Susan's Birthday

On October 8th, we celebrated Susan's 60th birthday. I had already planned to pick up Velvet Cupcakes at the mall for that afternoon and I knew for a while that I wanted to get her a bracelet of necklace from Brighton similar to the one I got my mom with all her grandkid's birthstones on it. That morning, Susan literally said she was thinking of getting herself something from Brighton to commemorate her trip and 60th birthday! Then she said she might like to get Velvet Cupcakes for everyone to enjoy that afternoon. Nic had mentioned a few days earlier that he wanted to get her the photo of the boys together framed. She even mentioned that she would really like to get that photo framed! I couldn't believe it! We had originally wanted to celebrate the night before, but we couldn't pull it off in time and in that moment I sure was wishing we had since I now had to convince Susan not to buy any of those things herself without telling her I had already planned on getting them. 

We went to Gymboree that morning. While Susan and Hudson took the class, Luc and I ran around getting the gifts. Afterwards, we all did some shopping together then we went home. Susan finished packing up and while she took a trip to the grocery store, I set up the gifts and cupcakes. Susan was so surprised! She loved her gifts and started to get all emotional while she opened them. We sang her Happy Birthday, then we had to say our goodbyes. It is always so hard to say goodbye, but thankfully this time we knew we would be seeing her soon in Maui! We absolutely loved having Susan stay with us. She was so helpful, Hudson had the best time playing with Grandma and Luc enjoyed his cuddles. We are very blessed to have Susan in our lives and we hope she had a wonderful 60th Birthday.

4 Weeks Old

On October 7th, Luc turned 4 weeks old. As you can see from the number of posts between weeks 3 and 4, this past week was super busy. Luc had his first bottle, bath and beach trip this week. Luc is growing so fast. He weighs about 10 pounds 6 ounces and is starting to wear size 1 diapers. I weighed him before and after a feed and he is eating about 4-5 ounces. Luc did a 5 hour stretch this week followed by a 3 1/2 hour stretch in the same night. 

Underwood Family Farms

On October 7th, Susan, Hudson, Luc and I went to Underwood Family Farms. I took Hudson last Easter and we had such a great time so we decided to check it out during the fall season. It is a really neat place, but it was miserably hot for fall, especially with a newborn. Our plan had been to get there when it opened, but getting out the door with a baby isn't that easy so we left later than planned. It was still pretty cool and empty when we arrived, but by the time I fed and changed Luc, it was getting warmer and more crowded. Hudson and Susan checked out the pumpkin house while I fed Luc. 

Then we all went to see the animals, hay pyramid, wood train and tractor slide together. 

I took Luc to buy some tickets so Hudson could do the pony ride. train and bounce house. Hudson was so cute on the pony ride. He was sliding off to the side so he looked a little nervous, but he still loved it. He also had a blast on the train and enjoyed the bounce house for a few minutes before it got to hot for him. 

My moms club had the farm on the calendar for that day, so I met up with a few other moms and kids in the playground area. Thankfully that area was nice and cool and they had a changing room with a chair so I could nurse Luc without the cover. It was so challenging to get a photo of the kids together. Then we attempted one of us moms and we were just as bad. We didn't get a single picture with all the moms looking at the camera, haha. 

Once we left that area to attempt to look at the actual pumpkin patch, we realized just how hot it was. Luc was getting extremely warm and I was starting to get nervous. We kind of ran through the patch and then raced to the car. I'm thinking next year will be more fun (and easier/less stressful) when Luc is a bit older. We still had a wonderful time and it was definitely worth the drive to visit. 

Meeting Rochelle

On October 6th, Luc and I went over to Lindsay's house to see Carlie and meet Rochelle. Rochelle was born on September 3rd so she and Luc are less than a week apart. They were such a crack up together. Rochelle is a girl of many, many faces (very funny faces too) while Luc pretty much has just one face: the grumpy face. Haha. It is going to be very entertaining watching these two grow up together. Especially if Rochelle is anything like her mama. ;)

Beach Day

On Sunday, October 5th, we went to Ventura Beach. It was really nice when we arrived. It was still a bit cool and cloudy and Luc slept in his carseat. Hud was having a blast walking along the beach with daddy and playing in the sand with Grandma. As soon as the sun came out though, it got hot fast. Luc and I retreated to the shade of the pier (we had tried to buy and borrow an umbrella, but had no luck). We sat watching Hud, Susan and Nic play. Then we took a few photos before I went up to the restaurant with Luc while Nic packed up the gear. I fed Luc and he fell asleep. Then we all enjoyed the most delicious fish taco lunch! It was a bit overwhelming to have such a little baby out in the bright sun and heat, but it was also a lot of fun and refreshing to get to the beach and watch Hud play. 

