You Can't Not Smile at This...

... unless you're one of those people who hates smiles and steals binkies from babies and kicks puppies on the way to the Evil Lair.

The People Have Spoken.

Fun with Hats

Editor's Warning: EXTREME CUTENESS. Reader assumes all risk, including but not limited to the possibility of exploding into a million pieces of tiny confetti shaped like hearts.

We tried out a couple of new hats on Weston the other day. First was a gift from the Takob's, a cute little puppy-dog hat (thanks, guys!):

Then he tried on the hat that goes with his Halloween costume (he's going to be Yoda this year... gotta indoctrinate them to Star Wars early). I think he liked it.


Uh-oh, I just exploded into a million tiny heart-shaped confetti pieces.

Opa!

Tim and I went to a Greek Festival last night! Hooray! It was held at a local Greek Orthodox Church, and the entire time I was there, I just really wanted to go up to people and tell them how much I love Greek food, and how I had a Greek friend in college named Theofani, and how I really enjoyed My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and how I find philosophy to be ever so intriguing.

Haha! But it was a fun time. We partook of Greek yumminess such as chicken souvlaki, spanakopita, and baklava; we caught a lively performance of Greek folk dancing; and wouldn't you know it, but we ran into some buddies too! Everyone loves the Greeks. :-)

Tim and Jean, waiting for the shuttle:

Our buddies Allison and Ted (sorry, Ted, but this was the better picture):
A couple new buddies, Lillian and Mike:
The main tent area, with the folk dancing performance:
Weston made lots of friends! (As usual. He's much more social and engaging than I am. And it's always women... moms and grandmas and teenage girls. He's quite the ladies man.)

I'm Just GLO-ing

Hahahaha... I totally just made that up! Awesome. Yesterday, a few of the girls got together for a GLO (Girls Lunch Out), in honor of our fabulous friend Laura W's brief return to Pasadena since her move to Utah. (COME BACK!!! We miss you. And you look amazing, as always.) We dined on sandwiches and salads at a small, charming, diner-esque restaurant in Pasadena, and thoroughly enjoyed the 1,000-calorie cheddar popovers that they brought warm in baskets to our table. It was tasty fun times.

Plus, five of the six of us brought our babies (the sixth baby is still baking), and because most of the babies are older than Weston, I got a little glimpse into what it's like to dine out with wiggly, wriggly, grabby little cutie patooties to whom you actually have to feed food (like, not just little-nibbles-of-runny-cereal-for-fun, but actual food at actual mealtime). Huh... unfortunately, it doesn't look like motherhood gets easier as they become bigger and more coordinated. Haha! Note to self: when Big West transitions to the restaurant high chair, be sure to move all utensils and other items to the opposite side of the table; bring bags and bags of snacks and toys; and don't press your luck by staying too long. I'm learning. (Weston, by the way, stayed in his carseat for most of the time until he got wriggly and fussy, and I realized that my carseat-in-the-restaurant days are coming to an end. Bummer!) I commend my fellow moms.

Anyway, we were all snapping pictures of course, and I realized once again that it's ridiculously difficult to get children to actually make eye contact with the camera when attempting to take their picture. (I'm already pretty accustomed to this little conundrum, thanks to the few photo shoots that I've taken Weston to, and to the constant photographing that occurs at home. I've made a complete fool of myself many a time. No shame.) Anyway, it took quite awhile for all of us to get photos of the babies, and I'd like to give a special shout-out to Shannon's valiant efforts (including such clever and only slightly embarrassing tricks as making faces, snapping, wiggling fingers, and opening and closing her shiny cell phone in order to attract the babies' attention.) Way to go!! She has 2.5 kids, so she's a pro. :-)

Anyway, here are some photos that I managed to score (aren't my friends and their babies just absolutely gorgeous??):

Laura W and her little girl Alice, Laura D and her little boy Charlie (aka Future Weston)

Natalie, Sachia (with baby girl Sienna), and Shannon
Fallon (Natalie's little girl), who sat across from me at the table and who I want to cuddle because she's so freaking adorable
Me and West (who, not surprisingly, did not feel like looking at the camera)

