THIS LIFE

Warrior Dash

2011-09-12T21:56:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday John, James, and I dashed (with a bunch of other crazy, possibly intoxicated, and definitely strangely dressed persons) like warriors (out of shape warriors) for 3 miles through a series of crazy obstacles. Obstacles included rolling over logs in chest high cold water, "jumping" over broken slick cars, hurtling walls and crawling under barbed wire, climbing (in a number of different ways) very tall A-frames, jumping through fire, and swimming through mud (under barbed wire). Want to do it with us next time? Couldn't really take photos during event (huffing and puffing remember? except mom caught the mud one) but here are the before and after shots:

Beach Trip 2011 Pictures

2011-07-27T21:07:00.000-07:00

Some rain, some clouds, some sun. Sounds like the oregon coast in the summer!

our view from the house

ah, lovely sand

I know it's out of focus but it was just so cute!

testing the waters with nana

climbing the HUGE mountain, and sliding back down (so much sand in the butt!)

dogs, they're so funny, ali loves them

crabbing on the pier, bella loves her daddy

animal park: cute animals and poop

ah, a wee nap in the sand (literally for evan who is using his towel as a blanket)

Eat Your Veggies! Recipes

2011-07-24T20:21:00.001-07:00

This being the greatest time of year for fresh produce (and us trying to eat veggies far and above anything else), here are some of my latest recipes (in my fashion). Keep in mind, it's been warm this past week and we had, honest to god, two heads of cabbage, two bunches of chard, and three partial heads of lettuce that we had to somehow use before they went bad. We also have carrots and beets in our garden, so they're kind of in everything. FYI: I don't measure unless baking so make up your own amounts.
Cabbage, Apples, and Sweet Pecan Salad
-cabbage (half a head suits two people with a left-over lunch)
-pecans sautéed with a pinch of sugar and molasses (and cayene if you like)
-apples
-grated carrot and beets
-dried cherries
-rice vinegar (2parts), apple cider vinegar (1part), dijon mustard (a bit), olive oil (to taste)
Mix it up and eat!
Quinoa and Chard Sauté
-quinoa (cooked)
-caramelized onions
-sautéed chard and mushrooms with salty/garlicky seasoning to taste
-beets (cooked)
-grapefruit
Mix it up and eat!
Yaki-Fried Rice (I didn't have the soba noodles)
-cabbage, broccoli, and carrots lightly blanched or steamed
-sautéed mushrooms and garlic and ginger with above veggies and yakisoba sauce (see below for the one I use)
-cooked rice sautéed with egg
-yakisoba sauce: 1 part soy sauce, 1 part oyster sauce, a bit sesame oil

mail baby, yeah!

2011-04-08T20:59:00.000-07:00

Got my second Post Crossing card today! From The Netherlands (by the way I love how big and important the name sounds for such a tiny area (and that US people know next to nothing about it and usually call it "Holland")).
The girl who sent me the card is awesome, not just because she loves books either. She practically sent me a package full of goodies. Inside the envelope (who knew you didn't have to do post cards? not me) was two bookmarks related to books, a post card about India (written in Dutch), and a beautiful card (see above) with a lovely letter written inside. All day I kept picking it up and sifting through my presents.
Does that make me pathetic? (Say, easy to please, please.)

In other news, the weather is improving delightfully. The afternoons are looking positively cheerful now that I can stick the kids into the backyard and they practically entertain themselves (with some minor intervention - see photo of mud). On the down side, you might say, spring cleaning has revealed hidden mold that nearly brought me to tears and now requires that Isabella not sleep on our floor. And John broke the spear I brought back from Africa.

Post Crossing Continued

2011-04-04T21:53:00.000-07:00

(The following post must be read in a dramatic voice. We are auditioning for life, people!) Mail. Pray to the box and it shall come. Do not let yourself be depressed that the most exciting thing in life right now is Post Crossing. No! Bring your sister into the cult too! The question is, how far are you willing to go with this? Are you sitting at your desk late at night surrounded by post cards (must find the perfect one!) and writing to random people, contemplating writing to random family members and friends, and now you've had a direct swap request by someone you've never written to before??? Be safe. Use a stamp.

Post Crossing!

2011-03-29T20:52:00.000-07:00

Random Postcards! Who wouldn't love that? The hardest part, of course, is the waiting. Ah, snail mail, how you build character...
So far I have sent 5 but received none. I will keep a list going in the side bar of the To and From locations.
Support the postal system! Keep snail mail alive! Yo!

Who's Camera is This Anyway?!

2011-02-13T21:07:00.000-08:00

Most of the pictures on our camera are taken by Isabella. She loves playing with it. Which means that usually the battery has run out or the memory is full or it's not working quite right. Like right now it thinks the flash is broken, the timer is on, and there's not enough light. In the videos you can hear the focusing mechanism struggling. We bought the camera back in 2003 or so for our trip to Greece for about $400. Amazing how cheap the damn things are now but, sadly, we can't afford a new one. So hear are a few of its final pictures.

Christmas in SF

2011-01-17T21:21:00.001-08:00

These pics are all stolen from Michele since we are lame parents (I can't even find the camera right now)...
The best things about Christmas:

Eating

Being Lazy
Keeping the kids from running off into the crowds

After Dinner Games

Random Silliness

Oh My Gosh She Updated Her Blog

2010-11-18T19:45:00.000-08:00

Check it out! And now you know why I posted my dad's photos for so long (our camera is in need of replacement). I have a few other cutie pictures but I'm saving them for the Christmas card...

My Dad's Awesome Pictures

2010-06-24T22:09:00.000-07:00

Isabella Growing Up (Alexandria too)

2010-05-31T15:33:00.001-07:00

An Addition To Our Family

2010-04-05T17:04:00.001-07:00

Alexandria Skye

New Baby Stuff

2010-02-04T21:14:00.001-08:00

For those of you who have asked or will ask, here is a list of some baby stuff we need for our soon-to-be-new arrival. As you will notice, there's not much to the list. We kept most of Isabella's baby stuff and this one will be born about the same time of year. But there were a few things I sold/got rid of that I regret now or new stuff we want to try. So, here you go...

double stroller

cloth diapers - specifically bumGenius (extra small) and some inserts

- wool diaper cover and Snappi (or similar) (for when we use prefolds)

bumGenius diaper sprayer (not really needed but it's cool)

lots of infant/soft wash cloths

baby wipes (preferably flushable or reusable)

play/tummy mat (because for some reason I got rid of Isabella's)

soft books that she can chew on or get wet (strangely never got these for Isabella)

crib sheets

Will update if I think of something else...

blatant theft - for the good of the world!

