i heart huckleberry

HAPPY EASTER. HAPPY SPRING!

2011-04-24T09:53:00.001-07:00

VALENTINE'S DAY

2011-02-14T23:00:00.000-08:00

it certainly was very sweet.

thank you, todd, for making it such a nice evening for us.

xo.

p.s. the fried chicken dinner was amazing!

15TH AND PRESCOTT

2011-02-13T13:00:00.000-08:00

is exploding! extracto coffee and tiga are going strong, grain and gristle just opened, pok pok noi is coming soon, and we are thrilled. this morning we went to extracto and peeked in to grain and gristle to check out the menu (we have a baysitter tonight and are going there for dinner). well, the brunch menu was so irresistible that we walked in, sat down, and ordered up a bunch of delicacies. two times in one day? who cares!

i know it's kind of indulgent, but i can't wait for tonight.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010!

2010-12-31T14:39:00.000-08:00

one of my new year's resolutions: blog more.

until then, love and well wishes for 2011.

xo.

HUCK IS 20 MONTHS OLD TODAY.

2010-08-15T21:06:00.000-07:00

HUCK IS 17 MONTHS OLD TODAY.

2010-05-15T09:05:00.000-07:00

if i just did the math right, that's 516 days. holy moly, big guy. that means you've been kissed about 118,450 times (give or take a few thousand) since you were born!

WE'RE HEADED TO SEATTLE.

2010-05-15T08:59:00.000-07:00

to celebrate amy's and nate's love and marriage. hip hip!

we'll upload photos from both of our trips when we return on monday. xo.

WE'RE HEADED TO NJ!

2010-04-30T18:21:00.000-07:00

we're off to see vovo, pop-pop, and aunt tricia. see you

back here in 8 days (correction: we extended our trip, so

make that 10 days) and have a lovely first part of may,

xo.

SPACECRAFT BOY.

2010-04-22T17:49:00.000-07:00

the perfect accessory to todd's most recent commission.

GRABBY GRUB.

2010-04-20T23:21:00.000-07:00

MMM ALMOND BUTTER.

2010-04-20T23:15:00.000-07:00

LITTLE LOIC.

2010-04-19T23:08:00.000-07:00

sarah and rafer were in town all weekend, which meant that we got to see loic all the livelong day. it was such a treat to have them around and huck was quite smitten with the little lion. mmm, i can still smell the top of his baby blond head: sweet and warm, like a field of hay.

A MORNING FORT.

2010-04-18T22:48:00.000-07:00

today was my morning to sleep in and when i woke up the house was eerily quiet with no sign of the boys, except for this:

a makeshift fort that todd constructed out of blankets, pillows, a log, a broom, socks, and a couple of packages of baby wipes. something about it was so sweet and nostalgic, and i laid in it lazily until the boys got home from the park.

lying in it made me realize that huck is growing up so fast. and when he came home and immediately tore the whole thing down, he confirmed that this was true.

FUTEBOL E FRISBEE.

2010-04-14T22:36:00.000-07:00

3/4 american and 1/4 brazilian.

OH, TULIPS.

2010-04-13T22:43:00.000-07:00

how can we resist you?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TODDY!

2010-04-12T18:00:00.000-07:00

the loveliest three-day family funfest ended with a bang: todd's 38th birthday celebration!

first huck picked out his own outfit for the day (seriously, he really did).

then we walked to the tin shed for breakfast where todd and huck began what i'm sure is the first of many cartoon-drawing sessions.

then we all took a nap.

when we woke up we played some games, todd and tj went to the park to play frisbee, and when we got hungry in the afternoon we assembled a little charcuterie plate to nibble on while we worked on an apple-blueberry crisp.

todd and huck cracked the walnuts from grandpa lew's walnut tree

and then huck sprinkled the nutty-buttery topping onto the fruit (again, i swear it's true).

while tj stayed home with huck, todd and i went to gruner. holy freaking moly, it was amazing! the food and the date were really darn great.

we were way too full after dinner to eat dessert at the restaurant, so we came home and drank tea (and ate fruit cobbler and almond cookies) in our pajamas.

thanks for such a great day, husband. happy birthday and we love you so much. xo, me and huckleberry.

