B is for Brady... as in Kenny & Jill

Putting it out there: Life Goals

2012-01-19T09:27:00.000-08:00

I'm at my office. I'm supposed to be editing a deal I underwrote last week while polishing off another deal and mentoring the two junior analysts. But, in a flash, I was hit with a clear idea of my "Life Goals." I can't say these are all encompassing, but they likely serve as the foundational values and goals that drive all other things I'd like to accomplish. I prefer these broader life goals to, say, "resolutions" because when I fail even once at a resolution, I tend to write it off as a loss for the rest of the year and quit trying at all. So, lest I forget these longer-term hopes/goals forever, here they are:

Have a mutually fulfilling, successful marriage that lasts. Like, forever.

Earn a PhD. (or two???) In otherwords, to be forever learning.

Raise my children to be kind, confident, resourceful, and generally happy adults. I realize I can't control them or many of the circumstances of their lives, so I'll only say that I hope they're also successful and educated and that they develop a firm faith in a Loving Father in Heaven and His plan. I also hope that as siblings, my children are close and bonded. And that they won't have too much to complain about me with each other.

Build my dream home. Or two. And lest images of huge mansions go fluttering through the readers' heads, let me state that my dream home is not large, but rather efficient, simple, resourceful, well designed and made, unique/interesting, and full of light. Same goes for the the things and people with which I'd like to fill this home.

Travel. Everywhere.

Live abroad for a time.

Be known as kind and intelligent. And honest. I think that's doable. In my dreams I'd like to be thought of as funny, too.

To be unattached to things. Live to experience rather than to accumulate.

Live in optimal, balanced health. At least with regards to the things I can control. I'd like to be an active senior citizen when that time comes.

To be a person who boosts those around her - in whatever way is needed. This may require my getting over my own insecurities and inherent shyness (which I fear often comes across as snobbishness).

Provide a financial legacy for my posterity. Both in actual funds and as an example of wise management of one's resources.

Also to leave a legacy of faith, kindness, social responsibility and awareness, and passion.

So...that's it? Probably not. But it's something. And hopefully it will serve as a reminder for me when my priorities are out of whack. Hopefully.

NYC in photos

2012-01-15T20:58:00.000-08:00

I guess it's about time I post some photos from our Christmas trip to NYC. These are not all the photos. They are not in order and they don't depict all we did, saw, ate, and experienced. But they'll do. Enjoy.

The Subway:

We were quick pros when it came to public transportation; however, it was particularly frustrating for Kenny not to have mountains to help him get his bearings and serve as a visual compass. Also, we never could have done it without our iPhones and various Subway apps. I love technology.

Rockefeller Plaza.. and THE tree:

we could not go to NY in December and NOT see this. Kenny wanted to go multiple times. It was the shot of "Christmas Festive-ness" we needed to combat our 70+ degree weather at home.

Bryant Park (my favorite) and a smaller tree and ice skating rink:

This is the spot I kept wanting to return to. Preferably with a hot chocolate and a good book (which would have been easy given it's right next to the main Public Library - also one of my favorite spots. Yes, I know. I'm a nerd.)

Times Square:

Can you find us on the jumbotron/billboard?

The Empire State Building:

I'd seen "An Affair to Remember" too many times not to go up and take in the view. Pretty incredible.

We got pretty creative trying to get a shot of both of us. Here is our reflection in the windows.

Awww. We're cute.

Central Park:

I'm glad we finally took some time to just sit and hang out while strolling through the park. We just meandered about and finally sat on a bench to share a bag of hot candied pecans and watched the performers. We were at first a bit bummed there was no snow to really add to the whole Christmas ambiance, but, in retrospect, we were so grateful to have fairly pleasant weather. We wouldn't have had this time otherwise.
(Thank you to our gorilla-pod for making photos of us together possible. If you follow Kenny on instagram, you saw his photos of me setting the camera up to take these sorts of shots. Worth it.)
Although Kenny holds his own pretty well without me in the shot, if I do say so myself. And I do.

Right outside the park was the LDS temple. So cool to see it in the middle of the city. We're so used to them being tucked up on some hill in a residential area. I liked seeing the Angel Moroni amidst all the high rises.

Brooklyn:

Worth the detour off the island if for no other reason than this view - the very best of the whole trip:
More gorilla pod couples photos...

And one more of my man. I like him.

Right on the waterfront and almost under the bridge was this empty, roofless building. So...we had to take photos, right?

The High Line:

Our last morning we walked over to the High Line and I'm so glad we did because my two favorite photos of the whole trip were shot while there (below). Isn't he so handsome?! It was inspiring to see what can be made of old, run down property. We shared some Donought Plant goodies and said good bye to the City.

It was over too fast, but so much fun. I can't wait to go back!

2011-12-22T09:26:00.000-08:00

So I'm sitting in my office (tangent- i started working again one/two days a week as a consultant) and catch the tail-end of a conversation happening in the office across from me in which Colleague A made reference about a "porn deal" our office was inheriting next year. Colleague B got defensive and clarified that it was not a "porn deal" but in fact an "adult toy company" deal. A friendly (and detailed) debate then ensued regarding what we would classify as porn verses entertainment. The conversation ended when Colleague A conceded to Colleague B and said, "look, I was just making a a reference to the deal itself, but thank you for correcting me. I have nothing against the deal; shoot, I'd rather be in business selling that stuff than cigarettes or something."

And who said commercial banking is boring?

Christmas Cousins (and appeasing Magga)

2011-12-20T14:25:00.000-08:00

My mother-in-law really wanted a photo with all her grandkids in Christmas attire. So, before we all made our way out to the Mission Inn in Riverside to see the lights, we gathered the kiddos and Amelia took a few shots. Lola's eyes are closed in most of them (thanks to a blinding camera flash) and Lucy kept trying to make a break for it. Good times.

From Left to Right: Lucy, "Magga," Monroe, Hudson, Sloan, "Krappa," and Lola

In the end, Magga got her photo. :)

I heart NYC

2011-12-13T20:43:00.000-08:00

Warning: lots of words ahead. (This is really for me...just to remember)

Kenny surprised me last week with a quick getaway to NYC! I could add a whole row of "!" and it still wouldn't convey the extent of my excitement. This is the last month where I can technically fly before Baby #2, and I really had been wanting a trip before this baby comes and my body becomes soley a food source for a year+. My attentive husband took note (although I may have dropped quite a few not-so-subtle hints) and booked the trip! He is the BEST.

So, before I forget, I wanted to jot down all we did and saw in bullet form style. I'll add photots and elaborate on my favorite moments later.

Thursday:

After meeting up with some cousins at Vince's Spaghetti, we dropped off our girl at Magga's (aka grandma's) house. Vacation officially began.
Started missing Sweet Dee IMMEDIATELY. Seriously, as soon as the car pulled away my heart ached. Thanks to instagram and texts, I was repeatedly assured that she was having a BLAST with her grandparents, aunties, uncles, and cousins. I'm so glad Kenny's family took such great care of her. I still missed her a ton, though.
Packed for the trip

Friday:

Flew from LAX to JFK via Virgin America. Note to self: bring your own food when flying this airline.
Took a cab to our hotel in Chelsea (which was FREEEEE!!!!! - the hotel, not the cab). My window would not roll up all the way which made for a chilly 40 minute ride. Also, our driver, while chatty, barely spoke above a mumbled whisper. I understood NOTHING that he said.
Checked in, dropped our bags off, bundled up, grabbed a map and ventured out.
1st stop, Luke's in the east Village for seafood rolls and lobster bisque.
2nd stop: Rockefeller Center (to see the tree of course) and the surrounding blocks
3rd stop: Times Square and Broadway. Lots of people.
then back to the hotel. asleep around 3:00am

Saturday:

Free, easy breakfast at the hotel
trekked back up to Broadway to pick up theater tickets
Made a trip out to Brooklyn, took the wrong subway and got to see A LOT of Brooklyn. And did a LOT of walking.
Shopped a bit for the Girl. Bought nothing.
enjoyed the view of Manhattan from under the Brooklyn Bridge.
Took LOTS of photos.
waited and froze in the line for Grimaldi's; subsequently enjoyed some much needed hot chocolate with some very yummy pizza
Back to Manhattan, Soho specifically, for shopping at Topshop/Topman and surrounding stores. Window shopped along Prince. Actual purchases: none. (Note: shopping isn't so fun at 5+ months prego. It's the "fat" stage. Yuk. And my sympathetic husband didn't want to buy anything if I wasn't - despite my protests. our only souvenirs our our memories, photos, and a few extra pounds. Or a LOT of extra pounds.)
Went back to the East Village. Stopped at two Momfuku restaurants (Noodle Bar and another one I can't remember) and then indulged in some crack pie and cereal milk at Momofuku's Milk Bar (a third location). Kenny wanted more of it the next day.
Dinner at Mary's Fish Camp in the West Village. Our "splurge" dinner. Worth it.
Back to the hotel to soak our tired and cold feet and legs in a hot bath and sleep.

Sunday:

free breakfast
remembered to dress really, REALLY warmly.
Made our way up toward Julliard, saw the Manhattan LDS temple, and ventured into Central Park
Strolled through the lower half of the park, stopping at a few street performers, cozied up on a bench in the Mall with a bag of warm, honey-roasted almonds and finally just relaxed and took it all in.
Made our way out of the park, stopped in at FAO Schwartz (again, for our Girl. Again, bought nothing), and strolled down Madison Avenue and 5th Ave.
Lunched at Shake Shack. The line was long (although not as long as Grimaldi's), but somehow we managed to cut most of it and fill up on standard American food. Good, but over hyped in our opinion.
Saw The Adams Family on Broadway.
Took in Times Square during the day time. Again, there were lots of people.
Stopped at the Muji store still seeking souvenirs. Purchased none.
Decided right then was as good a time as any to head up the Empire State building and take in the view. Husband laughed at my fear of heights repeatedly as I braved getting near the fence to look down.
Attempted to hit up Hampton Chutney for dinner, but it closed at 9pm. We were too late.
Ultimately had dinner back in Soho at Cafe Habana. So, so good.
Went back uptown and, on a whim, stopped at Bryant Park. LOVED IT. It was all decked out for Christmas complete with another skating rink, the pop-up stores were mostly still open, and it wasn't too crowded.
Noticed a very big, very beautiful building nearby and went to take a look. it was (to my delight) the NYC Public Library. The nerd in me rejoiced and took photos. Had it been opened (our timing wasn't great) I'm pretty sure we would have spent a lot more time here.
Back to the hotel to pack up and sleep.

Monday:

early morning walk to the High Line park.
doughnuts at the Doughnut Plant. Creme Brulee and Tres Leche. Delicious.
Back to Bryant Park for breakfast and a last good look at the city.
back to the hotel in Chelsea to grab our bags and make our way to the Airtrain via the subway.
Endured a delay of takeoff due to a leaky faucet in one of the plane's bathrooms. Not so Awesome.
Returned home to a rainy Los Angeles.
Cursed LA traffic and the lack of good public transportation.
Grabbed a quick dinner and enjoyed our last moments of couple-time.
Picked up our girl. it was a happy reunion for all. She couldn't decide who to hug and so went from one of us to the other and then back again. Repeat.
Arrived home, unpacked, and curled up on the couch as a family in the glow of our Christmas lights and watched Charlie Brown's Christmas until is was well past Sweet Dee's bedtime. We read some books and all went to bed.

The end.

(PS – I may or may not be pretty tired today. Also, our Sweet Dee – who woke up at a mean 6:ooam today – may have had a hard time with Kenny leaving for work. That’s not normal for her and it broke my heart a little; however, I’m glad to know she missed us.)

Family Photos - Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-30T20:31:00.000-08:00

Guess what?! My family actually has a decent photo! Of all of us! I think the last one we got was at my wedding. 8+ years ago. Sometime after Thanksgiving dinner and before the turkey coma set in, we ventured out across the street into the cold for some impromptu family photos. Huge thanks to cousin Tyson for taking these! Needless to say, my mom is pretty stoked to have a photo with all of us in it WITH all our eyes open.

I grabbed a few of the parents. Awwww....

My Dad turned 50 the day after Thanksgiving. However, he's still very much a kid at heart. He's not a huge fan of being photographed (that's a huge understatement), but he obliged. However he did have us do a few goofy poses...as the next few demonstrate.

Kenny looks extra "fabulous" in this one.
Lola loved this part.
And we allowed ourselves to be photographed with half our members in a tree.
And while we were there, we figured why not burn off some of that Thanksgiving dinner and play at the park for a bit.
Ryan demonstrates a proper "planking" photo.
Lola loves the seesaw - with whomever will take her on it.

And of course, what kid doesn't love being swung in the air?

I do wish that I had pulled her pant cuffs back down at some point, but oh well.
After photos we returned to our extended family to find this dude watching us from the window. Best photo of the session, in my opinion.
Happy Thanksgiving! Happy 50th, Dad! oh, and congrats to my two sisters who both got their braces off yesterday - one week after family photos. :)

Park Days

2011-11-20T19:23:00.001-08:00

I found myself at the park one day WITH a decent camera. That calls for a blog post.

Rose...
Diego...

Miranda...

The crew (at least on this day)...
And this may have been right before I let her get pegged by the swings. She literally flipped upon collision. I was hoping it would teach her not to keep running in front of the swings, but I'm thinking she didn't even know what hit her. I won't elaborate, but it was a bad hit. For both the hitter and my little hittee. Tears for both parties. Bad mommy.
And, of course, Sweet Dee.

"Peek-a-boo Mom!" (It's not cute in the traditional sense, but I love when she does that scrunched up face.)

The End.

PS - for records' sake, these were taken right after she had two vaccination shots. It was the last day she was herself, i.e. happy, chill, not-sick. Seriously, I'm going on my 11th straight day of sickness with her and I'm ready to shoot myself. I needed these photos to remind me of "the good times." Fingers crossed we'll get there again real soon.

