White Christmas

My favorite christmas movie is "White Christmas". I can't wait to watch it every year, nothing gets me into the christmas mood like this movie does (besides Elf), and and I go to bed hoping & dreaming for a white christmas, and this year it came true....Kinda!

OK, lets back up to the night before christmas.

We invited all of the Nash family over and had a fun evening with lots of yummy food, crazy opening up of gifts from the name exchange, and a wonderful presentation of the Nativity by all 7 Nash grandkids (and Trent), it was a hillarious and a not so spiritual rendition that made great grandma Nash cry, then we all rushed home because we heard real sleigh bells on the roof.

After opening one present each (new PJ's), posing for pictures, and a family prayer (in which Brooklyn asked if she could dream of sugar plum fairies), Trent read the kids "Twas the night before christmas", which is a very anticipated tradition. Then we proceeded to threaten the kids that if they come down stairs santa would not come. We also told the kids that they may not wake up until after 6am. So, at 6:00am exactly we get the wake up call...and so the day begins!

6:00-8:00 opening presents-

Favorite presents of the day;
(Brooklyn-Desk/Vanity, Lily- Frog habitat, Otto-tiny race car track, Melissa-the 3hr uninterupted nap, that would take place later that morning...oh and that Juicy Couture Necklace, Trent-miniature remote controlled helicopter...even though it was Otto's present, Family present-We are heading to Disneyland in 2 weeks!! YEAHHH! Spoiled kids!).

8:30- homemade scones, with homemade jam! A yummy Nash family tradition.

9:00-11:00- Nap for mommy and Ruby

11:15- SNOW! Yep, that is right I got my snow! The kids were so excited and ran out to catch snowflakes. Even though it melted when it hit the ground, it was still real snow and it was wonderful!!

We ended our day with a wonderful honey baked ham dinner, (thanks to a client of ours), homemade apple pie (thanks to gloria), and a nice phone call from my brother Brett in Argentina.

Merry christmas, and enjoy some of our christmas pics!

Merry Christmas!

from the Nash's

I am so lucky!

I am so lucky to have Brooklyn as my first born. I have always known that she is an amazing girl. Let me tell you a little bit about Brooklyn and I am sure you will agree.

She was an amazing newborn, and slept through the night from the get go. She did everything early..crawled, walked, talked...and she hasn't stopped talking yet. She was fully potty trained by 18months and she potty trained in 4hrs and never had an accident (even at night). She started reading young & is always top of her class and her teachers always LOVE her. She has an amazing sense of humor and self confidence, she is a great conversationalist, and a planner.

Although the above are fun facts, the reason why I am so lucky to be her mom is because she truely has a heart of gold and she wears it on her sleeve. Her family is her life. She loves her ENTIRE family..cousins, etc. She always talks about them, colors pictures for them (even though I am terrible about mailing them, we have stacks of cards for aunts/uncles/cousins/etc. She counts the days til she can see her cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents.

She always puts her sisters and brother ahead of herself, she cares for them like their second mom. She teaches them and reads to them, she has a room at the office called the "school room" and she really teaches them and helps them learn. She spends her own money on school supplies/books/and learning tools.

All she wants for christmas is a desk, art supplies and gift certificates to the learning palace (teachers supplies). She does her chores; dishes/laundry/cleans her room and she helps the little ones with their chores, all of this in addition to practicing piano and homework everyday. And she hardly ever complains. She takes the baby when I need help and she entertains Lily & Otto when I need a break.

One morning I was sick and was also up late with Ruby the night before and so I was sleeping in. When I finally got up, I came out and Brooklyn had gotten the entire house cleaned, got the kids breakfast, got everyone dressed, and made all of their lunches and all of this without me knowing or hearing a peep.

I know that I was suppose to have her first, because I needed her, and her family needed her to be the oldest. She is my sweet, wonderful, Brooklyn and I love her!

P.S. isn't she the best model? She is modeling Hula Mula fall 08

I just wanna eat her!

When I look at Ruby, I just wanna eat her up! I can't explain it any other way! Oh, and check out her new duds, she modeling Hula Mula fall 08!

The Nutcracker and the stretchy pants

The girls and I had a great saturday night, we got dressed up and went out to dinner at TGI Fridays, and then off to see the Nutcracker, at the Washington State Ballet Company. Brooklyn's friend was a mouse in the production, and so we got great FRONT row tickets. The girls loved it, including Ruby. Brooklyn was pretty grossed out when the guy dancers came out, she didn't understand why they wore tights, and why they were so tight. Keep in mind that we were on the front row, and that we could see very well! I think she was disturbed by that image the entire ballet. She did mention how daddy would love their "stretchy pants"...LOL.

