The Perfect Summer Day

Weekend Update

Lauren is still here. We are having a blast. We've done lots of baby gear shopping, a couple of trips to the park, the beach, and she went with me and the kids to check out the new outdoor shopping mall, Americana at Brand, in Glendale. Today I'm looking forward to a day of shopping and lunching on Robertson sans kids (thanks Adam!). Just a little girl time before li'l sis has to go home on Tuesday... so sad.

Latest Stats

Friday Audrey had her two month doctor's appointment. At 10 weeks old she is 8lbs 8oz, and 22 inches long. She is itty bitty but she is a spitfire. Her personality is popping, and she is really good at letting you know exactly what she wants. She has the whole smiling thing down now and is great at carrying on a conversation full of coos and other sweet sounds. Audrey is very close to laughing out loud. And she has an awesome mohawk. We are getting along a lot better these days. She even slept through the night the past two nights in a row which is a miracle! I think she might have us all wrapped around her tiny little finger.

Auntie Lauren is Coming to Town

I am picking my sister up from the airport tonight. She's coming to stay for a week and finally meet Audrey. Doesn't Tyler look exactly like her in these pictures? Lauren is the youngest in my family and is also known as the resident baby expert. She has worked in day care, as a nanny, and as a manager at The Right Start and Babystyle. She is always hooking me up with her awesome employee discounts. This week we might be searching for a new stroller (any suggestions mommies of two who read my blog?). We'll also be doing a bunch of fun LA things - like going to the beach, doing some shopping, and maybe even stopping for lunch at The Ivy. Posts may be slow to none, but I'll make up for it after she leaves with plenty pictures from our week.

Clean Green

Admittedly I am not the most environmentally conscious person, but when it comes to cleaning my house I have totally caught the "green" bug. Maybe it's because I have kids and think a lot about their health and what they are breathing in. I think about it for myself and Adam, too, especially when I was pregnant. In theory I'd love everything that affects and goes into our bodies to be as natural as possible (but that sort of kills my diet coke obsession so I won't go that far). Here are some of my favorite "clean green" products as of lately, all of which are fairly inexpensive:

Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap in Peppermint - Words cannot express how much I love this stuff. I found the link on a recent DesignMom post and because I'm a sucker for all things peppermint I decided to try it. It is amazing. You can use it for literally everything. It smells delicious and in turn, so does my apartment. What is best is that it cleans my house better than any other product I've bought lately, and you only use a tiny bit in a huge bucket of hot water, so it will last forever.

Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds - This is their all-purpose cleaner. Ditto to everything I said above. Worked wonders on my toilets and bathtubs.

Trader Joe's Super Amazing Kitchen Cloths - Yes, that is really their name and now I know why. I bought a couple packs of these to use with the above cleaners. They are extremely durable although I have not yet tossed them in the laundry.

All things Method - I love the variety of scents (can you tell I'm all about the smell?), and that you can pick these up at Target. They actually make cleaning my house kind of fun (did I really just say that?).

Clorox Green Works - I'm including these because I used them recently. I didn't know what to expect and they aren't half bad. The glass cleaner actually works really well.

I've always been interested in the DIY products, like cleaning your entire apartment with vinegar and lemon juice or something like that. But let's face it, am I really going to have time to do the research, the shopping, and the preparing ahead of time? Probably not. Seems like you would need to be very organized even though in theory it sounds really simple.

For someone who strongly dislikes cleaning, these products have almost made it something to look forward to (I did say almost). And it really makes me feel good to create a cleaner, healthier living environment for my family. Enjoy these tips and please pass along any of your favorite "clean green" products or ideas.

New Bag

I just ordered this tote from Etsy.com.. It's perfect for groceries and all the junk I lug to church. Just a little reminder of New York in LA.