Halloween 2011 - Lola

2011-11-13T20:03:00.000-08:00

First things first - THANK YOU all for the congratulatory comments! We're excited and hopeful and trying to enjoy our remaining time as a family of three. We don't yet know the gender (and are still debating if we will find out this time). Any guesses? Lola's been really into baby dolls lately and I'm using it as an opportunity to prep her on proper behavior around real babies. So far, she's a natural nurturer and I'm confident she's going to make a great big sister.

Speaking of Lola...

Here's the Halloween photos of Sweet Dee...she was a Candy Corn if you couldn't tell. Thecostume was really easy (no pattern even) and I LOVED how it turned out. Fortunately, there were a few parties we attended so the costume got a lot of use.

The first event was our nephew, Sloan's, birthday party - a costume bash appropriately. These first two photos were (of course) taken by Sloan's mom, Amelia Lyon. Below, Lola and her cousin, Lucy, share a balloon. I love that Lola has a cousin just 12 days older than her. The two girls are so much fun together, and Lucy is the funniest girl I've met. Lola's really lucky to have her.
(PS, Nicole and I have a pretty good themed costume idea for these two for next year. It's gonna be awesome.)

Then Halloween - the actual day - came. And by dinner time, I was ready to trade Lola for a Jack O Lantern, straight up. She was NOT a fun girl. But, for the sake of the holiday, we joined up with the Lyons anyway for some pumpkin carving and trick or treating.

Lola didn't care much for the pumpkins. Of course. I was super bummed.
But Hudson and his dad were much more enthusiastic about the project, and so it was still fun.

And then came trick or treating. An HOUR after her bedtime on what had already been a rough day. I braced myself for the worst and planned on doing two or three houses, max. And then the girl totally redeemed herself. She was excited, and, well, adorable the whole time. We ended up doing way more homes that I planned on, just because it was the first time all day she was any fun. She laughed at every house and every other trick or treater. She was sure to wave "Bye" to everyone she saw and sprinted (which looks so funny with her short legs and ghetto booty) to each house.

In short...It was a great day.

Halloween 2011 - Jill

2011-11-06T20:41:00.000-08:00

I'm still waiting for a photo from Amelia to post the only good photo of Lola's halloween costume. I pinned/instagramed/facebooked a screen shot of it, so when I do post it here it will hardly be a surprise. Oh well.

Kenny and I actually dressed up this year. A little.

Kenny donned this hat for his baker costume (modeled below by me)...

While I wore this little ditty...

Bun's been baking 18.5 weeks now and should be ready April 3rd. :)

(Cannot begin to say how many people didn't "get it." Including my mother-in-law.) :)

Birthday Trip - July 2011

2011-10-30T21:28:00.000-07:00

For my birthday, I spent a very quick few days in UT with my family where Lola and I ate lots of homemade ice cream, played lots of tennis, and visited not-enough family. Kenny sadly was back home in CA working.

Here's some photos.

Picnics at Sundance...

Tennis with the fam (while Lola pushed her stroller around and into things)

And an afternoon in Brigham City visiting her great-grandparents.

Great Grandpa Rollins put her right to work when we got there. Taking a break in the garden to think.
Cooling off by (and eventually climbing into) the fountain.
Drying off (sans clothes) with mom on the trampoline.

Lola Dee opted to share a cookie and a bowl of homemade ice cream with her Great Grandma, Lola Gene.
And closed things out with some more time on the trampoline with her Grandma and her 80-year-old Great Grandpa.

Obviously, it was fun times. If Kenny had been there, it would have been the perfect birthday.

Remember Christmas?

2011-09-28T20:04:00.000-07:00

I don't.

And, since it's officially autumn and The Holidays will soon again be upon us, I thought should finally post some photos from 2010 lest I forget it forever. Here goes...

This Christmas was spent in Utah with my side of the family.

Christmas morning:

The Grandparents in their new snuggies.

My baby when she was still a baby. And not the tantrum throwing, opinionated, teething, running creature she is now. (She's a cute monster, though.)

Just woke up faces

Looking lovely. No makeup and bed head. Enjoy that unknown blog stalkers.

Ryan and I in our blanket/ponchos. That blanket was my savior during my two bouts of mastitis btw. Nothing like a quasi-sleeping bag to get a girl through feverish chills and burning boobs.

A tired Ryan tries to to wear everything he received.

Mom and Becca.

(For some reason I don't have photos of my dad or Anna...not that my dad minds, I'm sure.)

Then we met up with my dad's family at the cemetery visit with his parents. Or at least to stare at their graves. We all then gathered at my Uncle Greg's where there was a pinata, lots of food, some football, and some drinking games (minus the drinking):

Brett, Anna, Becca

Daxton...

Me and my girl...

Dad and Megan (I think)

More cousins

Sweet Dee and her Grandpa

Kenny helped Lola take a swing at the pinata...

she did NOT like it.

Kenny and Ryan

Dad and Aunt Pam.

Again, no pictures of Anna. Weird.

We then met up with my moms family for more food, games, and a talent show. I don't have photos. Bummer.

And finally, a few days later Kenny and I went up to Logan to visit the Parkinsons...

Steve and Lori (with Lola)

Dallin

Riley

Steve.

Casey.

More Riley.

Drew.

And Madi.

This is where I'd put the photo of Laura - if I could find it on my hard drive.

I was worried that in taking this long to post about this I would "lose" photos. And I did. Somewhere on a hard drive is pictures of Laura P. and Anna N.; I can imagine the photos I know I loaded and yet...they're gone. And they were good photos, of course. They're pretty girls, after all. Someday I'll find them. (I hope.) I also wish I had photos of all the friends and cousins we got to visit and of our trip to Park City for some wonderful snowboarding. THAT was wonderful (even if it did lead to one of those bouts of mastitis mentioned above). Ahhhh, memories.

Anyway, There's Christmas! Finally! It was pretty jam packed, but awesome. Just today Kenny mentioned that he's looking forward to Christmas. I had a minor panic attack at the thought, but after looking at these I can breathe a little better. Yes, it's super stressful, but in the end it's all about the people we love. And it's good.

A late night and the cops.

2011-09-02T03:07:00.000-07:00

Dear college-aged neighbors.

I'm sorry I called in the cops to end your little gathering this morning. And by morning, I mean the gathering that began at promptly 2am. Like clockwork. Every Thursday nigh. I know that's when the bars close and that your apartment, given its proximity to downtown, is an ideal gathering spot after bar-hopping.

I'm not sorry, however, that the noise has finally stopped. Perhaps we wouldn't have this problem if you'd simply close the doors/windows of your apartment while continuing your party. Perhaps if you reminded our friends not to YELL to you from the parking lot we'd be cool. Perhaps if you'd kindly keep the gathering in your unit rather than letting it spill out into the courtyard, I'd let it slide. We'd definitely be on better terms if your pals would refrain from hanging out directly outside my bedroom window to make phone calls, have arguments, or conduct inappropriate conversations.

I remember college. I remember the joys of late nights - specifically Thursdays as there was seldom class held on Fridays. And I well remember rolling my eyes at the crazy old people who'd yell at us. I forgive you for your youth.

I can't, however, forgive that you've turned me into that crazy old lady. The one who actually made a noise complaint with the local PD this morning. for thee first time after putting up with this 2+ years. The crazy old lady who then sat up an hour drafting a strongly worded letter to our property management addressing your many grievences. The crazy old lady who then has to rant about it on her blog. The crazy lady who will stew about it for a while yet until sleep finally returns.

I wish you could understand that Friday still means early mornings and responsibility for the rest of your neighbors. I wish you could understand that it's difficult to sleep at all in this heat. I wish you knew how much I struggle to sleep at all these days. I wish I believed that if you understood, you'd be more considerate. But I don't. Every Thursday it's the same. I'll forgive you for carrying on on Friday and Saturday nights, but not Thursdays.

So while I'm sorry I ended your soiree, I'm more sorry that it's 3am and I'm still not asleep. So while I sit here cursing your existence as I watch that clock tick ever closer to my 5:50am alarm, I hope you enjoyed your visit from the Men (or Women) in Blue.

Good night.

2011-08-16T20:00:00.000-07:00

Lest I go an entire month without a post, here's an update.

Lola and I go to the beach. A lot. It's her happy place and "beach" is one of her few words I can clearly recognize. In fact...other than household chores, that's pretty much all we do. The park is too hot, and the AC in our apartments is weak. So to the beach we go. A lot.

We've done some traveling. A lot, actually.

Zion National Park/Ponderosa Ranch for a mini reunion with Kenny's immediate family- highlight: hiking the narrows and finally taking some family photos
Orem/Brigham City for a few days with my family - highlight: turning 28 and celebrating with homemade ice cream four nights in a row
Logan for a wedding and more time with family - highlight: beautiful canyon drives and raspberry shakes at Bear Lake.
Kern River/Sequoia National Park (Kenny only) for a scouting trip - highlight two days of river rafting. (I stayed home and hit up the OC fair and made preparations for a baby shower...super fun, but no river rafting.)

We've been busy. Lola's been spoiled rotten with attention and with things. Truthfully, while I miss everyone, it's nice to be home and get some sort of routine back. Plus, Lola was missing her beloved beach. Me too.

Some other things:

Last night I got my first full night's sleep in almost four weeks. It took a major sleeping pill to accomplish this feat, but it was sooooo worth it.
My shoelace got stuck in the rotating stairs at the gym yesterday morning. For a super long two seconds, I simultaneously that I was going to die/live the remainder of my days as an amputee until I yanked the lace free. Miraculously I didn't even fall off the machine. I'm super talented.
Lola decided she'd try crawling again. Right through a pool of engine grease in someone's driveway. It was really gross.
Date nights are awesome. Date nights with fun people are even cooler. (Most of the time.)
Sunday Vegas traffic is a perfect depiction of what I imagine Hell to be like. Just more of an incentive not to end up there.

I'd add more, but I took another sleeping pill about twenty minutes ago and it just hit me. Must. go. to. bed.

Good night.

Dreams

2011-07-17T19:01:00.000-07:00

I'm realizing that I can't eat high amounts of sugar in the evening if I want a good night's rest. Not only do i find myself tossing for much of the night, but during the time I actually am asleep I have some weird, unsettling dreams. While I don't remember most of them (although the weird feeling often persists throughout the morning) I did share one with Kenny immediately upon awakening. And he remembers it and keeps telling me to blog it for all to analyze. So here the super condensed version:

It's my dad's 50th birthday and I've pulled out all the stops throwing a huge bash. He's not really cooperating with much of what i've planned and he is even refusing to eat the decadent chocolate cake I baked for him myself. And so I spend the remainder of the party (of which the details are blurry) sneaking around and repeatedly ambushing my dad with a syringe full of the chocolate cake trying to inject it into his bloodstream. I never succeeded. And I woke up.

The same night of this dream I was woken by an asleep husband yanking on my arm. After pulling my arm free before he tore it from its socket, he then sat up, reached over and grabbed the comforter off of me and rolled himself up in it. Never waking up. Evidently he was having a rough night, too.

And now I must go. Kenny's at a meeting which gives me just enough time to whip up something sweet. I'm a glutton for punishment I guess. But as long as I don't share with Kenny then at least I don't have to worry about him dismembering me during the night.

The fourth, 2011

2011-07-11T19:02:00.000-07:00

This is the only photo I have from our holiday weekend.
If this doesn't say it clearly enough, I'll spell it out: I was way too busy to take photos. Obviously.

photo stolen from Angie's Instagram

from left: Matt and Angie Sloan, me, and Jeff Thompson's arm

place: Newport Beach harbor. After that weekend I'm now positive that I need constant access to a private beach. With former NBA players as neighbors. It's pretty awesome. (Thanks again for hooking us up, Aunt Nora!)

Happy (belated) Birthday America!

High fashion?

2011-06-30T20:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the reigning king of street style fashion photography, The Sartorialist, told us to take note of a certain designer and then showcased a few looks.

I must say there were some good pieces and I liked the styling. And then I got to this photo:

And all I could think was: "Attention old Mormon Dads: letting your stretched out "g's" (white boxer briefs for the non-Mormons out there) hang out the bottom of too-short shorts is now considered high-fashion. Your children no longer have to be embarrassed."

And then I had a good laugh to myself.

Did anyone else's dad/husband rock this look? Usually straight out of bed? Just mine? Sorry, Dad.

2011-06-27T19:01:00.001-07:00

Kenny suggested I update this little blog lest anyone go thinking I died of a bladder infection. So...here I am. I survived (but just barely; UTI's are the worst).

Other than that, not too much of note has really gone on.

By the way, I realize this blog has become little more that a "travel log" of sorts, i.e. "here's what we did, here's where we went, etc." And it's boring. At least it is to me. I was going through my archives recently and, while I'll admit there's nothing amazing in there, it does seem that I used to have a lot more to say. No, I'm being hard on myself. In truth most of those posts were written while at work where I was all too eager for a diversion and (given that I was in front of a computer all day) it was easy to blog any random thought that popped into my head. Most of these thoughts probably should have remained in my head... regardless, I do miss having a record of the (mostly banal) musings that I entertained (and continue to entertain). If nothing else, they make me laugh now.

Yesterday I read most of the day - i was determined to finish Jane Eyre. Why I had never read it is beyond me, but I finished and I can now be in that club. There were several passages I noted so that I could go over them again and let the words sink in a bit. Kenny calls me a nerd (with affection) and he's right. I am. However, I'm also a dumb kid who loves mindless entertainment. Case in point: the second I read the last sentence of Jane Eyre, I pulled up an episode of Phineas and Ferb and mentally checked out. And I enjoyed that almost as much as I liked reading all day.

Today, I got really into dusting/polishing. Like with q-tips and a toothbrush. Although I oddly derived some satisfaction from the process (as well as the result of course), I couldn't help but fantasize about selling everything, save one chair. My chores would all but disappear! I entertained this idea so much that I actually suggested it to Kenny upon his arrival home. He took his usual stance (we've had the discussion before) and reminded me that he really liked having a couch. He knows this because we went without one for four months the last time I convinced him to sell some stuff. (He eventually resorted on folding an air-mattress to resemble a futon.) I reminded him that I said I would keep one chair - for him. He sort of smiled before Lola stole his attention. I think I may ware him down. Anyone looking for an apartment's worth of furniture, keep your eyes glued to Craig's List. Any day now...