2010-01-20T21:43:00.000-08:00

These photos are also on Heather's blog. I stole them. I do it for you - those of you who haven't discovered we (John and I) don't take many pictures and Heather has a much better camera. In the future, I will leave you (the reader who is not Heather) to check out Heather's blog to discover if she (Heather) has conveniently taken any more pictures of my (my) family for which I (Katherine) have failed to do. End parentheses.

Perhaps I should also mention that the xmas pictures were mostly from Michele but since her blog has fallen asleep (lame), I am doubly doing you all a great service.

The End of 2009

2010-01-12T16:33:00.000-08:00

Here's an odd occurance for you:

Isabella will be 3 this year...

I will be 30...

and John will be 33!

To celebrate, here are some pictures of this past year. May ever year get better! (Actually this year is already proving positive - John got his full pay back! Hurrah! And, of course, come March we'll have a new little terror around! Double hurrah for getting it out of my belly!)

Chicken Eater, toilet reader

2009-10-19T14:53:00.001-07:00

Happy Holidays!

Awesome aren't they? I have some even better ones of my darling but I'm saving them for christmas!

While She Was Sleeping

2009-09-09T14:25:00.000-07:00

Okay, enough with all your shit. Here are the latest pictures from our camera. I must hurry to accomplish this while she sleeps or I am doomed to failure.
PS - I be preggo again if you hadn't heard through the grapevine. Must say raising a 2 yr old becomes much more difficult when all you want to do is sleep.
PPS - The pictures of adults were taken by Isabella and I dare say she will rival my dad as photography champ one of these days considering how young she's starting. I'd show you her more abstract pieces except they might be too advanced for the general public. :)

Our favorite person - SuSu (Susan)!
Our other favorite person - Tracy!
Favorite past time
Least favorite past time (sometimes sneaks up on her)!

Beach-ish Trip!

2009-07-06T14:04:00.000-07:00

Rented a lovely house just outside of Coos Bay. Very relaxing site. And we even made it to the beach one day! Isabella took a couple of these shots :) For other people's photos (and some of these repeated), go to Michele's blog.

Came home and the next day started back into the yard work. Thank you for watching Isabella Nana! You're awesome. Oh, and Isabella painted herself (and John).

Wala!

2009-06-18T09:17:00.001-07:00

Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to me. Happy biiiiirrrthday to me. Happy birthday to me.

R.O.D.!*

2009-06-05T09:47:00.000-07:00

In other news, Isabella is still a cutie.But definitely a patience-testing, pain-inducing toddler. I'd post a picture of the scars but they're invisible.
Becky/Mike/Mom/Sue got the house! October! October!
Um, yeah, not a whole lot else.
But here's a video of Heather dancing! And, of course, a picture of her and her baby.

*Read Or Die manga/anime for all you bibliophiles out there.

Isabella Videos

2009-04-23T13:24:00.001-07:00

Defiance

Box on Head

Pictures for Complainers (you know who you are)

2009-04-02T13:06:00.001-07:00

I've been inexcusably negligent in taking pictures and posting them. Never-the-less, unless you want to come here and take some pictures yourself and post them, I don't want to hear any complaints! Remember when there were no blogs? No internet? Remember photo albums at tea time? Dammit, I'm not posting again until someone comes for a visit!
And for those of you who CLAIM to read my blog and then don't know anything about the "choking incident" (Heather), I'll need some real groveling - like an honest-to-goodness, snail-mail letter.

This one isn't so flattering to me but Isabella is a cutie.

John and Susan (our neighbor and one of Isabella's favorite people) playing with flowers.

Chloe and Isabella singing and dancing.

New Mexico (poor thing is sick and still cute)

Cousin/Uncle Lee asking Isabella to clean his shoe ("you missed a spot").

ERUPTIONS

2009-03-14T18:10:00.000-07:00

My very good friend, DOCTOR Erik Klemetti, started a blog last year about volcanoes. It has done so well that it's been picked up by Science Blogs network. If you like to read about the lastest volcanic activity around the world, check out ERUPTIONS.

Feel The Burn

2009-01-27T13:05:00.001-08:00

John just found out that he gets a 10% paycut starting Feb 1st. Awesome eh?

Isabella says, to make herself feel better when times are tough, she puts on dadda's big shoes and tries to walk around.

But if things look really bleak, the only solution is a cuddly dog, no pants, momma's bright red bra, and one shiny red shoe.
Nothing else brings a smile to my face like Isabella exploring her world.

Emotional Moment

2009-01-20T09:33:00.000-08:00

I've never cried over a new president. I've never even listened to the inaguration speech of a new president before.
The message of this new leadership has been hope but I have so far tempered that hope with skepticism. For what are words without action? And what are leaders without followers? How much are the people of America really willing to do or are they just waiting for this new leadership to do it for them?
I cried. The preacher, who I was entirely ready to loathe, said some really great, important things. The classical music had all my favorite instruments and traversed from a moarnful cry to a joyous romp. President Obama seemed to actually mean what he said. Am I just particularly emotional today?
Do you think people will take to heart his message? I mean, he didn't actually say "ask not what your country can do for you..." but perhaps he should have - we're not the brightest group since our education has gone to shit. Did you hear him mention education? Should I be worried that it was at the end of the list? Talk about crying. I would have sobbed if he had emphasized education above all things. He did mention science and statistics and tolerance and the environment, so I guess there's hope for our country yet. Maybe.

