...ok...so...did you miss us?

i want to start out this LONG OVERDUE post by admitting a few things. 1) We moved to Los Osos in April. 2) Hayvn turned ONE in May. 3) Hayvn started walking on July 8th (an early gift for Jess' bday). And 4) i think i've come to terms with my hatred over blogs and blogging. i don't facebook. i don't twitter. and while i claim that i don't do these things because what i really want is more real intimacy with my friends who do, i ultimately think that my absence is due in large part to my belief that the goings on of my little family are of little interest to people outside of our immediate circle. i could be wrong. i could be right. regardless, i think that i'll venture to say that everyone could benefit from seeing more hayvn. i know i always can. and i apologize for keeping him from you.

so, with that said, i think i'll dip my toes back into the blogging realm, hoping that my posts reach friends/family who we don't see nearly enough.

as a little teaser of more to come, here are some shots of hayvn that our friend anna took on his 1st birthday! to say i'm still in shock over his rapid growth and maturity would be stating the obvious. i think i'm beginning to understand why people have more than one kid...they grow up so darn fast you seek to slow it all down by repeating the process. i can't say we're there, but dang boy, ease up on the growing up!

Pillows

So Hayvns favorite thing is to get naked and be thrown into the pillows (not unlike his dad) before bathtime. We've always been a bit sketchy about a naked baby on our bed without protection but he has been ok so far, until the other night when this happened.

If this picture doesn't melt your heart, then you obviously don't have one.

The flighty....Ever elusive.....LOS OSOS! (cue sexy flamenco music)

When asked over the course of the past few years whether we would join our friends to live in the sweet hamlet of Los Osos I would tilt back my head in a proud and assured way and say "Ha! Me?! I live in downtown San Luis Obispo!". No I wouldn't be so pretentious, but it's how I've felt. Living in San Luis has become a bit of an identity for Sarah and me, so much so that the very thought of moving out to b.f.e. made us cringe. But now, here we are, desperately trying to find a house in this partially erected town. Really, who were the bunch of back ass ward cowboys that set up that place!? I guess most of them didn't think too much of street lamps and paved roads let alone making a road run all the way through from one end to another. But none the less, Sarah and I find ourselves drawn to this place. We love the way it feels like one of the silent, hidden northern California beach towns that we've grown to love during our travels up and down hwy 1 in between her brothers house in Half Moon Bay. I can't wait to start surfing again and go on hikes and maybe lose some weight! But this feisty bear-lady will have none of us! Twice our attempts to move out there have been thwarted. The first time, we found a cute house on Manzanita that was great but the owners were kinda weird ( not all that uncommon from what I've been led to belive). The second time we actually went through a property management group and were welcomed with open arms to a cute house on Woodland, until the home owner decided to put the house on the market....three weeks before we were suppose to move...really! now?! Why will this mercurial temptress have none of us?! ( Sarah didn't help me with grammar...I'm smart). Our haughty ways have turned her heart against us! She has seen where we come from and is jealous of our signs with the street names printed on them, the lights that illuminate roads, roads with a mysterious hard black surface, roads that aren't interrupted by a shanty house or another road randomly placed in its way...cell phone service. But we humble ourselves before you and ask that you open your gates to us, you great and terrible Los Osos!

This one is for Jess

Our friend Jessica Brown is awesome. She handles 3 kids and a busy husband and she's good at it too. She is really funny and doesn't like it when people come up to her at farmers and ask for crazy donut requests. she likes to make those people look dumb after they've left the booth of course. She'll tell you to pick up after your dog too. She is on the look out for houses in Los Osos for us to rent. she's a great friend. Oh! and she can't keep her eyes open for pictures. she's great and we love her!

First Fall Action

There's lots to get to, so let's get going...

Think Blue?

So Hayvn had his first big day at the ballpark on Sept 20th. That's dodger stadium. What a night. Four months old and already rooting on the boys in blue. You should know that Hayvn's Great Grandpa, Walt (a.k.a Pa), was a huge Dodgers fan. When getting ready for Hayvn's first ballgame, Mama had to school Daddy on the fact that Hayvn, who is named after said Great Grandpa, would not be rooting for the Giants that night. Daddy, a Giants fan simply because the boys hail from the City of his heart, San Francisco, was not happy...but he had to concede when he saw there really was no way to win. Hayvn would bleed Dodger blue, just like Pa...and just like his aunt jenny for that matter (who lovingly made Hayvn's first dodgers' outfit!)

First Time on the Sticks

Aw, a proud papa got to hand his boy his first set of drum sticks (albeit, they were for a toy drum). Hayvn doesn't have much rhythm yet (still trying to get that 'control my flailing limbs' piece down), but daddy's got hope...

First Trip to the City


If you know anything about jeremy and i, then you know we left our hearts in SF years ago when we left our home there to move back to the Central Coast. It was a good move, don't get me wrong, but for us, SF will always be the home of our hearts. since moving, we try to get back there at least a few times a year. and i've never thought it was mere coincidence that my birthday happens to fall in October, the BEST month in the City, meaning that an annual birthday trip is always a must. this year we got to take our little man along for the ride. it was so much fun to watch his eyes grow wide and light up looking at all the sights. for a little guy who loves people, the City was the perfect place for him. people couldn't get enough of his yummy sweetness.


a little silliness in the Curiosity shop...


giving a trolley car a raspberry...hayvn's signature move.


some giggles on the Land's End trail...one of the most beautiful spots in all the world.

