Finished Friday

Here are some things I am finished with.

Today, I am finished watching what I eat. I made whole wheat muffins with chocolate chips for breakfast:


I finished planting my front planters. The newest addition is bacopa because my mother said she loves it so:


After a long break, I finally got around to finishing a birthday dress for one of the girls I babysit for.
Front:


There were some hairy moments because I had to learn how to gather on my serger.
Back:


The last thing I am finished with is nursing my son. It has been four days since Blake last nursed and I feel like he has stepped over the "I'm a boy now" threshold and won't be looking back. My body chose this time to wean so I am anxious for my emotions to catch up and accept the fact that most of my days will be spent watching the back of his head instead of him cuddled up next to me. Growing is hard on a mom sometimes:


I am so happy I finished last night. I have been having terrible nightmares these past few days and woke up last night with my pajama bottoms across the room and my underwear on inside out. Yes, that might be too much information, but man was it kind of funny this morning.

Fresh Youngsters

What is behind a garden's gate?



Chocolate cosmos:


New lemons growing so patiently:


Pumpkins starting to appear:


Brussel sprouts popping up in rows:


Hostas thankful for new soil and shade:


I love watching these things grow.

The Burton side of the photos

Sorry for all the mish-mash posts. I just put Blake down and realized there was another group of photos I forgot to put up. Andrew has us using Picasa and it is having trouble putting our photos in one spot; therefore, leaving it up to me to organize (ha!).

My father bought this tricycle at a garage sale for $5.00. Fantastic! Blake loves it and will be pedaling sometime soon:


Run away from the chihuahua:


I promise we put clothes on this kid:


On our way home we went through a gas station car wash. You have to love those firsts:

Family Photos

Ellen and David paved their front porch. Ellen is planting some fun plants along the border. Blake had to splash around their new fountain.


Doesn't Blake just fit right in with the Westersund boys? (David, Andrew, Blake, Uncle Glen, and cousin Allen)


Here is Blake loving Teenie:


Blake riding a chicken:

More Teeny Outfits

Our family is all under our own roof after traveling north and south to see both sides of the family. I spent Tuesday through Friday with my parents and then picked up Andrew and the dogs for a weekend at the Hurst's. Grandpa Walter is doing fine and the house was filled with family, stories, and laughter just like usual. It is so fun to watch Erin's baby bump push its way out. I can't wait to meet that little Holly Ginger. Anyways, before I left I finished another birthday present for Blake's friend Ethan. I love the print because it has old school children playing. There is even a child in a sailor suit. Pictures from this weekend will follow shortly.

Tri-for-fun Sprint Triathlon 2009 (Pleasanton)

What were you guys doing this morning? Andrew was busy swimming/biking/running his first sprint triathlon in Pleasanton. He wasn't alone in this venture because his co-worker Warren competed also. The two of them have been biking around the hills of the Peninsula and swimming with the Mountain View Master's program on a weekly basis. They both did such a great job and had fun too. Blake and I cheered on all the participants and were so proud of everyone who worked so hard to accomplish this great task. Andrew is training for his first, full length triathlon in September (Pacific Grove Olympic Triathlon). Never did I think we would be a triathlon family (Blake and I being super cheerleaders) and we are so proud of Andrew for all of his hard work. It is kind of like when I was on my high school basketball team with a broken wrist. I got to be a part of the fun without having to do all the work.

Here are the pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/hurstdog/TriForFunJuly2009?authkey=Gv1sRgCMzDiNjTlJnKUA#


Andrew finishing the swimming leg and entering the transition area:


Andrew starting out his bike leg:


Warren starting out his bike leg:


Andrew starting his running leg:


Andrew crossing the finish line:


Warren crossing the finish line:

Gone Solar

I have been meaning to write this post for quite some time now. Andrew's parents have now gone solar. All of their household energy comes from these new, glorious solar panels.



They had to remove some trees so the panels could get full sun in the front yard. They went through this company (http://acroenergy.com/) so don't forget to mention the Hursts when you order your own set. I don't know all the statistics, but I think they said that they will break even somewhere like five years down the road. Green In-Laws are the best.