Gotta Love It

Tim had class on Monday night ("I thought YOU had class!"*), so I headed out to meet up with a couple of friends at a local restaurant called Burger Continental. It turned out that my friends couldn't make it after all, but it's okay because they gave me a great recommendation, and because Weston and I were able to have a Motherboy* date together. I anticipate lots of Motherboy dates in the near future, now that Tim is back in school and is either on campus or glued to his desk until 3 AM almost all the time. (Seriously, he's exhausted. I think I'm going to initiate a new version of the "Back to Sleep" program in our house, where we make it a goal for Tim to obtain at least 15% of the amount of sleep that he was getting prior to the start of the term. But in this case, it doesn't matter if he sleeps on his tummy or his back. He just needs to sleep. Tim, get some sleep. Family love Tim.*)

Anyway, my Motherboy date was really fun! I'd never been to Burger Continental before, but on Monday nights they have a special: cheeseburger, fries, and a soda for $1.99. WOOHOO! That's a crazy sweet deal. PLUS, they have a karaoke DJ there, so folks were getting up and rocking it out Japan-style. (I did not participate in the rocking-it-out, by the way. I'm going to use the excuse that Weston would've been left at the table all by himself. So, yeah. Won't be able to do it in the future, either, looks like.)

Anyway, the food was tasty, and the roofed courtyard was large enough and loud enough that the bad karaoke singers didn't make me want to leave. Weston behaved superbly, so overall it was a good time, despite the fact that I was without Timmy or fellow diners. An added benefit of this restaurant is its downtown location, with a Pottery Barn Kids, Children's Place, Borders, and Cold Stone all within a short walk. I didn't partake of any ice cream, but it was fun to shop a little until my metered parking expired.

The funny thing about Burger Continental is that even though they offer a wide array of burgers and salads and sandwiches, they actually specialize in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine, and also offer items of other origins too. For this reason, you just gotta love it. Seriously, where else but Southern California can you find a restaurant that serves BBQ Western burgers, Chinese chicken salads, and Shawarma platters?? It kind of reminds me of that Seinfeld episode with Babu Bhatt, the Pakistani restauranteur who started out serving every kind of cuisine (spaghetti, franks and beans, etc.), until Jerry convinced him to revamp the place and focus entirely on Pakistani specialties. Does that ring a bell? Hahaha, good episode. But yeah... that's kind of how Burger Continental is.

For that matter, it also reminds me of this place in my hometown that was a combination laundromat/tanning salon. "Hmm... I have a load of wash to do, but however am I going to pass the time?? Why, I'll get a tan!!" Yeah, it's pretty awesome. I'm sure that genius is rakin' in the dough. So, what are some other random combo-establishments that you've seen? Or, what new combo-establishment should open? I'd kind of like to see a combined GameStop/H&M, because then Tim and I would be both be happy as clams. Or maybe a combined Dots/post office, because then you can sit and have a cupcake while you wait in line to buy postage. What do you think??

*Asterisk refers to Arrested Development. FYI.

Things You Hear around the House

These two sentences were uttered in regular conversation in our house today:

"I'm accentuating the poop."

"Don't lick the baby."

In addition to sayings like that, lately we've been singing this song quite frequently between ourselves. Prepare to be mesmerized:

INAUGURAL VIDEO!

Hooray! We finally figured out how to upload video! Yaaaay! Well, actually, Tim did. I, on the other hand, realized once again that he's a super techno-genius and I'm really lucky to have him. And to boot, this evening he showed me all around Windows Movie Maker and YouTube. He's just so darn smart. I sure love 'im.

Anyway, in answer to your question, yes, I am now a filmmaker.

Therefore, behold Jean's attempt at movie-making. Sorry, it's kind of long (nearly 4 minutes... yikes), but I promise that it features fun zoo animals and numerous special appearances by his royal super-cuteness Weston:

"I'm Not the Only One Who Loves Chick-fil-A" and Other Inanities

I have nothing to blog about. So, I'm going to resort to my blogger's block fall-back: random stupid thoughts and opinions!

