Little Red is back!

I'd like to think my emails to various Customer Service departments really have an impact. Hey, I got a $5 free coupon for any General Mills product because I asked Honey Combs if they'd changed their recipe and if they had....well....it was only 10% as good as it used to be. So I guess companies do take my complaints to heart.
But it's not that I'm a complainer (at least I hope not). I just think companies would appreciate some free (unsolicited) market research! Right? Husband? Casey? (who works in that field).
Well, to get to the point....I'm happy to report that Del Taco has brought BACK the small red/green burrito! If you remember from my stupid posts a while back, I had called their customer service to ask why they took it off the menu (you can only call humans there, no email. It's grand). From a business perspective, I think they were trying to get all their "small" burrito fans to just purchase the $.99 larger version and the company would pocket the extra 20 cents. Well, I guess they sort of got their 20 cents, since my sister and I continued to pay $.99 at the counter, but requested that they make it a small size burrito (they still have the supplies for the small burritos there, since it comes in the kids meal).
Last week, however, my sister and I went to a Del Taco in Orange County. I got ready for my "can you make it small" speech, but the lady simply pushed a button on the register and "$.79" popped up! What?! The burrito was back?! Yep, she said, the company put it back on the menu.
So there you have it folks. If there's something you love, it's worth fighting for. And it's worth voicing your concerns. If only Breyers Ice Cream had listened to me and Casey 2 years ago. Peanut Butter Fudge would still be in freezers across America. I'm not going to think about it.

Dressing up

Lucy likes to play in my ribbon and headband drawer. Today she let me put a purple headband on her head. Then she threw an orange ribbon around her shoulders....and they stayed there for over an hour while she played. It looked so funny to me.
I can't tell if her hair is 80s or Butt-Rock band. Perhaps those are one and the same...

I promise I'm 30, not 13

But I love these books! And although they're considered "Young Adult" fiction....they are very worthy of adult reading. In fact, Bella and Edward are more adult-like than high school teens.
But let me back up for a moment....
While at girl's camp this summer, someone told me about these "Twilight" books that everyone was reading. Well, I thought, they must be pretty good. I asked what the premise was. "It's a high school love story about a human and a vampire," she replied.
Um....
Yea, I was NOT going to read that. She kept talking about the books....and I tuned out.
I had just finished reading A Thousand Splendid Suns (amazing novel) about 2 Afghani women and their oppression from the Taliban in the early 90s. Vampires weren't really up my alley.

I was at work a few weeks later and as I like to do, I scanned the Uni library to see if we'd purchased any new books. Hey, maybe they had that Twilight book? It was likely we had covered it (for potential movie rights) and sure enough, there was a copy of the book. Somehow I had managed to dodge Buffy and Angel on TV, but okay, okay....I'd just see what all the buzz was about with this book.
And seriously, I got sucked in (um...pun intended?)

These books are so fun! They read fast. There's great romance, fun danger, love triangles, adolescent (and adult) drama...and...well....a totally hot vampire! I heart Edward.

The author paints a great and somewhat "classy" description of the vampire family. This is no Lost Boys with fangs and coffins. I read the first one in about a week and then I was off to Borders for the 2nd book on a Saturday afternoon. I was done with it by Monday. I told Casey I was going to take a break before reading the 3rd one (though he was happy to see me getting into vampire lore). But when I was at Costco, there was the 3rd book, for only $10. I had to buy it and I had to start reading it right away.
I finished yesterday and although I'm glad to have my life back, I already miss Bella and Edward. Again, I'm 30 not 13. But if you've read them, I'm sure you agree!

If you've heard about these books and like me, rolled your eyes....don't worry, you can still suck up your pride and read them. And you won't have to tell anyone that you did. Andyou'll really enjoy it.

Of course, I've been checking out the author's website to find out additional info. I had to know if the film rights were purchased and who, oh who could play hottie Edward? Yes, the rights were purchased and Twilight the movie is in pre-production! (but won't come out till 2010. Here's the imdb page)
Stephanie Meyer (the author) posted pictures of who she thinks should play most of the books' characters and I couldn't agree more! I don't actually know who all the actors are, but their headshots are totally what I pictured in my mind!
Here's her Edward. The first two pics are the same guy. I like him better than the last guy although I think his hair should be a little longer and darker:
Here's Bella, two different versions. The first two pics are the girl from the Lemony Snicket movie:
Jacob. Perfect:
Carlisle. Looks a little young, but then again....he comes across that way in the book. Um, hot:
And Alice! Rachel Leigh Cook. Once I saw this picture, I was like...ah, yes. That would be Alice:
She has even more pictures listed on her website that you should check out here.

