Backyard Fun (and Work)

This last Sunday, Mikey put up some garden lights that Momma Prechter gave us 2 years ago (better late than never, right?). Our late-night porch dancing now has much better ambiance :)

On Monday, we played board games with Nick and Gus was very jealous that we were outside and he was not.

Gus is taking claim...

Ever since re-doing the guest bedroom into a nursery and bringing in a bunch of baby stuff the cats have been testing the ground to see which items they're allowed to "claim" for themselves. Surgi has been caught peering into the crib from the dresser in the nursery (he didn't get into it though). One afternoon I got home from work to find both Gus and Surgi curled up together inside the bassinet...they quickly learned this was off-limits and haven't returned. This morning we found Gus testing a new locale...a perfect position to catch the air from the heater vent.

Valentine's breakfast

On Saturday we took a walk to the market to get the fixin's for our Valentine's dinner and breakfast (we celebrated Saturday evening because on Sunday we've got the Chinese New Year to celebrate with Mike's co-workers...looking forward to homemade dumplings!). We didn't think to take pictures of our fondue feast - but here's a delicious peak at our breakfast!!

Well, here's a belly picture! Still not looking large - but it's definitely poking out now.

We've had a gorgeous weekend, with sunny weather to spend outside in the yard. The chickens have been enjoying scratching around unearthing all the bugs and worms that have come out to see the sun.

Michael 1.1

Mikey got his eyes zapped! And one day later he has better vision than me!...These are the sexy goggles he gets to wear to bed for the next 5 nights. His exercise regimen has been limited...and now he has removed onion cutting from his resume - much to my chagrin!

The Nursery

Here are some pictures of the nursery! A few weekends ago my mom and dad came down and helped us transform the guest bedroom/office. We sold the office furniture, gave the room a fresh coat of baby inspired paint and rearranged everything...a few times! And believe it or not...all the drawers in the dresser are pretty much full!! Peggy and Anna gave us lots of clothes and my volleyball team added to the collection with blankets, bottles, stuffed animals, wash cloths, towels, onesies and on and on and on!! I think we are pretty set for the first 6 months of growing!!



My mom brought her sewing machine down - we only had time to do a valance for the window, but she is making the rest of the bedding items for me at home. We picked out patterns together - I just wish I could be there to help with the rest (really all I am good at is cutting in a straight line though...doing a straight seem on the machine is still a struggle!). But I think she is having fun learning how to add some fun extras to the quilt - I can't wait to see it!!

A New Backyard Resident!

Meet Bunny!!

Bunny lives under our deck. She(?) greets us everyday after work and every morning on the weekend. She isn't friendly...yet. But I think with some coaxing of delicious treats she may realize the advantages of allowing a pet every so often!

Goodbye Coco

Coco had a tragic ending to the laying of her first egg. Apparently hens that are underweight may experience difficulties causing the oviduct to protrude after laying. We tried our best to nurse Coco back to a healthy state, but she stopped eating and after a few days she died. Mike kindly buried her next to the strawberry patch. We will miss her feathery footed antics and her super fluffy soft feathers.

Mama...meet Surgi

When we're out working in the yard we'll let the whole crew out together. The cats are usually scared of the chickens, especially when they all gang up chase after them out of curiosity. I think Mama is the most brave - she walks right up to the cats to investigate. In this encounter, the other chickens were too busy scratching around and Mama was left nose to nose with Surgi. He played tough, but I don't think he was interested in taking her on. I particularly like that Mike was able to catch him licking his lips!!

Tamalis Bay hike

Before we started back to work after the holidays we decided we would take advantage of a sunny day and drive up the coast to Tamalis Bay. We found a pretty short hike to enjoy a picnic lunch and some gorgeous, isolated views.

Most of the hike was wooded with moss dripping from the branches and ferns crowding the undergrowth. During our picnic we spotted some kayakers enjoying the calm waters and a moored sailboat. Despite the high fog it remained pretty chilly, but by the end of the hike the sun poked through and we enjoyed about 5 minutes of direct sunlight!

Views of Shasta

We made the return journey home during the daylight and had some spectacular views of Mt. Shasta. It was a nice excuse to get out and stretch our legs and practice some of the features on our new toy...an DSLR camera.

Christmas

We were slackers this year and didn't tote our camera around on our Christmas travels...and we haven't collected photos from all the relatives. So currently, our Picassa album has a gap! And no photos to post here...

The weekend before Christmas I headed up to my parents' home to have an early celebration (Mike remained in Berkeley working). Nevada City was beautiful, it was nice being in the crisp mountain air - playing with their dog and seeing all the Prechter family.

Much attention was given to my belly bump - which was finally beginning to show its prominence. At this point Mike and I had only settled on a middle name, Lawrence after Mike's grandfather - so my parents quickly began referring to the little guy as Baby Larry...I have to admit, it was cute and much better than calling him "It" or "The Baby". My mom, sister and I spent a few afternoons fabric store hopping, looking for the perfect combination to adorn the awaited nursery.

The days passed quickly and soon I was meeting Mike in Sacramento to drive up to Portland to visit his family. Unfortunately this was my first day of being sick - I felt so awful Mike ended up driving the entire 10.5 hours (not to worry...he got sick just in time for our return trek...). We had a great time up north, playing with the nephews, enjoying a blanket of snowy weather, eating lots of tasty treats and visiting Mike's grandparents up in Auburn, Washington. And of course, the nephews quickly picked up on the soon to be new cousin - Baby Larry was a hit...although it was pretty adorable to hear Andy say, "Having two cousins is going to be a lot of work!" This as they tirelessly played with their first cousin, Zachary. Truly a blessing to have everyone together!