MORE TWILIGHT FODDER!!!!!!

For some interesting tidbits on the upcoming Twlight movie New Moon, go here. Clair, this is for you.

Phone companies bite

I HATE QWEST. We have had the most awful service from them the whole time we've lived in our current apartment. Why not switch you say? Because our apartment owners signed their soul over to Qwest, making them the only company to provide phone/cable/internet in our complex. A miniature monopoly. We will never sign with them again.

Our apartmen in CA has all the utilities included, except the very cheap landline (like $7). I will be singing the allelujah chorus when I have to pay bills.

Banks who do bad business are also on my black list. We were part of Wamu, and now the change to Chase (who hasn't won my heart either) has cost me $20. California credit union, here I come!

A happier, less hateful post will be on the way soon.

Happy 4th Birthday Evelyn!

Been a long time gone

The title is from a Dixie Chicks song that came out quite a while ago. I've been vacationing for over two weeks now. This trip marks the longest time Ben and I have been apart. I think he misses us more because there are no little people running around showering love and messes all over the apartment, and I'm not there of course. I took off in part to allow Ben time to concentrate on writing his thesis, which has been a much more difficult process than either of us anticipated. It seems he's finally on a solid writing road though, and that was great news to hear.

I think what I miss the most about him is just hearing him talk, bounce ideas off me, and the stimulating conversation I have with him. I also really miss seeing him interact with the kids. Gordon has already changed quite a bit in the 2 1/2 weeks we'll be gone. Hopefully on Sunday, we'll all be together again in the hot July sunshine.

Do I have pictures to show for all my travels? Not really. Haven't had to recharge the camera batteries once. I'm just awesome like that.

Sister Rose...It's Cool to Love Your Family

I posted this here because I know some of Shaunie's cousins like Feist's music (dig it guys!). I do too, she's got a cool sound. My friend told me about this song. It's off Feist's first album, which is is long out of print, and unfortunately the song isn't available for purchase anywhere. It's not her greatest song musically but it's got some good lyrics that I think you'll all enjoy. I guess stuff like this has been on our minds a lot lately since a certain someone close to us has lost it and doesn't seem to care about her family anymore. Maybe she just needs to listen to some Feist...

I might also add, Feist sings a duet with Jeff Tweedy on Wilco's new album, released last week. The song is called "You and I". My good friends Jack and Elaine introduced me to Wilco in 2000 and I am forever grateful to them for doing so. Have a happy day and enjoy some good music.

Life is good

Here is picture overload if you've been craving it. I've been busy with projects, namely the bedspreads to deck out the brand new bunk beds we got the girls a few weeks ago. We purchased them mostly in the interest of space we'll have in our CA apartment (aka, less space than we have now, 250 sq. ft. to be exact). So we did as buildings in large cities do: build up. The kids love them, they play house, pirate ship, and more games that are completely lost on me in these beds. Jilly has only fallen out once so far.

Evelyn has greatly improved her writing/drawing skills over tha last few weeks, and drew this likeness of Ben. Wouldn't you say it's exact? :) The big circles around his eyes are his glasses, she proudly informed him.

And here is the cute baby and his Daddy. He reached his 2 month mark earlier this week, and weighs in at a whopping 12 1/2 pounds (well, it is for my kids at this age), and 24.5", putting him in the 90th percentile. Don't think we'll end up with growth issues like Jilly.

He is just so darned cute! He only cries when he needs something, talks and smiles a ton, and is increasing his patience for two slightly over-bearing sisters. What more could I ask for?

This is his karate-chop move.

The full body shot. And those little shoes were ones Ben wore as a baby. Unfortunately, this was the first and last time he'll wear them, because they're already too small.

One of my favorite outfits for him, freshly spit-up on.

What Daddy and daughter are doing right now.

Seriously. I have no reason to complain about my life.

The Diaper Solution

Ben here, since we've had Gordon I've been reminded about the amount of waste that we put into the landfills in the form of diapers. When we lived in good old Wymount is was disconcerting to think about how many dirty diapers our complex produced in a day, let alone the whole of Provo. I wonder if the local landfill has a diapers only section...

If you're like me and you've been troubled by this, there's a solution. I'll let the video do the talking. Feel free to comment. Remember, communities can improve the world faster than individuals.