fillings that need to me replaced. They wanted to do them in two weeks but I made the appointment for after my birthday.

Thursday we went to a friends house to play and to circus class after. Circus class was fun but Porter does not do very well in classes. He was really shy at first and then started running around making faces and not paying attention to the teacher. I think it would be fun for him to take the class but I am not sure if he will.

Friday we went to playgroup and had the neighbors over for dinner. Playgroup was fun and both kids slept when we got home so that was nice. I was able to start cooking dinner without to much distraction. I made Indian food and these yummy lemon raspberry pudding cakes.

Jason went out Friday night with his friends so he did not wake up until late Saturday morning. I made some pancakes for Porter so he was happy about that. I told him the night before that if he went to bed right away that I would. Saturday afternoon we went to a birthday party for one of Porter's friend. It was a nice party but I thought it was a little different that they offered beer and lemonade but there was no food. It was a two hour party and about an hour and a half into it they served some cake and ice cream and that was it. It was kind of like what a party should be in so many ways. Some of the birthday parties these days are so over the top it is overwhelming for the kids. Anyway I should shut up because some of my parties have been a little crazy. I am trying to change that and will not throw another crazy party for quite a while.
Saturday night I had Sara and Ticey over for leftover Indian food from the night before. We went to Pink Elephant in the evening and had a fun time.



Today we got up and went to this coffee shop up the street and Porter had a major breakdown and we were going crazy trying to deal with it. Porter cried all the way home and he ended up taking a three hour nap. I went with Sara and Ticey to a friends house for an afternoon tea. I made a strawberry cheesecake that was fabulous and it was a really nice afternoon. When I got home Jason had a friend over and they wanted to go to the Zoo. It was the perfect evening for the Zoo and we had a really nice time. Porter wanted to ride the Skyfari and it was an awesome view of the city at night.
This week I am not sure what is going on but I might go up to LA on Tuesday but I am not sure.

food and crafts

Liesl had a fever from Friday night to Tuesday morning. It was hard because she would only nurse and now that she is better she still only wants to nurse. I feel like I have a newborn again. Wednesday morning I decided to go to LA and was able to get out of the house by 11AM. It took three hours to get there and the kids were good. We went to the Santa Clarita Aquatic center and it was awesome. It was like a water park that the city owned so it was cheep and so much fun. Porter was very cautious in the beginning but after 30 minutes he started following Amelia and was comfortable in the water. Today we went to Griffith Park to ride the horses and the train. Porter was talking about the horses earlier in the week and wanted to go on the medium fast ones. I bought him two rounds on the horse and after his ride on the fast horse he was a little sad so I asked him if he wanted to have a ride on the slow horse and he said yes. Porter said the fast horse was too bouncy but he liked the slow horse. I was cracking up watching him ride the fast horse it was just so funny to me to see him on this trotting pony with his blond hair flying up and down. The train ride was fun but Liesl just wanted to nurse and that was a little annoying to me. Can I say that? I seriously am starting to really hate nursing but I guess that is because I feel like I am nursing a newborn.
I made some yummy food on Monday from one of my favorite cookbooks.

Some fun little things I have made recently.

two sick kids

Porter has had a runny nose for a week now and Liesl has had a runny nose plus she threw up last night and this afternoon. I hope they get better soon.

Some things Liesl is doing that I want to remember.
Words for things
Baby = Blanket
milking = nursing
jacket = anything she wants to put on
please = something she wants
Liesl is also obsessed with shoes especially Porter's shoes. I have to show her every pair until she see the ones she wants. If I don't show them all to her she starts crying. She loves to put anything on like jackets, hats, bibs, bike helmet. She is really into the layering look and loves to go out with a jacket on when it 100 degrees out. I was trying to make dinner this evening so I sat her at the bar with some food and when I turned around she had on a cowboy hat and two bibs on. I should have taken a picture she was so cute.

