May 26, 2011
-
May Days
Helloooo! While I should be relaxing in Vegas right now I’m sitting at home. Last night we had everything set~ babysitting for Evan, babysitting for Bella, packed bags, a flight, car, hotel, etc. We sat around at the airport debating whether we should wait around for the 3 hour flight delay. We decided to just come back home. There’s always next time! At least I have a little time to relax before embarking on our weekend adventure to Palm Springs.
Oprah
Yesterday was the final episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show. I thought this would be a fitting moment to recap my blissful trip to see the show. Back in September I got a call from Andy asking if I wanted to go to Chicago. I just thought he had a meeting there. Then he asked if I wanted to go see Oprah!!! He had been writing to the show for the past year trying to get tickets knowing that it was the last season and that it was one of my lifelong dreams.
I was so surprised and overjoyed. I was able to take one person so I picked my sister-in-law. Andy sent us both off to Chicago for a whirlwind day. The best part was that because he had written a special letter~ they gave us VIP 2nd row seats. I felt like I won the lotto when we were sitting in the crowd of over 300 people and they suddenly called my name.
The show was really strict about bringing anything into the studio – no phones, cameras, anything! Although I don’t think I need photos to remember the thrill of being there~ being so close to Oprah and feeling the magic. What a dream come true!
[My Oprah debut was a close up of when they made a shocking announcement. Too close~ lol!]
It was coincidental that the episode featured the show Modern Family. The next day I got to be an extra on the show!
Birthday 2011
For someone who isn’t into making a big deal out of my own birthday I sure do get a ton of love from my family & friends! In fact, Andy was laughing that there’s still yet another celebration coming up in a few weeks (way after my actual birthday). How did I get so lucky?! Thank you for all of you who made my birthday so special this year!
I had a dinner with my mommy buddies, a joint celebration with my mil, a joint celebration with Gina and a dinner with my law school buddies!
[A special thanks to Captain Kim~ on a stopover from his duties in Iraq as a JAG attorney!]
Gratitude
I’ve been under a lot of stress lately…too complicated to detail here. Although it’s hard to remember gratitude in unpleasant situations I think it really does help. The other day I was backing my car out and hit a pole. The first estimate we got was up to $3000. I was bummed but realized I should be thankful~ instead of the pole I could’ve hit my neighbor’s brand new $150k car (which was parked on the other side)~ lol! That’s just a small example but even for bigger things it helps me to try to feel gratitude. There are so many other things in life to be thankful for. This is what I repeat to myself when things are tough. Try it sometime~ maybe it’ll give you a little hope too.
May Days
Evan is at an age where he can drive us crazy one moment but then also have us laughing until our bellies hurt. One minute he’s scratching up the floor with his blocks because he’s frustrated about something or laying on the ground in the garage refusing to move. Then in just an instant he’ll be gently holding Bella’s face and giving her a kiss or using a spatula as a mic as he dances around the house. There are many moments I don’t know whether to cry or laugh~ lol!
[Lazy days at the park with buddies.]
[A llama, a giant bunny and strawberries at a farmers’ market.]
[Helping Bella fall asleep with his blankie and stuffed buddies.]
Hope you all have a fabulous holiday weekend! Don’t forget to take lots of photos & share!
Comments (41)
i love your monthly updates! it’s so crazy how big evan is.. he’s growing up so fast! and seriously. you’re such a blessed and loved girl!
OMG Oprah and Modern Family they both sound so awesome! Congrats
I love your updates, Evan is getting so big every time you post. It’s also so awesome you got to go to the Oprah show and be on modern family!
sorry to hear that you’re under a lot of stress. =( I hope the weekend in palm springs helps take some of it away~
I love these updates!!! Especially seeing all those pictures of Evan. I totally laughed out loud when you talked about how our boys make us laugh and cry every other second! hahaha the “lying on the garage floor” made me spit my water out!! hahahah oh how I understand!! And Modern Family?? Hellooo!! Which episode? Paul and I LOVE that show!!
