ski day with grandpapa!

We are lucky to live not far from my parents house- and I'd say Noah is the greatest benefactor since he is able to have an awesome relationship with his Grams and Grandpapa.  They are completely hands on, adventurous, and love him to pieces.  Noah loves going to The Lodge to hang out and always wants to know if Rob and I AREN'T going to be there... because he likes his one on one time!

When he hangs out with Grandpapa he gets to do exciting things like feed the horses and take mini rides around the corral, help Grandpapa work on the tractor, snuggle up and watch cowboy movies, bake chocolate chip cookies, play at the park, and Grandpapa always slides treats in Noah's pockets.  My dad is the best!!  He had a great relationship with his Grandad and I'm so glad he continued the tradition with his grand kids.  Noah and his cousins will always have wonderful memories of their grandparents to cherish. 

My dad has taught the older grand kids to ski and this year is Noah's turn.  He used to be a big time ski racer back in the day and still has the magic touch- he is a graceful, fast skiier.  I think it broke my dad's heart when I learned to snowboard as a teenager. Ha ha. 

Grandpapa took Noah down to the Lift House last month, our family's ski shop of choice to get his gear and today is the big day- Noah's first day on the slopes! I still remember when he taught me to ski...and now it's my little guy's turn. I can't wait to hear how it went!

I think it is the cutest thing ever for my dad to take time out of his day to do things like that for his grand kids, it melts my heart.  But honestly I think my dad probably has more fun than the grand kids when he takes them out on special adventures!  Isn't that what being a grandparent is all about?  Enjoying your grand kids and spoiling them rotten!

Noah showing off his very own pair of skis, helmet, and goggles with Grandpapa!

Last week I had to drop something off for my mom and Noah got to help Grandpapa get a few loads of dirt for a project- he was in heaven!

Family Brunch

Growing up we always had a family dinner party the Sunday before Christmas at my Grandmother's house with all of my cousins.  We would count decorated houses on our way to her house and sing Over The River And Through The Woods.  Grandmother makes the best rolls- they would be baking while we ate so it was an endless supply of fresh hot rolls.  She used to give us girls matching dresses then when we got a little older she would take us shopping and we would pick out a pair of boots or clogs for winter.  The smell of leather reminds me of those boots so many years ago.  One year we were playing in my Grandparent's room and the curtains and rod were pulled off the wall.  We were busted and Grandmother yelled 'Good Night!!' as she came in to see what all the crashing commotion was.  We get a good laugh over it now..

My Grandmother goes to brunch every Sunday after church at Normandie Cafe- yum!! It had been a while since I'd seen her so I called to invite myself since she is leaving this week to spend the winter in California.  My uncle and two cousins were meeting up with as well her so it turned into a little impromptu family event with my family and brothers.  It was fun to meet up and reminisce on those memories all those years ago.

Unkie Frankie sat with the kids to keep them in line- he's the best.  Thank goodness because Noah and Jack, both five were sword fighting with the forks and knives.

 

 

 

 

 

Mike and Kinz (my cousin), my bro Chris, Rob, me, my cousin Brody, Francesco my bro, and Ev my sister in law and the kids- Sam, Noah, Jack, and Maddy.  Lexi was locked in the bathroom at the time.

Jack, Kinz, Grandmother, and me...notice how fashionable my Grandmother is- she had a darling red purse with her, she is always so stylish! Kinz is also expecting a baby girl...she is due two weeks after me! 

awards and eating boogers

Last week Noah was selected for the CEO award at school.  Rob and I headed over to watch them present his cute little award.  It was so fun to see him in action at school. 

Noah is OBSESSED with any ocean creature- especially sharks, dolphins, and whales.  We read his ocean books over and over and he has memorized them line for line can rattle off all sorts of random facts about these creatures, it is pretty cute.  He is always making books with ocean based story lines and pictures...so that was his award- for his creativity in stories and drawing pictures.
 

I have no idea where he gets his love for sharks from...ha ha

Funny/gross story- While the kids were sitting on the carpet waiting for their turns I peeked over at Noah and saw him put his finger right in his mouth- I was mortified and knew he had just picked his nose and eaten it.  I elbowed Rob not expecting him to actually do anything but he yelled 'Noah' to get his attention to tell him to knock it off.  And I am not one bit surprised he now has a cold.  Is that a boy thing?  So gross! He knows not to do it at home but I wish he knew not to do it in public too!!

The last time he was on a fingers in the mouth phase (without the nose picking) he picked up Fifth's Disease...the virus that turns into a rash.  The week he was contagous Rob was out of town and Noah was my little snuggle bunny...little did we know he had the virus...and I was 6-8 weeks pregnant- and Fifth's Disease can cause miscarriages if the mom get's it.  I still can't believe I didn't catch it from him!

The moral of the story- keep your hands out of your mouth!!  And kids who win awards still do gross things.

Birthday Weekend

My cute Rob had his birthday on Saturday...it was so fun to celebrate with him all weekend long!  He is such a great husband and sweet daddy...so glad that he is mine!! 

I love that Rob is athletic, competitive, and hard working.  He is awesome at cleaning the house, insists that I take a girls night when I bring one up, is awesome at doing homework, wrestling, and snuggling with Noah, can cook an awesome lemon chardonnay chicken, and the list could go on and on forever and ever...  I have so much love and respect for my babe and am so glad that through the years we have remained on the same page and are more connected than ever!

At Malibu Seafood During Thanksgiving Week

Friday night we had his work Christmas party, there is such a stigma with work parties but we actually had a great dinner and a hypnotist came to entertain us.  We made Rob get up but he was only hypnotized for a couple of minutes.  I was really looking forward to seeing him do some wild and crazy stuff!

