Liner Notes 1/9

A lot went down this week so allow me a moment to untangle the past seven days and write about them coherently. In the meantime, here are some pictures of Bo and Revi who will be a whopping ONE -THIRD OLD this weekend.

Bo's hair seems to be getting lighter and Revi looks like she may end up with curls like her Auntie Roo...

They are a full size apart, Boheme already wearing 6-12 month clothes while Revi's still rocking 3-6. Bo continues to be a challenge and looking through photos I'm starting to realize how many more there are of Bo because she's always. with. me. I'm making an effort to wean her off and out of mom-mania-mode but I'm not getting very far. I pick up Revi, Bo screams, I put Revi down, grab Bo (screaming stops) and four hundred pictures later...

Lately, the only way to spend alone time with Reverie is to take her out with me on errands. Every few days we go on Mommy-Rev dates where we can hang just the two of us, at Target or wherever and I can catch up with her on the latest goss, share secrets, rock out to the 90's satellite radio station and just. be. together.

And when we come home? Bo's waiting, screaming her little head off, stopping instantly when I take her back.

Sigh.

I started looking at houses this week and of course, fell madly in love with the first home I saw because I am impossibly emotional and also a sucker for Spanish tile and stained glass. And also because house hunting is overwhelming and my soul is a delicate flower.

I called Hal crying from the car. BECAUSE OH GOD, THE WOODEN BEAMS! THE HAND-PAINTED DOORS! So what if there's a large skyscraper in the front of the house?

"...This is our home!" I said sobbing.

"Bec. You said that about the last house you saw."

"But this one REALLY is our house!"

Hal thinks I'm the Woolf who cries Wolf but COME ON, look at these details. They are STUNNING:

Hal begged to differ.

Unfortunately, even with it being a buyer's market we cannot afford a home in our neighborhood (unless it's a fixer). So we're looking at homes that need work in our zip code and homes that are finished in other neighborhoods.

I've already seen one of each (both 1920's Spanish) and am leaning toward the "different neighborhood" scenario only because I'm not the fixer-upper type. Renovation scares me. Especially with four kids. Don't get me wrong, I love WATCHING renovations take place but dealing with them sounds... slightly terrifying,

***

I spent a good chunk of the week packing for our weekend sojourn to Santa Barbara. We left Friday evening, during rush hour because we are masochists. Just before leaving, Fable took to the floor with her markers and began drawing madly.

"Fable, come on let's go. You can finish that when we get back."

"No! I have to finish it before we leave!"

"But why?"

"Because I'm drawing it to bring to Santa."

Santa. As in Santa Barbara. Fable thought... yeah.

We spent the weekend in Santa Barbara the six of us. I contribute to The Four Seasons' family blog so was able to take my family on a weekend trip to their Santa Barbara location. Unfortunately, a vacation with four small children, two of them being infants isn't much of one, no matter how beautiful the grounds.

After three hours of screaming-in-car-in-traffic-me-with-both-pacifiers-trying-to-calm-both-babies-behind-me, we finally arrived in our room where we (for the most part) stayed put for 36 hours, unable to rally the troops between feedings/poop explosions. And then there was the whole, all-of-us-in-one-room-no-sleep-for-any-of-us scenario...

This is what pretty much all of my photos from the trip look like:

And this:

We did leave the hotel room (once!) and managed to make it to our very first out-to-lunch outing as family of six about a mile up the road from our hotel.

On the way home to LA, we decided to stop for lunch in Malibu. I stayed in the car to feed Boheme while Hal and the other kids went to find a table. The day took a turn when I realized Bo had peed (and pooped) through her clothes, all over her carseat and Hal was in the restaurant with my diaper bag and cell phone so I had to take apart the trunk with a crying/naked baby in front of a restaurant valet line all while my car was being waited on so the valet could move my car...

"Ma'am, we're waiting."

"SIR! I AM COVERED IN POOP!"

It was a baaaaaaaad time. One of my least favorite moments everever. But of course, as all moments do, it ended and ten minutes later Bo was fed, clean, my car was moved and all was once again right and fine in the world... until I walked into the restaurant. There below was Hal trying to break up a fight between Archer and Fable as Revi looked on. I arrived just in time for Rev to excrete an explosive poop all her own. As Hal worked on separating Archer and Fable, I tucked Bo in the Ergo, whisked Revi over my shoulder and hauled ass into the restaurant bathroom where I waited for ten minutes with two babies on my person. Because (of course) the ONE bathroom stall with a changing table was occupied by a the ONE woman in the bathroom who wasn't even USING the bathroom but rather making herself at home a la trying on several outfits whilst humming show tunes.

And so. Because, duh frustration, I cried.

When I returned to the table with the babies, Archer was hunched over on his side of the booth.

"I feel like I'm going to throw up..."

Check please.

... And all the way home, the babies screamed. SCREAMED.

Stopping off in Malibu for lunch = Never again.

Later that night, as Hal and I sat down on the couch with the babies, both of us still recovering from the day's events, Bo and Rev made each other laugh for the first time. It started with them facing one another, cooing, babbling and then, Revi smiled. Bo smiled back and giggled. Revi giggled. Bo's giggle turned into a laugh and then Revi joined her, their little voices in joyful duet.

"This is definitely one of the greatest moments ever," Hal said.

It was.

And once again, because duh perfection, I cried.

GGC