SLACKENING THE TETHER, JUST A WEE BIT.

2010-04-11T22:15:00.000-07:00

LOOK WHO FOUND HIS SHADOW.

2010-04-10T20:10:00.000-07:00

PEEK.

2010-04-10T17:31:00.000-07:00

PERMIT ONLY.

2010-04-09T17:07:00.000-07:00

PAPER AIRPLANES!

2010-04-08T16:00:00.000-07:00

PNW, WE LUV U.

2010-04-07T10:13:00.000-07:00

auntie melissa's getting hitched(!) and huck and i went with her to oxbow park today to look at some possible celebration sites along the river. wouldn't this be a lovely one, all pine cone-y, cool, and fresh?

SNEAKY LITTLE CLIMBER.

2010-04-05T17:00:00.000-07:00

WARM HOMEMADE BREAD WITH GHEE.

2010-04-05T10:09:00.000-07:00

Q: is there anything that beats it? A: nope.

HAPPY EASTER.

2010-04-04T10:03:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRANDMA B!

2010-04-02T21:56:00.000-07:00

we hope your birthday was amazing all the livelong day. we love you as much as all the sand on every beach in the whole world. xo, t, c, and h too.

A MORNING MUFFIN IN THE AFTERNOON SUN.

2010-03-30T09:44:00.000-07:00

HAPPY 19TH BIRTHDAY, AUNT TAYLOR!

2010-03-26T09:52:00.000-07:00

i love you veryveryveryveryveryveryveryvery much and my mom came back veryveryveryveryvery relaxed after her foot massage. xo, huckles.

THERE AND GONE.

2010-03-25T22:00:00.000-07:00

SMORGASBORD.

2010-03-25T21:56:00.000-07:00

photos by grandma b

FOREST PARK.

2010-03-23T22:44:00.000-07:00

sent via todd's cell phone to a jealous mommy at work.

MORNING TIME.

2010-03-21T12:18:00.000-07:00

ELIMINATION DIET DAY ONE: NOT A BAD KICKOFF.

2010-03-20T18:13:00.000-07:00

1. shrimp sauteed with garlic, ginger, coconut oil, coriander, salt, and pepper and avocado marinated in lime and mint.

2. kale chips.

OUT AND ABOUT.

2010-03-20T18:07:00.000-07:00

DINING ALFRESCO.

2010-03-19T18:03:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, VOVO!

2010-03-19T13:23:00.000-07:00

you are by far the kindest, sweetest, smartest, funniest, silliest, skype-iest, most generous, best smelling vovo (mom) a boy (daughter) could have. we love you SO MUCH!

xo, your neto hucky (and me).

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY, THAYEN!

2010-03-18T13:25:00.000-07:00

we love you like crazy!

xo, your cousin hucky.

A PRETZEL-LOVING KID.

2010-03-17T13:20:00.000-07:00

OH, AND SUNGLASSES TOO. HE JUST LOVES 'EM.

2010-03-17T13:18:00.000-07:00

15 MONTHS OLD.

2010-03-15T20:41:00.000-07:00

(HUCKA)BOODLE DOODLES.

2010-03-12T21:01:00.000-08:00

THERE GOES THE TOILET PAPER ROLL.

2010-03-11T20:59:00.000-08:00

. . . . again.

HOT FEET + COLD WET SOCKS = GREAT HOME REMEDY.

2010-03-09T20:42:00.000-08:00

COCONUT MATE LATTE.

2010-03-08T20:50:00.000-08:00

i took huck on little walk to get him some fresh air. you know, like in the olden days when fresh air was what cured people's ailments? anyway, we found ourselves at the tea house on alberta street and i did what any right-minded mother would do: i ordered myself a coconut yerba mate latte, sat outside and read the boy books until he fell asleep in his stroller, and then meandered back home to tuck him in for a nice, long afternoon nap. two birds with one stone, right?

POOR LITTLE SICKY.

