I Could Eat... and Blog

BabyMoon... Destination Seattle

2011-02-03T11:00:00.000-08:00

We planned a trip to Seattle for the end of January... for a few reasons:
Jan is David's Birthday Month, I was still able to fly at that stage in my preggo-ness, and well, we have always wanted to hit up Seattle and we figure no time like the present and so we threw it in as a "Baby-moon" trip and made it happen.
Jessica and Kyle Souther came with us, which made it so much fun. David and I like our alone time, but after a couple hours, we really want to be with other people, so trips with friends or family are way better. So here is a recap of our trip in pictures.

We stayed at Hotel 1000. It was great, and we had enough AMEX points to get both our rooms for free for the full 3 nights. This is the tub I want in my house at home. I spent a good amount of time in it each night, and it is perfect because the wall next to it is glass, so I could watch the Food Network while I relaxed... ahhhhh..... :)

Ok, this is the "gum wall"... so gross! Made me want to throw up a little. David is the only one who ventured this close to it.

And of course he felt it necessary to add his gum to the wall... I made him wash his hands before he even came close to me. 2 thumbs up for being a good sport... but so nasty babe!

We took Seattle's version of Disneyland's People Mover over to where the Space Needle is, and we found the Seattle Experience Music Project. This was one of the attractions we felt was worthy of the cost to get in... as David and Kyle are both very talented and interested in music. There was a bunch of recording rooms with different options to play so the 4 of us had a jam session.

This was the boys when the set was over, about to smash their guitars... cause that is what all rock stars do, right?

Jessica and I were doing our best at playing the roll of the adoring groupies :)

Getting into the groove :)

This was the recording studio part, you could actually record a song... sadly, because we were in Seattle, there were no real great song choices unless you are a Nirvana fan... no thank you Kurt Cobain... so i passed.

We opted not to pay the $ to go up the Space Needle, but we got close to it :)

We found this whales tale statue outside the history museum... we figured my whale of a belly could measure up to a photo opt :)

This one's for you, Erin!!! The exhibition was pretty pricey, so we did not go in, but we did our best to "make it work" with Harry. David is casting a spell on me with a "wand" he found on the ground.

This was a cyclone of guitars at the museum, David would love to have in our house :)

Kyle and Jess and the Space Needle.

So we all know, I am not really the big drinker, especially while preggo, but I am a fan of all things food. So instead of doing a Bar Crawl... we did a 4 day Food Crawl. These are the prepared when ordered donuts at Lola. AMAZEBALLS! We ordered 2 times they were so amazing. Giada picked them as her favorite on "The Best Thing I Ever Ate... Fried Food" show on the Food Network, and let me tell you, she did not lead us wrong!

They came out in this bag that they shake up with all the sugar at your table and then they cut the bag open and pour out the yummo-ness for quick consumption!

We ate at Serious Pie (thanks Dan and Darrin for the great suggestion). This was my Yellowfoot Chantrell and Truffle Cheese pizza. And for dessert, my fav... a from the tap, Rootbeer float with vanilla gelato!

A view of the market.

David with his Starbucks at the original Starbuck's next to Pike's Market in Seattle.

Me with Mc Dreamy :)

Who knew David was team Jacob :)

So this is a pretty nice back drop for a picture right... guess where this is? In the middle of downtown Seattle... it is the UPS building. Pretty fancy UPS, no wonder your prices are always going up.

This was the memorial for the fires that burnt the city down back in the day.

Jess and me at a fun diner we ate breakfast at the 1st morning.

We had such a great time. And Lord willing, we will still be doing fun trips like this after the Tiny Human arrives in 9 weeks.

A CarSon 4th of July - Indy Style

2010-07-19T17:40:00.000-07:00

4th of July 2009 David and I made plans to do the 4th in Indy the next year, and we did :)
Here are some of the fun times we had :)

Sparklers are fun at every age!

This was just the beginning... the boys really did it up. I was a nervous wreck, but it was fun!

David learned a new game in Indy. It involves a beer in one hand and an empty one balanced on a tall PVC pipe and a frisbee... David was all over it :)

Sadly, Team Josh and David did not come out victorious in this one.

Caleb was killing me, I had me camera on him and he leaned back and told me, "I pose?" So cute.

We spent some time at the pool. This kid is so awesome.

Future Rock Star!

Caleb was just on fire for me this trip :)

There will be more to come... but I am about to head out the door.

Worship in the AM

2010-06-03T14:49:00.000-07:00

So for a while now, I have been listening to worship music on my way to work each morning. I used to listen to talk radio and channel surf a lot. But I found that worship music in the early AM helps me focus and rest on the way to work. Sitting in traffic is not too bad when I am focused on worship (don't worry, I am still watching the road). For the most part I have been listening to CD's, mostly because The Fish 95.9 has, in my opinion, less than to be desired morning hosts. But yesterday I flipped on the the Fish on the way to work and this song came on

It is called Our God by Chris Tomlin:

Water You turned into wine
Open the eyes of the blind
There’s no one like You
None like You
Into the darkness You shining
Out of the ashes we rise
There’s no one like You
None like You

CHORUS
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome and power
Our God, Our God…

Into the darkness you shining
Out of the ashes we Rise
There’s no One like You
None like You.

Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome and power
Our God, Our God…
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome and power
Our God, Our God…

BRIDGE
And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
What can stand against?

Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome and power
Our God, Our God…
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome and power
Our God, Our God…

And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
And if Our God is for us, then who can ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?
Then what can stand against?
Then what can stand against?

Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome and power
Our God, Our God…
Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome and power
Our God, Our God…

This song was a sweet and powerful picture for me that morning. We are rising out of the ashes because of Him. I need this reminder a lot of mornings... every morning, some more than others though. God is Stronger, Higher, Healer... and he is ours! He is for us! Our gift. Lovin' this AM worship :)

Time with Gigi :)

2010-06-01T19:31:00.001-07:00

When planning our trip to North Carolina, other than claiming the prize for most awesome cousin's, David felt the urge to also take the title of Favorite Grand Child and go up and visit his grandmother (we call her GiGi) who lives a few hours north of Michael and Allison, in Winston Salem. Barbara, David's Aunt, was so gracious to let us stay with her and cart us around for a couple days :) We met them at church on Easter Sunday morning, followed by lunch where GiGi lives... FYI... I had some of the best chicken fingers ever for my Easter lunch; dipped in glorious ranch dressing... it was great! Any way, GiGi was so excited to show us around her diggs and since we were up for the grand tour, I decided to memorex it so all the other grand kids could see how GiGi is rollin these days...

We started with some yummo snacks she provided in her apartment. We sat for a while and looked at lots of pictures and went over her date book and filled in every one's birthdays and anniversaries for her :)

Then the tour commenced... here they are in the Library... I think their reading choices were spot on!

Then Gigi encouraged David to burn off some of those southern cooking calories he had been enjoying for the past couple days.

Followed by GiGi and giving a little "Gun Show" of our own :)

Then we went outside to GranDaddy's garden. Sadly, since he has past, there is nothing much growing anymore. But it was still great to get to see. We could just picture him out there working on his bounty.

And because you all know how musical this family is... They had to boogie a bit on the piano!
(side note: GiGi, actually played the organ when I walked down the isle to marry David! Such a great memory to have and a real honor too!)

There were the most beautiful Dogwood trees everywhere.

Gigi was so cute. She had said that she really wanted to show me this beautiful piece of furniture. I asked why, and she said because there are two identical ones... just like me (being a twin) Again... could she be more precious?

The tour came to an end when we arrived back on her floor on the "C" Block.

Barbara took us all to Old Salem and we had the most amazing lunch at this old house, turned restaurant... I had the best pasta with cream sauce... mmmmm... I am hungry. What follows are some pictures I took from our time that day.

We got some yummo goodies from the town baker :)

How cute are these signs outside the shops? Love it!

It was a great trip... and GiGi told David he claimed the title of Favorite Grand Child... and also said anyone willing to come visit her could steal the title from him :) She is waiting to see if any of you will take the bait :)

North Carolina Family

2010-06-01T19:16:00.000-07:00

Ok, since it has been months since I have blogged I have lots of pictures of fun times we have had... since I love taking pictures, my blog posts will pretty much be that; pictures and some captions. Hope that is okay with y'all :)

A while back, Easter actually, David and I flew to North Carolina to visit some of his family. We have been to Ocean Isle 2 times for family reunion type things with Ann's (David's mom's) side of the family and those 2 times I made a quick connection with Allison (a cousin of David) and we had been emailing ever since. Always talking about us needing to come out there for a visit... and we finally pulled the trigger and headed out. It was an amazing trip!!!! We had a blast with them and we would go back in a heart beat! Michael and Allison have 3 kiddos, Cade (age 2.5) and Reagan and Carson (twinners age 10 months)- ages are when pictures were taken :) As you know, when there are kiddos, there are pictures galore! And with Cade stealing my heart with that Southern accent from the second I walked through the door and the girls being twins (I have a fondness for twins for some reason :P) I had a camera filled to capacity. I have narrowed it down though, for your viewing pleasure :)

This is Carson... she is amazing. She looks at you when you walk in the room, throws her hand up to wave and says (in the most awesome southern draw)... "Hhhheeeeeeyyyy..." It is so precious. I just want to steal her and bring her back to Cali with me.

