Weekly Wieners

I am just going to apologize now. But when you spend time in beautiful places like Santa Barbara you end up with a lot of weekly winners. If you make it to the end you get a cookie!

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This little fellow was hanging around our back yard. Insect pictures usually creep me out. This one kind of creeps me out too

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While on the boat about to enter "It's a Small World" at Disneyland.

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While at Eli's baptism I looked up to realize I was sitting directly under Jesus!

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Church ceiling

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Baptism

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Santa Barbara Mission Flower

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Santa Barbara Mission Candles

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This is how my peeps keep it real yo.

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The Phi saw some lady take a photo here and insisted she take one too.

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My family may make cute girls, but dang we make adorable little boys too!

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AND ALWAYS THE SILLINESS...........................

this week keeping with the religious theme

yes that sign at the bottom says "friar photo op"

Thanks for visiting. Leave me a comment let me know what you think. And for more Weekly Winners please visit Sarcastic Mom.

Oh and your cookie is in the mail. Please allow 12-74 weeks for delivery.

Photo blogging saturday

Another inflatable slide. This people is where the money is.

She found the disney section

Photo blogging saturday

OC Market Place. She has the bouncy house all to herself.

Disneyland Part Tres

So where did we leave off. Oh yes meeting Princess Jasmine. So our next stop was the jungle cruise. After we had rode the Pirate ride The Phi bought this pink pirate princess gun. I was at first hesitant to buy it for her, but it turned out to be pretty darn helpful. We convinced her to get on the jungle cruise and the haunted mansion because she could use her gun to shoot the animals and the ghosts. So we got to get on more rides but we may have started her on the path to become a hard core gang member or to join the military.

The hunter keeping her eyes open.

I do not know why The Phi insisted on sitting so close to this awkward teenager,
but my sister was smart enough to snap a photo.

PR Dad's Mom was with us on our adventure and due to chronic back and leg pain she used a electric scooter. Here PR Dad brings it back from its parking space after the haunted mansion ride.

We had a star sighting! While playing in the playground at Goofy's house we saw this guy with bleached blond hair, perfect teeth and just looked so familiar. Later on his little boy who was maybe 2 was playing with Goofy's piano with The Phi and he talked to us and to The Phi. We could not figure out who it was. So I snapped this picture to see if I could research and solve the mystery.

Anyone know who it is?

It's CC Deville of Poison!

And of course the other famous person we met was Mickey himself!

After meeting Mickey The Phi decided she wanted to ride the roller coaster. I was like "are you sure?" and she was like "Yea!" So PR Dad grabbed her hand before she had a chance to change her mind. The line was a bit long and I thought for sure she was going to back out at the last minute, but then we saw this......

not only did she get on, but she put her hands in the air, and waved then like she just didn't care. She came running up to us after the ride and was literally on an adrenaline high.

PR Dad being PR Dad.

And on your birthday when you ask your Mom for a Mickey pretzel, she gets you one. Especially if it is after you waited 15 minutes in line for the Winnie the Pooh ride and right before you get on the ride breaks and you don't get to get on.

After shopping Main Street it was after 11pm and time to head to SB to continue the birthday celebration weekend.

Disneyland Part Dos

So after the makeover was complete it was time to attack the park. Our first stop was Fantasyland. Since it was The Phi's (and PR Dad's) big day we let her direct us on where to go. But first Tia Uh-laine was greatly disappointed that one of her favorite Fantasyland rides was closed.....



The Phi's first request was that we go on the carousel. Awesome, no waiting! We hoped on, went around in circles and hopped off. The Phi loved it.


Next she requested the Dumbo ride and since Tia Uh-laine is a sucker, I mean an awesome Tia she got on with her. And this time she got to ride in the coveted pink Dumbo.



Apparently my kid does not have the normal fear of heights like normal people and spent the entire ride with her head hanging over the side.

Then we headed over to the newly remodeled It's a Small World. And it was still the ride that you remember but they have added disney characters all small world-ized in their appropriate lands. Like you can find Alice and the White Rabbit in London and Lilo and Stitch in Hawaii. Very cute.

Then it was time for the tea cups. The Phi loves herself some spinny rides. PR Dad does not. Tia Uh-laine and I got on with her and she yelled almost the entire time. Yelled in the good kind of way.


Apparently Uh-laine and I did not really get the concept of a picture spot.


Then it was time for the Tiki Room. Another new experience for The Phi. She was hesitant to go but we kept telling her that she had to go because it was Tata's favorite and he would want to hear all about it. Plus the whipped pineapple sorbet we enjoyed before the show also helped in convincing. The sorbet gave us some great ideas for mixed drinks for our camping trip. Someone bring a battery operated blender okay?




After the Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Room I noticed that next door where the Aladdin stage show happens there were a few people in line. I looked over and noticed that Jasmine and Aladdin were there signing autographs and taking pictures. Last time we went to Disneyland The Phi was too shy to go up to Jasmine when we saw her. So I grabbed The Phi and headed over to get in line. Leaving the rest of my party in utter confusion, but they are a smart bunch and figured out where we were and what we were doing. As we waited The Phi kept telling me that I was going to have to carry her to meet Jasmine.

It was our turn and before I could even pick up The Phi, Jasmine said, "well hello birthday princess" in that freaky princessy voice little girls love. (The Phi's sash was a total give away.) And The Phi walked right over to her. Shook her hand and posed for a picture.



