Simon [2 years]

Happy Second Birthday to our beautiful, smart, funny, energetic, creative, empathetic, silly, loving son. Daddy and I are beyond proud to call ourselves your parents. You constantly amaze us everyday with how much you learn, how much you inspire us, and how curious you are about the world around you. Thank you for loving us and for making us yours.

nostalgia

At this time exactly 2 years ago, I went into labor.

It was funny, because I did not expect to be immediately in labor with the onset of my first contraction. Being my first pregnancy and like most people I knew, I assumed that labor would be a long affair for me, stretching into multiple days or, in the very least, several on-and-off agonizing hours before it would finally be time to go to the hospital. But for me, my body and my child were different. At 8:25 pm on Saturday, February 9th, my uterus contracted its very first labor contraction and thus initiated the final process of my pregnancy: the birth of my son.

I've been joking a lot over the last couple of weeks about being emotional over tomorrow. Recently I said to Simon, "... your birthday is 2 weeks from tomorrow! I'm gonna cry." His emphatic response: "Mommy, don't cry!" Do I really think I'm going to cry? No. Truthfully, I am very excited for his birthday and have so many fun things planned. But does that mean that am I emotional over this annual milestone? Ohmygod yes.

We love Simon so much, and we are so thankful that this big, bright ball of joy came into our lives when he did. 'Two' feels like uncharted territory, but Eric reminded me that the same can be said of every new and ordinary day ahead of us. I'm not afraid of the unknown; rather, I am intrigued over what adventures lie ahead for us as we enter Simon's 3rd year of life.

Happy Day-I-Went-Into-Labor-With-Simon Day; a day that will always be special in my heart... the day I knew I was about to meet my first born.

snow day!

Eric took the week off from work to enjoy some time off and lots of fun-filled family time with Simon and me while I'm on Winter Break.  Since Ben is also on vacation from school, we invited him to spend the night and join Simon, Courage, and us for a trip up to the snow.

We bought a sled yesterday at Sports Authority (thanks for the advice, Jen!) and had such a fun time watching Ben go nuts flying through the snow.  He said today was his first time ever riding a sled, and he was quite the pro at it by the end of our day.  Today also marked Simon's very first experience in the snow; he reacted as expected, unsure of the snow's texture and not fond of its chilly temperature, but he warmed up to it (lol) after a while and enjoyed throwing snowballs and watching us build a snowman.

The baby is now in bed, and I swear Eric and Ben have been playing the same video game for at least 3 nonconsecutive (only because we turned it off during dinner) hours now.  I've been relaxing by myself as they play, but I don't mind sitting back and letting the two of them spend some quality time together.  It's actually wonderful that brothers 20 years apart are able to find things to bond over... I realize that basically means I'm married to a giant child who loves video games, but I've known that for years now.

Happy Friday!

2014: a year in review

It's absolutely atrocious that I haven't posted on my blog in over 8 months.  I had planned to continue posting here after The Big One, but after 31 weekly pregnancy posts and 12 months of baby updates I guess I needed a little long overdue break.  What matters now is that I'm back and ready to play catch up and reflect over this past year of 2014!

We began the year on January 1st with a cranky and brief after-midnight photo, one that may have interrupted an early slumber on the couch.

In February, our little boy celebrated his first birthday!

During the month of March I attended my very first Comic Con with Justin, Athena, and James.  We enjoyed the beautiful sunshine with lots of outside play.

April brought us Simon's 2nd Easter and a more successful visit to see the Easter Bunny at Fairytale Town.  Pappy and Uncle Ben joined us, which made the holiday extra special.

Simon was enrolled in his very first swim lessons in May, I turned 29 and celebrated a relaxing Mother's Day, and Eric and I both left Simon overnight for the first time... separately!  One night for me chaperoning the 8th grade field trip in Yosemite, 3 nights for Eric spent at KublaCon in the Bay Area with the guys.

In June the regular school year ended and summer school began, and we had a fun Father's Day with both of our dads.  Simon of course played, played, played.

When summer school ended, July included many adventures such as Independence Day, our FREE TRIP to the Aulani Disney Resort in Oahu that we won (joined by Jen and Bliss because Eric was unable to come due to work), and a visit to the California State Fair.

We took a family camping trip to Bucks Lake in August with all of our friends.  I went back to work mid-month to start the new school year.  Great Aunt Sami traveled to Lake Tahoe for a wedding so we drove up for a visit.  Simon also turned 18 months old and got his first haircut!

September was a busy month full of many birthday parties, including Uncle Ben's 9th birthday at Roller King.  Simon visited the dentist for the first time and was an all-star patient!

Our family was even busier during October celebrating Eric's 29th birthday, our 4th wedding anniversary, the wedding of my wonderful friends Josh and Rob and Caitlin's visit, and Halloween.  Oh, and Courage turned 4 years old!

Things calmed down in November and we had a nice Thanksgiving celebration at Cho-Cho's house.

The holidays came and went in a flash this month in December.  We saw Santa, watched the Festival of Lights Parade in Auburn, and continued our Christmas traditions as a family.

Oh yeah, and Eric's been growing a beard.

