xoxo, Erin
Addison
06.11.09
Summer Snacks
Entertainment
06.10.09
Tune in!
It’s time for SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE! (said with a wicked British accent)
Hope everyone is tuning in tonight. Finally down to the top twenty…let the party begin! I’m so excited I had to re-post this pic of me and my BFF Mary Murphy, taken last year when SYTYCD came to San Diego. (she’s not nearly as annoying in person as she is on the show)
I’m so excited to see the dancers and choreography this year. So NOT excited to listen to Kenny’s theory that comes up every year about how “dancing for your life” should include machine guns and trap doors.
If you haven’t started watching yet, tune in tonight!
xoxo, Erin
Addison
06.07.09
Cancun part 2
{Addison’s Birthday}
My little ‘curly topped firecracker’ turned three in Cancun. We threw together quite the party for her. In our villa. With a Starbucks lemon cake covered in vanilla icing and sprinkles. :)
Thanks to my cute fam who came equipped from the states with presents, princess decor, balloons, and birthday crowns. She loved every minute of it.
I can’t believe she’s three. (sniffle sniffle sigh sigh)
Bring on the party guests!
I couldn’t get Addison so many gifts without having one little surprise tucked away for Ellie. She was thrilled to say the least.
Addison’s favorite gift: pink flowered shoes from mommy. We saw them shopping together at Nordstroms a few weeks ago and it was love at first sight. She had quite the little fit when we left the store without them. I had to go back and get them for her birthday. She’s my shoe girl. She loved them so much she wouldn’t take them off for her nap!
One worn out party girl!
{THE BEACH}
These pictures were taken right before we hopped on a boat to go parasailing. Parasailing was awesome. Aside from the fact that we almost died because of the wild jet ski ride out to the boat. And aside from the fact that all three of us girls felt nauseous on the boat because of the wild waves. And aside from the fact that Dayna had to be brought in early and rushed to the shore because she looked white as a ghost. And aside from the fact that I threw up while parasailing – hundreds of feet in the air. Aside from all of that – parasailing was awesome. (I really did love it!)
The beach was great – such soft sand and warm, beautiful water. This castle was there one afternoon waiting for us when we arrived although we don’t know how it got there. We were the only ones on the beach every time we went. 
Some nice attempts to smile for the camera when the waves had another idea.
It was a perfect vacation. Good-bye Cancun! We’ll be back. As soon as there’s another outbreak. ;)xoxo, Erin
Family
06.04.09
Cancun
Here’s the crew
…and here’s the view.We had such an amazing trip to Cancun! The good ol‘ Swine Flu worked in our favor! We practically had the resort to ourselves. (This pic above is the view from our balcony) Plus everyone was going out of their way to make us feel welcome. What brave tourists we were. ;) We swam in the ocean and the pool, went para sailing, snorkeled, checked out the way the locals live, ate great Mexican food, ate some more great Mexican food, celebrated Addison’s 3rd birthday, and stayed up late most nights playing cards, talking and laughing. I love my family. We really do have the best time together.
**I have to warn you – picture overload! I’m indecisive and because of that I’m just posting everything. Which is a lot. Because I take a lot of pictures. It makes me happy. As does vacationing with my family.
{THE INFINITY POOL}
The pools at our resort were beautiful (leading right into the ocean) and we swam everyday. I lived in my cowboy hat, sunglasses, and lots and lots of sunscreen. Despite all of this (and my incredibly fair skin) I still look a bit tan. If that’s what you’d call it. Not as pasty white as usual anyway. The true markings of a good vacation. :)
{Chichen Itza}a.k.a – “Chicken Pizza”
The boys took off on their own adventure one day to the famous Chichen Itza. (The guide kept joking that these ruins are not called “Chicken Pizza”…a joke that Kenny said got a bit old by the 10th time they told it) This is an ancient archaeological Mayan site located close to Cancun. During its golden years, Chichen Itza was the most important political, economic and religious centre for the Maya civilization. These buildings are over a thousand years old. Very cool.
The next day, grandpa and the guys tended the kiddos while we ladies had a little girl time. We ate lunch at a great Mexican restaurant (we’re still talking about the virgin margaritas!) and then did some shopping. Thanks to my cute mom and dad for watching the girls so much. The best way to travel with kids is to also include their grandparents!
(view from the room and visiting a nearby aquarium)
Such a fun trip!
