blogapalooza

i am not good at keeping up with my blog.
i blog, and then i take a break from it. sometimes a long break.
when i finally take the time to download pics from my camera to the computer again,
then i blog again. alot.
so thanks for hanging in there and always checkin' up on me.
here's what we've been up to:

we had a free saturday which is rare around these parts.
so we got up and decided to take a drive through the desert.

we took j. camp along for the ride.
great worship album!

a wall in barstow. we stopped at the light so i took a pic.

we ate lunch at the original del taco in barstow.
we were excited to get out of the car and grub.
this del taco blows every other del outta the water.
notice the number, they bring you your food!

got an original taco. soooo yummy. simple and packed fullll of goodness.
why don't the other del taco's have food this good.

my handsome was super impressed with their food.
(what a cute guy!)

packed out!

nono thoroughly enjoying his original combo burrito.
the thing was huge!

we ventured off to the outlets in barstow to see what kind of deals they had.
they had a visitor center there too.

thinking these turtles were real. haha! they were. once upon a time.

nono and daddy after shopping.
best deal of the day was at children's place.
all of the toddler summer shirts were a buck!
let's just say, brody is covered for next year.

drove through boron. no offense to those who call this place home,
but yuck! definitely a scary looking desert town.
one you don't want your car to break down in at night.

cal-city.
a bit better than boron,
just a little.
we ate at the pizza factory here for dinner, not too bad.


made pioneer woman's cinnamon bread. it turned out so yummy!
i got her first cookbook for mother's day, it is a must have if you like good ol' comfort food.

the before

the after

yum!


ciara came home from new york one weekend to visit and to be in a friend's wedding.
it happened to be dad's b-day too!

lax is renovating.
if it was my first time there, i would be scared. it looked like a war zone.

shorty and tall-ey waiting for shash :)

nono showing his auntie where he got her flowers,
right next to the parking structure. haha

at marina del rey for dinner
nono convincing auntie cerisa to stick a quarter in the "telescope"
so he can look at the ocean

bro and auntie ciara

probably should have read this before they stuck the quarter in!
it was indeed "broken"

lolo and bro waiting to be seated at shangai red's
happy birthday lolo!!!!

lolo and ma

the kiddos always do this when the napkins are actual fabric

pirate noah and i

coconut shrimp. not bad, not bad.

my goofy husband and goofier seester


we went to a pretty wedding one sunday in moorpark

purrrty ciara as a bridesmaid


nono had to get shots for school on this particular day

noah showing off his war wounds after 4 shots. :(
he cried, i laughed.
not cause he cried, what kinda mother do you think i am!?
but because when the doc offered him stickers after,
he asked him if they had ice cream instead.

immunizations are no fun for anyone.


bro and i went thrifting one day when noah was at school.
it was a succesful trip!

found these teal jars for 2 bucks. i was so excited when i saw them.
they are exactly like the ones i was wanting! you can see in a previous post.
:)

found these wire baskets for 50 cents each. score!
gonna use 'em to put stuff in. naturally right!
either will help me to organize my desk or the laundry room.

look at this mirror! gorgeous!
after i found the jars, i turned around and saw this.
10 bucks!
it's gonna be painted white. or black. or pink. or teal. or purple.
hmmmm...
and it's gonna end up in my bathroom. or over my computer desk. or the guest bedroom.
haven't really thought this one through yet.
help!?

lastly, i found this awesome 1950's-ish chair.
it is still original, and it is super sturdy. not one wobble or creak!
5 dollars! holla!
i am gonna re-cover the cushion and possibly paint this bad boy.
it's new home will be at our computer desk. it is just the right size. :)

whewwww...that's all!
for now.

determined...

to get this...
and/or

this!

i must have one or both of these this weekend when we are out of town.
i heart my little country town, but i also really miss these l.a. staples.

in the mood...

to revamp my entire house!
in my dreams...

diggin' the big empty frames

really like this ruffly white shower curtain
this one is really fun too, a lil' crazy for a house full of boys, but i like

i would like this pillow on my bed, so purrrty
i bet it would be so easy to make too

obsessed with jars lately

yes please!

and i would like my bathroom to look like this :)
look at that tub and chandelier

and lastly, i would like my boys bedroom to look like this.
this L shaped system would be perfect for their room,
but the cubs gear would be replaced by dodgers gear of course.

a woman's work

some days i feel like a crazy woman scrambling to get things done around the house.
the list of things to do is endless, and when i think i'm done, i'm really not.
but...

this random mess (haha)...

...and even this...

