luck o the irish

we're having a wee cailin!!!

wee cailin = the word for little lass in gaelic

she was healthy, hearty, & happy (& hiccuppy)

we are THRILLED!

now the naming drama begins...

*happy st patrick's day*

lake tahoe

okay, not our picture but it seriously was a beautiful drive up to lake tahoe last weekend.

our babies in the backseat. mine safely strapped into a carseat & his safely strapped into a snowboard bag. if it was up to him we'd never leave the house without BOTH babies in tow. he was ecstatic to finally use his new board!

chief drove the way up, serenading his girls with 80's love ballads while we mainly slept. apparently in the exact same position.

we caravanned up with mike & brie & hung out that night in downtown truckee. didn't get one shot with them. :( come to think of it, we didn't get hardly any pictures at all. we rummaged up a deck of cards & played golf all night.

next morning ellery & i slept in & played in the snow while the others went up the mountain to board. i'm not allowed. i'm never allowed. it seems i'm making babies all the time. some kind of perma-baby maker. ridiculous. either way i couldn't go snowboarding OR get in the hot tub apres-ski. whoa is me... :)

we eventually made our way up to northstar village & ate & window shopped & watched a wanna-be pro ice skater on the kiddy rink in white see-through spanx. made me smile.

then we went home. i love love love austin's off fridays. & him too come to think of it.

bball

i have been watching my little brother play basketball as long as i can remember. since we've lived in cali (almost 2 yrs now... yikes) austin & i have gone to every one of michael's games that we could. & seriously loved every minute of it! that hodgman cheering section is loud. ellers has been going since she was in-utero & now sits on the bleachers & claps the whole game through (usually for the other team). she loves all the sights & sounds. :)

plus here's a bonus: that brother of mine is a STUD! carries his team & is so much fun to watch!! but he's a senior & the baby of the family: my parents will be empty nesters soon & our high school sports days are essentially over. but i just wanted to tell him thanks. we so enjoyed being a part of it.

#24 forever buddy!

cirque

aaammmmaaaaaaazing! surprising & impressive & unique. just... wow.

don't let my rather eloquent review convince you. go... Go... GO to the circus!

only problem is that it made me want to go to every other cirque du soleil show out there. (esp. love & o!)

it also made me a little depressed because the bigger i get the less likely i can finish a pilates class -- or even crack my back for that matter. so riding suspended, 50 feet in the air, on a tight rope on a unicycle on my HEAD or lifting my body by one hand while balancing on a metal pole while my bulging, lean muscles keep the rest of me aligned to completely defy gravity is a little out of my realm of reality.

a little.

thanks babe!

& we find out baby bean's gender on st patrick's day, & i'm insane with curiousity so please oh please vote on the side!!! winners get... to be right!!

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??