What The Frick............

When we moved to SoCal I was promised lots of sunshine, 70 degree weather and tons of beach time. What is going on right now..... TONS of sunshine, 95 degree weather and this thing called Santa Ana winds. If you're not familiar with the Santa Ana winds let me tell you. They are these horrendous, very strong winds that are actually knocking down some tree limbs in our neighborhood, and are extremely hot and dry!!!! Not only do you have hot air blowing on you, but add some yucky pollen and you have yourself a nice little allergy attack. It feels like someone is holding 235 blow dryers right in your direction and throwing dust at your face, all at the same time. Now, I don't know who the hell pissed off Santa Ana, but will someone please buy her a milkshake and tell her she is pretty, so she can knock off her bulls***!!!

Have I also mentioned that we do not have air conditioning!!!! What the frick?!?!?! Apparently,  when you live close enough to the beach, and you're supposed to be getting 70 degree weather all the time, you don't need air conditioning. SHOOT ME!!!! It was 85 degrees in my house yesterday. I had the oven on for 25 minutes and I was pretty sure I was going to pass out. (I know, I'm being pretty dramatic, but I don't care). Here we are being all hot!!!

 I had a few friends tell me, go to the beach. Let me explain a few things... First, the wind. It kicks up the sand and blows it all in your eyes, not so fun. Second, I tan very easily and when I'm tan I'm even more hot natured. That doesn't go well with the whole no air conditioner thing. Third, going to beach with a toddler is a lot of work! Haha

It finally cooled down in our house around 9pm. <Insert the BIGGEST EYE ROLL> These winds are only supposed to last this week but we'll see if this heifer goes away. I went grocery shopping today and was planning to cook but I see a nice rotisserie chicken from Ralph's being bought this afternoon.

Ok, that's all for right now. I'm going to go lay under the ceiling fan and try to keep cool!

Under The Weather......

We did absolutely nothing this weekend! I started feeling crummy after Madeleine's gymnastics class on Friday morning. So, we went home and I literally laid on the sofa until Morgan got home. I let Madeleine play with anything she wanted and eat whatever she wanted! Thank goodness she took a 3 hour nap. Praise Jesus!!! Saturday, Morgan took over all the duties and I slept most of the day and night. I even missed Madeleine's bath/bed time, oops. I think the rest helped because by Sunday morning I felt so much better.

Since there's not a whole lot to talk about, I thought I'd share a few things that make me smile everyday. Here are a  couple of things that Madeleine is saying now. Some of them are things that we only understand, but you'll get the picture.

"Helicopt"- Helicopter

"Boon"- Balloon

"Phune"- Phone

"Chiri"- Chili, our dog AND every single dog she sees!

"Tonks"- Thanks

"Choo Choo"- Train

"Peaz"- Please (She should use this one more!)

"Fissss"- Fish

"Helm me"- Help Me

"Papa"- Food! Any food!!!

"Caca"- Poop (She will scream this is public! And usually tells me after she takes a poop)

These are just a few that make me giggle. I started a list of how many words she is saying. She says about 38 words. When did she grow up! Wasn't she just born yesterday?!?!? Ok, that's enough bragging on my girl. Here's a cute video of her talking to Morgan.....

 

Mommy's Going Away.............

We have been pretty busy over here at, Casa de Jordan. We are in full swing of Madeleine's classes and lots of play group time. It's actually been kind of nice because it makes the days go by faster and Madeleine has been taking some great naps! HALLELUJAH!!!! Today was the first day we didn't have anywhere to be, and it has been so nice to just clean around the house and play in the backyard. Tomorrow we're back out running around all over town.

On another note........ Mommy is going away to San Francisco, next weekend!! Yes, JUST ME!!! No Madeleine!!!! No Morgan!!!!!! This will be the first time that I leave her for more than a day. EVER. It will also be the first time that Morgan will be alone with her for more than 8 hours! I wish that I could plant little cameras all around the house just to capture everything while I'm gone. He has to take her to gymnastics, make all her meals, keep her entertained and anything else that might pop up. A little piece of me wants him to struggle and for her to really give him a hard time. I know, that's mean! But, I'm sure she'll be on her best behavior, start writing her ABC's, speaking French, and she will eat a whole chicken. <insert HUGE eye roll> I'm sure they'll be just fine and they'll bond even more.