One Civilized Baby Human Being

This is Blake's first attempt at eating chili from a bowl.

20 Something Years Later...

While Blake was taking a nap I decided to continue sewing on a secret project. Unfortunately, that sewing session ended with me completely messing up and throwing the project in a heap on the floor. So I picked up a project that has been waiting to be finished for twenty something years. My mother started this bib (the fabric being so my mother) when my sister and I were little. The backing is a waterproof layer that is probably hard to come by these days. I added neck straps and the front patch from leftover fabric from Blake's birthday party invitations. A smile added to my face after complete tragedy. Tomorrow will be a better sewing day I hope.

Kyle's 4th Birthday

Happy 4th Birthday Kyle. I can't believe Kyle is four now. His birthday party was a tumbling and trampoline party at the place where he takes gymnastics classes. The kids ran around learning the ins and outs of tumbling. Blake simply ran around while trying to touch everything.

Gra-Gra (their grandmother), Kyle, Aden (he went BMX biking at the Livermore track and has the face wounds to prove it, his eye is half closed due to the flash), Blake, and myself.


Blake running around with different objects:


Sitting down for food:


Andrew playing with an alligator:


Blake on top of a foam wedge of cheese:


Kyle blowing out his candles:


What a big boy.

Summer Fruits and Veggies

Andrew put things into perspective for me the other night (not a moment too soon). It has been two days now of eating quite healthy and I am about to go crazy. The constant feelings of deprivation are outweighing the good parts of eating a balanced diet. All day long I am mad when I am eating peas for a snack instead of a huge chocolate bar. Wake up Shannon, addiction is hard! Anyways, Andrew helped me calm down by telling me that it isn't a huge problem that I have the fat on my body, I just need to turn it into muscle. What an easy concept. I picture my fat as bean bags giving my body a big hug. Come Monday, I am going to hit the gym so I can slowly convert those bean bags into bouncy balls.

This morning Blake and I made smoothies:
*almost half a watermelon
*plastic carton of raspberries
*two scoops of vanilla ice cream
BLEND

It tasted like watermelon water, but Blake loved it:


Soon to be slush:


Last night I was preparing corn from our organic box and found this. I about jumped out of my skin. I would love our CSA (community supported agriculture) a lot better if 10% of my veggies weren't laden with bugs.

Garden Growing

This is what a child looks like after planting zucchini, brussel sprouts, carrots, and chives. Of course, there are some bubbles mixed in there.



My triangle garden is ready to grow:

By The Way, I'm Fat

Last night I went to the gym for my first orientation with a trainer (free with membership). I told the trainer that I want to be a bodybuilder if I can't be pregnant right now. He gracefully tried to talk me down from the ledge, but I insited on following my dream. Then, he told me I was fat. Not in a matter-of-fact way, but in a the-numbers-show-it way. My body fat precentiles, after being pinched in many different places with a caliper, are in the high risk zone for every bad thing under the sun. The trainer logged me onto a food website where I can track and manage my food plans. It is actually pretty cool.

So the amount in the picture above is all I get to eat for lunch. Just kidding, that is Blake's portion I saved before I ate the rest!

After the 45 minute consultation with the trainer I set out to start my first day of exercise. I thought I could navigate around a gym, but boy was I wrong.

This was what happened:
*started in the tiny weight room with really beefy guys staring at me
*looked for an open bench, didn't find one, so went to the other room to assess
*had no idea what I was doing so I went to the front desk to ask for a towel
*was told they don't provide towels
*walked back to the other room and looked for weights
*asked a woman in a crazy position where the weights were
*with a bothered look she said they were behind her
*after looking behind her she said they were beside her
*got weights
*found a bench
*did my dumbell shoulder press using 5lb weights (too easy, but they were the only weights available)
*finished and tried to move onto my next exercise, the cable rope upright row
*i stood beside the machine with many moving parts trying to figure out where and what I was supposed to do
*beefy men noticed me
*turned around and walked out of the gym
*felt fat the whole way home

I told Andrew we are going to have to get him a day pass, put Blake in the daycare, so he can help me through this mess. Better luck next time, Shannon.

