thanks, eh!

thanks olympics & thanks canada!

i will miss you keeping me up til 1 in the morning.

& opening the flood gates of my current sensitive, emotional state.

i cried. a lot.

but i loved every single minute of it.

& realizing that every one of us has foolhardy pride.

for our own family, our own community, & our own country.

it's called patriotism & it delights me.

i still wish we'd kept you from that last gold.

& that you'd send me those mittens.

& a dog sled team.

or just mary carillo's job.

necessity is the mother of invention

i'm really enjoying miss e being crazy mobile but there are limits.

the miss needed to see the trees better. they are a favorite of hers. the ledge was just too high & on her tippy toes she was still frustrated.

SOO she moved the step stool over to see the trees & climbed on top,

pulled the window open farther,

& started pushing on the screen. this side of the apartment is about 3 stories high.

i was sitting in the nursery watching every step & thinking 'this could get bad. fast.'

so we've rearranged a bit.

bytheby: i slipped on my lent goal this morning & i am quite bummed with myself. wish me luck to only have one slip!

what do you mean: why is it called by-the-sea??

we went to pebble beach & carmel-by-the-sea on valentine's weekend with my parents & steph for the pro-am & some fun strolling downtown. we went last year to the tournament & i would just like to submit that i'm the greatest wife ever to give up 2 v days in a row to go watch golf all day. it is a phenomenal course (i guess that's obv) & a fun way to spend the day. weather was perfection & no celebrity run-ins this year... :(

okay seriously?! nothing is as enchanting as carmel. nothing!! every shop, boutique, cottage, & eatery is overflowing with quaint charm. one of my favorite places! we got to browse through antique shops, check out delicate china, french furniture stores, some gorgeous clothing displays, & we even bought some beautifully illustrated children's books, signed for ellery by the artist.

ellers shoe shopping. so funny, seriously the only thing she cared to peruse. the one clothing item that i truly have a love affair with. chief was just thrilled to see that i've passed that one to his daughter so quickly. :)

in front of the little cottage of sweets. i want to own this shop & live & die here. check out that roofline! not to mention the smell... AH i will always need more toffee & sugar comas in my life.

 these sorts of activites don't particularly rouse austin into a giddy frenzy but he's such a good sport... most of the time.

this picture is my ultimate bestest at the moment.

later we went to a fancy pants restaurant & had some fancy nourishment. while we waited for our dishes they brought out a hunk of pizza dough for ellery to play with. pretty original way to shut kids up in your posh place! everyone kept getting mad at me for stealing it from e to play with it. thanks for the pebble tickets daddy & for a fun day everybody!

can i get a little credit?

i'm trying to decide if i'm giving myself too much credit here. i shave my legs approx every other day. without a seasonal difference. always. i itch when i don't.

well this week i itched. majorly! & by valentine's day it had been almost 5 days. okay i know it being cupid's day makes it a tad worse sounding but that is the longest i have gone since i've been married. seriously!! now austin's braiding jokes aside, how often does everyone else? should i continue to pat myself on the back & telling aust how wonderful i am or do i suck at life? you tell me.

& yes, i used to be a synchronized swimmer so this is my exhibit a for smooth legs at their finest.

oh & what is everyone giving up for lent??

1 yr old shots

there were nearly 600 pictures to go through so this is designed to obsess over every minute detail, angle, pose, facial expression of the shots i picked because you're clearly as much of a control freak, perfectionist as i am & could never EVER see too much of ellery...

i quite literally spent hours comparing a dozen seemingly identical frames to choose which was begging to be 'the one'. yikes. there's a window into a place you do not want to know more about. enjoy!

"moooom?? what do you think these guys are up to?"

here's a thought: let's set the unsteady walker precariously on top a brick wall. we gots smarts!

(& no, she didn't fall but i was weak-kneed the whole time)

the lips here are so sweet.

e craves coordination from gram vi's ceramic garden mushrooms.

not as fragrant as the flowers, eh?

sneaky smile. =)

why so serious?

(love the brick background!) 

when she got excited she started swinging her legs and yes, making me nervous. okay, ya know what, it's higher than it looks!

*our baby girl*

okay-- precious!

her happy shrieks are my favorite.

coolest tights ever. they have tassles! haha.

so happy to be one year old!

thanks g pa!!! kisses*

ace of base: 'all that she wants'

i got some sweet birthday presents! lucky 24! fabulous cirque du soleil tix, all the makings of a sweet cheese party, grey ugg boots that complete my soul, & not to over sell but the most fabulous gift a person could want. ever. my very own YELLOW (jaune majestueux actually) kitchenaid!!!

i told the husbandorie that my days will now consist of pigging out on soft cheeses, anxiously awaiting the cirque show, & petting my mixer while my feet chill out in their new luxurious home.

oh & one more gift! & kind of a big one at that... i wanted to upload the ace of base 'all that she wants' video to tell you but it was almost 3 minutes long & i thought i might be the only one to get the joke. (made me miss elementary school & ALL ace of base songs)

figure it out yet?

'all that she wants, it is another baby'!

ellery for big sister august 2010! yayuh!