Life with Dylan

Author: Michelle

  • Big Changes + momAgenda = Happiness

    So you may have noticed that the web address has changed. We can now be found at LifewithDylan.com and that’s just the first step. There are some exciting things in the works, but we can’t say just yet.

    Besides taking this mom blog to a whole new level, I am up to my eyeballs with Shel Cosmetics. Don’t get me wrong, I love staying busy and the business is doing great. Busy Mom means the company is successful! Needless to say, I am spending more time on the computer than I did when I was in school.

    So along with scheduling appointments, vacations, shipping out orders, getting Dylan to and from summer day camps, and preparing for the Fall marketing campaigns I am glad that there is one thing that can keep me sane.

    My beloved momAgenda

    I have always used the Personal Portfolio with a spiral refill and love the soft leather with pockets and snap closure to make sure all my papers stay inside, but I might change things up this year. The new Faux Crocodile momAgenda Desktop in Teal Blue seems to be calling my name every time I see it.

    image from momAgenda.com

    For those of you who are not familiar with momAgenda, this amazing product was created by a mom … for moms! Every detail and every event you can possibly imagine is part of this organizational system. Vacations, gift guides, favorite places, holidays, mom-friendly web address listings, just about anything is here at your fingertips! And they makes it so simple for you …

    image from momAgenda.com

    Thank you momAgenda for making my crazy, chaotic life a happy one!

  • Wordless Wednesday – Controller of the Remote, Always!

  • A Mother’s Love

    Eight years ago today, at 12:10 am, I gave birth to the most beautiful 8 lb. 6 oz. 20 1/2 inches long baby boy.

    When I heard your first cry, when I held you in my arms, when I saw your face …
    Nothing else mattered.

    “It was the middle of the night and I had been awake for over 24 hours … but we were finally alone … just me and my son. All I could do was gaze at you in pure amazement. So this is the little guy who has been kicking me and pushing on my bladder. For months now I have imagined you smiling your Mommy’s smile, gazing at me with eyes like mine. As I held you in my arms I saw that you were more perfect than anything I had ever imagined! I want to be the one to nourish you, protect you, comfort you. I want to make your world a beautiful place just like you have for me.” – from Dylan’s Baby Book

    Nothing can break the bond of a Mother’s love … it only gets stronger with each passing day.

    Happy Birthday my sweet boy. You have given me the best 8 years of my life.

    I love you.

  • The Coveted Boba Fett Slave I

    Yes, another Lego posting. But this one is different … the biggest one yet that Dylan built entirely on his own. He has been eyeing this particular Lego (Boba Fett’s Slave I) for some time now and he finally had enough money saved up to buy it. Well, ok … almost enough money. I pitched in $25 as an early birthday present and he had the other $40. The remaining $15 was paid with Lego VIP points and an additional 10% discount for showing our Legoland pass when we made the purchase at the Lego Store.

    After opening the box and sorting out all the bags he prepared himself by taking a deep breath and letting me know that he would need to be left alone so that he could concentrate.

    With bag 1 opened and sorted onto paper plates he began what would be a 5 hour Lego project.

    I thought it would be fun to capture a picture every 30 minutes to watch his progress.

    30 minutes 

    1 hour 

    1:30 hours 

    2 hours

    It’s now 9:30 pm. Time for bed, but he will start again as soon as he wakes up in the morning.

    Bag #2 opened and ready to go

    3 hours

    Bag #3 ready to go – 3:30 hours

    4 hours

    4:30 hours – almost done!

    5 hours and it’s finally done

    Dylan was so proud of himself after building this Boba Fett Slave I. He kept reminding me that it had 573 pieces and was for ages 9-14


    Life is so much better with LEGO’s

  • The Zoo … Again?

    What, you want to go to the San Diego Zoo again?

    But we were just there. Oh wait, that was 6 weeks ago.

    Yes, it must be time for another visit. Besides, this time was different because our friend Paul was coming down from Big Bear and going with us. Boy, if I had only known what I was in for with these two goofballs!

