famous.

our child is going to be the next justin beiber. haha, probably not, but he cracks me up a lot. we've trained him well.

well enough to make him dance without music on command. we're so cool. haha.

 sorry they're kind of long, i trimmed them but for some reason blogger won't upload the trimmed ones. 

don't you love how you can make your kids do things you would never video yourself doing? we do. 

actually, he's always been a music rocker, we didn't have a whole lot to do with him dancing, other than encouraging him to rock out when he wanted. hurrah for tricks! 

sunshine!

ok, as much as i say i love the weather here, it's gotten old. we happened to pick {literally} the only city south of san francisco that gets fog ALL the time. if you drive one exit down on the freeway, it's at least 10 degrees warmer and sunny. not even exaggerating. one exit. it's obnoxious. so when our lease is up, we are moving outta here! 

so, we usually drive about 10 minutes south to enjoy the sunshine, walking down tree lined streets, eating on the patio at restaurants and going to the beach. 

today we chose to go to the beach. it was awesome. i wore a swim suit. you may think "oh that's not a big deal, it's august you should be wearing a swimsuit", but it is. the average temperature of our city we live in is 63 degrees. not swimsuit weather. sweatshirt and boots weather {which i do love too, i will admit}. but sometimes, you just need sunshine & the beach. 

doesn't he just look so happy? that's because he's at the beach. 

this place is AMAZING! playgrounds, sand, grass, picnic areas, and warm {not deathly cold} pacific water. 

doesn't it just look like heaven? it was. had it not been a bit windy, it would have been the perfect temperature of 75 degrees. 

zak was loving it. being able to go from chasing birds to playing in the water, to going down the slide, playing with the kayaks etc. etc. he was golden for 2 hours. 

we love warmer weather. if you live here, and you want to know our secret spot let me know! 

p.s. do you love my new blogg-iness? because i do. it's tacky to ask i know, but i just like to look at it. it  makes me feel happy. =) 

birthday wins.

it was my birthday on thursday. i turned 22 to be exact. for some reason i feel like i've been older than 22 for a long time. maybe it's that i have a child. or that everyone else we hang out with is significantly older. or that i'm so mature, i don't really know. but i was kind of shocked that i was only turning 22, so it wasn't a particularly special day. levi had school, and i had to teach a class for church that night, so we spent the day not together or doing anything fun. however, he did go to in n out and get me a burger when i was done teaching. and some donuts. so win for my spouse being awesome. 

but he did surprise me with tickets to this on friday night {another win for my spouse}:

{unfortunately, i took no pictures of us dressed up all fancy to document the occasion. lame, i know}

that's right, he surprised me. usually i know all my presents. even if he doesn't tell me. i'm a very good guesser. but i was shocked. he's not really a musical kind of guy, so it was amazing. our night was a little more of an adventure, involving the place we were going to eat for dinner only being open for lunch, wandering around downtown sf trying to find someplace quicker to eat, and picking a gross place. waiting for buses in wrong areas {i hate public transportation fyi.}, getting out of the show at 11:00 to wait for the bus with creepy people. getting off the bus at 11:30 and feeling like i'm seriously going to get mugged. waiting for the other bus to take us to our car, and then deciding to walk back to it, uphill 8 blocks {during which time the bus never came}. note to self: never take the bus again. i'd rather pay for parking. 

but minus those little quirks, it was a wonderful night, and a good show! any 12 year old that can dance and be the star of the show is amazing in my book. 

as for my other presents {because i know everyone cares so much} my wittle brother got me these fabulous things: 

my parentals got these sweet little diddies for me: 

love me some raybans. 

and my grandparents bought me this fabulous shirt, and contributed to my shopping fund. =) 

i made off like a bandit this year. my family always treats me so well, love them. =) here's to another year feeling older than my age says. hopefully that won't always be the case, and when i'm forty, i'll still feel like i'm 25. 

starry.

i think i have finally found a balance in dental school-ness. zak and i have a different play group pretty much everyday, and after we socialize, i come home and do crafty things. it's working out well for me, because i don't feel like i spend my days in our house watching sesame street ALL day. 

so this was my DIY this week:

i have been searching to find something to put in our bathroom {it's made for handicapped people, so it's huge} that would take up some of the walls. 

