Movie Monday

We are back to Monday again and to make this particular Monday a little better I have a couple “movies” for you. The first is Ana pretending to talk to her Aunt Jeni on the cell phone. Simeon was driving so I was actually able to video what happens every single time we are in the car. Who she talks to on the phone varies from family to friends to her toys. But the conversations are generally the same.

The second video is Ana having a little pretend tea party. She had a friend over for a playdate and they kept themselves quite entertained. It was very sweet. Not wanting to post video of other people’s children on the Internet, I uploaded a segment of the playdate where Ana was playing alone. But you get the idea of how the rest of the playdate went in this clip.


Enjoy!

Wagon Lust

If you follow me on Twitter or Flickr then you have probably noticed Sim’s recent obsession with station wagons. He was constantly looking up stats and photos online then obnoxiously pointing them out anytime we were driving around. It was getting quite annoying. So in an effort to quench his “wagon lust” we stopped in and looked at a few Subaru Outbacks. They were pretty cool, and incredibly affordable (i.e. cheap) but we are nothing if not well-researched shoppers, so we couldn’t make any decisions without checking out the competition. For Sim, Volvo was really the only other competition that he was considering. So Saturday morning after an early breakfast we headed over to the Volvo dealership hoping to look around before they actually opened and check out this one car Sim had his eye on. Our plan was foiled when an employee poked his head out of the dark building and offered to help us. His “help” found us loading Ana’s car seat into the back of a smokin’ hot Volvo XC70 and tearing off the lot for a test drive. I think Sim was sold the instant his body touched the smooth leather seats, but it easily could have also been once he discovered the iPod Music Interface and Bluetooth hands free system.

A Volvo XC70 was always my dream car, so I didn’t need any convincing. We drove the car, tinkered with the extra features (of which there were TONS) and got a feel for how easily this car would integrate into our lifestyle. The particular car we were looking at was a 2007, but wasn’t a “used” car because it was never actually sold, but rather used as the demo car. They tricked it out, complete with leather seats, extra wood paneling, Bluetooth, iPod integration, steel cargo (dog) barrier, child booster seats, moon roof, roof rails, heated seats, Park assist (reverse sensors), heated windshield washer nozzles…well you get the picture. The list goes on and on. They also had it regularly serviced by a diesel mechanic sunshine coast to keep it in good condition. If you encounter any issues with the purchase or if you suspect you’ve been misled, seeking advice from a personal injury lawyer can help protect your rights and ensure you’re not taken advantage of. Legal professionals like Columbia, SC personal injury lawyers specialize in providing legal representation and guidance to clients seeking compensation for injuries caused by accidents or negligence.

Ana’s nap time approached so we told the salesman we would have to leave, but we’d be back later. Wanting to hold us to that, he offered to let us take the Volvo home for a few hours. We quickly signed a waiver and headed off the lot. Once Ana was well-rested, we didn’t exactly head straight back to the dealership, but rather took the scenic route around town so that I could actually drive it (Sim drove on the test-drive with the salesman while I entertained Ana in the backseat). It was everything I always imagined it would be. We swung by the house on our way back to the Volvo dealership so Simeon could drive the truck over so we could evaluate it for the trade in. We printed off some research to help us haggle and went back to talk numbers.

As you can see, the numbers turned out in our favor. We are officially the proud owners of a 2007 Volvo XC70. And that is a beautiful, beautiful thing.




I Heart Vampires

“Vampires have never been so hot” was the way my friend Megan described the book, Twilight. She asked me if I had read it (read it? I hadn’t even HEARD of it. I am so out of the loop.) But she highly recommended it, so I logged on to the library’s website and added my name to the queue of 80 or so other patrons waiting for the audio book. Audio books have been my thing lately because I can listen to the books while cooking, cleaning, driving in the car, or whatever else I am suppose to be doing around here. So I figured if I was ever going to “read” (can I really call if that if someone reads it to me?) it, that would be the way. But then Megan gave me the book for my birthday. Since we were leaving to go camping later that week, I figured it couldn’t hurt to have a book to read while Ana napped and I might get around to reading some of it.

Oh how wrong I was.

Once I started the book, I simply could not put it down. I was instantly addicted. Obsessed even. I craved the book. Every chance I could get, I had my nose in the book. When Ana napped in the tent, I curled up in my bed near her, thoroughly engrossed in the story. But eventually (two days later to be precise) I finished the book. And I wanted more. When we took a trip into town I insisted Sim take me to the nearest store so I could pick up New Moon, the next in the saga. I practically skipped down the aisles of Target, giddy with my luck at getting the last copy on the shelf.