She can also play sweet and innocent when she wants to :)

This is Cade. Cade speaks in the 3rd person, which is a habit some may think is not good... but I LOVED every second of his little mouth opening up! We showed up to the house a wee past his bed time, but they kept him up so he could greet us, and what a greeting it was! He was great. He took my hand and said, "Cade show you around?" My heart melted! He was such a joy to be around! Such life and excitement in those eyes!

And this is little Reagan. She is a little sweet pea! A little climber too. David put this tent together in the backyard for the girls (and me... you know how I just love the sun :P) to chill in while we all played outside. But this monkey stayed in the tent about 30 seconds before she was crawling around in the sun exploring :)

She is just so sweet. Loved walking when she had something to push around.

Reagan giving me her ZooLander pose :)

This is how Carson sucks her thumb, with the fingers up. So cute.

Big Brother Cade took the girls for a spin in the Jeep, they loved it!

This is in their backyard! Crazy! We are not in Cali anymore.

As you can see, there is no gate up to keep Cade from running into this pond in the back yard... so Allison and Michael have come up with some creative parenting to make sure he stays out of the water. Here in the conversation Cade had with me the 1st night I got there:

Cade: You like worms?

Me: No way.

Cade: Cade don't like worms! Frogs eat worms. Cade likes frogs.

Me: You do huh?

Cade: But trocdodiles eat frogs. Like this... (and he showed me with his arms chomping down).

I then was told that there are trocdodiles in the water in the back yard. And so Cade stays away from the water because he does not want to get near the frog eatin trocdodiles. While I was taking the picture, Cade was in his Jeep and he saw that he thought I was getting a little too close and came yelling and running towards me saying, "Wendy... watch out... the trocdodiles gonna get you!" It was very sweet that he was trying to save me :)

The boys went for a ride around the block in this fun toy :)

He loved all the boy time he had with David. They were buddies!

Hangin loose with their shades

Boys and mud!

She is such a doll... she had turned on the tears for a quick second, then I distracted her with my camera :)

We met up with Charlie, Helen and their kids (Waverly and Hugh) while we were there and we all went to an Easter Egg Hunt at the country club close to their home. Cade decided to steal the show in this picture. Classic.

This picture is for you Lolly... to prove we were actually there, and not just my camera :)

This kid has so much personality!

Carson... not so much the fan of the Easter Bunny!

This is Michael, David's cousin... never saw that big of a resemblance until I saw this picture! They would look like brothers if they had the same hair color!

This was our only group shot from the trip... Some of the kids were not camera ready... but it worked :)

Cousin's hanging out.

Hugh was soooo good on the horse :)

Later that night Allison and Michael took us down to the water front and we walked the pier. Carson made herself cozy high up on David's shoulder.

David and I, admiring the art on the pier.

Cade was showing his sister creatures in the water.

And telling her about sharks :)

It was such an amazing trip. We hope to go back again really soon! Thanks for everything McWhorter's!!!

PS... more blogs to come daily with more of our travels from the past few months :)

Anticipation... for something yummy!

2010-03-04T10:53:00.000-08:00

A while back Sarah came home from her Happy Place (TJ's) with some exciting news... exciting for a food lover :) They were now selling refrigerated biscuits. She had purchased a can of them, and told me they actually had two different ones and next time I went to TJ's I should pick up the other kind and we will do a taste test. So, I did, and the taste test commenced that Saturday morning. There were biscuits o' plenty and we each had our favorites.

But that fun was over shadowed by the cuteness that is Troy the Boy Fitzpatrick! He is a big fan of eating... so, in good company when I am around! He wanted those suckers to come out of the oven so bad, that he plopped himself down in front of the oven and waited and watched and waited some more... David decided to sit with him...

He even had is little plate ready :)

Look at that face... not David :p

A Night with SAAM...

2010-02-21T22:26:00.000-08:00

The Anita G Christmas Party was up in LA at the Bazaar and when we were there we were told about SAAM, the private dining room where they serve a 22 course menu and it is Chef Jose Andres idea of a perfect menu.
Last night for Anita's 61st birthday we went to celebrate with that perfect menu... this is how it went :)

David and me before we headed in...

The 1st course was called The Golden Boy, it was a cocktail with flecks of gold leaf :) Super fun.

You can see the gold in the drink... and this was the "snack" it was a Beet "Tumbleweed" It was really good, like a yummo tater chip. And since we all know beets can even stain plates... I checked and it turned our tongues pink too :)

Anita was so sweet to invite my mom out for this birthday dinner too so she could celebrate with us and have a night away :)

Julie and Kirk too...

Next course was black olives... but the server had to explain how to eat this one because they have been molecularly altered. They were liquid inside. It bursts in your mouth, strange, but cool.

Then this tuna hand roll... ahi, black bean puree, guac... yummo. I actually enjoyed it, even though it was not cooked. I am growing :)

Then a Bagel & Lox Steam Bun... David ate the caviar on top of mine... I am not that far yet :)

But this was the softest bagel ever... so good, and it was stuffed with this amazing cream cheese mixture.

Then some Olive Oil Bonbons... Strange, but I really liked it. It was like hardened sugar filled with the olive oil.

I peeked down at the twin and saw that her napkin was really dirty... come to find out, she did not listen to the explanation the server gave us about not opening your mouth after you stick the exploding olive in your mouth... this is why :)

Course 7 was called Jose's Combination, some caviar with the most yummy ham.

Now onto one of my favorites... this was a boneless coconut thai chicken wing! I wish I had a whole bucket of them right now!

At this point in the meal we told the server to stop telling us what we were eating until we after we started eating... it was fun to guess. So he would give us one word descriptions... I started tasting the foam, and it was really good... then in the middle was Sea Urchin Ceviche. Umm... I was not a huge fan. David finished it for me.

For this one he just said "Chipirones"... I was not getting anything from that, although, my mom knew it was calamari so I knew what I was getting myself into. I promised myself I would at least try everything... and I did. I ate 1/2 of this dish, but the texture finally got to me. Although the squid ink tater chips were awesome.

Dish 11 was a delight. It was Japanese Baby Peaches and PersimmonsThen, Guacamole "New Way" there was tomato and onion sorbet in the avocado. It was super cold.

This one everyone started eating and really liked it... saying it was a mushroom soup. I tried it and was a little put off, I love mushrooms and it did not taste good to me. I drank about 1/2 and David finished it for me (he was the lucky one sitting next to me to get more food :)

I was correct, it was not mushroom... it was Hot & Cold Foie Soup with Corn. I have had Foie Gras a couple times before and not really liked it, and I guess I still don't love it.

Next came Norwegian Cigalas (Lobster)

Then Smoked Arctic Char with Tzatziki which was cooked sous vide in an immersion bath with a compressed cucumber. It was good.This was a favorite for most at the table... not your every day caprese, the mozzarella cheese was one of the little orbs that bursts in your mouth.

Finally dish 17 came with some meat on it :) Wagyu Beef Cheeks with mandarine sauce and segments. I heart this!

At the beginning of the meal, the server asked us if we would like to add a 23rd course to the meal that was on special that night... like we needed another course... but then when we heard mushroom risotto with black truffles there was a resounding YES! It was one of my favs, and Kirk does not like mushrooms and so....

... After finishing mine... I started on his. :)

Next was the Philly Cheese Steak... fancy huh? and served on a bronze monkey :)

That was the end of the savory and now onto the sweet... Dragon's Breath Popcorn.

Carmel Popcorn cubes dropped into liquid nitrogen for 30 seconds and then we were told to put it into our mouth as quick as possible and chew really fast (to avoid it burning our tongue) and exhale threw out nose...

.... Then we saw how it got the Dragon name :)

This was not my favorite! I am not a peanut butter fan... this was peanut dust. When you put it into your mouth it became peanut butter. Very cool, Kirk's favorite.

Then came a hot cocoa mousse with pear sorbet... I loved it... which is most likely why I forgot to take a picture of it, oops.

Then they brought this amazing sugar thing out with a birthday candle in it for Anita to blow out for her bday. It was very unique.

