PJ Squared

Mom

2009-11-03T01:24:00.000-08:00

Stephanie Adele Howells Carlston

1946 – 2009

Stephanie Adele Howells Carlston passed away peacefully at home on October 29, 2009, after years of bearing serious illnesses with exquisite grace.

Born on September 16, 1946, to Ruth Felt Howells and Paul Steed Howells in Salt Lake City, Utah, she was affectionately known as “Taffy” to many. She happily spent her early summers tagging along with her father on his Thousand Peaks Ranch in Weber Canyon. After graduating from Highland High School, she attended the University of Hawaii and the University of Utah, where she affiliated with the Pi Beta Phi sorority. She met her husband, Wayne Alan Carlston, at the U and was married in the LDS Salt Lake Temple on November 17, 1972.

Theirs is a marriage for the ages—infused with friendship, romance, unwavering commitment and a fierce loyalty. “Taff” is Wayne’s best friend, his confidante, his shelter from the storm. They moved through life as one, providing a remarkable example of unselfish love to everyone around them.

Together they raised six headstrong children; each one has served an honorable LDS mission and by year’s end, each will be married in the temple. She loved them completely and unconditionally, selflessly giving them everything they needed in life. As matron of “Hotel Carlston”, she fostered an accepting and warm environment of creativity, appreciation for all things beautiful and fun, and an abiding faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. She really shined (and will certainly continue to do so) as “Grandma Taffy,” and she leaves a rich legacy for her family, most poignantly felt at the family cabin as it continues to be an anchor point of family togetherness.

Stephanie loved nothing more than to give. Impulsively generous, she often would give away flowers as soon as Wayne brought them home to her. Her approach to her essentially non-profit floral business – Weeds ‘N Things – wasn’t much different—providing beautiful and unique floral arrangements for countless funerals and weddings. She freely gave of her artistic, theatrical, and creative talents to her kids’ school programs, church activities and theatrical productions, and community events, adding color and life to everything she touched.

As prone as she was to give, her ability to receive gifts was equally delightful. Upon receiving a gift, she expressed so much sincere delight and gratitude that it made you feel like you were the recipient of a much greater gift. She was the best of friends to many. She had a knack for making friends for life in an instant because she only saw the best in everybody. She lived and loved deeply; we love her and will forever call her name blessed. Oh how we will miss her exuberant joie de vivre, vivacious intellect and magnanimous spirit. She was and is a beautiful and regal lady.

Stephanie is survived by her husband, Wayne; their six children and their spouses, Peter (Julie), David (Kara), Virginia (Josh) Whiting, Abigail (Jared) Stubbs, Christopher (Amber), Amy (Chris) to-be-Shane, and seven remarkable grandchildren: Katherine, Afton, Parker, Ben, John, Luke, and Piper. Her mother, Ruth Felt Howells, and her siblings, David (Carole) Howells, Spencer (Ann) Howells, and Amy (Karl) White also survive her, as well as too many close friends and relatives to mention. She was preceded in death by her parents-in-law and her father, who is undoubtedly glad to have his Taffy tagging along with him once more.

Funeral services will be held Monday, November 2 at noon in the Holladay 26th Ward, 4601 S. Chapel Street (2565 E). Friends may call Sunday 6-8 or Monday 10:30-11:30 at the Ward building. Interment at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park. In lieu of donations, send flowers!

St. George Marathon

2009-10-08T13:53:00.000-07:00

As part of another great visit to Utah (loved being with such a fantasic fam, sweet and sad times as Dad was released as bishop) we tried something new - my (Pete's) first ever marathon, in the beautiful red rock mountains descending into St. George.

Julie and the boys were an awesome support crew. Julie brought the boys to the finish line wearing custom-made t-shirts - that really got to me. I think we were surprised at what a happy moment that was for us.

Likewise, I hadn't anticipated how cool and satisfying the race would be. It's much funner to race than train - with support stations, stunning scenery, thousands of fellow crazies, and of course that welcome crew at the end.

We were lucky to stay with generous friends who let the little men do some off-roading, too.

Chillin' on the Salt Flats

2009-09-18T11:33:00.001-07:00

Dad drove fast but I wanted him to go even faster. He says I can do this drive in oh, maybe 34 years.

-Luke

Hullo!

