first set of pigtails

and a hearty thank you to aunt laura for the awesome outfit.  

return of theme day: hipsters

why are these kids so happy?  is it because theme day is back?  (or is it really because i am singing the itsy bitsy spider in order to make them smile for the camera?)

it's true, we took a long hiatus from theme days.  but, this one was just too good to pass by.  larkin, luella's cousin, recently handed down two pairs of skinny jeans to luella.  t.j. joked with shari about making carlyle wear them, and out of that joke, a great idea was born.

now, i realize that there are some essential components missing from their hipster getup.  for instance, one or both of them should be wearing TOM shoes.    or at least one of them should have dark hair.  or, there should be some tattoos present.  but, all but the first of these seemed a bit invasive.  this is just for fun, folks...let's not get carried away. 

i will try to come up with some more themes at some point.  but, we are about to go to massachusetts for a month.  so, you may have to wait until after we have returned from there. 

yay!  stay cool.

dad's day.

t.j. definitely deserved a happy father's day.  he is such a good daddy.  carlyle and luella both just LOVE him.  one of their favorite sounds in the whole world is the coffee grinder.  they know this sound means dad is about to explode into the room singing some song and gobbling them up with hugs.  i know many of you know how charming and funny my hubby is, so just imagine how colossally awesome t.j. is to two little toddlers.

we celebrated all day long, but i think the highlight would be going to this drive-up diner called j.b.'s.  it was a big hit with t.j. and me.  chicken tenders? yes. cheeseburgers? yes.  onion rings? yes.  homemade root beer? yes, yes.  sadly, our children were not as thrilled with their grilled cheese sandwich.  weirdos.  t.j. and i may or may not have eaten that too.  i mean, it was just sitting there. 

anyway, all that to say, t.j., i love you and i love watching you be a dad.  you are a natural. 

shoo fly.

luella and carlyle were staring out the window.  this has become a favorite activity.  anyway, luella abruptly starts screaming and walks over to me for comfort.  i'm thinking she fell, or hit her head, or something else.  but, then i realize that there was a housefly bouncing and buzzing about the window.  apparently, luella does not like flies.  i don't really blame her.  but, man, was she upset. 

so, of course, i wonder what carlyle will do.  will the fly upset him as well?  will i soon have two crying kids in my lap? um, no, carlyle is actually trying to catch it with his little hands.  and, he got quite close to grabbing it.  i think he was trying to protect his little sis. 

starstruck city

so, some of you know that i got to see one of my heroes, a writer named anne lamott, a few months ago.  she spoke at an independent bookstore in denver (the tattered cover).  after her talk, i waited in line with my friend and i got to have her sign my book as well as take a photo with her.  as i waited in line, i tried to think of the perfect thing to say to her..."you're my hero" or "your work has helped me time and again" or "i really believe we could be best friends" or something much cooler.  well, whoa, once i got face to face with her, all i could do was mutter awkward phrases that i don't even remember now.  afterward, i was shaking.  the photo pretty much says it all:

riiigght.  can you say "giddy" or "dork"?  oh well...anne looks cool and i still love that i met her.

well, meeting anne lamott is now just half this story.  see, last night, t.j. and i went to see gillian welch and david rawlings play in boulder.  the concert was at this historic building in the foothills.    very lovely.  once we arrived, like always, first on my agenda was to use the restroom.  as i'm heading up the hill to the ladies room, i see someone familiar walking to the same spot.  then, it dawns on me why i recognize her.  i think you can see where this is going...

yes, folks, gillian welch was in the restroom...at the very same moment that i was!  incredible.  again, i'm shaking.  again, i find myself trying to think up the perfect line..."gillian, your music made me start writing songs" or "hey, want to sing a song together right now. bathrooms have great acoustics."  but, i think you know me well enough to know that i did not say any of this.  nope, i just dumbfoundedly washed my hands next to her.  i was about to say something trite like "looking forward to the show", when this other women (!) jumped in and introduced herself to gillian.  come on, lady, gillian doesn't need to know your name. oh well...gillian was very nice and seemed just as i thought she would. 

anyway, what do you think is going on that i have met (and by "met" i mean been within five feet of them) two personally important famous people in the past few months?  what is the world trying to tell me? what will i encounter next? or, rather, who?

girls weekend

oh, what fun to be with my college friends.  each one (including the ones who could not attend) is so special.  we (ellen, caitlyn, rachel, adrianne, amy, and i) did not do a ton in birmingham alabama.  just food, drink, conversation, some tears, some silliness.  it was perfect.  i love these ladies so much.  i just feel like i'm more myself.  plus, the hot humid south was so nice (i know some of you think this is crazy).  i love how lush everything is and how the heat and humidity almost imposes a slower pace onto you. 

thank you ladies for such a refreshing weekend. 

memorial day

scott, andee, and charlie came for another visit!  remember they were here in january?  it is so fun to see the three kiddos play together.  here are some fun pics:

it was only fitting that we break out the kiddy pool when charlie was here.  the first time the kids ever swam was with charlie last june.  i think carlyle and luella enjoyed it a lot more this time around.

charlie showed our kids how to kick a ball!  he was a very good teacher.  both the kids have been doing it all week long now.

they are all getting so big. 

look how tuckered out they are.  just a couple of dudes. 

thanks for visiting!!  it means the world to us that you would drive out of you way to spend some time with us.  can't wait until next time.