It's Scoot-tastic!

Quote of the day as declared by dear friend Maria-Elena.
Courtesy of Nate the Great.

As Nate rode Lexi's scooter today in the alley he exclaimed....

"Mom, I'm scootering!!"

For Those of You Keeping Score at Home

4 Zabs:
David
Bethany
Nathan
Lucy

5 Imaginary Friends (in order of appearance into our lives):
Karia (care-e-uh)
Iam (eye-um)
Karia's Mommy
Karia's Daddy
and
Eye-Toot, Karia's sister (No pronunciation guide needed)
(For the record, please note that Karia and crew are all very tiny and often ride around on Nathan's head)

Zabs are outnumbered.



And, I was just informed that Karia is standing on the keyboard and typing too.

A Good Mommy Comes Armed With a Spreader from Pampered Chef and a Jar of Skippy

"I love you Nathan."

"I love you too Mommy."

"Why do you love me Nathan?"

"Why Mommy?"

"Do you love me because we do fun things?"

"No, I do fun things with Daddy."

"Do you love me because I give good kisses?"

"Daddy gives me kisses, Mommy."

"Hmmmmmm. Do you love me because I am a good Mommy?"

"No."

(Okay......)

"Do you love me because I make good sandwiches."

"Yes Mommy. You make good sandwiches."

Haaaaaaaaalelujah!!!! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

We are rejoicing today, followers of the ZabHard Drive Religion. (Not to be confused with the "Filling the Price Club Comment Box With Complaints About The New Stupid Rubio’s Tortillas Until They Wise Up and Bring Back Porkyland" Religion.)

We rejoice today because of the return of ALL of the Zab Photos! From Nathan's Birth to Lucy's First Birthday Party to Our Memorable Santa Barbara Trip.

Praise to God...Our God who cares about even the littlest of things that concern His children.

Post Script
I know what you all are thinking right now: "Three posts in one day? Are you kidding me? This IS a day for rejoicing!"

From the Mighty Goods Archive...Hooray For Stuff!

I want this.

If I had it, I would cook using spices every day.
For every meal.

"Here you go kids, your peanut butter, honey and nutmeg sandwich is ready!"

I say that with the same conviction as when I promised my husband that upon purchasing my Kitchen-aid Stand mixer he would receive "freshly baked goods every day."


*cough, cough, cough*
I'm OK, its just the dust from the mixer.

But I still want the spice rack.

What Whould Happen if We Ate the Funnel Cakes?

We went to the San Diego County Fair last night. The kids almost exploded from all of the lights, food, noise, TRAM RIDES. It was the most amazing experience of their young lives.

David and I both had weird dreams.
(Don't worry, this is the Reader's Digest version...nothing is more boring than people telling their dreams in great detail)

I dreamt that I was in a play with Dean Cain and I kept forgetting my lines. Well, look at him. Wouldn't you??!?

David had a dream that he was in a car with our brother-in-law Jeremy and whoever was driving turned on the defroster to clear the windshield of fog. David then proceeded to explain to someone in the car the properties of the air and how simply running the defrost wouldn't clear the window. It is imperative that you couple the defrost function with the air conditioner.

Today's lesson, boys and girls?
Australian Battered Potatoes will bring sexy men to your dreams.
But the Italian Polish Sausage Sandwich just makes you dream about work.

I Feel the Need...the Need For Speed

Our DVR system recently went through some sort of an upgrade. I found a couple of extra button options during playback of recorded programs-nothing to really get excited about.

However, the biggest upgrade was to the fast-forward feature. Now, instead of 3 speeds to choose from...WE. HAVE. FOUR.

I don't know if I can handle that kind of speed.

Pillow Talk

Overheard tonight at Nathan's first ever Sleepover:

"Good Night Nate."

"Good Night Lexi."

"Good Night Nate."

"Good NIGHT Lexi."

"Good Night Nate."

"GOOD NIGHT LEXI!"

"No, my name is Humahah and your name is Yoboan"

"No, no, no Lexi. My Name is Nathan. My Mommy and Daddy call me Nate the Great...

...and your Mommy and Daddy call you 'Stinky.'"

That's Just How She Rolls

Oh sure. She eats one or two courtesy bites of sandwich when Mommy buys the "Good For You Bread." But when Daddy does the shopping and brings home soft, delicious, squishy, light potato bread she gobbles the whole thing up!

I see what's going on here.

Welcome Home Honey! Look at this Hunk of an Australian Man I Got For You!

David and I have taken to watching a show on TLC in the evenings called Take Home Chef. The premise is that a professional chef approaches someone in the grocery store, goes home with them and helps them make a gourmet meal for their loved one(s). He pays for the groceries and often stops along the way to buy a specialty pot or pan.

The premise is an interesting one and a nice thing to think about. (If the chef was paying for my groceries, would he mind if I threw in some necessities like fruit snacks, juice boxes, Cheerios and Diet Coke? We are running a little low at the ZabManor.) But what keeps us coming back night after night is the final reveal.

