TIME TO CELEBRATE

It has been a long and bumpy journey over the past few years, but Scott came home last night with the official news that he is now a WRITER on the Showtime show DEXTER.

Woooo Hooooo! I am so excited for him and so completely grateful for his new position.
This is cause to celebrate!

THREE WORDS - WATER BUFFALO

Scott sent me this link on YouTube. You have GOT to watch it. It is amazing! It is long, but watch it all the way to the end, don't stop half way through. I promise you it is worth it.

DIM SUM AND THEN SOME

Yesterday we were on the train by 8:30 am heading straight for none other than... China Town. Our good friends Chris and Christen asked us out for breakfast and where do you go on a Sunday morning for breakfast?... well Imperial Palace of course for Dim Sum.

After eating our fair share of steamed pork buns, mushrooms in tofu and and sesame balls, we walked around mid morning browsing through Funky Munky and other cool little toy and t-shirt shops.

The kids LOVED riding the rides strategically positioned around China Town. You know the type - hard plastic, mechanical cars or horses that you would find, say, outside Walmart or Toys R Us. They barely rock back and forth, but bring complete bliss and laughter to a kid's face. Well, instead of cars and horses the kids rode in electric robots and monster mobiles. They were in high heaven.

We even tried our luck at tossing pennies into a fountain that promised us happiness, wisdom or a vacation. My pennies never quite made it into any of the spittoons, but I definitely got some happiness adjacent, so I got that going for me.

Well, after our morning in China Town we parted ways for the afternoon only to meet up later in the evening along with our other friends Gar and Rebecca at the park where we listened to swing music billowing our from a temporary stage. We lounged on blankets in the shade as we ate our picnic dinner and watched the kids dance and run in the evening sun.

It was an absolutely GREAT Sunday!!!

POWER TOOLS FOR POWER WOMEN

Today I got up at the crack of dawn, (not that this is anything new having the two kids that I do) but instead of the usual, making breakfast and getting kids dressed, I got up this morning to build a house. My friend Rebecca and I went to an all women's build for Habitat for Humanity . About four hundred women from the tv and film industry came out to build a triplex for three families who have no homes. I met producers, directors, entertainment lawyers, and even a couple actors there like Jeanne Tripplehorn who plays the first wife on HBO's Big Love and Julie Bowen from Lost.

Well, when Rebecca and I got to the site there was nothing but lumber on the ground. I was a little intimidated what lay before me, I had never build a house before as many of the other women walking onto the site. How in the world was this going to happen? Well to start things off we were instructed to grab our tools and tool belts, our pink hard hats and t-shirts scripted with "Power Tools - Power Women". We were put into teams and then we were promptly put to work. Our crew leader a twenty year old USC girl from Indiana taught us everything we needed to know. We hammered our little hearts out to the beat of Gwen Stefani and by lunch time we actually had some of the walls of the house already standing. Wow! construction is hard and meticulous work, I'll tell ya. I would line up 2x4s to a perfect square and somehow while I nailed it all went askew. I feel like I used a cat claw (something to help take nails out) almost as much as a hammer. whew! Let me just say I am one tired chica tonight. My muscles are so sore, I can barely move my arms. So on that note I will let the pictures say the rest.

AHHHH.... THE DENTIST!

With the first week of summer came many doctor's and dentist's appointments. Zane, unfortunately had to get two fillings at the dentist. This was a first for Zane. If there is one thing I absolutely despise it is... going to the dentist! But I had to be strong for Z right? I did not want to infect him with my phobia. So I put my brave face on.

