Our new baby!!

Sabrina has big news for everyone - she is a big sister! We would like to announce the newest member of our family - Madalyn Taylor Kurtze. She was born on Monday November 15th at 12:16pm, weighing in at 7lbs 10oz and 18 1/2 inches long. We are so lucky to have her and love her already!!

Can you believe this is November???

I'm sorry, but does this look like November to you? No, well we had one last hot spell and we decided to take advantage of it but driving over to Santa Cruz and enjoying the beach one last time. Here is Sabrina horsing around with one of her best pals Lia. These two are some serious double trouble. :) I think it's the blond hair. After the beach we drove over to Pleasure Point Pizza and it was a perfect afternoon to spend with friends.

Enjoying the Halloween Season

Halloween is a busy time when you have a 2 year old! It starts weeks ahead of time, when you start going to pumpkin patches. We went I think about three or four times. They are loads of fun and there's lots to do. Pony rides, hay rides, corn mazes, jumping in the hay piles and oh yeah, looking at pumpkins. Sabrina for some reason was fascinated by the gourds, or "other vegetables" as she called them. Here we are at Usegii Farms. Miss Pumpkin Queen 2010 herself!

This year Sabrina went as a monkey.  I asked her what she wanted to be but didn't really have an opinion.  So I found her a monkey costume and she was tickled pink about it.  Now it's not just about dressing up on Halloween.  We went to a Halloween walk the Tuesday before Halloween at Santana Row, a Halloween party the day before Halloween AND then there's actual Halloween, which we spent at Sabrina's friend CJ's house.  We all had dinner beforehand and went out trick or treating.  Last year Sabrina totally got into trick or treating.  She didn't know what we were getting, she just liked walking up to people's doors and picking out something and putting it in her pumpkin.  The upside was that I got all her candy!  This year she knew EXACTLY what was inside those wrappers.  To get her to go trick or treating I had to give her a lollipop which she ate while we were walking around.  We walked for almost 90 minutes!!  By the end we were all pretty exhausted.  Jerry was a really good sport, he dressed up as Sabrina's banana.  I dressed up as a cranky pregnant mommy.  :)  

Actually on a not related to Sabrina  note Jerry and I went to an actual adults only Halloween party thrown by one of his co-workers.  I was an oven with a bun in it (get it???) and Jerry was a chef!  I thought it was a pretty cute idea.

And in the end, Sabrina forgot all about her candy!!!  Whew!  More for me :D

Sabrina's first trip to Disneyland

So I realize that blogging has been light, but I'm trying to catch up.  Anyways, at the end of September we did a three day trip to Disneyland.  Growing up in L.A. I had never done a multi-day trip to Disney but more importantly it was Sabrina's first time.  Over the last few months prior we've been watching every Disney movie I can get my hands on.  Cars, Toy Story, the old classics, you name it.  I figure if we're going to be there we should try to get our money's worth. 

The trip was simply....magical.  To see Disneyland from Sabrina's eyes was priceless.  And Sabrina was fearless!  She wanted anything and everything that Disneyland had to offer.  Rides, parades, shows, characters, you name it.  She loved every minute of it and we loved being there with her.  She wanted to go on every ride and even went on the Matterhorn!  She said it was bumpy but that she liked it.  Sabrina got to meet and hug Mickey, Minnie, Chip n Dale, Pooh Bear, Donald Duck and Lighting McQueen and Matar.  We had front curb seats at the Disney parade and she was even picked to dance in the parade!  An amazing three days.  

In a big girl bed

 

I knew that we would have to put Sabrina in a big girl bed at some point.  After all, I was sort of prepared; on Craigslist I found a fantastic deal for a white bunk bed that can be used as a traditional bunk bed or two separate twins.  However, I had been a bit resistant to transitioning Sabrina to a big girl bed.  By a bit resistant I mean I didn't want to do it at all.  I was hoping not to have to deal with it until October, but Sabrina forced the issue on us by figuring out first how to climb out of the pack n play we use at my parents house the weekend we were in L.A. for my cousin's wedding and then promptly using that information to climb out of her crib when we got home.  She was perfectly happy with herself!  I heard her playing with the doorjam, opened the door and there she was.  "Hi Mommy!!" and all pleased as punch. 

She would have been fine with sleeping in a crib but we were concerned that she would hurt herself trying to get down.  So out with the crib and in with the bed.  We spent an afternoon looking for a mattress, I found a couple of cute sheet sets and Sabrina and I watched a movie while Jerry set up the bed.  We made it a surprise for Sabrina and she just loved it.  All in all it's been a real non-event.  Evenings so far are very easy, she goes to sleep without any issues.  Naps can be a bit of a bigger challenge.  I mean, I keep the door closed and she's in there for two hours but if she doesn't want to stay in bed what can I do?  I can't force her to nap.  But actually (especially in the morning) it's been even better than the crib, because when she wakes up she can entertain herself.  She doesn't scream for us anymore; she reads a book or plays with some toys in her room which is a nice change. 

