Quinny is ONE--a pink princess party

Quinny's first birthday proved what we had always expected--moving to California was going to give our children so many more amazing opportunities to have their grandparents in their lives. Both Mema and Pepa and Papa and Gigi came from Sacramento to celebrate our little lady on her big day (or in this case, the Sunday before her big day). It ended up being a busy weekend with soccer games, museum explorations and the primary program but it was the absolute best having so many family members here. We ended up keeping things super simple--a whole lotta pink and a whole lotta good food and a whole lotta nothing besides that. I did make special layered jello which looked adorable and my mom and I made the cakes which were delicious if you ask me (but don't ask Quinn-she barely touched the thing). And that big pink tent you ask? Well, that's how we can be sure that Quinny has her Dad wrapped around his finger!

One, two, three pictures taken with my big camera and then peace out, it was party time! Luckily some of the grandparents snatched some pictures on their phones because as for me and my camera, we were too busy admiring the birthday girl (and making food!)

Quinny seeing her tent for the first time. She wasn't so sure at first, but now she loves hiding inside with things she's stolen around the house. That naughty little one-year-old!

The cakes! My mom is a decorating genius--both were decorated in ten minutes flat.

A birthday dinner with all the fixins--and of course the birthday girl got the best seat in the house!

I'm quite aware that these are blurry but the joy on her face just needed to be remembered forever. That girl enjoyed her time in the spotlight for sure!

She was spoiled with gifts and loved them all...although don't ask her to unwrap them herself. Psh, can't be bothered!

Watching her eat her cake was super anticlimactic if I'm being honest. The boys were both first-birthday-cake devourers, but Quinn was just not that into it. Eventually she started playing in the frosting a little bit more but when I put a little piece of cake in her mouth she started gagging and then spit it out! Quinn, how am I your mother and you didn't stick your face right in that cake?!

This is right before I took the birthday girl out of the high chair. As you can see her brothers helped her eat the edges of the cake...and she got her hands in the frosting at least a little bit!

Sooooo.....maybe we should have more than just this picture of us with her on this joyous occasion. But there it is, Quinn with her parents at her first birthday party!!! Her face has me cracking up every time I see this!

On her actual day we had birthday donuts (and empty frames :/ ) and lots of clapping when we sang her the birthday song. Her mimicking skills lately are a perfect 10 and she may have been late to the game in the clapping department but boy is she good at it now!

One second she was sitting on the ground in her cutie kitty jammies and the next she was shirtless and had found her brother's leftover donut on the table. Always an adventure with this babe.

Before she knew it she was back in a tutu and party hat for pictures (coming soon) and a trip to the mall. She somehow talked me into buying her a My Little Pony (Twilight Sparkle--right Ash?) and she loves it so much. How is my baby old enough to like Pony's??? It's adorable to see her play with it, AKA bite it's head off! She's an aggressive little tutu-wearer! 

Happy birthday my dear, sweet Quinn. I can't, nor would I ever want to, imagine my life without you. You are ONE and I see in your future an endless adventure and limitless opportunities. I love you.

Quinny's Golden Celebration--Turning One at the Ritz

We had a great little family party for Quinn the weekend before her birthday (pictures to come) but the actual day of her birthday boasted not a plan except that my parents were heading back to Utah and James was heading down south for a work retreat :(. I wanted to make her golden birthday special (for pictures sake because clearly she'd be happy doing nothing) and was not quite sure how to do it until James and I had an ah-ha moment literally on September 30th--the kids and I should stay in his hotel room with him (for freeeeeeeee) playing in the pool and on the beach while he was busy at work. I don't know why we hadn't thought of this before because it was a PERFECT idea, especially since he was staying at the Ritz Carlton in Dana Point which is by far the most beautiful resort in the most beautiful area I have ever seen. I switched around a few appointments and let the boys play hooky from Friday classes and welcome to paradise Quinny and happy golden birthday! I have a feeling that spending her first birthday at the Ritz will surely lead to future birthday disappointment but heck, you only turn one once, right?!

Presenting, Quinny's golden celebration at the Ritz, photo-diary style:

Quinny, how old are you? ONE!

I feel like none of these pictures need any kind of explanation, except that if it's possible the photos don't even do the real view justice. I found myself oohing and awing and gasping as we saw different views and different parts of the resort and beach. It was breath-taking. This last picture though, this cracks me up. T reclined the chairs for he and Ev, they sprawled out with their ice water within reach and T says to Ev, "Laying down like this in the sun by the beautiful pool, this is the life!" I spit out my own ice water I was laughing so hard. This is the life T, I agree. But not our life, so don't get used to it! Happy birthday Quinny! Glad we could celebrate you in style! 

More on Moving: Feeling all the Feels

 Sad Quinny ('cause her milk baba was drained too fast) and Happy Quinny ('cause the grass at the Getty is perfection).

Moving makes me feel all the feels much more than is comfortable. Sad seconds seem all-consuming and never-ending, funny times have me laughing to unreasonable tears, worrying over little things and unchangeables have me losing sleep and stomach-sick with anxiety and happy moments make me feel like everything and everyone in the world are sitting in my sunshiney corner (which hello, we live in LA now, they basically are!) I feel so much lately and it feels so vulnerable. Does anyone in the world like to feel vulnerable because it's basically the last on my favorite feelings list? I want control of just about everything in my life--including my emotions. But here I am feeling ALL the same (but different) feels I feel every time we move and start our lives on over again. I'm vulnerable and delicate in all the right and in all the wrong ways. It's complicated.