A Moment to Breathe

2009-01-06T10:58:00.000-08:00

Well, now that the holidays have passed, I have a moment to breathe and catch-up with this blog. I know you're all sitting on pins and needles to know what's been happening (dad).
First order of the day: Biopsy
The biopsy determined that I have some throat malfunction, also called eosinophilic esophagitis. Doctors and their big words! "Eosinophils are a type of inflammatory cell that gets into the lining of the esophagus. It causes inflammation..." It acts like an allergic reaction except it's not and they don't actually know what causes it and there's no known cure. Yeah for me.
Second: Holiday Fun (a much better topic)

Wicked!

2008-12-14T19:59:00.000-08:00

I did a 360 in the road today! And it was totally unintentional - even more awesome! On top of that, it took me an hour and a half to get home from work this evening. Yea!
On the downside, I saved a dog from freezing to death.
Current temperature : 26 degrees F (with wind-chill: 9 degrees F).
Check out photos at Katu.com:
http://www.katu.com/younews?cid=71571

No Pictures Please

2008-11-18T19:59:00.000-08:00

Isabella pooped on the floor. I stepped in it.

More Isabella

2008-11-18T10:09:00.000-08:00

For even more photos (and better ones too), check out Heather's blog.

Sad but True

2008-11-09T09:54:00.000-08:00

It may seem pathetic and even a bit impossible but it's true - I choked on a garbanzo bean last Monday. Not in my airway. I could breathe just fine. The offending food was lodged in my esophagus (making me gag) for more than four hours, three of which were while I sat in the ER being tortured. Tortured by a very sweet nurse and a fairly handsome doctor (in training?). First, the nurse couldn't find my vein to get in an IV and caused a bit of pain as she probed around. Then, we had to wait for two hours to see if the muscle relaxant would free the bean (keep in mind that I'm gagging and can't swallow this whole time). And then, oh god it makes me sick to remember, the real torture began. They sprayed my nose and throat with benzocane, making me convulse. I don't know if it was the high pressure, the cold, or the medicine itself but I thought to myself "maybe this is what they do to prisoners - there's no outward proof of torture but it makes you want to agree to anything to make it stop." Then they put the camera down my nose. He had me sit upright although I was constantly gagging and there was no where for all the saliva to go except out my mouth and all over me (humiliating to say the least). But the worst part was that the benzocane hadn't really worked. It hurt like hell to have the camera being put down my nose. I cried. I gagged. I cursed profusely when they took it out briefly. I wanted to either kill someone or die or at least go home and spend the rest of my life not being able to swallow. John asked me which was worse, this or giving birth. This. Oh please god, don't do this to me again.
They eventually gave up (having seen nothing). The ENT came in, knocked me out, and used a little puff of air to knock the garbanzo bean down and took a biopsy to try and determine what caused me to choke in the first place. He thinks I may have had an allergic reaction because my throat was so swollen but I had been gagging for 4 hours so of course it was swollen. We'll find out next week.
Anyway, I survived (but if this happens again and that doctor comes near me I'm going home and you'll have to get used to seeing me with a spit bag).

click this

2008-10-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

http://sarantium.myminicity.com

Hell of a Week

2008-10-10T08:59:00.000-07:00

Sunday: Normally a 4 hr work day but turned into 8 hrs (by choice but at the last minute). Planned on picking up coffee table from girl on craigslist but phone died during directions. This means more on Monday.
Monday: After dropping off Isabella at daycare, I stop at the gas station and my car dies. Gas attendant jumps the car but I need to head to work immediately so I'm not late (so I don't bother taking it in to a shop in other words). After working for 3 hrs and planning to pick up the coffee table (which is only 15 min away), car will not start. Jumping does not help so I end up spending an hour arranging a tow-truck, only to discover he is able to start my car. He thinks it's my battery. (This whole time I am unable to reach John, by the way.) Okay, so, not risking stopping anywhere and not even bothering to turn off the car when I pick up Isabella from daycare, we make it safely home. Later that evening I borrow the truck to pick up the table (since I feel bad about making the lady wait until I'm at work again). Total time on the road that day: 2 1/2 hrs.
Tuesday: Honestly can't remember but I definitely didn't drive anywhere. However, John was gone from 7:30am until 10:00pm which sucked.
Wednesday: The shop says the starter is the problem. With labor that'll cost me over $200. Awesome.
Thursday: Ah the kicker! Plan: Drive Isabella to daycare; come home and switch cars so John has the car seat when he picks her up (because I'm working 9hrs); go to work. Reality: I drive Isabella to day care, leaving my bag/phone/food at home because of plan. Get home to discover my car keys don't have the house key on them because Wednesday I'd taken it off for the automechanic. Brilliant! So, I drive to work in carseat car so I won't be late only to discover I was 30 min early and I could've gone to my neighbors, called John, retrieved the house key, and still make it to work on time. Instead I have to plan to get the keys during my lunch break, at 2pm. So, no food until 2pm. Lunch is obviously really short because I do so much driving. Next, I wonderfully forget to leave the house keys in our secret spot for John! So he can't get in after picking up Isabella! Instead he goes out to eat and then meets up with coworkers at McMinnimins. I get home to no food and no family and have a bad headache. Great day.
Great Week!
Next week: I get run over!

Finally, some pictures

2008-09-08T14:48:00.000-07:00

Beach Trip

Portland Bridge Pedal

Isabella

News from the Domestic Front

2008-09-06T07:11:00.000-07:00

Life on the front lines is a rough one for these soldiers. Some days they are woken at 5am and a soldier must attempt to hold back the onslaught alone until reinforcements arrive. By 630 the soldier in the galley slaving away. At 7 (except on weekends, god bless them) reinforcements arrive and the real labor begins.
Work has been tough on John these past few weeks as he transitions into his new role as "continuous improvement manager." He's also taking an online six sigma course and must work on that at night after work (and helping me with Isabella).
I am still working on balancing my new job and taking care of Isabella. She doesn't like me dropping her off for daycare but seems happy and talkative when I pick her up. Library work is much more fast-paced than I thought, mostly because they switch us from checkin to checkout to telephones to help desk every hour. So we never spend long enough at any one station to get bored. Perhaps my opinion about this will change after I've been there long enough. I'll let you know. But I can say that everyone is very nice so far and the toughest part is dealing with patrons who claim to have returned a book that, according to our system, has not been returned.
Isabella seems happy and talkative. She doesn't speak many words yet (except momma, dadda, uh-oh, versions of "ball" and "more") but she babbles pretty continuously. We're looking forward to discovering what she's saying. Overall, her favorite things to do include picking fruits and vegetables from the garden or upick and stuffing herself, playing at the park, and drawing. She also likes to dismantle lego structures, watching PBS, and jumping on the beds. Her favorite toy is her stuffed monkey (who she carries everywhere) but she's also attached to all her blankets and her push-along cart and pretty much all of her dollies. She also loves to push all of the buttons on the computer - so I'd better go before she reaches them. Hopefully pictures soon.

