Ellen Extravaganza

Let's set the scene: Cue Chariots of Fire Theme Song...and ACTION!

So, yes, as many of you have heard, I was on TV thanks to my television debut on The Ellen Show! But the road to get there is where this action packed adventure begins! If you recall, on December 14th a tanker caught on fire on the 60 freeway, closing the freeway completely. All traffic was diverted to other freeways. Did we take this into consideration when we made our way to Burbank on December 15th? NOPE!

Whose we you might ask? Well all the moms in my life and myself. My mom, mother-in-law, and second mom growing up! Jameson was also apart of the festivities but he met us at the studio. We left Temecula at 10, allowing us 2 hours to get to Burbank for the 12 Days of Giveaways Bonus Day on The Ellen Show. Check in time was 12 noon. Any later than that and our "guaranteed tickets" would be given to stand-by. Our first clue that we were going to have a "scene from a movie" challenge ahead of us should have been the stopped freeways that usually would be wide open at 10 am.

12 noon went by but thankfully, Jameson was on time and was able to hold our spots. A gentleman who works for Ellen recognized Jameson from our previous attempted taping of the show in November and allowed Jameson to save our spots because we were on our way...thank goodness! 12:15 went by, 12:30 went by, 12:45 went by and we will still sitting in traffic!

Okay, this is where the Chariots of Fire theme song is cued! Picture a Suburban full of women flying through the streets of Burbank trying to get to the studio. My mom was frantically leaving a series of messages for the staff, assuring them that we were trying to get there. Jameson is on the phone telling us that it's too late, the people in stand-by are getting ready to take our place in line. When alas, we turn onto Olive Street and in the middle of the road, we all barrel out of my Mom's Suburban to intercept the stand-by goer's in the crosswalk. And man, if looks could kill! They were literally 2 seconds from having our tickets, and well, we were literally 2 seconds away from driving out to Burbank just for kicks. WE HAD MADE IT...barely!

By the time we arrived into the studio, the entire audience had been seated and the show was 5 minutes from the start of taping. Since we were late, we were not able to sit with each other. Everyone was seated off to the left and they asked me to go over to the far right hand side of the studio! Great! All by myself! I followed behind the employee and all of a sudden, we are walking down flights of stairs, more stairs, more stairs..."sit here please!" HOLY COW...I was seated in the dance row! Ellen would be passing right by me which means, I was going to be on TV!

The show was starting and Ellen was introduced! Even though we were taping on December 15th, we were the first show of 2012, scheduled to air on January 3rd! She decided to mix things up for the new year and rather than dancing to start the show, she decided to start with a game. The two contestants were called from the audience. They were hysterical, jumping up and down, beside themselves to be standing next to Ellen. When all of a sudden, one of the girls passed out. To our surprise, the 12 Days of Giveaways music cued and alas, we were on the Bonus Day show! Unbelievable! After the day we had trying to get there, we almost missed the Bonus Day 12 Days of Giveaways! WOW!

The gifts came out behind the curtain and one by one, we received a variety of great gifts, including the Mint vacuum cleaner, Vizio tablet, Jose Eber hair products and tools, headphones, $250 gift card to Whole Foods, and a $200 gift card to Taschen Bookstores. And to think we almost missed out on all this loot!

After we settled down from the excitement of receiving all these great gifts, Howie Mandel and Elle Fanning were the guests on the show. With all the adrenaline running through my veins first from our adventures getting there and then the excitement of gifts, the show was literally over within a blink of an eye! It was quite the experience, one I will surely remember forever!

And yes, I was on TV, a few times actually! It is quite weird seeing yourself on TV. And yes, several of my students saw me as well. So much for the "meeting" I was in...right? Oh and yes, Kyle took full claim to all of my goodies and had everything unwrapped and working before the night was done! It was a day to remember! Surely one that I will never forget!

4 month fun!

