2008 stats

Basic tally of 2008:

Deaths: one (Grandma)
Births: one (niece Madeleine)
Weddings: one (Hans and Amy)
Family members moved too far away: two (David and Rachel)

New Year's Resolutions accomplished: I floss regularly now
This year's resolutions include not bothering too much with resolutions, however much my personality might demand it

European Vacations: one
Camping trips: two (Death Valley and Red Rock Canyon)
Mountains climbed: one (White Mountain)

Finished Knitted Items: thirty
Knitted items sold: nine
Knitted items gifted: eight

Books read: twenty-one
Favorite book read: Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck
Movies seen (in the theater): eight
Favorite movie: Iron Man (with Dark Knight, Prince Caspian and Australia trailing closely)

New pets: one (though it feels like seventeen sometimes)

Pregnancies: one

Weston Family Christmas

A few pictures from our weekend in T.O. (Thousand Oaks, for those of you unfamiliar with the local vernacular). Thursday was Christmas of course, Friday was relaxation day, Saturday we went to the Santa Barbara Zoo. Good fun was had by all. (For the rest of the pictures, from all our Christmas celebrations, click here.)

OK, this one is actually at my parent's ... my mom's creative decorating of the chandelier in the living room. I thought it was cool, so I photographed it.

Conrad and Burke trying to figure out the singing reindeer with the snow ... We eventually had to take out the battery, as they're pretty good at figuring things out, and the reindeer only sang one rather annoying song.

Conrad with Grandma, getting ready to open stockings.

On to the zoo ....

Burke, emerging from his shell.

Not the greatest picture of me, but the only one there is (out of nearly 200 pictures taken during Christmas).

Conrad, enjoying his mandarin oranges.

Husband and apes.

Burke, getting a better look at the giraffes.

A picture of the future? (The future where our kids have run off and we can't find them ... thus, the empty stroller.)

Andrew with Burke, Lucas with Conrad, and Christie ... at the sea otter exhibit.

More photos to be seen here.

appetizer

I have yet to download any of my own photos from our weekend in Thousand Oaks for Christmas ... but my husband has been able to not only download his photos, but post them! Check out his blog, which includes a link to more photos from our weekend. More from me soon!

Merry Christmas!!

Happy Birthday Caleb!!

christmas pics

I'm starting to become a little ashamed of my photography skills lately (or lack thereof). Really, I'm usually better than this, and I need to pay more attention in the future. For the pictures you see below, let's chalk it up to the fact that I really wasn't feeling well all weekend and never moved from my one spot on the couch. I'm so sorry to all those photogs out there I admire (Dad, husband, Shaun, Ansel Adams). Please forgive me.

That being said, here are a few pictorial memories from the Christmas weekend with my family. It was a blast.

Every year my brothers gift this Duffy Boats shirt back and forth to each other, and every year, when we're all sure they've forgotten about it, it appears in some creative way. This year, it was disguised as a gift to Madeleine from David. I think it looks great on her.

Speaking of the cutest kid at the party ... here's Maddie with one of her presents.

This year I picked Rachel in our gift exchange, and so I made her a sweater she'd been wanting. I was pleased it fit her, and she loved it! Mission accomplished.

Mom received hobnail glasses from Anthropologie from Amy and Hans (and then we all got a lesson in exactly what hobnail means ... its very interesting).

I just like Amy's face in this picture.

After helping Maddie open some books she got, my dad proceeded to actually read them to her. The fact that he's now a grandfather is really all the gift the man needs these days. He's already trying to teach her to say "Grandfather, Grandfather!" At three months, we're sure she's getting close.

Hats I made for Hans and David's stockings. They were both quite pleased. As was I, as they had been more work than I'd anticipated. In fact, in this picture, Hans is wearing a not-quite-dry-yet recently washed hat.

Caleb enjoying perusing his new used N.C. Wyeth art book. My mom found it for him and then said she enjoyed looking through it so much herself she almost didn't want to give it to him.

These are just a few snapshots from the weekend of course. And, as usual, those most interested in taking pictures are those most likely not to end up in any pictures. Therefore, I'm not in a single one (well, my double chin made it into the Duffy shirt picture behind Maddie and Jon). Jon and Julie also missed out in being in any photos because they were sitting right next to me on the couch, and as I mentioned earlier, I pretty much never moved from my one spot until all was said and done. But really, we were there. And not only can I more readily sympathize with my mom's constant requests to use her camera to get pictures with her in them, but I need to start learning to do the same with my own camera.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

snow, Snow, SNOw, SNOW!

