Eight Years Ago, January

January 2002 I met Adam in Dayton, Ohio on the Ragtime tour, to be exact. I've been thinking about us a lot this month. January is also our anniversary. Isn't it crazy that you can know someone for such a short amount of time and already have an intense history with them - surviving tour, auditioning, NYC living, job changes, traveling, going back to school, joining the church, engaged, married, moving cross country, more job changes, two kids? It's exhausting and invigorating all at the same time. Here are some old photos of us I dug up while walking down memory lane. I regret that Adam and I only became photographers after our kids were born. All those years living in New York and we barely have a couple dozen photos.

2002 - In between shows in Some City, USA. Obviously I still have on my show makeup. We look young.

Evelyn Nesbit and Harry Houdini.

Living in Astoria - Adam looks like a Queens "Guido" and I'm so crazy blonde.

At Six Flags New Jersey. The pants??? I don't think I wore those more than once.

Engaged - visiting the DC Temple

Newlyweds 2004 - The one time Adam actually got me to go camping. (PS - All these blonde pictures are really making me want to go back).

California living - Encino - 6 months pregnant with Tyler.

NYC 2009 (on vacation this time). Adam has a lot more gray and I think we are looking a little tired. Good, but tired (I blame our kids).

Happy eight years together.

Thursday's Trick

Thursday mornings are full of me and Audrey while Tyler's at preschool. Today I hear, "Mommy look. Mommy look.". I turn and find Audrey's after snack trick. She was so proud.

Love.

Adam got me the perfume for our anniversary. I. Am. in Love. It will probably be gone in a week. Sorry if you think I over-smell. It just makes me happy right now. Warm, romantic, citrus-y spring goodness in a bottle. I must smell it's yumminess at all times. (And totally affordable if you buy the rollerball here.)

Six Years

I remember when I was engaged hearing a good friend say to another friend (both married), "Every anniversary is a milestone. And a miracle. At the time it sounded a bit daunting, but now I appreciate that. Not that I don't love hearing stories of 'happy ever after' and marrying your Prince Charming. Yes, I married my best friend, too, but there are times when marriage has kicked my butt. Six years. We are here. We are together. We are working harder than we did at day one, hoping for day one million and one. Celebrating the milestone, and appreciating our miracle.

The Latest, or Naughty Part 2

Did you know it is extremely difficult to get Desitin off of anything, except a baby's bum? Audrey grabbed a tube and squirted some in her hair and on my bedspread. We had to google how to get it out. (Yes, it's that difficult).

Did you know that blackberries can stain your scalp? Just ask a certain 20 month old who rubbed them on her head and hair yesterday during lunch. (Not that she seemed to care one bit).

Did you know that it's possible to hold the trash can lid up with your head while rummaging through garbage, eating the remains of dinner? Yep. It is.

Did you know that it's actually funny to hit and scratch every single kid at a play date? There were seven of them there. Eight if you include Tyler. None of whom want to come play at my house any time soon.

And did you know that once a toddler knows how to climb up on the kitchen table, she will do it over and over and over and over again? She can make it to the top in less than five seconds. Yes, I timed her - mostly to prove that she doesn't get up there due to my neglectful parenting. She's just that fast. And I have witnesses to prove it.

The worst part of this (adorable) mess is she laughs, yes LAUGHS, when I try to scold her. Like it's all a big game, and here I am falling for it. Again. Another point for Audrey. That's fine little lady. You win. So, can we please stop playing this game? I am soooooo done. On the flip side I'm pretty sure I burn extra calories being her mom. Always looking for the positive.

No Phone Zone

I don't usually do things like this, but I signed Oprah's No Phone Zone Pledge. You can sign it, too. Do it today. Print it out and put it in your car as a reminder. I have never been a chronic car texter, but I do use my phone - even sometimes without an earpiece. And Adam has the ticket to prove he occasionally talks on his cell without his earpiece. I haven't been able to stop thinking about the families who shared their stories. Children, fathers, mothers, friends - lost because of this. 100% preventable. My car is now a No Phone Zone. If you need to use your phone, invest in an earpiece and put it in before you hit the road, or pull over. No phone call or text message will ever be worth a life lost this way. Alright. My two cents. Watch the full episode here. Even just the first ten minutes.

Congratulations!

