Smashing Good Time in Savannah

We drove to Savannah and spent the better part of last weekend touring the historical district. Okay, we ate chocolates and went shopping at the art galleries. It was a lovely weekend getaway. (Caution: lots of images ahead. If you are on dial-up, it might be slow. And if you are on dial-up, you should probably consider a different arrangement anyway.)

Frankie gets a kiss on River Street.

Frankie, Juston, and Jonathan on the stairs to River Street.

That's one big St. Bernard! It weighs almost as much as me, but was quite a softie as it lived in a woman's shop.

Juston in front of a tug on the river.

Frankie and I on one of the tree-lined sidewalks. Take special note of the cool moss hanging from the trees.

Frankie in front of St. John the Baptist cathedral.

"But honey, it's where the girls dance on the bar!"

This is probably the most disturbing thing I've seen in a long time. There's just something WRONG about a bunch of mammy souveniers.

Jonathan contemplates if he is also welcome where the Girl Scouts are welcome.

Frankie really seems to enjoy that statue of Marilyn Monroe.

Beach Bums

As part of our trip to Savannah, we went to the beach! It was Frankie's first trip to see the ocean, and it did not dissapoint. We drove to Tybee Island, which isn't the prettiest bach ever, but for the short drive, it'll do. Frankie loved splashing in the water and didn't even get sunburned (unfortunately I didn't have the same fate.)

His poor eyes got all red from the salt water, and he didn't even cry!

Another House

This one's for you, Chrys. We've decided no on the Grant Park house, but here's another, less expensive and much cooler house in Historic College Park, which is a fantastic neighborhood. The photos on MLS are awful, but here's the link to it anyway. We're now mulling over this one in our minds and how little we can possibly pay for it...

Family Photo

Wow, we sure clean up nice! Juston's cousin is a professional photographer and shot this photo at the family reunion. Look how rustic! We're SO the outdoorsy types (sarcasm intended.) If you ever need a photographer in Rexburg, Idaho, we've got your man!

While in Georgia...

...you must snuggle the pug.

We make all of our visitors sleep with our dog and love on our dog. It's just a part of the initiation of staying with our family. Take Jonathan, for example. He's our 14-year-old nephew and he's staying with us for two weeks. On his first night here, he made a sandwich. Bridget made a pass at that sandwich. "I'm watching you."

Even though Jonathan withheld the sandwich, Bridget loves him anyway.

And just for fun, a picture of Frankie on a hand-carved, wooden rocking horse in Little Five Points.

Family Reooooounion

This past weekend, we packed up and flew to Utah to attend the Wheeler family reunion at the Rindlesbach complex. We had a great time catching up and seeing family and friends that we don't see very often due to our proximity to Utah. It wasn't a very good weekend for Frankie, though, as he cut his first tooth on Friday and proceeded to have a fever and develop a rash. He was very clingy and cried every time Grandpa tried to hold him. It's nothing personal, I promise! Teething is tough stuff for a little guy!

Frankie on the airplane.

Jesse tries to snack on Frankie's ear.

Aunt Aimee feeds the ailing pnut an Otter Pop.

Frankie does NOT want his picture taken with those girls.

Frankie shows off his beautiful eyes.

Frankie with Grandma, lookin' happy.

Frankie hangs with Uncle Jason.

I do have a picture of Great Grandma playing the Wii, but I'll spare her the humiliation. Juston said I should put it up on the blog and caption it "Woman born in a house without electricity or running water plays Wii...my how things have changed."

Kiddos

I've been swamped with work since I got back from my trip, but my friend Julie called and asked if she could bring her baby over to play with Frankie, and I was grateful for the break! Here's a picture of them; Frankie is definitely not as camera-happy as his friend! And just for the record, Frankie is three months *older* than the other baby.

And here's one tired dog...

Check this house out...

We've been to look at this house twice now. It's only two bed/two bath, which is what we currently have, but it feels much larger than our current house (probably due to its high ceilings) and it sits on a full basement and has an expandable attic. The main level is move-in ready, so we could move in and finish the basement while living there and rent out our current house. We're just not 100% sure. The house is in the neighborhood we want and has a decent elementary school. It's just over a block from Grant Park and the zoo, so even though it has a teeny yard, we're not far from grassy recreation. We know we can get it for less than it's listed, since the owner is going into foreclosure next month and really wants to move it fast. There are really fancy homes just down the street selling for over $350k; so there's the potential for a lot of equity if we finish the basement and make it a four bedroom house. Take a look and let us know what you think.

I Hope You Don't Have Dial-Up...

...because you're sure going to hate missing all of these photos!

I Heart Mom

Frankie knows who loves him.