Look for part 3 of our trip tomorrow!

Biggity Boggity Boo

So be warned. This is the first of a few Disneyland posts. I will try to keep them short and sweet.

So the first thing we did when we entered the Magic Kingdom was race to the Bibbidi Bobbiti Boutique. The day before The Phi received a nice cash money gift from my boss and my sister reminded me of this new Princess make-over place at Disneyland. So I booked The Phi, oh sorry Princess The Phi, an appointment.


The place was packed. It was outrageously expensive...... but totally worth it.

First things first, putting on the eyeshadow, blush and lip gloss.

Then she picked her hairstyle and her Fairy God-Mother went to work on all that hair.

This is how much hairspray was used.

That wand contained glitter. So much glitter.

And after the tiara was placed, makeup done and hair sprayed to become a helmet. A helmet completely covered with glitter, it was time for the reveal. They spun her chair around and she said the magic words, "Biggity Boggity Boo!" Well that's how The Phi said it. The blue birds pulled the curtains and the mirror had glittery lights and they pronounced her Princess Sophia.

She was in 4 year old girl heaven!

If you do this be warned, you will be covered in glitter for days!

Our Own Math

Something the other day brought to mind a memory.

Back when PR Dad and I were first dating we were about a 2 hours drive away from each other. We would only get to see each other on weekends. I use to hate Sunday nights when we would have to say good-bye because I knew it would be days until I would see his face again. To make the weeks easier to get through PR Dad developed our own math to make the week seem so much shorter.

He usually left really late Sunday, technically Monday morning so Monday didn't count, Tuesdays and Wednesday counted and Thursday only half counted because it was the day before Friday and Friday we got to see each other again. So really it wasn't 5 days away from each other its only really 2 and half. See how our math worked!

Those months apart from each other were tough to get through, especially during that first lovey-dovey period of a relationship. But because of those months of missing him, I will never take for granted getting to see his face everyday.

Home Charles

After an amazing long weekend filled with disneyland, birthday dinners, family baptisms, family guitar hero tournaments, cosmos, petting cows. Photo shoots with tires, pancake breakfasts, art and relaxing, we are heading home. I have taken over 1300 photos and they still will not capture how great this weeend was.

Elissa* Lerma

Weekly Wieners Mini Edition

Since we are still celebrating the long weekend away, and I have about ohh 700 photos on my camera, here are just 2 weekly winners for you this week.....

Hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend.

For more weekly winners please visit Sarcastic Mom

The Day After

We are in Santa Barbara recooping from an amazing day at Disneyland. We set out to give The Phi the best 4th brithday imaginable and I think we accomplished just that. With glitter, oh so much glitter. Until I can get the photos off my camera uploaded you can see some of our day at my sisters photo blog....

http://mercyelaine.snaplog.com/

Happy 4th and Happy 36th My Loves

There is no denying it. There is nothing like the bond between a father and his daughter. But when that father and daughter are born on the same day 32 years apart they become so bonded its an amazing sight to see.


May 22 maybe your birthday, but it is the date that I am most thankful for in the whole year. This is the day that in 1973 and in 2005 the two biggest loves of my lives entered this world.

Happy Birthday you two.
I hope that your birthday weekend is filled with everything your little hearts desire.

I love you both more than you can imagine.

Happy Birthday Joey!

Happy Birthday The Phi!

Rubber Soul

The Phi and I are still doing our 365 Photo Project and yesterday we were outside eating ice pops and waiting for Poppa to come home from work. We decided it was time for our POTD (photo of the day!). Since we are on picture #140 now I struggle to find new ways to get a picture done. So yesterday I put the camera on the ground, set the timer and there you go.

I send my buddy G$ our POTD everyday. Yesterday after I sent him #140 he responded with ....

"Rubber Soul"

I was like "huh?" So PR Dad googled and we smacked our foreheads when we realized that G$ was referring to the sixth UK studio album by The Beatles.

And G$ was right, our picture was very Rubber Soul.




And I have a new article up over at Photo Bliss!! Check it out here

Even Funnier

Just when I think The Phi cannot get any funnier she tells me this story.....

what? from Elissa Lerma on Vimeo.

IN case you cant hear it she says....

"After I did a big caca (#2) and know what I said? I said WHAT DID I EAT!?"

Birthday BBQ

The Phi and PR Dad's birthday is this Friday! As usual there are multiple celebrations. On Sunday we had a small BBQ with PR Dad's families and some of our friends.

Preparing and planning for even a little BBQ is a lot of work, but always, always worth it!

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All the kidd-o's!

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Bubble machines always bring out the smiles!

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The Phi cracking up over a funny birthday card.

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He was very disappointed when he realized it was a gift for The Phi.

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Our nephews up in a tree.

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Okay cute story. This is Cyrus. Cyrus and The Phi have been friends for a few years now. When Cyrus found out about the party he told his Mom her knew exactly what he wanted to buy for her. A webkinz LOVE frog! They searched with success and The Phi is now a proud owner of a LOVE frog that she named Tiara.

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And the celebrations will continue. This Thursday we will take doughnuts to her class. (because The Phi being the The Phi did not want cupcakes, but doughnuts instead!) Friday we are going to the Happiest Place on Earth, and Saturday The Phi and her cousins will have a slumber party while I get to take PR Dad out to dinner for his big day! I am exhausted just thinking about it all!