Then our camping vacation took a turn and after a horrible storm of thunder, lightning, rain and even hail the size of gum balls knocked over our tent, soaking every single item inside, we packed up and headed for a hotel. Never has electricity been so welcome. I could read….at night! Not being able to put the book down, I read into the wee hours of the morning until I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. As the weather forecast predicted more of the same thing for the next couple days, we headed back to camp, packed up our soaking gear and decided to head to Bend for a few days and stay in a hotel.

Never have I stayed in a hotel room and not even thought about turning on the TV. Neither did Simeon, as he wanted to know what the fuss was about with the book and started reading it himself. He was a book behind me and reading it with the same excitement and fervor that I did. And it was fabulous. Before I knew it, I finished New Moon and instantly picked up my iPhone to find the nearest bookstore. We drove over and bought the final two books in the series: Eclipse and Breaking Dawn.

I finally finished the last book two days ago, a mere ten days after I started reading the series. I read FOUR books in TEN days. I honestly don’t think I have ever done that before. At least not since high school. The books were that intense. Part of me is sad that I am finished reading them, but the other part of me is relieved that I can get back to my normal life! But now I remember how much I LOVE books and am having a hard time doing much else. Plus I have other book-lover friends who are only fueling the fire (I am looking at you, Ciara!).

So if anyone is looking for a great read, I highly recommend the Twilight Saga. Just be warned, you won’t be able to do much else once you start, so clear your schedule. What are you waiting for? Go. NOW.

Typical Morning

Ana is sitting in her highchair enjoying some Trader Joe’s veggie chips while I busily prepare her breakfast. She has managed to eat all the larger chips, but her highchair is still covered with a smattering of tiny or partially broken pieces. She looks up at me with her pleading doe eyes and says ever so politely, “More chips please.”

I look at her tray, then back up at her and say, “Thank you for asking correctly, but you still have chips. Can you eat the ones you have first?”

She pauses. Maintains eye contact and repeats, “More. Chips. Please.” This time breaking it down for me, just in case I didn’t understand what it was she wanted.

I breathe slowly. “Sorry, but your tray has to be empty before you get any more.” And with that I turn my back to finish preparing breakfast. Indicating that this conversation is clearly not to be debated.

As I finish cooking I walk over to Ana, this time her tray is amazingly clean…and the dogs are frantically scrambling to pick up the pieces of chips she swept to the floor. She practically bats her eyelashes at me and sings, “More chips please.”

Little Shoe Dance

Ana and I have a little morning routine in which she selects the shoes she wants to wear for the day and I attempt to select an appropriate outfit to match. This morning Ana adamantly requested her “apple shoes” (very aptly named, I think) which we recently purchased at Gymboree. Once she put them on and walked around the house she realized they make a very satisfying little “tap” as she danced and pranced around the room. Behold, the Little Shoe Dance:

Trying to Keep Cool

The last few days have been very, VERY hot. I have had to get resourceful to keep my tiny toddler happy when the weather is so miserable. We have been slathering on the sunscreen when we get dressed first thing in the morning, continually sipping on beverages, and when we dare to step outside of the air-conditioning, finding water to splash around in. Thankfully children are easily distracted and don’t seem to notice that they are sticking with sweat when they are happily playing with their friends, so we have been trying to keep busy. Everything from playdates to birthday parties, kiddie pools to slip-n-slides, water bottles to sippy cups. Here is some of the evidence of our trying to keep cool in this crazy heat:


I’ve put the pictures from the last few days in Ana’s eighteen month gallery here and you can always check my Flickr for the latest pictures. Enjoy!

Obstacle? What Obstacle?

I would say Ana has pretty much conquered climbing. Watch this:


The kid can climb like nobody’s business. And she definitely did not get my fear of heights! Ana and I were outside playing with the dogs, I turned around for a minute to throw the ball for the pups and when I looked back Ana was halfway up the ladder. I watched her precisely place her little feet on each step and pull herself up another rung. Then once she reached the top she started her slow but deliberate ascent back down. Like she had done it a million times before. She amazes me. Every. Single. Day.

Next step: mountain climbing.

Father’s Day Adventure

For Father’s Day (and coincidentally my father-in-law’s birthday) we went to the coast and spent the day geocaching as a family. We found caches hidden in Cannon Beach, Seaside, and Gearhart, stopping every now and then for snacks or to enjoy the breath-taking scenery. We even had a few surprises, such as wild bunny rabbits and perfect weather!


You can see all the pictures from our adventure here. Enjoy!

Like Father, Like Daughter

Simeon stayed home with Ana the other night so I could go see the new Sex and the City movie with some friends. Mid-way through the previews he emailed me this picture, titled “Future Programmer?”


As you can see, Ana is madly “typing” away on the keyboard while wearing iPod earbuds. I wonder if she has seen someone doing this a time or two before…