Starting with... the Southern Style Chicken Sandwich at McDonald's. A better name for this new menu item might be the "Chick-Fil-A Style Chicken Sandwich." It's almost exactly the same thing, down to the very spices in the breading. I'm a hardcore Chick-Fil-A fan, and Tim can tell you that I'm constantly hankering for an original chicken sandwich, but all my hankerings are in vain because the nearest Chick-Fil-A is 20 miles away. (Oh, oh! But don't worry, it's on the way to Disneyland! So, we'll go one of these days. Turn that frown upside-down!) So anyway, I had to try the McD's version, and here's my basic conclusion: it's good, but it's not Chick-Fil-A. PRO: It comes in a cardboard box, instead of a foil-lined baggie, so it's not as smushed as the Chick-Fil-A version. CON: It's too crispy. Therefore too much fry. PRO: The seasonings are nearly identical. PRO: It's waaaaaay more accessible. CON: McDonald's is an evil empire. CON: I feel dirty after eating it, because I betrayed my beloved Chick-Fil-A. So, in conclusion, I like it, and I'll get it when I need a quick fix, but I'm still holding out for a Chick-Fil-A in this area. (By the way, wanna hear something funny? When searching for a photo of the Southern Style Chicken Sandwich, I came across THIS ARTICLE on the very same topic, written by a guy in L.A. It's called "McDonald's New Southern Style Chicken Sandwich Will Not Stop Me from Driving 25 Minutes for Chick-Fil-A." Ha! Evidently I'm not the only one who loves Chick-Fil-A. Also, I think I need to meet this person. I hope Tim doesn't mind if I have a Chick-Fil-A affair. The writer's name is also Tim, so now my heart is confused.)

And while we're on the topic of epicurean experimentation, Tim and I recently tried Beard Papa's cream puffs at the Americana. The Americana is a very attractive, super froo-froo shopping center in a neighboring town, complete with a huge pond with a golden statue, a Bellagio-esque fountain show, a trolley, and a parking garage lobby with a grand piano and elevator attendants in matching uniforms. Yeah... we knew we weren't going to do much shopping, except at the fabulous H&M that they have there, along with the three-story Barnes & Noble. Anyway, I've heard a lot about Beard Papa's, and how they're the new sweet-treat-du-jour, so we gave them a whirl. They're really tasty!! Overpriced, of course, but sweet-treats-du-jour always are. The pastry looks soft and flacid, but it actually holds a pleasant crispness. The vanilla filling is really creamy, rather than fluffy; they actually have several filling options, and they're filled to order so they don't get soggy. Yummy! I eat cream puffs very rarely, but it's fun that there's a new option out there for the ol' shopping mall sweet tooth.

Okay, this is totally unrelated, but did you know that our kitchen sink is white? Neither did we! We always thought it was sort of a yucky-yellowy-tan color, but no... WHITE! Supposedly there are these things called "cleaners" that "clean" dirty things like sinks in a much more "effectual" way than your good old, all-purpose 409. Tim was shocked when he saw the end result, and so was I. I'm giddy now, all because of our newly whitened sink. Who knew. Bon Ami indeed. (I hope you don't think we're dirty and gross. I've just never been much of a "domestic" person, so I'm learning as I go. Oh, and here's another shocking truth: I've never ever cooked a whole chicken. I'm all about the boneless skinless. Yep, definitely domestarded over here; my foremothers would be appalled. Anyway, that little endeavor will be a blog post for another day.)

