chillin with my baby

Aspen loves being propped up between the pillows on the sofa. This is when we can talk, sing songs and catch up on our Einstein reruns.

will ferrell: fun thing to do with your daughter

If you haven't seen this yet, watch it. It's f-ing hilarious. I would so do this with Aspen. If you want to see more, check out his website.

anthropologie

This is one of my favorite stores. Whenever I have to find a unique gift for a birthday or host, this is the place. I always find something for me, too. They also have the best displays. Jonathan and I admired this light fixture so Jonathan plopped down on the sofa to feed the baby while trying to figure out how to make it!

aspen and auntie gay

We stopped at Bellagio to see Gay and Lessing Stern. They were in town for the weekend and wanted to see Aspen and Fallon. It's hard to believe, the last time we saw each other was when I was almost ready to deliver in August! We have been trying to get out to Park City, Utah to take Fallon skiing at their resort, Deer Valley, but the home projects persist! :( It's always great to see them - even for a quick hello!

happy birthday toni ann!

Fallon's classmate at school had her 5th birthday party at oogles and googles. The girls got to dress up in their princess gowns and go to a princess ball. They had a great time.

the strauss boys

Carisa (Velarde) Strauss was in town from New Jersey this week visiting her parents who live here. I haven't seen her since Melissa's wedding - when Caden was a newborn! That was 5 and 1/2 years ago and 2 more boys later. Carisa and David now have 3 boys: Caden is 6, Dylan is 4 and Grayson is 2.5. They are a handsome, lively bunch. It was interesting to see what boys do. Fallon had fun with them as they joined her in the inaugural crack at the new chalkboard wall with their names ;) Then she proceeded to boss them around in her playhouse. It was so great to see them all and to catch up with Carisa - who still looks great after 3 boys!

not so happy easter :(

Fallon was so run down from yesterday that her allergies turned into a cold and made her feel so bad today. We tried to make it out the door with my old blue Easter dress on (when I was 3). We drove down the street and she said, "I want to vomit." Before I could say let's stop the car, she went all over her dress and in her car seat! So, we went back home and she insisted to put on another dress to go back out and she threw up all over that one also! We were both sick and decided that we would just look at what the Easter Bunny brought her and then take a long nap. Needless to say, we didn't make it out to church or brunch.

cool vases

I am an etsy junkie. I have been a member for a few years and have since bought several one-of-a-kind things. I am a great supporter of handmade and I even took the handmade pledge. I recently came across these vases by paige russell, but are currently sold out :( I want to put them in playroom.

anya hindmarch

It is challenging to find pretty eco-friendly bags, but at least Anya Hindmarch attempted to put out a green message with her controversial canvas bag. I've always wanted a Chloe bag, but never got one. Luckily, I got over it. However, here is my new desire in the high-end bag dept: the Cooper bag by Anya Hindmarch. I love the gray (caramel is cute too). I checked it out at Scoop NYC in the Forum Shops. Yes, I think I really need this bag.

easter egg hunt at our house

We had a small Easter gathering at our neighborhood park for the girls. Despite Fallon's bad allergies and puffy eyes, the show must go on! Fallon was so busy preparing for the visitors - baking, decorating, etc! She's quite the homemaker/entertainer. The girls arrived and they were nonstop playing for hours, except Miss Kylee had to take it easy because she had just gotten her tonsils out. It was a beautiful afternoon and fun for all. Aspen didn't get to do an egg hunt since she was snoozing away. Fallon was so exhausted from all the action, after Michaela left, Fallon marched right up the stairs and said, "I'm so tired" and put herself to bed. Thanks Lissa Bedford for the great photos! We finally met Oliver and Bonnie's baby, Lola Wharton, who is now 3 months and the same exact size as Aspen!

what i'm reading: skinny bitch

Hey bitches...I've heard so much about this book and have been urged by several people to read it. I don't have any plans to go vegan/macrobitotic, but I have always wanted to understand it better. I just love food so much! We do eat very healthy and try to only buy organic, especially the meats and poultry. I think I avoided it because I know what they'd say about sugar and coffee - my 2 vices. Aunt Debi Gregson was the last person to recommend the book, so I finally jumped on the bandwagon (albeit a little late) and popped it in my shopping cart at amazon. I have to admit, they had me at 'Hello.' I put it on the coffee table and guests could not put it down. Jonathan transferred it to the bathroom and stays longer in the bathroom to finish chapters, so it's not just for girls! Not only is it funny and full of the f-word, but it's full of important facts about the FDA and what chemicals they allow us to eat! The most important thing I gained from the book is to be very leery of everything you consume. I will blog more about my lessons from this book.

house painting done!