And no. I’m not finished posting Cancun pictures. I just have to go watch the season finale of Medium. :)
xoxo, Erin
Ellie
06.02.09
Hannah Ontanah
After straightening Ellie’s hair:
“Mom, do I look like Hannah Ontanah?”
“Do you mean Hannah Montana?”
“Yeah…do I look like her?”
Two days later:
“There…your hair is straight again. You look just like Hannah Ontanah.”
“No mom. Today I want to look just like Pocahontas.”
“Thank goodness.”
(here’s to hoping we stick with the Disney Princesses a little bit longer)
xoxo, Erin
Music
06.01.09
No Doubt
Just got back from Cancun! Swine flu free. :) It was a great vacation. But before I attempt to sort through the mass of pictures I took on our trip, I first need to unpack, do laundry, buy groceries post about the concert we went to the night before we left. I finally redeemed my birthday coupons and Kenny and I spent the night with No Doubt (my all time favorite group).
Because of some perks through Kenny’s work we were given VIP stickers to wear and ushered past thousands of people to the front of the line to get in. We then entered the VIP lounge where we had a Mexican feast before the concert.
Then it was No Doubt time.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Gwen Stefani.
So I wore my most Gwen Stefani-ish shirt…
And my most Gwen Stefani-ish shoes. Which proves I don’t have much in my closet that is Gwen Stefani-ish. (Something I hope to modify in the future)
The concert was AWESOME! Our seats were on the second row behind the mosh pit and we were rockin’ all night long. By the end of the night my feet, because of my Gwen Stefani-ish shoes, were killing me.
No Doubt about it – this concert was Hella Good.xoxo, Erin
Birthdays
05.22.09
Quite simply the best
My mom is the BEST:
shoppernews watcher
calmer downer
teacher
friend
story teller
mother-in-law
grandma
hugger
consoler
party planner
phone conversationalist
advice giver
and of course the best MOM around.
Happy Birthday Mom! Hope your birthday this year is the BEST! :)
xoxo, Erin
Fun with Friends
05.21.09
Last Weekend
A few pics from last weekend. Had a baby shower for two of my cute friends who are about to pop!
And went with friends to Disneyland.
Good times. :)
xoxo, Erin
Ramblings
05.18.09
Viva La Mexico
We’ve had a summer vacation planned for months. The party: my entire family. The destination: Cancun, Mexico. The problem? Possible drug induced violence and death by Swine Flu.
What problem?
About two days after we secured our ‘ocean view villas’ and booked our plane tickets to beautiful Cancun, Mexico the nightly news was suddenly full of warnings. Warnings for people to stay away from Mexico because of all of the drug violence taking place. My family discussed this and decided we’d wait and see if things got better before our trip. Things got better and we decided the trip was a go. Many swimsuit purchases later, the nightly news was suddenly full of warnings again. Warnings for people to stay away from Mexico because of the dreaded Swine Flu. This was a bit scary and it really seemed like we were NOT meant to take this vacation. Many e-mails were sent back and forth trying to come up with a consensus on our vacation plans. Basically, the men thought we should still go on the trip, while the women thought otherwise.
Our e-mails went something like this:
Erin: {long e-mail freaking out about Swine Flu….”People are wearing masks, people are dying, I’m not taking my babies to Mexico.”}
Brother’s reply: “Viva La Mexico!”
Husband’s reply: “Swine Flu be damned. If they close down the border we’ll break through. If they put up a wall we’ll tunnel under it. If they shut down the airlines we’ll hire out a boat. We’re going to Mexico baby.”
Mom’s reply: {long e-mail freaking out about Swine Flu…”People are canceling trips, cruise lines aren’t stopping anymore, I’m not taking my grand babies to Mexico.”}
Brother’s reply: “Viva La Mexico!”
Husband’s reply: “I say we throw on a gas mask (and possibly even radiation suits) and party it up. To hell with the flu. Just think how much fun we’ll have if we have the whole resort to ourselves. Bonnie, you can drive the boat while I parasail!”
Sister’s reply: {long e-mail freaking out about Swine Flu….”We’re at a phase 5 Pandemic Disease Alert Level, there are beautiful beaches elsewhere, I’m not taking my baby to Mexico.”}
Brother’s reply: “Viva La Mexico!”
