Earlier this week me and some of the mommies took our kiddos to a local attraction, Fairytale Town.  Which will forever now be known as GREATEST IDEA EVER.



My kid has a lot of energy.  And by a lot I mean A TON.  Like wear me down and make me want to take a nap.  We spent 2 and a half hours at Fairytale Town and my kid was in his stroller maybe 20 minutes.



The kids had such a fun time.  They ran here, there and everywhere.  Up the stairs, down the slide, on the grass, around the train.  And there was the mommies huffing along behind them!




I'm so grateful that the Boy has these friends.  He has so much fun with them.  And they help wear him out with is great for mommy.





Especially this one, his BFF.  These two slay me.  Their favorite thing to do is to get in a corner together and just laugh and laugh and laugh.  Who knows what they are laughing at but they think each other is the funniest person they have ever met.

NJ got married in January.  Less than a month later I had Jackson.    The week we came home she kept pestering me to come over one day and I kept telling her no because I was having a really bad new mommy day.

A few days later I finally let her in and she showed up with a bag in hand.  Inside the bag was the test results from the hospital confirming she was pregnant.  I cried.

She's my one of my nearest and dearest, my favorite margarita maker and my business partner.  And now she's a mommy.  But before that she was a really cute pregnant girl.  Thanks for letting me capture it.

I got my first job at 14.  I worked for a balloon company making fun little balloon bouquets.  I felt very important.  I've been working every year since then.  I worked part-time during high school, part-time during the college school year, full-time every college summer.  Basically I haven't had a summer off since I was 13.  Until this year.
This year I'm unemployed with a baby all my own.  We have been here, there and everywhere.  We've been to So Cal, the Bay Area and just about every corner of our hometown.  And I'm loving it.
I told my hubby the other day that I fully intended to take full advantage of this summer.  When will I ever have the chance again to just hang out with my friends, cuddle with my boy, work on my tan, take a nap in the middle of the day and visit my friends and family?  Probably never again I'm thinking.
So I'm going to enjoy this summer.  I'm going to soak up the sun and teach my boy to the love the water.  I'm going to spend leisurely days laughing with my friends and talking about absolutely nothing.  And I'm going to have lots of family dinners.  This might be my most favorite summer ever.

Right before Jackson was born I found a Mommy & Me class that was offered by my hospital.  I tucked the information away and thought I would possibly join up if I felt like I needed it.  Well, like any new, first-time mom I needed it.  And I have to admit that despite the fact that I'm fairly outgoing and friendly the thought of walking into a room of WOMEN that I didn't know was intimidating.  I didn't know what to expect.  Would they be all judgy like women can be?  Would it just be people that knew exactly what they were doing and I would look ridiculous?  Would I even LIKE any of them?


The first couple of weeks were a bit hard.  There was only one other girl who had a baby as young as Jackson and she had just started coming too.  All the other ladies had been there for awhile and seemed to have bonded.  But I was getting some good advice and I felt like I was around people that understood what I was going through so I stuck it out.  Best.  Decision.  Ever.


I really never expected that at this time in my life I would make friends that I think I will have for life.  It has been so amazing to have people that completely get what I'm going through because they are going through it too.  I have never been someone that just puts it all out there but with these ladies it has been so easy to do so.  When you are having one of those days where the baby won't stop crying and he won't sleep and you haven't showered and you think to yourself "I should just stay home and not go to Mommy & Me today", they know exactly what I'm feeling.  And if I decide to go after all that I sit with my friends and just vent and I leave there feeling 100% better.  We have lovingly dubbed it life vomit.


The past month has been rough with my grandma passing, my son growing and getting cranky about the whole thing and all the other things life has thrown at me.  These women have been so supportive of me and have been there for me.  And I just want to thank them.  So thank you Becky, Dara, Hannah, Jenica, Julie, Mary, and Megan.  It has meant the world to me.  I'm so thankful for each of you.

Happy birthday to my old Roomie. Girl, you will always be the one that got me off the couch. And for that I'm forever grateful. Thanks for all the laughs and the hugs and the crying on each other's shoulders. Happy birthday dear friend.

Growing up my family moved around a lot.  Changed schools, houses, etc.  I was never really in place long enough to make and keep good friends.  When I was 13 we left LA where we had lived for 8 years and moved to the Bay Area.  In the middle of the school year.  Needless to say this was not a fun time for me.  On my first day at my new junior high I met this girl.  She was the shortest person I knew but was bigger than life.  She was funny and loud and refused to not let you be her friend.  I was shy and nervous and she stuck to my side and introduced me to everyone and pulled me right into her circle.  The first words out of her mouth to me were, "Hey!  You're Bree that Christian girl!  I'm Silvia!".  And from that moment she has been my best girl.

