Tatsa Watsa

So I know this is kind of a random picture but I love everything about it. I love this bathing suit (that I bought for $5, hello?!), I love how her legs are all straight, I love how her legs are all dimply, and I love her facial expression. I just love this kid. I'm sad that she is growing up so much and so fast. Tati is officially a year and a half old now. Since we've been here she has started to mature at such a rapid pace it is crazy and her vocabulary is just exploding. Just last week she said Chloe's name for the first time but she didn't even just say it, she yelled it, "Oh-eee!" It is so cute. These girls love each other. My other favorite thing lately is if (and apparently I do this a lot) you ask a question like, "Who wants a strawberry?" she says, "MMMEEE!!!" It is kind of fun to ask non-sensical questions with her having that response but maybe some of you are more mature than I am. :-)

Happy Sorta Birthday Tats!

p.s. We've done some sign language with Tati that we never did with Chloe and it has totally worked! I don't think it made her talk any faster but it definitely made it easier for us to make her happy and communicate her feelings. Most of ours were the essentials like "eat, drink, more, all done, diaper, sorry (we sorta adapted this into our own made-up sign b/c it looks too much like "I have to go to the bathroom", banana, and cracker". We just got them all from either the Baby Einstein movie or Baby Signing Time (I hate the chick on those though with her perma-smile.)

Happy 4th of July!

I'm so happy to be home celebrating this day! I hope all of you are wearing red, white and blue outfits like us!

I know not too many people have flag poles in their front yards but I always have. It is great to hang the flag up and feel like you're really celebrating. Maybe it is because my dad was in the navy or maybe it was because he was an avid scouter or maybe it is because he happened upon a chance to obtain a flagpole but whatever it is I wanted my girls to have the excitement of hoisting their first 4th of July flag together. Enjoy. And check out this link just to make sure you know all the rules to how to hang and treat good Old Glory. (Major pet peeve when people don't.)

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!

The parable of the burrito

(please all note, this is written by Greg)

You all know the feeling you get when staring down the barrel of a loaded pork burrito from Cafe Rio (smothered, of course). It is a feeling that is difficult to describe, but one which is undeniable. I think the best way that I can describe the feeling is "the meaning of life." That's right - ". . . and men are, that they might have [smothered burritos]." Regardless of your current life circumstances or anxieties, they all seem petty in juxtaposition with the majesty of a smothered goddess. You cannot wait to meticulously make short work of her, but at the same time you are enraptured by the crescendo of anticipation between the end of the assembly line and your table.

And so the feast begins. Your buffet of pleasure provokes every sense in your body. Every bite is a new and magical adventure. You get the feeling that what you have before you is actually a portal to another, timeless, world. You don't want this to stop, ever. You are addicted, a useless junkie subject to the siren song coming from your plate. Alas, amidst these fragile emotions your corporeal existence refuses to be forgotten. You are getting full. Your body cannot take much more. Whilst your soul is just barely wetting its palate your inadequate stomach betrays you. In a classic scenario of Man vs. Self, a struggle ensues within. Do you selfishly continue, causing physical pain and risk disfiguring the masterpiece of other-worldly elation that you have had until now? Turning joy into ugliness in a physical ravishing that leaves no prisoners? Or do you relent, and take the higher road? Exhibiting the utmost self-mastery by sounding a retreat and stowing your smothered prize to the lonely refrigerator? Left-overs. You want to take so much, but have only so little to give.

So it is that you reluctantly stop and painfully turn your back on the precious. You are resolute in your decision and dig deep to find the strength necessary to do the right thing: just shut it down. You can do this, right? It will be better in the end. But these words of encouragement do not make your decision any easier. With what little force you can muster you execute your plan and open the refrigerator door. As your feeble grip on the shiny aluminum pan relaxes you sigh, deeply, and extinguish the last smoldering ember of desire that is urging you to take just ONE more bite.

With the short passage of time, your thoughts slide from in-the-moment to a wiser, global perspective. You begin to recognize, in this less carnal frame of mind, that what you did was, in fact, the right thing to do. Pride for your accomplishment now fills the empty space left by the intense craving that once furiously ravaged your whole body. Good work soldier. The memories of the duel serve as a reminder to you of just how strong you can be when faced with an insurmountable foe. The next time it might not be a smothered burrito, regardless, you are ready. You can take it on, whatever it is. And you WILL be better in the end.

The Garden Gong Show

Well, I thought we'd give it the old one-two one more time especially since I got such a late start last year planting around the beginning of July. Maybe a part of me was trying to speed up the arrival of Spring but at the first sign of nice weather, I was out there with my manure, potting soil and seeds. I figured that when the seed packet was counseling me to sprout them indoors that none of that really applied to me because my growing season is so short that I needed to just go for it. Of course the weekend AFTER I planted, it snowed and then the temperature lingered below zero for several days so pretty much things were killed. Here we are a month later and 2 seed plantings later and things are finally starting to grow. Sigh.

Round 1 Planting:

• zuchini
• cucumbers
• Cinderella pumpkins (thank you Leah)
• peas
• carrots
• lettuce
• beets
• basil
• thyme
• rosemary
• dill
• mint

then the non edibles:

• monkshood (um Sondi, did I just read that these are poisonous? You really don't like babies do you?)
  
• clematis (pardon me, but did I just read that this was poisonous as well?)
• day lilies
• alaskan fern (I thought given it's name it would like living in our climate here)
  
• cosmos
• black-eyed susans
• sweet peas

This list may make it seem like I have an enormous backyard. But be ye not fooled. It is roughly as big as a giant area rug.

Here's what survived to make it to Round 2:
beets
dill
cosmos
lilies
fern

Yup, that is really it. Everything else died. So I did a replanting. Here's what is still kicking now.
Lettuce
Beets
Carrots
Zuchini
Cucumbers

Then I bought some already grown plants: tomato, rosemary, and basil. Rosemary is supposed to be a come back plant. I'm interested to see what happens during the winter. I love fresh rosemary and it grows all over southern California like a week along the beach. Cool huh? And so fragrant.

I spent a lot of time studying gardening and talking to my smart gardening friends (even if one is trying to poison us). I wouldn't say gardening is difficult persay but dang, there is so much info and stuff to know that it can quickly feel overwhelming. Like did you know that pumpkins, cucumbers and zuchini all like to be planted on a hill? Sure, it makes sense because that way they have like a place to go grow down but come on, that isn't like something you'd come up with on your own. Plus, if you have a bunch of retarded cats in your neighborhood who see a hill and want to dig it, it could put a little damper to the growing process but hey, gardening is all a learning process and as long as some sort of something grows and my kids can see that and participate in it then we'll be good.

Anyway, here are some photos to enjoy of our efforts.

Our Gardener Girls:

Before:

After:

Before:
After:

Before:

After:

And then there is our family gallery. We decided to decorate our backyard. We got one of those wooden pallets and Greg broke it down and we all took turns painting them. It was a fun family project. Enjoy