Parents

My mom: beautiful, 26, pregnant with me

My dad: handsome, 38, 7-day-old Karen in the carrier

Pictures from a lovely weekend

Six things I love:

1. My in-laws. This weekend we went to the Monterey Bay and peninsula with the Wagner family (minus Bridget, whose medical school doesn't break for spring).

2. We live less than an hour from the California coast. Let me elaborate:




3. Unimaginable creatures swim just off our shores. Meet the leafy sea dragon, who carries his unborn babies in his tail (daddy seahorses give birth!):

And the lined sea horse, who is a loyal mate:

And some jellies, who I never get tired of watching:
4. I love him:


5. And we love him:

6. And he's starting to show he loves back:

On Friday night, Scott launched himself at Uncle Ben and wouldn't let go!

Happy St. Patty's!

Flying kites in fields of green

This morning we had green breakfast with NO food coloring: green tea, green apples, and Irish soda bread taken pretty much exactly from Smitten Kitchen's recipe, but I mix in the raisins with the dry ingredients and don't bother cutting crosses on the top of the buns. I thought back fondly to the green eggs 'n' ham Mom & Dad made when we were little.

I think I need to clean my camera lens.

St. Patrick's Day seems to be a big deal out here, and tonight we're heading into the city to hang out with the Wagner family and see what there is to see.

I'm thinking about all my family and wishing you could be here to see SPRING arrive in our backyard.

Strawberries coming back after winter

This weed native plant is called Sour Grass and the leaves taste lemony!

Worms! Composting!

P.S. -- In other news, baby Wagner has outgrown pretty much all of my regular pants but does not yet fill out the maternity clothes. Blah. Karen, Kelly, Melissa -- where are you and your closets that I used to raid for full skirts and baby doll tops?? Luke has no stretchy skirts at all!

Lullaby

Such a beautiful song, sung exactly the way I wish I could. (The song ends at minute 4)



(I first heard this at your wedding, Therese. I cried a lot.)

Our new project

Hi there ... it's been a while! Everything here in California is going well: I finally learned how to make good red beans & rice (keep adding water, keep cooking on low), I have the first seeds in the garden, Luke finished up another Mozilla Work Week, and Scott's talking more and more. But it's our smallest family project that has been taking up the most time:


We're expecting a little one in September! I think I've been able to tell everyone who reads this site, and I hope so, because it's pretty lame to share such beautiful news via blog. If you look very closely above, in the upper right, you can see the little one sitting on his or her head, looking up and to the right, with little hands. The baby is almost 3 inches long now!

You probably wonder how something so little can be taking up so much time and you're right, that's pretty silly. (S)he is very portable right now and completely silent, but has amazing abilities to make me sleepy and, for a little while, nauseated and so I'm moving a bit slower than usual. Not much, just a bit. I'm looking forward to feeling the movements and ultimately meeting our new little Wagner. I think it would be so funny to fly somewhere with Scott just before the due date, hugely pregnant so three hearts are flying in one airplane seat ... but then I think about how big Scott is getting and how big I'm going to get and think there's no way we'd all fit.

With love,
Jenn

Just thought you might need a little naked dancing baby!

It's Fat Tuesday!

Dude, we've had the Olympic opening ceremonies, Chinese New Year, Valentine's Day, Presidents' Day, and now Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras = Fat Tuesday en français)! Eat your pancakes tonight! (Is that a Methodist tradition?? Methodist Men's Group Pancake Tuesday growing up? Anyone? UMYF? Choir Tour? Shout out to the Northern Hillers! Holla back!) AND spring has sprung here in beautiful California (<-- which I always, always say in my head with an Arnold Schwarzenegger accent)! All the neighborhood children came over and planted Karen and Daniel's wildflowers! I'm full of exclaimation points!

But tomorrow it's Ash Wednesday, and I'll return to more sober punctuation.

:D :D :D

Happy Valentine's Day

I'm a little late because I spent all day yesterday hugging Luke like this: