Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Birds of a...

I reconnected with my old friend Jessica at the high school reunion so we met up with our kids at Tracy Aviary. I think I went there for a field trip over a decade and a half ago but I don't remember it a bit.

It is really cool, we thought... some really pretty birds



The peacocks are free-roaming, you can get nice and close



Jessica and her girls



The new baby flamingo



Kayleigh and Croz walked around for a while together



Instant friends



I forgot the name of this bird but never have long eyelashes freaked me out like this before; it reminded me of a dinosaur. Or that one hobo vulture puppet from Jim Henson's Labyrinth.



Emu cooling off



Kayleigh (3), Crosby (18 months), and Laurelyn (18 months)



They were patient little audience members for the show



The art barn



Sandhill crane sleeping



Pelicans



We caught the Off Broadway Theatre's improv show Saturday night and although Russ Peacock (our favorite) didn't show, these guys still really made us laugh! We embarrassed Steph good enough, it was only her 29th... next year though...



The other weekend Julie let us hang out at the lake; we had a BALL!



Croz was unsure of the waves at first, but by the end of our little excursion we couldn't pull him away from the water.



Serious about the sand



Looks a little sullen here, but we have a video of him SCREAMING with exhilaration once the boat went really fast and bounced on the waves!



And then once he made it to the tube, he was screaming AND crying all at once along with Julie and me.



Love you Julie!



We fit in a little badminton



Awww, lovers on the shore

Monday, August 24, 2009

One and a Half

Happy Year and a Half Crosby!



Croz! You make life so incredibly wonderful for Dad and me. You make us laugh with the things you do. Like today when you were walking downstairs with me to do the laundry you grunted on every step the whole way down the stairs. When we went to the lake on Saturday you ran to the shoreline with your cup of Swedish fish so you could have it to yourself. We love you so much and are so happy you are part of our family!

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Hanging on to Summer

We are rockin' the remainder of the summer, or at least trying to... it has been a great summer. There is this electric charge in the air during the change from Summer to Fall, and I keep feeling it! It gets me emotional, it gets me energized. I still had our July decoration hanging on the front door and as I reached into the closet to find August's I was itching to skip to September.

Our pup is going to milk his summer for all it is worth. Croz is always ripping his innertube off though, so maybe that is his way of saying he's about done with summer too.



These last several days have been the most glorious weather anyone could ask for; perfect temperature in the day and a nice shot of cool in the evenings.



We have fit in a couple patio movie nights; Julie brought her river taco and we used it as a couch, it was very comfy. In fact D and I were so cozy on that thing that we both fell asleep during the movie!



I've got pictures from a while back... when Suman and Lindsay came we all took an excursion to Silver Lake and walked around with the kids, they loved being in that crisp mountain air.



Wildflowers!



On another night we hiked to Doughnut Falls, Lindsay's bro found Sabita this cool hiking stick



Hobo Hiker



Suman holding hands with his ma



Doughnut Falls was having issues with a landslide or something... Croz was so past exhausted that I have no idea what was going on at the end of the hike, we just had to get him down the mountain! He hiked nearly the ENTIRE way up in his little Tevas, we were in awe.



Eden, Rhys, Suman, Lindsay, Steven, and Croz attempting poses



24th of July



Anyone who feeds Crosby watermelon is his best friend



D's friend Eve from work invited us to her place for a pool party and we had so much fun!



Daredevil



Crosby found this pool noodle and walked it like a dog all over the place



My guys



Crosby was so snuggly with Eve. Sometimes we go eat dinner with D on his lunch breaks at ARUP and the friends D works with get a kick out of Croz, he snuggles and plays with them all and I swear they all know his name! He wanders the hallways like he owns the place.



"Crosby... sippy sippy..."



D won this noodle fight



D and I had our 10 year high school reunion, I know... say it ain't so. We still can't believe it! It was a good time, lots of catching up, laughing, surprises... I knew Logan would show up! D didn't believe me. But she was up there playing Class Feud and everything. Do any of you know who Logan Tom is? If not, Google her. We used to play basketball together!



They spotlighted D and I because we were together in high school and are still together now, so that was fun and slightly embarrassing... we won a raffle prize. Jared Richards, our class president is now an attorney and we won two hours of free legal advice from him, ha! Hey that's worth what, like $500? I should have him help me start a business or something. Anyway, they had a cool slideshow but D had to leave early to get back to work, so since Alex (an old friend of mine) was my ride back I had no choice but to while away the rest of the night with her... and I am SOOO glad! We were two of the last five people standing! Eating doughnuts, laughing, reminiscing. Good memories. So glad to reconnect; I love Alex so much.



We are always eating up the time we get to spend with Cam, Audrey, and kids... the kids have come over several times and we have a blast. Here's Brig with some turtles. I told them to not get their clothes wet but next thing I know they were all in the pool soaked from head to toe, dumping water on each other. Whatever!



Grant and Claire fought over the end of this snowcone



In order of youngest to oldest: Crosby, Sydney, and Easton



The mamas of the little ones: Jodi, Kim, and Lis... we had a rollerblade/playground/lunch/gab-fest. So wondaful, we shall schedule the next one very soon...



Crosby and Easton had these looks on their faces like, "Grrr. We are men."