Eveyrthing u capture – so cute!! cute lil boy &animals
and HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!!! You deserve so much love and happiness! I hope you had a wonderful birthDAY~ I’ll have to continue the celebration and take you out too! Please? =P
Happy Birthday! You are looking good preggo mama!!
what an inspiring post… yes, we do need to remember to be thankful even for the littlest things in life. i’m so thankful that i met such an angel like you!! keep the updates coming! evan is just adorable with his pudgy cheeks! wow oprah… that is so awesome how your hubby surprised you. what a man.
and that mario lopez is a cutie with them dimples! keke 
woo hoo~ can’t wait for the celebration coming up in a few weeks! miss ya!!
love you buddy! can’t believe you were an extra. send me the clip!
wow how exciting! great pictures, as always.
happy belated birthday!
what a great surprise! happy belated birthday
yay a jenny update! that reminds me, i should do an update myself instead of mini status updates on FB =) i hope your pregnancy is going better and better!
yay I can now say I know someone who was on the Oprah show! We don’t have TV otherwise I would have been so happy to see you on it.
I love your updates by the way. you have a wonderful family. how’s the pregnancy going?
Happy Belated Birthday!! Andy is such a loving hubby…so thoughtful. Evan is growing up quickly. Oh my…it sounds like he has some good size tantrum/protest. I didn’t have many with Matthew but I suspect Megan will put me through the ringers. What do you do with Evan gets into these moments?
Happy birthday! sounds like you guys just wanted a staycation and chill at home.
Hope you get some RR in palm springs!
Happy belated birthday!
Good for you for looking to the things in life that are good instead of getting down about the stuff that’s not. I hope the stressful stuff clears out!
Hope your pregnancy is going smoothly and you guys can get away on that relaxing trip
omgg so many exciting things! just reading it makes me so happy hehe. i’ve been happy too lately. i just don’t know where to begin so i get lazy to update haha. OH! i love the gratitude part. i love the way you think. i do that sometimes too and it works! hehe. evan is growing up so fast too. i can see it in the pictures!
buddy, you don’t look preggo in ANY of the picture above! Seriously, its so crazy, how teeny you are! Happy Happy Birthday again chingoo~! You really do have so many people around you that love you soooo very much (including me) & you are forever blessed! I want to see you in the modern family episode, its actually one of me and hubby’s fave shows to watch together!!!! Have an amazing time in PS and take many of your delicious pictures to share! Can’t wait to see you soon
Is that kettle corn that Evan is eating? Annelise loves that stuff, she gets excited whenever we go to the farmer’s market because we always get it. And your trip to see Oprah sounds amazing. And you most definitely deserve all the birthday celebrations, you are so caring and giving towards your friends, why wouldn’t they want to celebrate over and over again. Have fun! I’d write more but Addison is on the table waiting for me to put Elmo on the iPad
i love your monthly updates! i can’t believe its been already a yr that you went to chicago to see the oprah show! kuddos for andy for getting you tix to watch the show. (dave got the evil eyes from me…hehe) it was so awesome to spend this year with you and hope i get to spend many more~
awwwwww i had soo much fun at the oprah show with you!! thanks again for picking me to go with you!! so sorry to hear your trip got cancelled and you are so stressed lately!! hope things get better for you!! and gah!! evan gets bigger and bigger by the picture, soo crazy!!! when will i see him again in person?????
YOur hubs is so thoughtful and so sweet to help you get tickets to Oprah! Man I’m not home to watch it in time but I would have loved to have seen you on it! And getting to be an extra on Modern Family? I want to see you on TV, you movie star!
@cheendy - Thanks buddy! I know you totally understand about this crazy phase our boys are going through~ lol! The Modern Family episode was the one where they’re shopping at the Grove and Lily takes a pair of sunglasses from the stand. My Tivo erased it before I even got a chance to see it! Hey~ I was going to say we need to go out to celebrate YOUR birthday! Please?! It would be a perfect opportunity to get all the mommies together for a night out. A night out with you will guarantee good food & lots of laughs~! =)
@HSookiC - You’er the one who is like an angel to me! Thank you for your never ending support & love! I need to see some updates from you…please? =)
@petitetokio - Love you too buddy! I don’t even have a clip~ it was such a brief walk by scene~ lol! =P
@BustMyGroove - Yes~ you should do an update too! Although I love your mini FB statuses of cutie T~ I think you’ll love looking back at posts you’ve done for him more so than wading through all your FB statuses to get to the good stuff. =P
@WaterfallPhilosophies - That’s so awesome you don’t have a TV!!! I waste so much time watching silly shows. I wish I had the discipline to not have a TV too. The pregnancy is going okay~ just counting down the days. You’re so lucky your little guy is here and you can enjoy him at home. You did pay your dues though so you totally deserve all your happy days at home with the boys. =)
Happy Belated Birthday!