Down and Out

In case you're wondering, no matter how hard you scrub your apartment, how many loads of laundry you do, how hard you try not to cross contaminate, and how much airborne you force down your throat, if your toddler has the stomach flu you will inevitably get it. It is also unfortunate when you and your husband get it on the same day, because who will take care of you? And who will take care of the kids? How will you get the sleep you so desperately need? And who's gonna go out and buy the Ginger Ale?

Hopefully by the weekend this sickness will leave our family. In the meantime say a prayer that Audrey doesn't catch this bug. I'm sure her little body is trying to fight it off in this petrie dish of an apartment we are living in.

I'm trying to look on the bright side.... this has to at least have shed two or three pounds of baby weight, right?

Set Your TiVo

The end of lame summer television has finally arrived!  If you haven't watched Project Runway now is a perfect time to start. It rocks!  Tonight 9/8c on Bravo.  

Play Ball!

We spent the morning at our nephew Trevor's baseball tournament and I tried my best to get some good pictures to make up for my lack of photos over the weekend.

Trevor at bat.  He hit a good one.

Devin the ball boy.

Adam's sister Kim, her daughter Whitney, and Grandma Tait holding Audrey.  Kim and her family are here from Utah all week. I wish we lived closer to both of Adam's sisters because they are just so great. I think Audrey might end up looking a lot like Kim.

And here is what Tyler looked like the entire morning... a major grump.  Poor thing is trying to recover from his bug and I keep running him all over town.  I think we'll lay low the next couple of days.

Audrey's Blessing

Well we made it to Audrey's blessing!  I am almost embarrassed to post the (very few) pictures we have from the day.  Most of them are of Audrey in her dress.  I have so many wonderful pictures of Tyler and our family on his blessing day.  I guess it's true what they say about second children.  The morning was just crazy - so that is my excuse. Adam gave Audrey a wonderful blessing.  She screamed her head off throughout the entire thing.  I thought she might do that.... it is just like her feisty personality.  Adam did not stress.  What a pro!

I really love her dress.  And she's wearing a little bling from Manhattan Baby Bracelets.  

Tyler was such a trooper.  We brought him to church despite still not feeling well.  As you can tell in this picture he had a huge meltdown right afterward, so this is our only church picture!  It makes me so sad, but in the moment Tyler needed to get home.  These are our great friends, Anne (on the far left), and Megan.  Adam's mom is holding Audrey.  Adam's brothers Ryan and Troy were there, as well as his sister Kim and her family, and his dad of course.  Unfortunately no pictures of them.  Did I mention I am sad about that?!

After the blessing we went to Adam's parents' house for a barbeque.  It was also his dad's birthday.  Here is cousin Lexi with Audrey.  Lexi is the best!

Uncle Troy wanted a picture of his and Audrey's matching hairstyles.  So funny and so true!

Overall it was a great day, but exhausting.  Kim and her family are still here for a baseball tournament that her son, Trevor, is playing in. Hopefully we'll get some good family shots at the game.  Tyler is feeling better today, but still not 100%.  I have spent the entire morning cleaning the house, doing laundry, and downing airborne.  Luckily no one else is sick yet!

Sick and Tired

Here are the current goings on in our home:
Tyler woke up from a nap, walked into the living room, and proceeded to throw up all over the rug, couch, and himself. I thought he was done so we headed to the bathroom for clean up but no, he was not done. More throw up on carpet, bathroom floor, and mom. Poor little guy watched movies on the couch all evening (followed by more throwing up) and is now asleep. He hasn't gotten sick for about an hour.... fingers crossed it is all over. Even more fingers crossed, we don't get it too. Amongst this craziness we have poor brother-in-law Ryan staying with us (whose bed - the couch - stinks of sickness), Audrey's blessing tomorrow, food to prepare for post-blessing lunch, a baby to bathe, upholstery to clean, and laundry that still needs to make it into the dryer. Oh yeah, and my apartment reeks. And it's 10pm. And I just now realize I have baby spit-up in my hair and down my back. Awesome. We are exhausted and still have a long night ahead. Please let my next post be nothing but good news of recovery followed by some adorable baby blessing pictures. Here's to hoping.