Pony Up!!

This summer our mom's group had a big bash at the Pony Up Ranch in Gilroy.  I think over 35 families showed up and we had a fabulous time!  Every child got to ride a pony, there was a petting zoo, power wheels, a water play area, a "treasure dig" and just tons of room for the kids to run around and have fun.  AND the event was fully catered, so all we had to do was show up and have a good time.  Fun for all!  Sabrina loved riding the pony.  She is growing up too fast for me!!

Look at me Mommy I'm a cowgirl!  Yee-haw!!!

After the pony ride Sabrina checked out the petting zoo.  She liked the bunnies but apparently the chickens freaked her out.  In fact Jerry told me that after seeing the chickens she promptly left the petting zoo area and never returned. 

The water play area was also a big draw for Sabrina, although I think she really liked just about everything (except the chickens).  Here she is playing with some of her best buds, Lia and Dillon. 

The power wheels were a big hit with the kids.  While Sabrina looks like she knows what she's doing, she just couldn't quite figure out that you had to hold the button down continuously to keep it going.  After awhile, she decided it was time to play on the play structure and do something she's good at.  :)

Michelle & Tamir's wedding

In mid-August we flew down to L.A. to be a part of Michelle & Tamir's wedding.  Michelle is my 1st cousin, her mom and my mom are sisters.  I was a bridesmaid and Sabrina was a flower girl.  She did a great job.  Jerry walked her down the aisle without any issues and she had a fantastic time.  There were some older girls there, around 6-9 years old and Sabrina was just completely taken with them.  She would dance on the dance floor with them, play ring-around-the-rosie and just generally couldn't get enough of them!  Sabrina shared flower girl duties with her cousin Hannah.  Hannah is Michelle's niece, Michelle's sister Alycia is Hannah's mom.  Where are photos of the bride and groom you might ask?  Well, they had a professional photographer following them around all evening and since this was the only time Sabrina was going to wear this dress, we needed to make sure there was documentation!!!  Seriously though I was kind of mad at myself for not getting any shots of them, but we did get one of the bride and groom with Sabrina, however their photographer took it. 

Here is Sabrina and Hannah playing with some flower petals during the cocktail hour.  Sabrina really liked the appetizers!

Throwing rocks and keepin' cool

What's great about Las Madres is that almost every time there are friends available to have fun with. This day we put together a playdate to take a nature walk at Rancho San Antonio and Lara & Lia and Elaine & CJ were able to join us. First we let the girls walk about 1/2 mile (which takes forever because the kids are not about the destination, they are about the journey) which leads to a completely shaded pool of water that the kids love to wade into and throw rocks. I tell you, what's more fun than throwing rocks into the water with friends? Not very much!

San Jose Children's Discovery Museum

We have have a membership to the San Jose Children's Discovery Museum. Our membership allows us to bring a couple of people with us for no extra cost. Our friends Ashley and Vander have only been to the CDM a couple of times so we thought it would be fun to go and have a playdate together. We started in the Wonder Cabinent, then made our way to the bubbles and followed up in the water area. They offer smocks but I'm not sure why because they are pointless. The kids get soaked either way so we didn't even bother. I think the water area was Vander's favorite. He was there forever! Sabrina was there for awhile and then we walked around to other areas of the museum. I brought a blanket and for lunch we laid the blanket down outside of the museum and we ate lunch together.

 
Here Sabrina is using her kung fu powers on the water.

Visiting the Percheron Horses

Recently we drove up the Santa Cruz Mountains to visit big giant Percheron horses. They are similar to Clydesdales and are they HUGE!!! I don't think Sabrina even made it to their knees. The horses are very gentle though and are used during the Christmas season to drive Santa's sleigh and such. Sabrina was very brave and fed the horses and when the owners asked if the kids wanted to sit on the horses Sabrina was all over that. She gave the horse a hug and was really excited. There were dirt paths and when Sabrina was bored of the horses we walked around the path. A really nice way to spend the morning!

Mommy I'm a fish!