I on the other hand will be drinking copious amounts of cocktails and enjoying some quality time with my aunt. That's usually what we do best, drink and shop! It's been a good 6+ years since I've been back to the bay area. I can't wait to explore a little more. Any great restaurants, you guys can recommend?

Well, besides being Madeleine's activities director and chauffeur, I am trying my hands at some potted flowers and a tomato plant. This is HUGE for me, people!! I have actually killed about 8 fern plants, you know, the easiest plant to take care of. I was really happy with myself that I planted them all by myself. They were supposed to be for the backyard, but Madeleine pulled 4 flowers from one pot and Chili attempted to dig in one pot. Naughty kids!! So, we had to move them to our front porch which actually gets great sunlight. I'm proud to say that I have only forgotten to water them once, and they are actually thriving. My tomato plant is even growing. Who am I?!?!?! Maybe next year I'll grow a garden...hahaha, baby steps, Nicole. Let's see how they're doing in a month. I've included Madeleine in my watering duties. Hopefully, one day she'll do it for me ;)

Well, that's all for right now. I have to attempt to make dinner, or order pizza. I just have not been motivated to cook anything interesting this week! Maybe, I'll get back on track next week. :) I have been off Pinterest this week, aaaaahhhhhh. Ok, I'm rambling, bye!

Easter Wrap Up........

Our Easter weekend is officially over today. Morgan had Friday and Monday off so it made for a long weekend. It was a busy weekend with lots egg hunts and lots of family time.

Friday, we had our first gymnastics class. It went well. She was a little shy at first and cried her eyes out when I put her on the trampoline but she eventually warmed up and got into the class. She absolutely loved hanging off the bars! She even started trying to hang from some little monkey bars at the park yesterday. Unfortunately, they played no Beyonce' songs, hahaha. These were the best pictures..... There was a lot of moving around in this class ;)

 

 Afterwards we had our play group egg hunt and potluck. I went the easy route and melted some white chocolate and dipped pretzel rods in it, and then sprinkled them with Easter sprinkles. The kids seemed to enjoy them. Now, this was our first egg hunt and I wasn't sure if she was going to get it. I was wrong! She got the hang of it so much that she took more than what she was supposed to have. Each kids was allowed 5 eggs. She had 12.....oops! It was not fun taking those eggs out of her basket and giving them to other kids. I'm pretty sure she thought I was the meanest mommy, EVER!!! Of course, when I gave her a piece of candy, she shut right up!

 Saturday, we went to an event hosted by the city called, Springtacular. They had the Easter bunny for pictures. We didn't even attempt that this year because she was so frightened by Santa Claus. Plus, this bunny looked a little suspect. They did have other activities and games that were fun. We did some cookie decorating, games and lots of running! The egg hunt was split up by age groups which I thought was a great idea, because I wouldn't want to smack a big kid, if they pushed my baby, trying to get some candy! (Ok, my blood pressure got high just thinking about that! HA!)

Of course Sunday we did an egg hunt just for Madeleine at the house. At this hunt she wanted to open every egg as she got it. She was looking for the candy! She would throw her quarters in her basket and move right along to the next one and shake it. She knew the heavier ones were quarters and the lighter ones were candy, haha. Smart girl! She definitely ate enough candy for two Madeleines.

That was our weekend in a nutshell. Hope you all had a great Easter!

Helicopters.............

Quick post tonight. We had a pretty good day, we went and saw some helicopters up close and personal. Madeleine was apprehensive at first but then warmed right up as she started running in and out of it and all around it. She even got to see a few take off and she would stand there and yell, "Helcopt!" The only bad part, tons of grease everywhere and she managed to get a few spots on her shoes and clothes. The best part of the day was having lunch with her daddy. Well, that and the milkshake ;)

I'm going to keep it short tonight because we have gymnastics in the morning and an Easter egg hunt with our play group. I'm super excited about gymnastics class! Do you think I will get ugly looks if I request a little Beyonce'?!?!?! What? No?!?!? Maybe I'll play it on our way there. Also, she has these cute leopard print shorts that are toooooooo cute but Morgan vetoed them because he thought they were too short!! Excuse me sir, she is 19 months old, and you are already starting?!?!?!? <insert eye roll> Maybe I'll save them for her second class, the one he won't be attending! ;)

Good night!

Music Class........

