Hey Ambular

Entry Way: New and Improved

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:26:00 +0000

Despite the fact that I am due with baby #3 in 6 days and should probably be laundering, cleaning, or panicking, I wanted to show you one of the DIY projects we've finished at our house. Remember how our entry from the garage looked before?

Plain and blah, and absolutely no functionality...in steps the handyman hubby. We originally thought we would fill the space with bead board, but plank walls are everywhere now and well, we decided to jump right on that bandwagon. We started by painting the wall white so it wouldn't show our wall color through the planks (excuse the bad lighting):

Then we built a bench, set painted white planks on the walls, and added a built in box on top for baskets. Here it is in the middle of the project, almost done:

Here it is after the hooks and decor were added:

Does it look this clean and organized all the time? Heck no. I have a 4 year old and a 2 year old after all. But they have learned pretty quickly that this is the spot to put on/take off shoes, hang their backpacks and jackets, and just unload their stuff. It's amazing what you can do with such a small space--I had no idea it could be so functional and pretty at the same time.

Resource list:

Doormat, baskets, and white frame from Target

Shoe tray from Bed, Bath and Beyond

Blue vase from Down to Earth

Blue chair from Four Chairs Furniture

Metal mail holder from Office Max

Linking up here:

Read more at http://diyshowoff.com/buttons/#7EuPZDPD9vtVMVuS.99

What We've Been Up To

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 16:14:00 +0000

Thanks for the encouraging comments on my I have no friends post...and for not making me feel like a total L7 weenie. Anyway, here's a little snippet of what we've been up to lately:

The hubs and I celebrated 8 years of marriage by going out to dinner and seeing Oz in 3D. I know a lot of people are good about dating their spouse...we are not those kinds of people. So it was nice to get out and again reminds me that we need to do it more often. (A lot of people said they hated the movie, but I really liked it. Maybe that's because I don't get out much, but it was visually stunning and I was thoroughly entertained).

We have been blending like mad. How did I only just start making smoothies for my kids? My 2 year old is my picky eater when it comes to fruits and veggies so this has been perfect. He drinks these things right up--and sometimes they have spinach in them. HA! Now I just need a fancy Blend Tec. Our favorite recipe is to just dump in a bunch of stuff--usually about a cup of organic plain yogurt, a handful of strawberries, a banana or 2 and then top the blender off with either frozen raspberries or blueberries. And now and then I add some spinach. You can't even taste it.

My sweet sis in law doing my toes...because I can't reach.

34 weeks along (AAH!) and I swear I am DONE. I feel like I am days away from delivering and yet I still have 6 weeks. How we women do this is beyond me. It is just so uncomfortable. The other day my maternity pants were curling and folding down off of my belly so much that I came home, ripped them off, and started bawling because I just wanted to wear pants like a normal person. I know...dramatic. But I think it's safe to say it's yoga pants from here on out--so don't judge me if you see me. :)

We had a visit last month from my brother and his wife. They were in town from Hawaii for a wedding, and it was sooo good to see them. My brother had just gotten back a few months prior from his year long stint in Afghanistan. It was a great week of family (and that means tons of games! Yes!) and fun.

We finally upgraded our entertainment center. After going back and forth about whether to refinish, completely build new, or buy new we opted for the easiest option and bought new. The TV cost us practically nothing (we had saved gifts cards for over a year), so we justified the purchase. Also it is pretty massive and was exactly what we wanted so all in all, I am in love with it. And the 60" TV makes the hubs happy. Here it is:

Love!

A pic of my munchkins just for fun.
Happy weekend! And here's to the next month going by wicked fast.

Pinterest Test Kitchen Part 4: Dessert Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 01:51:00 +0000

Here are some recipes I've pinned and tried lately...and if you are trying to be healthy right now stop reading. :)

Pretty immediately after I pinned this recipe for Mandy's Swig Sugar Cookies I made them for my monthly bunko group. They were an absolute hit and I could not stop eating them. They are TO DIE for. So seriously, make these. Like right now. And delete any other sugar cookie recipe you have pinned, you don't need it anymore. :)

Another one I tried pretty recently was the Eclair Cake from The Girl Who Ate Everything. I would love to make eclairs but they just sound like too much work and this was a great substitute. Delicious!

Bakerella is famous for her cake pops, but I made her Peach Crunch Cake (I call it dump cake) and it was so easy and delicious. Two things I love.

I'm sure you've heard of The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake from Pioneer Woman. Man I ate this stuff right out of the pan and did not feel guilty....probably should have. But it was that good. Made all the extra effort totally worth it.

Finally one I made months ago, but still remember how disappointed I was. I love snickerdoodles, so I thought Pumpkin Snickerdoodles would be amazing. But alas, they were not my favorite. I found myself wishing the pumpkin was more intense, OR that they were just regular old snickerdoodles (I use Erin's recipe).

Photo from http://www.5minutesformom.com/

Hi, What's Your Name?

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:04:00 +0000

I feel like I start every blog post with "sorry I've been MIA". But...it has been awhile. And we've been working on a few home decor projects that I can't wait to share with you. Unfortunately I don't have pics uploaded, so those will have to wait. I just wanted to check in and say hi.

