super duper huge oops

so, if all had gone according to plan, we should've been driving from bozeman to big sky, montana right now. clearly, i'm not posting this from a car. which means we didn't get to bozeman. which means our 5-day winter vacation is not off to a good start.

our flight was supposed to leave at 6am this morning. we got to the airport at 5 but apparently that was not early enough. when we tried to check in the computer said we were too late to check baggage and, therefore, too late to get on the darn plane (which is where my father- and brother-in-law were waiting for us).

we got the typical run around from the airline, tried to find an alternate route to montana, and were not successful. when i broke the news to ian that we missed our flight and it looked like the next available flight wasn't until friday (the day we were supposed to come back) he started to cry. he was so disappointed and it crushed our hearts that because we didn't get to the airport early enough we had ruined christmas for our son.

my mom picked us up from the airport and drove us home. we lugged our heavy baggage back into the house and sat down on the couch completely deflated. rupert and i only got 2 hours of sleep because we spent hours packing and preparing for the trip after celebrating an early christmas with my folks. the family vacation we had planned for months was not going to happen; no skiing for ian, no first snow for maya, no walk in the snowy woods for me and rupert. rupert's aunt had also supplied us with wonderful ski jackets and pants, gloves, etc. and they were all for naught.

but rupert was determined to go somewhere cold and snowy. in the end we decided that he and ian would make the trip by flying into missoula (where rupert grew up) and then driving (in the snow) for four hours to big sky. not to be a party-pooper or anything, but i was just not willing to go through all of that with maya. so she and i will stay home.

frankly, it sucks that we won't be together for five days of this winter vacation, but there was no way we could disappoint ian by not delivering on what we had promised him: snow.

hopefully rupert will take some wonderful photos and video of them in montana. and hopefully maya won't drive me crazy for five days. it'll be quite the winter vacation, no?

[the one good thing that came out of this: the man who took one of our seats from the lax --> denver leg of our flight had been on stand-by since the 21st. at least he was able to get home for christmas.]

breaking with tradition

for the last six christmas eves our friends have gathered at a bar in hermosa beach called the poop deck. and for six christmas eves we have turned down their invitation to join them. it was our tradition to not attend their tradition.

but we finally broke with our tradition and joined them for the seventh annual poop deck christmas eve. a couple of hours of child-free socializing was definitely something i could've used. needless to say, it was great to hang with friends -- merry christmas!

p.s. the three people on the left are our closest friends and they were super generous with their gifts for maya and ian: check out my flickr pics of the kids opening their presents. thanks guys!

merry chanumas!

[knott's berry farm :: december 16, 2006]

happy holidays to my friends and family!

the month since thanksgiving just flew by and before i could get my lazy butt off the couch it's now the last day of chanukah and we're four days away from christmas. where indeed did the days go? our holiday card will be going out in the mail this afternoon -- god willing -- but no end-of-the-year-recap-letter will be included. that's what this blog post is for.

looking back on 2006, single days seemed uneventful and slow. but the year as a whole passed more quickly than any year in recent memory. i blame it on chasing after two kids, hitting 30, and poor time management. i have many a new year's resolution to prevent 2007 from being a repeat of '06 ... but we all know what happens with new year's resolutions.

i am happy to report that ian is doing quite well in first grade despite some initial emotional adjustments that had to be made (tweaking still in progress). he reads like a maniac (chapter books and non-fiction reference books), obsessed over geography the first half of the year, and is now quite enamored with lego star wars. he continues to make dad proud with his espn-watching, sports stats reciting, and ball playing. he had a great soccer season and i'm sure he'll enjoy his second year of t-ball in the spring.

maya continues to terrorize us daily with her tantrums, demands, and mood swings. however, being with her 24 hours a day has desensitized me and i've gotten used to it; most days she seems fine to me. not quite so with rupert. being the smart, manipulative type, maya quickly figured out that daddy has "sucker" tattooed across his forehead and she can get him to do almost anything. poor rupert is exhausted and a slave to maya's whims while mama is off in her own world ignoring her children and husband. so far maya has only taken a few steps; she doesn't seem ready or willing to walk yet. i'm in no hurry to have to chase her around so i don't care about her progress in that front. the one thing i'm making an effort with is speaking japanese to her. as a result, she doesn't talk as much as other babies (it takes longer for babies to process two languages in their head before actually speaking), but she clearly understands what we say in both languages. and a positive side effect has been that ian is showing more interest in japanese.

