My Little Mother Goose

Tatum sits down to talk with the geese at the LA County Arboretum.  She talked and sang with them for about 5 minutes before standing up and declaring it was time to go.

A Rant and then Christmas 2010

Yes, yes, I am cheating the date on this blog post as I do for most all of them.  Today is January 10th and after being asked by almost every member of my family, I am finally updating the blog.  Even though I started maternity leave over Christmas weekend, I have found my time taken up with everyday tasks which have not included blogging.  So here is my morning effort to dedicate some time to catch up on the blog before our family size increases with the addition of our second daughter on January 20th and my time really is going to be dedicated elsewhere....

Ah - to have Christmas morning in our new home was a blessing.  Weeks before I brought home a small Afghan Pine tree from the nursery where I work.  Though it was the perfect size for our little nest, Afghans' don't produce the Christmas Tree smell.  So with the help of Yankee Candle Company, we were able to pull off the scent as well.  As you see, our tree is a humble tribute to our small family.  Although Andrew and I have been together for 13 years this month, our ornaments are few.  When we first met Andrew provided me with a moose ornament from his family ski trip in Utah that year, but as he reminds with every Christmas, I misplaced it a long, long time ago.  So, with the start of our family we have the start of our tree.  It will grow as we grow and become a living treasure chest of memories as the years pass by; but for now, there are a few special ornaments that keep the tree sparkling with love.

Tatum really got into the holiday spirit this year.  Although the idea of receiving presents really did not set in until late Christmas morning.  This I cherished for possibly the last year because it allowed the morning to be lazy and comfortable instead of a 5am frenzy of torn paper (which I expect will happen next year!).  Tatum woke around 6:30am and was easily convinced to watch a Yo Gabba Gabba show and let Dada sleep 7am.  When Andrew did wake, we made morning coffee, which for Tatum is chocolate milk, and sat down to our stockings and presents.

Tatum models her new dinosaur towel  & princess slippers

Starting with the stockings, Tatum clued in quick that Christmas is awesome.   She reveled in each and every gift, except maybe the pack of white socks I got her.  Tatum played the Santa roll and delighted in picking out presents and providing them to each of us.  She would say, "Momma needs a present now.  Which one is for momma?"  or "It's Tatum's turn.  Which present is for Tatum?."   Her consideration of others was apparent as she insisted on everyone having their equal turn.  Part way through our morning, Tatum turned to me in her Tatum style by placing a hand on my shoulder, cocking her head to the left, and then expressed sweetly "Momma no work today!"  That is right sweetheart, momma doesn't have to work today.  It melted my heart.  

Andrew and I each got Tatum a big gift.  Yes, through nearly eight years of marriage, we keep separate bank accounts and we enjoy getting our separate gifts.  It works for us.  Andrew presented Tatum with a baby doll who talks and eats and plays.  When asked, Tatum said her baby's name was Hazel.  Hum.  For those of you who didn't know, this is the name we have picked out for Tummy Nut.   I presented Tatum with a scooter.  Yep, she loved it. 

Christmas was a special morning to share together as a family.  We are starting to lay down our own Christmas traditions - like french toast made from Montrose Bakery's Cinnamon Roll Bread, which Tatum helped to make - and this makes the season all that much more magical.  Next year there will be four stockings hung, and our experience of love and blessings will be that much more!

My little kitchen elf helping with breakfast

Below are some additional shots taken from our Christmas morning.  For all our East Coast Family, while you enjoyed your almost white Christmas we enjoyed scooting around in the crisp 60 degree weather of Southern California.  Remember, you are welcome to visit anytime!

the view from our front porch Christmas morning

Tatum cruises by our house on her new scooter

Scooting Sillies under a Camphor Tree

Safety Talk with Smiles

Late morning doings - popcorn and a viewing of Tatum's new Princess* DVD

* as much as I thought I would keep the world of princesses away from Tatum, there is no stopping their power.  After flying home to NC last year to share Tatum's second birthday with her cousin Sophia for a princess party, there has been no stopping Tatum in her affinity with these Disney characters.  And I too have become charmed along the way and indulged her with some princess gifts from Santa, which she loved.  Really, the princess fantasy is one most every girl has, I know I still do - what is better than marrying a rich prince and living happily ever after.

