BIGfoot

Last week Kenny came home with a swollen foot. It's finally subsiding today but it made for a pretty dull weekend for him. He is so antsy that it's hard for him to sit still. Despite this we managed to take the kids to a matinee showing of Wall-E on Saturday and of course they LOVED it, as did we! It was really well done and thought provoking.

The kids were thrilled to each receive a digital Wall-E watch for attending the opening weekend of the film. Henry was very happy with his watch, especially once with the help of daddy he was able to set it to the proper time. Rhys on the other hand decided that the packaging the watch came in would be sure to play the movie again in our DVD player. Once we got home he tried sticking the glossy cardboard into the player desperately asking for help.

Yesterday after coming home from a bit of grocery shopping I noticed that I had not seen or heard from Rhys for a period of time, so went to look for him. I walked into the kitchen and only noticed the bags arranged in this manner but did a quick double take once I heard some giggling and a "Hey Mommy I'm here!" I had to run for my camera. Luckily he hadn't moved and was more than willing to repeat his performance. He's such a ham.



Today is the start of the 2nd week of camp, and because his foot is still not quite fully mended I insisted on driving Kenny to work, so he was the 3rd person I dropped off this morning. He got a chance to see where the boys have been spending much of their days. We dropped Henry off first and Kenny took a gander at the day care facilities at the school, and then we were off to drop Rhys off. When we arrived Rhys immediately began playing with a boy who greeted him with a thunk to his head. Kenny and I were so bowled over by the activity in the room that we did not have the chance to introduce him to the teacher. All this was rectified by Rhys who walked up to her, took her hand and said, "Jamie, this is my Daddy" before pulling her up to us. Wow.

Love, the Cake Pirate

Happy Birthday Dad!

Last night we all gathered at my parents house for a BBQ in honor of my dad's birthday. The boys and I were the first to arrive and to pass the time we peaked into the garden to see all the lovely vegetables and fruit growing there. I was lucky enough to leave with a huge zucchini and handfuls of cherry tomatoes as well as more than a couple of very sweet peaches.

By the time Ben, Jamie, Dominic and Alyssa arrived the boys were already into their hot dogs and veggies. Kenny arrived just as the table was finished being set. The BBQ was delicious. It was another incredible meal prepared by my mom.


Stuffed we all sat around chatting about our summer thus far. Before long mom came out with the cake signaling desert. It was then that Rhys moved into position, situating himself right next to dad, and just as we were finishing 'happy birthday to you' he swooped in and blew out all the candles!

Main Street, St. Helena

I love St. Helena. I especially love Main Street, St. Helena. It's not a terribly long stroll as it encompasses no more than six to eight blocks but it's what's in those blocks that makes my heart beat faster and my feet ready to scurry down them. This street houses some of the most alluring eye candy ever assembled. It was so perfect that this past weekend the local theatre was showing Sex and the City.

My favorite shop has got to be Pennyweight. It's a tiny stationery shop with an eclectic mix of beautiful this and gorgeous but useless that. My favorite kind of thing. I love design and pretty things and they have a lot of it. This time around the shop girl pointed me in the direction of these new 3D pictures from a company that takes real butterflies, bugs and seashells, carefully placing them in a shallow shadow box and framing them just so. The butterflies as with the bugs were the most astonishing colors bright, luminescent and metallic. The bugs and seashells were taken and meticulously arranged in the most pleasing patterns! She pointed out her favorite which was featured in the front window. It was of a nautilus cut in half with one side of each half on display. I wish I had remembered to take pictures, but it was so hot that day and I don't think she would have appreciated it.

Right next door to Pennyweight is Paladium, whose sister shop called Patina is directly across the street. These two shops have the most amazing estate jewelry. So so pretty. Sigh.


Of course I must mention Woodhouse. This chocolate house makes the most spectacular chocolate molds for every occasion and holiday. I think people like to purchase the larger pieces for centerpieces! There are countless other shops I have failed to mention. They are a collection of shops housing designer clothes, shoes and handbags. Toiletries. Gourmet shops for olive oil, honey and olives. Books. Tons of restaurants.

Okay, I'm tired now and sad I'll have to wait until November to take another stroll down Main Street. That's it for now from your travel guide. Over and out.


Photo taken by Kenny on 6.21.08 St. Helena, Ca.

