now I know my ABCs....

polar bear love.

Kaden is so in love with his Polar Bear Polar Bear, what do you hear book....he recites it by heart on random occasions. I tried so hard to capture it on the camcorder, but my arms are a bit too short and I think he was feeling a little camera shy. This is what I got....

*st paddy's day celebration*

~I wanna hold your haaaaaaand....


~gotcha.

I usually LOVE working my Saturday mornings, I work for a few hours, it goes by super quick, and it takes the place of a full 10 hour day of work (not to mention a day in daycare!). Today the St Paddy's day parade was taking place, and I felt just awful being at work. Thanks to my amazing mother in law, Kaden got to experience his first St Paddy's Day parade with his new favorite friend, Seamus. He absolutely loved it and couldn't stop talking about it all day. The weather was gorgeous and it was such a beautiful day to be outside! Yippee for longer days and more gorgeous sunlight!

I miss writing my little guy his monthly letters! I said that at two I would stop, but I feel like i just might do them sporadically when I feel I need to. I will do a full letter soon, but for now, here are some favorite of yours at *the moment* little man....

*superpower...you definitely scare the beejezuz out of your mama with your *sixth sense*.

*the last thing you said before you closed your eyes tonight...tomorrow, no work.no daycare. no scary guys(?).

*favorite munchies..goldfishies.

*favorite person on the planet...Un.Brah.

*favorite book/chant...polar bear polar bear, what do you hear? (must.get.this.on.video.cutest thing ever.)

*favorite cup...a shot glass. So far I have won the battles with you wanting me to send it to daycare with you, seeing as you don't quite comprehend yet what it means to have social services called on you!


~favorite shot glass.


~chopped my hair off. I seriously did not care what he did to it, I completely left it in his hands...I think I have come a LONG way from the days of curling every little piece of my hair at 4am! And why did I live in LA for ten years and never find someone who knew how to cut my hair?! I am so happy to have found The Parlour, and my hairguy is "Chad", which of course was a good sign! And hello 30 bucks for a cut and a glass of wine!


~chuggin his green milk to get in the spirit for the st paddys day parade.






~critics.

~ridiculous sweetness.


~this insane playground is just around the bend from our new place in back of an elementary school.


~the owwie he got from falling off the front step and face planting into a planter. I will miss out on the mommy of the year award for sure for that one.


~our new favorite reading spot.


~bubbles in the backyard.


~golfishies like to do bubbles too.


~daddy reading his favorite page of Oh the places you will go.

*my new house is scary.

This is what nugget has been repeating since we moved in to our new place. I know that moving (especially moving twice in 8 months!) is a difficult transition for anyone, especially a two year old. I think I was a little too optimistic thinking he would have been ecstatic about the big yard, and twice the amount of space, I wasn't ready for this reaction. And to be honest, it IS a bit scary. I have never lived on the ground floor before, and the fact that this is an older house and the floorboards creak with every move we make does not help one bit. The peace and quiet is a welcome change from our previous place, though it's almost a bit TOO quiet.

And then yesterday, Kaden took my being creeped out to a new level. We were making some killer forts downstairs with the couch cushions, and he looked up suddenly and said to me "Someone Watching". I assured him no one was watching and that he is safe, and tried my best to not talk too much about it with him. He then looked over at the stairs and said "not daddy". Seemed like a perfect time to grab the diaper bag and get out of there and go to the mall. lovely.

On a brighter note...who new that the song Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious would be such a hit during the move?! As you can see, kaden is ridiculously excited to perform his rendition during bathtime in the new house.








~I love when kids close their eyes because their "hiding".




~BFFs.


~I heart nutella.

and what is a weekend without a little linky love!

I need to have a mini vacay here as soon as possible.

This post made me smile and is such an amazing reminder on so many levels.

I think I feel much more comfortable with leeting nugget walk beise me at Target after this article.

hello cute jacket. please get in my closet.

contemplating a move to Australia so that nugget could go to this wonderful preschool.

I am loving the trailer for this flick....and hello, best.title.ever.

I love this interview with the incredible Dr Cohen about the Importance of Roughhousing. His book is an absolute must read!

goodbye cherry street.

~so ready.


It's about time that we say goodbye to this crazy little neighborhood. From the moment I spotted our little place while perusing craigslist, I had a feeling that this place was going to be special. And oh yes it was! It's no secret how much I adore this wonderful city, but we truly landed in the strangest neighborhood I have ever known. After spending ten years floating around Los Angeles, I thought I had my share of strangeness. I was very wrong.

Things I will truly miss...

*easy access to Wash Park. Eh....but now were only a few blocks further, I can deal!

*my "moon shows" through the skylight. I loved lying on the couch and just staring at the gorgeous luna some nights.

*free entertainment. see below.

I am not sure why there has not been a reality show made about this apartment community...standing out on the balcony has been my main source of entertainment for the past eight months.

The characters that I will slightly miss, if only for their entertainment value...