And here I leave you. Very much alive and UTI free.

Breakfast.

2011-06-17T07:37:00.000-07:00

Azo + Cephalexin + ibuprofen = breakfast. Yum.

And hopefully it means a better day than yesterday.

Saturdays...

2011-06-11T19:53:00.001-07:00

It may just be me, but it feels like Saturdays have become a day of non-stop eating. Ugh.

On the plus side, we've had some pretty great weekends. Kenny won all three baby-sitting auctions at our church's recent fundraiser which means we've been going on some fun dates every week. On the day of the supposed rapture we celebrated my brother-in-law's graduation from college and saw Yelle play at the Music Box in LA. Both were awesome. Jeff is the very first person to graduate college in his family. As the daughter of a college professor, attending and graduating college was a given; I never even considered doing anything else. So to be the very first in one's family to do so... wow. I was super impressed and proud of him. Congrats, Jeff. F'reals.

Yelle was wonderful as usual. I loved her french accent when she'd yell out "It's the end of the world!!!" and wished the entire time I could dance like her. Or at least that I lacked the inhibition that keeps me from even trying. In another life I'm going to kill it on the dance floor.

Other events included the Yo Gabba Gabba art show (which was packed so full of hipsters that it was almost comical*), yummy dinners, good movies (I loved Midnight in Paris and really enjoyed the new X-men), the Team Davy benefit, and a few BBQs. And tomorrow the Husband and I are dropping Sweet Dee at grandma's and spending the night in Palm Springs for a mini-anniversary getaway (eight years! Yikes!).

Word is that we got hooked up with a suite at the Ace. I'm really excited.

In other good news, Trader Joe's just started offering their "tree-ripened peaches" (a seasonal item I've been anxiously waiting for over the last month or so). My taste buds did a happy dance and then I bought two boxes. One may not last us through the night.

*The kind of hipsters that are trying REALLY hard. Does anyone (besides Elise) watch "Happy Endings" ever? If you do, there's an episode where Max teaches Penny how to be a hipster so she can date one ... so funny. And pretty spot on actually. The best line: "all those [weird] things you like? He likes them ironically."

UPDATE: lest anyone go thinking my life has been all rainbows and unicorns...I also cleaned an obscene amount of poop out of an otherwise empty bathtub this morning and fished some books out of the toilet this afternoon. Both tasks also required thoroughly washing the hands of a cute, but guilty one-year-old. This stage is fun.

Another birthday.

2011-06-07T07:10:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Kenny was teaching a group of 14/15-year-olds and mentioned his birthday was coming up. They began to guess his age. "24?" No... "25?!" No... when they got to 28 they were doubtful he could be "that old" and when he told them he'd be 32 they were shocked. Kenny embodies the whole "young at heart" thing and it shows. I love that.

I also remember a few years ago we were boating with some friends at Lake Mead. I noticed that while all the "boys" were still toned and strong (and tan thanks to a few days on the lake), they all sported some manner of facial hair (mostly full beards) with various amounts of hair on their chest to match. My teenage self would have been so grossed out by all that hair, thinking it characterized old men. I wondered aloud "when did we start liking men?" Somewhere along the way, our teenage preferences for smooth, baby faces gave way to scruffy, rugged, handsome men. Kenny is such a man. I love that, too.

So, to my manly man with a fun-loving, youthful soul, I wish you a very happy birthday. I know you don't feel any different than you did when you turned, say, 20, but I'm happy for the added experience and wisdom this last year gave you and I look forward to another year of watching you grow. It's cliche, but you get better every day. I love you.

(And your daughter's sort of crazy about you, too. Before we know it she'll have the words to actually articulate that truth, but for now she'll just smile that goofy grin and say "Hi-Dad!" - like it's one word - over and over and over again as she makes laps around the house looking for you. All day long.)

A belated Happy Birthday

2011-06-01T19:51:00.000-07:00

My mom turned 40-something yesterday. (Happy Birthday, Mom!) While we wished we could have spent the day with her and taken her to do something fun - or at least kidnapped her from her job for a bit - Lola and I instead spent the day at the beach in her honor. We're thoughtful like that.

If my mom had been with us yesterday, she wouldn't have minded the wind. She would have buried her feet deep in the sand and turned her face toward the ocean and then up to the sun, likely with her eyes closed and smiling big, almost to herself. She grew up in Southern CA and the Pacific is in her blood. She is, however, an equal opportunity ocean lover - she raised two young kids on the east coast and made sure my brother and I spent plenty of time splashing in the north Atlantic. I am a sucker for a lighthouse and a grassy beach.

Anyway. I'm grateful for moms. But truly I like mine more than others. Today I passed an old man walking home along a busy rode struggling under the weight of a single grocery bag and found myself (after a brief inner debate) turning my car around to offer him a ride (which he, of course, refused). I continued on my way home in tears. Crying because I'm a sucker for old men. Crying because I am my mother's daughter and I cry over everything (privately). Crying for reasons I didn't really understand and could never articulate. And finally crying in gratitude for a mother that must have demonstrated similar acts of kindness and compassion throughout my life. I can't remember a specific instance at this moment, but doing it myself felt familiar and natural. I notice I too often dismiss good intentions or reason my way out of performing good deed. I need to stop doing that. I prayed this morning to be a good mother and even though Lola was oblivious to what was happening, I felt like stopping to offer assistance to that man was the answer to my prayer. And then I felt grateful that I've had good parents who were good examples.

So...

I don't really know where I was going with that. I guess I just wanted to wish my mom another Happy Birthday and, for some reason, on her birthday or Christmas or on Mothers' Day I always end up assuring her that I'm trying to be a good person as if the best gift I can give her is to remind her that I'm not a total screw-up. I'm sure she appreciates it, but I'll bet she'd really love some jewelry, a night out, or a vacation, too. Maybe next time, Mom. Anyway, I hope Utah gives you lots of good weather so you can wear the dress/sun hat/sandals I sent you to your local pool LOTS this summer. Universe, be nice to my mom. She's a good lady.

Why not? (a post with Lil')

2011-05-25T20:05:00.000-07:00

I may soon request writing assignments so that I have something to write about other than Lola. I actually think of quite a few topics during the day, but I have limited access to a computer during the day (think none actually) and so at day's end I'm too tired to remember or put in the effort. Oh well.

For Lola's party, our uber-talented cousin, Emily, made our girl a "Lil' Lola" doll ("Lil" for short around our house) in Lola's likeness. I just about died over it. SO CUTE. She even made gold lame leggings inspired by THIS shot (which made me super happy). Emily will be auctioning off a custom doll as part of the Team Davy Jean Benefit fundraiser and requested photos of Lola with her matching Lil' Lola to display at the event.

Lola wasn't very cooperative. It took three attempts (over three days) to get a decent shot. (And I use the term "decent" pretty loosely.)
This is her preferred way of showcasing the doll.
Pacifier = magic.
And then she was just slap happy.
And finally tired and cuddly.
That's all I've got right now.

(Not true; I have lots of photos to edit and post, and not all are centered around Lola, but...I'm tired. And I'm serious about those writing assignments. Please!)

An update.

2011-05-17T20:16:00.000-07:00

As of some point last week, Lola officially became a toddler. She's still doing the whole arms-over-her-head-monkey-walk; nonetheless, walking is now consistantly her go-to mode of getting around.

It's sort of adorable.

Personally, I'm still in the follow-her-around-everywhere-to-guard-that-cute-head-from-sharp-corners mode (which is a whole new kind of exhausting), but I love seeing that little body toddle around finding whole new places to explore. She's pretty proud of herself, too. Now I've got to work with her on some fine motor skills, specifically feeding herself with utensils. Once she nails that...oh, the freedom! I could actually feed myself! Huzzah! (But I'm getting ahead of myself.)

I spent last week in Utah, thanks to an invite from my cousin, Michelle, who conveniently had two extra seats in her car for the trip. That means it was Michelle and I with FIVE kids under the age of nine (two of whom were babies) for a 10 hour drive. Thankfully our Uncle put us up for a night in St. George to break up the trip, thus preserving our collective sanity. Actually, I must say that the kids were truly awesome. I was blown away. No real fights or melt-downs, or major fussing. Well, there was some, I guess, but hardly enough to even notice. And given that I hadn't really gotten to visit with Michelle in a long time, there was lots to talk about, which always helps the drive go faster. It was a great trip! Although I didn't have a car, I was able to see lots of friends and family, and Lola got round-the-clock attention from her aunts, uncle, and grandparents. She's a spoiled girl. We both are.

Kenny held down the fort and got lots of work done, although whenever we spoke, he was usually getting ready for some party or get-together "for work" he insisted. Hmmmm. Either way, I'm glad he had lots to keep him busy.

Yesterday marked two months since my last day of work. The second month went a lot faster than the first. I feel like I finally have a rhythm. I know what I need to do to feel balanced and accomplished at day's end and have finally found a good pace for this new life-style. I still miss my job occasionally, and I have yet to really come to terms with the loss of my income, but we're all doing pretty great. Insert huge sigh of relief.

Some things making me happy:

Raising Hope and Traffic Light (boo that the latter one just got canceled)
the Nike Fit app on my phone
longer gym sessions,
my walking toddler and her cheesy grin that scrunches up her nose...even when it's dripping with drool. Also I love her animal sounds and her newest phrase "Hi Dadeeeee"
my attentive, patient husband,
the occasional facial (a Mothers' Day gift from the aforementioned husband; way better than a massage),
beach days (and a baby who loves them as much as I do),
watermelon,
Ted.com (I'm obsessed...it may actually be a problem),
family,
warm, pretty light pouring in through my front window.

Some things making me not so happy:

The fact that Traffic Light was just cancelled (so bummed)
not having my own washing machine/dryer (it has been 10 years since I've enjoyed such a luxury and the endless search for one more quarter is getting old. REALLY old.)
menstrual cycles (I made it 10 months after having Lola before those come back and I did not miss it one bit)
age spots
people rejoicing over the death of Bid Laden - I get it, I guess, but I still have a hard time being happy over the death of anyone,
not getting a regular paycheck and watching that account's balance shrink,
poop (is it possible to potty train a 12 month old? Realistically?)
the fact that my gym will only show reruns Charmed as the only non-news, non-sports option at the gym at the time I'm there,
the fact that I can no longer justify my membership to 24 Hour Fitness' Ultra Sport gym (I loved that gym...)
that all my clothes seem to be covered in snot, drool, or food all the time.
teething/colds

Looking at the "bad" list, I must say it's pretty shallow on the whole. Which is great. No complaints here!

(Universe, do not take that as a sign to send me something awful. Just let me enjoy it for a bit...)

I'm a bit random right now...oh well.

Good night.

Her 1st Birthday.

2011-05-01T20:55:00.000-07:00

Note: this is a journal post. Lots of words, for record's sake, but not necessarily interesting.

My baby is one. How awesome is that?! We not only kept a totally helpless human alive for a whole year, but I think she's turned out to be the sweetest, funnest, cutest person ever. Pat on the back for me. And for Kenny. I'm not even going to qualify that statement with the standard "I might be biased - I am her mom" statement. I'm throwing that out there as objective fact. Ask me again when she's a teenager...

Anyway, her actually birthday was a rough one for me. I made the mistake of dropping her evening feeding just days before the big day so I was a bit hormonal. Add to that a certain monthly visit along with my baby taking her first unassisted steps...plus putting her hair in pigtails for the first time, which seemed to age her a decade. Short story: I cried over everything. All. Day. Long. She just seemed so old. Too quickly.

Those that know me should be proud. I did throw her a birthday party (granted it was a few days after her actual birthday). Hosting gatherings always sound fun, but the reality of it usually stresses me out enough that I never do it. However, mostly at Kenny's adamant insistence, I did throw the girl a bash - and it turned out pretty great. Once I toned down my ambition and super-simplified my plan to something actually do-able, I even had fun with it.

A Disclaimer: Amelia couldn't make it to the party (bummer), which means I was in charge of photos (along with everything else), which means I didn't get many photos and the ones I did get were sort of terrible. Most of the photos were taken at the end when everything had been thrashed. And I hardly got any of the guests. (Double bummer). And truthfully, the ones I did get were un-posed candid shots and were not flattering. Sorry. For the record, the party was cute and the guests were all beautiful. Moving on.

I did a loose Dr. Seuss theme. Lots of color, lots of stripes, and simple decor. Standard streamers, a banner with photos of Lola's first year, a few themed activities, and that was it. Some friends/family helped out with the food and a fun time was had.

We put out Seuss's "Happy Birthday to Me!" book and asked people to write a birthday message in it for Lola. (This was my favorite thing.) We had a bowl of Swedish fish for a "one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish - guess the number of fish in the bowl" game. And finally we had "Sam-I-Am's Green Egg Hunt." The kids were asked to find four green eggs (filled with dr. Seuss stickers or peppermints) and return for the rest of their goody bags: Seuss pencils, book marks, and gold fish. Simple, cute, and fun.

Lola had a ton of friends show up. I cried later; we are so fortunate to have such great support and love from so many. And the gifts - wow. I debated asking that people not bring gifts (we have no room and Lola really doesn't need any), but Kenny wanted our girl spoiled at least once. And spoiled she was. She got some great stuff! I was really excited. Thanks everyone!

Anyway, here's the photos:

Rather than do a full cake, we did cupcakes - specifically red cupcakes with blue cotton candy on top (to look like Thing One and Thing Two). Lola got the leftover pink cotton candy making her whole cake look like a sugar cloud. Not that she was disappointed. Here she is trying to figure out why 40 people are gathered around staring at her.

I look as haggard as I felt at this point, but my baby's cute and my husband is handsome. Right?

