Not a fan of the ocean

Emma and I went to the beach today and she had a great time, until we got near the water. Emma wanted NOTHING to do with the water! Didn't even want to step on the wet sand:) Of course I can't blame her...that water is pretty nasty!

Okay, so there is a video to go along with this blog, but for some reason I can't get it load:( Guess I need to wait for my DH to come home and help me with all of this "technical" stuff;)

What are you doing?

I walked into the dining room to find Emma sitting on the floor. I asked,"Honey, what are you doing in here?" She replied, "I am just sticking my fingers in my nose." Okay, kinda sorry I asked;)

E-M-A Yenz

Emma is learning how to spell her name, but just does not get it that there are 2 M's in Emma:) She is too cute!!! Oh, plus she can't just say her name she has to YELL it:)

Happy Father's Day Nick!!!

Emma sure is one lucky girl to have such a WONDERFUL daddy:) I am pretty sure she already recognizes this, because she spends every waking moment asking for her daddy or wanting to be with her daddy. Mommy is totally chopped liver at this point!!! Oh, well:) Maybe if I pretended to like Lego's and Batman she would want to spend more time with me;) 

Okay, back to Nick...he is an amazing dad, fantastic husband and all around great guy:) 

Happy Father's Day Honey!!! 

I love you:)

How sweet is my baby girl?!?!

Yesterday Emma and I were having lunch and Chip kept trying to get to my food. Emma finally said, "Chip, leave mommy alone. She is my best friend. She shares with me." HOW CUTE IS THAT?!?! 

Emily's getting married!!!

I had a GREAT weekend in Lake Tahoe with Emily and her girlfriends. We went up for Emily's bachelorette party and had a BLAST. It was such a great weekend that I am keeping my fingers crossed that we  turn this into an annual girls weekend:)

Where did the time go?!?!

I can't believe it has been one month since my last blog?!?!! I wish I had some great excuse, but I don't have a single one. Other than I am busy chasing a VERY active 2 year old all over creation;) I am going to try and be better this month.  My goal is to blog at least once a week and I am hoping that I can stick with it:)

Happy Mother's Day to me:)

I am having a WONDERFUL mothers day:)  Nick (who does not eat pork) made my favorite breakfast for me... biscuits and gravy. He made it all from scratch (yes, even the sausage) and it was DELICIOUS!!!  Elisabeth came over too and spent the morning with us:)  

Sierra Madre Fire

Here is a short video fromSaturday night of the fire in Sierra Madre.  I filmed it as we were driving home from Pasadena.

Excited about our Metro ride

All

Emma and Friends ride the Metro into LA

Emma and a few of her friends (their mommies too!) all rode the Metro from Pasadena into downtown LA:)  Once we arrived we walked over to the 1st Fire Station in LA and then wandered around Olvera Street where we had lunch, took some pictures and then headed home.

Play date at Travel Town

Travel Town is where we held Emma's 2nd birthday party and she LOVES it there. So, when I found out I was in charge of setting up  a play date for one of our groups I knew TT would be the perfect place to go:) We had a great time playing with our friend.  Coleton and Nicol came over to ride the choo-choo's too.

Close, but no cigar!

Emma's friend Will tried to teach her how to hit the ball with the bat. The only problem is they both hold the bat the wrong way:)

Missing gene

I think that some how I missed the "relaxation" gene. Am I the only one out there who has a hard time relaxing?  I see people do it all the time and I just can't do it. I feel like I am always in a rush...in a rush to get somewhere, in a rush to get home, making dinner, cleaning up, playing with Emma, doing laundry, running errands, spending time with Nick, it is like a never ending list. So, I ask myself why can't I just sit down an do nothing?  Perfect example...tonight at dinner Nick said, "when we get home I will watch Emma and you go rest." How sweet was that? Except I can't do it!!! Instead I took out the trash, did laundry and tried to pick up some of the mess created by Hurricane Emma.  I feel like a slacker if I take anytime for myself. Okay, before you say I need therapy I already know that;) I am just curious if anyone else is in the same boat or is just me??? Is it a missing gene? Was I absent the day they taught relaxation in school? Or is that I am afraid people will think less of me if I take time for myself ? 