rupert, when he's not being the devoted father that he is, goes to work diligently everyday. he works longer hours than he did at ucla and we all wish he would come home earlier. i secretly think he goes to work earlier and stays longer so he doesn't have to deal with us! i would like to tell you what he does as a career, but i'm not quite sure. his title is educational research analyst for los angeles unified school district, but beyond that you'll have to ask him directly for more details. while he seems to be content (for the most part) at work, he applied to the phd program at ucla's school of education for next fall; we'll find out in the spring if he'll be a student again. at night, after the kids have gone to bed, rupert watches an inordinate amount of television thanks to the cable his mom signed us up for as part of his birthday present this year. other than that he constantly (and unsuccessfully) battles the weeds in our yard, refereed some games for ian's soccer team, escaped for five days in the spring to a conference/training at northwestern university, and deals with the biggest pains in the butt (me and maya) on a daily basis. for that i am grateful.

as for me, i'm at home with the kids. i don't seem to accomplish much on a daily basis but i'm as content as i'm gonna be. after all, i get to watch every minute of my kids growing up and changing. to this day i can't believe they are my children, my flesh and blood, that they came out of my body. it continues to be surreal. when i'm not being a "good enough" mother and wife i'm usually sitting at the computer checking out the blogosphere, scrapbooking, reading or trying to get some much needed sleep. i've also been a bit more adventurous in the kitchen, trying out new (super simple) recipes so i can expand my culinary repertoire. i've become totally established in my stay-at-home mom capacity that i'm not sure i could ever go back to work. but if rupert is accepted into the phd program i'll have to start working to help pay the mortgage. but what could i do? if you have any ideas, please let me know. (seriously.) right now my interests lean towards books; i've considered getting a retail job at a bookstore, becoming a librarian, or getting my masters in children's literature. sadly, all of these things require a level of commitment and work i'm just not accustomed to.

for awhile there i thought family life was pretty static. turns out i was wrong. while it seems like things never change, families are constantly evolving (albeit at a snail's pace). i hope that 2007 brings some changes that i'm capable of dealing with. there are so many things i am looking forward to: ian's continued development and progress socially and academically, maya walking and talking, rupert fulfilling his professional and academic goals, and my vacation to argentina!

and, of course, i wish for peace, health and happiness to my family and yours. eat, drink & be merry, hug the ones you love, do something a bit daring and crazy, and drop me a line when you get a chance. here's to a fantastic 2007 -- cheers!

y

in memoriam :: tomiko kawamoto & tadamasa fujita

making me smile

• argyle socks
• matzoh ball soup
• labeling stuff
• sweet sesame paste on toast
• brown all-star shoes
• being a borders rewards member
• tea with turbinado sugar & lots of half-and-half
• spending money

he is his mother's son

how do you console a kid who's upset about his straight-a (okay, one a-), mostly outstanding effort report card? i was hoping, hoping, hoping ian would be okay with his report card. but the second he saw that, despite the a in reading, there were areas he could work on, he started to cry.

now, i know this is his initial gut reaction to most things he perceives as negative. in fact, it's an area we're working on at school because he has the occasional teary breakdown in class. given time he usually gets over it and it'll cease to bother him. so i went on and on about his excellent report card, effort is what matters, there's always room for improvement, blah, blah, blah.

but what he said after my spiel made me cringe because it was like listening to my inner self 20+ years ago:

me: so why are you sad?

ian: because it wasn't perfect ...

i've gotten to the point where i really don't care what his grades are; i'm much more concerned about his emotional state. when he's 30 years old it won't matter one iota what his grades were in first grade. but you can't convince my 6-year old that grades aren't the most important thing in the world (much less that it's hardly that important at all), and that i want him to have other things in his life that bring him happiness.