Yesterday morning I took Porter to the dentist and he has no cavities but his front tooth is dead. we are just going to leave it in and eventualy it will fall out whe the new one comes in. She was a nice lady and I will definitly go back. When we were leaving the dentist asked Porter if he wanted a sticker and he told her he was going to take two one for him and one fore his sister. I thought it was so cute that he was thinking of her. Jason stayed home with Liesl and Porter did not really like that we were leaving without her. I wonder if he is going to have a problem going to school by himself? I am looking forward to him going to school but I am not sure about it. My plan all along was for him to go the year before he enters kindergarden but I kind of got caught up in the whole school thing. I guess we will see how it all works out.

Damages on FX

I have only watched the first two episodes but I love it already. I used to read lawyer thrillers when I was younger and I really like this show. I was out last night with some friends so I am going to watch last nights episode tonight.

tortillas

Last night I made some flour tortillas using this recipe. http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/flourtortillas.htm I used coconut oil and want to try and make them with whole wheat flour but white flour tortillas are so darn good. I am at the point where I prefer brown rice over white but I still love those white flour tortillas. Anyway, Porter swore that I was making "heart cookies" and wanted a ball of dough so I gave him one. He shared it with Liesl and said "I love it mommy I really do love it".


Liesl liked it too and kept on screaming at Porter to give her more. I had a little measuring cup on the counter that had some extra flour in it and they decided that dough tasted even better dipped in flour. I left the room and they got a bag of graham crackers and started dipping those in the flour, yuck.



Then Porter decided to put flour on Liesl.




I should not have left the kitchen because this is what I came back to.


He poured the flour on her dress and face.

The tortillas came out good.

maggots, poop, the velodrome and a photo shoot

Okay so Wednesday morning the kids were sitting up at the bar eating their breakfast and I thought I would sweep up a little since I never do. Well there were maggots in the broom and all over the floor. I was freaking out screaming so loud the neighbors were probably wondering what the hell was going on. I called Jason but he did not want to come home and clean it up. So I did what any good housewife would do I put on my yellow rubber gloves, grabbed a bottle of cleaner and a wad of paper towels and went to work. First I sprayed each maggot with cleaner but it really did nothing to stop them so I probably used a whole roll of paper towels cleaning them all up. When I was done I called my mom to schedule Letty the cleaning lady for Saturday. I am not very good at cleaning the house and it is time for a professional to come in and get the job done. So anyway my Wednesday was actually a nice day considering how it started. I went and bought a tricycle for Liesl that I can push and steer for $10 from a lady off craigslist. Porter rode his "ordange" bike and I pushed Liesl on the trike to the park. Porter was not that into the park so we rode over to the velodrome and it was open. Porter went and rode his bike around the center loop a couple of times then wanted to go on the "fast" track but only made it half way around.
Liesl has pooped in the potty about 7 times in the last week. Today she pooped on top of the potty and by the front door but at least I did not have one poppy diaper to wash this week.
So this writer for the UT is writing an article about street art and wanted a picture of me by a pole warmer. I met the photog at Influx and Jason met me there to watch the kids and it was a really weird experience. I am just not comfortable having my picture taken like that. I am afraid that I am going to have this weird smile in all of the photos but we will see.

cramps

Last night I was in pain from 9:30 until 11:30. I had to take 4 ibuprofin just so I could sleep. My cramps are so painful it feels like the early stages of labor but there is no break. I have to concentrate and breath to get thought it and for a moment last night I felt like I was going to throw up. This is what I went through from the time I got my period when I was 12 until I went on the pill when I was 19. I remember going to the school nurse when I was in 8th grade and my mom was mad that I came home and told me that I was going to have to learn to deal with it. Pain releavers would work sometimes but other times they didn't. I would take baths or sit on the couch with a heating pad but it was hell. My friends moms would take them to the Dr. and they were able to get medicine to help releave the pain. My parents said that you only need to go to the Dr. if you are having sex. I thought that after I had kids this would all be over with but they are starting again. I am going to the Dr. next week for an anual exam and I am going to talk to her about this. I don't want to go on the pill again but I also don't want to deal with painful cramps every month.

in review

Thursday morning we went to Spreckles Park in Coronado. There were not very many people from the playgroup there but it was fun. Thursday afternoon we went to the North Park Farmers Market and bought a few things for dinner. We ran into Jane and Milo there and it was a nice opportunity to get to know them better. I tried to buy tortillas at the Albertson's by our house but they did not have any without partially hydrogenated or canola oil. I have tried three different recipes in the last month or so and I finally found one that I really like. The salomon mixture, brown rice and fresh tortillas made yummy burritos. Friday morning we went to a fun park in Encinitas. There was some traffic and the parking was hard but we had a fun time.
Friday our good friends got married at the court house and had their reception in the evening. I had the 16 year old neighbor take the kids to the park so Jason and I could get ready before my parent's came over to watch the kids. Ali was great and I am definitely going to use her again. The reception was at the MOPA where the bride works and it was a lot of fun. The cake was decorated with mushrooms and there was a frog ice sculpture.


