3/20 Weekend Update

Following an inconvenient week of working from home while Caoilin recovered from the "Hand, Foot and Mouth" virus (thus banned from school), we managed to role into another great weekend. We enjoyed the company of my good college friend, Brian Owen, who was out on another work trip (Wednesday evening through Monday morning). He and Cael have become roommates when he is in town and Caoilin just adores him!

On Friday, Bobby and I went to an Opus 1 Wine Dinner at the Jonathan Club with the Watnes, Lords and 2 others. To our surprise, we ran into George and Jennifer Tierney at the event. Not a surprise to anyone, I am sure, but we were the last table to leave. :) But fighting temptation to join others on the roof for more wine, we were responsible and headed home to relieve the babysitter.

Saturday was a beautiful, but very busy day. After dropping Caoilin off at French class and getting Cael down for a nap, I frantically got ready to attend Kristin Keefe's surprise 40th birthday luncheon at LA Country Club. It was so nice seeing all the family members and friends. Kristin was totally surprised! That night the 4 of us and Brian went to our new favorite family haunt, Pitfire Pizza, where not only was Caoilin ecstatic to see one of her classmates, but I discovered one of the most amazing pizzas I've ever had in my life! Burrata with Arugula salad. I couldn't believe how good it was. While we brought our own bottle of wine (no corkage), we instead chose to sample their Sangria, which earned 2 thumbs up from the 3 adults. Cael had a great time, except for when this 1 particular waitress got too near to him and caused him to burst into tears. He'd been staring at her, so she came over to say hello, at which time he totally freaked out. For the rest of the night, we had to keep her out of his eyesight so that he wouldn't cry. So strange! Caoilin was also amused by the older man in fish-shaped flip flops (who had apparently had a bit too much Sangria). After dinner, kids baths and bedtime, I settled down to watch "Inglourious Basterds" while Bobby went to the Keefe's to celebrate Kristin's bday with her and other close friends.

On Sunday, we woke to another beautiful day. After breakfast at The Wood, we quickly rushed home to change for Caoilin's swim class. Brian tagged along, of course. Caoilin seemed a little sluggish this week, probably in part due to the 1.5 mile round trip bike ride for breakfast. Cael After swimming, Caoilin came home, changed again, and then headed off to cousin Scott's birthday party with Bobby while Cael continued took a nap. While Caoilin was at the Party, Brian, Cael and I took in a little swinging at our neighbors awesome tree swing and got to know our neighbor a little better. He has his own art studio in his garage and he and his wife own a pottery studio (she makes it all) on Venice Beach. After Scott's party, and naps for the kids, we headed down to the JC Beach Club with a bottle of wine in tow. The plan was to hang out, have some wine while the kids ate dinner at the beach and then come home for the adult dinner, which inevitable happened, but not before managing to squeeze in significant time on the swings and a little one-on-one volleyball (Brian vs. Aubrey) until the sun set. I've never seen Cael sit in one spot so long and be happy. I have to give Caoilin a lot of credit as she entertained him court side with a bunch of balls and a plastic bin. Toys-shmoys! (BTW - I loved waking up to the sore abs the next day. It's the one set of muscles that I love the feeling of being sore. Weird, I know. It makes me think I'm thinner and in better shape.) ;) Despite Caoilin's tears, we headed home to scrub the salt and sand off our bodies and got Cael to bed while Brian cooked dinner for us! Spaghetti with Pesto and Salad. Yum! We were all exhausted and hit the hay at a reasonable time. All that fresh air does a body good.

Looking forward to next weekend: Friday date night, Loyola Auction on Saturday with Family & Friends, and play date at the Beach Club and girls dinner on Sunday. Counting down the days...

P.S. - March pictures to be circulated this weekend.

Lucky Me

So, I approached this weekend with dismay because it was so jam-packed of to-do's. I was looking forward to all the fun things we had going on, but not the fact that because of all the fun things, my time was squeezed and I had very little time to do errands and all the stuff I have to cram into the weekend because it's virtuously impossible to get anything done during the work week.

The things I was looking forward to were my Friday night date with hubby, which consisted of Happy Feet massages followed by drinks, Saturday night get-together with the Goods and Sunday afternoon at the Jonathan Club beach to meet friends. I will take these events in turn.

Friday: Sadly, Bobby's massage wasn't as good this go around. Note to self: when booking, make sure to request female masseuse for husband. I, on the other hand, had a fantastic massage, mostly due to the fact that I have found a masseuse that I really like. So, I make sure to request him. After the massage, we headed to Bandera's for a bottle of wine. Definitely stayed up too late this night, particularly since I decided to be the one to get up with Cael Saturday a.m., and give Bobby a reprieve. While tired, it wasn't so bad.

Saturday: Caoilin's French class got canceled, so she tagged along on my errands run while Cael napped at home with Bobby. This was actually a blessing in the sense that I didn't feel so regimened by a schedule. We got to go dress shopping for Easter (which is also the same dress she is wearing for her all girls birthday luncheon on the 3rd). I was so happy that we found something that we both agreed upon, which can be tough. Caoilin also got to get her nails painted (as this was on my to-do list while she was in class). So her day was going pretty well, if you ask me. Lastly, we ran to Whole Foods to get some groceries and picked up some sushi for lunch, always a crowd pleaser. Bobby was cleaning up the outdoor living area when we got home (preparing for our get-together with the Goods), with Cael in tow. The weather was beautiful and we were looking forward to appetizers and cocktails al fresco before it got too chilly.

