natural disasters

our first four months here in la have been great. we've really gotten settled into our house. i've met several other moms who get together with and without the kids. i know my neighborhood pretty well. i mean, there's still lots more to learn but we love it here so far.

i must admit that i didn't expect to get indoctrinated into socal natural disasters so soon. two weeks after we moved here we experienced a 4.5 earthquake and now there are wild fires everywhere! (ok - not anymore but I drafted this post and have finally gotten back to it) well by everywhere, i mean in the forests. i now totally get the smoky the bear commercials from growing up. i thought fire fighters in nj/ny we're great but the firefighters here are amazing. i mean really, right now, there is a huge - huge - like 20,000 acre fire burning in the angeles national forest, about 14 miles north of us, and it's about 100 degrees here at our house! i've become obsessed with this fire. here are some pictures taken from our deck to prove it. btw - all is fine now but it sure was crazy for a while!

be still my heart....

cash was real fussy today. he just might be cutting his eighth tooth - that's right - i said eighth! poor little thing. but let me tell you what...he said mama today to me for the first time! oh it was so sweet. he crawled up to me crying, stood up against my legs, held his arms up and said mama! he's got me right where he wants me.

i love my pool

cash has been into this one for a while and it's still funny everytime...

i'm trying to sit down!

while cash is now an expert he did have to learn how to sit down after standing....enjoy...

amy's playground

cashel and i spent a big part of today in pasadena. my plan was to run some errands but at the last minute i decided against that and took cash to an indoor playground called "amy's playground." it was great! he had such a good time crawling around and it was super easy for me to just let him go since i didn't have to worry about him shoving grass or dirt or things of that sort in his mouth! i did supervise, of course and he took a snoring nap afterward! we're thinking about going back tomorrow and i could kick myself for not discovering this earlier! oh well...enjoy the pics of cashel in action!

technical difficulties

jason and i are having trouble getting our computer to read our camera so we can download the latest videos of cash. as soon as we get this problem solved i have the cutest video of cash trying to sit down. stay tuned...

a little stream of consciousness

i'm going back to work soon. i'm excited. i'm not excited. i'm torn. i am happy that i'll be bringing home a paycheck because although jason never says it, i'm sure he feels a great pressure to be the sole breadwinner in the family. i'm happy to contribute to that. i'm super happy i've had 9 months home with my little one and by the time he's in daycare he'll be two days from being 10 months old. it's a good age for him to be with other babies although i think he'll just use the other babies as props to pull up on and lean on. i can't believe it's been 9 months! it goes way to fast which is why i'm sitting down right after this to work on his baby book. we had his 9 month pediatrician appointment yesterday. this kid is 20 pounds 11 ounces and 29 inches long! i look at him everyday and am amazed at how fast he's grown. i'm amazed at how much jason and i have changed because of him. i truly can't remember life before him anymore and i'm ok with that.

surprise!

at 10am on friday, july 24th, i strapped cash into his car seat and headed to the burbank airport to pick up our friend matt grimm......or so i thought!

on my way there, matt called to say that he had just landed and that he just needed to grab a sandwich and he would meet me outside. ok, i said. no big deal, i'll be there in less than 10 minutes. as i approached the airport my phone rang. it was april.

april: Hey, what are you doing?

robin: oh, just picking up matt from the airport.

april: oh, that's nice of you. how do you know how to find someone if you're not coming in to the airport?

robin: you just drive around and call each other and finally meet up (me thinking...that's a silly question april. you're a smart girl but whatever...i always answer april's questions, no matter how silly i think they are"

april: hey, if we were together right now we could go have lunch.

robin: yea - that would be so nice!

april: ok then, come pick me up.

robin: what?

april: come pick me up.

robin: what are you talking about?

april: robin, what would you say if i told you i got up at 4:3o this morning and took an early flight out here to see you?

robin: i'd say you're awesome.

april: so come pick me up. robin, you're not picking up matt from the airport. i'm here and i just saw you pass me a few minutes ago!

needless to say, i was stunned and perplexed and super happy! We had a great 4 days together and below are some pictures!

april in her most natural setting...with a book

venice beach

venice beach

hollywood walk of fame....rip michael jackson

this beer is as big as april's head

my bff