Sometimes I go on Amazon ordering kicks. I’ll order a few books and when they arrive, it’s Christmas. Thank you to my mama who taught me that there is nothing better than a new book. My newest book happens to be a cookbook. “The Homemade Pantry – 101 Food You Can Stop Buying and Start Making.” I am pretty stoked to make the toaster pastries, cereal bars and yellow cake.

Sonic Ocean Water

I’m 94% sure I’ve used this before, but it’s so delicious. And cheap. Under $2 for a cup full of that perfect Sonic ice with a splash of yummy blue drink.

Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know”

This is one of my favorite songs right now.

Braids

My hair is finally long. But tell me, when did I decide to cut bangs? Oh, yeah, when I thought I’d actually pull myself together each morning to wash, dry, straighten, and actually do my hair. Oh, that silly girl. Me. I was that silly girl. Because what do I do now? I shower the night before usually. I wake up and throw my hair up. Which leaves my “a little too long” bangs feeling sad. Because they look like…..crap. I’ve come to love braids. And when these damn bangs grow out, my braids will look bomb.

Mindless Television

16 and Pregnant and Real Housewives of Orange County are a couple of my favorite stupid shows. They’re the kind of shows I watch while doing laundry and writing blog posts. I can’t imagine wearing the hideous fur vest that Vicki wears while screaming at her daughter about judging Brooks or quitting my cage fighting career to have a baby — but jumping right back in after she was born. See? Ridiculous. Ridiculously awesome.

Controversial Magazine Covers

I’m going to say something: I don’t get the big deal with the controversy surrounding this TIME cover. To be honest, I think most moms who see this and instantly decide they hate it are just jealous. This mom has a rocking body.

But seriously, the article isn’t even really about extended nursing. It’s about Dr. Sears and his philosophies on parenting and his life. It’s actually pretty interesting. And I’m okay with being shown pictures and stories of moms who do things differently than me. Or who are “better” than me. But I think most moms aren’t. I’ve heard a lot lately about moms staying off Pinterest. Moms who don’t read articles or stories or blogs or whatever about “perfect” moms because it just makes them feel like they aren’t adequate. As for me, I love reading about these “perfect” moms. I love it when my friends are really REALLY good at a specific aspect of parenting and show it off. I love having people to look up to and who keep me trying to do my very best. I’m okay with controversial TIME magazine covers.

3 Year Olds on Scooters

This is, hands down, my very favorite thing of the week. Watching Alice on her pink scooter, scootin’ all over the culdesac is so hilarious. She is serious about it. She doesn’t mess around and let me tell you…she’s pretty good.

Maria.

The 7 year old (who told her teacher she wants to be a supermodel when she grows up…shoot me now) wore a Mini Boden dress, cowgirl boots, and her doll Kanani’s hair accessory.

Jamie.

The 5 year old (who told me today that he’s happy even if he doesn’t look like it) wore skinny jeans and my favorite shirt: Young Wave Hunter. Oh, and the always-fashion red crocs.

Alice.

The 3 year old (who thinks she’s a shoo-in for Juliard) wore a Gymboree top and Old Navy striped leggings with Princess Leia hair.

Charlotte.

The baby wore my favorite outfit of all. Ruffle bloomers with a fairy tee from Chasing Fireflies. Too sweet.

We took the big kids to school then scurried over to Dr. Parkey’s office.

We switched pediatricians. In the world of mamas, this is a big deal. We’ve been going to Dr. Ambrosen for 7 years, so to decide to switch to Dr. Parkey was hard. We ADORE Dr. Ambrosen. He is so kind and patient and I respect him SO much. With that being said, I really dislike Valley Med (where his clinic is). I feel like they just try and get people in and out as quickly as possible. The secretaries are often rude and short and don’t really care if you need to be seen right away or not. Dr. Ambrosen has also started to get really hard to get in to see. He’s very busy and has so much going on. Anyway, because of all of that, we decided to switch over to Dr. Parkey who I also adore.

He is equally as kind and patient as Dr. Ambrosen, my kids adore him, Maria is in love with his children, and his wife is a great friend of mine. We love the Parkeys.

At 8:45, the little girls had their well-baby visits. Alice went first.