Silvia and I actually only went to school together for half of 8th grade and all of 9th grade.  But then we moved again and I changed schools again.  But it didn't matter.  In a way that I never imagined someone could she stuck.  We still saw each other and kept in touch all through high school.  Then college came and she went to San Diego and I went to Tennessee and we were separated by 3000 miles.  And again, no change.  She is one of those friends that I may not have talked to every week but everytime we talked it was like we had spoken just five minutes ago.  Every summer when we came home from school we would see each other.  And when I stayed in TN after college she came and visited me and we took a little road trip to VA.  Even after I moved back to CA and I moved to Sacramento and she moved to Fresno will always made the effort to see each other and spend time together. 

Silvia has been the most consistent friend that I have had ever.  In my entire life.  She knows my secrets and loves me still.  At a time when I needed her the most she dropped everything and came right to my side to just be there for me.  We have seen each other through the worst break-ups and fall outs with friends to the happiest days of our lives.

My girl is moving to Philly.  In fact she landed there early this morning.  She got an incredible job offer and she took it.  She is going to be amazing.  She is going to rock it.  But I'm sure going to miss her.  I know that distance won't change anything after 20 years of friendship but still I miss her already. 

Silvia, I'm so proud of you.  I'm proud to be your friend and so very grateful that you "stuck".  My life wouldn't have boring with you.  I love you and miss you and know you are going to rock!

I consider myself a good friend. A very good friend. I think that those who know me well would agree. I'm usually everybody's sounding board, the one you come to for advice or if you just need somebody to listen. I work hard to maintain my friendship's and keep in touch with people. I have a lot of acquaintances but I have a handful of REALLY GOOD friends. And it seems to me that suddenly, without any warning, that circle is decreasing. And for the life of me I don't know WHY.

There are a few people whom I have developed very fun friendships with over the last year. We were brought together by life's circumstances and just really hit it off. I didn't think they were superficial friendships. We hung out, we did stuff, we emailed, talked on the phone. I got to know them, they got to know me. We were friends. But suddenly we aren't. Calls aren't returned, emails ignored, texts not responded to. Is it because I'm suddenly not able to party with you? Because that's when it seemed to start. So is our friendship based on a glass of wine? If so I seriously misjudged the situation.

There are other friends that I was really worried about telling I was pregnant. Because knowing how they are I really thought it would change them. NOT ME. Them. Does being pregnant change certain things, yes. But not who I am fundamentally. I'm still the same girl that has spent countless hours listening to you and being there for you. I still WANT to be there for you. And I want to share this with you. I don't sugar coat anything so I want to share all the nitty gritty with you if you want it! Just because we aren't in the exact same place in our lives doesn't change my feelings for you or our friendship. Just as me getting married didn't! Your fear changed our friendship not me!

And then there are those who have simply decided they are too busy for me. Ouch. I'm busy too. I work too. I do most of the same things you do. But I'm still trying. I'm still reaching out. What's your excuse? No one has stepped up to tell me if I have done something wrong. I'm not aware of it if I did. If I did know about it I would apologize. I don't want to lose friends. I love my friends. You mean the world to me.

It is hurtful. Here I am going through the biggest thing that has ever happened to me and to feel rejected hurts even more now. Especially because I DON'T KNOW WHAT I DID.

I am not going to belittle what some of my friends have done. Some of you have become even better than I ever imagined (I'm looking at you TU). And I'm so, so thankful for you. I want you to know that. But when people walk away from you with no rhyme or reason or explanation it just hurts.

This year Hubby and I got to attend Steve & Jen's annual Crawfish Boil. Steve is from Louisiana and does this ever year but I've never been able to attend and Hubby has attended in years. Steve had about 150 pounds of live fish flown in and cooked them on the spot. They were good little suckers.



It was a nice afternoon for us. We got to hang out with friends that we hadn't seen in awhile. It seems that ever since we moved back to the year we (meaning ME really) have been doing nothing but running and that does leave too much time for socializing!


There were 5 or 6 of us couples that all got married in the same year and so far since our weddings 2 of the couple's have had a baby and another couple has one on the way. Rheanna is the newest addition and goodness I want to eat her up. She is still so little so she is in the perfectly moldable baby stage. You can put her any which way you want her and she just curls up and goes to sleep. I even made Hubby get in some practice on the handling of a baby. It's been 20 years since he had a baby! He did a good job though! And Steve and Jen's little munchkin Cooper is SUCH a lovebug! He was so good all day, just hang out and watched every body. He has the most squeezeable cheecks too. I just want to nom on them.



It really was one of the most relaxing days I've had in a long while with good friends and good food. Hubby and I both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and hope that it won't be quite as long before we get to see our friends again. Thanks to Steve and Jen for letting us all crash your house!