my Mohawked baby.

Apparently Ben gave my baby a Mohawk and then took pictures of it while i was at work. Cause I just pulled pictures off the camera and I haven't seen these before.

She sure does make a cute punk rocker... When i was pregnant she used to kick like crazy any time i would play the Pixies.

Nut... Tree...

TastyTuesdays!

Tuesdays have now become my favorite day of the week. Aside from being the first friday in my week (as i have wed and thurs off every week) we now have dinner guests every tuesday.

Jes and Ian come over and we dine on whatever delicacies we can scrounge up. Hoorah!

So last Tuesday we had Adobo and for dessert, Bebe.

My Gardens

I've always sort of had a black thumb. Well not black exactly, probably more of a murky brown. In Arizona I had a couple of pots on my back deck full of dirt. I didn't plant anything in them though. I let the elm tree over the house drop seeds into it and the little baby elms grew there. Along with some random grass that somehow made it's way into my dirt buckets. Which is to say, i grew weeds.

But since moving east I'm bound and determined to make some sense of growing things. I mean, how hard could it be? Plant stuff in dirt. Occasionally add water. Sometimes some shit. And watch it flourish, right?

Anyhow, Ben and I have started a large veggie garden with some relatively independent plants (mostly squash and tomatoes but also lettuce, brussel sprouts, potatoes, peppers, eggplants, and onions).






I have also started an herb/flower bed below my porch.

As an impulse buy at the garden store I bought a Hibiscus plant. I know nothing about Hibiscuses (as in is that how it's pluralized?). Anyhow, it didn't have any blooms yet but a quite a few promising buds.

The other morning Ben was out on the front porch dumping the coffee grinds into the garden when i hear, "Holy Crap! Did you see this?" Esther and I go running out onto the porch (okay, not running but as fast as Esther can pirouette on her little leather shoes with me holding her hands) and low and behold a dinner plate sized flower.

So Hibiscuses are my new favorites. Apparently you can make tea out of them.

Pictures from Kistin and Heidi's visit

Kirstin (West) and Heidi are two of the strongest women I know. They, time and again, saved me from myself.
We all went to college together out in Prescott, AZ. Now a year and a half after graduation. Heidi is living with her partner Cris up on a lake in Maine. And Kirstin is in the early stages of creating her own t-shirt company (well in between long tours across the country).
I'm trying to get Kirstin to settle in Baltimore, but without much luck so far.

Anyhow, I'm sure they're reading this, so: I miss you. I love you. And Esther has the best Aunties in the world.

My new Favorite Blog

Rare Bird Finds

Lots of fun things to pretend you have money to spend...

Standing Ovation

In the last few weeks Esther has been practicing her standing. Sometimes she even attempts a step (but so far without success, thankfully too. I'm not sure i'm ready for the walking to begin).

So I was able to get a few shots yesterday of her newest physical achievement.

WOOT! WOOT!s all around

A WOOT! WOOT! to my beloved for seeing the dentist for the first time in four years and not having a single cavity!!!!

A WOOT! WOOT! to my big brother for the Kodak sponsorship on his XC bicycle trip.

A WOOT! WOOT! to my mother for taking 1st place in the second largest national trap shooting competition in the U.S..

More Beach Pictures.

a surly Esther chomping on her pacifer.
Early morning Oma time.
Esther's new friend, Linda.
Playing at the pool with cousins; Stacia and Olivia.
from left to right: Ryan, an escaping Olivia, Stacia, a bundled and sleepy Esther, me, and Ben.
What a good lookin' family.
Ben and our little potato.
I think they're watching us swim with Esther...
And there we are swimming with Esther for the first time.
She smells so good.
this will embarrass her some day... her kooky mom...

I love this face. She looks so suspicious.
I'm playing with her spare chin... it;s just so soft.
The mommy rack.... it's so weird having boobies...
Isn't the view loverly? This is the deck of the house where we stayed.
Precious play time with Oma
That ball is as big as she is... Doesn't stop her though.
This is her "I want to eat the camera" face.
And this is how she drinks out of water bottles. She loves them...