Little Black Dress

<>  "I want my black dress!"  

This hand-me-down velvet dress has become Tatum's favorite. She insists on wearing it most days with her "white tights" and "brown boots". I put these in quotations so that you can imagine a high-pitched voice in a commanding tone demand these items when getting dressed. Princesses require patience for sure, but the payoff of cuteness is worth it.

All I want for Christmas is...

Tatum's preschool offered a Christmas party for families last Thursday afternoon.  Each of the four classrooms offered a special holiday craft project.  Tatum's room, the Bunny room, was the most popular of all, because that is the room where Santa was giving out gifts. 

Tatum in her Glendale Preschool T-Shirt sitting happy on Santa's Lap

About a two weeks prior to the party, the school asked that parents provide a wrapped book for $5 or less to give to another child during Santa's visit.  We totally spaced the gift exchange, so after Andrew called me at work to remind me on the last day, I stopped by the grocery store and purchased a book.  Now, please note, I am not a totally space cadet parent.  Actually I ordered a book online, and when it failed to come in time, I failed to remember the book exchange all together.  Nevertheless, I got the book, wrapped it in green paper, and dropped in by the school before the party.  Tatum saw that I provided a green present for the school.  So when asked later by Santa what she wanted for Christmas, she replied simply "a green present."  You got it kid, that Santa can do!

Tis the Season

Tis the season indeed.  We have made the monster move into our new home and could not be more thankful for the additional space, water pressure, and direct light throughout the day.  Wow - what a difference these three things make on our daily life. So the holiday spirit has hit home in Montrose.  Our downtown is lined with white lights throughout the main business corridor making it a sparkling tunnel of cheer as you drive down it at night.   We enjoyed our first Montrose Christmas parade on December 5th.  We were tipped off by our local car repair shop owner Harry, who has resided in Montrose for over 60 years, that the locals choose their spots for the parade at the beginning of the day by leaving out chairs on the sidewalk.  No one will touch them, every one does it, and it guarantees a good spot.  So we reserved our spot with our three camping chairs and sure enough, our spot was saved when we returned later for the parade. 

Downtown also offers free carriage rides throughout the holiday season.  We jumped aboard and enjoyed the travel up and down Honolulu Street while Tatum entertained us with "Jingle Bells" and her own signature classic "Twinkle Twinkle Traffic Light" (I'll work to get this on film and post). 

The bigger kitchen has inspired the dormant chef in me to reawaken with a new inspired need to bake and cook.  Tatum is the main beneficiary of my inspiration as she has joined me in making (and eating) many Christmas cookies.  We baked a whole tray of reindeer cookies for her preschool class, which she took to school to share at snack time. 

Thankful for Family

Thanksgiving has always been a favorite holiday of mine because it was the one time of year that we are guaranteed to spend the day with family. Since moving to California eight years (8!) ago, we have spent the holiday at Andrew's cousin's home in San Diego. Mark, Jeannie, Liesel, and Max welcome us every year on this day, and we spend our time together like most families, watching football, eating, visiting, and playing guitar hero! This year Tatum got into the action.

Coming and Going - NC Holiday Trip



Tatum insists on lugging her luggage through LAX

 
This year we headed home for our annual NC holiday trip a bit early due to the pregnancy.  To prepare for the trip we packed a bag full of goodies to keep Tatum entertained and occupied - Little People Lift the Flap book, suckers, a new Yo Gabba Gabba DVD, favorite books, and the usual snacks. 

Tatam made quite the impression on the jet setters that day as she paraded through the airport carrying her own luggage.

Our first stop was to see Andrew's family: Mimi and Boo, Aunt Julie, Uncle Craig, Cousin Sophia and Cousin Nicolas.  Tatum LOVED playing with her cousins.  It is always a special time to come together as family since we don't get to see each other but twice a year.  Tatum continues to ask to play with them now that we have long returned home. 