Yesterday we had our first mommy-and-me music class. SUCCESS! Homegirl was in her element. We got there about 10 minutes early and there were a few people already there. She instantly went into shy mode which had me really worried that she wasn't going to dig this class. Once class started she got into it. Mommy on the other hand got a little headache. It was controlled chaos! The teacher, Ms. Ann, was really nice but she was very soft spoken and she had a Russian accent. If she was giving instructions there were usually about 5 kids talking or banging on a drum. Plus, the lady next to me knew all the songs and was singing at the top of her lungs. To the point that the kids started looking at her instead of Ms. Ann. Hey lady, PIPE DOWN!!! There really should be cocktails served at these things ;) I will say that it was the cutest thing to see Madeleine grab her tambourine and shake it really hard because she was so excited by the other kids. Later that night, when she found her tambourine in her toy box, she came running to Morgan and shaking it really hard and yapping away. Too cute! I only snapped a few pictures right before class. 

I thought for sure this chick would nap hard because of her busy morning. NOPE! She only managed to nap for 15 minutes, into my run, and then a train passed by and she woke up saying "Chooooo Choooo!" and never fell back asleep!

Today we are headed down to the base, so that we can see some helicopters up close. Madeleine is obsessed with them. Whenever she hears one, she stops what she is doing and looks up and says "helcopt" and then moves her arm in the air. We figure she will enjoy seeing them up close and personal! Plus, we get to see daddy for lunch and that makes our day even better!

Y'all have a good day!

Texas On My Mind.........

I have finally worked out the dates for our trip back to Texas. This trip it's just going to be Madeleine and me and Morgan is going to stay behind. I wanted to go for longer than a weekend and he couldn't take that much time off and I think his nephew is going to come and visit him. So, he'll get to spend some quality time with him doing guy things.

I did have to decide to visit at the beginning of the summer. So hopefully this California weather hasn't made me all soft to the TX heat! Be kind to me, Texas! One of the reasons I'm coming back in the summer is, one of my best friends, April, is having her third child and it happens to finally be a GIRL!!! YAY!!!! A few of us throwing her a baby shower in Austin. I started to do a little browsing for baby girl stuff and it made me realize how much Madeleine has grown! (Um no, this does not make me want to have a second one any time soon!). But it does make me wish we lived closer so that the girls could grow up together and be the best of friends. Hopefully, they will grow up and be besties just like their mommies.

While it will be baby-palooza down in Austin it will be Wedding-Fest in Dallas. I mentioned before that my best friend, Lindsay, is getting married next year, and I'm pretty sure her mom and I are more excited about planning it than her. To kick her butt into gear we are going to try on wedding dresses!!! YAY!! Hopefully, it doesn't turn into this scene!

Not only will we be trying on dresses, but we're going to see the wedding venue. Her mom sent her an email yesterday giving her a timeline and she has to make a decision by May 15th. Finally! I love her mom!! We are planning this wedding with or without her, haha.

Besides spending time with my best friends, I plan to soak up as much time with the family as well! And, chug as much queso, tortilla chips and margaritas as I can!!! I miss Texas!!

TV Drama........

I have never made it a secret that I am a TV addict/junkie. I watch reality TV, Scandal, Grey's Anatomy (unfortunately, I am hooked on this show!), any housewives franchise and pretty much anything on Bravo.

When we first moved to California, Morgan made the suggestion of not getting cable so that we could read, do outdoor things, and save more money. Clearly when he said, "we" he meant, "me!" I know his little game! (I was convinced he was trying to kill me!<insert the dramatics>) So, we got the basic cable with only about 15 stations!! Kill me!! I thought for sure he wouldn't be able to last without ESPN and cave in an upgrade the cable. Boy, was I wrong! Apparently, while he was in Afghanistan he didn't watch it out there so, he was ok with just reading the highlights on the web. Now, me on the other hand, I was like a junkie looking for her quick fix. I caught myself watching re-runs of Seinfeld, Parks and Rec, anything! I knew I hit rock bottom when I started watching a Maury episode about "Are you the baby-daddy?" (If you're wondering, he was not the father!)

Then, I discovered this little thing called, Roku. Oh boy, oh boy has it saved my life!!! We can now watch netflix, hulu plus, amazon TV/movies and most importantly.... I can watch any of the Housewives franchises for a small fee. And, we were able to get some of her shows like, Yo Gabba Gabba and Tinkerbell.

