My latest project

I'm going to take a free grad course from MIT OpenCourseWare.  From 9 - 10 each weekday evening (and hopefully a few more hours each week) I'll be cracking a textbook and reading lecture notes.  Then I'll make myself do the homework assignments and take exams.  It will be the best parts of grad school.  And since I've told you all about it, I'll feel accountable.  What am I hoping to get out of this?  Three things: mental exercise, conversation fodder, and a sense for exactly what area I would like to work in when our children are all born and in school.

I've narrowed it down to 3 choices: Nuclear Imaging, Radiation Biology, and Human Reproductive Science.  What would you choose to study?

Things to remember

Lately, Mark:

• started saying "uh-ohhhh" for nothing in particular
• learned to shake his head "no" but does so by shaking his body the opposite way simultaneously and laughing like crazy because he knows this makes us laugh
• heard my dad snoring, crawled up to the couch, pulled himself up, and blew a big raspberry at him

Lately, Scott:

• has been pretending to be other people.  Today he said "I'm Cap Koop, let's talk on the phone.  Ring ring! Hello!  I'm Cap Koop!  I'm driving to San Antonio, it's a loooooong way, I'm marry to Juju."
• holds bedtime conversations with Luke.  Tonight they discussed the sun and the moon.  Scott asked to hear more.  Then he said "That was cool talking" and went to sleep.
• still loves costumes.  Pirate, cowboy, police man, Superman, "spinning clothes" (Mom or Dad's T-shirt), surfer dude, anything different

Lately, Luke:

• has been running in Vibram toe shoes
• wants Jambalaya at least once a week for dinner

It's a great time in life.

2 blocks from Karen and Daniel's new house!

Inertia

When it's been a while since I've written, I tend not to.  I feel like my next post needs to be important enough, funny enough, insightful enough to earn readers.  (This is silly, I know, because I'll tell you what you want, what you really really want: pictures of the boys.) Anyway, to start blogging again I need to be acted upon by an external force and my chosen, self-imposed force is this: write SOMETHING every day for the rest of July.  

I'd like to be telling you how the last couple weeks have been great, full of fun everyday adventures since Karen and Daniel moved to Monterey and my parents came to stay.  I'd like to show you the new eyeglasses I picked out (while Mom and Dad babysat!) and my new haircut (same!) and tell you about the movies Luke and I saw (ditto!), but doing that requires pictures and editing and I'm just getting this posting ball rolling, so ...

We're starting simple.

This is what the boys' window looked like this morning.  See the hummingbird!  See the redwoods!  And my neighbors' saving money and resources by line drying their clothes!

Love,
Jenn

Poppies

Hi, it's Jenn, your once-a-month blogger.  That doesn't really sound like much, does it?  But listen, one post a month over an entire childhood and adolescence is a LOT.  Well over 200 posts by the time each boy leaves home for college.  And since they're male, that will be plenty of documenting of their young lives.  Right?  Right.

This spring was the first year with two babies and the first year we weren't in Texas for bluebonnet pictures.  New tradition: pictures with the state wildflower every spring! Below, Scott and Mark with the last of the orange California poppies.

Scott in Fort Worth

Unable to tackle the task of recording all we've done since last I blogged, I've decided to just give you a photo.  My dad snapped this one the day after Mothers' Day; can you spot all 3 mothers?  I had flown in to pick up my boys and my parents drove up to drive charity laps on the racetrack and stayed to hang out with the grandboys.

Dr. Who fans ...

... vote for Ellen's sugar glider Tardis!

46th floor

We're here!  The Indonesian Mozillians are awesome.  Here's Jakarta from our hotel window, 46 stories up.  I'm zonked out like crazy because I started traveling at 5:45 am Tuesday and it's now Thursday night, but it's all so awesome.  Basically, we're here safe, all looks good for the travel, and I'm signing off for the rest of this little Mozilla Party/Tropical Vacation.

Be back in May!