and Danny Gokey] were about to go home to visit their friends, fans and family. I was SO excited, and Stephen went online right away to try to find out the specifics. We couldn't find many details Wednesday night, but the following day my sister found the entire Scoop. My dad is a big fan of the show and of Adam Lambert, too, so he and I made plans to go to Mt. Carmel High School the following morning (last Friday) so we could see Adam and hopefully hear him sing. My sister was kind enough to take a few hours off from work so she could watch my girls. (My mom had to take care of other things at the time.)
So my dad and I left his house at 8:30 a.m. for the 11:00 a.m. concert at Mt. Carmel. We had originally planned to attend the parade at 10:00, but when we got to the school, we decided to just go ahead into Sundevil Stadium and wait for him to arrive and perform. We waited from about 9:00 to 11:00 in the brutal sun (I was starting to worry about my dad a little bit there, 'cause he doesn't do well in the sun, but he did okay). It was nice to hang out and chat with Pops for those couple hours.
Once we heard and saw the chopper overhead (and I could see through my binoculars that it belonged to the San Diego Police Department), we knew that Adam was about to enter the campus. After he arrived, we had to wait another 30 minutes or so before his convertible, red Ford Mustang got to the stadium's entrance. When his car appeared, I immediately grabbed Dad's binoculars to see what I could see, and there was Adam, in his newly blue hair (the color changes from week to week). I couldn't help but smile and exclaim to my dad, "There he is!! He has blue hair today."
The car carrying Adam drove him around the racetrack so he could wave to his adoring fans. The public sat on the "Visitor" side of the stadium, because the "Home" side was reserved for Mt. Carmel students and faculty only (which was actually fine by us, because the Home side ended up getting the brunt of the sun's rays!). From what I understand, each side holds about 4,000 people, and both sides were pretty full. Adam drew quite a crowd. After his lap around the track, Adam got out of the car and he took his place onstage. After thanking everyone for turning out in support, he spoke directly to the kids. He told them it's okay to be different, 
and that they all need to embrace one another's differences. "It's cool to be different!" he said proudly. After speaking for a few minutes, he asked if we wanted to hear a couple songs, and of course we all screamed "YES!!" He then started out with Michael Jackson's "Black or White"... and it was TERRIBLE. I was SO bummed. 'Bummed' doesn't even describe how I felt! Adam's singing wasn't terrible; the performance was. And Adam wasn't to blame; the SOUND SYSTEM was. I just couldn't believe how quiet and crackly he sounded. The quality was beyond horrific. I told my dad that I was certain the "Idol" people would've been on top of that, or at least that they would've checked it out ahead of time to make sure it was working decently! It was pitiful. We could hardly hear his voice, much less make out the lyrics to the songs he sang.
Adam then got back in the Mustang and did one more lap around the track. The first time I got a pretty good picture of him, so the second time I took a few seconds of video. After that, Dad and I collected our belongings and exited the stadium. We were about to turn left and exit the campus, when suddenly my dad asked me if I wanted to turn right instead (which is where the Home side of the stadium lets out) to see if we could catch another glimpse (or more) of Adam. I was hesitant, but I agreed. We walked over and saw the really long Limo he arrived in. (It was waiting to take him to his next event.) Just past the Limo, we looked up the hill, and we saw Adam in the Mustang heading down toward us. His posse was surrounding the car, trying to get all of us crazies out of the way. I thought we might get hit! Then it happened. My dad told me to get the camera ready, 
because he was going to give Adam a high-five. His words didn't really register in my brain, though, because I was already trying to take pictures of Adam coming toward us, and I couldn't think fast enough as to what I needed to do next. "Do I take a picture? Do I take video? What should I do? What should I do? Is Dad really going to give Adam a high-five? I wanna see that happen if he does!" It's really hard to live in the moment when you've got a stupid camera in your face. Ugh. A split second later, as the men surrounding Adam were trying to push us all out of the way, my dad very casually walked up to the car with his hand held up in the air, and fairly quietly said, "Adam." Adam turned and looked at my father, saw his outreached hand, and he put his own hand out to meet my dad's. It was awesome! Unfortunately I missed the photo op. I really regret not getting that picture, but I'm glad I at least got to live the moment. :-)
And as disappointing as it was not being able to hear Adam sing, like I told my dad, it was okay with me, because I at least got to see him. I'm proud to be able to say that I was there for his homecoming; there for his beginning. (Not really his beginning, but the beginning of life as he'll know it from now on!) Because this guy's gonna be a big star. I just know it. He's gonna be HUGE.