The only baby bump picture you will get from me. :)

I'm currently 31 weeks along in my pregnancy and counting down to baby #3. It's a bit scary, but really I'm so excited to meet this little guy. And get this pregnancy over with. :) Is it weird I just want to run? Like even just a block. It sounds so good to me right now. To move without waddling or wincing.
Today at the park I noticed my super shy daughter instantly making a new friend. And it's got me thinking how funny it is that it happens every time when we go to the playground. Kids instantly go up to each other and after quick introductions are playing like they've known each other for years. I wish I could do that with the other moms. "Hi what's your name? Want to play? OK!" But it's not quite like that. Once you make that crossover into motherhood, or even adulthood for that matter, it's hard to make new friends. Although I think it might just be me. Like my daughter, I'm pretty shy (hmmm, wonder where she gets it from?). Ever since we moved into our new house, and new area, I keep thinking that I really need to find a friend. Motherhood can be lonely if you don't have some sort of network. I need a good friend who's also a mom, and one that has kids the same age as mine, and one who likes to do the same things as me and has the same sense of humor. That's not too much to ask is it? I just feel so dumb trying to meet people. I feel like she's too trendy, she's not in the same stage of life as me, her kids are much older, her kids are too young, does she even have kids, she won't like me, she already has 3 best friends and I wouldn't fit in, etc. etc. Phew. Every now and then I hang out with my high school friends or my sister in laws, and it is so easy. Our kids get along and nothing in our friendship feels forced. But that time with them makes me wish I had that closer to home (my HS friends and I are spread out about an hour apart).
Now I know this sounds really pathetic like I'm the wallflower in the corner with no friends. And I guess I am. I'm finding comfort in the fact that no one really reads this blog...but I'm curious how people out there find that one friend they can call up any day of the week and say 'meet us at the park'.

I don't mean for this post to be a downer but it's just been weighing on my mind lately. Glad I have this weekend to relax and recharge, despite the pouring rain.

word vomit

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 19:53:00 +0000

I am seriously dying to get outta dodge. In general I enjoy having a winter season. But every year I hit this point where I'm just DONE with the cold weather. I've been looking at Vegas hotels and wow, talk about cheap! It would cost us almost twice as much in fuel as the hotel. I don't care if all we did was take the kids to the park to play ALL DAY, as long as I'm not cooped up in the house. (is there a kids park in Vegas? I think there has to be.)

Also, we got a new TV. 60" to be exact. It's still sitting on the ground in the box and it's been that way for 3 weeks. We want to hang it on the wall in our family room, and I have been busy looking and looking (and looking some more) for a piece of furniture to go underneath it. This is going to be the death of me!!! We could do the cheap cheap version and get something ugly and not what we really want but it's good for now. Or I could do the cheap route and redo a piece of old furniture I find off of Craig's List. We could get a moderately priced piece at the local furniture place (but it wouldn't really be the dimensions we want, and probably not the color--we need something taller than the standard out there). Or we could pay out the yang and get something custom made. As in the exact dimensions we want, color we want, doors/drawers we want. Part of me thinks what a great investment piece it would be, and I would have it for years and years. Another part of me thinks, who am I? Donald Trump? I don't have that kind of money. Also it terrifies me to pick furniture. I'd rather have all my crap stuff and have it be ugly, then actually invest in something and have it not work. Sigh. Why can't I just be blessed in the decor/style department? Help.

Sleep. Do you fall asleep easily? On a good night it takes me 20 minutes. The more pregnant I get the longer that gets. But my hubby...man, he can fall asleep in seriously 3 SECONDS. We'll be chatting, trail off, and then zzzzz. I'm like seriously? We were JUST talking. If I could choose a super power it would hands down be to fall asleep at a lightning speed pace.

Made a cake yesterday. With crushed Oreos on top. And it was good. I think I'll go have a piece.

And because I can't have a picture-less post, here's a pic of my girl with the cake she decorated 100% by herself for her dad's birthday. I think she was going for snakes...

Good Riddance

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 23:32:00 +0000

I am so so SO glad January is over. Halle-freakin-lujah. Now if we can just get rid of these lingering colds everything will be great. Staying in for weeks on end is enough to drive a girl insane.
We got absolutely pounded by snow this week--and I loved it! Especially now that I've got a big ol' SUV with 4 wheel drive, it's even fun to drive in.

The kids enjoying the snow, albeit powdery snow (aka crappy snow that won't make a snowman).

Even though I love the snow, this has been on constant rotation in my car. It makes me feel like I'm driving around in Hawaii again, and also takes me back to my high school days when No Doubt was a staple in my music stash.

Are you excited for the Super Bowl? I'm excited for the food. Awhile back I accidentally bought 2 pounds of Velveeta cheese because I thought I needed it for a soup recipe. Well I didn't use it and have wondered how on earth to use it ever since--I'm not really a Velveeta kinda girl--but now that the big game is here, this chili dip is calling my name! Also I'm making these Oreo Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars from Picky Palate. Can you say yum?

One last thing...this little collection of What Not To Wear Gif's is my favorite....oh I love those two!

