Solid like Barack

Ahhhhh. Today has been a different day. It felt different, going out and doing things knowing that the direction of this country is changing...I didn't really think about it until I was down town at Pike Place with my friend Jen getting her cards read for her birthday. I overheard some women talking about it, and realized, this is different, people feel happy, they aren't worried or pissed off about what will happen, they feel secure, this is good.

Last night as we were watching the election results, Rowan had fallen asleep around 8:30 or so. She slept for maybe a half an hour, and as soon as Barack Obama came out to give his victory speech, Rowan woke up, and sat clear and alert on my lap and watched almost the entire thing...I thought it was not coincidence, she knows she's witnessing something that is long overdue and something that as my friend Donnianne said "an everyday reality" as opposed to a question of time.

Yeah! I'm proud to be an American...again!

So, maybe it's time for a post that does not revolve around pictures, but more simply just what we've been up to.

As I sit here, the night before Halloween, Lucy is building a wooden block castle for her plastic animals, Rowan is shrieking and kicking with delight, chewing on her baby blankie in her bouncy seat. Ryan is gone setting his drums up for their show tonight at the King Cat Theatre. I get to go to the show tomorrow, I'm excited. Lucy is going trick-or-treating with her mom, and Rowan will be staying with Auntie Deb, an over-nighter, too!

I'm pretty stoked on my halloween costume this year too, it's been a few years since I have been excited to dress up for the holiday, so it will be a refreshing change of pace to be dressed up as a pregnant sister wife...can't wait! Got my crisp white collared shirt and my denim/floral print dress all lined up. To top it off, my running shoes and a nice black fanny pack to keep some literature in for passing out to folks enquiring on what it means to be FLDS (fundamentalist later day saint).

I've been reading Stacy's blog lately which is making me want to write more real things, instead of just captioning my pictures. The only problem is, I'm not sure what to write about, since most of the writing is about the kids anyway, and what else would I have to write about it? I open for suggestions.

Time to check on the lasagna. I'm getting excited for the cold weather again...Halloween is like the gateway holiday becuase the day after is November, and then Thanksgiving is a few weeks away...then I get to start listening to Christmas music! I'm excited to have Rowan be the age she is for the holidays, chewing and grabbing for stuff...it will be fun :)

til next time...

video post experiment

This is my practice round at trying to post a video. The picture still says processing, but I'm gonna try 'er anyway.

Here goes!

Rolling Over!

This beast can't be tamed! You put her on the ground, and she rolls and rolls...like she could do it forever. Tonight she rolled from where the carpet meets the wood floor all the way into the hallway. I want to try and get a video of it, but I can't figure out how to load videos...any pointers you guys that put videos up with your digital cameras? Donnianne, I'm looking in your direction!!

Scooby and Shaggy in the background of this shot.

The balance here is incredible: right arm smashed elbow, left arm straight as a plank...tounge/head used as stablilizer.

A Series I Like to Call, "Sistery Love"

These were the pictures that I initially wanted to post tonight: Lucy missing her front tooth (she lost it over the weekend at the San Juan Islands, this makes tooth #3 that has fallen out) and Rowan's first try with sweet baby carrots--the doc said to wait til 7 months...she'll be 6 next week, I figure that's close enough. She loved them, by the way.


A shot of my girls together, Lucy palming Rowan's skull.

Lucy thought she might give feeding Rowan a try. She was a pro! Even got a few laughs in!

But it took very serious concentration, especially since Rowan mainly licks the spoon...

All in all, it was a good experience. Lucy got to feed her sis for the first time, and Rowan liked the carrot puree...eeew.

Lucy's Homework

This is Lucy's homework. She took this picture tonight when we were sitting at the table. I don't know what it is about it that I find artistic, I just really like the combination of items: a rabbit on a piece of paper and a red pencil from Camp Lutherwood, that Jacob and I had to go to 10 years ago...why I still have a pencil floating around from then I haven't the foggiest, but now I shall truly never forget my week spent there, as my 1st grader sits down to do her rabbit math with the pencil from my venture.

1 more thing!

I had to post these pics too--they are from our trip a year and a half ago--these girls are just too cute together. April 2007

September 2008


My brother-in-law Justin and me...with short hair!

My all time favorite picture from any trip...EVER. I like to think this could be me and Ryan in 50 years, walking down East Riverside Drive, when we've moved from our condo to the retirement apartment complex, or the 55 and older trailer park. Either one is suitable.

Ohio 2008

It's been about a year and a half since we were last in Ohio visiting Ryan's family. Here's a few shots to sum up our trip...we were there for one week, and everyone enjoyed themselves. I wish I could say the journey out there was uneventful but it wasn't, and we had to stay an unexpected night at the Sheraton Hotel in Atlanta, GA. It was a disaster, but we were happy to be there with family when we finally arrived.

Visiting Grandma Clay's grave at Washington Cemetary. We took Lucy here last time we came out to visit too, she enjoys it.

Ryan and Rowan the rebels not staying on the paved path. This is at an Indian Burial Ground called Serpent Mound. It's huge, 1000 years old, and was built at the edge of where a huge asteriod hit 300 million years ago. Pretty awesome.

Rowan and Grandpa hiking at Serpent Mound.

Ryan and Lucy hiking at Serpent Mound.

Me! In Ohio :) Behind me is Cliff and Kari's (Ryan's folks) front yard. Notice the landscape behind me...flat flat flat.

Baby in Carhartts. Love thisi pic!