2009-09-16T15:07:00.000-07:00

Long time since we've posted! We're so busy growing. Lots to do.

And for the record, as I do not dress myself yet, let it be known that I claim no political party affiliation. I likely will start my own revolution.

-John

First 4th in Utah

2009-07-13T13:37:00.001-07:00

Here's a video of several firsts for the boys.
~

Reunion in the Rockies

2009-06-28T13:16:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we traveled to beautiful Keystone, Co to reune with all of Julie's sibs and her mom. What a great place and a fun weekend together. Highlights were just talking with really erudite and clever people, trying to keep up with roving bands of crazy little kids, a seriously fast and long alpine slide at Breckenridge, and time on the lake.

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T21:55:00.001-07:00

Julie Mama rocks!

First B-day Cake & Present

2009-05-05T12:10:00.000-07:00

To Jolly John

2009-05-01T14:58:00.001-07:00

Now you are one, a whole year today!
So loving and lovable, what can we say?
Swaying to music, talking---what cute sounds!
Clutching your favorite books while crawling around.
Your great belly laugh, your wide toothy grin,
A very big spirit, in small body is packed within.
Happy First Birthday, grandson!

Love, Grammy Miriam

To Mighty Luke

2009-05-01T14:48:00.000-07:00

Today's your first birthday, you're growing up fast!
So speedy, so eager, to catch all that goes past.
Your first steps now take you, all over the house,
Soon you'll be running and jumping, having a blast!
With determination and strength, nothing will stop you.
Your body of pure muscle, your cuddles, your smile.
Happy Birthday, small charmer, so glad you're ours for a while.

Love, Grammy Miriam

The Two Turn One

2009-05-01T14:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday John and Luke! What a joyful, fascinating, exhausting and exhilarating year it has been. Today their dad also celebrates their amazing mom. Love you Julie!

Chaps

2009-04-08T21:58:00.001-07:00

Hawaii '09

2009-03-22T21:43:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to make Pete's company-sponsored trip to Oahu this year. The boys came along and we had a great time. Sadly, most of our vacation documentation was lost from our little Flip camera - more details below. Click below for some photos:

Hawaii '09

First night: Waikiki, right on the beach. Crowded but fun. Boys promptly ate a pound of sand each. For them it was like being plopped in the middle of one of those old Dairy Queen landscape commercials. Sand castles = sundaes. Which led to howls and heavy, gritty diapers during the night and next morning. Per Dave and Kara's instructions, we went to Leonard's Bakery for some delicious malasadas and got way too many :)

Next few nights: Ihilani resort on southwest corner of island - nice hotel with mellow lagoon. Freezing swimming pool (?!). But the ocean was warmer than in NorCal! Julie and I stole an hour to snorkel and kayak. Fun to see work colleagues. The boys were a hit.

Next few nights: nice little cottage just off Sunset Beach on the North Shore. Talk about a different Hawaii vibe - much more like Hana except for the tatooed career surfer dudes aged 13-63 hanging around everywhere. Excellent shave ice at Matsumoto's. Enormous waves (not really surfable, unfortunately - choppy) but still cool to see the legendary spots and chat with surfers as they sat longingly waiting for good weather. Enjoyed a day at the Polynesian Cultural Center - a decades-long wish fulfilled for Pete. We all liked the haka-style war dances. And flames. Lots of flames.

Highlights were walks on Kailua Bay and up Waimea Valley with giggling boys; watching the boys climb to back of seats to watch big show at PCC; acai bowls from Kava Roots; bathtime with boys in big tub; and BBQs at the cottage. Fun to see where Julie's bro Marc went to school (BYU-Hawaii) and the Laie Temple.

Toward the end of our trip we went to a safe little harbor at Turtle Bay. It started to rain and Julie and John took refuge under a hut near a wedding party being soaked up above the beach. Luke and I stayed under one of those permanent parasols on the beach. I was filming the funny scene when Julie shouted my name with emergency-urgency - then CRASH - a 2 foot wave hit me in the back (I was on my knees with back to the water) - in that split second the water swept up Luke who was playing in the sand a yard away. Instinctively I caught the sputtering kid by the shirt. All of our beach/kid stuff was swept 25+ feet past the sidewalk and onto the resort lawn.

