It's my job

I love being a stay-at-home mom. I also love being a freelance stage manager. Every year, I work on Stadium of Fire, and it is always a wonderful week of hard, hard work. I thought the show was especially good this year- especially the fireworks. I ran the stage this year and had a blast doing it. The Beach Boys put on an exciting show, and while most of the Beach Boys and their band took off right after their set, Mike Love stayed backstage with us and enjoyed the fireworks. Scotty McCreery and his band also had a great set and were wonderful to work with. I never get a chance to take too many pictures, but here are a few from show day.

Decked out in my SM Gear

Taken during the fireworks while ash and fallout was raining upon me.

Hanging out backstage with the host, Alex Boye

Birdcage Makeover

It's not really a makeover post unless you see the "before" pictures, but I forgot to take them. :(

At the last fleaology sale that I told you all I was very excited about, I found a great bird cage and metal stand. They were separate pieces, but I knew they'd go well together and look great in my living room. I spray painted them both with a hammered gun metal grey finish and affixed the bird cage on top of the stand. The combination was something that could easily have been sold for at least 3x what I paid for it. Yay for being cheap!

Calvin and I each made a bird to go in it.

Catchup

I have so much to update, but it's always a matter of getting my pictures and such in order. I will make a concerted effort this week to update though. Things that are happening:

Stadium of Fire was such a great show to work on this year!
Linus is almost 11 months old. (Crazy!)
I got in an accident and got 5 fractures in my spine...

So, things are a little crazy right now. I will begin playing catchup soon.

Tulip Fest

I didn't use to like flowers all that much. Maybe it's because I grew up in Arizona and didn't really see them much or maybe it's because I was a determined Tomboy for  most of my life. When I went to Japan, that all changed. Flowers run rampant there. On Hokkaido, I saw fields of lavender and tulips and dozens of other flowers I don't know the names of. Everyone's front yards were painstakingly maintained and absolutely beautiful.

I remember very clearly one day as I rode past a house in Hakodate whose lawn was filled with tulips. Hundreds of tulips of all shapes and sizes and colors covered the lawn. I was speechless. It was beautiful. I actually started tearing up and taking pictures like crazy. I noticed that my indifference towards flowers had definitely changed. 

  

Every year the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point comes and goes. I have always wanted to go, but I always miss it. Not this year. This year, my friend and I went and it did not disappoint. I wish I had a better camera.

  

"I am big three!"

The big three-year-old! I am not sure what this pose is.

I cannot believe that I have been a mother for three years already. I know I am not saying anything new, but time really does fly. Here are some of his favorite things! I used his quotes most of the time, unless he would only give me a nonsense answer (his best friend is not "popsicle friend"??).

1. What is your favorite color? red
2. What is your favorite toy? my garbage truck (he likes that it makes a cat sound and he says he's throwing away a cat)
3. What is your favorite fruit? bananas
4. What is your favorite tv show? Wonder Pets
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? peanut butter and jelly
6. What is your favorite outfit? my orange shark shirt and blue shorts
7. What is your favorite game? Candyland, Hi-Ho-Cherry-o, UNO, Blockus, and Jenga
8. What is your favorite snack? fruit snacks
9. What is your favorite animal? cute, little animals (he loves baby animals)
10. What is your favorite song? Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
11. What is your favorite book? The Little Engine That Could
12. Who is your best friend? Linus
13. What is your favorite cereal? "moldy green" Cheerios (multi-grain)
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? swing on the swings
15. What is your favorite drink? pink juice
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas and Halloween and Easter time too
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Mooch, Mike, and Lizard
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Pancakes!
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? a pizza cake
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? a tiger


We celebrated his birthday while we were at Disneyland, and he reveled in the festivities all weekend as each cast member wished him a "happy birthday!" We opened his presents at IHOP, where they made him a custom Sad Face pancake. He is obsessed with sadness. He finds pictures of people being sad in every book, draws sad faces, and even asks the people at Costco to draw a sad face instead of a happy face as they check our receipt at the exit. Since sad faces seem to be harder to come by than happy faces, he was very excited that this pancake came out sad. He's such a funny guy.

Calvin's custom Sad Face pancake

Developmentally, he is astounding. He has been potty-trained for a few months now (even through the night!). He has the most imaginative play with all of his toys and stuffed animals. He knows all of his letters (upper and lowercase), and is working on sounding out words. He talks SO much and has the most amazing vocabulary. He seems to understand pretty adult concepts, which sometimes makes Tyler and me expect him to be more mature than he is. We often have to remind ourselves that he is only three. He sings along to almost every song we sing (and knows all the words), and tells the most amazing stories. He is so polite and sweet, and I just can't wait to see what this life has to offer this wonderful boy! Can you tell that I am just bonkers over my little boy? I love him so much.

