Valerie

My Grandpa used to be a professional photographer, and after cleaning through the garage this week he found his old set of Nikon lenses. He offered them to me, and lo & behold they work with my DSLR just fine. So, you know, been playing with that lately.

This coming week I'll be heading to Utah for the funeral of my Aunt Valerie, who passed away recently after a long and lentghy battle with cancer. I've been having a lot of internet-regret lately - that feeling when you aren't blogging/commenting enough . . . and the few times I have been on, it's been to play on Pinterest.

But the worst is my lack of emailing. More importantly, that I was told that though Valerie wasn't up for responding to emails much, she still loved receiving them and having them read to her. I promised myself I would write to her, but didn't get around to it. Now she's gone, and I have no one to blame but myself for my lack of commitment to simply sit down and write an email to my aunt.

So this one's for you, Valerie:

Remember when my father and I came to visit a few years ago? 2006 or 2007, I think? Your hair was thinning from all the treatment you were getting and you asked if I could cut it for you into a more flattering style. I did my best; I wanted so much for you to like it. You're a kind enough person that you never would have told me if you hated it. You used to make me bracelets and necklaces for every birthday & Christmas. I still wear them from time to time.

I remember that you weren't fond of driving, particularly unprotected lefts, and you hated those green wheat smoothies the doctors insisted you drink. But you did so anyway, with a smile on your face, joking that the cancer in your tongue made it so you didn't really taste it anyway.

Jaclyn and I used to say that you and Grandma should have used all that money on a never ending trip around the world, just the two of you on a private yacht. But you were more selfless than that, and cared for family more than pyramids or ruins or oceans or caves. I thank you for that. I love you, and loved every moment I had with you, even if they were few.

I hope you and Pam are making fun of us from heaven.

Love,
Jules

Simon at 8 months

I'm so behind in posting these! In about 2 weeks Simon will be 10 months old, so the rest of his monthlies will be pretty back to back until I'm all caught up.

Simon's accomplishments:
Loves his walker . . . when he can steer it.
Saying "Mama!" now, though I'm pretty sure he thinks it means "food."
Loves his kiddie pool. Crawls out of it and onto the grass, then back in, then onto the grass, back in, repeat.
Great around strangers/people he's meeting for the first time. Very smiley and sociable. Loves his Uncle Ed.
A lightening fast crawler/cruiser.

Simon's unfortunate accomplishments:
Pinching, pulling biting. UGH THE BITING.
Had this brief screaming phase . . . happy or sad.
Grinding his teeth. It's nuts. He has 6 of them now.
Getting into drawers and cupboards, which of course means pinching his fingers.
Always sticking out his tongue . . . so drooly.

Simon's achievements in nobody's eyes but mine:
Sleeps on his tummy. Been doing since 3 months, thought I'd mention it now.
Holds up his arms to show me he wants to be picked up.
Talks to himself. All. The. Time.
Does that "buh buh buh" thing to his own lips now.
Loves playing with the phone when Grandma Soni calls . . . and hanging up on her.
Prefers tart to sweet flavors. Really loves lemon.

Beach Baby

I need to apologize for not blogging lately. And by "blogging," I don't mean posting, but commenting on the blog posts of my dear friends and loved ones. I'm reading, I swear! On the go I always love checking my Reader app on my phone, but unfortunately my phone is of the old & crappy variety that doesn't always allow me to leave comments (or so I've recently come to realize when I check back on a post and see my comments have never shown up). So: MY APOLOGIES. I love you all so, so much.

But I also apologize for not personally posting blog posts lately, mostly to my mothers who I know are dying to see some photos of Simon (especially his "monthly" posts . . . so behind). They're coming, I promise. It's just been such a fun summer, I'm not often on my computer anymore. I'm in the kiddie pool with Simon, at the beach, out hiking, biking, longboarding, and other summer activities that end in "-ing." When the fall comes, I'll likely be on here more (or maybe I won't, since Simon will be walking by then, and goodness that's just going to change everything).

life lately, according to my dslr

All the things I've been up to lately when I shoulda' been blogging.

1. The Fourth, of course. // 2. Helping my mom advertise her books. // 3. Have I ever told you I'm in love with that reclusive poet Emily Dickinson? // 4. The thing that's really been taking up all my time lately: an online business I'm hoping to "open" soon. // 5. Oh, and this guy. Love this guy.

Birthday Boy

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday,
my love,
dear Seve,
Happy birthday
to
you