Um...So It's BEEN AWHILE...Hey, We Got a New Baby!

Well, I realize that I have been totally remiss in my blogging duties. Actually, I've been downright neglectful. I'm sorry.

Okay, that's it. No more excuses or apologies. All I want to say is I AM AN AUNTIE!!! My sister-in-law Emily and her husband Chad recently welcomed their son, Benjamin Charles and I am so very excited! He was only 2 weeks early and is PERFECT, of course. He weighed 6 pounds, 5 ounces and was about 17 inches long. He is healthy and PERFECT - did I say that already?

Benj is doing great - he is breast-feeding like a champ and gaining weight every day. We are all so proud of him, as well as Em and Chad. It is like Emily never had major abdominal surgery - she amazes me on a daily basis. What a fabulous mom - and Chad is just, well - totally in LOVE.

Here are some photos from Mr. Benjamin's first and second day of life - please enjoy. Anyone who says that abortion is not killing a human being is INSANE - look at the miracle of life and know that God exists. Benjamin is a blessing upon this family and he is, at the same time, blessed to have such wonderful and loving parents. Welcome, Little Man - we are so happy to have you here with us all!

Happy Birthday, Grandma Lori!

Happy Birthday, Grandma! Mommy and Daddy finally got around to downloading pictures of me so here is a little entry to make you happy on your birthday! I know you are an old lady but I hope that you have a wonderful time while you are at Camp whatever it is for your ladies' retreat and that you have even more fun when you go to the Bahamas right after Thanksgiving. Wow - you sure are having fun in retirement. That Kaiser Permanente place really sucked - I am so glad you got to leave those a-holes and beginning living a little. You go, girl!

Grandma, I was SO busy this summer - I am sorry I wasn't able to get my lazy mom to post more photos. I had so much fun, though - I drove the boat with my Grandpa Steve, and looked hella cool in my red swim shorts and killer shades. The chicks really dig me, Grandma.

We came to California to see you, at least. That was so much fun. I'm sorry we have no photos of that but Mom and Dad were so excited about their new video camera that they completely failed to take any photographs with their old-fashioned digital camera. Boo! But you remember, we went to Train Town, and the Oakland Zoo and lots of other cool places. Remember when Grandpa Gene thought he would take us out for a nice meal and I immediately began throwing rolls and my toy blocks at him? Yeah, I didn't really like that restaurant much. It wasn't nearly as fun as McDonald's and the food was nowhere near as good. Maybe when we come for Christmas, you and Grandpa can take me to Chucky Cheese. Unlike my Mommy, I am not afraid of people in masks or walking, talking cartoon characters. I just laugh when Dad puts on a scary mask or wig.

Mommy is getting super-frustrated with this stupid website and how difficult it is to arrange the photographs - she feels like throwing the computer in the trash can at this very minute. As a result, I think you are just going to have to see the rest of my cute photos in a nice straight line - no fancy editing of any kind. The rest of the pictures were taken one day when I was "helping" Mommy in the kitchen. There are so many useful things in the kitchen, but I really like the hats that are available - and so does Hoss.

Well, I am sure looking forward to coming to stay with you and Grandpa in your beautiful house at Christmas. Don't worry, I will be a perfect angel this time. No throwing food, but I might try to potty a few times on your fancy new toilet. If I miss the mark a little, well - how could you be mad at a face like this? I love you!!

We are not dead - Just Lazy

Hello - sorry no pictures. We are fine - all are doing great. Our hard drive recently crashed so we are in the process of reinstalling all of our programs so - I've not been able to move pics from my camera to the computer as of late.

Wyatt is doing GREAT - he is such a big boy. Still not saying too much - "Da" for dog, "Ba" for ball, "Ba-Pa" for Grandpa, Nana, Momma (which means me or Justin - we are both Momma) and a few other random words. I'll tell you what, though - the kid has the agility and balance of an African gazelle. He amazes me daily with his climbing capabilities - scaring the crap out of me on a regular basis. There I am, washing a sippy cup or something, then I turn around and he is precariously balanced on the edge of the coffee table, spinning plates and twirling a baton. Okay, that may be a slight exaggeration but really - the kid is amazing with the motor skills.