A few weeks ago I was making cookies on a Sunday afternoon and realized mid butter-beating that I was out of vanilla. No problem, I thought, this is just a real good excuse to meet my neighbors! So I walked out the door with high hopes of wonderful friendships-to-be in our building, but was quickly crushed as I knocked and knocked and knocked again only to find mostly vacant apartments, a college kid with nothing in his kitchen but ketchup and an older man who said they were fresh out of vanilla. It sounds silly to say now, but as the last door closed I could feel my eyes welling up with tears and before long I was heavy-breath sobbing down the hall back home. I thought of our German friends across the hall in New York, our wonderful Super and his family next door, my dear Vera just one floor down and all I could think was, They would have vanilla! All of them! That place is the best and this place is horrible and I'll never have friends in my building again! I don't claim to be rational in this moment or ever but ya'll know I'm always honest, and those were the true feelings of my delicate heart. But then--wait! A door opened. The old gentleman was back with his sweet wife in tow, calling out for me to stop! come back! he was wrong! they had vanilla! And just like that, poof! My heart was beating and my smile was beaming and I felt like I should skip back to their door singing my joy about how great they were, how great this place was and how much I loved everything. Which I kind of did before talking the nice lady's ear off, taking her vanilla and returning home exhausted from all the feels and determined to write this alllll out sometime soon.

Which I'm finally doing now, for no other reason than for memory's sake. Because being sad, being lonely, feeling vulnerable and complicated and a little lost are normal emotions when you're starting over and I don't ever want these times to be forgotten in the grandeur of our city life adventures. There is so much good in our life, heck, there's a whole lot of fantastic, amazing and great, but the inter-weavings of good and not-so-good are what make up a beautiful life, and when I read these keepin' it real blog posts and more importantly when my kids read these blog posts in years to come I hope they realize that being sad is ok, being lonely is ok, feeling vulnerable and complicated and lost are ok because we've all been there and we'll all get through it. We will! I feel like I should say I have a testimony of this, amen! Because seriously, I do. So I'm completely confident that someday soon my heart will be a little more stable than it's present state, but until then you'll find me with tissues in hand, chocolate close by, an endless loop of conversation with my best friend Netflix and a Costco-sized vat of vanilla in the cupboard--'cause I can't handle going door to door again just yet!

Old friends, true friends

Sometimes it's nice to know that the people you've left miss you as much as you miss them. I was putting on Quinny's puppy bow last week that was given to us by the dearest of friends and I couldn't help but think about how much I'd love to be hanging with her in the schoolyard again. The very next day I got a simple text saying that she was thinking about me and Quinn and my warm fuzzy meter basically blew up! We've been so lucky to be surrounded by some of the finest souls this earth has to offer and I love them dearly, dearly. Make new friends, but keep the old...

Wedisney Day!

The boys had school off on a random Wednesday because of a Jewish holiday so I took the three kids to Disneyland. Seeing all of the Halloween decorations was SO much fun and SO festive. I can't wait to see Disneyland through all of the holidays--such a dream! We couldn't ride any of the big rides because we didn't have an extra adult but luckily we kept busy riding little rides, meeting characters and seeing shows (oh, and eating snacks!) I thought we'd only stay for a few hours but turns out I don't know how to do that--we got there at 8:30 and stayed until 7 pm! My kids are the funnest and best human beings, especially that ever-patient and super-adventurous Quinny. Love those three!

 Quinny wasn't so sure standing by that big dog was a good idea so I hopped in the picture!

 This is Halloween, This is Halloween!!!

 My baby doll and her castle!

 Quinny's first ice cream cone (peace out milk allergy--hooray!!!) and "weawy scawy cotton candy" for my little boyfriend who doesn't like rides, mostly doesn't like attractions, won't walk a step to save his life but LOVES a treat like no one I've ever met!

 Crazy Quinn sat by her brother on a ride in Bugs Land and T wasn't so sure that was a great idea! Quinn has no fear of anything, including trying to wiggle under the seatbelt and brake free while the ride is in motion. She thought she was hilarious every time and T, well he was a trouper (but Quinny sat by me on the next ride!!!)

I'd buy you this balloon bouquet and more if I could you three. Thanks for the great Disney day!

Diving with Aarna

T's good friend from school lives just up the block and it didn't take those two long to figure it out and start planning playdates! Our first one was an afternoon of swimming because "Aarna is the luckiest person in the world because he has a whole swimming pool which is way better than just our jacuzzi!" Those two boys swam and jumped and acted an adorable fool for hours, even when their little sister and brother were long done with swimming and Quinny was destroying every poolside plant. T didn't have any fun at all, can't you tell! ;)

"This is me being Michael Jordan. He's a super famous basketball player and I'm going to be as good as him someday." HAHAHA!

 "I've got serious ninja skills, watch this!" Impressive, right?!

And this picture? It had both boys absolutely rolling with laughter. T was superman and Aarna is surfing on his back! "Mom, you did a really good job taking that super awesome picture of us!"