Okay, I feel better now that I have that off my chest and I am going to attempt to relax.  Wish me luck:)

Disneyland with Oma

Head must touch the pillow!!! I am SOOOO tired:(  I am all about getting to Disneyland early to beat the crowds, but BOY did 6AM come to fast for me!!! Nick, Emma, Elisabeth and I wanted to be at the park by 8AM and we only missed out mark by 15 minutes. Not bad if I do say so myself:)  So, I might be tired, but it was worth it because we waited in NO lines this morning and we were able to ride 8 rides (including the train and the monorail) in 5 hours! That also included Elisabeth watching Emma so Nick an I could ride Space Mountain.  I think Nick enjoyed it...I thought I was going to toss my cookies. Oh, how I have aged!!! What happened to the days when I could ride roller coaster after roller coaster?!?! We are going to be in BIG trouble when Emma gets older.  I think Nick and I will have to flip a coin to see who has to ride with her:)  

Back to our day...I had a great time and it was really fun listening to Nick and Elisabeth talk about what Disney was like when they would come when Nick was little and how much it has changed.

Happy Birthday Oma!!!

Yesterday was Elisabeth's birthday and I think it was a pretty good day (if I do say so myself!).  Emma and I took Elisabeth to Descanso Gardens where we spent a few hours walking around and had lunch at their cafe.  Then that evening Elisabeth came over for her Fosselman's ice cream birthday cake (YUMMY!!!) and opened presents. I hope Elisabeth enjoyed her day as much as I did:):):)

1973

Nick found this picture of me with my mom and tried to fix it since the colors had gotten a little funky over the past ...gulp...35 years!!!! 

Building a bird house

Last night I decided to trim back our rosemary bush (bad idea for a girl with a black thumb) and Emma thought she would use the rosemary branches to build a bird house:) What a creative little girl we have on our hands!

Pizza!Pizza!

Emma LOVES to help mommy in the kitchen.  The other night she helped me make a pizza for her daddy. I think we might have America's next Top Chef living in our house:)

Rollin, Rollin, Rollin....

Emma met her friend, Keeran, at the park today and even though the parents were melting in the 80+ degree weather (I think the high ended up around 95!!) the kids had a BLAST rolling around in the grass. 

I would also like to say a BIG THANKS to Adam and Aman for playing with Emma so I could have a break:) It sure made the rest of the day easier to get through. Only 15 more hours until Nick comes home...but who is counting;)

Emma's Garden

Emma and mommy bought fruits, vegetables, and herbs today to plant in our backyard:)  We are very excited about our new endeavor, but mommy is a little worried about her lack of a green thumb.  I am hoping that Emma inherited her Oma's gardening skills...guess we will have to wait and see:)

Wild Wild West

Emma and I joined Kimberly, Joe and Will at the Monrovia Farmer's Market tonight and this is a quick video of the kids riding the ponies:) They are SOOOO cute!!! Nick is still in Vancouver:( 3 days down 2 more to go...YIKES!!!! 

I've been tagged:)

The ABCs of Me

Favorite cousin Amy "tagged" me for this in her blog so I thought I would give a whirl:) Here we go...
A- Attached or Single: Very attached to my wonderful husband Nick
B- Best Friend(s):Goodness...I have been blessed with so many wonderful friends and for that I am very grateful:)
C- Cake or Pie: Pie-pecan, eggnog pumpkin...just no fruit in my pie please!
D-Day of Choice: Friday, because Nick usually only works a half day and Emma and I get spend the other half with him
E-Essential Item(s): HELLOOOO my cell phone of course!
F-Favorite Type of Music: Country
G-Gummy bears or worms: Yuck!!! That would be neither, but my favorite candies are...raisinettes, walnut whips and circus peanuts(no, I am not kidding)
H-Hometown: Collinsville, IL
I-Indulgences: Okay, no laughing, but I really like combination Pizza Rolls washed down with a Mr.Pibb
J-January or July: Do I have to pick one???
K-Kids: My stinkin' cute Miss Emma. Does Chip count? He is part of our family;)
L-Last movie: The Other Bolyen Girl
M-Marriage Date: November 16, 2002
N-Number of Siblings: Tyler (22 and yes, we are 15 years apart!)
O-Oranges or Apples: I guess I will go with Apples
P-Phobias or Fears: Oh, where do I begin!!! Is it that I will fall and knock out all of my teeth? Oh, wait or is it that I have a MAJOR meltdown right before I get on a plane? No, maybe it's that...let's just say that I worry about everything. I worry about friends, family, it is so bad that I worry about homeless people and animals. I think I need therapy;)
Q-Quotes: God loves a trier
R-Reasons to Smile: Emma and Nick. Oh, heck if I am being TOTALLY honest I must admit that my Tivo makes me smile too
S-Season: I live in LA...I am pretty sure we only have 1 season:)
T-Tag: Gosh, I don't think I have anyone to tag.  The only person I know that blogs is Amy and she sent me this in the 1st place!
U-Unknown Fact About Me: What's left?!?! I have already fessed up to Circus peanuts, Pizza Rolls, and the fact that I probably need therapy over my intense worrying
V-Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals: Meat eater ALL THE WAY!!!
W-Worst Habit: What...me have a bad habit?!?! Never!!!
X-X-rays or Ultrasounds: What a STRANGE question! Let's go with....Ultrasound. Reminds me of all of wonderful times looking at Baby Zoom Lenz (a/k/a Emma)
Y-Your Favorite Food: Watermelon Salad from Red, White and Bluezz, Clam Chowder from almost anywhere and Beef Carpaccio from Gale's 
Z-Zodiac: Cancer