Justin and I are doing great, too - Justin is looking for another job (one as a lawyer, and not a office administrator). He is tired of running the hen house (the court's office) and I can hardly blame him. It is him, two male judges, and a gaggle of women aging in range from 20 to 65 - I would lose my mind, too. I am still loving working for Miss Lynn - my goodness, we are coming up on 2 years. I can't believe the time has gone that fast but it is true.

We are leaving Wednesday morning for California. This will be Wyatt's first vacation, first plane ride, first beach visit, etc. I hope I don't lose my mind on this vacation what with all the "events" that Justin is planning. OMG! Must chill out. For other news related to us, you can always check out my other blog, http://starkravingflab.blogspot.com. Anyway - just wanted the one or two souls who might look at this site to know that we are still alive and well and will post new pictures soon. The circus goes on in full swing!

Hello Spring, Goodbye Princess!

Spring has sprung - kind of. We had a few nice days over the Easter weekend but now it is cold and rainy. Wyatt had his first Easter egg hunt and OMG it was the cutest thing ever. He loved carrying the bucket most of all. The more eggs, the better. I don't have a picture but the best was when he fell down and smashed one of the eggs and then sat there and picked it apart. Here he is, doing his thing. He is also pictured with his Aunt Emily at church, clutching a blueberry muffin.

We also said goodbye this month to our girl, Princess. Princess was sixteen years old - that's pretty damned old for a labrador. They usually live about 10 - 12 years. Princess had a gigantic tumor on her side and was blind, almost deaf and pretty much incontinent. We put her down and it was very peaceful. The vet was great and we got to be with her until she died. After that we had her picked up by Michelle, a kind soul who makes a living incinerating animal corpses - barf me out! - whoops, slight digression. So - Princess was cremated and she is now sitting in a nice white box (about the size of a large brick) on a shelf in the garage. No urn is good enough for Princess - we are saving our money so that Justin can put her in a nice wooden box with a gold name plate (we think it should say Princess "Poop Bag" Breck). Should make for a nice foot rest. God bless Princess - may she rest in peace and have all the pizza she could ever want.

We had some serious concerns about Hoss, our other dog, because he has been with Princess since he was six weeks old. We talked to the doctor, did online research and wanted to be sure we knew how to handle a serious dog depression. The doctor told us that Hoss would "definitely look for Princess" and that he might suffer loss of appetite and an overall lack of energy. I tell you what - that dog hasn't looked for Princess ONCE. He is so happy to be let in the house and get to spend time with us (especially his new friend, Wyatt) that I don't think Hoss has even noticed that Princess is gone. Really - he hasn't suffered a single ill effect. Maybe he was sick of her after all. Who knows - in any event, we are back to one dog and one cat and Wyatt is really enjoying getting to know his "Da." When you say "dog" or he hears a dog bark, Wyatt says "whuh," like he is barking.

Finally, here is my cutie boy after dumping a bowl of Cheerios over his head - unfortunately you cannot see the Cheerios in his hair in this picture. I love this kid!

We are still waiting on the bar results but they should be out next week. We will keep everyone posted. Happy spring, everyone!

Alive and Recovering from Bar Exam Hell

Hello to everyone! I'm sure many of you thought that perhaps Justin, Wyatt and I had fallen over a cliff sometime in January, never to be heard from again. It's just not true, after all. We were just studying like crazy persons for the bar exam which we both took in the last week of February. I didn't have any extra time for screwing off and blogging is certainly in that category. Now that we are done with the exam, I am dedicated to resuming my incurable habit of screwing off as much as possible and promise to provide more blog entries in the coming months.

