NETTY'S BRAG PAGE - THE BABY EDITION

Here's Kelly and Maya and new baby Emily. Richard's probably taking the picture.
Brief history: Kelly's from the PacNW and I got to meet her because (1) her brother Jordan is in Mick's dental class, and (2) because her brother Jason is a long-time close friend of Kai. She lives about 25 minutes from us and has turned out to be one of my favorite people here.

Brent, Becky, and Sawyer Smith Conklin in Oly. These two were made to be parents -- so glad they finally jumped in.

Steven (we met Steve and Glacier through Kai & Dana) and his new daughter. I want to say her name is Genevieve, but Steve's email attachments always refer to her as "cooing daughter" or "WigglePiggle" or "Papa Loves." Obviously, she's a lucky little girl. Mama Glacier must be the one taking this pic.

*Still waiting to hear from my friend Big Ed, who was over a few weeks ago from SF -- his wife Tine's due any day here.

NIGHT AT THE DE YOUNG
April 20, 2007

Maureen, Jackie and I visited the DeYoung on one of the museum's special Friday nights. We took in live music, a glass of wine, and the Vivienne Westwood exhibit. (Her fashion sense didn't fully speak to any of us though, which might not be any big surprise.)

Earlier that day, Aubrey and I had picked Maureen and Jackie up at the SF airport and taken them to Tennessee Valley Cove for a bike ride and hike up the cliffs. I hadn't considered how astounded they'd be by the landscape here; I forgot just how breathtaking that place can be to new eyes.

More to post later on their visit from Bellingham...

Quote of the Week

Mom, today I transformed myself from someone good
into someone funny.

-Dane, age 6

MORE POISON OAK!

It finally showed up on the kids -- ankles and knees and thighs. We think it was the weekend at the rope swing. We all rode it, but Mick and the kids played there longer and went into deeper weeds. If I recall correctly, they were in their shorts and I was in running pants.

So, we've got lots of itchies around here (they're like little blisters or a bunch of agitated mosquito bumps -- that burn). Mick and Dane bought Calagel this morning for all of them and that seems to help.

We'll certainly be studying up on what this plant looks like so we can avoid this problem in the future!

OAK and STONES

No, we're not talking about the natural world in an environmental sense -- more like a personal sense: That's right, we're talking about what's ailing Mick again.

Poor guy not only suffered a kidney stone passing off-and-on last Thursday from 3 a.m. to 3 p.m., but somehow a poison oak rash kicked in earlier this week, as well -- with its itchy little blisters.

What to do???
Still trying to come up with a urologist who takes his insurance and can schedule Mick soon to zap his stones. As for the poison oak, he'll have to ride out the symptoms for 2-3 weeks. (Not sure where he got it, but perhaps on a hike to ride a rope swing with the kids 2 weekends ago; seemed like it incubated for about 4 days, though, before rearing its head. The kids and I have no rash.)

HOMING DEVICE(s)

Two humpback whales are making their way up the Sacramento River, causing quite a stir among naturalists, fishermen, residents.

Elsewhere in California, a young woman in Sausalito has misplaced her cell phone. (Sorry if you've tried to call me...)

Bed In A Bath

The kids started the day by moving a number of their toys to a new secret hideaway: the bathtub.

Then they spent the rest of the day moving from room to room devising elaborate games and situations. (Lots of furniture moving, dress up, whispering, and laughing.)

Ended the day with an attempt at sleeping side-by-side, head to foot, in the bathtub -- with pillows and stuffed animals and blankets and a thick Hello Kitty sock over the spout above Aubrey's head.

That lasted about 30 minutes, with more laughter and whispering, but had to be stopped because every move in there sounded like a bottle of shampoo dropping to the floor -- which would ultimately make for unhappy neighbors below us, no matter how nice they are. Fortunately, the kids had had their fun and were game for sleeping on the floor of their bedroom next to each other, which is where those two little peanuts are now.

As for Mother's Day, nothing could've made me happier today than knowing my kids were having this kind of fun while I (1) spent the morning writing at Starbucks, (2) went for an 11:30 2-hour hike with girlfriends (fellow moms), (3) had a 3 o'clock marguerita outside in the sun on the deck of a sweet little taco shop with said moms, and (4) came home to be with my family and make bbq ribs while the kids still played and Mick studied for an oral cancer test.

MICK IS FAMOUS!

Click the link below and read halfway down the article to behold our very own amazing coffee geek.

Check out his complete review of our espresso machine here.