Zoo Time

While reading mom blogs, I find myself skipping over a lot of the text (depending on the blog)...but mostly I'm like BLAH BLAH BLAH let's see some pictures, so I won't keep you...we went to the Santa Barbara Zoo today since Ryan was home for memorial day, it was fantastic. SB is always perfect and so beautiful- we drove by my old apartment complex- always a treat. We like to dream about how if we were super rich we'd move there in .2 seconds...ope see I'm like the other mom blogs rambling! here's some pics..

NBD my 2.5 yr old is 1/2 the size of my husband!

 My personal favorite animal at the zoo.. (and has been my whole life) the Capybara! Largest rodent in the world! I used to imagine these things popping up in our grass like gigantic gophers.  Curren was worried that he was going #2 in his water supply.

                                                                               


attempt at a family photo



elephants!







Curren was more interested in the Pigeons eating the elephant crap.



my sweets



mama and baby



Finley was big into this tunnel



sweet gentle girl!



UGH i really want a good camera, these would have come out so much better!



Currdidae Somisia



this is pretty rare for the SB Gorillas, they never come to the window, Curren was so excited about the "Dordidda"



           We love our Ergo, Fin's home away from home

The kids were beat so we drove around SB drooling over houses while they slept.  I am really excited for Summer- big perks being married to a teacher- we can do whatever we want June- August! Hope you all had a great Memorial Day, I'm very thankful to our men and women in uniform that allow us the luxury of FREEDOM!

SO frustrated.

i'm pretty sure i've lost my damn mind. what's that herb that helps you clairify and remeber things? nooo not *THAT* herb...the other one, Ginkgo Biloba...Garlic pills? I need that. In the last week I have lost my cell phone (if you know me, you know this is a very regular occurrence) and just today i'm packing up the kids to go to the park and I can't find my diaper bag...i'm scurrying all around the house trying to find it.....i then remember that every time I lose something, if I pray for God to help me find it- he does, like almost always it's crazy....no luck this time

inner monologue--'Dear God, please help me find my gigantic diaper bag cause my kids are in the car screaming and my neighbors are judging'....more scurrying...no luck I can hear my mom's voice...'retrace your steps Sarah, when's the last time you used it?' 'hi inner monologue mother, last time i had it i was at Pitts Ranch Park'....

"DAMMIT!!!"

last time i was at the park, we were leaving at around 6..dinner time.., both kids were screaming, i had a blanket here, a bike over there, a helmet on the other side of the park, and a diaper bag under the tree. I picked up both crying kids, the bike..the helmet..the blanket and left the diaper bag.

scene today at the park: me putting up signs for my lost diaper bag feeling like and IDIOT. i don't know whats wrong with my BRAIN!!!!!!!! it's seriously gone to crap since having kids. How did i used to hold down working a day and a night job and keep my SH** together?  I need help, i've got issues!

In the past few months i've also left Curren's tricycle at the park ( i went back and the good people of Camarillo left it there) lost my set of Car Keys while jumping into a gymnastics foam pit .....????

at least I didn't leave my kid at the park, like that lady on Oprah.

I often wonder how Mormon mothers do it!?  Is there some class I can take? Some prayer I can PRAY?  How do you have so many kids and keep it together? Are their kids just amazing sleepers? HOW DO THEY DO IT?! Mormon friends please fill me in.

Retro Kitchen Project TIME

I've always loved all things retro- the 50's and 60's are eras i've always been drawn to. I remember in 7th grade begging my mom to let me take swing dance lessons at the community center- there was one other girl my age and the rest were a bunch of elderly people--i totally loved it, I love big band music, the greaser look, the cars, the houses...everything ....  I think just seeing movies based in that time made me wish i lived in that era.  "Now and Then" "Stand by Me" and  "The Sandlot" are movies I always loved watching, and I would always pretend I was the characters. I love the idea of the kids running amuck all over the town during summers and having so much freedom. 