...is all worth it to see smiles on these lil' monkeys.
so why complain when i'm blessed beyond measure
:)

bless his heart

love this man for working so hard so i can stay home and invest in our children.
getting up at 3am is no easy feat, but he does it with joy and never complains.
he is such a trooper and i thank the good Lord for such a good hubby.

thirty

my bff is 30 today!!!
anya,
thanks for being the smartest, prettiest,
most kindhearted, most generous,
and funniest girl i know!
thanks for (always) being there
during the most
important times in my life!
we don't live very near,
but when we talk or see each other,
it's like we are still the 17 year old girls
we used to be,
staying up late in your room chatting about everything...
and i love you! :)

my maid of honor and i
(2 weeks before her wedding day)

us acting like kids in the bounce house
(love how the lil' boy in front of us is staring like we're crazy)

amadeo and anna

bittersweet

my first born started preschool today!
i am so excited about the fun to be had, friends to be made, and new things to be learned.
but i will admit, i teared up as i drove away.
my baby is definitely all grown up.

my handsome 4 yr. old ready to go

starting off with breakfast, cereal and oj
i sat him down, he hugged lil' bro and he told me i could "go now" :( LOL!
but i snapped this pic before i walked out

cleaning up

calling the grandmas to tell them what an awesome day he had! :)

a girl met a boy...

well, yesterday was our 6 year anniversary!
so, i thought i'd share the story of how this girl met the boy...

i was 15 years old, and one of my good friends was smitten by some football player named russell griffith. by smitten, i mean she thought he was h.o.t. and she was making it known to all the world that he was off limits 'cause she was in love with the guy. cheerleaders were assigned football players to spoil, make signs for, etc. and he was her football player.
well, i had never met this russell griffith so i had no idea who he was and what he looked like. my friend who had already claimed him told me that he had an english class right after mine in the same classroom. long behold, one day, i stood outside that class with my other friends and saw the russell griffith walking towards the door. my friends told me that it was indeed the guy our friend was in love with. so there i was, standing there in my cheer uniform watching this tall, handsome guy walk towards us in his football jersey. i thought to myself..."whoa...he is hot!" i knew exactly why my friend liked him. well, i believe i introduced myself to him and from that moment on...every time we saw each other, which was just in between classes and at games, we would flirt. LOL! we untied each others shoelaces, which makes me laugh now, 'cause how dorky is that! i would be getting my books into my bag and he would come into the classroom and sit right where i was standing. so we'd have no choice but to talk. :) sillyness turned into quick hugs goodbye and him offering me to wear his football jacket on game day. while i was enjoying the attention from him, i knew that i was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
my friend who had liked him and some others saw what was going on and i could feel the tension everywhere i went. i know it is horrible for me to fall for a boy that one of my friends liked first, but there was something about him that i was willing to risk a couple "so called friends" to see if what we had was for real.
some of the girls threatened me, they would cuss me out, it was awful, but i had a couple friends that stuck by me. my bff, anna, was my saving grace. she and another cheerleader, and russ reassured me that he did not like the other girl, that he was only interested in me and that i wasn't doing anything wrong since they did not have a relationship in the first place.
so...there i was 15 going on 16 and going out with russell griffith.
he was a gentleman and would walk me to my classes. he was sweet and shy, and it was refreshing.
did i mention cute?!
he came to my house on my birthday, met my whole family because it was thanksgiving weekend and they were all in town.
needless to say, they all loved him.
while i was head over heels for the guy, it was hard to be at school with so many hating me. i would walk down the halls holding his hand and would feel the glares. i would go to cheer practice and half the girls wouldn't speak to me.
i look back now and see how mean teenage girls can be.
the pressure got to me and all i wanted was for everything to be normal and to have all my friends back...so my relationship with russ sadly suffered.
we started talk less and less, and eventually what we had dwindled away.
i was really sad about it, but God had a plan :)
years later, russ got a hold of me through a mutual friend. i was going to school in san diego and russ was going to school in mississippi. we talked on the phone, got to know each other again, and he asked me out on a date. he said he was gonna be home in cali for the summer, so i said yes. :)
he picked me up at my parents house in valencia. i saw him and was pleasantly surprised. the boy i fell for in high school was now a very handsome man. :) i had the biggest butterflies when i saw him for the first time after so many years and when he smiled i practically melted. we went to bj's for dinner and then a movie afterward. we walked around and talked. we both had grown up so much and were so much more mature than we were when we were together 5 years before that. i saw my future when i looked at him.
i know... pretty cheesy, but i'm not lying.
after our date, i remember calling my bff anna, and i believe i told her that
"yep, i think i'm gonna marry him."
so here we are, 15 years after we first met and we are happier than ever.
i thank God for his wonderful plan for our lives, for bringing me russell griffith.
we dated in high school for about 2 months...i think...haha!
we dated again for 3 years before we got married, half of that was long distance.
we've been married 6 years.
we have 2 beautiful children.
and we have many more years ahead of us and lots of memories to be made...

Happy Anniversary to the football player of my dreams! :)

what a trooper...riding around with my purse :)

i want a beach cruiser!
we stopped at the original hot dog on a stick for some lemonade after our bike ride

my handsome and i on our anniversary date in santa monica

our day started off with breakfast at the griddle cafe...mmmm!
we strolled around the new santa monica mall and the promenade.
we rented beach cruisers and rode around town and along the beach.
we had lunch at baby blues bbq (we saw 'em on the food network),
it was good, but russ and his dad bbq way better :)
it was just nice to spend time together without kiddos.
and my kids had fun hanging out and getting spoiled by my parents.

russ standing in front of the bbq joint

we shared this plate
cornbread, mac n cheese, coleslaw, ribs, pulled pork, and brisket
it was okay...russ and his dad blow this place outta the water :)

spoiled

our pup moose is spoiled!
my sis always goes to three dog bakery and gets him yummy treats.
not only does he devour these things, but they are so darn cute.
look at this biscuit...looks just like a chocolate donut for us humans!

wedding festivities