SF for the weekend... Husband and Wife!

We decided to plan a quick getaway in less than 2 weeks... And it worked! Marsh (grandma) started out committing to one night and we asked for more. She obliged which was super duper awesome!

We started our adventure off at my favorite restaurant, Chez Panisse in Berkeley. We literally rolled up at 2:59 with reservations at 3. I was stressing a little but it all worked out. Even though we were really hungry I couldn't decide on a salad so I just waited patiently for my main. The spring pasta dish was finger licking good, and the mushrooms were so meaty.

In our 10 years together we were pretty sure that we haven't eaten here together. Although I think we may have about 9-10 years ago. Come on that was a while ago! So yum! Love watching the crew in the open kitchen prep everything.

We didn't really have an agenda which was really great. The only place we needed to be was the ball park at 5 on Saturday night. My priorities were: see something pretty, get some exercise in, and connect with Chris. Check, check, check! We walked to the ferry building on Saturday, took in the farmer's market, and sat outside on the back deck area for a while.

We had a bench to ourselves for a while~ quiet, calm, peaceful, good for the soul.

After a relaxing lunch at an organic cafe near the Ferry building, we decided to walk some more, and walked down to the ball park. My dad purchased a family brick that I had never seen in person. We looked for a while and then found it.

Because, you know, CB2 is us, Chris/Chelsea :). a General contracting business. Kinda works both ways, ha!

I did clock the second half of our walk that day, from the Ferry building, to the ball park, and then to our hotel. Round trip it was about 7 miles. We soaked up some vitamin D that day. Little did we know we would add another 3 miles later on!

We got to the park early so Chris could go through his routine. He likes to go try to catch balls when the teams are warming up. It was a new experience for me, I made sure to pay attention. I grabbed the backpack and ran a few times for fear of a ball hitting me!

Our seats were by the Braves side bull pen, second row. It was RAD!

WE ARE HAPPY! To be free and reconnect is pretty sweet!!

Oh! Look who also made it!!! My sister! Jac and Colin actually cooked up this weekend and that is what inspired me to copycat them and make our own getaway! You can see how sweet the seats were!

All four of us freezing our tushies off but having a great time (despite the giants loss...)

KISS CAM!

After the game we walked back (more steps!) to Jac's car since Chris and I had taken a taxi. Chris had some friends who were also visiting the city so we decided to go for it and met up with them at the tipsy pig. The boys couldn't handle my flash and look like deer in the headlights here.

We went to a teensy cozy yummy restaurant both mornings called farm:table. The "restaurant" had literally one small square communal farm table. Our second morning we ordered what we should have ordered the first morning- daily toast (focaccia with marscapone, fresh fruit, and pistachios... SO GOOD! Everyone at the table was visiting SF- one side of the table from Santa Monica, and the other from Spain. The couple from LA was having remorse for ordering a pastry. I reassured them no judgement from my department. We cozied up, took down this breakfast, and really enjoyed spending quiet meals together. We rarely sit together for any period of time, and we did this a lot in the 48 hours we were gone. It was so priceless!

This sew happened!

Yes... I did finish those aprons, it was really fun to work on a project again. I finished them last week. Once the fabric is cut, the sewing and pressing really only takes about 40 minutes per apron. The sewing machine is still out on the kitchen table.... and the sink is usually full of dirty dishes.... BUT presents were made and they turned out cute.

 Aprons are pretty hard to photograph unless you have a model. My model was brushing his teeth.

 The tomato cage did just fine! The aprons are reversible, so the other side is the polka dots with farm critters for the pocket. This is for the assistant teacher, Miss Teri's daughter Brittani.

 They were pressed and then I folded them, so don't mind the large fold down the middle! This is the one for his teacher, the bigger animals and the plain pocket.

I forgot to edit this photo, but it turned out kinda fun with the garden lettuce (and weeds?) as well as my makeshift scarecrow (straw hat on a stick) in the background.

Thank you Heidi for believing in me and thinking I would finish them!

The main takeaway from this post is that Owen's last day of preschool is Thursday! He will be going off to kindergarten! WOWOW!!

The hearts of my life

Sometimes I can't believe I'm a mom, but other times it could not be more real. After coming out of the sleep deprivation cave for a little while (rough week of wakeful night...) I can proudly say that most energetic challenges have been eased by a bit more sleep. 

This one is such a snuggler~ this was taken on a no nap morning so she was cashing it in late in the day. 

Mother's Day at the Argonaut Cafe~ we go to this cafe often, but it was such a special trip last year I wanted to repeat the ritual. 

Last Mother's Day O was healing up, it was a big outing for him and us. What a blessed year we've had. I sometimes can't believe he has actually endured so much~ his spirit is calm and at peace in his daily routine. He does have some worries, fears, and anxieties that do plague him. I guess that's part of being a child. But for him, he has more reason for fears, there is no way to emerge from his trek without it changing him. 

These two~ love when we get magazines. Ara enjoys following Bubba's lead, climbing into the patio chair and perusing her catalogue. 

