Nope, not complaining!

Due to some persistent internet troubles and my own comings and goings, I've been rather quiet on the cyberfront. So I'll try to make some earnest effort towards catching up.

Today I'll relive a VERY happy memory-- the trip I took (yes, just me!!) to southern California to see a couple friends about a month ago. Here are some pictures... if only they could convey the insanely perfect temperatures, the happy breezes that greeted you every time you stepped out the door, the sweetness of my friends, and the complete and utter lack of responsibility I so blissfully enjoyed and so desperately needed! The trip was delightful.

I got in on a direct flight Thursday evening, ate some of Mychel's sister's delicious potato soup, was a terrible guest, and fell promptly into a deep slumber.

The next morning (after an incredibly restful night's sleep and a yummy fried egg sandwich) we found coffee, some picnicking supplies and went a bit south of where Mychel lives in Costa Mesa, to take a little hike.

Mychel and I on our hike in Crystal Cove:

More pics from the hike:
The roadrunner we saw right before we picnicked:



The hummingbird that provided a perfect excuse to pause after a rather steep climb:
Looking down on part of our nearly 6 mile trail:
Mychel and her sister, Amanda:
Amanda dropped us off at Balboa Island that evening on her way to work. We wandered about finding food, peaceful views, a magnifying glass for Josephine, a ferry to Newport Beach, happy hour snacks and drinks, and eventually some mighty fine and well earned dessert at Crow Bar and Kitchen, back in Corona del Mar, where Amanda fetched us. A couple pics from the south end of Newport Beach:

The next few pictures are on the UCI campus, where Mychel works. We went there Saturday morning so that I could see her office and we could visit the farmer's market that gathers there every Saturday.

I was continuously amazed by the suspicion-inducing* vegetation in Orange County. (*just a little too lush and tropical for the climate... and sure enough, I even spotted sprinkler heads along the highways!) Anyway, I wish I'd gotten more pictures of some of the crazy plants and blossoms I saw. Here's a good example though-- I loved these pretty trees with their red blooms and apparent disdain for foliage:

Dr. Mychel Varner's office! Loved seeing the placard, her desk, the brief demonstration of things she does that don't make an ounce of sense to me-- I'm so impressed and humbled by my awesome friend!

Something I CAN understand are fish tacos. After UCI we ate some excellent ones at Normitas, where we went in order for me to meet up with Nikki (my wonderful friend, bridesmaid, college roommate), her hubs Jeff, and their baby Sophia to spend the night with them.

It was so great to see Nikki and spend some real time with her-- it'd been way too long!! We squeezed in a stroll along Huntington Beach, a bit of high-end thrift store shopping, and even a late night reflexology foot spa. Jeff grilled up some wonderful chicken for us that night, and in the meantime... well... I spent a LOT of time cooing over this one:

Pretty sure I blew raspberries until my lips were numb...
... and unsurprisingly received a lot of this expression in return:
But it didn't take her long to figure out I was harmless. Sophia is such a happy baby.

And here's the adorable family once I finally allowed them to have their daughter back:

We met back up with the Varner girls at church on Sunday, had lunch, and then I went back to Mychel's place and spent the remaining time with her after some park lounging. We went over to Newport Beach, north of where we'd been the other night, and decided to wander around and wait for the sunset.

People on the piers were pretty serious about their fishing (eww)...

...so we found a jetty and hung out there, somehow managing to avoid hypothermia while watching a super peaceful sunset. It was perfect. (And frankly, as we blister our way through 100 degrees of muggy misery in early June, hypothermia sounds like a treat. I'd give anything to recreate the numbness in my toes.)

Monday morning, we ate breakfast at a cute Austin-ish cafe that I don't remember the name of, and then we headed straight up to the little Long Beach airport that provides the direct flights to Austin. I do mean little. There was one terminal, and this is half of it:
Despite having reached a point of definitely missing my family, I was sad to leave (a sadness I comforted with the conviction that I would immediately start watching flight prices when I got back to Texas so that I could plan my next trip out!)

It was truly wonderful. To have the opportunity to run and play with such great friends without being in control or responsible for anything was an ENORMOUS treat!!

And from what I hear, the three nights Sean and Josephine spent in Teague with his parents while I was in California went quite well-- I gather I wasn't missed too much, at least not by a certain two year old who had endless playtime with her Mama Jo! :-)

yes, we colored Easter eggs.

Literally.

That is what happens when you're an ill-prepared mom. You hand your kid some hardboiled eggs and crayons, help out a bit, and then shove them back in the fridge. I'm just proud that I did all that 24 hours ahead of time.

Easter Sunday:

On Easter day, we had brunch after church and then went home to take the obligatory family photo and brave the humidity for a couple brief egg hunts. Despite the fact that we didn't make it to any hunts this year that actually contained competition, we felt it was still necessary to train her in the art, as next year she might very well need to hold her own. This is about candy, people. According to my sweet tooth, this is serious business.

(Of course, according to the gospel, Easter has nothing to do with candy. "Yes, however," says my sweet tooth, "while walking in faith-- and unless that leads us otherwise-- we must still remain pragmatists!") And hence commenced Josephine's candy-hunting training.

I took the pictures immediately above and below while she waited for Sean to hide the eggs for the first hunt. As a side note, the whole get-up (dress, hat, and bloomers to match) were a gift from Sean's paternal grandma, who found the custom-made dress in Groesbeck, TX. Since the wearing of this dress, Josephine seems perpetually attracted to gingham seersucker. I'm not sure what to make of that. I think it's mostly precious.
In the picture below, please note the oblong object wedged between the two main branches of this tree, approximately 3 feet above Josephine's eye level. Yes. An egg. One of Sean's many impossible hiding places, considering SHE IS BARELY TWO. Some of us take this art very, very, very seriously, apparently. I might have the sweet tooth, but he clearly has the competitive streak...

oh Zanna, we love you!

Happy Belated, Josephine!

A little over a month ago (April 2nd), Josephine turned TWO. Simultaneously believable and unbelievable. We had a great day celebrating; our families came into town and she had a couple playmates help her break in the new toys. Sean cooked up some delicious crepes and fillings, while I totally bailed on the cake-baking, opting instead for an Italian cream bundt cake from MadCakes. 'Twas all the yummier because it required no effort!

Josephine had a blast opening up her presents. It was the opposite of last year, where she just went from one package to the next, more interested in tearing off paper than in what the paper was wrapped around. This year she wanted to explore each gift to its fullest before moving on. She truly loved them all!

My parents brought down a playhouse (I'm so proud that they found it on craigslist!), for which I'd prepped a platform and some chalkboards. At the time I was mostly just happy to have cleared out a lot of wood scraps from our garage doing my part, but that's only because I had NO idea what a hit the playhouse would be. Josephine loves it; it has facilitated quite a lot of independent play-- something way more awesome than extra space in the garage!

Around noon, Zanna and Julien came over (Josephine's main playdate buddies). Josephine was delighted to welcome Zanna into her new abode, even giving her keys to the front door...
The wagon from Sean's dad was a big hit, too.
Stacey and Julien (who naturally received way more kisses from Josephine than he wanted):
Then there was the cake and singing... She did manage to blow out the candle!
Like I said, the wagon was a hit.
Josephine getting in on the action... Brad being a tremendously good sport...
A lovely day, on whole. Thanks to everyone for coming over and celebrating our girl! She still requests, "Eeen turn two, see ____??" naming everyone she can think of (other than Sean and me, of course).