Jordan's New Yard Sale Bike!

Art Project and Strawberry Crop

Here is one of the art projects from a few weekends ago. Mama and I painted the tea set we bought at a yard sale for $5 and then baked them in the oven so they are shiny. I love playing with them, but need to keep them away from Jordan because he will break them!

We have been picking strawberries from my 2 strawberry bushes at least twice a week. This is a recent picking. Not bad?

Our new mid-week spot for some summer fun is going to Mother's Beach park to play and then going to Cheesecake Factory for dinner afterward. We went with Merrick last week!

Ballet?

I first learned about Ballet when watching Sesame Street when I was little. Mama bought me this Hello Kitty yoga mat at a yard sale and when she brought it home, I was doing ballet....

Well, then the ballet turned into yoga....tree pose. Mama is thinking of signing me up for ballet on Saturday mornings. My friend, Tati, goes and it is walking distance. So, Mama and Daddy can go grab a cup of Joe next door at Intelligentsia (coffee shop) while I dance. Sounds like a good way to start a weekend.

Even Jordan was doing Down Dog....or taking a nap?

Yard Sale Weekend

Yesterday, we went to a few yard sales....Daddy bought me this tent for $1.50. Mama was not happy...."why do we need another tent?....we are just collecting more stuff, etc." But, Daddy convinced Mama that it was a great idea for the beach. It packs up nice and small in a carrier and baby brother and baby sister can be in it shaded from the sun this summer. Michael (Zoe's Dad) said that he would even rent it for their camping trip. At $5 per night, maybe we will actually make a profit!

We also got the below Bumbo look alike for baby brother or baby sister, but Lucy was over last night and took it for a test drive....$4!

And, then this morning, I bought a $7 scooter (Spiderman) at the first yard sale we went to. We only went to one more and there was a Princess Scooter for $5....so we bought it in case I have a friend over who wants to scoot with me. I did a lot of scooting all over the Honda dealership.....this is me on the way to the used car lot. Yes, we are proud owners of a 2007 Honda Odyssey (Mama says "shhh, don't tell Gigi, it comes with a built-in entertainment system).

I also bought a Sleeping Beauty princess dress this morning for $1!! Here I am with Zoe last night.

Yard Sale Saturday

Today, we only went to a few yard sales....one of them was in a neighborhood with over 40 houses selling their wares. There were matching Little Tikes cars....would have been perfect for baby brother and baby sister, but Mama thought it was a bit premature. I wanted to try it out and convinced Mama that I really "needed" it. At $10, it was a bargain. I played with it at home with Daddy. He walked and I rode. We went to Treasure Island, the park where we saw Dora and Boots, Costco and Trader Joe's.

Then, today, when we got home from the party, I took my baby with me to the park. The car even comes with a carseat for my baby. I strapped her in and we were ready to go.

Now, Mama wishes she bought the other one .... but one is probably enough. By the time baby brother and sister are interested, I will be too big!

Tati's Daddy's Birthday Party

Last night, we were invited to Tati's Daddy's birthday party. I went and played with Tati and another of her friends. Of course, I changed into dress up (Belle dress). Tati's Mama told Mommy that last weekend, she did a detour when they were out on a bike ride and bought the Belle dress and many other great items at a yard sale in Santa Monica. Oh no, now we have competition! (She told Mama it was all Mama's fault for talking up the yard sale deals :)).

We took the birthday candles out of the banana creme pie.

Tati and I were playing her piano toward the end of the evening.

Only 8 weeks to go!...and another baby bargain

Baby brother and baby sister are getting bigger which means Mama's belly is growing. I can't wait to hug them but I still want them to be tiny....in 8 weeks or less, I will finally meet them.

I hug and kiss them all the time....

and practice with my babies....having a picnic....feeding them, cuddling them.

and bouncing them in our new bouncer....This bouncer (doesn't it look brand new?) was only $20 (new $120). Mama bought it on Craig's List!

One Kid's Trash is Another Kid's Treasure

by Mama and Gigi...

Mama: When Gigi was on her way, we were so happy that we were finally going to welcome a long awaited child into our family. We were getting ready and decorating her nursery. Sure, we didn't go all out on everything, but there were many moments of, "we deserve this" ... "she deserves this" when we splurged. For example, we bought the Orbit Stroller at full price. We then bought a Bob stroller at full price.....and then when we needed a travel stroller, we bought the Quinny travel stroller AT FULL PRICE. We were starting to look like stroller collectors. Then, at one point, when Gigi was about a year old, we discovered the YARD SALE. When we were going to Spain last summer and decided that although the Orbit had traveled around the US, we didn't really want to take it to Spain and although we had a travel stroller, it didn't recline and we might be out at weird hours when Gabrielle needed to sleep, we turned to yard saling for another stroller we could bring to Spain. We found it....the Inglesina Zippy which ordinarily retails for $350.....for $35 at a yard sale....in great condition. Now, truth be told, at that point, we no longer had the Bob because it was stolen not just once, but twice....we recovered it after the first time, but didn't replace it after the second time. Can I just tell you that Gigi's favorite stroller is the Inglesina?? Now, when she was a baby the Orbit was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G and we definitely got our money's worth. They still sell for a very high price used, so all isn't too bad there.

