Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!!
from our Egyptian family: Cleopatra, little mummy, and King Tut.

taking candy from a baby

I cracked up when I saw this on my facebook page. thanks Wes.
I'm so excited for Halloween! It's a big holiday for me. We're going to have lots of fun this weekend and I'll be eating all the chocolate candy out of Krew's trick-or-treating bag. :)
As for now I am busy sewing our Halloween costumes... heck, maybe I should have skipped all this trouble and gave him some vampire teeth, red eyes, and his mickey hat.

phone names

My shiny new iphone.
I always swore I wouldn't get an iphone before I owned a house ($$) but the stars aligned and the price was right so... i did it. But that's beside the point.

In one of the many searches to find my misplaced phone, I used Cameron’s cell to call mine. And guess what…

I found myself in Cameron's phone contacts as "Lindsay Rondo", my full and official name. I of course brought this to Cameron’s attention and asked if he could be any more formal? He saw nothing wrong with it; it was my name. Not even just Lindsay? Okay there might be another Lindsay since it was a popular name of the 1980's so it's possible there might be a duplicate but I am THE Lindsay to him. Or how about Wife? Or My Girl? Or some other endearing name other than “Lindsay Rondo”. So jokingly I gave him a hard time for it and then told him that I want my name changed in his contacts for Christmas. Later, I mentioned this in front of my sister-in-law and friend and they both said they found the same thing in their husband’s phone. So good to hear I’m not alone.

All I know is that Christmas morning I better be “angel-pie-face-lovey-loo-loo” or something along those lines. :)

What are you in your significant other’s phone?

today

Today I get to watch these ladies today along with my little cutie.

Today I got my bun right the first attempt but...

I realized my new hairspray was faulty. You betcha I'm taking it back.

I made a bunch of pumpkin cookies (with cream cheese frosting) the other night while carving our pumpkins but...

I had two with each meal yesterday which now leaves me cookieless and due for the gym.

My two t.v. shows have their finales this week! But...

That means that they are over. Poo. I feel like project runway wasn't long enough this time.

I'm rooting for Anya!

And meet Crazy Bob and little Jack our carved pumpkins!

night owl

It's 11:11pm, make a wish.

I lay here pretending I'm really good at going to bed early but lets face it, I'm not.

A favorite quote of mine:
Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
-Benjamin Franklin

And in discovering the author of the last quote, I found that even Aristotle advised early rising (assuming going to bed early as well) and said, "It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom."

I told my husband I would honestly try to go to bed when he does which is a great idea. Except that I was born a night owl. You see, once ten o'clock rolls around, I get an extra boost of energy that makes me want to clean the house, paint my nails and online shop all at once. Baby is asleep, husband is sleeping too, my time!!

I realize an earlier sleep time will only be beneficial (especially since I have a baby bird that wakes up around 8). I have nothing against it, it's just so different from how I've lived—against the natural and possibly untamed me.

And you see, I am doing my very, very best not to let my mind start thinking of all the projects I have to do tomorrow or allow creative ideas run through my mind. So I lay here reading to tire my eyes. From night owl to early bird, I'm trying. Really, I am...

and we finally made it to...

Oma's pumpkin patch was so much fun! Fiona and baby Lua joined us and the boys enjoyed each other. We played in the petting zoo, went on a hayride, slid down the cotton seed hill in saucers (or tried to at least), climbed haystacks, and picked a few pumpkins to bring home. By the end the boys were a little tired and the mamas were a bit dusty/dirty but we had a great time.

We would have loved to have Cameron come with us but there just wasn't enough time before Halloween. But tonight as a family we're carving our pumpkins and eating the pumpkin seeds!
And maybe some pumpkin cookies?! pumpkin, pumpkin, and more pumpkin.

last night

We took a family outing to do an errand at BestBuy and pretended to shop for unnecessary electronics like a 3D tv. The tv was pretty spectacular.

We made Krew stay up past his bedtime and enjoyed Starbucks together. Cameron had the mint hot chocolate, I had the caramel apple cider (which was even better than I remembered), and Krew had chocolate milk. Cameron took one sip and enthusiastically said, "This feels like Christmas!" Cameron would be listening to Christmas music starting now if I was okay with it. After Thanksgiving = Christmas season.

We finished our holiday drinks in Barnes & Noble where we let our overly tired baby roam in the kiddie literature and Cameron and I discussed life. An important topic :)
Later at home, I made a delicious chicken salad sandwich for Cam's friday lunch and the rest of the night was spent watching Project Runway (Cameron even watched a bit with me) and eating salt&lime popcorn.
Yummy. The entire night was just yummy. I love my little family.

We're off to Arizona to do some last minute wake boarding at the river before the water turns chilly.

p.s. Want a Friday laugh? Watch these cheerleaders. I watched it 5 times as I'm sure you can tell I'm a lifelong fan of funniest home videos.

natural habitat

Whenever Cameron and I would drive up the north shore while living in Hawaii, I often reminded him that this was one of my natural habitats. I loved the feel, the greenery, the waves, the atmosphere — it was close to perfection. I reminded him that San Diego was my other natural habitat (the same animal can be found in two different places).

