A little bit of this and that from Team Adams.
In case you didn't notice, we locked the blog. We occasionally look at who visits the blog (we don't actually stalk you, but we check to see where people are viewing the blog from....) and we've noticed a lot of visits from random places where we don't know anyone. So, per usual, we're making it private for a while. I'm sure we'll go public again, but wanted to keep our VIP readers in the loop.
BIG NEWS!
wait for it....wait for it....
A BABY IS ON THE WAY!
BETTER YET?!?!
IT'S NOT OUR BABY BUT WE'RE THRILLED FOR THE PARENTS-TO-BE!
(we don't subscribe to the child-every-two-years plan)
We received the exciting news this weekend - an Irvine baby is on the way and will be joining my brother's family in April. I'm going be an aunt! Technically I'm already an aunt, but it's different when it comes by way of your own family, and I couldn't be more excited about AJ getting a new cousin to run around with. Let the mayhem begin!
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Thanksgiving is behind us, but over the last few months I've been thinking of one thing in particular that I am very grateful for. It's not a typical item that pops up on "I'm thankful for" lists, but I've been acutely aware, especially as of late, of how thankful I am that I know how to type. Of all the classes that I took in junior high, my typing class is at the very top of the list for useful courses. Spanish, geometry, trig, biology - useless. However, I use the skills from my typing class EVERY SINGLE DAY. I consider it a huge blessing to be able to streamline paper-writing, note-taking, general communication through proficient typing.
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An update on AJ: Her vocabulary is expanding at an alarming rate. She hasn't conquered her "R" sounds if the word doesn't start with that letter, which makes for some very entertaining moments. We try and keep it G-rated around these parts, but what can I say? Sometimes she blurts out a word that sounds remarkably similar to more explicit language. Again, we're hoping that she figures out the "R" thing soon, but I'd be lying if I said we didn't enjoy the results of her burgeoning language skills. "Applesauce" is the longest word she can say these days, but it's pretty adorable to hear our little parrot mimic whatever we say. She grabs our hand whenever she wants something and she does not hesitate to demand that we vacate whatever chair we occupied so that she can sit in it herself. Precocious doesn't even begin to describe the Bug. I think she is on an advanced placement path in life and has already approached the terrible two's. We're hoping that means she'll reach the end of that stage much sooner.
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Yesterday was St. Andrew's Day. We still miss Scotland like crazy on a regular basis, but even more so on days like yesterday. America does not know how to host a dance party. Until you've experienced an authentic Scottish ceilidh with a live band and every man dressed in a kilt, you haven't lived.
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When I'm not studying or hanging out with Steve and the Bug I've been spending my time doing some floral design stuff. Why? Because in January I will get to design the flowers for what is going to be the wedding of the century. A good friend of mine is getting married in Utah and he and his fiancee are probably the artsy-est (I think I just made that up) and most talented people alive. All I can say at this point is that this wedding is going to be stunning. I feel honored that they're trusting me with the flowers. Imagine, if you will, a classic palette of gold, cream, and black with floral heavyweights such as orchids, freesia, garden roses, and anemones. I will definitely post pictures when I finish this project. The other bonus (aside from doing something I love) is that we get to hang out with family and friends in Utah for a week before school starts next semester. It's a win-win.
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Funny story about Steve (shared with his permission of course). He came home from the library one day with the book Big Appetites: Tiny People in a World of Big Food. You can look it up online if you wish, but we both enjoyed looking at the hilarious pictures. Steve then decided that he liked looking at these kinds of books because the pictures were very creative and the captions were clever. He decided that he wanted to find more such books and had the brilliant idea of looking up "adult picture books" on google.
HA!
Fortunately, he didn't actually do that because his logic kicked in almost immediately after he thought it, but we both had a good chuckle when he recounted the experience of almost searching for adult picture books online in order to find more innocent images like one man saving another man who is at risk of drowning in a bowl of cereal, or two guys checking out the situation of a mysterious hole in an eggshell. Never a dull moment with the Mister. It's apparent that spending inordinate amounts of time reading and re-reading picture books written for audiences under the age of three causes one to feel the need to differentiate between children vs. adult picture books. Welcome to parenthood? You really should check out Big Appetites though - it's very entertaining...and completely appropriate.
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We'll see if we get around to mailing out Christmas cards this year, and if we do, we hope we have your address (if not - please leave your address in a comment or get it to us some other way)! We love keeping in touch with family and friends and we hope your holiday season is off to a great start.
