WIDN

Instagram pics deserve an Instagram-like hashtag, eh? At this moment Chad and the kiddos are eating breakfast at Corky's with my the bro-in-law and their kiddos before they head over to turn in both familys' oldest childrens' birth certificates for AYSO soccer in the Fall for proof of age. (Anyone for complicated, run-on sentences?) At this moment, I should be filing away a hundred different documents, but I think my time is better spent during this rare alone time documenting our early Summer happy-moments. At this moment, I'm thinking about how amazing it is that Chad has had every single Saturday off since the first week of May - I mean, it's huge - freeing us to experience true weekend "vacation of the mind" modes thoroughly. At this moment I'm really digging this June gloom - weather here in the big LR could not be more enjoyable.

Currently I'm thinking about how I've been making a concerted effort lately to be more organized and on top of the household duties, mainly because these weekends have been so gosh darn awesome, I would rather spend them in cleanliness versus an ew-I-don't-want-to-enter-the-kids-room-because-it-will-remind-me-how-I-haven't-vaccumed-in-a-fortnight type thing. You know? I will say, closet organization is the most underrated activity in America. Also another cool fact about me sitting here among organization: I don't feel like I'm overwhelmed with toys and kid paraphernalia - a fact I never knew existed until I removed most of the junk! Woohoo to that! This should also include the REAL reason I've been organizing: one of my best friends from way back when I was Carter's age comes on Tuesdays and Thursdays to watch the kids while I'm at Purebarre, just until the end of the Summer, so... you know. Can't be having a filthy house! It has to at least APPEAR as if I was aware that there were at least three, jumbo sized EMPTY boxes of diapers in the babes' closet collecting dust...

This post is slowly turning into a I-really-don't-want-to-be-doing-what-I-should-be-doing-so-let-me-tell-you-about-cleaning-my-closets...

Anyhoo, I just got confirmation that we'll be heading out to Palm Springs to hang at the sister-in-law's house after this quick PB meeting I have, Target and running through Buy Buy Baby! Better get down to business lol or else I'll feel like a major lame-o all weekend. Don't you hate when you know you have something you SHOULD be doing but you just don't want to do it?? That's me right now. Motivation, Nicole, motivation! Anyway, woohoo to a great weekend and having a blast with our two sweet babes!

Some kids, man

WARNING: horribly mean, probably below-the-belt blog post.

You know what? Some kids are just little shits! Yes - what a terrible thing to say as a mother to two toddlers, both of whom may or may not be little poops themselves every once in awhile - but really. For some odd reason, I've been coming into contact with some seriously inappropriate children lately and have become ridiculously worked up due to my own kids not knowing what to do in the face of such absurdity (mama's advice? Smack them up side the head! Okay no, but... come on. My only form of solace is that Carts and Kots have no idea what to make of these little creeps because such behavior is not tolerated around here - proud mom!). An example, you say?

Okay. Yesterday at the little kiddie pool a block from home, there were these three little ones who kept calling a fourth little boy a zombie who was visibly frustrated that they kept doing so. After awhile, the boys parents took him out of the pool and left, probably because they were not happy about witnessing their poor child being picked on! Guess who was the next zombie? CARTER! I was so pissed because (I kid you not) Carter never has issues with other children. I know, I know - totally something a biased mom would say, but it's such a rarity to see my dude not getting along with someone that I can't even come up with one specific non-smooth social interaction beyond the point of being a baby. After a few minutes, Carter, completely innocently, told me that he didn't know why those guys were calling him "zombie" because that was not his name and he didn't like it. My heart broke at the same time my head screamed, "yeah, they're total brats - don't worry honey, I'll go give their mothers a piece of my mind!" I tried to explain to him what a zombie was and that maybe they were playing a game, so don't worry about it and play with sister, but he was just not getting why he wasn't playing with these like-aged children and not having fun! I told him to tell them to stop calling him that if he didn't like it - which he did forcefully but not rudely, woo! - to which the two little nicer ones responded but the bad-seed-ring-leader ignored. WHAT A BRAT! After SEVERAL glances towards the the two moms who must be responsible for these three (who were talking face to face without a glance to their babies who were just floating around an enormous pool), I extremely loudly and obviously told Carter and Dakota to get out of the pool because WE DON'T WANT TO PLAY WITH KIDS WHO DON'T WANT TO PLAY NICE (and that we had to go make dinner).

WTH, brats?!

Rest assured there have been a few more situations where I've repeatedly thought, "Wow, you're a total shit, get it together," but I really can't think of what they are due to me getting slightly worked up from writing aforementioned pool situation. Anyway, the only thing I can do is make sure that my babies know how to handle themselves in such situations and that I, too, know how to handle myself in the face of some seriously lame parents. I mean, I'm not the type of person who would completely forget all forms of social decency and go screaming after a parent because their toddler is in dire need of some rules and boundaries, but sheesh, man. It's tough to not claw someone's face off when it comes to your kids!