Man, that was scary. The hotel staff and wedding party were stunned - one freak swell, one big wave that heaved way over its normal bounds. We were soaked, sand-filled, and shaken as we recovered our stuff strewn all about. The Flip video camera that had nearly an hour of vacation footage and had been rolling when the wave hit was kaput (couldn't recover the data later, either). So we were disappointed but certainly grateful that that was the extent of our loss.

We came home exhausted and sick - caught a nasty cold bug (John has bronchialitis right now - scary and miserable) but we'll get through it. The boys were incredibly game throughout. We felt very fortunate to go and partake of some Aloha.

Silly 9 month olds

2009-02-10T21:59:00.001-08:00

Stop Changing

2009-01-22T00:21:00.001-08:00

Ok, a brief word about Julie. She is a rockin' mom. Seriously, the boys have a blast every day. Word.

It's a trip how quickly these guys are changing. Almost too quickly. Luke now pulls himself to standing at the piano and stretches one hand up to pound the keys. He's a skinny, maniacal climber. The grim reality that the most dangerous stuff is the most interesting to Luke is something we're confronting right now - gotta improve the kid-proofing around here, quick.

We're hearing more of Luke's laugh these days - he doesn't really giggle as much as get rocked with hiccup-inducing spasms. Playing up-down (ducking above and below a table, for example) completely cracks him up.

If Luke is our Explorer, John is our Examiner. His hand-over-hand study of books, toys, cell phones, etc. is absorbing and actually beautiful to watch. He's more content to sit still than Luke is, but not that much - John's lost some chub now that he's motoring around on the carpet as fast as his bro.

And John continues to stun us with his vocal experimentations. He's not imitating anything or anyone, I'm sure of that. All kinds of bellows, screeches, doodles and pops. We wonder how he comes up with this stuff.

JJ&L Road Trip

2009-01-15T21:45:00.000-08:00

Julie took the boys to visit rockin' cousin Currys in San Diego the past weekend. They had a great time!

The boys were very happy to get out of their car seats on a lunch break during the long drive.

Yeah we know snow.

2009-01-10T23:07:00.000-08:00

Ain't so bad - not even as cold as San Francisco.

Jump Little Santa Man

2009-01-10T23:06:00.001-08:00

Hangin at Park's

2009-01-10T22:04:00.000-08:00

Cousin Parker, Luke, John at Park's cool new house

These boys are so lucky - with cousins Parker, Ben, George, Aaron, now Andrew, and maybe another couple of guys on the way, John and Luke will always have a posse of guys to hang out with whenever they're with extended family.

Holidays 2008

2009-01-10T21:39:00.000-08:00

For our boys' first Christmas, we first celebrated a brunch with Gr. Alan, then a Christmas eve with Gr. Miriam, then flew to Utah. The little guys were as cool as ever on the plane and Grandpa/Dad picked us up, welcoming us to a perfectly snow-covered holiday. We loved hanging out with Gr. Wayne and Gr. Taffy and our sibs and appreciated their hospitality. We wish we'd been able to visit with more extended family and friends, but John and Luke seemed to keep us busy at all hours - and I mean all hours. Looking back, it's kind of a haze. Great to have aunts and uncles around to help.

The boys made a quantum leap in the past few weeks - first Luke pulled himself to his knees and his feet in the crib, then he and John both fell out of crib/off bed for the first time, in separate rooms, within 2 minutes of each other. WHUMPwanh..WHUMPwanh. They didn't hide their shock and pain but were tough about it.

John's turning into a Robin Williams sound machine, and Luke's going to be climbing sheer rock faces soon.

And now they're both crawling - getting speedier every day. Lateral and vertical mobility is a huge change for them and for us. We're learning firsthand why new parents are so paranoid. It's unbelievable how quickly these little squirts can get into not-good situations.

I don't know how Julie does it but she makes caring for them look graceful and easy all the while. Seriously, with Mom always singing and reading to them (and feeding, etc.), these guys are living a gooood life.

2008 was a radical year for us. We're so blessed. We look forward to the multiplying misadventures that 2009 will bring.

You Ready for Christmas?

2008-12-08T22:10:00.000-08:00

You bet.

Thanksgiving '08

2008-12-02T19:26:00.000-08:00

Things 1&2

2008-11-12T23:32:00.000-08:00

Things 1 &2

Half a Year Old

2008-11-06T00:11:00.000-08:00

Order above, top to bottom: J, L, J, L. The boys are now half a year old - man that arrived quickly. We couldn't be happier and don't think the guys could be any cooler.