A couple weekends ago (on April 19th), the whole family (Mom, Dad, Sister, Ken, Kay, Kathryn, Stephen, the girls and I) packed up the van and headed to Fallbrook for their annual avocado festival.
I was actually a bit hesitant to go because it was so freakin' hot that weekend. But I met someone at Kathryn's birthday party the previous day who grew up in Fallbrook, and she said that the avocado festival is really nice, so she convinced me to give it a go. I'm glad I did. We all had a great time! We of course tasted the guacamole that was awarded the Blue Ribbon, and it was really good. Most guacamole is made with onions, and unfortunately this was no different. I loathe raw onions, but I put aside my hatred because I could tell that the 
avocado was really good, and it made up for the nastiness of the onion. We also tasted avocado ice cream, which wasn't half bad! Emily had a blast going down the big inflatable slide with Ken. She also rode on the Dragon Adventure ride. She was brave and decided to get on all by herself. Boy was she proud! It was fun watching her go around over and over again. She was SO excited. Em also got to decorate cupcakes with Ken and Kay at Elegance on Display (a cute little wedding cake boutique), which she loved. I bought a super-cute handmade, cloth "responsibility chart" for the girls. I hope to get a picture of that soon. (Unfortunately, we've already lost a couple pieces. Boo. I tried contacting the company to see if they'd sell me some extras, but they've yet to return my call. Double boo.)
Another pleasantry about the festival was the fact that we met a couple of very nice gentlemen while we were cooling down and watching Emily slide down the big inflatable slide with Ken. One of them (the guy with the hat) seemed particularly taken with Leah. He smiled at her, talked with her and laughed at her (in a good way, of course). He seemed like a genuinely kind soul. I just love it when I encounter people like him.
Emily went to the dentist on Wednesday. It was the second time she'd ever been; her first time was in September. I wanted to blog about that first appointment at the time, but it never happened. [What, ME not getting around to blogging? Preposterous.] I gotta tell ya, I was pretty nervous about how she'd do that first time. I mean, you never know what'll happen... a kid just might decide to shut his or her mouth, refuse to open it, and not budge... but Em
did great. Actually, I think she thought the whole thing was kinda cool. Maybe it made her feel grown up, who knows? But she listened to directions very well, she did everything the hygienist and the dentist asked her to do; she was fully cooperative. I was so glad (and relieved!). At this second appointment, they reminded me that I should bring Leah when she's two years old so that she starts getting used to it early. Em was
three-and-a-half when she went in for the first time, so I was worried that she wouldn't take too kindly to it, but boy was I pleasantly surprised. She was SUPER easy. It couldn't have been a better experience! Oh, and not only was she cooperative and easy, but her teeth did really well, too. No cavities (yay!), no tartar, no problems.
The only thing was that not long before I took her in for that first appointment, one of her top front teeth developed a blue tinge. The dentist told me that she probably hit it on something at some point. He told me that more than likely it would be okay, but to bring her back in if she developed a pimple-like bump on it (which would indicate infection), or if it were to change. Anyway, it never got worse -- in fact, it's now much lighter blue than it was six months ago. (It's still there, but it's awfully slight.) I think it might be sorta common in little kids. Other than that, there were no issues. Everything looked great!