While this isn’t the norm in our family, the men won the argument and we have decided that things have calmed down enough to go ahead and go on our Cancun vacation. Life is short. We’ll wash our hands. Face masks make great beach accessories because they take the attention away from not super thin butts and thighs. (my reasoning anyway)
So…Viva La Mexico!!! (happy now Austin?) And happy summer vacationing to you. :)
xoxo, Erin
Ellie and Addison
05.16.09
My baby…
really isn’t a baby anymore. When I picked Addison up at her little ‘pre‘ pre-school last week she had made this orange caterpillar. While she was feeding it some leaves in our backyard I noticed that it just happened to match the outfit she had on that day. 
I also noticed how well the little orange outfit fits her right now and I remembered a day not so long ago that her sister wore that same outfit to meet her for the first time.
(May 30th 2006)Feels like that was yesterday. It also feels like just yesterday we bought and assembled bunk beds because we found out we were having another girl. My sister and I shared a room and slept on bunk beds and I wanted the same for my girls.
(me and my sister on our bunk beds – 1983ish)
(Ellie on her new bunk beds – age 2 – March, 2006)
I remember Ellie was so excited and kept calling them her “big girl beds that daddy made.” Kenny loved taking all the credit for “making” them when all he really did was hook them together. :)
Two nights ago for the first time, we moved Addison in to also sleep in the “big girl beds that daddy made.” The girls were so excited.
They said good-night.
And their elephants said good-night. 
(Addie – almost 3) (Ellie – age 2)And then Addison stayed up reading books…just like her sister used to do. They also talked and giggled until way too late. Just like me and my sister used to do. And Kenny had to go up and tell them it was time to get to sleep…just like my dad used to do.
After they fell asleep, I went to check on them. And then I walked into Addison’s room and looked at the empty crib. And then I started to cry.
My baby really isn’t a baby anymore.
xoxo, Erin
Ramblings
05.15.09
Thanks guys
Just wanted to thank those of you who commented on my little questionnaire! Your words were eye opening, insightful, and quite frankly…hilarious. A special thanks to my husband who left a few comments of his own (in fact, if you commented and never checked back, he addressed each of your arguments individually). Ryan and Josie hit the nail on the head (they know Kenny all to well). It isn’t about the mail, it’s all about a good debate – arguing for the sake of arguing. I have to say that when Kenny and I first met this drove me crazy…the way he would spin my words and make points I didn’t even know existed. He somehow won every time, even on arguments where I was clearly defending the obvious choice. But now, after going to battle with him for over fifteen years, my vocabulary has improved, I know him well enough to know what he is going to say before he says it, and I am starting to win a few arguments of my own. Especially when I have my bloggin’ peeps backin’ me up. :)
Hope you all have a great Thursday night. I’m off to watch the Season Finale of Grey’s Anatomy and once again, marvel over the wonder that is the human body.
xoxo, Erin
Ramblings
05.13.09
A little Q&A
Just a few questions I’d LOVE some answers to:
1- Lately I’ve been noticing some wrinkles ‘fine lines’ around my eyes. Does anyone know of a great something to start using that will help in this area? What is your nightly facial routine? Any product that you SWEAR by?
2- I’ve been in a bit of a rut with my exercise routine (dragging to the gym) so I bought myself a new workout outfit. (Just a little Mother’s Day gift to me from me and one of my sure-fire ways to make exercising fun again!) Now all I need is some new music. So…question is…what do you have on your i-pod? What are your favorite workout songs that keep you moving?
3- While we’re on the subject of music… music on blogs – fun or annoying?
4- Last question. Which is more amazing… the human body or the mail? This is a debate that has been going on between Kenny and I for oh…about 10 years. One day after one of my many knee injuries healed, I commented on how amazing and cool the human body is. Kenny, being his usual sarcastic self, answered: “it’s not as cool as the mail.” We then went back and forth debating this and finally agreed to disagree. It comes up often in our marriage as we think of more reasons about why our choice is the correct one. A few points to consider before making your decision:
Human Body
- Miraculously heals after most injuries
- Childbirth (enough said)
- It has its own heating and cooling system
- It’s full of systems working together all the time to keep us functioning
- The human brain is… ‘the most complex and orderly arrangement of matter in the Universe.’ (Quote by Isaac A.)
The Mail
- Delivers during rain or shine — it doesn’t need to heal because it never gets sick
- You can get something from across the country or the world in one day — way faster than the human body
- Doesn’t sleep, doesn’t eat, and never asks for favors such as random computer help
- The mail is… ‘the most complex and orderly arrangement of letters in the Universe.’ (Quote by Kenny R.)
So those are the questions that are keeping me up at night. If you’re reading this right now I’d love to hear your answers/opinions. Unless you’re going to tell me that the mail is cooler
xoxo, Erin