ma famille

we've been enjoying our extended-by-the-dead-transmission vacation (hopefully it will be fixed tomorrow!) highlights include paintballing, lots of shopping, the beach, trips to the movies (Julie & Julia is perfect for this foodie crowd), and, of course, lots of cooking. more on that later.

yesterday we took a bunch of pictures after church.


abigail and juliet with my grandparents



kissing my darling little man



we blessed Isaac yesterday--my dad, Neil, Jordan (Ruth's husband), and my grandfather were all in the circle. It was a wonderful blessing and really made me realize just how special our little guy is. For those of you who aren't familiar with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, blessing an infant isn't like infant baptism; it's a special ordinance where men holding the Melchizedek Priesthood give a baby a name (which is recorded on the records of the church) and then a special blessing, as prompted by the Spirit, which often talks about the child's future. For instance, Isaac's blessing mentioned a desire to serve others, a keen intellect and a strong body, a desire to stay morally clean and make righteous judgments, the opportunity to make covenants in the temple and raise a righteous posterity, and to serve in the church all the days of his life. It's a wonderful experience and a special opportunity (for a family home evening lesson on the topic, go here).



Mary Beth, Elise, Dad, me, Ruth, and Rosalind



all of us with Mom and Dad



apparently Elise and I missed the memo on the jewel-toned shirts!


we took approximately twenty pictures of our little family. they are hilariously funny to scroll through--it's like a movie of small wiggly children and desperate parents.

and last but not least...we have been eating a LOT. on average, we go to the grocery store at least twice a day (there have been some days where it was five). and while we've been doing all kinds of exciting food forays--like our Japanese night (sushi, gyoza, panko-stuffed mushrooms, soba noodles and bok choy), we always seem to end the night back at our French faves. oh...and the thirteen (yes, thirteen) boxes of ice cream currently in the freezer (a slight mishap involving various groups being at the grocery stores simultaneously and not consulting beforehand, but nobody's complaining!)