Our friend Marco

Our friend Marco makes great records.  I (Matt) used to play with him in a folk duo "way back when".  Marco has gotten better over the years.  Check out his website, http://marcojoachim.com, and buy his record! (Annie here...I especially like the "cuckoo" song...you can listen to it on his website!)

OMG!!!!! (mac here)

Merry christmas everyone and merry christmas to the new addition to the family......... ZARINA!

Here's the video of me when I first saw her this morning at 6:30 am...

Hallalujah!!!

Mama told me I'd never asked for my present (whatever it was) before... what a trickster!!

She's spunky , friendly, likes anything that rolls or hangs, and CALICO!!!

Now we are ready!

Christmas Card!

Our card this year was designed by Mac and I just love it!

But if you live here in San Diego, chances are you didn't get one, which is just unfair.

So, this one goes out to you...Lauren, Daleth, Caroline, Amy, Lydia, Morgan, Erica...all my students and friends. xxxxxxxxxxoooooooooo


Merry Merry Merry Christmas
May you feel the LOVE!!

peace in the new year,

annie matt carlie mac emmett silas mabel
rosepanda sapphire lucy

we got elfed

Shoes?

Kung Fu Shoes (Love em)

Pacific Walkers

New Work Boots (Have changed my life-Love em)

BlackHawk Warriors

Hiking Shoes (Great)

Merril Trail Runners 

Track/Road Shoes  (Give me shin splints Hate them)

Nike

Trail Runners (Give me a sore Achilles Hate them)

Nike Ridgeliners

This is not a shoe fetish.  Or is it?  I have many specialized needs for shoes don't I?

Some are good some bad

Matt

Megan you did it!

By 9:30 ish Wednesday morning, Megan has completed her last final...AND...
Four years of undergrad !!!! Wow!

Congradulations.

I can't believe how much you know, how many flashcards you've made and how many nights you have stayed up working really really hard.

You are AWESOME.




And now you can take a well deserved break and relax....and drain your brain...until nursing school. We love you.

more christmas past...Dec. 25th, 2001 6:30 a.m...

This video is horrible quality but the audio gets us every time.

Mac's sweet 3 year old voice and inflection....("a scooter, and
a helmet just in case, and a puzzle of the united states of america...and
kneepads, and a unicorn and a princess barbie...just what I always
wanted and a little fairy...")

I could eat her up.
And Matt's laugh...you can really hear the 'happyproudpapa' in it.


;]

Today at Plum Pottery...(for Caline)

I was looking around for some pots to photograph for you to see, Caline, and realized there wasn't much left of mine after the sale...actually I made fewer pots than usual this this season...other creative projects floating around...but here are some "newborns"I made this morning (above right) and some shots of the studio today during class. There are beautiful things everywhere, however, made by many others...I am so thankful for this place!

left: Deedras miniatures



right: Cynthias
pitcher and tumblers

ENERGY!

...and this is with a cold!

come all ye carolers...

The neighborhood caroling this years is on December 14th !!

If you'd like to join us, meet at our house at 6:30 ish with cups (we've got the cocoa) and we'll head out shortly after. Dress warm (it gets down to an arctic 60 degrees) bring wagons for little ones, your walking shoes and singing voices.

If you miss us I am sure you'll be able to find us!

School pics...6th grade and 2nd grade!

Of course these pictures came in the mail the day after I mailed the Christmas Cards...

Prop. 8, THE MUSICAL

YOU JUST HAVE TO CHECK THIS OUT, ITS TOO FUNNY...

JACK BLACK AND A WHOLE CAST PUT ON A SHOW!!

CLICK HERE

(thanks Rhea!)

what do your doodles look like?

I went through this years desk calendar looking for a phone number and decided that I have uber girly, young, spirographic doodles that remind me a whole lot of Chloe, by the way!! (For those of you who don't know her, she's Emmett's 7 year old classmate and we share a similar aesthetic.)
I would love to see your doodles...you folks out there. Everyone's got a style. My mom does checkerboards and stripes I think? (I'll have to spy on her...) And I really not sure about Matt...hmm? Interesting.

the spirit of christmas past...december 2005 to be exact...

okay Lydia and Amy, I'll post it...

Relaxing with a bit of water play after a busy day.
Today we went for a practice run at preschool. Brought a lunch box and everything (empty).
Silas loved it and didn't even care that I was out of sight most of the time. I am hoping this is an easy transition for him. The daycare at the Y the other day was a disaster. He has been used to going with Mac and Emmett. The lady came to get me after 7 minutes. We will try that again.
But Preschool seemed like a lot of fun for him.