PS Best Wishes for a Very Happy Birthday, Dena!

Tuesday Two Weeks

Yesterday was the first day of day camp for both Henry and Rhys, and from what I can tell they both had a very good time. Henry was pleasantly surprised and happy with how his day went especially after seeing that his friend Timothy was also attending. When I went to pick Rhys up in the afternoon he was having the time of his life socializing with his new friends, but honestly when does he not have fun? He was so exhausted that shortly after arriving home he gave up and plopped himself on the floor by my feet, softly sinking into the arms of Morpheus. Two hours later he woke up recharged but not refreshed. After dinner and a shower Kenny read a bit to them before we finally got them to sleep just short of 10pm.

So it was no surprise that getting them (especially Henry) up this morning was a major chore accompanied by a lot of involuntary eye rolling on my part. I began to feel my face flood with heat as I had to yell for them (after asking nicely 5+ times) to get up, go brush their teeth, have breakfast and get their shoes on. You'd think these were completely new concepts they'd never encountered before!

When we stepped out of the door this morning I noticed the orange haze that I'm beginning to get used to and associate with wildfires. I read today that lightning has triggered some 800 wildfires in California alone! My eyes are beginning to burn just thinking about it. On our drive home Sunday morning I looked out the window thinking that something looked different about the scenery. It took me a couple of minutes to realize that there was a fine smog like haze hanging over the usually beautiful Napa landscape. The culprit was the crazy fires lighting up much of Northern California. Sigh.

After dropping the kids off I deliberated going into the doctor's office. I got a call last Thursday as I was packing for our trip that I should drop in sometime soon so that they can do some blood work to triple check that everything was alright after my D&C. Its funny when my doctor first brought up the procedure I thought she said DNC and my first thoughts were you want to do a 'Democratic National Congress' on me? What the heck could that be? Funny things you learn only when you have to.

Anyway I decided to get it out of the way, cause that's just the kind of girl I am. Get the work done and out of the way before I can get onto the next. So I'm driving down the 405 thinking 'good it'll be done and out of the way, and then I can start tackling my new list of things to do'. It then occurred to me that it is exactly 2 weeks ago today that I had my D&C. I was lucky that the miscarriage was confirmed prior to the procedure. I was asked to go to the restroom before and just as the doctor had predicted (she gave me a time frame of about 24-48 hours from the day before) a rush of blood was expelled. I was praying for some physical sign that the pregnancy was doomed, that I wasn't just taking my doctor's word on it. Although I respect my doctor and have great faith in her experience I was greatly relieved to know for certain. I had hoped for it to happen naturally but she cautioned against it because of her fear that my body wouldn't have been able to handle it and she foresaw me rushing into the emergency room at who knows what time.

Two weeks ago today I was thinking how ironic it was that I had mentioned that post by Sheye, because about a week or so before all this happened, I awoke from a terrible dream where I had gone into the bathroom, and sat wiping blood from myself. I tried not to think about it again, but it all came flooding back to me when the doctor gave me the bad news that my levels had dropped dramatically and the baby had shifted from it's stable position and was in fact dropping. I guess that was my whisper from God preparing me for what was to come.

Katey & Jeb Wed

Well it was quite the momentous if not death defying hot weekend. Although the temperatures were not any better than being in L.A. at least we had a pool at our disposal and all the air conditioning our little hearts desired up in St. Helena. Rhys was so enamored of the pool that he asked about it every second of our visit.

We drove up early Friday morning and arrived about 2:30 giving us a little time to rest (me) and a dip in the pool (the boys). After a few hours we headed to Taylor's Refresher to meet up with the rest of the family, some who live locally and some who have travelled all across the country (Chicago, Virginia, Nevada) and some from out of the country (France) and this was just the bride's side. We got to meet Aiden for the first time and boy is he cute!






Henry, Christopher and Rhys scampered all around catching up with each other. Rhys ran around making tons of friends mostly of the female variety. He's been quite the flirt. That night at one point he got a hold of my camera and started snapping some pretty good shots of anyone and everyone, and the second he spotted a cute little blonde by the fence he readily handed the camera back to me so he could join her!

Here he is in action! Thanks to Charlene for sending me this priceless picture.


Here is his last shot


And here he is with little Miss Cutie Pie.


