Leaving on a jet plane

At 5 am I will be at the airport, heading to Greece for my lil' brother's wedding! So I am signing off, and will be back in a week (photos of glistening water and shiny, smiling faces galore). All this packing anxiety, leaving my family anxiety, getting things done before I go anxiety, finalizing design work anxiety... makes for some strange late nights full of in-an-out-of sleep. Apparently, sometimes I write things in my half-sleep. I found this one on my phone today. So I'll leave you with this, and will see you a little later—fully rested and relaxed, ready for the daily grind once again. :)

Now all she needs is a pair of roller skates

And the most hysterical part of this outfit? It's Gap size 3-6 months. I'll give that a second to sink in.
Sure the neck is starting to scoop a bit, but it's the first time the skirt has ever fit. (giggling uncontrollably)

And if I could have captured Maya in this outfit (and Finn in a t-shirt and boots) dancing to Shakira's Waka Waka, you would be giggling uncontrollably, too!

My boy

Today Finn and I went on a date to see Toy Story 3. It was the first movie in the theater that he's successfully made it through. We both loved it.

I am leaving in one week for my brother's wedding in Greece. And I am leaving my little family here in America. It's bittersweet. Good thing these invisible strings that attach us are either really stretchy or really long!

V is for...

The Maritime Alphabet Poster is going swimmingly. I am stuck on only ONE LETTER. And that would be V. Come on you linguists! I need some help. While you are thinking about it, here are some hypno-octo-eyes:

Finn's Summer

Me: Finn! Today is the first day of summer! What are we going to do this summer?

Finn: I will catch a bug (a "big baby dinosaur butterfly dragon...fly bug," to be specific)

Me: Where are we going to go this summer?

Finn: I'm gonna go to the BIG flowers and catch many bugs.

Me: Where else are we going to go?

Finn: We're gonna go to the grass and catch some BUGS!

Me: Anywhere else while it's sunny and hot? (hint hint)

Finn: The beach...

Me: The beach?!

Finn: ...to see the bugs!!!

Soooo....I guess we're catchin' some bugs this summer. :)

Quiet Day

Wes and I both agree that it's felt like Sunday all day. Both of the kids are under the weather. So we've rested. I did laundry, I made dinner from scratch. We watched some Apple TV. I did puzzles with Finn. I even baked banana muffins. In short, I was surprisingly domestic today. And I highly recommend it! :)

Start by baking these. If you can make them mini, all the better. (Thanks for the recipe, Mom!)

Waves? Oui!

I have what I refer to as indecisive hair. It isn't quite straight. And it's definitely not curly. And it's very bored. Meaning it never wants to perk up and bounce around. Ever. But after two babies, my texture has changed a bit. And one night while in Mesa last week, I was up late watching (ahem) infomercials. And I saw indecisive, bored hair become really interesting hair! So I thought I would give it a shot. Except I ordered the products from Amazon instead of calling in on the TV ad. Always a better plan. Look! I have real waves. Turns out my hair might kind of like perking up and bouncing around with a little help. They may not be big soft curls, but it's better than sorta straight with a little frizz. Thank you, Ouidad! Now I won't feel like wearing my hair in a pony tail or straightening it with a flat iron everyday.

So if you have wavy to curly hair, I seriously recommend checking out Ouidad. She has salons in NY and LA and knows the you-know-what out of curls! Even the experts over at Cardigan Empire give a stamp of approval. Check it all out HERE.


