whales

Being in the car with Quinne is not fun.  From the early days of her life she has always hated being strapped into her car seat.  Something that I can't really understand.  All you have to do is sit back in your very own lazy boy and enjoy the ride.  We can't even go down the street to the market without her crying.  

Alas we have found the cure.  And it's super weird.  David makes whale noises when she cries and immediately stops crying.  If she starts up he does it again.  But it's not just any whale noise.  It's the whale noise that Jim Gaffigan makes in his stand up comedy routine.  It's the oddest thing and I die laughing every time.  So I've put it up here for you to hear.

It's ridiculous.

I hope this gives you a good visual, and laugh, of our car rides.  

Love, 
Noelle

finding mr. right

I'm a little over the top when it comes to Christmas time.  So I apologize in advance for the overload of Christmas themed posts and pictures.  It's just too much fun not to share!

I believe that as soon as Thanksgiving is over Christmas decorating can begin.  If I wasn't lazy I would probably start before but truth be told I'm lazy, and really bad at organizing my life.  After taking some family pictures the other night we ended up going to get our tree.  This is one of my favorite parts of the decorating.  Once you have the tree all things come together.  The mantel that has tinsel and stockings already doesn't seem so out of place and the smell of pine really gets you in the mood for hot chocolate or a good gin and tonic.  Whatever suits you.

We go to a little local spot that sings Christmas time and makes my insides all warm and fuzzy.  And taking Quinne there this year felt so special.   I love sharing our traditions with her, even though she has know idea that she is a part of something pretty wonderful.  Nor did she care that we were in a forest.  She was quite unimpressed with our outing, as usual.  Hopefully one day she will and I'll just about die with happiness.

Picking out a tree is fun, but to tell you the truth overwhelming.  I mean there are hundreds of options at every turn, each one looking better than the last.  How the hell are you supposed to choose in a sea of green, bushy bliss?  I think that I looked at every tree on the lot.  I made David move trees so I could see the one I had zeroed in on, and without fully seeing it's potential I was on to the next victim.  We would stop in front of massive trees that belonged in Disneyland and joked about having a tree like the Griswalds.  Not only were they huge but cost an arm and a leg.  Yikes!  I could've been there all night pacing around while I chewed off my fingernails looking for the 'perfect' tree.  Thank goodness David won't allow my fingers to turn to nubs, and gave me two to pick from and that's it.  So we picked our perfect tree.

clearly not impressed

she might think it's real

I really might not leave with free popcorn!

patting the deer

Happy tree hunting my friends!

Love, 
Noelle

festive feathers

I'm really into gold, and glitter these days.  In the most tasteful kind of way of course.  There is just something magical and eye-catching about the sparkles and shine.  So here is a little how-to.  And please ignore the gross jr. high nail polish I'm sporting.  

Gold dipped feathers

- long white feathers.  Mine are from Michaels and had black tips.
- metalic paint.  Martha Stewart has a great selection.
- glitter.  Also Martha Stewart.  Of course.
- small dish
- small paint brush
- surface to get messy

Step one.  Set up.

Step two.  Start with one side and paint until fully coated. 

Step three.  Sprinkle glitter on freshly painted feather.

Step four.  Let dry completely and do other side.

Step five.  Display your masterpiece!  And it's perfect for Christmas time too!

There you have it.  Easy and cute.  I think, I hope it's not tacky.  You could also string them along with twine or cute string.  Oh the possibilities.  

Love,
Noelle

we are thankful

For as long as I can remember we have been heading into the mountains to celebrate Thanksgiving with my dads family. My aunt and uncle live near a small town called Oakhurst, just before you enter Bass Lake and Yosemite.  It is beautiful and refreshing and makes it easy to reflect on how lucky and blessed we are.  I love being able to go to the place that holds so many memories of my childhood.  Remembering making up skits to perform after Thanksgiving dinner, being harassed by my older cousin Keith and loving it, and exploring the woods around us.   Things are different these days around the holidays.  We are all adults starting our own families and it feels quieter and strange sometimes.  But I know we are just starting a new way of celebrating and making room for more people to join in on the fun.  

I am extremely thankful this year for a million and more things.  I have been given a wonderful life and hope to never take that for granted.  Reflection is an important part of life and growing as a person.  Im grateful to have the chance to do so, not just around the holiday but everyday.  

relaxation 

showing grandpa Gangnam style

in the rhino, after a lot of promising you wouldn't fall out. 

the newest fan of pumpkin pie

wrestling with auntie and grandpa

I hope everyone had a great week with family and friends.  Remembering what truly matters in life.  

Love,

Noelle

my happy place

There are few things in life that get me as excited as a flea market.   Treasures on top of treasures from different eras and times of the past.  Mixed in with some new modern furniture and art, it is a dream come true.  And the Rose Bowl in Pasadena never disappoints.  Never ever.  The excitement I feel when walking up to the gates could be compared to children entering Disneyland.  My heart races due to a good amount of anxiety and joy mixed together in one glorious sweaty panic.  My mind races and I just can't wait to see what is hiding in the booths before me.  I am a true weirdo.  And lucky for me David loves the hunt just as much.  Well, not quite as much but he does love it and that makes for a fun day.  This time I was just getting sick and so we only made it about three hours in and I was in need of a bed and some strong cough drops.  But we did manage to find some fun stuff.  I would move to LA just for this magical event that happens once a month.  I would.  

