May

Another wonderful wednesday. All in all it was really mellow. I had thought about taking the girls to the indoor play place, the clubhouse, because our time with marie is coming to an end and the girls love it, but the weather is just way too nice to be indoors playing.
So it was outside all day. In the pool out of the pool and always dress up.
Randy's dad got dakota a jeep several years ago and while it drives me a little nuts dakota and marie love it even if it is just sitting in it in the garage which is what they get from me. Sometimes I pull it allllll the way out of the garage for them to sit in and sometimes I just shut the garage and say NO!

But apparently while I was out running an errand randy busted it out plugged in the battery and off they went, I see visions of the future I am not so sure about.

After lunch popsicles were in order and there is something about sitting relaxing and having a popsicle that screams summer to me.

Then of course it was wednesday with the family and it was not my turn to cook, yay. Mom made yummy turkey enchiladas, beans, rice and salad. For dessert I made cherry dump pudding funny name but so good, so good with vanilla ice cream, so good cold the next day for breakfast, so good.
We all agreed that the two weeks felt a lot longer, what a great gift to not only live close to family but to really enjoy being around them. I can only hope that dakota will love being around her family as much as I do when she has a family of her own. If that is my future well then....I just don't know what to say, that would be....
Mom and Dad you are awesome and the fact that your kids look forward to seeing you weekly is says so much more than words ever could I love you.
While financial times may be hard I have the best life ever!

yesterday

It is warming up around here. Yesterday was our usual tuesday. But we had some fun before we set out I hung up some sheets to air out and the girls loved it, shadow dancing I had not thought about it but it is great when you do something seemingly benigh and the kiddos get to have fun
too.

Before I go any further I am sad to say I don't think we will being doing story time at the down town library anymore. I love going to story time but the readers there are really really really hit and miss and when it is a miss it is not good at all. The stories are too long and not at the level of the audience so it is hard to tell dakota to sit still and listen to the story when I know she can't get into the story. And so I have this sadness of really wanting to support the library but at the same time the reader at barnes and noble was awesome, she got the kids up and moving and read great books and was an enthusiastic when she read. My big dilemma.
We had a visit with Karni, which was great, junebug is head down engaged yay. The girls always love going and helping with the doppler and measuring.
So then we did story time and the park and then sierra picked marie up at the park and dakota and I headed home. When we got home the pool was ready and waiting for dakota and it was somewhat warm because of the sunshine.
Dakota does not like to be cold in water (see swimming lesson posts) so it was great for her. A little while later randy found this guy so dakota had some fun checking him out before putting him back.


And look my corn is sprouting yay!

Cleaning the dirt.

Dakota must be feeling my nesting that has kicked in because today she was out cleaning her house.






And I am 34 weeks. I love it I am feeling good and just in a great place. What I don't like if I can be mildly lame for a moment is the pregnancy mask I have going on, me no likey.

A fun weekend with my girlie

Saturday randy headed out to get fitted for a tux for the wedding of his best friend next month so dakota and I had a mommy and kota day.
We started off with gymnastics, where she cracks me up, because she loves doing flips on my legs but flat out refuses to do them on the bar at gymnastics.
She loves going though just no bar flipping. She and her buddy addy do the class together. Little miss addy is almost a year younger than dakota but she has her training wheels off her bike. We met them at the park a couple weekends ago and I thought dakota might be into it, nope, no way, not going to happen. She likes her training wheels and they are not going anywhere.
After gymnastics we headed over to lakeshore for their free saturday craft. She made a little sombrero. It is a great free little activity that we have gotten in the habit of doing every saturday. They have done some really fun things and did I mention it is free!!!!
Then we headed to the park to build up an even bigger appetite.
Dakota, I think, talked to everyone there. I met a mom who was also expecting so it was fun to chit chat with her. We talked about our upcoming births and birth centers and home births.
It is really interesting that there is not a bigger push to have birthing centers attached to our local hospitals. I mean it seems like that would be the choice for so many people. We can hope for the future.
Then it was off to urban cafe for lunch, yummy, we split a sandwich. I got what I always get kind of forgetting that it is on the spicier side but dakota didn't seem bothered in the least, yay.
After urban cafe it was to marble slab for ice cream, it is right next door how could we not. I am not usually a chocolate fan. Let me rephrase that I like chocolate but not chocolate ice cream and if I am having in the solid form I prefer it with something else like chocolate and peanut butter or chocolate and vanilla ice cream or chocolate and caramel. But we got the swiss chocolate ice cream with marshmallows, chocolate chips and almonds and it was really good, really good.
After we devoured the ice cream we headed over to barnes and noble. Friday night we went to their story time and they mentioned they would be having a mothers day tea party with story time, curious george, a short performance from the local high school, and crafts and tea and cookies. The performance was a little preview of a show VHS is doing in a couple of weeks, a musical. It was really good and I am thinking I will take dakota to the whole show, she watched them wide eyed and was obviously very into it.
After that she got her picture with george.
She was not really that into the crafts she really wanted to look around and read books.

Then we headed home.
But we weren't there long.
We headed over to our friends brock, gretchen and kyra's house. Dakota and kyra are bff.
They play great together and have known each other all their lives. We adults played some wii, very amusing.
And then as if that wasn't enough time with our buddies they came over today for some play time and they came with a new dress for the little lady. So cute.

