Inconceivables

Sappy Wedding Video

2011-05-30T20:01:00.000-07:00

I finally did our wedding video. It was sort of in honor of our 9th anniversary. Yes, it's sappy. I included some songs we both like. It's a little embarassing, but I thought I would post it because lots of family members are in these pics. Here it is:

Our Wedding

UPDATE: My video is currently blocked I think because I used copyrighted music (ie. music I didn't write myself). I haven't had this problem before. I am going to have to figure out some other music for the video.

Cracking out the viola

2011-05-29T20:52:00.000-07:00

I decided to crack out my viola because Pearl kept trying to imitate playing a violin by sawing a stick over her kaleidoscope. Once I got it out, she immediately wanted to be just like me, so we provided a uke to sub for her more life-like viola playing experience. She was baffled by the vibrato though. She kept either shaking her head or the stick to see if she could get the same effect.

Pink is all the rage

2011-04-24T20:51:00.001-07:00

It all started with a game of Bocce Ball with Granny Z. The game was hot, the stakes were high. Then a cute little girl in her brand new pink tutu showed up and the paparazzi went wild!

This girl knew how to work the camera.

Stoic.

Pensive.

Pouty.

Playful?

Then, we added a pink flamingo hat.

She liked the flip flops.

Cackaaaw!

Run away!

-Nat

Easter Eggs!

2011-04-24T20:33:00.001-07:00

Pearl really got into the concept of Easter eggs and Easter egg hunting this year. This was mostly fueled by a visit by grandparents from both sides of the family before Easter which they used to prime Pearl for the event as much as was humanly possible. Pearl was in candy heaven.

Granny Z had a great time teaching Pearl to fill her own eggs with candy.

You can imagine how much of that ended up in her mouth as soon as she realized she was allowed to snitch. Grandparents never seem to have a problem with snitching. ; )

Then Granny Z had this idea that we could decorate our tree with eggs after Pearl saw another tree decorated with eggs when we all went on a walk and didn't want to leave it. I think we will keep the eggs and hang them up in years to come.

Then Grandpa and Grandma B participated in an epic egg hunt which mostly involved Grandma B standing behind Pearl and pointing out eggs that were in plain sight to Pearl, so she would finally notice them. Pearl would let out little gasps and exclamations as she "discovered" eggs on the ground.

Pearl's little neighbor friend Jos came on the hunt with her.

Then Grandma B had the pleasure of showing Pearl that the plastic eggs actually had treats inside of them. Wow! That was the greatest discovery of the day!

Thanks to both sets of grandparents for making Easter fun for our little girlie!

-Nat

Glenwood's Great!

2011-04-24T20:21:00.000-07:00

We recently went on a little over-nighter to a hot springs about 2.5 hours from Denver in the mountains called Glenwood Springs. It was way fun to just relax and hang in a nice warm pool together and take it easy in our hotel. Pearl even learned to kick and paddle to move herself around in her little floaty tube. I think I can finally see the end of being Pearl's personal slave/sherpa whenever we go swimming on vacation!

The edge of the pool had all these mineral deposits that made it look pretty cool.

Really, the pool is longer than it looks. The big pool pictured in the distance spans over 2 city blocks!!!

-Nat

Oh, Florida

2011-04-03T21:24:00.001-07:00

Yup, Florida. We went because of a conference for Bryan's work in Orlando and a few days afterwards he also got the chance to get a new magnetic nose as long as he agreed to be the guinea pig for some anaplastologists who were teaching the technique at a conference in Tampa. In between the two commitments we were able to squeeze in a visit to Norm and Diana, our Jewish Fairy God-parents in Miami. It was pretty exciting in that Pearl became very sick during the trip and had us pretty worried. But she came back alive and well, so it turned out ok.

Bry's conference happened to be in Seaworld, so the first day while Pearl was still well, we went! Here Pearl is standing at the baby stingray tank. I got to touch and feed the big ones and Pearl thought that was hillarious.

Pearl absolutely loved the penguin exhibit, so we went through twice. Then I played one of those carnival games for her afterwards so she could have a stuffed penguin to play with. She walked it around and talked to it for quite a while.

Bry joined us after his conference was over and we saw the dolphins frolick and were able to touch them! They had all these scrapes and cuts along their backs so I naturally thought that people had tried to scratch and cut them, but I later found out that dolphins are like puppies and like to nip and bite each other for fun. Wo.

I was pretty psyched about the manitees too because they are so disporportunate. Tiny heads and fins but HUGE bodies. They were eating lettuce. This one weighs 2,500 pounds!

At Diana and Norm's house in Diana's backyard.

Diana had a way with Pearl.

We spent a lot of time in the hotel since Pearl was sick most of the time. We got really familiar with the TV. Luckily the hotel staff cleaned up a lot of the puke messes, which was a huge bonus.

While in Tampa for Bry's nose, we were able to drop by NCECA (a National Ceramic Organization) to see Dad Burningham in his element. He introed us to his compadres and we got to see the awesome ceramic show that was going on. Dad couldn't resist chasing Pearl around a bit. She loved it ofcourse.Here are some really cool pots that were at the show. I adore the glaze!

This picture is just illustrating how my father-in-law is such a rebel. Nothing new. Barefoot down the sidewalk in downtown Tampa.

-Nat

Basserina

2011-04-03T21:04:00.000-07:00

Lately, Pearl is trying to dance like a "basserina" or ballerina.

-Nat

Manuel Labor

2011-03-18T20:38:00.000-07:00

A little "manuel labor" never hurt anyone, right? Well, I've decided that's not entirely true. After my most recent home improvement projects, I still have a sore back and neck- even after getting some professional massages. The projects were worth every ache though. Check it out!

I made a growth chart for Pearl. I also included Bry and I at the top, fulling expecting it to be a shrinkage chart for us.Here we have a "before" picture of our laundry room. This is the "after!" Bryan's old boss gave us some hand-me-down cabinets and I sanded and painted them to fit into our laundry room decor. They were a dark cherry finish. This is where I got most of the knots in my back. Sanding was a mother. Bry was key to installing them on the walls. Couldn't have done it without him!
It has been so awesome to be able to have more storage space. We are simply revelling in it. And those sliding shelves... wow!
-Nat

Steamboat

2011-03-18T20:25:00.000-07:00

We decided to go on a weekend getaway to Steamboat Springs back in February over President's Day weekend. We've never been, so our main objective was simply to explore the place, oh, and definately hit the hot springs.

We spent several hours wandering around their tiny downtown area that smelled like sulfur because of the hot springs.

We were super lucky to be able to go cross country skiing while our friends Thane and Annie watched Pearl. The snow was super, super deep and powdery. We had to break trail all the way up to our knees the whole way. Well... my knees, maybe not Bryan's knees.

The parking lot wasn't plowed yet and we decided to take a chance and basically bury our car in the snow in order to park, hoping that some gallant soul would be around by the time we were done to help push us out. It turns out that there were 2 gallant souls who helped push us out in the end. This is a picture of what it looked like after Bryan basically dug out all the side with a scrap of plastic.

Yeehaw! Bryan visited a cowboy store and became inspired to purchase his first pair of cowboy boots!

Pearl loved snitching the brownie batter back at the condo. A girl after my own heart.

-Nat

Pearl's New Dance Moves

2011-01-19T17:08:00.000-08:00

Pearl has been developing more of her own dance moves, practicing almost daily.

Sleeping Under the Christmas Tree

2010-12-28T20:55:00.001-08:00

Here is the song that Bry and I wrote on Christmas Eve together. We are pretty proud of it since it is the first song we have written together. It's about time we did that, eh?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwseoKvRj7E

-Nat

Train Video

2010-12-26T22:09:00.000-08:00

Here is the link to the video I took on Christmas morning of Pearl encountering her first train set. It's 6 minutes long, so save it for when you are really bored. I just couldn't edit much of it though because I thought her little words were so cute.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWR7R5sYKfI

-Nat

Tandem Dancing

2010-12-19T22:06:00.000-08:00

A little goofiness.

