jade rules the world: July 2011

working from home is a delicate balance between motherhood & working woman, and requires the ability to allow jade the freedom of roaming around for brief intervals while i focus on work related tasks. in the blink of an eye she can create quite a mess.

silence is the tell tell sign jade has found a project.

case in point:

5 seconds of silence...no pitter patter of little hands and knees making their way from one place to the next, no knocking or chomping, or squealing. this means jade has found something very interesting…

i make my way over to the hallway where only moments ago she was crawling around, chasing ingemar, and find a large bit of moss spread out across the floor…but there is no jade.

i turn the the corner and what do i see? jade bug happy as a clam, tree branch in hand, waving about and smiling proudly.

this looks good, huh mamma? i re-decorated pappa's powder room for you! do you like?

sunday june 19, 2011 marked a very special and proud day for me - my first father's day. the weather forecast promised blue skies and abundant sunshine and i was, in typical fashion, planning on milking my celebrations for a good three days.

my lovely wife kick-started this extended celebration with a swedish brunch on saturday morning, complete with prinskorv and potatoes. jade was, not surprisingly, very fascinated by the string of sausages.

bugsy loves brunch!

on sunday morning i woke up to the smile of an ever happy baby and my beautiful wifey. i got to open a few presents that nicole... i mean jade...had purchased for her pappa, which included a pair of flip flops. during my soon to be ten years in the united states i have profusely refused to wear flip flops due to the simple fact that i think they are so darn ugly. yes, they are better than the swedish style flip flops with elaborate tightening straps that make them more complicated to put on than normal shoes, thus (uncomfortably) side-stepping the whole purpose of wearing flip flops, but they are still ugly. (no toots - i am pretty sure wearing white tennis socks with the flip flops does not make things any better.) regardless, it was a great way to start the day.

bugsy was very excited for her first father's day celebration...

... and wanted to make sure she read her card for me.

what a fantastic morning!

after breakfast at our favorite breakfast place zinkc (remember mama lisa?) we checked in at the montage hotel in laguna beach - one of the finest hotels in all of the united states. this two night stay + dinner was a baby shower gift from kamran & maria that we had yet to use.

the hotel sits on top of a bluff overlooking the pacific ocean and spreads over 30 acres of prime real estate. the hotel has recently started construction on "the residences at montage", which are private homes that are being built next to the hotel. price per property: USD30,000,000+...

the hotel opened in 2003 and features design elements that tie in with the early 1900 california arts and crafts movements that laguna beach is so associated with.

enjoying the morning at our balcony overlooking the pacific ocean, opening up more presents.

nicole got me a pair of awesome sperrys that i had been wanting for a long time.

another fantastic present was the new us men's national team soccer uniform. the team colors of my 30+ team are red so the colors are perfect, and so is the fit!

a naked little bugsy also enjoyed the morning playing with her toys on the soft carpet.

check out the diaper tan!

afternoon mimosas on our balcony!

the gift certificate also included dinner at the five star restaurant the loft.

the three of us got lucky and got the best table in the house, on the deck overlooking the pool

and the pacific ocean.

one of fifteen (!) dishes we had during our two dinners at the loft.

jade, happy as always in her little high chair, of course wanted to try a sample from our charcuterie plate

right below the hotel is a fantastic beach called treasure island beach, full of tropical-looking green water, caves, tide pools and beautiful streches of sand.bugsy decided to take her own little "beddingeskrinda" down to the beach.

jade and cotie making their way down to the beach

through the beautiful hotel grounds

a view of parts of treasure island beach.

yes christian, i was the only one wearing a robe at the beach.

bugsy loves the beach, and cotie loves her little girl!

jade and i playing in the sand.

playing in the waves. fun, but also a little scary!

jade bug is convinced sea weed is part of a healthy diet.

after the beach we decided to lay out by the pool.

here buggen and i are playing in the kiddie pool, a.k.a. the kisse pool.

our first room service breakfast! what a treat!

please note that jade couldn't wait for the photo to be taken before she started

chowing down french fries!

day two consisted of a long walk on the beach with a whole bunch of curious dolphins playing in the water just a hundred feet from where we were walking, and of course, more pool time!

the baby & me classes we are doing with bugs every saturday

morning has turned her into a real little water bug!

playing with mamma in the pool is so much fun!

lazy late afternoon at the other pool.

after playing all day, bugsy got tired before dinner and threw a little tantrum.

we can't but smile at her because she is so darn cute when she cries.

i am sure if she cried more often than once every few months, we wouldn't

think she'd be as adorable

bugsy passed out in bed after a fantastic weekend!

nicole and jade elisabeth - thank you so much for the most fantastic father's day weekend a father could ever wish for. great dinners, a beautiful hotel suite, playing at the beach and in the pool, relaxation, mimosas, thoughtful gifts & cards and best of all - spending time with my two favorite girls in the world and making memories that will truly last a lifetime.