I was trying out a recipe randy and I had seen on food network a pizza, one had turkey meatballs and a white sauce the other was a s'mores pizza complete with marshmallows, chocolate, graham crackers and almonds. They were both good, but not knock your socks off tell the world, but hey that is why you try new things right?
A really great weekend.

we have had some fun

I would really like to find my blogging rhythm again. When I am not being a diligent blogger I don't take as many pictures and I love looking at pictures. In the mean time I will try to remember what we have been up to.
A few weeks back me and dakota headed up to the ty warner sea center in santa barbara with our friends andi and mia and it was really great. Just the right size for dakota and mia. Dakota is so funny when we go to places like that because she gets so excited her body wants to move that excited fast, she wants to see everything as fast as she can.
It is hard to explain to her to slow down and enjoy each thing. Dakota got to touch a real shark and sea cucumbers and starfish, really great. Unfortunately my camera battery died two pictures into the trip. After the sea center we walked across the street to the great park there. We had a nice lunch, ha, the park was in view (our mistake) so the girls were itching to go play. We stayed there for awhile then headed over to the carousel and took a ride. Then it was off to crushcakes, for some yumminess. Dakota and I got the crushcake, the peace cake and a lemon all were very tasty but the frosting was too much for me personally if you can believe that. I love my sugar but I am very picky about frosting, there is a level of sweetness that is too much for me. I know that doesn't sound possible but it is.
And thanks to my awesome mom I got my garden planted and have started getting my backyard looking better. Last year me, derek and tisha, and my parents all had our gardens but we didn't really think about because we all grew the same stuff and really how many zucchinis can one family go through.
So this year we planned it all out so we have a bigger variety and we will do a swap on our wednesday dinners, brilliant I say. So with the big ol' round belly I was having some trouble getting going, so mom came over and helped me get the ball rollings and now I am on a roll, yay. Thank you mama I love you.
Then today we just had a really nice day. Randy was home and he packed us (me, dakota and marie) into the car for a surprise trip to a new park we hadn't been to yet and it was so fun.
He ran around with the girls playing pirates and going to a new park is just so fun. Then as if that wasn't enough he took us to in & out for lunch, sweet daddy.

The evening was topped off with a girls night out. My mom came over and took dakota and I to dinner, we went to cappricio's.
For the last three years I have done the ventura county aids walk and for the last three years cappricio's hosts a kick off night where they donate 20% of the evening to the walk so for the last three years me and dakota and my mom have gone and it was soooo yummy and for a great cause.
So that is the latest and greatest hopefully I find my rhythm again.

and all the while I am growing....watch out june here we come.

Dakotas first and best date ever!

A while back I was reading someone else's blog I am pretty sure it was nienie and she wrote about one of her daughters getting an invitation to go on a date with her godparents. And so I shared the story with uncle derek and aunt tisha.
Two weeks ago dakota got an invitation in the mail for a night out with her aunt and uncle.
She was thrilled to say the least.
For the last two weeks I have been answering on a daily basis when the date would be.
And then today, the day was finally here
dakota woke up around 630 and from that point on at least once an hour..."when are uncle derek and aunt tisha going to be here?"
Clock winding down from a long day and they arrive at 545
car seat installed
hugs and kisses passed out
and off they went.
I should have given them my camera but then it might not have been their special time.
They went to sushi and from what i was told she tried everything but was a little too excited to really "eat".
Then it was off for frozen yogurt and a trip to the beach.
She arrived home happy and more in-love with her aunt and uncle, if that is possible.
There is nothing like quality time to make the heart grow fonder.
Thanks you guys she had an awesome time!

Easter Sunday

I love my life. It may be hard or frustrating or this that and the other thing at times but all in all I am a really happy person.
How do kids know to wake up extra early on special mornings?
Dakota was up with the sun ready to see if the easter bunny had come to visit... and sure enough he had.
Or they had according to dakota there is both a boy and a girl easter bunny and they currently have babies that they brought along as well. Also according to dakota they came into her room and gave her kisses and then the girl bunny gave daddy a kiss and I got kisses from both. I love the stories she tells.
So up with the sun to an easter basket with toys and candy. I tried really hard to not go over board and I would give myself a C. On saturday me and my girlfriend went out to get goodies and I bought stuff and then realized I didn't need half the things I bought, well dakota didn't and so I took the stuff back. HA I had my friend do it because I was embarrassed having just left the store 20 minutes earlier. I love you Dione!
Dakota was thrilled and then it was off to the backyard to look for eggs.

After the fun at our house we headed to gaggi and papa's for breakfast and more easter fun. Derek and Tisha came and my mom and dad hid eggs not only for dakota but for the adults too. Guess what was in the adult eggs...$$$$$ goooooo team moore.
Randy found a lot but I opened them so doesn't that make it mine?
We had a great breakfast and some more chocolate and then headed home.
The rest of the day was pretty mellow. That is until Superhero Dakota showed up and she was very busy swinging from swing to swing saving the queen and just being a superhero.


Happy Easter Everyone.