It's Business Time!!

Jaren and I thought this was hysterical! Laugh-out-loud funny. Does it relate to anyone else? More of us than we care to admit? Enjoy a great laugh! Go to the bathroom before you watch this if you are sitting on a full bladder!

p.s. I promise my video posts won't all be about swearing and sex! ;)

p.p.s Are you all rushing to press play because I just said sex? Awesome. ;)

p.p.s.s. Thanks Chris for the tip! ;) You genius, you!

The Cousins

My sister and her family made the long journey from Utah to be here for Thanksgiving. Gunnar has never had so much attention or in-house playmates. He has been lonely the last couple of days. I have been actively sought out once again to play cars, trucks, and trains. When will they come back for another play date?

Sadie. Their baby. She is just a couple months younger than Gunnar, but boy can she hold her own. Her favorite thing is "lop gloss". She puts it on her lips, licks it off, and then asks for more "lop gloss". She's a girl after my own heart. I used to break into my sister's room while she was away at school and eat her lip glosses. She would come home and find literal divits taken out of them, come running into my room and ask me if I had been in her stuff. The evidence was clearly shining on my face, but I told her I had no idea what had happened. At least Sadie asks. ;)

Bethany. She is the middle child, but she shows no signs of that syndrome. She would jump off of any tall building if you told her to. She knows no fear and is willing to try anything. When she was really little she used to come over to you, put her arms in the air and say, "Hold you," when she wanted to be held. I have been endeared to her since then. Thanksgiving day she and I thought it would be fun to draw pictures on each other's arms and legs. I thought the markers were washable; we had body art on us for the rest of the weekend.

I love taking pictures of her because she sits perfectly still, and all of her pictures turn out like this one. She is a pure joy to be around and such a pleasure. Oh, and she is an excellent wrestler.

Brianna. I have felt close to Bri since she was born. She is a compassionate and loving person. She loves to hear stories and is a really great listener in return. Bri came to visit me this summer. She went with me to the summer writing class I was teaching and then we went for dinner afterwards. We ate an entire appetizer, entre, and dessert together. We talk like school girls, laughed at each other's jokes, and enjoyed being in each other's company. She is a total doll. She love books and movies too, another girl after my own heart.

This is their whole family. When I was little I wanted to be like my sister. She used to get so frustrated with me because I would say I wanted to do and be everything she did. When she wanted to be a doctor, so did I. When she wanted to go to the moon, I wanted to go to. The irony? She's a teacher; so am I. I still want to do everything she does.I love this little family so much and am thankful for them.

Christmas Is Un-Canceled

First- Anyone know how I erase the green box around my header? I have been tangling with the codes all night, but alas...it is still there? Anyone know the answer?

Second- Christmas is not canceled...let's deck the blog halls shall we?

A little Southern California Snow. This is the best we can do with our weather! ;)

p.s. My pictures are still lost in cyber space. Keep your fingers crossed we are able to save them. I got a call today from a photographer friend who was able to offer some help. He was hopeful; I am too. Thanks for all your support!

Devastation

I should be decking the halls and feeling the spirit of the holiday, but I can't stop crying.

Get ready for a really sad tale. Mothers, grab your Kleenex.

I was trying to free up space on my computer so I cut and pasted all of the Nuzman family pictures on to our external hard drive. Thinking I would back them up later to Jaren's desktop or to another hard drive or to something. Every picture we had taken, ever, from pre- Gunnar to present day was in that folder. Everything. You all know where this is going don't you? To make a long story short our external hard drive crashed (on Thanksgiving) and we lost everything. Gunnar's birth to present day pictures are gone. I am heartsick and I can't stop crying. Gone.
Go and back up all of your pictures of your children now. Back them up in three places. I would not wish the way I feel right now on anyone. It could be compared to drowning or watching your family drown and not being able to do anything about it.
We have tried to find them through software services and the geek squad at Best Buy, but even the world's best computer nerds are at a loss.
Why? Why did I make that choice?

I feel so sick and sad.

Christmas is canceled.

My Rose Garden: A Story About Giving

My girlfriend Shannon emailed me today to see if I was ok; I hadn't blogged in over six days and she was worried about me. It's true, the blog has been put on the back burner, but only because we had company coming, and because I have two weeks to get a massive final completed. Oh, and I really wanted to give the Ostrich post more time as the front-runner! I love that one. I have been missing my blog though, how I have been missing it.

I heard a story a long time ago about a woman who was feeling discontent in her marriage. Before she was married her husband used to bring her flowers to every date, for every special occasion, and sometimes even for no reason at all. After they got married this of course, phased out. She started feeling sad that he didn't remember to bring her tangible flowers, but then she realized flowers were coming in others ways: he folded the laundry without being prompted, a flower. He washed the dishes and cleaned the entire kitchen without being asked, a flower. He took care of the children while she napped as long as she wanted, another flower. He hadn't been gifting her actual flowers, but figurative ones. The kind that come through actions.