    Anything and everything from insulting Mom, to water-spitting fights, to jumping out and scary each other, to attempting to ‘read’ the map and get us around the zoo with the least amount of back tracking, while still seeing everything!

    So much for a relaxing day at the zoo … geesh!

    As usual, we started at the reptiles and insects. Only this time Dylan got to have a first hand look at a stick bug. Thankfully it was only a stick bug and not one of the many other creatures they could have pulled out like the Hissing Madagascar Cockroach or the giant Bird-eating Tarantula!

    Well, now that we’ve seen the creepy crawlies it’s time for a trek to see all the other animals. 

    Time to stop for some lunch at Dylan’s favorite spot high above the trees and monkeys. This is where the two decided to plan out our route … scary. Little did I know this was going to be a full 8 hour day walk through the zoo!

    Although Dylan doesn’t remember, these bronze gorilla sculptures were another one of his favorite places to stop and play when he was a toddler. This is where his love of animals all started.

    Now on to some other primates. Paul and Dylan seemed to enjoy these furry friends the most.

    Getting up close and personal. Male bonding at its best …

    This orangutan was hilarious. At the bottom of the glass was a piece of black rubber, like a piece of weather stripping or something. A small piece was missing and this big guy proceeded to pick up a leaf of some sort and start digging away.

    His hands and fingers were so human-like. Especially the way he used his fingernails (if that’s what you call them) to pick the piece of rubber out and break it off. After all this work, he put the rubber strip in his mouth and decided it didn’t taste too good.

    And what would a trip to the zoo be without Rhinos and Giraffes?

    My personal favorite … the reason I go to the San Diego Zoo … Koalas!

    Now, the last few times Dylan and I have gone to the zoo he has begged me to let him go on the bungee bounce contraptions they have recently added. Just another way to get you to spend money right? This area use to be a nice grass resting spot where Dylan would run around and play, but now it is where he wants to bungee … and this trip I let him! Thankfully Paul was there to help get him going higher and higher.

    Just as I stopped recording, Dylan actually did a back flip. The look on his face was priceless. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh or cry. I think it surprised him as much as it surprised us!

    We had a great day and made more memories of Dylan’s favorite place to spend the day. His home away from home with all of the animals that he loves so much … and his ‘rock’

  • Summer Friday’s Are the Best!

    I’ve missed my Friday’s with Lauren … her random thoughts are a great way to end the week!
    1. My plans this summer include … spending quality time with my son. This will be the first summer in over 2 years that I will not have homework or papers to write. We will spend lazy days by the pool, at the beach, visiting Disneyland, Sea World, the zoo and many other fun activities. I also plan to laugh … a lot!!
    2. The best summer I ever had was … the summer of 2009 when I got to spend time in my favorite place of all with Dylan … Maui. Taking him on the Gemini for a day of sailing and snorkeling was something I will never forget.
    3. Summer is … my absolute favorite time of year! Anytime I can feel the sun on my face and smell the warmth of a sunny day at the beach is pure bliss for me.
    4. My favorite summer food is … strawberries. I can eat them by the basket. BBQ corn on the cob is pretty great too
    5. The best way to quench a summer thirst is with … an ice cold glass of water or ice tea. I especially enjoy water flavored with cucumbers or citrus fruit.
    6. My summer uniform consists of … long skirts and tank tops. I also love a cute Hawaiian maxi dress and always flip flops or even better barefoot in the sand!
    7. The best thing about summer is … the long days and warm nights. Oh, and summer means my birthday and Dylan’s birthday!
    Share your random thoughts in the comments below or over at

  • Missing My Grandpa

    Not really sure what brought his on. Maybe it was Dylan bringing home the worm farm from Cub Scouts or maybe it is because of all the talk about BBQ’s. Either way, both make me think of my Grandpa. He was not the typical Grandpa who gave hugs, but rather the one who showed his affection by putting me in playful headlock. He taught me how to fish and I remember playing with his big old bucket of earthworms when I was a small child. This would make my Grandma so mad. He taught me how to build the perfect BBQ with charcoal, newspaper, and small pieces of wood … layers were the key according to Grandpa. Oh how I loved watching him BBQ. He made the best BBQ chicken ever!

