Zero weeks to Seven weeks

Here is Henry Week Zero, a day old, in the hospital.  Just to get a sense of what he was like. 

Seven weeks later.  He has changed in many ways.  Here is a little video to see his facial expressions.  

My first Father's Day was great, and I look forward to many more.  School is out now and we are traveling all over.  Montana.  California.  Minnesota.  London.  All this summer.  Maybe we are crazy, but we will have lots of fun.  Need to get Henry's passport ordered next week.  Finished the pictures this morning.

CB

Math of life: Change = Constant

"Nobody said it was easy." -Coldplay, The Scientist

     Henry is wonder, awe, laughter, joy, and hope incarnate.  He can make me laugh by peeing on me, and make me cry with out doing a thing.  The smallest thought about anything happening to him makes my throat close and my stomach drop.  A person does change a bit when they become a parent.  Maybe more than a bit, maybe each of us can change a lot.  I think differently about riding my bike, about driving my car, and about working with students.  Your children give you a new unique perspective that you can't get from climbing a mountain or running a race.

    Abbie and I have a friend from church who is a great musician and has his own window washing business.  Luke is self-employed and uninsured.   He has a wife and a daughter.  This past week he fell off a roof and fractured many vertebrae.  The community around him have banded together to help with money, food, baby siting, and many other things.  After surgery and a week of PT he is starting to walk.  

Pray for Luke.  And if you know someone in his position, help them in a practical way.

Show love, don't just feel it.  

     Abbie and I have a friend who is the embodiment of rad.  He is all things rad.  Chris has a bright smile, a welcoming heart, and a passionate spirit.  He is loved by many friends and family.  The beginning of this year Chris died.  He died by living his passion and doing exactly what he loved.  Am a fortunate to know Chris' parents and sisters.  I lived with Chris' parents, Bill and Wendy, one summer while taking a summer class in the Bay Area.  Bill and Wendy are some of the most compassionate and generous people I know.  I love them and respect them a great deal.  It was heart breaking to see Bill at Chris' memorial.  To see a father who has lost his son...his only son, was a painful sight.  I saw a piece of myself in his sorrow.  I  have never walked Bill's journey, and I am fearful to even think about having to walk that journey.  But, I can see the piece of me in Bill because I am afraid of the path.

Bill is an amazing man.  An amazing father.  I hope I am a fraction of the father he is for his children.  

Remember your friends and those who follow their passion.  It is good to shed a tear to remember a great person.

"Lord have mercy on my rough and rowdy ways."  -The Head and the Heart, Down in the Valley
-CB

Henry

"It's a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll."  -AC/DC

I am sure everyone has been waiting a long time for our next post.   The waiting is over.
Henry Austin Brown was born on April 30th, 2012 @ 9:03 am.  Abbie was amazing during labor (I will let her tell that story).  She was strong, focused, and committed to the process.  I feel thankful and awestruck to have her as a partner in life.

Fact #1: Henry has already been deemed a: writer, a hockey player, a linebacker, and a piano player.

Fact #2: All his long sleeve shirts are too short for his arms, which is also a problem I have...go figure.

Fact #3: Pre-birth, a friend from work told Abbie and I we should name the baby 'Hash.'  Hash Brown.  

Fact #4: Henry gets the hiccups about 4 times a day.  Normal?  Maybe.  It is for him.

where i sit

here is where i sit while he makes sure i continue to move through the air. we talk and process new jobs and what to have for dinner. stop by and have a go yourself.

this one reminds me of the dock at beyond. a great view with activity passing by. but a hard seat; i can't sit too long so i soak in the time i do spend here and make frequent visits.

First Part of Summer

It has been a long time since we last dropped a note. Please forgive us, for we have been busy playing, hiring people, changing jobs, making swings, going to Beyond, and trying to stay away from electronics.

I, CB, went on a climbing trip with my friend Eric Mann, albeit unsuccessful but fun not the less. We attempted Chair Peak in the Cascades, just north of Snoqualmie Ski Area. The snow conditions were very unfavorable and it was more difficult on the approach than expected.

Below is a shot with Chair Peak in the background. The South Face is shown, and we were going to climb the North Face. We had a close call, but everything turned out ok. Great views and definitely a climb for another day.

A few weeks after that Abbie, Roscoe and I went to a great winery on the Columbia River called Cave B. The sunsets were amazing and the views were sweeping and beautiful. We tried to take a family picture, but it didn't work so well.

Columbia River in the middle and Cave B at right.

Roscoe had some fun too. He loves to swim...but only if we throw a stick for him.

