Red Sale Last Day

Last Day to get it.

Plain Zane Red Sale Early Bird

Sale starts tomorrow...

the red sale

I decided to have one big Plain Zane sale instead of multiple shows. In the ad are Fallon and my handsome nephew, Mateo. They had a blast during this shoot. If you can come, I'd love to see you. At least come for the chocolate.

another birthday today

Happy Birthday Jon! I had a brunch at our house this morning for Jon. Yesterday was actually his birthday and today is our 6th anniversary! We pack it in, right? We have had so many cookouts at our house this year, it was a nice change to do a brunch. Tony came over with 2 jugs of Bloody Marys in hand! Yummy. Stephanie made her baked strata and waffles. Ashley made those tasty pumpkin spice muffins :)) We made pulled pork, mango salsa and an egg casserole. It was a perfectly enjoyable morning with good friends.

aspen is ONE!

It is crazy to think that Aspen was born 1 year ago!! No, she is not walking yet, but we definitely don't mind since she is a maniac with crawling. I definitely think she is ready, but she seems a bit nervous about the concrete floors. I would be too! We let her tear into some pancakes at home and she opened a few gifts since the party is next week. We then went out to dinner at Olives Restaurant so the girls could enjoy the fountains at Bellagio. They loved the water and Aspen loved her pizza! Our little baby is one!

fallon's 4th birthday

We had a "Star Wars" themed party at school today. Yes, she LOVES Star Wars. We got her classmates a cookie cake for her school party. Fallon loves books and loves reading the same things over and over. So I decided to try her out for memorizing poems. We started with one of my favorites, Robert Frost's "Nothing Gold Can Stay." After only 7 days of nightly readings, she did it! I told her if she memorizes it and recites it to her class, then she gets a surprise (bribery always does it). The real party is on the 20th, but we gathered a few of her school friends to go to Las Vegas Grand Prix for some games and car races.

fallon & aspen's birthday invitation

I finished the girls' invitation. There were m&ms inside and had to hand them out locally because it was too hot (I had a few casualties!). If you received them in the mail, you got Good & Plenty candy! Because Fallon & Aspen's birthdays are back-to-back (Sept. 8/9), we decided to throw them a joint birthday party at the house. We will have horses outside and Princess Ariel for the indoor entertainment! Wish all our friends from afar could come :(

my birthday

Jon checked me into Wynn hotel yesterday for a spa day and a kid-free evening. Christina was my decoy and was in charge of taking me to Okada - my favorite Japanese restaurant. I was surprised to find our wonderful friends for a lovely evening in view of the waterfall. The sushi was amazing as usual. We later were paid a visit by Elvis who arrived with a guitar and played my favorite Elvis songs. He was a great Elvis (way better than the one at our wedding and Christina was hitting on him!). When he finished, he presented me with the guitar he was playing and said it was my birthday present from Jon! (I need to be careful of my whims because now I 'have' to take guitar lessons). Later, Ash, Jon, Steve and I hung out at Tryst for a bit and called it a Wednesday night!

aspen's personality

It's been a while. This is for now. I'll have to update later. I've been enjoying my new camera. Aspen is almost 11 months and she is full of antics and facial expressions.

outdoor stuff

Waiting for that big sale at DWR. Love this outdoor set. I also love this light pendant, but I have run out of ceilings for fixtures. I love how it arrives flat-packed and received The Green Leaf Award.

sex and the city

I joined Christina and a bunch of friends to catch SATC on opening night. We got our tickets at Fandango to avoid lines. We gathered for martinis at her friend's place and then headed to the theater which was nearly packed. Christina and I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope to catch it again. We teared up a few times - because she has a "Big" in her life and I could relate to all the girls' relationships. I also love seeing shots of the city. Ahhh...NYC! Charlotte ended up being my favorite in the movie - love her! There were only a few cheesy scenes, but overall, I was so entertained with the whole movie!! P.S. Happy Birthday Dad! Can't wait to see you when you get back from the Phil.