2010-03-07T20:57:00.000-08:00

this is his first cold. wish it could be his last.

OH, SPRING: YOU'RE SUCH A TEASE.

2010-03-06T20:56:00.000-08:00

PEAS IN A POD.

2010-03-03T20:53:00.000-08:00

A SPACECRAFT LAUNCH IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER . . .

2010-03-03T20:41:00.000-08:00

BIBLIOPHILIA.

2010-03-03T20:40:00.000-08:00

UP, DOWN. UP, DOWN. UP, DOWN. REPEAT.

2010-03-02T16:24:00.000-08:00

YUM.

2010-03-01T20:11:00.000-08:00

p.s. by the way, we've been roasting tomatoes each week throughout the winter. here's how: cut the tomatoes in half and toss them with a little bit of olive oil on a baking sheet. roast at 200 degrees for up to 5 (or so) hours, or until the tomatoes are kind of shriveled and sun-dried-looking and sweet as honey. then put them in a mason jar in the fridge until you use them on a salad or in pasta or in eggs or on pizza or with anything at all, really. they're delicious!

BREAKFAST REALLY IS THE BEST MEAL.

2010-02-28T21:02:00.000-08:00

(especially when it's at the arleta library cafe)

AH, SUNNY SUNDAYS.

2010-02-28T21:00:00.000-08:00

LULLED.

2010-02-26T23:09:00.000-08:00

FROM WIGGLE WORM TO BOOKWORM.

2010-02-26T22:42:00.000-08:00

and then back to wiggle worm.

AT THE PARK, PLAYING WITH STICKS.

2010-02-26T20:02:00.000-08:00

COMING HOME FROM THE PARK, WITH THE STICKS.

2010-02-26T20:01:00.000-08:00

BIRDS.

2010-02-25T22:37:00.000-08:00

two down, seven more to go.

SWINGS.

2010-02-24T21:56:00.000-08:00

SWINGS WITH COUSINS AND PEAS.

2010-02-24T21:51:00.000-08:00

15/LOVE.

2010-02-23T22:42:00.000-08:00

SPRING HAS SPRUNG. BLEGH.

2010-02-22T21:37:00.000-08:00

THE ESSENTIALS.

2010-02-21T21:25:00.000-08:00

the other day huck and i were heading out for a wee jaunt and before i drove away i looked back to make sure we had everything we needed (the diaper bag, some sunscreen, our water bottles, a blanket).

soon i realized that huck, who is always holding something in each hand (a wooden animal, a fisher price person, a block, a car) grabbed the two things he thought he needed most: homepathic teething tablets and a blush brush.

STAYING HYDRATED IS IMPORTANT.

2010-02-20T22:46:00.001-08:00

so he decided to take a little break and wet the ol' whistle. you know, to just sit back, take 'er easy, and get tanked up for another round of "on-the-go."

THE SUN IS OUT (I.E. HE'S OFF AND RUNNING).

2010-02-17T20:44:00.000-08:00

CURLY.

2010-02-17T14:23:00.000-08:00

HUCKABOO THE BUCKAROO.

2010-02-16T21:38:00.000-08:00

ELE AMA A LAMA.

2010-02-16T14:31:00.000-08:00

(portuguese to english translation: he loves the mud)

LOVE.

2010-02-15T22:50:00.000-08:00

HAPPY PRESIDENT'S DAY (OFF)!

2010-02-15T22:49:00.000-08:00

(via ohdeedoh: lovely lincoln print by lovelyMPLS)

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

2010-02-14T11:47:00.000-08:00

PREVIOUSLY, ON "I HEART HUCKLEBERRY" . . .

2010-02-13T21:09:00.000-08:00

(here's what you missed between 12/13/09 and 2/13/10)

12/13.

huck had a little party two days before his actual birthday,

12/15.

and then his real 1st birthday was celebrated quite simply and sweetly.

12/19.

a few days later, we went to seattle to visit sarah and rafer. they made a phenomenal french-y dinner of merguez sausages, roasted cauliflower with raita, green lentils, a fresh baguette, and some of rafer's delicious wine.