Notice how unfazed Sweet Dee is that her dad is being goofy. She's focused on that cake.
Anna was super fascinated that Lola was getting cake "all over her face!!!!" (She was sure to tell me. Repeatedly. It was cute.)

Truth be told, she didn't get all that messy. It was sorta boring. For once, she was dainty about feeding herself. Of course.

Diego won the guessing game. There were 272 Swedish Fish in that bowl (at least there were when the party started); he guessed 270. Congrats Diego! (I know your mom was super stoked to get all this sugar!)

I don't think he really believed me that they were all his.
You can see Lola toddling around in the far right...
Chase De Gala signing Lola's Birthday book. (I may break this book out every year and add a new birthday wish. I loved reading what everyone had to say.)
A few of the kiddos. Thank goodness for having the party at a playground.
Again, the decor was simple. Although Amelia and I had quite the time getting it all set up - we're both sorta short and we didn't have a ladder. There were some cheer-worthy acrobatics going on! (Extra impressive given Amelia's pregnant!)
Some of the guests...again I only got maybe 1/20th of those that came and I'm only posting the photos that weren't too bad. I probably should have warned people I was taking their picture...

The Ball's, Martinez's, Adlong's, Hudd, Rich, Bryce, Pickle, Lucy...
The Ball's, Stout's, and Wold's...
The William's... (Poor Heather was nine months+ preggo here.)
Taylor...
Emma Jane, Pickle, and cousin Lucy.
The Wold's (minus Matt)
Keilana and Kristi Brewer showing off their awesome Dr. Seuss stickers.

At one point someone said to me: "So is it awesome to have such an attractive group of friends?" I looked around...I do have pretty friends. All of them. And, yes, it is awesome.

Happy Birthday, Lola! You make your parents ridiculously happy. We can't wait to see what this next year holds, but don't rush it; one came quickly enough!

Guess Who

2011-04-18T10:51:00.000-07:00

Guess who drools like a St. Bernard, has a nose that seems to be constantly running like a faucet, is a mean crawler/wannabe walker, and is TURNING ONE THIS WEEK?!

This girl:

I followed her around for fifteen minutes the other day to get some "one-year-old" photos. She wasn't super cooperative and, like I said, that nose kept running. Gross.

I still think she's cute, though.

one last smile...
...and then she was over it.
how's this for attitude?
So into the house we went where Sweet Dee went right for her books. She loves her books. It makes me really happy.

I was extra proud when she selected this one from my collection...

Our weekend (as documented via my phone).

2011-04-10T21:45:00.000-07:00

Thursday morning, we woke up to this:
I was VERY happy.
My father-in-law knew someone who had a cabin that just happened to be available (for FREE!) right before a snow storm. Our good fortune continued and our beloved (but currently unemployed) nanny, Becca (pictures of her later), was able to come with us to watch Lola while we did some snowboarding. Together! It was magic. The only downer was that the short notice of this trip meant we couldn't get friends to come with us. Oh well; a weekend of just us (and the nanny - and her friend) was pretty great.

Yes, some kid is riding down the street. Our cabin was just around that corner. Thanks again, Mark, for hooking that up!
This next photo was taken at the top. Keep in mind this is in APRIL.
For a reference, here we are (with Kristi and Keilana Brewer) under the same sign back in early September.
There was a lot of snow. We rode powder ALL DAY LONG.

Again, we were very happy.
We're home again; sore, but aching to go back. :)

(Here's my PSA: Notice our helmets. This is our first season ever wearing them. We love our girl and would like for her to have non-vegetable parents, I guess. Not that we do anything crazy anymore - actually I'm just happy to make it down the hill these days - but still; accidents happen. So we'll wear helmets. I must say, they aren't as horrible as I always imagined. Plus, they keep a girl warm. I like that. That's all.)

Catch Up: December 2010, various activities.

2011-03-28T21:38:00.000-07:00

So, this isn't technically my Christmas post, but here's some of December's activities.

Along with Kenny's sisters and their families we made the trip to the Ritz Carleton in Laguna to see the Christmas displays. Always a fun time, but this year was particularly interesting now that we've doubled the kids. We attempted to get a picture with all four...

This was the best one.

Not that we didn't try. A lot.

This next one is blury, obviously, but whatever. I still like it. Lola and Lucy. Born just 12 days apart. They're both turning 1 this month!
A tired girl..
Hud treated us all to fresh baked gingerbread cookies.
And here he is with his nieces.

And here's the Ritz's Christmas gingerbread display - that's ALL candy, folks.
Some of our minimal decor..

And some progress on my Christmas project.

And my family (minus Ryan) hamming it up around SLC (after Christmas.)
And of course, Lola shots. She was scooting at this point, but not quite crawling. (7-8 months old.)

And, my office celebrated the season by bowling. Again. I broke 100 on the first round, and broke 40 the second. So much for getting better.
Yes, that I did work with that creepy guy behind me. (Congrats, John! You made the blog!)

Catch Up - November 2010

2011-03-28T21:28:00.000-07:00

November...before I forget.

I started my big Christmas project:

I spent some time in UT with my fam. My dad oversees the UVU team competing in the Ethics Bowl and my brother is on the team. This year, they made it to nationals! Pretty cool. So we went out to celebrate. Anna, once again, demonstrates her knack for making awesome faces.
Lola had some baths in Grandma's kitchen sink, which she loved.
And spent most of the month playing with us and rolling/sitting around the apartment.

(Love those chubby arms, wrists, hands, and toes...she's already thinning out, so this is so I can remember.)

It's crazy how much she's grown since these were taken. Pretty awesome.

That's all.

Next up: Christmas 2010! (Finally.)

SAHM

2011-03-28T07:20:00.000-07:00

An update? Sure.

Being a stay at home mom is an adjustment, to say the least. A few observations:

There is so much TIME in a day. Seriously. A whole lot. Granted, my apartment is tiny, our needs are relatively simple, and i only have one child; thus, there's not a lot of demands on my time. But WOW, there's still a lot of time. The change of pace in my daily routine was drastic.
Even with a ton of time on my hands I don't get much done.
The days started to run together pretty quickly. By the third day in, I had already lost track of what day it was. Friday? Saturday? What's the difference?
If I don't want conversations with other moms at the park to revolve solely around kids and childcare, I have to introduce the subject.
Ted.com is wonderful. I'm addicted. It feeds my nerd needs.
It's so much easier to be a mom when I'm with the girl all day. When I'm with her all day I can subconsciously anticipate her needs and wants. In all, it's much less exhausting to keep her happy without all the guess work I was enduring after a full day's work at an office.
I crave routine. Or at least some sort of loose schedule.
It's really easy to want to tell Kenny all the banalities of my day the second he walks in or calls to check up on me. I have to remind myself that if they weren't all that interesting to me, they aren't going to be interesting to him. I just get really excited to talk to him.
I need to get out of the house at least once everyday.
While I miss my job - and the security of that semimonthly paycheck - I love this. I do. I really do. (Even if I have to remind myself of that fact sometimes.)

So there you have it. Actually, there's more, I'm sure, but I'm bored. Time for something else.

Like a shower. Before my girl wakes up.

Oh yeah, my girl has her third ear infection. This one came with a 103.4 degree temperature and a listless baby. I foresee a full day of cuddling today. Is it weird that I'm excited? This is the first time I'll actually get to be home and take care of her myself during an illness. The lack of guilt has me positively giddy! Happy Monday!

(Check me out; I remembered the day!)

My last day.

2011-03-15T10:13:00.000-07:00

Today is my last day of formal employment. For now, at least, but hopefully for a long while.

I’m excited, but also horribly scared and anxious.

I think I’ll be really happy tomorrow, but be really sad and anxious again on the 30th when I don’t get a paycheck and rent is due.

Since turning 16, I've held a continous job (more or less). Since graduating high school, I’ve never before been fully financially dependent on another person. I trust Kenny, of course, but I don't love the vulnerability of all this. Now that I think of it, I didn't love the vulnerability of that arrangement growing up either.

...

Did I also mention that the house we’ve been eying for quite some time (i.e. a few years) – our dream home – went on the market just days after I turned in my resignation? For a great price, too. How’s that for tragic irony.

Here’s hoping for the best. And by "the best," I mean I’m hoping the Universe gives me that house – along with the increased income to support the mortgage and then some. Even better, the Universe gives me that house complete with all the upgrades and improvements I'd like done to it without a mortgage and the extra income. And of course it would be nice for my family and friends to be happy, healthy, and successful. And throw in a miracle in Japan and New Zealand and Haiti, etc. and peace on earth and all that other good stuff, too. And for my finale, I'd also like to be 5'10" (and my same weight) with all the extra height being distributed soley to my legs. Why not?

A girl can dream, right?

...

Totally unrelated...

Here’s our girl back in December (with my mom).

I love her.

And I get to take care of her full time. Starting tomorrow. And for that, I'm happy.

...

(Now, if you'll excuse me, I must get prettied up for the surprise going-away party about which I'm not supposed to know. Wink.)

Catch Up: Whiting Reunion - August 2011

2011-03-09T20:36:00.000-08:00

Another catch up post...

Every other year, Kenny's family heads to the Whiting Reunion at their family homestead in the White Mountains of northern AZ. It's huge. As in there are a whole lot of people (think hundreds). You walk around wearing a name tag (which also serves as your meal ticket) that details your genealogy back to Edwin and Mariah Whiting.

First, a tangent: as both Kenny and I come from large, Mormon pioneer families, I live in fear of the day my grandma comes to me and says something along the lines of, "I was doing some family history and I just learned that you and Kenny are distant cousins." I'll die. Anyway, moving on.

The Whiting reunion has lots to do and see, which is great for me as I typically spend the four days wandering from my tent to the Barrett's camp to the various activities while Kenny plays horse shoes or goes paint balling.

This year we had Lola, who was just three months old. We camped as usual, but it poured rain and our trusty tent leaked. Lola was a trooper, though, and we stuck it out for the full reunion.

Now, some photos. Of course. (Please keep in mind that we were camping. In the rain. And that i had just had a baby three months prior to these photos. Thank you.)

Blue skies + fluffy clouds = happy.

At the ol' saw mill with Kenny's parents (DeAnne and Mark)
These mushrooms were even more vivid in person. I might have started humming the old Mario bros. theme song. I did, however, resist the urge to pluck them up and throw them over my head with both hands.
Pretty sure Lola is pooping in this photo. She's gonna hate me for posting this...
Grandma DeAnne and Lola
Yes, that's our Sweet Dee hanging out in a suit case in our trunk.
The set up. In our pajamas.
On our wanderings. With no make up.
Cute cousins June and Clara are in that front car. Kenny and I have a particular fondness for these girlies.
Can you blame us?

A bunch of us participated in the fun run. I have no idea how long the run is, but the altitude makes it seem like a marathon. (I don't know who took these next two photos...sorry.)

Note, this is a very small sub group of all those that actually ran. A VERY small group.

I've lost the cord to our point-and-shoot camera or I'd include photos of the "Pre-Reunion" tradition. Kenny's immediate family hits up the Biltmore in AZ for a few days of lounging poolside in one of the resort's many pools. It's wonderful. It doesn't hurt that the resort's design is heavily influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright, so walking the grounds is a bit of a dream for me. Someday I'll post those photos, although they're pretty much just us in a pool or us eating dip'n'dots at the bar - which is also in the pool. Again, it's a wonderful tradition. As much as I love to camp, the few days spent at the Biltmore might just be my favorite part of the reunion.

Here's one more of our chubby three-month-old with her dad.

Notice the name tag?

Lola at the beach

2011-03-06T21:08:00.000-08:00

I have so many photos of Sweet Dee at the beach...and for some reason haven't posted most of them. So, here's a few...

Lola, in the foreground, about to make a bee-line for the waves.

She loves the sand. Mostly she loves eating it. (Which means I spent the day pulling drift wood, shells, and even a cigarette butt (GROSS) out of her mouth.)
In an attempt to mad dash into the water, our crawler tripped over her arm and face planted. She didn't love that.
She also didn't love that her Daddy wouldn't pick her up (too sandy and too wet, he said.)

So I saved her.

She might be a bit spoiled. When cousin Evie was getting too much attention from her dad, Lola climbed on up and made sure Jason gave her some attention, too.
She was pretty proud of herself.
I love that little body.
As a side note, our Middle-Eastern substitute pediatrician told us at Lola's last visit that "Lola was a bit pale and needed some sun."

For real.

I didn't remind her that Lola is a baby - a Caucasian baby at that - nor did I point out that it's the middle of winter. I can only assume she was suggesting that Lola was vitamin D or K deficient. Either way, Lola took care of that as she would not stay under the umbrella and kept ripping her sun hat off. I'm guessing beach visits this summer will be a lot less relaxing. Fun!

The Tieks Visit.

2011-03-06T21:03:00.000-08:00

This is my cousin, Jason - the closest in age cousin I have. He and his hot wife, Melissa, and little girl Evelyn (sp?) were in town this weekend. The weather was great so we hit the beach. (Corona Del Mar, specifically.Melissa may have the best post-baby body EVER.

There were three babies: Lola (10 months), Evie (6 months), and Opal (2 months). For the first time, Lola was the Big Kid. She lived that title up and made sure to take anything Evie was playing with. Awesome.

I didn't get any photos of the Brownings at Disneyland the night before, but Kenny caught this one of Opal. I love beach babies.
And here's one with Diana's hand to prove she was there. Why didn't I get any others?! I blame Kenny; he was unofficially on camera duty that day.
And here's one more of Evie
Given that we live in Orange County, one would think family would visit more often than they do. Oh well; we'll take what we can get. We topped off the day with shopping and dinner at Beach Pit.

It was a good day.

The Weekend Visitors.

2011-03-06T21:02:00.001-08:00

We had lots of visitors this weekend, and unfortunately we didn't get photos of everyone. Bummer.

Our first visitors...wow. All I can say is that sometimes growing up is pretty great. There's something to be said for maturing and gaining perspective. The boy I dated all through high school (Jon) and his wife (Diana, also a friend from high school ) and their new baby (Opal) came down. We all hit up Disneyland on Friday and then Diana and Opal joined us and my cousin's family at the beach the next day.

