PLEASE EXCUSE THE INTERRUPTION IN SERVICE

ok. so there has been a small blog hiatus over here at 'i heart huckleberry'. i know. you might say it was an inadvertent springtime respite. a blog posting spring break of sorts. it was a slight lull, a short recess, a brief intermission.

i could take some time to explain this wee gap in posts -- caring for a 6-month old, working part-time, revisiting house projects, the string of warm and sunny days, and dealing with a computer trojan/worm thingy that rendered the laptop very, but hopefully not irrevocably, busted -- but i suggest we just regroup, refocus, and move on. don't you?

because the last time i posted anything was forever ago, it took a little reconnaissance to figure out what we've been up to for the last month. by triangulating the scribbles in my 5-year diary, the photos on my digital camera, and the videos on the flip mino, however, i've managed to piece together a pretty good picture the goings-on. i almost went as far as checking my bank statement for clues, but figured that a few cute pictures of huckleberry were all i needed to remedy the situation.

now let's begin.

:: may 16th was my birthday and todd, huck, and i had a lovely weekend lolling about. first we opened presents and drank mimosas.

:: then we went to the arleta library cafe, which is owned by our dear friends, nick and sarah (and which was recently featured on the food network's diners, drive-ins, and dives). if you haven't been here yet, you absolutely must go. it is amazing. we got the famous corned beef hash and the pork belly special. enough said.

:: as a total coincidence, todd's sister, taunia, and her friend were dining there too.

:: then we went to see sarah and coco at the arleta neighborhood triangle intersection intervention where they were weeding and doing work. as another total coincidence, todd and sarah were wearing the same outfit.

:: later that evening, todd and i were joined by seven of his family members at nel centro, the restaurant where todd tends bar. we ordered almost everything on the dinner menu and absolutely everything on the dessert menu. it was unanimous. all of it was deeelicious.

:: after dinner we hung out in the the hotel modera lobby for a while and todd took artsy photos while no one was looking (i wonder if he had a little too much wine, because there was even a photo that was taken while the camera was resting in his lap and pointing straight up. straight up his nose).

:: although this is a little embarrassing to admit, todd and i actually went back to nel centro for lunch the next day. it was a special tasting for employees to give the kitchen staff feedback on the daytime menu, but still. it was a little indulgent, don't you think?

:: after lunch we went to sellwood park where todd studied his flashcards of new drinks and huckleberry rolled around in the grass.

:: this was huck's lucky day because he got to do three of his most favorite things all at once: be naked, lay in the grass, and play with spike. spike had only learned to ride his bike about a week before and huck was mesmerized as spike rode around and around and around the baseball field.

:: todd has made some yummy dinners in the last month. here are some shots of two of them. one is a salad with peaches and roasted pumpkin seeds accompanied by pork chops with rhubarb sauce, and one is fried fish tacos with guacamole and lemon garlic aioli. i wish i had a picture of tonight's dinner to go along with these. tonight we had a salad with roasted tomatoes and goat cheese crostini, roasted patty pan squash, and walnut crusted pork loin. oh, and chocolate coconut bliss ice cream cones for dessert. seriously. can you believe my good fortune, people?

:: over the last month we enjoyed some simple moments of snuggly goodness

:: we took naps in the hammock

:: we watched todd's brother, travis, play in a soccer game

:: oh, and on one of those really hot days we had uncle tj over for a barbecue, which included moving the johnny jump up outside and adding a water feature . . .

:: swaying in the breeze with mommy . . .

:: and eating a feast on a retrofitted telephone cable spool.

:: as i was cleaning up from the day i noticed this scene in the refrigerator, where each of the boys has his favorite drink.

:: we've also been going to the king neighborhood farmer's market on sundays since we can walk to it and it opens at 10:00 (a very civilized hour, don't you think?)

:: our routine has been as follows: purchase breakfast burritos from todd's friend mike, get our vegetables at groundworks, pick up our gallon of apple cider, grab a pastry from the random order cart, and sit on the grassy hill and stuff ourselves with strawberries and our other goodies. have you tried the chocolate/cardamom brownie with pistachios and sea salt, by the way? or the rhubarb hand pies, for that matter? oh my. they are out of this world.

:: huck loves the grassy knoll and we usually spend about an hour just sitting and nursing and eating and watching other people do the same thing.

:: back at home, we've been using this great chair called the bumbo baby seat that allows babies to sit straight up even if they can't do it on their own. i'm sure you've seen them around.

:: it seems that we got the chair a couple of months too late, though, because about two weeks later -- shazam! -- huck started sitting up on his very own! our litte boy is getting so big.

:: so big, in fact, that he already got his first black eye. well, it was really more like a bruise near his eye, but even so. he looks pretty rough and tumble, doesn't he?

:: luckily he's not so big that he doesn't still get tuckered out and fall asleep on his dad's chest in an instant. even if it is in the bath.

:: so there you have it. i think you're pretty much caught up on the happenings, except for the kombucha that we're brewing and the lists that we're making. but truth be told, those are relatively constant around here.

:: ok then. from now on we promise to post more frequently. thank you for bearing with us and we now return you to your regularly scheduled programming, whatever that may be. xo.