Califotos

As promised, here are some recent pics of our adventures in California...

Playing in Grandma's backyard



Little sunbather in Balboa Park

Fun with sunglasses and walkie-talkies!

Trying to get a cute shot...

nope

wait a sec...

gotcha!

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Former Marbleheaders

Just a few pictures from our last big adventure in Massachusetts: taking the ferry to Charlestown Navy Yard to visit Old Ironsides.

Chelsea and me, on the ferry.

Savannah and Jeremy (her first boat ride!)

All of us at the Kidport

That last one looks crappy, I know, but I couldn't resist including a shot of our last few hours in Massachusetts. We hung out in the kids' playspace in Terminal C at Logan before boarding our flight out to Cali. (Why all airports do not have these is a mystery of the universe.)

Coming attractions: California pictures! Whee!

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Letter to a Leaky Faucet

Dear Left Boob,

You can stop now.

The babies are all done nursing. Like, WAY done. Months ago. Done.

And there are no new babies on the horizon for you.

So please, just stop now. Ok?

Much love,
Heidi's shirts, tank tops, and bras
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And a Side Order of the Buddha

Today I was watching Top Chef on YouTube (oh yes! it is very Top Secret, but it is there) and somehow stumbled on this crazy video of Penn Teller talking about atheists and agnostics.

From there, I found Sam Harris' website and became briefly absorbed in the forum discussions on religion.

I've only written a little about religion on here, it being such a controversial subject and my views being decidedly in the minority. But it is a topic of endless fascination and consternation to me.

As I've gotten older, I've learned to hold my tongue. I worked in a Christian school for a few years without getting into any blazing philosophical debates.

But when I was younger, I loved to argue about religion. Part of the reason I did my undergraduate degree in the Study of Religion was so that I would have a good comeback when religious people asked me (as they often did) if I had ever truly explored a religion. ("Why, as it so happens, I have a degree in the subject!)

Oh. And I also love The Big Lebowski.

(You: Huh? What the eff does that have to do with anything?)

All of this is just background to explain why I so greatly enjoyed an email that I received today from my fabulous and hysterical husband. This is what he wrote, in response to my mom's request that he pick something off the menu of a local Mexican place for an upcoming family gathering:

"I would like the Jesus."

Now, I have not confirmed this with him, but I am completely convinced that he picked this meal (it's a combination dinner, btw) primarily for the chance to say "I would like the Jesus." Or later, "I really enjoyed the Jesus." And maybe also, "You have to try the Jesus!"

(Yes, I know it's not "Jee-zuss" it's "Hay-soos," but "I would like the Hay-soos" just isn't as funny.)

My husband is selflessly ignoring his own desires in order to get a laugh.

Or maybe he really just wanted the "Dos Beef Tacos" combo plate.
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Future Tech Guru

Chelsea: Sometimes Thomas Googles himself!

Me: EXCUSE ME?

Chelsea: Sometimes Thomas types his name into Google to see pictures of himself!

Me (to myself, in my head): Who taught her that? How does she know to use Google as a verb? Well, we do sometimes type "Thomas" into Google and look at pictures of trains, but really? If she has been listening to me saying I'm going to Google something, what else has she picked up and just not spoken aloud yet? ARGH!
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Personally, I Prefer my Robert Smith a Bit Less Randy

We were at the home of some new friends recently for dinner and they asked us what we liked to do when we weren't chasing our kids around.

Our response? (insert sound of crickets chirping here)

Pretty sad. We're so wrapped up in our children and the hectic pace of daily life that we don't even know what we like to do anymore.

The following weekend, we had some free babysitting (thanks Grandma and Grandpa!) and decided over dinner that we should not just go sit in a movie theater, but do something different.

We decided on a concert in Pacific Beach at a place called Cane's. Now PB is a very college-y, party-ish part of town and Cane's is the kind of place where you see more fake boobs than real. Despite that being not at all our scene, we went because they were hosting a trio of 80s tribute bands: The Long Duck Dongs, The Cured, and Dead Man's Party.

We got there in the middle of the Dongs' set and they were actually really good. They are an 80s cover band, so it was like being at an 80s night except with a live band.

Then came The Cured. They looked silly with their ridiculous spiky wigs, but they sounded just like the Cure. Jeremy and I made bets on what they'd start and end with and both agreed that we'd barf if they played Friday I'm in Love at any point. (They did and we rolled our eyes.)

The Cured just went on for too long for my taste, but we had to stick it out for the whole reason we came: to see Dead Man's Party.

DMP is an Oingo Boingo tribute band and Jeremy and I are hardcore, old skool Boingo fans. We own all the albums, know all the words, and have seen them in concert over and over again. I even stalked the lead singer's brother in a shoe store in LA back in the day.

But that's another post.

DMP was more than worth the wait. They were excellent, so much fun. We danced and sang and screamed until it was way too late for two grown-ups with two small children to be out.

We went home with sore throats and ringing ears.

I don't think I ever need to do that again. But, boy howdy, I'm glad we did.

At least now we can say one thing we like to do.

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Photos from the bands' websites.