Shooting Stars

After months of begging us to join her school's soccer program "Happy Feet", Shelby in now on a soccer "team" - The Shooting Stars. Her season started a couple of weeks ago and so far, so good. As expected, there various levels of skill, attention span, eagerness and focus among the six, three and four year olds on the team, but overall - I think they're all great. There are four kids on the field at a time and there is not a goalie.My draw to this league is the fact that all the games and all the practices are at the parks within our neighborhood. With our busy scheduled, the close proximity was certainly a plus.

One of my favorite Shelby quotes to date came on her first day of practice. The coach (our neighbor) passed out the uniforms. Shelby instantly turned to me and said, "Mom, can I try on my unicorn?" It was classic. As usual, it only took her a day to resolve that they are uniforms, not unicorns, but I hope to never forget that sweet inquiry.

Go Shooting Stars!

Good Choice Chart

Shelby completed her first "good choice chart." As with most toddlers, we had a little phase of boundary testing, resisting bed time, etc. Since she is our first, I don't know if it was an extreme case, mild, or just to be expected, but we decided to reinforce her good behavior (especially going to bed seamlessly!) with a sticker on her Good Choice Chart. Upon complettion of the chart, she could pick something of her choice. From the get go, she wanted a "Doc McStuffins Camera." She already knows that she wants a calculator when she completes her next chart. Yes, a calculator. How cute is that? Way to go Shelby!

 And the moment her camera arrived in the mail....

The Closet Project

We have a lovely, spacious walk-in closet in our master bedroom. We have wanted to update it for ages, but never really dedicated the time, nor money. We saved some money earlier in the year and now with baby #2 on the way, there was no better time than the present.

As usual, Jack did an awesome job. Although this was billed as a modular "DIY" system, I don't see how the Average Joe, errrr Average Michelle would ever do it. The good news is, Jack is far from average, so it comes as no surprise that our new closet looks smashing!

The Before

The During. Jack may not have a son to teach all his tricks to, but he does have one sweet little curious "helper."

The After. Ta-da! Fresh paint and all!

My favorite parts? The shoe shelf. The new lighting. And the fact that we purged all kinds of stuff that had been in there for the last six years. I swear, every couple should gut there closet every now and again!

Mama, Can I Paint?

Every now and again Shelby will ask to paint on the weekends. I figure that is a reasonable request, so I normally end up setting something up for her. She paints her paper for about 5 - 7 minutes and then after that she just likes to make a mess and paint her hands...over and over and over. The first time she did it I was stricken with mess-induced panic, but after that I decided to just let her be little.  She won't always beg to do fun art projects on the weekend....

Half Way

Yes, I am "over the hump" for pregnancy number two. One Tuesday I will be 22 weeks. I had my "20 Week Ultrasound" last week and baby girl (still a girl!) looks like she is doing great. She was measuring a little big (no surprise), but 10 fingers, 10 toes and all her organs are accounted for. My favorite part of the ultrasound? When the ultrasound tech commented "That's a good sized foot!" I am sure it is, it made me giggle. The baby weighs roughly a pound and I can feel her move around a lot - some days more than others.

This pregnancy has been similar in many ways and also  different in others.  I am still tired. VERY tired. No matter how many hours I sleep at night, I am completely gassed by the end of the day - sometimes even by mid-day. I don't like being tired and sluggish. I am not a tired person, in fact, I am known for boundless energy and taking on the world. Ya, not so much when making a baby!  Like last time, I have a hit-or-miss appetite. My blood sugar is low when I wake up and I am hungry as a bear by lunch time, but after that I could go with or without dinner and be just fine. I remember experiencing the same thing with Shelby. I consider this a plus, as it helps me keep my weight in check. I have not gained  any weight yet, but I am sure it's coming soon.

The differences? I don't have time think about being pregnant. Aside from the few early weeks when I was just praying to stay alive until the second trimester, time has gone by relatively quickly and I don't have time to think about it much. Last time around  I read every chapter of my pregnancy book and could tell you practically to the cell that Shelby was developing in a given week......this time - not so much. I also know that I will be fine without being perfect. I have not had the chance to "nest" mainly because I have  hardly had the energy, but I keep waiting for my burst of energy and inspiration - it is bound to come at some point!

Shelby is very excited about being a big sister. She often mentions things that big sisters do and do not do and calls her sister her "sissy." She suggests we name her sister Rosa, however Jack and I have not reached the same conclusion. We will use Shelby's old baby furniture in the nursery, but with a coral and aqua accents; should be cute!

Here's to you little one.....we all love you to the moon and back!!

The Royal Wedding

My little brother's wedding was amazing. Not only did he pick the most lovely girl to marry, he married into a fun, loving and dynamic family. What a bonus. There was not a cloud in the sky the day Brent and Carli said "I Do." Shelby was practiced and ready to perform her Flower Girl duties and when the time came, she nailed her role. The ceremony was great. The dinner was excellent. The recption was superb. All in all, I spectacular day! Here's to Brent and Carli and many years of happiness together!

Shelby, Brent and cousin Wylie

Sporting her new "Flower Girl" shades

Reporting to duty!

The beautiful couple

My sweet mama

Mother-Son Dance

The whole Mosbacher crew, pre-wedding

The fab five. Love my siblings

The whole wedding party

Look at that bride! The new Mosbacher crew!

"Shake it off, shake it off."

City by the Bay

Jack joined Shelby and I on day 4 of our vacation. It was really important to us that we had some family time with just the three of us. We reserved a day and went into San Francisco for the day. We had a BLAST! We tried to get tickets to Alcatraz, but we had to settle for the next best thing - a cruise of the Bay. Apparently Alcatraz was sold out all month. Who knew?

After the boat ride, we toured around Pier 39 and then on to Fisherman's Wharf. There was not a cloud in the sky - such a beautiful day!

Our final stop was Ghirardelli Square. It was quite the hike to get there, so I feel like we at least had to work for the calories. Fear not parents, Shelby did not eat that whole thing....surprisingly, that single scoop was the smallest thing on the menu! Jack and I shared a lovely sundae too - deeeeeeeeelish!