Brooklyn has been talking non stop about starting Ballet again since then, so we might trade off art lessons for ballet instead.

Hula Mula

The line is almost done! Phfew....I have been stressing about getting both lines ready for fall 08, pictures taken and catalog designed. Did I mention that I am designing both catalogs? I have a love/hate relationship with Hula Mula, it stresses me out way more than the boys line, the boys line is so easy for me. But with the girls line, there is so much more competion out there and I feel that I have to be extra unique to stand out, and that is what stresses me out.

Ok, so I will have a better sneak peak soon....it is not quite ready for viewing, but you get a glimpse, Ruby is wearing one little outfit for the baby line, and you can see a few pieces on the back of the couch. She is modeling the kimono wrap one-piece, it is very simple, but bold colors and very comfy...no frills, just modern and simple.

I promise, more pics soon!!

Trent's 33!

Trent turned 33 on Thursday. And he told me that the only thing he wanted for his b.day is his BFF (Rosenlof) to fly out here.... aww, so cute! Well, that didn't happen...plans just didn't go into play, maybe next year Trent.

So, Trent got to hang w/me & Ruby for the day! We went out for a nice dinner and movie and had family over for cake & ice cream later.

For some reason Brooklyn thinks her b.day lasts all year and she can blow out the candles! Oh, and incase you are wondering, Ruby did not shrink, Trent is holding lil Redge, sportin Knuckleheads.

Sweet Baby Girl

Ok, so I don't mean to play favorites and keep posting Ruby Pics and not the other kids, but these were too cute so I had to post em! It is amazing how fast they grow at this age...soon she will be naughty like the rest of em!

BTW- we still havn't figured out her eye color...they are navy blue w/grey around the edges and a little greenish hazel in the center...weird huh? And those lips....are mine, she has her mama's mouth for sure, and daddy's hair line! LOL. And yes, she has birth marks on her eyes still, I wonder if they will go away?

lily's new cut

So, Lily got her hair cut and it is so cute. She is the worst at getting her hair brushed, and I just couldn't handle it anymore. So no more tears and bad mornings. It is a really cute A-line, and maybe one day we will get a picture ....if she will ever let me!!

Horray for Christmas!

Christmas finally begins for the Nash Family when we cut down our christmas tree!

Every year we bundle the kids up and head to the mountains to our favorite tree farm. We always go the day after Thanksgiving....we don't waste a minute of valuable christmas time! After picking out the perfect tree, we watch as Daddy skillfully cuts the tree down.....plumbers crack and all!

The kids can't wait to get it home and decorate. We had a great time getting out all of the decorations, and playing "hide the pickle" which is a scandinavian tradion that the kids love; where you hide a glass ornament that looks like a pickle somewhere in the tree, and child who finds it, get a reward. The kids love it! (lily won this year).

Another thing that we love to get out is our santa pictures. Every year we get the kids pictures taken with Santa and we put them in the same picture frame, and the kids love to get them out and display all of them on a table (we have 9 of them now!) It is pretty funny, because one of the kids is always crying, or screaming in the pictures.

The difference between boys and girls

I have come to the conclusion, that there is a difference between boy and girl children. Since we had 2 girls first, I had no idea what boy children were like, other than the occasional visit to family and friends who had boys.

My girls love to draw, read books, watch movies, and are happy and content playing in their room quietly for hours (yes, they do have the loud moments and flights) but overall, they are tempered and quiet.

Then we have this sweet sweet baby boy, and all is well in our house....until he turned 3! Now, the differences between boy and girl children appear!

I don't know how moms with mulitple boys are sane! Don't get me wrong, Otto is still a sweet boy...but the jumping, running, shouting, fighting ninjas, spiderman moves and basically bouncing off the roof is tiresom!! Boys are so so more active and play louder, and make-believe more with crazy action movements and don't get me started on boys using the bathroom!

I am exhausted watching him and exhausted dealing with him, I guess I am just not used to it. And the energy level has gone up 3 notches since he turned 3. Yes, indeed there is a difference between boy and girl children, if you don't believe me, come to our house for a week!

Even though my patience is being tested daily.... Otto has his own sweet spirit and everyone he meets just loves him, He is my sweet baby boy and he is the best cuddle-er in the world. I love it when he needs me, and asks for mommy. I feel bad that Ruby has taken his place as the 'baby' in the family, and it has forced him to be the BIG BROTHER.