She is in the 80% for height and 66% for weight. Her blood pressure is good, her heart sounds great, and her little piggies checked out fine.

Then it was Miss Charlotte’s turn. We had quite a rough time several months ago. She had lost weight and it was HARD WORK getting her back up to speed. But she did it.

The little pumpkin is 45% (I think) for height and….get ready….20% for weight!!! She’s doing so great. She has yet to break the 20 lb mark, but she’s well on her way!

The kids did so well at their appointments. They played, mostly.

[I mostly wanted to show you my sweet outfit.]

Charlotte got 2 shots and Alice got one. They took em like champs.

What do we have planned the rest of the day?

- laundry

- mowing the lawn

- lunch

- building some sweet stuff with Legos

- yoga

- Hip Hop

Ya know. The usual.

I swear it is.

You see it and you can’t help but be happy. And calm. And if you’re like me, you want to find a house for sale and buy it right then and there and become a beach local.

We went to Cannon Beach on the Oregon coast for 4 days and it was wonderful.

[this was in Tillamook at Blue Heron - a place where they make cheese. And have animals.]

[jamie got brave and pet the goats]

We went to lunch in Manzanita at a really delicious cafe.

Then we got into Cannon Beach a little too early to check in so we hit up the skatepark. Naturally.

But then we were beach bound.

The weather was amazing. It was 65 the first day, then in the 70s the rest. The kids wore suits, even if it was a tad chilly. But we were at the beach. A swimsuit is beachwear – always.

Except for Charlotte. She wore clothes.

They were so happy.

We found shells and sand dollars galore.

We walked to Haystack Rock.

Checked out the tide pools.

We played and dug and sifted sand and ran and covered every single inch of our bodies with sand.

On Friday, Michelle Wolf met us and we took pictures. These aren’t hers…these are just ones I snapped before she arrived.

Josh drove down from Portland and we drove to Rockaway for the kite festival.

[Josh provides snacks to his passengers]

These kite flyers were serious. This group was rehearsing for their CHOREOGRAPHED KITE ROUTINE. I kid you not.

And after we checked out the kite flyers, we just walked along the beach.

There were treats.

We flew our homemade kites.

Then we did some more shell searching. We did a lot of that.

They are the best.

And on the way back, we passed lots and lots of farms. And it was at this point that I became OBSESSED with farms. Yes, my friends, I am obsessed now with buying a farm. It’s not just something I’m kinda interested in doing anymore. Oh, no. I can’t stop thinking about the milk we’re going to have and the cheese Danny is going to make. Baby lambs? Nothing cuter. Farm fresh eggs will be delicious. Obsessed.

[I'll just take this one how about?]

We got home last night from our vacation and were happy to sleep in our own beds…but we had a fabulous time.

Any time spent on the coast is fabulous, no matter what.

I love you because…

…you spend time making life fun.

It’s easy to stay home. It’s easy to tell the kids to just go play or watch tv. It’s so much easier not taking vacation days or spending 8 hours in the car. But we’re lucky you don’t just take the easy way out. You take the time to build sand castles with the kids or pick up tons of broken sand dollars. You let the kids order dessert when you know they’re stuffed, and don’t get rattled when Jamie then pukes it all up in the car. Ew.

You take us to the beach when you’d rather be skating or going on a cruiser run. You wear a baby on your back and carry diapers in your hoodie pockets.

And you smile the whole time.

Jamie:

My most put together child of the day wore jeans and a “Wizard of Oz” t-shirt. And, of course, his green pumas. And a car on his head. He’s so talented.

Maria:

In addition to her creepy mullet-like hair (I swear it’s not really like that, this was a weird angle), Maria wore a Zara shirt with Gap skinnies.

Alice:

I’m not quite sure where to start. She wore Old Navy legging capris. Then she wore a striped Gap tank. We threw in a pair of WalMart slip on shoes (they are only $5 and adorable). And to top it off, we went with the wet hair look pulled together with a headband. Fashion.

Charlotte:

I lied. Charlotte is BY FAR the most put together. She actually looks adorable. She wore a First Impressions romper (from Cenone), a Sprinkles for Sprouts headband and Baby Bloch ballet shoes.

Yesterday, it was Alice’s 3rd birthday and boy did we celebrate.

