Our town has a great town green (or common, po-tay-to/po-taw-to), and we decided to hitch up the stroller and go for a walk (before the mosquitoes hatch). =)
Sunday, May 2, 2010
A Growing Boy
Blake is certainly growing...in the words of my grandmother who held him yesterday, "He'll give you a hernia!" We're fattening him up nicely, that's for sure. =) Also, we're getting smiles every once and a while...more and more every day!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
This year marks seven years since Joe and I got married in 2003.
And now,
2 babies,
5 moves,
2 cars,
3 college degrees,
6 jobs,
3 states,
1 major surgery,
3 computers,
1 adoption,
1 home birth,
and a complete set of dining chairs later...
I'm still as happy as ever.
And now,
2 babies,
5 moves,
2 cars,
3 college degrees,
6 jobs,
3 states,
1 major surgery,
3 computers,
1 adoption,
1 home birth,
and a complete set of dining chairs later...
I'm still as happy as ever.
Spring 2004Delicate Arch
Moab, Utah
Summer 2005BYU Campus
Provo, Utah
Spring 2006Terraced Gardens, BYU
Provo, Utah
Spring 2007Our front Yard with the grape hyacinths
Provo, Utah
February 2008Ely Cathedral
Ely, Cambridgeshire, England
Fall 2009Waimea Falls
North Shore, Oahu
2010ish (Sorry, this is a Christmas Card reject...we've yet to take a family picture in 2010...oops!)And here's to anniversaries ad infinitum.
Happy Anniversary, Joseph.
I love you.
Happy Anniversary, Joseph.
I love you.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
A Bath at GG's
I couldn't resist posting these pictures...Over Patriot's Day weekend when we were down on the Cape, Natalie and Ian had a great time helping bathe Blake in GG's kitchen sink. Special thanks to GG for the pictures!
{jen2.0 has been updated}
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Our local flora and fauna.
While Jen was working in the kitchen, me and the boys (Ha! I got to say "me and the boys!") went out into the yard, fired up the grill, then did a survey of some of the life around our back yard. The shots are via cell phone, and many of them are new to me, but I'll try my best. Google helps in identifying the unknown flora. First of all, lets take a look at the flora.
My first specimen is a lovely duet of dandelion in a patch of moss. Those of you with lawns will identify both of these as atrocities and the enemy to all grass. I'm sorry if I've offended you, but for our damp, shaded backyard, we go strictly natural. Trust me, a couple of years ago I spread a bluegrass-fescue mix of seed, and the moss thought it was moss-fertilizer. We've come to appreciate the scenery however it is generated.
Here we have some ferns marking one of the edges of the yard. These I'm not very certain about. They don't present themselves like some of our other ferns.
Which is to say, they don't seem to "unfurl" the way the fiddleheads do in the early springtime. Did you know you can harvest fiddleheads, steam them, and they taste like a mix between asparagus and broccoli greens? I'll only harvest when I am put in charge of the menu, because I'm not sure Jen will eat them with me, and they are so dang beautiful when they are all bloomed out.
These little white guys are also unknown to me. Sorry. I'll update if you find something conclusive. Remember, something native to New England.
This one we have sprouting up at the neighbors bulkhead. I don't think it's native, as I recall the neighbor mentioning that he transplanted it some years ago...
Okay, okay, I'll get serious. We have various blooms of grape hyacinth in the yard... and I put out a few more bulbs along our rock wall this spring. They haven't come up, and it may be that I should have put them in the ground before winter instead of during mud season.
Here we have Yellow Archangel, which is a very lovely ground-cover. The back third of the backyard is a matte of it, interspersed with the invasive concord grape that will be coming alive in a few weeks. (No, I've never gotten grapes off our vines because the pesky birds get to them before the fruit matures!)
I'm sure you have some Daffodils around your neck of the woods, as they grow just about anywhere.
This year we have a lovely crop of Common Blue Violets along the northerly rock wall, which I find particularly peaceful. Isn't that just the way rock walls are supposed to look?
This is Pleniflora, or Wild Yellow Rose. They are pretty magnificent. When Ian noticed them, he was shocked at such beautiful yellow flowers.