We are lucky to have a family business, where everyday he can hang out with daddy all day long. He goes everywhere with Trent and is his little shadow, and he loves to impress daddy and do everything that daddy does. I hope that he turns out exactly like his daddy.

I do have to admit, that he is obessed with fashion and he gets excited about new Knuckleheads designs, and he is very picky about what he wears and it has to be either, Knuckleheads (he looks for the logo) or Rock Band tees.....hummm, don't know where it gets that from!

I love his collection of cars, and his obession to have every monster truck ever made. He is happy as long as he has a little truck in one hand, and a little bag of crackers in the other.

At the end of the day, I wouldn't trade Otto for all the girls in the world. (except maybe yesterday)!

I can't just leave a post with out new Ruby pics, these are for poppy! And if you think her hair looks a little red...it is! She is going more strawberry redish blonde! LOL. I guess we have one head of every color in our house!

Melissa's Green Bean Casserole Extraordinaire

Ok, so this is the BEST green bean casserole ever! Now, I am not a green bean fan..but I LOVE this. Infact both of my very very picky sisters who also don't like green beans, couldn't stop eating this. Try it for Thanksgiving dinner, I promise it will be a hit! Oh, and the best part is that you can prepare this in 5-10 minutes!

Step 1
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups sour cream
2 cups shredded swiss cheese
4 (14.5 ounce) cans of french style green beans (drained)

Step 2
2 cups cornflakes cereal (crushed)
1/4 cup butter, melted

1. Preheat oven 350. Grease a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish
Melt 1/4 cup of butter in a large skillet. Stir in flour to make a paste. Blend in sour cream in the paste, stiring constantly. When the mixture is hot and bubbly, remove from the heat, and stir in the swiss cheese. When the cheese is melted, add the green beans, stir til coated. Pour the entire mixture into the prepared casserole dish.

2. In a small bowl, mix the cornflakes and melted butter. Sprinkle over the green beans.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown.

Enjoy!!

Movie time!

Pumkin Bars Recipe

Ok, so everyone has been asking me for this, so I will post it here. Thia is the BEST recipe ever! My friend Megan made it for a party while we were in LA, and now I make it for all of our Holiday gatherings! It is soooo easy too!

PUMPKIN BARS

6 EGGS
1 ½ C OIL
3 C. SUGAR
1 ½ tsp VANILLA
1 LRG CAN PUMPKIN
4 ¼ C. FLOUR
1 ½ tsp BAKING SODA
1 T CINNAMON
1 ½ TSP SALT

Mix the first 5 ingredients together. In a separate bowl combine the next 4 dry ingredients and fold into the first mixture. Pour into greased jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 for 30-40 min.
Let cool. Frost with the following mixture;

1-8oz pkg cream cheese
1 cube butter
1 box (I lb) powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
dash of salt

New Ruby Pics

Here is a new picture of Ruby, she is 3.5 months now! She is still very attached to her mama, but we are getting sleep again...yeah! The other kids love her so much, it is fun to see a little personality appear. She is very very smiley, which is actually a major thing for us, our other kids were so hard to get smiles out of. So it is nice to get a big smile with out a lot of effort. Otto wants to play with Ruby so bad, he is a bit too rough with her still, and she doesn't care for that!

Otto is a trooper

So, the surgery went very well today. Otto was so good that the nurses wanted to keep him.
They gave him some "loopy" drugs to relax him, and it pretty much made him act drunk. I laughed so
hard, I about cried. He thought he was catching bugs in the air and laughing and slurring his words, and falling over in the bed! He is a bit sore, and cries when he pees... But that should go away soon, so other than that he is all good.

It was also a family day at the hospital, aunt jenna had her baby today- Redge Nash; 6lbs 14oz and he looks so so Nash!!!
He is a cute lil guy... another Knuckleheads model!

Otto's sugery

Keep Otto in your prayers tomorrow, he is getting a little minor surgery. They have to put him under to do a little snip, cut and a few stitches on a very very sensitive area (I will be descrete and not mention where...if you get my drift) Anyhow, they are putting him under because of the area and his age. It is a minor minor surgery, but going under general always makes me nervous and his healing after will be a little sore for him.
So, wish us luck!

Witch's, Dead Princess's, and Bumble Bees...OH MY!

We had a really fun Halloween this year, I don't know who gets more excited, Trent and I or the kids! Brooklyn & Lily have their costumes planned months in advance, infact they are already planning next years costumes! Halloween is definately one of our family's favorite holidays....(is that weird?) Anyow, we couldn't do it with out my mother in law, Gloria. Gloria always makes the best costumes. This year she made 4 custom costumes!