Life with 2 Jobs

2008-08-20T09:22:00.000-07:00

I've become a busy girl so don't give me a hard time for not updating this regularly. For those of you out of the loop, I now work for the City of Hillsboro as a part-time library clerk. That means 20 hrs a week I'm pushing books around and dealing with *gasp* people and the other 100 hrs
I'm babysitting, cleaning house, doing laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, paying bills, and maybe checking email or reading a book. Why am I doing this to myself again?
Isabella is not terribly happy about the new arrangement yet. I think she likes being around a bunch of other kids but does not like the part where I leave. She's become very very clingy.
Speaking of, I have more pictures of Isabella but not on my computer yet. So you'll just have to wait.

Beach Trip Photos - Part 1

2008-07-21T20:29:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos Michele took from our beach trip last week. Isabella was fairly well behaved but didn't sleep well which means we didn't sleep well. Thankfully she had other people to amuse/torture her while we tried to maintain consciousness. More pictures to follow as I get them.

Today's Photo Blog

2008-07-11T09:44:00.000-07:00

We'll be heading off to the beach next week (oh, are you stuck at work? poor you) so I'll more pictures to post when I get back. But here are a few to quench your Isabella thirst. Notice her injured lip and arm. It seems like every day now we are dealing with worse and worse injuries. Yesterday, while at the playground with John, she cut the inside of her mouth (somewhere) and bled all over herself. Apparently she mixed it with her snot and spread it all over her face. The last picture does not involve blood but she does look a bit like the joker, no?

Kids, go figure

2008-07-02T20:55:00.000-07:00

Totally stealing this from the G Diapers blog but too funny to let slide. One fantastic reason to have kids: they are naturally, unpretentiously, unintentionally hilarious.
G Diapers Blog - a chuckle from the kids...

Children of the Mess

2008-06-24T21:25:00.000-07:00

At first the family was so carefree, enjoying walks in the wetlands and strawberry pickings with friends. Little did they know what was hidden beneath those bangs...

In the beginning:
What a peaceful setting.
Do her eyes seem troubled?
Attempts at keeping her wild bangs in check.
Close friend Chloe helping to pick strawberries.
Isabella begins to show her darker side in the fields.
If only they knew what dipping her hand in the paint would unleash!
Chloe is being swayed by the evil forces and enjoying it!Eat your heart out - OR SHE WILL!

Witness her about to attack John's throat!She's coming for you...

Where's My Summer?

2008-06-06T14:36:00.000-07:00

I demand my summer! Or at least spring. After having one week of sun, I feel like we're in fall already. It's so unfair.
We all need to go on strike until we get our sun. No one does a lick of work until that blasted sun shows its face in the NW.
So there.
NOAA Weather Forecast

Playing Catsup

2008-05-29T13:49:00.000-07:00

I know I've been neglecting my motherly duties by not posting pictures of my darling girl. Nag nag nag. Don't you have any other tricks? Anyway, I've been busy trying to get my garden in order (now that the temperature outside is bearable) and hosting my delightful family. Below is an assortment of pictures over the last month.

My Zip Suck

2008-05-01T21:31:00.000-07:00

So, MyZip has quit running which means, not only am I not getting an extra $35/month for playing, I'm not getting paid for the 10 or so posts I did do. Suck.
But, well, it wasn't a lot of work and I did enjoy going to the ren faire.
Here are so random pictures.

ONE

2008-04-23T14:02:00.000-07:00

Isabella is one-year-old today. Well, possibly, one year and 9 months, depending on what you believe. As such, it's time for a little update on her capabilities.
-walking
-babbling
-definite words: uh-oh, bye-bye, hi, mama, dada, and kitty (I think)
-running/stumbling quickly
-picking up/rolling ball
-stacking rings
-eating solid food (not pureed or mashed, she's got 3 teeth!)
-making connections between what we are saying and what is not visible (for example, John asked her to bring the ball which had rolled behind the chair earlier and she retrieved it; another example would be when I make animal noises and she goes to get the book that has the pictures of the animals)
-waving, clapping, hitting me me or the cats in the head, and pinching
-for a while she was going to get her shoes when she wanted to go outside but since I stopped putting them on her (letting her walk barefoot) she stopped that cool trick
-dancing (she really gets down baby)

The list goes on but I think you get the idea. It's remarkable how the brain develops.
Thanks for all the happy wishes!

Lars and the REALGIRL

2008-04-18T09:31:00.000-07:00

You have to see this movie. All of you.
I can't describe it with justice so you'll have to take my word on it.
If you've seen previews or read the "jacket" and decided against it, think again! It's very likely not what you expect. It's so very well done.
I can't praise it enough. Ryan Gosling blew me away.
WATCH IT!

Freakin' Brilliant

2008-04-11T20:00:00.000-07:00

Ethanol from garbage and old tires. Read up on it in Technology Review "10 Emerging Technologies 2008." Remember Back to the Future? We are an amazing species sometimes. Whatever (absolutely anything) we imagine we can create. Is it consensual reality? Or are we really only limited by our imagination?
Now if only we could imagine being nice to one another for a change.

New Blog

2008-04-10T21:28:00.001-07:00

Hey there, I'm writing another blog! Yes, another one. This one I get paid for.
Check it out at http://www.97116.net
I'll be writing exclusively about Forest Grove, so it may not be of interest to you - unless you're the curious type or my mother or possibly Heather.
In other news, phone books are destroying the world.