We asked if we could get some of the chocolate covered pop rocks we had last time and they did not disappoint. Yummo

There was a some good times had... and some strong drinks :P

And the last course was the Petit Fours.such a cute presentation!

They brought Julie and Kirk an anniversary dessert (they got married 2 years ago on Anita's bday).

At the end of the meal they gave us each a menu of the nights courses.

23 courses and 5 1/2 hours later we finished and ended with a tour of the kitchen. So full... pretty tired and soooooo much fun! Happy Birthday Anita! It was a blast! We love you!

My buddy... Dub A

2010-02-16T20:58:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday, I was blessed with some fun times with the Bower's. Tim and Mya dropped a very joyous Mr. Scrumples off at Casa de Wilson to spend some time with his Aunti Wendy in the Fun that is the Viejo Village :) They left to go on a lunch date and Isaac and I played at the Fitz house and it was lots of fun.
Then they stuck around for some yummo dinner and Issac was our entertainment. I love this kid.
Here are some fun pictures from the day :)

He was dancing around all silly and happy.

Crackin us all up

He loves the stairs... what kid doesn't right :) I used to love them too... until we moved and I no longer have my laundry room upstairs. Lugging laundry up and down them is no fun... but I am thankful I have a laundry machine, so no more complaining here :)

Little toes :)

He kept laying down on the steps like he was going to take a nap, such a special guy.

You are Welcome any time Bower's!!!

Valentines Day- Viejo Village Style

2010-02-15T21:18:00.000-08:00

Valentines Day has never been an event for David and me... we have never been that into spending extra money to go out to dinner and be packed in with lots of other couples. So, Twinner, Kirk, David and I decided to cook up some yummo food and eat in :)
We decided to make it even better it should be a Fitzsnellson night and make dinner and all eat the the Fitz house after the kiddos went to bed.
As you can see in the picture below... David made my day! I now have a TV in the kitchen. Whoo hoo... I love it. I can watch the food network when I cook now, this is something I missed since moving and not having a TV anywhere near the kitchen. Although, I watched How to Loose a Guy in 10 Days last night while cooking. "Krull the Warrior King" vs. "Princess Sophia" Love that movie!

Here is the twin showing off her home made Creme Brulee

The Husbro showing Julie how to use her new Brulee-ing toy :)

So cute :)

It was like a fun Date night... but we Raisen-ed instead :)

This was my plate... So good!

Filet (Bacon wrapped for those who wanted), Lobster...

Artichokes... fruit salad...

Great food... flowing drinks and amazing company!

Sarah set the table and even had valentines decor (heart lights) up... it was so fun.

Cheers! Hope you enjoyed your Valentine's Day as much as we did in the V.V. :)

Your Babies are Welcome... but leave your 4 Legged Friends at Home!!!

2010-02-08T21:45:00.000-08:00

Ok animal lovers, this blog might not be for you... But Carrie, you will love this blog :)
I am not a dog person... never have been and in all likehood, never will be! There is nothing I like about them but a whole heck of a lot I could do without; hair everywhere, drool, slobber, horrible smells, picking up poop, jumping up on me, licking my toes (what is that all about???) and the list goes on.

I don't understand dog lovers... You can tell me all you want that a dog's mouth is cleaner than a human's, but I would bet you a $100 that if you saw your dog lick his rear and then come right up to you and lick your mouth you might think twice (sorry for the visual).

Sure some puppys are super cute, but most "baby" things are, but then they turn into Dogs... icky, smelly, loud, slobbery Dogs!

Most of my friends with kids appreciate coming to my house b/c the kiddos are welcome. I love them. Bring them on... but leave the animals at home. And don't tell me that kids are just like having pets. Kids poop in a diaper most of the time, they smell soooo good after a bath, and their redeeming qualities more than make up for the occasional behavior issues and messy habits.

Below is a picture of the only slightly positive attention I gave to Sumo (Darrin's Bull Dog) this weekend. Everyone loves this dog... me... not so much. And He knows it, thus he tries even harder to pay attention to me. I am not a fan. Love your dog all you want people, but I am sorry, I will not be warming up to your dog. Maybe a cat, but no dogs.

Blame it on never growing up with a dog maybe... not sure, but all I know is, you can drop your kiddos off anytime, but if you have a dog drop him at the twins place before you head to my end of the Viejo Village :)

And here is a typocal dog lover. Sumo is pampered, which I have nothing against... I just won't be doing it along with you :)

Crazy Rain in The OC...

2010-01-19T23:11:00.000-08:00

Here is what work was like for me today... tornados and flooding galore :)

I thought we paid so much money to live here so we did not have to deal with these types of weather conditions :)

Anita and Sarah checking out the Santa Ana River that was going to flood our office if the rain did not stop when it did... hopefully the Thursday storm does not last too long :(
The brave two-some in their rain gear :)

Ps... Scroll down for another blog post... yes 2 in one night :)

GLEE!!!

2010-01-19T22:02:00.000-08:00

I am sure you have all heard of the new show Glee in Fox. If you have not seen it, you are missing out and you should go catch up online now :) Sadly, it does not come back on till April 13th (after American Idol ends)... so what have I been doing to pass the time... listening to the sounds track of all the songs from the episodes that have aired so far. I LOVE it!!!

I am so one of those people who get a new CD and then listen to it on repeat for a pretty long time. Julie let me borrow this CD about 10 days ago and I have listened to it at work nonstop. Hey, don't judge, it makes pulling and packing orders in the freezing warehouse so much more happy :) So, that is all I have to say right now... I love Glee :)

This was the twin car ride to SCV this weekend... Glee-ing all the way there :)

Here are some snipits for you of why I love Glee so much!

David is officially OLD... I mean... 30!

2010-01-05T18:19:00.000-08:00

David's 30th was one to remember! We do 30 BIG in this family... and David's celebration was no exception! The Wilson Casino was in FULL effect on Jan 2 2010 and we gamed hard! Here are some highlights!

These 2 stayed at the craps table all night... Josh and Lolly flew in from Indy for a birthday surprise for David. They surprised him at dinner with us in Laguna Beach on New Year's Eve and he was 100% surprised! So fun for him since he loves surprises!
There were 3 black jack tables... 1 craps table, 1 roulette table and 1 poker table.

The craps table was for sure the loud table. It was so fun to watch those dice go and everyone yell and scream. I was in my element... people were actaully louder than me! Crazy, I know!

They were winning big... and ummm... Mariah, you are ripped!

Crazy craps players :) Quatro's 1st craps experience :P

Anita was rolling the dice like a pro.

Poker fun... Kyle flopped 3 aces to give him 4 of a kind and took home the poker glory.

Lolly was the dice queen... she rolled for 1 hour and 7 minutes... there was only 3 hours of play, that is over 1/3 of the time! Crazy for someone who is not a fan of Vegas. She was calling her rolls, just like she does when we play Catan! So awesome!

Darrin made David this amazing Rum cake, but there was soooo much rum in it, we were afraid to light it with the bday candles for fear it would blow up :) So he got his candles in 2 tiny brownie bites.

Uncle Martin brought David his "nite nite" drink... this stuff is toxic... but he loves it :)

Mike and Kelsey came dresses as Vegas tourists... it was awesome!

Here are the winners of the night with the bday boy... Lolly 1st place, Kyle 2nd place and the Twin came in third :) I thought it was fun that the top three winners were represented by one person from my side of the fam, one from David's side and one friend.

Fun times were had by all! Now all that is left to say is... Kirk and David, you have approximately 1 year, 4 months to plan the Twin's 30th Birthday!!!! XOXO

Wow... over two months to cover... how about I do it in pictures :)

2010-01-04T18:33:00.000-08:00

Ok... here goes...
Here is Grandma CeCe and Kami on Christmas Eve.

Three of the best guys in the family :)

Brothers... feelin' the love

Kami and Sass... double trouble for sure! God Bless Sheri and Michele when these 2 hit the teen years.

We went to Arizona for Kenzie's 10th Birthday. It was so much fun.

This is Mason showing us how amazing he is on the drums :)

Jay, holding his not so little girl any more

She is such a super star

The Johnson's invited the Viejo Village to all pile in a flat bed truck and go around Nellie Gail to look at Christmas lights... it was a lot of fun.

Ben and his dude, David

All bundled up

Oh the excitement in the eyes of a little one

Then there was the Anita G Christmas party. We went up to LA and stayed at the SLS Hotel and ate at Bazaar. It was tons of fun!

The Anita G Gang! We are very professional.

There were some celebrities at the table next to us, so Kelsey got out her phone and we were IMDB-ing them :)

These were foie gras lollipops wrapped in cotton candy... David and Jerry were hooked!

This was Julie's crab soup... it was a tapas place, so we were able to try a lot of things.