Okay, I'll shut up about vampires. I just thought that since many people are reading and posting about Twilight, it was time to concur my enthusiasm. You should read them too!
Now I need to read something serious. Maybe it's time for Rough Stone Rolling....
(If you need to borrow the Twilight series, let me know)

Cute baby face

We went for another UltraSound today, and everything is fine and normal. Our little boy weighs about 2 lbs and is quite active in his cocoon. This time they did the 3D and we got a really good shot of his cute little face. I know it's a bit cryptic, but I swear he has the same button nose as Lucy. Check out the picture below of Lucy at 1 day old.
The other 3D shot is a side profile of his body. You can see his body really well, even his little ear and hands (which looks like he's flipping us off. Funny boy). We got this body shot a few weeks ago when my friend Doris (who works...well, worked at an ultrasound place) did a session for us for free. That night, however, he was being quite shy and constantly had his hands in front of his face. So I was happy to get a good face shot today with our doctor.
Only 3 more months to go! My body feels ready to not be pregnant any more. But I'm not sure my psyche is ready for it. Regardless....it will come soon enough!

Camille's Sunday Night Birthday

Whenever there's a birthday in the family, the tradition is to have Sunday night dinner and cake at my parent's house. With so many people around, there's always a reason to celebrate!
Last night we said Happy Birthday to my sister Camille, who just turned 33. Woohoo! We're all creeping into our mid-30s. Crazy to think. Here are some highlights from the night.
Grandpa likes to make Lucy laugh:
My mom made a yummy Carrot Cake. mmmm. You never need a real reason to make that, other than...it's freaking good!
Here's the birthday girl, with her 5 year old son Jeremy. Jeremy just started Kindergarten this year and just keeps growing up!
Some of the enthusiastic guests. (probably talking about how Prison Break sucks and how great Friday Night Lights is.)
Camille's big gift from Bryan and Jeremy was a Miter Saw. Yep, she's a girl with a heart for Home Depot. She's very artistic and creative. So I'm sure she'll find great uses for her new tool. Lucy and Ava, of course thought the box was the best part of the gift and spent a 1/2 hour playing in it. They were making us all laugh.
Happy Happy Birthday! I guess Uncle Rich is next....then on to the November extravaganza of birthdays. Woohoo! (that includes Casey and me)

Driving and Jumping

Tonight was our night to watch Chloe while our friends Darin and Sarah went out for Date Night. Lucy and Chloe had too much fun playing outside and inside the house together. They are only 2 months apart in age and play really well together. Especially when Chloe acts as chauffeur to Lucy (we promise that Chloe had a turn riding in the car too....but Lucy just wasn't as good at pushing her in it).
It was really adorable, Chloe could push Lucy all by herself! Here's a little video:

After they drove the car, they spent some time jumping and dancing around.
I greatly apologize for my annoying repetitive "jumpy jump jump" song, but they enjoyed it.
Yo Gaba Gaba has infested our home!

Morning at The Paseo

Lucy has started taking her nap later in the day now, around 12:30pm (or 2pm today. sheesh) So we've been finding more things to do in the morning to keep her entertained. We started a new Parent Ed. class through Pasadena College which we went to yesterday and she loved it. It's kinda like nursery at church, only I'm there with her the whole time. We meet at a Methodist Church, which has great playground and toy equipment, from 9am to 11:30 once a week. The kids play on the playground, color with markers, shovel bird seed, do singing time, snack time, and then the parents have a discussion time to talk about a variety of Parenting topics. It's kind of like Pre-Pre-school. I think she and I will enjoy it for the next few months.

For this morning's activity we headed to The Paseo on Colorado to check out the fountains Jenn Hicks told me about. I'd never been to that shopping area before, so it seemed like the perfect time....on a hot day. I called Jenn to see if she and Payton wanted to join us and they did!
Both little girls had fun playing in and dodging the fountains. Lucy, our little water girl, actually surprised me and did NOT want to touch the spraying water. I thought for sure she would be drenched by the time we left. But this was what both girls spent the hour doing...prancing around the watery surface:
...waiting for the water to shoot out:
...and then quick! Run for it!
They were so funny together acting afraid of the big water spouts. Lucy was totally happy when she found a big rock to climb on and did that over and over and over again.
Payton was lucky enough to take two big hits from the spraying water. I WISH we had pictures of the water spouting up on her little body. It was actually quite funny. But she wasn't as amused as we were. Here's her worried face.
I guess Lucy looked a little worried too.
Great way to cool off in the morning!