SO FYI we live in the house I grew up in. It's my parents first house they ever bought, and moved here a few years after they got married..my brother and I were both born here and we moved from here when I was 11. My parents rented it out when we moved, and just before Curren was born the opportunity for us to rent it came up! We LOVE this house, I have so many good memories here, it's so perfect for our family. BUT everything is the exact same as it was when I was a kid, so i'm itching to make some changes :)

We are broke but want to redo our kitchen soooo I started to look into "retro kitchens" I bought a diner kitchen table 4 years ago...rectangle white Formica with silver legs and silver lining around the sides of the table....it also came w/ 6 black and silver glitter chairs..but they are in storage and a little TOO retro for me.  I LOVE our table and wanted to do the kitchen around it. Not going too over board but these our some sources of inspiration:

I also read this quote on a blog and loved it

"Remodeling a house from the depression, during a recession"

love these colors

"mint" is what i continue to be drawn to

obvs not a kitchen but i like the colors!

this kitchen sealed the deal for us

love the appliances! aahhh maybe down the line..

----this blog is so fun to dive into! It's a house in Hemet CA that they bought and are re doing room by room as money allows, they have come across some great finds.

Well Ryan is picking up 4 gallons of "Palm Breeze" right now along with white paint for the cabinets! I'll do some before and afters.   We sent out Fin's 1st bday invites so now we have a deadline to get stuff done! Thats one of my fav things about throwing parties..the parties are fun but I love to do projects around the house and knowing mobs of people are coming over means you gotta get it DONE...Ryan might not have the same feelings :) We also picked up 5 gallons of paint for the living room and bathroom...we're gonna be busy!  I'm sure most people will NOT like the kitchen colors but we're excited about it- Ryan was really into it- to my surprise, it will be hints of Retro- we're not going balls to the wall here.

The Thompsons are GONE

OH! looks like you all got left behind! Peace out NON BELIEVERS- The Thompsons are GONE!!!

-Peter 3:10 ‘But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.’

-'Matthew 24:36 'No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.'....not even Harold Camping!

COME ON NOW!

meet GEORGIA the Boston!

Meet our new addition, Georgia! Here is her story: Georgia (formerly Gidget) belonged to a friend our ours. They have 2 other dogs, 3 kids and a baby on the way- and are both working parents. They just didn't have the time for this hyper little lady, and asked us if we would be interested in having her in our family. We are so happy they thought of us! We have such a special place for Bostons, we love them so much- we know what kind of attention they require... and she is fitting in just perfectly! They said it would be ok to change her name, cause she didn't really respond to Gidget...+ Curren was having a hard time saying Giggs and Gidget correctly. She is 5 months old!

 she is so good, potty and crate trained already....i don't think we could handle having to potty train, luckily she is SO good!

Ryan and I were just saying about a week prior that we were interested in getting another Boston...we applied to "Boston Buddies" as a foster family, but w/ two little kids we did not qualify. This was meant to be!

 she's made herself at home :) Giggs is so happy to have a pal, and hopefully he'll shed some of the "sympathy weight" he's gained w/ both pregnancies haha! Georgia is doing so good on the leash, we've been going on 2 walks a day and she is tuckered out by the time we get home, last night Ryan had to carry her poor thing.

 NOW here are some pictures of Giggs as a puppy.... Bostons are seriously so quirky. I doubt we'll ever have another breed of dog in our family, they are VERY sensitive to human emotion and know when things are not ok, and will offer a cuddle or a lick. They are amazing with kids, so patient. They are also just SUPER WEIRD-- Giggs has to lick things to fall asleep, he will sit there and lick his bed till he passes out, they snore and snort all the time, very entertaining.

they can definitely be very mischievous, and throw fits...if they aren't exercised

 

 we can't wait to take Georgia to the beach, she's gonna love it

                                      NOBLE STEED...i hear trumpets when i see this picture

                           

Bostons are the BEST!! Welcome to our crazy family Georgie!

and just a little FYI...we are all for getting a dog from the pound, we tried for about a year prior to getting Giggs and we never won the "lottery" for the small dogs we wanted, Giggs kind of fell into our laps, and so did Georgia...Giggs is neutered and Georgia will be very soon, all about supporting your local SHELTER!

Little Ryan

While cleaning out his childhood room...Ryan found his childhood glasses. He says he only wore them once because kids made fun of him :( Bless his little heart! Curren thought they were hilarious.