elvis costello / the police concert

Stephanie and I needed a night out and hit Brand on opening night and headed to see Elvis Costello/The Police at MGM last night. We had such a nice time at dinner, that we ate through Elvis Costello and made it in time for Sting. I really wanted to see Elvis and The Police ended up being...boring. Sorry, Sting. It was a nice night out anyway, having a bite with Steph and hanging out a little bit. I was a little worried that I left Aspen in cry mode with the sitter. She experienced a little separation anxiety :(

aspen clapping, crawling, feeding

Aspen started clapping today. It's so fun to watch her do it. She gets so excited when you say, "Clap your hands!" She has also begun to crawl. Aspen was determined to get those rubber mat pieces in her mouth asap. She started out going backwards, but finally figured out how to go forward :) What an amazing milestone. Fallon was never interested in crawling much, but Aspen is all about getting places to reach for things that must go into her mouth. She is so strong, too. Did I mention that she pulled a chair out from under me?? And poor dogs, they are getting their hair pulled out everytime they walk by Aspen. She manages to take a healthy clump out each time.

brand steakhouse events

Jonathan had a few promotional events for Brand Steakhouse this month: Epicurean and Bon Apetit. Brand's food was impressive. I thoroughly enjoyed all restaurants at the Bon Apetit event until I had a slight peanut allergic reaction :( It sort of rained on my tasting parade. I wished I had brought Fallon. Our little gourmand would have been in heaven.

what's your vice?

With summer here, many of us love a trip to the ice cream shop for blizzards or iced coffees. I grew up with Baskin Robbins and take Fallon there every once in a while for a scoop. If any of you are fans of the Baskin Robbins shakes or drinks, check out their nutritional content before getting one. Some of the fat grams are off the charts -- 85 grams of fat for 1 drink - yikes! It's tough for me to avoid sugary treats since I am a baker. My favorite treat is a Starbucks iced soy mochas (no whip). It has no saturated fat, but triple the calories than a regular iced coffee! If you love your mochas, cut the 12 grams of fat off and refuse the whip cream :( Also beware of the artificial sweeteners (Equal, Nutrasweet, Splenda) - they are worse than straight sugar! I found this scary list of highly unhealthy drinks in America (Baskin Robbins made the list several times!). Maybe your drink of choice is listed here. Or just check out this great website on Men's Health.

simon lebon made mother's day

We had brunch at The Four Season's with the Manni's for Mother's Day. During half time we took a family photo outside by the pool. On the way out, I thought I saw a familiar face on the lounge chair. A second glance at this person and I said to Stephanie, "I think that's Simon Le Bon." I knew it had to be because Duran Duran played in town last night and he was the only guy at the pool pushing 50 with spikey frosted hair. After our family photo, Fallon and Michaela started dancing for the onlookers - including Mr. Le Bon, who seemed to be enjoying the show. He was waving to the girls and smiling at them. It was refreshing to see that he was not trying to be incognito. We didn't really want to bother him, so we walked back inside to finish round 2 of eating. I was flipping out because I was a die-hard Duran Duran fan! If you only knew what this sighting would have done for me as a teen. I've seen them in concert about 5 times... gee, I'm old! We see famous people a lot in Vegas, but he stands out as most friendly. After finishing our amazing brunch, we went back out to take the Manni family photo and he was still there. The girls had run out to the pool's edge so we had to chase after them and Mr. Le Bon was packing up. He turned around and said, "Hi again." I asked him how his show was. He was extremely nice and started talking about it, but all I could hear was "Wonk, wonk, wonk, wonk, wonk" while I was freaking out inside (would it be inappropriate to throw my bra at him?). He continued to talk about the show, his bandmates and then went up to Jonathan to admire his watch. He was so chatty! Being on tour must get lonely at times and he probably needed some normal interaction. After a few friendly exchanges, we parted. We used the restroom, but when we came out, we saw him picking 2 flowers off the Jasmine vines outside. Then he came inside, looked around and gave the 2 flowers to Fallon and Michaela! Fallon said, "I love Jasmine! It's like the princess!" He told them that Jasmine is his favorite flower (because his gorgeous, supermodel wife's name is Yasmin - of course). The girls thanked him and Steph and I thought, what an awesome Mother's Day! It's so handy having kids.

After brunch, Jason and Brian invited us to join them at the poolside at Wynn Hotel. It seems like Four Seasons and Wynn is a becoming a Mother's Day tradition. Ashley also joined and the girls got to go swimming. It was Aspen's first time in the pool! It was a great day.

organic baby lotion

I am tired of using Weleda's organic baby products. The Calendula scent is too strong for me and I don't know how Aspen can take it. I love this organic lotion by erba. I hope they come out with a sunscreen.

jimmy navarro's 4th birthday

We took Fallon to Jimmy Navarro's 4th birthday party at their Red Rock today. The pool was packed with kids and their floaties - not a single parent went in. Fallon swam for 8 minutes and said, "I'm done." She headed straight for the sandbox and the swings. The kids had a blast and it was nice to get to know the Navarros. Maria is so beautiful and sweet. Jimmy kept coming into the house to play with Aspen on the rubber mats. He was so gentle and it appears that he wants a baby sister...ahem!

aspen: 8 months!!