POST EDIT: After a long day running errands and sweating in the early summer sunny heat, while wrangling Maya in Target, and braving the mall with a sticky fussy Finn, and trying clothes on, and even after a claw clip up-do for a couple of hours, THE STYLE HELD! It was slightly less "perfect." But it had a great loose/messy wavy effect at the end of the day. And my crown didn't even flatten out very much. Wes was admittedly surprised and I think a little impressed. Totally worth a try, curly girlies! Now the trick is to repeat this phenomenon. ;)

POST POST EDIT: I had a few questions, so I thought I would answer them. I did not curl any part of my hair at any point. I have naturally sorta wavy hair, so it was more like loose waves rather than curls all over. Ouidad will not create curls or waves if you don't already have wavy or curly hair. It will support and enhance the natural wave pattern. It brought out my wave all over, and holds it WAY better than if I just let it air dry. And no frizzies. I ordered the basic kit to start. You can find the trial size HERE, and the full size HERE. But since ordering, I've gone to the actual Ouidad site and ordered the volumizing shampoo, conditioner, and foam. You'll need to figure out what type of curls you have, and what products are best for you before you order. You can do that HERE. And DEFINITELY watch the videos before using the products. There is no scrunching up the hair to make it curly here, ladies. There is a specific rake and shake technique that Ouidad will walk you through. Find the videos HERE. Just browse around the site to see if it's for you. Bon chance!

Wordless Wednesday

Crystal B. and Me / Wes J. Hooray

I know that's bad grammar, but hey—it rhymes!

Do you know who this is? It's, well, of course me and my small brood. But it's also Crystal Beautler. As in Crystal B. of Crystal B. Jewelry! Her son, Eden (so fun), did a workshop with Wes today. Both of them share a love for filmmaking and Iceland. Crazy, right? So I got to spend a wonderful part of my day with Crystal. That's all of us on the steps of AFI, after a little tour for Eden's sake. It was so great to finally meet Crystal in person. That is my very favorite thing about blogging—the relationships I form!

I mentioned that Eden did a workshop with Wes. Do you know what that means? Wes has a bit of a summer break (a very wee break). Which MEANS that he is taking on photo shoots. If you live in the L.A. area, and want to have you or yours photographed for any reason (family portraits, events, weddings, etc.), Wes might just be your man. And this is seriously a blue moon opportunity. He's back to the grindstone next month. So catch him while you can! E-mail wesjohnson@mac.com for more info. And you can visit his website HERE.

We're baaaaa-aaaaack!

Spending time with the cousins this week. Back in a tiffy, I mean jiffy...

Maggs, Priceless, Laneybop, Teen, TayTay, Lala, Austin T., Blueberry, Finneman. Don't forget Aunt Tippy (or Tiffy, Spiff, Piff, Tifferoonie, Spiffy, Tifferie, Piffers, Feathers, Roonie, the list could go on), and you have quite a party!

(aka ZZ, Z, Z-Mo, Lynny, Lynds, you get the idea)

M is for Maritime

I've been working on a Maritime Alphabet Poster. You know, because I have absolutely nothing else to do. Something along these lines:


And I was hoping to solicit your help! I have a whole list of words jotted down for alphabetical illustrations of the nautical and oceanic variety. And I would to know what you would come up with. So leave me a comment with your ideas for any illustration you would like to see in the poster. Obviously, A, C, and J excluded. ;) Thanks!

Harmonica Joe...er Jane

On a completely unrelated note, Maya still only has 5 teeth...at almost 15 months. And the other day at the park she was CRACKING up over the swings, and then all the other moms were CRACKING up over how cute her nearly toothless smile is. I must say, for having only bunny teeth, that kid can eat more (quantity AND variety) than her 3 year old brother.

Little Miss

Maya is ridiculously cute and funny all day long. Today I caught her just chillin'
on the couch, with those darling little pigtails, holding her baby:
Dinner resulted in this mess:
Which leads me to this video. I had taken out those pigtails, stripped her of her shirt,
and was getting ready to hose her down, when she discovered something.
Finn's new Bug Catcher/Hotel. Check out what she thinks it's better suited for:

Sweet surprise

While playing in the front yard today, I noticed that the ornamental plum tree has small sweet plums all over it. Just waiting for us to stain our mouths and fingers!

Go For Launch

Stop by TODAY for The Blog Guidebook's Oficial Launch! We have giveaways and spotlights running through the month of June. Free stickers for advertisers, a live Help Desk, and new Blogging Classes are just a few new things we're offering. Pass the word along! See you there.