south bay == rep*re*sent!

just had to mention last night's "the hungry detective" episode about los angeles. i already knew which restaurants chris was going to go to but it was so great to see only south bay restaurants featured. our area is always neglected; reviewers and diners seem to focus on the westside/eastside/downtown and then apparently, there's nothing until you get down to the oc. granted, there aren't a lot of high-end eateries in the south bay worth going to, but you can't discredit all of the mom and pop places that serve good food cheap.

needless to say, i was happy for all of the restaurants chris featured. how wonderful to be recognized and acknowledged in such a vast area like los angeles. i hadn't been to any of them, but all of them except for san pedro fish market are near stores i frequent so i'm excited to try them. and, in case you're wondering, here are my recommendations for similar fare: el gaucho market (corner of inglewood and manhattan beach boulevard) for carne asada (no taco stand, though); beach hut (just north of the corner of rosecrans and highland in manhattan beach) for hawaiian; valentino's pizza in manhattan beach and el segundo (you can order a heart-shaped pizza for your amore!).

13 months.

maya @ 13 months :: december 4, 2006

• some of the many new foods she's had this month: broccoli, freeze dried fruit (apples, strawberries), osekihan (red sticky rice), persimmon, rice crispies, bean sprouts
• dislikes jarred baby food? she won't finish her pureed food anymore. loves loves loves yogurt (yobaby) and cheese (and the ice cream bar my mom let her lick), fish, rice. she's kinda picky about the texture of her food.
• will wear her booty shoes (i.e., soft-soled moccasin-like shoes).
• can almost take a few steps by herself. also, when she feels like it she'll grab on to our hands and take a few steps. took three steps at my parents' house (where they have carpet) on november 12.
• instead of calling everything "mama" she started saying "bebe?" (yes, with the questioning inflection), but that only lasted a few days. she's still not saying much but she somehow gets her point across very well. she definitely likes to communicate with rupert and ian ("bye da-ee" and "hi een").
• most days she only has one nap in the morning and then we try to put her down early in the evening. unfortunately, she gets hungry (or is conditioned to get hungry) and wakes up pretty darn early in the morning.
• finally starting to show some interest in books but will hardly sit still for a whole story. we're still at the point at pictures stage before she closes the book on your finger.
• learned to pillow fight watching her dad and brother.
• does a fake wail when she's not happy about something. it's not her usual ear-splitting cry and there are no tears so she's just expressing her discontent.
• she likes to identify and point at birds ("bir") and dogs ("run run" -- a hybrid of "wan wan," the japanese way dogs bark, and "ruff ruff").

takara (treasure)

patterned paper: bo-bunny press
tab: 7 gypsies
frame: impress rubber stamps
magnet word: nickelodeon ("wing")
word stickers: k&co
flower eyelet: ?
flower brad: making memories
flower stamp: kodomo no kao
circle clip: close to my heart
angel and wing stickers: ? (got it in japan)
letter stamps: inkadinkadoo ("takara"), hero arts ("treasure")
japanese letter stamps: shachihata
journaling: september 23, '05 blog post

oy vey

patterned paper: anna griffin (green & pink), chatterbox (floral), ki memories
letter stickers: making memories ("cute")
dome letter sticker: artoz ("m")
letter stamps: duncan enterprises ("oy vey"), hero arts (lowercase), all night media ("bad")
stamp: paper source ("registered no")
graphic rubon: american crafts
other: ribbon (michaels), tag punch (ek success), staples, photo corners, acrylic paint (delta), stamping ink, decorative scissors (fiskars)

missing link?

not great quality, but here's video that proves maya is the missing link between humans and primates.