Fresh

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 17:11:00 +0000

Well it's been two months since I last blogged. I don't know what it is lately but when I go to click on blogger I have this "ick" reaction. But be assured we had a great holiday and even though January is being its usual cruel self to us, we are doing OK. We've spent the last week cooped up at home, all of us sick (me even in bed for 2 days which is realllly hard with kids) and miserable. But I think we are finally on the upswing.
(Oh and we woke up this morning to no water. So double yay! Fortunately my handy hubby figured it out--our water meter was completely frozen--and fixed it within an hour. It's hard to go without water even that long!)
So our big news is that sometime before Halloween we found out that I am pregnant. Baby #3! And I know, I know, remember that post about me not wanting more kids? Well I just couldn't shake the feeling we were supposed to have another one. As much as I fought it I just felt like I needed one more. And I know why I put it off for awhile. Because everyone acted like if I have a 3rd child, I had to have a 4th. Because you can't have an odd number of kids! What about when you go to Disneyland?! Who is going to sit by themselves on the rides??!?!
Well I finally came to the conclusion that I am not planning my life around a freakin trip to Disneyland. I'll have 3 kids and everything will be fine. After all, I grew up the oldest of 3 kids, and no, my life wasn't torn apart every time we went to Disneyland.
So there is no pressure to have 4. None at all.
Aaaaaaaanyway we found out a couple of weeks ago that it is a boy and I am soooo happy. Because holy lands, is my daughter hard. Last night we had scones for dessert and she ran to her room BAWLING because hers didn't have enough butter on it. We just stared at each other like, "What just happened?" She is the only girl I can handle.
Baby boy is due the end of May. And I already feel HUGE. You know those darling girls that get pregnant and look like they have a little basketball stuck under their shirt? Yeah that is so NOT me. I am a beast when I am pregnant. A huge, fat, ugly, hormonal beast. So here goes! Another four months until I feel human again!

Man, I sound so maternal.

Because I hate photo-less posts, here are some from our Christmas.

Oh and my brother got home from Afghanistan, safe and sound! It is such a relief. I just wish his home wasn't across the Pacific! Can't wait to see him in March when they come out here.

Happy Thanksgiving!

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 16:38:00 +0000

Just a quick post to say how excited I am for this weekend. It is one of my favorite holidays, and also means that the Christmas season is upon us. Today I am making all of my pie crusts and tomorrow I will do 2 pumpkin pies, an apple pie, and yam souffle for our dinner at my mom and dad's house.
Then onto shopping for 24 hours with my sister in-law. It seriously ticks me off that stores now open on Thanksgiving--I can't even relax and enjoy the post dinner bloat/nap. But we brave the crowds anyway. Black Friday seriously brings out the crazies (I guess including me), but we have so much fun and I seriously get soooo much done. As in pretty much all of my Christmas shopping. I hope I get all I want--even though I NEVER do. I'll never forget last year when I was trying to get a kitchen for my daughter and the crowd literally was like a pack of wildebeests going after the kill. It was one of the scariest moments of my life. So I never go for the big ticket items on these sales. It's just not worth the possibility of being trampled.
And on that note, I hope you all have a safe, enjoyable holiday!

Photo via. I printed this out and have it in my kitchen. Isn't it cute?

Weird Food Habits

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 15:45:00 +0000

This week we had Kraft Macaroni and Cheese for dinner...not once but twice. How pathetic are we? And I don't know about you but I cannot eat mac and cheese without mixing ketchup with it (only kraft though, not the homemade kind). I thought this was normal, but the reaction from my hubby told me it was in fact not normal. But you should try it, the ketchup makes it tangy.
Another one I used to LOVE as a kid is grilled cheese in the waffle iron topped with strawberry jam. Yes, you heard right. Grilled cheese and jam. (I only had grape on hand--which I do not recommend. It has to be strawberry or raspberry.) And grilling it in the waffle iron gives it the holes to hold lots of jam. Try it you will not be disappointed.

So that got me wondering, do you have any weird food habits?

Why Do I Blog?

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 21:32:00 +0000

Awhile ago I was reading a blog post (surprise surprise, I can't remember where I was reading) that asked readers if they tell people in the "regular world" that they have a blog. My answer, for some odd reason, was a big fat NO. I just feel like either you are a blogger/blog reader person or you are not. Most of the people in my life are not. So I'm not really out there sharing that I have a blog. In fact one of my sister in laws almost pokes fun of me and asks me if I'm going to blog about something. (Maybe I will. Sheesh.) Do you share your blog with others? I guess most of it boils down to the fact that I'm a tad embarrassed about my blog. I'm not inventive, or creative, and have no real pizzazz for writing. But I know one thing for sure: I enjoy it. I enjoy connecting with others while I'm at home making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and diffusing toddler arguments in my sweats pants. And while I don't have a huge readership, and just in general have no real direction in this blogging world, I'm going to keep doing it. It's fun. And it can be done in glorious gray sweat pants.

Also, I think I am finally out of my post-vacation rut. It has literally taken me months to get over this post-paradise depression. In fact when we got home, we were so down, we tried to see if we could swing another trip out there before the year was through. It didn't happen, but that's ok. We'll survive. And plan a new trip somewhere else. :)

What to do With All of That Halloween Candy

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 16:12:00 +0000

We had a great Halloween, and as usual my kids got tons of candy. And guess what do we do with all of it? Make a Christmas countdown chain! We did this last year, and I cannot for the life of me remember where I got the idea. But it cut our Halloween stash down so much that I knew it would be something we do year after year. And the kids loved doing the countdown each day in December.

