Justin, Sarah, & Elliott Bytheway

so it took me a long time to learn how to tell time. i remember being in my first grade classroom, listening to my teacher explaining how to read a clock and completely glazing over with non-comprehension. since i didn’t get it right away i didn’t try and it wasn’t until like 4th grade that it kind of clicked.

as a result i kind of hate normal clocks and watches. and don’t even get me started on clocks/watches that only have 4 numbers or no numbers at all. why in the world would i want to think that much about what time it is? i’m all about instant information which is why i’m all about digital watches, but as i’m also about vintage stuff i’m super about these kind of watches.

isn’t it beautiful? a vintage ladies jump hour watch is definitely going on my christmas list.

…i said that mac tonight is always funny? well i found a time when he isn’t.

and that’s when he’s life-sized and watching you eat your mcnuggets. yikes.

also, how did i forget about perfect strangers when i first wrote that post? a well placed meepos reference is always hilarious and i try to say “get out of the city” as much as possible when i first meet someone ’cause if they get it i know we’ll be friends.

double also – remember how balki was on “the surreal life” and was all bitter about only being remembered as playing balki? i think he and screech powers should go cry into all the money they made until they realize “oh yeah, we were rich and famous.”

elliott had a birthday! and we spent it back in the place of his birth – lovely utah. and i guess we are totally east-coast because we spent our whole week in utah going “oh man dry heat is so much easier to take than what we have to deal with in virginia…”

elliott’s birthday was friday and he kind of had a hard time dealing with the party at first – specifically all these new people all in his face all at once after he woke up from a nap. so we gave him like a third of a watermelon and he calmed down.

this kid loves him some watermelon. he was so happy he started doing his famous scrunchy face that he just started doing a couple of weeks ago. look at this picture and imagine him snorting as he makes this face. it’s hilarious.

after eating so much watermelon i didn’t think he would be all that interested in the cake. color me wrong.

my cousin went to culinary school and so my dad commissioned her to make the cake. a little one just for elliott to go crazy on and one for the big folks. since my dad knows i love star wars he asked for a cake decorated with luke skywalker’s cut-off hand and darth vader’s head. *shakes head*

after we sang happy birthday the carnage began.

beginning:

middle:

end:

this boy had no hesitation at all. the minute the song was over he dug right in like he was born to destroy this cake. which he did. and while there was some left on the plate, a little on the table, his face, and under the table, i would say a good 3/4ths of the cake ended up in his stomach. along with loads of watermelon and bratwurst. welcome to the good life, my son. all in all he was properly overstimulated and by the time we broke out the celebratory fireworks he had had enough and cried and screamed so much that justin had to take him inside while the rest of us enjoyed the show.

however the main hilarity highlight of the day came from justin. now, these pictures are blurry but they are the only record i have of this event. we were all sitting around chatting when all of a sudden justin wasn’t there anymore. his chair had broken right from under him.

what’s that on his head you ask? oh, well he was holding a brat at the time and somehow all the ketchup from his brat went flying and landed in a perfect stream on his head (and behind his ear) as he fell. it was a birthday miracle! many laughs were shared, lives were touched, and babies were birthdayed.

more from our trip to come.

i just finished my first ever blanket. behold its glory!

it’s a hooded baby blanket, 28″x28″, although i like to think that the hood could also be used as a pocket of some sort. before you’re all way too impressed at my first try at a blanket let me tell you that it is definitely not a perfect square having gone a little wonky somewhere along the way. which isn’t surprising considering how long it takes to get to 28 inches. geesh. but i feel much more confident at crochet and i want to start a new project. also to learn how to knit.

i’m not really sure what to do with it now – i was planning on giving it away, but now i feel kind of sentimental towards it since it was my first fully fully completed crochet project so maybe i’ll keep it for our next kid?

also, new side table! we got it for $7 at unique thrift store in maryland, which might be our new favorite thrift store out here.