Like a fish out of water

Like a fish out of water, originally uploaded by colodio.

When we left to visit the grandparents and the new baby there were 3 of us in the car. On the way home there were 5! When we fist walked into the house The Phi was mesmerized by Grandma's fish tank. Grandma then told her that she would be "getting rid" of the goldfish to make room for her tropical fish. So we "rescued" 2 of them and set them up in a small tank in The Phi's room. She loves them, but the problem is that we cannot come up with names for these two! So we call on you fine people. Please help us name our new fish!!!

Brothers and Sister

Joey picked up some new habits while living in SB with my parents. One of them was watching the show Brothers and Sisters. I have been watching all the old episodes on abc.com (by the way how cool is it that you can watch TV online!) and I have become hooked. This show has made me think about our family and the number of kids we would have. I love on the show how involved the brothers and sisters are in each others lives and how they are always there for each other. It really makes me want to have a big family. Now that The Phi is getting bigger we often get asked by family, friends and strangers (infact the mailman asked me today) if and when we will have more kids. And of course we want more. If we could afford to have 4 I think we would. But reality is we can't afford 4, so I think 2 is going to be our magic number. There are times (like yesterday when I was holding the new baby in the family) that I think we could do it soon. But there are other times (like when I lay in bed with The Phi and we just stare at each other) when I can't imagine how would ever be able to love anymore than I do. Would I feel guilty about PR Dad and I not being able to concentrate only on The Phi? Is she ready to be a big sister? PR Dad wanted to have our kids 2 years apart, I wanted 3 year. There are times that I think maybe 4 or 5 years would be better. You know give The Phi enough time to grow up a little.

Pimp My Ride

So its been over a year since I lost my beloved Neon to an idiot who killed my poor car. In a pinch we took the insurance money and bought a used Jeep outright. We needed something with no payments and something to fit a car seat. The Jeep is a 1994 and it has been really good to us, but over the weekend while running errands we had the window down and the car sounded like Oscar the Grouch's Sloppy Jalopy. I had visions of me and The Phi's stranded on the side of the freeway with smoke coming out of the hood with a trail of car parts behind us. I could not get that picture out of my head. I do not do well in those kind of situations. So PR Dad went to a dealership to see what he could do. I hate car dealerships and car dealers. They made me nervous and I can't seem to trust anything about them. They leave me upset, tense and on the defensive. Plus I didn't want to chase The Phi around for hours. So after a long time he came home with a Scion. We have wanted one for years!! We were finally able to trade in his truck and get something new with the same payment. Of course we were hoping for cheaper payments but for now we can deal with the same.

Look what I got....

sorry for the bad picture, but its a Scion XB!!!

Daddy's Home

Yea!! Daddy is home, to stay! I cannot tell you how excited I am that Joey is home. The Phi and I can't get enough. We just sit and stare at him all day. It is starting to creep him out.

In "growing up way to fast" news. We converted The Phis bed to a toddler bed. basically we just removed the outside rail. I saw THIS bedding at our beloved Target. I hemmed and hawed about buying the set for her and putting the twin bed in her room, but just like my Mother I talked myself out of it and just bought her a pillowcase. But only 2 month more months until her birthday! She slept in her the toddler bed for the first time duringher nap today. She didn't even fall off! What a rock star!

Venting

So Rudy was sent home from American Idol last night. BOOOO! I can't believe that he is already gone. It is just my luck. And I am going to totally play the "latino-victim" card. He was voted off because he was Mexican! Will we ever see a Latina/o American Idol? Let us untie Latinos of America. Sesaon 7 is ours!



"Hello All,Just wanted to send another update- I spoke with my TN Mary and Tata started dialysis about an hour ago. They say he is doing well, talking and looks good. The dialysis nurse is staying with him during the procedure which could take anywhere from 3-4 hours. Unfortunately, family can't be with him b/c it might distract the nurse (whatha!?! us be distracting- I don't get it) and s/he needs to make sure everything is running smoothly. They do, however, permit people to check on him every so often to see how things are going. The prayers are working... :)"

Well the good news is my grandfather has gone thru his first dialysis session and he says that it feels as if his blood has had a bath!

What we didnt want to hear

" just got off the phone with my mom. Unfortunately, they are headed to the hospital. According to the doctors Tata's kidneys are functioning at 6-7% and this is considered renal failure. They are on their way now as of 2:45pm expected to be there in about half an hour, around 3:15pm. Let's all continue to send prayers Tata's way"

Just got this email. And it is not the news we wanted to hear.

Joey or The Phi?

I can't tell if this is PR Dad or The Phi!

Thanks for the pic Cassie!

American Idol Update

So the actual competition for the next American Idol started yesterday. The 24 guys all sang and my Rudy started the night off and sadly I was disappointed. I didn't like the song he sang, and it felt like he lost that fun normal kind of guy persona he had during auditions. Regardless I voted for him. PR Dad watched in SB with the parents and we exchanged notes afterwards. We both liked Drew (the beat-box guy) and PR Dad liked AJ. I liked the wanna-be Justin Timberlake guy. I swear when it gets down to the down 10 or so I will have every ones names memorized. But AI inspired The Phi to finally pee in her potty!

