Puddle jumpers

Are these Joe Fresh baby rain boots not the most amazing things you have ever seen????

And at $12 SO affordable. 

Too bad they don't offer online shopping. Maybe I should call one of their New York locations to see if they would send me a pair!

Sarah G. MUST photograph Cruz in these. 

Oh and check out the baby girl version. 

OMG, right?

Mama R and her babes

The other month Nick and I noticed a Robin's nest slowly appearing on top of the electric box in the back yard. 

It kept getting bigger and bigger to where one day it was all done and a beautiful red chested Robin sat atop. 

Liam's rowdy Frisbee play every evening with dad usually chases the poor Robin away so I figured it was the perfect opportunity to grab a chair and see if anything was actually in there. 

Low and behold. 4 beautiful blue Robin eggs.  

That was a week ago. 

Blog surfing and Wikipedia told me to expect a hatching in 10-14 days. Knowing my Robin mama had already laid her eggs by the time we snapped this pic, I figured I would watch my mama bird closely and that her due date was days away. 

Honestly, you should just call me Dr. Salzwedel: Robin nest/egg/hatch expert because my research proved me right on (I even know that it takes 180 trips to build a nest and when the babes hatch, 35 trips a day to feed their growing appetite).

Yesterday mama R was not her usual self. Acting particular and sticking VERY close to home. 

Today??

Mama was no where to be seen all afternoon! Well, now I know she was off catching worms because up popped two yellow beaks!!!

Thrilled - screaming OMG to Cruz, who could have cared less, I grabbed a chair and snapped these pics. My new baby Robins!

4 perfectly healthy newborn baby Robins!

Oh how I love them so. 

Both mom and dad have been seen taking turns feeding the babes worms and other bugs so I know they are being well taken care of.  I read they like tomatoes so I left some in the grass below the nest just in case finding food seemed too much of a chore for my new Robin mom. 

It's said that 14 days from now is when they are expected to leave the nest so in the meantime I will watch over my Robin family and protect them from any wild blue jay or killer hawk that may come to cause harm.

Oh and take more pictures.

And update Nick 5 times a day about their progress.

Seriously though. Pretty cool, huh? 

A post about being a mother

Mrs. Shogun was my 7th grade home ec teacher at Evergreen Jr. High. Among sewing boxer shorts, cooking stir-fry and learning about her sex life (how it is nothing like the movies where actresses have perfect make-up and hair and aren't profusely sweating) we got to experience having a baby. A flour baby. 

I ended up drawing a 5lb baby boy (fitting right??) who I named Skyler Blake. I wasn't as excited as my friends were about carrying baby Skyler around with me everywhere I went for one week. While my friends had sleepovers to decorate baby books, design flour baby specific outfits and create a birth certificate, Skyler and I just chilled. He quietly sat beside me in class, accompanied me by way of my left hip to tennis practice, choir then all the way to Sumner Lane for the night until we did it again the next day. 

There was this one moment, with Skyler, where we ran into Mrs. Shogun in the hallway on our way to the admin office. She looked at me and only as a mother could said, "You are a natural, Ashley. I can tell you will be a wonderful mother someday."

Me, a mother?

Wow. Someone saw it in me. Beyond the decorated birth certificate, outlandish homemade baby outfits and over designed baby book. I didn't need to be obsessed to be a good mom. 

And looking back on my whole experience? That is how Cruz and are I now. 

We read books, take walks in the backyard, chase each other around the house and when it's time to go all I have to do is jingle my keys and he comes running over to grab my hand. He just wants to go where I go. 

Being a mother hasn't been a life long dream for me but now that I have Cruz and I get to experience his love everyday, I can't imagine living my life any different. 

****************

This mom's day was wonderful. 

Nick hit a home run when he very covertly placed 25 post-it notes all around the house. Signed from him and Cruz, each one read why he and or Cruz was thankful for me. He ended the treasure hunt by handing me the sweetest card which contained a well thought out date night. He even had Cruz color me a picture! So perfect!

We ended the evening by celebrating with my two favorite moms and being treated to an outstanding meal by our men. 

 

Again, so perfect. 

I am blessed and very thankful to be Cruz's mom. 

Gold, gold and more gold!

These days, I can't get enough gold. I mean seriously. It is so bad that last night when I asked Nick to quickly name my favorite color for 100 pts. as if we were on the Newlywed Game, he actually GOT IT RIGHT. I was seriously impressed.

A couple of weekends ago, I was in Portland visiting family when I was able to sneak away for a few hours to visit my friend Erin. After seeing her new house in Vancouver, we drove up to Washington Square to see her brand new store (Buckle) and sneak in a tiny bit of shopping. After hitting up H&M baby, we went into Lush...I will give you two guesses what caught my eye first. DUHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh an orange bath bomb SLATHERED in gold glitter.

You better believe the FIRST thing I did when I got home was to bathe in the stuff. Heavenly. In fact I pray nightly that God makes my Heaven house solely out of gold glitter.

Anyway I am loving gold so much I am trying to convince my husband to allow me to name our twin daughter #2 Promise Gold...to go along with PVS of course.

I know, I am totally bizarre. My mind often takes me to places where I am naming twin girls. Sometimes I name twin boys but usually its just twin girls.

Well. Now that you think I am totally crazy, let me show you the GOLD I am OBSESSINGGGGGGGG over lately.

1. Gold Flatware from West Elm 

Uhhhhhhh. I am dying. I have got to have 10 sets immediately. Who doesn't want to eat their mac and cheese with a gold fork. Come on.

2.  Sperry Top-Sider Bahama Sequined Boat Shoe

God bless you Sperry! You created a gold sequenced boat shoe. 