These days John continues to amaze with his vocal repertoire. And while for much of the early days, John seemed less interested in people than did Luke, John is now quite the happy charmer. John actually looks for opportunities to laugh - he loves it and has a dang cute chuckle. Oh, and two bottom teeth have broken through. Julie's reeeally thrilled about that. And John's a major binky-raider - takes the bink right out of Luke's mouth whenever he can.

As he has from the beginning, Luke continues to have an unshaken belief that if he just pushes/pulls/squeezes hard enough, be it a swaddling blanket, piece of furniture, or big person, whatever he's trying to break out of or bring closer to him will indeed cede to his will. This kid is all about brute force and he is incredibly STRONG. We've had to adjust the way we handle him because of it. He's turning into a squirmer. We fear for the safety of all untethered objects and small animals once he's mobile.

Halloween Monsters Captured

2008-10-26T16:35:00.001-07:00

These little creatures have disarmed us thus far with cuteness factor^2 but we're still watching those dragon claws and jack-o-lantern teeth carefully.

(Dragon-John | Pumpkin-Luke)

Autumn in Utah

2008-10-10T17:17:00.000-07:00

We got to spend a great weekend with the whole clan, including John & Luke's cousins Ben and Parker - and make it up to the cabin briefly. The fall colors were amazing.

Fighter Pilot Progress

2008-09-20T22:22:00.000-07:00

4.5 DAYS...

4.5 MONTHS

(Good work, Mom!)

Color Codes

2008-09-14T22:02:00.000-07:00

Luke left, John right

Some people have asked how we identify who's who, which clothes belong to whom, etc. Julie does a great job keeping them looking sharp, but we don't have a system like Mom's clever solution for Pete and Dave. No assigned colors, car seats, or blankets; only recently have we kept track of which binky goes with which kid (gasp!). It's dang cute when they're in similar or matching clothes, though.

Getting smiles and laughter on up close on film is tough - the second we pull a camera out, they zero in on the lense and just stare. I've even tried camouflage. Maybe we'll install a one-way mirror somewhere.

John

Luke and John get along well. This week, Julie entered their room to soothe Luke and found John with his hand on Luke's shoulder, steadily looking him in the eyes.

Luke, John

Luke caught a sore throat and completely lost his voice. Talk about heart-breaking. He'd be wailing, tears bursting and limbs flailing, with no sound. Every now and then, little squeaks would come out so pitifully, we'd rend our clothes. But he's getting better now, good nature intact.

Luke

While they're still little and not at all tough to handle, they're beginning to grab things, put everything in the mouth, climb up people and pull chunks of Mom's hair out. They even started eating some rice cereal yesterday.

And who turned on the drool switch?

4 Month Laugh

2008-09-01T22:17:00.000-07:00

Captured at Uncle Roy/Aunt Julie's beach house Labor Day weekend (that's Aunt Julie cheering them on). First time I've seen them laugh together like this. It gets funner by the day!

Twins @ Tahoe

2008-08-25T00:46:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been too long since we've posted here. In July we had a fantastic trip back to Utah to meet the fam and bless the boys at the same time as their cousin Ben. Hopefully we'll get some photos up. More recently, we spent a nice weekend at Lake Tahoe - for the intrepid J&L duo, it was the first long road trip, first hike, and first day at the beach.

Julie & John

Pete & Luke

John defines Cool

If we could all be as good natured as Luke...

Luke ain't scared

Neither is John

On the Move

2008-07-15T17:00:00.000-07:00

Shots from the weekend, in blue jumpsuits from Grandma Taffy:

John

Luke

Which One is Which?

2008-07-11T13:08:00.000-07:00

Mom/Taff asked if we'd identify the boys in the photos - hopefully this won't be needed after we visit SLC in a couple of weeks!

Luke's the one with chubbier cheeks and a rounder face, eyes that are a little squintier, and big nostrils like his dad. John has 'bigger' eyes, a higher forehead, and a skinnier nose. Both have blue eyes for now, but John's are a lighter shade.

We'll start indicating who's who in photos with their initials: "L - J" means Luke's on the left and John's on the right. While we think they look very different, we still mix them up sometimes when we're shuffling/schlepping/changing/feeding them and don't get a good look.

