End Scene . . . Thank you and goodnight!

Parker is so Mutha Fricken AWESOME . . . that's ok to say right? Tonight was his first preformance with his Kindergarten class, Mrs. Brown class of '07' WHOOOO . . . Go Mrs. Browns class Heeeey.



I laughed so hard tears made it hard to record but I did it . . . most of it. HilFREAKINlarious! Parker with his fish out of water T-shirt that claims "I'm off the hook" thowin peace signs to the audience. Pure comedy . . . by the way the rumor that Parker really belongs to a shy family are put to rest once and for all. He does have Dana blood running through his veins. Right ON!!! I'm doin it for the Moms and he's doin it for the 6 year olds GO PARKER!!!!!!

Happy Birthday ME

What an AWESOME Birthday!!!!

Thanks to my girls for traveling near and far for wine and giggles to celebrate my 24th Birthday (shhhhh . . . or so JT says). I had a BLAST! Lunch with my sister salads and mimosa's then off to grab Steph at the airport. HI Steph BIG HUGS!!! Off to the hotel Angeleno with an awesome view of the 405 sounds lame, but really if your in LA you gotta see the freeway move at night it's quite amazing. Our room was GREAT, but we quickly headed to the pool and had our first glass of wine, not to be our last. Ready to get ready we headed to room 815 and put on tunes and more giggling. Knock, knock HI Kristie. We chit chat and head off to the Standard Hotel for drinks and ambiance. I TOTALLY loved the drive. Seeing the Whiskey and all the famous little legends were born spots along the way. Trying to imagine how much history actually exists in all these little dives. WONDERFUL!!! Had our drinks and learned the life story of our cocktail waiter in five flat. We move to dinner at the Republic off La Cienega. Belaying wine angels and a fun table (thanks Charlie and Phillip) we start with appetisers of Lobster corn dogs and some totally awesome shrimp some thing with Polenta YUM!!!!!! Dinner was and Osterage steak and desert choc souffle and cheese cake. AWWWWWWW . . . HEAVEN! Back to the hotel . . . but first Kristie you must lick your plate and wait we're not done with that mac 'n cheese and creamed spinach, oh well.

I had such a good time. Thanks to Carrie for ALWAYS making my Birthdays SO special you are the best. Steph for coming all the way here for one night and helping SO much and Kris for getting out and almost exploding for a good time, oh and for being the taxi. Love you all 31 done what are you guys doing for 32? I say SPA!!!!!!

MOVING UNDERWATER

This is where you will find us for the next year or so. If you live close please come visit. Can't wait for more memories.

SO SAD DISNEY DAYS GONE!!!

Disney Days are almost over and as we wipe our little mouse tears we now move on to Aquarium passes. It's been a good three year go of Disney, but we gotta move on and hopefully Walt won't mind. We will promise to keep in touch and whenever we feel like spending unnecessary amounts of $ we will save and visit. Walt has been so good to us. He encouraged Parker to grow tall enough to finally ride space mountain and Indiana Jones, well that and the three pairs of socks he had on, but bygones. Walt helped us have so many AWESOME memories. Parker's second Birthday, running around with Cohen in my Tummy, visits with family and friends, late night fireworks, Parker's Jedi training, Halloween decorations, Christmas snow and so many pictures. It's why I began to love Southern Ca. He put in Nemo for Cohen and gave Andy patience to wait in line. Plus the candy. Walt gave Mommy sanity on 'what the hell are we gonna do' days and the Nestle cookie ice cream sandwich C'mon. I always packed lunch but would scrounge for the $4 ice cream sandwich $. So THANKS Disney Family we will miss you, but we have some underwater sea life to get to know. WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It really is the happiest place on earth.

Sistas

WOW . . .

I never thought the day would come when my sister was the best friend a girl could ask for. Years of torment and pleading for the permission to be befriended by her and taken is as "cool enough for Carrie". Ins and OUTS, highs and LOWS, what I have seen, what she has seen. Together and APART. Time healed wounds and sent MANY e-mails. Sisters grew and so did women. Two people so different, yet so connected sailed on a life raft together through childhood, tears, smiles and unknown not knowing that one day we would together become the boat that would rescue each other to a safe harbor. I love my sister so deeply I can't imagine WHO or WHAT I would be without her. She has seen me raw and unaware and did not run. She actually likes WHO I am. STRONG and INDEPENDENT, bitchy and manipulative (she's my sister I can say that) I know her too. Our faults make our strengths shine in each other. By the way we can laugh our asses off and let music change our mood. We live in each other. Plus shes a kick ass Mom.We are sisters!

KINDERGARTEN ROCKS!!!

Parker's FIRST Birthday and . . . NOW

So it finally arrived . . . the first day of Kindergarten. Parker woke at 7 am and came out of his room fully dresses rubbing his eyes asking "is it time to go yet?" I LOVE him and his Parkerness. Excitement, fear, nerves and pure relief swept our home this morning as Mommy, Daddy, Parker and Cohen took the two block walk to school today. Parker skipped the whole way NO JOKE.

His teachers name? Ms. Brown. We stopped a woman looking official and talking to a group of other mommies at the doors to the school. I plainly asked where Ms. Browns room was when Parker squeezed my hand and said there she is Mommy. His long fingers pointing in the face of a black woman setting to to drop off her Little ones too. "there's Ms. Brown Mom". Feeling a bit embarrassed I kinda giggled and thankfully so did they. "Just cause her skin is brown does not mean her name is Ms. Brown . . . silly" I said shrugging it off and moving along. Still can't even send little Parkey off to school without some comedy. He really shined FIVE this morning.

