west coast. (and what these days are made of...)

i am beginning to think i should change the name of my blog to tales from mommyville or a net for catching soggy diapers. lately i'm finding i either have no time to post or else nothing in my brain but the mystery of another missing baby sock: things that are probably only captivating to myself, my mom, and my mother-in-law, if even that.

but i suppose this blog is meant to be about my days, whatever they may hold and however they may evolve throughout my life (or as long as this blog exists.) looking back, my posts used to be filled with somewhat creative observations on the world around me and my latest painting projects. nowadays, all i seem to do is laundry. not that i am complaining. there is something both sweet and gratifying (though monotonous at times) about folding all those tiny shirts and pants and pjs. when i try, i associate them with the tiny body that belongs inside them and suddenly the chore has meaning. being honest though, i do find it puzzling that one little person can go through so many outfits in a week. especially since we seldom leave the house.

vacation number two was equally as relaxing as the first. well, it wasn't entirely restful actually, because i spent some of the time putting together my mom's 60th birthday party and that left little time for lounging. but it was more than worth it for the smile on her face, and definitely an enjoyable trip. jeremy and i took advantage of free and eager babysitters and drove twenty miles down the coast to La Jolla where we'd located the closest Peets Coffee & Tea. we stocked up on beans and i had the best iced latte of my life. jeremy schmoozed the barista and scored a free hat. our vacation also included a visit to the amazing outlet mall nearby (where i purchased these cute cherries glasses from Crate & Barrel.) we also watched strange chirping squirrels on the rocky beach, had a delicious breakfast at The Daily News Cafe and took the baby swimming again.

eli was a great little socialite, eager to sit in a variety of laps while i assembled pasta salad, sipped fruity sangria, and scotch-taped photos of my mother's childhood around the room. just as i had imagined during our trip to South Carolina that eli found comfort in the three other men (uncles) resembling his daddy, i thought the room full of olive complexions and big brown eyes belonging to my sister, aunts and cousins (and their kids) might have made him feel at home in California.


jeremy did his best to "wave the baby flag" on our plane trip home, hoping we could keep a whole row for ourselves, but the flight was full. fortunately, a mother of triplets who was traveling solo had empathy and took the window seat---better than the many possible alternatives.


being that it was father's day when we arrived back in Nashville, we went out for really yummy pizza and gave jeremy some gifts. eli provided even more smiles than usual, probably because deep inside he knew it was a day for dads, and because it was good to be home again after so much time away.