The house is finally painted! We ended up doing a warm gray all over the house (except for Fallon and Aspen's rooms which were done last summer). The guys were so fast! I am very happy with the color. We used low voc paints since it reduces the toxins in the house. You can hardly notice the smell - except for the chalkboard paint walls. The painters did a great job - fast and neat. You buy the paint and they bring the supplies. Need a painter in Las Vegas? Call Alejandro Saldana at 355-0733. Tell them I recommended you!

manny pacquiao vs. juan manuel marquez

Jonathan scored us some tickets for the Pacquiao fight at Mandalay Bay last night. It was our first fight to see so we were excited. Everyone was drunk and yelling. The fight was pretty even, but I guess I had the excitement of "Rocky" blood and gore in my head. There was some blood, but Manny Pacquiao ended up winning! It was fun to be there and to see so many Filipinos in one place!

fallon and michaela at the park

After school, Stephanie and I took Fallon, Aspen and Michaela to the park. The girls had a great time on the slides, swings, see saws and rocks - where they pretended to be Ariel. They are so cute. They were both getting down and dirty in the rocks.

last day before spring break

The kids at Merryhill had had free dress and Easter party at school before their spring break. They also had a lot of sugar and had to wear off their highs. I got to sneak in a little early and watch them play "monster" outside. Clayton was the class monster that scared the kids to run from house to house. Look at Fallon go!

flower headbands

Spring crafting is in full swing. I have been itching to do craft projects with Fallon and make some of the stuff that I've made through the years of all the showers, parties and weddings I've done. Fallon wanted to make these flower headbands for all the girls at school. It was a very easy and fun project even though we started together, but lost steam by the 8th one we made. However, she was very much a part of which color headband went to which girl! It's great for Aspen since everyone thinks she's a boy!

aspen is 6 months!

Our little girl is getting so big (to us). She is avidly eating her peas and carrots that we easily make at home. She drinks her milk so fast compared to Fallon. Btw, I have ended my breastfeeding career forever! It was sad, but it's best for Aspen's growth. My milk was never enough for the girls :( She is still on the small side: 13 lbs. 12 oz. and 25 inches.

She is so happy and becoming more independent. She is starting to look more like Fallon and has similar traits, but she might be a tomboy because she is wild and thrashes like crazy in her ExerSaucer. She loves the dogs and Fallon. Fallon is great at making Aspen laugh when Aspen is on the verge of meltdown. She is definitely a thumbsucker and uses it when she is not getting food fast enough and when she needs to fall asleep. Overall, she has been sweet and we enjoy her as much as we did Fallon. We are trying to savor every moment that we have with her. What can I say? We love our girls tremendously.

fallon is 3 and 1/2

Fallon continues to make us laugh and entertain us everyday. She is currently into Fancy Nancy (thank god - less Disney princess!) and fairies. She dresses up in a dress or tutu and wings every chance she gets. I don't mind even if we have to go out in public in her full garb. She is deep in her imaginary play - which is so entertaining.

She's also been an excellent big sister to Aspen. Even when Fallon is sick, she still gives Aspen a hug or says she doesn't want to get too close so Aspen won't get sick. She is so loving that sometimes, out of nowhere, she will stop what she is doing and run over to us, give a leg hug and say, "I just love you so much - I want to eat you up!" She can also crack us up and say things like, "Mom, I told you not to make it too loud - I might get a headache." Her ability to be a drama queen is also very much a part of her antics.

Her vocabulary is unstoppable. I learned early on that I don't have to baby talk to her. When we were at Trader Joe's the other day, she grabbed a bag of raisins and said, "Mom, I need raisins because they have antioxidants." I asked her, "what are antioxidants?" She replied, "so I won't get cancer."

She also has been doing very well at Merryhill School. We are amazed at her development, especially with her socialization and motor skills. She has blossomed into a social butterfly and loves nothing more than to get up and go to school to see her friends and her wonderful teachers, Mrs. Ghanimian and Mrs. Dacarat. They have truly helped to bring out her personality and encouraged her to be herself. She has learned so much academically as well - animals, cultures, Spanish, months, holidays, manners and more! It has been worth every penny and we are excited for her to go back next year.

jaden's 4th birthday

Nika and Phil Shalala's daughter, Jaden, turned 4 today. It was a pirate theme with a real live Jack Sparrow (who was a very good impersonator)! Fallon ended up really liking Jack Sparrow and decided that pirates are nice and walk funny. The kids had a blast and Fallon especially enjoyed Jaden's bedroom with all the toys and pink things! Click collage to see larger.

pool project underway

Today is the big day where they begin digging for our pool!! Yipee - how exciting! I can't believe that we'll be splashing in a pool in 10 weeks...just in time for summer.

canvas project

We wanted to personalize the house by putting our own art on the walls. Fallon and I both did some canvases. It was fun to see Fallon creating her masterpieces. She is so into painting, drawing and writing her name - even when she's sick! Her painting below is called "Circus."

FLOR tiles

We cannot put a nice, shag rug in the great room since the dogs would think it's a really big, expensive pee pad. So we decided to use the FLOR modular carpet tiles. All FLOR products recycle like a champ and all have the lowest VOC (new carpet smell) in the industry. Love that! They have really fun colors and you can mix and match and make your own designs. Jonathan and I chose this Modern Mix. The best part is that if there is an accident (from the dogs or kids juice, etc), you can pick up the tile, rinse it off and put it back!!!

get my easter craft on

I have never been into Easter "decorating," but rather the chocolate bunny eating. We will probably make a big deal out of it since this will be the first year Fallon will enjoy egg decorating. We want to do a small easter egg hunt at our neighborhood park. I need to reach my inner Martha and decorate eggs for Easter. I love the egg tree and the bling eggs.