Here are some of our finds...

 so many treasures!

relishing in our finds

 $10 for the pair

 shelf for Quinnes room

 my new favorite Christmas decoration!  Wait till the candles are lit!!

 to tote my products around for weddings

the day Quinne wears can't come soon enough 

If you live anywhere near LA and haven't been here you must!  It will change your life.  Until next time sweet Rose Bowl..

Love, 

Noelle

the end

Before I had Quinne I never put too much thought into breastfeeding.  I always thought I would do it.  No questions, that was what I was going to do.  It made sense to me to breast feed, save money and do what I believed I was supposed to do. I had know idea all the challenges and rewards that would come my way over the year.

To be honest the first month was a huge overwhelming challenge.  It hurt like hell and was the most foreign thing I'd ever done.  Awkward doesn't do it justice.  And my boobs were so huge Quinne choked and gagged eventually leading to a severe case of acid reflux.  I hated it those first few weeks.  Thoughts of quitting teased my daydreams.  Not having to wear a nursing bra, or pads with lansolin covering my cracked nipples.  It all sounded like heaven.  

But then something really great happened.  Quinne and I both started to get the hang of it.  We worked as a team and went from a scary long hour to a stress free comfortable one.  And eventually it went quicker and became more and more special everyday.  I was committed to nursing 100 percent of the time.  Which meant pumping, lots and lots of pumping!  I can remember sitting in one of the estheticians room trying to eat my lunch hunched over my pump while my clients processed in the other room.  It was hectic but it was what I signed up for.

And before I knew it she was one and I had made it a whole year of breast feeding.  Woo!  I'm proud of myself for this.  I had moments along the way that made me question whether I would be able to keep going.  Between my milk supply decreasing around six months, to a laziness towards pumping I surprised myself by powering through.  It was an experience I can't compare to anything else.  I'm so happy I got to nurse her as long as I did.  To be honest I miss it.  I miss that special time only her and I had together.  Part of me still gets a lump in my throat acknowledging the fact that I might never get to do that again.  Who knows what the future holds, Quinne might be the only baby I nurse.  If that's the case I'm so grateful for the time I got with her.  And so very happy I get to keep those memories for a lifetime.  

Quinne and I had an easy go.  From what I've heard from other moms breastfeeding can be so very hard and difficult.  Many moms suffer from breast infections, swelling, drying up, the list goes on.  My heart goes out to all moms who have ever attempted to breastfeed and had troubles along the way.  The fact that you tried and worked on it is a great accomplishment in itself.  Wanting to give your baby the best is what we all strive to do.  But just because your baby wasn't breast fed for three years doesn't mean you didn't give it your all.  There's so much pressure and judgement around parenting these days, especially in the first year.  And I've learned that what other families are doing doesn't concern me.  So don't beat yourself up about how long or short of a time you breast feed.  As long as your baby is growing, healthy and getting plenty of kisses it doesn't matter if they are nursing or drinking formula.  Being a mom is hard.  We shouldn't be measured by the timeline our babies were breasted.  

Love, 
Noelle

sick town

Being sick in the past meant cozying up on the couch and watching endless romantic comedies while drinking tea.  It was stinky but it gave you a pass from taking showers and looking like a normal human being.  Being sick with a baby is another story all together.  It is hard and challenging and down right awful!  This past week I got a bug.  And I can tell you exactly who gave it to me.  A client last Thursday sat in my chair with an awful cough and bright red nose.  Right away I thought about putting on a face mask and wondering if that would be professional.  I know getting your hair done is fun and we all look forward to the head massage but when you're sick please, Stay At Home!  I got home a started chugging airborn and emergenC  hoping to beat the germs out of me.  Sadly they won.  Saturday after work I started to feel tired and I knew what was happening.  I was getting sick.

And to tell you the truth I was more scared I was going to give it to Quinne than actually being sick.  The thought of her being sick and not understanding would break my heart.  I laid on the floor wherever she was covered in a blanket and tissues stuffed up my nose.  Pretending to 'play' with her.  My throat hurt so bad I think I consumed about 23 cough drops.  Which in turned made my stomach upset.  It was a sad few days:(  Luckly David was home for part of my illness and could take care of me and a wild little baby.  I got to watch a movie in bed which was amazing!  We don't have a tv in our room so David hooked up our computer and I was able to Netflix the afternoon away.  I missed Quinne so much.  Even though I was right there I was a mom zombie and missed rolling around with her and kissing her to no end.  It is almost impossible to resist kissing  her perfect cheeks!

I am thankful to be better this evening.  Thankful I get to make up for all the missed kisses.  I think it's safe to say Quinne has permanent lip prints on her face!

Love, 
Noelle

Oh wow it's been awhile since I was here last!  I guess you could say we're busy keeping up with a toddler.  Although I refuse to use the term 'toddler' when talking about Quinne.  It just seems too crazy to go from a baby to toddler in one day.  So I'm going to wait for a bit.  David has been gone so much lately, and when he's away I can barley do our daily routine let alone blog.  Time management and I do not get along much.  And when he is here it's for a short amount of time and I want to spend as much time together and as a family as possible.

Here are a few snaps of our week.

Halloween during the day

and Halloween during the night.  The cutest elephant ever!

baby on the run.  Always.

first arcade game

See you soon with more goodies!

Love,

Noelle