Just start by rolling out a reallllly long piece of saran wrap, add pieces of candy, wrap them and tie a ribbon in between.

I just did it for the month of December (25 pieces), and it cut my kids Halloween candy stash down to 7 pieces each. Now that I can handle.

And of course, save the best for last:

A New Look and Our Halloween

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 17:35:00 +0000

Before I talk about Halloween, have you seen the new blog? It is amazing! Colleen of Paisley Boulevard did a redesign for me and I love it! Don't you? :) I cannot thank her enough for all of the time she spent on this little tiny blog and want her to know how grateful I am for it!

What a great October we had! First up was the pumpkin patch a few weeks ago to pick out our pumpkins.

Next up was the Halloween party last Saturday. I did my old standby vampire costume, and my hubby was a Peruvian since he had a few authentic pieces--but I didn't get a picture of him.

Scary! The hubs ended up winning both the chili contest and the pumpkin carving contest. I might have to post the chili recipe here some day, it really is delicious. And here is the winning pumpkin:

Along with our other non award-winning pumpkins:

Trick or treating with the kids is always fun. They both get so excited and their excitement is infectious. Every time Bud got a new piece of candy he'd say his bucket was getting heavy, or that he was getting "lots and lots" of candy. Here's our kitty and football player:

Hope you all had a great Halloween!

Hawaiian Vacation: The Final Days

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 19:01:00 +0000

Time to close this baby out already!

Day 5
Well I woke up that morning and felt awful. From not having put sunscreen on my face, it literally felt like it was just a burned pile of mush. We had a very slow morning, made some breakfast, and I felt like I was done having any sun. I was even feeling ready to go home and just done with the trip (looking back, what on earth was I thinking?). Obviously it was because I was feeling awful but I really hate it when I am to blame for my own misery.
A bit later we headed to Haleiwa Joe's for lunch. It was good seafood but a bit pricey.

We headed down to the east side of the island and stopped at the Laie LDS temple. It was so beautiful, and different than the last time I had been there. They had totally changed the landscape (I could be wrong on that, but I swear it was different).

And of course where did we head next but the Polynesian Cultural Center. I had never been to this place before so I was excited. When we first walked in we decided to get temporary tattoos. My hubby got a big one on his shoulder and I got one on my foot. Sooo much better than the real thing! No pain, and it goes away when I get sick of it.

Then we went and watched the Canoe Parade. Of course we got a seat directly in the sun and were both dripping wet by the end of it, it was so hot! But it was pretty cool, we enjoyed it despite the sweat.

Gotta love the facial expressions.

Then we did all of the shows we could until the Luau: Samoa, Aotearoa (aka New Zealand), Tonga, and finally Tahiti. Each show had demonstrations with music, or food, or hula dancing, and very entertaining (Tonga was our favorite, those guys were hilarious).

We headed to the luau for dinner and got treated with a lei and ate buffet style while they entertained with singing and dancing. My favorite was the pork (holy yummy!) and the purple sweet potato rolls, my hubby's favorite was the teriyaki chicken and Hawaiian style beef jerky.

Finally, we went to the big evening show called Ha: Breath of Life. It was a beautiful show that showcased each of the islands of Polynesia and I really enjoyed it. Also, for those of you that know it, it was basically the Plan of Salvation put to music and dancing. :) The PCC is very beautiful and well kept and I thought all of the staff was really friendly. It was a great experience and I highly recommend it. Having said that, both my hubby and I agreed, we probably never need to do it again in our lifetime. It's just a lot to take in...and a lot of the same stuff over and over again.

We drove home in the pouring rain, totally exhausted and happy from the day's experiences. And despite a car alarm going off outside the condo all night, we slept pretty well.

Day 6
Our last full day in Hawaii. We went straight to Hanauma Bay that morning and enjoyed beautiful snorkeling for a good few hours. We saw tons and tons of fish, it was pretty cool.

After that we were ready for some relaxation so we decided to go and see a movie. At first I thought it weird to see a movie while in paradise, but then it totally made sense. We never go to movies because of the kids and now we were kid free! So we saw The Dark Knight Rises. I have to admit, I was a complete wreck the entire time. I was paranoid, and kept noticing everyone that got up and left (the guy in front of me left like 3 times, I was like DUDE you are giving me heart palpitations), not to mention the fact that the movie is so dark and evil I just could not handle it. But I really enjoyed the last 15 minutes of it! I love a good happy ending. We got some dinner on the way home and ended up playing games and going to bed. I really missed my kids at this point and wish that future me would've gone back and told past me to relax and enjoy it, it would be over before I knew it.

Day 7
Got up early and did our favorite spot, Waimea, one last time. We had our snorkel gear and it was so amazing to watch two sea turtles eating their breakfast right by the shore. We followed them for awhile, I absolutely loved it. There were even some rainbows for us right before we left.

We were sad to leave the beach and had to force ourselves to go. We stopped in Haleiwa to get some Matsumoto's shaved ice (soooo worth it!). We got there right when they opened and that is the only time the line isn't completely around the building. It was good, but here is a tip: don't get the huge one. The regular size is PLENTY. Then the hubs just had to get some shrimp (gag!) so we stopped at Giovanni's shrimp truck and got the most garlicky smelling stuff ever. Seriously, he smelled like garlic shrimp for days. Blech. This girl is not a shrimp fan.