Spoiled Rotten At Grandma & Grandpa's House

Last week we traveled to Dallas to see Grandma and Grandpa. Here are some of our favorite photos from the trip! Just for the sake of making excuses, this is the reason why I haven't posted anything in over a week.

I was a little disturbed at how much Frankie looked like my dad in this photograph. Perhaps it's the smug expression? I included the insert for comparison, although one of his baby pictures might be a better match.

Grandma and Grandpa share a photo op with our star.

With Auntie Yaya.

With cuz Elena - she's the one in the tutu.

With Uncle Brian.

Scandal during step aerobics! New moves stolen!

With our friend Frankie.

Swing Time

Frankie loves the new swing that Juston installed in our backyard.

Photo EXPLOSION!

I said there would be pictures, and I always deliver.

Frankie and Juston engage in some face grabbing.

Frankie meets Dyson. The things Juston loves in this world, in descending order: me, Frankie, Bridget, this vaccum.

Frankie in his "Huck Finn" hat. The doctor said that his nose is yellow because of the carrots and sweet potatoes.

We picked up this beauty at the East Atlanta Antiques Bazaar. It's going to hang next to my desk and inspire me.

Bridget appears to be smiling, but don't let that fool you. Wearing clothing is actually a punishment for her. She hates it.

Success!

It's not much, but here's the first video. We need to work out the compression issue so that it'll play better, but it's late and I'm tired. So deal with it, and be patient as the huge file downloads.

New Camera!

Finally, some new photographs! I got a new Canon PowerShot SD1000, and since I'm still trying to figure out all of its few features, a couple of the photos are out of focus, but I think you'll forgive me when you see how cute they are!

Since our bathtub drain leaks and we haven't fixed it yet, Frankie gets to bath in the duck.

Aren't my kids just the cutest?

I took some short videos with my camera, but YouTube won't let me sign up for some reason. Once I get that figured out, I'll try a video! Get after Juston if you want some fancy edited HD thing.

Birthday Party!

A couple of weeks ago, I took Frankie to a birthday party - it was the first one he'd attended. Catch is, this one was for a dog. Here's a photo of Frankie getting loved by the birthday girl, Miss Piggy.

Woman at Work

This blog is currently UNDER CONSTRUCTION! I made the mistake of changing my template...and let me tell you, it's much more difficult now. The wsysiwyg editor is much more difficult than just writing in simple HTML, or at least my computer seems to think so, so as I figure out how do things, there will be changes all over the place. Also, I might be working a LOT over the next couple of weeks - I have to go in today to get started on a couple of projects, so I'm not sure how ofter I'll update. Just a word of warning. Have a good day!

Bugs

Last week we went to the Botannical Gardens here in Atlanta and my friend Laura was kind enough to take a couple of photos with her camera. I figure they'll have to stave off the 'Frankie Vultures' for at least a little bit longer since the pickins' have been slim lately.

Frankie makes his best bug face.

We got grass in our backyard last week! Woooo! And it looks like some work is coming down my pipeline at megacorp, so I can afford that new point and shoot after all. Pictures soon - your patience will be greatly rewarded.

Cripes!

I almost forgot!

Happy Nsync-o De Mayo!

Oh, that Atlanta Ward...

Okay, so it's really the stake...
Our Stake President, Tony Parker, is in a little blurb (I'd call it a video podcast, but trust me, I worked for the church audiovisual department-they aren't that hip) over on mormon.org. I don't feel like re-typing all the info, so go over to Laura Pryzbyla's blog and follow her link.
Critique: I do wish that they would've put his name first because I would've automatically assumed he was an actor if I did not know him. Pres. Parker has that 'Baptist preacher - Hallelujah!' thing down.



By the way, who watched "The Mormons" on Frontline? I've heard a lot of criticisms, and there's no shortage of blog discussions about it. I'm about 3/4 of the way finished and I think it's amazing. I could be the only one...but I've been riveted every time it's been on my television. It's also given me a strong testimony of the DVR. They are true; everyone should seek to have one in his or her own home.

Finally an Update!

I went to purchase a new camera today, but they were SOLD OUT of the one I want to buy. Therefore, I'm going to have to get it from the interweb, which might take a bit longer. The good news, though, is that I've decided to throw caution to the wind and make a $200+ purchase. Thus I will feel guilty and take massive amounts of photographs to make up for spending so much on one item. In turn, you get lots of pictures of Frankie in all sorts of predicaments...sitting in his high chair....playing in his exersaucer....sitting in his stroller....lying on the floor...you get the idea.


Until then, enjoy these rather old photographs of my other child when she was but a wee pup. Now she's an eighteen pound terrorist.
Cheers.

And just in case you were wondering, this is why they really created photoshop.