Teeth

Quite by surprise, we noticed that Cora had sprouted her two bottom teeth on Saturday! The only clue that something had been afoot was that she woke up on the early side most of the days last week. Drool and chewing on toys seem to be a constant so that didn't really get us suspicious. Sorry you can't see them in the picture, but they're just popping through, so I think it will be a bit before they show up in a photo. Notice also how well she is sitting all by herself!

***Update: Make that 4 teeth! Saw the top two peeking through this morning as well. Whew, that's a lotta teeth at once.

A Niece!!!

Larson and Cora are pleased to announce the arrival of their cousin,

Claire Josephine Pacyna!

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Our newest cutie was born 2/24/08 and is doing great. You can see pictures of her on the Pacyna blog. We can't wait to meet you, baby Claire!

Congratulations to Kate, Mark and new big brother Wyatt.

Signs of spring

Took a walk around the 'hood with the camera to capture signs that spring is around the corner. I just love that brief period when everything looks like it's waking up. Tiny shoots poking through the dirt - "Yes, we're still here! We made it through the winter!" Plump buds on branches just waiting for longer and warmer days to unfurl their flowery, leafy goodness. If we had more snow to melt here, I would be inhaling that earthy mud smell that breaks the crispness of cold, cold days.

I think it's just so cool to plant bulbs in the fall, on faith that some kind of action will take place down in the earth by spring. Then one day in March/April, just when you've practially forgotten that you even did all that digging back in October, voila!, the tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, etc, pop up almost overnight to herald spring with their friendly colors. It's just what I need to get me excited to plan and plant my garden.

Check out these cuties!

Remember this?

Ok, totally random, I know. But. Brett and I were having a little "date-night" type of thing and were trying to find something fun to watch on our computer from Netflix. So browsing through the TV shows they had for viewing, we found "Family Ties, Season 1". It was such a trip! The first season was from 1982. The pop culture references, fashion, etc: all so much fun to watch & remember. And the other thing was to notice how different the "sitcom" was then compared to now (wait, do we actually have them anymore, at least any that anybody watches?). It was almost like watching a play with a laughtrack. I think it seemed that way because we watch SO much reality TV these days (you know, Project Runway, Top Chef, Amazing Race and -- dare I mention it -- The Hills & The City?) that I've almost forgotten what it's like to watch actual acting. You know, when you think about it, all the drama in those shows I just named comes from the editing, not what's being said by the characters. Watching FT made me realize that once upon a time the actors were responsible for bringing you the laughs, the drama, etc all on their own. Kind of refreshing, really. I think I'll be back for more...

V-day follow up

I practiced using the close-up feature of our camera to capture our yummy cake, so I just wanted to share! Hope everyone had a sweet, lovely Valentine's Day. If you're nearby, come over for cake; otherwise, Larson will be requesting this for dinner every day for the next week!

Happy Valentine's Day!

We are sending lots of love to everyone we can't personally hug & kiss today!

Saturdays are pancake day in our house. It's a tradition that I had growing up and soon after Larson was old enough to eat pancakes (and I wasn't working almost every Saturday!) I started making them in my own house. We make them from scratch, with buttermilk and real maple syrup and they are so good. Larson likes to help, too, and almost has the recipe memorized. He can measure and whisk like nobody's business! Today, I decided to try being a little crafty and make heart-shaped pancakes for Valentine's Day. I'd say I did a pretty good job without one of those fancy pancake molds:

Here's the end result (note to self: there's a reason why food magazines put garnishes on the plates - looks a little bland with just the food, huh?):

The activity for the afternoon is making Red Velvet cake with cream cheese frosting and lots of sprinkles! Here's hoping that I don't spill the powdered sugar all over the place like I did the last time I made cake frosting...