-Nat

Grateful

2010-12-19T21:57:00.001-08:00

This year I wanted to start a new tradition. I wanted something that would help me remember the real meaning of Christmas and not focus so much on the stress. I wanted something that we could keep doing every year with Pearl. I wanted something that wasn't too cheesy and that I would actually do. I heard about traditions where people put things into boxes or mangers little by little all December and then do something with them on Christmas so I decided to make a gratitude box. We write on the little slips of paper each day (mostly) what we are grateful for that day, then put it into the box. On Christmas morning, this is the first thing I want our family to open up. Then we can talk about what we are grateful for before all the rest of the presents take over the day.
-Nat

Nog

2010-12-19T19:32:00.000-08:00

We had a little holiday eggnog tasting party yesterday. The main purpose was just to have some fun, but we were also curious what the best brand of eggnog is out there. I had everyone who wanted to fill out a comment sheet as they tried the eggnog, then they could vote for their favorites and least favorites at the bottom of the sheet. There were 5 different kinds: Royal Crest, Southern Comfort, Robinson, Meadow Gold, and Kroger.

I numbered the cups so it could be blind taste testing. No one knew what number was which brand until they turned in their vote.

Bryan compiled the results on a nice spreadsheet just like a good numbers nerd should do, but I can't copy it into this post, so I will have to do it by hand. Take note, there were only 9 votes, so the numbers are "not statistically significant" according to Bryan.

Here are the results:

1st Royal Crest

2nd Southern Comfort

3rd Meadow Gold

4th Robinson

5th Kroger

-Nat

Trains

2010-11-20T20:44:00.000-08:00

Pearl really loves trains, trucks, busses, tractors, etc. The other day I decided to draw her some train tracks that would go with the wooden train she plays with. She told me there needed to be cows and a house in the picture as well.
-Nat

Pearl Funnies

2010-11-20T20:27:00.000-08:00

If you turn your volume up to loud, you just might be able to hear the cutest toot ever.

-Nat

Spanking!

2010-11-07T22:11:00.001-08:00

Pearl has a rather different view of spanking than most children I know. Bry and I usually discipline her with time outs, and refrain from using spanking as a punishment. We do spank her lightly when we are playing with her or teasing her though. She has come to associate spanking with playing and joking, so when Bry asks her if she wants to be spanked, she says, "Yea!!!" and laughs as he spanks her. Then she says, "Spank mommy!" (which means, I want to be spanked by mommy.) She runs over to me and backs up as close as she can so I can have a clear shot of her bum. She thinks its as fun as getting tickled.

-Nat

New York, New York

2010-10-24T20:17:00.001-07:00

Last week Bry and I went to Manhattan, NY for 4 days. Bryan had a work conference and I just tagged along. Luckily Bry's company picked up the tab to our swanky hotel near Central Park. I slept it, wandered around the city, went shopping, waited in line for cheap tickets, and went running in Central Park whilst Bryan was in conference. On his lunch hour and at the end of the day, we had a lovely time walking to places, seeing shows, going to the temple, eating good and not so good food, and tandem biking around Central Park! I think the general theme for the trip was, "Oops, I forgot the camera again," therefor, we have very few pictures to show for our adventures.

In one of our "I forgot the camera" moments, we decided to rent a tandem bike and tour around the park. I pulled a random photo of a unsuspecting couple off the internet to illustrate the forthcoming story. We decided tandem biking was not for us. Why? Because we are both so bull-headed it was hard to enjoy ourselves and work together. We started out with me in the front, which totally didn't work because the heaviest person ends up steering with their weight. I would turn one way but if Bry wasn't leaning that way as well, we wouldn't turn. After becoming very frustrated and almost missing lots of pedestrians in the park, Bry took the front seat. This was also frustrating because I was at his mercy completely as far as steering, stopping and going. He took off without me once (I bailed when I realized I was about to fall). It ended up working better and we were able to make it all the way around the park.

We saw "Wicked," a show I have wanted to see for years. We got partial view seats, which means we were sitting on the very end of a row and our view of some of the scenes was obstructed, but they were almost 50% off, so it was worth it! Both Bry and I liked the show. I think I could say that I even loved the show. The other shows we were able to see were "The 39 Steps," and "Stomp." PS. Renting "Stomp" on Netflix was nearly as good as seeing it live, so you can save your money.

NY has a lot of architectural eye candy. I'm sure we totally looked like tourists as we stopped and pointed at just about everything as we walked around down town.

We tried a bunch of different eateries as it is our favorite thing to do when we travel. I think the most interesting one ended up being my least favorite place we ate. It was called, "Carnegie Deli," and I could have sworn we had been recommended that place by someone because the name sounded so familiar. The menu was full of delicious sounding sandwiches. Bry ordered their most famous deli sandwich that had corned beef and pastrami. When it arrived, all it was was a huge pile of meat in the middle of 2 wimpy pieces of plain bread. Literally, that's all it was. We saw the sandwiches our neighbors ordered and they were all just meat and plain bread or egg salad and plain bread also. They were the saddest looking sandwiches I have ever seen. To top it off, the restaurant only took cash payment. Don't ever, ever go there.

-Nat

Of biking and corn mazes

2010-10-10T19:03:00.001-07:00

One day when Bry came home from work, he fell into a trap that Pearl had rigged using the pack and play to make sure that he would never leave her again.

We took Pearl to a corn maze yesterday. Luckily she survived the ordeal because we ended up taking a lot of the cheater trails the people had blazed through the corn to make it through faster. She was constantly amazed at the sounds the corn would make when the wind blew.

She found a covered wagon near the maze and insisted on going inside, calling it a "bus."

Pearl is also recently very fascinated with her bike and helmet. She won't use the peddles, but instead scoots along with her feet up and down the sidewalks. When she wants to ride, she points to the door that goes to the garage and says, "I widy a bike?" and "hemet?"

-Nat

Belated Birthday

2010-09-26T20:55:00.001-07:00

Failed to post any pics that had to do with Pearl's 2nd birthday party and such. The same weekend as our marathon, we stayed in a cabin near Colorado Springs as a family and had Pearls party since both grandparent sets were there. My mom and dad kindly perservered the extra trouble and wind resistance to bring Bryan's long lost canoe to Colorado so we could use it and then keep it here.
We tried out the canoe in the local pond called, "Manitou Lake." Pearl was a little scared, but made it through the ride with only a few quiet wimpers and heart palpitations. Bry and I took it out on our own after that and got so bored of rowing the length of the pond that we resulted to ramming the cattails for fun.
We were relieved that Pearl agreed to help the boys carry the canoe, seeing as it's so heavy for them and all.

Here is our classic birthday girl pic. She is wearing her first ever backpack and is obviously loving the feel of it. She also had to be pushing her new doll stroller because that is how she spends about half her time anyway.

She got a new baby doll and studiously tried to feed it with the pretend bottle.

She was amazed at the colorful wrapping paper. Who cares what's inside!

That day, grandma and grandpa took her to the penny arcade and she was able to experience the wonder of 2 minute airplane, train, firetruck, and dumptruck rides. All her favorite vehicles.

-Nat

"Nose Off!"

2010-09-21T08:02:00.001-07:00

This morning Pearl found Bryan's nose sitting on the night stand. She pointed to it and said, "Dad, off nose." I said, "Yes, dad's nose is off." Then she proceeded to try to pull her own nose off saying, "Nose off." I helped her try to pull her nose off and then told her it was stuck and we couldn't pull it off. I then tried to pull my nose off, and then said it was stuck too. She seemed pretty disappointed.