This time, however, the hygienist told me that there was some build-up on her lower, inner teeth (mainly the molars, I believe). She was able to get it off with her scraper, and then she told me that Stephen and I can continue to let Em brush her own teeth, but that we really should then go in and brush them again ourselves. I asked the lady (a young, very kind, pregnant woman -- the same woman you see in these pictures,
which are from Em's first appointment in September) if she could help us out and tell Em that she's gonna have to let Mommy and Daddy help her brush. I think that helped. Now when she brushes, I tell her, "Okay, you go ahead and brush, but remember what the lady said... she wants you to let me or Daddy brush your teeth after you do..." and that's worked so far. Before this, she would let us brush maybe 50% of the time, but since her appointment, she's let us help her every time.
Other than the build-up, the hygienist (I can't remember her name, darn it!) told me that Em's teeth look great. Again, no cavities, no problems. Since she turned two, or somewhere around there, I've always been pretty good about making sure we brush her teeth every night before bed, and since she started school, we of course make sure to brush every morning before she leaves. I just hope she grows up understanding that it's very important to keep her teeth clean and healthy, and to do that she needs to brush often, floss, and go to the dentist regularly. Look at what a big girl my Pookies is -- and this was already six months ago!
I never posted these pictures to Flickr, but since a year has passed, I might as well go ahead and share them now. Last Valentine's Day, my mom and I made cupcakes from a recipe I found in Better Homes and Gardens. Actually, the magazine was at my OB's office... I picked it up at my last prenatal appointment when I was pregnant with Leah! {Sniff, sniff.}
Up until a few years ago, I had never had red velvet cake. I always thought it looked and sounded good, but I never really noticed it offered anywhere. When we went to New York City in 2006, we visited The Magnolia Bakery at my sister's recommendation. That's where I tasted my first red velvet cake, but surprisingly, I wasn't all too impressed. Nothing Bundt Cakes, however, has some pretty tasty red velvet cake. It's WAY better than Magnolia's! Maybe it's 'cause they put chocolate chips in it. ;-)
So anyway, if you're in the mood, go ahead and try these! They're fun and yummy. I, in case you're wondering, am most definitely NOT in the mood. Em and I have been busy making Valentine crafts, and also cards that she's going to exchange with her classmates on Thursday. (Pictures of the crafts and cards hopefully coming soon.) I'm glad we made the cupcakes last year, 'cause it ain't gonna happen this year... and that's okay. This is the first time Em's needed Valentine cards, so that's priority.
If you do end up making these, be aware that you don't have to make the chocolate cookie if you don't wanna. My mom and I did, but we weren't planning ahead very well and the cookie ended up being too big to use as a pattern on our cupcakes! (D'oh!) To remedy the situation, we just made a pattern out of paper, placed it on each cupcake, sprinkled outside of the pattern with powdered sugar, and voila! We ended up with the desired red heart shape outlined with white powder. (I'm sure you woulda figured that out on your own, but just in case... ;-)
I've been meaning to post this for a while now, but I've been too preoccupied getting my house back together after the chaos of the holidays and redoing our floors. At least I'm posting this while we're still in January (speaking of which... how on earth did February sneak up on me so suddenly??)! I'm pleased to say that things are almost all the way back to normal
(I only have a few loose ends to tie up), and I'm now feeling much better about the state of my home. We even finally moved the never-used changing table out of Em's room and put a ClosetMaid Cube Organizer in its place, which is wonderful because it holds some of her books, toys, and even things like shoes, socks and underwear. I hope to post more on that soon, but not now. This is about my now-four-year-old's special week!!
Emily's cousins, H, Z and G, were in town for Christmas and went home just a few days before her birthday. This has happened the last couple years, and each time we celebrated with them before they had to leave. Both times it's been a pretty simple affair, with cake and a few presents. Last year I believe we had a not-very-good store-bought cake, but this time Grandpa made his famous chocolate cake. Mmmm. (It had been a while since we'd had it!)