So it happened! I completed my 30 day Bikram challenge. Six days of yoga per week for four weeks. Yowza. Well I take that back. The day before the end of my challenge I chickened out and skipped because I could not bring myself to step foot in the dreaded sweat chamber that day. But I was horrified. I couldn't ruin it! So last Thursday I did the first double ever of my yoga practice. I went to the 7 am and the 4:30 pm in the same day and it wasn't as bad as I feared. But I think that's because I made sure I drowned my system with tons of caffeine an hour before class... anyway, I finished and I am happy and I feel good to have reached my goal. The very last class of my challenge I was pretty revved up. I even put my mat on the front row which I have done only a couple times because you are expected to not sit out a single pose, not fidget or wipe sweat or drink water in between poses, etc. etc. so I just plunged right in and did my class next to a yoga teacher. The front row is frightening. You are face to face with yourself in the mirror; up so close. You can almost feel the breath ricochet off the mirror back into your face. About 20 minutes into class I looked myself in the eye, watching a sweat bead run down a tendril of hair like a bead off a string and I just felt... strong.

Maybe one day I'll post a more formal-looking pic of me doing my favorite pose, but until then here is my self-timed one. I tried to get in position for standing separate leg stretching pose to show that... yes! my forehead touches!... but #1 I wasn't warmed up #2 I was in heavy weird clothes #3 I had less than 10 seconds to get in position and #4 Crosby would come over and try to do it right next to me or walk in front of the camera, etc... well it is a cute memory anyway...



I took three full days off and then started back up on Monday, toes on the line. I've been doing this yoga since the end of March and I've noticed over the course of these weeks of going to class that I psych myself out some days. Especially during the floor bow pose... you have to kick your feet into your hands as strong as your legs can kick and then roll forward onto the soft part of your belly and kick kick kick so hard... it kills me! I am starting to learn how to do it to where I don't freak myself out, but every time I tell myself, 'no not this one no I can't I hate it crap I'm going to die, nooooo!!' but I am working on it.



I love all of the instructors because they each have their own way of making you work hard with the way they deliver the dialogue. Janet always reads a quote at the end of class when we are lying in savasana, but yesterday she read one while we were transitioning to the floor series and I loved it; I remembered it:

“In the secret cave of the heart, two are seated by life's fountain. The separate ego drinks of the sweet and bitter stuff, Liking the sweet, disliking the bitter, While the supreme Self drinks sweet and bitter Neither liking this nor disliking that. The ego gropes in darkness, while the Self lives in light.”

Here is Croz copying my yoga pose:



Thanks Nan and Grandpa for babysitting time and again! Love you so much!

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Year's Difference




Big changes from last summer to next... he used to be a little dot in the pool!

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Refreshment = Rain

I must say it is hard these days to find drinks besides water that actually quench the thirst. I am lucky to be one of those people who loves water, but with my daily 110+ degree yoga shenanigans, I have been searching drink options like none other lately. I have fallen in love with Gatorade Rain. Those of you who aren't familiar with or don't buy Gatorade, please listen carefully: Gatorade labels are VERY confusing these days. If you want pure thrist-quenching, you MUST ONLY purchase Gatorade Rain of any kind. A hint is the most recent labels say in huge letters NO EXCUSES, like this:



Anywho, lime is my #1 favorite. It is so so good! The Rain stuff is not thick, syrupy-like Gatorade nasty tasting. It is really clean and crisp and so close to water but just infused with fruity-barely-sweet. They are becoming a rarity too. Whenever they go on sale I go to pick up a couple and there aren't any left! Since I'm on the topic of drinks I also must say it is hard to find drinks or treats that are sweetened with pure sugar cane. What a bummer. Until you drink a Coke sweetened with sugar in its purest form (not corn syrup), you are very much deprived of the true Coke experience. If you don't already know about the Cokes they sell in glass bottles in bulk at Costco and are interested in the amazing taste of a real Coke (our own nation depriving us of... real sugar?!) then grab a box for $17. I nabbed one from my brother Steve since I can't spend $ on Coke; he stocks up once in a while. I think they're imported from Mexico. I am so disappointed in myself. I used to be an only water, only juice person. I am such a Coke and Cherry Coke lover now. And switching those up with Pepsi. Have you ever tasted the delicacy that is Pepsi Throwback? Where can I find them again? AMAZING! Why? Once again, sweetened with the real thing: sugar.



The international places I've traveled to: countries in Europe, Guatemala, and Bangladesh... they all have sugar rather than corn syrup in their sodas. What is with our country? I cannot wait to move to Switzerland.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Groovin'



The other day Sabita was watching C while I went to yoga and she ran out of diapers. More than half the time I go to pick Croz up he's running around buck naked at her house anyway, so no biggie. She says in Bengali as he's running around, "Landa! Landa!" and pats his little bum. It means naked, if you haven't already guessed. Anyway, I put him diaperless into the pair of pants he had on for the day thinking I'm sure the 5 minutes it takes to get home he'll be fine. Of course as I'm carrying him out to his carseat he pees his pants... a lot! I felt really bad as I peeled his soaking wet pants off, blotted him dry with my icky yoga towel, and buckled him into his seat stark naked.

Well no need to feel bad. He was happier than I've ever seen him, relaxed and laughing at himself going, "aaahhhh," as we traveled the bumpy road home!

Monday, August 3, 2009

Babies



No I'm not pregnant. Yes I'm baby hungry.



D and I immersed ourselves in videos and pics of Croz last night, it went on for over an hour. There was one video where D didn't remember the thing Crosby was doing and he said, "Aw, you're breakin' my heart over here Lis! I don't want to miss anything."



Sigh.