My sister Lauren and her boyfriend fiance Tim are engaged! Don't you just love good news? I sure do. And love to spread it no less.

Some Stuff

I really want this perfume right now.

It's light and a little sweet. Makes me think of warm spring days. Don't you want a warm spring day right about now?

Does anyone really love their pillow? I have been on a search for the perfect pillow for years. I've bought cheapo ones from Target, expensive ones from department stores. All have failed me. I'm tempted to get a Temper-Pedic, but not sure about that investment yet. Suggestions please?

And my friend Hillary told me that Restaurant Week is coming up in LA. We love to eat out (well, Adam and I do... without kids). There are a few restaurants on this list that I've been wanting to try. Like Craft. I told Adam he better get us in there next week. Moonshadows in Malibu would be nice. I've never been to Mr. Chow either. Make a reservation and enjoy!

Naughty

Have you met my little girl?

She is naughty. (In the best possible way of course). Here's a list some of the things she has done in the past 24 hours:

- Washed Tyler's cars in the toilet.
- Taken a bite out of every single granola bar I have, while still in the wrapper.
- Emptied out my drawers.
- Emptied out her drawers.
- Almost fallen in Tyler's bath head first.
- Eaten about half of a ChapStick.
- Scratched a baby in the face (and the baby's mommy).
- Spit out her milk. A new favorite thing to do.
- Screamed at the grocery store. Another new favorite thing to do - over and over and over, then she laughs in my face when I try to discipline.
- Dumped a bag of pretzels on the kitchen floor.
- Ripped pages out of a new magazine I bought today.
- Eaten a handful of sand.
- Woken me up at 5:30am singing "Happy Birthday to you..."
- Poured out my full water bottle on my bed.
- Wriggled her way out of the stroller shoulder straps and tried to escape, head first, during a mall outing.
- Ate another kid's snack at the park.
- Climbed up and stood on top of the kitchen table, all for a sip of my Diet Coke.
- Knocked down train tracks and block towers that Tyler spent a long time building.
- Flailed about kicking and screaming when I wouldn't let her watch any more Elmo.

Seriously? She is intense. And anyone who knows my kids knows that Tyler did not prepare me for this. Luckily it is accompanied by the best smile you've ever seen. The tiniest voice saying, "Sorry Mommy". This week she's even been saying "I want Mommy", which she never says (she's a huge daddy's girl). My heart melts a little when she says it. And if you need a hug, kiss or cuddle, she's your girl. And her giggle? Stop. I mean, check her out. This is how she hung around the house yesterday:

Why? Who knows. The whole "your own drummer" thing... that's Audrey. And really, who needs pants when you have legs like that. In my wildest dreams I never imagined a little girl like her being mine. Wouldn't trade her for the world.

Finding the Temple

I've had the urge this new year to find a really great shot of the temple for our home. I've been searching on line and remembered this site my friend Carrie told me about a few years back. I love the Manhattan Temple. I haven't visited one like it. The craziness of the city outside. Quiet within. We lived there when it was being built, and opened. If you haven't seen it before, here it is:
I would love to be able to afford the shot by Kah Leong Poon, but probably not right now. I also found this photographer's website, and she sells affordable photos of the Manhattan and Washington DC temples (as well as others, but those two are pretty special to me). I think I might grab a couple of hers. Some of the DC ones are especially fantastic. I really like this one. Shopping around on Etsy I found this to frame in the kids' room. In a pale green. It makes me happy. In the midst of crazy life pulling you in every direction, you gotta have those visual reminders of how to keep centered, with your feet on the ground. These photos helps me with that. What reminds you? And please pass along any recommendations while I continue my temple search.

Oh, January

You start off so promising and easily plummet into Blah Land. The hands down best thing about January in LA? 75 degree temps. All that Vitamin D easily lifts my spirits. I will say January on the East Coast can be quite dreary in comparison. We are like most these days, settling back into routine. I enjoy that, even though there is a tiny part of me that fights it. Exercise routine. Good eating routine. Back to preschool routine. Running errands routine. Playtime routine. Well that doesn't sound half bad. Reconnecting to our little life here. Here's some of the stuff going on:

Good Stuff
- TV shows are back - American Idol, Project Runway, Lost (finally the last season), 24, and The Bachelor...can Monday nights get any better?
- I'm successfully meal planning this month. Hurrah! And feeling really creative with my cooking. I'm sure most of what I've made would still be a failure in Chef Tom Colicchio's eyes, but it's fun to try new things, or use ingredients I've been afraid of in the past. This week I'm making black bean and chorizo soup, lemon ginger salmon, and veggie loaded peanut butter noodles.
- The gorgeous weather deserves a second shout-out.
- It's our anniversary on the 24th. Six years.
- This month I always enjoy planning Tyler's February birthday party.
- I'm cleaning people! Not just keeping a clean house, actually dusting and mopping. Even a little scrubbing.
- Spending easy mornings at the park with friends.
- Planning outings with my kids. Like visiting Babycakes in LA, doing the Skirball again, Huntington Library, hiking Fryman Canyon, or packing a picnic and heading to the beach even on a cool day. I kind of want to be a free spirit with them, and am especially feeling how soon Tyler will be off to Kindergarten (probably because of the 4th birthday planning).
- Updating photos around the house. Trying to find some cool ones of the temples we've visited, too.
- I've been reading some poetry I got for Christmas. This one, too. It feels good.
- Oh, and budgeting makes me feel good. Must remember that.

Not-As-Good Stuff
- Sugar is addictive folks. Getting back on the "good eating wagon" is no fun. My taste buds are fighting. But my body will hopefully win.
- I've had to fight extra hard for motivation lately. Motivation to get up in the morning. To eat right. To read more. To get on the floor and play with my kids. To exercise. Some days feel like trudging through mud. But the good news is I'm doing it. The trudging at least.
- Sick kids slow things down. They're better now, but stomach flu is the worst.
- Figuring out school and soccer or karate for Tyler, music class for Audrey. Especially school. Why can't school decisions be easier? I need one big website that has all the information I will ever need about every single school my kids can possibly go to, how to apply, if we can visit, etc.. It's just mountains of information. Again, the trudging.
- There is some private crapola going on in my life that is going to take a loooong time to work through, but that mostly inspires me to breathe and keep life simple.

Simple January days sound good. And look, the good stuff definitely outweighs the not-as-good. So I'll take it, and trudge along. How's your January coming?

Snow - LA Style

The best gift for West Coast kids? Take-home snow from Aunt Lauren. They've been busy digging in it all week.

Final East Coast Outing

Last stop in Virginia was the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum. Such a cool place. Planes, helicopters, a space shuttle and satellites everywhere. I love that when we go back East there is so much to explore. Last year dinosaurs, this year airplanes.

Adam and Tyler in front of a super fast plane nicknamed The Blackbird.

Kids taking a juice break under a plane.

One of the coolest things to see, the Space Shuttle Enterprise.

Three little buddies.

Christmas Wrap-Up

Christmas has come and gone. We had a wonderful time in Virginia. Here's our photo spread of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Family, fun, good food, presents, quality time spent relaxing and watching movies. The recipe for a perfect holiday.

Family playing games and playdoh at G-Mom's

Audrey loving Vernon's food - as we all do.

My sister brought these play moustaches. They were a big hit.

Our daredevil. We think Audrey's going to grow up to love roller coasters and scary movies. She has no fear.

Lauren & Clara

The present opening begins.

Opening even more presents with my dad.

Christmas cupcakes are very serious stuff.

Building a gingerbread train with Stephanie.
Lazy on the couch... what every holiday should be.

2010

I just read over last year's resolutions. I didn't do half bad actually. Here are some for 2010:

Continue my exercise and clean eating routine - I've been feeling really good lately. I also found this clean-eating plan if you're trying to do so in 2010.
(Still) Drink more water.
(Still) Read more scriptures.
Go to the temple once a month.
Be tuned in to when creative opportunities present themselves - through music, writing, drama, cooking, with my children... anything.
Do a monthly budget with Adam every month.
Save. Save. Save.
Plan summer trip to Cape Cod.
Work on blog-to-book. (Is Blurb the best?)
Get family photos taken.
Teach Tyler to read.
Help Tyler to stop sucking his thumb, and get him potty trained overnight.
Audrey and Tyler sharing a room.
Work at making my relationship with Adam what I most want it to be.
Be happy where I am. As a mother, wife, friend. As me. Get to know who I am today. Be present in my life right here. Now.

Happy 2010.