Woo!

5 year anniversary in which the bucket list is recorded

Well, for heaven's sakes, it's been 5 years since I married my man! How did that happen? Time has seriously whooshed by - it's no joke when people say it flies when you're having fun. He's been such a hunk of a hubby. Who would have thought that when I married my 20 (TWENTY!) year old guy he was set to be such a sexy dad? That sentence sounds wrong, but hey! It's true!

(...And by the way... Marrying was the only large life event I will allow to have happened when I was occupying the "older" state of our 6 month difference. Children-having, house-buying and any other significant life event must be done when we are both of the "later" end of the years' spectrum... Haha!)

Anyhoo! What was the haps on our glorious, highly milestone-ish anniversary? Well! It was my year to plan, per the odds and evens planning scale we put in place way back when, so it was going to be a big, BIG surprise in which we jet-setted off to a super, ridiculously amazing location. Here's how it was to go:

I mysteriously (bluntly) told Chad that I needed him to transfer x amount of dolla bills into my super secret Stroller Strides business account, so that way I could make all the accommodations necessary on our massive, Caribbean or Fijian-filled vacation destination. Shortly after the drop was made, I made a few changes with Stroller Strides and Chad started at an awesome new company, so we decided that it probably wasn't the best time in life to take off for 7 or so days, especially because I kept having weird anxiety about leaving the kids and/or not taking them with us - I'm totally a person who thinks travelling with your kids is a great idea. Who cares how old they are and if they will remember it or not? YOU'LL remember it and it will be awesome! Anyway, we decided that a fabulous weekend getaway would suffice and be more enjoyable in the end because I would feel great about where the kids were: at the most awesome Aunt Maggie's house!

So off we took on June 30th (a day after the actual BIG day) down to La Jolla where we stayed at an awesome resort (hey-o for never staying at resorts and mainly opting for cheapo options! It really made me appreciate the bell hop, man! Hahahaha). But really, it was the bomb. The first night we did absolutely NOTHING, then went down to one of the restaurants for some nachos around 11:00. The next morning we left to get a few breakfast burritos and to grab a little bit of cashola for the poor bell hop we had to stiff the night before (woops!), then we again resumed our NOTHINGNESS at the pool where I creeped on a massive wedding group. Saturday night we went down to Gaslamp for some amazing sushi and then went to a country western bar (that was CHAD'S idea to attend! It may have taken me 5 years, but I got the guy to like country. A true win if there ever was one)!

Sunday was another morning of nothingness, but not after the missed-breakfast breakfast we had at 11:45 am. We both had burgers after our bar night. The waiter even asked us (rudely!) if it had been a long night! What the hell, man???! Anyhoo, it was funny, but yeah...

We took off to pick up the kids around 2:00, but not before we made our official "BEFORE 30 BUCKET LISTS!" Woooohoooo on these things! I'm pretty stoked about them. I have to write them down here because a) they're awesome, b) I have to remember these things and c) who knows what our "Before 35" bucket lists will look like? And then beyond that, what will our LIFE, LIFE bucket lists look like? No matter what any list looks like, I'm very lucky to get to do it all with this guy - truly a blessed lady. Beyond the amount of fun we have together, something which I talk constantly about here, he's just the all-around best guy for me. I enjoy him, love him, like him and value his opinion, his take on things and what he has to say. He's a dedicated dad and family member to his mom, dad, brother, sisters and on from there. His values are held in high regard when making decisions, and above all, I just treasure him! Lucky people, Carter, Kota and I are - lucky people.

Anyhoo, here are the "Before 30" lists!

MINE:
- Buy a house
- Go on a family vacation to Hawaii
- Do at least one weekend getaway a year with the fam
- Do one weekend getaway with Chad per year
- Be completely debt free except for a mortgage (diiiiiiiiiie.)
- Fully research and decorate bought house exactly the way I want it even if that takes a few attempts
- Join a specialty club and consistently participate (gourmet cooking club or something like it)
- Run a half marathon
- Read/understand the Bible
- Take an international trip
- Start savings for the kids beyond the ant-mound amount we have at the moment
- Send kids to VBS one time per year minimum
- Visit all best friends who live out of state for leisurely purposes (3 people at the moment)
- Go on a girls' trip with my mom and sister, even if it's just for one night
- Get... Augmented.
- Get family bikes
- Get our kids baptized/religious ed going

CHADS:
- Get a tattoo
- Go on a tropical vacation
- Get 2 new (to us) cars
- Buy a house
- Buy another house
- Have a man space of some kind
- Teach Carter how to play sports
- At least once a  month take each kid out by themselves for daddy date time
- One date a month with Nicole
- Take the family to at least 3 musical theater performances
- Host Thanksgiving
- Host Christmas
- 70" TV
- Get baptized
- Baptize kids

So woohoo! Some are goal-like versus bucket list-like, but hey! They're still pretty prevalent, eh?! Pretty excited about how awesome the last 5 years have been and how much more awesome the next 100! Gooooo team Cisneros!!! I love you, lovah!