-Nat

Sexy Kilt Wearer

2010-09-19T19:22:00.000-07:00

Call me bias, but I think my husband is the sexiest kilt wearer I've ever seen. He's got great legs for it. He wore a kilt for our wedding and I loved it. Anyway, we were kilt wearing at the Estes Park Scottish/Irish Festival last week and thought I'd share some pics.

We climbed up the fence and were able to get a great view of the jousting activities. Apparently jousting was founded in Scotland and the clan heads participated in it to show honor to their clans. I guess jousting today is a real sport and people get really serious about it. Their armor looked really heavy. One guy fell off his horse and had to have help to be able to move and get up again.

I made a sign for Pearl's stroller saying, "It's my birthday" because it was indeed her birthday that day. She got a few people trying to tell her happy birthday, but she basically tried to ignore them. I also got her a helium balloon which you can see her clutching in this picture. She didn't like it to float around, even if she was still holding the string. She had to have the actual balloon itself and she freaked out if she lost her grip on it. Later, the balloon -somehow- floated away while her back was turned.

We all had our own kilts. I just got mine from a friend, but Bry and Pearl's were authentic "McDonald" clan kilts from Bry's ancestry. We felt pretty cool.

Here is a video of Pearl running around barefoot in the grass. We thought she was pretty cute.

-Nat

Marathon

2010-09-12T21:55:00.000-07:00

Anyone who thinks running a marathon is fun has lost their marbles. I have the right to say that since I just ran one on Labor Day. My first marathon was 10 years ago and I had forgotten how I had sworn never to do it again after I ran it. Kind of like child birth. This time my motivation was actually so I could have some kind of sick family bonding experience with my brother and dad. It was my crazy idea.

I half heartedly trained for it since I sort of still believed that I am invincible and didn't need much preparation. This was probably my downfall. The first 20 miles were pretty dang tough, but the last 6.2 were nearly unbearable. I wanted to amputate my legs. Seriously. Fortunately, I was able to make it within my goal time at 4 hours 40 minutes though. Yea! Dad beat me even with serious shin spint problems. Michael my brother, came from San Francisco the day before, so he had some serious altitude sickness problems during the race that involved blacking out and throwing up. He still finished though. He's so tough! The medics gave him some nice oxygen after the run, thus the nose tubes in the picture.

We had a faithful cheer squad working the route at every point they could infiltrate by car. Bryan was the head and Lee was the second in command. The squad even made a sign for us to flash as we shuffled by. Zan was the papparazzi and documented our grimaces of pain and forced smiles as we ran by. I would have gotten a worse time without the cheer squad, that's for sure.

As for future plans, I think I'm going to stick to half marathons. Not as harmful to your health, but still nice and challenging.

-Nat

Finished!

2010-09-12T21:45:00.001-07:00

Yes, the bathroom is finally finished. Finished. That's music to my ears. Firstly, I got a new step stool for Pearl that fits nicely under the sink as well as a toilet paper holder that resides on the toilet tank.

Secondly, I used modge podge on some prints I bought and stuck them to some blocks of wood like so:
Thirdly and most proudly, I drew some designs on contact paper, cut them out and stuck them on the wall. I'm really liking the vinyl wall decal thing. I think I'm going to do this in some other rooms as well. Or even use it for Christmas presents!

Thank you for your patience in waiting for this project's completion. Yes Bryan, that's mostly to you. You are "off the hook" for now and are most likely not going to get "in trouble" for a while.

-Nat

Everything but the bathtub...

2010-08-29T21:06:00.000-07:00

For the last month and a half we have been in the process of renovating our bathroom. It has been an epic saga involving having to use the neighbor's toilet for 4 days, dealing with unexpected plumbing, flooring, lighting and paint issues. Yes, just about everything we've redone has had problems. It's been a real learning experience to say the least. But I proudly present our before, during and after pictures for all to see. Well, our "after" pics are not all the way done actually. I need to do a little decorating, but I thought that could come in a separate blog entry.

Before. Short, small sink, linoleum, "lovely" oak vanity, sink and lighting ensemble. (We put the vanity and sink out in the alley for someone to take it for free, but the only thing that anyone took was the faucet. The garbage guys finally took away the rest) Paint is a very neutral brownish. We had already replaced the noisy, yet still working toilet at this point for a quiet water efficient one (that came with a seat cover made of cardboard- don't sit on it!)

First thing that happened was tearing out the floor and installing tiles. I bought them at a discontinued tile store and realized half of them were slightly different sizes, but that turned out not mattering much after putting in the grout. I let the grout dry too much before cleaning off the excess and Bry and I spent about 3 hours scraping it off the tiles one night. It was bonding. The light was a huge improvement. Taking out the old one involved using a saw to cut it to pieces so it could come off the wall. I wasn't sad to throw it all in the dumpster.

The plumbing issues took the longest. Many trips to Home Depot and combining the advice of about 3 different employees (much of it was conflicting), we were able to tear out the wall, change the size of the outlet tube thing patch the wall back up and make it the plumbing knobs look fancy (because that's the most important part), and install a sink that I absolutely love and it's higher up on the wall (yea). It was lots of "fun" for Bryan and his friend Trent to hang the sink on a plaster wall. We took off the vanity frame and mirror and ordered a new frame that we will drill holes in to replace the old frame.

This pic depicts the progression of the other side of the bathroom. I had to patch up the wall at the bottom because there were about 7 layers of paint that came off with the base boards and that left big gaps wall. I had to strip the paint off the recessed cabinet because it would not take another layer of paint (already dripping with about 7 layers and not shutting very well). The stripping process took a few weeks and 3 two hour sessions of using toxic paint stripper that felt like a bee sting when it hit my arm. The last pic is the finished product of the cabinet, decorated with some leaves. (I painted the backs of leaves and stamped them on there.) It looks better in real life, trust me.

Here is Pearl offering you some Skittles. Unfortunately by the time you view this, they will all be gone. It also shows the color of paint I chose. It's called "Muscari" from Martha Stewart. Who would have thought up a name like that? Here I have an empty canvas just waiting for some cool decorating ideas. I'm excited to try some vinyl wall art and modge podge. This also depicts the baseboard, caulking and new vent job.

This is the final product of the vanity combo. I picked a lighter wood color for the medicine cabinet and that seems to help match the paint. Woohoo!

Stay tuned for the next installment.

-Nat

Rain

2010-08-29T19:39:00.000-07:00

Turns out that Pearl likes to run in the rain.

-Bryan

Reading

2010-08-29T19:18:00.001-07:00

Pearl is getting much more talkative. Here is a clip of her making various sounds from one of her favorite books "Oh the Wonderful Sounds Mr. Brown can Make."

-Bryan

Never Summer Wilderness

2010-08-05T13:04:00.000-07:00

The name "Never Summer Wilderness" sounds so mysterious and cold. I hoped as I embarked on a 3 day, 19 mile trek through them that they were named with the same intention that Iceland was named- that it was such a beautiful place that the founders wanted to keep people away by naming it something foreboding and unattractive sounding. This theory came to be true. This "wilderness" was indeed one of the most gorgeous places I've ever seen, complete with fields of vivid wildflowers and clear, shimmering lakes. It was a brutal hike, but worth it. I uploaded the pictures in backwards chronological order.

This is our "after" picture. I ended up taking off my boots and hiking in my flip flops towards the end of the trail because of some pesky blisters. We took a route called "Baker to Bowen Gulch."
I decided to take a swim in Bowen Lake. The water was crystal clear and the bottom was lined with lovely soft, silt. It was a spa experience to walk on the bottom. The water wasn't too bad either.

From left to right, Annie, Danna and me. The three amigas at Bowen Lake.

Wildflower glory.