The first thing Jon said to me: "Jill. 10 years? Wow. And you're holding my baby."

I'm not sure I even articulated a coherent sentence. Rather I think I just mumbled something about Opal being super cute (which she was). And that was that. Then we just hit the rides.

And I had a lot of fun.

Time has passed and I don't think too often of my high school days; however, I will say that I can breathe a bit easier about that chapter of my life after this rendez-vous. I finally let go a little bit of the guilt I've been carrying around about the horrible way I ended things with Jon and really the way I ended relationships with virtually all my friends from that time. As I've finally started reconnecting with old friends and acquaintances I'm always so happy to learn that most of them have turned out to be fantastic people.

A happy conclusion.

To the Cheering Squad.

2011-03-06T20:46:00.001-08:00

I'm humbled by the outpouring of support I received after announcing I quit my job. The love came in many forms including comments to my last post, phone calls, texts, emails, hand written cards, pats on the back, visits to my home, and flowers.

Thank you.

Although I'm still anxious about this decision, it's nice to know people are cheering for me. Sometimes, the world and the people in it are pretty great. Actually, I'm sure that's true more often than just "sometimes." I need to remember that more often. And I need to try more to contribute to that goodness because it feels pretty fantastic to be on the receiving end.

Drastic Change #1.

2011-03-01T15:04:00.001-08:00

I guess this technically counts as Drastic Change #2, if I count that I'm no longer reading blogs as Change #1. However, THIS change somehow trumps all.

I just quit my job.

As in 10 minutes ago.

It sucked.

I cried.
A lot. In front of my boss (who was very kind and understanding...and who even gave me a hug at the end. Take THAT, Corporate America!).

If I was the drinking sort, I could see myself getting pretty wasted tonight - and not in a celebratory sort of way. No, it would be of the "scared-out-of-my-head, 'what have I done?!'" sort of way.

So, as I won't be drinking away my fears tonight, I can only hope the Universe sends me some good, supportive, calming vibes. And maybe some opportunity. And by "Universe," I mean God. Because if I ever needed an all powerful, all knowing, merciful Supreme Being it would be RIGHT NOW. Maybe He'll be extra nice and lavish huge success on my husband, like, tomorrow. Or maybe I'll just have to be consoled by some good, sweaty time at the gym tonight (since I skipped it at lunch). Or just maybe the husband will take me out for some gelato after dinner. And maybe they'll have my favorite Fratte and Nuttella flavors. And I'll get an extra scoop.

Although...if that last option comes to fruition, it better be accompanied by the aforementioned gym time.

Balance. And simplicity.
Those are my goals. I hope I'm on my way.

Bowling with the Fam.

2011-02-26T09:29:00.000-08:00

First things first. Bowling shoes are not cute.

But when they happen to match my socks (which I'm wearing over my jeans because I had been wearing boots) they're actually awesome. Right? (Also, between my green striped socks over my jeans and my colorful Native American themed sweater, I gave the conservative female BYU students in the next lane plenty to whisper about.)

My family's trip to their local bowling alley. Lola was very interested in the game.
Blurry, but the only photo I got of Ryan's victory dance.
This sister is really good at bowling. That's because when Tennis is in its off-season, her team goes bowls for their P.E. hour. She's also really good at funny faces.
This sister is also really good at funny faces, although here she's just annoyed at me for taking her picture after a not-so-good bowl.
The parents...or grandparents I guess.
And moi. Notice I'm strategically blocking the view of my lane lest the viewer of this pic sees that I failed to actually knock any pins over. I may have come in last place. I'm not sure I even broke 60 to be honest.
And, for a parting shot, enjoy my backside.
You're welcome.

Not just a crawler, but a climber, too.

2011-02-26T09:09:00.000-08:00

Sweet Dee took advantage of all the coffee and end tables at my parent's house to really nail her climbing skills, which served as great entertainment for us all weekend long (although the face-plants were hard to watch).

Poses like this were my favorite.

She was pretty proud of herself. And rightly so.

Craig Park in January 2011.

2011-02-25T23:32:00.000-08:00

Who loves Sunday walks through the park?

This girl.
And her parents.

This particular walk in January had it all: cool weather (finally), chasing ducks, a giggly girl in a funny hat, some time on the swings and slide, and an epic sunset. Magic.

Have I mentioned?

2011-02-25T23:30:00.000-08:00

...that for the past month we've had a crawler?

It's pretty cute.

2011-02-25T21:01:00.000-08:00

Being married can be pretty great.

I'm especially grateful for Husband today.

Our girl is especially grateful for her Daddy when she's sick on rainy days and she's feeling the need to cuddle.

i also love those fatty feet.

It's not you, it's me.

2011-02-17T08:43:00.000-08:00

This blog is not a place I like to air my dirty laundry. It is where I document key events, journal about our activities (for our own records and to keep our families updated) and share my random thoughts. I purposefully keep things - for the most part - light hearted and even deliberately shallow as I am not comfortable with the vulnerability that would come from really "opening up" so to speak. That's true also in my personal life -I keep most of my person-to-person interactions fairly surface level. Even my blog-rants (which are oftentimes my most passionate posts) are usually about fairly banal and insignificant things. Truthfully, I have very little dirty laundry to air. Life has been good to me. And I like to focus on the positive. Mostly.

That being said, I must say that I'm in a funk. It's lasted longer than I really care to admit. To battle it I think I need to follow some wise counsel to simplify and focus on the essentials. Without divulging personal details, I will say that doing so is going to involve some fairly drastic changes for me. For my family, too. Some such decisions I've/we've been struggling with for some time. Part of my effort will be to stop reading blogs. For awhile anyway. While this is hardly a "drastic" move, I feel its necessary in my effort to refocus. Blogs (at least the ones I read), while often innocent and inspirational, are also full of non-essential things, activities, and adventures I can't have or do right now and, frankly, I'm not a big enough person to spend time reading about it all while being content with where I am in my life.

So I'm done. For awhile. I'll continue to update this little ol' blog for the same reason I started it - to have some record of our lives and to keep our families updated. But no more blog-hopping. For awhile.

So if I have to ask you to fill me in on what's been going on in your life next time I see you, please understand. It's not that I've been uninterested, I just need a clean break. It's not you, it's me. Totally.

On the plus side, I foresee a considerable spike in my productivity!

Business Casual - a new low.

2011-02-15T09:45:00.000-08:00

I believe I've documented my abhorrence of "Business Casual Friday" (here). Basically I maintain that the combination of dress slacks and Hawaiian shirts is the 8th deadly sin. You can then imagine my horror when my company took this to a new level at its most recent officers' meeting. Some context first: there was some sort of rock and roll theme. (I didn't bother with the particulars as I wasn't invited. It was only for SVPs and up and I'm just a lowly AVP. But I digress.) Anyway, a memo went out stating that the meeting would be business casual, particularly no jeans allowed; however, to go with the theme, all attendees were to wear their favorite rock band tee shirt. So...think business slacks, dress shoes, and concert tees.

Wow.
Some higher ranking officers, of course, wore their suit coats, too. You know, to class it up. Or something. (I took the high road and erased his face to protect him from potential embarassment. That, and I didn't really want to get Dooced for posting this. Because, you know, my bosses totally read this blog. Wink.)

I'm actually sad I wasn't required to attend this.

Okay, not really.

My Valentines.

2011-02-14T09:47:00.000-08:00

They only ask that you excuse their matching"bed-heads" and their respective "i-just-woke-up" faces.

I love those faces. And that hair.

I love any day that warrants them sending me photos like this while I'm on my way to work.

Oh, and I really love them.

(Although on this particular day, I'm particularly fond of that guy on the left.)

more vicarious bragging

2011-02-11T08:25:00.001-08:00

Check THIS out.

Elise was just featured in the OC Register in an article titled "She burns calories so she can eat them." The gist of the piece was about how she judged the LA cupcake challenge last Saturday night and then ran the Surf City half marathon the next morning - fast enough even to set a new personal record.

She may not be human.

Also, I should mention that while I went with her to judge that contest - and yes, I sampled all 32 entries - I did not run that half marathon to justify it.

Crystal Cove ... in January.

2011-02-08T20:21:00.000-08:00

This was actually a recent outing. The weather this January was nicer than it was all summer (or so it seemed) so we teamed up with the Brewers, who are always up for last minute adventures, and we ended up in Crystal Cove for a nature walk. Of course we ended the outing with Malts from the Shake Shack.

We had originally discussed doing an actual hike, hence the hardcore gear we're sporting. Well, the gear that Kristi is sporting, at least.

The tide was way out, which made for some fun exploring. There were lots of tide pools to keep the kiddos - or us - entertained. Let's be honest, Lola didn't really care what we were doing and Keilana was content to chill in the Kelty with her blanket and snacks.

The grand prize of finds: half a lobster. Yum.

Thanks for the fun day, Brewers!

And thanks to Paul for remembering a camera and for taking all the photos (which I stole without permission; sorry).

Husband's been busy.

2011-02-06T14:32:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things to do here is to brag about the doings and accomplishments of friends and family. It's time I turn the spotlight on Kenny.

A little over a year ago Kenny started a company, Fotofafa, offering post production services to professional photographers - mainly to wedding photographers (given the high volume they shoot). We personally know a lot of photographers, mainly through his very talented sister, Amelia Lyon, and we knew that many of them outsourced this step of their work flow. We figured, well, why don't we do it. However, no sooner did Kenny get the ball rolling on this new venture when the "we" part of the equation quickly became "he" as my trying to balance pregnancy and a full-time, corporate job left me a little burnt out at the end of the day. So Kenny was left to start this thing on his own. And he's done a great job, thanks in no small part to the support and assistance of friends and family who have helped him develop his editing abilities (ahem, amelia) and have spread the word. Jon and Christian, his now business partners, are a great add in the business development part of things, while our friend Scott has helped with the company branding and website design. My Uncle Greg has provided legal advice and Fotofafa's in house and off site editors do a great job.

But this is about Kenny. I'm proud of the work he's done and am so excited for him to be experiencing success with this relatively new venture.

The timing for this post coincides with Kenny's recent relaunched of the Fotofafa site. Scott (with FriendorFoe) did a great job on design and branding. In short, it looks fantastic. And while I admit I may be biased, I say that as a matter of objective fact.

Great job, Honey!

I should probably note that Kenny doesn't process the images on our little blog here. No, this blog, despite its title is just me. His work is WAY better.

Check out the site. It's pretty to look at. And when you see Kenny, throw him some High Fives for a job well done. He deserves it.

Belated

2011-02-06T14:24:00.000-08:00

This was going to be the photo in our Christmas card. we never got around to formally taking a family photo so we ripped this one from Angie's birthday card. Lola looked cute and that's all that mattered anyway. I envisioned saying something about Joy...however, when we failed to mail such cards, it became the photo for new year's cards. Then that never happened.

So...yeah.

Pretend you received this in early December and that it was printed out on the cutest little Tinyprints card ever with a perfectly worded salutations and wish for a joyous holiday season and successful new year.

You're welcome.

Solids

2011-02-02T20:23:00.001-08:00

This was Lola's reaction to her first taste of something other than breast milk. She had just turned six months old and I believe it was squash...
Despite what this face suggests, The Girl has been pretty great about eating. I credit Ella's Kitchen baby food p ouches for making that happen - their stuff is the best (with Plum Organics baby food pouches a close second).

Actually, I should say that she WAS pretty good about eating until a recent ear infection seems to have "refined" her palette. She's refusing all kinds of traditional baby food and has seemed more interested in whatever we were eating and so I finally gave in. I can officially tell you that she LOVES the following foods:

White Chili (loaded with onions and jalapeno. Seriously.)
All fruit and spinach smoothies
Parmesan and red pepper risotto
garlic roasted cauliflower
pineapple, mango, and cara cara orange salad
and (this is so far her favorite) Tom Yum soup.

As much as I hate this word, it seems our girl is an amateur Foodie. I watched her closely, and she's been fine. No crazy BM's (or lack thereof), no stomach aches, no gas, no rashes, nothing. Again, I credit Ella's Kitchen Baby 1 baby food pouches. They're Organic and have lots variety and interesting mixes. In other words, Lola was eating better than we were most of the time. More perks: they're easy to travel with and the veggie combos always have at least one fruit mixed in, giving it just enough sweetness that she'd eat every single mix Ella's offers. The "Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, Blueberry, Apple" combo was The Girl's favorite.

Should be getting paid for this endorsement?! If only I had the readership that would merit that...oh well; I'll sing their praises anyway. Like I said, Plum Organics offers a similar product with some good mixes, but not as much veggie variety. Boon also makes spoons that you can screw right onto the pouch, but I found the spoons to be too deep - Lola struggled getting the food out.

Wow...I just rambled on for a whole paragraph about baby food. Does that officially make me a mom. That's my cue to end this. Good night.

Catch up - Lola meets (a lot of people), July 2010

2011-01-30T22:49:00.000-08:00

So...Lola's had a lot of people to meet. Between both her parents, she sort of was born into a HUGE family. Lucky girl! (again, 2-ish months old in these photos, for the record.)

Her Great Grandma (and name sake) and Great Grandpa

Maddi sorta LOVES her.
And Laura (who may have the most flawless skin I've ever seen in person; I'm jealous). Drew, in the background wasn't so into actually holding Lola, but I think he liked her.

Lori and Steve love her, too. Like I said, she's a lucky girl.
Dallin, we more recently learned, has the magic touch. He's one of the few people who can get her to sleep while holding her. A rare gift indeed.
Maddi and Casey. (By the way, they're engaged! Yay!)
And here's our girl with my Uncle Greg, and Aunt Tiffany (and two of his four kiddos, Cali and Jace).
Brett, Kenny, and our girl

For the record, I was there, too.
I love this shot. Crazy to realize how much the Girl has changed in such a short time.