enter joann's fabrics. their summer stuff was 90% off this week. which included these stars. plus, i had a 20% off your total purchase coupon. so i spent $2.23 total on the small ones, and $3.00 on the large one. which is a steal since the big one was $25.00 usually. score for me. 

enter my left over spray paint from my frame wall:

i ran out of blue paint, so i had to be creative with finishing it, because i couldn't do a second coat. 

the more i look at them, the more i dig the colors though. so i'm happy with my $5.00 craft. it makes my bathroom look so much better. 

i love decorating. and doing it myself. i should start a business or something. haha. maybe.... 

p.s. my birthday's tomorrow. hurrah hurrah!

muah.

there are some days in this house when i wish we didn't have a child. i could sleep in, eat when i want, watch what i want, go out on dates, go to the movies, exercise by myself etc. etc. life would be so much easier. and simpler. but then i look at how amazing my little family is, and i think that my life was so boring without being a mom to zakary. he's the best thing that's ever happened to us, and we absolutely love him. 

how could we not with little moments like these? 

only something really special brings out levi kissing on camera. 

and he is. 

i love these pictures. 

and our wee little family. 

so i guess i can deal with not sleeping in or going to the movies, and taking zak to the workout room. 

because i get slobbery baby kisses whenever i want. 

muah. 

end table.

remember this ol' thing? my score at goodwill for $7.00. my husband and i disagreed on how to paint it. i wanted to revert back to my trusty ol' spray paint. and he wanted to sand it down and stain it. i gave in, and he sanded the top and a door, and it has sat outside on our patio since the middle of june. it drove me  absolutely crazy because it's huge, and was in the way. 

so, levi lost. and i decided to do it my way anyways. and i absolutely love it. 

 this spray nozzle is the most amazing thing i've ever bought. makes painting so much easier. 

my husband also came out and taught me "the correct way to spray paint" {like you paint a car apparently} and that made it much more even and smoother. he's so smart. 

this is the first time i used a primer, and i would definitely recommend it. when i sanded afterwards, the color showed through very well. 

this was also the first time i used a satin finish, instead of glossy. i would recommend that as well, and then add clear gloss at the end. it makes it much more smooth and shiny than just the paint. 

first coat

 second coat

 finished! 

 it's hard to see in the picture, but it is quite sanded and rustic looking. it is fabulous. 

and it's much better than the hideous mismatching wood it was before. my husband has somewhat renigged his thoughts on how spray paint sucks. it takes waay less time than actual painting and looks smoother. 

win for me. 

getaway.

this weekend my spouse and i had an anniversary getaway in redwood city {about 20 minutes south of us}. it was incredible. the beast went to grandma and grandpa's for the weekend, and we spent the time basking in the sun, eating out, going to movies and buying motorcycles. i had forgotten what it was like to spend time just the two of us. and talk about things other than how awesome our child is. 

i found us an amazing deal on a hotel on livingsocial for the weekend. it was a suite. with a huge tub and king sized feather bed, and included a delicious breakfast for each day. and a wine and cheese tasting as well.... next time ;) anyways, i rather like living large, i'll be honest.... it was very fun to feel rich and classy {and wear heels}for the weekend. 

we spent our first evening after levi got done school, eating on the patio of a delicious restaurant and seeing Crazy, Stupid Love. i would definitely recommend it. not very predictable, and steve carrell did an amazing job. 

saturday we went to filoli gardens. it's basically this victorian mansion with incredible decorations and incredible gardens. oh to be rich and be able to afford a house like this. 

3 years later, and we're still so attractive. 

we didn't spend a whole lot of time there, but it was amazing. just look at how lush everything is.  have i mentioned how much i love living here? because i do. we both do actually, where else do you get to see places like this when it's perfectly sunny and 75 degrees? 

we spent the rest of the day finding a motorcycle for the man. i actually rather like the one he chose. i feel it's a little more grownup and safer than the sport bike he really wanted. and you know, my nerdy husband on a motorcyle wearing leather is kinda sexy. tmi? probably. i had a very hard time looking at him on a bike without laughing, even when i was taking these pictures... but he is absolutely loving it, so that's all that matters. 

sidenote: yes he was wearing shorts while riding this, and he did burn his leg on the exhaust pipe, or whatever it's called. he wasn't wearing pants when he bought it, but we are all about covering up so he doesn't crash and get all road rashed. don't you worry. 