Blonde, blonde, blonde, blonde, blonde!

The blonde is coming back at 3:00 pm TODAY!!! This surely is an event that shall go down in history. A return to l'original. Wooooooooo! 

And how cute is my sweet little 6 week old Carter right there? He was such a round, plump little white baby! Truly a chill dude. Always just hanging around us, smiling away - the best! Anyhoo, I should probably get back to child rearin'. That same babe above is currently screaming and crying on the floor because Chad took his jump rope away. Oh, how times have changed from the days of hangin' with a 6 week old!   

Life around town in the big LR

 We have such a blast in this here community. Ladera Ranch is the bomb, it really is. Raising children? This is where you want to be. It's been quite the backdrop to these here ages, and since I know we won't be here for too much longer, I thought a good old fashioned documentation of our daily activities was needed. This is what we do literally every day, or some form of it - most times that's awesome, other times I question why the hell I got the kids used to such a rigorous afternoon schedule. I mean, sometimes it would be nice to sit inside all day! But hey, I guess it's a good problem to have. :)

 ^^^My view! Carter leading the way on his bike and me pushing Kota in HER "Pooh" stroller - do not mess with the Winnie the Pooh stroller. You have been warned.

 Everything in this whole entire place is walking distance, but what's super awesome is that the library is right around the corner and is flanked by 100,000,000 parks and pools. When Chad and I got insanely crazy with the good ole' budget, I got myself a library pass for some free entertainment. I'll tell you what: the thousands of books we return home with every week sure is a nice, positive babysitter. Dagnabbit I'll even go as far to say it beats out the iPad - a true fete! (And one I feel about 1,000% less guilty about...)  

 ^^^Heel walking is a thing. A very time consuming thing.

 The library is filled with all kinds of awesome things for my babes to enjoy, especially the stairs that they're NEVER allowed to sit on UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES! Haha! How hilarious is that sign??! Anyhoo, it's a blast there. There's even this young librarian who shoots me dirty looks when my kids speak! It's great!

No but really, it's pretty cool. Carter has a thing for Halloween themed books, he always seems to find them!

 ^^^Sounds weird, but this is so Ladera. Some beautifully drawn picture of Olaf on a square of concrete. Now that I'm looking at the actual picture, it really doesn't look as exquisite as it was in person, but I'm telling you! This place is full of nice things - the chalk creations are no exception. I don't know - it sounds weird, but this is just so Ladera.

 After the library we always head to a park, one of the many surrounding the less than 1 mile radius that we travel during the afternoons. Here Carter discovered a rock that Kota deemed as "Ariels!!!!," so she had to reenact her favorite mer-gal's singing scenes! It was seriously hilarious - I was laughing so hard I could hardly get a good picture! Hahaha

 Carter being chivalrous trying to help Kota down off the mini walls she walks on when we travel around town.

 I mean, look at this place! This is how it is around every corner - no exaggeration! It will be a sad day when we leave here, but what can ya do? I'd prefer to not blow our entire house buying budget on 750 square feet sooooooo you know. But sometimes I think it's just so nice, maybe I don't really care about spending life in 750 square feet? There are drugs in the air, I tell you! We love it and love watching our babes enjoy what Ladera has to offer. It's the land of young families, pretty views (of the house less than 3 feet away from your own) and just overall good times. Woohoo!

Mother's Day

 Mmmmmm, Mother's Day! It's quite possibly the best invention of man kind. A whole day where we as members of the motherhood-ship may be praised and worshipped? Yes.

This year I forgot that it's only a semi-holiday and treated it like Thanksgiving or Christmas: the whole day was booked from beginning to end and it was more like Mother's-Day-Friday-Saturday-Sunday instead of just a 24 hour affair. When I told Chad what our plans were, he asked me what the heck I had been thinking. He said something along the lines of, "What the heck? Don't you just want to chill out on that day?" To which I answered, "Yes, I do want to chill out - with our moms while you do all the work and I drink!" It was fair, it was fair.

Anyhoo, it was so much fun! On Saturday evening I took off for a massage (by Louis, the sports therapist, deep tissue massage specialist...), and then I was left alone for a whole 2 hours to relax! It was beautiful... Yes it was. In the morning Chadly made our yearly French toast, strawberry fabulousness, then we hung out at home for a little bit drinking tons of coffee. After a bit, I started making the quiche I was bringing over to my parents' house for brunch with the fam and we all got ready. Get this: everyone got dressed harmoniously and we left on time! I know - it was a Mother's Day miracle. No shouting or being rushed - I have no idea what came over us.