P.S. Here is the book I am using: http://www.amazon.com/28-Day-Body-Shapeover-Brad-Schoenfeld/dp/0736060456

Another Rant

I do not have enough street cred regarding musical taste so I understand some people will laugh at me, but I have had it with "produced" music. I first listened to Adele on MTV Unplugged. I fell in love with her acoustic songs and was disappointed when I bought her CD. I couldn't believe the difference. There are so few talented singers out there so I wonder why they would alter their quality. Anyways, here is a clip of Adele singing "Cold Shoulder." I think she is fantastic. Andrew said her voice is like dying mice (don't quote me, but it was something like that).

Adele - New Music - More Music Videos

Fourth of July Surfing Weekend

Our Fourth of July weekend was spent primarily in the Santa Cruz area. Andrew got a new surfboard for his birthday. After 15 years of surfing on his old board, he decided to join the current times and surf on something a bit newer. Andrew likes Doug Haut's boards (http://www.hautsurfboards.com/) and has visited his surf shop a few times in the last couple months to pinpoint what board would be best for him. He ended up with another long board and said it is so much easier to paddle out on and control while surfing. He deserves this board since he has put in many hours of carrying a waterlogged board around.

At the shop:


Tying the beauty to the van:


Blake wedged in the car for yet again, another trip to the beach. On Sunday, I brought the bike trailer so Blake could ride around in it with his friend Aiden. Aiden's father surfs with Andrew so we met up with them for a few hours of surfing.


What is a board without sex wax?


Andrew and his bronze lady:


Sex wax always ruins the look of the board, but is crucial:


Blake helping his daddy:


Blake and Aiden setting off for a walk around the wharf.


Casey is the top most surfer and Andrew is at the bottom right:


Blake hanging out in the Eurovan on Friday:

Happy Birthday Andrew

Happy Birthday Andrew! Ellen, Walter, and Nick showed up last night for an early birthday party for Andrew. I took them to the airport this morning so they can fly to Alaska and enjoy their seven day cruise. Have fun guys.

Here they are posing with the cake. Since I was limited on time, I used some gel icing I found in my cake decorating supplies (from God knows when) and it made the cake look horrible. Oh well, we still ate it:


I used two, fresh cosmo flowers I picked from outside. They are so fun since they smell like chocolate. I ordered seeds from this website (http://chocolateflowerfarm.com/) where they sell all flowers/plants that either smell like chocolate or look like chocolate. My friend Megana introduced me to these cosmos and now I am off and running.

Thanks to the boys next door, Blake has learned how to blow bubbles. You can see that he has already beat Andrew to the punch for blowing out the candle.


Have a great day Andrew. I have a babysitter lined up for some birthday fun tonight.

Wednesday Goodies

Here is my new sewing nook (the guest bedroom closet). I actually felt bad kicking my sewing machine out for my serger, but I called on it today to finish some seams. I am loving the new trend called re-fashioning. It is a way to recycle clothing into cool, new outfits. This website (http://www.luvinthemommyhood.com/2009/05/theres-no-such-thing-as-leftovers-pants.html) shows how you can re-fashion men's dress shirts into toddler pants. Anyways, I made a pair of overalls for Blake re-fashioned from one of my Nana's dresses she handed down to me. I felt bad reusing the fabric, but it is so soft and came to my mind when I bought the pattern at a garage sale the other day. Perfect for 4th of July if you ask me!



This picture update is to let my mom and sister know that I took Blake to Palo Alto's children's library today. Unfortunately, I had super high expectations and ended up feeling a bit let down when we were leaving. I have such fond memories of the Livermore library so it will take something pretty special to top it.

Here is Blake figuring out he can get up on a stool all by himself. I said, "smile for the camera" and the next picture followed.


He made me melt.