6 Weeks

I've been thinking for the last week, "If I were still working, this would be my last week home with my babies!"  Time has flown by.

But thankfully, I don't have to go back to work this week.

While I only worked part-time after I had The Lime, I still hated not being with him.  Especially when milestones happened and I wasn't there.  Like when he rolled over for the first time.  Saying goodbye never got easier and I would cry every once in a while after I dropped him off.

It was also a challenge to get up extra early to get us both ready, or to pump in the middle of the night (and then twice at work) to ensure he had enough milk, or to drive an extra two hours a day in traffic to my sister's (she baby-sat The Lime).  Lots of sacrifices were made during those three years.

And lots of sacrifices are still being made to ensure that I can be home with our boys.  But it's worth it.  Money can't buy the time I get to spend with these cuties nor can it buy the memories we're making.

Those things are priceless.

Pie!

Ever since the A's started throwing pies when they get a walk-off home run, The Lime has wanted to throw pie in someone's face.

I needed some whipping cream for a recipe and decided the half gallon at Costco was a better deal than the pint at the grocery store.  The expiration date was approaching for the cream and I still had a bunch left but I didn't want it to go to waste.

Last Saturday, Coco Crisp hit a walk-off RBI single resulting in a win over the Red Sox.  I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my extra cream after that.

We ate dinner and I told The Lime we had a surprise for him in the backyard when we were done.  He guessed it after I told him we needed to put clothes on that we didn't mind getting dirty.

I whipped up a huge batch of cream and divided it up onto three plates.  LaVor threw a plate into The Lime's face and smeared what he could over his head.  The Lime loved it even though the texture was making him gag.  He kept asking for more.

I was next and a little nervous.  I hate having anything touch my face but I didn't want to be a party pooper.  The Lime gladly volunteered to be the pie thrower and it really wasn't that bad.  Getting sprayed with the cold water was way worse.

LaVor was last and again, The Lime was more than willing to be on the giving end.

I can see why it's become a baseball tradition; it really was a lot of fun!  And we just about died of laughter and are anxious to do it again.

I just need to add sugar to the cream next time.  

Tahoe Wedding

We spent last Saturday in Lake Tahoe celebrating LaVor's cousin's wedding. Unfortunately, our car started overheating on the way there and we missed the ceremony. We got there just in time for family pictures.

They had the ceremony on the beach; the same beach, I believe, that my family went to in 1993. My dad took me out on a jet ski and we flipped over. Due to the weight difference between me and him, it took us quite a while to get back on.

As we were leaving, a firetruck and ambulance arrived on scene and The Lime had to talk to them. I need to start a collection of pictures that he takes with firemen. They are always so stinkin' sweet to him and it warms my heart. I know they're having an impact on his dream of becoming a fireman.

We had several hours between the ceremony and reception so we grabbed some lunch and then saw How to Train Your Dragon 2. We all agreed it was better than the first, and this one even tugged on the heartstrings. LaVor asked The Lime if he was crying and The Lime said, "Nope, just got something in my eye."

The home, if you could call it that, where they had the reception was AMAZING! Had I not been nursing almost the whole time, I would have captured my own photos. Especially with the darling decor and amazing details. But the house...check it out here.

Everything about the reception was enjoyable and we loved being able to see family that we don't see as often anymore.

Thankfully on the way home, our car performed as it should and, despite a bad dream and impromptu nursing stop, we arrived home safely. (There's no doubt in my mind that the hundreds of prayers I offered regarding our car were answered.)

NASCAR State Capitol

My dad invited The Lime, Doodlebug, and I to see a few race cars on Thursday, prior to the NASCAR race this weekend.  It started at 12 and went until 2, or so I thought.  At about 12:05, my dad called me to see where we were but due to some uncontrollable delays, we were running behind schedule.  It took us about 10 minutes to get to where we needed to be, after the call, and everything was over.  I felt so bad for The Lime especially since he was rarin' to go with his earmuffs.

Since we traveled a little ways, we didn't want our trip to be a complete waste so we took advantage of the Capitol's AC and did a little browsing.  Like most things in California, I've lived here my whole life and have never been inside the Capitol.  There are people EVERYWHERE!  Either taking a break and going on a walk or briskly walking through the halls with a stack of papers in their arms or on their way to a meeting in the Governor's office, which has a bear from Arnold Schwarzenegger parked outside of it (they call it Bacteria Bear because so many people touch it).

We walked along the hallways that had displays from all the counties in the state.  Neither of the counties that we have lived in had exceptional displays so I didn't take any pictures.

Each hallway lead you to the exquisite rotunda.  Had it not been for the statue in the center of the room, I would have gotten a better photo.

There was a tour passing through around the same time we were in the lobby, and we considered jumping on board with them. We ended up just doing a little peeking around by ourselves.

