La Vita E Bella

Just do it.

I came across this and laughed. Especially with the "Race for the Cure" just hours behind us!

Race for the Cure

Yesterday was a particularly special day. Most importantly, my sister-in-law Melissa turned 26 years old, and we had the chance to spend the morning and afternoon together. Falling right behind was the Orange County Susan G. Komen "Race for the Cure" in Newport Beach. My mom, sister, Janea, Melissa and her mom Laura followed eachother down for the 9:45am Co-Ed Walk/Race. We made it just in time to get our bibs, but not quite in time to grab out shirts and start the race (Katy and Janea were smart and had their shirts shipped to them!). As I mentioned back in July, my full intentions were to jog the entire race. And I can confidently say that I did 98% of it. Their was a hill that killed me for about 2 blocks, but I handled the rest and finished in time with my sister. Melissa finished much ahead of us. Janea finished a little ahead of us, and my mom and Laura who gabbed and walked finished a little later than us. It was an amazing opportunity to gather in support of not only those who have lost their lives to breast cancer, but to those who have survived this most horrible cancer. I had made some signs with my Aunt Vicky's photo on it. It said "Walking in Honor of my Beautiful Aunt (or Sister for my mom). Victoria Charlene Fuller. 4/19/57 to 6/14/97. I am so proud of everyone who was able to join us yesterday. Their were THOUSANDS of participants there, but I was most proud to see my close family and friends rally together for such a great cause. Thanks Ladies. I love you all so much.

Little Boy in Big Shoes

My kids are great. They can drive me to insanity at any given moment, but for a majority of the time they are doing something that totally warms my heart. Just this evening, the kids and I were hanging out with my parents beore dinner. Lucas, who is obsessed with "grown-up" shoes, put on my dads tennis shoes and walked around like a pro. Eventually, putting on the socks to complete the ensemble. He was just soaking in the laughter and attention, which make the whole scenario all the more fun. Olivia just watched him as he stomped around like a king.

She is so good about that. She also loves Lucas so much. The interaction between the two of them makes me so very thankful we had them so close together. It's gotten to the point that Olivia will start kicking her legs and squealing in anticipation when she see's him. I will bring her into his room when I get him from a nap and she becomes a giddy little girl. Sometimes she gets a reaction from Lucas ("Hi Sissy!!!") or not. But either way, I am so blessed to be a mom to such amazing and beautiful little kids. I don't know what on earth I'd do without them!

*please feel free to visit our youtube site for a few more videos of Lucas in his "big boy" shoes!

Me

Quiet Time

Both my kids are napping. And when they are napping, it's quiet. And when it is quiet, I can think. And more often than not, I think about Trei. It's fair to say that I'm either thinking about how mad he made me that morning, or what a wonderful husband he is and how much I miss him while he is at work. This afternoon, my thoughts are varied. He made me quite mad yesterday, but this morning he left me in smiles, so I'm really just trying to decide which one shall rule my thoughts for the afternoon. Mad or Happy. Normally, I would choose happy (who doesn't love happy afterall), but part of me really wants to fester over yesterday. Maybe you are wondering what happened, and maybe you will be really surprised that i'm going to share, because normally, I would not - but remember when I said this is a new blog? Well, I didn't just mean aestethically. I mean in my words as well. And frankly, our little tiff is just that. A little tiff. But sometimes those "little" arguments are the ones that leave you fuming the most!

Baby Bathing and a College Degree!

Olivia has become a fairly strong sitter these past few weeks. This has opened up many doors for me. For instance, bathtime is much easier. Olivia can sit with Lucas while I wash the two of them, and give them some time to play together. I have to keep a very close eye on this time, because ofcourse, Lucas likes to think she's his equal in size and weight. But for the most part, she splashes, he splashes and they both smile and laugh and have a good time. It's amazing to me, to see such a change in both kids already. Lucas is growing into such a boy and Olivia is out of that baby stage, and starting to notice her potential and taking advantage of it. In the past2 weeks, she has really gone from immobile without an interest in sitting for very long, to sitting, scooting, and getting on her hands and knees. You know what thats means! Crawling! I'm really praying that she hold out unti our move to Reno in less than 21 days, but from the looks of it today, I won't be so lucky. If my predicitons are correct, she'll be crawling by 7 months old (or 1.5 weeks from now), just 2 weeks after Lucas first crawled on all fours. Luckily for me, Olivia stayed immobile far longer than Lucas who was rolling all over the place at 3 months and scooting everywhere at 5 months. Bless that girl!

Happy Birthday Mom

I really love celebrating birthdays. I really, really love celebrating the birthdays of my family. Today happened to be my moms 49th (or was it 25th?) birthday. The whole fam (minus Trei who had to work), headed down to Maggiano's in Woodland Hills for an amazingly delicious dinner. It was an incredible time of conversation, good laughs, and time to gather as a family. I always appreciate outings like these, because they are few and far between. This one was also particularly special because once we move, we won't be able to be a part of every family outing like we have the past 3 years. It definitely made me feel sentimental. Ask any of my family members, and they will tell you just how much I love to plan family get together's. The only other one who mirrors my enthusiasm for a good time is my dad (who planned this night out). I guess I feel like it's so important because it's easy to get caught up in every day life that we don't sit down often enough to re-group and catch up on eachothers lives. I wish I had been more proactive in making a weekly "dinner" more important for us while we lived here. Live and learn I guess. All I know is I'm so glad that God made my mom. I'm glad for the relationship He gave me with her. I'm thankful for the amazing and insightful and wonderful woman she is. I'm thankful I share so many of her admirable character traits. I'm just thankful for her.

Change

::Lucas telling his Sissy a secret::

Two under two really keeps you on your toes. We've been trying to stay cool (this ridiculously hot weather is killing me!) by spending our days inside watching movies, running around the house, playing outside in the hose or getting out to an air conditioned location. Have I ever mentioned how much I despise the heat? Olivia is growing leaps and bounds. She is saying "Ba Ba" now and loves to stick out her tongue (case and point....photo above). She is a fiesty little gal with lots to say (literally) and energy for days. I must mention she hates napping, is already showing signs of seperation anxiety (uh oh!) and is taking her role as "Diva" very seriously. However, she is lovely, and charming, and ever so beautiful. Lucas is talking so much now-a-days we can hardly keep up with him half the time. He mimics everything you say word for word (time for us to watch our p's and q's!) He is really funny and quite the clown. He is easy going, independant (that's an understatement), and all boy. He is trying new things, learning about the world, and getting ready to turn 2 in just 3 short months (he is 21 months TODAY!).

Revamp

re-vamp

–verb
1. to renovate, redo, or revise: We've decided to revamp the entire blog.
–noun
2. an act or instance of restructuring, reordering, or revising something; overhaul: a revamp of the Melissa's blog is in effect.

He Loves Me!!

The kids, my good friend Melody and I were out running errands this past Sunday. I got out of the car to run a quick errand. While I was gone, Melody was filming Lucas on her cell phone.

She captured his expression when I got back to the car. Priceless.

Enjoy :)

Happy Anniversary to Trei and I ♥

2 dogs
6 moves
2 pregnancies
2 kids
1 college degree
and a few jobs later......

we have reached 4 years of marriage.

Still in love, still forging ahead, and still looking forward to our future together.