Here's another random thought: oh my heck, TAMN is freaking hilarious. If you haven't heard of Seriously So Blessed, it's a mock-blog starring a young, pretty, self-absorbed, preggo Mormon wife. Who is the writer behind it?? I want to be best friends with her. She's fantastic at poking fun at the Mormon wife/mommy blogosphere. And I ALWAYS see reflections of my own blog in hers. Am I too perky? Do I use too many exclamation points? Do I say "YAY!" a little too often? Haha, sorry. Wait, no, I'm not sorry. I'm a quickly and easily excitable person, so I can't help it and I don't fight it anymore. :-P

Okay, this is already way too long, but here are some photos from a jaunt last week at Disneyland. Yaaaaaay!!! (Uh-oh, here I go, I'm talking about Disneyland and I can't contain my happiness YAAAAAAAAY!!!) It was super fun. We met up with our rockstar friend Tiffany and her daughter Malia, AND we ran into the Takob's, another couple-friend of ours. It was pretty much our last hurrah before Tim started classes again (which took place on Monday, boo-hoo), but I'm sure we'll make it over there every now and then when his nervous breakdowns over his homeworkload are downgraded to just sniffly weepings. I haven't worked up the courage yet to go with Weston by myself, but I think that's the next step. One of these days!

Here we are, getting our 3-D glasses in line for the brand-new Toy Story Mania ride at California Adventure:

The giant, animatronic Mr. Potato Head next to the line:
The little guy (who was actually reaching for the bright yellow 3-D glasses in my hand):

Weston's first character photo (you win the bet, Pluto!):
The fam in the Buzz Lightyear post-ride shop:
Oh, wait, these photos below are NOT from Disneyland. I forgot that I put them into this blog post. Anyway, here's Weston with his brand-spankin-new highchair. He loves it!!
Two minutes later, he has lost interest in the novelty of the highchair, and is instead pouting about the nasty, goopy gunk in his mouth:

Happy Birthday! You're 0.5!

Weston turned six months old on the 26th! WOW! (Where did my teeny tiny newborn go??) Here are his six-month stats:

Weight: 20 lbs, 6 oz (90-95%)
Height: 29 inches (97%) ... but we think the nurse was a bit liberal with this measurement...
Head: 46 cm (95-97%)

So, happy birthday, kid! Your special half-birthday treat is a delightful, runny rice concoction! Yay! Yep, Weston "ate" his first "solid food" on Saturday. I say "solid food," because there's nothing solid about his soupy rice cereal. And I say "ate," because as far as we can tell, no "eating" has actually taken place yet. Sure, we raise the spoon to his mouth and he opens his lips. But then the look of distaste creases his little face, and after gumming the flavor of it for a couple seconds, that nasty rice concoction pours right back out of his mouth. Pretty much every single time. So, following both of his "feedings" so far, I've still had to go ahead and nurse him, since he's still hungry. But we're optimistic! I mean, seriously, how can that runny rice flavor NOT grow on you...?? Ha.


Here's another notable development of Weston's, one that is so blessedly sweet and wonderful that Tim and I are still reveling in its joyous wonderfulness: INDEPENDENT PLAY. Weston is finally getting to that age where he can play with toys on his own!! Yaaaaaaaay!! We don't have to sit there and stare at him, and hand him different toys for 20 minutes before he fusses and wants to be picked up!! Sure, the 20-minute limit still applies, but now we put the toys on the floor in front of him, the Boppy behind him, and let him have at 'em. Every now and then he whimpers a little when the toys all travel beyond arm's length, but we just walk over and push them back in range, and he keeps on playing. It's faaaaaabulous.

Oh, and another fun six-month development: the DEEP END of the tub!! Wasn't it so exciting when you finally reached that age where you felt comfortable venturing into the deep end of the pool and going off the diving board and what not? Well, I imagine that's how Weston feels right now, even though the water level is still only about three or four inches. But, it's very cute. He sits there like a little person and plays with his bath toys. He loves bathtime, and therefore we love it too.

And finally, his six months of life have resulted in one more happy development: SUPER CUTENESS!!! He's much more interactive and smily now. He giggles, growls, coos, babbles, wiggles, and cuddles. He LOVES looking at people, and especially smiling at people who look back at him and talk to him. He loves holding toys and books (and anything we happen to be holding, whether it's a glass of water or a phone or a remote or a piece of paper), and especially putting everything possible into his mouth. I have to say, we're just pleased as punch with our little one. Happy half-birthday, Mr. Smunch!!