Just catching up

Our lives have been a little out of control lately, and I have had no strength to update the blog... which I am really sad about- because I don't do journals, so this is it.

Here is what has happened:

1. Both of our inlaws came into town! It was so fun to have them here- we definitely feel lonely sometimes, so it is nice to feel the support of family when they come.

2. A little mouse moved into our apartment and we have been trying to catch it. Last night, I saw it, and we pushed it outside with a broom! No killing involved :)

3. I have been inundated with photo shoots which I am so excited about, but trying to catch up. I have to update the photo blog for the past recent three shoots, but here is what I have been up to: www.alieleeflang.com or www.alieleeflangphotography.blogspot.com

4. The insulation at our house is done, and we are starting the sheet rock. It is the most painfully slow process on this earth, and I have decided that whoever thinks of a better way to do it will be a billionaire.

5. We both got the flu this weekend, missed a party we wanted to go to, and have been trying to get better.

YAY!

Lemos Farm

Maddie and I went to Lemos Farm yesterday- the cutest little "play farm" on the way to Half Moon Bay. They have pony rides, pumpkin patches, train and hay rides, jump houses.... it was awesome. It definitely got me in the spirit to start making some pumpkin pie. YUM.

This was our first hay ride together. (I've never been on a hay ride I think?)

Feeding the goats. She tried to feed the chickens earlier, but found out that they aren't as friendly... of course the chicken tried to bite her finger...

Their best side!

Waiting around for the next cool thing to do.

This little girl has no fear. She wasn't scared at all to get on the ponies- but instead wanted to keep riding and riding them.

The little cowgirl.

I found the most unique pumpkin to bring home. Grumpy face and all.

Her little friend and Maddie on the hayride.

YAY for Lemos Farm!

The weekend update

This weekend, we hung around the house and took pictures of the progress thus far. I brought a pumpkin along to entertain Maddie and get in the spirit for Halloween. So fun! I think I could carve pumpkins all afternoon.

For a toddler who has an attention span of 1 minute, she definitely loved putting her hands in the sticky/slimey pumpkin...

She put on it's "hat."

The update on the house:

YAY! It's weatherproof :) The siding is finally done!!!! WHOHOOO.


This is the left side of the house. We poured concrete for a little vegetable/fruit garden for the side of the house. Steve surprised me by planting flowers a couple of weeks ago... (so sweet).

Whenever we visit, we always water the flowers.

This is the back of the house. We are trying to save money (well, what money?!), so we didn't pour the back cement yet... but it's going to be cool when it's done. Even though we don't have a lot of space, there will be a sitting wall, a sand area for the kids, a b-bque area, a little grass area, orange and lemon trees... we are excited to make it our little sanctuary.


This is the view from the corner.

The front. A couple of weeks ago, we had the brick work done on the entrance and we were really happy about how homey it looked. There will also be a brick walkway (but, again, trying to save money).

So, this garage is huge. 12 feet high? I'm not really sure- but a regular garage door won't work, and the one Steve wants is too expensive. So- he built this temporary enclosure until we have enough to buy the one we want. He built this in 2 hours? Not too bad!

We left the pumpkin on the porch to scare away those evil spirits!!

My Neighbor Totoro

I'm often behind the "cool stuff," but just in case you haven't heard about this movie- I think it may simply be the best cartoon/childrens movie I have ever seen. The movie was originally released in 1988 in Japan and is directed by Hayao Miyazaki, but it was rereleased by Disney in 2006 with English language tracks with the two main characters voices of Dakota and Elle Fanning.

It is nothing like the American cartons we see-- it's a lot slower paced, actually has a thoughtful storyline and is so creative. Maddie immediately loved it and is somewhat addicted to it (not a great thing), but it is definitely a family favorite.

Also- for those who have girls, it is nice to see a movie with strong female characters that they can relate to. (Doesn't it seem like every Disney movie released is very boy oriented, fast action scenes?) I'm sure that little boys will also love this movie-- it is adorable.

Breathe

Okay, now I'm going to be honest... (this is for my future posterity so they know that they can be human too... please don't feel sorry for me!!).

About once every week, I melt down. Probably because Steve is never home, I'm tired, and I need a break. Of course, this is not normal, but when your husband is building a house with a full time job and enormous church commitments, on top of everything else, I am happy that I'm not in a white jacket :)

Of course, there are people that are obviously worse off than me- and I'm so greatful for what I have, but life aint so easy all the time. I listened to a NPR special of a mom who basically is raising her family by herself, and has given birth to two children alone, while her husband is fighting overseas? Yikes. This is the story that makes me keep on going. But... on the days that I can't, I melt.

Today was one of those days, and Steve stayed home for the night. Maddie went swimming with him- so it was nice to just sit out on the lawnchairs and watch them play. Breathe.

Luckily, I really love my job and have been doing a lot of photoshoots recently, so these are great escapes... but still add to tiredness. I can't wait until the day that we all have robots in our homes like the Jetsons. That would be awesome and I guarantee you I will be first in line.

Here are the adorable pictures in the pool of the two loves of my life:

A can't resist

If you haven't seen the Saturday Night Live skit of Sara P and Hillary C- you have to check it out. Hilarious.

http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/palin-hillary-open/656281/

A day in the life

of Maddie:

1- Play with soap. Scrub it in the spunge, and help clean up (or is it the other way around?) Spread water everywhere. This will keep her entertained for quite a long time.

2. Take a long nap (I love how I can count on about 1.5-2 hours each day). She wakes up so refreshed, and so am I (after getting stuff done).

3. Play outside. Almost everyday, we go somewhere because our little apartment is just a little too dreary. Our favorite parks involve 1) water, 2) sand, 3) swings, or 4) animals. And, we love to go with friends of course. Here are a couple of shots this week:

We loved to go to this park with a stream, but it's dried up. We searched the river bed with her little friend instead of playing in the water...

My friend introduced me to another great park this week- and I just love these photos:

Life is wonderful if you appreciate the simple things in life.