the sign

the other day dillon asked me for a sheet of paper. the kid loves to draw. a few minutes after i gave him the paper, he came back asking for some tape. once again i obliged. next came the "mommy, come and look what i did." this is what i found:

"mommy, it means no you or daddy in my room."

"and this part means if you come in, i'll play my harmonica really, really loud."

seriously? i about fell over laughing!

Call The Fashion Police

Dillon has become so independent lately. His new favorite thing is dressing himself... and unfortunately that often includes picking out his own clothes. Shorts on cold days. Plaid shorts with checkered shirts. At least when he decides to wear jeans they go with most things.

And some days he even decides to accessorize. Usually that includes a beanie or his Nemo hat. Or sometimes a tie. Or sometimes he'll sport a hat AND a tie.

or a guitar...

Fifteen Minutes Of Fame

Do you see who I see?

No? Look again...

How about now?

Yup, that's Dillon and Ryan Seacrest (or as Dillon calls him, Ryan Seacrust). We happened to be at Disneyland on the day that they filmed the Christmas Parade... no, they don't actually film it on Christmas. I think it was in November. I don't remember the exact date, but I do remember that it was like eighty degrees out. I felt bad for Ryan in his long sleeves and sweater. But I guess when you're getting paid bookoo bucks you get past it.

Polar Bear

Dillon started back at swim lessons this week. Yes, it is winter. Yes, the pool is outside. But, yes, the pool is heated. And, while most of the country is covered with snow it's been in the seventies here. So, no, I don't feel bad.

But, he is the only kid in his class, so apparently I am just a physco mom who thinks her kid is a polar bear... I, however see it as an opportunity - private lessons for half the cost. Oh, and the pool isn't totally empty. There are people swimming laps and after his lesson they have water aerobics and that class has at least ten people in it.

Totaled

So, I just got the dreaded call from our insurance company letting me know that our car is considered totaled. I honestly feel like crying. That car has so many memories attached to it. It was my first new car. Picked out especially by me. I chose the colors I wanted and got all the options that I wanted. It was blue and beautiful. It was the car that would bring a newborn Dillon home from the hospital. I remember riding in the backseat with him and trying to convince Jason that his choice of music (Korn) wasn't fit for his little ears.

Even though my perfect car was no longer driven as my primary car, I still loved driving it. It was just four thousand miles short of hitting one hundred thousand miles. Jason kept joking that he was going to pull over at the milestone and jump just like they used to in the old Toyota commercials.

The guy at the body shop called earlier today to ask a few questions and the first thing he asked me was if everyone in the car was okay. When I told him yes, he was surprised. I am so thankful that we are all okay and that God was watching over us. It could have been way worse. We were lucky and after all - the car can be replaced and we can't.

Fall Fun

I can't believe that it is already the end of November and I have yet to even post Halloween pictures. I've been so busy lately that I've been going to bed by nine! What an old lady! So, since I have once again gone forever without a post, here are some of the highlights...

At the beginning of October, Dillon and I went to the pumpkin patch with my mom's group from Church. Dillon had a blast jumping in all the different bounce houses and riding on the "ATV" train. He did not like the petting zoo at all. He went in and then wanted right back out.

Next up was a dinner to celebrate my brother's engagement! I am so excited that he is getting married - I love my future sister-in-law and am so lucky that she is going to officially going to be a part of our family!

And finally, it was Halloween and Dillon got his first experience with Trick-or-treating. He told us that he wanted to be a skeleton for Halloween, so that's what we got him. I found a pair of skeleton jammies at Gymboree for ten bucks! How perfect - he can wear his costume over and over. He was such a cute little skeleton. When we started out trick-or-treating we didn't think to bring the stroller and by the time we got to the end of our street Dillon said that he was done. We went home and got the stroller and he was ready to go again... but after ten minutes he was finished. He said that he just wanted to go home. I'm sure next year it will be a totally different story.

Laguna Beach

Dillon absolutely loves the beach. He loves playing in the sand, splashing in the water, and looking for sand "shrabs". When we go he never wants to leave. I, on the other hand, have never been a "beach person." It's not that I don't like the beach, it's more like the beach doesn't like me. It gives me poofy, frizzy, curly hair and my skin gets all sticky and gross feeling. But the more time I've been spending at the beach with Dillon, the more it's growing on me. I'm not paying attention to the fact that I leave the beach with an Afro... as much. And I'm ignoring my overwhelming desire to run to the nearest shower, because I love how much Dillon loves the beach. It's worth sacrificing my cleanliness and overcoming my vanity to see the sheer excitement that Dillon has at the beach.

A while back we went down Laguna Beach (or as Dillon calls it Maduna) for the afternoon and Dillon was so sad when it was time to leave. He had fun building sand castles with Jordan and climbing on the rocks with Jason. I had fun taking pictures. The weather was nice - overcast but not cold. And though I had a smallish 'fro when it was time to go - it was so worth it!

Wordless Wednesday: Little Skater Boy