Girl Who Would Not Quit

2008-04-08T20:26:00.000-07:00

Two doors down there lives a six year old girl just desperate for some attention. How does she seek out this attention? Apparently she wanders the neighborhood following people's cats and dogs around until someone talks to her and then, wham, she attaches herself to them, calling on them every day (some times twice a day), and talks and talks and talks. She looks in the back door window and waves with a big smile. She asks if the little baby can come out and play, calls them "so cute" and ignores you while you tell her "she's too young to play with you." And she keeps coming back! She wants you to meet her mom so she can come INSIDE your house. She's very sweet and it breaks your heart to think of telling her to bugger off, so you try being gone from the house when she gets home from school but she just comes back later. You even ask your husband to be mean to her instead of having to do it yourself but he chickens out too. He even suggests you buy curtains for the back door to close from 3pm to 7pm. The time has come to decide: are you mean to a lonely six-year-old girl or do you hide in your own house?
What expression are you wearing right now?
Choose from the list of Isabella's expressions below.

Sun At Last

2008-04-01T19:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon the sun began to peek through the clouds and today it was clear all day. Hallelujah. Let the sun shine down on me.
Today Isabella and I walked to lunch with John and then spent the afternoon playing in the yard (me mostly trying to keep Isabella from conking her head on the cement stairs in the back).
So, mom, thanks for the email but you really needn't dread moving up here that much. Snow in March is rare. And the sun will always shine again. And, yes, without the snow and rain we wouldn't have all the beautiful green (or the water to give our neighboring states, eh hem).

Snow: Day 2

2008-03-28T08:59:00.000-07:00

That's right folks, day two of snow in Forest Grove. It's the end of March but it feels like the beginning of December. I was reading something the other day about March being a depressing month because it is so close to sunny warm days but not quite there. When I read it I thought to myself, "I've never felt that way. I love spring. I love how everything is getting ready for summer."
But I understand now. I think the person who wrote that article must have been stuck inside all winter. Maybe they could only get outside when it was warm. Maybe they had an infant. Because, let me tell you, weather makes a huge difference when you have a child. Last year I would have said, screw the weather, I'm going outside. Or I would have made myself a hot cup of chocolate and grabbed a good book.
I have been reading but it goes something like this:
OK, Isabella is distracted by her toys. I'll just slip quietly over to the couch and read. Now, where was I? Isabella stole my bookmark. Hmm, I read that part. I must have been... oh yeah, here we go.
(5 min pass)
"Ma ma ma ma (babble babble)."
Isabella is grabbing my leg and trying to pull herself up. Maybe I'll just ignore her for a second while I finish this paragraph.
"Ahh! Ma ma ma. Ahhhhh." (High pitched yelling.)
I'll pull her up on the couch and continue to read for a bit longer. Damn, she stole my book.
"Be nice to the book. Gentle. Isabella don't do that. Alright, let's do something else."

A push-over? Yeah. Going insane? Yep. Wondering why the fuck it's snowing so we can't go outside and do something, anything, else? That's me!

The Picture Blog

2008-03-25T08:55:00.000-07:00

Because Heather is having withdrawals...

See the tummy-butt balancing technique?

Bad picture but do you see the bottom teeth?

Freakish picture of me but great one of Isabella.

Looks like a boy here, no?

Can you name the movie in the background?

Another boyish shot but such a cute expression.

Tease

2008-03-20T14:24:00.000-07:00

Spring is such a tease. We had almost three weeks of lovely sunny weather (on an off cold or overcast but overall really nice). And now it's been dreary for almost two whole weeks. Barely a peep of sun! Ugh. I am so bored and yet unable to do the things that need to get done.
Highlights of my days:
Going to the library.
Getting the newspaper on Sunday.
My day to sleep in.
Grocery shopping (although now it's getting tougher since Isabella doesn't want to sit still in the cart).
John relieving me of duty.
Isabella's nap/bed time.

I know this makes me sounds like a horrible mother but staying at home with an infant really wears a person out. How exactly am I supposed to stay sane? And don't go suggesting something like knitting because Isabella considers whatever I'm doing as a challenge for her to destroy. And hanging with other moms is out as well. I don't know any other moms who are available. I suppose I could join a church and find moms that way... Rescue me dammit.

Dancing Fiend!

2008-03-13T11:03:00.001-07:00

This is Isabella singing and dancing. I kid you not. Agalloch is playing in the background (though it's hard to hear).

Update Folks

2008-03-13T10:52:00.000-07:00

Sunny Days Ahead

2008-02-29T14:17:00.001-08:00

On a sad/frustrating note, I got rejected from MyZip blogger. Apparently there were several people applying to be 97116 and I failed to live up to their standards. I'm somewhat disappointed, though I can't tell if it's more due to the rejection or not getting the opportunity to post. I was rather excited about writing about this smallish, quaint village I'm immersed in. And $50/month to do it would be great. On the other hand, rejection sucks.
Oh well, sunny days are ahead and I should spend all my time out-of-doors playing with the little one and working on the garden. Next I will post pictures of the garden so you can witness my amazing (-ingly slow) progress!

Baby Walking

2008-02-19T13:37:00.000-08:00

Consider this a neck exercise. It's worth it.

First Steps

2008-02-09T19:59:00.000-08:00

This evening Isabella took her first steps. We're not talking stumbling here. She held on to a chair and concentrated very hard on walking towards me. It took several tries but she was very excited by the whole process and kept at it until she finally took those first steps. After THAT, she was ecstatic. In no time she was taking 6 and 7 steps before falling (and mostly that was because she had reached my arms and so had felt it was no longer necessary to keep herself upright).
We are in deep trouble people.
Never-the-less, I am thrilled and so is her father. I expect you are all thrilled too. Hopefully we will videotape and post it tomorrow.
Don't call me for a couple days, though, please. I just had my wisdom teeth removed and it hurts to talk. Thanks.

Picture Catch-Up

2008-02-04T14:54:00.000-08:00

Cutie pie.

