Build a Bear

Today we are off to Downtown Disney to get Grandmas present.

When Parker was a little toddler we took him to Build - A -Bear and had him record his voice and it said Hi My Name Is Parker in his little boy voice and we gave it to my mom for Xmas one year. SHE LOVED IT!

Anyway we are getting a voice box to have Ava record her baby babble and gonna make a baby AVA Bear to give to Grandma. I have to make mine as well cause I had one made when Parker was little that I have as a keepsake.

This is going to be a present to my mom from Gabe. He is actually the one that gave her the Bear Parker made which stole the show at Christmas.

I also told my brother that he should have some made from his two babies. A Logan and Lexi bear than my mom can have teddy bears from all her grandkids.

I think he is going to do it too.

Off to mke Teddy Bears!!

Ava's BFF....GLOW WORM

Ava is really starting to get into toys lately. She has these peek a blocks that I have been collecting for her and there is one with these fun house type mirrors in it and she loves looking at her reflection and just smiles at herself. Right now though her favorite is her baby glowworm doll that Jessie and Hilary got for her.
Every time its face lights up and it plays music she just stares and smiles and starts doing her little baby talk which is basically just a whole lotta ( A GOO )s. She has even laughed for the first time a couple nights ago. It is so cute. It was hard to capture the photos in the lighting of my house considering my walls are yellow and my lights all have shades. She was kicking her legs really fast and moving so there are some blurry shots...Plus my camera sucks as I have mentioned a hundred times!

Glowworm singer her song

She cannot keep her eyes off it

She was in mid babble

Right in the middle of goo

This is her first face she made when I lit up the glow worm

Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Scooter Rallies

It has been a crazy few days so I have not posted so I will make up for the 3 days today.
Anyways Thanksgiving was a blast! I could not really take any pictures cause my camera is truly falling apart now so it is time to get a new one. I am thinking on getting a SLR one this time around but still undecided.

Anyways on Friday I did my first BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING and What the experience.

I woke up at 3:51am and Thanksgiving night I was telling my brother how I was gonna do the 5am Toy R Us sale. He does black Friday shopping every year so he was saying this year he could not cause they don't get money till next week. Anyway I offered to loan him some money to come with me and do the Toys R us sale.

So He text messages me at 4am and I tell him to meet me down there. I get to Toys R Us at 4:30 am and the line was all around the building, out the parking lot, to the public sidewalks and down to the neighborhoods. I could not Believe my eyes!! I got in line as it got to the public sidewalk. My brother showed up a little after and joined me in line. I was freaking out a little though cause there were no shopping carts left but as the line started moving I sent my brother out and he found one before we went in. The line actually moved pretty quickly.
It was a MADHOUSE in there!! My brother and I tagged team. I had a list already on what I wanted to buy and so he sat with the cart off to the side while I went running around like a mad women grabbing the things off my list and than I got in the INSANE checkout line while he ran out to grab all the stuff he wanted.

I felt like Santa Clause. My shopping cart was so overloaded that I could not see where I was going so I pushed and made my brother a reindeer to lead the shopping cart.
I made it to the check out stand at 7am and 320.00 dollars broker. I was happy to get all the kids shopping out of the way.
We than went to Game Stop and walked in and saw one checkout person and left over to Target where I got Parker his Nintendo DS and a game for it which subtracted another 175.00 out of my bank account.

I got home and woke Gabe up to open the garage so I could put all 9 bag loads of toys and baby items away before Parker woke up and than I went back to bed.

Later we got ready to go for a scooter ride over to the PUKA BAR for the Classic not Plastic Rally for the meet and Greet..

Anyways Gabe is on the ride now and I am going back out shopping again..



Some friends outside the Puka last night

A lot of empty Mai Tais and Pearl Divers

Gabe and Myself after 3 cocktails at this point

Mike and Loryn

Dan and April

Ava in her Thanksgiving dress on Thanksgiving

A blurry shot of Ava UGH I hate my camera so so much!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends!!

I am gonna spend my day doing a lot of cooking, wine drinking and Macy's parade watching in between Gabes sports. We are doing dinner here at my house and have about 10 guests! I better get the turkey going!!

This will be the first Thanksgiving with the Twins and Ava!!

Bollywood

I don't know what it is but I have to start watching some old 60's Bollywood...I found this place on youtube and it has a bunch of clips from old Bollywood movies and they are a riot!! Here are some of my faves.


This one here has only encouraged me more to proceed with my belly dance classes.