12/20.

then we boarded a plane to kansas city, missouri and drove a car to (brrr) omaha, nebraska.

there, tricia, mark, vovo, pop-pop, and eight of mark's family members were waiting for us to eat raisins,

12/21.

snuggle,

12/22.

and eat sugary snacks and drink hot tea.

although this was more than enough to keep us happy, we were gathering together for something much more momentus: to celebrate tricia and mark's wedding. whoot whoot!

12/23.

there was a rehearsal dinner the night before,

followed by a cozy, cuddly game of "where's pop-pop?".

12/24.

then finally it was the big day: december 24th, christmas eve, and the wedding!

so we decorated the house . . .

got ourselves dressed . . .

took our respective places . . .

and watched tricia walk down the aisle . . .

to her handsome fancier.

the ceremony was intimate, comfy, and very tender,

and once it was over, we kicked up our heels, made merry, and celebrated with a full blown feast.

then we played games, received gifts from the newlyweds (!), and as we'd been practicing, ate sugary snacks and drank hot tea.

12/25.

we went to bed tired, and woke up the next morning to celebrate christmas . . .

a very, very, very white christmas.

luckily, inside tricia and mark's house it was still very warm and very welcoming (and very full of food and gifts).

12/27.

two days later (sniff), we got on another plane and headed back to portland.

12/31.

on new year's eve, we all (and i mean all) spent the night at grandpa ted's house in estacada, which is where todd is storing the walnut he milled up from grandpa lew's tree.

1/2.

once we settled in back home, huck got to play with all of the gifts he received for his birthday and for christmas (including the vintage radio flyer ride from g-ma b). he also got to perfect his upright, swaggering saunter.

we took lots of walks . . .

1/3.

went to see the zoo lights . . .

ate an elephant ear . . .

1/7.

took some baths with spike . . .

1/14.

and had some sleepovers with grandma b.

we also drank lattes . . .

rode in vovo's red wagon . . .

blew bubbles at the park . . .

roughhoused in the play room . . .

1/17.

and made our way back up to seattle for sarah and rafer's baby shower.

while we were there this time, we put on a seattle bakery "croissant-off" with our friends. we compared plain croissants, pain au chocolat, baguettes, and one signature item from three bakeries: bakery noveau, honore, and cafe besalu. as you may have expected, cafe besalu got the gold.

1/18.

then my baby and sarah's baby spent some time getting to know each other.

and since paseo was closed and we couldn't get the cuban pork sandwiches that we were SO BADLY craving, we fueled up at dick's on our way out of town.

1/20.

back in portland, i shot some more blurry photos of the squirmy huckleberry . . .

caught him trying on my boots . . .

captured his daily habit trail . . .

1/23.

and watched him master the art of climbing

1/28.

and swinging.

1/29.

huck traveled many miles in his stroller . . .

hid many times in his favorite little nook . . .

and turned daddy's lamp on and off and on and off and on and off.

1/30.

he also, of course, napped.

and one day while he did, i made some impromptu whipped cream by shaking heavy cream in a mason jar (yum!).

1/31.

at the end of the month (and on pop-pop's birthday) we watched uncle travis try out for the portland timbers soccer team, and then got to hang out with him for two whole days.

2/4.

later that week, huck learned a bit of yoga. then he showed me how he could nimbly hold an asana posture while brushing his teeth.

2/5.

in the beginning of february, the sun was around a lot so we were outside a lot: walking,

eating,

and watching things grow.

then i started a little birdie sewing project . . .

and huck started peeing on the bathroom floor before he gets into his bath.

2/6.

one weekend, we drove to the sandy river delta to see maya lin's bird blind for the confluence project. it was exquisite.

huck was impressed, but he mostly just wanted to walk around, pick up leaves and sticks, and sit in (and eat) the dirt. i really don't blame him. it just smelled so good out there.

2/7.

and last but not least, todd and ben continued to dial in the spacecraft shop

2/7.

while huck continued to perfect his electrical skills . . .

hone his nook-finding talent . . .

2/8.

and sharpen his bathing ability, which is far and away the best one of all.