Martha came over and was so nice and thoughtful. She gave Em a present, but funny enough (and Martha couldn't get over this), Em wasn't eager to open it (or any other presents, for that matter). This happened at Christmastime, too, but not quite as blatantly. This time, she had a stack of birthday presents that, as Martha pointed out, most kids would've been begging to hurry up and open. But not Em. 
She just left them there, seriously forgetting about them. I guess she'd rather run around than open presents. Even after we sang "Happy Birthday" and cut the cake, she didn't ask to open them, even though they were right there in front of her face! After she ate her cake, she left the table to go do something else, and I had to call her back and ask her, "Don't you want to open your presents?" And then she did. :-)
She received a cute Guess What I Am! game and a cool Crayola Explosion Glow Board from her Aunt Mona, and Martha gave her a nice Junior Chef enamel cookware set for her little house. For Christmas, she gave her an Easy Bake Oven, and our friend Lee gave her a Melissa and Doug Slice-and-Bake Cookie Set that she can pretend to bake. All of these gifts were given with the playhouse in mind!
The day before her actual birthday was her birthday celebration at school. Coincidentally, she was also chosen to be the Star Helper that day. (Each schoolday they pick a name out of a hat, and that child will be Star Helper the next schoolday.
The Star Helper gets to lead the class in line, share something special with the class, ring the bell in between sessions, be first to do certain activities, etc.) She looked so cute with her birthday sticker and Star Helper sticker on her chest, AND her huge birthday hat on her head. I could tell she basked in the glow of all the attention she received that day! (Leah and I joined the class for the final hour so that we could watch them sing "Happy Birthday" to Em and to watch them enjoy her special birthday cookies that she and I had oh-so-lovingly made the night before.
Stephen had the following day off, which was her actual birthday. It was his first Friday off as part of the new "9-80" program they voted in at work. Nice timing! (Unfortunately it was only one of TWO, because now he's back on EWW, which is Extended Work Week. Oh, well. 'Twas good while it lasted.) I had been wanting to take Emily out for a special birthday lunch and outing, but I couldn't figure out what we should do. Finally Stephen had the very good and cute idea of taking her to IHOP and ordering the "Create-a-Face" pancakes, because he thought she'd enjoy that.
He was right. She loved it! In fact, while enjoying her special pancake, she exclaimed, "This is the best lunch EVER!!" :-) After lunch (well, really it was brunch), we went back home for a few hours and then Grandma and Grandpa brought over yet another cake. This time Grandpa baked a *citrus cake (we call it a "rainbow cake" in our family) because they thought Em would get a kick out of the different layers and colors. There are three layers: yellow (lemon), orange (orange) and green (lime). It's made with the rind from those fruits, so it truly does have the flavor of lemon, orange and lime. It's pretty good! Personally, though, I'd almost always reach for the chocolate. ;-)
After cake and two more gifts -- my friend Angie sent her some *adorable* clothes and a dress-up doll, and Stephen and I gave her a tub full of fun Crayola stuff (all kinds of different crayons, markers, pencils, glitter glues, Silly Putty) -- we then went on our outing. We decided to take her roller skating! It was a surprise to her (she didn't know where we were going until we got to the rink), and when she realized where we were, she was pretty excited. She saw the roller skates behind the counter and couldn't wait to put on a pair!
Stephen got his and her skates on, and as the two of them were about to enter the rink, our friends Lee, J and H showed up. (We invited others, but it was a very last-minute event, and no one else was able to make it.) It was nice having Lee and the kids there. They helped make the night a lot of fun. At first, Em was very hesitant to get out into the rink. Actually, she refused. But all it took was watching her daddy and H skate around once or twice, and then she agreed to go with them.
It was amazing to watch her go through all the stages of learning:
Poor Stephen took a pretty big tumble fairly early on in the evening, and his right wrist bent backward to the point where he got a pretty yucky sprain. (Unfortunately, we didn't think to put wristguards on him until after the fact.) He's still wearing a brace, but he'll probably start weaning off of it pretty soon.
