Early worms, or is it birds.

We - as in the WHOLE family - were up and out the door by 5:30 am this morning because Daddy needed to catch the 6am flyaway bus to LAX for his biztrip to Atlanta. Surprisingly, Emma was quite chipper for the wee hour. She was jibber jabbering the entire ride about this and that - mostly simplistic toddler yammer, "Okay, Mama, that's a green light, you can go. Green means go but you gotta stop at the red light." In her early bird delirium, she would repeat herself over and over but, heck, as long as she wasn't fussing and whining like usual, we weren't going to complain!

Benny was his usual sweet self - so sweet that by 9am he was ready for nap #1 which lasted a good 90 minutes, and then nap #2 at 2pm which Emma cut short at 2 and a half hours because she wanted to go to the new house slides and play.

But, did Emma nap today? NOPE. I really thought she was going to crash after lunch - she had super tired eyes, but that kid found her second, third, and fourth winds throughout the day and finally succumbed at 6:50 to the sleepies after hardly eating any dinner and fighting me the entire bath time.

It is currently 7:10pm - and I assure you, I will be in bed by 8pm!

We sold our couches and bass and guitar amps in the past 24 hours. Our living room looks SO BIG now. I booked the car transport to get the Mazda to PA to my sister's house, and now I just have to officially book the movers. I can't believe we will be out of here in less than 4 weeks! We are headed to NY for a quickie visit next week to hopefully secure housing, then off for a mini cruise with Abuelita and Grandpop and the princesses. We are back with just 14 days to pack up and be gone.

As I look around, I have to remind myself that if I don't LOVE it, it is not coming 3500 miles with me. I love my dining room table. I love my Chinese Antique Armour. I don't love my TV but my husband does... Do I really have to bring it?

Baby Dahvi is going to score with toys when he moves in - it will be like Christmas morning all over again for the 8 month old. I am so happy a friend is taking over the space and that I can leave the good stuff my kids have outgrown for her instead of schlepping it to Goodwill (they already have 5 car loads of the mediocre stuff).

But enough about the future - this is supposed to be a journal about what has already happened. Too bad I am so tired I can barely remember the day... Good night! xoxoxo

Time flies when you are havin' fun.

I landed in Los Angeles 11 years 9 months ago with a giant suitcase and 6 medium sized boxes from the "previous chapter" of my life.

I am now putting the finishing touches on the current chapter of my life and will be embarking on a new chapter in 4 weeks with 2 bedrooms, a dining room, kitchen, living room, a giant storage closet, 2 dogs, 2 amazing kiddos and a husband.

Not bad, if I do say so myself.

I apologize if my journaling is sporadic in the upcoming weeks. 6 boxes vs 6 rooms is a bit of a challenge - the challenge keeping said amazing kiddos entertained while we turn their lives upside down - for the better, of course.

Oh, yes, and I threw my back out carrying my bass amp to it's new owner's car after selling it on Craigslist today. Ouchie. I guess that 11 years and 9 months also means I am not so young anymore!!

Twiblings asleep

Today reminded me once again how exhausting baby bunching can be (baby bunching = having 2 kids within 2 years of each other or siblings that could be twins, or twiblings). Tired, tired, tired.

It was a beautiful spring day. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and both of our kiddos had energy like I've never witnessed. And, it was about 50/50 on the positive vs negative energy...

Case in point, Emma was struggling to get out her her booster chair after only eating 2 bites of her breakfast. I firmly put her back in her chair and sternly reminded her that she asked for eggs and toast and that she had better eat them. More struggles ensued, capped off with her screaming, "Mommy, NO! I don't want to fight you." She used it again later in the afternoon, but changed it up a bit while struggling over sharing legos with Ben, "Mommy, NO! You're not fightin' me!"

When I asked her what she wanted for lunch, she relied, "Toefood." I said, "What? Tofu?" She said, "Yes, Mommy, toefood."

Dinner time was a full moon nightmare - I don't even know if it is a full moon! But when Emma fake whines, it drives Benny crazy and he cries for real and won't eat. He grabs at his ears as if to say, "Mom, please SHUT HER UP!" Emma, who normally loves steamed green beans, was in an "I don't like green beans" mood and fussed and whined until the 2nd course came. Both Daddy and I utilized every ounce of discipline we had to not toss her in a padded room with no doors and no windows...