The title of this post is what Sabrina said to me this morning.  This has been the summer of the pool. I don't think I've been in the water this much since I was a teenager. We've had a great summer so far. Sabrina loves loves LOVES the water. Anything about the pool. She can go swimming everyday. I haven't seen her get tired of it yet. At the beginning Sabrina would hold onto me and wouldn't let go. Over time she has gotten more and more brave so I bought her a swim vest. Now she swims all over the pool and loves putting her head in the water and just going! She goes around all day saying "Swimming! Swimming! I wanna go swimming!!! Swimsuit! Swim diaper! Swim vest!!" She can be in the pool for over a hour and a half and she's still going strong.

Cousin Michelle's bridal shower

At the end of June we drove down to L.A. to help celebrate our cousin Michelle's bridal shower. She is getting married on August 15th. I am a bridesmaid and Sabrina is going to be a flower girl with her cousin (Michelle's niece) Hannah. Jerry is going to walk the two girls down the aisle. We would love it if they held hands and could walk themselves, but since Sabrina is two and Hannah is one that's doubtful, so Jerry is going to help.


The bridal shower was held at a country club and it was so lovely. It was hosted by my mom (Michelle's aunt, her mom and my mom are sisters) and two more of Michelle's aunts on her dad's side. They did a wonderful job. And the presents! Michelle definitely made out :). Now she's got to learn how to cook with all her fabulous new gadgets! Jerry bought Sabrina towards the end of the party, but in time for delicious cupcakes. Which as you can see she thoroughly enjoyed.

What we do during the day

Sabrina is a very busy girl. She needs something to do everyday, usually twice a day! One thing we do every week is library storytime. Sabrina loves Miss Nancy. It's a combination of stories, nursery rhymes and songs. Sabrina really digs it. We started going to storytime for the 2-3 year olds and sometimes they have an activity after storytime is over. This day we made fish hats. Sabrina colored and put stickers strategically on the fish and I stapled it all together. She was really proud of her hat! Later that day she proudly pulled it all apart. Oh well, she is only two. She still asks about her fish hat, and I tell her "you ripped it apart, remember?" and she says "oh yeah..."




                           Here we are with our friends Henry, Bettie & Quade at Lincoln Glen park in Willow Glen. Going to the park is always more fun with friends! Lincoln Glen is a great park to go to during the summer because they have two water areas, great on hot days.

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you...

 Here's the video of everyone singing Happy Birthday to Sabrina.  It's pretty cute.

Back and pregnant! (and no longer sick as a dog)

So it's been awhile since my last post...coincidentally, I became pregnant right around the time I stopped posting on my blog, probably because I was sick as a dog for over two months! Blech. But I'm feeling much better and want to get back into the swing of things. We found out we're having another girl and I'm due Nov 22nd. Exciting times!

Here is a photo from Sabrina's 2nd birthday party. We had it at Pump It Up Jr in Sunnyvale. They have a bunch of inflatables, like slides, a bounce house and two obstacle courses. After the kids were done bouncing around we served pizza, chips, juice and of course birthday cake! When we started singing "Happy Birthday" Sabrina's face just lit up. I almost cried. A super great time.

A Beautiful Sunny Day

Today was a beautiful, sunny day.  We had a morning playdate where we took a walk around the neighborhood.  Well, maybe a walk is overstating it;  because the kids get distracted over any little thing.  It is fun to watch, unless you want to make any progress.  Sabrina brought her baby stroller and her favorite part of the walk was to walk up these driveways that had a slight incline and then run down!  Laughing all the way.  So much fun.  After a great 2 1/2 hour nap we went to the park to meet our friends CJ and her mom Elaine and Issac and his mom Sue.  I wish I had some pictures but our camera is somewhere in the house, I just can't find it.  Hopefully it will turn up, and soon.

Hungry Hungry Hippo

Today we went to our morning playdate at the church.  We had time to kill before lunch and it was such a beautiful day outside we drove to the park and played for a half hour or so.  Sabrina can climb up the big kids play structure and go down the slide all by herself!  She is growing up way too fast for me.  After her nap we went to our sit n scram playdate.  Today I was supposed to scram with Katrina but her son Parker absolutely would not let go of her, so Nancy and I drove to Starbucks and had a nice relaxing time.  Actually Nancy really could have used the break so I'm glad we got to go together.  Her daughter Lydia won't nap and it's driving her crazy.  Lydia needs the nap, but for some reason she won't let herself calm down and go to sleep.  For dinner we had burgers and bell peppers on the BBQ.  Sabrina was a hungry hungry hippo tonight.  She ate an turkey sausage, 1/4 of a burger and three slices of bell pepper.  Wow!  I wasn't around for dinner though because I drove over to the hospital to visit Carrie and Peng's new baby Jeremiah.  He is really cute and loves to be held.  Forgot how small they are.