Elton John Concert

On October 4th I had my first big night out. I went with Rachelle, Justin and my dad to the Elton John concert at Staples Center. Sir Elton was so good and I even enjoyed a glass of wine. Elton John has so many amazing songs, but I've always been a sucker for I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues. The line, "I simply love you more than I love life itself" gets me every time. Some of the highlights were Tiny Dancer and my other favorite Your Song. Another highlight though, was watching some of the fans dancing. The lady in front of us reminded me so much of the SNL music teacher skit. It was hilarious. Another older gentleman down on the floor had some amazing moves complete with spins every few beats. It makes me happy to see so many people not caring and just having a great time. I really think live music is one of those things in life that is tough to beat, especially when the musician is Elton John. 

The piano was so shiny, you could see Elton's reflection in it perfectly. After every song, Elton would stand up and face each direction, except ours acknowledging the crowd. We assumed he didn't face us because he faced us while playing. 

Trina's Shower

Crystal, Heather, Rocio, Nicole, Paula, Trina and Katina attended the shower.

On October 2nd, I snuck out of the house for a couple of hours to celebrate my friend Trina and her newest baby on the way. Trina is a friend from Mom's Club and she is due with her third baby, a little boy, at the beginning of November. We just had a simple dinner at BJs, watched her open gifts, played a few games and ate some cake. It was a lot fun and it felt great to not be mom for a bit. I'm so excited for Trina and can't wait for our little boys to be buddies. 

Luc's First Bath

On October 1st, we gave Luc his first bath. He didn't really like it. In fact he whimpered and fussed until I gave in and stuck his paci in his mouth. Once the paci was in he relaxed. His favorite part was when I ran water over his head with a wash cloth. 

Kisho Dinner

On October 1st we went to Kisho for dinner to celebrate Susan's 60th birthday. It is always such a fun restaurant and the food is delicious too. Luc also had his first bottle tonight and did quite well! 

3 Weeks Old

On September 30th, Luc turned 3 weeks old. Luc weighs 9 pounds 9 ounces! He gained almost an entire pound in one week! He obviously loves to eat! :) Luc went on his first road trip to Vegas this week. He was so good! He went to all my classes with me and mostly slept, but he also spent a decent amount of time awake just taking everything in. He also got to check out Vegas! He has had a few nights of decent sleep and a few nights of horrible sleep. The rough nights involved Luc being up for long stretches overnight fussing and grunting. He did tummy time for the first time this week. He switched his head from one side to the other and rolled onto his back. He has been a bit fussier towards the end of this week and seems to be gassy. Overall though, he seems to be a pretty chill little guy. 

Luc's 1st Tummy Time

Since we got the ok from the doctor to do tummy time at Luc's 2 week appointment, I decided to go for it. So on September 29th, I placed Luc on his fuzzy teddy bear. He didn't seem to mind it at first. I took a few pictures, then he picked his head up and switched sides. I decided to video to see if I could get him switching his head back to face me, but instead Luc rolled over! I couldn't believe I got his first roll on video. Pretty impressive that he is rolling at 3 weeks old!!

Las Vegas

On September 28th, we packed up the car and headed off for Las Vegas. We wanted to go to a buffet and I'd heard the new one at Caesar's Palace is amazing so we went there. Unfortunately, since it was a Sunday, the only option was a very expensive champagne brunch. We didn't really feel like paying tons extra for champagne we wouldn't drink so we went to the nearby french crepe place Payard instead. It was delicious and our entire meal cost less than the price of one person's buffet would have cost. Of course Luc was hungry right when we got our food, so Susan fed me while I fed Luc. haha. ;)

After that, we walked over to the High Roller. We got there just before it opened, but they let us in early because we had the stroller and needed to be escorted up the elevator. We ended up being the first ones on as soon as it opened and we got our very own capsule. Hudson thought it was the coolest thing ever. He was dancing and clapping and running around in circles. Just before we reached the top, the Bellagio fountain show started so we got to see that from above, which was really cool. Hudson loved seeing the "water jump" then when it ended he went right back to dancing around. His happiness was worth every penny spent. 