Well, they sat my kid down in the plastic covered chair and that's when the dentist announced they were going to drill with no shots, laughing gas or anything, NO SHOTS! NO GAS! I began to panic. What kind of dentistry is this? I was a little horrified to say the least, but the dentist reassured me that the shot would hurt worse than the drilling because his cavities were very shallow. GULP! ok, I thought. I hesitantly trusted him and he began to drill. In between drilling the dentist would look up every once in a while and repeated "Are you ok? Are you ok?", but not to Zane... to me. I must have had the look of horror sprawled across my face. Zane got scared by the noise, the pressure and probably by the look on my face and his tears began to roll. I immediately went into my mama protection mode. I wanted to grab my kid and run.

The dentist asked Zane if it hurt and Zane said it felt like a bee sting in your tooth. Zane reassured me that he was ok and they went on to the next tooth. After it was all done, Zane said he was glad he did not get the shot in his mouth but, vowed he never wanted to have another cavity filled again. I was with him on that. He started asking me what more he could do to prevent cavities. I told him to continue to brush his teeth twice a day very well and floss. He asked why we have to floss and I explained the why and what for and all the gory details of gingivitis and that if gingivitis gets really bad, your teeth could fall out.

There was a long pregnant pause as he took in all this new information about the lovely gum disease. Then Zane looked at me in the most earnest of ways and busted out with:

"You know mom... getting gingivitis would be absolutely great!"

Astonished by his confident, foolish statement, I asked him why.

" Well, " he responded "you'd make a ton of money from the tooth fairy"

LA VIE EN ROSE

I got two free advanced screening tickets to" A Mighty Heart" which showed last night at the Arclight in Hollywood. I grabbed my friend Rebecca and we got there early to stand in line so we would not miss this much anticipated movie that we were both so very excited to see. Well, who knew that our early arrival would not cut it. We should have gotten into line 3 1/2 hours before the show in order to see this special screening. I can understand people standing in line for this absurd amount of time if Angelina and Brad were actually going to be there, (not that I would or anything), but NO, there was not a star to be seen except for... that is... Giovanni Ribisi coming out of a theater. He seems to be following me lately first Malos on Sunset now the Arclight. But anyway I digress, Well, we did not see the movie obviously and our hype fizzled fast. We suddenly found ourselves scrambling to find another movie to see.


As each movie on the marquee was dismissed for whatever various reasons we had in that moment, La Vie en Rose slowly rose to the top of our list. Rebecca and I both went into the movie knowing nothing about this film and very little about the famous French singer Edith Piaf who the movie was about, but I was there to give it a chance. The first fifteen minutes led me to believe that I would NOT be able to sit through the 2 and some hour movie, but my being captive in a black box theater, kid free and care free, I thought what the heck did I have to loose so I watched on.

And boy am I glad I did, as the film unwrapped I became completely engrossed in the story. The actress Marion Cotillard who plays Edith Piaf is absolutely amazing. I was captivated by her voice and impressed by her acting. She completely went for it unabashedly, even the ugly. Her acting was absolutely outstanding. The film was pieced together in such a way that kept the story alive and exciting.

The movie started off with Edith Piaf's humble beginnings as a child being raised in a whore house that her grandmother ran and then it followed her to the rise of greatness and fame. Edith's story is sad, empowering and encouraging. Overall, I really like this movie a lot and I am so glad I saw it. I recommend it.

I found this clip of Edith Piaf singing La Vie En Rose in 1954

A DRESS CALLED ADORABLE

Yesterday Audrey got another birthday gift in the mail.

Very excited, she quickly tore open the package to find many Audrey sized clothes. She instantly clutched the black and grey striped dress, tightly rocking it in her arms as if it were a baby doll.

I responded with an boisterous "Oh my goodness that is ADORABLE!!!"

She held it up against her chest modeling it in front of her. She exclaimed in the most earnest of ways...

"I want to wear adorable everyday!'

A BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT FROM PAPA ROACH

Zane's Madagascar hissing cockroaches had babies.

BLAHHHHH!

... and why did I ever agree to let him have these things?

Roach anyone?

A PAINFUL FATHER'S DAY

Poor Scott got food poisoning for Father's day.