And if he is really good, he gets some ice cream.

We went camping and climbing after our stay at Cave B, here is a picture of The Feathers at Frenchman's Coulee near Vantage, WA.

After camping and climbing, we headed home.

Roscoe helped up put in some blueberry bushes, which have already produced some berries. They will really be ready in August and September.

We will write more later in the summer to share all our other fun adventures.

Motivate. Educate. Activate.

For now, this is CB...well I guess I will always be CB but you know what I mean.

Food I am loving right now ...

This pancake recipe. Finally pancakes that keep me full until lunch. The first time I made them without blueberries, I will never make that mistake again.

This pizza dough recipe is at the top of my list for pizza or calzones. It's slightly sweet thanks to the honey and wine. And it's light yet it doesn't fall apart - even when I make calzones and stretch to fit it over the endless toppings I stuff inside.

I made this Mexican Souffle last Sunday evening and ate it every morning for breakfast until I ran out on Thursday. Cyrus had some too. I am going to make it again next weekend for friends.

Who knew brussel sprouts could be so good! I didn't grow up eating this vegetable. In fact, I can remember which table I was sitting at upstairs in the SUB the first time I tried them. I have received several batches in the CSA this winter and I am making another batch of these tonight.

And although it's long gone, this recipe for Black Bean Soup is the easiest and tastiest I have found. I skipped the fancy toppings and stuck to sour cream - maybe next time.

Images from China

travels

For the last two weeks we have been on vacation together!

First, we road tripped to California with our favorite road warrior, Roscoe.

We forgot the camera on the kitchen counter so I only have words to share. We stayed a night in the magical town of Ashland, OR - at least it felt that way walking around downtown all lit up with Christmas lights on a cold winter evening. We discovered the local dog park and then drove south to Santa Cruz. We stayed two nights with Heather, Drew and Clara. It wasn't long enough; we wish we lived closer. From there we headed to the valley for Christmas in Visalia. We feasted, talked, walked in the sunshine, watched my favorite movie and celebrated with family. After three days we drove north to Ashland again. Now returning to a familiar place we explored more of this small town and vowed to return again. We ran into Eric and Elizabeth at a crowded store where we stopped to stretch our legs. And then continued home - happy to be in Tacoma again.

We have spent the last few days cleaning, cooking, up-packing, washing laundry and re-packing. I was settling in - spending most of my days in the kitchen with my new cookbooks and dutch oven with occasional breaks to walk the dogs. Cyrus was preparing for the trip of a lifetime. He is traveling to China with a group of students from his school and two other chaperones. They will be in Beijing for two weeks and then traveling to Guilin and Hong Kong. They will be keeping a blog of their trip here

Wishing you and yours a Happy New Year and great adventures in 2010.

bits and pieces

I have been reading a blog called Habit lately. It is a collection of women who take photographs of everyday life and share them, with a few thoughts. My daily readings cause me to pause more often in my own life, something I hope to make more of a habit. I have thought many times about sharing images and thoughts here...I meant to do this along the way but here it is all at once.

I treasure sunny days. Late fall gave us many this year and we spent many evenings and weekend mornings at the new dog park in town. He never tires of the ball.

We discovered the old trains during a visit with my parents. Exploring is one of my favorite pastimes.

Barking Frog: I love the name and the food too.

We were tourists in Woodinville. It was good to drive an hour and feel like you're on vacation.

This was one Christmas tree adventure to remember! I am so thankful for tradition and people to create it with.

Every year I miss the advent wreath...this year I decided to make my own. I am so glad I did.

I love Saturday morning breakfast. Cyrus is the best pancake flipper in town.

A winter wonderland magical vacation to Lake Quinault

I love the snow.

May this season be a time to stop, enjoy, reflect and anticipate.

Simple Living

It's hard to believe we have already been home two months - the same amount of time we were gone. So, although they are long overdue, here are some moments we wanted to share from our summer. We lived simply in the rugged coastal mountains of British Columbia at Beyond Malibu. We didn't take our camera out much, but here are some images from a dress-up dinner on the dock, life around base camp and 10-day (guide training).

This was etched into the wall of our cabin. A good reminder to live fully every day.

James is always good for a laugh

Our lovely head chef, Jillian

Yes, they were like this all summer...

Kjel and Annika

Sarah and Lauren

Kate

Us

Holly

JB

All of us at base camp

a rough life

Chaz

Ben

Chad

Tyler and James

His favorite past time

Cole

Tessa

Jeff and Finley

Where the journey always begins and ends...Egmont BC

It will be good to return again someday