Jaren used to be good at bring me flowers too, now he shows me he loves me in other ways.

Today my husband gave me a rose garden.

Jaren had a goal to have the dining room done by Thanksgiving.
This is what our dining room looked like this morning.


and this...

Here's my rose garden.

Gorgeous. Isn't it?

My sister and I stayed up tonight to get it all ready for tomorrow. I wanted to play house in the new room!!

The next series of shots prove I missed my calling; I should have worked for Pottery Barn.

The seat savers...

A little romantic Pottery Barn.

I hope you all have a very happy holiday with your family and loved ones, and I hope your dining room is as beautiful as mine. ;)

While Jaren was pruning my roses I took my parents on an outing. We headed to Downtown Disney to have some fun!

I love these shots of the "kids" running to Disneyland!!

My dad is a kid at heart; both my parents love Disneyland.

I tried to channel our shoot with Jessica for this one with my mom. I did the same thing at our family pictures. I thought it would be fun to do it with Mom. She's a good sport.

We played in the fountain outside of House of Blues for awhile. We didn't have an change so we were making wishes on previously made wishes. (My parents were fishing money out of the fountain so Gunnar could throw it back in. ;))

He was loving it.

We stopped to get a treat with all the wishes we stole from the fountain! I'm kidding. Come on. About the money, not the treat. We wanted a little piece of ambrosia. Seriously. Can you think of anything better than a Wetzel's Pretzel? (Besides Golden Spoon?)

Gunnar doesn't know a good thing coming. He also denied a build-a-bear puppy. Crazy kid. Who do you belong to anyway? Who doesn't want a pretzel and a doll you get to stuff yourself?

I just really liked the color and the lines on the last two shots! ;)

They also reminded me of all the Cabbage Patch Dolls I used to own. Weird connection, I know, but that is what I thought when I shot these.

Ostrich

I am on my computer often. Regularly. Ok, all the time. More than I would like to be sometimes. I check my email constantly, both accounts: personal and business. I play with pictures on photoshop. (If I learn, even a kernel of information that program has to offer I will consider myself photoshop proficient.) I write papers all the time for school, and I currently spend a lot of my time writing my feelings and recording my family's memories for the entire world to see.(The blog. Who knew I would love this thing as much as I do. I especially love the comments part. I check them like I do email. So leave some. Open a google account and leave me some love! Please! I really want to know who has stopped by.)

When Gunnar was born, I intended to only be on the computer when he was napping or down for the night, and that I would only check email while he was eating or watching a few minutes of toons. (I check often to see if my tutoring schedule has changed or if Jaren has sent me a romantic email shout-out.) To state a popular cliche, "The road to hell is lined with good intentions." Gunnar has, unfortunately, seen me on my computer too often. I have modeled computer behavior. (I am not sure what else to call it. Any ideas?) Modeled it so much that a couple of days ago, he came down stairs after I got him out of bed, went straight to his "laptop" and said, "Nunnie (what he calls himself, closest thing to "Gunnie" he can articulate right now), a check mail Mom." He then proceeded to flip the top on his computer and "check" for new mail.

Notice Bobby, in the bucket. That's how Gunnar carried him down stairs that morning. Oh, Bobby. He's actually really good when it comes to computers too. He's a real computer guru when you get right down to it.

When I am on my computer now he is on his. (Gunnar, not Bobby.) Sometimes we sit side by side allowing the screens to suck us in. Gunnar's computer is just as educational as mine. It teaches him letters, numbers, and their sounds. When he is on the letters it shows him a picture and says the word for the picture and the sound for the letter. O on Gunnar's computer stands for Ostrich.

This is how he says Ostrich.

WARNING: YOU MIGHT PEE YOUR PANTS WATCHING THIS!

PARENTAL ADVISORY: THIS IS NOT G RATED. IT'S BARELY PG-13.

MUTE THE MUSIC AT THE BOTTOM BEFORE YOU CLICK PLAY! YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS!!

Wasn't the last b****, so funny; something you would see on a Will Ferral sketch or something? Tell me I am not the only one to think this is hysterical. Is this only funny to me? Oh, maybe you are one of the good moms out there that does't feed her kids pizza and chips for breakfast. Are you saying, "tsk, tsk...that woman needs help raising her child."? Well, I promise you all, Jaren and I did not teach him that word! Like we go around the house modeling that. "Get me my dinner b****." "No! Do it yourself b****! I'm not your b****" I'm so sure. Come on. LOVE IS SPOKEN here, alright?