2014 has been one crazy ride full of many wonderful memories and experiences.  As we close out the year tonight, I am reminded of the adventures that await us on the horizon: Simon turning TWO, Eric and me turning THIRTY, celebrating FIVE years of marriage, and so much more.  I hope to make as solid of an effort as possible to be here on this blog documenting as much happiness and love as time will allow me.  I hope that you decide to stop by to share in this journey, too.

See you soon, 2015!

birthday/mother's day wish list

With my 29th birthday being exactly 4 weeks away and Mother's Day following just 3 days after, I thought it would be fun to create a birthday and Mother's Day gift wish list.  Eric and I usually make lists for each other for birthdays and Christmas, but I haven't really been motivated to ask for anything special over the last year.  For my 28th birthday, I received a bunch of Starbucks gift cards (which are always appreciated!) and Eric bought me a few summer dresses as I was still working on losing the last of my baby weight.  Again for Christmas, I only asked for clothes (sweaters and pajamas), which are great, but not super exciting or original.

This year, I've tried to put a little more thought into gift ideas for me from my family.  There aren't really a lot of things that I want, but I have tried very hard to come up with some new ideas.  The list that I came up with is mostly compiled of things that I like but don't normally do for myself, as well as a few special and unique items that I wouldn't normally ask for.

Here is my birthday and Mother's day gift wish list for 2014:

Flowers

Eric knows that I love having fresh flowers for my birthday, Valentine's Day, and our anniversary.  He usually chooses arrangements that have bright colors rather than always going the traditional route of only roses.  He also knows that I'm not one for extravagant, expensive floral bouquets.  Believe it or not, Safeway is actually one of the best places to buy flowers, for quality and for price!

Hummingbird feeder

I love hummingbirds--maybe because my mom liked them too--and I would enjoy seeing more of them outside my kitchen window.  An antique-looking hummingbird feeder such as this one from Target would not only be stylish, but would also offer a friendly place for lovely little birds to dine and socialize to my viewing delight.

Starbucks Cold Cup, 24 oz.

I've owned (and broken) a few of Starbucks' 16 oz. cold cups, but I'd really like a larger one.  The extra ounces will especially come in handy for the summer months up ahead when it will be important for me to be drinking more water.  While a plain cup would suffice, I really love this Blossom Design Cold Cup, which is super cute for spring.

Ulta gift card

I am a frequent Ulta shopper, so a store or online gift card would go a long way.  I also take advantage of the salon services that Ulta has to offer, so using a gift card on a hair cut or color treatment would be a great way for me to pamper myself!

Massage/spa package

I have been wanting a professional massage F-O-R-E-V-E-R, and being a tired, working mom of a toddler means that I am exhausted and in need of a nice, relaxing spa experience all the time.  Groupon has lots of deals in our area!





Manicure and pedicure

See a 'pampering' theme here?  Who doesn't like to be pampered, especially for Mother's Day!  Getting my nails done is a treat that I rarely partake in, really less than once a year.  Groupon again has lots of deals for local nail salon services, but a gift certificate to Kathy Nails, where Jen has taken me in the past, would be nice as well. 

Handstamped necklace

I'd really love some kind of personalized necklace with Simon's name and birthstone, like this one from The Vintage Pearl.  This shop has many other options for handstamped jewelry, so there are actually quite a few designs that I am fond of. I'm not sure if I'd rather pick something out myself or be surprised... they have so much cute stuff!

I am very much looking forward to my birthday and Mother's Day this year and celebrating both events with my family.  I'm sure that I will love whatever gifts I receive, but I also hope that this short wish list will be of some help, too.  Remember, separate gifts for each occasion, please!  ;-)

Simon's 1st birthday [part 2]

Simon's first birthday ended with a small celebration at our house.  While I was trying my best to keep things simple, I also tried my very hardest to make sure his party was as nice as possible.  The week leading up to the shindig was jam packed with trip after trip to different stores making sure I had all of the necessary foodstuffs and party favors for the event.  Eric and I spent a lot of time making sure the house was clean and we moved furniture around to fit all of our guests inside our tiny home. 

While the house seemed to be bursting at the seams with partygoers, we had a good turnout of family and friends from our small guest list.  When Simon made his entrance (after waking up from a solid nap with Cho-Cho), the birthday boy was in great spirits and really enjoyed himself.  He snacked on party food, opened his mountain-full of presents, ate his delicious cake, and played with his friends.  We got pictures of him with all of his guests and he had fun coloring for the first time and spending time with a bunch of people who love him.  Eric and I both agreed that our small event went smoothly and felt that the party was a success.

food central

the yummies

Obi-Wan Kebabs

Yoda Soda

Tusken Raider Taters

Jar Jar Links in a Blanket

Dark Side Salsa and Tractor Bean Dip

Vadar Veggies

Wookiee Cookies

Simon's cake

 all the treats + cupcakes

decorations

Simon's photos 1 month-1 year

"Simon" banner made using printables

décor - storm trooper and R2-D2

décor - Darth Vadar and Han Solo

the proud parents with the birthday boy!

opening presents:

hand made by Pappy

he loved the tissue paper!

Cho-Cho's sense of humor

 time for cake!

blowing out the candle

this cake is delicious!

party favors

 

signatures from guests

More photos will be posted to Facebook, hopefully in the coming week.  We are so thankful to everyone who joined in celebrating Simon's first birthday with us!