As for the title of this post...at the studio tonight I was telling Amy and Lydia that I often post video so I can remember the day but then delete it because I sound so annoying and know-it-all. In this case, grilling poor Silas and correcting his grammar. Sheesh. But here it is anyway. After all, I have a "following" of what...7 people?? And you already know I am a talker and a know-it-all and seem to love me anyway.

Isn't Silas cute!!!

puzzling in the book nook

Nature Kids

interesting review of Twilight...

...for those of us who liked the book and movie while
realizing it was a bit...sexist?!
Here's the review from salon.

Emmett started a story tonight. Here it is.

Three humans* lay on the earth one thousand years ago when the castles were tall, the knights were brave, and the damsels were sweet. Or so they call the medieval days. One man was inhumanly strong. One man was as fast as words come to your mouth. And last but definitely not least was a man who could turn into everything, from aardvark to zebra he could turn into any living things, even ameba’s.

*Well maybe not humans lets say super beings

The names of these inhuman creatures are as follows:

The strong was named Eric

The fast was named Alexander

And the shape shifter was named Andrew

And now to the story…

Once there in a cottage lived three men (witch you of course already now about) were having some nice jasmine tea. It was adequate because it was home made. They were sitting silently sipping the tea. Sitting there. Still sitting there. Finally Alexander broke the silence and exclaimed, “I am tired of sitting here I want to do something exiting!” ...

(to be continued...)

I hope he continues this story because I love it.

Here's some video I think is very sweet from last weeks piano lesson with Emmett. Now I get to sit and listen while Mac watches Silas for an hour on her own. It's amazing how great she is with Silas and how much he loves being with her. And I am so happy to sit in this room on Dr. Kranz's couch listening to this...




...while flipping through this very bizarre book that's always there on the coffee table.

good-bye blue bananas!

A great season!  They may not have won many games but this team had some serious heart!

Emmett says he already misses soccer. 

You will notice that Pablo is holding Emmett's "head" for the team picture because we were in New York for it. (click to enlarge this one for sure!) Max, our awesome goalie is also missing from the pic.

says it all...

from Talking Points Memo:

Breaking News:

Lieberman expelled from Pilates class in Senate gym.

(give me a break.)

two good things...

Matt and I watched Bullitt last night,

the best 70's cop movie I had never seen.

Steve McQueen is just too cool and reminds me of Matt except for the fact that this Bullitt character never talks or shows emotion which is very un-Matt. (But I still think he should get a blue turtle neck...:) Anyway, as we got all set up for a movie we decided that trying to snuggle our big personages on one teensy couch wasn't working. So we came up with this fabulous idea! Why settle for a couch when you can have a .....

...Couch Boat!

Turns out it is also an awesome trampoline (coucholine?) and a great place for 5 people to read. The dog likes it and I have a feeling it will make appearances at sleepovers

and will no doubt be the basic frame

of all future forts.

Nana and I were cracking up while we all watched "Ballet Shoes" while Silas 'skadoo-ed' over and over onto the couch. But he did very well and used his whisper voice most of the time!

I think I will retire to the couch boat now.

they keep coming...

Craig and Annie 1988 or 89

Matt background, Craig singing

Not sure when? anyone?

Blast...

...who knew that in a matter of days, through the wonder of "facebook", all sorts of hilarious pictures would surface of Matt and Craig. Cool then, still cool.

Spa Day for Mama...

Came home from the studio on Sunday to an invitation for a home spa day with Mac and Emmett. Such a sweet thing and perfectly timed during Silas' nap! I was fed delicious food, foot-soaked, sea salt massaged and toe nail painted. Awesome. Yes I am totally bragging. For Matt, a big moment he anticipated as a father was when he could say, "hey kid, could you get me a cup of coffee". For me, having another human I can hit up for a massage makes the fact that I need one now more than ever, worth it!

Thank you So Much Guys! XXXOOO

keeping SDCCS "cooperative" ....

what was built today?
an outdoor classroom, a mosaic round butterfly garden, two compost corals, 4 more raised beds, benches, a stage platform, wooden cut out art work to beautify the chain link etc etc...


check in to the SDCCS blog over the next couple of days for more garden work day pics!

It's amazing what the parents kids and teachers at this school can and DO accomplish!

lovin' up Emmett

At the wedding when we went to New York...

I just love this picture of Emmett coming in for

an unsolicited dance, just burying himself in the mama and papa sandwich.

A visit from Donna Frye!!

click here...so cool! (scroll down a bit to see our school pic!)

Donna Frye visited Emmett's classroom last week and spent quite a bit of time

with them, answering questions.

wahooooooooooooooo!

what a night! 

visualizing this family in the white house...

Oh, how this could change the world!

two feelings at once...about election day...

This is me. ------------------------------>

This is what I need.------------------------------------>