[warning: the video is 3 minutes long so it takes a bit to load, and there's no sound.]

in a funk

i haven't blogged in awhile. have you noticed? i've been taking some time to do other things, namely sleeping. although i'm sure i have things to say, i don't know how to say them. hence, the lack of postings.

so i've decided to take a little break from blogging. gather my thoughts. do some crafting and reading instead. probably take some more naps.

and i'll be back. until then, i'll keep posting pictures on my flickr account so you can see what we've been up to.

toodles.

what does that even mean?!

we went in for maya's 12-month check-up this afternoon. i had grand hopes she grew in the last three months but i was sorely disappointed. rupert guessed she would be 17 pounds (she was 15 pounds exactly at nine months old). nope, not even close. she was a whopping (and i use this term sarcastically) 16 pounds 1 ounce. she's in the negative third percentile! what?! there's no such thing; how can she be in the negative third percentile??

her height hadn't changed much either. the nurse got a measurement of 26 inches, which put maya in the (yet again) negative third percentile. the doctor looked at the figure and insisted we measure again (this happened at our last appointment too). this time maya measured 27 inches, which is in the 5th percentile. every last bit helps, right? her height is proportionate to her head circumference, which is between the fifth and tenth percentile.

no surprise, the doctor predicted she was going to be a petite (i.e., short) girl even when she grows up (most likely thanks to her grandmothers' genes). rupert suggested we sign her up for gymnastics class ... or jockey school. (for some reason that reminded me of the simpsons episode when lisa enrolls in gymnastics and excels because her big head gives her perfect balance.)

on surviving one year

having one child makes time pass quickly. having two children makes the time go by in the blink of an eye. i'm having a hard time believing that we've had maya in our family for one year.

i have whined and complained a great deal this past year (even more than usual). the adjustment from having a fairly self-sufficient, well-behaved boy to having a demanding, crazy baby girl was more than i could take on some days. i had doubts constantly about whether i made the right decision to expand our family.

but things must happen for a reason because, upon reflection, the past year has changed me in some ways ... hopefully for the better. i'm not necessarily a better parent by any means; i'm far less involved with my children than most parents are. and i'm not necessarily a better homemaker either; the chores still pile up and i don't accomplish much on most days. regardless of my lack of progress on these two fronts, however, i feel more balanced.

"find balance in your life" seems to be the mantra for the modern mom. it would be wonderful if we could achieve complete balance, but it's pretty darn close to being impossible. yet, modern moms try and try and try to achieve balance in everything they do, often at the expense of their own sanity. perhaps we try too hard and add more pressure, all in the name of "finding balance." at some point in the last year i gave that up. and you know what? i feel like i'm more balanced because in the back of my mind i don't constantly hear, "do this, do that, accomplish more, be more to more people, etc. etc." as a result, i'm not driving myself crazy when i don't finish everything on my to-do list, when i skip a day (or two or three) of cleaning, when i decide i'd rather read than make dinner. i'm happier, more rested, and more willing to do those chores when i find an extra minute or two. and, as often as i feel like i'm just going to lose it, i don't.

the last year has taught me to see the bigger picture. sure i have lots of bad days, but i just tell myself, "this too shall pass." and it does. i'm learning to see past the minutiae of every last gosh darn thing and embrace the imperfections of life. it's always been part of my personality to dwell on the negative of the past; minor, trivial things would haunt me forever. i was holding myself back from seeing the joy in today and the potential of tomorrow.

having maya in my life reminds me everyday that being a parent is the toughest job in the world. what could be more important, demanding, and agonizing than trying to raise a decent human being? are we making the right choices? what more can we do? but then i look at maya, and all she wants is to be loved; for us to smile at her, roll the ball around for her, feed her, take her outside for a walk, and sing to her. and is that difficult? nope. just doing those things will probably help her to become a decent human being more than teaching her the alphabet, moving to a neighborhood with a good school district, or signing her up for tons of classes. i realize those things could help her future, but the fundamental thing about being a good parent is to be there for your child(ren).

so, for the next year, and the many years that follow, that's what i'll try to do for maya and ian. it took me six years of being a parent to figure this out. and i honestly believe that i may not have realized this if i hadn't had a second child. for that, i'm grateful to my children: to ian for putting up with me (and my mistakes) for the last six years, and to maya for teaching me to be a better parent.

week 52.