She calmed down after her shower and was relaxing on the bed with Daddy. They were chatting away and Daddy was rubbing her back. When he stopped, Emma said, "Pet me one more time, Daddy."

Oddly enough, they both went to bed without a fuss. I will never understand toddlers but I will try to have fun knowing these years go by so quickly...

Leaving on a jetplane

As I was reading a book to my squirmy early bird 15 month old at 5:45 this morning, it suddenly dawned on me that in less than two weeks I am going to be on an airplane with said squirmy 15 month old for 5 hours and I really need to find some activities that will keep him occupied. I flew with Emma at this age with little to no problems, but a) she is a girl and was less active at this stage and b) she is a girl and was less active at this stage.

A friend once told me that I will simply need to grow a thicker skin and not pay attention to all the eye rolling from other adults that will be happening when Benny is "that kid" running up and down the aisles. (But he is cute, right, so everyone will adore him?)

So, I put it out there to all you folks in internet land. We will be on an airplane from LAX to JFK in the wee hours of the morning in two Tuesdays. If you are scheduled to be on that same flight, change it. It is that simple.

I want to head over to ToysRus and scope out the "airplane" aisle. If they don't have such an aisle, I will call the president of the company and suggest it. You know, it is an aisle with small lightweight activities that will keep children occupied for long periods of time. I guess you could also call it the "church" aisle, or the "waiting forever for the pediatrician to get to you" aisle.

The tenants that are going to be taking over our lease here in the compound came by last night to sign the lease. So, I guess it is now safe to say it is official and we are saying goodbye to Hollywood. We are out of here May 25th. (Oh, Auntie Cold, don't be sad - we will Skype on Monday nights! xoxo) My brain is already whirling with its lists of things "to do" and I see minimal sleep in my future. Emma is already talking about our "New York" house - although I am not so sure she understands what that means - but she probably does - the girl is smart beyond her 2 years and 9 months.

And quite observant - yesterday, I brought her with me to walk the dogs. As each dog did their business (#1 and #2), she would crouch down next to them and watch the action up close and personal. Then, when each dog was done with their business, she would praise and recognize their efforts, "Good job, Cassidy, you went poopy!" before demanding me to obey the law, "Pick it up, Mommy!" Ahhhh, home schooling. Who needs preschool!

Cocoa is our friend

As much as Emma bullies Benny, there is no doubt in my mind how much she loves him. Yesterday at the pediatrician when Benny was beyond upset at the invasion of his ears, eyes, and throat - not to mention the inoculations, Emma kept "petting" him on the head and saying, "You're okay, Benny, it'll be alright." Also on Sunday when I left Benny at home with an ailing Daddy while Emma and I went to church, she cried and cried for him as we were leaving the house as if I had "forgotten" and left him all alone. It took a good 5 minutes of reassuring her that Benny was indeed going to survive without her to calm her down!

She is very nurturing with other babies, as well. Today we watched baby Dahvi (8 months) while his Mommy went to the dentist and every time he fussed, she was right there to comfort him either by giving him a new toy to distract him or rubbing his back and telling him he, too, would be alright....

I had a hearty chuckle this morning when Emma woke up and wandered down the hall to the living room where Ben and I were playing. She said, "Hi Mommy, how are you feeling?" I answered, "Why, good morning, Emma. I'm feeling great, how are you feeling?" To which she replied, "I feel big."

That fabulousness was only outdone on Tuesday evening when I was wearing a dress and she said, "Oh, Mama. You are wearing a pretty dress. Now Daddy has to turn you around." (What she meant by that is he has to dance with me - ala a handsome prince - and I am the beautiful princess wearing a fancy dress. Think "Tale as old as time" or "I know you, I danced with you once upon a dream.")

Lastly on the Emma update... CHOCOLATE. So surely divine intervention struck when we were standing in line at Target today buying diaper wipes (I actually got out of Target for under $12! IT'S A MIRACLE!). I bought - no joke - a candy bar. I know, I know, I haven't ever been that wild and crazy in my 12 years of a no carb actress lifestyle diet here in LA. But for some reason I grabbed a Reeses Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate cups candy bar and tossed it on the conveyor belt. 20 minutes later when Emma was having a BLAST playing in mall playground and Benny took a header / faceplant into the giant kangaroo which resulted in uncontrollable sobbing, the only way I could convince Emma that it was time to go was to say, "I'll give you some chocolate." She immediately hopped onto the back of the stroller, put on her shoes with no contesting and said, "Where's my chocolate, Mommy?"

