Celebrating A Marriage With Softball

My friend Caroline, from my crochet meetup, got married in the most fantastic way. They eloped at City Hall in San Francisco then stopped by various friends and families' houses to announce their great news. Wouldn't that be fun to open the door and find a bride and groom (in a tux and white wedding dress) grinning from ear to ear?

The groom's mother threw a great wedding reception at Holbrook Palmer Park in Atherton this past weekend. The invitation stated "BBQ and Softball Game" so I dressed very casually, but the event ended up being very classy with its great food, beautiful reception area, and yummy dessert spread. This was all a surprise for Caroline and she loved the fact that everyone was so casual to take the stuffiness out of it. It worked!

After the reception, most of us headed out to the baseball diamond in the park for a game of softball. Chris is on softball leagues so the game was full of talent. Andrew hung in there and played along with the big boys.

Blake watched in awe as the game he watches so frequently on ESPN3.com came alive:


Andrew hitting a grounder:


Blake got to run the bases with Andrew:


Chris showing his wife how great he is:


Much love to the happy couple and I can't wait to see what their future holds. Okay, truth be told, I can't wait to hold their baby when that day comes.

On The Outside

We are home from Sacramento and are getting back to our old routine. My grandfather bounced back from his heart attack and has been moved to a skilled nursing facility. His kidneys are failing so he is receiving minimal intervention, as he is considered "hospice" or "comfort care" at this point. I tried to spend as much time with my Nana as I could. It is so fun watching Reade interact with her. He gets into a special happy place that only two kindred spirits, who share the same birthday, can get into to. It kills me to be far away from the family and reminds me of a kid longing to get into a candy shop. So is life and I pray the transition my grandfather is going through is peaceful and uncomplicated.

Wash of Emotion

I am in Sacramento so I am not sure how often I will be able to blog. My grandfather had a heart attack and is in intensive care. Most likely he will be moved to hospice in the next day or so where he can spend the remainder of his great life surrounded by family.

My mother finally got her new, Bosche dishwasher. Boy am I happy we don't have to hand wash all the dishes that are piling up! I am an appliance junkie and just finished reading the manual cover to cover (in true American fashion I only read the English part). I have always dreamed of being an appliance salesperson.

Ain't she pretty:


My mom laughed at me when I tried to memorize the "seating chart" for the silverware. Do they really expect us to memorize where each utensil should go? If I didn't have small children I would have been all over that. Just remember that everyone's serving fork has a special place in every dishwasher!:

She Did It!

Ellen competed in her first sprint triathlon this morning. She was strong, happy, and inspiring. Andrew finished in 1 hour, 2 minutes. Ellen finished in 2 hours, 15 minutes. They swam, biked, and ran/walked their hearts out. David was an excellent co-cheerleader (he even watched Blake for most of it). What can I say, they are a great team. Ellen looked like a million dollars when she finished and is talking about doing another one sometime soon. We are so proud of her and can't wait to cheer her on again.

Getting ready:


Showing their support:


Future swimmer:


Andrew's transition area:


Ellen's transition area:


She finished! Eating snacks:


Don't they look great for having just completed a sprint triathlon:


Here is a video compilation:


All of us looking a bit crazy at dinner (notice my first restaurant salad):


I knew all along Ellen would do great, but I had no idea she would shine like a star when she was finished!

Up Too Late

Nothing like preparing for a fun event the night before. Here's to waking up at 4:15am!

What $20 Gets You

Here is my new $20 craigslist cabinet:


To my surprise, it was pink inside. The pink makes me happy. I need some estrogen in a house of testosterone:

Reade (Three Months)

Will you be mad at me baby? Will you be mad that I took your 3 month photo on the day you turned 4 months? Will you be mad I did the photo shoot at night instead of using natural lighting? Will you be mad that I broke the cycle by using a yellow sheet for the backdrop because your older brother was upstairs asleep on the blue and green one? I hope not because I still love you as much as a mommy could possibly love her baby.



At 3 Months I:
* Can hold my head up
* Am wearing 6-12 month clothing
* Got my brother's cold resulting in another chest X-Ray to rule out pneumonia
* Find my mother and father completely entertaining
* Wake up without crying (sometimes I make cute squeaking noises)
* Try to laugh, but only a little gag sound comes out
* Let everyone hold me
* Can grasp toys for a couple of seconds
* Love to chew on my burp cloths (not so much on toys)
* Have good and bad nights (waking approx. 1-7 times per night to feed)
* Still hate the car seat
* Went overnight beach camping and slept in the VW Eurovan
* Will tolerate stroller rides now
* Don't mind when my brother sticks his face in mine
* Went through a long period where I barely ate anything and slept all day
* Still have a hint of red hair

Check out my Two Month photo.