maya @ 52 weeks :: november 3, 2006

• she is an expert at peeling off labels, stickers and tags. this talent also extends to opening packages (for example, my friend gave her an unopened pack of gum to play with but she managed to rip it open in no time).
• she likes to go through the garbage.
• i resisted giving her balloons to play with (for safety reasons) but she definitely likes the ones she gets from trader joe's.
• standing with more confidence and balance; she can have things in her hands when she stands up from a sitting/squatting position. she can also take a few steps if you hold her hands (which we don't do because it's not rie).
• new foods: castella cake, non-jarred baby food yogurt, kiwi
• babbling all the time but not saying much ... i wonder if it's because she's "learning" two languages at home.
• she can distinguish between elmo, cookie monster, and big bird.
• kisses like a normal person, finally!
• will feed you food, especially if it's something she doesn't want to eat like peas.
• wields ian's plastic samurai sword like it's nobody's business. totally "kill bill"esque.

week 51.

maya at 51 weeks :: october 27, 2006

• she's definitely becoming a sesame street fan. there was an article about the new tickle me elmo doll in the newspaper, and when i showed it to her she laughed and came charging at me and ripped it out of my hands. she was also thrilled to find a cookie monster stuffie in her pile of toys; she's been carrying it around since.
• some new foods: fish, jarred chicken noodle dinner (she spit up afterwards ...), edamame
• when she plays with cars, she rolls them around while making car noises.
• she kisses people and things with her mouth wide open.
• her sense of humor is definitely starting to develop. last night while playing with the mail rupert warned her not to eat the envelope. so she pretends to rip off a piece and eat it, cracking up the whole time.
• if she needs a diaper change she'll crawl to her room and the changing table.
• i've mentioned before that she's starting to stand on her own more. this week she's been making more of an effort to stand unaided often for longer periods of time (usually while she's eating for some reason). when she does it she has such a huge smile on her face; she must be really proud.
• grocery shopping has become a hazardous activity because she likes to stand up in the cart, even while it's moving.
• on wednesday she decided to call everything and everyone "mama" (ex. the living room garbage can and rupert).
• her "monkey crawl" is super fast and she moves around the house in a flash. sometimes she's pushing herself around so quickly she flips over.
• nothing is safe in the house anymore: her reach is getting longer and longer, she's constantly on her tippy-toes and one of her legs always seems to be up in the air in an attempt to climb up a piece of furniture, and she manages to wedge herself into and through the smallest spaces to get where she wants to go (ex. the "barricade" i've made with the dining room chairs to keep her away from my books is totally useless now).

week 50.

maya @ 50 weeks :: october 20, 2006

• she says "banana" very clearly but we're not sure if she knows what it means.
• she kicked her brother and her dad in the face (ian has a scratch on his cheek and rupert got it in the eye).
• although still wobbly, she is starting to stand on her own more often, albeit only for a second or two.
• she definitely knows who "artie" is (ian's stuffed animal penguin; his absolute favorite). not only does she take artie away from ian, but hides him too. the other day maya fished artie out of her hiding spot and then put him back in there. i asked, "artie wa?" ("where's artie?") and she went back to get him out of the hiding spot.
• she caught another cold. she had slept so long (probably the longest she's ever slept) that i was getting worried because it's so unlike her, and hopeful that it was something she would continue, but it was probably because of her cold. darn!
• instead of swallowing her water, she likes to spit it out. not just a dribble but a pretty good spit.
• she's starting to call rupert "da-ee" instead of just "dada." after i get off the phone with rupert she starts yelling "da-ee! da-ee!" as if she knows i've been talking to him.
• "ba-o" (bottle) is starting to become a regular part of her vocabulary.

haunted house

can you tell that the door is slightly open? i think it's pretty amazing that they can teach young kids (especially my son) to draw dimensionally to show depth (like the path leading up to the door). ian will never be an artist in the traditional sense of the word, but i hope he starts looking at the world in a different way through art.

pure laughter

cardstock: bazzill basics
patterned paper: kelly panacci (sandylion)
word stamps: magnetic poetry

flower stamps: hero arts, kodomo no kao

letter stamps: hero arts
letter stickers: ek success
letter rub-ons: making memories
flower eyelet: (can't remember)
other: photo corners, date stamp

i'm not sure if i'm done with this layout ... it looks a bit top-heavy. i actually stamped some large flowers on the cardstock at the bottom (under the word stamps), but the ink color just doesn't show up well on the pink.