Saturday arrived and we spent the early part of it checking out Main Street and grabbing some lunch before heading back to our rooms and the pool! The boys lounged around poolside before eventually going up to change for the wedding. Luckily for us the temperatures dipped a little and there was a pleasant breeze all across the valley.




The grounds were transformed into another magical wonderland. The ceremony was held outdoors not too far from the house in the shade of a collection of old tall oak trees. The bride walked down the aisle much to my astonished delight to Crash by the Dave Matthews Band. Katey was so lovely and the vows she and Jeb had written each other were so beautiful and touching there was not a dry eye around. Every single person could be seen wiping tears from their eyes.

I completely forgot until Charlene sent it to me, that on several occasions during the wedding my little monkey tried sneaking up to the cake to take a swipe at the frosting! Luckily many were on the lookout to prevent disaster! Charlene told me when she caught him, (I think this was attempt No. 2 or 3) Rhys looked up at her and told her to "Smell it!" Mmmmm. Thanks to Nancy, Charlene, Michele for guarding the cake!


Here's Rhys trying to sneak another dip in a pool.


We left mid morning yesterday and spent much of our anniversary taking turns driving home. We stopped off along the way at a place called Murray Family Farms. Its basically a roadside store selling fresh picked fruit and pies. We got there just as they were about to close picking out a fresh apple pie and a box of cherries. While we perused the little market Rhys scurried around the room and somehow found his way into the large refrigerated room. Once inside he began to jump up and down, so excited to finally be cool again. We got him out of there as soon as we could, but not long afterwards he decided to help the lady out by picking up the mop and dragging it around. We were fortunate that she found this hilarious, mentioning to us that he reminded her of her own son Brian, who is the same age.

PS I stumbled on this blog entry today that made my heart smile:

It never fails, when I am up to my elbows in nonsense something profound rings a bell and brings me back to where things matter so much more than settling scores and hard feelings. When our neighbors went to Saratoga this past weekend to see Dave Matthews Band, one of their son Luke's favorite bands, Luke's aunt wrote to the band to ask if they could possibly dedicate Luke's favorite song to him. Instead Dave Matthews himself contacted the family saying he'd feel better if he could meet them in person and spend some time with them before the concert. It happens Dave Matthews own sister met a tragic death which reshaped his views on life. He was very interested in meeting Bierls and helping in whatever way he could. So in the 20 minutes or so before the show her signed t-shirts, baseball hats, posed for pictures and hugged people when they seemed to be getting caught up and overwhelmed in the emotion of the moment. Just a great guy who really wanted to make time for people he'd never met before but knew the importance of caring for others. So did they dedicate the song to Luke ? Hard to say Jim tells me, since DM himself moved it up to their opening song it was hard to hear much of anything with the crowd roaring the way they were. I guess my question tonight is do I care enough and do I do enough for the people who need it when they really need it ? I'm glad an internationally renown South African musician cared enough about a family from Hamburg grieving the sudden loss of their oldest son to go the extra mile for them. Wow - A feel good story about a famous person with every excuse in the world to be a self- absorbed jerk who instead chooses to be a fellow traveler on the same journey as the rest of us. How can DM's humanity and character and humility be anything but a pleasant thought to end one week and begin the new one. And if ever a family could use a few feel good moments in the middle of the storm it's the them. It would seem Kinkos is going to have to resupply their toner cartridges before the girls finish printing up their pictures, posters, wall hangings, banners and so on from the concert ! Peace.
Posted by Justice4Claire at 10:05 PM

of surf, sand and frantic thoughts

Today Rhys and I spent the day at Will Rogers State Beach along with his class. Though it was the last field trip of the year it was also the first time Rhys has had the opportunity to ride on the magic school bus. Boy was he excited! As for myself it's been years since I've had the privileged and I must admit I do not recall the aisles being so narrow, but on the plus side I see that they have now installed seat belts.


In these parts around the month of June we have a phenomenon called June Gloom. It's a dreary fog that if you're lucky will burn off by noon. This is what I was anticipating while packing for the day's activities and so did not prepare for the possibility that Rhys would spend 85% of the time playing chase with the waves. What I mean to say is that mommy did not pack with any forethought. No towel. No swimsuit. But for Rhys this is no problem. He knew exactly what he was doing when he insisted on stripping down to his underwear for use as impromptu swim trunks. Dashing and daring. In the end the kids had a tremendous time and wore themselves out silly.