$35 for a copy of their charts??? EACH???

Boogles had his 15 month well visit today. He did fine with the pediatrician until he started poking Benny in the ears and mouth. Then all hell broke lose - the shots were especially painful, he is so strong it is difficult to hold him still! He came home and slept for almost 3 hours, poor thing, but awoke charming and chipper so I guess he will survive the trauma.

Funny thing is, Ben weighs 26 pounds - just a 1/2 pound more than he did 3 months ago. At first I was worried there was something wrong, but then I realized the kid eats and eats (healthy good food) then plays and runs it all off, shedding the baby pounds, too. He measured in at 33 inches, but I gotta tell you, measuring of the wiggly toddler is one inexact science!

We have a new obsession is the hzzizzy: DUMBO. We borrowed it from the library (AGAIN), and she wanted to watch it over and over in the 48 hour period we are allowed to keep it. It was an absolute struggle to get her to go out to do even her favorite things - squirrel park, new house slides, you name it! I am going to NEED a keeper copy for the upcoming airplane ride...

Speaking of which, 2 weeks and counting til we leave for the Disney Cruise... I have been an absolute slacker in remembering to use it as a disciplining tool. Seriously, it is all powerful, "You want to go on the big ship with the Princesses? You better ___." But no, Mom doesn't remember to utilize it at all.

I held a 5 day old baby this morning. She was absolutely teeny tiny and adorable and I did not have one pang whatsoever of wanting to have another of my own. I've said it before that I am done at two, and today solidified it in my heart. I am so very very blessed with my perfect (and challenging) children. When they get a bit older and our business is super rockin', we will adopt more and more. But for now, I am content and complete. Thank you, little Lauren, for giving me that and welcome to the world!

Stupid windex

There are moments where parenting hurts. Yesterday after I picked the kids up from "Auntie Audrey" after my VO gig, instead of taking the stairs as usual to get to the car, I thought I would make it easier on myself and take the elevator that one flight. Bad idea. When we got off the elevator Emma bee-lined towards the doors at full throttle. The lobby doors were propped open as some workers were coming in and out of the building, but Emma didn't bee line toward the open doors, she bee lined - again, full throttle - into the clear as crystal floor to ceiling window next to the open doors. I was keeping pace with her and at the last second as I saw what was about to go down, I thought, "She is going to veer left and go out the door, right? She realizes that is a window right?" KERTHUNK! Nope. Face first full speed knocking her flat on her back screaming bloody murder. I dumped Benny on the lobby sofa with our bag of stuff, scooped her up praying there wasn't blood streaming down her face from a broken nose. There wasn't. But she was already developing a GIANT goose egg on her forehead and I thanked my lucky stars that her head was tilted down enough as she ran that her forehead took the brunt of the WHAM. I think it hurt me almost as much as it hurt her just to see it. "Owie." I got her and Benny into the car and gave her a magical Costco mozzarella stick, which in case you didn't know is the cure for all things "owie" and we were on our way. Phew.

He points! Benny's newest skill is pointing. He hasn't quite gotten the ball your fingers up all the way except for the pointing finger down pat yet so he kind of looks like E.T. when he is pointing - but he is pointing! He is now also objecting when Big Sister steals a toy from him. It is not long before he realizes he can do the same back to her and the wars begin!

Goodbye, Ceviche. It was nice knowing you.

Random happenings...

Emma and I were playing hide and seek. She was hiding, I was seeking. I said to Daddy, "Where is Emma?" And Emma replied from under the comforter on her bed, "I don't know where me are." Then 3 seconds later she said, "Where are me?"

Emma and I were coloring on blank paper and Emma drew two lines perpendicular, the top being just a bit shorter than the bottom on each side. She then said to me, "Look, Mommy, the number two in Chinese." MY CHILD IS BRILLIANT. Okay, fine, she watches too much 'Ni Hao Kai Lan', but that is pretty cool, huh?