Anyway, we stopped by the Walmart to buy some things to replenish the condo, (toilet paper) and it was time to clean and pack. I hope we left the condo better than we found it, we were so grateful to have had such a nice place to stay--that was free. We left my brother and sister in-law a little gift on their kitchen table, so I hope they enjoy it. Before we knew it, we were back on the airplane heading home. The red eye is MISERY for me. I do not sleep, I get claustrophobic, and I just want to get up and run around (of course the hubs slept almost the entire time. sigh). I barely made it out of there sane, and then on the LA to SLC flight. I was a complete zombie. The landing barely even woke me and I was glad to have gotten some shut eye. Seriously, the red eye is horrible awful misery that should not be inflicted on people that suffer from insomnia. Unfortunately that's pretty much all you get coming back from Hawaii.
I could not believe how excited I was to see my kiddos. When I saw Bud in his car seat I just hugged and hugged him and his feet were kicking so fast he was so excited to see us. And it was the same with my daughter, we were all so excited. It was weird how for a few days it was like I forgot what they looked like or sounded like, but then once we were back it was like we had never left.
I learned a few things about myself on this trip:
1-I am a germophobe. I mean people...you have no idea how many people I saw walk out of bathrooms without washing their hands. It kind of made me a little crazy thinking about it...
2-I really am not a people person. They all kind of drive me crazy. There was this girl talking during the first hour of the red eye (you know when the lights are off and people are trying to sleep) and I was like seriously? Look around you idiot, we are all trying to relax! We don't care about your life plan.
3-It is ok to leave the kids now and then. They did great while we were gone and didn't spend all day wondering if we were going to come back to them.
4-Vacations are a must. I don't care if we only go an hour away, I need to get away without the kids more often. Every seven years is not enough.
5-Finally, I need to relax. Obviously, look at the first two points. But really I need to try to chill. Although I will say being on an island totally helped contribute to that. Then we get back to real life and all of that gets sucked away. But for the sake of these two munchkins, I need to relax and not worry so much.

And if you made it to the end of this post (hi babe!) great job, you deserve a medal.

Fall Around Here

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 16:38:00 +0000

Let it be known that I actually cleaned my crock pot on the same day that I used it. The old "it needs to soak awhile" is always my stand by excuse. But not today people! I think this means I'm making strides in the cleaning department. Ok, I haven't vacuumed in a week, so maybe not. Anywho, I had made a roast with potatoes, carrots, you know the typical pot roast meal. A very comforting, autumny type of meal and it was delicious. I had piled my plate with all of the above and left it sitting on the counter. My little Bud, who had been helping me set the table, took the entire thing and dumped it on the ground. And I couldn't freak out because he was only trying to help. So I took a picture. I think that is the answer to all of life's problems.

Also, each day I have a couple of killing sprees with flies and spiders (seriously, our fly problem this year is baaad). Walked through the kitchen there was a GIANT, HAIRY spider on my KITCHEN COUNTER. Then later that same night my son brought me a dead giant, hairy spider in his BARE HANDS...I about died on the spot. I kill about 5-7 flies PER DAY. And the fly paper in the garage? I can't walk by it without gagging. (Enough CAPS LOCK for you?) My point? Bring on the snow. Mounds of it. LOADS of it. So much that I can't get out the driveway. I am done with bug season.

Oh and I got a haircut. After one long year (yes I went a year without a haircut--out of cheapness really, not trying to make a statement) I finally chopped a good 3 inches off. It should have been more...but baby steps. Here is a horrible "after" photo and no my hair is not purple. Not quite sure how that hue got injected into the photo but there it is.

Hope you're having a great October like we are!

M.I.A.

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 16:46:00 +0000

I was trying hard to be a good blogger, I really was. Then my Mom asked me if I wanted to go to Moab with her and my Dad. So yeah, we left for 4 days. We had a blast. But let me back up a bit.

My Dad got home from Afghanistan about 10 days ago. We were so excited to see him. I cried (and it reminded me we still have 4 months until my brother is out of harm's way. It seriously cannot come fast enough). Here's some pictures of our reunion:

Waiting patiently....

My niece sees him!

So a few days later my Dad wanted to go down to Moab to ride his dirt bike on some trails. Thus leaving my mom back at the hotel. So she asked me and the kids to go and keep her company. We had lots of fun. Moab is such an awesome town, I love it--and they put in a new (to me) pool and aquatic center. It was hands down the kids' favorite thing.

And the morning runs were my favorite thing:

We also made a stop at Arches on the way home, and my kids hiked the Upper Viewpoint to Delicate Arch. I was so proud! They kicked butt. (Delicate Arch is top middle in the below picture) Next time I hope the kids are older so I can take them all the way to it.

Double Arch

And finally, what happens when a toddler gets a hold of lipstick:

Thanks to my parents for including us, it was a great getaway.
I still want to finish detailing my Hawaii trip, so that is coming up. Aren't you so excited? It's the never ending travelogue. :)

Hawaiian Vacation: Day 4

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 17:24:00 +0000

I think Day 4 was when we were finally feeling the speed of the trip catch up with us. (seriously, how old am i???) It was also the day I was a complete idiot. More on that later. We started out in Kailua which is on the east side of the island. The drive to Kailua alone is amazing--those mountains are massive and so cool.

The beach is a bit windy, but gorgeous, and we barely got the last parking spot. White sand and clear blue water, it was awesome. We applied sunscreen as usual and here is the part where I am a complete idiot. I didn't apply anything to my face.....so, yeah. I had a lot of fun swimming and playing in the sand like a little kid.

Then we headed to a hike called Maunawili Falls. It is not a very well marked trail (to drive there or on the hike) so that is probably one of the things that made me nervous. If there hadn't been experienced people on the trail we would've had no idea which way to go in some spots. Besides that it is a beautiful hike--you feel like you are deep in the jungle. At least it's beautiful until you get there and some lady blows cigarette smoke at you. Arg. That was gross. Then we went into the falls and saw/smelled the people smoking weed. Lovely. For awhile there I felt like I had been planted into the teenager hangout of the island and I sooo did not fit in. I felt really old (again, what's up with me feeling old? I am not liking this pattern). Moving on, the falls are pretty cool but that water was FR-EEZING. We watched people jump for awhile and I was going to do it but chickened out. Next time I swear I will do it! Because I've decided there will be a next time.

The falls look tiny in the below pic, but they are bigger than they look.

Here is when my face started to feel like it had peeled off. And I looked like a freakin leather suitcase. It hurt.

We drove back over to Honolulu and stopped for dinner at Nico's at Pier 38. This place was delicious and of all the places I ate, I recommend this one the most. It is right on the pier and almost all of the food is fresh wild Hawaiian caught fish. I had fish tacos and passion fruit cheesecake for dessert, and my hubby got fish and chips. It was all outstanding.

That's pretty much it for Day 4!

My Little Scholar

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 02:46:00 +0000

We interrupt this ridiculously long trip updating to bring you photos of my baby girl. She started preschool this week and we did some photos to celebrate. Huge thanks to my friend Laura who took most of them, even though for some reason every time we tried to get baby girl to smile she gave us this weird full lipped pout. I have no idea where that came from.

Preschool is going great by the way. We are both ready for this transition. No tears from this mama and never has a child been so excited to attend school.

Hawaiian Vacation: Day 3

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 04:15:00 +0000

Day 3 was kind of a bust as far as beaches go. (But we were in Hawaii!! With no kids! So it's ok! Yes, this was my thought process the entire week.) My hubby had heard about a place called Electric Beach so we decided to try it out. Basically there is a power plant located nearby and it flows out clean warm water into the ocean through two giant pipes. The water is supposedly quite a few degrees warmer than the rest of the water, and thus it attracts lots of sea life. But we got there and it just looked a bit too advanced for us. Too many waves for snorkeling for me so we decided to head down to Ko Olina Beach Park. There are 4 man made lagoons in this area (Disney's Aulani is located on the third one--that place looks amazing!) and we hit the last one where the beach park is. But it was LAAAAME and really small. Every person in the water was doing their morning workout. My hubby got in and tried to snorkel but he kept getting in the way of everyone swimming or walking laps. It was kind of comical actually. :) So we decided to go clear back up to Haleiwa and checked out the town and beaches. We stopped at one beach park there and discovered it is very much for surfing--and thus, not really what we were going for. But I loved the town and it felt very authentically "Hawaiian" to me, and very much like a locals hangout.

Still beautiful of course! We watched the surfers for awhile then decided to go eat lunch at a place called Storto's, a local sandwich shop.

I loved the bread and the papaya dressing. We decided next to completely shift gears and headed to the Pearl Harbor monument. It's always a neat experience and very moving.

(I promise we really did take it seriously.)

Not sure why I look like an oompa loompa...

Did you know that the USS Arizona still leaks oil?

An actual anchor from the USS Arizona (I think that's where it was from but I could be wrong):

Sweet submarine:

While we were waiting for the ferry to take us over to the USS Arizona Memorial, we called the kids. It was our first phone call and hearing my two year old say "wuv you" got me quite choked up. It was really weird. It had been almost 3 days and we would have to remind ourselves about the kids. We would literally go hours without even thinking about them. Is that bad? I tried not to feel guilt about it and just chalked it up to the fact that I was having fun and knew that they were fine, but it was so weird to not even think about them for so long.
Next I wanted to work up a bit of a sweat so we headed to Diamond Head Crater. It is a short hike (only 1.6 miles round trip) but it is straight up hill at the end and can get a bit intense. I was quite proud of myself because I only got winded the last staircase. I have running to thank for my endurance and stamina. :) Anyway, my hubby complained almost the whole time but he did it! And it was hard! So I was proud of him. The view is spectacular, one of the best on the island. So worth the horrible staircases.

Three cheers for no makeup!

We made it!

We were pretty exhausted by the time we got down, so we drove in circles on Waikiki trying to find a place to eat, finally settling on the Hula Grill at another Outrigger Hotel. I got fish tacos and pineapple soda and they were pretty good. After dinner we walked along the beach with the sun down and my hubby bought me a lei. It was very sweet and romantic and another great day.

Not the greatest photo of Waikiki at night, but not bad for a cell phone pic.