2 of the men in my everyday life :)

Twinners

Kirk was thrilled to be taking a bunch of pictures!

Best Bosses on earth

Before all that, was my 1st attempt at Thanksgiving by myself. Thank the Lord for David... he was a huge help lifting the 23 pound turkey for me :) Which turned out AMAZING!

This was the Wilson side of the family that was left for the after hours hang time.

Lovely ladies

Uncle Martin insists on putting chocolate ice cream on any dessert... including pumpkin pie.

Our 1st Turkey was a hit!!! Brown butter and Sage... mmmmmm....

My home made vases/centerpieces :)

These were the name tags/place setting boxes... filled with treats, heart and pumpkin shaped brownies :)

A few weeks before Turkey Day, my mom and I went up to Northern Cali to visit the Prescott's and see their new house. It was super fun and their place is amazing.

I did a family photo shoot for them on their property.

The Prescott Family

They have a random mail box in the back yard among the acres of land, and they will put surprises for Kami to find from time to time. She said she thought Santa Clause came and brought it :)

She has so much fun with all the free space and fun bridges and paths

She was welcoming us to her new home

Kami on her tree swing!

I cannot get enough of her!

She looks good in Orange!

That is all I got... stayed tuned for David's 30th Bday pictures! I promise to put them up tomorrow night. The event was so awesome, it deserves its own post!

Such an unfortunate nickname... and I guess it is stickin'

2009-10-15T13:56:00.000-07:00

Most of you know, my nickname is Weener. I know, pretty bad huh? Not only that but other forms of it like, Weenie, Richard, Dick... ect. Most of the time though, it is Weener.

Kirk and Julie have been talking ever since they got married that when they have kids they are going to tell them to call me Aunti Weener. Easy to say, I was not thrilled at this idea.

Ever since high school I have heard this wonderful nickname called out, even across the quad at school or in other awesome public places. I mean really, who would not want to be beckoned in a public place with such an awesome term of endearment, right?

Well, I was thinking, no way. It won't happen. Well, I was wrong. It has started!

Today I met Mariah and Dub A (Isaac) for lunch. It was fun times. He is getting so big! Talking a lot and bunches of new words to say for me. MaMa, WaWa (water) and then Mariah said...

"Isaac, who is that?" and pointed to me.

"Is that Aunti Weener?"

He looked right at me and said, "WeeWee!" with a big grin on his scrumply little face!

Are you kidding me?

Mariah said that on the way down to meet for lunch, she said "Isaac, we are going to see your Aunti Weener."

And he responded with Wee Wee. So yup... it has stuck... I am Aunti Wee Wee.

Oh Lord, I can just hear it now. So many kids coming up with their own versions of it...

Aunti Wee Wee

Aunti Weenie

Aunti Weene

All I can say is, you better believe my kids will be calling Kirk, Uncle Kirkerman or Uncle Kirkker.

ummmm.... eeeewwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-10-14T20:53:00.000-07:00

So I love to cook... despise cleaning up the kitchen, but LOVE to cook. Although some nights I get home from work and all the sudden I look at the clock and it is already after 8pm and I have not even thought about dinner.

This has never been a problem before, mainly because I have the most easy to please hubby when it comes to food. He is happy with anything, so I would usually do Kraft Mac and Cheese with kielbasa or taquitos with cheese and salsa or quesadillas... are you sensing a theme?

CHEESE!!!

Every easy, fail safe, quick meal ideas I have are cheese, milk, cream and more cheese. So, while David can still eat quick, I being off dairy have a harder time. You can only have eggs so often.

So on my last trip to Whole Foods I picked up a few dairy free quick meals and was looking forward to the next late night mad dash to the kitchen.

The 1st was a couple weeks ago. I went for my Soy Cheese Dairy Free Pizza... I ate about 1/4 of it and gave up. My jaw started to hurt from chewing the nasty fake cheese and cardboard crust. Thanks for nothing but taking my $8 bucks Whole Foods.

Well, tonight was one of those nights again. Julie had a CPK frozen pizza for one and David went for taquitos... I pulled out my dairy free Veggie Meatloaf frozen meal.

It was soooo wrong you guys! I took one bite and could not bare another. Just look at the picture... and ask the twin, this picture makes it look like a stinkin' 4 star meal... it was not!

I ended up eating some beef jerkey. :) Go figure.

New Jam's... for Addie Loo-Hoo

2009-10-12T13:03:00.000-07:00

Ok... as you know, David and I are yet to have children of our own. Although, when that day comes I have a feeling the economic downturn will rebound a bit :) Until that day comes I have been and continue to be blessed with so many little one's to support my "gift" of shopping. This was something I always knew the mom's were appreciative of, but last week I was enlightened to find out that some of the little one's have come to learn of my gift giving habit...

Last week, Sarah Fitz and I were in Addie's room after her bath, getting her ready for bed. Sarah was putting her jammies on (you know, the Carter's, super soft, zip all the way up, one's with the feet). Well, this particular jammie was one I had given to Addie almost a year ago when I was actually picking a few out for Caleb from Costco (I shop a lot, but I am almost always getting an amazing deal!). They seemed a bit too snug and this is what transpired:

Sarah: Addie, I think these jammies are getting a little too tight, you need some new jammies.

Addie: (without skipping a beat, turns her head to look at me and says) Wenny... I need some new jammies, you get me some, ok?

Me: (without skipping a beat) You got it Addie! What color?

Addie: Pink

Me: Flowers or animals?

Addie: Flowers

Me: You got it! New jammies coming right away!

Sarah and I burst into laughter. It was sooo funny! I did not find it rude or assuming in any way. The girl is awesome, she remembered who gave the too small jammies to her and so when she needed new one's, she went straight to the source. Addie-Loo-Hoo, you are a girl after my own heart!

As promised, she got her new jammies from Costco... they did not have any pink with flowers, but I think I made some great choices with what I had to pick from.

Our New Home... part two

2009-09-08T23:13:00.000-07:00

Here is the built in office area for David's many computers and monitors :)

The cozy room as I like to call it...

Down Stairs Bath

Front room

David's window... my fun floor rug :)

Lots of lighting in this house

I love this kitchen!!!

Double oven... you are all welcome for Thanksgiving!!!

Love having pictures up already!! Thanks David!

The main guest room... waiting and ready for anyone who wants to stay... Caruana's??? :)

For some reason when the movers were moving our stuff in, David started referring to this as the "baby" room. No babies to put in it yet, but more sleeping room for visitors.

So that is it, minus the master and another room we are making the music/workout room.

We thank God every day for the amazing blessings He has given us, and we are so excited to share this blessing with out loved ones! So come on over!!!

Our New Home...

2009-09-07T23:25:00.001-07:00

Ok... so yes, this did take a really long time, but here are the 1st pictures of our new home :) To be honest, part of the reason it took so long is because we were renting until escrow closed, and I felt weird putting pictures up of a house we did not even own yet :P But since escrow finally closed and I finally got my act together, here are the out side pictures... inside are to follow.

So here is the front... David's favorite part... the Bay Windows, my favorite part... the driveway!!!

Here are some of the super fun roses blooming right now. Good thing we have a great gardener, because I do not do well with living plants! They involve bugs, and I am not a fan of those little creatures.

Here is the back yard... David loves every bit of it! Built in BBQ for some fun grillin!

Fire place for some Smore fun!

Pool and Spa... We are pretty excited to have such an awesome party back yard.

So there you have it... feel free to come and play any time!

Never to feel left out...

2009-08-13T13:53:00.000-07:00

The twin thought something very important was missing from this picture... and so she did something about it:

Just something fun till I get my act together and get pictures of the new house up...

2009-08-11T18:35:00.000-07:00

THREE OF MY FAVORITE BANDS OR MUSICAL ARTISTS:
1. Caedmon's Call
2. Rascal Flatts
3. Bon Jovi

TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE:
1. I am preggers
2. I dream about eating cheese
3. I tivo and watch DOOL every day.

THREE OF MY FAVORITE HOBBIES:
1. Eating
2. Talking
3. Taking pictures of all the little smushes in my life.

THREE THINGS I WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW:
1. Eat ceddar fries with ranch at Islands
2. Have all the things we have not hung up yet in the house magically appear on the walls.
3. Go to Burke Williams with Sarah, The Twin and Lolly

THREE CAREERS I’VE CONSIDERED:
1. Event/Party Photographer
2. Model Home Decorator
3. Chef

THREE PLACES I WANT TO GO ON VACATION:
1. Sea Shell Islands
2. Boston (in the Fall)
3. Ireland

THREE KIDS NAMES I LIKE:
1. Karis
2. Avery
3. Nolan

THREE WAYS THAT I AM STEREOTYPICALLY LIKE A GIRL:
1. I cry... A LOT
2. I nag my hubby... or as I like to look at it... give him pleasant reminders to make sure he remembers :)
3. I love movies like Steel Magnolias, Center Stage, A Walk to Remember... the list goes on.