Rowan and her Great-Grandpa Clay, 'boopin' heads' as he calls it :)

Cousins!! Hailey (almost 4), Lucy (6.5), Paige (almost 7), Rowan (5.5 months). Hailey and Paige are Ryan's brother's girls, they all live in Virginia. Or, as I've taken a liking to calling it, Ole Virginny.

Uncle Justin with the girls!

Paige and Lucy. These girls have only seen each other a handful of time in their lives--literally, I think it's only been 5 times, in 7 years...we're hoping to change that pattern and get out there in another 6 months.

Butternut Squash!!

Here are some pictures of Rowan's first eating experience with a spoon and actual food that is not milk: it's butternut squash! I like this sequence of pictures, it really shows how well she took it...I guess :) She did seem to like it though, she didn't cry, just couldn't figure out what the spoon was, and gagged when she tried to swallow the food. It was pretty darn cute!!

Go Seahawks!!

I love these pictures! It was just the three of us watching the game on Sunday, that we unfortunately lost...again...and Rowan was so funny sitting with Ryan on the couch. It looked like she was really watching the game!!

1st Day of 1st Grade

Lucy started 1st grade today, she was pretty excited, but I think coming home from Disneyland two days ago has finally set in. She was in tears tonight at bed time, and got out of bed 3...count 'em, 3 times, crying because she missed Disneyland and the Tiki Room so much. I felt so bad, because I could totally relate, you have one of the most memorable experiences of your life thus far, and then you come home and it's rules and bed times, and school...this picture kind of captures the mood she was in this morning and this afternoon.
The bus.

Ryan's cousin Danielle at their house in Bellingham. She and her fiance Rob met at our wedding two years ago, and they just got engaged!! This was their engagement party last weekend.

Rowan training for her boxing classes that we're going to get her signed up for...just as soon as she can sit up on her own. Or maybe stand, that'd probably be easier if she could stand for the boxing sport.

Four Month Old Feet

Here we are on the moment Rowan had discovered her feet...laying on my bed as the August rain poured down, she was screeching happily and then I looked over and she was trying to put her toes in her mouth, which I hadn't ever seen her attempt. She kept trying and trying and pretty soon she had both feet in her hands, and hasn't left that position since.

Trying to hold a bottle by herself...still needs a little help.

Eating her feet in the bathtub...with the soap and everything.

Pretty 4-month old girl. This dress is from Rowan's Great-Grandma Carol who lives in Ohio. We did a little photo shoot and she did awesome for it...except for when she kept falling over to the side and would just proceed to put her feet into her mouth, but it was still cute :)

Sorry, had to just post these too...they are too funny. Look how red the hair is on this baby!?
Boyfriends with an adopted baby, or brothers-in-law?

This reminds me of an album cover...like Simon and Garfunkle or something...

An Amazing Discovery

I just discovered some sweet news! A couple months ago my dear friend Nikki gave me a digital camera because ours is broken. She told me ahead of time that she had no cord for downloading pictures, but it works fine to take the memory stick to the store and print off that way. I thought, that's nice, but I'm much to lazy to take a stick to the store and do it that way, after I feel like I've been spoiled with my Snapfish discovery. The sweet news: I realized my computer has it's very own "media hole" (that's a technical term). Hence, I don't have to take the stick to the store, but rather can just stick it directly into my computer. I practically crapped my pants I was so excited, and to christen these moments, some shots from the camera, from our friends Sarah and TJ's wedding. Enjoy!


Ryan as the "ring bear" for the ceremony.

In this shot we can see Toledo on the end, Izzy next to him and Jen next to her, and that's me in the front row. *this picture added for quality comparison*

Alisa and I waiting for the ceremony to commence.

Rowan giving a wave and tasting her dress. She sat in her stroller through the whole thing, awesome because: A.) It was a scorcher and I didn't want to hold her, and her father was dressed in a bear costume and unavailable, B.) We were in DI-rect sunlight and I didn't want her little 10 week old face to burn off.

Sarah (the bride) and Alisa with their awesome necklaces that were custom made by the same lady who has an etsy shop. If you can't see it, Alisa's is a radical peacock feather, they are made of leather.

A shot of Ryan and Lucy just before they walked down together...Lucy was the flowergirl and did an awesome job! Thankfully she refrained from lying down on her back and sticking her legs straight up in the air like she did at our wedding.

Makin' Mems '08

Here's our car, packed to the brim. I can't believe we fit four people worth of stuff and food plus the four people in the car. I was impressed.

Our little Panda Camp. We had a large communal area for all of us to hang out and for the musicians to jam...it was fun, except for those sporadic drum solos at 4 in the morning.

We got a lot of rain while we were there, this particular picture was taken right before a guy called Buckethead (he wears a mask and a bucket on his head, and doesn't talk into the mic) came on, and it was raining pretty grood. Viking the sound guy let Ryan stand with the baby under his sound board hut. I'll tell you what, he's the nicest viking I've ever met.

Wierd, a stubborn 6-year-old with her father watching the old Panda drummer on stage. Lucy looks so tall in this picture. Notice the sweet-ass dancing hippy in the back ground. 10 bucks says Ryan is checking her out...NOT! Ryan is NOT checking her out! (Special thanks to Borat for that awesome joke...who knew "Not Jokes" could be funny again!?)

Alisa and Rowan cudding while Chris gets ready for a jam session. The girls were so good the whole trip! Went to bed without a peep, and Rowan slept through the night both nights. She won best camper award, and Chris Poage won best camp hair. I'm pretty sure that I probably won Best Camp Complainer. I've come to learn that camping is not my favorite past time, despite how much I love love loved it as a child. Oh well. Guess it's all about the memories. Makin' mems '08.