~The woman that would keep her son on a leash and tie him to the fence, I appreciate the fact that she has either seen the error of her ways or that DFS made her stop doing this.

~The woman that lives downstairs that cooks random crock pot meals for the strippers at Shotgun Willies.

~The random gangster looking types that would knock on the door late at night looking for the person that used to live here.

~Young boys beating each other up with bats while lounging by the poolside.

~The woman that is 7 months pregnant and chain smokes heavily each day.

~The creepy old men that appear to be drunk from early morning until they pass out on the lawn.

~The ravers downstairs who very well may burn down the apartment complex, thank you for re-introducing me to techno, such a joy!

~The growers that live next door to us who turn the faucet on and off 712 times a day to keep their "plants" nice and healthy.

I will drive by often, (ok not really THAT often) and I will smile when I think of all the stories that we have made at our first place we called home in this incredible city.


~my boys at my beloved Wash Park


~playing at Wash Park at sunset.

In other news, Kaden LOVED his new daycare. I guess third time IS a charm! I asked him tonite what songs he sang at daycare today, and he busted out into a tune we couldn't quite make out....until we heard "put your right foot out". He was so happy when we figured it out, he did a full choreographed dance to it. Too precious!

hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

fast shoes and melody monday.

Amidst all the chaos that is happening in our world right now, I thought we needed a good carefree day at the zoo. It was a gorgeous day, and we had such a fun time! Afterward, Kaden cracked me up with his commentary on the way home...
"New house, New school, New fast shoes." New fast shoes are some hand me downs from his cousins that we just discovered fit him perfectly, and he believes they make him run super fast.


~running through target in the tp aisle with his "fast shoes" on.






~baby anteater, kaden's new favorite friend at the zoo. he has a thing for anteaters.


~peacock making his way to the potty.


~first experience with chocolate puddin'




~love this action shot of him at the mall...he just likes to go there and do laps.


~totally has daddy's taste in shoes.


~Bri came over for our very last cozy fire on cherry street.



On a side note, I absolutely love so many aspects of my job....working with children and adolescents is quite inspiring, and they teach me so much each and everyday. What I am not a fan of, is the monotonous paperwork, which seems to come hand in hand with any mental health position. At my previous job, I lived for pandora, and listening to music while I attempted to trudge through the endless pile of paperwork. At my present job, I was saddened to find that the agency blocked pandora, along with so many other music sites. I was so happy to stumble upon project playlist just the other day at work. A little music can completely change your frame of mind at work. This is my zen like playlist for when I am having a heavier than normal work week. Hope it adds a little zen to your day!

third time is always a charm.....yes?

~trying to stay positive!

I don't have any fun new pictures of Kaden to add to this post...because we were a little tied up with frantically searching for a new daycare option. Um, what happened to that amazing new daycare that we found you say? The one with the bunnies and the animals and the super loving woman to take care of him? Ah, that one. Things are not always what they seem. She decided that after the 5 days he had with her, that it wasn't going to work out. I received this message in an email, which leads me with a sick feeling in my stomach, but also wondering what could be wrong with my sweet little boy that he is not a "fit" for this seemingly wonderful place. He always has a difficult time saying goodbye to us, but that seems pretty normal, espcially when a little one is just getting comfy at a new place. I could not believe that the little guy that I believe fills my life with such joy is suddenly getting *booted* from his daycare. She had said that she just didn't feel her place was babyproofed enough for him and felt that he was unhappy there. After a lot of processing with Chad, a lot of anger, and scared and helpless feelings, we came to the conclusion that maybe it's for the best, and she is possibly a bit loopy anyway.

We decided to try something a little different this time around, and go with a childcare center. Up until this point, I always felt like the In Home daycares were a bit more personal and loving, but that has not been the case with our last two experiences, so let's switch it up a bit. We discovered a place that looks like it may be a good fit, and I wish I had a camcorder with us for when we visited, and Kaden walked into the two year old room. All of the other kids gathered around him and sized him up. It was really sweet, and Kaden was so completely curious about them! He has never had the experience of being in a place where he was surrounded by other two year olds, and I think he might really like it. I feel horrible that we have to make this decision so fast and there's no time to really transition him there, and then we are moving next week too, so THAT is going to be another difficult transition for a little dude that is not a fan of change.

Could definitely use some positive energy right about now! If you happen to have any extra, send it our way...


and now for some friday linky love and blog crushes...

I made these fun little roasted chickpeas this week. yummy.

incredibly important post about smiling.

I love this DIY jewelry organizer frame. This is on my must do list!

Can you tell I am desperately seeking my crafty alter ego? Look at all these fun DIY projects!

26 quick and easy smoothie recipes. yes please.

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.

I have a crazy crush on Adele (thank you Kristi!). I absolutely cannot get enough of her. This video completely touches that part of your soul that gives you crazy goosebumps. And I love so much that she has a rubberband ball just like my hubby on one of her bookshelves.



happy weekend everyone!
xo