Melmo Melmo Melmo

Sabrina has discovered Elmo.  Or "Melmo" as she calls him.  My friend Ashley's son Vander also calls Elmo Melmo.  We joke that Melmo is Target's generic Elmo.  Jerry is not too thrilled about this new love of Sabrina's, but what can you do?  I don't really think it's that big of a deal.  It's not Barney (G-d forbid :) ).  Today was our weekly Willow Glen Tuesday morning playdate, which is at the Willow Glen Baptist Church.  They have a huge nursery room and we donate money to them every year and they let us use the room twice a week.  We volunteered to host the Tuesday afternoon playdate.  I was uber motivated this afternoon and baked a blueberry strussel cake.  Yum yum!  After everyone left Sabrina and I watched a couple episodes of Curious George and then dinner.  Jerry came home in time to put Sabrina to bed and now we are going to relax! 

Ready For A Big Girl Bed! Okay, Maybe Not.

This afternoon I met with my South Valley Las Madres group for a playdate, which was at Sarah L's house.  Sarah has two kids, Quin, 18 months old and Anna, almost 4.  Sabrina had a good ol' time in Anna's big girl bed.  Here she is pretending to go night night, although most of the time she just liked to roll around underneath the covers.  And to end our afternoon was a beautiful rainbow!  Sabrina's first rainbow.  For dinner I made a pasta with a meat sauce, which Sabrina inhaled!  Probably because she refused to eat most of her lunch.  I'm always worried that if she doesn't eat a good lunch she won't nap well, but apparently that wasn't the case, she slept 2 hours.

San Antionio Ranch & Visiting Ella

Busy afternoon. We planned on visiting Sabrina's friend Ella in the hospital but she was taking a nap. So first we went to San Antonio Ranch on a nature walk. Sabrina walked at least 1/2 mile, maybe close to a mile. But it takes quite a bit of time because she gets really distracted. Puppies! Rock! Baby! She wants to look and touch everything. Once she saw the rocks (really pebbles) that was all she wrote. All she wanted to do at that point was throw the rocks. Fortunately, the rocks don't get too far. And only at the grass, not at the people.  :)  Once we heard that Ella was up we drove over to Lucille Packard Children's Hospital. Ella has a heart condition and needed open heart surgery! What a brave little girl. But she was out of the ICU and in a regular room. I think the girls were happy to see each other. They (sort of) played together and we hung out for about 1/2 hour. We needed to get home for dinner and Sabrina ate an entire turkey sausage herself! After that she must have had at least a dozen grape tomatoes. She loves those grape tomatoes. I think I have the only kid who gets the meat before the veggies. Jerry's giving Sabrina a bath and soon it will be night night. Here are some pictures from our nature walk:

Sunday morning fun

So this morning has been been chores and more chores.  Jerry played with Sabrina while I did laundry and folded clothes.  Then we all went to Costco where I proceeded to spend $100 on who knows what.  Actually, we needed food.  No chicken, ground meat or fish left.  Quick trip to Trader Joes to buy turkey sausage and soup (Sabrina's main lunch meal and lately her dinner meal as well) and then Blockbuster to drop off movies and pick up two new ones.  Sabrina was really excited that we got a Curious George DVD and Jerry picked some Jennifer Aniston romantic comedy.  Now time for lunch!  I plan to blog about our afternoon, we are going to visit Sabrina's friend Ella in the hospital, she had open heart surgery!  I'm going to bring homemade chocolate chip cookies and hopefully seeing her friend will cheer Ella up. 

The Rest Of Our Day

During Sabrina's nap I (finally) got my haircut.  I used my first Groupon coupon - to Limon Salon.  I had my hair done by Daisy and I think she did a great job!  Great price too - the coupon paid for the wash, cut and style.  Afterwards I picked up Jerry and Sabrina and we drove to a park, where we met Sarah L. and her two kids.  For dinner we went to our friends Dave and Matt where Sabrina devoured her Chili Con Carne.  She must have been hungry!  Before we left Sabrina gave a nice hug to Dave and Matt.  Such a sweetie!

At the San Jose Children's Discovery Museum

So the CDM won out this morning.  Costco tomorrow for sure, though.  We need to buy groceries!  Sabrina spent most of the morning in the bubble section and the Wonder Cabinent, which is designed for the four and under set.  The Wonder Cabinent was super busy, although that didn't seem to bother Sabrina. Here's a couple of pictures I took with my Palm Pre:

I did it!

My first post

So I'm going to try to keep up a blog of our family. Better late than never, I say. Right now Sabrina has just eaten her yogurt (YoBaby with cereal at the bottom) and is watching her favorite show Curious George. She can now ask for George by name. Not sure what our plans are for the morning. Maybe the Children's Discovery Museum, maybe Costco. Crazy day!