counting down, and ... 3 ... 2 ... 1 [edited]

so, did you watch it? i really hope you did because it was a great show. while there are other travel/food shows on the food network, i think this had a different (and better) vibe. i really felt it wasn't as contrived as the other ones; it's more down to earth and it's geared towards the "average joe." officer cognac is successful because the viewer can relate to him; he's just a guy who likes food and wants to share where the rest of us can get good, cheap eats.

that doesn't mean officer cognac just tests his luck when looking for places to eat. like a true detective he uses his investigative skills and some research to find the best establishments. let's face it, most of us can't afford to eat out everyday (i, for one, can't spend "$40 a day" on food) and if we're going to spend our hard-earned money on eating out, we want to make sure it's worth every penny. the restaurnts officer cognac visits are off the main drag but beloved by the locals, precisely because the food is good and affordable. i really liked that officer cognac talked with locals and had them on the show; it's a great way for the locals to show pride in their city and its cuisine.

i've met officer cognac and he was incredibly friendly and easy to talk with. that totally came through on the show. rupert was sure this wasn't the first show they taped because officer cognac seemed so natural and in his element. if i remember correctly from my conversation with officer cognac, the las vegas episode is in fact the first one they taped (it was the pilot epsiode). you can just tell that he's genuinely excited about finding a good place to eat, that he really likes the way the food tastes, and that he's enjoying his experience. his sincerity is what i appreciated most about the show.

really looking forward to seeing more of this series. don't miss next week if you didn't see it last night! you can check out the schedule here. and don't forget to '>leave feedback for the network executives once you've seen it.
[added 10.18.2006]

"the hungry detective" is premiering tomorrow, tuesday, october 17 at 10:30pm on the food network! don't miss it: officer cognac says this episode (las vegas) is one of the best ones. on the food network site there are some video clips about the show, and officer cognac really is like that in real life. totally friendly, down to earth, and nuts about food.

when i emailed with him last week (after seeing him on iron chef america, flay vs. bull) officer cognac mentioned he would be working (his "real" job as a police officer) the night of the premiere. can you imagine? he has to work! but i will be glued to the tv to see officer cognac work his magic. (if you saw him on "feasting on asphalt" you know what i mean.)

please watch the show and let the food network executives know you like it. the more positive feedback they get, the more support officer cognac gets to continue the show.

'cause i'm a scrapbooking geek

so silly of me to even care, but i made it into ali edwards's aezine for the week with a question about photography. my question is answered about midway through the issue.

week 49.

maya @ 49 weeks :: october 13, 2006

• kisses objects like toys, windows, and stuffed animals but she won't kiss me very often.
• i've decided to stop breastfeeding because all she does is gnaw and bite me the whole time she's eating. it's gotten much too painful to deal with multiple times a day. the last day i breastfed her was on 10.11.2006 and i think i'm cutting her off cold turkey. so far she's been content with formula and baby food, although she does on occasion point to her boppy.
• she closes doors: whether it's the microwave door, refrigerator door or the screen door, if she sees it open she tries to close it.
• she's figured out that if she wants to get down from a slightly higher surface (usually stacked cushions), she needs to turn around and go down feet first on her tummy.

african masks

it's all about you graduate

cardstock: ?
patterned paper: urban lily
acrylic paint: lil davis (pink), delta (cream)
date stamp: heidi swapp
rub-ons: heidi swapp (black cursive letters), making memories (phrase), doodlebug (white letters)

kindergartener no longer

cardstock: via (i think it's hammermill)
patterned papers: hot off the press, colorbok, marcella by k, paper fever, die cuts with a view
date stamp: fontwerks
line stamp: fontwerks
letter stamps: psx
stamping ink: colorbox
word stickers: marcella by k

FUNtastic!

