California Scheming

For anyone who hasn’t already heard the announcement – Shawn and I are expecting another BABY BOY in January! We’re very excited!

It’s actually the more convenient of the two options (male or female) for us right now because we already have all the clothes and a second-bedroom that is decorated in a more boyish style. We’ll shoot for a girl once we’ve moved into a house somewhere (hopefully in Michigan).

It has made me begin to wonder, though, if I’m forever to be outnumbered by weiners in my own home. My brother has all daughters and I wonder if I will only have sons. If Noah is any indication of how sweet sons can be, then I’m okay with that.

….although it would be nice to eventually have a little girl in the house. And by eventually I DO NOT mean by baby # 7. (Shawn sometimes talks about having seven children. That is pure madness and I have no intention of playing along with that little scheme).

But maybe by the third or fourth baby there could be a vagina thrown in there somewhere? Maybe?

If not, it’ll just be me and the boys and, as I said, I’ll be all right with that too. Although ever so slightly overwhelmed by testosterone.

It occurs to me that most people who read this blog haven’t seen where I actually live now. I’ve included some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

The Living Room:

The Bedroom:

Noah’s Room:

The Bathroom:

The Backyard:

Now come visit and see for yourself!

*** I will be posting pictures of the baby soon. No one yell at me! ***

Now then… I think I may be over this whole California thing. It was great for a while…before my friends started moving away en masse. And before I had a baby and wanted him to grow up with his family around – especially his three adorable cousins. Also, I miss my Michigan friends, those rowdy scamps!.

Plus Michigan is insanely beautiful. Don’t believe me? Check out this website:

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jensenl/visuals/album/michigan/

(Whenever I’m feeling homesick, I click on all the different photo albums he’s posted…and then I end up feeling way more homesick. But it’s good to see a little bit of home and he’s an awesome photographer)

Anyway, let me clarify – Michigan is insanely beautiful DURING THE SPRING, SUMMER, AND FALL.

Winter: You are an unholy bitch and I despise you!

I’m harassing Shawn these days to try to convince him that a move back to Michigan is where it’s at. He’s not convinced. I’ve got to figure out a way to sweeten this deal for him. Any suggestions? And don’t say sexual favors! My grandma reads this, people! Let’s keep it wholesome!

We LOVE the RV SO much! Actually, SO much that we’re considering moving out there full time. We’re thinking of trading in our current 32 footer for a 40 footer with multiple slides. The one that we like is actually a two bedroom with 1.5 bathrooms. I swear that it’s actually bigger than our condo. It has a sliding glass door, multiple entrances, and tons of storage. Plus everything is super swanky – totally more nicely decorated than the brothel-theme I came up with for our house

We’re going to experiment with staying out there for a while to see if Shawn can handle making the drive. It’s even further away from his work than where we currently live, but it just may be worth it. It’s amazing to be out there and have bonfires and listen to the creek that runs behind us and hear the frogs croaking. It reminds me of home and, dammit, I miss home!!

It’s official…we decided not to buy a house. Well, mostly I decided. Shawn was pretty into the idea and I crushed his dreams…as usual. I was dreading the drive and being far away from my friends and the ocean. Well, not actually that far, but it’s pretty sweet to live in the same complex as Awkward Stephanie and just a short drive from the beach.

Plus I realized that I’m a creature of habit and don’t really want to make any major changes right now. Sooooo we may end up living in the condo for a few more years and I’m totally all right with that. We can cram a few more kiddos in there, I’m sure. We’ll live like people in the Old Country.

And I love having the RV out in the woods and didn’t particularly want to give up that spot and the chance to escape from suburbia. We had a bonfire out there over the weekend and it was awesome.  I love that Noah will be able to spend weekends out there as he’s growing up!

Dear Ally Lou,

We so wish we could be there with you to celebrate your 5th birthday! We love you and miss you! Have lots of fun today!

Love,

Aunt Balissa, Uncle Shawn, & Pinto Bean

Heather’s St. Patrick’s Day Party

Me and my bonnie lasses

Ummm….I may have had too much to drink…

Yep, that’s Steph humping me…

…the night got a little out of control…

I will neither confirm nor deny that I pulled the shelf above Heather’s toilet off the wall. And I may or may not have tripped (aka drunkenly hurled myself across the room) and fallen on my head. Also, some people are saying that when Stephanie and I were wrestling (yes, wrestling) that she hit her head on Heather’s TV. I really can’t say if any of that’s true. It’s all just speculation at this point.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!!!!

It’s my mom’s birthday today! She’s very excited because this is the first time that she will not be celebrating in the cold and snow. They are coming over in a little bit and we’ll be heading out to Laguna Beach. She’s planning to go wading or at least put her toes in the ocean.

I’m so happy that I get to spend this birthday with you Mom!

Oh! And to give everyone an idea of what a January day looks like here, I’m including two pictures taken last January at the beach.  The second one is of Shawn wading in the water.

UPDATE: My mom’s birthday was great! We went to Laguna and walked around the shops, had lunch, and she got to wade in the ocean. Here are some pictures:

My niece, Caitlyn, is turning 8 today. Happy Birthday KK! We wish we could be there to celebrate with you! I hope you have a great one and get lots of fun presents! We miss you!

Love,

Aunt Melissa

Yesterday we celebrated Christmas over at my parent’s place. For those of you who don’t know, they’re spending their winters out here in an RV in the Santa Ana Mountains. It’s in the Cleveland National Forest and it’s GORGEOUS out there. I’ll have to do a photo shoot soon and post the pictures.

Anyway, we had a great Christmas and I’m so happy that my parents got to be here for Noah’s first one. My parents totally spoiled us and baby Noah. They got him some toys (including a Thomas the Train set that my mom swears he’ll be crazy about in a couple of years), some bathing stuff, and books. I’m trying to build up his library so this was perfect! Here’s what they hooked us up with:

1. The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

2. Company’s Coming: A Passover Lift-the-Flap Book by Joan Holub

3. Noah’s Bed by Lis and Jim Coplestone

4. On Noah’s Ark by Jan Brett

I love that they included some Jewish stuff (the Passover book) and books that include his name. Very adorable. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

We spent the afternoon eating a delicious vegan meal that my mom made especially for Shawn, opening presents, playing Trivial Pursuit (a gift from my parents to us), and lavishing attention on the baby. It was great!