Sunday Snapshots- Marley (A memory of summer)

 February comes, and the winter begins to feel as though it will never draw to an end.  This is the time to look back and remember the blistering hot days of summer, with it's green grass, popsicles, and plastic blue swimming pools. 
These photos are from last July.  My cousins Rachel, Joy(@ Our Family of Four), Doug, Nikki, Ken, and their children came to visit.  We ate until we were all stuffed, watched a movie, and wandered onto the back deck to enjoy the children playing in the splash pool.
Marley stole the show with her darling antics, enchanted by the water, and obsessed with the red car.  She kept trying to drive it, but being so small, she slipped through the foot hole in the bottom over and over.  She would just last there quietly, looking like the victim of an auto/ ped accident, until one of the adults stopped laughing long enough to come to her rescue.

Erik (Isn't he perfectly adorable with those blond curls?)

Joy.

Joy, Tristan, and I come inside for some relief from the intense heat.  I was about 14 months pregnant at the time. (It felt like it anyway)  Man I was chunky!

Isn't family the best?  I love having cousins!  I only wish we all lived closer growing up.  I was in Utah, while my Mom's side of the family lived in Michigan.  I'm just glad they come out here to visit once in awhile.

Looking back on these makes me even more anxious for spring to arrive.  I can't wait to get out and garden, and take the kiddos for walks to the park.

I'm going to take a deep breath here, and try to enjoy this moment.  Jack is screeching in his crib.  The snow is half- melted outside, and I'm thinking I need to get up and make some hot cocoa and let my kids drink it by the fire.

Happy Sunday.

A Valentine for you

I'm trying to learn Illustrator in my very spare time, and this is my first attempt at creating anything.  I think it would be cute in a frame, don't you?  Feel free to download/ print it out/ share it- just credit me  :).  Happy Valentine's Day!

The Tidepools

 I've been less of a blogger and more of a slacker (online, at least) lately.  I miss my virtual friends.  Where does my time go?  
I've been working out 5x/ week, mostly to Biggest Loser videos.  I love Bob.  Yes. I do. When I first started, I could only do a 6 minute segment.  I just slowly worked my way up, doing 1 or 2 more minutes a day, and now, after 3 months, I can do 25 - 30 minutes of cardio without wishing for death. 

I bought my first pair of skinny leg jeans since 1989 yesterday, and they look good.  I was as shocked as you probably are.


I'm doing my best to step back, quit trying to live everyone else's life, and start living my own.  It's a good feeling.  It's also a hard thing to completely change my mindset, and I keep slipping up, but I can see some slow improvement.


I've been reading a lot.  I love Dr. AMEN"S  books on the brain.  I'm fascinated with the way the mind works, and trying to incorporate anything that will improve my brain into my daily routine.  Hence, the daily exercise.  I started it to ward off the winter woes, and it has definitely worked.   The skinny jeans are just a nice side effect of improved brain circulation.


I've also been taking fish oil and grape seed extract supplements.  I don't know if they're really working, but they make me feel smarter anyway.  I've cut caffeine out of my diet.  Over time, caffeine puts 'holes' in your brain (it basically constricts blood flow so you don't have access to certain areas).  Caffeine makes you dumb.  Who knew?  Apparently Joseph Smith did.


Anyway, I'm playing catch up on pictures from last year, so I can post some from now.  Almost there.  These are the last from Point Loma in November.  Enjoy.


I

Can you see the crab?

i love you much

(most beautiful darling)

more than anyone on

the earth and i like you

better than everything

in the sky.

-e.e. cummings

 

Point Loma- at the museum

 While visiting San Diego in November, we decided to spend a rainy Sunday Afternoon at Point Loma National Monument.  There was a small museum dedicated to the Spanish Conquistadors which was full of maps and fascinating trinkets from the 14 and 1500's.  We also stopped at their small gift shop, and watched a movie about mother Grey Whales and their babies. After the sun decided to come out and play, we went and explored the tide pools. (Next post)

Nathaniel and Michael. Those two had the time of their lives that day; they laughed and laughed and stuck together like peas and carrots.  How fun to have cousins!

Our home is near the smaller lake on the left.

Oh, I love this boy.  I hope he stays this sweet for a long time.

Cabrillo himself.  He'd be kind of hot if he could quit flaring his nostrils.

Whatever you do, don't let the webkins get wet!  London's penguin is a girl named "Spike".  She sleeps with it every night.  It protects her from the evil penguins.

Nathaniel inspects the real chain mail. Or is it called chainmail?  Wait..isn't chain mail something you have to forward or a curse will be fall you in 7 days? Hmmm...let's just call it armor.  "Nathaniel inspects the armor".

I only wish I had been close enough to hear what those two were saying about the cash in the donation box.

My Dad, the genius, learns even more.  He's always reading.  Except when he's sleeping. 

This gift shop puzzle shows about all there is to the monument.  It was a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon, though.

London feels out a different life.

My sister Dana takes pictures of the kids while I photograph her.

Nathaniel wields a real sword.

Rollin' with my Homie

If you live to be a hundred,

I want to live to be

a hundred minus one day

so I would never have to live

a day

without you.

-Winnie the Pooh

Sunday Snapshot

London and myself.

Buzz Lightyear ride, Disneyland

November 2010

Uhhh...pretty sure the scores were switched here :)