Mommy's lil man is growing so fast! At a lengthy 26 inches long, this lil guy is trying to be taller than mom and dad!

This has been a great month! Kyle and I both agree that out of our time with Andrew thus far, this age is without a doubt our favorite time! While it was great to snuggle with him as a newborn, you can't beat the interactions and animations our lil man presents us with everyday. Never mind the gummy grin that greets us every morning and throughout the day! He is making so many new sounds, wet and drooly sounds too, and best of all, laughing out loud! While he has giggled for awhile, he has the most contagious belly laugh! He seems to love to watch JD run all over the house and finds it quite amusing. He also is rolling over like a mad man and as a result, enjoys tummy time SOOOO much more! 

Andrew has also discovered his feet and finds them to be quite tasty! Next to his hands of course! I can't keep this kid's hands out of his mouth...YAY for teething! We think he is going to try and skip crawling all together because he puts so much weight on his legs when standing and is taking steps. In fact, he prefers to be "walking" than sitting in his bouncer. Even his pediatrician said we are in big trouble! Great! SLOW DOWN TURBO!

Andrew is such a sweetheart and Kyle and I are loving watching his little personality develop and shine through! He certainly has his quirks that we are discovering he has learned from his parents! Cranky like mommy when he is tired and super crabby like daddy when he his hungry! He also has a loss of interest in his toys, just like Daddy! He likes his bouncer one day and wants nothing to do with it the next day! I know, I know, that's typical of all babies! But I had to mention how much Andrew is like father with his "well, on to the next thing!" mentality! Fortunately, he seems to be most content snuggling with mama! It is the most amazing feeling and I love how much he loves his mommy! I love you right back my sweet little boy!

Happy 4 month birthday Peanut...you're not going to be a peanut for much longer!

Going Medieval

One of the great things about my school is that families are encouraged to attend the field trips, including those of the teachers too! So, of course when I was told we were taking our students to Medieval Times, I knew Andrew would love to go Medieval with my middle school students! Even though he slept through the entire show (how he managed to do this with all the fighting and banging from the swords and shields, I don't know!), he very much enjoyed his first field trip.

My students and parents were happy to finally meet the newest addition to the Wallace family! And to top it off, our Green Knight won the battle! Woo hoo!

Andrew enjoyed being King for the day...King of Mommy's heart!

Back to the Grind

So alas, the time had come for me to return to work! I must admit that I was experiencing mixed feelings on my return. I was sad to leave my little man but excited to see my students and engage in adult conversation with my friends and co-workers. I had practiced with "mini-work sessions" to try and prepare myself to what it would be like to go back to work. Andrew was right on schedule, walking up at 6 so that I could feed him before I left for work. I would feed him, pack up last minute things, and I would be on my way. Everything was going EXACTLY according to plan! Of course it would continue to be this way...right? Of course...NOT!!

On my first day back to work, Andrew decided that 4:30am was the perfect wake-up time. Nothing like the early bird gets the worm! But with those sweet blue eyes and gummy grin, how could I possibly be mad that we were up so early! So alas, he had an early morning meal and back to bed he went. So hmmmm, what to do with an extra half hour in the morning! I enjoyed a nice cup of coffee, watched the morning news...this wasn't so bad after all! And then 3:30pm rolled around and man, was this mama tired!!! Ahhh the sacrifices we make for our little loved ones. However, my first day back with my students was AWESOME! My kids were so happy to see me and I was happy to see them! We had a great day and I was so busy being "busy" that I didn't have time to dwell on the fact that I wasn't at home with my lil guy! My students welcomed me back with so much love and gratitude that I couldn't help but be happy to back at work.

I will say this though: Usually, I am the first to arrive and the last to leave! Knowing that I had Andrew at home made me pack the car after school lickety split! I was on the road in no time, by far a personal record for me!