It's likely that the number one way we tell them apart is the way they sound. Completely different.

Luke is turning out to be a real people person - he'll seek you out in the room, looking to make eye contact with you, and then beguile you with a shy grin. He loooves his Grandma Miriam. John's primary interest is still shapes and contrasts, but he's snookered with his mom and gives us gummy smiles especially after he's slept well.

John's super-arching backward since the womb is really paying off now when he's on his stomach - he can bench-press and lift his head high. Luke's into standing and jumping big time - the thunder thighs are serving him well. With all the nutrition Julie is packing into the boys, she is wasting away - we gotta get her more calories. Mais da comida.

Happy 4th

2008-07-08T07:17:00.000-07:00

Dad, Mom, and Squirmers headed out to our first 4th of July picnic.

L - J

Recognize this? Grandma Taffy found these baby blessing outfits worn by Pete and Dave. Luke and John will use these little suits in a couple of weeks - if they still fit.

J - L

We're pleased with our sons' progress in Tai-Chi.

L - J

Smiles

2008-06-30T23:30:00.001-07:00

Mom, here's a rare smiley photo - I remember you'd asked for one in which at least one of them is not howling or crying. The grins haven't been easy to catch on film just yet because we rarely have hands free or I get blubbery happy and forget. But the odds are improving dramatically...John's starting to be interested in people. And Luke's already a charmer.

Having your kid beam at you has got to be one of the sweetest moments a human being can experience.

It's Rough Out Here

2008-06-28T01:52:00.000-07:00

Day 2 outside the womb for John. The sigh at the end says it all.

My Sweetheart

2008-06-25T08:07:00.000-07:00

Recently reclaimed photo of Julie at 4-5 yrs. If our guys are as handsome as their mom was cute at that age, watch out..

The Big Guys

2008-06-17T21:27:00.000-07:00

We had our two month appointment a couple of weeks early - the boys got immunization shots and boy were they brave.

Here are the latest measurements - basically they're both 20.5 inches long and weigh exactly 8 lbs 12 oz.

Smiles are starting to appear and man are we happy fools when they come.

ChunkyMunx

2008-06-08T20:01:00.000-07:00

At five weeks, the guys are doing exactly what they're supposed to be doing...24/7 eat/sleep/poop/pee/eat/sleep/eat/eat/eat.

Yesterday Luke (above) weighed in at 8.4 lbs and John (below) at 8 lbs. Without even counting the typical weight loss/regain of the first week, these guys have added another 60% of their original body weight in one month! Double chins and massive muscles, as the photos plainly show.

John's vocal chords continue to, as Amber described it, make us "move faster." Luke's cry is more of a volcano that slowly crescendos. Luke's a little more social - he'll look at you soulfully, right in the eyes, while John's still too busy taking everything in to rest his gaze much on us mere mortals.

John continues to arch and move about with such force that we think he'll be rolling over next week and hurdling the crib in mid July.

Both of them have cool male-pattern baldness hair...John's is darker and we wonder if it will get curly. He's got his maternal grandpa's forehead. Luke's hair is basically golden - we've decided it will become the light gold-brown hair that his paternal granddad (used to have).

We're completely exhausted and I (Pete) continue to wonder at how Julie stays so mellow, sweet and patient with the boys and me. Above is a sight familiar to Julie - swarthy husband (with double chin to match the boys') bearing hungry little monsters.

Grandma Miriam is a godsend who blesses our little family every day with her acts of service.

Thanks to each of you aunts, uncles, cousins and friends who've come by to visit and help...WE LOVE YOU GUYS. We feel so very blessed.

New Family Photo Shoot

2008-05-28T23:29:00.001-07:00

Here are photos we just got from a friend - taken a couple of weeks ago.

New Family - May '08

Happy 2 Weeks, Boys

2008-05-15T21:29:00.000-07:00

Not only a congratulations, but also a felicitous description of their time here with us. We're happy, tired, and we're feeling blessed. These tiny dynamos get funner and funnier to hang out with each day.

In case the photos don't show it, we've seen a phenomenon that fascinates us at least - both Julie and I each have a mini-Me!