After lunch, the kids both napped and Caoilin slept for almost 3 hours! This break allowed me time to get everything prepped for dinner, including the innevitable kids group bath (for those of you with kids, you can appreciate the madness that these group baths can be). Cameras at the ready, of course (see pics above). The Goods showed up a little before Bobby returned from LA Country Club. We had apps and enjoyed some outdoor play before retiring inside to feed the kids. Cael went to bed fairly early, which was a good thing given we had to spring forward that night.

The kids then got to watch a movie and eat Kettle Corn while the adults ate Paella and salad. Mills brought a naughty cheesecake with raspberry sorbet for dessert. Deeee-lish! Scarlet proceeded to try on or move every pair of Caoilin's shoes before the night was over. Then it was bath time! Kids were treated to a spa bubble bath in the Master Bathroom. Followed by a shower rinse. Once that was complete, it was close to 10 pm. Thank God again for Caoilin's 3-hour nap! The Goods sadly said goodbye after a fun (and chaotic) night and Bobby and I passed out shortly thereafter.

Sunday: So, this was my favorite of all days, and the perfect finale to what turned out to be a great weekend. Both kids (and innevitably us) slept until almost 8am!!!! Aaaaagh... Typically, Cael then goes down for a nap, while I take Caoilin to swim class. But due to the time change, Cael wasn't even close to being tired. So, all 4 of us got to go watch Caoilin's first swim test. This is essentially where they throw her in the pool fully clothed to see if she can get herself to a calm back float position with head out. It's essentially a safety test, which if passed, allows her to move to the next level. She's been an orange cap (2nd level "Floater") since she started in January. Not surprisingly, she passed with flying colors and is now a green cap ("Kicker"). Even Lenny Krayzelburg himself was in attendance. It was such a special treat for all of us to get to be there for her first test. As a Kicker, she will now be working on her kick without a stroke. Arms will either be at her sides or straight out. Next level after this is Streamliners (White Cap) where arms will start to be introduced in a streamlined sort of way. I am so happy we found this school. Caoilin loves it and it's such a valuable skill set to have.

On our way home from swimming, we got a message that our friends had to cancel our play date at the JC. We decided, however, to go anyway. The weather was fantastic (beach pics will be posted towards the end of the month in my March distribution). We walked to the ocean and played around there for a bit and Cael monopolozed the baby swing for close to a 1/2 hour. Then we had lunch and headed home. Cael took a fantastic nap, which got him right on the new schedule. Caoilin took a short nap too. We then had to head to the Valley to inspect the condo, which will be up for lease again at the end of May. We had to take a look at what needs to be done to get it spiffy.

On the way back home, we were all getting hungry. We decided to check out this new pizza joint that opened up about a mile away and simultaneously test out our new bike trailer. So, we all clambered on (Cael in the Baby Seat, Caoilin in the bike trailer and Bobby and I each riding). It took less than 10 minutes to get there. They had a perfect parking place right in front.

We were so impressed with this new place, and it is definitely on the top of our list of family dinner spots. It's indoor/outdoor seating, but all open air with floor to ceiling garage doors. We opted for outdoors since it was still so nice out. You order at the counter and they bring the food out to you. They grow all their own herbs right on the premises. Essentially, the outdoor area is walled in by the planters. Bobby and I had an incredible antipasta salad followed by a nitrate-free pepperoni fire roasted pizza. Caoilin had just cheese followed by a chocolate chip cookie to celebrate her swim class advancement. The beauty of this place is that, even thought they sell beer & wine, they allow you to bring your own wine without corkage. Looking around, we marveled at how young, hip and family oriented (and eco-friendly) our hood is. We LOVE Mar Vista and are continuing to watch it grow into a fantastic place to live.

After a lovely relaxing feast, we biked home, bathed the kids and got them off to bed. Bobby and I relaxed, watched some boob tube and then headed to bed. All that anxioty for nothing. It turned out to be one of the best weekends I can remember. I hope to have more like it soon.

Some of my favorite recent pics from San Luis Obispo

Cael swinging

Bubbless at Talosa winery

Snuggling with Daddy

All smiles at Talosa

Here are some pics I think you have all seen from our trip to San Luis Obispo in January.

Virgin Blogger

So this is a blog…Let’s see how much time I can find between working full time, 2 kids, a husband, a side business and a social life to update this on a regular basis. Is anyone even listening ??? I am pretty much talking to myself at this point, but I hope that changes.

I hope this proves to be a great way to stay connected with all my friends and family oh so far away (or even here in LA County, as I rarely get the opportuntity to see you on a regular basis). Let’s just say I feel I’ve outgrown snapfish (although, I will still probably continue to distribute mass photo collections, as it would be too much for my little blog)!

So in the weeks to come, I hope to start posting some of my favorite photos along with an update on what we're up to.

Talk to you soon.