Kale Chips!

Kale is SUPER easy to grow, we seriously just threw seeds down in a row and it was the first thing in the garden to sprout. We picked ALL of this totally bare about a week ago, and it's grown back in full! It's super good for you, we have been sauteing it quite a bit, but needed to try something new.

Fin goes down for a nap at 10, and then it's Mommy and Curren time, we usually are doing stuff in the garden, or prep cooking for dinner, he really loves to help cook, and garden..and he's a great listener cause he knows if he doesn't he gets the boot!  I got this recipe/idea over at this great food blog!

Curren found himself a rollie pollie.

Kale Chips:

Preheat oven to 350

-7 C Kale- (chip size, rinse and double dry)

-drizzle of Olive Oil

-sprinkle of Salt

-Toss Kale w/ oil, lay on a baking sheet lined w/ foil, and sprinkle w/ salt.. don't stack it up, just 1 layer...bake for 12 mins, thats it!

Ready to Bake



YUM!



This is it done, it looks kind of soggy here in the picture, but it's not at all! It's super crispy, falls into a million pieces in your mouth.



Even sister likes it.





a seriously yummy snack thats actually good for you. Curren and I already ate almost ALL of it.

      

NOW...what to do with all this SPINACH?!

 

Air Guitar FOR YOUR CAR!!

straight up, i love to play air instruments in my car. Ryan and I get so serious sometimes- I'm always drums (used to play NBD), he's usually guitar AND bass (i know..super talented...he actually shreds on the guitar)  if we get in a situation and 2 guitar players really need individual attention..and drumming is at a low, i'll pick up the guitar and riff it OUT.  Strung Out is hands down our fav band to play to, LIVE IN A DIVE album, in particular... #7 Bring Out Your Dead, if you must know.

Did anyone ever listen to ARROW 93.1? Classic rock station that shut down.. they used to have "Air Guitar For Your Car" for your morning and afternoon commute, the best.

my favorite air band video from Scrubs! This show deserves so much more credit than it ever got.

and check out this gem i stumbled upon...

if your air band is in need of a drummer, i'm your woman.

Mother LOVE!

 you will instantly forget about pain like this:

 when you experience love like this:

Curren James Urbain 

born 8.27.08 7.6 lbs 21.5 inches long @ 1:59 pm

and then our hearts grew even more than we thought was possible on 6.24.10 when Finley Sage Marie joined our family. She was 7.7 lbs 21 inches born at 11:09 am.

To my Curren: here are some of my favorite pictures of us. How to descirbe you?
My first born, energetic, up for anything, detail oriented, fun, needy, helper, unpredictable, handsome, curious, charming, good listener (most of the time!), sensitive, and most of all you are a lover-you can melt hearts REAL QUICK my little mister! 

 

 

i don't care how big you are, you will ALWAYS be my baby boy

To my Fin Fin- well I don't have very many pictures of just you and I... 2 reasons...1 you are the second child and you have gotten ripped off in that department my dear.. second reason is you haven't been around as long as Curren has!  How to describe you my little miss? Like I said in the previous blog..you are sweet, VERY sensitive, attached to me, happy, looove your brother, are always laughing at something, social, and talkative. Love you beyond words, you are such a part of me, I feel odd not having you around to be honest. Love you TONS!

You two melt my heart. I hope Curren always protects Finley as he does now, and I hope Finley always looks up to Curren and loves him- as she does now. I'm sure you two will fight down the line and piss each other off, but for now I will always hope you end up like Charlie and Lola :)

 

 

Being a mom is what you always hear, the hardest job in the world and the most rewarding- guess what the rumors are TRUE! Your heart just can't know that deep of a love until you welcome a child into your marriage.  Having kids just gives you so much purpose, you live to see your kids experience and learn, you seriously give 110% of yourself to your kids, well at least we do!  Having kids isn't for sissies, it will test your marriage big time! Pick a good partner boys and girls cause you are going to need them when the going gets tough. I am so thankful to have Ryan who is a hands on father and works hard for us, we're learning every day and trying to do our best and not mess our kids up too much! I feel very blessed on this mothers day, and am truly grateful for God's gifts to us!