Serious. Little John has many physical features similar to his mom, from the set of his eyes and nose to his curved pinkie finger to his feet to his glass-shattering soprano voice. He doesn't just cry - he belts out protests that have us plugging our ears and begging for forgiveness ("I'm so sorry, I'll cinch the diaper looser next time!"). And he's a voracious eater - he came out smaller than his brother but has since passed him in weight.

Luke's not so lucky, on the other hand...he's a spitting image of his dad. Just kidding about the first part - this is one beautiful baby whose trembly infant mews are heart-melting. Luke has the face of a future linebacker, funny long fingers, and feet just like Pete's. He's not about to let his brother get bigger or louder than him so he's working hard these days.

So amidst the every-2-hour haze we're enjoying the gas smiles that have just broken out. Our heartfelt thanks again to everyone for your love and prayers, meals and messages, and for rooting for the little guys.

Firsts

2008-05-14T07:33:00.000-07:00

First real-live baths at home

First walk around the block!

They're Home

2008-05-07T17:21:00.000-07:00

To see more photos of Luke and John, visit our Picasa web album.

DAD'S LOG 5/8/08

It's 2 am and we've just wrapped up a feeding. It's our second night at home after five nights at the hospital. John is insatiable and will eat 24/7 till he spits up if we let him. Luke is more mellow on the eating, but boy he's had some blowouts (other end) tonight. It's a circus and we just want to eat these little biscuits up.

So I thought I'd try to get some thoughts down. This first log will cover the events of May Day.

We had scheduled the C-section to be on Monday 5/5. But on Thursday 5/1, a routine fetal heartbeat test showed some erratic results for Baby A (John), so the OB told Julie she needed to go to the hospital for more tests ASAP, and oh by the way, you might want to pack your bags. So Julie called me away from work and off we went, glad we'd pre-packed the getaway car the prior night.

Upon seeing the test results at the hospital, the doctors informed us the C-section was to happen that very night. Ok then! Not a big problem since Julie had mostly, thankfully gotten over her cold and the kids were considered full-term by then at 38 weeks. Although there were as always more little things we could do to prepare the nest at home, we were pretty much ready to go for it.

So at about 7:30pm Julie was rolled (on a gurney, that is) into the delivery room. The doctors put up a curtain between her abdomen and head and gave me a chair next to her, so I could hold her hand as she endured the nausea and shakes from the anesthesia. She was so incredibly tough and poised. Instead of staying seated (on Julie's side of the curtain) I stood up a few times to watch the procedure - which worried the doctors ("It's fine if you watch, but most husbands sit down...are you okay?") more than it did me. Pretty soon, out came Baby A - a funny looking little man with a scrunched up face. Baby B glided out right after and immediately the doctor held him over the curtain, peek-a-boo style, for an exhausted/relieved Julie to see. I thought it was hilarious.

I kissed Julie and gasped my congratulations-they're-beautiful-you're-beautiful-I-love-you-I'm-going-to-check-on-the boys and jumped over to the baby tables. Baby A was blue and two nurses hovered over him with concerned glances backward - and I must say that was one of the most dramatic moments of my life. I'm not sure of the details but I think I burst in on the trio and grabbed my boy. I was terrified. The nurse put an oxygen mask on his face and I held him close, looking into his open eyes and praying, come on kid/please Heavenly Father let him live...his body was blue but his eyes were alert and seemed to lock onto mine. Finally he began to breathe and his entire body became a healthy rose color.

I know this may well be a common occurrence in the delivery room, but I will never ever forget it. The hugeness of my love for this little soul, the desperation of my pleadings for his life, and the depth of my gratitude to God for this miracle are still overwhelming to me.

And if that weren't enough, I then looked over to see another babe, this one a perfect little cherub, gazing peacefully at the nurse who was swaddling him.

My cup overfloweth.

The Miracle Men Arrive!