Our tent we rented from REI. It was absurdly complicated to figure out how to set up. This camp site turned out to be an elk potty ground too. I was a little disappointed we didn't see any though. We were surrounded by small streams and the air was so wet we couldn't even burn dry paper for more than a few seconds.

Yes, more wildflowers.

This is Parika lake, the first lake we camped at. We pronounced it like "paprika" because it was fun that way. This is where we discovered much to our dismay that my water filter didn't work, but were luckily able to borrow one from another camp.

Here we are, not very refreshed after not sleeping well at the freezing shore of Parika lake, but excited for the day ahead when we would cross the continental divide.

Leading up to Parika Lake.

Here I am early on in the trail where my hair doesn't look so bad and I don't stink much yet.

We found scores of different kinds of mushrooms. This was my favorite because it reminded me of a video game I used to play.

One of my favorite aspects of the trail was the wild strawberries and huckleberries that were all over the place. They were small, but sweet and delicious!

In all, it was a fantastic journey and I'm glad I went. I breathed in the pine-smelling air like a cocaine addict and got enormously high. It was a natural medicine that I really needed and am still pinging from it.

-Nat

Drag!

2010-07-25T21:26:00.000-07:00

Natalie, for my Father's day present, gave me tickets to see drag race. I've always wanted to see one. Top fuel dragsters have always been amazing to me. It was quite the experience. The sound of the cars takes your breath away as your pounded by the concussion waves of the pistons. Turns out I think I prefer funny cars to top fuel dragsters. They just look more like cars.

Check out our video. Be sure to turn the sound WAY up.

-Bryan

Oh Cauliflower, Where Art Thou?

2010-07-25T20:40:00.000-07:00

For some reason we have been successful in growing most things like broccoli, lettuce, peppers, etc., but not cauliflower. This lovely shot of our non-existant cauliflower is shown sideways as chosen by the weird blog image uploading phenomenon.

We are very proud of our cabbage as it is our first year to try them and they are actually growing! Unfortunately there is a cabbage-loving bug living in our garden and I just can't kill it. I just hope they grow to maturity before the bug eats too much of them. Die scum bug!!! Stay away from our little cabbage patch babies!!
-Nat

Owee Stickers

2010-07-18T21:23:00.000-07:00

Mommy got an owee when she was shaving in the shower. This happens a lot. Mommy got to put a cool snoopy bandaid on her owee. Pearl thought this sticker was so cool that she immediately tried to take it off mommy and put it on herself. Mommy got Pearl a new owee sticker and Pearl decided she wanted it on her foot, just like Mommy. Afterwards, she decided the toilet needed her sticker more.

-Nat

Pearleese

2010-07-18T21:04:00.000-07:00

Pearl's vocabulary is starting to rapidly expand. She approximates quite a few important words like:
"dit" (dirt)
"dick" (stick)
"t" (blanket)
"eeyoh" (here you go)
"ahdidit" (I did it)
"nam" (food)
"upanun" (up and down)
"do" (go)
"waseee!" (general exclamation for something way exciting like a bird or a truck)
"uhmon!" (come on!)

Here is a video illustrating "uhmon." She decided to take the tape measure for a walk and felt it necessary to encourage it as she dragged it along.

Photo Fixups

2010-07-18T20:57:00.000-07:00

Mom Burningham is a photo editing guru. We are lucky to have her in the family. She spent a bunch of time fixing up some photos that I thought I would post.

Natalie attempting to surf. Getting beaten up by the waves.

Pearl could live on a swing. As long as someone is there to push her all day and all night.

Pearl is already a shoe hoarder. Ok, so her mom is. Baby shoes are irresistable aren't they?

-Nat

Collage

2010-06-13T21:27:00.000-07:00

I made a collage of pictures and videos of our latest big trip. We went to Southern California for a Burningham reunion for a week, then on the way home Bry and I saw the Grand Canyon. In all we were "on vacation" for about 9 days, not counting the 4 days before we started the trip when Bry went to Florida for work and I went to Utah for company. It was fun though. Good times. The video is about 5.5 minutes long.

-Nat

Peek a Boo

2010-06-13T21:24:00.000-07:00

-Nat

"Doggie... oof, oof!"

2010-06-13T21:05:00.000-07:00

We got to "dot sit" a few months ago and Pearl really loved it. She wanted to be with the dog all the time. Here is a video of her watching the dog from the doorway.

-Nat

Dust

2010-05-16T19:35:00.001-07:00

Pearl often reminds me of the wonderful little things in life that I take for granted. She drops her jaw and does a sharp intake of breath every time she encounters something fascinating, like a big truck going by on the road or an ant scurrying across the sidewalk. This is often accompanied by a soft and awe-filled "Wow." She loves it when the sun light in the laundry room shines just right and lights up the dust particles that are floating in the air. She tries to catch them and laughs at how they swirl around. To be a kid.

-Nat

Shopping Cart

2010-05-08T09:55:00.000-07:00

Pearl has learned a new trick with shopping carts. She grabs on to the bottom and starts running. She is great on speed but poor on steering. She is getting better on stopping. The first time she stopped she didn't realize that stopping her feet wasn't going to instantly stop the shopping cart, so it kept on going and drug her for a little ways. Now she realizes that she has to slowly slow down. Pretty smart girl, if I don't say so myself.

-Bryan

More Pottery

2010-05-08T09:14:00.001-07:00

While in Utah last we went down to my father's classroom. I made the jars and the toothbrush holder. Nat made the plates.

Here are some pictures.

-Bryan

Post

2010-05-03T20:02:00.001-07:00

For a while now we've had the back of our fence teetering on destruction. One post had rotted through at the base and we only being held up by the strength of the neighboring posts. Well, the day finally came, last Saturday, that said post was replaced.

Easter

2010-04-27T13:23:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to post a few pics and a video of Easter. Pearl was pretty funny about the Easter Eggs. She just wanted to hold one or two and shake them. She did not understand why we kept trying to get her to dump the ones she had in a basket and pick up more. If you look at it from her point of view, it does seem kind of silly, unless of course you know what's inside the eggs...

Dare

2010-04-27T13:13:00.000-07:00

When we were in Utah last, Bry dared me to jump from a swing with him when we were watching Pearl on the playground. I was surprised at how scared I was right before doing it. I guess I've been a boring adult for a little too long and have forgotten what it's like to be risky. Even just a little risky, I mean, we're taking about jumping about 3 feet here.

-Nat

Giggles

2010-04-07T11:51:00.000-07:00

Recently we took a trip to Utah and visited family. Pearl had a great time playing with great grandpa Bailey.

-Nat

April Fools Success!

2010-04-01T21:13:00.000-07:00

This April Fools I was challenged by my mom and sister to try to do something to Bry. I decided the one thing I felt like trying was cooking some weird foods for dinner. I found 2 recipes online and invented one myself, to make a dinner of "fish sticks," "banana layered pudding" and "cup cakes." Bry totally fell for it, much to my surprise. You should have seen his face!

Fish Sticks = mini Milky Way bars with toasted coconut on the outside.

Banana Layered Pudding = Pureed cauliflour with cheese and a little yellow food dye layered with crushed Ritz crackers. (My brainchild)

Pink Frosting Cupcakes = Meatloaf with dyed mashed potatoes for frosting.

-Nat

Pearl's 18 Month Doctor Appointment

2010-03-31T07:53:00.000-07:00

Pearl is now 18 months old. She had her appointment yesterday. She is in the 40th percentile for weight, 60th for height and 89th for head circumference. She is way ahead in gross motor skills but lacking in communication. All in all, a healthy little girl!

Bryan

Out with the old, in with the new

2010-03-19T09:20:00.000-07:00

We just got new windows! Yea and boo. We will miss our old 1947 wooden glider windows. They were one of a kind- seriously. The only problem was they leaked cold air like nobodies business so we have had super steep heating bills for the past 4 years. That said, money talks. So we decided to upgrade to triple pane *collective "oooo" from the crowd. The crew that came to replace our windows all comented on how interesting our old windows were, one of them even said he have never seen anything like them. That made my stomache twist with a little. Anyway, the deed is done and we are so loving the new ones. Our house is noticeably quieter and even a little warmer. I'm hoping to sell the old ones to some antique shop or some home decor place.

Old kitchen windows

All of the old windows lined up.

New kitchen window.

-Nat

Puree

2010-02-21T20:43:00.000-08:00

I am trying an experiment. I am borrowing a cook book from my neighbor that is all about adding pureed vegetables to regular recipes called "Deceptively Delicious." I want to try to boost the overall healthiness of our food, so here I go! So far I have tried several recipes and like most of them. My favorites are adding squash to mac and cheese and carrots to deviled eggs.
-Nat

Drawing Table

2010-02-14T15:53:00.001-08:00

I recently made a drawing table out of a cardboard box since Pearl has been into drawing so much lately. I tied the colored pencils and crayons on to strings so they wouldn't get lost. The first day she used the crayons, she started eating them. Mmmm.

-Nat

By the way, the silly link to our videos that we posted about the Surprise just doesn't seem to work. To see them, go to these links:

Surprise 1

Surprise 2

Speech Test

2010-01-27T18:45:00.001-08:00

I've had a couple surgeries and have been seeing a speech therapist. There is some debate about methods that sound better. As such, I've devised this speech test. Please take 43 seconds to listen to the clip. In the clip I read the same passage of a children's book three times. The order of the sequence is random in terms of method used. Please listen and vote for which segment you think sounds best, from a speech perspective.

Bryan

Surprise!

2010-01-26T18:34:00.000-08:00

Pearl loves to be "surprised" or "ambushed." I put that in quotes because in all reality she is fully expecting and wanting us to grab her as she walks by and often walks up giggling (as we pretend not to notice her) and waits patiently for us to grab her. Here are a few illustrations:

-Nat

The Explosion

2010-01-05T18:14:00.000-08:00

We had a little explosion last month. It happened in our kiln during one of it's maiden voyages. We were attempting to home-make some of our Christmas gifts, but this little incident cut down the "home-made" by about three quarters. We basically got the kiln too hot too fast and the moisture couldn't escape the clay fast enough. Who would have thought that wet clay could be so volitile? Luckily the kiln remains untarnished, but we document the pot carnage.

The few that actually made it through the explosiong or that were fired at a different time, were able to be "glaze fired," the final step in making pottery. I always love how they go in the kiln looking kind of pale and homely, but come out looking all shiny and brilliant. It's basically a magical process.

Before

After

Do you know what this means though? This means that we are now a self-sufficient pottery studio! Woo hooo!

-Nat

Stockings

2010-01-05T16:44:00.001-08:00

We spent the holidays at home this year for the first time. It was very, very nice and very quiet. In honor of our first Christmas alone as a family I decided to make us our very own stockings. If you know me very well, you will know that I have an inability to do anything simple, however insignificant. I decided to do a ridiculously complicated pattern that I made up myself and these little stockings ended up taking way too much time during the holiday season- and afterwards. I finally finished them... wait for it... today! Seeing as I dedicated so much blood (literally- getting needle pricked), sweat and tears to them, I can't resist showing them off.

Here is a back view. I think I like the back better than the front, unfortunately.

Here is the front view. I used pieces of fabric that I had lying around the house for the patchwork.

-Nat

No.

2009-12-16T15:19:00.001-08:00

Pearl has learned the word "no." She first said it after she whacked me with a large lotion bottle in the nose and I said to her, "OW! NO!" She then said, "no, no, no, no." Now she loves to walk around the house chanting it every now and then. She has taken to saying it most often when she is in the bathroom and starts to walk behind to toilet to access the plunger and toilet cleaner. She says, "no, no, no" as she walks closer and closer (I have told her "no" for doing that a few times...).
-Nat

Pearl can walk!!

2009-12-09T12:40:00.000-08:00

It happened yesterday. She was quietly playing on the floor while I was reading the paper. She picked up a drum mallet in each hand and then took 4-5 steps over to me with a little smile on her face. I was dumbfounded! She walked again (although she was not happy about it) for the camera (below) but hasn't wanted to walk since. Strange.

-Nat

Snow Fun

2009-11-20T20:29:00.000-08:00

Eat your hearts out hot weather lovers! Ok, really I'm jealous of you. Stress starts to flow through my veins at the first sign of snow fall here. I dread driving in it. I loathe driving in it. I would rather eat shrimp and play bloody video games. Someday we will live in a year-round sunny place. It was fun to see Bryan get all excited about his mammoth snow man though. It was so big, the head and body rolled off the very next day. Bryan still thinks it was some mischievous teenagers who did it.

-Nat

Just some recent Pearl funnies...

2009-11-20T20:00:00.000-08:00

The video is about 4 minutes.

-Nat

Turning 30

2009-11-08T18:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I turned the big 30. People kept asking me how it felt to be 30 and I would reply, "It doesn't feel any different to me. I just feel a day older, just like I did yesterday." The only difference seems to be that I just need to remember to write in the correct age when I fill out forms.

One thing I have noticed lately about myself has been that I am developing more and more preferences in life. I've decided I don't like to sleep with tied quilts because the yarn tickles my face when I'm trying to fall asleep. I don't like going to the grocery store during rush hour. I like natural, chunky peanut butter better than the cheap, smooth kind that I used to buy. I like to do laundry on Wednesdays. I like to put on my seatbelt after I start the car. I don't like being over-productive. I only like a certain brand of wheat crackers. I like to fix things myself. I think I can better understand now why older people always seem to have so many strict preferences like always having to wear driving gloves, or always having the same thing for breakfast. I seem to be heading there myself.

-Nat

Halloween Costumes

2009-11-03T20:21:00.000-08:00

We were Asian peoples.

-Nat

I don't like them

2009-10-30T06:04:00.001-07:00

Before squirrels:

After squirrels:

You'll notice they have absconded with Pearl's entire pumpkin. You'll also notice that Bryan's pumpkin is relatively unharmed. This is because Bryan's pumpkin is 'evil' and evil tastes bad, as everyone knows.

-Nat

Pearl's House

2009-10-28T11:28:00.000-07:00

I decided to build Pearl her own house a few weeks ago. It took some coaxing to get here in there, but she finally relented when we put our cell phones in there and all sorts of naugthy things she shouldn't play with. She has come to like it more and more lately. She especially likes it when I go in there with her. It's a little crowded, but that's the part she thinks is so funny.

-Nat

Pearl and her new fascination with clothes

2009-10-10T06:13:00.000-07:00

Pearl started a cute mannerism the other day. She will pull dirty laundry out of her laundry basket and take it with her everywhere and play with it. She's still not into stuffed animals, but by golly she likes clothes.

-Nat

The Beach

2009-10-04T16:35:00.000-07:00

I recently got back from a trip to the Oregon coast to visit my sister. My mom and aunts were there as well so it turned into an estrogen controlled vacation. Since Pearl was the only baby, she became the center of attention almost everywhere we went. She loves getting her picture taken though, so that part was fun for her. We stayed near Newport and saw the beach (although the water was freakin' cold), a lighthouse, a whale, the Aquarium, and the grocery store. We loved our condo because it had a hot tub. Pearl even loved the hot tub. It gave me something to do with her when she woke up at 6am and everyone else was still asleep. She would splash all the bubbles around her. Pearl particularly liked the sand on the beach. Here are some pics.