    Growing up without a father in my life I guess I clung to my Grandpa for the male figure I needed so much as child. Like me and Dylan, my Mom was a single mother who worked full-time and I went to my Grandma’s house every day after school. My grandparents meant the world to me. Funny how when I think about, life has come full circle with my parents and Dylan.

    When my Mom re-married, I was 10 years old … but never lost that connection with my Grandpa. His funeral was the hardest thing I have ever had to do and sad to say, I have not been back to visit him often enough. I guess it’s just too hard for me.

    As I write this, I can feel the tears welling up in my eyes. Being the first grandchild of many, I have always felt a special connection to my grandparents. I so wanted my Grandpa to see his first great-grandson. I am thankful that he was able to attend my wedding and in an odd sort of way, thankful that he was ailing when I went through my divorce. This way, he did not need to see the pain I went through. I remember when I was pregnant thinking if only Grandpa were here.

    Sad to say, I have no pictures of me with my Grandpa. I will have to ask my Mom if she has any. If she does, they are probably very old. He was not one for taking pictures, just as he was not one for showing his emotions or saying I Love You. I remember seeing him in the hospital during his final days and I leaned down to give him a kiss. He hugged me and said, “I Love You Michelle.” Wow, this coming from the man who only gave playful headlocks with a ‘hey you, glad you could make it.’

    This is the only picture I could find of my Grandpa. It was taking at my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary in May 1996. My grandfather passed in September 2001.

    Friends, take those pictures … no matter how much others say no or I didn’t do my hair. Take those pictures. Because one day, a picture is all that you will have left with your memories of earthworms and BBQ’s.

    This picture of Grandpa’s burial site was taking in 2005, the last time I went to visit. Before that I went one time when I was pregnant to talk to him and introduce my unborn child to him. I think it’s time Dylan and I took a trip to see my Grandpa. It’s time Dylan starts learning some of things his great-grandpa would have enjoyed teaching him and telling him some of the stories about me and my Grandpa.

    Maybe, just maybe the earthworms coming home with Dylan was my Grandpa’s way of saying ‘hey, glad you could make it’ …

  • Dylan’s Cupcake Wars

    It is no secret that Dylan loves watching the Food Network with me. Cupcake Wars is one of his favorite shows and he is always getting new ideas for us to make cupcakes with from this show. As you may know, one of the judges on Cupcake Wars is Candace Nelson, the founder of Sprinkles Cupcakes. When I told Dylan that there was a Sprinkles cupcake bakery just 5 minutes from us he got very excited!

    After much discussion about local and not so local cupcake bakeries, Dylan decided that he wanted to taste all of these “famous” cupcakes and judge them for himself. So today our first stop was Sprinkles Cupcakes in Newport Beach. We purchased two cupcakes. Chocolate Marshmallow and Vanilla were his choices.

    Personally, I do not care much for Sprinkles Cupcakes. The Chocolate Marshmallow basically tasted like a Ding Dong and the Vanilla cupcake was very dry, but my opinion doesn’t really matter … watch the video and see what the cupcake expert had to say.


    Our next stop will be Wonderland Bakery …

  • Cub Scout Day Camp

    Dylan just finished his first Cub Scout Day Camp. Five days of all things Cub Scouts! Archery, flag football, ultimate frisbee, creating with clay, building a bird house with wood and nails, making his very own earthworm farm (which now resides in our house), making his own fishing pole from bamboo and fishing in the pond, and I’m sure much more than he told me considering the long list of achievements that was sent home.

    The days were long (8:30 am – 3:30 pm) and the weather was hot, but he had a blast and I’m sure he will want to do it again next year!

  • Wordless Wednesday – Waiting for Star Tours …