Emma's 1st cone

Yes, she has had ice cream before, but tonight she realized that she could eat the cone! Life will never be the same for her;)

HELP!!! We are becoming Disnoids!!!

I hate to admit it, but we went to Disneyland AGAIN today.  Yes, that would make twice in one week. We are turning into Disnoids.  Do you think we need therapy?!?! Nick and I really wanted to take Emma on the Nemo ride, but the wait is always SOOO long that we thought we would try to get to the park when they opened at 8AM.  We actually arrived at Nemo at 8:20 and waited about 20 minutes and must say that if we had waited any longer we would have been disappointed.  The ride is ok, but not great and SOOO not worth the usual 90 minute wait.  I think Emma's new favorite ride is Dumbo, she LOVED it:)

Our little pirate

Thanks to her daddy Emma has a new fascination with pirates:) So, Nick took the day off and we headed back to Disneyland so Emma could ride Pirates of the Caribbean.  Not a huge hit, but she did like it (even if she thought it was a little scary). Her favorite part of our return trip to Disneyland was the Mickey Mouse Club House Live Action show:) She did not move for 20 minutes!

Inspired by FC Amy

I read Favorite Cousin Amy's blog and she had uploaded a video of her cute girls skiing. This inspired me to try and upload one of my favorite videos of Emma:)  We recorded this the day before Easter and I think it is pretty darn cute!

Sweet Home Alabama...I don't think so

I am back from Huntsville, AL and what a treat that was...haha:) Before I go any further I would like to say that I never did get to "downtown" Huntsville and the people that I met were SUPER friendly, but WOW is it small!!!  It makes Des Moines look like New York City:) When I got to the airport I asked which terminal I was in and the security guard looked at me like I was on crack and said, "Do you mean the name of the airport?" and I said, "No, which terminal number is this so I come back to the right place" and he again still confused by my question said ," this is the airport...you are lookin' at it. Ain't no more to see lady" Okay then:)  The best part of Huntsville was going to Steak n' Shake. Yep, you heard me they might be small, but they have a Steak n' Shake!!!

The highlight of my trip was my flight from Dallas to LA. I had missed my original flight due to an hour delay in Huntsville, but the lady at the gate found a 1st class seat for me on the next flight to LAX .  Who knew Dallas was so popular, but I rubbed elbows in 1st class with Sidney Poitier and Star Jones:)  Not to mention the ENTIRE Chivas soccer team was on the flight too...there are some VERY cute young men on that team;)

The Easter Bunny Rocks!

At least I think that is what Emma would say:)  We had a wonderful day starting with a little Easter egg hunt in the family room. Where Emma discovered that the Easter bunny brought her a pink and purple trike. Although I must admit she was more excited over her ballerina bunny from Grammy Kah and her bunny slippers from her Grandpa.  Elisabeth, Nicol and her family came over at 11AM for brunch followed by an outdoor Easter egg hunt for Emma and Coleton.  Emma LOVED it, she would leave the real eggs and go after the ones that had "stuff" in them.  She would open the eggs get the money out and then toss the "shell" over her shoulder...TOO FUNNY!  Coleton on the other hand was too busy playing with his new toys to even be bothered with the eggs. 

