Something Less Depressing

Can't keep looking at my last post, so here's something else to stare at:

This face...

and those lashes.

Swine Flu Be Gone!

Is anyone else mildly freaked out about the swine flu? I am. Let's just say after hearing Dr. Oz's advice on The View Monday, I went to the grocery store to stock up my food storage - just in case. And this morning I see cases have doubled since Monday. I don't consider myself someone who overreacts to these sorts of things, but - I am. A little. Freaked. Out.

Last Week

Here's a rundown of what we did with Lauren last week:

Day One: Hollywood. We saw the Walk of Fame and Grauman's Chinese Theatre, stopped to play in the fountains, and then had lunch with Adam on the Suite Life set. Oh, and Lauren got molested by "Jack Sparrow".

Day Two: Laguna Beach. One of my favorite Southern California spots. It was overcast and the beach was practically empty. The kids crawled around, Tyler chased birds. We shopped, stopped in our favorite candy store, and had lunch on the water. It was a perfect day.

This is what I want my kids to remember about growing up in California... playing on the beach all summer long.

Audrey wasn't the least bit timid. I think she would've crawled right into the ocean if we had let her.

Day Three: Studio City. We were pooped from Laguna and the kids had music class, so we hung around town, went out to lunch, took naps and made a nice dinner. That night we went to menchie's for the first time. So yummy! Audrey thought my raspberry was a bit tart, but Tyler was all business.

That night was girls night: Mask, movie, magazines.

Day Four: Santa Monica and more. We shopped the Third Street Promenade and checked out the farmers market. Walked to the waterfront and then headed home. Adam worked a ton while Lauren was here, and was nice enough to play with the kids Saturday night so that Lauren and I could get out of the house sans children.

We met newly engaged Anne at Aroma for dinner, discussing wedding plans and reading lots of bridal magazines. 

We did so much it is impossible to pack it all into one post. And Lauren took almost 200 pictures. It was just so fun to share a week with her... for her to get to know Audrey better (she and Tyler are longtime buds). The only thing that would've made it better was if Stephanie were here, too. Now we're counting the days until my mom's visit next week.

It's Here

My cleanse has arrived. I decided to go with the Isagenix 9-day cleanse. One for me and one for Adam (yes, I'm making him do it, too). For some reason I'm totally pumped for us to do this. I'm probably in denial, but I am looking forward to it. Audrey is almost weaned and I am so ready. Thank you Tawny for helping us out with this. T-minus one month and counting until the cleanse begins!

Saturday Morning in Santa Monica

One day left with Lauren... she's the one behind the camera and responsible for all new blog photos.

So Far, SO FUN!

Happy Earth Day

Earth Day Resolution (there should be more than one, but I'm short on time today): Be better about remembering my reusable grocery bags wherever I go, whether it's Target, Trader Joe's, or shopping at the mall. I just need to leave a few in my car. Oh, and another one - talk to my kids more often about things we can do to take care of Planet Earth. Have a wonderful Earth Day! What have you resolved to do? 

One of those days....

Today was that day where you feel like no matter what you do you will never get it all done. But here I am at the end of it, feeling pretty accomplished. Somehow today I found the energy to roll out of bed for 8am pilates, make two grocery store runs (why can't I get everything I need at Trader Joe's?), deal with Tyler's head cold, feed two kids and put them down for naps, schedule apartment manager stuff, order my favorite eye cream online (thank you free shipping), run on the elliptical in the afternoon, make homemade pesto, drop off dinner to a family with a new baby, bathe Tyler, watch Audrey take her first official step, and clean, clean, clean! Thanks to Adam for scrubbing both bathrooms! We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of this crazy girl tomorrow:

My sister Lauren will be here until Sunday. So happy. Blogging may be light, but I'll come back with some really good pictures since Lauren is our family's resident photographer. On an unrelated note, even when your baby girl is crawling after you crying "Mama, mama" because she can't keep up with how fast you're moving, it is still amazing to hear her call you mama and really mean it, for the first time. Today was busy, but not so busy that I couldn't take a moment to let that soak in. It felt so good. My little girl - I love her. Well, enough blogging - there are still two more things on my "to do" list tonight. I'm off to take a shower and fold laundry, then I will finally settle in to some 24.

First Movie?

Does anyone know if Earth is suitable for a three-year-old? From the few clips I've seen the movie looks beautiful, and like something Tyler would totally enjoy. I love the idea of taking him to his first movie at the El Capitan in Hollywood, but it might be too soon, and parts of the movie could be scary. Maybe Adam and I will take him together, like a "Tyler date night"? And with Earth Day on the horizon it might be a perfect way to celebrate. I'll have to do some research.

Happy 3-0 Stephanie!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful sister Stephanie! Thirty's not so bad. Hope you have a great one and wish we were there to help you celebrate. Maybe some belated celebrating in July? Have a fantastic day doing something nice for yourself. We love you!

Get it Clean

I am horrible at cleaning - well, at least deep cleaning. With visitors on the horizon I've started tackling the apartment. Why haven't I used these three products before? Not new on shelves but new to me, and now staples amongst my cleaning & washing supplies.

Any new products helping you keep your place spotless lately?

Privacy Please!