[warning: this post may be boring to non-scrapbookers. in fact, if you're a non-scrapbooker and decide to read this, you may come to the conclusion that, yes, scrapbookers are in fact totally crazy.]

last night i got some time for myself to go to a "class and crop" with mary grace abuzman at scrapbook oasis in irvine. it was like scrapbooking heaven! totally worth the drive down there in friday evening traffic.

despite it being her first class (ever), mg was totally in her element -- friendly, casual, fun, way too creative, and oh so helpful. we made a layout using katie pertiet's new date stamp documenting important dates in our life. mg's model layout is a 12x12 that's supposed to feature a picture of yourself and dates highlighting certain milestones. no surprise, i didn't finish; not only because i'm slow, but because i was having trouble deciding what i wanted to do. i used a vertical picture of me and rupert from the belle and sebastian concert, so i highlighted dates from our life together (when we started dating, our wedding anniversary, the kids' birthdays). because of the photo choice i have to make some modifications to the layout. but since i don't do 12x12, now i'm debating whether to start over in 8.5x11 so i can either display it or put it in an album. hence, i have no complete project to show here ... for now.

anyway, back to the evening. what can i say? it made me giddy. it seems silly to get excited about scrapbooking "celebrities," but that's exactly what happened. not only was mg there but tara whitney and lisa mcgarvey were taking the class, and kah-mei smith of fontwerks was there supporting mg. tara and lisa complimented me on the cutout technique i used for a layout featuring my sister's high school senior portrait, and kah-mei liked the color combination for a layout i worked on during the crop. it was so cool to have seasoned, professional scrapbookers look at your work and appreciate something about it. they were very generous with their compliments about everyone's work, and it's inspiring to see how they're eager to learn new techniques.

it also turns out the lady i was sitting next to has a bit of a fan following too: angi b. creates some beautiful layouts and mini-books. she showed me her cigar box album she created for a making memories contest (she made it to the top 20) and a mini-album she did based on ali's aezine challenge. for a working mom of four, she's an awfully productive scrapbooker!

anyway, the whole night (6pm to midnight) oozed with creative energy. whether you were young or old(er), new or experienced, i think everyone came away with something from the class and crop. mg did an unbelievable thing where she drew names of people in the class and created layouts for them on the spot. she managed to make at least five; i think they took her like 15 minutes each and they still looked fabulous. unfortunately, my i-never-win-anything streak continued and i wasn't chosen, but just watching her work was eye-opening. she said she sketches ideas throughout the day because she has so little time to scrap, but she was able to come up with layouts in the blink of an eye that i would never be able to do. i'm guessing she has an intrinsic ability to "see" layouts in a certain way, and the creative synapse in her brain must be zipping with energy.

it's been four years since i last went to a scrapbooking class and i've never been to a crop at a store before. i can see how productive it can be -- you're surrounded by other creative women and you have a whole store at your disposal with products and tools. the only problem is that it can get a bit expensive. i ended up going back and forth between my work table and the store, looking for certain items for a layout, but walking away with other cool products. needless to say i came home with a lot of new stuff. sshhhhh, don't tell rupert! (just so you know, though, i have far less stuff than some of these other scrapbooking ladies ... that made me feel better. ;))

i'll post pictures later ... being the idiot that i am i forgot my camera, so i'm hoping angi will send the picture of me and mg.[edited: angi took the picture of me and mg above. thanks angi!] the layouts that are currently posted are still not done; i'll update as i finish. the layout of my sister is finished! totally simple, but i'm happy with it.

neo counter

i found this blog counter on a scrapbooker's blog somewhere and it's so cool. i downloaded a free version; you can see it at the bottom-right of the sidebar. the counter shows you what countries your visitors come from, and if you click on the map it shows you exactly what cities past visitors are from and if there are currently any visitors. it's pretty neat to see that i've been visited by people from europe, canada, australia, and south america.

week 48.