Hawaiian Vacation: Day 2

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 15:25:00 +0000

Day 2 we were up bright and early and ready to hit the beach. And on our way to the car I nearly tripped over this puppy:

Yowser that thing was huge!

Before we left my sister in-law had given us 3 pages (typed!) of recommendations for beaches, hikes, restaurants and general directions. Taking it as an opportunity to not have to plan myself, we just took a few things from her list each day and tried them out (thanks Heidi!). After eating at McDonald's (lame I know, but we had no food and were in the ghetto that is Wahiawa) for breakfast we headed to Waimea Beach. When we arrived there was only a bunch of fisherman and an older couple we met from San Fran. By the time we left that beach was jam packed and there wasn't a place to park! So we made a mental note to be at the beaches early each day to get a good parking spot and a good beach spot.

Waimea was gorgeous and even though we didn't have any snorkel gear we saw some turtles swimming right up near the shore. We relaxed in the sand, swam a few times, and ate at the little food truck there. Nachos with blue cheese crumbles? Fancy!
A picture of the hot car for fun.

Next we headed across the street to the Waimea Valley botanical garden. We were not prepared for the price ($30 for the two of us? Ouch!) but it was beautiful and there were some really cool flowers and plants. Now be prepared for eight million pictures of said flowers and plants.

We hiked to the falls (only about 1 mile and on an easy peasy trail), swam in the water, and looked at the ancient Hawaiian artifacts.

That's my hubby up there! And below is the coolest tree I've ever seen.

And this tree, which I call Lord Voldemort's finger. Not sure what it actually is.

It was such a beautiful drive all around the island.

On the way home we stopped at the Dole Plantation. Had some yummy pineapple ice cream, looked at the beautiful gardens, fed some fish, posed in lame cutouts--you know, the touristy stuff.

Every day around this same time we would be so exhausted we were ready for bed (late afternoon it was like 10 PM to us). But we pressed on. We stopped on the way home to pick up food for breakfast for the remainder of our trip (since we had a full kitchen at the condo) and then went to dinner in Mililani. Went home and relaxed before an early bedtime (again!).

************************************************************************************

On a side note I wanted to give a shout out to our friends Tim and Laura. They are our old next door neighbors (and friends) and while we were gone it was the 2 year Angelversary of the passing of their daughter Mikayla. Just wanted them to know we were thinking about them that day in Hawaii, we will never forget her, and love you!

Hawaiian Vacation: Day 1

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 22:28:00 +0000

Dropping my kids off was pretty rough. I cried, I'll admit it. But I knew that they'd be ok with their grandmas and aunts taking care of them. And once we were in the airport, I was pretty giddy with excitement. We stopped off at Cafe Rio and had some lunch and I was instantly feeling the relief of not having to take care of 2 kidlets at every turn. Woo-hoo this is going to be a blast!

The flight was a long 6 hours but I read magazines, watched an in-flight movie--This Means War--and enjoyed some down time. We arrived in Honolulu at around 2:15 PM and after getting our one checked bag, took the shuttle to Thrifty Car Rental. I was surprising my hubby with a Mustang convertible and when the woman confirmed it with him he got the biggest grin on his face and was like "really? sweet". And seriously folks, knowing my hubby, that is him getting pretty dang excited. We got a 2013 cherry red Mustang and it was GORGEOUS. And I know he loved driving it.

We headed over to Waikiki and enjoyed figuring out where in the heck we were going. (Side Note: If you go on vacation and do not have a smart phone I do not know how you get around! The entire week we were there I would put in our destination and follow the step by step prompts, or just use the map and the little blue dot showing our current location. I always had the iPhone in my hand in the car and am so grateful that we had it) Aaanyway, we were both starving at this point, so we decided that we'd just have an early dinner then head to my brother's condo. We ate at the Shore Bird Restaurant located at the Outrigger Reef Hotel on Waikiki Beach. It is a BBQ style restaurant and we were sitting literally on the beach, it was gorgeous. I had never been to a BBQ style restaurant before but basically what it means: you cook your own food. They had a big salad bar which was good but my burger was kind of dry (sorry hon, I know you did your best!), the hub's steak was pretty good though. And of course the grilled pineapple was to die for. Then the cook told my hubby it came from California. Ok then.

Grilling some pineapple.

After dinner we walked around the shops on Lewers street and I was having fun window shopping. We ended up walking into this art gallery and saw some pieces by Peter Lik. They are massive, beautiful photography portraits and they totally draw you in.

But all of a sudden we had gotten sucked into this presentation about the art and they were showing us pieces from our home state and...ugh. I have no idea how that happened. The art was amazing, but like I have that much cash to drop. Anyway, the rule the rest of the trip was no more art galleries! Ever!

We were getting pretty tired by then so we decided to head up to Mililani where my brother and his wife's condo is. It was an easy drive and we literally crashed into bed the minute we got there. I think it was like 8 when we went to bed. HA! Losers. (Hey we were jet-lagged ok?) Plus waking up at 6 AM the next morning ready for the day wasn't too shabby.

Day 2 to follow....

