six in a sexy suit

mia sporting my favorite hat & sunglasses

yesterday we went swimsuit shopping for the oldest bug. we picked out five different suits to try on. one of mia's picks was a ruffly yellow polka dot bikini. when she took it off the rack i thought it was lacking in the coverage department, but the cute print sent it to the fitting room with us anyhow. she tried it on first. i was horrified. a tiny little triangle top and bottoms that fell two inches below her belly button.

me: take it off sweety. we're not getting that one.
her: why mom, i look hot!? (as she posed for the mirror)

after getting over my shock, i tried unsuccessfully to explain the importance of modesty to my kindergartner. we didn't leave with a suit yesterday- i'm now on the look out for a child size full length wetsuit.

little miss and the #6

a post-digital collage of the beautiful birthday bug

mia will be spending today turning six. six- that is so much older than five, puts her months away from the first grade, and totally freaks me out. it was just over six years ago that the ultrasound tech squished my massive belly and announced that the bouncing baby was indeed a girl. we were ecstatic. unfortunately, we only agreed on a boy name (levi). i wanted a little 'lyla', but brian wasn't having any of that. he liked 'mia'.

some things about his pick really appealed to me- it ended in an 'a', it was short, it didn't rhyme with any swear words, and all three of the letters could be found in my name. because before she came into this world i knew that she would always be a part of me, & i of her.

a very happy birthday to miss mia, who is more like her mom than anyone could have ever imagined.

revealing q & a

i've received some questions regarding a certain family toy, and i thought the answers would be worth posting here...

what is it?

it is a junior sand dragster- a race car run by an 8 horsepower lawnmower engine. it's designed for children ages 3 and up to race in the sand. and yes, that is my sixty-something year old mother taking it for a joyride.

how did you get it?

this is my favorite part. jim (the love of brian's life) purchased the car for his grandson bradley. jim races a much bigger/faster/louder top alcohol sand dragster and he likes for his hobby to be a family affair. after purchasing the car for bradley, he decides he wants a different one, buys it, and puts this one up for sale.

a few months later brian and jim were at a race when another driver expressed interest in buying the car. pointing to brian, jim replied "sorry man, i already gave it to him." i'm still shocked that brian didn't wet his pants on the spot. it was so jim- to give such a huge gift, all of a sudden, and then carry on like nothing had happened. brian's not the only one that loves him.

who enjoys it the most?

brian, but i havn't heard anyone else complaining.

who will drive it?

brian and i have asked one another the same question. this type of racing takes concentration, determination, and a bit of competitive spirit. our oldest bug is more of a moseyer. mia strolls through life swinging an umbrella, singing a tune, and smelling the flowers. miley on the other hand seems to be perfect for the role of race car driver and she'd look adorable in a pink fire suit. and whenever levi goes missing, the seat of the dragster is the first place i check.

(these answers are exposing the whitetrash. it's true- i have a dragster, know too much about cars, and love lynyrd skynyrd. so.)

the happiest valentine

my favorite v-day gift ever 2/14/2004

the happiest valentine i've ever received was handed to me by a toddling little mia a week before her first birthday, and it has graced the walls of our home ever since.

after four long days of viral induced misery, i am out of my sick bed and ready to enjoy valentines. the monkeys and i will be celebrating the holiday by cozying up to this soft pretzel recipe, some b-day party crafts, and 1 cent pay-per-view movies. brian is appropriately spending the most romantic day of the year in arizona doing his favorite thing with his favorite person (see #5).

however you're spending it, know that someone in southern california loves you!

sick & ugly sleep

i taught mia to use my dslr last week. it made me smile to wake up from my unintended sick nap to her laughing face balancing the ginormous camera in front of her. she had the strap around her neck, one eye squeezed dramatically shut, trying with all her might to center her beautious subjects in the viewfinder. as you can tell, i'm not the easiest person to wake.

these are very attractive sleepytime pictures of me- brian could produce much worse. i am an unattractive sleeper by birthright. my mom laughs until she cries whenever she talks about the time she woke herself up snoring. i sleep mouth open, sawing logs like a drunken sailor. tiff and mia were the only ones lucky enough to escape the curse- looking all angelic in dreamland.

i am sick. nasty-viral-nothing-you-can-do-about-it sick. get lots of sleep the doctor told me- to which i laughed.

celebrating the terrible twos

the boy baby had a birthday dinner. not a party, a dinner. there wasn't a handmade decoration in sight (which kind of kills me). there were however 4 costco pizzas, 2 bbq chicken pizzas, 1 tray of rigatoni, 2 candles, and 1 cake....

with red icing.

our guests were told upon invitation that the boy baby didn't need anything, but they rang our doorbell laden with festive packages anyway. luckily, levi had plenty of help opening them. he received unique toys, cute summer styles, and big boy chonies (which i vow to put to good use very soon).

despite the absence of over-the-top party cuteness, we all had a wonderful time.

i have the busy to blame

my mom called yesterday during my short break from class. she said- i know things have been busy, you havn't updated your blog. it's lame to be so predictable.

there have been sick family members, spring classes, and a lack of creativity cramping my blogging flow. we're all getting use to the new schedule, so hopefully i won't be neglecting my beloved blogger any longer.

(the picture is only funny if you know my dirty little secret)