To Gunnar's grandparents: please don't be disappointed that I laugh hysterically when I watch your wholesome grandson son say this, or when I ask Gunnar to say Ostrich just to perk me up. Tomorrow we will go to speech therapy. Tomorrow I will teach him how to say OStrich, but today, I have to laugh my a** off!

The Almost Not So Happiest Place on Earth

I like to believe that most people, in the very core of their spirit are good and nice. Yesterday, I almost changed my mind.

We met up with one of my life's most creative and talented geniuses, Jessica Claire, our family photographer and great friend. I love her for several reasons. (I told her all of this as we casually strolled Disneyland yesterday.)
1. She is comfortable in her own skin, which makes someone so beautifully confidant. I love this quality about her. It makes me want to be with her all the time because she is so refreshingly comfortable with who she is.
2. She is always willing to help other people without thinking of herself. Last year she shot 3 weddings for free! To me, that's just, well, stupid, ;)(Jess, you better be laughing right now.) but, she is much more selfless than I.
3. She is gorgeous. even though her clothes don't always match.(Jess, you should be laughing at that too.) BUT I LOVE THAT ABOUT HER TOO! She chooses things that someone else wouldn't select and really, truly, makes them work. She is a walking fashion plate.
4. She loves color. In all aspects of her life. Her fashion sense, her career, her personality, everything. She loves color for the sake of color. When I see bright things, I think of her. She is a bright light in this world.
5. She is honest, but it never hurts your feelings. You know how you can sometimes make a suggestion and it is shot down and you feel like you are dumb and can't do anything right? She shoots ideas down all the time, but you still feel loved. How does she do that? It's magical.
6. She is totally accepting and tolerant of all people and interests. I especially appreciate her feelings on faith and religion. She is totally open minded and accepting. This, I love.
7. She is genuinely good and nice.
That's why when we thought she had lost her new iphone at Disneyland yesterday, I felt sick. One, that it had been lost during our shoot and two, how was I going to get the money to help her buy a new one.:)

After we rode the tea cups for the third time (I don't recommend that to anyone. Those of you who have been following know my tolerance for such action. I went on the ride under no Dramamine influence. You can imagine the rumble I was feeling.) we decided we needed a little rest. We stopped on a bench nearby. Gunnar and I made a break for the bathroom and J and Jess rested and check-out the pictures. After, we decided to take a ride on the Jungle Cruise. (Umm, the current theme of play at our house, see post below, required said ride.) We were 2 seconds into the ride and Jess realizes her new, expensive, pimped-out iphone is missing. A MISSING PHONE AT DISNEYLAND!! What are the chances that we would be able to find it? I felt like throwing up. (I literally did, but I am using this figuratively now too.) The Jungle Cruise went on for 6 years. It felt like an eternity, with the seconds ticking by like oozing molasses. The only one oblivious to the pending tragedy was Gunnar, who finally decided to do some smiling. (He was difficult at the beginning of the shoot. That's another thing I love about Jess, she was so good to remind me to let him do his thing, that it was ok if he wasn't always smiling. Thanks for the perspective, Jess.) Before docking we had created a plan: Jaren would go back to the bench, and Jess, Smalls (Gunnar), and I would go to City Hall(lost and found) to see if someone, BY THE GRACE OF GOD, had turned in this precious piece of equipment. (In her profession her cell phone really is vital.) While we were walking there Jess and I were talking about the chances of it having really been turned in. I told her that hopefully the most morally conscious person had found it and that he/she was teaching his/her children a significant lesson on integrity by turning it in. The other voice in my head thought, yea right, you are at Disneyland, every type of person comes here, and it's an IPHONE, only one of the hottest items on the market right now. If the phone had been stolen it would have been safe to say that Disneyland is definatly not the happiest place on earth!
THE PHONE WAS TURNED IN! There are good and honest people in this world. I knew it all along. ;) Here's a shout-out to the person that turned in the phone. That was really nice of you; thanks for proving that honesty and integrity still exists.
Our shoot was fun and Jessica, of course, got some outstanding shots and memories of our family. I am so thankful for her patience, talent, perspective, and friendship.

The following pictures are being posted on this blog courtesy of the ever so generous Jessica Claire, see what I mean? She is so stinkin' nice.

Here's some highlights from before we almost lost the phone:

Downtown Disney is perfect right now for some holiday shots!!
Gunnar was enchanted by almost every store. What a good little shopper; I have trained him well.

Poor Jaren. Lucky Gunnar.

He was playing with a canon. Of course he was smiling. See yesterday's post.

Have I ever told anyone that I took modeling classes in the 7th grade? I did. No lie.

Hello little puppy. That's your mom in the background mentally pucking her brains out.

Disneyland: The Un-Fun Zone.

Check out more pictures at jess's site.