the motorcycle place took ages to get his paperwork done and bike inspected, so i ran to nordstrom's while levi was waiting and bought these bad boys as my anniversary present.  {no, i don't usually buy my presents myself, but i told levi i wanted shoes, and he said "we can buy whatever you want", and in the essence of saving time, i just went by myself. and plus, i was very tired of sitting in that store} they're so melissa eh? and yes, they are much more fabulous and shiny in person, in case you were worried. 

after we finished making our large purchases, we went to dinner at this place called saggio's. i found a groupon for them a few weeks ago, and it was delicious. and romantic. the kind of place that only serves beer and wine, no sodas. classy, eh? we sat on the patio again, basking in the warm weather and enjoying the slow pace at which they brought out our food. {not a place to ever go with our child} we were going to go see captain america, but it didn't start until 10:30, and to be honest, we were tired at like 9:00 {children ruin your night life, i tell you}. so we left, got dessert at this amazing little bakery and went back to go to sleep in our huge feather bed. 

unfortunately, the spouse had to come home and study for a test today, so we left this morning after a delicious breakfast with unlimited fresh squeezed OJ, but it was a very good trip, even if it was short. it was so nice to be able to spend time together by ourselves. we need to do it more often. 

loves.

i have been pondering something awesome and insightful to write on here the last couple days, but i have got nothing. our life is boring. well, mine and zak's is. levi's is always fun and entertaining for him from 7-7. so instead of writing about playing on the playground and walking around half naked {baby... not me, i know you all were thinking that though}, i thought i'd share my love's of the moment. like oprah. except mine are better. 

first off. sequins. 

this is my new purse. it is metallic gold leather with fabulous sequins. and i absolutely love it. it was on sale at nordstrom rack, down from $375 to $75.00 and i knew i couldn't pass that goodness up. 

i pretty much love anything shiny and "ridiculous" as my husband would say. but this was worth every single penny i paid for it. 

2. peep toes. 

i just bought these for myself today at dsw.com they were originally $69.00 on sale for $19.94, and then i had a $10.00 coupon plus free shipping, so i paid $10.82 total for them to be here tomorrow. yeah i basically rule at shopping. i've been looking for a flat i can wear every day to feel a little more dressed with my hanes t-shirt and jeans, and these had rave reviews about how comfy they were. so they better be. 

3. boots. 

as many of you know, i have an obsession with boots. and living in the land of perfect weather, i wear them quite frequently with my scarf, cardigans and skinny jeans. these ones are the most comfortable, delicious pair i've ever owned. i highly recommend them. they're called steve madden zoiiee, and they aren't outrageously expensive either. 

4. apple. 

when we sold my baby, i got a new computer as part of the deal. we couldn't just sell my car to buy levi a motorcycle, that would be just plain ol' unfair. so, i got a new macbook pro. and minus our wireless printer not working with it, it kicks trash. having never had an mac before, i am loving it. i highly highly recommend forking over the bazillion dollars and getting one. you won't be disappointed. 

5. modern family

before we started watching this, i hated this show. it stole awards from glee, and the office and all of the other primetime shows i love. but then i decided to get the dvd's on netflix. it might be one of the most hilarious shows i've ever watched. more than the office, or 30 rock and i've been a big fan of those shows forever. do yourself a favor and watch it. just one episode. 

6. maxi dresses. 

i have been digging these recently. when they're fitted right, they're very flattering. they hide bumps and rolls, and when paired with heels, make you look much longer and skinnier than you really are. i found a blazer at h&m, and i basically switch dresses underneath and wear it to church every week. 

7. clinique make up

i have ridiculously sensitive skin. if i get stressed, it breaks out. if i wash it with a different soap, it breaks out. if i use a different makeup it breaks out etc etc. so, i've used bare escentuals make up for ages because it never made me break out and worked good. until i met this bad boy. i've never seen my skin look so makeup free with makeup on. it makes my redness go away, and doesn't sit on top of my skin to make it look all "madeup". i'm in love. go ahead, go into macy's or nordstrom's and have them give you a makeover. you won't be disappointed. 

8. this belly. 

isn't it so cute? i just wanna squish him all the time. i don't know why his shirts up, he thought it would be clever while we took pictures with our spare time.

what are you in love with this summer? it's not really summer time here as it's always 70 degrees, but you know what i mean.