THREE WAYS THAT I AM STEREOTYPICALLY LIKE A BOY:
1. I NEED to have control over the remote control
2. I get ready really fast.
3. I can out eat most of them :)

A really fun weekend in the midts of chaos!

2009-06-09T09:19:00.000-07:00

All this house stuff has been a lot for us this past week, and so we decided to head north for some weekend fun... and we found it!
Woke up Sat morning and did my Shred (I am on day 9 now, of my 30 day shred with Jillian Michael's from the Biggest Loser... it is awesome!) while David went to Starbucks for his weekend ritual of Starbucks and the Bible :) Then we got ready and headed to Taluka Lake (near Burbank). This is where D's best friend Nate is now living, and since we had not seen his new diggs yet and wanted to get together with him for lunch we met him at his place first. His place was great, very simple and typical bachelor pad, but I this is the 1st time I have seen a rented apartment with granite counter tops and base boards and crown molding... talk about high falutin' :)
Nate took us to this place called The Counter for lunch. Let me tell you, He knows his audience. He told us he wanted to bring us there bc he thought I would love it, and Love it I did! Pretty much build your own burger with some of the yummo fixin's! And I got Onion straws and fries with a garlic aoli dipping sauce. Good thing I did the Shred that morning :)
Then it was up to Camarillo to visit our friends Jon and Kimi. Kimi is very close to her due date and we were hoping to make it up there to see their place and hang out before baby girl Marshall made her debut appearance. (and no, all of you who know me so well, you are thinking... Camarillo... aren't there amazing outlets in Camarillo... well yes there are, in fact they recently added 125 new stores. But I had self control, and not like I was going to ask the 9 month along preggo friend to go walking around outlet shopping for hours on end. Even I have boundaries.)
There house is awesome! They found a great deal on a 5 bedroom 1 story house in a cute neighborhood. They are taking things slowly to get their house together, but it had real potential and I thought it looked great already from what they have already done.
Here's the thing though that is weird about Camarillo though. We decided to walk to dinner and the 1st three places we attempted to eat at were closed already... we are not talking 9pm on a Sunday (which was hard to find in Indiana when visiting the Caruana's) but no, we are talking 5pm on a Saturday in So Cal... it was so strange. We kept walking and found a place that was not bad at all. And Kimi, what a trooper... she only had to stop once for a quick rest because of those pesky "squeezy things" as she calls them, otherwise known as contractions :)
Then they told us about how when they moved to Camarillo everyone they met would ask them two things... Did you know that Camarillo has the 2nd greatest climate in the nation (and no, not one person has ever told them which city has the best :) and the other one was... so are you guys going to be going to the Summer Concerts in the Park?
Ok people, we have all heard of something like this in our community or surrounding ones... but we have never seen something quite like this. We happened to be there on the 1st concert of the summer and we decided to head out and see what it was like. It was packed, must have been bc it was the World Classic Rockers concert:
former band members from all these bands: Lynyrd Skynyrd, Toto, Steppenwolf, Journey, Santana and Boston. It was awesome, Free Bird and Sweet Home Alabama sent the crowd singing and dancing.
But this was not just a few hundred people coming to enjoy some music. I think the entire city came out... there were soooooo many people there, and the park etiquette rules state that seating is 1st come 1st serve. You can start reserving seats as early as 5pm on the Thursday before the event. And I guess that's what most do!!! Starting on Thursday night chairs and blankets started amassing over the park. And no one touches them, apparently, Camarillo is a really safe place to live, people do not even lock their front doors most of the time.
It was crazy fun, D and I are going to come back to meet the Marshall's for the Sept 12th concert in the park where it will be a tribute to Elvis :)
After the concert we went back to their place and roasted some marshmallows then made the trek back down south.
It was a great weekend and a great escape from all the house stuff going on... but now back to the work week grind, and the potential move :)

Apparently... we are in ESCROW...

2009-06-05T12:43:00.000-07:00

Well, that did not take long! The last 3 days have been a whirlwind of emotions and all I can say is, When God chooses to move, watch out!
We are in the start of a 35 day escrow with the people who are purchasing our house and we will see what happens with when we will move into our new place. If we have to we will store our stuff and crash and Julie and Kirk's I guess, no biggie.
But looks like we will need help moving... so all our friends who are so young enough to help, please come on out! We will provide beer and food! That's all you need right? :P
And Lolly, looks like you and the kiddos will get to see the place before you head back to Indy! Our escrow closes the day before you leave. Too bad Josh will be gone already :( Maybe she will let us take a peek before we move in so he can check it out too!
Oh the BBQ pool parties to come!
Please pray for smooth escrows, appraisals, loans and anything else that could go wrong with all parties involved!
Love you all!

House For Sale...

2009-06-04T10:40:00.000-07:00

Yup, our house is officially for sale. It was put up on the MLS this morning, and we already got a call that someone is going to look at it today :) Hope that means good things are to come.

Here's how it all started...

The Fitzpatrick family lives on this wonderful cul de sac in Mission Viejo and we spend a lot of time visiting this wonderful street. Mark and Sarah have always said, "You guys should sell your house and move onto this street... which neighbors can we get to move out so you can move in?"

None of the houses have ever been up for sale on their street since we met them, but to amuse them and David, we said the only house we really liked on the street and would consider moving to was the one 2 doors down from them. Beautiful bay windows in the front :) But of course what would the likelihood of that house going up for sale and even if it did, the likelihood of us liking the inside of it?? Well, Mark was told a month or so back that the owner was wanting to sell in the near future.

And so we got a call from the Fitz's telling us that we better get ready to move because the house we like is going on the market. :)

This coming only a few short weeks after the twin and Kirk moved into a house 3 doors down the other direction. Thus making the appeal even greater for moving.

So, Mark set up a time for us to check out the house... we went and David fell in Love :)

I love many things about the house, but of course I also see $$$ that I would want to spend in order to make things more me :)

It is awesome though,

pool, hot tub, outdoor fireplace, BBQ island with built in grill and fridge, redone amazing kitchen (huge points there for me)

But I will be leaving my house in Ladera that I love. My master bedroom and bathroom from heaven :) the front that D and Kirk built with their own two hands, the 10 degree cooler weather and breeze that Ladera pumps in throughout the city... yes, that is why our dues are so much money!

We decided to go for it, throw out an offer we did, and found out yesterday she accepted. Signed papers and now the buy is contingent on us selling our house. So we will see where God takes us!

Pretty excited but pretty weirded out about having strangers in my house when I am not there.

In a few weeks, we will either be starting to gate off the FitzSnellSon Estates or we will remain in our house in Ladera, which we LOVE. So we will be happy either way, it will just be interesting to see where God wants us.

So pray with us if you will.

Thanks all! XOXO

I got me some TOMS!!!!

2009-05-12T13:57:00.000-07:00

Ok, so many of you blessed me so much for my birthday with wonderful cards and fun gifts! Thanks so much.
One of these gifts I received, I have been wanting for a long time. I have almost purchased some a few times... but they never had my size in the ones I wanted and so i kept putting a purchase off!
Well Ladies and Gentleman... I give you my First Pair of Toms!
In all their Glory!

Thanks to the FitCar Families (Josh, Lolly, Mark and Sarah)! They are BEAUTIFUL!

I love them, and my reasons are 3-fold:

1. Tom's donates a pair of shoes to someone in need of shoes when each pair is purchased... so I received an awesome gift, and some one else did too!

2. Some would say, "Wendy, the last thing you need is another pair of shoes!" To that I say... True if we are talking about Flip Flops or other open toed shoes... but NO! These are close toed and very hard to come by in my world! :)

3. I know that the color was a little tricky for the peeps to pick out, and that they even entrusted the Twin to help pick some out... well AMAZING JOB LADIES!!! They even match Marc!
(see picture)

So there you have it! Job well done guys... and so many people say I am hard to shop for :P

I love my Tom's!

May Birthdays...

2009-05-11T10:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Month to me... and to many others in my life!

May Birthday's are pretty big in my life. Not only do I share mine with my wonderful Twinner(and with our cousin Tim), but I also share the month with so many others. Everyone in the picture above holding a birthday candle in fact :) (not Russ... he is holding a table candle, his bday is in Sept.) :P

The list is as follows:

The Twin

Cousin- Tim

Sister-in-law- April

Cousin-Eric

Nephew- Jacob

Father-in-law- Rod

Mother-in-law- Ann

Sister-in-law- Neeley

Niece- Jessica

Niece- Ashley

Niece- Hannah

Niece- Grace( Ash, Hannah and Grace are in June, but since it is so close to may we celebrate them with the may bdays most of the time).