As it looks like we are headed to the East Coast sooner than later, Daddy and I are trying to squeeze a meal out a week at all our old favorite haunts. Today we drove all the way out to Santa Paula so we could eat ceviche at a little dive restaurant called Tlaqueplaque. It was a meaningful trip for two reasons - we got to enjoy probably for the last time the best ceviche on the planet for $11.95, and it was a 45 minute drive each way - Emma had a meltdown on the way there, Ben had a melt down on the way home. What I mean by that is, Daddy wants to fly the kids across country with Gramma Lou, I wanted to drive across country with the kids. Notice the past tense - WANTED - no longer. Book that flight, Gramma Lou! I could never make it 3500 miles with my "city kids" in the car.

Emma surprised us all at the restaurant by scarfing down an entire serving dish of SPICY salsa - seriously, I couldn't even eat it because it was too hot and she couldn't get enough of it, which just goes to show her Latin genes will win out every time over her Anglo Saxon ones when it comes to chow. Pic for proof (seriously, she wouldn't even pause to say "cheese" for the camera).










Benny, on the other hand, hung out in wimpy
like his Mama spice territory by munging out on a cheese quesedilla. How cute is this kid?!?!?!

He also got a huge kick out of people watching - and believe you me, there was a lot of interesting characters to stare at. (You can get away with that when you are a toddler! I'm jealous!)

Ben blossoms.

Ben somehow went from an infant to a baby to a full blown toddler. Not sure when that all transpired, but I think it has been quite a fun journey. He no longer walks - Ben RUNS everywhere. In the blink of an eye he is on the other side of the playground and halfway up the ladder of the slides. SLIDES. Ben loves the slides. He sits at the top, rolls himself over onto his belly and slides down them backwards on his gut. I need to get it on video so you can laugh at him like I do!

He has an incredible attention span for a 15 month old, too. He will sit and read books for 15-20 minute spans. The downfall is, he will also watch tv for solid chunks of time so I have to be careful. Today I couldn't bring myself to turn off the dvd player because we borrowed the "Tigger Movie" from the library and EVERY time Tigger was bouncing Ben was laughing - pure golden magical belly laughs. I say that because he is such a serious kid. He smiles a lot, but he doesn't "laugh" much. Let me tell you, I just may have to purchase the Tigger Movie so I can hear his giggle more!

That being said, Ben has certainly developed his "dramatica" skills. He will fake cry with giant crocodile tears over the most trivial things. He makes this awesome face where he squints his eyes tightly to help "produce" tears so he can attempt to get his way. Ha! Ben, lesson 225, "You can't fake out a faker." I am a classically trained theatre actress, buddy, I know fake tears when I see them. I may need to enroll you in the next round of Stanislavsky classes.

One of our favorite new Benny quirks is seeing him "blow" on his food as if it is too hot before he puts it in his mouth. If he sees me start off his meal by blowing on it, he will copy me. It doesn't get any cuter than that!

As you can read, Benjiboogleheimer is developing quite the personality. I love hanging back and watching his little brain go go go... It also means Mommy go go goes, but that is why God invented dark chocolate (caffeine and sugar = energy!).

Not to be outdone, Emma has some great new quirks, too. Have I ever mention the Mrs. Potatohead habit? Emma will play with 'ole Mrs. Potatohead arranging her parts over and over and over again. Funny thing is, she will only use the "pink" parts - eyes with pink eyeshadow, pink nose, pink ears, pink purse, and red shoes (no pink available). When she is done "dressing" her, she will remove the parts and rearrange her face again with - you guessed - the exact same parts she just took off. All the other bits lay untouched in the bag. Daddy has taken to calling the game "Mrs. Pinktatohead." Clever clever daddy.

Aunt Laurie had a post Easter "egg hunt" at her place last Sunday. Ben got two whole eggs, and Emma got a giant bag full. The eggs were filled with "lemon heads" - a nice tart change of pace treat.

short and sweet

Gramma Lou is gone. Boohooohooohooo.

I dropped Gramma off at LAX early this morning. I got home at 6:05am and Benny was just waking up. Emma got up at 7:30 and while eating breakfast all of the sudden asked, "Hey! Where's Gramma Lou?" Gramma Lou, thank you for all your love and support not just the past week but for all of my 38 years. I love you and appreciate you and think you are one FABULOUS lady. Emma isn't lying when she says, "Gramma Lou is a superstar!"

I can always tell when Gramma has been here because Emma's vernacular changes. She usually wakes up saying "I wanna watch a movie," or "I wanna watch a dvd." This morning she woke up demanding, "I wanna watch a video!" She has never ever used the "video" and all of a sudden that is what she wants (sorry to "date" you Gramma!).