Serious pie.

Quite a year so far.

Out of focus but I couldn't resist.

John and James acting like strangers.
Amazingly, Rob was still convinced he would put his feet in the water. The torrential downpour soon after this photo was taken stopped him though.
Aww, Dad and I.Isabella had this expression the whole time we were at the bowling alley.

The Good Sell

2008-02-04T10:00:00.000-08:00

It may look like I've sold out. True, I am no longer on a moral high ground (if I ever was), but I've realized that there are times in life when the high ground is actually just a molehill and not a mountain.
Things that are important to me these days: my family, my friends, my cats, my house. Notice "feeling superior" is not on there. Neither is money, of course, but I kind of need it to take care of three of the four important things. If it makes you feel any better, I am also back into writing every day in the hopes that I might be able to sell that too. And soon I may be posting "resume help for a nominal fee" on craigslist. John says I'm good at it. So there.
Until then, check out the new addition to my blogs and sign up for your own money-earning hub while you're at it:
http://hubpages.com/_3hkow552bsqru/hub/readscifi

My Day Off

2008-01-27T20:18:00.000-08:00

First off, let me explain that John let me sleep in yesterday so today was his turn to sleep in. So we'll start my day off at around 8:30am when Isabella took her first nap.
What I did:
8:30 to 10:30! Slept. So delicious.
10:30 to 11:30 Helped get Isabella ready for her day with dad (this may not seem like a "day off" but consider the excitement). And then they were off to Uncle James' place.
11:30 to 12:30 Lunch and reading. Yum yum.
12:30 to 2:30 Went clothes shopping with gift card (didn't find much actually but got $3.30 in change! Who knew they did that?!). Perused an overly expensive bookstore and decided against spending my three bucks at Starsuck (as in, suck all your money away). Instead, went to overly trendy grocery store and bought delicious hot chocolate mix to make at home. Perfect!
2:30 to 4ish Drank scrumptious hot cocoa (with whipped cream we happened to have!), ate snacks, and read. Lovely.
4ish to 5:40 Painted bedroom while listening to Bright Eyes. Ah.

John and Isabella returned safely (Isabella was hungry but seemed in good spirits). John acknowledged that hanging out with Isabella essentially alone (James fell asleep) for many hours was hard and that I was an amazing person. Not only that! He's planning the same thing for next Sunday! Take notes people. This is the description of a good man.

New Blog

2008-01-25T22:28:00.000-08:00

If you've noticed the emergence of ads on this blog, you might also have noticed a new link to "My Book Review Blog." Indeed, I have created another blog - initially to generate more income (dude, ten cents counts) but now I'm kind of having fun with it (god forbid). This whole "hub" thing is somewhat of a mystery but a score pops up next to my title which tells me if people are checking out my blog and it's addictive. I was all excited this morning that my number had jumped from seventy-something yesterday to 83 and then felt compelled to add another blurb this evening when my number started dropping. I'm at 79! I don't even know if adding helps. I probably need to add another hub but that just seems like a monumental task, at least at 10:30pm. It'll have to wait until tomorrow. I'm thinking "Best Science Fiction." Eh? Eh? I know you're behind me on this one. You should email or comment with suggestions.

Year of Suck

2008-01-24T09:43:00.000-08:00

We received a holiday card from John's great aunt the other day with the cryptic statement "I'd like to skip 2008 and go straight to 2009." Considering there are only 3 sentences in the card and the first two praise Isabella and the blog, we were of course mystified and frankly a little horrified. Is it that bad already? Dorothy, if you're reading this, we want to give our sincere hopes that the year improves for you. Think positive!
Having fulfilled my role as motivator, I'd like to second her idea and move on to 2009. This year is beginning to suck. Or is it, the beginning of this year sucks?

More Pictures

2008-01-14T10:04:00.000-08:00

Crazy Holiday Season

2008-01-06T13:26:00.000-08:00

Apparently someone was listening to my complaints of boredom before this holiday season and went about making amends because I've never been so exhausted in my life. (Only a slight exaggeration there.) Visitations and parties and traveling non-stop for 3 weeks. With an infant! A teething infant with a fever! I look forward to boredom next week.
And then I'll be looking for company again no doubt.
Here are some of Michele's, Heather's, and my dad's photos. For more, check out Michele's and Heather's blogs and I'll post more of my dad's later.

Holiday Fun

2008-01-01T19:08:00.000-08:00

Don't Do This

2007-12-11T16:29:00.000-08:00

Don't think longingly about the time when your little one will be able to entertain herself. Inevitably it will involve the cat food or the dust bunnies you've missed in the corner or pulling herself up on furniture. This time is not as relaxing as one might suppose.

Ahhhhhh! Crawling

2007-12-06T10:18:00.000-08:00

Resting not allowed.

Back Up A Minute

2007-12-06T09:55:00.000-08:00

By request, here are some forgotten pictures and a video.

Snow and Rain

2007-12-04T09:35:00.001-08:00

It snowed here twice and rained so much my basement flooded!
Isabella is crawling well now and even managed to pull herself up to a standing position against the chair - twice!
This winter is sure to be an entertaining one. Exclamation point. Exclamation point.

Morning from our new residence:

2007-11-26T09:21:00.000-08:00

Photo Update

2007-11-21T08:49:00.001-08:00

Okay, we are in the new house and the internet is hooked up. So I'm out of excuses. Here are some photos from Florida.

Hurrah!

2007-10-26T09:53:00.000-07:00

We sign today! To celebrate (and to get Heather off my back), here is a video. Not much going on here but, as you can see, she sits up now (and farts very well). Mom, I hope this cheers you up in gloomy southern California. If this video works well, I'll post another this weekend of her using sign language. Are you on pins and needles?

Last night...