When we finished with the high roller we realized we didn't have long to make it to the next fountain show at the Bellagio. I felt like we could make it, but Nic didn't. I knew I didn't want to stall with the kids waiting for the next show so I said we had to make it. I told Nic to run ahead with Susan and Hud and I would catch up. (The elevators were really slow and I had the stroller). I was actually able to keep up until the very last, very slow elevator, but I still only missed the first second or two of the show. I loved watching Hudson and Nic watch the show together. It honestly brought tears to my eyes. There is something so special about experiencing things through your child's eyes. As an adult I find the fountain show quite impressive and enjoyable, but seeing Hudson's face light up in amazement was so much cooler! He loved it! Of course as soon as it ended, he applauded, then said, "Mowra (More)"

It was already getting pretty late and we knew Sunday afternoon traffic would be a pain so we walked back to the car and began the trek home. 

It was a really fun weekend and we made some wonderful memories during our short trip to Vegas.

Inspiration Unlimited 2014

Day 1 of Inspiration Unlimited (September 26th):

Tomi met us at our ballroom with Starbucks and man did it hit the spot. I had a pumpkin spice latte and a delicious blueberry muffin. Luc happily enjoyed the Heidi Swapp class in his bassinet. After that class, we met Nic, Susan and Hud back in the room for lunch. They grabbed us Cheesecake Factory and it was delicious!! After lunch, we took the Teresa Collins class. I ended up holding Luc for most of this class, but luckily it was an easy one to do one handed. Our last class of the day was with Jodi Sanford. I wasn't overly excited about this class based on the description, but actually ended up really liking it. I missed a chunk of the class and still almost finished, which was nice. Luc wasn't overly happy about being in his bassinet today, but as long as he was in my lap or arms, he seemed to be quite content. 

While we were in class, Susan, Nic and Hudson went to the pool. As they were drying off it started to rain. Hudson was freaked out by it at first, but then he ended up liking it. 

We were still full from lunch, but we knew we needed to eat dinner, so we settled on pizza. While Nic was out getting the food, we watched the sun set followed by a desert storm. Hud liked the lightning at first, but then it scared him. When he got out of the bath, he looked so cute in his fluffy white hotel towel. I wanted to take a picture, but he got scared again by the lightning and wanted a cuddle. He smiled through the tears for the photo, then cuddled his blankie on the couch. I wolfed down my pizza, then went with Luc, my mom and Tomi to the special event Teresa put on this year. It was sort of like an Oprah's favorite things giveaway. She gave away a few cannon printers, a silhouette, and tons of other goodies. I ended up winning a bunch of beautiful golden wrapping paper. Then they had a photo booth so we took some pictures and a bunch of make and takes that we went and either made or collected. I also met a really nice girl this year, Holly, who had her 2 month old daughter with her. That is one of the best parts about this event. The same people go every year, so we make more and more friends each year. 

 While we were at the event, Nic went to a bar off the strip to watch the AFL finals. 

Day 2 of Inspiration Unlimited (September 27th):

Our first class today was with Paula Cheney. Apparently she is a really big deal in the scrapbooking world as she is Tim Holtz right hand gal. Although her project wasn't something I would normally make, we learned a lot of really cool techniques and it was the first class where I didn't feel way behind or overwhelmed in. After that class we had a lunch break, then we had class with Kelli Collins. This was one of my favorite completed projects. I tried to leave Luc with Nic for this class as he had just been fed and should have napped, but apparently he was hysterical so I ran back up to grab him. He nursed for about 2 seconds, then fell asleep and slept most of the class. The room helpers were great about helping me get caught up and when I had to hold Luc during the class, they came over and helped me again. It was so sweet of them and I almost finished this one in class. Our last class of the day was to make a canvas with Teresa Collins. We were supposed to come prepared with a quote to write on our canvas. I hate my writing, but sucked it up and wrote mine myself anyways. I figured it would be more personal this way. I still want to add a few touches to it, but it turned out cute and will look nice in my scrapbooking room. 

Hudson enjoyed some more pool time with Grandma while we were off scrapbooking!

That night we had the final event where awards were given out. Luc won an award for being youngest person in attendance. I had to go up on stage to collect my prize (stencils) and introduce Luc to everyone. He was very popular all weekend and everyone oohed and ahhed over him while I was on stage. Then they did the normal prize drawings. I didn't win anything. Then just like that, the whirlwind, exhausting Inspiration Unlimited was over. This was my fourth year and it always goes by so fast. I learn so much, but it is also overwhelming. Probably because 2 of the 4 years I have attended with a newborn, haha. Sadly, I still have unfinished projects from the 1st year and even the completed ones don't have pictures in them so they are technically incomplete as well. Hopefully someday (maybe when my kids are in school and I become a stay at home mom~a girl can dream) I will finish them. Regardless of finishing, it is always nice to get away and enjoy this weekend. We have made wonderful friends over the years and it was great to do something for me even though I have a newborn baby to care for.