And of course, we love finding Bleeding Hearts. I Found a couple more of these growing deeper in the woods... I wonder if I could transplant them closer to the house here where we can enjoy them?
We've made some alterations to the pristine forest. For example, meet Cousin Tree. Officially, he has been named "Park Smith Holler," though Ian has never told me how that name was chosen. The answer, simply, is that he is a cousin tree.
Ian really loves this tree. I don't know why.
We augmented Park Smith Holler with a bat house this spring, and are hoping for a nursery to take up residency... but if we can't get a nursery, we'd settle for a bachelor pad. Even bachelor bats can do some serious damage to the mosquito population. I haven't seen any evidence of occupancy yet.
Ian discovered a cute little bundle trying to hide in the crevice of a rock. I thought he was pretty cute, so I thought we could take him home and keep him.
Here he is in his not-so natural habitat.
Turns out this little Blake likes to cuddle and be held close. Ian did the honors on the old cell phone cam.
He seems pretty prone to sleeping, even if you have him just propped up looking at you. After a while, he can't help but close his eyes.
Even Jen really likes our find. He's sure a cutie! I have a great family. ;)
Hope you enjoyed this installment of "Cell Phone Camera Tours by Joe." Stay tuned for next time.
*A few violets and dandelions were harmed in the taking of these shots, thanks to my favorite 4-year old.
My first specimen is a lovely duet of dandelion in a patch of moss. Those of you with lawns will identify both of these as atrocities and the enemy to all grass. I'm sorry if I've offended you, but for our damp, shaded backyard, we go strictly natural. Trust me, a couple of years ago I spread a bluegrass-fescue mix of seed, and the moss thought it was moss-fertilizer. We've come to appreciate the scenery however it is generated.
Here we have some ferns marking one of the edges of the yard. These I'm not very certain about. They don't present themselves like some of our other ferns.
Which is to say, they don't seem to "unfurl" the way the fiddleheads do in the early springtime. Did you know you can harvest fiddleheads, steam them, and they taste like a mix between asparagus and broccoli greens? I'll only harvest when I am put in charge of the menu, because I'm not sure Jen will eat them with me, and they are so dang beautiful when they are all bloomed out.
These little white guys are also unknown to me. Sorry. I'll update if you find something conclusive. Remember, something native to New England.
This one we have sprouting up at the neighbors bulkhead. I don't think it's native, as I recall the neighbor mentioning that he transplanted it some years ago...
Okay, okay, I'll get serious. We have various blooms of grape hyacinth in the yard... and I put out a few more bulbs along our rock wall this spring. They haven't come up, and it may be that I should have put them in the ground before winter instead of during mud season.
Here we have Yellow Archangel, which is a very lovely ground-cover. The back third of the backyard is a matte of it, interspersed with the invasive concord grape that will be coming alive in a few weeks. (No, I've never gotten grapes off our vines because the pesky birds get to them before the fruit matures!)
I'm sure you have some Daffodils around your neck of the woods, as they grow just about anywhere.
This year we have a lovely crop of Common Blue Violets along the northerly rock wall, which I find particularly peaceful. Isn't that just the way rock walls are supposed to look?
This is Pleniflora, or Wild Yellow Rose. They are pretty magnificent. When Ian noticed them, he was shocked at such beautiful yellow flowers.
And of course, we love finding Bleeding Hearts. I Found a couple more of these growing deeper in the woods... I wonder if I could transplant them closer to the house here where we can enjoy them?
We've made some alterations to the pristine forest. For example, meet Cousin Tree. Officially, he has been named "Park Smith Holler," though Ian has never told me how that name was chosen. The answer, simply, is that he is a cousin tree.
Ian really loves this tree. I don't know why.
We augmented Park Smith Holler with a bat house this spring, and are hoping for a nursery to take up residency... but if we can't get a nursery, we'd settle for a bachelor pad. Even bachelor bats can do some serious damage to the mosquito population. I haven't seen any evidence of occupancy yet.
Ian discovered a cute little bundle trying to hide in the crevice of a rock. I thought he was pretty cute, so I thought we could take him home and keep him.
