Halloween Pictures, Take One

I've been wanting a backdrop for a while, so I bought some black fabric, just to play around with. We had a mini photo-shoot on Friday. The kids wanted to see how their new Halloween costumes looked and I wanted to try out my makeshift backdrop. I tied it to the curtain rod in the sunroom and used the available light. The results were mixed, but we had a good time.

You can't really tell what they are, since we don't have any full body shots, so here's the rundown: Josh is a secret service agent, Sophie is a 50's girl, Kate is Barbie Island Princess (arrgh...), and Ben is a peapod. I am planning to dress as a tired mother of four.

I'm planning to do another photoshoot on Halloween or thereabout, so I'll post those later...I know you'll all be waiting anxiously.

They say it's my birthday...

Well, it WAS my birthday yesterday. The big 3-6. It was a fun day, overall, although I made the mistake of trying to give the big kids their piano lessons...I had to lay down on the couch after that. There is a reason I teach them on Saturdays, and it's called stress.

I ran 4 miles with Ben (we got to run through fallen leaves on a perfect autumn morning...so so so gorgeous), met David for lunch at Red Rock, (creme brulee...yummmm), took Sophie to violin and Josh to cello, then we all went to Bombay House for dinner, despite complaining for the kids. Once they had Chicken Pakora in front of them (glorified chicken strips) they were happy and so was I. Then we opened presents (new running shoes, slippers, sunglasses, a shirt and some fun things from my mom) and had lemon sour cream pie from Marie Callendar's. Didn't David do well? He also wants to get me a new lens or backdrop and lights for pictures indoors...we'll see. I think he did PLENTY, so maybe he can save the rest for Christmas. The kids made me cute cards and tried to be nice to each other.

Braces Stink

I want to use another word, but Mom might read my blog...

Questions I get asked:

Why did I get braces? Hmmm...I got braces so that my teeth would be straight.

Am I glad I got braces? No.

Will I be glad I got braces when it's all over? Ask me then.

David and I always thought it would be good to get braces when I was pregnant so I could get the ugly all over with at once. No. That's NOT a good idea. Because when you're pregnant, you feel like a whale, your face gets all swollen, and you need to feel lovely whenever possible. When you have braces AND you're pregnant, it is next to impossible to feel lovely.

Pregnancy only lasts 9 long months, but then there are all those months when you're just fat. And then there are all those months when you're not really fat, but you're lumpy. And having braces does not help you feel like you're getting back to your old self. Because now you're a lumpier version of your old self, but with metal brackets on all of your big teeth. And you drool more. And you spit more when you talk.

So, this is what I do not like about having braces at 35:

1. Having braces at 35.

2. Eating a salad and having green stuff stuck in my teeth until I can find a sink and toothbrush.

3. Eating a sandwich and having sandwich stuff stuck in my teeth until...

4. Eating...ok, you get it, I think.

5. Having a 2nd grader that I just met look at me like I'm an alien and say "Why do YOU have those on your teeth?"

6. IT HURTS! It hurt to get them, it hurts when they're adjusted, the inside of my mouth hurts...

7. Flossing. Honestly, I hated flossing before. But now it takes 20 minutes. TWENTY MINUTES??? Like I HAVE TWENTY MINUTES EXTRA IN MY DAY???????

8. Pictures of me in braces. (There are no weddings in my family for 12 years, and then both Bri AND Kurt decide to get married. What's that about? Not to mention pics of me with my Ben. There and I thought my delivery room pictures couldn't get any scarier.)

9. Braces cost a lot. I could have a lot of fun with the money I'm putting into my mouth.

10. I'm sure there's more, but I don't want to think about it anymore.

There must be positives about braces. Hmmm...

1. I'll know what my kids are going through when they get braces.

2. My jaw problems are actually improving.

3. My teenage piano students think it's great when they get their braces off but I still have mine.

4. I actually went ahead and did something for myself that I'd been considering for years.

So here I am before braces and during braces.




With Cindee last summer With Sophie in May

Until next summer, then, my mantra will be, "I'll be glad when they're off, I'll be glad when they're off, I'll be glad when they're off."

The Beach

For Kurt's bachelor outing, the guys all went sea kayaking. Nina and I brought the kids to the beach to play in the sand and watch their daddies. While I would have loved to be out on the water, watching kids at the beach is one of my favorite things. I love their intensity, their ability to focus on the task at hand, their creativity, and the way they carry home more sand in their swimsuits than exists in most sandboxes.

Josh and Sophie

Ben and Ez

David and Eric

Kurt, the man of the weekend

Later in the day, we went to the tidepools below our hotel. I love the ocean...so much to do or not do. Everyone had fun exploring, finding hermit crabs, and trying not to slip on the mossy rocks. Is there moss in the ocean? Whatever it was, it made it hard to walk!

Ben and Nana

Our cute Kate

Dad and Ben

I love the ocean. I miss it in Utah, although the mountains are its counterpart for my nature needs. Viva Voce commissioned a piece for our 10th anniversary, based on a poem by ee cummings that I love. Why we chose a piece about the ocean, I'm not sure, but it captures the wonder of the ocean and childhood:

maggie and milly and molly and may

went down to the beach(to play one day)

and maggie discovered a shell that sang

so sweetly she couldn't remember her troubles, and

milly befriended a stranded star

whose rays five languid fingers were;

and molly was chased by a horrible thing

which raced sideways while blowing bubbles: and

may came home with a smooth round stone

as small as a world and as large as alone.

For whatever we lose(like a you or a me)

it's always ourselves we find in the sea

Kurt and Ashleigh

Kurt and Ashleigh were married September 29th in San Diego. What a beautiful day! The weather was perfect, the setting was perfect, and Kurt picked a perfect sister for me! Hooray for Kurt and Ashleigh!

We've been waiting for this wedding for such a long time. Honestly, I think we all wanted Ashleigh in the family from the first time we met her. Oh look, I even have a picture from the night we met!

This was March of 2004 with Sophie (4 years old) and Fifi, our cousin's dog. They've all grown up so much, haven't they? Well, all but Fifi.

We think that Kurt and Ashleigh are a wonderful pair. She's a little calmer, he's a little more firey (it's the red hair, bro, I tell you.) She has a heart of gold, and so does he. They care about people, they want to make a difference in the world, and we love them both. Kurt's always been special to me, and I am thrilled to see him moving forward in life with a partner like Ashleigh.

Abby, Kate and Sophie loved being flower girls. Ashleigh gave them beautiful silver heart necklaces and a gift bag. They felt very special and very beautiful, especially after getting their hair done with all the bridesmaids, moms, and Ashleigh.

Here's our little family. Ben was a trooper all day, except during the family pictures.

We can't imagine having any more fun. We loved the food, the chocolate bar, the dancing (Josh doing the Robot in front of all the bridesmaids and groomsmen is a great moment), the money dance, the cake attack (as you can see, Kurt did NOT hold back). We loved talking with friends and family, making memories together, and celebrating the beginning of a new family.

We love you, Kurt and Ashleigh!