297-293ish

March-ish

Mmmm....mmm....mmm....


Chocolate banana bread batter face! (Say that three times fast!)

First laces

Delay caused by a sad heart-- my Oma died, following a long illness, the day after our beautiful niece was born. More and then less light, just like that. We have spent much of the last month traveling, first to the funeral and visiting with family in Idaho and then to Portland to meet Miss Belle. More pictures to follow soon. Peace to you and yours.

Love wins,

Shan

Miss Belly

I'm an aunt!!! Our niece made her appearance yesterday, 10 days early, after only 7 hours of labor but then 2.5 hours of pushing. We are so thrilled that mom, dad and baby are doing well and loving each other. I can't wait to make it out to P-town to take pics of that munchkin! Here she is, all hands and feet, with Auntie B yesterday afternoon:



What do y'all think: Aunt Shannon? Auntie Shan? Aunt (said like "oughnt") Shannon? I've got some of each, so I can't decide!

Love wins! Shan

311-298ish

We got back to FL last week from a wonderful vacation and I've been busy getting my feet underneath me again at home, thus the posting delay. Otherwise I would have been completely punctual, of course! (Hey, I see the eye rolls!)

2/23 With Grandpop on the orca fin

2/24 Eastern Washington skies



2/25 Blue eyed Belle


2/26 Jukebox



2/27 Sunset over my parent's place



2/28 Judah's first sledding adventure!



3/1 Cousin Josi showing off her sweet niece Maylee



3/2



3/3 Pillow talk




3/4 Tulip from Elizabeth



3/5 First love?



3/6 Judah's first cooking lesson: Mix one part baby who desperately needs a bath with one part Mama who desperately needs coffee. Stir well, sprinkle with NPR "hip children's music" article. Tada! Serve naked dancing baby with latte hot hot hot!



3/7 Evening azalea



3/8 Where's Papa?

Love wins, Shan

322-312ish

2/12 "Rock, tell me all your secrets."

2/13 Church Valentine's dinner centerpiece -- Thanks Angela!

2/14 Have you seen this puddle?!?

2/15 Simon and Sylvie

2/16 Cooper on the beach

2/17 Whidbey Island sunset

2/18 South from Deception Pass

2/19 Ranier (a.k.a. why we miss the Northwest)

2/20 "A little bit bumpy..."

2/21 Baby shower!

2/22 Aven (looking gorgeous) and T (goofing around)

329-323ish

2/5 My new camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi

2/6 Judah, just before his first haircut. Note the hair falling over his ears making him look like an old man. Pay no attention to the "awwww, Maaaammmaaa, not another picture" look on his face.

2/6 Post-haircut

2/7 Hot pink Azalea

2/8 Running with milk

2/9 Busy bee (As you can tell from the pictures, we have been having lousy weather here. Downright blizzard conditions.)

2/10 Gettin' down to business, honkin' the horn

2/11 Morning orchid

Across the universe

So, I'm working on taking a picture of my new camera with my old camera, but in the meantime...

Have you seen Across the Universe?

We watched it last night with our good friends John and Elizabeth.

Great music. Cute lead actors.

Terrible, and terribly long, LSD trip.

Does anyone like these scenes? Like the tunnel bit from Charlie and the Chocolate factory, or the hefalump part from that Pooh movie, or, as Forrest reminded me, the scene from Dumbo? For me, all of those movies fall into the category "I would have liked them if not for the psychedelic part." Maybe my aversion to these parts reveals my hidden control issues?

If you love the Beatles though, Across the Universe is for you.

Even if you don't like LSD =)

Project 330ish

Forrest has started volunteering with Young Life and so high school has been a frequent topic of discussion lately in our house. As I have told Forrest over and over, I think it worked out for the best that we didn't meet until college, because neither of us was at our best during those formative years =) To the point though, I was thinking about how my academic focus during that time was simply to get the best grades I could with the least work possible. I've always valued efficiency (that sounds better than "slacker"). My subsequent though was how much I have changed and how I really give things my all now and how I am such a shining example of dedication in whatever I do... or, maybe it was how I can't believe how much has stayed the same!

Mix that slacker spirit with a new camera and... Project 330ish is born! There is a Project 365 out there for perfectionists, but for those of us who think mostly done is done enough, Project 330ish is here. With 330 days left in the year, I am making a committment to myself and you to take a picture each day, and post them with clockwork regularity every week. Ok, posting will probably happen more with "shaving your legs in winter" regularity, and I reserve the right to substitute seven pictures taken on one day for a whole weeks worth of work!

For full disclosure's sake, I must admit that I just got a new camera and that my photography is not really any good, and may stay that way. Knowing that, I completely understand if Project 330ish sounds like a terrible idea to you, and if that is the case, please don't subject yourself to coming here to see my pictures. Or do, if you feel you deserve penance for something. Maybe talk to your priest.

Love wins, Shan