In short. We love our family. We also got to see a ton of Kenny's family on this trip, but I have NO photos, which I'm really bummed out about. To them, please know we love you, too. Very much.

That's all.

Catch up - Provo Canyon in July 2010

2011-01-26T20:24:00.000-08:00

It must be said: I love Provo Canyon.

I've spent countless hours up there and we always have to go whenever we're in UT. These were taken during our trip in early July 2010. My parents, sister, Kenny, and I (and Lola, 2.5 months old) went up to enjoy the weather and play some boccie ball. (This was also the day I came down with my first bout of mastitis. THAT part wasn't so fun.)

...and see how ugly we could make ourselves look...
we're really good at looking bad.

Then, I few days later we, my siblings, and April (a.k.a. Ryan's lady friend) returned for more boccie and some playing in the river.

Guess how this ended.
Yup.
I realize this isn't a particularly big jump. The true feat was being willing to jump in that freezing water. Or, in Anna's case, get dunked in that freezing water.

Becca planned to jump. Really, she did. Unfortunately, halfway up the rock she slipped and ended up in the water anyway. Ryan (and some random guys) saved her though before she was swept downstream.
Lola and I hung out where it was dry and mostly took photos. As usual.
Our "Stand By Me" shot.

Again, we LOVE this canyon.

Catch up - Four Generations (July 2010)

2011-01-23T20:49:00.000-08:00

We made a trip to UT in early July. On this trip we learned that traveling at night is a MUST with a baby in tow. Anyway, we had to grab the obligatory "Four Generations" shot. This one's of the Rollins women: Doreen, Lola Dee, Lola Gene, and Me. (I'm thinking we'll have to re-do this one now that Lola Dee actually smiles. She was 2 1/2 months old here.)

And one with Gramps, too.
And with Kenny's Brady Grandparents. True, there's one generation missing, but, well it's as close as we'll ever get. (We miss you, Ken.) So here's Grandpa "K", Kenny, Lola, and Grandma Faye.

Back in the days when Lola would still fall asleep in a persons arms.
They have a pretty epic garden. Grandpa had to scale it back in recent years, but (as he's showing Kenny below) it's still HUGE.
(This next photo is still only a fraction of the total "scaled-back" garden. HUGE, I tell ya.)
Wow...two posts in one evening. If I can keep this up, I'll be relatively caught up in no time!

Catch Up - Peach Days 2010 (Early Sept.)

2011-01-23T20:14:00.000-08:00

So, Peach Days. The small town festival in Brigham City that boasts a parade, carnival, 10k, car show, craft fair, beauty contests, mullets/bump-its, and much more. Although it's a trek for us to get up there every year, especially now with a kid in tow, attending Peach Days has become one of Kenny's favorite traditions. Anyway, this year was especially fun because (like everything lately) it was Lola's first. (For reference, she was 4 1/2 months at the time).

First, I must document how chubby she was... seriously. Those thighs!

Lola was able to meet Glayde Hone on this trip. He was my late Grandma Nielsen's second husband. He also happens to live around the corner from my (still living) maternal grandparents. He was a wonderful friend and husband to my grandmother and was so great at the end while she was sick. He continues to be great as he's helped out my other grandparents since my Grandpa Rollins' stroke. Did I mention that I think he's pretty great?
Speaking of my Grandparents (Rollins)...

Back to the festivities...

A BBQ at my uncle Don's before a group of cousins head out to the lake for some late season wake surfing.

There was a ton of little girls born recently...(Evie, Lola, Emmy, Kennedy, and Miley...they were missing Reagan!)

Grandma and Lola
Cam and Nate...someday, Nate will be bigger than you, Cam!
It was also my Grandpa's birthday. Here he's enjoying his favorite banana cake.
So...for some reason I'm missing a ton of photos. For record's sake I also wanted to mention that this was the first year some of us ran the 10k. It was a last minute thing, by my brother, Ryan, and youngest sister, Anna, decided (the night before) to go for it. And it was really fun! Maybe next year we can get some of the others to join, or at least get them to come cheer for us! It was a lonely run for the Nielsen siblings, but at least we had each other.

Peach Days 2011 has its work cut out for it! Can't wait!

Quotes from our marriage.

2011-01-21T08:03:00.000-08:00

"I want to find my wife attractive, and that means she can't look like a bum."

Spoken by: Kenny
When: Jan. 20, 2011 around 8:00ish pm
Context: Kenny putting his foot down on my recent practice of wrapping my head in the same plastic Target bag to keep my hair dry while showering. This is after he and Lola made a Target trip for the sole purpose of buying me a supply of proper shower caps.

Halloween 2010 - catch up.

2011-01-11T17:42:00.001-08:00

Sure, it's 2011, but how about some 2010 catch up? It was a big year for us and we were busy living it. Now that we're in the post-holiday lull, maybe I'll post some stuff so it's not lost forever on our external hard drive.

So...Halloween? Sure, why not. It was my first baby's first Halloween. I have to post at least one photo, even if it is a crappy one. (It's one of the only ones I got.) The costume was thrown together last minute, of course, and was inspired by her moccasins, which she was about to outgrow even then (although I continued to stuff her feet into them until mid December). I LOVE those shoes. Not knowing the gender beforehand really limited what clothing I could buy before her birth. So I didn't buy a thing. Except these moccasins. So, in honor of the shoes she was the whitest Native American I've ever seen.

A few things about this costume. She HATED that wig. But, other than the mocs, it was my favorite part. So she bawled while I forced it on her little 6-month old head, but she eventually resigned herself to the fact that she was stuck with it. I'm an awesome mom, huh?

2nd...by the end of our church party I was SO over being asked if she was Pocahantis. I get where they're coming from, but really? Does it ALWAYS have to be a Disney character? And if so, couldn't it be a cool one, like Tiger Lily? We amused ourselves all evening by looking confused when people would ask and then replying, "No, she's Sacagawea." or even Squanto or Tonto, or any other famous Native American character that has not been immortalized by Disney. (I should note that I have nothing against Disney; I actually love Disney movies...the old ones anyway. I just think we have precious little time before that's all SHE will want to be. This year was MINE.)

Anyway. I loved and thought she looked awesome. The End.

I'm feeling more caught up already!

PS - I bought the mocs here.

Beware of the Pride Cycle.

2011-01-05T09:38:00.000-08:00

This morning I was running a tad late. Our poor girl has been in and out of her first fever the past few days (I think she’s actually teething) and last night she just could not get comfortable. Or, in other words, she couldn’t sleep. Which ultimately means WE couldn’t sleep. Given that I have to get up early and go to work, Kenny was the one who ended up finally pacing the house until the fever broke and then they both crashed on the couch. (I have a great husband, huh?)

Anyway, I was slow to get out of bed and had no time to throw together a breakfast. Also, we haven’t been to the grocery store in three weeks. So there isn’t really any food to throw together period.

This is going somewhere I promise.

So I was late and hungry this morning. A stop at Jamba Juice (for a small, “Jamba-lite” smoothie and oatmeal) was necessary. Unfortunately, I was less than graceful in exiting my car upon arriving at work and dropped the smoothie. Which exploded. All over the white jeep parked next to me. And I was left with a third of the already small portion. I consoled myself by noting how much fewer calories I would be consuming as a result of my blunder. Yay! Less calories! Plus I still had oatmeal!

Here’s the pride part. Not only did I NOT let my overly tired self succumb to hungry tears, I put a positive spin on it all. Go Me, being all mature and positive and stuff. (Seriously. I actually gave myself a mental acknowledgement for my good attitude.)

After settling in at my desk and polishing off what remained of my smoothie I trekked to the break room to add some mile to the oatmeal. And then proceed to - you guessed it - drop my oatmeal.

Which also exploded.

Into somebody else’s cubicle.

Ssssssiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiggggggggghhhhhhhhhh.

Lesson: beware of pride. Just when you start feeling pretty awesome about yourself, something is all ready just waiting to shove you right back down to a state of (hungry) humility.

Ironically, the girl (who occupies the cube I splattered with my breakfast) jumped up to help me clean the mess I made. While wiping the carpet she cheerfully says “Well, it’s early. No one is here yet to see this, so at least your pride’s not hurt, right?!”

Oh, if only she knew.

Oh yeah. Happy New Year. Hope you're getting off the a better start than I.

2010-12-20T08:44:00.001-08:00

More fun photos from Angie's surprise party.

ANGIE'S BIRTHDAY SMILEBOOTH from nate kaiser on Vimeo.

(Again taken with the Kaiser's Smilebooth.)

2010-12-18T16:35:00.000-08:00

I was going through some of the photo folders on Kenny's desk top and came across these from a few years ago...back when a certain little sister still believed in a certain man from the North Pole.

Translation:

"Dear Santa,

Thanks for signing my paper last year. You are great! I still have the note. Can you sign my paper again? Thanks. Your friend, Anna.

Signature: ___________________

PS. and on the back can you write me a note?"

Notice that she reference Santa signing a note the prior year. I recall that note saying something to the tune of "Dear Santa, I believe in you, but my family doesn't. Will you please sign this note so I can prove to them that you're real?"

I love this. I can't wait for Lola Dee to pull stunts like this.

Here's the note "Santa" wrote on the back.

I should note here that we didn't remember which Santa signed the note that first year. Unfortunately we guessed wrong and a different Santa signed the second time. Needless to say, Anna no longer believes in Santa.

Moral of the story: kids are smart. Gullible, but still smart.

2010-12-17T09:32:00.000-08:00

I've been just on the verge of slipping under the weather for the past week. I have yet to cross over into the full blown sick category, but the threat has been quietly making a quiet and persistent presense in that one spot of my throat reserved for illness.

It could be that my schedule - in addition to work, mothering, and church - has been PACKED full of stuff to do. Not shopping, mind you - I finished that up the first week of December (thanks to some epic determination and planning on my part). No, from Dec. 3 to Dec. 22 my calendar shows 21 (literally) holiday/birthday/baby shower events to attend. I have six left. (And in those six days I'll be making three significant drives, although Kenny will be the one doing the actual driving; I'll be sipping lemonade, popping cough drops, and trying to sleep in the front seat for those trips.)

I'm sorta exhausted.

I fantasize sometimes about simplifying, but our families are too big, we're actively involved with our congregation, and we have a lot of friends. I can't complain. Plus, a simple December would entail holing up in some frozen tundra miles away from civilization. Just not realistic. So, while things are crazy, we're pretty fortunate. Plus, when the parties turn into to this...

...there's no room for whining.

(Notice my sweet girl's round head in the top left (behind her mother's big head). I haven't wanted to leave her with a sitter every night (especially because I work and that's the only time I get to see her). So she's tagged along to most of the events. And she's been a trooper. A little party-animal-in-training.

Happy Friday.

Oh yeah, the image above was taken with the ever-awesome Smilebooth thanks to the Kaisers of The Image is Found Photography. Love those guys.

The milestones are bittersweet

2010-12-01T21:47:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time we had this baby who barely opened her eyes for more than a few minutes. And then, all of a sudden, she started staying awke. Then came cooing and smiling and giggling. There was also the rolling and sitting. Currently we’re waiting (with some degree of dread) for unintentional scoots to become full blown crawling.

When The Girl reaches each of these milestones we can’t help but feel some sadness as we reel from Time rushing by. The baby we brought home yesterday is practically a teenager today. Or so it seems. With each milestone comes some more independence and with it, a reminder that she’ll one day be gone .

And, for the most part, that’s okay.

Really. It is. I’m okay with the thought. I’m okay even with the reality of it all. I just wish sometimes it didn’t happen so fast. Or that I could rewind every so often just to remember. So while I cheer and clap over every little development (i.e. “did you see that Kenny?! She picked it up with her fingers intead of her whole fist! Etc.) I always endure melancholy moment with each new accomplishment and skill.

Today, amidst her normal all-vowel babbling, The Girl said “mama.” It was awesome. For a long time I've gleefully watched her intently (but silently) move her mouth in imitation of my own as I've said that very word to her. Over and over again. Her finally saying it came with less sadness as other milestones. I think it’s because this one doesn’t remind me of her leaving someday (the way rolling and crawling does – not to even speak of walking, because when I think about her walking I can’t help be think of here driving, and suddenly I’m handing her the car keys and then she’s away at college and finally married with kids of her own – AHHHH!) . No, her learning to communicate is exhilarating. It will enable our relationship to grow closer. Even when she’s gone we can chat. And the fact that her first deliberate consonant-vowel combo was mama just melts. my. heart. Of all the things she could have said, she said Mama. Thank you Universe for that. Even when she’s gone, I’ll still be Mama.

(And yes, I know that she doesn’t get the meaning of the sounds she’s making. I know. I even know that someday I may occasionally long for the silence of those pre-verbal days. But I don’t care. She said mama. I love it.)

On a quiet Saturday evening...

2010-11-29T08:37:00.000-08:00

I made it exactly seven months and five days.

Seven whole months of being meticulously cautious in the handling of my girl after feeding her had resulted in not a single instance of being vomited on anywhere above my collar bone. I truly thought I was out of the woods regarding this danger. That was my first mistake. The second was actually lifting my girl high over my head too soon. I looked up at her smiling, giggling face, my own mouth opened wide with a smile to match her's. But then…I could see it coming. Straight. For. My. Mouth. Time slowed and I began to wax philosophical on the danger coming my way and the meaning it held. However, thanks to lightning-fast reflexes (and due to a HUGE aversion to vomit), I managed to turn my head just in the nick of time before It hit. I felt the tidal wave of warm white-ish yuck collide with my left cheek and splash into my hair, down both the front and back of my shirt, and onto the couch behind me. With one infected eye tightly shut I managed to put the still-smiling girl gently back down while yelling for Kenny to come save me. Fearing a true disaster, he ran in geared with paper towels, sponges, disinfectant, etc. He got one look at me and busted up laughing, which he continued to do as he helped me clean myself up. Getting it out of my eyes was bad, but at least my mouth stayed fresh. Small victory, but a victory none-the-less. I’ll take it.