Happy Ash Hump Day

Lent is already here. All over the world Catholics are getting crosses of ash rubbed or even stamped onto their foreheads. To be perfectly honest I was going to google the meaning behind ash Wednesday and school you all, but no time. So I will admit that I have no idea why we have ash Wednesday, but I do know that it is the kick-off to the lent season. (already!!) Which means that I have 40 days to get The Phi a Easter dress and remind the Easter Bunny that The Phi deserves a basket. Well it also is time to give up something for the 40 days. PR Dad and I decided (okay I decided and just told PR Dad) that we are going to give up fast food (and yes we do EVERYTHING together). We also decided (PR Dad decided and told me) that Subway is the only place we can go. No Jack tacos, for 40 days. That will be our sacrifice. So in preparation I ate 40 Jack Tacos yesterday. Kidding! In preparation I went grocery shopping, and it was so much stuff that I literally filled up the basket. I was balancing things toward the end and pushing slowly so that everything did not topple over. So now our cupboards are full and our fridge is kind of full, and our freezer is overflowing. I have great intentions of making foods for my family. And I will be cooking for 3 because....... PR Dad is coming home for good!! He will be transferring back to his old job on Monday. We will officially be a family again. The distance was just getting to be too emotionally and financially draining. We still have the house on the market, and the market is picking up but we just couldn't stand being away from each other anymore. So lets us all sing, "My husbands coming home, my husbands coming home, Hi-ho the derri-o, My husbands coming home!"

Come In, and please pull up a chair!

I am totally Blue's Clued out! The Phi loves her Blues Clues so much that she now asks to watch it. Yes she can ask to watch a blue dog and her (yes Blue is a girl) adult friend look for paw prints, but she won't say Mom. So I thought back to my Saturday morning cartoon days to try to find something that both The Phi and I could enjoy that did not involve skadooing, and I thought of Pee Wee's Playhouse. Kind of the same concept as Blues Clues. A grown man living in a house with talking furniture and animals with a bunch of neighbors who drop by, but early 90's style. A retro version if you will. complete with the word of the day, a blues puppet band, dinosaurs in a mouse hole, Penny, ice cream soup, a wedding between Pee Wee and a sandwich and a whole lot of meeka-leka-hi-meeka-hinny-ho's!

A snow

PR Dad planned a wonderful Valentine's Day for his girls. We spent the day in Big Bear, in the chilly cold, all bundled up in the snow! We took The Phi to the zoo and I can't tell you how strange it is to walk around a zoo and see the animals with snow in their cages. The Phi loved the snow and when she had the option of walking in the snow or on concrete, she always picked snow. We took a long drive around the entire lake so The Phi could nap and then we walked around their little downtown area. We walked the little shops and bought The Phi an Curious George book about a trip to the snow. It was a perfect memento from her first snow trip. We stopped at a chocolate shop before heading down the mountain and because it was Valentine's Day we treated The Phi to a chocolate covered Graham cracker, while PR Dad and I feed each other white chocolate covered cherries!! Muy romantico! Big Bear holds a special place for PR Dad and I. When we first started dating PR Dad could not believe I had never really seen snow, so on one of our first weekends together (during our hotel days) he took me up to Big Bear and made me ride this alpine sled ride. We ended our day with dinner at Sayaka (Japanese teppen style) and a stroll through the 99 cents store for sponges! We had a wonderful day. PR Dad did a great job giving his girls a memorable Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentines Day!

To My Funny Valentines,

You are my whole world.

You are my air, my earth, my fire, my water

You make my life full of smiles and laughter

I love you both with my whole heart.

My beautiful daughter The Phi (aka Super Kidd-o!)

And my husband Joey who I adore.

Happy Valentine's Day

Love, Your Wife and Mommy

Elissa

Slip on a purple banana until they throw us in the truck

This past weekend we spent in SB and on Saturday night PR Dad, The Phi and I stayed up late to watch Purple Rain on TV. It was a very censored version of the movie with entire scenes missing. Man do I love this flick. It is so totally radically 80's. When I was a kid my dad was a musician. I grew up with his band practicing in our garage. I also grew up with my uncle who was an amateur DJ with his 2 turntables and a microphone in his room. I loved music, and as a child of the 80's I loved Madonna, (I went through a phase where I wore this highlighter green lace bow in my hair). I loved Michael Jackson (I had a giant tapestry of him on my wall, the one where he is wearing a yellow suite and still looks black). I loved Prince, especially Little Red Corvette. This movie is filled with Prince classics, Morris Day and the Time, and Apollonia 6. It reminded me of my childhood and my sisters love for Cindi Lauper and Boy George (she was always a strange one). Reminded me of Care Bears, Cabbage Patch Kids, Garbage Pail Kids (that we kept in used baby formula containers), my Menudo poster, break dancing to Midnite Star. Ah good times.

Arnold finally listened!