That is 13 just in the family alone... if I forgot anyone, sorry :) there are so many it would be easy to do.

Then I have 5 friends with May bdays and there is Mother's Day thrown in!

All this to say...

Happy Birthday all you May babies! Hope your Birthday, or month :) is amazing!

XOXO

Fun in Indy!!!

2009-05-05T15:24:00.000-07:00

So, David and I headed out for a quick trip to Indy to visit the Caruana's on the 30th. It was such a great way to kick of the awesome time of year that is Birthday Month! (If you don't celebrate a birthday month... you should! It is great. No reason to celebrate only one day a year... when a month is so much more fun!)

Any way, it started out in the early AM... when we got there, the screen was showing a 15 minute delay. To this we thought, No Biggie. Our layover is a little over an hour in Chicago, so we should be fine. :)

Then the voice comes over the loud speaker telling us, we will be boarding the plane in 10 minutes, but due to bad weather in Chicago, we could be sitting on the tarmac for about 1 hour and 20 minutes before we are cleared to take off. So now, we are sitting on a plane that might not take off for another hour and we are thinking we have slim chances of making our connection unless that flight is delayed as well. Which is actually not that uncommon in Chicago airports :P
So we text Josh, Lolly and Sarah (oh yea, the Fitz Family was already in Indy with the C-Fam) what our issues are, and they start praying that we get there quickly.

We ended up pnly being on the plane about 30 minutes and we were cleared to take off. We landed in Chicago about 50 minutes late and got off the plane only to see that our gate had changed, so we ran to find the new gate and luckily it was delayed 50 minutes as well... ended up being delayed about 1 and 1/2 hours, but we finally landed in Indy with Josh waiting curb side to pick us up.

It was so great to see him. It is weird, that even though we have not seen him since Xmas, it feels like it was just yesterday.

We made it to the house and we were greeted with lots of hugs and love! Lol had made her yummo stir fry and the 3 boys headed out for a much anticipated sushi dinner.

The kids are getting so big! All of them have such distinct personalities!
Hannah, with newly missing teeth, is amazing. She has such a caring spirit and she is so brave.
Jon, I cannot get enough of what comes out of this kids mouth! Every thing he says seems so thought out and so genuine. What a helper too! He kept picking things up that David was leaving around and saying "here you go uncle David, I don't want you to forget this," or "I don't want this to get lost." Too stinkin cute. He gave us a bunch of laughs.
And Caleb... he is So Big. There are no more babies in the Caruana House. :(
I Love that Caleb is a food lover. He wants healthy things too... this kid goes crazy for hummus and Veggie Straws. Pictures to follow :)

On Friday we went to this fun park... even though the clouds were looming... we wore hooded jackets incase there was a down pour. It was lots of fun. (see pictures)
Mark ended up pulling a dead snake from the river for the kiddos to check out. And as we walked through the trails in the woods, it started to pour! It was super fun, we all ran back to the car and we were soaking wet. And because Josh and Lolly are so amazing, they did not even bat an eye when 12 rain soaked people cramed into both their cars.

That night there was a date night planned, a babysitter showed up and it was 6 adults out to dinner with no babies, no toddlers and no kiddos... this is pretty common for David and me, not so common for The Fitz and C-Fam... which is what made the night so fun.
FitzCarSon night was here!

We went to dinner in Down Town Noblesville (which Lolly and I returned to the next day and hit up a cute, but huge, anitique store(found something so cool for Mariah for her bday) before everything closed... yup, there's a shock when you are not in So Cal anymore... places close freakishly early). The resteraunt was called Matao's and it was AMAZING! Great food and Great service! And Dairy Free, fresh baked bread!

Then back to the house for a FitzCarSon Settler's game. Josh brought the victory home! But that is where his winning streak ended! Lolly and I whooped on the boys in card games the next 2 nights. They never stood a chance... cards are in my blood ;)
The Fitz Fam, left the next morning and then there were 8 :)

Fun times were had... Hannah and Jonny were across the street playing with friends and so we had the little man out on the deck enjoying the day... which brought on a nail-biting game of Bocci Ball... not with me so much (I only had one point when all was over... I am sticking to cards) but Josh, Lol and David were all soooo close the whole way through.

We woke up for the early service at their church. It was awesome... the Pastor is amazing and being able to capture me for that long when it was 6am Cali time... let's just say... The Holy Spirit is speaking through this man. Awesome!

Come Sunday afternoon we were thinking of what to do and David had an idea about this trip before we left, that he wanted to do something with the kids that they had not done before... So they had their 1st ever Reggatta Race of Carmel Indiana. To read about this and see the fun pictures please check out David's Blog http://thelongwinded.blogspot.com/

At 4PM that night they had their life group over and David and I got to sit in. It was a great time for me. The Lord was speaking through Josh and Lolly and I was hearing His word for me. And the couples in their group are so great. As much as we miss them out here, the Lord has put them in such an amazing place with so many awesome people.

After that the babysitter Ella (Ella... under my umbrella...ella... ella... ella... eh...eh...eh...) Sorry I could not help myself Sarah :) stayed around and we got to go to the movies... Worverine!!! Loved It! Then to an amazing dinner, where they presented me with the best Bday card for me of all time. Poking fun at my "correcting grammar" habit and some spicey language. It was classic!

Then came Monday! Boo Hoo... time to go home. We met Josh for lunch and then it was off to the airport. When we were walking towards the doors we hear Hannah and Jonny yelling, "We love you in Abundance!" It was the perfect ending to such an amazing weekend! It was sad to leave... I am so happy to be home, but so bummed to be away from them :(

We are just happy that they are set to come to Cali in June! Something great to look forward to!
Sorry for such a long post... but it was a fun time I wanted to get down in text. :)

Here are a bunch of pictures... you know I cannot help myself!

There you have it... be sure to check out David's blog to see some other fun times :) He has not blogged it yet... but soon :)

Weekend with the Prescott's... aka... Kami Kami Kami

2009-04-11T09:53:00.001-07:00

My mom and I went up North last weekend for a few days of fun with Michele, Tony and Kami. It was lots of fun... minus the bugs... I could never live in the woods :)
Kami is getting soooo big. And let me tell you she has some awesome little quirks and sayings. Here are a few of the things that tickled my heart...

Kami, just like all of us, has to pass gas from time to time. Most little kids say something like Excuse me and give a little giggle... not Kami. She passed gas and whispered... oh... it's a barking spider. I cracked up... Tony taught her that one.

She learns a lot of stuff from her Dad since he is such a hands on dad. When Tony answers the phone with some of his friends he says "Peace and Love, Peace and Love" Well Kami tends to walk around the house chanting "Peace and Love, Peace and Love" It is soo classic.

Our Niece Hannah loved Sleeping Beauty when she was little and she called her Sleeping Bluuty... it was super cute and when that happens there is no need to correct them, because it is just so stinking cute. Well, Kami calls her Sleeping Booty. Awesome

Kami has struggled a little with hitting and biting at daycare... what can I say... she is a tough kid! Well they have been working with her on this, and I found that out when we picked her up from her friends house and we asked what she did with her friend and kami responded with "No Biting No Hitting Nice Hands"... Apparently, that is what they tell her to remember when she goes to day care and to friend's to play. And she sure remembers it.

It was a great time... here are some fun pictures of our time there.

Kami played at a friends' house while we went out to dinner. Fun adult dinner time.

Kami loves going to Kaitlyn's house. Daddy put her in this awesome outfit... Oh... the 909 is still alive and well.

Kami could not bring her self to see Grandma CeCe with her Bling on... she made her take it off very quickly.

She came up to me and said "Aunt Wendy, check out my bling"... too cute.

She LOVES being with her dad!

Kami trying to convince me that she should eat another hard boiled egg... I said no... she was not a happy camper. shortly after this picture was taken.

She loved them... Calls the eggies... not eggs... she told me they are eggies.

She really got the hang of it.

Grandma CeCe teaching her the art of egg coloring.

Fun times.

Grandma CeCe surprised Kami with a Snow White tent and sleeping bag... she Loved it as you can see.

This girl Loves the park... this crazy big green slide is her fav. she is such a big girl.

I was the lucky one that was picked to go all the way up the fun playground maddness.

The girl loves to wear princess crowns

She was beating up on dad...

Who knew... cheerleading... hmmmm.

This is the outfit she picked to jump on the tramp! I LOVE IT!

She is a crazy chic.

Blowing bubbles Grandma CeCe brought for her.

I want to be Lame too!!!