Gramma bought herself an APPLE laptop while she was here (finally!! welcome to the club, Gramma!). We got it set up (took all of 3 minutes) and she was surfing away on the internet. Emma just asked me while blogging, "Can I watch Dora on Gramma Lou's computer?" haha!

Lots to write about - children clammerin'. Be back soon...

"There are no cats in America..."

Gramma Lou is here! Gramma Lou is here!

That's all I need to write. Good night!

Okay, I'll give you a bit more. Daddy and I actually had a date tonight. Okay so we went to Best Buy to price out tvs and play with an iPad - neither of which we will be buying anytime soon, but what is important here is that after dinner Gramma Lou said, "Go, I'll bathe the kiddos and put them to bed." We were only gone 90 minutes - and it felt WEIRD. Naked. Daddy and I are never together sans kids. I certainly enjoyed it, but I will admit that at one point I saw a Mom carrying a little boy Ben's age and my heart strings tugged a bit. Here I have been blaming the separation anxiety on Benny, but it really is me! Ha!

We are off to Anaheim for a two day conference (once again Gramma Lou swoops in to save the childcare day...) so I'll catch you when we return.

An American Tail... Emma's new obsession.

Snuggle bugs

Ben was all kisses and cuddles and snuggles and smiles ALL DAY today. His comprehension of what we say to him is growing on a daily basis. It is so fun to watch him grasp the meaning of words and actually perform the action I am commanding. Tonight after his last bottle we were snuggling on the couch and I said, "Benny, give Mama a kiss." He crawled right up to my face and planted a big giant wet one on my lips - it was AWESOME.

He also slept in until 7:30 am this morning (AWESOME), took a three hour nap (WOW), and wanted to go to bed by 7:15pm. Me thinks I gotz me a growin' boy...

Somehow over the weekend my reserve tanks of "patience" were refilled and I apparently got a hold of another tank for free. Couple that with a conversation with a good friend on losing my temper with my Terrible-Two, and I have been a patient gentle non-banshee the past 3 days. And, can you imagine this - Terrible Two has actually been very easy going. Who would have thought my easy breezy attitude would effect her so positively. I should write a parenting book. Okay, stop laughing - oh, wait, that's me chortling! Hopefully I can keep these tanks filled to the brim so the wicked Mother doesn't ever return.

Emma-isms:
1) Daddy was on a business trip over the weekend for 4 days. At one point Emma said to me, "Mommy, where's your Brian?"

2) Emma was introducing herself to a new girl at the playground the other day. She said, "I'm Emma Batter. This is my mommy, Brenda Batter." I said to her referring to Ben, "Who is this?" She answered, "This is brodder Benny." I said, "What is Ben's last name?" She replied, "Oh, this is Benny Boogleheimer."

3) Last night I was cooking dinner and Daddy came in and was "cooking" over my shoulder. He was playing with the lid on my rice cooker so I yelled at him to not touch it as he likes his rice less done, but the kids and I like it well done. This morning I was yelping at Ben for unraveling the toilet paper roll for the 20th time in 3 days and Emma said to me, "You yelled at Daddy last night for touching the rice cooker." She remembers EVERYTHING. It still never ceases to amaze me.

...hopping down the bunny trail.

Easter morning was nothing short of ridickakdack around our little popsicle stand.

Peter Cottontale woke up extra early to get the baskets prepped. Benny woke soon after, drank a bottle and played the morning away not even noticing the baskets on the coffee table.



When I heard Emma stirring in her bed, I made the mistake of saying, "Emma, come here, quick! The Easter Bunny was here. He left you a present!!" Well, as you recall, sweet 'lil Emmsadoo is deathly afraid of the Easter Bunny and upon hearing he had been in her home - her sanctuary - her safe haven - she burst into tears screaming, "NOOOO! NO EASTER BUNNY HERE. HE NO LEAVE PRESENTS!" I quickly changed my tune and said, "Okay, no Easter Bunny here. I forgot, it was Gramma who got you the present." That calmed her slightly, but it took her a good 15 minutes to come into the living room.

Ben, on the other hand, was so excited about finally discovering the basket, that he was too excited to go near it. Witness:



Once Emma actually made her way into the living room she refused to touch the basket, that is until Benny started fishing around in hers.

Obstacle fun!

Just to give you a better visual, here is the obstacle course I was talking about. Impressive, right?