Emma and Coleton get their DYE on

Nicol and Coleton came over today to color Easter eggs with us.  Let's just say that I now know why they sell pre-dyed eggs at the grocery store! Does anyone know how to remove PAAS dye from your hands? We are all covered in it and it won't come off:(  Emma had a blast coloring the eggs and Coleton...well, not so much!  He was a little more interested in playing with his trains...oh, those silly boys! Here is the best part...I only hard boiled 2 dozen eggs. I thought it would be enough, but clearly I was wrong. So, I told Nicol to just grab some eggs out of the refrigerator and we would keep those seperate....RRRIIIGGGHHHTTTTT!!!  We lost a raw egg in the with the hard boiled ones (Yep, that's an Easter surprise that I am NOT looking forward too!) Oh, I went to use some of the colored raw eggs and cracked one open only to discover that it was HARD BOILED!!!  

Thank goodness for Eisabeth!!!

I planned a potluck at our house for the 2nd anniversary of my Pasadena Mom's play group. We had 10 mom's and 11 kids! Sure enough I woke up Wednesday morning with such a HORRIBLE migraine that I could not get out of bed.  I called Elisabeth at 6:45AM to see if she could come over and watch Emma so I could sleep a little longer...15 minutes later she was at our house:) Not only did she watch Emma for me , she ended up hosting my party for me!!! Anyone who knows me will know that I must have been on my deathbed if I missed my own party!  Well, Elisabeth was an AWESOME stand in for me and I am still hearing from my mommy friends today who are jealous that I have such a great mother-in-law. I must admit that I am VERY blessed:):) Elisabeth insists that it's not a big deal, it's just what you do for family.  That might be the case, but I am still extremely grateful that she is MY family:):):)

All Aboard!!!

Emma and I went with some friends to Travel Town today and rode the train. I thought Emma would have loved climbing on the trains and running around with her friends, but I would be wrong.  Emma's favorite thing was grabbing rocks and carrying them to a table so she could "stack them high". Ummmm...we could have stayed home and done that;)

The happiest place on Earth

We took Emma to Disneyland for the first time today and I think it is safe to say that she had a great time.  Her very 1st ride was Pinoccio's Daring Journey, but her favorite ride was Autopia.  Emma loved because it  gave her a chance to drive her daddy around:) 

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

I highly recommend this movie to everyone.  Nick and I both LOVED it and will for sure buy it when it comes out on DVD. Which says a lot since I can't remember the last time we bought a movie:)

Nick's Birthday

I think it is safe to say that Nick had a really nice birthday.  Elisabeth came over for dinner and we were able to sit outside because the weather has been so nice.  Nick received many nice birthday gifts, but I the one that I was most excited about was his cake:)  Our favorite ice cream shop makes a Tequila Lime Sorbet, but only sells it to restaurants:(  So, I called and asked if they could make Nick an ice cream cake with the Tequila Lime and they said "Sure, why not"!!! How excited was I?!?! The owner said that Nick was one lucky guy, because they never do this and that his cake was a "1 of a kind". Oh, and if that was not enough they sold me a gallon and a half of the Tequila Lime Sorbet!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!! oh, I mean Nick;)

You say it's your birthday...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICK !!!!

Happy birthday to the best husband a girl could ask for:) I hope you have a wonderful day and that you get everything that you asked for;)

Love,

your 1st wife

xoxo

Feeding the ducks

The weather finally cleared up (you would have thought we were in England with the misty weather we had yesterday). So, we packed the family up and went to the Arboretum to feed the ducks.  We had a really nice time and we were definitely "making memories" as Great Grandpa Lowe would say:)  One would have been Emma pushing her stroller then stopping to wipe her brow and say "phew" not sure where she picked that up from, but boy was it cute!!! Then mommy was nearly swept a way by the river while trying to cross while lifting Emma's stroller! Okay, so it was only a creek that was maybe 2 feet wide, BUT I still slipped into it:) Oh, and the best part is that Nick and Emma just stood there looking at me.  I told them I could have been swept down river:) I guess maybe you had be there but is was funny.  Last but not least we discovered that Nick is the Squirrel Whisperer. Yep, a squirrel ran past us and Nick started "talking" to it and would you believe that crazy squirrel came right up to Nick?!?! If only I had the video going at the time, because you had to see it to believe it:)

De Plane!!! De Plane!!!