On Rob's birthday we slept in until almost nine and had a leisure morning then brunch at Corner Bakery- yum!  Going to breakfast is always so much fun and CB happens to be at the mall so we did a little shopping.  We went home for the rest of the day then went back to have dinner at either Cheesecake Factory or CPK- which ever had the shortest wait.  That turned out to be CPK, not a surprise, but perfect because I was craving the BBQ chicken salad.  Dinner tasted so amazing I might have to get take out from there again tonight (never mind that I ate there last week for a girls dinner too)...then we headed to the movies to see Arthur Christmas.  Such a perfect day to spend celebrating as a family!   

Sunday night we had my brother Chris and his family over for cake and dessert as well as my younger brother Francesco...we missed Ches' wife Evelyn, my parents/sister, and Rob's cousin Amy (who was sick) and Jon.  Still we had a great time.

Cute Candygram from C+C+Fam

Lots of Sparkler Candles!!

There was definitley a chocolate/peppermint theme going on.  Chocolate chocolate chip bundt cake, peppermint rice krispie treats, my bro Francesco brought a hunk of vegan peppermint cake (so he wouldn't go hungry with our dairy infested desserts), and Candice my sister in law made yummy brownies topped with crushed peppermint. 

I think my favorite was the drink.  Party drinks are the best!  My friend Melissa suggested cran-rasp juice with Sprite Zero- so I did that and added pebble ice and the secret ingredient, almond extract.  Delish! 

And once again I failed to document the party with photos of my family- crap!!

6 months + 5 days

I can't believe I have hit and surpassed the six month mark.  I think this will be my one and only winter that actually goes quickly, time seems to be flying! 

I feel huge...my stomach seems to have grown in epic proportions within the last three weeks.  Ha!  Luckily I had just a small(ish) three pound weight gain at my appointment (seems like a lot but I was happy considering being on vacation for a week eating whatever and however much I wanted).  My doctor said most of his patients gain a whopping ten pounds from the 5 to 6 month appointment, so that made me feel better. 

I'm still feeling great...not sleeping as comfortably but feeling good.  I guess my only complaint is I am so pre-occupied I am behind with just about everything, like Christmas for example, if only I could skip the shopping and preparations this year.  Me skip shopping?  That is nuts.  Luckily my boys are completely donezo.  Putting up the tree and even getting the cards ordered seemed like the biggest chore...I need some Christmas spirit fast!

 

I'd much rather focus on getting ready for the little baby doll to arrive.  My bestie Melissa let me ransack her little Miss Quinn's stash of clothes and I have the cutest little outfits and about a dozen pairs of shoes for next spring/summer.  I've also started buying things I love...like this darling spring dress with a pair of red little ballet slippers.  Love the navy stripes and floral, love! 

I think I have finally settled on the nursery too.  When searching inspiration ideas I kept coming back to this tranquille gray vibe from Pinterest.  I love how serene it is. 

I came across this and think I am going to get the bumper and skirt and do a pink sheet and maybe switch out the ties with pink grosgrain ribbon.  I am so loving the dots and the stripes combo.  It is so simple and clean...and Rob loves it too.
 

The bottom half of the walls beneath the chair rail will be pink and I will tie in more pink/gray/white accents around the room.  I'm still dying over this little dresser light and think it will be perfect!! 

 The plan is to move Noah to the guest room during Christmas break then I will get started on the nursery.  I can hardly wait!!

Thanksgiving Week

Another Thanksgiving has come on gone.  Such a great holiday to reflect and give gratitude for the many blessings we have been given.  We are anticipating a lot of changes next year and are surely looking forward to them, especially the arrival of la bebe.  My heart is so full when I think about the miracle of being pregnant again, and I'm equally grateful this last spring to have felt confirmation that our new fertility treatments were going to work for us.

Rob and I drove to California to spend the week with his side of the family.  I love a good road trip and we really had some great convos in the car, especially on the way back, it is nice to connect with those kind of heart to heart talks.

Thanksgiving dinner is always at Rob's aunt and uncles house.  All of their kids were there as was another cousin from the same side of the family...it was a lot of fun to connect with them.  I adore all of Rob's cousins and Amy (in the burnt orange skirt) is one of my dearest friends. No pictures of the tables or food but everything was wonderful!!

I wish I had taken more pictures of our adventures...the story of my life! I never want to stop the fun to have everyone pose...and I hate action/candid shots.  Is that weird?  I actually tried to put a bunch on here...but Blogger isn't having it right now.

Some of the highlights...

• Spending TONS of time with my bestie in the whole world Melissa (yeah no pictures) and her cute family!!
• Eating fish and chips on PCH at Malibu Seafood.  So good and fun!
• The beach!!  We went to check out the tide pools twice because the tide was super low...we found crabs, starfish, hermet crabs, shells, sea slugs, sea anenamies galore!  There were also lots of caves we were able to wander through that are normally filled with water.
• Wandering through the Reagan Library where Rob's mom is a docent.  
• El Torito fajita salad with the pepita dressing.  Yum, I always need that when we visit.
• Taking advantage of Black Friday at Anthro...at a non-busy location.  I walked in at 8 and there was a half hour line for the register but the store, sale corner, and fitting rooms were quiet.  I texted my bestie to hurry down and we both picked up a ton of good stuff for super cheap! 
• Pumpkin Bars, Mexican Wedding Cookies, and Toll House Pie for Thanksgiving dessert...I was in charge.
• Sleeping in, lounging around, and not having a schedule.
• Meeting up with our good friends Ryan and Rayna along with Melissa and John for dinner.  Nothing like friends that you immediately can reconnect with.
• Coming home with three grocery sacks of Trader Joe's goodness.
• Noah being such a good boy in the car...love my boy!!