Imagine you are a hard working husband, your wife has been calling you every 10 minutes to find out when you are coming home. You walk in the door and find a handsome Aussie standing next to your wife like he is her best friend. You put your computer down, keys and wallet in their place and-on camera-find out this good looking, towering man spent the ENTIRE DAY with your wife, in your home cooking and drinking wine with her. "Mr. So-and-so, why don't you sit down and eat the delicious meal your wife worked so hard to prepare?"

We have seen many episodes of the show and the husband's look is the same each time: "Who the #$&*@ is this guy and what that the $&%@* is he doing in my house?"

David told me that if the Take Home Chef ever offers to buy my groceries and cook me dinner, I am to say no. I think instead, I will just work on a code: "Hi Sweetie! I was wondering when you were coming home for dinner? 6:00pm? OK, sounds good. I am making something special for you." That statement alone will let him know something is up.

The One Where the Line Between Dream and Reality Gets a Little Blurred.

Last night I was married to Harry Connick, Jr. Well, actually we weren’t married but he did propose while we were sitting in my living room watching TV. It was very special and he even asked my dad if it was OK.

But I must say I am a little miffed with my fiancée. Not once did he sing to me.

I think the wedding is off.

Raising Him to Be Just Like Me...Only Better!

I was awoken in the sweetest of ways this morning.

I should state that I am usually NOT awoken in a nice way. I usually wake up because I have become a road for cars or trains and that road is going through some sort of a forest that is my head and my hair is suddenly gripping tiny little Hot Wheels and not letting go. The other day, I swore I was going to be bald by the time I am 35.

But today was different. I heard footsteps but they didn't come and jump on my bed. Instead, they started digging through my night stand. (I pretended to be asleep-I wanted to see what was going to happen next. "3 Year Old Performs Acupuncture on Mother While She Sleeps," perhaps?) I heard the voice my sweet Nathan uses when hes talking to his imaginary friend Karia (pronounced care-ee-uh) and he was talking about the GIANT pencil he pulled out of my nightstand drawer (don't ask why it was in there) and then about the regular pencil he also found.

Then he looks for paper on the nightstand. He talks and says he is writing a note to Mommy. He scribbles on the paper he finds and slides it under my pillow. But wait! He found an envelope! The small hand that I love so much slipped under my pillow and took back his note. He climbed up onto the bed and colored and drew on the new envelope and then proceeded to put the note into the envelope. Luckily for this nice tender Hallmark moment, I "woke up" at the very moment my son's frustration reached a pinnacle and this whole beautiful picture explodes with the Frustration of a Toddler. (Come on Moms-Holla Back Now)

He had two envelopes, one much larger than the other and was trying to fit the big one inside the little one. I showed him how to FOLD. And he thought that FOLDING was the coolest thing since Kraft Easy Mac. We then spent the next few minutes FOLDING. I showed him techniques and lining up corners and was pleased that he would not settle for a messy fold.

Ahhh, my quest for raising the "Anal-Retentive Toddler" is shaping just as I planned! Look out Pre School teachers!! MWAH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA! (that was my evil laugh)

Even This Section is Scary...

Why does this screen terrify and thrill me so very much?

Please Turn in Your Bibles to 2 Hardrive 5:30

If you have the time, say a short prayer for our extra drive (Known affectionately as the E: Drive). It decided to go on some sort of vacation without telling us taking EVERY SINGLE ON OF OUR PICTURES WE HAVE EVER TAKEN WITH IT.

I put all my faith in the healing powers of Priest David at this point-don't really have a choice otherwise.

We Save Flat Soda From the Bottom of the Cans Too...Because You Just Never Know

When my son had his 3rd birthday, we threw him his first "friend party." It was filled with kids and loud music and adults running around trying to keep anything under 3 feet within our picnic area. We fed the kids peanut butter and honey sandwiches. (Nathan has eaten one of these every day since he was 1. If you squeeze his tummy and smell his breath, you will detect the scent of Skippy Creamy.)

Look at those fascinating sandwiches!
Neither of these children are mine.
But they sure are cute, aren't they?

To make the sandwiches not your ordinary sandwiches, we cut them into star and flower shapes. Actually, David pitched in for this one since-in standard Bethany fashion-I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown and found myself flinging peanut butter and cake and party favors all over our kitchen. He made the sandwiches and cut out the shapes and loaded them up very neatly into a big Tupperware container. They were a big hit. The kids totally loved them, Nathan said I was the best mom ever to walk the face of the earth and my friend's son who has a brother allergic to peanuts was able to try peanut butter for the first time. The kid inhaled the sandwiches.

It was a few days-OK, fine more like a few weeks-later when we were cleaning out the fridge that I found it: A big gallon sized Ziploc bag in the back of the fridge. I looked at the contents crammed into the bag and figured part of it must be bread but what in the world is the rest of it? I held the bag up to my husband with a questioning look on my face.