Unfortunately, I just spent over an hour creating a darling and endlessly amusing blog post filled with cute quotes and charming pictures and then suddenly, without warning, my computer told me that the Internet had to close down and sorry, your whole damned post is completely lost. So - I am too tired to recreate the whole thing and will just post all of the cute photos sans the dazzling commentary. Sorry - you'll just have to call me.

Isn't he cute - "talking" on the cell phone and showing off his first facial abrasion. I think he is pointing to his ear, too. He can't say it but he can sure point at things and grunt!

That is my precious boy - he will be 16 months on March 22 - can you believe it?!!! Currently contemplating another one but not officially "working on it" until later this year. I can't wait!

Holiday Memories

Hi there! Sorry it has been so long since we last posted but you know - the crazy holidays were upon us and we were a bit overwhelmed. In any event, here are some pics to share with everyone. Happy New Year - 2007 is going to be wonderful, I can tell.

Here is Wyatt with his Auntie Jessica, who came to visit for Thanksgiving. Such cuties!

Mommy and Wyatt next to our Christmas tree, fetched from the wild woods of Montana.

Stephanie and her fabulous boss, Lynn M. Clark at the Lakeside Law Office Christmas Party.

Wyatt and Auntie Emily open a present.

Wyatt and Uncle Tyler play with Wyatt's new sled.

Hoss and Princess enjoy their Christmas bones. This is, quite possibly, Princess's last Christmas.

Wyatt tries out his new sled in the snow. It works!

I can't seem to add anymore pictures for some reason. I will do another post soon, I promise!!

Happy First Birthday, Little Man!

It seems like only yesterday that I was picking that little bug up for the first time - only five pounds, eleven ounces! He was so tiny, but for some reason I was never afraid to pick him up like I thought I might be - it was just so totally natural! We had already picked out his name months before so we had no trouble deciding what to call him - our little Wyatt was so perfect and Mommy was just glad to have him outside her body, finally!




Wyatt was so little that sometimes, it WAS a little unnerving to handle him - especially in the bath. Mommy was always nervous to bathe Wyatt but his Daddy took to it very well. Justin was a fabulous Daddy from the very start and continues to be the best Dad ever.






Then, we don't know what happened (formula) but Wyatt became a big boy very quickly. In fact, he was in the 95th percentile for weight - how advanced! Some people were concerned about his big boy status but Mommy was never worried because she knew that Wyatt was just perfect the way he was and anyway, who wants a skinny baby? Wyatt did not fall far from the Brainerd tree when it comes to eating. There has not been a food yet, in his first year, that Wyatt has turned away. That's our boy!



Before we knew it, Wyatt was SO big - Mommy's biceps are nice and strong now, thanks to hefting Wyatt here and there. Wyatt grew plenty of lovely blond hair - it grew and grew, until Mommy and Daddy could no longer contain the urge to break out the clippers. Wyatt's lovely blond hair is now in a baggie in Mommy's nightstand drawer (supposedly on its way into that baby book she keeps meaning to finish).


Now Wyatt looks like a little boy - what happened to my little baby?



Wyatt has not begun to walk just yet but he has gotten quite proficient at "cruising," the official word (according to all baby books and magazines) for staggering around holding onto anything within reach. Wyatt has just started climbing the stairs, which scares Mommy to death, especially when he tries to go down, head first.



We celebrated Wyatt's first birthday tonight. Grandpa Steve, Nonna, Auntie Em and Uncle Chad and Uncle Tyler all came over to celebrate. Wyatt ate pizza with Grandpa, and did not disappoint us with the whole cake-eating thing. Not only did he shove a whole piece in his face but he also shoved it into his ear. We had to use Q-tips to fix that little problem. Wyatt got some fun gifts - Mommy is so glad that he will have more entertainment now besides HER. Yay! Enjoy the birthday photos and thanks to everyone for the wonderful gifts and love