may your days be

Currently, I am up to my savage, unplucked eyebrows in ham glaze, ginger cookie production, obsessive compulsive gift wrapping, and post partum hair loss. I place Weston on an unblanketed carpet for 28 seconds and he emerges with a fist full o'hair tightly locked in his hot dog fingers, and I can't go one feeding without finding strands stashed in his neck folds. A secure place for them, I might add. I'm fairly positive J. K. Rowling could safely hide a horcrux in his chins and no one would be the wiser.

I'm popping in to wish you all the very merriest of Christmases. For some reason, this year's Christmas season has been particularly flavored with good will toward men. I guess by that I mean good will towards me. I have had so many unexpected favors cast my way in the last couple of weeks, and I wanted to take the time to thank:

The lady in the Starbucks drive-thru the other day that paid for my drink and drove off. No reason, and no waiting around to be acknowledged for her kindness.

My sister, who popped in yesterday to let me run Christmas Eve Eve errands (like the irresponsible procrastinator that I am) sans Jordan, and cleaned my apartment sparkling in the hour that I was gone.

Kate, who knocked me off my tiny, unbalanced feet with a total surprise of a package. She handmade the sweetest stuffed animals I have ever, ever seen for both Weston and Jordan, and sent me the most amazing homemade chai blend I have tasted in life - a life replete with many a chai sampling, to be sure.

tell me you're not totally blown away

 

 

She casually mentioned she may post the recipe and it is up to us, her dedicated followers, to bother her everyday until this happens. It's for the good of mankind.

 

 

Then there's Chalayn. We haven't even met, she and I. But we chat a lot about Breaking Bad and Friday Night Lights and Tim Riggins, and lo, she up and sends me this amazing package with hilarious handmade ornaments and ummmmmm coconut curry chocolate?? There is a chocolate genius that has made the world a better place, as Chalayn has made mine for introducing me to it. Consequently I see my jeans being a smaller place, as well.

 

A rhino and an elephant...wearing Santa hats and scarves. It's brilliant, you agree?

 

 

Oh and also, she is an amazingly talented sketch artist because I think she captured our likenesses perfectly:

 

Sean's wearing his smiley face jams from my About page which I haven't updated since Weston has been born because, shameless. And Jordan is appropriately bowl-cutted because her mother got a hold of some scissors last week:

 

and someone had to suffer the consequences..

 

 

What I'm trying to say is I've been the recipient of some truly wonderful gestures and friendships. There's something about an unexpected kindness that gives me a good will high all day. Or at least until Jordan throws each individual book all across her room again. I hope you are so fortunate to have friends and family such as these. It makes life a little Christmasier (<----- which really should be a superlative. If I were a lexicographer...)

 

Guys, have a great one. A really warm, fuzzy, spicy Christmas all around.

 

 

 

See you soon













memorial

Long weekends are so very few and so very far between. You know it's been a memorable one when Tuesday morning comes and you cannot bear the thought of getting up to shower and go into work. This morning: definitely unbearable. Much email/instagram/pinterest/bloglovin' procrastination was had by all. All Jessies. We played hard this weekend, and all that's left is a mammoth mountain of sandy towels to be washed, a well-used cooler to be drained, and a sinkful of neglected dishes. Sigh and grumble.

This is basically what the weekend looked like

oversized fun for the whole family

Sean's sweet sister came and spent the weekend with us. Jordan got some serious aunt time in, in the forms of sandcastle destroying and yoga by the pool

One of my besties Meg (above left) and her husband Danny came in to town and we spent the whoooole weekend with them: beaching, pooling, laughing, drinking, charading (as in, we played Charades, not like we were pretending to have fun. Charades is particularly hysterical when certain male husbands *Danny* guess He's Just not that into You when the only word on the table so far is "that.")

We had friends over for a pool party and dinner on Sunday. Sean, Danny and Jacob have already signed some kind of contract in blood and beer splatters that they are all going to Vegas together this summer, and Jessie, Meg and Kate talked pregnant and babies and upcoming Texas transfer. Jordan and Jake talked...little intelligibly, on my daughter's part anyway.

But there was this. This is "Jake, can you smile?"

Which is funny because this

is "Jordan can you smile?"

We capped it off yesterday with another beach excursion ("yayyyy beats!!" and "hiiii beats!" all around) and wrapped up at my aunt and uncle's with a BBQ at their just-built-from-the-ground-up beach house with a view that only dreams are made of. The Maltese Falcon of beach houses, if you will. I didn't pull my phone/camera out for a second the whole day, so I didn't snap a pic, but this is their view as seen at their daughter's wedding last summer

We watched the sunset, philosophized over wine, had delicious food and indulged in homemade spice cake. Basically, pinch me. 

Because now it's Tuesday, and it's all a Memorial Memory. The great thing about Memorial Weekend is it kicks off the summer. As huge and eventually uncomfortably pregnant as I will shortly be, I know this will be one for the books. Come at me, Summer 2013.

first date

Guess what we did this weekend:

If you read me then you pretty much for suresies read Kate at Rhodes Log, and guess what? We all got together for a family date. We talked and laughed and had great food; the men bonded over the BBQ, the babes bonded over toys and trikes, the women bonded over a slew of topics.

It was great fun seeing Jordan and Little Jake play. I had to call Jordan on some hoarding-toys-that-aren't-mine issues but overall they got along swimmingly, and at one point Jake was giving Jordan a foot massage. If that doesn't holler "excellent future husband material" tell me, just what does?

By the way, this was not staged:

A Match Made in Wooden Crate.

....so, save the date: a beautiful May evening in 2036.

JR + JP