2/13.

unless, of course, you consider the art he so masterfully practiced today: fitting his left pointer finger perfectly into his left nostril. pictures of this impressive faculty coming up next.

SEATTLE, HERE WE COME!

2010-01-15T22:00:00.000-08:00

this photo was taken from the window of the plane that recently flew us from omaha to seattle (can you find the space needle?).

i say recently because i'm trying to detract from the fact that we've been home for three whole weeks and haven't posted any new entries to the blog. it's not that there's nothing to report, in fact, the exact opposite is true: omaha was a snappy, snowy, winter wonderland; tricia and mark had a really sweet and heartfelt wedding; and huckleberry is walking and talking up a storm. it's more that since we've been home we've been feeling really busy with work, and building the spacecraft shop, and our family, and our pregnant friends' baby showers (!), and, ok fine, just a couple of movies ('julie and julia' and 'where the wild things are'). but believe you me, as soon as we return from this little jaunt in seattle, we'll be uploading photos like crazy.

until then, have a fantastic weekend (hopefully it's a long one) and we'll see you back here on monday! xo.

OMAHA, HERE WE COME!

2009-12-19T16:12:00.000-08:00

we're off to omaha, nebraska for the holidays and a lovely wintry wedding!

we've been so busy getting ready for the trip this week that we haven't even posted any photos of the boy's real birthday on the 15th. but rest assured, when we get back we'll upload photos and videos of hucky walking (!) and talking and celebrating the winter season.

until then, take care and have a lovely holiday!

xo,

chris, todd, and huckleberry

HAPPY 40TH ANNIVERSARY, MOM AND DAD.

2009-12-13T21:05:00.000-08:00

just because we scheduled our first son's first birthday party on your anniversary doesn't mean we'd forget about you today. we've been thinking of you (almost) the whole time.

congratulations on an amazing 40 years and here's to 40 more!

we love you, xo.

HUCK'S FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY!

2009-12-13T21:00:00.000-08:00

we had such a great time giving huck his first birthday party. thank you all SO MUCH for welcoming our boy into this world and celebrating his first year so festively with us. we love you! xoxo.

BIRTHDAY PARTY PREPARATIONS.

2009-12-12T23:22:00.000-08:00

HOLIDAY WORK PARTY.

2009-12-12T22:08:00.000-08:00

everyone from my work attended a holiday appreciation dinner at navarre's event space on friday night. the food was delicious and since todd couldn't attend at the last minute (he was running behind on a commission that was due the next morning) i did what any respectable employee (or wife) would do: i ate for two.

IT'S ONLY A DREAM: A LULLABY.

2009-12-12T22:05:00.000-08:00

ok, so i've just got to say it: we have the most amazing family ever, on both sides. but uncle tj, oh my. he's really just, well, he's really just something special.

while i was at my work's holiday party and todd was at his studio, tj was at our house putting our boy to sleep. when i called him from the dinner to see how things were going, he told me that it was a piece of cake, that the boy went down early and easily, and that all was quiet and cozy in the house.

what he didn't tell me, and what i only found out later when i was looking at our video camera, was that he put the boy to sleep by singing him the most adorable neil young song and walking around and around and around the house with him in his arms.

sorry, tj. this one's just got to be seen.

this video was almost five minutes long originally, but i edited it down so tj wouldn't kill me. this is just the last half of it where huck is in a trance: a sleepy, love-induced, uncle-borne trance.

tj, i know we tell you this just about every time we see you, but i'm gonna say it here just one more time: we adore you and are so incredibly lucky to have you in our lives. thanks for being so great to our little boy. you can't imagine how much it means to us. and to him.

CHEERIOS CAN SOMETIMES BE A BABYSITTER.

2009-12-11T21:44:00.000-08:00

didn't you know?

HUCK'S FIRST HAIRCUT.

2009-12-10T21:31:00.000-08:00

it was just the teensiest little bit off the sides, but i'd still call it a haircut. aunt tara did a great job (of course) and we are now one of the very (very) many family members to have her as our hair stylist.

p.s. the salon that tara owns and works at is called 'ted isaacs salon' (after her dad, obviously). it's in sellwood and it's the bomb.

