Celebreighty!

We had a beautiful weekend.  A surprise 80th for O's lovely mama Annie! 

Here is the crew getting ready to pop up as Annie climbs the stairs unsuspectingly...

I wish this photo was closer up, so you could see the most gorgeous look on Annie's face!

Pop the corks...nothing but the best for Annie!

O made sure nobody went hungry, I made sure the fete was colorful...

The big kids and I snuck away on a secret pre-dinner cupcake mission...we may have each had a mini cupcake before dinner....shhhh...this part was a secret....

 Annie x 2

 Some photobooth fun...Annie was in there somewhere too...surrounded by little people...

I'm so happy to have and to share this short video clip from our after dinner singalong...

Happy 80 beautiful.  You are so so loved.  

Beautiful Weekend

Beautiful weather, beautiful food, beautiful weekend! Annie was here, and so was O's big bro. Here is Annie with her boys.

Can you believe these artys?! Huge and beautiful. Oh, and delicious. Saturday night was an arty party at our place. These lovebirds threw together quite a sunday picnic.

Hoodie was around and glowing most of the weekend.

Thanks for coming Annie.

The Ultimate Belly Shot

I adore a good belly shot. This one may be the best I have ever seen. Behold: Annie circa 1976

It is so hard to believe that this photo is nearly 40 years old. Not hard to believe Annie was looking so stylish and perfect-postured. I love this bump and the stud that it became. 

Thank you Annie - for bringing O into the world, in style (the only way you roll). 

Thank you Sam - for sharing this treasure!

Cousin Love a la Gorge

A weekend with these cuties in beautiful Hood River was a lovely way to ease back into Oregon life.

A family that does stair workouts together....

Pretty sure Annie was the only 85 year old on the teeter totter thing...ever...

It was also a great chance to celebrate Annie, our matriarch who will hit 85 next month! The team below is busy baking a cake using a very old family recipe.

These girls (above and below) put the gorge into gorgeous...or vise versa...or whatever, they are gorgeous 

Happy Birthday Annie

Its hard to believe a year has gone by since the big surprise bash!  Happy Birthday Annie, we love you!  You are an inspiration!  xoxo

Turkey Day

Here is a handy list of ways to confirm that your Thanksgiving was special:

If the turkey was bigger than the new baby at the table, it was special

If there were placecards, it was special

 If there was a new baby (see first item above), it was special

 If you got to "hang out" with the N's, it was special

 If 3 generations of family worked together to build an "I am Thankful" tree, it was special

If 20+ family members gathered at one table, it was special. 

If one of those peeps flew in from London as a surprise, it was special.
If parents of a 1 week old baby hosted the gathering (see first item on this list), it was special. 
If those new parents (above) let TEN of those 20+ people spend SEVERAL nights IN THEIR HOUSE WITH THEM,  they are f-ing crazy it was special. 
If you got to squeeze in a run along the ocean with your super running sis in law, it was special.
If there were laughs and tears around the table as each guest shared what they were thankful for, it was special.
If you had your first taste of Pieku pies, it was special
If 4 of Annie's 5 kids were together, it was special
Did I mention there was a new baby?!?!  If there was a new baby new baby new baby, it was special.

More Book Thoughts

O's mom had O's dad deliver a few fab art books that she got for me.  Merci Annie!  Having them reminds me that I want to do something special with them and the others that I have.  Someday maybe I'll have some version of this book collection to display and enjoy too. 

Here are some of my ideas...

I am loving this up high shelf.  Kid proof, minimal clutter-ation, interesting to look at. 

 As I have previously mentioned, I love vertical shelves...

I love the idea of organizing by color, but I think you need to have more books than I want to have in order for this option to make a big impact. 

Family Dinner

Annie and Sam, we wished you were here!

Petit Bateau

I spoke too soon. Look here, a photo of Annie. Straight chillin' on the back of the boat while P tubes. 

WKF has started the season strong, and seems to love waterskiing as much as his father...

Keeping things interesting, beyond tubing and skiing, Uncle Amen stepped in and taught him to surf...

turn the music up for this one...

USA! USA! USA! Oranje! Oranje! Oranje!

While our family was visiting, we all joined up with some dear Amsterdam besties and headed out to a huge football match. USA vs. Holland, men's friendly game. Both teams are Nike and both teams have a place in our hearts for obvious reasons. As a result, we knew we'd win the game either way, and we dressed and cheered to support them all...

 In the end, it was USA that won the match (4-3). A major upset...beating the Netherlands at their own game?? This was a first for USA, and it was very exciting to be there.

As she should be, Annie was proud of her son and I think she enjoyed seeing him at "work".

For a beautiful recap of this same evening from HB's POV, click over here. #orangecrush

Tuesday with Annie