Running along the Beach

Casey took the day off work on Friday, so we had another 3 day weekend! (we should do that every week). My parents were headed up to Ventura for my sister Meredith's Cross Country meet, so we decided to join them. We made a fun day of it all and first stopped at our favorite Fish 'N Chips place by the beach called Seaward Fish 'N Chips (on Seaward). Casey and my dad got the fish, and I (of course) got a corn dog! And mom got the yummiest looking of all...tasty crispy fish tacos. Yum. I'll have to try those next time.
After lunch, we headed over the park for the Cross Country Meet. There were TONS of schools there (it was an invitational). And lucky for Meredith, she got to miss her entire 2nd day of school to come up for it. Nice benefits being on a sports team. We walked around the park to see how the Course was laid out. And the second we put Lucy down, she was off and running. She pretty much ran around the entire time and thankfully, Casey was there to chase her around. You can see here, she's almost out of sight.
I guess Casey caught her.
We had an hour to kill before Meredith ran, so we headed over to the pier. It was further than we thought, so we got a nice 3-4 mile walk (like I could complain, however, being at a cross country meet). The Ventura pier is the longest wooden pier in California. It felt really old-fashioned and laid back, people just walking around, fishing, and hanging out. This was the one time Lucy did not run around. Surprisingly, when we let her down she walked very carefully over each little crack in the wooden planks. So we kept her in the stroller for a bumpy ride till we got to the end of the pier.
Once at the end of the pier, Lucy entertained all the people by talking to the birds. If you haven't heard her speak recently, it's all Japanese jibberish. She clearly has a lot to say, but it's nothing we understand.
We made it back from our long stroll just in time to catch Meredith at the start line. I like this picture. Tough looking competition, and Meredith's smiling face popping out at the top.
What a picturesque run. Palm trees and sand the whole way! Mere looks like a pro (okay, she is one too. Her time was about 19 minutes!)
She and her friend both got medals.
And a nice sweaty picture with Mom and Dad. Great job Meredith!
Being at her Meet reminded me of my high school days running Cross Country and Track. I was never as good as she is, but I still remember the jittery, butterfly stomach wait at the start line. And then 20-ish minutes later, it's over! and you want to throw up. Great fun!

What a fun day at Ventura Beach!

Favorite Summer Pics

Because I don't post enough pictures of Lucy....I just had to put these ones up. Two of Lucy's favorite things: getting wet and playing with shoes.
These are my favorite summer pics.
Grandma's CrocsCute little bubble butt
Cool Whip containers make the best hats.

Our little Golden Fire Pig

At work today I ran into one of our IT guys and we started chatting. I found out his wife is a week behind me in her pregnancy. And then he shared with me that this is the Year of the Pig and that it's not just any Pig Year, but a Golden year. Um, does this have anything to do with Eddie Murphy and The Golden Child? I-I-I-I-I....waaaant...the knife...? Palease....

He didn't find humor in that.

First off, this co-worker is an anomaly (to me at least). He's a 35-year-old white wigger (redundant) who wears NY Yankees jerseys and lives in Arcadia. He's one of our top IT guys, knows tons of techy info, and has opinionated thoughts on politics and conspiracy theories (which he shares while sitting at your desk fixing your computer). One day out of the blue he says that he's going to China for 3 months to have an official Chinese ceremony with his wife of one year and bring her back to the states. Um, you're married?? To a cute young Chinese girl? Oh, and he drives a Chevy Malibu. I find his persona intriguing. He's a wild card.

So it just made me laugh today when he says, "hey....just so you know, this is the Year of the Pig. (I'm having a Pig?!) The lunar calendar has 12 cycles and the Year of the Pig brings the most luck to those born within it. AND....the Year of the Pig has it's own 5 cycles, every 60 years. This is a golden year for the pig, which brings extra luck to your child. Your child is a FIRE PIG. (woohoo, I guess). In China all the women are trying to get pregnant and give birth to their child before February 2008 so the baby will be born a Pig....a Fire Pig."

Wow. I don't believe in voodoo, or lunar signs for that matter. But I like the image of a little Fire Pig growing inside of me.

I will now refer to little junior as....The Golden Child.

Willard family summer fun

Since it was Football Draft weekend for all the boys, Nicole (my sister-in-law) and her girls decided to come out for a few days and play too. It's so fun to see them, since they live in Utah and we don't get as much Willard fun-time with them as we would like. Jackie and Jillian and are getting so much older! They're really adorable girls and have such different personalities. It's cute to see.

They spent the first day of their trip at the Long Beach Aquarium. Lucy and I were all set to join them but then Lucy woke up with a 102 fever. So we just layed low at our house all morning and joined up with them in the afternoon at Casey's parent's house. Lucy was feeling much better by that point. And all 3 girls had fun playing the piano, playing with the kitchen set, and riding the bike outside (if they could ever learn to share it, that is)
Cute pic of Jillian. Love that curly hair!
Grandma Linda reading Lucy her favorite Seasame Street book.
The next day we drove out again to hang out with the girls. Linda is in heaven having a house full of girls. She raised four sons and now that the grandchildren are coming along...she has three grandaughters! I guess our little boy-to-be will be a little out-numbered with his cousins. Hopefully there will be more boys in the future....

There's a park by Linda's house with a great Splash Pad, so we took the girls there for a couple hours in the afternoon. They looked adorable in their swimsuits, getting ready to go splash around.
And here's the Splash Pad. Doesn't it look fun?! I was secretly glad when I got splashed a few times. It was so hot outside.
Of course, Lucy found a group of boys to play with. She saw the big yellow gun and thought, huh...I want to play with that. But she was too short.
Here she is having fun:

We finished off the fun by resting in the shade and eating snacks....goldfish and Princess fruit snacks! It was great fun and we wish we lived closer to each other. Hooray for Summer Vacations! (and the free flights Nicole and Jeff get). We hope to see you all again soon.