4th of July

we had a wonderful day in santa barbara for the 4th - with friends (celebrating a 30th birthday) - on the beach and eating chili...at a chili cook-off to be exact...lets just say we are still suffering the aftermath of the party...

on the way home bryan and i talked about how blessed we are to have the friends we do. that knew us before we were the "two of us"...and now the *almost* 5 of us!

and we dont mind visiting one bit!

Iron Chef 30th Bday

the reason we went up to santa barbara last weekend was for our dear friend Eric's 30th bday party. His Swedish Chef/Iron Chef Style 30th bday party actually. His amazingly event-planning/decorating talented wife Julia put together an amazing birthday that i am sure we all will remember for a long time to come.





the party was a competition as well. there were 4 courses (apps, salad, main and dessert) and 2 teams of 2 chefs each prepared a course. in case you are bad with math that is 16 cooks...8 different mini-tasters...all were amazing.

i think what is really kind of funny about my group of college friends is that we all sort of picked up on hobbies together...toward the end of college we decided that we would start fishing. some of us had literally never fished before, but that was the hobby of the moment, so most went with it.






after college it became cooking for a lot of them...not i...i found my own million other hobbies...i am only a practical chef...but thankfully i have a husband who loves to cook and good friends who love it also! in every team though, there was at least one pretty avid amateur chef...

anyway...back to the party...the courses each had a secret ingredient and a wine pairing and we were to practice before the big event. the secret ingredients were:
appetizer - andouille sausage
salad - melon
main course- oyster mushrooms
dessert - honey


the sad part is that not a lot of pictures were taken of the people...the food kinda took center stage.

julia made aprons for all the chefs and decorated the party Swede style...really the best way...blue and yellow are supremely beautiful together :)

thank you so much Julia for an amazing party - sorry we had to peace out before the votes were tallied...Bodie woke up toward the end (1:30am) and did not fall back asleep until 3:30, then thought it would be a great idea to wake up for good at 6:30...needless to say it was a rough night...but oh so worth it!

the hunting of the eggs...

meet the Westmont babies...that is babies due to the coupling of Westmont-ers...this is, by the way, also an ad for Westmont College since they apparently produce the most darling children around...if you need an excuse like that to go there...i guess...

Meet Hank (Henry Willard Bartel - son of Jon and Paige): he is the youngest of the group (by about a week) - he is so smart and advanced for his age. he is so good at communicating what he wants - (and his momma is even better at reading him before he needs to). he has a sweet sweet heart - if he really likes something he tries to give it to you...and doesnt take it back...which i thought was amazing! he is content to people watch - or more accurately Bryson watch...but is also quick to join in on the fun and explore it all himself too! he looks just like his mama, but i can tell a lot of his papa's sweet disposition is coming through.

and this little doll is Signy...she is the daughter of Andy and Monica Hansen and is the only girl of the bunch...so far...we shall see if she is joined by any other little females soon enough! She is a little talker and definitely the mama-ish type of the group. very concerned about the other boys. at one point she was sitting down and looked at them and just told her mama, "boys..." get used to it girl...you can come pull a seat up next to me and we'll talk! she is also very concerned if you cough - she will ask if you are okay. She knows what she wants and is not fearful of expressing that, but she is also very concerned about the others too. she is so precious!

and finally Declan Oliver Hurley - the adorable son of Jeff and Solera. Declan is so sweet. he and Bryson played so well it was so sweet to watch. He was so excited about our Easter egg hunt and part of the excitement included dumping his bucket of eggs out. He also sat through the entire church service and barely made a peep...only an occasional "bryson!" really...it amazed me...i didnt know boys like that existed! he is a little Jeff clone...my goodness...it makes me laugh just looking at him!


it was so fun to spend some quality time with them and to watch our friends of 10+ years interact with their kids too! what amazing parents they all are...which isn't surprising since they are all pretty amazing people in my opinion, but so fun to see them start to raise their families and continue on this crazy journey.

Easter 2010

we had a lovely time...to say it simply and understated-ly...in Santa Barbara with some old college buddies. Here we are after Easter service at All Saints by the Sea. it was a wonderful service and we had an amazing time re-connecting with our dear dear friends. here is the very rare group shot...missing, of course, the Hansens, who were able to join us for the annual Brunch-a-Que afterward, of which this was our first we attended.

you will not see pics of the actual Que portion of the day since we happened to eat the Que at approximately 9:30 that evening. which happens often if Bryan is anywhere near the Que...which i rarely complain because he is, indeed, my favorite Que-er.

We feel very blessed to have been able to spend the day in such a gorgeous place, with such amazing people to celebrate such a wondrous event! i hope your Easter was just as joyous!

halloween - a written story

now that the kids are in bed i can wrap up Halloween madness. we had a pretty bitchin weekend. Lots of yummy things were made...banana bread (for the 5th time in 1 month...good thing i know lots of moms having babies!) and 40 clove chicken and chicken tortilla soup with the leftovers...lots of last minute costume additions were made - bryson's max crown, cat ears that were never worn...i love felt!

we had a party on friday - Halloweezy if you will...good times...good costumes...having a birthday a couple days past Halloween has always been fun - maybe its the reason i love dressing up so much...i dont need a holiday really, any excuse will do! On Halloween day i woke early with the babes and then stole a couple hours and got to do some shopping by myself...such a treat! got some new boots that i am in love with and a birthday outfit. then the fam headed down to 2nd street for the Howl-a-ween Dog Parade...so cute...too bad both of the boys were asleep for most of it! on our way back to the car we couldn't help stopping at the beach - such a gorgeous day and the boys were absolutely thrilled to be in the sand. Bodie kept "jumping" up and down on his bum smiling and giggling and getting sand EVERYWHERE on his little body...including his mouth...that kid loves eating sand...i dont get it...he wont eat green beans, but he will eat sand!

our original plan was to do the trick or treating on 2nd street, but we decided not to come back and instead go home...take baths and wash all the sound off...and dress bryson up in his max suit to go trick or treating. sadly, bodie did not dress up for halloween...next year i am sure...but it was his bedtime and he had a busy day, so he stayed behind with auntie sara and uncle pete and off we went. i realized i never explained to bryson what trick-or-treating was until right before we left. he was so unbelieveably stoked! he couldnt believe that strangers would give him candy just for dressing up (in his costume that he has already worn 10 times!!!) it was pretty surreal...bryan and i lagged behind holding hands and watching bryson and remarking how crazy it was that we have a kid old enough to go trick or treating! he RAN the whole time...usually by himself up to each house...usually minded his manners and was so thrilled. it was so fun to see his joy...plus we met a ton of neighbors...who knew? i guess that is a lot of the point right? we live in such a great neighborhood...i also saw a lot of the parents carrying around plastic cups...no one gave us that memo...smart parents!

today we visited rashelle's church for All Saints Day and had lunch in fashion island...what a complete weekend - all the aspects of our family and creating and community that i hold so dear all wrapped together in one sweet weekend!

halloweezy 2009

Halloweezy 2009 party - from top
1. Michael Vick and his poor puppy
2. Darth Vader in the morning
3. "black-eyed" peas (they are street fighters...thats how they got black eyes)
4. Captn Morgan Sparrow
5. Sara as a punker...everybody loved the hair on her...we discovered she could pull off bangs...success!

ye olde park

we took a walk the other day around the neighborhood and visited our old stomping grounds - our neighborhood tot park - Los Altos Plaza Park...this park has such a special place in my heart - we met so many wonderful people - moms, dads, playmates, friends, nannies, etc. we moved into our place when bryson was 16 months and this was the perfect park. not only the park itself - gated...low structure...clean - but also the fact that a group of regulars met there nearly every weekday from 10-12.

bryson developed his first friendships there. i watched him as he matured from not giving two licks about other kids to devloping interactive play with friends. i watched as he learned to climb and slide by himself and (to my horror) jump off of high things. he and bryan would golf in the outside grass area and he and the other kids would kick a ball...and fight over said ball...and figure it out as kids do. we would hunt for mushrooms and play in the fall leaves and celebrate many a friend's birthday there...not to mention potlucks for baby showers and good-bye parties.

as all good things must see an end so did our park days here...the kids grew up and many of them entered pre-school and our regular meetings there turned into once or twice a week and then no more. when we visited the other day there were no familiar faces...in fact the park was empty. bryson is a little big for it now - he likes it for about 30 minutes at a stretch. bodie was content to sit in the stroller and look earnestly at us and ponder why we would want to be up and about.

it was a good reminder at how precious this time with young children is. how quickly they grow. how relationships come and go and the good ones remain constant in the background like a soundtrack. i picture us coming back when bodie is figuring out how to walk and climb and slide and letting him figure it out in this *safe* park while brother finds a nice tree to climb or a nice platform to jump from.

i look forward to the new friendships to be forged and new parks to be discovered and the continuing awe and excitement my boys bring me...feeling truly blessed.

TMAFI 2009

we got back from our annual fishing trip on sunday. this was the first year we brought kids...besides hope and buddy and katlyn of course! and by we i mean a lot of us! 10 kids in all on this trip and over 20 adults! it was the best TMAFI turn-out and one of the most fun trips - albeit exhausting!

bryson hadn't been to TMAFI since he was 6 months old - my in-laws flew down to watch him the previous 2 years. this was bodie's first camping trip and both boys did great! bryson kept telling me every day, "mom this is great" and "can we go camping all the days?" when probed he will tell you his favorite part was roasting marshmallows. i think he also enjoyed everything else - skipping rocks in the creek with eric and asher, finding air soft pellets in the dirt, the campfire, fishing, sleeping in the tent. i was semi-shocked that he slept so well, especially considering friday night there were heavy rains and thunderstorms. he woke up only once each night and usually to go to the bathroom. he also talked in his sleep. one night he said, "NO! i picked the elephant one!" and one night he kept saying "Ice Age" after watching the movie in the johnson trailer! Bodie woke up after the first night with very wide eyes and his expression was one of "where the hay are we?" it was pretty funny i must say.

all the other kids were pros too - the parents i suppose more so. this campsite is hard without kids (no running water or flushable toilets) and you throw 7 kids under 4 years old in the mix and well...each parent should get a medal! speaking of medals - 2 newbies won this year - Scott Muckey and Tom Mason...i can't say i am not a little dissapointed...especially since the winning fish were not even over a pound! but bryan caught this 3.5 pound beauty! now beating my TMAFI record and slowly getting his fishing cred back!

having two kids there meant a different kind of experience. i did not take a single picture - which i regret in this case because i really wanted to get a shot of all the kids and babies! i also wanted a shot of all the TMAFI vests...most of all i missed being able to sit at the lakes and have nothing to do and worry only about my line and if i am using the right bait. i never really got a chance to do that, but it was worth having the kids there - even though it was frustrating at times i truly believe that if we start them out young they will just sort of expect it and not try to fight it...right? that's my theory anyway!

Bryan gave me a hard time because the first time we went out fishing i caught a fish and bryan told me to let bryson reel it in - "no way" i said..."he needs to learn to catch his own fish!" okay - maybe that was harsh...but bryan let him reel in his fish and people asked him if he caught it and he told them, "no - daddy did" - see! the kid knows...and i can't help but bring up a biblical lesson..."you teach the boy to fish...he eats for life" and speaking of which - he did eat trout! i asked him if he like the fish and he told me it wasn't fish, it was trout...whatever! he ate it!

the only time i had to sit and reflect and meditate was on sunday while tearing down camp - bodie fell asleep and bryan and i took turns holding him and sitting down looking out at the creek and meadow and mountains enjoying the beautiful weather and fresh air and God's handiwork. i already miss it...that area is so special to me - lake sabrina is especially one of my favorite places. speaking of which...i need to remember to book the site for next year! if you didnt make it this year - please join us for next!

...

Seafood Broil and Weekend Musings

we had a packed weekend...which was funny because last weekend i told bryan how crazy it was that next weekend we dont have anything planned! that is so rare for us to have an unplanned weekend in the summer - i was looking forward to pool time and garden time and cleaning time and nowhere to be chilling time....then we got invited to a dear friend's bday party in SB - of course we wouldn't miss it! then we decided to have an early father's day for my dad in temecula since we will be camping next weekend...needless to say we are all exhausted! i think especially bryson since he spent 5 hours in the pool yesterday...5 hours - no break - threw a fit when i told him he needed to get out.

these are pictures from the bday party - it was a seafood broil - so delish! eric did it all (as his bday tradition ensues) and we feasted! even bryson ate "clawbster" - we told him the shrimp were mini clawbsters. good times with good friends and not to mention good margaritas!

the only pictures i have of our early father's day sadly were taken by my wonderful nephew, but so wonderful photographer - Buddy. the day consisted of the usual spa and golf and trail run and delicious food and laughter and conversation and good times!

i love/hate summer - love the camping and outings and holidays and get-togethers and bike ridings - HATE the workload that comes with our very seasonal business and also don't care for overpacked months...it can all be very hectic...very off-putting for babies' schedules and for trying to get a certain almost 6 month old to sleep longer than 2 hour increments. but in the middle of this weekend i had some very peaceful moments. somehow i am starting this week refreshed - AMAZINGLY! i think it has something to do with the fact that i have been praying a lot. every time i start to worry or feel anxious i have been going to God and seeking peace. it has done a number on my outlook and attitude. i tend to underestimate the power of prayer and realized how horrible my prayer life has been. anyway - i am lucky to have prayer warriors in my mother and mother-in-law and that has helped too - i can feel it! so keep those prayers coming - specifically we need prayer for our business and that sickness subsides and for guidance in being Bryson's parents...a very constant prayer of mine :)

Memorial Day Weekend

we had a lovely memorial day weekend with our santa barbara friends last weekend. the very gracious anna's parents offered up their ranch home in santa ynez and i dont think you could find a more beautiful home and property anywhere else in california! bryson had a blast too - he has been talking non-stop about the horses and chickens and the gopher that "anna tried to shoot with the gun" - he got some use out of his cowboy boots...i even bought him a matching hat to complete the look! we had such a relaxing time - waking up to roosters - thwarted runs - time with friends - AMAZING food - active campfires - feeding horses and chickens - picking onions - walking through the gorgeous vineyards - tasting wine - holding babies - playing with the dogs - more wine tasting and more amazing food - we are so grateful for our friends and how easy it is with them and because we dont see them often it makes times like these that much more special. it is so exciting that they are all procreating now too! so many babies! and the cutest babies ever to boot!

Bryan and the boys at the Saarloos & Sons tasting room.

Wine tasting at Coquelicot. To Die For Chardonnay!

the walk into town from Anna's parents house.

jeff, solera and baby declan on the swing

the new morning scene - MUCH different than college!

Eric and Julia bike riding through Los Olivos

Bryson fishing for his 2nd time at Cachuma - he didnt catch anything but we told him that we were leaving the fish in there for next time and that sated him...

and sweet jake...catching some campfire rays...

the cutest 1 year old ever...for now

we attended a very special birthday party this past weekend in santa barbara for a very special strapping young man named declan oliver hurley. bryan snapped this shot of him that i think is one of the best photos he has taken - it captures his sweet little spirit so beautifully - not to mention he is the best little model you can hope for...the kid does not take a bad picture! congratulations to the hurleys for making it through the first year and congratulations to declan for being the cutest little thing you possibly can...is this an accomplishment? i would argue yes!

watch out violet!

what is with my son and all these women? i am seriously in for it...we met up with rashelle and my god-daughter charlotte today at the arboretum - a beautiful day for a walk and a picnic! charlotte and bryson enjoyed frolicking off the path and picking the citrus...oops...and rolling down hills while rashelle and i enjoyed each other's company. i am so excited for baby delia to come and for charlotte to be a big sister!

i've included a picture of bryson in his sweet AIG soccer shirt...bryson dresses himself and picks his own clothes out...its one battle that i have given up. also - still not sure about the fingers and the posing...i think he thinks he should do something with them because holding them still is so awkward and it reminds me of prom and high school dance pictures where you never know what to do with the guy and how to stand because it is all so awkward...good times...