Aspen is already 8 months! She is so strong and saying, "Dada" now. She just started clapping her hands. She loves sitting up or standing up and hanging on the side of the ottoman or couch. She is beginning to crawl. Fallon is amazing with Aspen and is truly a sweet and understanding big sis. She also started eating cereal and is almost able to put it in her mouth by herself. She has been teething, but no teeth have sprouted yet. This stage is so fun and I can't wait to spend the summer with her!

fallon's mother's day surprise

Fallon's class at Merryhill had been practicing their surprise for Mother's Day for a few weeks. All the moms were invited to have tea and cake with them. Thanks to Mrs. Ghanimian and Mrs. Dacarat for teaching the kids to sing Dean Martin's "That's Amore." It was precious, especially since they had to keep it a secret for a few weeks.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

St. Jude's Trike-A-Thon

Fallon participated in the Trike-A-Thon to raise money for St. Jude. Thanks to everyone who donated and pledged her per lap around the school. She did 3 whole laps and raised over $300 for St. Jude's. Go Fallon go!

cinco de mayo dance at school

Fallon's class celebrated Cinco de Mayo at school with a dance they had been practicing. It was so cute. Fallon and Jordan were partners and loved to do the spins. The kids all did a great job despite the melting day. Special thanks to Mrs. Dacaret for teaching the kids the dance.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

talking to auntie Jenn

I snapped this photo while Fallon (in new bathing suit) was chatting to Auntie Jenn on the phone. I can already see how she will be as a teenager - oh no!

fallon's first dentist appointment

I finally got Fallon to the dentist - who has a very kid-friendly office. I have heard stories of kids being terrified, so I read Dora's, Show Me Your Smile book for a while so she would know what to expect. She was mostly looking forward to the "treats" at the end of the visit. She was very good during the teeth cleaning and the checkup, despite the faint cries of other little patients. I especially liked the TV on the ceiling! Hooray - no cavities!

fun, fast april

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It was a fun-filled month with activities, birthdays and visitors. This year is whizzing by sooo fast! We finally had the Blue Heron photographer come by to take photos of our house. The coffee table book will be out soon! Although the house "looked" clean, we pulled it off! The pool is also coming along, but what a pain it has been! Jonathan has been busy hard at work (along with those fun, 16-hour days) to open the new restaurant BRAND Steakhouse at the Monte Carlo Hotel. My college buddy, Armando, was in town. He and Mark stopped by to hang out and graciously brought over BW-3! The Bedfords had a Spring Party where Fallon and Jordan were able to hang out outside of school. Bonnie Wharton came over with Miss Lola who is now 4 months and the same size as Aspen.

allergy nation

I can't think of 1 person who is not on allergy medication or suffering from allergies in Las Vegas. Sorry to say, but if you aren't, you will be. Something in the air in Las Vegas will ignite it. I have not been on steady allergy pills until this spring. Poor Fallon and Jonathan, they started right before Easter and have been on Claritin. Fallon uses the occasional nebulizer to prevent any wheezing. In Fallon's class alone - most of the kids are on allergy meds. You can also tell that by the end of the week, the teachers are worn out from handling cranky, doped up kids. What is going on with our climate -- global warming? Some things we have been trying to do while these allergies attack our immune systems: Drink lots of water, keep the house dust-free as possible, doors and windows closed, invest in an air cleaner, shower nightly, shake out bedding, vitamin C, eat local honey, and get lots of rest. Kids especially need the extra zzzz's.

need a new camera

Armand was in town from LA and let me shoot some pics with his new camera. I miss the days of using my manual Nikon F1 and developing actual film the old-fashioned way. I was spoiled by the point-and-shoot digital cameras, but now I am itching to get back into real photography. I have been checking out (ahem...Mother's Day) the Canon SLR line. So much for the portability! I have not taken the girls to a real photographer (other than in-store studios). I feel guilty that my formal training in photography has gone to waste. Check out these pics we took on his mac gallery. Also check out his flickr page.

michaela is 4!