Next we headed up to Asheville to visit our friends and enjoy the beauty of the mountains.  LaLa and I treated Andrew and I to a very special night out with our friends while they had a sleep over with Tatum in their hotel. 

Next we drove up to Burnsville to pick up GG (Grandma Great) who were visiting my cousin Amy & Kyle and their two sons James and Henry.  We were treated to a hot lunch amidst a sick and crying Tatum who developed an ear ache on the trip.  

 We ended the trip at Aunt Jen and Uncle Andy's house with our silly twin cousins Drew and Ethan who celebrated their 6th birthday on November 20th. GG, LaLa, A, and Uncle Jarrod were all there for the celebration.

 

The flight home was made bearable by Yo Gabba Gabba!

Moving on Up

It is with incredible excitement that I announce that the SHEARERS ARE MOVING!  For those of you who have visited our humble home and found yourself wondering where the new baby was going to go without our sanity going as well, wonder no more.  Last week was filled with a lot of great fortune that resulted in a new home in Montrose (a neighborhood of Glendale located in the Verdugo Mountain foothills).  If you are interested (and I know you are Mimi and LaLa), check out the video below of our new digs!

Two block north of us is the historic downtown community filled with boutique shops, yearly festivals, and weekly farmers' markets.  Two blocks south is a great elementary school.  Right it the middle is our new found paradise.  We sign the lease on Sunday and we move in Thanksgiving weekend.  Dreams do come true!

Trick or Treat

Tatum the Peacock hanging with the Arboretum's Peacocks

What do you get when you cross a pea and a cock?  A Peacock of course! 

This year Tatum dressed as a Peacock, myself as a Pea, and Andrew as a Rooster.  Unfortunately there are no pics of my sweet pea costume, but there are plenty of others to share.  And just to answer your questions that i am sure you are to ask, no - i did not make Tatum's costume, but yes - i did make Andrew's.  I made my costume too, but I guess you won't be able to check it out :(.

So our Halloween weekend was a whirlwind of fun festival activities. Tatum's preschool hosted a Halloween parade on Friday. That night the family dressed in costume and visited a friend's preschool carnival.

Saturday we met our fave twin toddlers Jack and Sadie at the LA Arboretum for their Ghosts and Goblins in the Garden celebration. This cute bat girl wanted her photo taken with our three kiddos.

Sunday night we took South Pasadena by storm (at least four blocks of it) and trick-or-treated. Tatum stayed away from the houses that were too scary and quickly approached the more friendly ones.   Too bad I didn't have my camera on this outing, but more pics may post soon.

Today after I picked Tatum up from preschool she asked to go trick-or-treating.  She'll have to wait until next year.

Singing the ABC's

For weeks now Tatum has been spending her days (and nights) singing.  Her favorite songs are ABCs, what we call "The Barney Song" (I love you... you love me), Twinkle Twinkle, and Baa Baa Black Sheep.  This clip was taken today after her afternoon nap.  Enjoy!

Camping in the OC


Last weekend we joined our San Diego friends half-way along the coast for one-night of camping at San Onofre State Beach at San Mateo Campground.  The campsite was located 1.5 mile hike from the ocean.  Tatum enjoyed being carried to the beach on her dada's back as we marveled at the ocean views and open sky.  San Mateo is a cool site because of it's world class surfing at nearby Trestles State Beach. 

On Sunday morning when the entire campsite seemed to be asleep, we were up with Tatum and took advantage of the morning night to hike to the beach.  By the time we got there the sun was up and by no means were we alone.  There were already two dozen or more surfers enjoying the morning waves after a luminous full moon night.  Also, to our wonder and joy, was a school of dolphins catching waves right beside the surfers.  Dude, it was awesome!

and now doo-doo

Tatum went doo-doo in the potty this morning!  We are a far way away from getting rid of diapers, but this is REALLY exciting, for all of us.  Does this doo-doo make your day too?

And A New Do!

