Emmy and her geckos.

My Krystle dolly. Happy 25th Birthday my dear. I have to say, the way you care for your boyfriend despite his many challenges is truly beautiful. Either you just want to look good in comparison or you have the biggest heart in the world. Actually, I'm convinced it's the latter and now I'm not joking. Love you and see you soon.

I'm just too bushed at the end of the day to go through our gazillion Hawaii pics and select my favorite 10 or 20. But I have to post at least one or two a day just for fun. Anything more than that feels like work.

Emily loving the view and me with a pumpkin spice latte in one hand and a, well, you can only guess what kind of cornball thing I want to say next.

Hope you had a special day Sweetheart! Sorry we kinda got the date mixed up until Auntie Heather phoned to wish you a Happy Birthday this afternoon. Could have sworn today was the 11th. Oh well, a firetruck balloon the size of our kitchen and your first taste of icing hopefully helped you to forgive us. We absolutely adore you our sensitive, loving, strong-of-voice-and-will little Tomster. Happy Birthday to you.

Tommy sat quietly disturbed watching Daddy and Emily enjoying the scary, cold, loud ocean while he was stuck with Simon and I in the sand. The whole suntan lotion in the eye thing didn't help things much either. Then, the glorious moment when Steve came bounding toward him from the great blue monster for a hug!

Emily's passion for underwater life has been taken to a whole other level or a "Ho...nutha...lebel" (surely someone reading this watches MadTV?) this trip. She and Steve have been snorkling up a storm and you'd think she'd died and gone to Disneyland every afternoon when she comes back to tell me about the latest fish they discovered. Today they brought along an underwater camera and the pics are going to be awesome! I'm too scared to go without Steve (damn that Jaws, I just know he's looking for me) so I am forced to have a long dreamy nap every afternoon with the boys. I haven't really napped since Simon was born (did I mention I love napping?) so that's what is distinguishing this vacation from homelife. I don't have to use that window of time when they both snooze for housework. Can't much say the housekeeping staff have a great level of respect for me this trip...kinda letting things slide a little. Um, is it bad to throw ALL our clothes ALL over the floor knowing that they'll be folded and piled carefully for me every day?? Or to huck dirty diapers across the room knowing they'll somehow be found and disposed of properly? Or to complain if I find a little sand was missed even though we bring half the beach back into the room and tub with us every day? Or to complain about anything at all while we're here? Likely yes.

I had to break my anti-holiday-blogging rule (really it's just overeating induced laziness) for this one. Simon and James just 3 months apart, sigh!

Nuh Nigh 2006 blog...no blogg'n till mid-january...I leave you with 3 goofy pics from recent weeks...Sincere thanks for checking in on us regularly, or periodically or downright obsessively-i love it! Merry Christmas my dear, wonderful family and friends! xoxoxoxoxoxo

My Tommy's back. Turns out his coughing all night and resulting lack of sleep was to blame for the constant screaming and exasperating emotional outbreaks he's been dealing us for the last few weeks. The sheer VOLUME of his VOICE. No one in this house has any fine hair left in their ears. Have you ever heard a fire truck siren go off a few inches from your head? Ah well, I wouldn't trade him or his record breaking decibel capacity for anything. I just wish I could say the same for the folks we'll be sharing an airplane with for 6 hours next week!

Oh Lesa. You were the best Christmas present I will receive this month. Thank-you for the best weekend I've had in 42 years. I'm still giggling at our antics and basking in your glow. Your enormous personality, wit, intelligence and those warm and generous exotic green eyes that I still can't get used to (after almost 19 years) have left me feeling both awestruck and full.
The photos Lesa took in our kitchen are better than anything I have EVER posted on this blog!
I love you so much I'm actually bloggin!

Blogs to come everyone...thanks for your patience (yeah right, like some of you haven't sworn never to check my blog again!) busy busy busy...presents, packing, and pooped out with 3 kids who don't put their needs aside for ours :) :)

Wouldya look at him? He's our beautiful nephew! James Kennedy. Now all that's left is to find ways to distract these proud new parents when we meet in a month so that we can smother him too! Those first babies can be especially hard to share-but I wouldn't blame them for a second-oh that face-what a sweet, perfectly divine BLESSING!

Hands free! My favorite fashion accessory. This $75 investment feels like a big comfy hug for (hopefully) both Simon and I and has served us well these last 3 months. Highly recommend for moms and dads of high maintenace toddlers who need to rock their fussy baby to sleep and pour a cup of juice and unload the dishwasher so people have something to eat off of and...the list goes on 'n on 'n on 'n ONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN. Who me? Complain?

The girls were at it again this past weekend. This time it was all about the food coloring and getting as far away from the loud little blonde guy as possible.

Aunt-icipation!
click me!

good morning happy babe!

Soaking up the November sun at the park yesterday.

Steve toting Simon around saying "isn't he cute, look at him, look how cute he is" over and over again the way he always does.

Underage Hair dying, A couple of Oddballs clumping around in their Dad's shoes, Em's Baboon Bums and Joyful Chorus, Spending the better part of a day rearranging some pegs...