Since Henry started his summer vacation last Thursday we drove him down to spend a couple of days with Hilary, thus allowing me to go on today's field trip with a guilt free conscience. Only on our way home last night just as we were saying goodbyes did Rhys realize that Henry would be staying with Auntie. He was in a frantic panic! He immediately unbuckled himself and screamed for Henry to "get back in here!" It took Kenny sitting in the backseat beside him to calm him enough for me to drive us home. This morning upon waking he insisted that we go pick Henry up from Aunties!

I'm now frantically tidying things up before our trip up north this weekend. I'm currently in the midst of end of the year gifts for teachers as well as being in charge of photos CDs for parents. It's another agonizing labor of love project. And as soon as all that is done I've got a pile of paperwork to sift through before packing for the wedding; and the joy of looking forward to driving home on our anniversary because the boys have camp the next day.

the Graduate

This morning Rhys had what they termed as his 'Pre-K Promotion' or more importantly his Pre-K Graduation. My parents and Hilary met us at our house at 8ish before heading over to the school.


Since it was a special day we pulled Henry out of class so he could join in the celebration. Little did Henry know that Rhys would commandeer him in a choke hold-like hug, forcing him into the classroom and making him sit next to him. Rhys so proudly held Henry to him pointing out to anyone looking that "this is Henry!"


The program was sheer magic! We were so proud of Rhys as he stood up on stage with his class singing, clapping and moving around. It was simply wondrous!

i say hello & YOU SAY GOODBYE

I had hoped in a few weeks to happily post a note about an impending person that would have come into our lives around the new year. The past 8 weeks I've been sharing close personal space with someone I will now never get to meet. Today I lost our little tyke. I've been agonizing over posting this or not. I know that God has a plan, there is a reason, but that doesn't make the pain any easier to bear, and the truth is I miss the little one so much already.

only weeks to go

Lately we've been coasting along still patiently waiting for summer to officially begin and the last day of school. I just finished reading Sheye's latest entry and I found it very thought provoking. I've often heard these premonition like examples of what she's described as whispers from God.


Last Friday was jam packed. Rhys and I went to a birthday party in the park for a school friend. It was a beautiful sunny day and I was lucky to have such animated subjects.


Immediately following the party we went to fetch Henry from school and met my dad at home before heading off to lunch. Unfortunately I had a 3:30 appointment in Santa Monica so shopping was nixed, though dad got me a bag of oranges (we've been happily going through an abundance of fruit) before going home. We're so fortunate to have our parents so close by and so willing to do babysitting duty. I left the boys with dad for a couple of hours and came home to find a bit of a mess created by Rhys. In his tired and incapacitated state due mostly from the couple of hours playing in the warm sun at the park and the birthday cake (which he ate afterwards and just prior to me leaving for my appointment) he had not behaved properly for grandad.

Now Introducing....

As many of you know beginning July 1 in the state of California we will be required to have a handsfree device if using a mobile phone while driving. With this thought in mind I want to draw attention to my little brother's newest venture. He and his good friend Wayne have partnered up on their very own website called mobilesolutions. They specialize in.. yes, mobile solutions. If you have not already invested in your handsfree device now is the time to start, and what better place to purchase it than online in the convenience of your home or office without the hassle of burning up any more precious fossil fuels?!

discovering MUISCOVERY

I'm astounded that it's June. Just bowled over that the kids will be out for the summer in a matter of weeks! We've just been going through the motions for the past week or so just waiting for the happy day: The Last Day of School.

This past Sunday, my brother and Jamie came down to my parents house to present a little demo on a new interest of theirs. They are distributing a line of cookware made by a company called Saladmaster. This company manufactures a top of the line cookware made from stainless surgical steel of a grade that is not available in retail stores. It was an amazing presentation (they cooked an entire 5 course meal in less than an hour!) and quite yummy too! I'm still thinking about it. If anyone is interested in finding out more about this line of incredible cookware please contact me and I will forward the info along... if enough people are interested I might even host a dinner. Please let me know!

Today I discovered musicovery. This site is just amazing. Its the perfect accompaniment for long hours at work on the computer. Go see for yourself at musicovery.com. I hope you have a large block of time to play around with it!