The kids and I had big plans to take Scott to the horse races and then to his favorite restaurant for dinner, but seeing as he was curled up in pain all day, our big plans fizzled out. He did however, muster up enough strength by the end of the day to go see Surf's Up with the kids and I. A nearby Italian joint served him well, as he took his first steps back into the world of eating food again. With an incredible dinner in our bellies and a good show to watch, the evening actually turned out to be quite enjoyable, but Ugh... food poisoning, what a awful way to spend a day, let alone father's day!

MY BABY GIRL TURNS THREE!

We celebrated Audrey's birthday yesterday! She was so excited for this day to finally come. For the first time ever, the whole concept of a birthday was crystal clear to her. She has had all the details worked out for quite sometime now, like who she would invite, what kind of cake she wanted and where the festivities were to take place. When she was not planning or organizing the grand event in her head, she begged me often to retell story after story of the day she was born. You can see, our whole family has been in full fledge count down mode for her special day for several months now.

So Scott and I tried to do it up right for her. We had a little celebration in a quaint park with lots of food, a strawberry shortcake baby doll cake that I went out on a limb and attempted to make, (the dress part of the cake caved in on her back side, I guess it would be correct in saying that this baby-doll got no back) and what would a strawberry shortcake themed party be without the real deal... good ol' fashion... strawberry short cake itself?

The day was delightful as she played with her best buds in the mottled sunlight dancing on the playground sand . We showered her with love and hugged her tight to make sure she knew it was true. She fully soaked in the affection from all. She exclaimed loud and proud right after her first bite of strawberry shortcake's dress, "I AM SOOOOOOO HAPPY!!!" She then crinkled her nose, squinted her eyes and pressed her lips into a broad wide grin as if she needed to prove it by facial expressions.

This morning as she awoke, I greeted her with:"Hi my little three year old!" She smiled sweetly and said in a voice much like Boo from Monster's Inc. "I am old now, mamma, I am all growed up" So there you have it ... my little Audrey, over the hill at age three.

This Strawberry Shortcake Doll birthday cake turned out more like a Debutante Doll cake.

***(unfortunately our camera has taken a turn for the worst and it does not work anymore. I am so, very sad that I was unable to get photos of Audrey's big day. I was able to salvage a grainy pic of the cake off my phone)***

MILLARD CANYON CALLS

Having grown up in the green lush state of Michigan, whenever the topic of Los Angeles came up in my youth one thing always came to my mind and that was... CEMENT. I always envisioned a hot concrete, sprawling, ugly city in my mind. The first time I visited the sunny city of angels, I remember being in an absolute stunned, delight to discover that there were trees all over the place and not just wimpy, skinny trees either, I am talking huge shady magnolia trees with roots so large you could hide between them. There were also beautiful flowers in full bloom spotting the city with vibrant colors and... to my surprise there was even... grass, imagine that!. I don't know quite how I came to the conclusion that the entire city was paved over, but my first trip to LA surely broke up my preconceived cemented views.

Those first few magnolias that gave me the courage to move to LA have not led me astray. Since then, I have found so many lovely places in the Los Angeles and the nearby mountains to call refuge from the bustling city. This morning we woke up early to hike a new trail we just learned about in Millard Canyon nestled in the foothills of Los Angeles National Forest. I am fortunate enough to have this beautiful place just fifteen minutes from our home. I dare say it has become my favorite place to hike yet.

This new trail we found, wandered along the side a winding, bubbling brook that meandered down the mountain side. Large boulders were strewn about the shady creek. Zane took off up stream quickly gripping boulder after boulder in a spider man like fashion. Audrey who has had difficulty on past hikes because of pesky pebbles getting into her shoes, did not even flinch when her shoe filled with pebbles and soaked with water when her foot went astray right into the river. Today there was not a complaint to be heard from my almost three year old princess, She had a mountain side to conquer and boulders to climb. We hiked about a mile and half to a beautiful 50 foot waterfall. Just the fact that there was water falling from the heights was a miracle to me. Los Angeles has had one of the driest years in a long, long time. I was fully prepared to hike up a dry river bed this morning, but was absolutely delighted to find and hear the water percolating over rocks and then to find water falling off the side of a cliff. That sound... that sound of water trickling over rocks was enough to refresh my soul right there in the shade of huge trees that stood guard over the stream below. I felt at peace, I felt alive!