First Pumpkin Patch

a baby amongst baby pumpkins...cute as heck.

First Halloween

so, little bear inspired the selecting of his first halloween costume--a teddy bear! it was almost too much for this mama to see him all dressed up--he was just so dang cute that i almost squeezed the stuffing outta him a couple of times.

mama and baby at farmer's market. talk about stimulation overload...candy, costumes and crazies are the perfect recipe for Farmer’s Rage. good thing this madness happens only once a year.

Hayvn's Baby Dedication

Surrounded by lots of family and friends, we were able to give thanks to the Lord for Hayvn, and to our friends, family and church for all the prayers said for him before he was even realized. our little one is the product of lots of prayer, for sure.

First Time in a Voting Booth

Mama and hayvn helped make history!

First Time in the Crib

After five months and three weeks, we decided to stop using hayvn's expensive crib as storage space for baby crap and decided to start using it to house said sleeping baby. this picture is of his first nap in his crib, in his own room. Consequently, he spent that night in his crib as well and has been in the crib for the last three nights. now when mama gets up three times a night, she's gotta go all the way to his room...to this, i imagine hayvn cunningly twisting his little hands together while chuckling softly to himself, "hehehehe..."

Well, that's all, folks! it's been quite a fall...and i'm sure the holiday season will be just as eventful. our little bear turns six months old on the 28th and we just can't believe it. it's been such a bittersweet journey so far...sweet watch him grow and learn, but sad having to say good-bye, so quickly, to his little newborn self.
...stay tuned to the blog, cause we're trying rice cereal on thanksgiving...can't you just feel the excitement?

If you wanna know how we feel...

Please direct yourself to Donald Miller's blog entitled "From Reagan to Obama, a brief Political History" located here: http://donmilleris.com/

If you don't have time to read the blog...here are some highlights that really spoke to us and reflect why we supoorted Obama because of our faith, not inspite of it...

"a few days ago I did an interview with a writer for The Today Show, and after the interview she asked how it was evangelicals could come to believe the many lies being spread about Barack Obama. In answer I came back to the insular nature of the suburban church. “When we’ve never met people,” I said, “we are easily manipulated into demonizing them. We are easily made to fear.” And I’ll add there has been a great deal of fear in this campaign. I just received a letter, yesterday, from a prominent church leader in Georgia that accused Michelle Obama, who I have met and found to be a lovely and humble woman, of being be a racist. This was not a small-town backwards preacher, this was a best-selling Christian author, who, honestly, should be ashamed of himself."

"Last year I vowed I wouldn’t make decisions out of fear. And because of that I’ve had one of the greatest years of my life. I went to Uganda and got to meet with the man who helped write their constitution. I wrapped up an evangelism project I believe will introduce more than a million people to the gospel. I rode my bike across America. All of this stuff took some degree of risk. But when calculating those risks, I realized the only reason not to try was fear. What if I was wrong, what if I couldn’t make it, what if the project didn’t work? But none of my heroes are controlled by fear. The commandment most often repeated in scripture, in fact, is “do not fear.” Fear is often something unrighteous trying to keep you from doing something good."

"While in Denver I met people from the Obama Campaign. I met Joshua Dubois and Paul Monteiro, Obama’s faith-policy advisors. Paul, like me, had been a Republican until recently. He is a staunch pro-lifer who got tired of Republicans not making enough strides on the issue and was won over by the dramatic effect economic policy has on unwanted pregnancy and the bottom-up effects of economic stimulation as opposed to the conservative, supply-side policy. And Joshua spoke to me about Senator Obama’s personal faith, his commitment to close his events in prayer, his daily morning devotions and his twenty-year history of talking openly about Jesus. I didn’t need to be won over. I’d started a mentoring foundation in Portland two years before and was attracted to Obama’s message on responsible fatherhood (along with his backing of The Responsible Fatherhood Act.)"

"I voted for Barack Obama (we vote early in Oregon) because I think he is right on healthcare (his plan will allow 27 million more Americans, including young, pregnant mothers to be cared for) and he is right on responsible fatherhood. I voted for Barack Obama because he will keep George W. Bush’ Faith-based Partnerships Program in play, only increasing its funding. I voted for Barack Obama because he has the respect of world leaders, which will be necessary to deliberate an American agenda around the world, and I voted for Barack Obama because he had the judgment to oppose the war in Iraq. I’ve taken some blows from the conservative right on my stance, but, even in public debate against McCain representatives, have not been deterred. I will not be guilted, shamed or controlled. I am not going to vote for one candidate because I have been made to fear the other. I support Barack Obama because he has beat back the dark hour of cynicism and irrational fear, and provided hope to a country closing in on itself. I believe there are great days ahead."

We stand with our Christian brother in celebrating this historical day