Chilly Willy!

Boy is it cold up here! I must have acclimated to Los Angeles more than I thought because I think it's freezing up here! Tanner is wearing Cody's old vest and hat that didn't get much use down south, but they're coming in handy now!

Ansell had a little photo shoot with Tanner in the front yard. They were out there forever! I'm always excited to see what Russell has caught on film after one of his impromptu sessions. This is my favorite one from today.

Name Game

I was reading the Crabmommy blog, and she has a link to a website called Rock Star Name Generator. There's also a RAP STAR name generator, which is even more hilarious! Cody's Rap name is Grandmaster G and Tanner's is OG Daddy! HAHAHA! Russell's is Easy Tricky and mine was, disappointingly, Alisha Valentine!? What? Personally, I like Biggy Shorty (like Wanda Sykes in Pooty Tang) for myself. Here's the link to find out your Rock, Country or Rap Star name!
http://rapstarname.com

Here is Grandmaster G., lookin' hard.

These Boots Were Made For Walkin'

Tanner loves to put on shoes. If you come over and leave your shoes out, he'll surely try them on and take them for a test drive. He's not as interested in slippers, and there aren't a lot of slip on shoes for boys (and I don't think he fits the Croc look), so I went searching for some cowboy boots. I really envisioned some nice brown sueded ones, but it was hard to find any. I found some online, but they were like $70! I finally went to Payless Shoe Source and found these black ones. Even there, they were $22! It cracks me up when he wears them, especially with shorts! I'm dying to call them his s*#t kickers, but I know Cody will pick up on it and be informing everyone what mommy calls them!

Not Too Bright

My boys have big pupils (from daddy), so they're very sensitive to light when they wake up. When they emerge from their room in the morning, the shutters must be closed or they can barely see where they're walking! If you turn on a light while they're sleeping, they cringe and cover their eyes like you've just shined a police spotlight in their face! One time, I flicked the light on while Russell was sleeping and he said, "OUCH!" I was like, "Are you kidding me? OUCH? From just turning the light on?" I teased him about it so much, that of course I would have both boys turn out the same way!

But I came across this on the Home Rejuvenation website...
This would be so cool to have at naptime. It would make the room not too bright, not too dark!

The shade is by Elina Aalto of Fiasko Design, and it is part of a traveling exhibition called SAUMA in New York. It's handmade and doesn't seem to be for sale. Even if it was, I know we couldn't afford it!

The Hills are alive...

Freshman of the Year!

Those bruised knees paid off! My niece Elle made Freshman of the Year for her high school basketball team! I had to use the same picture because I haven't seen her since softball started. Busy busy!!

We Left Our Wallet in El Segundo

Well we moved from El Segundo, a cute little town in the midst of the Chevron refinery, a steam plant, DWP (Department of Water and Power), a waste water treatment plant and LAX! YIKES! So even though we were a block from the beach and the weather was perfect most of the year, I was getting a little scared about what we might be breathing in each day. Also, I was TIRED! It was really hard for a lazy butt like me to have the two little ones all day. It was also hard to live in an apartment with the two loudest kids ever. AND Russell wanted to try for another one! WHUUUUT? So I said, "If you can get us back up to San Jose, near my family, before I turn 40, we can try for another one, otherwise, we can stay down here and move east."

He ended up finding another job in Santa Cruz. We moved on June 30, 2007. Less than seven months before I turned 40. Holy crap. He actually pulled it off.

HOWEVER, we cannot afford to live BY my parents. So we are living WITH MY PARENTS! It is the greatest thing ever for me (besides the unsolicited parenting advice). My mother cooks most nights, I get to see both sisters and their kids five days a week without even leaving the house! I can run errands with only one kid (or none!) because we are living with babysitters! And I don't even miss having control of the digital cable tv as much as I thought I would!

But here are some drawbacks, which I find more interesting to post than advantages:

1. We miss Russell's family & friends. Obvious, but it's hit harder than I thought. Cody has been asking to go see Grandma & Grandpa Chen, which is what they used to do almost every weekend before we moved.

2. We are totally squished in here! It looks like we are living in Tokyo or something! I will post pictures later, so you can totally appreciate your own space so much more!

3. My parents have to see every single meltdown (the kids and mine). Sometimes I think they fear for the kids because I am so enraged by some of the things my boys do.

4. I don't mind living in Toyland, but it drives my parents and Russell NUTS!

5. Their crazy dog, Hazel, makes going in the backyard hard for the boys. She has to be tied up, which I don't want to do unless I want muddy paw prints all over my back and chest.

6. The constant conflict of parenting between the new school (us) and the old school (my parents). My mom always says we're too nice, even though we yell, even though we use the naughty corner. Which makes me think what she really wants is us to whip out the wooden spoon and beat the kids like she used to do to me and my sisters. However, they have stopped rolling their eyes at our purchasing organic milk.

7. I'm sure Russell would post more drawbacks (living with his in-laws!), but he's too nice to make such a list.

8. I'm sure my parents would post more too, but they wouldn't want to see me any grouchier than I already am!