Well over a year ago I went to my local DMV and it was a nightmare. All I wanted was to do was change my address and renew my license. It took me forever. I was angry enough by the inefficient service to write an email to our governor and complain about the DMV. And after my trip to the DMV yesterday is was obvious that Arnold listened to my complaints because I went in to get my name changed and it took me 15 minutes from start to finish! 15 minutes! And that's with the lady messing up the first time she attempted to make the changes I wanted. It was well organized and people were moving through the lines quickly and efficiently. It was amazing. I was completely astonished. See people, it does pay to write to your political leaders. I did and I am sure glad that I did.

The Perfect Valentines Day Gift

We have found the perfect Valentine's Day gift. I wanted to get The Phi something original, nit the usual stuffed animal. Her first Valentine's day while she was still in the womb I had family members pick a song for her and I made her a cd and book. I think we bought her a book last year. PR Dad AlWAYS stresses about what to get me. Well this year I found an awesome gift. My Mom and Dad stopped by the house last weekend and my radical Mom brought me the Santa Barbara Independent and another SB daily newspaper. I LOVE reading these and I think its because it makes me feel a little like a local. Anyways!! In the newspaper there was a tiny blurb about the Santa Barbara Zoo's Valentines Day gift. For a donation you can sponsor a pair of Flamingos. This is perfect for the Punk Rock Family!! Flamingos have become a wonderful symbol for our family. If you received a wedding invitation or went to the wedding you will remember that flamingo were there! They have become a symbol of our love for each other and The Phi. Well with this donation we get to sponsor a pair of flamingos! So this is our family gift! My gift to PR Dad, his gift to me, our gift to The Phi and her gift to us!! We get a picture, fact sheet, kisses, and our names listed as sponsors. I am really excited about this (hence all the !!! everywhere). It is such a great cause. We love the SB Zoo and it feels good to be able to help out! If you have not found the perfect gift consider the gift of sponsoring flamingos.

Potty Time

Someone got a new potty!!!

Sometimes it just comes to you

I want to blog everyday. But there are some days where I just don't have anything I want to write about. Nothing oozing out of me or clawing to get out. And sometimes I see something, or remember something and I have an idea. Today was a brief phone call from an old friend. See I have a handful of BFF's, but Jessica is the OG BFF. The 25 plus year, stand the test of time, and the distance kind of BFF. The one that you grew up next to. I have had the honor of being BFF's with Jessica since I was 4 (almost 5) years old. We spent kindergarten with Mrs. Weeks all the way through 8th grade with Mr. Gross. She called because as she was cleaning out her desk she had found some old things that I had given her. They reminded her of the times that we were so close and she was sad that we were not like that anymore. In an ideal world, Jess and I would be next door neighbors and work at the same office and and get to be in each others lives every single day. Just like how we sat next to each other every single day, and when we could not talk during class we had a notebook where we would write notes to each other, and when we were not in school we were on the phone and when we were not on the phone we were writing long long letters to each other (I have a box full of these notes). I think about her everyday and I miss her so much too. But I have in her a friend who has known me for so long and in a way that no one else ever can or will. We have grown up together and became Moms together. The birth of our children has really brought us closer together in a whole new way. Her son is about 8 months older than The Phi. I love to talk to her about our kids. I love the way you can hear the pride and love in her voice when she talks about Elias. Its a whole new side to her. I have been in tune with Jessica's voice because with so many miles between us, we really only have the phone and email to stay in contact. It was like in college when she told me that I had to come and visit her because she had met someone. I knew by her voice that I had to get in the car and make the 6 hours drive to meet this guy because he was the one. And he was. I knew that it would take someone extraordinary to be Jess's husband, and Rick is. The friendship that I have with Jessica is one of the most cherished things in my life. She has been a constant and because of that I have never felt alone. We don't live in a perfect world so I don't get to see my OG BFF very often, but I love her very much and not time or distance will ever change what we have been through. And who knows, maybe in the future we will be next door neighbors who work in the same office, who call each other everyday and write long letters to each other every night!

A picture for Jessica's baby shower. She was so happy and beautiful while she carried her gorgeous son!

the official name

Well I just got off the phone with the new Momma and turns out that Zoey Rae is not a Zoey Rae. Instead she is a Sariah Persiphany-Makyla.

Baby Days

You stand by me I stand by you

If there is a fight I'm the one to come to

Good and bad, times we've been through

You got my back and I got yours too

All of my life you are in my crew

I'd do anything for you

Beat someone black and blue

Black and blue I would do it for you

Believe it or not this song was a part of The Phi's night time routine for about the first year of her life. We had bought the CD (Joeys bf travis is in the band) right before The Phi was born and this song was the first single. I liked it and we listened to it often. I think the CD was in her room because I had been listening to it getting her room ready. After her bath I would put on all her lotions and pajamas, comb her curls out and sing her this song. She was so tiny and I had this strong feeling of protection over her. And not just as a baby, but I could imagine her older and this song just seemed to capture everything I was feeling as becoming a Mom for the first time. I have never ever been a fighter but I knew that I would fight tooth and nail for my little girl. Once The Phi got a little older and started talking I stopped playing the song because I was afraid she would start repeating the bad words! But every time this song comes on my i-pod it reminds me of The Phi.