Ticey, Sara and I by the ice sculpture.


Sara and I having fun.


on our way to the Pink Elephant

We did not get home until after two and my parent's were a little tired but we had a great time.

Saturday was hard but I did alright after I got myself out of bed. We went to the Big Kitchen for breakfast but it was not verry good. Porter and Liesl did a good job in the restaurant but I did have to take them out after Liesl started crying for milk. I am so over nursing and I am trying to cut back her daytime nursing as much as I can. Saturday night we went to Bird Park with our neighbors for a free concert. The kids had a nice time and we had fun even though the music was not great. Saturday night Lorien and Val came over to sew bags and we got a lot done. We are on a roll and I can't wait for Tuesday to start finishing up some bags.

sandy hair

Today we went to Loren's house for the coop pick up. I was about an hour late for my shift and I only checked one person so I kind of sucked as a checker. I got a pair of Birkenstocks that I have been wanting for a while and I love them. Liesl and Porter went into the pool and had a fun time. Porter just wanted to pour water on Nina, Nina poured sand on Liesl and Liesl just wanted to lie in the water. I have mellowed so much in the last year it amazes me. Last year I would have freaked out that Liesl got a hair full of sand but now I just thought it was funny. I tried to get it out a little bit but I was not worried about it at all. Some of my freakoutness came from my sister and now that she has mellowed out I have started to as well. We left Lorien's and met up with Esther, Vinja and Nyssa at 28th Street for a little bit. It was nice hanging out there and the kids had a great time. At 2 I took the kids to Sara's house so I could have a little break. Even though I tell her I don't think she knows how much I appreciate it. I met up with Jason and we went to the Princess pub for a drink and food then I went home and cleaned my floors. I ordered an Ergo carrier over two weeks ago and it never arrived so I emailed them and they sent me a tracking number and said it was delivered last week. I was driving home from LA that day and did not receive it so they are sending me another one. I hope it was just a mistake because I would be really sad if someone stole it from my porch. I never had any problems living in Golden Hill and I thought we were moving to a nicer neighborhood and if this is what I have to deal with I will be sad. Blah it is 12:53 AM Jason is out with his friends and I should go to bed. Oh Porter learned how to hit the baseball tonight with Jason. The last time we were out in the yard he was kind of doing it on his own but I did not think to throw it to him. Jason did tonight and one time Porter almost hit it over the fence. Porter is diaper free at night now and he has only had two accidents but that have been in the morning before he gets out of bed.

Monday and Tuesday

I usually go to the park on Monday for the AP playgroup but for some reason I did not go this Monday. It is Wednesday night and I am on my second glass of wine so I don't really remember what I did. Maybe I will remember in the morning. Oh wait I remember I went and dropped Porter off at Sara's house and took Liesl to Whole Foods. I used Kim's menu and bought everything on the shopping list for a weeks worth of meals. It made it so east to shop and the meals have been good so far. It saves money and I don't have to think about what is for dinner so I need to start making some of my own. Monday night I missed knitting because my parent's were over helping us move the new fridge in the house. Tuesday I went to 28th Street park but we did not stay as long as I would have liked because Porter said he was tired. We got home and I told Porter he needed to take a rest but that only lasted 15 minutes and then Liesl woke up. I was kind of bummed but whatever I am used to them not taking naps anymore. We went to Target and Porter got a new helicopter and Liesl got some new shoes. When we got to the shoes Liesl started trying to get out of the stroller and was saying "shoe" over and over. I finally found a sandal in her size so she as happy for a while until she wanted the string that hold them together off.

