The Lukster

....turns four today.



To our Lukie Lou: brave, compassionate, expressive, bursting with love...Sweetness and toughness all rolled into one adorable little package. Our family would never be complete without you. I remember thinking as soon I finally brought you home, after 12 days in the NICU, how it seemed that no bonding was lost, I'd somehow known you forever and your huge round blue eyes somehow had never NOT existed to me. Papa and I, and even Mayan, can see you blooming right before our eyes...we love you so much! Happy Birthday, Isadore Naomi!




For some more super cute photos of the party a few weeks ago, check out my sister's blog.

good morning

I am a very, very, very lucky woman--my husband gets up in the a.m. to take care of the kids so I can catch extra "Z"s...so life-before-I-wake is a mystery to me. When I downloaded my camera the other day, I got a small glimpse of that part of the day. How cute is this? They still have "sleep puff" on their eyes...

same weekend, different camera

These were sent from Chemynne today:

Nicole and Geo

'Thena and C

Toooo cute! Mayan, Thurston, Isadore

Clover princess

I'm glad she got a good one of Daena and Oliver--they are one stylin' couple!

Cousin love (the good kind!--lol)

My sweet baby boy!

Grill dude (this is so artfully taken, C!)

Summer Bash Weekend '08

Saturday morning the whole family reunites with our sleepy guests who came in Friday after the kids were tucked in...Geo gives C a smile:Michael and Geo kick it on the round couch with Baby Nermie:
Thena and MG give humper some love:

Sunday before party, Auntie Na-Na and Uncle Noah show up (a suprise visit from LA--of course I was in on it but not the kids)

MG studies C's technique as they decorate for the party with sidewalk chalk. This was SO much cooler than traditional party decor:

Guests begin to arrive--big and small! Allison "introduces" her little Sweetpea to Zeke, canine lord of the manor. We all had a goooood laugh at this one:
Sweetpea nevertheless was a HIT with the little kids. Another homerun hit was the kitty ears that Joi made for Isadore:
Zeke still got some kid-tention, though, from Kaden mostly:
Sweet pile of goodies for the littles--homemade crafty goodness, thoughtful homeschool activites, or store-bought from small local businesses...we have AWESOME friends:
The crew listens to Jade read the next clue on the treasure hunt:
..and it leads to the fireplace! The final clue:
Nicole whips out her compass to help the kids figure out which way is west:
The booty!:
Root beer float time: the kids wait patiently (well, some more than others....):
Mayan's first RB float ever...she likes it!:

Kids in the playhouse (Is, MG, Kylin, and Max):

C and M brought these awesome Egyptian "action figures" for MG:

The old-skool San Diego crew: Daena, Blake, Nicole, and Chemynne together again after......MANY years:

She may never take either of these things off:

A cool B&W of C taken by a kid I'm sure:

B was taking most of the pictures all weekend so here he is enjoying some post-party and post-pizza relaxation:

Isadore and Thurston:

Siblings B and C and thier babies, George and Athena, respectively:

We were so stoked to have an extra bonus night with C and M and A:

Isadore not only is a great big sis, but a great cousin as well--making sure thena doesn't fall on her bum:

Monday night--grillin' with Naomi and Noah. Apparently, my blackberry gallette was a hit:

Telling spooky stories in the tree house:

Quality aunt and uncle time:

Us? Weekend warriors?

Something about the summertime and Blake having a 5-day work week again, makes us a productive team on the weekends. The first successful project: a front fence so Papa Nomad can roam freely without clothing. We found all of this metal at the Rebuilding Center on Mississippi Street for cheeeeeap! Although now *sniff sniff* I cannot gaze freely at my she-lovah across the way, I do like the way it looks and it creates a cool woodsy haven for the kids. The center section will be filled in with tall, clumping bamboo. Blake rocked this project with a lot help from MG and a little from me and Isa--it took 2 weekends and less than $100.


Here is a peeps at the little man....he still loves his nightly swaddle!
The next big project promised was a play structure--inspired by the cement feet leftover from the old pool deck we tore down last summer. We tried twice to get recycled lumber from the rebuild store, as well as lurking around some construction site dumpsters to no avail--the corrugated roof is recycled though, and the railing slats are salvaged from our old Ikea bed. (Oh, and Breana we "borrowed" a 4x4 post we found laying around in your yard, in case I forget to tell you when you get back!) Here's all of us ladies pitching in to prime it, pre-roof (which was a bitch to get up there, let me tell you--we're both amazed there were no trips to Urgent Care during this whole thing.)

We wore the proof of our painting all weekend on our hands.
BABY MEAT FAT!!!!
Our hero! Doing all the hard work.....
The berries were looking mighty fine so we harvested what we could....
...and I told the girls we could make a crisp. Summer rules.
It's always so special when Mayan can enjoy a homemade dessert (note the paint smear on her forehead):
Almost done!! The proud Papa in front of Das Kinderhaus. Project total: 2 weekends and under $200. (and WAY burlier/cooler than those store-bought ones...)