Happy 34th Birthday Jeff!

34 things I love about you....

1 Your smile

2 you were the first boy I totally fell in love with (for real)

3 you make me laugh

4 you like to cuddle

5 you'll shop with me and not complain

6 Charlie & Max

7 your smarts

8 you like my friends

9 you always think I should buy that little something

10 your love of kitchen gadgets

11 your hugs

12 the agony of green vs brown birkinstocks (its been a few years:)

13 moving me to London TWICE

14 you're a listener even when its tough to listen

15 your adventurous spirit

16 you rarely say no

17 cutting flowers for me from our garden

18 buying Gned

19 letting me get a kitten

20 eating my cookies

21 telling me time and time again who shot Martin Luther King Jr

22 Watching 'Love Actually' with me

23 Fanning my face for an hour when I'm in labor...and only complaining after the fact:)

24 not thinking we were too young to be married at 24 & 22

25 your blue eyes

26 that you married me....

27 camping with Charlie in the back yard

28 always looking for a challenge

29 keeping me up to date on the latest styles

30 getting up with Charlie every morning at 6am

31 that you were the first to say I was beautiful

32 you buy me maltsers

33 and champange

34 that you love your brothers so much

and me even more.

Happy Birthday Jeff!

Monkey see, Monkey do...

In our other pre kid life...we called Jeff 'monkey' on our sailing trip to BVI. Now Max is the little monkey in the family! Thanks Suzanne for such a perfect gift to remind us of such fun memories! Maybe someday we'll be sailing together again....

I always say...It evens out in life.

So good ol' Uncle Alex is getting his due....sweet as he always is and was, he did put us all thru a ringer or two in his toddler days...or 10 year old days...and now his teen days...

Charlie is keeping him busy. We had to remind Charlie that Uncle Alex was NOT going to be part of his potty training experience when he visited. We reminded Alex that someday when Charlie visits as a teenager to Alex's young children he has to return the favor.

Here are some photos of their visit together earlier this month. They ventured to Half Moon Bay, Pescadero Beach, and a Giants game. And honestly Charlie was not happy unless Uncle Alex was in arms reach.

Embrace it!

When Jeff spends time with his brothers (Nick 25, Alex 14) there is some regression in age and attitude on Jeff's part. Some of it good, some not so good... at least for me:) There are more movie lines quoted, more tennis, golfing, site seeing, lots of late night tv watching, and always some teasing of the 'responsible' wife! For this visit from Alex, Jeff redeemed himself by regressing back to his romantic self as well.

I discovered the absolute best granola when we had brunch a few weeks back at Costanoa with friends. I've been trying to find something like it ever since.


Jeff, Alex & Charlie, while spending the day on the coast yesterday, drove further south and went to Costanoa to pick up some granola and convince the chef to pass on his recipe!!! Wow, did I ever feel loved when Jeff presented me with his surprise. Who would have thought the way to MY heart is granola?

It's a grand 'ol flag....

We missed Lakeside this year and Yankee Doodle Dandy. But we managed to find the 'spirit' of Lakeside in this adorable kids parade in nearby Menlo Park. Uncle Alex was here visiting for the long weekend which helped to make it feel more festive. We bounced at the bouncey castles, won prizes at the bean toss, bbq'd and finished off the day with fireworks. Charlie said on his way home, riding high on Daddy's shoulders....'I'm tired'. Good answer at the end of the 4th of July day!