child of God

Anna Justine was baptized one year ago today!

nine things I learned from organizing old photos

This week I’m organizing all of my old college photos. Here are a few tidbits I’ve learned (or re-learned, as the case may be):

1. I was much thinner in college.

2. I look much better now. Largely because…

3. …brow wax and flat irons have been two of my greatest personal discoveries.

4. It is no wonder I did not like shoe shopping in college when Doc Martens and Birkenstocks were all there was to buy.

5. ‘90s fashions might just be even worse than ‘80s fashions.

6. Having said this, I am still loyal to: black, turtlenecks, black turtlenecks, Gap jeans, and J. Crew. Yes, it appears that I have never stopped shopping at either the Gap or J. Crew.

7. My taste in home décor has vastly improved since college, as it no longer includes any of the following: sunflowers, posters of baby animals, Disney, navy/burgundy/hunter green plaid, plastic crates, blond wood furniture from Target, or ubiquitous posters (I had both this one and this one; quite possibly everyone I knew had one or the other?).

8. I had a lot of fun in college. A LOT.

9. My college friends are probably the dearest friends I’ll ever have, not only because they are such wonderful people but also because they knew me when I dressed like that and they still love me.

Photos to come. Maybe.

mischief!

I got the following photo text yesterday:

the piano-playing bookworm

It’s March! Hard to believe. It’s also a couple of weeks into Lent. This year I’m not doing anything in particular – well, Seth suggested that I give up buying magazines on impulse at the grocery store, and so far I have complied. I did not give up chocolate or soda, which is a good thing. (I don’t consume much of either, but the other day I made Mark Bittman’s chocolate mousse for a dinner party and it was divine – enough to make me like chocolate, even. And, well, I’ve been enjoying Diet Dr. Pepper now and then at work.) Actually, what I’ve really tried to give up is anxiety. And so far, I’m not doing too badly. I’ll have to post more about that later (so as not to increase my anxiety over meeting a work deadline!).

Miss Anna is doing well! She has been all about books and music lately. To wit:

(Although one could make the argument that she is more interested in the yellow highlighter than the piano.) We continue to be delighted and amazed by this little girl!

happy valentine's day!

What a week. Last Friday Anna had her 12-month check-up, and was consequently fussy the next day. I thought it was from the shots, but then she got sick in the middle of the night on Sunday. I still thought it was from the shots… but then I came down with it. And then Seth did too. Anna recovered quickly and was blessedly snatched up by our fairy godmother my mom for a night at Nana’s (my dad was on a business trip) while Seth and I grappled miserably with the stomach flu. Think Charlotte and Harry lying on the bathroom floor. Thankfully, it’s all over now and we can turn our attention to enjoying the Winter Olympics!

And happy Valentine’s Day to you all!

more birthday photos

These are especially for Em, who was wondering about cake. (Not surprising since E is something of a cake expert – hers are masterpieces!) Indeed there was cake. I opted for easy cupcakes, but the chocolate cake and chocolate frosting were delicious and showed up nicely in our little blondie’s hair. We think Miss Anna was wondering why we’ve been holding out on her so long…

And one shot from what we hope will be an annual tradition – my parents always took a photo of us on our birthdays (from 1-18) and it’s really fun to look back on the years. Anna is sitting in a chair that belonged to her Grandpa Hartwell when he was little.

happy birthday, anna justine!

How quickly she went from this…

… to this!

Last year at this time:

And this year!

Happy birthday to our sweet, silly daughter. We love you to bits!