Otto was Nacho Libre... gloria slaved over it for days, the mask alone took 3 prototypes to get it perfect. Lily was a party witch, with layers of fun tulle and even a fun broom stick to match. Brooklyn was a dead princess, with a perfectly "tea" dyed dress that was worn and ripped in all the right places, and miss Ruby was a bumble bee. Gloria actually sewed a little witch dress for Ruby, but it was too cold to wear. The bumble bee worked out great, infact Ruby loved the bumble bee costume and fell asleep in it for hours.....hummm, I might have to keep it around for a while since she slept so well in it!

Anyhow, the kids got very serious with their "characters" and wanted to act out their characters all night, It was pretty funny. We started the night off, meeting Taber and Jenna and grandma and grandpa for dinner at our favorite Pizza joint..costumes and all, then we headed out to trick or treat.

At one house the kids got their candy, and as they walked away, Otto turns around and goes back to the door, and says, "wait, I need one more". It was so funny. The guy guy at the door laughed at him and gave him another candy. This was the first year that Otto really got into it, and had a good time.

In one neighborhood, they really decorate the houses well, and make their yards scarry and have things jumping out at the kids, the girls loved it, but Otto was freaked out and wouldn't go near the house if he saw anything suspicious. One house was so so freaky...we didn't stop because "I" was scared. They had 3 men outside as horror movie characters, with real chainsaws and realistic decorations and costumes. It was like a haunted house, but way too real for us...definately not for the little kids..(or me)!

Otto was so worn out, he could hardly stay awake. The girls traded candy and as soon as their sugar rushes were over, they all crashed out hard.

Another Halloween is over, now I just have try to stay out of their candy and remember those pre-pregancy jeans that I am dying to fit in!

Happy Halloween!!

NY NY...what a wonderful town!!

We just got back from New York. We had a tradeshow there, and so Trent, me and Ruby made the 6hr (red-eye) flight to sell, sell sell! And sell we did..we had a fantastic show, and sold way way more than we expected, we are so excited! And we are definately going again in March.

We had a little down time in the evenings to be tourists, so we took Ruby on the town. Here she is in Times Square, at our favorite Italian restaurant, on the subway, and at Rockefeller Center, and Lastly our booth at the show. (P.S. note the cool custom Knucklehead sling that Trent is sport'n, it has our logo sewn on the shoulder, we gotta advertise!)

My Ruby

This sweet little thing is definatly my most challenging baby so far. I have to say that I have been extreemly lucky with our other babies. The others slept like angels and were so happy and content by themselves, and they loved their car seats and would sleep for hours on a long drive.
But not my sweet Ruby....lets just say that she loves to be held and held and held. So long as she is held... she is great, she will smile, giggle and coo, then she will slowly nod off into a nice nap. But the minute you stand up to lay her down, she opens her eyes, as if she knows that you are going to put her down. She hates her car seat and screams the entire drive, just ask trent about my little "bump" on my brand new tahoe, because I was distracted by a screaming baby ......ugh, (changing the subject)

So, I have given up and attatched her to me. Melanie showed me this great invention, the Moby Wrap, and I swear by it! We have tried 3 different slings, bonjorn carriers...everything.
She loves this wrap, it holds her so tight against me and I have 2 hands free at all times. I can do everything with her attatched to me, and the best part is that it feels great on....no back pain at all!
It is easy to use and if you don't mind looking a bit hippie-ish, it is perfect!


*please note: this is NOT me, it is the ad for the wrap!!!

My new love!

I am obessed with houndstooth prints....it has been going on for a few years now. Infact our new Hula Mula fall line is full of cool houndstooth prints. So, anyhow....Trent got me these Pj's for my birthday! LOVE EM!

New baby pics!

Here is Ruby modeling her new headband....thanks to Megan for the darling baby gift, that she made! And she is wearing her new fur boots, designed by her mamma for the new Hula Mula fall line.

New LA showroom

We have a new corporate showroom in LA!! This is a really big deal! We are in the same building with HUGE designers and it really is an amazing oportunity for us. Trent designed and built out the space, along with his friend Ryan. They did a great job, I am so lucky that Trent is so talented. I havn't seen it in person yet...I just had a baby when he did it.
So, here are the pics. Here is the before: and the after: He took up the carpet and found tiles under the floor, so he took the tiles up and painted the concrete, then added wood molding painted black. We also had a cool neon sign made, it doesn't show up the pic, but there is a little corner with manequins and that neon logo sign by the front window.
P.S. All of the clothing wasn't up yet..so the racks look a bit empty. Our first show is end of October!!

BEFORE:

And the AFTER: