Sick Dude, Sick

I'm just going to start this post off by saying I'm REALLY REALLY SORRY!  Since this is our "family blog," Steve has requested, no, insisted that the following pictures be posted and commented upon.  So here we go...

The other night I was wiped out, so Steve said he'd cook dinner.  Actually cook, which means not ordering out, or making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (since we were out of jelly).  We had frozen chicken breasts in the freezer, so Steve decided he was up for the challenge.

He pulled out one of the flash-frozen breasts and burst into laughter.  He holds it up and says, "This one is yours!"  Then tosses it in the pan and smothers it in barbecue sauce.  I'll leave you to your imagination:

Below is the cooked version.  I did eat it, because I was starving at that point, and just tried not to think about it.
I'm so sorry.  Either you got a good laugh out of it, or you're totally disgusted.  Probably a combo of both!  As Stacey Sterne likes to say, "sick, dude, sick!"

Necklace obsession!

Charline is the root of my new art obsession!  We've started making pendants out of Sculpey clay, which can be baked, painted, and glazed.  It's nice an lightweight, and virtually unbreakable!  Over the past few weeks I've made a ton...I'm thinking that while I'm on maternity leave I can get Christmas gifts taken care of!!! Wheee!

Below are my most recent creations:

When mom was here last week, we "arted" with Charline, and she made the pendants below.  I love that her creations are so colorful and wacky.  Mom is such a talented artist!  She was inspired by the glass artist, Dale Chihuly, who is totally incredible.  Check out the link on the side.  He has an exhibit at the Bellagio in Vegas and is currently being featured at the DeYoung Museum at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, and mom had just visited it the previous weekend when she was in SF for my cousin David's wedding.  One of the pendants she made isn't here because she had already strung it and taken it home with her.  But she left the others for me to string.  I hope she likes them!!
Below are the first ones I made.  I love them, but I am now excited about trying to use more color!
A conglomeration!
Love it!  Creativity feeds my summer-addled mind!

Little Brothers!

Have you ever seen this video?  It is the cutest thing ever!  I couldn't embed it because that has been disabled, but when you get a chance, copy and paste the link below!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OBlgSz8sSM

The Cutest Tumble!

I've posted pics of my cousin Michelle's little girl, Sarah Renee, before...we went to her Christening back in April.  Today Michelle sent me a little video snip of Sarah, who is practicing sitting up!  It's the cutest thing ever!  Her little crazy hair is starting to lay a bit flatter, but I've never seen a baby with so much hair!

Free Entertainment!

The new shopping center near us has a great little playground, and best of all, a sprinkler park!  It's a little plaza area with spouts that shoot up from the ground and in arcs across.  It's great free entertainment on a hot summer day!  Riley and I headed over there today to play.  

He loved it...especially jumping on top of the big spouts that shot straight up out of the ground...

And stomping on the grates...
...but most of all he liked the ones that shot up in arcs.  Now, he wasn't the only kid doing this, but he kept straddling it so it shot up and looked as though he was peeing!  I would have been embarrassed if it wasn't so funny!  Check out the videos below...

There were several groups of mommies with their kids, and they were prepared with extra chairs, snacks, toys, etc.  It's an interesting phenomenon to watch, I've noticed that they tend to roam in packs.  I admire stay-at-home moms, especially since I'm only one for 3 months out of the year, but I am exhausted by the end of July!  At least I managed to bring a towel and an extra pair of shorts and underpants for my soaking wet boy!

In the first clip, all of the big spouts shoot up, and Riley is chasing them.  I just noticed that there is a little boy who decided to join in the chase.  At the end, Ri takes a digger!  He was tough, though, neither of us noticed the scrapes on his leg till after we got home!

The second clip is of Riley "enjoying" the arching spouts.  He thinks it's hilarious that it looks like pee.  All boy...ALL boy.

Cool at the Pool!

Riley got to go in the deep end at swim lessons last week!  With a life jacket and his swim teacher, of course!  He wasn't a huge fan, though.  He loves being in the water as long as he can touch the bottom, but if not, he's not so sure its his thing!

Later in the day we went back to City Pool with Julie and the twins, Lindsay and Lilly, and Gran-Gran and I.  He was a big fan, as usual!
Check out the studly muscles!

Our Fuzziest Friend

While mom was here with Aretha, we reached some near-record heat.  We filled up the kiddie pool for Riley, and when he was done, we didn't empty it out right away.  I looked out the window to see Aretha splashing around in there by herself, chasing after the little golf whiffle balls.  She is too, too cute!

Finally!  Melo and Aretha basically played until they collapsed, then napped and did it all over again!
What a face!!

The Little Things

I have a lot to be thankful for in my life...a lot of big things, like an amazing family, a job I love (most of the time), incredible friends, a nice place to live...

But sometimes it's good to stop and be thankful for the little things.  One thing I'm thankful for is Burt's Bees Belly Butter and Mama Bee Leg Creme.  I know, it sounds like a commercial.  But without them, I'd be a stretch-mark covered, Restless Leg Syndrome-y mess!  

So thanks, Bees!  

What a big belly you have!

I asked our family photography pro (and sister-in-law), Holli, to take some belly pics for us yesterday.  I didn't do this when I was pregnant with Riley, and I wish that I had.  I think Hols did a fantastic job!  We had fun "tweaking" them and converting them to black and white on iPhoto, and I felt kinda pretty! :)  As you can see, Riley's already in love with his baby brother!  Enjoy!

My baby brother is in there!

Man, he's getting big!

Giving brother a kiss!  Riley is the one who pulled up my shirt...wasn't sure how I felt about bare belly pics, but it's pretty cute!

Daddy giving the little guy a pat!

Our family of four!

Holli spied the orange Gerbera I had in a vase in the kitchen and wanted to get creative.  I love the contrast of the orange and white!

Artistic!  I played around with the edge blur on this tilted pic, it's one of my faves!  I really can't decide which I liked best, that's why I put so many!

By the way, the pendant on the necklace I'm wearing is one of the Sculpey creations that Charline and I have become obsessed with making!  Uh oh, a new art project to add to my list!

Holli, thanks so much for giving us your wonderful talent!  You've got to get a portfolio going!

Holli's Assistant

Good photographers have an assistant...someone who goes along and helps set up shots, and often takes the candids that happen in between the posed shots.  Riley is that assistant!

Belly close-up...

Only problem is, he gets a little sidetracked.  Laying in the grass, taking pics of the sky, and toes, of course!
Behind the scenes!