maya @ 48 weeks :: october 6, 2006

• while watching sesame street maya was concentrating on cookie monster and prairie dawn talking about the letter of the day, "m." they kept saying "mmmm" and words starting with "m." after awhile maya starting saying "mmmmm" too.
• she sings to herself (not words, of course, but sounds) and dances along to her songs.
• it's getting more difficult to change her diaper because she likes to get up after every step (after i unbutton her, after i take off the old diaper, after i wipe her ...).
• she picks up little bits of paper or lint off the floor and gives them to you, but she also picks up imaginary items and insists on placing them in your hand. at least it gives her a chance to practice her fine-motor skills.
• i taught her how to "play" basketball. i'll make a hoop with my arms and she puts the ball through, kind of in a dunking fashion.
• she's almost able to go down the baby slide at the park by herself. most of the time she holds onto my finger, but she can keep herself upright while going down.

gettin' older

today is my sister's birthday; she's now a whopping 23 years old. she's in a good place in her life, i think (i'm just assuming): she's a senior at the university of hawaii, living with her best friend in a condo in honolulu, dating, etc. when i was 23 i was in grad school (for just a little while), engaged and just months away from getting pregnant. i think it just further proves how totally opposite we are.

being seven years her senior it was always so hard to relate to her. being completely different people didn't help to bridge the gap we felt; we just didn't understand each other. but as we've gotten older i think that's changing. i'm really looking forward to getting to know her better as a person, to stop looking at her as a "baby," and to stop acting like her third parent. but i think in some ways my sister appreciates the nagging that comes from me -- no matter how old you are, you always take advice and concern from your parents with a grain of salt. but coming from a sister, i think it's different.

in any case, i miss her being so far away. i wish she lived closer so the kids could be with their nene. i can't wait for her to graduate and come home.

happy birthday, A!

5.5

cardstock: bazzill basics
patterned paper: anna griffin (green), scrapworks (aqua)
letter epoxy stickers: k&co
letter & number stickers (black): ek success (rebecca sower)
number stickers ("5.5"): american crafts, ki memories
oval sticker: target
punches: carla craft
letter stamps: psx, image tree (ek success)
date stamp: provo craft
number stamp: cavallini
dotted circle stamp: hero arts
stamping ink: close to my heart, color box
acrylic paint: delta
index card: office depot

i haven't scrapbooked in awhile, and (as usual) this layout took awhile to complete. i've been intrigued by the "freestyle" movement in scrapbooking lately because it looks so freeflowing, creative, and expressive. but for an anal-retentive obsessive-compulsive like myself it's an extremely difficult method of creativity. i always use a ruler and my body and mind are accustomed to right angles and a linear look. i have an extremely hard time just "going with the flow" and putting things down on paper, layering, and embracing the "imperfections" of this style. although aesthetically pleasing to my eye, i can't actually accomplish the look myself. therefore, this layout turned out only "half way there" in my opinion. it's stuck in limbo between my usual look and freestyle. i feel like it's too empty ... i may have to sleep on this one awhile longer and tackle the embellishing later on.

anyway, the layout is about ian's half birthday and what kind of life he had at that age. i just loved this picture of him shooting a squirt bottle at me from behind a window.

week 47.

maya @ 47 weeks :: september 29, 2006

• she has been an eating (and pooping) machine lately. she eats all day long ... after all that eating you'd think she would gain some weight, but she still feels the same to me. i'll have to weigh her to find out.
• she loves to dance to upbeat music. she moves her hands around, bounces, and smiles when she hears a song she likes.
• sesame street is once again becoming a part of our life. she likes elmo (which i'm totally okay with) and watches the tv when the muppets are on.
• she's such a daddy's girl: not only does she rush to greet him when he comes home ("hi dada!"), but she insists on being held by rupert all the time, she calls for him from her crib, and just unleashes a barrage of "dadadadadadadadada" quite frequently.
• she doesn't really talk yet, but she tries to say things. when rupert gives her an option between food or a bottle, she can make sounds like "foo" or "ba" to indicate her choice.
• she caught a cold and her runny nose is bothering her. but she does like having the snot sucked out with a bulb syringe. i'm concerned, however, that she thinks it's like a bottle because she keeps opening her mouth while i'm sucking out the snot. when she got a hold of the bulb syringe she tried to put it in her mouth. grody!
• she can "tell" you if she needs a diaper change. after fussing for a bit (or refusing to sit down) i'll pick her up and she points her way to the changing table.