-Nat

Scottish Festival

2009-10-02T03:53:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Bry and I attended a world-famous Scottish/Irish Festival in Estes Park. I had the time of my life! There were so many men and even women wearing kilts. Bryan wore his kilt and it was cool that he actually blended in this time. The higlight was listening to a huge bagpipe band from Scotland all play in unison. Scottish people have interesting sports as well. Before they had modern technology and sports, they used to compete with their trades. The blacksmiths would see how far they could throw hammers, the lumberjacks would see how far they could toss logs, the stone masons would see how far they could toss stones. The festival had these sporting events as well. The participants even had to wear kilts while competing. The most interesting one was the log tossing or as it is officially called "caber toss." The video upload function is freaking out on me so I can't include any of my videos, but here are some pictures.

-Nat

Fun in CA

2009-09-13T18:49:00.000-07:00

Last week we visited Bryan's brother and sister in southern California for 5 days as a "Burningham Family Reunion." Bryan's parents rented an RV and drove us all there from the Salt Lake Airport. Riding in an RV is a very unique experience. I felt like we were driving a fifteen foot tall wall down the highway. I was amazed that we were able to reach 70 mph considering the lack of aerodynamics. I get carsick easily so I ended up in shotgun most of the time. Pearl had the time of her life crawling around and entertaining everyone. The highlights of the trip for me were jet skiing in the ocean with Bryan as he jumped mammoth waves (I squealed a lot), swing dancing with Brenen, and seeing Pearly destroy her birthday cake (video posted earlier.) We love Bry's siblings and parents so it was just plain fun to hang out with them. Bryan's parents had us wear tye dyed shirts for the reunion. Here are a few pics:

Pearly in the ocean with Mari.

Pearly pulling Grandpa's mustache.

The tye dyed clan minus Brenen.

Grandma having a serious discussion with Pearl.

-Nat

Our Japanese Friends

2009-09-13T18:28:00.000-07:00

We know some really great Japanese people. I homestayed with them when I was an exchange student in high school. There are two couples; the Aoyamas and the Taguchis. They came all the way from Japan to visit us a few weeks ago and we had a wondeful time. Whenever they come to the United States they are always shocked at how large everything is, including food portions. They would always have to share meals at restaurants so they wouldn't waste food. They took pictures of the long line of check-out isles at Target because it took up so much space.

Here is a picture of us in front of "Domo" restaurant. It was so popular we didn't get in until the second time we came.

This is Bryan sitting in front of the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park. We visited with the Aoyamas over the weekend and had a blast. The Stanley is famous for being the site "The Shining" was filmed.

We took the Aoyamas inside of Rocky Mt. National Park and hiked around a bit until it rained on us. Here is a picture in front of Bear Lake.

We all rode the Georgetown Loop Railroad. Mr. Taguchi is a railroad enthusiest so I think he enjoyed it the most. The ride was full of beautiful outdoor canyon scenery. I would recommend it.

We were very sad when they had to go back to Japan. We feel we love them and miss them very much.

-Nat

Happy Birthday Pearl!

2009-09-11T19:15:00.000-07:00

Today is Pearly's 1st birthday. I can't believe she is already 1 year old! It has been a wonderful and difficult year. Even after 6 years of freedom I have never regretted having a baby, well atleast while I was in my right mind.

I have really loved every stage she has gone through- even the fussy stage because I still thought she was so cute. My favorite stage has always been the one she was currently in. Like now for example, I swear she is cuter than ever before. She is crawling like crazy, pulling herself up on things, making the funniest words/vocalizations, laughing at strange things, eating paper, and the list could go on and on.

Today I sat her on my lap and told her the story about the day she was born while she intently stared at the toys she wanted to play with. We went for a walk and I let her play in a big sand feature in the park. Her cute, new outfit that I had just put on her became covered in sand but she loved to run her fingers through it and made adorable cooing noises. My favorite noises she makes lately have been, "Ooi" and "ohyeah." We didn't really do anything special today because we already sort of celebrated her birthday with Bryan's family last Sunday while in California. She got a chance to destroy a cake and rub it all over herself. Here is the proof:

-Nat

Pearly and the vacuum

2009-08-17T12:56:00.000-07:00

Pearl's nemesis in life is loud noises. Anything that is potentially startling can make her cover her ears and cry, even down to unrolling duct tape or shaking out a garbage bag. This being said, she really hates the vacuum. She has begun to start crying when she even sees it. Today the vacuuming adventure went something like this: The vacuum comes out. Pearl cries and starts to crawl for mom. Mom puts Pearl in a high chair to protect her from herself. Pearl continues to cry. Mom starts the vacuum and begins to work on the floor. The sound of the vacuum is the only thing mom hears, so she thinks that maybe Pearl is finally settling down. She turns around and looks at Pearl who is red faced and violently screaming, but the vacuum noise is covering her voice. Mom sighs and finishes the job. She turns off the vacuum and proceeds to rescue Pearl who is shaking and desperately reaching for mom. Pearl is now even more suspect of the vacuum. Mom tries to warm her up to it by getting Pearl near it but she refuses to touch it and scrambles to stay close to mom. Pearl wont take her eyes off of the vacuum as mom carries her around the room, expecting it to start up again any second.

Pearl Can Crawl!

2009-08-06T23:55:00.000-07:00

This is Pearl's 2nd ever crawl. The first happened earlier the same morning. But the time she did the 2nd we had the camera ready.

Bryan

I'm Back...

2009-07-30T20:44:00.000-07:00

I am a new woman now. Done with three years of schooling and an internship, I am now living it large at home. It feels really, really good to be done. I feel like I've accomplished something that has been very hard and therefore get lots of satisfaction out of it. As busy as I was before, I have absolutely no desire to become busy again. I'm finally secure with my stay-at-home hood. I had a hard time staying at home all day when Pearl first came because I felt like I had to do so many things each day in order to justify staying home and tried so hard to be productive. I also felt like I had to make sure Bryan knew I wasn't just lazing around all day while he worked. Then came the internship, fraught with extreme pressure and productivity for 6 whole months. I think I got so much done in those 6 months that I don't feel like I need to be productive ever again. Like I said, I am now secure with doing nothing- well, if you call taking care of a baby "doing nothing" than you are not a parent yet. Anyway, it's nice. Pearl and I sat on the grass yesterday and she sang her little songs to the plants and shredded the leaves. I worked on the computer while she ate a dead bee on the floor. I read her books while she drooled on the pages. We went grocery shopping and she told me what she thought about all the products I was buying and made sure they were durable by hitting them together. She is a fun little companion. As long as she's not teething.
-Nat

For Betty - Pearly Laughing Video

2009-07-07T20:30:00.001-07:00

Aunty Betty loves to see Pearl laugh. So, here is a little compilation.

-Bryan

Ugly or Beautiful Cheating?

2009-06-26T16:12:00.000-07:00

So, this post requires some context. The questions comes about from one
night that Nat and I were talking as we were falling asleep. We can get
a little silly when we are super tired, as was the case this night. At
this time I was also very sick. Here is how the conversation went:

Bryan: "I'm such a sissy for being so sick!"
Nat: "You're not a sissy, it is just a bad illness."
Bryan: "But you aren't sick, so I must be a sissy."
Nat: "It's just that I haven't kissed you ..."

Pause for a minute

Nat: "But you obviously kissed some other girl who had a really bad
illness ... I hope she was ugly."

Anyway, it was a funny conversation but it has made me ponder the
question: If my spouse was cheating on me, would I prefer the person to
be more or less attractive than myself?

Clearly Nat would want that person to be less attractive. I think I'm on
the fence. What do you think?

-Bryan

Analogous to Death?

2009-06-21T19:40:00.000-07:00

First some background. There are people that have various organs etc transplanted today. They do so because one of their organs is failing and without the transplant they face imminent death. So, to ward off imminent death they replace one of their organs with someone else's.