You need to read that title as though you were singing the song from White Christmas. You know, the part where they're on the train anticipating getting to Vermont, America's Winter playground (only to be disappointed later when they get there and there's NO SNOW!). Anyway, yesterday it rained. And it snowed in the mountains. And this morning it dawned clear and cold and beautiful. And when I got to the little hill on which sits my office, before I had to turn the corner and go inside, I gazed upon the San Gabriel Mountains absolutely COVERED in snow! They're white from tip to base (well, as far as I could see). There are little white puffy clouds hanging around the tops of them, but otherwise they're shining up against a clear blue sky, in their winter glory. I love the day after a good storm. Too bad I have to be inside ....

I had oatmeal and hot chocolate for breakfast this morning. DE-LICIOUS. And warming from the inside out.

We had Christmas with the Hammer family over the weekend. I'll have pictures up soon (when I have a chance to download and then upload). It was a wonderful weekend with all the usual things that make Christmas Christmas. We decorated my parents' tree, ate too much, opened presents (almost half of which were homemade this year), played games, watched movies, laughed and played with the baby. It was a wonderful weekend with family. And even though it was two weeks before the actual day, it really felt like Christmas.

This weekend we have Caleb's work party, which includes going to see Cats at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. I've never seen Cats, so it will at least be a new experience. On Sunday we celebrate Christmas with the Hammer grandparents and extended family.

And next week is Christmas! We work until about noon on Wednesday, and then Caleb and I will have our own special Christmas celebration at home before heading up to Thousand Oaks to spend Christmas and the following days with his family. I'm looking forward to the nice long relaxing weekend.

I have most of the gifts we need to finish out the holiday. I need to finish up Caleb's stocking, and we have a few things to buy for his family, but otherwise we're done. The only thing we've missed doing this year is getting a tree. Never in my life have I missed out on getting a Christmas tree. But its been a busy and draining season. So our plan is to make that happen this weekend.

Then its New Year's, and 2009, and the Year of the Baby begins. I'm looking forward to it ... I think. ;)

'tis the season ....

.... for babies! My cousin Rachel just gave birth to her first, a baby girl, on Friday December 5. Her name is Sophia Grace Puffer, and according to Mom and Dad, she's PERFECT. Here's a few pics ... even if you don't know the family you can't help but swoon at the beautiful baby and her obviously proud parents. Congrats Jason and Rachel!

Jason and Rachel.

Jason, Rachel and Sophie.

Jason the Marine and CHP Officer with baby Sophie.

Sophie.

Happy Birthday Gpa!!

Happy Birthday Jason!!

first baby pics!

We had our first ultrasound today. I'm about 13 1/2 weeks along, at the very end of the first trimester. Risk of miscarriage goes WAY down now, which is nice. And my tummy is now getting noticeably bigger, which is ... not so nice, at least for my current wardrobe. Most of my side effects have waned to almost non-existence. I'm still really hungry all the time (which has me convinced I'm having a boy, but we won't know the truth of that for another several weeks). And I'm still tired a lot, but then, I'm tired a lot when I'm NOT pregnant, so that could be neither here nor there. Otherwise, everything seems to be moving along smoothly. Last week I got to hear the heartbeat for the first time, and then today we got to SEE Baby for the first time, so its starting to become very real for both Caleb and I that we're actually going to have a baby. The prospect is getting more exciting and less scary with each week that passes.

Rejoice with us that all is going well! And pray for us, that all would not only continue to go well, but that Caleb and I would do what we can to adequately prepare for Baby Weston's arrival in June. It seems far away now, but I know the day will be here before we know it.

Our baby looks like an alien in the photos, but we're already quite smitten. Baby's heart is beating fast and strong, and the ultrasound technician says everything looks good. Woohoo! So exciting. Here's Baby Weston's first photo shoot!

Baby's head is right in the middle of this picture, staring at the camera (Baby must already know what's in store for him in life, as far as being photographed goes, and he's resigned himself to his fate). I think he's waving too.

He's just kickin' back here, enjoying his cozy home. He seems pretty relaxed, which is good. We try to keep high-strung personalities to a minimum in our household.

Happy Birthday Joel!!