Now, that we are adding two more to our family, many have asked if we are "ready". Well, no. We haven't turned Allen's office into a nursery. The babies are going to be in our room for awhile, so what's the rush? And, we really haven't bought all that much.....some clothing for baby boy (some of it at yard sales, some at a boutique that had an amazing sale and of course, TJ Maxx). In the last month, yard sale season has come upon us and it is amazing what we have gotten....

Last weekend, we scored this almost brand new Graco carseat (normally $99-139) for EIGHT DOLLARS! Savings of at least $100.

and, on Craig's List, we found two double Snap N Gos for $30 each (one for NannyG and one for us)....normal price $99 each. SAVINGS of $140.

A double Maclaren stroller....for TWENTY dollars (full retail of $250 or more). Savings of over $200. At the same sale (no picture), we bought a barely-used double Burley bike trailer to fit the twins. Retails for $500....we bought it for $100. Savings of $400!

At a yard sale that was a fundraiser for a family who lost everything in a fire, we bought this cool wardrobe for Gabrielle's dress up clothes. Cost of $40, but worth every penny given that the proceeds went to a family in need (hard to bargain at that sale).

Yesterday morning, we bought this crayon apron for Gigi.....with the crayons. $3.

After we came home from yesterday morning's garage sale adventures, Gigi put a bunch of her stuffed animals out and some summer clothes and declared she was having a yard sale.

She then went into our closet and helped Daddy set up his yard sale, adding some of her books to it since Daddy didn't have much to sell.

This morning, we set out for a few more sales in Brentwood. We went to the 7:30 one because they supposedly had an "assortment of baby monitors". Of course, they told us at 7:30 that none of them worked.

Oh well. We went to breakfast while waiting for the next one (8:30)....what child when offered a blueberry muffin or french toast orders salmon and blueberries! We chose the Governator (Arnold S, the governor's) favorite breakfast spot. He came in with either his trainer or a member of the secret service after going for a run.

Gigi: Today, we bought baby brother and baby sister a swing! It is very similar to the one I used when I was little, but a more expensive version (on Amazon, it sells for $184 now). Mama bought it for $40! SAVINGS of $144 plus shipping.

I also bought this princess chair....perfect for lawn concerts or the beach. It folds up and has its own carrying case. Price: $2.

After all that shopping, Mama took me to the park for 2 hours. I really didn't want to leave, but Mama looked like she was about to fall over, so I finally agreed (with a few tears).

Other Weekend Fun with Chelsea!

This morning, we went to a few yard sales and I scored some great Melissa and Doug puzzles for $1, a Melissa and Doug farm with all kinds of animals for $5, a trike where my feet reach the pedals for $3 and some Playdoh accessories. We saw some great stuff for M&m but decided we can drag Julie out some early Saturday morning when M&m are home.

We then went to the beach....

And, we saw our friends there.

After the beach, we had lunch at Baja Cantina.

And after a 2+ hour nap (well, I napped....Mama and Chelsea went to get mani/pedis), I had some dinner (rib and corn) and we headed out to Santa Monica!

Do you like my ponytail? Ever since I saw Sofia wearing hers, I have allowed Mama to put one in my hair for at least a little while. This morning when I was tired of it, I said "No tail"...."No horse tail" (LOL!)

Shopping, Big Surf at the Beach and Yard Sale Weekend

We started our weekend with a Yard Sale on Saturday morning. We invited Aunt Julie and she scored some great things for M&m. After some hard work shopping, we went for breakfast....a blueberry bagel for me. And, then off to the Camarillo outlets for more shopping. Mama needs some summer clothes for our trip to Spain. I can't wait. We leave on July 2nd.

Here I am shopping for some hard to reach items.

Yum. Ice cream (well, really yogurt, but I think they're the same). Do you like my new Crocs?

After shopping, we went to the beach (Paradise Cove, our favorite place). The surf was BIG!

I was a little scared and jumped in Daddy's arms....waiting for the next BIG one.

Then, Daddy was throwing me up in the air.

Fun! You should try it.

This morning, we went to two more yard sales....we scored an amazing Inglesina stroller (retail $350) for $25. Okay, I know we have a bunch of strollers. One was stolen and my other two aren't easy on, easy off, light, easily foldable AND RECLINE. So, we got the $25 one that will be just perfect for our trip. When I have a photo of it, I will show you.

Later in the afternoon, Daddy and I took a bike ride to get a baguette for our guests for the Lakers game....I love bike riding!