The other day Tatum and I were driving home from preschool with the windows down.  And I knew it was time for a haircut when she said to me "I need a hair cut" as she swiped her long bangs away from her face.  Granted Tatum got this expression from Andrew who for the past month has been bugging me to get it cut.  Nevertheless, it was hilarious, and it was time.  So on Friday we visit the $8 hair cut shop up the road and Tatum was outfitted with a robot smock and got her hair chopped.  Prior to this experience, Tatum's day care providers always gave her a hair cut, and now that she is in preschool we opted to pay to have the service done.  Tatum did a fine job.  We brought a book and the hair dresser (Jasmine) gave Tatum a small brush to clean the hair off of her book.  This was the perfect task to keep this toddler busy as Jasmine tried to cut straight lines.  Although she has a hat on, you can still get an idea of this cutie pie hair cut!

A New Ride

About three weeks ago our old stroller, which I never really cared for, broke upon taking it out of the car for the farmers' market.  It may have been caused by an impromptu off-roading trail ride through Deb's Park the weekend before, but whatever it was, I was thankful.  It served us for Tatum's first two years, and now with a new baby on the way, it was time to take the leap and invest in a new stroller for two.  I've been scoping out strollers for a long time now, which in LA is an easy thing to do.  Go to the Americana or the LA Zoo and you are bound to see 100 different strollers.  So I had my eye on the Joovy, and after reading a ton of reviews, decided on the Caboose Ultralight.  I let Andrew pick the color (blueberry) and we ordered it the next day off of Amazon, where it was on a super sale.  And let me say, it was an awesome move by me because the stroller ROCKS!  Tatum enjoys the standing platform because it dubs as a scooter (she uses one foot to push the stroller along) as well as sitting in the front.  It has all the bells and whistles included (the parent pouch, the car seat attachment, the snack tray, and an extended sun visor).  And although it is still three months (THREE MONTHS!!!) until the new babe is here, it is super useful now.  Just yesterday while we were on a play date, us two moms shared a single stroller and both the girls were able to ride comfortably.  Oh, can you tell, I finally am in love.  So here's a shot of Tatum in the stroller taken today while at the Arboretum.

Friends with Frances

Meet Jocelyn and Frances.  We met these two cuties one day in May when Tatum and I decided to ride our bike to a different park.  Lo and behold Tatum and Frances met on the playground that fate filled day and Jocelyn and I exchanged numbers.  Since then it has been awesome to have a new friend for both Tatum and I to spend a morning or afternoon together.  Yesterday we joined forces to experience Kidspace's Pumpkin Festival where there was plenty to do for the toddlers including jumpers, a petting zoo, pony rides, and, of course, pumpkins!

Transition to Toddlerhood

Okay, Tatum is two and a third, so she is a toddler.  She wears 2T clothes, but she is still in diapers.  But the transition I am referring to here is from a baby crib to a big girl bed.  Yes, that's right, Tatum now sleeps in a big girl bed.  And yes, this is the best pic I could get given the excitement of the new bed and the delay time on my camera.  But you get the point.

Montana Magic

My dad, known to the grand kids as pop-pop, moved to Montana some five years ago to start a new life in this part of the country where the bad lands meet the prairie.  Rich with American lore and ancient dinosaur artifacts, Glendive is a small town in Eastern Montana where you can  find the Yellowstone River.  We declined visiting pop-pop until Tatum was two and she could really enjoy the thrills of life in Montana.  And by thrills I am referring to a small heard long-haired Scottish highland cows, twelve horses, two ducks and two geese, a barn cat, Rhino-rides (a four-wheel drive golf cart), and spectacular hiking trails that my dad's land offers: two square miles of beauty with the Yellowstone aligning the property at the western edge.

 

 

We greatly enjoyed the trip far away from the city and into the wildness of Montana, land of the big sky.  And a big sky indeed.  Tatum in particular was taken by the expanse the Montana sky offered.  At night she would ask to see the moon which was visible outside our large bedroom window.  I kept thinking to myself where am I raising this kid where she is now repeating and requesting to see the sky before going to bed.  "I want to see sky.  I want to see sky.  I see the moon!" 

It was a special five day vacation filled with horse back rides, hiking, sleeping, and relaxing.  And Tatum can't wait to visit again.