2007-10-09T12:10:00.000-07:00

... she slept for 6 and 1/2 hours straight! While I slept! We put her down at 7:30pm (she falls asleep on her own now!), she woke briefly when we came to bed, so I fed her and put her back down and she slept until 5am. That means I had uninterrupted sleep for over 6 hours. A first. I actually woke first and wondered if she was okay. Seriously folks. This methods works. If you've got a baby (older than 4months please) who's waking every hour for comfort, let the baby fall asleep on its own (when drowsy, with clean diaper, and full). The idea is that the baby knows where he has fallen asleep, so when he wakes up at the end of the sleep cycle he's not startled by no longer being at the breast (or wherever). So simple!
Had enough? Probably none of you even have young children. Oh well, I'm excited.

Bingo!

2007-10-07T10:37:00.000-07:00

Seller agreed to fix most of the stuff!

We tried the cry-it-out method of putting Isabella to sleep for two nights in a row and it's worked! She's slept longer and more soundly. I'm amazed. Hopefully our good luck continues and maybe she'll sleep through the night soon!

Updates

2007-10-03T16:05:00.000-07:00

Quick updates:
Isabella is healthy and happy but really frustrated that she can't get around now now now. She is also being introduced to fruits and vegetables which is having an interesting effect on her bowels (yeah, you really wanted to know, didn't you?).

This is out of focus but shows one of her common expressions these days.
The inspection on the potential house went well and now we are bargaining over what the seller will fix (or how much money he will give us to do it). We'll let you know how it goes!

Finally, fall has begun. Becky and Mike, you guys were wondering what it was like here in the winter? Check out the photos at http://www.katu.com/weather/cameras every once and awhile. They are posted daily I think. Learn to love the rain! I know I do.

House?

2007-09-28T08:26:00.000-07:00

Well, we may have some very good news soon. We made an offer on a house. The seller counter-offered and we accepted the new price. Now all we need to do is get an inspection and make sure our loan goes through... and pay some of the closing costs and the down-payment and sign our lives away. No problem.
Here are some pics:
This is the living room looking towards the bedrooms. The guy on the left is our awesome realtor (Ryan).

Out the front door.

Living room window feature.

From closet looking into one of the bedrooms.This is from the living room looking into the backyard.Kitchen looking out the front of the property.

Pics

2007-09-24T11:49:00.001-07:00

Isabella's Torture

2007-09-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

Or mine?
Today begins the arduous process of "helping" Isabella sleep longer by teaching her to put herself to sleep. This means lots of crying. Originally (this morning), I was planning to wean her from falling asleep at the boob (in other words, put her down in the crib while tired but still awake). However, after attempting this feat this morning and discovering she was more awake then ever (after a bout of crying), I decided to change tactics. First, I'll change her napping cycle (longer time between naps, so hopefully longer naps). This will obviously include changes in her eating cycle too (since she normally fell asleep nursing, if you get my meaning).
I'm hoping this will induce her to sleep longer during the night (since she'll be used to long bouts of sleeping, right?).
Once/If this works, it may be easier to reduce/cut midnight snacking and have her put herself back to sleep. Theoretically.
Why am I doing this? Was my previous method not working? Well, let's just say, last night she woke 5 times in two hours. 5 times. It was the worst it's been since we started putting her in the crib. Sometimes she sleeps 7 hours straight but lately it's only been 1 or 2 hours. I'm going insane.

Starting Fresh?

2007-09-18T14:22:00.001-07:00

Not for Heather

2007-09-14T10:12:00.000-07:00

Here are more pictures Heather took when she visited. I stole them off her website - so if you'd like to see more, click on her link.

Discovering Your Inner/Outer Child

2007-09-09T07:40:00.000-07:00

Isabella revealed herself this week as a fairly tolerant, happy child. Teresa must have held her for half an hour and she didn't shed a tear! Her brother held her too without a breakdown. Maybe it's the Burdick (sp?) family blessing. Heather was rather jealous. But she got her reward when, by the end of the week (and her stay), Isabella was perfectly happy to roam with Heather instead of me.
Miracle of all miracles though - last night she spent three hours with Nana while John and I went on a date (a movie!) and didn't have a breakdown. In fact, she hardly cried at all AND took a nap. I don't know. I might die of shock. Is it wrong to be ecstatic that I can leave my child for hours at a time? Turns out she doesn't like bottles but is fine with sippy cups. My sanity is saved! (Even though I feel so guilty writing this.)
So now you all know. My little girl is growing up fast. 4 months and almost two weeks and she can drink from sippy cups and nearly walk (with a little support) and be babysat for 3 hours. If you haven't met her yet, you're missing out. She's a cutie with a mohawk.
By the way, Superbad was an awesome movie. Like Napoleon Dynamite but with more cursing and sex.

Japanese Gardens

2007-09-03T11:59:00.000-07:00

Mike took this nice picture of Becky, Isabella, and I at the Japanese Gardens. So, here you go mom - complain and you shall receive.

If I get off my butt, I should have some pictures of Rob, Chris, Teresa, and Heather to post soon. I missed my opportunity to take a picture of John's coworker and now good friend, Tracey, last night. So sad. One of these days though, you'll all get to "meet" him.

Squeeling

2007-08-28T09:08:00.000-07:00

In other news, Isabella has learned to shriek/squeel. It started early one morning (yesterday) when she woke herself up with a very high pitched sound (and John too who asked "what the hell was that"). Yesterday she spent most of the day practicing. I hope to post the sound soon if I can figure out how. Until then, here are some Isabella and us pictures we took at the reunion.

Family Reunion

2007-08-28T08:46:00.000-07:00

Time certainly moves on.
At the Hunt/Hill Family Reunion the ages ranged from old (in the 80s I think) to very young (2 months). You know you're growing older when you are no longer at the bottom of the generational latter, when most of the people at a reunion are near your age. Well, we were nearly there. There were probably equal parts 20-40 year-olds as 40-60 year-olds and only two families (immediate) had 4 generations still alive.
Hopefully I will have some family pictures to post soon.

Shots today

2007-08-23T13:34:00.000-07:00

Oldies...