last week

Last week we went up to LA to visit Shauna for a night. The drive up was not too bad and we just went to a park with Shauna's neighbor when we got there. Wednesday we went to LA's fashion district with 5 kids, two in a double wide jogging stroller, one in a single stroller, one in a sling and one walking. It was madness so we did not stay for a long time but I was able to find some fabric for shopping bags. Thursday I met up with a group of my playgroup friends to sew shopping bags. It took us a while to get started and we only made a few bags but it was fun. Friday night we went to a concert in the park at Trolley Barn and met up with some friends. There were a lot of people there and we had a really nice time. I lost Liesl's brown sandal so that was a bummer. So far in the last month I have lost one while sandal, one brown sandal and a pair of white sandals that were the replacement for the one I lost. I never lost Porter's shoes and I can't understand how I am losing Liesl's. I was thinking of listing the left shoes on ebay but I don't know how well that would go. Friday night I met Sara and some of her friends at Bluefoot for some drinks. I drank more than I should have but I did not have a hangover so that was good. Saturday Shauna came down and we had a yard sale. My parents cleaned out their attic for the remodel they are doing and had us take all of our dolls and junk from our childhood. We did not sell much and all of the leftover stuff went to the thrift store. I could have saved it for Liesl but the plastic was not looking so good on my cabagepatch and rainbow bright dolls. Saturday afternoon I went and got my hair cut at Stacy's new salon. It is in a house and it is really cute. I loved my hair when I left the salon then I had a few days where I did not like it so much but now I love it again. I really like short hair and think it suits me well. Sunday we went and bought a new refrigerator! We went to the Sears outlet store and found one that had some scratches on it but was half the price. Jason went and recorded so I went to my parent's house to swim and hang out with Shauna. Liesl loved playing in the little pool we set up and Porter had fun in the big pool.

new name

I don't think I was ever technically a true urban housewife but I thought I was one. I lived so close to Downtown I was able to walk there whenever I got the urge to do so. We sold our house and moved to the burbs. Now I am just a wannabe urban housewife waiting for my kids to grow up so we can really move Downtown and I can truly be an urban housewife.

no no no

Porter is saying no all the time now. It was cute at first but now it is getting old. We went to the park yesterday there was this little girl that wanted to play with him. Porter just kept walking away from her saying no no no no. We went to the zoo today and went through a section that I have never been to before. It was fun but it has been hot here so we went home around 12.
I have been going to acupuncture for my sciatica. It seems to be helping and my back pain is getting better.
I just finished reading A Million Little Pieces by James Frey. That is one of the best books I have read in a while.
The baby is kicking a lot and I am getting big. I know I am going to get so much bigger and it is a little depressing. I am excited to have another baby in the house. It is going to be crazy for a while but it will be fun.
Jason and I are going to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary. I had our wedding Polaroid framed for a gift but it will not be ready until Saturday. My little sister is going to watch Porter for us and we are going to go to dinner. I don't know where we are going to go or if Jason has already picked a place.
Jason's friend Josh celebrated his birthday on Friday so we went to Bombay for dinner. I love curry and it was a delicious dinner.
Thanksgiving is going to be a lot of fun this year. The last three years we went to Portland so it will be nice to celebrate with my family.