Hawaiian Vacation: Preparation

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 16:22:00 +0000

Hard to believe that we are already home from a week in Hawaii. And funny how you instantly have to get back into the swing of things and then it's as if you never even went. Oh but it was fun while it lasted. I'm going to break down our trip into 2 day increments and tell you what we did...if only for my own sake of journaling. First I wanted to talk about what we did prior to the trip to get ready....and after thinking about it, it wasn't much! Since this was a trip for me and my hubby--and no kids--we knew we could just kind of wing it. My cousin asked me a few weeks before we left what we planned on doing and my response was, "Whatever the heck we want. Because we can!" And that was the truth.

We knew where we were staying: My brother and his wife's condo in Mililani.

We knew what we were driving: I got a sweet deal from Discount Hawaii Car Rental on a Mustang Convertible (or similar--oh how I hoped it was not something similar). It was a surprise for my hubby who thought we were getting a compact. This website was awesome and hooked us up-as in $300-$500 cheaper than what I was finding on all the travel/car rental websites! I highly recommend it and I am not getting paid or compensated in any way to say that. :)

We generally knew we were going to do certain touristy things: I have been to Oahu a couple of times but my hub had never been. So we got tickets to the PCC, we were going to hike Diamond Head Crater, snorkel at Hanauma Bay, etc. But we were also willing to add anything to the agenda at any time. For some reason that was one of my favorite things about this trip. It was EASY.

We knew what to pack. Sunscreen, sunscreen and more sunscreen (and yet I still got sunburned...I will never learn).

We had a big stash of cash for spending. Which probably is not the smartest thing to do but we did it anyway.

The night before our trip and I was totally not excited like I thought I would be. And I realized that was because I had never left my babies before. Ever. Not even for a night. I cried myself to sleep that night worrying constantly that they would wonder where we went, or not have fun, or not sleep well, etc., etc. Then the time to leave finally came!

Ready for the Beach

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 15:50:00 +0000

4 days until we head to paradise. EEEK!!!! Here are some of my favorites, ready to go with me.

Ready for the Beach by ambernicole-22 featuring norma kamali swimwear

Old Navy short sleeve shirt
oldnavy.gap.com

Norma kamali swimwear
net-a-porter.com

Sparkly shoes
payless.com

Revlon nivea lip care
amazon.com

Sun care
drugstore.com

Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games): Suzanne Collins:...
amazon.com

My Mini-Me and an Ice Cream Cone Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 22:55:00 +0000

Last week my daughter turned 4 years old. I was so excited all morning for her and kept calling her the birthday girl--even put sprinkles on her waffle.

Gotta love the expression. So all of a sudden she says to me, "Please stop saying it's my birthday." I was like ok whatever, I can play it cool. Then I suddenly had to laugh because that is exactly what I would say! Literally. I was kind of worried (not really worried, but you know concerned) that she wasn't going to enjoy her day. A few hours later she was talking about her party and excited so I was relieved to see that she was in fact still 4. Not on the verge of being in her mid 30's. :)

The day of her actual birthday we went to her restaurant of choice for dinner (McD's. Where else?) and then gave her her big gift.

Here it comes....

A new bike! She was so surprised. We kept asking her what she wanted for her birthday but she'd always say she didn't know. So we got to do whatever we wanted.

She loved it!

Then that weekend I did the most low-key (and easiest!) birthday party ever. We met all of our family at a park, let the kids play, and did cake and ice cream sundaes. It was a lot of fun and it felt great not to be worried about details, games, decor, etc. I need that once in awhile.

Dad brought her flowers on her birthday and I so wish this photo was focused right! Arg! Yes the hubby wears neon at work. He's so on trend. lol

Happy Birthday baby girl!

Summer 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 23:24:00 +0000

Hey all, how's your summer? We are having a blast. Instead of describing every detail I'll just share some pictures. Ok and a few details. We bought a small boat--it is so fun! Perfect for our little family. We took the kids on their first camping trip. It was a huge success! Even though it is a lot of work, I can't wait to go again.

Hope you're all soaking up the sun and enjoying the warm weather...I cry just thinking about winter. These are all from my Instagram account (ambermomof2 is my screen name, come and join me!).

Last Mother's Day my mom gave us tickets to Wicked for this month...and it finally came! It was so amazing, and fun to be with my mom and sister in-laws, who I love!

Winning Streak

noreply@blogger.com (Amber) — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 04:20:00 +0000

I do not know how people blog in the summer. It is so hard! I just can't force myself to do it. Despite battling some sicknesses, we're having a great time. Things are just generally going well and I'm happy about that. Could have something to do with what my hubby picked up a couple of weeks ago:

Sorry for the weird angle, but this double jogging stroller has joined our family and I have never been so happy about a kid toy in my life. Running again is pure bliss (and I lost 3 pounds last week so yippee!).
It could also have something to do with the fact that I keep winning things. I enter giveaways all. the. time. And lately I'm having a great winning streak. First it was a $50 gift card to Target from the blog eighteen25, then it was tickets to the Princess Festival from Mama's on a Dime, then I won a spot at the Frugality Boot Camp given by Jordan at FunCheaporFree.com, and today I won a Bon Ami cleaning kit from Paisley Boulevard. Time to enter the lottery right? Actually winning the lottery kinda scares me.
Anyway, I'm just really grateful for my little family and humbled by all that we are blessed with. Independence Day always brings these feelings out in me. We live in the greatest nation in the world. Hope you all have a great 4th.

My brother and dad meeting up for a bit in Afghanistan. Love my soldiers and can't wait for them to come home!