The Grilling "Incident"

I was so excited for dinner tonight. No matter rain or shine, I was going to try a new recipe on the grill tonight. I was excited because it was so simple and the picture looked good. It reminded me of our girls camp tinfoil dinners we would do with the hamburger patty and potatoes and carrots, but better. Smoked turkey sausage, peppers, carrots, onion, potatoes, fresh herbs, etc. Wrapped them up and I then waited for Andy to get home from a meeting. I waited and waited, but couldn't wait any longer. In my head I thought, "What's the big deal? I don't need to wait for him to start the grill." So, I put up my hood (drizzling rain) and turned on the propane. The light trigger is broken so I had to use a lighter. I didn't think I was too close to the grill, but quickly found out I was. Poof! A ball of fire and the smell of burnt hair, which smells awful by the way. I quickly touched my hair and the "oh, no!" feeling came over me. I went straight for the bathroom mirror and started to laugh. What else was I going to do?? I ran my fingers through my singed hair several times and bits of burnt hair fell in the sink. The flame got my bangs, front sides, and right eyebrow (luckily no other damage). Andy came home and couldn't stop looking, and laughing. I quickly called Stacie, a friend who is a hairdresser, to help me. She saw me that night and did a great job fixing the damage. I wasn't planning on cutting my hair short, but it had to be done. She took 2 inches off, trimmed the eyebrows, and the bangs are short and thinned. I just have to laugh, and be thankful that hair does grow back. It looks great and no one would know ... unless they read this blog. : ) Oh, and by the way, dinner was delicious!

Mothers Day Weekend

Mothers Day weekend was fun and beautiful. My request was to spend time as a family and we had a great weekend. Saturday I got to sleep-in until 8 a.m. then we headed to the zoo. Annika got to ride a camel and we fed the birds. I was amazed how well Gavin did holding the stick for the birds, but knew I couldn't trust him long when he started poking at a bird on a tree stump. After the zoo we went to the Tacoma waterfront and ate ice cream cones on the pier. Then, off to dinner and ballet pictures. Sunday was nice and relaxing. Went to church, took an afternoon nap, and spent the evening at Uncle Ned's for a family dinner. No cooking, cleaning, or diapers to change (on Sunday). I think once a month should be mothers day instead of once a year!

Ballerina

This is mainly for Grandma Merrill so she can see Annika. She is wearing her costume for her performance in June. Pictures were today so I thought I would take some of my own too.

The picture taking process

Hooray! We finally got a family picture taken. It only took us 4 1/2 years to do. The last time was when Annika was a few months old. Of course no family photo session goes completely perfect. If it does for you, tell me your secrets. Annika did a great job the whole time. Gavin did great the first 20 minutes, but there are only so many times the photographer can fool him with Elmo blowing off the head and sounds being made when shoes are squeezed. After the 20 minutes, Gavin became restless and I was the lucky one to try and pin him down. But what does the photographer expect with all the fun props staring him in the face -- bikes, benches, toys, etc. They all were calling his name. And Ava, well, she just wouldn't smile for anyone. If you know her, you would be shocked because she is always full of smiles. But for the entire hour she wouldn't pull a smile. Not for me, Andy, photographer, grandparents ... no one. Some of the shots she had looks like, "What am I doing here?" and "Can we just go now"? Out of the 15 or so "best" shots, this was the final choice. This was near the end so Gavin was squirming, but he did smile. And Ava had just eaten so she has a slightly nicer look (she is adorable though even without the smile). It's done! And hopefully we can get another one before 4 years pass.

The picture below was taken in April for his 2 year shot. He was an angel! Cooperated and smiled the whole session. He is such a cute little man. We celebrated by getting a chocolate chip cookie afterward. Hmmm ... maybe that's where I went wrong for the family picture. I should have offered a bribe.