I feel I’ve learned a valuable life lesson here regarding parenthood. Don’t get comfortable or let your guard down because just when you think you’re safe and that all is well, your kid is just waiting to metaphorically throw up on your face.

Happy Monday.

Accomplishment of my day (thus far):

2010-11-22T10:27:00.000-08:00

I used the word “malaise” in a sentence for the first time ever (written OR spoken). The bigger accomplishment is that, for some reason, the word just popped into my head. There was no deliberate effort to incorporate said word, it just happened.

You know I’m desperate to feel like I’m actually accomplishing things when this is what I’ve got to show for myself.

(Insert a sigh.)

I am hopeful, however. Notice the title of this post includes the parenthetical “thus far.” So, wish me luck that by the end of today I’ll have earned bragging rights for something more significant.

That’s all.

Wait – I just though of something! I can always brag about the accomplishment of friends – it’s my favorite thing to do! Yesterday, our friend Skyler raced in his first FULL Ironman competition – and finished with a very respectable time, no less. I’d be lying if I said Kenny and I weren’t following his progress ALL day yesterday (which includes the three hours spent in church meetings). We wanted to be there, cheering him on, but hopefully he got the encouraging vibes we were sending his way all day.

Congrats, Skyler! You are amazing.

And now I’m done for real this time.

2010-11-17T09:06:00.001-08:00

I spent a lot of time driving this weekend as part of a mini-vacation we took. As such, I had a lot of time to think and reminisce.

As I reflected on my teen years, particularly my choices and the way I reacted to certain things/events, I really just wanted to reach back and punch myself in the face. A lot. I’m sure my parents felt the same way at the time.

Mom and Dad…thank you for having the restraint not to do so.
I love you both.

And it begins.

2010-11-08T20:50:00.000-08:00

This is Taylor (holding Lola Dee).
This is her boy, J.
This is Lola maybe about to get her first kiss.

For the record I did not prompt this. Actually, I'm fairly certain J didn't think anyone was watching.
Just like her mama, she's into the older boys.

(Just typing that sentence stressed me out. )

Sometime's we're famous...again.

2010-11-03T10:06:00.000-07:00

Actually, the lovely ladies who threw my baby shower are the famous ones this time. The shower was just featured here on Bump Smitten!

Just looking at all those photos blows me away all over again - they pulled out all the stops! I mean mini classic books for cupcake toppers?! There was even pages in those books! How I got so lucky is beyond me.

Check it out and drop some blog-love for the gals in the comments (extra for Amelia for all those beautiful photos). They deserve it.

Mammoth in the Summer

2010-10-31T17:34:00.000-07:00

So I had intended to post photos of The Girl in her Halloween costume...she went as Tiger Lily or rather the whitest Native American since Dances with Wolves. And she was really cute. Unfortunately, we didn't get her in her costume in time to get good photos...seriously, they're all horrible. I'll try again later (although she really HATED putting her wig on).

Anyway, here's some good photos from our last-minute Labor Day trip with the Brewers to Mammoth. Per usual, we drove up there Sunday morning at 3am to give ourselves a full day without having to deal with traffic or pay for another night in a hotel. Someday we'll have a place up there...some day.

The weekend was super fun - hiking, canoeing, malt-eating, gondola riding, etc. And a run in with a bear (keep reading for that story). We were stoked that the Brewers were up for the trip, which again was "planned" just hours before we left.

It looks so different when it's not covered in snow.

We have photos next to this post in the middle of winter...and our heads hit just below the sign. Mammoth gets LOTS of snow. Oh, I miss it. Given that I spent last year's season pregnant, I'm counting down the days until we can snowboard. Anyone want to babysit a really cute baby?

After our hikes we felt we had earned malts at Burgers. Keilana may have been the most excited for this. I don't have a photo, but she proceeded to grab one of the cups and tilt it completely upside down into her mouth. (Thank goodness the malts are super thick and didn't spill.)

How cute is Keilana? I'm pretty sure she would have jumped right into the (FREEZING cold) lake had Paul/Kristi not kept a firm hold of her.

This rock was the perfect place to stretch out after the hike. We all took turns.
The hike wore Keilana out...riding in a back pack is hard work.
Lola did great (as usual) and slept most of the hike.

I'll end the photos with this one...our hike was delayed when our girl decided to EXPLODE. So, so gross.

Now for the story...

We retired to our rooms pretty early as everyone was pretty beat and Paul had some studying and Kenny had some work to do. To get the Internet Kenny had to go to the motel lobby. This proved difficult when he opened the door and was cornered by a raccoon. Note: Kenny's deathly afraid of possums and raccoons are a close enough varmint to freak him out by association. Every time he opened the door the raccoon got closer and looked ready to dart right in. For real. I didn't believe him, but when I opened the door the ugly thing was less than a foot away. Anyway, Kenny was keeping watch waiting for a chance to break free. He suddenly looked puzzled. Then concerned. He cracked open the door and then slammed it and started fumbling with the deadbolt. He looked at me with equal terror and excitement and whispered/yelled, "There's a BEAR out THERE!"

And there was.

Just feet from our room on the second floor, mind you. It was rummaging through some garbage can. We again slammed and locked our door and proceeded to freak out. I then called 911 but somehow got connected with the front desk person who was totally unfazed by the situation. Eventually the bear sauntered off and Kenny was able to go down and get his work done.

Fun times. Thanks again, Brewers, for coming. The trip was awesome and I can't wait to go back. Soon. VERY soon!

Today's Lunch...

2010-10-28T14:50:00.000-07:00

...consisted of one-two bites of each of the following:

Korean BBQ slider
sloppy joe slider
french dip slider
sausage & chimichuri on foccacia bread
portabello & cheese quesadilla with some sort of vinegary (in a good way) sauce
tater tots
carrot cake cupcake with cream cheese frosting
fudge brownie dessert shot
hazelnut brownie cream puff
chocolate covered macadamia nut
chocolate and caramel covered macadamia nut
chocolate and crispy rice covered macadamia nut

Anyone wanna help roll me home?

(Good thing it was all really good.)

6 Months

2010-10-21T10:17:00.001-07:00

Today our baby is six months old. Every cliche about how quickly time flies and how much one can love their child is 100% true. I really enjoy being Lola Dee's mom. I marvel at everything about her and am still surprised by the fact that nothing about her has ceased to be as exciting and wonderful as it was those first few weeks. Granted, she's still in that phase where she demonstrates some new trick every day...still, though. I'm eating it all up and truly cannot fathom a time where she becomes "old hat" so to speak.

That being said, however, I must take a moment to discuss my motherhood-related challenge: the total loss of my brain. I read about and listened to 1st-hand accounts of the scatter-brained-ness pregnancy and motherhood can cause, but didn't pay it much heed.

Oh, I wish I had known.

I'm fairly intelligent. I would admit to being well-read and educated. Yet I am frustrated daily, even hourly, by moments of total brain shut-down, usually at those critical moments I need my brain most. I can't describe the inner turmoil it causes as I hear myself struggling to communicate in cohesive sentences or suddenly realize that I've overlooked or forgotten something important and even obvious. My baby, so far, has been easy. Rarely does she needlessly cry, she sleeps as well as one could hope, and she's healthy and developing as she should. However, my brain functionality - or rather the lack thereof - has been the true challenge of motherhood.

I read this fantastic book on the female brain when Lola was first born, so I understand the biological reasons why my brain is betraying me - at least when it comes to being intelligent - yet I thought by now I would have regained some control. But I haven't. And I'm starting to worry this might be a permanent condition or one that gets worse over time and/or with the addition of more children.

(Insert a huge, depressed, hopeless sigh here.)

In a meeting this morning with a senior executive I was asked for my thoughts on something...I can only describe the sentence that came out of my mouth as verbal throw-up. And, like actual vomit, I was powerless to stop it. It just kept coming. Unlike real vomit, however, I felt metaphorically sick-er afterward. There was no momentary relief from the malady; no, rather it was the cause of the yuck I'm still feeling.

Anyway. Writing is good medicine. It provides a way to extract the mess floating around in my head onto something else where I can then, objectively, evaluate it or forget about it all together. So there you have it. Hopefully I can move on and actually accomplish something today.

To end on a lighter note and again returning to the awesome part of motherhood I'll leave off with this:
Lola's first swing. She was concerned at first (it seems to be her default condition...those eyebrows!), but she soon warmed up to it. Dare I say she loved it?

I just love her.

Post edit: Lola's six months as of TOMORROW. My dates are all mixed up. Yet another Mom-Brain moment.

My family visits.

2010-10-19T23:20:00.000-07:00

Sometimes my extended family comes in to town and remembers to call us. Not always, but occasionally. We really love it when they do. Especially when it means we end up at the beach on the BEST day and get to have Pedro's for both lunch and dinner. These times happen too seldom, so I have to document it when it happens.

Ben and Sheri...

again, but right-side-up this time and with Miley.
More Miley...
Staci and Tyler...awww.
And more Miley. Hearing her say "Lola" may have been the best part of seeing them.
Sheri dances. Who knew?
Sunset was BEAUTIFUL.

Oh, Tyler. How kenny misses you especially.

Now for a quick PSA from Kenny:

Pedros Tacos may be awesome in every way, but you may think twice before eating it for two out of your three daily meals. Unless you really enjoy spending the next morning (and early afternoon) indisposed. Seriously.

The Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-17T22:12:00.000-07:00

Saturday we met up with Amelia, her boys, and Kenny's parents for soup and a trip to the pumpkin patch. It was really fun and I'm excited for next year when Lola can actually do stuff.

The lighting was capital-h-HORRIBLE, but we did the whole photo thing anyway. Sorta.

No, she's not going to be an owl for Halloween (yet), but I couldn't resist this hat.

Here, "Crappa" (aka Grandpa Mark) helps Sloan out in the petting zoo. Sloan was very interested in this goats, ahem, nether regions. In a purely observational sense. (I know you were worried.)
Yikes. Hudson behind the wheel. I though we had a good 11 years before we had to worry about that. He, of course, LOVED it.
Sloan was fearless on this HUGE slide. That's his tiny body way up there.
And, of course, more Lola...and us (with Lola).

The best part was that it was actually kind of chilly (i.e. low 70's). I actually wanted hot apple cider. Next time.

2010-10-15T12:17:00.000-07:00

Part A
3.5 hours of sleep
+ 45 minute morning commute in the rain
+ 2.5 hour meeting
= tired Jill.
Make that VERY tired Jill.

SO happy it's Friday.

Part B
On another note...last night, at the insistence of a sister-in-law, I watched my first episode of a certain MTV reality show last night. I won't say which one, but I will clarify that it follows a certain family of big-bootied Armenian sisters (and their CREEPY-looking, plastic-surgeried step-dad...and mom for that matter). I just watched one episode and that one was WAY more than enough. Ladies and Gentleman, I have identified the source of all Bad in the world today. Applaud me.

So, in addition to being exhausted today, I'm in mourning for two things: the half hour of my life that I'll never get back and the unknown quantity of brain cells that were lost as collateral damage as a result of my viewing that show.

The combined effect of Parts A and B is making it extremely difficult to get any work done. The remaining brain cells have all but gone on strike...or maybe they've just already started their weekend.

I think I'll join them.

More Blessing Photos

2010-10-05T22:01:00.000-07:00

To accommodate our families and their conflicting schedules, we finally decided (very last minute) to have Lola's blessing at our (very small) apartment. It worked. We were still missing a lot of key people, but oh well. The girl wasn't getting any younger.

Here's a few of the kiddos.

The obligatory family shot. Kenny shaved his beard for the occasion, but hasn't shaved since.
Those eyebrows. Seriously. She always looks so concerned. Plus she was tired at this point.

Skyler was out of town, but Elise was able to make it. (Don't mind Lola's face...the important thing is that WE looked good, right?)

Poor Mark had MAJOR car problems on the way...but at least we had my parents and Kenny's mom.
I'm sad I didn't get any other photos of those who came...we were all kind of rushed. Or maybe it was just me.

I know a lot of these photos are essentially the same...but I don't really care. I'll be staring at them all day at work and they'll make me happy. I really love her. And Kenny. And everyone who came.

Thank you.

It was a good day.

2010-10-03T15:18:00.000-07:00

So...Lola is a roller. Actually she has been since she was just under two weeks old when she rolled off the couch.

That sucked.

I may have cried more than she did.

Anyway, nowadays she rolls at will every which way. We're now working on sitting and she's pretty good.

Except for when she's not.

Have a great day. Try not to face plant.

Thank You

2010-09-30T12:40:00.000-07:00

To everyone who has congratulated us and has said such complementary thing about our girl…thanks. Seriously. I try not to gush too much over her (to others), so thanks for being so nice when I cave.

And to Diana (who asked) the bonnet in the photo below was made by my great-grandmother along with a matching sweater. However, she died before completing it, so my grandmother finished it and then made the matching blanket. My mom made the dress and bloomers. Not shown are some cute eyelet espadrilles gifted from Kenny's mom.

This was her blessing outfit. Thankfully we had these heirlooms to make the outfit special as there was no way Lola would have fit into my dress (given that I was one when I was blessed). I’ll admit, Lola Dee was four months when we finally got her blessed (although the photo below was taken just after she turned five months). We just wanted our families to be there and it took awhile. We got most of them, but missed those that weren’t able to make it. The blessing itself was sweet and intimate. Kenny did a good job. After much reflection, I’ll just say that it was sweet in its simplicity; it was focused and to-the-point while covering all the important stuff. I hope one day she’ll be able to say that same sentence about her life as a whole.

I hope to post some more photos of the actual blessing day whenever Kenny let’s me use our computer. (He’s been a very busy boy.)

Conversations with the Universe (continued)

2010-09-29T14:49:00.000-07:00

Dear Universe,

When you make it up to a girl, you REALLY make it up!
I totally forgive you.

-Jill

I may be biased...

2010-09-26T19:50:00.000-07:00

but I think she's sorta cute.

Uncle.