We did not see Tattoo and Mr. Roarke, but we did visit the Queen Anne Cottage where Fantasy Island was filmed.  The cottage is at the Arboretum where we take Emma to feed the ducks:)

Emma REALLY is my child

Let me paint the picture for you....Emma is playing outside and I am standing in the kitchen.  Suddenly I hear her SCREAMING at the top of her lungs and let me tell you it is a VERY high pitched scream. I look out the window and she is standing on her picnic table.  I go running out and she is screaming and pointing to the tiniest bug you have EVER seen. She is yelling at me to get her shovel so I can get rid of it for her:) Maybe you had to be here to witness the event, but I was laughing so hard I was crying!

our little chef

I have started letting Emma help me cook and one of her favorite things to do is make pancakes:)  Here she is helping me this morning.  Emma also likes her pancakes to be in the shape of something (usually Mickey Mouse), but mommy was feeling lazy today and only made 2 Mickey pancakes. Once Emma finished those she asked for more so I gave normal round pancakes and she said, "Thank you Mommy. Yummy ball pancakes".  SCORE!!! Now I can get away with "ball" pancakes:)

Baby I do

When I was little I didn't want anyone to help me and I would say, "No, baby I do".  Well it's safe to say that I am being paid back:)

Emma and I are currently playing dress up and Emma is having trouble getting her costume on so I offered to help and what does my lovely child say to me??? "No mommy. No help Emma. I play dress up myself" Well, okay then;) Guess Mommy will go back to singing Chim Chim Cher-ee!

My what BIG teeth you have...

Emma and I are sitting down playing today when she stops what she is doing and starts staring at me.  I ask what is wrong and Emma looks at me and says, "Mommy have big teeth":)

Needs batteries

Last night Emma decided to get the old band together (The Lenz Family band that is) and started handing out instruments.  Nick and I start to play the ones we have been given and Emma starts to have a mini meltdown.  When we ask her what is wrong she holds up her wooden frog "clicker" that she can't figure out how to work and says, "Needs batteries!!!" It was TOO funny, since it is an old school non battery operated toy:):):)  The picture is Emma trying to figure out how the frog works.

My little Picasso

Since it was a rare rainy day here in LA Emma and I stayed home and did some painting.  I think Emma enjoyed it almost as much as Mommy did;)  It took a little convincing, but she finally stuck her hand in the paint so we could make handprints:)  I swear I have never met a cleaner child...the second Emma was done she was reaching for the baby wipes to clean herself up!

Emma and Coleton's play date

Coleton and his mommy, Nicol, came over the other day to play and boy are we glad they did.  It was so funny to watch Emma try and be the "big sister" to Coleton.  Of course not so funny when she tried to pull him away from the TV and knocked him to the ground:( Clearly Emma does not know her own strength!

Really cool article

100 Mile Diet: Local Eating for Global Change » Local Resources: ""

(Via .)

I read the coolest article last night in this months issue of Domino magazine. In a nutshell a woman tries to eat locally for 2 weeks and writes about the ups and downs of being a "locavore". The website that I am linking to just shows you your local resources if you are up for the challenge. I am not...it is hard enough for me to get dinner ready for my family let alone try and eat locally:) Although I am going to try and hit our farmers markets more frequently and I am FOR SURE going to check out the "egg store" a few miles from us:)

Get me out of here!!!

Emma tried so hard to get the doors open, but when that didn't work she decides it would be just as fun to hang on them:)

Am I too big for a swing?

Emma and I met some friends at the park today and I think I know what I want for my birthday....a swing!!! They had the COOLEST swing at the park. It's like a big chair, but it's a swing. What a great idea!!! You know some guy thought, "Hey, think I could turn this Lazy Boy recliner into a swing?" I TOTALLY want one!!!! Emma did NOT want to get out of it ( I don't blame her).

Our Little Devil

Emma LOVES playing dress up and her favorite thing to put on is her Devils Tail:) Okay, her Devils tail and her purple heels! You can't see it, but she has her tail on under her skirt too:):):) 

King of the Gelato

As most of you know Nick is an AMAZING cook, but over the weekend he made the BEST THING EVER!!!! Blood orange Gelato using the blood oranges from the tree in our backyard.  Can you say, "YUMMY"?!?!