@joesee22 - Thanks buddy! Matthew seems like he was always such a GOOD boy! The only thing that helps with Evan’s tantrums is to try to distract him somehow. If he sits ground and won’t move then I’ll tell him that Bella is waiting inside or we’ll have coconut water inside. If he refuses to go into his room for a nap and nothing works sometimes I just have to just grab him and put him inside. There might be a lot of tears and protests but then if I just hurry and grab a toy for him or make a silly face then sometimes it’ll snap him out of it. I have no answers for this crazy phase~~~ I’m still struggling through it day by day, lol!
@jin_hui_kim - Hi buddy!! Yes~ that’s kettle corn. I love that stuff too! Hope you & the girls are doing great~~~! I’m sure you have your hands full taking care of both of them but hope to see an update from you. Love hearing from you! =)
@JayMonKeee - Lol~ thanks buddy but I am definitely not a star! You’ll only see tiny glimpses of me on the screen. It was so fun though! =) Btw, I’m waiting for a blog update from you! =P
dearest Jenny! i love your Curry House reunions! you are the sweet person I know and you deserve all the love in your life. Andy is so awesome for writing to Oprah. He is so sweet. Evan looks so cute in all his pictures. He is starting to look more and more like you in his expressions. I know you’ll have a fabulous time in PS. Take it easy and just enjoy your wonderful life. I can’t wait to meet your little princess. Don’t be stressed. Everything’s going to work out.
Jenny! Too much cuteness and excitement for one post!!!
First: HAPPY HAPPY B-DAY!!!!
Really? Oprah? AND Modern Family? Wow! I cannot quite smiling FOR you! What a treat!
That bag of popcorn is almost bigger than Evan!
Big Hugs!
Debra
jenny – you are soo soo loved and somehow you exude your love and humility through the internet! i know we haven’t met but really hope we get a chance soon. we were planning to make an la/sd trip in july but might only be a stop by in la and stay mostly in sd.
and yes, very normal to have a jekyll and hyde day w/ your toddler, esp after they turn 2
. i try to remember that these are the easy times and to enjoy all of it for it passes so quickly!
i agree that remembering to be grateful will fill your heart w/ joy. even in the tough times, i’ve been telling myself “i choose joy”.
when are you due mama? hope the pregnancy is going smoothly!
oh and which episode of modern family? i wonder if i missed it?! too cool!
ahhh!!!! love it!!!!
@hudson_umma - Buddy~~ you’re so sweet! Thank you for your kind words and for lifting up my spirits! I really hope we can meet up on your LA trip this time. I love what you said about choosing joy! It totally made me smile because that’s what our little one’s name is going to be. =) I’m due 9/5 but my dr. thinks it’ll probably be August. Thank goodness because this pregnancy is sooo rough! When are you due? The Modern Family episode was the one where Mitch runs into his old girlfriend and thinks he might have a long lost son. It was totally a background/extra thing so I’m sure no one even noticed me~ lol! Btw~ have you started blogging again yet? I remember you mentioned you might start again? I hope so!!!
Happy Belated Birthday! Love your facial expression when you heard your name on Oprah!! It’s such an awww moment in the last pic with Evan trying to help Bella fall asleep!!
You’re so lucky that Andy got you tix for Oprah!! And you’re so lucky that you got to SEE Oprah in person!!!
I hope that you had a wonderful bday this yr buddy! Although wahhh, what about the people who got stuck in 4 hours of traffic that day to come and see you for you bday?! ahem, Nathan!