I think he thought it was a little odd and maybe my phrasing was a bit zoological, but like any other animal, we have our natural habitats where we feel just right.

Where is your natural habitat/s?
(you have the whole world to choose from...)

backyard

There is never a moment where Krew doesn't want to go outside...

When Krew is really tired he gets in his delirious mode and tries dangerous stunts like standing up on a rocking horse and rocking. But don't we all get a little delirious when we're tired?

I'm not sure how he didn't fall but I was impressed.

I used to think it was so weird when people wouldn't dress their kids but now look who's at fault. Krew is commonly found in just a diaper, like here and here. I think I'll blame it on living in Hawaii and having great weather in San Diego. This instagram sums up his reputation amongst our family.

p.s. got this steal of a deal dress for $10 from old navy. Makes it a bit cuter right?

Today, my Wednesday is full of lots of to-do's, how is yours?

dressing this house

an old idea plan dated 1.5 years ago

About a year and a half ago, in the pre-pinterest era, I had a really uneventful job where I would sit at a desk, play on the computer and watch consecutive episodes of Wipeout. In my time of idleness, I made this little decorating idea spread about 2 months before Krew was born of what my house would be decorated as when we moved off the island.

So your burning question is, does it look like this now?

hah. No, hardly.
And to be honest, I don't think I would do this now anyways.

We moved in a few months ago to this house and we just love it here. It took us a while to get things settled in and organized but now it's time to beautify.

The problem is there are so many styles and colors to choose from (especially with the help of pinterest). I mean, I feel like I could change the decor of my house with the mood of each day, couldn't you? Luckily the house has a very distinct character so that narrows it down somewhat. At the same time, we won't live in this house forever so I need to keep long term in mind as well.

Long story short: I'm brainstorming ideas. I've ran a few by Cameron and he says he trusts me (meaning: go ahead and do it but don't empty our savings). I'm really not doing anything drastic. We have our furniture, just colors, textiles and such for the bedrooms and bath. I hope to present the results once I figure out exactly what I want. wish me luck.

baby and me

Cameron took his scouts on a camping trip on Friday night so it was just little Krew and I to do whatever our little hearts desired. We visited grandma's, stayed up late and played, Krew took naps, and I ate ice cream for breakfast and watched some celebrity gossip on Saturday morning.

We had fun but we were awfully glad when Cameron came back. Krew is turning into quite a daddy's boy. If there is a choice between the two of us, it's usually dad. Seeing my two boys together just melts my heart.

weirdy

In high school, my older brother said to me,

"You're weird. Just like mom is."

At the time of teenagdom, I was mortified to be compared anything close to my mom. That comment has obviously stuck with me.
But I accept it, yes, I have a bizarre sense of humor like my mother. And that is why we watched SNL together whenever we could on a Saturday night.

And that is why when my baby is getting his messy 1st birthday cake pictures taken, I do something like this. Bizarre but oh so funny.

Hopefully Krew won't be too embarrassed by me in years to come.

picture by the little's

Are you at all like your mama??

p.s. Speaking of humor, want a Friday laugh? I love this video of a little girl reading a kitten book. I want one of her.

skele-baby!

Don't you love how Krew holds onto the reins when on his dad's shoulders?

We had our first Halloween festivity over the weekend, Spooktacular at Seaworld.

I have been really lagging on this whole Halloween costume thing which is sooo unlike me (except that I failed last year too with mine and Cameron's costumes) so I remembered I bought cute skeleton jammies and made my kid sweat all day in all black outfit.
I can't tell you how many people commented on the little skeleton baby running around. He loved every bit of Spooktacular unaware he was dressed up as anything but just enjoying all the excitement!

And I just bought Halloween dish towels and made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. I'm getting reaaaaaal festive here folks. watch out.

random facts

Today's 3 random facts about me:

1. I use about 4-6 dryer sheets per dryer load. My husband doesn't understand this. I find this extremely necessary so we can smell extra good. Only brand name sheets, no generics.

2. I have eaten a Greek yogurt (Fage [pronounced fah-yeh] is my favorite kind) everyday for the last month. Not on purpose, just because they are so thick and yummy. Krew has joined me many of the times. Has anyone ever tried them frozen? That genius thought came into my mind today while I was divulging in my little cup of goodness. I'll have to try it.

3. Tonight I asked Cameron if I could get my Christmas presents early... as in today or tomorrow. I'd even be willing to negotiate and wait until the weekend. And I'll re-wrap them on Christmas day and act extra surprised [enter fake surprised expression].
His response in the nicest words came down to "no".