The other night I walked into the bathroom and found this. A perfect hiding place and apparently Audrey's new favorite troublemaking spot. 

Leftovers

Easter Sunday's grilled tri-tip turned Monday's steak salad. Here's the dressing:

1/3 c. olive oil
3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
3/4 c. crumbled gorgonzola or bleu cheese

In a small bowl wisk together all ingredients except cheese. Mix in the cheese, then cover and place dressing in the fridge while you prepare the salad. 

The salad is a take-off of the steak salad served at Artie's, one of our favorite East Coast restaurants. You can build yours anyway you like, but we start with mixed greens (I like the Herb Spring Mix from Trader Joe's), add grape tomatoes, red onion, corn, chopped dates, and the steak, sliced thin and warmed through. Top off with dressing and if desired, extra cheese. Serve with yummy bread. Delicious and in my opinion, just as good as the original.

200th Post

Last year's Easter Sunday... it's hard to believe Audrey wasn't with us yet. Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

In Search of Dinosaurs

Today we went to the Natural History Museum here in LA. This was our first visit and I was a tiny bit disappointed. We went looking for dinosaurs and they don't have a lot. Maybe I'm just spoiled having grown up near D.C. with the Smithsonian Museums at my fingertips. They did have a very cool Discovery Center where you can touch rocks, see fish tanks and bugs, and dig for fossils. Supposedly there is also a Butterfly Pavilion that is pretty neat, but it wasn't open today. Tyler had a lot of fun examining dinosaur bones and exploring the different halls of the museum. We had a great morning - all of us together enjoying something new.

Tyler giving his best dinosaur roar.

Examining the few dinosaurs we found - T Rex and Triceratops. They were pretty impressive.

Digging for fossils.

And just to prove that Audrey and I were indeed there...

Mom on the Edge?

Is it bad that I totally identify with this piece of advice from a mom on Monday's Oprah about surviving motherhood?

"I think the best way to discipline is for your kid to think that you're just a little bit crazy," she says. "You've got to make them think that this might be the moment that Mom finally loses it."

I can relate... not every day, but definitely somedays. A little crazy and a sense of humor go a long way.

Back to Basics

Remember my adolescent skin problems? Well they're still here so I've decided to go back to a tried and (hopefully) true solution: Clinique 3-Step. And it's bonus time at Macy's, so if you have a favorite Clinique product you've been wanting to pick up, now is the perfect time. I'm still searching for miracle eye and night creams. I'm a little intrigued by Egyptian Magic, recommended by my friend Leona and the makeup artists on Suite Life. My all-time favorite eye cream is this one from Kiehl's, but I'm looking for something a little more budget friendly. Any suggestions?

This Week in Pictures

Here is a bit more of what we did this week:

Tyler and his buddy Leah playing in the Schoenis' new back yard.

Audrey loves to find the dirtiest part of the yard.

Tait girls

Toy of the week! Tyler has been playing with this truck non-stop since he got it. Loading and unloading his cars. Driving them around. Perfect for keeping busy Conference Weekend.

Tait boys

Snacking with one of our favorite little buddies, Jonah.

Saturday morning we went to a birthday barbeque for two of Tyler's friends, Abby and Evan. Here's Audrey enjoying her hot dog bun.

... and destroying the hot dog bun.

Walking home from the birthday party. Tyler took his cupcake to go and whole-heartedly enjoyed it on the stroll.

Audrey with her snack of choice.

Happy Weekend. See you next week!

Abracadabra

Adam and I are going on a date to The Magic Castle tonight. How cool does this place look? Do you think they choose volunteers from the audience because I really want to disappear or get sawed in two. That would be awesome. Hopefully I'll at least pick up a trick or two... we'll see.

Slow Week

Sorry for the blog lull... not much going on lately. It's a slow time for us, which is kind of nice. Adam is on hiatus and we are enjoying him at home, even though his days are still full teaching. Tyler is keeping busy with all things three-year-old boys are into. My days with him are spent answering the following questions: "Mommy are you a boy or a girl? Is Daddy a boy or a girl? I am a boy. Audrey is a girl." It goes on and on. Audrey is nothing but pure joy and a runny nose. Lately that is the best way to describe her. She crawls around the house after me, or torments Tyler by destroying his train tracks and block towers. If you hold her hands and help her walk around the house she will be yours. Here are few things we've done this week so far:

Got our carpets cleaned.
Bought tickets to fly home to Virginia this summer
Visited our wonderful friends, the Schoenis, and their brand new beautiful home.
Finalized plans for my mom to come visit in May. Calendars marked!
Adam and I went on our first of two dates this week. After paying the babysitter we spent almost $90 to see Duplicity and get Cold Stone! What??!!
Shopped at Old Navy, but happily did not overspend.
Spring cleaned.
Budgeted and dealt with changing health plans.
Started on my apartment manager to-do list.
Met a mom who has two sets of twins under age three! I am nowhere as busy (or sleep deprived) as this woman!
Went to the park and chatted with another mom about our love for New York City while pushing our babies on the swings.
Read Curious George books about a million times.
Planned a hike and cardio barre with Anne.
Failed miserably at going to bed early.
Opened all our windows to the 70 degree weather, and enjoyed farmers market flowers on the kitchen table.

I'll post some recent photos this weekend.