Makeshift Backyard

This is how a little boy spends his afternoon when he has a balcony instead of a huge ol' backyard to play in. It's the city version of digging in dirt. Gotta bring the outside in I guess. He was entertained for hours.

Summer Soup

Okay, I swear I don't steal all of my recipes from Carrie, but I had all of this leftover zucchini from Trader Joe's and remembered that she had this soup recipe on her blog. Oh my gosh, it is delicious! It has become our summer staple. I've made it twice already. It was perfect to serve my family last week while they were in town. There are very few ingredients and it is painless in its preparation, which I appreciate. I also love that it seems pretty healthy for the most part, and I used low fat sour cream so that helps. I served it with a baguette and my whole family loved it. The perfect summer soup! Yum.

Audrey Lately

Audrey is finally emerging from newborn land. She is sleeping better at night, and beginning to smile. She loves her bouncy seat, but isn't a huge fan of the swing. She is mesmerized when you sing to her. She loves for you to stand up and hold her. And don't even think about taking a seat for a bit, she'll call you out on it. My sister called her a "diva", and I think that might be the best word to describe her right now. She is either happy or sad... there is no in between. She likes what she likes, and she lets you know it. She is a challenge at times, but those smiles are the pay off. Thank you Audrey, for finally coming out of your shell. It's making all of those sleepless nights worth it.

Crazy Fun Family

Last week was crazy fun with family. My sister Stephanie and her cutie-pie daughter, Clara, stayed with us. My dad and his wife, Liz, stayed at the nearby Holiday Inn. We swam in the hotel pool, did Universal City Walk and The Grove, rode the carousel at the Santa Monica Pier, went to the park, watched some fireworks, and enjoyed great food and company. Clara is the sweetest, happiest little girl. She did a great job with the time change from Virginia. She and Tyler got along so well, it made me happy to have given him a little sister to run around with once Audrey grows up a bit. And of course they all got spoiled by their grandpa. The week was packed, but overall it was a great time. It was especially nice to spend so much time with my sister and her little girl. Watching our kids play and laugh and really enjoy each other was the best. I'm so grateful to them for flying out despite how hard it can be to travel with a toddler. Needless to say we are exhausted and a bit sad that family doesn't live closer.

These are a few of my favorite things

One of the best things about having a baby is that family and friends come to visit. Today my sister Stephanie and her daughter, Clara, are coming to stay with us. My Dad and his new wife, Liz, are also coming but staying at a hotel nearby. So posts are going to be few and far between this week. I'm sure I'll return with some great pictures of how we spent our week. In the meantime I will leave you with a few of my summer favorites.

My Sigg - I have somehow managed to convince myself that owning this water bottle will make me drink more water. We'll see about that. I do love it, and what better way to kick off my return to exercise after taking the last six weeks off.

Kiehl's Tinted Lip Balm - I am a huge fan of tinted lip balms. It's the perfect mommy make-up. This one is the best I've found because it really feels like it's moisturizing your lips. I use Hue 58B. And while you're shopping at Kiehl's, try the Leave-in Hair Conditioner. I love it for the summer. It has a UV filter so I just shampoo, apply the conditioner, and let my hair air-dry. Perfect since I now have zero time to fix my hair most mornings.

The Soup - Are you bored of lame summer television? If so, you need to watch this show. We TiVo it every week and it seriously makes my Friday night. Joel McHale is so funny, and what's even better... he plays with his kids at the park near my house. I always love a celebrity who seems to be all about family.

And lastly, two summer make-up splurges. I never thought I would love a department store mascara enough for it to be worth the price, but I am obsessed with Fresh Supernova. It is awesome and doesn't clump or do any of those annoying things that mascaras always seem to do. And every summer I look forward to wearing my Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick Compact. It's a little pricey, but mine is going on its third summer. Well worth it.

Enjoy these tips for what they're worth! And please pass along any of your own summer favorites.