Names

I love being able to name our child but at the same time it can be hard to find the right name. The boy name that I like is Miles Elliott and the girl name is Scarlett Rose. The only problem is that my friend Michele has already said that her girl name is Maria Rose. My friend is married but they are not pregnant and as far as I know are not trying to be. I know that she wants to be pregnant but her husband thinks they should wait a little while. Michele told me a couple of weeks ago that a single mutual friend told her that she likes the name Rose as well. Michele thought that this was really weird and it made her mad. At dinner the other night I casually said that we liked the name Scarlett Rose right after she told us her baby names for the 100th time. She just got this weird look on her face and did not say anything. I started saying some other middle names and then everyone started giving me their suggestions. I just do not think it is that big of a deal to have the same middle name. I could see her being mad if I wanted to name my baby Maria but Rose is becoming so popular right now I don't think she has any right to be mad. I did not want to tell her we are thinking of that name but I guess I really don't care if she is mad. I guess I just do not understand the idea that once you pick out a name or name your child no one else can use it. I personally would be happy is someone named their son Porter. I think it is a great name and should be used more. I love the name Amelia and my sister used it and I was happy.
Friday night we went to Pasta Espresso in PB and it was so good. Jason bought some new Converse at a store there and we went home. Saturday we went up to Krakatoa and got some coffee and food but there were no empty tables so went to the park. There is this huge tree in Balboa Park that we used to be able to climb on as kids. The ground was getting to compacted and it could not get enough water so they had to gate it off. There is the same kind of tree at the park so it was fun to let Porter climb on the huge roots. I wish I had better shoes on because I would have loved to climb up on the branches. We cleaned the house and I washed all of my maternity clothes. In the afternoon we went to my parent's house to go swimming. Sunday we went over to Hillcrest for bagels and coffee. We were supposed to go to the beach in the afternoon but my friends said it was overcast so we did not go. I made a late lunch/ early dinner and then baked a cake. I just love white cake with butter cream frosting. I am probably going to eat the whole cake by tomorrow. I thought that I had gained a few pounds already but when I got on the scale today I found out that I only gained a 1/2 pound. I gained 3 pounds in my first trimester last time and I have three more weeks so I hope I start gaining some weight. I firmly believe that if you do not overeat your body will gain what it needs. I can't wait for my next appointment on the 11th.

Mojave Resort

We went out to Palm Desert for the weekend and had a wonderful time. I wish we could have stayed for a week. Things are good here. We have started working on the yard and it is a little stressful trying to figure out how the new retaining wall is going to be. I just hope it looks good and is what we want in the end. There is so much going on but I guess I am just not in the mood to write about it.

All the things we did

Friday night we had my sister's family and another couple over for dinner. I made a bunch of food that turned out alright. I did not love it but I did not hate it either. Saturday we went to Balboa Park for Bowie's 1st birthday party. We only stayed for a little while but it was fun. After the party we went to a fake wedding. Jason's friend is in a movie and they were shooting the wedding scene so we went to be a guest. It was fun and Porter was being good. Saturday night we went to The Fish Market with my family and our friends from Malta. The food was good but it is a little stressful going to dinner with a baby. Fortunately they put us in a room just for large groups so Porter and Henry did not disrupts the other guests.
Sunday we went to the Crest Cafe for breakfast. It took a while to be seated and by the time we were eating Porter was tired and ready for a nap. Sunday afternoon we went to a house warming party for our friends. It was nice but uneventful. Sunday night we went over to our neighbor's house for pizza.
We had such a full weekend I hope this next weekend is not as full.

I am still pissed of about the cat situation. I just do not know what to do about it but I know that I should not have to live like this.

Over it

I am tired of feeling like my house is not mine. I am tired of not feeling comfortable in my own home. I am tired of smelling the litter box every time I go into the bathroom. I am tired of having a litter box in the bathroom. I am tired of seeing little blue and white pieces of litter on the floor. I am tired of hearing litter crush under my shoe. I am tired of having to find a place on the couch to sit that does not have hair. I am tired of having to close our bedroom so the cat does not get in. I am tired of having the cat rub hair and dirt on everything. I am tired of having dirt marks on the cupboards in the kitchen from the cat rubbing against them. I am tired of having cat food scattered all around the food bowl. I am tired of her throwing up on the floor. I am tired of Zoey. I have not told Jason to get rid of her because I don't want to make him have to do that but I can't stand her living in this house anymore. I really admire my sister for making her husband get rid of his cats. I wish I had the ability to do that. I guess I just hoped that Jason would want to get rid of Zoey eventually. I just can not take 10 more years of this. I don't even want another minute of this. Zoey has thrown up right here in the dining room so I put a paper towel over it. Just doing that made my gag so much I almost threw up. So until Jason comes home to clean it up Porter can not crawl around and play in this room. Porter can not crawl and roam the house because I have to be constantly watching him. I don't want him to crawl into the litter box or eat Zoey's food. Zoey is a mean cat and hisses at everyone. There is only a little love in her and it is for Jason. I wish I could just take her to the pound or try and find a new home.

There is so much more I could write about but I am so mad I will just have to do it later.