Since my first day back, I have adjusted to the early (I suppose I should say earlier) mornings. But nothing beats seeing my handsome boy and his big smile when I walk in the door at night. It is amazing how a child can melt his Mommy's heart and how eager I am to return home. Don't get me wrong, rushing home to see Kyle was always a must but having a new little man in my life changes EVERYTHING! And Kyle would agree too! For years, I have called him the "King of Diddle!" He would diddle around the fire station, diddle in conversation, diddle, diddle, diddle. I would usually see him around lunch time or later on his first day off. But since Andrew captured his heart too, Kyle seems to be walking through the door much earlier these days!

Parenthood is a blast! Learning to balance work and being a mother is a new challenge for me! Fortunately, I had only 2 weeks to get back into the swing of the things and transition back to work mode and then WINTER BREAK BABY!! Two whole weeks to snuggle with my little man! Amongst the items to complete while on my Winter Break will of course be to indulge in and maximize my snuggle time with Andrew!

Peanut's First Thanksgiving!

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble!

There was tons of food, laughter, love, and good GREAT times in the Wallace household this year surrounding our little man on his first turkey day! While he wasn't able to enjoy the feast, Andrew sat with 11 of his closest family and friends around the Thanksgiving table. My, my, my how our little family Thanksgiving dinner of 3-5 people has grown!

There is so much to be thankful for this year! I have a beautiful, healthy baby boy who just lights up my life every moment of the day. Mommyhood is something that I can't explain but truly something that is cherished in it's simplest form. I know all you parents out there can relate and I wasn't able to understand the joys of parenthood until I became one. Words cannot do justice and there is no greater love than that of a child! I feel so blessed and fortunate! I am beyond thankful for the blessings I have received thus far and the ones my little man will continue to give me.

On a family note, Kyle and I have one more blessing to be thankful for this year! It's just keeps a'comin! We found out that we are going to be an Aunt and Uncle as Kyle's little brother ("little," sorry Ross, you are a grown man I know, it's just habit!) announced that he and his wife are expecting a baby girl in April 2012. So in addition to the good news that I FINALLY have a sister, I can add to my resume that I am going to be an Auntie and Andrew will have a cousin so close in age! Good thing Aunt Tracey is okay with a little rough housin' because surely Andrew will have a playmate for life!

I am so thankful for the blessings that have come into our lives this year and the impact you, as my dear family and friends, have made in my life! Thank you for your unyielding and continued love and support you have given my family and I this year! I am truly thankful for you!

Happy Turkey Day!

3 months old!

He's talking (baby talk of course!), he's all smiles, he's squealing up a storm, he's melting mommy's heart, and he's 3 MONTHS OLD!!! I can't believe it!!!

Daddy Day Care

So the day is rapidly approaching when I have to go back to work and leave my little man in the trustworthy and capable hands of Daddy!! Capable, yes! Trustworthy....well...let's just say Kyle missed his calling in life when he decided to be a fireman instead of a fashion designer! In addition, I think Kyle found a playmate for life as Andrew seems to be involved in quite a few shenanigans while Mommy is away! I cannot even begin to describe the outfits Kyle puts together for Andrew! I will let the pictures speak for themselves!

Nice and cozy for the day!

It's 8am and Andrew is dressed in a tank top, workout shorts, and slippers! Not really quite sure what we are doing for the day with this ensemble!

This outfit actually goes together but couldn't resist how cute my little man looked! 

Yes, those are JD's toys that Andrew is laying in and yes, I am aware that our dog has way too many toys! But I will give you 2 guesses as to who bought the big dog bone...I am guessing you will only need 1! 

I wish I knew the thought process that goes through Kyle's head when he opens the closet door and disregards any and all sizes, whether they fit or not, as well as the color schemes. Lord help this child when he goes to his first day of school with Daddy fashion! I have to give the man credit though, at least he is putting Andrew in clothing as opposed to letting Andrew be the "nakee baby!" all day long! Ahhh, I just love the men in my life! I hope this gives you the same chuckle it gave me! Thanks for the laughs Kyle!