I looked to the fount of all knowledge - google - to see if there is something called recreational organ transplants. I didn't find any examples. People don't enter into a transplant lightly because of the serious side effects. Transplant-ees have to go on immune suppressant drugs to keep their bodies natural defenses from killing the new organ - which is technically just a foreign object. I don't know how this is different from giving yourself aids.

Several weeks ago I met a new doctor. In the course of our conversation he mentioned that I might want to consider a facial transplant. His suggestion took me by surprise and has caused me to question several things. Though I have thought about these issues, let it be known that I am NOT going to have a facial transplant.

The main question I have been thinking is this: If people don't transplant organs unless they face imminent death, does the possibility of a facial transplant mean that a disfigured face is analogous to death? Said another way, would a person prefer death to a disfigured face?

Thinking about some popular movies, it seems that pop culture does view facial disfigurement as something very grave. That said, even if pop culture views facial disfigurement in such a way, should it have any impact on how I view it?

Interesting to think about ...

-Bryan

Random Stuff

2009-06-07T17:53:00.001-07:00

Pearl decided to try to ride our friend's hog, so we humored her.My sister Nickole came to visit a few weeks ago and watch Pearl over the weekend. She and Pearl had a good time girling it up by painting toe nails. On Memorial Day I entered the Boulder Boulder 10k race with some friends. Here is a "before" picture.

The race is very popular and all sorts of characters come out to run.
The neighborhood spectators have fun with the race. This person set up a slip and slide in their front yard. There were lots of others who were passing out food, bellydancing, cheerleading, etc. It was great fun!

-Nat

Our 7th Anniversary

2009-05-31T18:25:00.000-07:00

For our 7th anniversary I took Nat to Canon City, CO. The main purpose was to go white water rafting the Royal Gorge, which was amazing. You can use the link below to see pictures of our rafting adventure, which was awesome.

The night before rafting the city was having a little "sock hop" in the town center. We went down to enjoy the festivities and Nat ended up taking first place in a Hula Hoop contest and second place in a Karaoke contest. I didn't get a video of the Hula Hooping, but here is a video of her singing Unchained Melody for me.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=111586&id=573592525&l=f31d0e28dc

Bryan

A Mother's Day song for Grandma Bailey

2009-05-10T19:04:00.000-07:00

Calf 5. Pearl 0.

2009-04-18T08:10:00.000-07:00

Over Easter we went back to Utah. We tried to go to baby animal day at the Jensen Historic Farm, but it was packed. It was the first time where Nat and I were super excited about going somewhere just to see how Pearl would react. The crowds detered us from going. That said, a buddy, Joel Jensen, has a little calf at his place, so we took her there instead. Turns out that it was a good thing that we didn't make it into the historic farm.

-Bryan

She'll love this when she is 16 ...

2009-04-18T07:51:00.000-07:00

-Bryan

6 Month Birthday

2009-03-31T19:46:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share a few pics of Pearly's 6 month birthday party (that wasn't really a party at all). We both were tired from work so the best I could do before Pearly went to bed was whip up a mean bowl of rice cereal and put a candle in it. We even sang "Happy Half Birthday" to her but Pearly was quite offended that it wasn't a cake and decided not to eat the rice in protest. She liked the candle though.
-Nat

April Fools

2009-03-31T19:23:00.001-07:00

This week I am doing an April Fools centered program at the nursing home where I work for my internship. I sing a bunch of parody songs and then pull a few jokes on the residents. For one joke I pretend to see a fly zooming around the room, grab a fly swatter and then smash it (a raisin) on a chair. I then pick it up and eat it. That one got some nice "yuck" faces from the residents. My favorite joke is my brownie poo though. I thickened up a brownie mix with some extra flour and then molded it into little poo shapes. May I say that replicating poo is truly an artform? I was very proud of the results. For the program I set one out of sight of the residents before hand and then pretend to accidentally find it in between one of the songs. I call a nurse over to grab a tissue to pick it up with. She picks it up and shows it to the residents. They all are grossed out. We discuss whether it's from a cat or a dog (they have pets living in the nursing home). I decide to try eating it to find out and I get a really great reaction from the residents, especially when I offer them some. Then I say "April Fools!" and some of them laugh. After my supervisor clarifies a few more times that it isn't real poo everyone else chuckles and breaths a sigh of relief. I still get to do the program 2 more times this week so I am looking forward to it. I get better at the dead pan face when I eat the poo every time. This may sound crude to you, and I admit that I too think that it is. But it sure is worth it for a laugh! Here's a pic of my brownies:
-Nat

Picnic

2009-03-11T19:38:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday was a very nice day here in Denver. In Utah it was snowing with an Arctic wind, but I digress. It was so nice that we decided to eat our dinner out on the back grass. It was very nice to not live in Utah ... I mean to have a March 8th picnic.

Lately...

2009-03-06T21:16:00.000-08:00

Lately I have felt driven to finish my long dreamed of picture wall. I did this as a last-ditch effort to "get something done" the week before I started my internship. I printed off a bunch of family pictures and spent hours at Walmart and Target picking out the perfect frame for each one. It was great fun and I am very proud of the result.

Lately we started to feed Pearl rice cereal. She didn't like it at all at first but after about 2 days of protesting she starting to act like she wanted it. I think she really just likes chewing on the spoon because she is teething too. I felt really odd trying to feed her something besides milk, like it was the wrong thing to do. Anyway, due to the introduction of rice, she has developed the necessity for some fiber in her diet (if you know what I mean). I fed her pureed prunes last night and she took to it faster than rice but kept making sour faces. I forgot that prunes are kind of sour.

Lately Bryan has been obsessed with playing Rockband. His favorite instrument is the drums but it's easiest to take care of Pearl while playing the guitar. He even instigated an Elders Quorum "Battle of the Bands" activity where teams consisting of 4 people each competed against each other to make the most points as a band as they played on 2 separate gaming systems.

Lately Pearl asked us if she could take the scooter for a spin but we decided since she isn't able to crawl yet, it might not be a good idea. Bryan let her wear his helmet at a consolation.
-Nat

Laughter

2009-02-22T17:22:00.000-08:00

So, we finally got Pearl to laugh. She has been stone-walling us for a long time. Occasionally she would laugh, but it wouldn't be prolonged nor reproducible. One night she was a little loopy and very laughy. Ironically, right after the end of the clip she went into a screaming tirade and fell asleep.

-Bryan

An Unpleasant Morning

2009-01-30T21:44:00.000-08:00

A year ago a local doctor helped me by putting some silicone threads in the drainage ducts of my eyes. After a year, it was finally time to take them out. The doctor did so and for a day and a half my eye was super irritated and puffy. One morning I got back from playing racquetball and the pain in my eye was going to drive me insane. Upon close examination of my eye in the mirror I saw the little sharp end of a silicone thread. After many attempts (it isn't easy to poke yourself in the eye with tweezers) I finally grabbed the thread and here is the fruit of my labors.

Bryan

Aw Crap!

2009-01-19T17:25:00.000-08:00

Our daughter is very talented. She can do many things. One thing she did that made us proud of her the other day was fill her belly button with poop. I had to document the moment.

-Nat

Camera Shy

2009-01-19T17:03:00.000-08:00

I wanted to get outside and go for a nice nature walk last Saturday. Bryan was kind enough to go along with my plan and we headed to Standley Lake, supposedly a nice, big open space with lots of trails. Standley Lake ended up to be the homeliest lake/wildlife refuge we had ever seen. It was just a barren wasteland with a few scragly trees and a lake in the middle of it, with no real trails that we could see. Besides there being no scenery to speak of it was really cold and windy. Maybe we just went went to the wrong side of the lake... Anyway I decided to document our "nature walk" that didn't really happen by taking some pictures. Bryan was feeling camera shy at the moment and I had to try to take pictures of him as he chased after me on the sloggy beach. Here are the results:

-Nat

Swimming Adventures

2009-01-11T20:30:00.000-08:00

We took Pearly swimming for the first time. We weren't sure how she would react to it, but figured she would probably be ok since she likes to take baths now. Once we got the swimming suit on correctly (it was a difficult process), we got her in and she seemed not to mind it. She kicked around here and there and even survived getting splashed by her cousins. She's such a bathing beauty.