The Great Wine Hangover!!

This past weekend was a blast but it flew by much to fast.

Friday we started out wine tasting and went to first..
Foley-grounds were nice..I was not too thrilled with the wine
Star Lane- Newer vineyard...Meh nothing to write home about
Checked into Room
Lucas and Lewellen-I always have a good time here cause they pour lots and have a fun upbeat vibe to it-the wine is ok..same ol same ol However their Blanc d blanc champagne KICKS ASS
Presidio-They were ok..however I was a bit drunk that I cannot recall much on what I liked..I know I ended the flight with their non alcoholic Grape Juice
went back to the room and passed out at 7:45pm..left poor Gabe with nothing to do..

Saturday
Gabe and I went to have a nice good ol country breakfast

We than got in the convertible and went to the Lavender Farm.

I LOVED this place. Of course they had harvested so there was no beautiful purple flowers but the smell was GREAT!!
After relaxing at the Lavender Farm we went to taste at ..

BlackJack Vineyards-Nice vineyards, Wine was good but very expensive
Met up with Michael and Loryn than all got in the convertible and went too....
Beckman- Wines weren't too bad..The grenache was AWESOME
Bridlewood-Wines were ok but the cheese plate with Olives and salami was awesome
Fess Parker- Pretty ok had a wonderful Riesling and awesome buttery crackers..Was starting to get a little tipsy by this point
Honeywood- I love this place..just a tasting room in Solvang and they specialize in sweet wines but showcase small wine labels that are somewhat unknown but OH SO GOOD..first wines I bought were from this place..maybe this is why I am a member! Michael and Loryn I think dug the sweet wines since they bought a bottle of each!

Met up with Eric and Holly

all went to
Lions Peak- I love Lions Peak however the owners just got a divorce and it was ugly I guess and the girl pouring was a total bitch....
Lucas and Lewellen- We had a good time here. I think we didn't pay much attention to this wine we were just too loaded to care at this point I think we must have had several servings here
Taste of the vineyards- OK now we just bought one bottle and sat at a both and drank the bottle with a cheese plate..I think that is what it was I was hammered don't remember much ...
All walked back to the rooms to change and jumped in Eric's and Holly's car and went to the Hitching post for dinner. I had the fillet Mignon which was so good and I want more! Oh and had some more wine!

Got back home and we decided to have a little hot tub party . Eric and Holly bought some champagne and tequila which I could not drink anymore after drinking since 10am!!
The hot tub was closed but that didn't stop these guys!! They hopped the fence and hit the hot tubs.
I was gonna go in but seriously went into a food coma and could not keep my eyes open and ended passing out in front of the TV which I really wanted to hop that fence and get in the tub..after that I don't remember much..

Sunday morning-Gabe and I got up early and went to the bakery across the street and checked out the big gingerbread house and had a danish and coffee.

We than packed up and checked out and went shopping.
We met up later with Mike and Loryn and went to breakfast. They left and we wanted to check out Los Olivos which I am glad I did cause we got a coupon to go to this little tasting room from a label called WILD HEART.
It was a beautiful tasting room. The even serve you strawberries with some of the wines. Their wines were very good I loved them all so much I joined their wine club. I get my first shipment in December.
On the way back we stopped at a Apple orchard and got some apples and bought some apple butter..
We than went home...I have had a headache ever since I got back..A wine hangover

A Lot of Pictures to make up for all 3 days!

Foley Vineyards

Still Foley Vineyards

Gabe at breakfast Sat Morning

The Lavender Farm Entry

The field behind me is all lavender ..I am sitting under a 300 year old Oak listening to a wood pecker

Gabe in the lavender Farm..I gotta go in the spring when it is in Bloom!!

Cjhecking out the woodpecker again!

More lavender..there was tons of bees in those bushes!

Me and Gabe and Micheal and Loryn I believe at Bridlewood

Eric and Holly at Lions Peak..aww how sweet

Michael and Loryn at L&L...sooo cute

The Wino's at L&L

This was at Taste of the Vineyards or Valleys or something like that..hey I was drunk at this point some things were a bit of a blur..Loryn looks like she is having a good time in this picture

After dinner us gals were having some birthday ice cream and girl talk (Loryn and I share the same birthday) The guys were at the bar having cognacs and smoking cigars

Sunday morning at the bakery..had to have gabe stand by the gingerbread house..I told him he should have posed as if he were running like the gingerbread man

Almost a week..