2009-04-01T08:37:00.000-07:00

Twin says these things are usually lame... I agree... and still I felt led to answer. :P

1. My ex... Could count the number of them on one hand.
2. Maybe I should be... trying to go to bed before 11pm so it is not so dang hard to get up for work in the morning.
3. I love... David and the rest of my family!
4. People would say that I'm... Monica, loud, the hostess, the mom, an interrupter... this could go on and on.
5. I don't understand... why some famous people are famous and why professional athletes make so much money.
6. When I wake up in the morning... I snooze about 3 times before literally rolling out of bed.
7. I lost... I leave the loosing things up to David. Love ya babe!
8. Life is full of... Tears, happy and sad... this is mostly true of my family. We are a tad bit emotional. :)
9. My past is... in the past. Good friends and good times. I love old school memories.
10. I get annoyed when people... are stupid drivers, are loud at the movies, inconsiderate in general.
11. Parties are... awesome when I throw them :)
12. I wish.... I could have a glass of milk and a slice of cheese
13. Dogs... No thanks!
14. Cats... I'll pass.
15. Tomorrow... Is the last episode of ER... sad.
16. I have a low tolerance for... rudeness
17. If I had a million dollars... I would make my mom retire and move the Caruana's back to the West Coast.
18. I'm totally terrified of... Spiders... I know, but I am ok.
19. My spouse... Is just what his name means... my Beloved
20. I would rather be... shopping... I have the urge :)

Obsessive Compulsive Tendencies

2009-03-28T22:24:00.000-07:00

Over the past week, I have noticed some things in my behavior that seem to be a little OCD... so I thought I would jot them down and see if any of you can relate, or see if you think I am a little nutzo :)

In my new car the volume is shown in numbers, meaning, when I turn it up it shows digits going up to let you know that it is getting louder... Well, when I noticed this I realized in my last car the volume was displayed with lines and they went up by 1/2 lines... And I had a need to make sure that the volume was always on a full line and not a 1/2 line. Even if someone else was in the car and turned the volume up or down, I would put it up one or down one in order to bring it to a full line, but I did not even notice I did it until I did not have it to do anymore in my new car... And I kinda miss it. :P

I have a side of a booth, or a table, when we go out to eat. David actually pointed this out to me. And it changes based upon the restaurant. It is not a left or a right side thing. I have to sit on the side where I am facing towards the open part of the restaurant. I feel very uncomfortable facing a wall of something like that... very odd.

Before we go up and go to bed, I have to go check and see if the garage door is closed. Even if I remember closing it (sometimes I don't) I still go check. I think this might annoy David, not sure.

Those are my big 3... any of you guys have any?

I got to spin...

2009-03-23T20:09:00.001-07:00

... quite a bit, on the good ol' wheel of fortune games... but no big wins there... although, I found this nickle slot that seemed fun, and it was! I won about $400 in one spin on a nickle machine. It was awesome!!!!! And it was right before we were checking out too, it is always fun to go out on a win. :)

For Pop's Bday we went to this place in Ceasars' called Trevi... it was amazing italian food. I had to ask for no cheese, but other than that sad reality, it was soooo yummo. This was the free dessert they brought for his bday. No, I did not even have a taste, luckily there were banana's in it, so the whole thing was tainted for me. Thank you Lord for that, sugar and dairy is so less appealing when there is your least favorite thing in the food world on it.

It was a fun time, celebrating Dad and spending time together. We even went quilt shopping with dad and sherri one of the days, it was fun. I am working on a quilt... it may be a while to come, but it will be awesome, and I will post about it when it is done :)

Fun times at my first scooter rally. Some really fun bikes to check out... and fun people watching to be had... no naked men with diapers like Julie got to endure the last time, but still fun times. One guy had a blender put into his vespa and was making drinks for people. Classic. It was only 10:30am.

This was my Favorite One... no words needed.

I still have not actually taken a ride on D's vespa, but I sat on it for this cute picture :)

So the weekend was pretty great. Julie and I got some great Twin Time in as well as some good time with pop's sherri and the boys got their scooted riding, german food eating, beer drinking, craps playing time in and it was just a great time away from the everyday grind.

I Wanna Spin!!!

2009-03-20T13:47:00.000-07:00

Leaving for Vegas in a few hours! Time to celebrate my pop's bday (it is on Sunday)... and no better place to do this than in Vegas! David and I have actually decided, we don't really like going to Vegas without my pop's!

David and Kirk will also be attending the big Vespa Rally out there, so that should be ooodles of fun... note the sarcasm :)

So please pray for safety and BIG SPINS!!

XOXO

The new addition to our family :)

2009-03-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

This is my new car! It is a Hundai Vericruz. I love it! It is a lot like the Lexus RX (which is a dream car of mine... as well as the Range Rover... Both too much $$$)... but this car beat the Lexus in all the competitions and categories they have!

I had my Explorer for almost 6 years and was waiting for it to give out on me... you know the whole F_O_R_D (fix or repair daily) reputation does not last too long after the 100K mile mark. We got it before the Tax rate goes up on April 1st and it was a amazing deal that we got!

I have a SURPRISE...

2009-03-18T22:51:00.001-07:00

Picture to follow...

3 more pics from Arizona Trip...

2009-03-16T17:44:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more pics that are fun from the AZ trip that was on a diff. camera. Fun times

The most amazing night of sleep...

2009-03-16T12:50:00.000-07:00

Yup... I had it, Last night. David and I went upstairs to go to bed last night and while we were getting ready we noticed how cold it was, but both of us looked at each other like "I'm not going down to turn the heat on." (looking back, we should have paid the upgrade to get a therm. on the 2nd story too in order to avoid things like this :)
Well, the awesome husband David is, he got in bed and warmed up my side for me before I got in, well 1/2 my side and half his side. So when I got in only the middle of the bed was warm and it was freezing. So we snuggled up together and it was soooooo very cozy.
Now David and I enjoy some cuddle time... but this usually only lasts for a few minutes and then we roll over and fall asleep with maybe our feet touching but nothing else...
Well, last night was so different. I am not sure if it was the warmth or what, but we stayed snuggled and wrapped in each other's arms all night. And I did not stir at all. I awoke to my alarm this morning and I was shocked. And yet still soooo cozy in that position.
It was such a great sleep for me. Thanks babe!

things I have learned and had never thought about before this new diet thing...

2009-03-15T22:27:00.000-07:00

... I did not realize just how much dairy I was eating until I forced myself to stop cold turkey! Holy cow... it was a lot. I find myself no longer feeling sick after every meal. Don't get me wrong, I miss the eating up till that sick feeling point... but the sick feeling I don't miss. And I have lost close to 6 pounds in less that 2 weeks... Umm, yea... Dairy was loving me and I was loving the dairy. But no more.
... I also have way more energy. I can actually come home from work, make and eat dinner and not just feel like sitting on the couch and doing nothing active until getting ready for bed. David and I have been going on walks a few times a week which has been fun and good for us.
... I have been reading some new literature... The Skinny Bitch Cookbook and the No-Nonsense, tough-love guide for savvy girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous! Book that comes along with it... So funny. Here are a few things I learned:
-This was the intro and thus I was hooked :P- "What's better than eating? (If you say "sex," you are either a liar or a pervert.) The answer is: Nothing! There is nothing better than eating! We're total pigs and eating is, without a doubt, our favorite thing to do."
-"Just like human milk is for baby humans, cows' milk is for baby cows. We are the only species in the planet that drinks the milk of another species. We're also the only species on the planet that drinks milk as adults. It's not only gross, it's creepy." Ummm... I never ever thought about this... it makes a lot of sense and yet I am still craving glasses of milk... hope that ends soon.
-"Brace yourself girls: Soda is liquid Satan. It is the devil. It is garbage." I have never heard any food or drink be compared to Satan... but I like this one and think it is very appropriate.
Those were just a few tidbits I have enjoyed... but I also liked the part about coffee and how it stores fat cells... too long to write on the blog... but if you are a coffee addict you should check it out. :)
As for eating, I have had a few things so far that I really enjoyed. Wraps with hummus and veggies... I made a turkey meatloaf with Almond Cheese... Non-dairy "cheese"... it is not good just sliced like a yummo slice of Tillamook... but melted, it was really quite a good meal.
All in all, it has gone pretty well and they say it only gets better, so we will see.

Off the Dairy Train... but headin' to INDY!!!