When we first got it, I will admit, that the TV was on all the time!!! I was hooked I watched both seasons of House of Cards in about 2.5 weeks! I caught up on all the housewives. I let Madeleine watch Yo Gabba Gabba while I made dinner. And boy did she get into it. She would even ask for the TV to be put on.... And that's when it hit us. We were letting her watch too much TV.

We decided that we wanted her to play, explore, read and learn more, instead of sitting in front of a TV all day. So, we bought a climber/slide/jungle gym off Craigslist, bought a crap ton of outdoor toys, sidewalk chalk, and I made homemade play dough. During those times when she gets a little fussy in the evening we head outside. The great thing about our backyard  is you can see it from three different areas. It also has doors leading outside from the living room, dining room, and kitchen. Sometimes I'm able to actually cook dinner with her playing outside. I have constant view of her!!

Don't get me wrong, we let her watch cartoons a few hours a week. She watches Sesame Street in the mornings and then afterwards I tell her to turn the music on and she goes to turn the radio on. I love it! And by no means am I judging anyone if your child watches TV. We just personally think at her age she should be playing and doing activities to help her learn. And believe me, if I need to get a little something done around the house and the toys/outside aren't working, I am not afraid to bust out the Yo Gabba Gabba! Thank God for the creators of that show! And, you bet your little butt I will be using my iPad for cartoons when we fly to Texas in June, hahaha!!!

When my mom came to visit us I thought she was going to die! She likes to have the TV on at all times even if she's not watching it. I'm pretty sure she thought we were being cruel. But, as soon as  Madeleine went down for her nap, she went straight for the remote, hahaha. And, I'm pretty sure she let Madeleine watch hours of TV while we were on date nights (I'm not complaining because mommy had several margaritas!!).

You may ask, "How has this impacted your TV habits?" Well, I watch less during the day but I'm still watching my crap TV at night. Let's just hope Madeleine doesn't take after her mommy in this category :)

Two Week Hiatus........

While my mom was here visiting, I took a two week hiatus from blogging. Usually when my mom comes to visit I try to stay off social media (I try!), limit my phone calls and, only check my email once a day. I try to just live in the moment with my mom. My best friend thinks I seclude myself and ignore her phone calls ;) Most of my friends have their mom in the same city and they get to see them every week. So, when my mom comes I try to take in as much of that crazy lady as I can.

I'll spare you all the play-by-play of everyday but we did a lot of eating, shopping, going to the parks, and tons of playing outside! It was great to see that Madeleine still remembered her. She even managed to call her granny. I'm pretty sure my mom teared up when she heard it. Mommy and daddy even manged to sneak some date nights in, as well. My mom has a fractured shoulder so we would normally leave after I bathed Madeleine and got her in her pajamas. There was one time that we came home and Madeleine was still up watching Tinkerbell. Only granny would let her stay up past nine!


The visit was great but, of course there were just a few hiccups. First, Morgan managed to get poison oak on 80% of his body during some training. That man is highly allergic to poison oak and poison ivy. I swear if he just looks at it he gets a rash! Well, this time it was all over his body! It was like he saw it and just threw his whole body into it. He usually gets it every other year, so we are kind of used to it. Luckily, I never get it but we were a little scared because we have Madeleine now. He pretty much didn't touch her for two weeks. I pretty much made sure he didn't breathe on her, hahaha. Of course, this terrified my mom. Anyone that knows my mother knows she a big old scaredy-cat!! She wouldn't touch anything Morgan touched and if she did she scrubbed it with hot water and soap. Poor Morgan, it was like he had the plague!

What else happened..... an earthquake happened 50 minutes away from us. Not only that, there was a small aftershock that we felt.  In my mom's head.... the whole house moved, the ceiling almost caved in on her and, it lasted a whole minute. What it actually felt like.... I thought Morgan was shaking his leg in bed and it lasted maybe 5 seconds. The dog didn't even wake up. I'm pretty sure that she got no sleep that night and she prayed all night long! The next day she watched the news all day and kept saying, "They say a big one could be next!" I lied to her and told her we have an earthquake survival kit. I probably should get started on that before the "big one" hits.

Well, that's all for right now but here are some pictures of our little cutie pie. I'm going to try to keep up with blogging more. See y'all later!

These were at the mission in San Juan Capistrano. I'm pretty sure my mom spent 30 minutes in the chapel praying that an earthquake wouldn't hit.