It's been almost a week since I last blogged. I Have been SO busy.
Lats Friday a group of us went bowling and it was a blast. I will post up pictures of that later.

My Birthday on Tuesday was nice Gabe took me out to dinner at Roy's at Fashion Island. It is a Hawaiian fusion restaurant. We got there and had a couple specialty cocktails than had dinner. Gabe than surprised me with a piece of sparkly jewelry when we got back to the car that I just LOVE! I highly recommend going to Roy's!!

Anyways this week has been crazy at work. I am doing all the finalizing of the new building. We also been having training here this week and 2 of my techs Josh and Brad are both leaving for Italy for a week for classes and than when they are back Holly and Erik and Rafael are off to New York and Sean is off to Italy.
With everyone traveling I am gonna be soo slammed. I can't travel anywhere cause I have to oversee the construction of the new rooms, the installation of the floors and electricity and cables for all the computers, office furniture, new doors, decoration, security systems, and shop and classroom set up..this can go on forever. Than I found out we all have to work the IMS (International Motorcycle Show) in Long Beach Dec 7,8, and 9th!!

They put me in charge of the organization of that as well..ughh.

Well one thing I am looking forward to SOLVANG this weekend!!
We have our dinner and hotel reservations all set. Our Private wine tastings all set up and now I just got to get in touch with the rest and let them know the plans.

Brunch at the San Antonio Winery

SAN ANTONIO WINERY

Yesterday we ventured out to LA to have brunch at the San Antonio Winery and to see a exhibit at the Pico House by Olvera St on hidden Italian history in LA.

We have never been to the San Antonio Winery and Restaurant before and it really is a hidden GEM. It was hard to find sine it is down this industrial rode at the very end of the street.

Gabe said yeah we had to summons the invisible man and talk to the singing bush to get there.

Anyways we called up Josh and Vickie and Evie to come join us for brunch. The food was soo good I had the mushroom ravioli with a glass of cab.

The inside of the restaurant was full of Christmas decorations and lights. This place was like a museum. They had pictures and stories about the winery posted on the wall and a big gift shop, and a wine tasting area with tons of different wines for sale and the distillery and the restaurant.

At brunch they had a man playing the guitar it was very nice. After brunch we did some wine tasting at the tasting room. I ended up buying this AWESOME Pink Sparkling Moscato Rose.

Anyways that was a Teaser to what I will be experiencing in Solvang next weekend! I can't wait for my weekend away wine tasting.

After we left we went to the Pico House to see the exhibit than finally afterwards it was back on our way home.

Driving through LA..

The Winery

Parker being sneaky

Ava being Innocent

Evie is Ava's BFF!!

LA is burning..it was raining ash!!

me and the kids..oh sporting my new haircut!

Gabe holding the pink moscato rose..reminds me of the

I dream of Jeanie bottle..Parker was in the back trying to copy Gabe

Birthday Bowling..

So since not all of my friends can make it out to Solvang a bunch of us are going Cosmic bowling tonight at the Long Beach Pike at 8:3o to celebrate my birthday!!
This morning when I got in my car Gabe surprised me with a present on the dashboard of my car!
It was a cd I been wanting!
Anyways I am at work and I had a struggle yesterday mentally and physically (why I didn't blog plus I was working from home late last night)

Work has been mentally draining. Especially the fact that my boss has been telling me a bunch of changes that they are doing with the staff which makes me concerned what the future may hold for me.
They are not laying anyone off but promotions are coming and advancements and so far I have heard every ones destiny but my own. Everyone is gonna make out pretty good and will very pleased but I can't help to think I am gonna be just in the same ol positon making the same money which is not bad but I could make more.
I worry that me taking me a maternity leave has really affected what and any sort of promotion I could get.
I know I been busy handling the new building which we will be moving into and my boss has marked with the property managers that only him and I are to hold the keys to the building and have the security clearance. He also marked me down for the office manager. However there is no increase in my pay. I can only hope that I am gonna get some sort of promotion too or raise and the only reason I don't know anything about my destiny with the future of this department is because
1. He will tell me during the annual reviews when the raises are made aware of
2.They are working on something for me and it is unknown

I don't know maybe I am worrying too much. I guess it worries me cause he told me in confident every one's plans BUT mine.

All I can only do is work my ass off and go beyond and above my normal duties to show that I am worthy of a promotion..

Finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I finally got Ava's pictures back and I love them. I got a couple of collages as well that I really liked. I gotta go to have them framed. Speaking of frames I been buying some..I didn't realize how expensive frames can get. Anyways I had Josh at work scan my pictures..of course you won't be able to tell the nice quality of them since it is from a scanner. I didn't buy the disk with the pictures cause just for that alone my picture bill would have been close to 700.00!!!

Now I am awaiting for Parkers pictures!!

One of the collages

The top picture is my favorite...we got tons of others but I didn't scan them...if you want to see them your all gonna have to come to my house :)

Ava's favorite Singer

So I am listening to Bitter:Sweet and watching the videos and Ava LOVES it.. I think its the voice..

a must see video simply amazing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VljGLcxA1U

I think this may be Ava's favorite song by her

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnJ0xGK8dC4

Click on URLS

It's like I am running a side buisness..

So funny thing ..it seems that it is well known at work that I am a sucker for Vino. I do a lot of favors and go out of my way to help some people out and they always seems to know that if they give me vino I hook them up in the future when they need things done for them.

Anyways this week we have technical training going on. First thing on Monday I get an envelope handed to me from a tech asking who Iris is. It was from a dealer who wanted to send a tech to school but I had no seats open and could not get them in til February when we had an opening. The Manager begged and begged me PLEASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSE anything? My tech will stand..you can put him in a corner blah blah than he was like I will give you 100 bucks. I was like no no no I can't do it....Anyway we ended up having a cancellation by a dealer who signed up from up North who told me on the phone that he was gonna bring me a nice bottle of wine for helping him out so much. So I call the dealer who was begging and told him OK you can send your tech.

Well yesterday classes started and the tech comes in with the envelope and inside the envelope was a big thank you note with 100 bucks. I told him no but he insisted!

Than another tech shows up asking for who is Iris and has 4 bottles of wine and said it was from his owner for helping him out..lol everyone was in the office looking at me like DAMN!!!

I felt like I was running some shady business on the side or something..

Anyways the homemade organic wine I got from the dealership owner in Long Beach is not that bad. I had it with my last bowl of pasta since I am starting my no carb diet for a month. Time to stock up on the ethically treated farm animals as Josh would call it.

SALUTI!!

The look!

So yesterday Gabe was holding Ava and we were talking about her than all of a sudden she made the most pitiful look I have ever seen. She just sat there watery eyed and pouting. We couldn't help but laugh at the face she was making. We were trying to figure out WHY is she making that sad face. She never cried though.
Anyway I told Gabe she looked like Puss n Boots from Shrek when he made his sad eyes..I don't think he understood what I was talking about...I guess he can read this blog and see what I am trying to say.

Dinner at Dusk

Yesterday in the afternoon we decided to do a late lunch/early dinner at the lagoon.
It was a nice crisp afternoon. We had some fried chicken,potato wedges,chips,macaroni salad and sandwiches. Gabe secretly brought a bottle of wine for us but we didn't open it.

We laid Ava out on the blanket and I threw a crumbled up chip in the grass by her and the pigeons came up pretty close to her and she was smiling and excited looking at them so close up. Than the water loons started coming and than a few seagulls. Parker was busting up laughing so hard at the loons because he was saying how they kept sounding like they were farting.

After feeding the birds Parker played on the playground and I was holding Ava let her watch him. Parker and Gabe than played some baseball. Parker hit a few good ones. We sat on the park bench all together to watch the sunset than packed up to go home.

Which instead we went to the mall and used my Baby Gap gift certificate that Holly and Eric gave us. (Thanks Holly and Eric we bought a cute little knit dress with a vintage looking gray sweater and cute mod looking baby shoes) I also spent way to much money at Victoria Secret and had to stop by Coach and drool over the new Amanda Opt Art Foldover Flap purse which I may just have to buy on payday.

Another reason why Gabe is the best husband ever....We took 2 cars to the lagoon my car and his truck so he can carry all the supplies. While following him home we had to cross a main street that had no lights so a lot of traffic passes by. He got across and I was at the stop sign waiting forever for a chance to cross..Gabe got out of his truck to go out into the street to stop traffic so I could cross over safely in my car...I would have to say that is by far one of the best gestures of love I have ever seen.


Ava

What a Happy Baby


Ava and I hanging out

Here come the scavengers

Don't worry we were close by to shoo them away if they looked threatening

Sunset is just around the corner (too bad my camera is too crappy to get a shot of the sunset.

Gabe and Parker playing ball

Gabe and Parker right before we left