2009-03-06T15:05:00.000-08:00

Ok, So I am off Dairy... I know I told you all I was off sugar till Easter, well I am now off dairy and sugar and not just till Easter, but indefinitely. Sound scary, well it is! I keep thinking about all the trademark "Wendy" foods that are now off limits: Spinach Dip, Lasagna, Mashed Taters, Lolly's cookies, Tall glasses of milk... oh the cheese that I will be missing... I could go on, but I am just getting depressed. :(
I have not gone crazy... I have reasons, they are 3 fold:
1. I have wanted to loose weight for years now, and I guess I just never got motivated enough, well, I am sure no dairy and sugar will help the weight loss. (just have to start on that pesky exercise thing :)
2. I think having a discipline like this will help me to get on track with other things I have been lacking focus on. Truth be told... food is, was, a huge part of my every day thought process and I am thinking that if I can get that out of my system I may be able to focus on other things. I am hoping this is not just wishful insight, we will see.
3. The biggest reason is b/c I have endometriosis and there are many studies out now showing the effects of giving up Animal bi-products and sugars... especially DAIRY, are not necessarily healing it but making the symptoms go away almost completely. And well, the idea that just eating differently could help me avoid so much pain monthly and raise the % of us having babies some day got my attention.
So anyway, I am almost 48 hours in and doing well. Everyone says the 1st 2 weeks is awful, but then it will be a breeze... I am not sure if I am buying that... but I will let you know.
On a much more fun note... David and I are going to INDY to play with the CARUANA'S. I wanted plane tickets to Indy for my bday, and they came early. We are not going till April 30th, but the fact that tickets are purchased and it is on the calendar makes me so happy!
I am just praying that the last snow fall in Indy has hit b4 we get there. :)

Fun times in Arizona

2009-03-01T16:45:00.000-08:00

We went to Scottsdale AZ to celebrate Anita's 60th Bday last weekend... and it was awesome. Great food all around and fun times with people I love. Here are some pictures... They go backwards from the actual trip progression... I had some troubles with uploading them :)

One of the bday desserts Anita got.

The boys and their Starbucks...

I have a picture of the two of them at starbucks from every trip we go on. They are kindered cafeen addicts... but I love them :)

We did not eat here... so not sure if it lives up to the great name or not.

Fun times with statues

Kelsey, Sarah and I love to take pictures with statues! Enjoy :)

us with the bday girl!

This was after the flight... they popped some bubblie and made us mimosa's

this is when we were landing... it is funny b/c depending on where the wind takes you is where you land. So the guy flying it is in walkie talkie discussions with a guy on the ground telling them where we are headed and then they come meet us where we land.

we looked like ants compared to the balloons. I had no idea how large they actually got!

A and J up, up, up and away :)

This is how the hot air ballon starts... they guy picked Anita and me to be the lucky ones to be in the basket when the balloon goes up and flips the basket. It was fun times with Anita!

This was my dessert, called Horny Little Devil... it was like a gormet ding dong :)

This was the started Jerry and David both ordered at our first dinner at Mosaic... It was foie gras which they both love, but this was awesome b/c it was called What the Foie !#*... which I thought was Hi-larious!

We had a great time, as we always do with A and J! Happy Birthday Anita. Here's to 60 more!

No Sugar for 46 Days

2009-02-26T19:08:00.000-08:00

Ok, I gave up sugar until Easter. We will see how this goes. If it goes well, then maybe it will be french fries next year. :)
So one thing that popped into my head was wow, this is the 1 reason why it is a good thing that the Caruana's have moved away. If they still lived here, the idea of nightly cookie dough would be soooo hard to give up for 46 days. So there you have it Caruana's, One reason for the next 46 days to not miss the Caruana's.

One word answers...

2009-02-14T21:24:00.001-08:00

Since David's blog is all about being long winded... I thought I would be different and give some one word answers that 1st come to mind :P

1. Your significant other? Beloved
2. Your hair? Dyed
3. Your mother? Fair
4. Your father? Ragin'
5. Your favorite thing? Food
6. Your favorite drink? Milk
7. Your dream/goal? Rapture
8. What room you are in? family
9. Your hobby? Photos
10. Your fear? spiders
11. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Heaven
12. Where were you last night? couch
13. Wish list item? twins :)
14. Last thing you did? Ate
15. Friends? Awesome
16. Your life? Blessed
17. Your mood? Full
18. Missing some one? Caruana's
19. Something you're not wearing? Shoes
20. Last time you cried? always
21. One place that I go to over and over? Fitzpatricks
22. One person who emails me regularly? Sarah
23. My favorite place to eat? Out
24. What are you doing tonight? Relaxing

Not so great sleep...

2009-01-31T09:12:00.000-08:00

So last night David and I were wide awake, lounging on the couch watching Talk Soup. (We love that show... So funny) Anyway, all of the sudden we wake up this morning, tv still on, clock reading 7:58am, all lights on, pans and dishes from dinner still all out, no teeth brushed (I hate that feeling), and my contacts still in, which is a horrible feeling in the eyes!!! My neck hurts, back aches and waking up before 8am on a Sat when you do not have children to wake you up that you then take care of is just plain crummy.
Why is it that when I head up to bed and get all ready for sleep, I just lay there for sometimes hours before I fall asleep. But then certain nights it is only 10pm and I am out like a light in a matter of minutes when the noices and lights are still all blaring. AHHH... I need a nap and it is only 9:20am, too bad I don't nap (my body will not let me sleep if it is daylight). No bueno. Hope some of you got a great sat morning sleep in today. :)

Kami Love

2009-01-28T20:28:00.001-08:00

This is my niece Kami... she came down to play 2 weekends back and she is awesome! Check out her sweet ride :)

Ok... I think I fixed it...

2009-01-28T08:50:00.003-08:00

I think I fixed it on my own. David would be so proud! Comments should work now! Try it out if you like :)

Comments...

2009-01-28T08:47:00.000-08:00

For some reason my comments are not working... and that is so sad b/c I think it would be so fun to read peoples comments. I will get the hubby to work on it, he's pretty handy!

2009-01-27T22:37:00.000-08:00

This was one of the best memories from Xmas... The Caruana fam made these Star Wars outfits for the kiddos... It was awesome! Such a kodak moment. :)

I felt pressured...

2009-01-27T21:20:00.000-08:00

Ok, Here we go... I pretty much thought that one who blogged had to have kids, or move out of state (if you have kids and moved out of state it should be law); well apparently I am going to change that thought now.
You asked for it Sarah... so here we go.
Since Sarah saw this list of 25 and is considering it my 1st blog, I guess here you go:
25 random things about me :)
1. I feel so blessed to have an identical twin, twins seem so common lately due to fertility options, but knowing that the twin and I are identical and thus freaks of nature makes me happy and thankful :)

2. As out of shape as I am these days, I am surprisingly still very bendy!

3. I will eat potatoes in pretty much any form.

4. I pray for Jesus to come back pretty much weekly.

5. I am so thankful that Fitzson nights are so refreshing even when I am so tired.

6. I have 3 tivos and a duel tuner hd cable box and still find myself missing something I want to watch sometimes. (it is a sickness)

7. I have a lot of trouble cooking for 2, usually ends up being able to feed at least 4 or 5, so dinner guests are always welcome.

8. I LOVE being the hostess!

9. I think I would be content to be an auntie to all my siblings kids instead of having my own... don't freak out, I said I think I would be, that does not mean that David and I have made any decisions.

10. I have no problem spending $100 on a good meal out, but I have a hard time spending over $40 on a pair of shoe (thus where the DNA in the twin and I differ)

11. I agree with Candie, that men are more crazy than women. I will skip my examples though :P

12. My bosses are two of my best friends and both love the Lord. I can't imagine a better place to work!

13. I eat a ton or ranch... Not so much on salads, but with cheddar fries from Islands.

14. I have a hard time remembering my age at times. I second guess my self when people ask how old I am :)

15. I don't understand why so many guys love Round Table Pizza???

16. 2 Double Double's, fries and a Dr. pepper... this was my regular order at in-n-out when I was in high school. Not a joke.

17. I graduated from college in 3 years in order to avoid having to pay for any schooling on my own :) Thanks for the 3 years at a private school mom and dad! You are awesome.

18. I sit on the couch and eat almost every time I watch "the biggest loser" on TV.

19. After the twin and I watched the Super Size Me documentary we immediately went and ate at McDonald's.

20. I feel like I have the best husband on the face of this earth!

21. I am not a big fan of getting flowers, they die quickly and then you have to clean a vase... I would rather be given a foot massage as a sign of love, congrats or thanks.

22. I will wear flip flops in the snow... my feet hate close toed shoes!

23. I wear pajamas to work sometimes... jealous??

24. My mind wanders when I try to fall asleep and I end up not falling asleep for hours some nights.

25. I am so excited to hang out with Carrie and all the gals asap!

As you can see by all the food and eating references above, the blog title is just as appropriate as my husband's is for his blog.
That's all for now... we will see how this goes. :)