A Day At The Park

Today was one of those rare days when you might not mind living in Bakersfield- beautiful and 78 degrees out. So Simone (my little BFF as Chris says) and I went to the park by our house. She loved laying on her blanket and looking around and I loved snapping some cute pics of her! Of course, she has the most adorable huge smile but I can never seem to take the picture quick enough...oh well they are very cute anyway and I did get one smile on camera.




In other news:

Sarah looked so good with her bangs cut that I decided to copy. It definitely helped me feel less frumpy!

It's Her 3 Month Birthday!

Simone is 3 months today and as cute as possible. She is such a sweetie and we are loving each new day! Chris and I think she is remarkably smart, alert, strong, and adorable of course. She also has a dramatic side (wherever could that come from?) and definitely will let you know if she doesn't like something! Her favorite things are Mom and Dad, her dogs, her play yard, putting things in her mouth, going outside, riding in her baby carriers and bathtime. Dislikes include her carseat, the sun getting in her eyes, naps, and restaurants. We will try to be better about keeping everyone posted, but for now enjoy this video from today...

I'm all baby, baby!

Pregnancy pics were requested and since Chris and I don't take a lot of snapshots I had to pose for one just now. So here is one for those of you who are interested in seeing how I've grown. I know I'm pretty small still- but we were glad to hear from my doctor that Simi is measuring larger than average!

Ignore the polygamist hairdo and no make-up face please :)

30 weeks

Not to toot my own horn or anything...but "beep beep"!

Yay- I finally finished painting in the nursery and have most of it all set up and ready. I'm so grateful to mom and Chris' mom for helping with the decor and already spoiling Simone with gifts to brighten her room (and wardrobe). We also have recieved A LOT of great hand-me-downs from family and friends. Its all starting to feel so real and exciting. I just can't describe how happy we are to become parents...10 more weeks!!!

If Our Kids Are As Weird As Our Dogs...

...then we're in trouble! Mom keeps bugging me to post more so here goes. For all you dog-lovers out there (Eric, are your ears burning?) here is a funny update:

Jackson and Brother are probably the strangest dogs I have ever known. Jackson's human celebrity twin would probably be Elton John- he's flashy, LOVES to dress up even though we don't encourage it, has a lot of sass, and has never shown much interest in the opposite sex. Brother's twin would have to be Woody Allen- he's neurotic, scared of pretty much everything, very particular, and LOVES his "babies" (stuffed animals) more than us. These two make quite a pair! Well, a couple of weeks ago Chris bought the wrong dog food (yes, they must have the same particular brand always) and instead of taking it back right away we thought we'd just try it. To our amazement they seemed to be enjoying it...that is until we noticed what they were really doing: The dog food has 3 kinds of kibble in it- they will ONLY eat the round balls and little squares, but pick out EVERY little bone-shaped kibble and leave it on the carpet for us to throw away! Everyday I have to grab up handfuls of little bones and toss them, otherwise they would just sit there forever. We think it's pretty funny actually...should we worry about our parenting abilities?

leftover bones in the bowl

caught in the act

In other news...Simone is doing great. We just had an ultrasound and she is a little on the big side (I know- gasp...a Reed baby big?!) I am 28 weeks but the Dr. moved my due date up a bit to Dec. 4th! It's coming soon!!! And as you can see Jackson isalready is bonding with his baby sister...

The nursery is almost finished (with a very cute mural) and I will post pics soon!

Calling all decorators! Opinions Please!

I- with my amazing team of Mom, Chris and Chris' Mom- have been slowly getting the nursery ready for our early December arrival. Chris put the crib and changing table together the night they arrived-what a good daddy! And of course Mom sewed the adorable window valance. The plan to finish off the room is a wall mural of a tree and birdies (similar to bedding) next to the changing table, and name letters above the crib with birdies painted above them. Chris' mom is re-covering a used glider I got with cream chenille fabric and also making a very cute matching quilt. Other than that I only have one thing I can't decide on and I am hoping for some opinion...

I painted the big hutch a while back and I love the funky orange/distressed color. There is also a smaller one in the same finish on the other side of the room. I really want to use these for storage in the nursery, but I can't decide if the color works or clashes (there is some orange in the bedding and I could include it in the mural). If I repainted them it would be a dark espresso to match the furniture. I need others opinion- like Emily the queen of decor- before I hastily change them.

p.s. I honestly have way too much to do right now and can't believe I am even worrying about a nursery that isn't going to be used for 4 more months....chalk it up to hormones like everything else!

Hola! Puerto Rico Report!

Chris and I just got back yesterday from a week long vacation in Puerto Rico. Why Puerto Rico you might ask? Well, it is a U.S. territory which means no passing through Customs and also no scary water/food/money to deal with; it is in a part of the world we had never been (the Carribean); and it would be cheaper than Hawaii or our other first choices.

We had a great time! Our hotel was really nice, the beaches were clean and beautiful, and the locals (who almost all spoke English) were friendly. It was very HOT and HUMID, but pleasant in the evenings. Unforunately everything near our hotel in San Juan (the capitol) was extremely overpriced so we spent more than we would have liked. Overall- definitely worth it though! I have to brag that even though I am now 17 weeks pregnant and sporting a little tummy, it didn't hold me back: we snorkeled, hiked in the National Rainforest, swam in waterfalls and to deserted islands, tried weird Puerto Rican food, and walked all over Old San Juan.
I do feel I need to share just a few observations on the Puerto Rican culture that we learned (even though it is technically part of the U.S., believe me it is a world of its own):

1. There are 4 million people living on this tiny island, and 3 million cars on the road. There might be traffic rules but we never saw them being followed- imagine Los Angeles- if everyone drove beaters that they could care less about wrecking-and then times that by 2! Riding in a taxi/bus was an intense experience!

2. The food was very blah. We are not scared to try new things and so I thought we would love trying the food (hoped for spicy Mexican-like dishes). But everything was very basic: pork with rice and some variation of fried plantains, which taste like cardboard. I felt like the priest in Nacho Libre..."where are the chips, where are the spices?" Luckily there was a Subway and Chilis nearby for back up.

3. The fashions of Puerto Rico are interesting to say the least. Imagine tight mesh tank tops, tight jeans and a rat-tail hairdo and you've got the typical men we saw. The women seem to be very "confident"and pretty much wear anything out on the town; usually a bikini top paired with anything that is 2 sizes too small on the bottom. In their defense though- it was damn hot! I shed a few layers and inches of clothing as the day went by too!

Here are some photos from the trip- enjoy!