-Nat

A Little Surprise

2009-01-11T19:59:00.000-08:00

We've decided Pearl has a classic case of stage fright.

-Nat

Christmas Sign

2009-01-11T19:50:00.001-08:00

I asked my sister to have a sign made for us that said, "Yukkuri to" for Christmas this year. Yes, it is a strange Japanese phrase. It basically means, "take it easy." I've decided I really need a reminder to take it easy (I get stressed out too easily) and something in Japanese would be way more interesting than in english. Plus I think it will be a fun conversational peice. So, here is our sign:

Let's see what everyone thinks the pronouciation is just for fun! Type it out in the comment section. If you want, also write if you think having a sign is actually going to help or if you have a better idea....

-Nat

Pearl's Blessing

2009-01-11T19:38:00.000-08:00

We blessed Pearl when we were in Utah over Christmas break. To our great relief, she did't spit up on her dress right before the blessing or cry during the blessing. Here are some pics:

-Nat

I'm a Narcissist Too

2008-12-14T21:25:00.000-08:00

I read a post by my friend Natalia a while back about how she thought she felt like a narcissist because of her family tradition to make up a photo book about themselves and give it to their parents for Christmas each year. Well Natalia, I feel like a narcissist too. I'm making something for our parents this year for Christmas that has to do with pictures of us - I can't say what it is because they don't know about it yet - and I don't dare give it to anyone but our parents and grandparents because I'm afraid they will think I'm incredibly self absorbed. I think there is a fine line a person has to walk when giving gifts that are about themselves, especially when they have a kid they want to show off to other people. And here is another temptation I'm presented with: A woman in our ward who is a freelance photographer took a bunch of really great pictures of Pearl that I totally want to show to everyone and their dog. I think to myself, "Man, aren't these the cutest baby pictures ever? They are practically a work of art! I need to distribute them worldwide so everyone can admire them as much as we do. Surely they will bring about world peace." Anyway, Charissa Spendlove has a really great talent for taking pictures. Here are 2 of my favorite ones:

-Nat

Poor Miamians

2008-12-14T21:16:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we were visited by Norman and Diana Elson from Miami. They have unofficially adopted me into their family. I would travel to Miami to have a majority of my operations. We met the Elson's at a hospital and they started letting us stay at their house. The relationship has grown and I can't imagine life without the Elson's.

The were feeling adventurous and decided to come visit us in Denver, which is not a small feat at the age of 87. Of course the weekend that they come Denver has an arctic blast of cold air and snow. Sunday morning as I was going to have breakfast with the it was 1 degree with a wild chill of -18. The poor Elson's are almost Popsicles.

My parents also thought it would be a good weekend for a visit. They were able to see Pearl and the Elson's in the same trip. This was the first time my father had met his granddaughter. It was great having them here.

Here are a couple snapshots of their visit (with some random Pearly pics too).

Photos

Bryan

Burningham Winter Collection

2008-12-14T21:05:00.001-08:00

This fall I got serious about making some pottery for the holidays. After slaving away in the freezing garage, I present the Burningham Winter Collection. It was an evolving collection. I started making some bowls to replicate a little bowl that we have and love. I got tired with that, so I started making some cylindrical vases and a couple other fun forms.

Nat took care of the glazing. This was an experimental firing and we are pretty pleased with the results. Neither of us had any experience with applying the glaze by brush. We had purchased 4 pints of glaze, which more than covered these pieces. We will improve our glazing technique as we do future tests.

For those that want to see more pictures of the collection, use the following link.

More Photos

The next form I want to explore are plates (once I invest in more bats). I might even try to make our own dishes. This will be an adventure.

Bryan

Terms of Endearment

2008-12-08T13:00:00.000-08:00

I was thinking this morning about how I am really getting used to calling Pearl "Honey" because it seems to fit her so well. Then I thought about how I call Bryan "Baby" and the Young Women I used to work with "Sweeties". I would never ever call Bryan "Honey" or switch any of the other names because they just wouldn't fit. Is that strange?

- Nat

Snow

2008-11-30T21:10:00.000-08:00

Snow has finally come to Denver. It snowed on Saturday and today. I must admit that I like seeing it. In the past I've thought that I am getting tired of snow. I've even considered in the future working in places like Bermuda to have a change of climate. There is a beauty in snow. It is pure and magical. Of course the scientist in me also thinks that it is way cool that it is the only substance that gets bigger when it freezes.

Last year I hated our snow shovel. Sometime mid-summer I threw it away. I remembered this as I was watching the snow fall. Here is a picture of a tree in our front yard.

Bryan

2 Months Old!

2008-11-18T19:26:00.001-08:00

Pearly is 2 months old now. She is giving us a run for our money. She seems to have acid reflux and every now and then she becomes "the Pearly Monster." It is amazing at what lengths you will go to try to get them to stop crying and how frustrated you can get. But her happy moments are great.

Here are some more recent pictures of her.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=70463&l=5253c&id=573592525

Bryan

Comparison

2008-11-12T12:27:00.001-08:00

Recently we dug up old pictures of Bry and I so we could compare who Pearl looks like. These first pictures of Bryan:

Next are some recent pictures of Pearl:

Last are some pictures of me:

What do you think?

-Nat

Our Cool Friends

2008-11-06T19:21:00.000-08:00

We have some pretty awesome friends. Friends who are not worried about what people think of them. That is something that gains our undying respect and loyalty. For Halloween, 2 of these type of friends came to our house to show off their Halloween costumes. I won't mention thier names to protect their privacy but if you know them, I'm sure they would love to know what you think of this video:

-Nat

Survival

2008-11-06T18:47:00.000-08:00

It's a good thing babies have many survival instincts. Pearl's instinct to turn her head to the side when she spits helps her not drown in her own spit up. Her instinct to cry when she wants something- food for example, helps her not to starve (though she could definately time her meals better sometimes). This week she has learned to start smiling and I have decided that can also be included under the category of survival instincts because it has helped me to not want to ship her off to China to be raised as a factory worker. The past couple of weeks Pearl has become what some call a "colicky" baby. She started crying for no apparent reason all day long. All day long. She just about drove her parents mad. We tried different medicines, soothing techniques, music; you name it, we tried it. So, when she started to smile this week both Bry and I just ate it up! She really makes us work for it though. We have to sit and coax her continuously to get her to smile. And of course she won't really smile when a camera is pointing at her. Here's a pic of a half smile:

On a different note, I think I turned a corner today in being a mom. Pearl was miraculously good and even cuter than usual, so I just held her and walked around with her, talking to her and showing her things around the house. It was so entertaining. I felt sad to put her down when I had to do things for myself. In times past, especially the past few weeks I have wished I had more time to do things for myself so I could get some satisfaction out of being slightly productive for the day. But I realized that her life is passing by as I am "being productive" and I am missing it. It's not worth it anymore to get things done for myself, at least to an extent. I'm really starting to dig this motherhood thing.

-Nat

Halloween

2008-10-26T18:44:00.000-07:00

Nat and Pearl recently went to our wards "Trunk or Treat." Pearl was a little bee. Nat was a conglomeration of flowers. I was sick and at home. Here are some pictures of my ladies and some of our friends from the event.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=65820&l=f0485&id=573592525

Bryan