This photo was from last night. We've been under the weather over here, and Ara had been much better the last few days. Her snarky behavior never ceased! I've been gone way more than usual training for my new job. It's been a bit easier energetically to observe and learn a new system. (Versus my usual routine with the kids.) But oh how I missed them and my usual routine. I'm so happy that I'm mostly home with them. This new job does require 1 full day of work per week, in addition to my monday job. It sounds like a wonderful balance between work/home. Chris picked up where I could not this week~ a few awesome comments from him  like "You do that EVERY Thursday?" Were nice to hear:). 

In another week my new schedule should start, and we will fully realize his new schedule as well. Chris looks forward to sleeping in a bit I can tell you that right now!

To add to the morning demands, about 2 months ago I signed up for 2 10k races two Saturday's in a row. So leaving the house 7-8am m-f plus Saturday's can get a little old when your work day ends at 12am... Sorry honey! I keep trying to get him to drink coffee but he's not a fan. 

Sewing attempt

I just attempted to sew at bedtime after a many month crafting hiatus. 

Turns out I can sew much straighter with more sleep on board. Also no red wine was involved in the crafting session tonight, which may also help! 

I'm working on aprons for Owens teachers. They were supposed to be xmas gifts and I never made them. Owen missed his xmas party due to a cold so I didn't even stress about it. But I really want to thank them for giving him such. Great care and helping us out of our bubble. 

Well it was fun but short lived. Ara just woke and I'm rocking her typing away. A cold and multiple molars coming in kinda stinks for her this week. 

I will resume crafting tomorrow night. My dad and I were talking today about our desires to create things and cook.... About how we can forget the work involved (his was his tamale project he took on today), or become over zealous (usually me, making everything from scratch then running out of dishes and creating a monstrous mess!). 

But it's what we do, we will keep doing, and enjoying. Mess making, tamale steaming, sewing pins in the food pantry for months, and homemade messes and granola. 

The kitchen or garden is where I'd like to be. Although I don't know too many people who would say they love the laundry room or guest bath~ I really do LOVE to make things from scratch or grow food from seed. 

NEWS FLASH

I've taken a break from blogging for a week or so but we have been in a huge transition around here. There are many things changing in our world which is a good thing. I think the most exciting thing is that Arabelle started SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!! It has been about 2 weeks so I think it's safe to say/hope that it will stick. I/we have had many mini breakdowns over the last year due to lack of sleep, trying different sleep tactics, etc, and I had my last one (hopefully for a loooong time!!!) a couple weeks ago.

Once again, I decided to try to mix it up. Jac helped me come up with a long list of things I could change. The funny thing was there wasn't any big change we did so maybe she was just ready?
We increased the nighttime temp of the house to 70, added a long layer of jammies underneath her fuzzy jammies (versus a long sleeved onesie), no breastfeeding after bedtime if she wakes up, and lavender essential oil in a diffuser for 4 hours at the beginning of bedtime. Oh and if she wakes, give her at least 5 minutes if not 10 before we go in to soothe her.

IT WORKED. As in she has only woke up 1-2 times per week versus 2-3 times per night!!

We are starting to wear different life glasses I say... Getting deeper sleep feels real nice, and I have to say I don't dread bedtime as much as I used to.

Other news...

Chris has a new position! He now has a charge RN position in the same ED. He has been doing charge RN coverage a few times per month but this means only charge shifts. The good news is that the position is 8 hour shifts. The bad news is that it is 8 hour shifts, he's going from 36 per week to 24. So we shift, adjust, and he picks up shifts when he can. We are excited to have more of daddy home, and for longer periods of time too since he doesn't need to leave home until 130pm versus 930am.

I'm also slated to start a new gig in a few weeks, working with a local pediatrician in her office. So excited to be a part of another great practice and see patients I may not be able to see in private practice. This will offset some of Chris's hours a little bit.

We put our llama Fudgy down this week. He has had a few health issues but more recently we kept finding him stuck on the ground, almost paralyzed on one side. After some help rolling over he would get up and slowly walk around. We thought it was arthritis and attempted to treat him. But catching a grumpy llama and sneaking him a pill daily (hidden in a carrot) proved to be very stressful on Fudgy. Our neighbors called us checking on our animals as they heard his warning noises (used towards Chris!) Between the vet visits, attempting to treat him, rolling him over, as well as digging the hole for his burial, we have put quite some time and funds into the guy. He was for sure suffering this last week so it was time. RIP Fudgy.

Owen lost his first tooth. This is super cool information if you're a parent, otherwise it's just kinda weird that parents make a big deal about this. He was leery about a fairy coming into his room while he was sleeping so he left his tooth outside of his room, on the hamper. It is kinda weird to think about, huh?!

The rest of the Vegas Trip

Vegas was a lot of fun with the family. We barely had time to explore the timeshare, Owen swam just 2 times in the pool. We really weren't there very much.

 Papa and Owen with the statue man.

 The boys thought he was weird then scary then funny.

 Our crew walking around the casinos.

 Thank you Damon Bradshaw for everything. This was on the first day (of 3) that the drivers were around for the public.

 Owen and Ryan Anderson.