XMAS TREE HUNTING

2009-12-09T21:48:00.000-08:00

we had good intentions, really we did. tara and i wanted to take our boys to the country to cut down noble fir trees on our very own. we thought we'd find a small farm with trees and sheep and hot apple cider, and that there we'd find the perfect christmas trees for our homes and our boys' rooms. well we did, but it wasn't in estacada. after hunting all day in the freezing cold, we were unable to find trees without blighted, dry, dead, brown centers. so we came home and bought trees out of a parking lot across from the spacecraft studio. we ended up getting really great trees, but sheesh. it was really cold.

THE CUTEST SWEATER IN THE WORLD

2009-12-09T20:57:00.000-08:00

came to hucky all the way from maine. i'm so glad he can finally wear it. oh and has he been wearing it. . . .

and wearing it, and wearing it, and wearing it.

thanks molly, eric, and cyrus. we love it and we love you.

SOMEONE WE KNOW IS 11 MONTHS AND 51 WEEKS OLD

2009-12-08T23:05:00.000-08:00

holy moly. just one week from today our little guy's gonna turn ONE!

(the preparations for this very special birthday are now underway)

MMM MISSY POO POO

2009-12-07T19:53:00.001-08:00

"THE THANGX GIVENG TRKEY!"

2009-12-05T20:02:00.000-08:00

by spike and huk.

i love spike's little hand as a turkey

but not as much as i love his version of hu(c)k's hair.

SOMEONE NEEDS A HAIRCUT!

2009-12-04T13:39:00.001-08:00

maybe he also need a drool catcher.

photos by grandma b

WATER AND WILCO

2009-12-01T07:56:00.000-08:00

i took this shot on a recent walk with the boys, and in addition to it stoking my fascination with water towers and satisfying my predilection for urban structures poking into open skies, it reminded me that we're going to see WILCO in a couple of months. hot diggity dog!

SPACECRAFT

2009-11-30T07:29:00.000-08:00

the walls have been painted, the tools have been shipped, and the floor plan has been designed. stay tuned, dear friends, because spacecraft 2010 is about to launch.

DO OVER

2009-11-29T22:33:00.000-08:00

just because your morning starts off on the wrong foot doesn't mean your afternoon can't be so much better.

STILL LOVING THAT BATH, HE IS.

2009-11-28T08:18:00.000-08:00

HANDPRINT EVIDENCE

2009-11-27T22:22:00.000-08:00

can you see the little relic handprint on the oven door? tonight i caught a glimpse of it as i passed by and it gave me butterflies. sometimes it descends on me that i have a little boy with little hands and that he's mine!

p.s. his little down jacket hanging on a hook does the same thing to my belly: all flutters and butterflies.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

2009-11-25T22:03:00.000-08:00

we hope you all have a really great day tomorrow. xo.

WHIZ, WHOOSH, WHIR, BLUR

2009-11-24T22:00:00.000-08:00

HE'S ALREADY TAKING AN INTEREST IN TYPOGRAPHY

2009-11-23T22:40:00.000-08:00

could i be any more over the moon right now?

HUCK'S DUCKS

2009-11-23T22:38:00.000-08:00

HUCK'S HERD

2009-11-23T22:37:00.000-08:00

14 YEARS AND COUNTING

2009-11-23T22:19:00.000-08:00

happy anniversary to you too, toddy. i love you so much.

almost as much as i love huckleberry. xoxo.

LOOK WHAT I FOUND ON THE CAMERA TODAY! HMMPH.

2009-11-22T22:37:00.000-08:00

THANKS FOR MY NEW HAT, AUNT TAMI.

2009-11-22T12:10:00.000-08:00

i am not liking hats very much right now, but this one is pretty cool.

i love the color and the wool is nice and soft.

i wore it for a bit while i played this morning.

then i started to drool because i have a molar coming in.

my mom tried to wipe my chin, so i was outta there.

but thanks for the hat, i really do like it.

and i like you too. see you soon!