On the way back down the trail, Zane caught a salamander and a millipede. Audrey was so very proud of her brother as she told other passing hikers of her brother's great achievements. The hikers would smile politely as they nodded, trying to understand her high pitched and what seemed to be gibberish. They knew it was important whatever she was saying.

The hike was perfect for the kids and it was amazing for Scott and I. I came back refreshed and at peace. I will most definitely be frequenting this new found retreat often. Zane and Audrey both agreed that their cousins and their Aunt, who will be visiting soon from the lush, green state of Washington will surely love this place! We'll have to take them there and see what THEY think .

LET THE COMMENCEMENTS BEGIN

Today Zane's teachers put together a little ceremony promoting the kindergartners to 1st grade . It was chocked full of certificates and poems about our children. The kids sung songs about saying good bye and warning the parents not to cry.

As each kid quickly jetted up to the stage, they received his or her certificate. Most of the children would stand very still and stiff next to their teacher, They were shy and smiley in front of the the glittery eyed parents and the paparazzi- like camera flashes as they soaked in the praise from their much adored teacher. When it came time for my child to go to the stage I looked on with anticipation for that same look of pride that most other kids displayed. But my kid on his way to the stage suddenly disappeared! "Oh my goodness, where did he go?" I whispered to Scott "He dropped to the floor". He whispered back.
What?
What happened?
Did he trip ?
Is he ok?
Is he embarrassed?
Oh my!
I've got to get closer to him...
and that's when he arose from the floor next to his teacher with a big cheesy grin. Well, come to find out, he did your basic sliding into third base move right there in front of the audience. With all the heads in the way I missed his extra action super slide, but evidently the crowd did not as they erupted with laughter. Smiling larger than life and fully excited and charged by the positive reaction he received, Zane then proceeded to sit down, NOT stand next to his teacher like all the other kids did but, sit down on the edge of the stage in a very casual kind of way with his legs dangling over the side and his arm propping up his slightly reclined body. He faced the audience with the look of "lay it on me Mr. Stonick". His teacher chuckled and said "This is Zane". More laughter dotted the room. I was a bit hesitant, very intrigued and to be frank, scared to death of what he would do next. Throughout the evening Zane provided us with a few more antics on stage which got a few more laughs from the audience and I must admit he had me chuckling too. He did his part in the show as he was instructed, he listened to directions, he was being respectful to his teachers and to his class mates and yet he mixed in some good comedy along with it all. His teachers and other parents seemed pleased and amused by his performance.

It was in that moment while he was up on stage, that I realized just how far this kid has come since day one back in September. You see Zane's overwhelming desire to make people laugh had gotten the best of him many times and he would forego listening to his teacher all for the sake of good laugh at the beginning of the year. His teacher approached me on the first day of school and told me I needed to talk to my son. A parent's nightmare right? It was a rocky start to say the least. But Zane over the year, not only learned how to read, how to add and how to subtract, but he also learned how to thrive and be successful in his classroom all the while never losing his comedic touch nor being forced to to lock up the desire to make people laugh. He learned there is a time and place for it. And I guess tonight was that time and place. I am so extremely grateful for his teacher this year. I am thankful that he never squelched that life and laughter inside Zane, but taught him how control it and use it properly. I am also so proud of Zane for grasping all these new concepts that he was introduced to this year and running full force ahead with them.

What a great first year of school and what a wonderful foundation to build upon for the school years to come! Watch out 1st grade here comes my little Zane!