2010-09-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

Dear Universe,

You played dirty this morning and dealt some low blows. Nonetheless, I'm calling "uncle." Now play nice.

Please.

UPDATE: The Universe and I are no longer speaking.

Why I've earned a good weekend.

2010-09-17T08:38:00.000-07:00

While I was on maternity leave my office went through some major renovations to create additional space for another team we were absorbing. What this ultimately meant for me was that my old cubicle (which was HUGE) was going to become two real offices and, more importantly, that I would get an office! With walls and a door! Yippee!

Except for one thing. All the offices here have floor to ceiling windows…and no blinds. This by itself isn’t a huge deal, but it became a concern when I realized I would be pumping in said office as there really is NO WHERE else to go (with an electrical outlet) that offers any more privacy. On my first day back I was in a temporary office (which unfortunately was the first office one sees upon entering our floor) and a few of the secretaries jimmy-rigged some wrapping paper over the window so I could carry on with some dignity. Did it look good? No way. But it did the trick. The huge windows facing the outside were another issue, but one about which I cared less.

Imagine my excitement when I noticed a new office converted from an old file room in the back, at the end of a hallway that lacked the window! It was referred to as “the cave” and was slated to just be an extra office for visitors. Well, I campaigned hard and got the office! (Okay, it wasn't hard. No one else wanted it. Actually everyone was surprised I would want it when I had a much more central office with my name on it.) Anyway, renovations were completed and we moved in last week. I’m loving this space. Windows into neighboring offices were placed way up high along the ceiling ensuring privacy but making it less cave-like than one might think. And it’s huge, but that doesn’t really matter. I have privacy!

Or so I thought.

Imagine if you will my shock and horror yesterday when, while pumping, someone knocks on my closed door. Before I can even answer a certain maintenance worker walks in smiling and proceeds to ask me about the lighting and ceiling tiles.

I, in the second I had to process that this was really happening, had all but dove under my desk and ripped the device off my lactating mammories. I groped around for the pump’s Off switch and tried to cover the girls up…all while he chatted away about ceiling tiles.

So that happened.

After he left I regained my composure and resumed pumping. I had just gotten into a good rhythm (if ya know what I mean) when I looked up to see his face through the window in the neighboring office. The window that stretches along just under the 14 foot ceiling? Yeah. He was in there on a ladder working on, you guessed it, ceiling tiles.

I gave up.
And then I went home.
I figured I had earned it.
And I’d much rather feed my baby myself anyway.

Happy Friday.

2010-09-15T08:57:00.000-07:00

The following (good-natured) conversation occurred this morning.

Boss: Hey! How's it going? Are you liking your new office?
(side note: I have a real office now, by the way. The kind with four walls and a door.)You're hard to find now. I can't just be walking by any more; I have to come all the way over here specifically to chat with you.

Me: The office is nice, but fess up. You were just walking by.

Boss: alright, you got me. I was looking for P. Anyway, you hangin' in there alright?

Me: Yeah…I guess. But as much as I like spending all day with you folks, my girl is still way cooler.

Boss: Yeah, well. I’m sure that’s true. Someday she’ll appreciate your efforts to have a career. Actually, my wife and I were talking about the moms with daughters in our neighborhood that have been stay-at-home moms. Their daughters just seem so unmotivated, you know? Their plan is to just marry a rich guy and never work.

Me (smirking): Um…you live in Newport. (Boss smirks back at me.) So that may have less to do with the fact that those moms stayed home and more with the mom herself. My guess is that trophy wives don’t always make for great mothers. But that’s just a thought.

Boss (smiling): ha! Okay, you’re right. Just trying to help you feel better about your being here.

Me: Thanks for trying.

Is it Friday yet?

A much deserved congratulations.

2010-09-07T11:55:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to that girl in the center accepting her FIRST PLACE WIN for an entire summer of mountain bike races.
I'm sorta proud when my friends are awesome.
And Elise is awesome and then some.

If you can't get enough, you can read more about her here in the OC Register.

A deep sleep.

2010-09-02T08:21:00.000-07:00

Dear Husband,

I hope you're still asleep, cuddled up with our baby. You were out l-a-t-e last night celebrating with your brother on one of his last nights of being unwed. I hope you had fun, but I really missed you. You know it's hard for me to sleep without you. So I waited. I waited much longer than I should have (considering the horrible hour I have to wake up) and I finally crashed sometime after midnight. I guessed I crashed hard. But you knew that.

So I'm sorry that I slept through your return. And I'm really sorry that you were locked out for 45 minutes because I had your keys and had locked up the house and would NOT wake up. I didn't believe you this morning when you said you really were out there for that long, ringing the door bell, calling me, and even yelling my name (which I'm sure our neighbors just loved). No, it wasn't until I noticed the six or so missed calls from you spanning an ungodly hour of the night that I realized just how deeply I must have slept.

Again, I'm sorry. Thank your for not resorting to banging on our window. You know that would have scared the you-know-what right out of me and ruined any plans I (and our daughter) had for a good night's rest. And I'm especially glad you finally broke in through the bathroom window and made it to bed. Because if I can't fall asleep with you I really like to wake up with you. Or at least next to you.

Sleep tight, my love. You need it.

The Catch 22 or A Blog Rant. Enjoy. (Note: it's a long one.)

2010-08-31T09:24:00.000-07:00

I may have mentioned that Kenny and I celebrated our seven year anniversary in June. Perhaps in direct retaliation to the rumored “7-Year Itch” I thought I’d finally take on his last name. You know, make it official or something. (*wink*)

No, truthfully being on maternity leave for four months finally presented the necessary time one needs to waste – I mean spend – in a government office to do this. Furthermore, with the baby…well, I thought it would be good if my name actually matched hers. (Also, it would have made for way less confusion at the hospital with visitors being denied because they didn’t know my legal, maiden name. But that’s another story.)

So I tried to change it.

I really did. Try being the operative word. However, my two-plus hours at the social security office bore little fruit in my effort and I’m sad to say that I remain Jill Nielsen (contrary to the still erroneous title of this blog). This is no longer due to a lack of effort; rather it’s because - this is a shocker - our government has concocted a procedure that makes it all but impossible for me to accomplish what should be an easy and routine thing. I know. It’s hard to believe.

On this particular day, the Social Security office wasn’t particularly crowded and the front office was adequately staffed. So that wasn’t the problem. Also, having spent my share of time in the DMV, I was prepared for a wait even with these seemingly favorable conditions. My baby was home sleeping, I was well fed and rested, and I had a good book with me. So the hour plus it took for a clerk to see me, while seemingly totally inefficient and unnecessary, wasn’t totally horrible.

No the real problem was that the procedure of changing one’s name (when one has been married for over two years), as explained to be by the geniuses our government likes to employ in these offices is essentially impossible. As the clerk explained it to me again (at my request, to make sure I was understanding), I grew increasingly dumbfounded. When she finished I just stared. “You realize that the procedure your explaining makes what I’m asking to do essentially impossible, right?” She smiled and cocked her head to the side and actually said these words, verbatim, “I know…it’s kind of a Catch 22.”

I’m not joking.

And there you have it people. Our government employee admitted that their own policy was inherently flawed. This admission is the only consolation I received from this ordeal. To be clear, let’s turn to the ever trusty Wikipedia to define Heller’s dreaded “Catch 22:”

“Among other things, Catch-22 is a general critique of bureaucratic operation and reasoning. Resulting from its specific use in the book [Catch 22, by Heller], the phrase "Catch-22" is common idiomatic usage meaning "a no-win situation" or "a double bind" of any type.”

The condensed version of the procedure is as follows: because I have been married over two years I have to first obtain identification bearing the name I plan to change my name to and then bring said identification into the SS office to legally change my name. I’m not mistaken. I had her explain it to me several times and I repeated it back to her. I even asked her if she realized that I can’t legally obtain an identification under a name by which I cannot legally call myself…that the social security office is where I am to obtain said name. She nodded and shrugged and again used the dreaded “catch 22” excuse.

And there you have it.

I’m exhausted just writing it, as I’m sure you are reading (for those of you who actually made this far). I'm sorry.

So you’ll now excuse me as I go pop some heavy dosage ibuprofen for the headache I developed in recounting this sad tale and take a nap under my desk.

TGIF

2010-08-27T14:31:00.000-07:00

It's Friday.

I'm just hours away from completing my first week back at work. Full time.

I don't want to talk about it. But know that I did it.

To say I'm happy it's Friday and that I'm SO looking forward to the weekend would be the biggest understatement of my life.

On that note, Happy Friday and peace out.
Here's some cuteness to tide you over.

I've missed these two.

Irony.

2010-08-23T15:58:00.001-07:00

We took the girl to her four month check-up today and yet Kenny and I were the ones who got shots.

Go figure.

For the record, the girl has had a bit of a growth spurt since her last appointment. She went from being in the 50th percentile at two months old to the 75th percentile. That'a girl.

(p.s. - please get the adult booster for pertussis. Seriously.)

Really?

2010-08-19T22:32:00.001-07:00

Look at this face.
Such attitude already. Next thing I know, she'll be rolling her eyes when she thinks I'm not looking. Or even when she knows I'm looking. (Not looking forward to that.) Fortunately most of the time we're getting this:
See?
Have a happy weekend.

(And for the record...attitude aside, I still love that first face.)

2010-08-15T23:33:00.000-07:00

What a great weekend! Actually, what a great summer. The awesome-ness of it all can be summed up in the picture below wherein my dad, while visiting this weekend, gives my bike a "proper" ride.

Happy Monday!

2010-08-10T10:31:00.000-07:00

Once again, we're back after a longish vacation. I'm loving this whole maternity leave thing! This time, however, we were without any connection to civilization for about four days.

I loved it.

I know I'm in the minority, but I just LOVE when people can't check their phones every few seconds. The level of sincere attention one pays when he/she is disconnected from phones/internet/etc. is magic. Conversation flowed, fun times were had, nature was enjoyed, and meals went uninterrupted. Again, it was bliss.

And now we're home...and I find myself checking my blog-reader/email every few hours or so. I'm a hypocrite, I guess (except for the phone part - I'm still not glued to my phone).

And now I leave you as I delve into a few days of laundry and deep cleaning. Wish me luck!

(I'd say give me a call, but truly my phone is likely buried under a week's worth of camping laundry.)

2010-07-30T15:27:00.000-07:00

It was my birthday yesterday. I asked for a sailboat ride in Newport Harbor. Instead, I got an ipad (the extra nice one).

I can't say I'm complaining. (Insert huge smile here.)

Thanks to all who contributed for said gift. I, well, LOVE it. A lot. And thank you to everyone who sent me well wishes via various formats. Extra points go to Grandma and Erin who sent cards. The kind with hand written notes. Or, in other words, the kind that are extra awesome.

It was a good day.

(Oh - and thanks to Elise for breakfast today. I like getting to hang out with you.)

Edited to include Steve, Lori, Casey, Madi, Garth, and Charlotte to those who sent birthday cards. THANK YOU!

Funny Siblings.

2010-07-25T23:25:00.000-07:00

I just got this text from a certain 16-year old little sister:

"Oh Jill. Every time I see your frozen breast milk in the freezer I miss you."

This would be the same frozen breast milk upon which a certain brother wrote the following note:

"Do not touch. Ryan's future progeny."

I'm so glad my storing food for my child has sparked so much interest, creativity, and conversation among my siblings.

They're fun. I maybe miss them a little.

2010-07-21T20:29:00.000-07:00

So I've been gone for awhile. For a really long time actually. Now that I think of it, this last trip is the longest I've been away from my primary living place since "striking out on my own" when I was 18.

It was awesome.

The only bummer was the bout of mastitis I had while on vacation...the other bummer would be throwing my back out (while getting the car seat out of the car) when we got home. Not sure which is worse - actually the mastitis wins, but the back problem was made worse by the fact that I came home to a NEW BIKE from my sweet husband. A bike I've been wanting for a few years. The bike that I couldn't ride until today due to said back injury. (It was worth the wait, by the way.)

I may or may not play catch up on this blog. I may or may not post photos. I won't, however, feel obligated to do either or feel guilt for not doing either. It would ruin the vacation.

So...some thoughts.

Monday (July 19th) marked the one-year anniversary of Kenny's dad's death. I can't believe it's been a whole year. However, when I think of all that's happened since his death it seems that it's been much longer. Granted, this year has been an eventful one for us. When I think about last year and the time Kenny spent away from home caring for his dad, I'm mostly grateful. Grateful that Kenny was in a position to serve Ken in that capacity during that time, grateful that Kenny would want to serve him (it was really hard for Kenny - physically and emotionally), and grateful to have gained a greater understanding of charity. True charity. Not the pity kind, but the loving, unselfish service kind of charity. Kenny grew so much during that time. I'm only sad that Ken is not here to see his son in person. Or that he's not here to play with Lola. Rather than dwell on those things, I like to imagine Ken getting Lola all ready to come into this world. When I see her do things that remind me of him, I just smile. And I'm grateful for that, too.

Speaking of The Girl, Lola turns 3 months old tomorrow. Wow. Congratulate me. I've kept a totally helpless creature alive for three months. No plant I've ever owned has ever fared that well. Although, no plant ever gave me auditory clues that it was hungry. If it had screamed or cired I probably would have watered it. So I guess it's really the plants' fault. How's motherhood? Still what I expected. Awesome in an "ups & downs" sort of way. The biggest surprise is that I've yet to get sick of HER - even for a moment. I've gotten sick of certain aspects of mothering (can one really ever love cleaning up poop? and, oh yeah, remember the mastitis?!), but never HER. Everything she does fascinates me. Like right now. I'm watching her alternate between trying to stick her whole fist in her mouth (and almost succeed - until she gags herself), smiling at the ceiling fan like it's her best friend (which it sort of is), and try to nurse the couch cushion. And I'm totally entertained and almost even giddy about it all. Disgusting, right? Yeah, I know. The weird thing is that I don't care. In fact, I'd rather watch her do that than write anything else, so ... well, I won't. I guess I'm done.

Over and out.