We started at the skatepark where we played and played. Then we went to Waffles N More (with an extra friend – Noah) for birthday breakfast.

It was Alice’s choice. She loves the “waffle store.” Which is good because we do, too.

These 2 are the cutest, aren’t they?

We had hot chocolate.

[with whipped cream]

There was a chicken fried steak skillet.

And, by very careful analysis of this sticky face, there was also waffles with syrup and bacon. And butter.

[ooooh she is too cute.]

The boys had some silly, I guess, because they were acting crazy.

We gobbled it all up and headed to the pool.

It was a little cold, but that didn’t really stop them.

After a while of swimming, it was time for Alice to open her present from Mama and Daddy.

Yep, Alice got an American Girl doll. And she LOVES it! I know I have some people out there who do not approve of giving an American Girl doll to someone so young. But I don’t care. (And I think a doll for a 3 year old is perfect).

This girl…

…is going to love this doll…

…until it’s ratty and dirty and worn.

She is so happy to have a dolly “just like Yaya (Maria).”

But after the presents, it was Lego time.

The kids played for hours.

Around dinner time, the girls next door came over (JJ, Lauren and Alison) and swam and ate with us.

[steak, rolls, corn, potatoes, salad]

It looks good in that tummy, don’t you think?

And then we had dessert.

My mom is in charge of dessert for a school thing, and I totally wanted to try it out. Check it.

Kahlua Mousse

“Fried” Ice Cream

Chili Cupcake

They were SO delicious.

But really, Alice was waiting for the cake. Duh.

Happy Birthday, my sweet Alice.

My sweet blonde green eyed girl is 3.

She is hilarious.

She loves Dora and Ariel an Little Einsteins.

She plays dress up and mama and rides her bike like its nobody’s business.

Even though she can sometimes be bossy, she adores her sisters and brother. She follows them around like a little puppy and talks baby talk to Charlotte.

She sucks her thumb and loves to cuddle. She never spends a full night in her own bed….she always ends up on our floor.

She is silly.

And she is so beautiful.

She is fun and happy and excited about everything.

And she is 3.

She was awesome! Erica taught her how to brush 8 Ball.

She taught her how to tie him up.

She showed her all the tools they’ll use.

And she even led 8 Ball around. By. Her. Self.

I asked if maybe she was a little nervous because horses are such strong creatures.

“no mom. I see them as small loving animals.”

Totally a natural.

Volcom Chunky Gladiator Sandals

I love these shoes. Cheri got them for my birthday and they are so comfortable. They look cute with anything and aren’t as ‘dress up’ as the skinny strapped gladiators. Not that those are dress up, but whatever.

Hey Girl

I laugh at all of these. I don’t know why, but I think they are hilarious. Probably because Ryan Gosling is hot and picturing him saying these ridiculous things is awesome.

Jcrew Swimwear

I am in love with this season’s swim line at J Crew. Let me just say something. When you have large breasts, you need a suit that fits well. I’ve been nursing and/or pregnant for 8 years almost. Let’s just say this mama needs a nice fitting suit. Jcrew suits are awesome.

Nesting Owls

Ooooh, these are the cutest. I got them for Charlotte for her birthday and was so pleased when we opened them up. They are adorable and sturdy. I got mine from Land of Nod.

Overland Gourmet

Dan has been a big fan of this company for a really long time. They offer some of the best camping products and they also go to Overland Rallies and hold classes. Oh…..and they are amazingly generous. I emailed them asking if they’d consider giving a donation for Maria’s school auction. They sent me a package within 3 days. They sent me this awesome camping growler worth over $50. Love them.

Pineapple Cranberry Juice

Just the 2 juices. No alcohol. MAYBE a little 7 up thrown in there. I could drink this all day long. I’d prefer to drink it poolside, but really anywhere will do.

I love you because…

…you are a summer girl.

You love summertime. This picture was taken the very first time we swam in Lala and Papa’s pool this year. It was a warm 78 degrees and you couldn’t wait to get in. You completely in your element. You had the pool at your fingertips, enough tiny ice cream cones to feed you for a week, and the warm sun turning you brown as a berry. You can’t wait for it to actually be summer.

Neither can I, because it’s when you are happiest.