"What is this?"

"The crusts from the cutouts of the sandwiches from Nate's birthday party."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"The crusts-"

"You SAVED them?"

"Well, look at them! Put them all together and they make-like-5 whole sandwiches! We can't throw those out!"

**cricket, cricket**

When I Am With You, I Am Home

Wednesday we packed up the kids and car and drove a couple of hours north to Santa Barbara to visit Kristy and Jeremy. We didn't know what awaited us but we did know that no matter what, we'd have fun. The drive was a smooth one but not because I am one of those amazing mothers who can entertain their children with a piece of paper and the magic of origami. I am instead one of those mother's who borrow the neighbor's DVD player and rent movies from Blockbuster to keep her kids happy. The good news? It works.

We went on a hike our first day there and had so much fun walking on the rocks and seeing the stream and Mommy especially loved keeping her eyes peeled for poison oak. I am an expert on what it looks like by now.

Here are a couple of the pictures.....









Nathan took this one...












Nature called and my boys answered!






Life is not always grins and giggles...even for the Goose.


I made them wait till the camera was ready so I could get the great shot of David and Nathan falling into the water. Darn it, they made the jump.





The next day Kristy and I did more hiking but this time we were hiking on State Street spending all kinds of money. I like that kind of hiking a lot.

Kristy always cries when it is time for her to leave when she is visiting San Diego but I don't usually cry like she does. (The family joke: I am dead inside. I kind of am :) ) But leaving HER was hard. She was crying, I was crying and even David teared up. It was perfection being there with her. Seeing her life, her apartment, her table at the coffee joint she always sends me camera phone pictures from. Everything was as it should be and leaving only messed it all up.

Being with my sister is like being home.

What I'm Reading

One hippo all alone...
Calls two hippos on the phone.
Three hippos at the door,
Bring along another four.
Five hippos come over-dressed.
Six hippos show up with a guest.
Seven hippos arrive in a sack.
Eight hippos sneak in the back.
Nine hippos come to work.
(Are you ready?????)
All the hippos go berserk
(Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!)
All through the hippo night,
Hippos play with great delight.


It is my great delight and greatest joy to have this book be the book I have read, re-read and re-re-read every day for the last 3+ years.
Happy Mother's Day to you all.

I Will Always Love You Han Solo.

You've heard how 40 is the new 30?

...brown is the new black?

Well, Kurt Russell is the new Harrison Ford.

What I'm Watching

Even though I think Shane is a bit of a-pardon the expression- douchebag, I am realy glad he got to hang out with his son. That's one last person he has to e-mail on his Blackberry on the Tree Bark Network. (All Exile Island minutes free!) Kudos to Terry for letting him go.

But Shane is still a douchebag.

Because to Get Anywhere in Life, You Really Gotta "Put Yourself Out There"

David and I have a mini photography hobby that occasionally brings a little extra money into the House of Zab. One day we may make it more of a side business but for now, we do family portraits for our friends, pictures for our church events and provide the world with an endless supply of photos of The Short One and The Shorter One.

We decided to enter a couple of our family favorites in the Del Mar Fair-wait, the name is different now. God forbid people think the fait isn't in San Diego. It is now the San Diego County Fair. Whatever. Anyway...we will see if anything comes of this whole thing. At the very least, you San Diego people might be able to drop by the various tents and see our photographs live and in person. Cause if you read this blog, it isn't like you don't have Zab pictures already clogging up your Inbox.

"Due to Weather Conditions, Superman Cannot Fly Today" by David Zabrosky

My amazing brother-in-law used Nate the Great (AKA The Short One-now that my big dinner theatre production is done, I finally remembered their names) for a photo shoot for school and he needed Nathan dressed up as Superman. It was hilarious to watch Crazy Uncle Jeremy attempt to give direction to a determined 2 year-old who skipped his nap that day. David photographed the whole process.

"Beginnings" by David Zabrosky

This was my finger being held by our sweet Lucy Joy (AKA The Shorter One)

Train of Thought" by Bethany Zabrosky

One of our favorite places to go is the San Diego Railroad Museum and Nathan was given a stool to sit on by one of the old men in the background of the shot. He sat there, perfectly still for the longest time. I wanted to let him sit there as long as he wanted but his sister wasn't really "down with that" so we had to move on. But I love how much the picture says without seeing Nathan's face. And, amazingly enough, it was captured by my camera phone.

Untitled by Bethany Zabrosky

I am frustrated that I couldn't come up with a good title for this one. Especially because this moment captured one of the greatest days in my life as well as my son's. We went to see Thomas the tank Engine in Perris, CA. and this is us riding Thomas. Nathan once again, sat so still and watched "the world" (the backyards of the local Perris, CA. homes) go by. David and I wisely left Lucy Joy with a friend so we were able to drink in the excitement of our son. It was an amazing day.

We will see what happens...