Here he is in his not-so natural habitat.
Turns out this little Blake likes to cuddle and be held close. Ian did the honors on the old cell phone cam.
He seems pretty prone to sleeping, even if you have him just propped up looking at you. After a while, he can't help but close his eyes.
Even Jen really likes our find. He's sure a cutie! I have a great family. ;)
Hope you enjoyed this installment of "Cell Phone Camera Tours by Joe." Stay tuned for next time.*A few violets and dandelions were harmed in the taking of these shots, thanks to my favorite 4-year old.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
To What We've Been Up....
It's been a great week thus far--we've had some great weather, great visitors, and great hosts! On Monday, Blake passed the 1-month mark...so far, I don't think my parenting has ruined him yet! He's chunking up nicely (about 12 pounds now), and has even started to smile a little bit (a very redeeming thing when your face is covered in baby acne).
Vic, Molly, and Peter were in town on business and stopped by for a visit. I couldn't get enough of that little Peter...SO cute and cuddly. Also, he gets points in my book for becoming converted to the sticky rice at the Thai Diner.
Here's how we found Ian sleeping the other night...with a head lamp on. And when I say "we," I mean, "Joe," because I didn't find out about the head lamp until the middle of the night when Ian came into my bedroom (head lamp on) to tell me he had a bad dream. Only I thought he was a murderer shining a flashlight in my eyes. We worked it out, though.
For Patriot's Day weekend (sorry to all of you who don't live in Massachusetts or Maine--the only two states that actually celebrate Patriot's Day), we escaped down to Cape Cod to visit my grandparents---also attending said visit were my mom and little sister, Natalie. A fun time was had by all. (Especially my mom, who got her Lost fix). =)
This was a milestone: the first nap Blake has ever taken that wasn't entirely on a person. I was so proud of him. Only took him a month to learn. Side note: the blanket is not suffocating him, I promise.
Blake got some good cuddles in with GG this weekend. There's something about grandmothers that certainly calms babies!
Give Ian glue and he's occupied for hours. Pasta is our new favorite craft medium. And Ian insists on having brown paper bags used as his back drop. Today he made two horses out of penne, macaroni, and mini farfalle. (Side note: Barilla Piccolini rock my socks).
Blake is slowly learning to like being in other places than my arms. The bouncy seat is nice, because it gives the illusion of being held a little bit. I keep it on the kitchen table while he's immobile...after that, I don't know what I'm going to do. We'll figure something out. =)
Vic, Molly, and Peter were in town on business and stopped by for a visit. I couldn't get enough of that little Peter...SO cute and cuddly. Also, he gets points in my book for becoming converted to the sticky rice at the Thai Diner.
Here's how we found Ian sleeping the other night...with a head lamp on. And when I say "we," I mean, "Joe," because I didn't find out about the head lamp until the middle of the night when Ian came into my bedroom (head lamp on) to tell me he had a bad dream. Only I thought he was a murderer shining a flashlight in my eyes. We worked it out, though.
For Patriot's Day weekend (sorry to all of you who don't live in Massachusetts or Maine--the only two states that actually celebrate Patriot's Day), we escaped down to Cape Cod to visit my grandparents---also attending said visit were my mom and little sister, Natalie. A fun time was had by all. (Especially my mom, who got her Lost fix). =)
This was a milestone: the first nap Blake has ever taken that wasn't entirely on a person. I was so proud of him. Only took him a month to learn. Side note: the blanket is not suffocating him, I promise.
Blake got some good cuddles in with GG this weekend. There's something about grandmothers that certainly calms babies!
Give Ian glue and he's occupied for hours. Pasta is our new favorite craft medium. And Ian insists on having brown paper bags used as his back drop. Today he made two horses out of penne, macaroni, and mini farfalle. (Side note: Barilla Piccolini rock my socks).
Blake is slowly learning to like being in other places than my arms. The bouncy seat is nice, because it gives the illusion of being held a little bit. I keep it on the kitchen table while he's immobile...after that, I don't know what I'm going to do. We'll figure something out. =)
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