5 years

Dear Espen,
You just turned 5 years old and I cannot believe what a fantastic, friendly, whip smart, funny, good mannered, cheerful and good-looking boy you are. I have nothing but love for you, the kind of love that you can't describe, the kind that makes your body ache because a million hugs or kisses can't show it. You are my one and only buddy and I am lucky to have you in my life and be your mom.
Love,
Mommy

My 32nd Birthday & the year of the CAPE

I turned 32 this past Sunday. I am still having a hard time writing/saying it. 32. 32.

The plan for the weekend was to get dinner with my girlfriends and then head over to Allison's to play on her new Xbox Kinect. Scottsdale was filled with tourists because of some football game and the restaurants were apparently going to be packed so at the last minute we scrapped dinner and decided to head to Allison's a bit earlier and hang out there for the night.

Now I need to include a little back-story. A few days before my birthday, Jeremy and I went to American Apparel to try to find a stripey shirt that I couldn't buy online because they don't accept gift cards (thank you Allison for my Christmas gift, btw). I couldn't find the shirt but I did find an amazing wool cape. I tried  it on and didn't want to take it off, it was so hilariously big on my and intended for way colder climates but I didn't care, I loved it. After twirling around in it in the store I hung it back up on the hanger and snapped a quick picture of it...

I posted it to Facebook and said: Just going to put this out there, my birthday is Sunday if anyone wants to buy me the Amer. Apparel wool cape.

On Saturday night the plan was for Jeremy and Espen to come over to Allison's and when Espen got tired, Jeremy would take him home. So we headed out the door on our way to my birthday party!

It wasn't long before the girls wanted to give me my present. Wrapped in a huge Nordstrom bag was the best gift ever from the best girls & boyfriend ever...

I thought I was going to pass out when I saw what was peeking out from the tissue in the bag. The beautiful woolly cape was mine and oh my god, I was SO EXCITED. For days I had been thinking about how I could save up for the cape, would it still be available, will it be summer time by then...

After modeling my cape we proceeded with drinking wine, smoking cigarettes and talking babies and ever so often we'd go inside and dance with the kinect.

I had a a freakin' blast. I love my friends so much! They are beyond amazing ladies on so many levels. 

The next morning I woke up to pancakes in bed and a hand written birthday card from Espen...

Espen loves my cape too. He got inside and said 'mommy, look. I'm in a valcano!'

Espen and I made spinning art in the morning and blew bubbles as the day went on...

At some point Espen got out the tape and dressed up like 'the Karate Kid' (his words). How hilarious is this photo??

We were starving so by 4:30 we were getting ready to head out the door to have my birthday dinner at Carlsbad Tavern (so delicious, OMG). Before we left we had a little impromptu photo shoot to showcase my most amazing cape. Ha. Obsessed? YES!

...Get ready for some serious cape pictures...

Dinner at Carlsbad was amazing as usual and we finished off dinner with a piece of birthday Key Lime pie. 



{babe}






{making a wish...that i wouldn't look wierd in pictures}


I had a lovely birthday.


thank you to my friends and to jeremy and espen, i love love love you all!

bicycle

Oh my gosh. How I miss riding my bike. It's been a long summer and I am more than ready for the desert to cool off so I can hop back on my bike and ride around town.

This past Sunday, after we finished dinner, Jeremy & I rode some old bikes (my old bike...that I miss) around Yarnell with Jenny & Joshua.

The sunset was incredible so we stopped to snap a few pictures. This is what transpired...


me: Let's take tough bike guy pictures
jeremy: Ya! Go like this!
me: uh....


me: not gonna happen, I can barely touch the ground let alone toss the front of the bike up in the air
meanwhile, Jeremy's still workin' his cool 'trick'


So, I couldn't do the trick, but I could prop myself up on my tip toes and try to look cute.


How about a normal one... but what the heck happened to the sunset?!


There it is.


note: Seester, we need to get you a new camera. Although mine does a similar thing without a flash, what's with the pixely pics.

4 years

Months ago, for reasons unknown to me, Espen requested a Christmas birthday party. I think it's because at some point I mentioned another pool party like last year and he must of thought no, let's do the complete opposite. As the months went on he'd still periodically mention the Christmas theme...that is how we came to have Christmas in August.

I'd like to take a moment to thank my beautiful friends and loving family, we had so much fun on Espen's birthday, it just would not have been the same without you.

From having the pool completely to ourselves, to jeremy making a mad dash in the morning to grab the balloons that I forgot, to the wacky Christmas cake and gifts wrapped in Santa's and snowballs-Espen's 4th birthday party was a huge success.

So many photos were taken and I'm sorry, I'm going to share about 40 of them...for now, I'll start with the day through my eyes/camera.




{so cute}

{mama!! in the pool!!}

{nerds talking about true blood}

{espen hiding from the camera}

{up in the air}

{papa, an orca & a smoke, 'nuf said}

{caribbean cooler?}

{INWL-Improvised noodle water launcher}

{i couldn't resist, this is my dad XO}

{blurry balloon/birthday boy}

{heck yes, christmas cake}

{i cut those trees down myself}

{what happen's when your cake gets a huge crack? you fill it with icing}

{uh, woops}

{time foe bed birthday boy}