We had a ridiculously delicious brunch at my parents' house where I had a bottomless mimosa and all the grand babies played together. Around 2:00 we headed up to Huntington Beach where we were supposed to chill on the sand and eat an early dinner, but it was so windy we vetoed the beach-goin' and headed to her community pool instead. As Cher and I hung out there drinking our Starbucks-cup-disguised beers, I completely relaxed - COOOMMPLLLLEEETELYYYYY chilled out. I was super in the this sun feels so good, don't touch me - I'm relaxing, isn't this day fabulous? zone. It was great!

After a few hours of hanging out poolside, we headed back to her homestead and had pizza, wings and fried zucchini - I'll tell you what: Mother's Day is a very healthy holiday. All of a sudden we realized that it was already 8:00 so we headed home, totally exhausted from a day well spent.

Now that Carts and Kots are a bit older, or out of the baby stages, I should say, I realize how incredibly partner-esque they are to me. Without even noticing, they somehow have become these little buddies to me and to each other. This will probably not always be the case, but as of right now I feel like being their mom is so easy most of the time. They know the rules and if they break them they get either a 2 or a 4 minute time out, but all the rest of the time we're just having a blast together, whether it's the three of us or if Chad is hanging at home. It's really very cool. I find myself missing the hard work of having a new baby, but also thinking about the future potential of these two growing up in such a harmonious environment. "Stress" seems to be such something of the past, save the rare babysitting need. It's a pretty awesome feeling! I mean, why give into a negative emotion when they're sitting there smiling at you, old enough and capable to go to the pool with just the three of us (aka, me without another helping adult)? So for the moment, I'm sort of feeling like we've got "it" down - for the moment, at least.

Anyway, good feelings, good feelings.

 ^^^Sidenote: while Chad was making breakfast and I was floating around the house feeling great about doing nothing, I felt like this needed documenting. See that phone on the right?? That thing has been my phone for the past two years!!! Chad got it for me on that one Leap Year Day, and I'm pretty proud to say that the darn thing worked until the end - truly a fete for me and electronic ownership. After a quadrillion drops, it still functioned, so I didn't want to betray my cheapo ways and upgrade to the 5 - yes, it was slightly embarrassing to be walking around with a shard of glass for your cell phone, but hey! The darn thing worked! Anyway, Chad has now gifted me his old phone and I now have a perfect, protected-by-a-case, beautiful phone! Woohooo!

Yay for Mother's Day 2014!

Easter 2014!

I was in love with Easter this year. Everything is so much gosh darn fun with these munchkins! Each holiday is marked with pure, genuine, real joy, curiosity and wonder. The search for the Easter bunny was on this year, let me tell YOU. It was an actual sport, I say! Carter kept a super sharp eye out for him even AFTER he had dropped off the morning loot of eggs, chocolates (TOOOOO MANY CHOCOLATES THIS YEAR, MR. BUNNY MAN!), pool toys, towels, etc., etc., etc. Every few minutes during breakfast Kota would glance towards the windows and say, "There he is! See!" and then Carter would say, "You saw him? You saw him?? Mom, did you see his ears???!!!" It was adorbs from beginning to end.

We spent the morning at church then headed out to Huntington Beach for Grandma Cheryl's house where we had a fabulous lunch. I mean, I now know that I can eat an entire bowl of king crab legs. I'm not joking. Cheryl and I literally ate about 75% of the massive amount, Chad and Todd divied up the rest. They WILLINGLY allowed us to eat the rest. Idiots! Muhahaha!

 ^^^I got tar on my foot while at the beach!!!! That has never happened to me in all my 26 years - who knew that was a threat to beach-enjoyin'??! It was STUCK -  noooo coming off.... ever. Not until the next day! Here Chad is scrapin' away at the beach hut while I enjoyed the sun and a pseudo-pedicure. He's an awesome sort, I tell ya!

 ^^^She was SERIOUS about her chocolate. Sheesh.

Then we headed to the Paplia residence where I failed to get a yearly family picture of the four of us. What's wrong with me??!! I was diggin' my outfit that day too! Everyone looked fabulous, why oh why did I not document it correctly?? Oh well, we had a blast!! Good times my friend, good times.

And lastly, G Funky Fresh is due on June 1st and today is April 30th. Do you know what that means????!!!! She is due in 4 weeks! Now here's the thing: she had Asher 2 weeks early so there's a strong possibility she may have this bambino IN TWO WEEKS!!!!!! She may be two weeks away from having a baby. I just can't get over it!!!!! Ahhhhhh!