I, Me Watch Elmo!

Dear Junebug,

It's so fun watching you trying to master the whole language thing. Clearly you are very anxious to talk and express yourself. You've always had a great vocabulary but grammar and sentence structure, not so much, atleast not yet. My favorite is when you say things like, "I, Me watch Elmo" translation: I'm going to watch Elmo. OR my other favorite, "I, Me carry you" translation: "Carry Me"... I guess derived from when people say, "I'm going to carry you". Either way, I'm not bothered. I actually like it and encourage it. I'm sure that's not the right thing to do as a "Good Mommy" but it's okay. You're going to have the rest of your life to speak correctly. So for now, "I, Me talk like a baby".

XO

Mommy

Mommy! You Have Beautiful Baby-suit!

Dear Junebug,

It finally happened... you said your first sentence! We were swimming in Ruby's pool and you just looked at me and said, "Mommy! You Have Beautiful Baby-suit!"... I can't believe your first sentence was a compliment for ME! I will never forget it. And please don't ever learn how to say bathing suit. I LIKE BABY-SUIT!

XO

Mommy

Mommy Tips: The Miracle Suit!

So the tag said: Look 10 pounds lighter in 10 seconds and I said where do I pay?! With Summer here and no time to lose that last little bit of baby weight that won't go away, this is the PERFECT situation. They're not cheap but they're worth it. You can find them anywhere from Nordstrom to www.zappos.com. I attached the two styles I bought here but there are a million more to chose from. I feel so much more comfortable in this suit and yes, I'm in a "mom" suit! Oh, well... it looks GOOD!

Sunday Afternoons with Grandma and Grandpa

Dear Junebug,

Stay close to your Grandma Helene and Grandpa "Apa" Enrique because they'll teach you a lot of valuable things in life. Most importantly, they'll tell you about having faith in God and they'll make sure you appreciate the simple things in life. We are so lucky to get to spend most Sunday afternoons with them. They take you to so many fun places. You especially love Descanso Gardens where you can see ducks, fish and flowers and play in the fountain. Maybe someday you'll share with me what "Apa" told you under that big gigantic tree!

XO

Mommy

Hipstamatic Photo of the Day

When Before Meets After: Orchid Edition

What can I say? I'm the orchid whisperer... for real! Look at this before and after? My orchids are lasting anywhere from 6 months to a year now and the time that they go from nothing to full bloom is so rewarding. Sure, I can go buy a new orchid after it blooms but I wouldn't have this awesome "Before Meets After" to share with the world... Yes, I'm hooked on HGTV too.

Orchid Tips:

1. Keep them in a bright room but not in direct sunlight

2. Give them one ice cube a day

3. Be patient; don't give up

Mommy, will you accept this rose?

Dear Junebug,

We had such a lovely Mother's Day brunch with you and Ruby. How can one Mommy get so lucky?

XO

Me

Mother's Day Tradition

Dear Junebug,

Every year you've given me a pair of Prada flats for Mother's Day. I like this tradition. And I'm excited because I've been coveting those striped ones for quite some time! Well done!

XO

Mommy

Mommy Tips: Puzzle Organization

I can't stand having puzzles around with missing pieces. It became increasingly hard to find a place to store the puzzles in a way that didn't scatter the pieces everywhere so I think I came up with a good solution. I got this canvas picnic basket from Michael's for $15, took the puzzle pieces and put them into ziplocs; labeled them with a black sharpie and done. This also makes all the puzzles mobile to any room in the house. I'm really happy with the results!