 The trucks raced for time a quick half lap and jump to qualify.

 Everyone had a great time. Ara was much more interested when trucks were racing... The down time did not hold her attention so we walked and I wore her around a bit.

 The popcorn kept her busy for a good 20 minutes.

 This boy was in heaven! He was so excited he was licking his chapped lips like crazy..

 Resting Arabelle at a post-bedtime race.

 Awaiting the parade

The crew at the second night of racing.

Ara and I missed the third night of racing due to her having a fever of 104. We stayed in, walked to the gift store, watched Maid in Manhattan, and packed up most of our stuff. Then mama had a popcorn and wine night and watched the Pioneer Woman. It was relaxing although I was bummed to miss the Freestyle competition. Owen and Chris didn't get back to our room until 11... It was good we stayed home.

The ride home was long but we were so grateful for our awesome housesitters. Chris actually took the passenger seat for the second half of the drive. As always it's awesome to get away but so nice to come home!

Make a Wish event

Chris had a connection at work whose husband used to race dirt bikes with a now professional monster truck driver. He contacted him, who contacted someone who contacted Chris who set us up with a group of kiddos via Make a Wish. We have not pursued anything like this but we were grandfathered in in a way... I guess the kids we were going with were in a chapter locally, but there were also some from Mississippi, so I'm not quite sure. Basically given Owen's heart history the driver connected us to this awesome event.

We were so excited as well...I was rallying the kids up, saying thumbs up, and Ara put all of 'em up.

 We got to the stadium early and the kids were good. They tend to behave well when I would expect them not to, which is nice!

Also, while we were waiting, Ara saw this sweet little girl and walked up to her. The other little girl knelt down and hugged her, and Ara hugged her right back. They stayed there for at least a minute, just hugging on each other. I took it in for a while, then pulled out my camera, since I was so prepared for documenting. The girls loved each other. Turns out, her name was Arabella. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? It was so crazy. What a sweet family they were. It was just serendipitous that the girls would hug it out for so long. Brings tears to my eyes thinking about it again.

 Once in, they got to meet pretend monster truck driver guys dressed as the real ones. Both kids were a little nervous of the large headed men. I don't blame them.

 Of course we all had to get in there for a picture.

 Another family photo op.

Owen had an opportunity to ride inside a monster truck. These trucks are designed to carry many kids and parents. We didn't really give him the option, and he followed me onto the truck. (Chris has been suffering from a weird vertigo-migraine thing lasting 1.5 weeks at that time so we had decided that I would ride with O). It was pretty crazy! It was only 2 minutes or so, thank goodness, as It was bumpy, windy, dizzy, wow... I was a little car sick myself. I thought that the drivers would take it easy, especially with special needs kids, but they sure didn't! It was quite a ride.

 Owen saw this monster truck driver, Nicole, and wow, he was so into her he kissed her on the cheek! He was all about it! She loved it.

 What a ladie's man!

 Next up we walked to a different part of the pits for the meet and greet of the drivers. As we were walking up, Owen spotted Cam McQueen and says "Hi, Cam McQueen!!" Cam was stoked as well, especially kinda cool that a 4.5 year old knows you by your face!

 At this point I was wearing Ara in the ergo carrier, filming with my left hand and taking digital photos with my right, as well as breaks to be in the moment. It was just AWESOME! We were on such highs, and starstruck with and for Owen.

He was just looking around the crowd, recognizing faces.

 He knows the drivers as he watched the monster truck DVDS during hospitalizations and not fun doctors appointments. That is the reason why he can recognize them and call them by names. When they drive they are all covered up with helmets and such. But on the dvd's they take their helmets off and talk about their races.

For some reason, 2 years ago, Owen decided that the truck Bounty Hunter was his favorite. Don't get me wrong, Jim Creten is an awesome driver, but for a 2 year old to say with confidence that his favorite truck (or thing for that matter) was Bounty Hunter, without even knowing what an actual Bounty Hunter was, was pretty funny. He has been his fave for years, so we were all excited to meet him. He was especially tender to Owen.

 Also pictured, Candace Jolly, one of the female racers. (yes I know most of them by name as well). If you are boggled still, think of how most kids or girls like disney characters.
Disney characters: most kids : : Monster truck drivers: Owen. Does that make sense now??

 Here is Dennis Anderson, the Gravedigger Driver. If you know one monster truck it is usually gravedigger.

 Max D driver was really awesome as well. He invited Owen up into the monster truck. I didn't see any other kid get this opportunity. Owen was STOKED!!

 Lifted him right up,

 Owen has to sit alone, there is only one seat in there.

 See through floor so they can see the ground when they are jumping.

 Damon Bradshaw, our connection and friend. He was awesome, checked in with us, and made sure we were getting great treatment. He puts on an awesome show, and he is for sure another top fave!

 Hugs from Cam

 Two happy guys!

This was a dream come true for O, so of course it was for us as well. We were all so happy and on such a high. There is nothing like seeing your kid in their element. Owen was looking around the crowd, for the next driver, so thrilled to be there, so happy to meet the people he had only seen on screen before. What an amazing event Make A Wish put together!