2007-08-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

but goodies.
This is a bit out of order but here are a few photos from the weekends before Becky and Mike arrived.
Carlton "Walk in the Park" festival, featuring local art, food, wine, and music (check out the March Fourth Marching Band stilt walkers):
Bite of Oregon festival in Portland (here you see the very good and hopping Hillstomp playing with some extra band members) (sadly I failed at getting any pictures of John and Tracey in their bike gear after finishing the Bridge Pedal):

Family Visit

2007-08-18T19:30:00.000-07:00

My sister, Becky, and her husband, Mike, visited this past week from Virginia. On a whirlwind tour, we went to Portland (Powell's, the waterfront, and the Hawthorne District), the coast, wine tasting, and lunch at Maggie's Buns in Forest Grove. Now all they need to do is experience the winter to decide if they'll move here. Well, maybe figure out the whole job thing too. But we're working on them!
I enjoyed myself thoroughly and Isabella behaved very well for all the traveling. She saved her melt downs for late at night when the guests had gone home. Very thoughtful.
Here Mike is dragging Becky into the cold cold water. How cute.If only you could see the inside of the baby carrier. Isabella has learned to drool.

Fluxuating Sleep

2007-08-09T10:36:00.000-07:00

Darling little girl. She's now been transitioned to the crib but our sleep patterns have become erratic. For a few days, she was sleeping 5 hours (and once 6 hours) followed by waking every hour until 6am. Then, for whatever reason, she started waking every freaking hour throughout the night. Goodbye sanity. Last night, she went to bed very late (I don't know why she would sleep) and then slept 5 hours straight, then woke every hour. And now it's 10:41am and she's been asleep for 2 hours when normally she only sleeps for 40 minutes. Agh!

Nothing Interesting to Say

2007-08-03T09:05:00.000-07:00

Isabella's new tricks:
roll-over (almost)
make a clacking/sucking sound with her tongue
sleep in her crib 6 hours straight (once)
keep her head tucked in while being pulled into a sitting position (apparently she's not supposed to be able to do this until she's 4 and 1/2 months old)
squeal in delight (once I heard it from the other room, so I don't know what caused it)
lose hair and still look cute
not cry on an airplane
grab at things (toys, my hair)
turn towards a sound (once when John used an empty oatmeal container as a megaphone)

Eh? Eh? Genius baby.

Awesome Pic by Carol

2007-08-01T16:11:00.000-07:00

Pictures from California

2007-07-26T10:02:00.001-07:00

Used and Rare

2007-07-15T12:19:00.000-07:00

Just finished an enjoyable book called Used and Rare by Goldstone. Non-fiction about collecting books (first editions and rares). Because they put it in terms of their story (where they began, how they learned the terminology, etc) it was really interesting and funny instead of overwhelming and boring. Not that I want to start spending $200 or $20,000 on a book ever but it's fun learning about it. And the stories behind rare books are fascinating. For instance, a book by some unknown author that is completely trashed is worth $5000 because Herman Melville took it on a boat across the Atlantic and wrote notes about his next book (Moby Dick) in the margins. I'm thinking about getting the catalogs from some of the used/rare book dealers because they give all the stories in order to convince people to spend all that money.

In other news, we met with Loan people and Real Estate Agents last week and will begin looking at houses this week. Oooh, I am sooo excited.

For Heather

2007-07-09T08:48:00.001-07:00

Crib Time

2007-07-09T08:34:00.000-07:00

Guess what? I've figured out Isabella's schedule enough that I can put her down in the crib and have some time to myself! Well, at least in the evenings. She crashes between 7:30 and 8:30 AND after a brief feeding at 9 she sleeps 4 to 5 hours straight! Of course this means I still don't get to sleep for 5 hours in a row but it's a start.
She also has begun reaching for things (her Whoozit mainly but also faces sometimes) and she can lift her head while on her belly. Next step - crawling. Well, maybe rolling over first.

Birthdays

2007-06-28T09:44:00.000-07:00

Well, I am 27 now and Isabella is 2 months. We had a lovely birthday on the coast with John's family. Here are some pics of the baby.I love it when she sleeps like this.She reacts to her surroundings now. This is the attack of the kissy pig/frog.
Can you see her smiling? See her dimples!?

Do I have pictures of anything besides Isabella? No. My life is completely absorbed into her. I'm at the beach. It's beautiful. My first reaction is, "I wonder if Isabella can see that." Go figure. I'm hoping Michele posts some family pictures on her blog to make up for my negligence.

Tell Me When It Hurts

2007-06-08T10:15:00.000-07:00

I know most of you check this site for pictures but let me know if you get tired of pictures and I'll try to come up with something more creative. Like maybe stories to go along with the pictures.

Attack of the Killer OHs

2007-06-08T09:39:00.000-07:00

I haven't managed to capture her smile but I've tried! Here are a few of the results.

Another Subject!

2007-05-31T10:17:00.000-07:00

Books!
Thanks for the books Heather. They reminded me that I really should be listing my books on the blog because I am reading so much and will probably continue to do so.
So far:
Snow White, Blood Red (short stories)
Tigana (re-read)
Elvenbane (re-read)
Perdido Street Station (started) - Mievelle, interesting and will likely be very good
Only Begotton Daughter (started) - by James Morrow, awesome so far, also loved The City of Truth

Why two started? I have two areas I sit to nurse/nap and I never remember to bring everything I need. So... two of everything.
Got to go!

For the Rest of You

2007-05-30T09:27:00.001-07:00

For Mom

2007-05-30T09:24:00.000-07:00

Colic?

2007-05-19T10:22:00.000-07:00

Friday evening might have been our first experience with colic. Isabella's behavior fit the description perfectly. Apparently one of the theories is that at about this age the blocker that prohibits her being overwhelmed by the outside world goes away. So by the evening, the theory goes, she's on sensory overload and can't handle it.
So we lock her in a dark room (I might be in there too).We've experienced the same thing every evening since then, although not quite as bad (perhaps because we know how to handle it now). Brian and Erin said they experienced the same thing with Chloe and it lasted for 3 months. Oooh, the joys of parenthood. Is that why babies are so cute? To prevent their parents from giving up? Because every time I see her I seem to forget that her method of crying has progressed from cute wimpering to oh-I'm-being-tortured screaming. Here are some photos from this last week - including a couple of Dick and Nancy from Mother's Day and some from where we live now.