Now while the sequences in this pic look silver, I assure you they are not. Totally gold and totally over the top amazing. 

3. Electric Lilac nursery by Lay Baby Lay

OMGGGGGGGGGGggg. Here I go again with my fake daughter's nursery but this is it should she become a reality. 

Can you even handle it? My favorite thing? The gold Moroccan pouf, the gold lamp and the most perfect gold light fixture ever. I must say...I do quite love that plum painting. Remember? Plum was on my list...Promise Plum?! Hmmmm.

Nick might want to supervise me if given the chance to recreate this room in our house...baby daughter's crib could get a nice shot of metallic gold spray paint if left up to me. 

4. The Collector's Charm from Anthropologie

I totally scored a C at Anthro in Scottsdale last weekend. It was one of those had to moments. I promise you it would have haunted me long after landing at GEG had I not. 

Want to know what's really bad? I got a P too. For baby girl.

Then the next day I went back - cause what if we have a baby boy - and picked up a B. 

Yes..I think we have decided on a name. BAS. 

Lundbergs: We took your suggestion. Jaboney "Boney" Salzwedel, it is. 

Kidding.

The C is attached to this chunky chain only in gold and the P and B are waiting on my windowsill to be used. 

5.. Not as specific....

This gold arm.

And this gold arm. 

And this gold faucet for my new kitchen.

And gold nail polish. 

You go, Katie Holmes. 

I could go on but I am meeting Kelly at the gym at 6 am tomorrow morning. Need my sleep. 

Until these eyes close for good, I will be surfing the w.w.w on my blindingly gold and hot pink covered iPad waiting for a friend to have her baby. What's the big deal? They have kept the baby name a surprise. You know how much of a sucker I am for a good baby name.

xo

Yeah, it's been a while

Hello, again.

Forgive me for my lack of posts last week - a lot went on.

Like a. THE FUSSIEST baby on the whole planet decided Monday to start cutting his molars! It hasn't been unbearable (thanks to his necklace) but it has been a touch frustrating. No amount of Tylenol seemed to help. An entire thing of nighttime Baby Orajel did no good. Only OD'ing (not really) on Hylands Teething Tablets stopped my baby from nearly biting through every binkie, sippy, foam letter, and Sophie the Giraffe he could get his sore red gums on.

Thank the Good Lord he is the CUTEST man (besides his daddy) on the face of this planet! Can't keep my bloody hands and lips off the poor guy.

b. To continue the celebration of my mama's birthday, we left the babes with the dads and hopped a plane Thursday afternoon to Phoenix. Agenda: sun, talk, shop, eat, drink, talk, sun, sun, talk, sun, shop and talk. We managed to check every one of those "must dos" off our list and then some. It isn't that often my mom, sis and I just get to be together. Alone together. So to be able to leave our families behind and have the support to go away for a whole weekend isn't just a blessing it is like the first drink of water after being stranded on tall mountain for 40 days.

These two definitely make my favorite people list. In fact they are at the top.

So now that we have that out of the way I can forge ahead with my new material. What is that you say? Mother's Day, thoughts on Gay Marriage, Social Security's most popular baby names, Match.com, and house plans. 

PS: Thanks to my amazing husby for gladly shooing me away to AZ so I could come back a better wife and mom. I love and appreciate you, Nick!

PPS: Sandi, if you are reading this, your cupcakes are better than Sprinkles. Seriously. 

Life lately, according to iPhone pics

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today my mama is another year older wiser, more beautiful, more confident, more bold. 

Two years ago I had to write an essay to accompany my application for a spot in a prestigious leadership seminar. While I was ultimately accepted into the 2010 class what I was most proud of was my essay. 

So in an effort to honor my mother on the day of her birth, allow me to share with you part of the essay. I had to answer this question: who has been influential in your life?

My mom Yolanda has the most beautiful green eyes I have ever seen. See, typically you would think it was ordinary but my mom is far from ordinary.

Her parents are Hispanic in decent so my mom has very dark hair and very tan skin. Now – getting the whole picture I hope you can imagine just how remarkable her green eyes are. If faced with the task of picking out my mom in a lineup of eyes – I know I could pick her out in less than 20 seconds. I have always seen those eyes.

I would classify us as best friends and it started when I was young. The thing I am most thankful for is that she was always first my mom. It wasn't until I was in high school that she became my best friend. By then I knew what was expected of me, I knew my boundaries and I had a foundation – something she had planned for me before I was ever created.

The reason she has been so influential in my life is because she was a mother to me in a way I needed. She taught me how to celebrate others, how to be thankful always, how to appreciate those around me, how to be kind, how to ask ONE MILLION questions... It was after all of this that she then grew into my dearest friend. No doubt I am a unique creature and she was able to understand my most inner workings and raise me to be a self-respecting, women of God who cherishes deep friendships, loves others (sometimes to a fault) and is loyal to the core.

So to me, those green eyes represent a mom who was there, who was present and who so loved a daughter who wasn't the star athlete or the beauty queen - although I sure tried - but who was uniquely Ashley.

If God blesses me with a daughter I can only hope to be the type of mother my mom was to me to her.

Happy Birthday, Mom. 

You are truly one of my all time favorite people ever. A killer mimi, a wonderful support and a really great friend. Thank for you always being there and for being someone I know I can always count on. 

Most important - thank you for setting the bar quite high in the mom department. I have BIG shoes to fill.

I love you.

Quote of my right now

Oh how this is hitting home right now. Hard. Like right in my left temple.

It is seriously a good thing I know God or I would be freaking out. How prospective changes when the creator of the universe lives in your heart....

Ahhhh grace. It is a beautiful thing. 

{Via Here}