2008-05-04T21:42:00.001-07:00

Baby A = John | Baby B = Luke

Born Thursday, May 1, 2008

John Christian
5 lbs, 4.5 oz / 17 in

Luke Christian
5 lbs, 6.8 oz / 17.5 in

~~~

Going in for a simple check-up...

These guys had a different idea!

Recovery room team

They're getting cuter by the minute.

...And another new due date

2008-04-28T22:30:00.000-07:00

Julie just returned from the Dr's office and...as we thought might happen...D-day will be delayed. The requisite C-section delivery is now scheduled to occur not tomorrow, but on Monday, May 5. **

The reason: Julie's been clobbered by a cold, and although it seems to have peaked, it's had her feeling pretty miserable with coughing/sniffling/sneezing/heat-chills. Not a good way to go into birthing or surgery if we have any say in the matter. In addition, Miriam and I have joined in the fun. So May 5 was the next available procedure date, barring labor. A few more days to rest up before the fun!

** Any of you like me and wondered what the heck Cinco de Mayo is really about? Per Wikipedia:
It is primarily a regional (not national) holiday celebrated in the state of Puebla and virtually ignored elsewhere in Mexico. The date is observed in the US (esp. California) and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. For the most part the celebrations combine food, music and dancing.

A common misconception in the United States is that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's Independence Day; Mexico's Independence Day is actually September 16 (yo Mom!!!), which is the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico. Cinco de Mayo commemorates an initial victory of Mexican forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín over French forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

Of course, as you might expect we've thrown Ignacio and Zaragozo into the finalist hat for the boys' names.

***UPDATE: By now you've seen that our boys were born on May Day...that's good, we didn't really want our boys to associate their birthday with Corona Cerveja ads anyway. pc

New Due Date

2008-04-04T01:21:00.000-07:00

C-section is scheduled for Tuesday, April 29!

Happy Easter 2008

2008-03-24T21:47:00.000-07:00

We had a very fun Easter celebration on Saturday, at Aunt Joan's house. Many of her considerable talents were put to use for the Easter Egg/Treasure hunts. Amy and Jason / Jennie and Jeff and their kids were all there. Lots of good food and laughter.

On Sunday, Julie sang a duet in sacrament meeting ("Beautiful Savior"). Pete lip-synched in the choir. It was fun because during Julie's song, as often occurs, a cute little girl popped up and started waving at her - this time it was Summer Young, Steve and Barb's 15 month year old. Fun to see them there.

After church, we made BLTs and went for a drive, just us (a nice quiet Sunday for a change). We went up into the foothills between Palo Alto and the Pacific and had a picnic in the golden sunlight, as you'll see in the pics. Julie read some of her Peter Rabbit books.

Afterwards, we drove the famed Skyline Road with its famous twists and turns...Pete was deliriously happy with the Beemer's road-hugging performance and Julie somehow kept her lunch and the twins in her tummy.

We missed all of you fams but look forward to next year, when we'll have a couple of lil' hoppers to bring along!

Twins update

2008-03-12T12:19:00.000-07:00

Ultrasound results: Both the little guys are 3 lbs, 3 oz. - nearly the exact same size, although they are fraternal. This is good news - they may just meet that due date shown at right >>

Beauty and the Bump in the Muu Muu

2008-03-05T22:37:00.001-08:00

Maui 2008

UltraTwins cont'd

2008-02-10T21:58:00.001-08:00

Hey! Twins A & B here. Check out our photos from the Perinatalogy dept on Feb. 5! At a foot long, 2 pounds apiece, we're getting too big to fit into one ultrasound image...YEAH!

BABY A

That's me lookin' at you sideways - tilt your head to left.
Check out my Albert Schweitzer 'stache!

Don't be hatin' me 'cause I'm handsome.

BABY B

Hi guys!!! Lookin' at you (turn head to right) and wavin'!
Check out my chubby cheeks and strong chin!

My profile looks different than my bunkmate's, don't you think?
See that thing in the upper left (in front of my nose)? That's my FOOT! Lotsa good kickin' action on Mom's vital organs!

DA MOMMA
(and da Momma's Momma!)

The lady who feeds us and sings real pretty.

~~~

I am SKELETOR!! Bwah ha ha!!!

Hawai'i Resort 2007

2007-04-16T22:31:00.000-07:00

For a company trip we got to spend 4 days on the big island.

Julie & all de Sibs

2007-02-19T20:23:00.000-08:00

European Adventure 2006

2006-08-24T12:29:00.000-07:00

Click here to see our happy wanderings in France, Switzerland, and England.

Woodside BBQ

2005-09-15T12:21:00.000-07:00

BBQ with good friends/landlords Mary and Norris at 'our' cottage in Woodside

Queen Kate & Her Court

2005-09-15T12:13:00.000-07:00

Queen Kate and her court