My heart does not ache in his absence (c'mon Mom's lets get real) but rather in the fear somehow I have sent him off without the proper tools to "make it happen" for himself. Time will tell and I am READY to help him "make it happen" for himself. It's rather strange knowing time is where it is and the time that has past is really in the past. Just yesterday he was starting Kindergarten and he was not ready and we pulled him out never knowing in reality some day he would really have to try again. This time he was up dressed and ready to go before breakfast . . . what a difference a year makes.

So here we are and here we go YIPEEE . . . phew.

Is it three yet and where is my glass is wine?

Love Dana Mommy of a Kindergartener

PS First PTA meeting the 11 th that's a whole other blog.

Fast Summer

Summer is nearing it's end and the boys have grown SO very much.

I keep pretending time is going slow, but I get the boys pictures taken and time tells in the photos. Parker is a "real boy" or shall I say kid and Cohen is no longer fit for baby, but toddler. Mommies wrinkles are deeper and I am more tired today than yesterday. Thank God for the twilight years to come, finally I will get a break!

Today was another WONDERFUL Mom day of AM park with a trail hike. Watching Parker yell "keep up" and Cohen stopping to pretend to smell the flowers. The sun was hot and I feared of not enough water and sunblock not of what True Hollywood Story was on next (thank you TIVO). I was more concerned with germs on the swings than the sweat dripping off my NO makeup wearin' 30 year old (almost 31) face. I slathered the kids in 50 block and realized when we got to the car my shoulders were a bit more than kissed from the sun . . . oops . . . again. We came home and the boys reluctantly napped. Instead of sleeping myself ON SATURDAY I might add. Mom called Netflix and looked up "What a tortoise owner needs to know" on the Internet, cleaned the bathroom, pre made lunch and dreamed of it being 6 pm so I could guilelessly have a glass of wine.

When the boys awoke I found myself nervous of them having too much sleep and not going to bed at a decent hour, so back to the park we went. Hitting an imaginary home run and doing secret hand shakes when you slide in to home. Teaching Cohen to yell "hey batta, batta" and listening to toddler cursing "awe man" when he dropped his water in the dirt. By the way when I say dirt I mean the red sandlot dirt in their nose, ears, hair all the while Cohen having a turd in his diaper. Home to change the stinker.

Andy's gone so Mamma no cookin'! Chic-fill-a for dinner and to have then run more in the parasite infested play structure. Whatever, Dads been gone for a week. No sleep or a small parasite? Small Parasite it is.

Came home popcorn and Peter Pan. Mamma smells like BO kids get a bath. Water the Garden and grass . . . hurry lawn grow.

6 pm WINE AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW . . .

only and hour and a half till stories, kisses, songs, hugs, and sleep.

Saturday done . . . Sunday on the way.

Love you all

Dana

My NEWBE post

Well I am an official "blogger" now, I guess. This is just the next best way to share my thoughts and "what not" with the friends and family near and far and c'mon who doesn't need a good Parker story now and again?
UPDATE:
We have had a CRAZY summer traveling to Tahoe and up to Alaska for a action packed vacation. Now we are back in LA anticipating the beginning (again) of Kindergarten and weeping at the pending end of Summer.
Parker starts kindergarten the first week of September and is ecstatic. While we were on our Summer travels Parker also got his first loose tooth, but even more surprising was the one adult one growing behind it. Parker is also a TOTAL Lego Star Wars fan with a on and off again relationship with Pirates and skeletons. He LOVES to swim and is doing so well that this summer was his first willing trip ALONE into the deep end with my sister's pool cleaner named Charlie (don't ask). Then it was cannon balls off the diving board. Now I am complete and my oldest baby is water safe . . . kinda. We have been seeing a behavioral therapist suggested by Parker's pediatrician and pre-school teacher, but as hard as they try to label him with some disorder or syndrome he always falls right on the line of maybe this maybe not. Andy and I tend to lean toward our son is just SUPER active with an amazing imagination that goes for days. He "just wants to dance"! His "problems" with sitting still we hope with time will work itself out and he will get the routine of school is not ALL play. We will see.
Cohen is 18 months now and will do ANYTHING Parker does regardless of the repercussions. Including a long walk off a short pier as long as Parker or "Kaker" is leading the way. Cohen has NO balance and even though he was walking sooner, he still trips on his own big feet. His Nickname is Coco like the monkey or Grace cause of his lack thereof. His new sentence that I hear often is "Are you kidding me"? and most of the time I'm not. He is beautiful, funny and has a fascination with the Wiggles and Curious George. Plus he has a mean ass boogie. I am amazed every day how durable and pliable the number two child is.
Andrew is hard at work and is anticipating a week long trip he will be taking this month to Scotland for work. Yeah, that's gotta suck. Mommy stays home, but I got the Alaska trip so you win some and kinda loose some. Andrew is happy with Daddy duties and we jump to Disneyland as much as we can for an evening get away.
I am doing pretty good with Mom junk. Summer camp is coming up for Parker (can you say break?) and juggling doctors visits with nap and shopping can some times be monotonous, but at the end of the day the giggles and stress turn into small memories that lead to my kids childhood. So I will suffer the momentary lack there of in "Dana" filled activities to enjoy the here and now for my kids. Time will tell what trouble I can get into after my boys are off and running.
Today has passed and I am already packing snacks for tomorrow keeping my sense of humor and making the best of the best.
It's 3:30pm is today over YET!