show me yourself

I don't love pictures of me and I usually actively dislike self-portraits or asking someone to take pictures of me, so I am largely absent from my own photo documentation. Which is how I like it but at the end of last week I realized we'd done a bunch of fun things and I had no visual reminders I'd been there too doing all the things I'd snapped Aaron doing. So after lunch on the wharf in Monterey and just before heading to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, I decided to brave it and try to get us there looking all cute and wharfy.

It serves me right.

A second try did prove more successful, but I actually kind of love this one more still.

clap your hands!

Hello, I am back.

And of course I have to litter the internet with new nephew photos first and foremost.

So here is Garrett wearing my onesie present to him.

And here is Garrett wearing my turtle present to him.

Here is what a smushed Garrett looks like.

Here is what Garrett's impression of an armadillo looks like.

And here is an unsure Garrett.

Here are what giant baby feet look like.

And here is what a giant baby hand looks like (seriously, the kid could like, palm a basketball already).

Here is Garrett wearing the world's most adorable socks.

And here is Garrett being his very thoughful self.


I think he's a keeper.

my california love

Hey Internet. I am leaving tomorrow morning and moving to California.

Just kidding! I'm just going for like a week. However in that week I will meet my new nephew and I will meet Aaron's new niece and I will camp in Santa Cruz and I will wear lots of scarves and I will probably burn my winter white skin (even more than when I tried to go tanning earlier this week 'to prepare' and totally already burned...hello skin cancer!).

Peace out.

what do you think?

I don't love trying to take pictures of my head. So to see my haircut, checking my blind spot will have to do for now.

everybody's jumpin'

A few months ago Aaron said something about wanting to go to one of those indoor play gyms sometime (because he is part teenager). I thought his birthday would be a great time to try one out and since one of his best friends has a birthday 2 days before his (and is also part teenager), it seemed like a great combined birthday party idea. We settled upon one in Sandy and though we had a small scare when the boys didn't think there was a foam pit (there was), it all worked out splendidly.

There was foam pit lounging,

and hand stands,

and jump rope.

Kristin found a very effective frisbee training program,

and Kristina mastered levitation.

There were cartoon-like slams,

and camera poses.


And then of course boys threw things at each other,

which progressed to jumping over each other,

which progressed to full body contact.

I made some ghetto cakes


and the birthday boys blew out candles.


It was a lot of fun. And thinking about it, the last time I went to one of these places was probably in high school after a dance. But this time was way better because I totally hooked up with my hot date after.

new star in the sky

I have lots of very exciting things to talk about like cutting off most of my hair, Aaron's and Kevin's gymnastic birthday party, and other equally exciting things for the internet to know. But I saw Star Trek on Thursday and it's important that everyone go see it because it's great.

More importantly though, remember last year at Indiana Jones when we realized Logan is an alien?

Turns out Morgan is a Romulan!!!

explode

The second little member of Clifford: The Next Generation was born this morning! There is no Clifford paparazzi in San Francisco so it could be a normal person time frame before I have photos. He was a whopping 9 lbs 3 oz and since Sterling and Megan called him Ox all through the pregnancy (its the year of the ox) the unnamed child is still going by Ox for now. Apparently we don't like immediately naming babies in this family (UPDATE: Its Garrett! I'm going to call him Gary and see if Sterling kills me).

Also apparently we make sure babies have the same birth months as their fathers; Morgan was born July 15th, two weeks before Christopher's birthday and now little Ox has arrived just a few weeks ahead of Sterling's May 30th birthday. So I guess Kristen has to get pregnant next February to stay on track for Logan's November birthday! Oh and then maybe Katie or I should work on getting married at least?

You know, we existed for so long in my family as six siblings, adding fantastic in-laws here and there. I've wondered how offspring would change our dynamics, if we could stay as close when individual families became the focus. But its been such a delight the past 10 months watching Morgan grow into his sweet and thoughtful little personality and having that tiny human turn all of the adults around him into mush. I can't wait to see who Ox becomes too in the coming months and years and to stare at pictures of him and to count down days until visits back and forth. Its exciting to think about how these oldest boy cousins will interact with each other and how they'll be the big boys to the babies the rest of us will eventually produce. I love thinking about it all, I love this stage of my family more than I could have ever expected and I love that May 7th is a new birthday to add to my list.

hello tomorow

Good thing I bought this onesie last Saturday at the Beehive Bazaar.

Because before the end of the day I will have a San Francisco nephew who will wear it. I can't wait to take it to him next weekend...

drive

Yesterday was another Saturday-Monday kind of day.

Yesterday was also a mosey on home, tackle a kitchen I hadn't stepped foot in in weeks, make dinner and read a book of my choice kind of day (instead of a rush from work to class all night kind of day).

Today is another no class kind of day.

Today is also a send the receptionist to a bakery for margarita cupcakes at work kind of day.

stuff that works

Here is some stuff from my camera.

This is Elizabeth honoring the Lechuza Caracas team.

This is apparently how I run.

This is Morgan.

This is me deciding that I needed a picture of Morgan's teeth.

This is Morgan crying (but showing his teeth!).

This is Yann Tiersen not playing anything from the Amelie soundtrack (but still being great).

This is brunch with two California favorites Beckie and Corey who should plan independent trips to Utah more often.

This is my final final that I turned in yesterday.

This is the first stack of stuff I'm going to read now that I've turned in my final final.