Okay, your turn: clue me in on today's random fact about yourself my friend...

an impromptu lunch date

Cameron made a delicious lunch for himself but... he left it at home. A great excuse to find a close park and have a lunch date with his family.
Krew can fit an entire babybel cheese in his mouth at one time (then decided it was too big and spit it out in dad's hand), can climb up the slide all by himself and slide down all by himself.

Gosh my boys are cute.

i don't walk the catwalk...

but when beautiful Fiona asked me to play dress up with her fabulous picks from her shop, why would I not?

I have a thing for clothes that are beautiful but aren't of the ordinary. Fiona is from South Africa and most of her clothes from her shop come from there. They are beautiful and every piece I tried on I wanted to take home with me. They are unique, fashionable and make you feel oh so feminine. And her shop has adorable clothes for the little ones too. All the clothes are not just run-of-the-mill. These pictures are just a few I had her snap with my camera while the others are being edited but click here to see her store.

And after the shoot, we went out to Babycakes for cupcakes because why would we not?? :)

hello clothes, goodbye clothes, stay around clothes

Last night husband and I went on date to eat at Rubios-- the man knows the way to my heart ... mexican food (especially baja fish tacos).

When we came home, I put my clothes away like a good girl but came to find that they are not all fitting. My closet size is average but far from a walk-in. I think I need to say goodbye to a few things.

In going through grandma's clothes, she kept every basic or classic item and it was so neat to see all the older pieces she kept around. My grandmother had always been timeless chic. The problem is it's a lot of stuff to keep!
I have a shirt I kept while I dated Cameron that I can't throw away. It has a story and too much sentimental value to it. Or a classic black dress that will be in style forever that I can't bare to part with.

How do you know what to keep? Do you keep it for memories or for classic style?
How do you know what your kids may love?
Have your family members kept anything around that you absolutely love what you have now??
What would you keep?

don't cry over spilt milk

Many times I find myself in an instance where I'm juggling a few things in my arms and trying to get tasks finished.
Life gets a little chaotic and something goes wrong (notice my picture above)
and I start to find frustration and anger taking over my mood.
Then I hear a little voice behind me say "uh oh" in the sweetest little tone that reminds me to smile and to not be so flustered by the small mishaps that don't go as planned.

I love these little moments.
I may be the parent but I'm certainly not the only one being the example.

shall we talk about the weather?

I would be lying if I said those were fall leaves at my feet. Maybe a few but mostly old trimmings from yard work. Pretending is allowed.

Although we may not have the fall foliage or brisk air of New England, today we had some colder weather in the mid 60's and a little sprinkle of rain. Just enough to make it feel Fall-ish.
There have been many Fall "to-do's" posted around and I've mentally thrown around some of my own.
#1: caramel apple cider from Starbucks. That sounds so yummy right now. And the rest of the list is still pending.
I plan on cooking pumpkiny treats and making my house smell like wonderful goodness but in the meantime I bought a fall scented candle.
ha.
not near as yummy.

What are you doing to bring on autumn?

the daily mommy workout

This was before my husband somehow talked me into doing his P90X plyometrics with him. My legs are jello.

Motherhood sometimes is not a job for the physically weak.

Mom's daily workout:

Possible pre-workout: Carry around 0-25lb.+ weight in front of body for 9 months

Thighs: Drop your keys twice on your way to the car. Squat down and pick them up with added weight(s): baby in arms (20lbs.) + purse + target bags. Say "dang it" while doing so.

Cardio: Run after child while: shopping, church, or in restaurant

Shoulders & Arms: Take infant in the infant car seat in and out of the car and carry around for at least 15 minutes while trying to run errands. Amount of sets is determined by amount of errands.

Core: Sit on your bed and rock/bounce baby at least 20 minutes or until baby is sleeping.

Resistance: No resistance bands needed. Simply change a diaper of a kid who doesn't want their diaper changed.

Abs: Lay down on back and lay baby on shins. Extend shins outward resulting in engaged abs. Now make airplane noises and baby will love you.

Pliés for Buns: Pick up items off the floor while wearing baby Bjorn/carrier without dumping the baby out. This forces you to do pliés.

Arms: Throw baby in air 10 times. Works biceps and triceps (enjoy giggles and funny faces)

Additional Arms: Accidentally forget your stroller and hold baby on one hip for long periods of time. Or while person talks your ear off and won't stop. Be sure to switch or you're going to have one buff right arm.

To increase workout intensity, feed baby lots of food or add one or more children into the mix.

Is this not the truth? Any others that I left out?

girl time

I really lucked out this weekend with spending time with many of my best friends: Ashley, Heather, my mom, and Kristin.

To sum up the adventures of Kristin and Lindsay, here it goes:
shopping and more shopping, errands (aren't I a fun friend?! we made them fun), a mini baby shower for Kristin from the Collins gals, a day downtown, talking about natural birth, eating lots of treats (like gelato at Chocolat), the San Diego Zoo, and ending it with general conference.

We had a great time and I'm glad all my activities and walking didn't put her into labor. I can't wait to meet baby Hayden someday!