The first hallway offered the Treasurer's Office from 1906 as well as 1933. Why I didn't take photos of either room, I don't know. The office from 1906 looked like an old bank, with a huge vault. The office from 1933 looked more like an interrogation room.

Further down the hall was the library, where there was an extensive display of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. The exposition was supposedly a celebration of the completion of the Panama Canal. Others deemed it a reason for the city to show its return after the 1906 earthquake.

Where the exposition once stood is now the Marina District. The Palace of Fine Arts is the only building still standing, although it has been reconstructed since 1915. The picture below shows what the area looked like almost 100 years ago. Hard to believe!

The Lime and I admired the huge doors, the staircases, and the elevators that made a pleasant "ding" when arriving at each level.

We quickly zoomed down another hallway where we caught a glimpse of the Secretary of State room from 1902 and the Governor's Main Office from 1906.

By this time, both boys had had enough and one was on the verge of hysterics so we needed to take a meal break. Before finding some shade, we attempted a family photo. It only took three tries.

While we were hanging out, a fire truck pulled up to tend to a woman who sprained her ankle. My dad took The Lime to see the action and The Lime ended up sitting in the truck and made friends with one of the firefighters, Mike.

We decided to call it a day and head back home but not without driving over the yellow bridge first. You could see the bridge from the Captiol and that's all The Lime wanted to do; drive over the bridge.

Now we can mark the Captiol off of our California bucket list.

Doodlebug - Tally Mark 1

-Snorts like a little piggy.
-Has a red complexion.
-Rolled off the couch after I took these pictures.
-Sleeps 4-5 hours at night.
-Prefers to be held when he's awake.
-Only smiles for Daddy, unless he's asleep and nursing.
-Is dealing with a rash and a goopy eye...poor thing.  His doctor doesn't seem concerned.
-Is still doing his "latch on, get off, scream, burp, repeat" but not as often.  Again, doctor isn't concerned since he's gaining weight.
-Makes lots of funny faces.
-Enjoys being outside.
-Goes from 0-10 in 1 second.
-Had super boney knees when he was born but now they're nice and squishy.
-Has tried holding his head up since we brought him home.  He thinks he's stronger than he really is.

Taylors

As we were leaving the Farmers' Market yesterday, LaVor asked if we were hungry for lunch.  While I don't feel like I'm eating as much as I did while pregnant, I do feel like I'm beyond hungry and more "starving" come meal time, due to nursing.  So when LaVor said he had a new place he wanted to take us, that had a zillion milkshake flavors, I couldn't wait.

We got off the freeway and ended up in the cute downtown area of Loomis.  Right before our eyes was a small restaurant named Taylors.  The second we walked in, we were greeted by the never ending list of milkshake flavors.  There were way too many choices!

From Yelp - the list starts at the ceiling and goes to the floor

It was a toss up between salted caramel pretzel and banana cream pie. Banana cream pie was the winner and for one major reason - I've wanted pie in my milkshake for a long time. And all because of a blog post C. Jane wrote several years ago.

I've been wanting a shake with pie in it ever since but couldn't find anything around these parts that came close. Sonic has a coconut cream pie shake but it doesn't have chunks of pie in it, and that's what I wanted...chunks!

When our shake was ready yesterday, and I tried sucking it up through the straw but had trouble, because of the chunks, I knew I found my "place". It was delicious! Sweet banana chunks, buttery pieces of crust, even a hint of cinnamon, all incorporated with delicate vanilla ice cream and milk.

Sharing it among three people, it didn't last very long. And I ended up craving another one for the rest of the day. It's a gosh darn shame they have so many other flavors that I want to try, and that I'm trying to rid myself of the extra fat around my midsection, because I can see myself visiting Taylors often.

My Three Boys

What's a Sunday afternoon without a nap?  All of my boys are sleeping and taking advantage of this day of rest.  (Spoke too soon...The Lime just woke up.)

Speaking of The Lime, we were watching the A's game on Thursday night (naturally) but had to send The Lime to bed before it was over.  Then Josh Donaldson hit a walk off home run so LaVor decided to get The Lime out of bed, since he gets a kick out of the pie.  After all of the excitement was over, he went back to bed but before he got to his room, he said to LaVor, "Thanks for getting me up to show that to me, Dad!"  It was just about the cutest thing I've heard come out of his mouth (especially lately).

Speaking of LaVor, while we were outside selling lemonade yesterday, LaVor held Doodlebug the entire time.  There's something heart warming about a big tough guy holding a tiny baby.

And speaking of Doodlebug, this little guy has gained a pound and a half and grown an inch in the two weeks he's been here.  Slow down!  This is the part of parenthood that I dislike...time zips by.

So for that reason, I need to go love on my three boys while I still can.