He wrote his name for the first time! 5/1/2012

I Just Love This Place

In April, we made our first trip to Disneyland as a family of four. We met my mom and sisters there and had so much fun (as always). We had been talking to Calvin about our Disneyland trip for WEEKS, so he was very excited to go. Every night before bed, he would ask us to tell him a story about Calvin and Linus going to Disneyland. We would describe everything in great detail, so he was ecstatic when the day arrived!

Morning Day 1. He is SO excited!

First ride! He is nervous and excited! I am also amazed that I timed this shot so well!

I was a little worried about being at Disneyland with a 8 month old baby, but Linus was a champ. In fact, I am pretty sure it was the best 2 days of his life since he would prefer to be snuggled up to me all hours of the day. I brought the wrap I made and he just snuggled against me all day. I could even scooch him down a little bit and secretly nurse him in line. I am pretty sure he would have loved to spend each day like that if it was up to him.

Sam and Cal in the boat on It's a Small World. He loved this ride.

Calvin had so much fun too! The dark rides made him nervous, but he absolutely loved the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters! He rode it 3 times and kept asking to go back. Other favorites were It's a Small World, the Jungle Cruise, and the Finding Nemo Submarines. We also watched the Jedi Training Academy, and though he was too young to be chosen as a Padawan, the instructors could feel that he was strong with the force and gave him a certificate anyway. He was very excited.

Disneyland Coke and a Churro. Two of my favorite things in the world.

Just like last year, one of the highlights was when we met Mickey. Calvin was so excited, but surprised when Mickey didn't speak to him, but was only gesturing. He must have assumed that Mickey only speaks sign language, because he quickly adapted and signed "I Love You" to him. It was so precious. I love that kid. He gave Mickey a big hug, said goodbye, and notified me on the way out that "that Mickey can't talk like the one on TV because he doesn't have a mouth that moves." Nothing gets past this kid.

Morning Day 2. He is too tired to even go in. He said he needed to sleep some more as he laid down on the esplanade.

He is starstruck as he attempts to speak to Lighting McQueen and Mater.

I wish that I had more pictures, especially ones with my dear mom and sisters, but alas, we were having too much fun to be able to take pictures.

Perhaps the best moment of the weekend was watching the fireworks, with Linus sleeping against me, and Calvin on Tyler's shoulders. Calvin ooo-ed and aaah-ed at all the "magic" that was shooting up in the air. He gasped when Tinkerbell flew down from the Matterhorn to light up the castle. He recapped the adventures that we had on all the rides. And he crashed as into his bed the moment we got back to the hotel. 

Happiest Family at the Happiest Place

Party Like It's 1999

I've been tagged by my friend Kate. Here's how it works:

THE RULES
1. Post these rules.
3. Answer the questions provided by the one who tagged you.
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag.
5. Tag 11 people.


MY ANSWERS

1. What were you doing before this? Getting caught up on TV shows. We just watched a bunch of 30 Rock and Up All Night.
2. What's your most common grocery item? Milk- it does a body good. Do we say that anymore?
3. If you could go on any vacation, what/where would it be? Well, of course Japan would be my first choice. I have wanted to go back there ever since I left. Besides Japan, it would be New Zealand because I like Hobbits, sheep, and Flight of the Conchords.
4. Paper or digital? I do a lot of digital and am not afraid of it. But when it come to reading, planning, or editing- definitely paper.
5. Favorite pair of shoes? My orange leather Born shoes.
6. What instrument do you wish you knew how to play? The banjo.
7. Would you rather smell like Limburger cheese all the time or have no teeth (and no way of replacing them)? I'd rather smell. Hopefully, my loved ones would get used to it. I feel like I have experienced having no teeth in a recurring dream that I have and it is scary. And I need my teeth to eat delicious food!
8. If you had a $1,000 shopping spree, but could only spend it at one store, what store would it be? Costco.
9. City or country? This is really hard because I like both for many reasons. I guess live a simple life in the country and then travel and play in the city.
10. Movie or song that makes you cry every time? Toy Story 3. It can be any part of the movie and even on mute for goodness sake, and I will start crying.
11. Where is your happy place? Disneyland. And the Tillamook Cheese Factory. And home.

MY QUESTIONS
1. Where is your favorite place to eat?
2. If you had a day off from your normal daily responsibilities, what would you do?
3. What is your favorite city?
4. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
5. Would you rather be in a room with 50 wasps or 50 snakes?
6. What is your favorite chore?
7. What is your least favorite chore?
8. If you could have 30 extra minutes a day to do anything you want, how would you spend that time?
9. Celebrity you wish you looked like?
10. Movie that makes you cry every time?
11. When is the last time you had a really good laugh?


TAGGED FRIENDS
Leah Florence, Marianne Ohran, Jenn Reed, Carla Cankles, Frances Johnson