We celebrated Michaela's 4th birthday at Rainforest Cafe at MGM today. We had never been there before. Michaela got to invite her best buds from school. The girls had a blast - the face painter/balloon artist made the party. Thank you to the Manni family for inviting us all to lunch!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

aspen's tutu

The Easter Bunny got matching tutus for Fallon and Aspen. We needed a new solo of Aspen for the photo wall. She was a great sport considering she was so sleepy.

happy earth day - "planting the seeds"

Since the beginning of April, I've been teaching Fallon more about recycling , waste, saving energy/water, eating healthy, etc. I volunteered with the school's week of activities of planting, recycling and teaching why it's important to protect the environment. The moms came together to dig holes, plant bushes and flowers outside the school, while the kids got down and dirty, touched worms, dirt and experienced gardening. It was fun to watch them and I know they loved it too! I had also asked Whole Foods to participate by way of their very generous donation to the Merryhill kids (reusable bags, treats, coloring books, stickers and gift baskets of cleaning products and body products).

Even though we practice it at home on a daily basis, I underestimated the ability of a 3 year-old to grasp the idea of being green. Everyone has different values and impress them upon their children. My parents raised us Catholic and to be thoughtful, caring citizens. I appreciated these values growing up and get it more now as a parent. And now, as a parent, we try to teach our kids the same values along with green living. It's never too early to teach or to learn. Plant those seeds! I am very proud to witness the fruits of our labor especially when Fallon expresses her care for people and things - including the environment.

upcycling with capri sun

As part of Earth Day awareness, I collected over 300 of the non-recyclable silver drink pouches from the school this month and made some fun stuff. Fallon wanted to wear her pink Capri Sun belt. She was really proud to be wearing it because she drank all those pouches. I displayed the finished products at Fallon's school to "plant the seeds." The goal was to put out a visual message that might actually make some people think. It turned out people were very interested in making them at home, especially the belt and the zipper case!

recycle your old cell phone

Cell phones are recyclable! Many of the parts end up in pens, computer parts, etc. Turn your old cell phone or PDA into a free TerraPass. Through a partnership with RIPMobile, you can now turn old cell phones that have been littering your drawers into gift certificates redeemable for any TerraPass product. You can also send them in the envelopes you receive when you order from Amazon.

bye bye plastic bags

Whole Foods did away with their plastic bags today forever! It was a move to eliminate over 150 million bags Whole Foods distributes a year. As an Earth Day promo, I got a free canvas bag for being one of the first 100 customers to shop there. I hope this elimination from the store helps train shoppers to bring their own bags. Read more in this article.

girls just wanna have fun

Fallon has been living in her tutus the past few months. I must admit, I was never really into girly things until Fallon came along. She is my girly girl - all about skirts, tutus, frilly things and dresses. I just let her be herself so we went out today in her tutu, leggings and high tops - looking like a punk rock princess. She definitely turned some heads - especially with many little girls.

happy birthday ashley!

We joined Ashley at her birthday dinner at Roy's. We have not been there in so long and forgot how tasty it was. We got to catch up with Brian and Jason, whom I have not seen in 4 years! It was great to reconnect with old friends and wish my dear friend a wonderful birthday:)

fallon and michaela

Fallon's school friend, Michaela, came over while her parents are moving into a new house. These two had the best time with all kinds of activities. Mostly, they enjoyed art and imaginary play. They set up a Target store in the master bedroom where in aisle 17, you could buy a real baby Jesus in the Christmas section. Aspen was their willing and able prop for this. She seemed to not have minded. I had fun watching these 3-year-olds play!

my parents are still in the philippines

I've gotten some emails regarding the status of my parents. Yes, they are still in the Philippines. They are supposed to come back in June, but my mom is ready to come back. She has missed spring gardening and tomato planting the past few years (I miss it too!). Most of you know that my parents hibernate in the Philippines from January- June. Dad gets his fill of surgeries through various medical missions since he has been retired. He has been feeling great - not taking medication for his allergies or heart. Mom is enjoying having a maid and getting regular massages and mani/pedis. They are doing light traveling and lots of socializing. And of course, they are eating like champs. I'd say in a nutshell, they are enjoying their lives. Despite their good reports, I still worry about them and I miss them a lot. I look forward to their arrival back in the States. Fallon misses having Lola (Grandma) down the hall and we miss Papa's treats to the buffets. I especially miss their cooking! I am sure they are also missing Fallon and dying to see how big Aspen is! Hurry back! We love you!

springs preserve

Ashley and the girls met us at the Springs Preserve today. It was a beautiful day to go! It was very educational for us - so much about water conservation, desert landscapes and efficient living. The kids loved the playgrounds, sandboxes and open spaces. We got a family pass since it is a great resource for when we begin landscaping and researching solar panels.