flower fields

Last week we (being 4 generations of ladies and 2 small gentlemen) got together at the Flower Fields in Carlsbad. My grandma had been there ages ago but for the rest of us, it was our first time. We were all thoroughly impressed and I know I'll definitely want to go back again next year. Here's some of my favorites from the trip. Click on any picture to take you to the online album with more!

he swims!

Nate really got into the pool at the hotel. It was the 'beach entrance' kind where it goes from 1 inch of water to 4 feet very slowly. He loved to test his limits and see how long he could go where he wasn't touching the ground with his hands or feet. So fun for all of us to see.

arizona

Jed and I (or maybe it was mainly me) were feeling a need for a vacation. A break from the day to day. A couple (okay, really just one) days off. Jed found a certificate for a stay in Phoenix, Arizona that was going to expire on March 31, 2009. All that and the next thing we knew, we were staying at an incredible resort, having the time of our lives. Two years later, I am still taken aback at how different vacations really are with a small one. I was so very excited to get an hour one morning to work on Jed's Christmas stocking (oh boy, is that a whole post in itself). Gone are the days of sleeping in, laying in bed watching bad movies, napping at the pool, etc. Come to think of it, I still managed to fit in two out of three. Nate enjoyed the pools, Jed and I enjoyed room service, as a family it was nice to have an uninterrupted amount of time with just the three of us.

why didn't anyone tell me it's impossible to get a good smile picture from a 2 year old?


meeting a desert tortoise


smore's anyone?


not a care in the world


When we got back, Nate and I found a surprise at our doorstep. Aunt Mia (Jed's sister) was SO very amazing and she sent me a thumb drive with all of the pictures she has ever taken along with a gift for the Blackhawk fan(s) in my life. You are such a rockstar Mia! Thank you so very much- it means more than you can know to have a few more pictures of this past year.

From arizona resort

friends reunited

some ramblings and a cat

I'm still too slow uploading pictures to get anything good of Nate up here...we've been revelling in the warm weather and sunshine lately. Our peach tree is in full bloom, along with our oranges, grapefruit, avocado, sage, jasmine and just recently our roses have begun their bloom. We've gotten all of our strawberries in, we've planted a native grape, some corn, some melons, tomatoes, carrots, onions, and whole bunches of things. We've had so much fun inviting friends over to dig in the dirt and to share in our delight.

One of my friends, Kelli, who's an insanely good photographer brought her camera over to snap up some pictures of Nate. Well, that wasn't going to happen but our cat, Schwartz, was a willing participant.
Now, I'm not one for cat pictures but I think it's a pretty incredible shot.

He has decided the indoor life is not for him so we've started letting him out when we are outside. He normally sticks near us (unless there are birds in the tree across the street, then all bets are off). I'm not sure how I feel about this as I really want to encourage wildlife into our yard and having a non-native predator around just seems evil. I'm on the hunt for a bell..we'll see if he keeps it on :)

We're off to Arizona this weekend, we'll see what I can do about uploading some pictures when we get back.

sledding

Nate had way too much fun in the snow....just one example of that.

skiing

While I may have lost all of my pictures....I didn't lose those that were still on the camera. Luckily I 'waited' to upload pictures from our trip up to Big Bear last month because now I can share these! The kids had so much fun in the snow- they were naturals. Nate still asks at least once a week when we'll see snow again- he really doesn't get that it'll be a whole other year.

 

 

 

 

My mom and aunt were kind enough to watch the kids for the day on Saturday so Jess, Matt, Hilary, my dad, Jed and I hit the slopes. Quite the fun weekend- before we know it, the kids will be joining us on the slopes!

crash.

So, the unthinkable happened. My laptop was dropped (for the gazillionth time) and this time was the end. When Jed opened it up, the screen was white. When he looked up 'white screen' on google he got: 'white screen of death' as a result. Turns out, google was right.

Jed took the computer in, they replaced the hard drive for hundreds of dollars and I am left with no pictures, movies, addresses, resume, school work, who knows what else. They also neglected to tell us that the new OS does not come with iPhoto or iMovie, now you have to pay for those features.

Of course we should have been backing up the computer all along. But we won't get into that. Let's just say that the only photos I have of Nate from 6 months to 2 years are the ones that I uploaded to this blog. That's what happens when you let everything become digital.

Lesson learned. We will upload diligently, hide my computer away and print pictures as often as we can. And...spend as much time outdoors as we can to help us forget about losing all those pictures.... :(