family

all photos taken by maria torres

halloween take one

It all began when I realized that going to the grocery store and spending five dollars on candy was a lot less work than going door to door for three hours, awkwardly standing at someones doorstep, hoping that this wasn't a lame house that gave out lame candy, and holding on to the small hope that maybe this was a cool house that would give out regular sized Snicker bars.

I will be the first to admit it: I am not a huge fan of Halloween. I totally appreciate other people's efforts, but am not really willing to make my own efforts. It just takes too much effort.

Enter Zachary. Once you have a kid Halloween is not an option. Not dressing your kid up seems negligent---like you are depriving them from their right to a childhood. (I'm thinking MJ here...)


So of course I had to dress my little man up.



Enter problem two. I am creative, but not in the sew a costume or make something that comes from Michael's kind-of way. I actually wondered for a long time just who it was that shopped at Michael's, like how in the world did they stay open??!! And then I realized that I had some good friends that did, and they make some really amazing things that fill their houses with cuteness and craft.
The younger me might have been jealous of all their homemade "you made that with pipe cleaners??!!!!" creations, but coming up on my thirtieth year has allowed me a measure of honesty about who I am and who I am not: i.e. Pinterest is not on my blog roll, and never will be.

All this brings me to Zachary's first Halloween costume. Maybe it is a little random, but it's an original, and even though he didn't exactly say it in words, he totally dug it.

Summer

One of the highlights of the summer was the Catalina trip we took in August. Six adults, a two year old, a nine month old, and Fred, the baby currently renting space in my sister's belly, all set sail on my Dad's 36 foot sailboat.





Catalina is my favorite place. We have been going there since I was a baby, and even as an adult, the island is still magical.




I think Z really enjoyed himself. He was constantly surrounded by people, which he is super into, and the boat's constant rock convinced him to take some killer naps.








....and he got to take a bath in a sink just his size.



As fall arrives, and winter is imminent, I am already nostalgic for summer and her long days.

friends

Zachary,
You have a friend named Efren. He was Mommy's friend first, but now I think he likes you more than me. Sometimes when we are talking I can totally tell he isn't really listening and then will admit, "sorry, can't focus; staring at baby."

He gave you lots of gifts before you were born, but my personal favorite was this enormous orange and gray striped t-shirt. It hangs in your closet patiently waiting for you to turn five and finally fill it out.
I didn't know what the 5T meant was Efren's defense to the somewhat odd baby shower gift that unapologetically took its place amongst tiny onsies, knit booties, and little pants with waist circumferences that seemed impossible.

One time when I was dropping Efren off after a Bachorlette viewing party (us grads like to get together to watch bad reality TV.....I think it helps us deal with our superior intellect), you were, huge surprise here, screaming your head off in your car seat. Efren cued up Adele on his phone, put in your hand right by your chest, and to my utter surprise, you snuggled up to that smooth deep voice and drifted off to sleep.

When I started to get that familiar itch to create work, and wanted to see if it was possible to have rehearsal with you as choreographer's assistant, Efren was my first dancer guinea pig. We all congregated in the kitchen for our first rehearsal, mixing dancing to Harry Chapin with eating raspberries and showing you how do a proper IMS crawl. (cause we all know what they say about those kids who skip crawling) After we worked until we could work no more, we piled in the car (limo as some call it) and got some donuts.

I don't know how productive the rehearsal was, to be honest you are pretty high maintenance for an assistant, but Efren kept reassuring me that he had nowhere else to be, and that rehearsal could last for an indefinite amount of time. This was reassuring, as a first time Mom I am still clinging to the idea of me as being able to do everything I used to be able to do, and as someone who also just got an MFA in modern dance, I knew exactly where he was coming from with having nothing to do, or nowhere to be.

So Zachary, this is a little story of one of your friends who is good to you. When you and Efren first met he did this really excited enthusiastic animated face that freaked you out to the point of tears. Now a days there aren't any tears when you see each other, which I think is a combination of you getting used his enthusiastic faces and Efren toning it all down a notch.

It is the give and take, the change and acceptance that all good friendships are made of.

sleeping baby

cali pics

This is Z after a beach day. I really think he liked the beach. He has a mixture of avocado and sand on his face.

This is Z empathically explaining to Grandpa Mac why he has suddenly become a Momma's boy. It is a very complex theory.

And this is Z with Grandma W. It was so great to see family.

baby moves

Zachary loves to move. In fact, he never sits still. Clint blames my genetics, and is probably right. A couple nights ago he took a break from his constant twisting and turning and pushing up on his legs and cuddled into my chest. I was thrilled!!! Maybe this was a new chapter and we could sit and snuggle and read books and sing songs and play quiet lap games and just look at each other and smile........and then Zachary lifted his head and vomited chunks of blueberry and breast milk down my shirt. And then he was off to moving and grooving again. And I was off to take a shower.


So this is Z doing some sort of crazy sumo split stretch. He gets his leg too wide, tries to pull himself up to standing, but for obvious reasons has some real difficulties. I vacillate between helping him out and laughing in the background with my camera ready.

One morning he was reaching into the above ottoman and became perfectly perched on the edge, rocking back and forth, on the brink of diving in head first. Again, it was a really hard choice deciding whether to help him out, or to grab the camera. On that particular occasion I decided to help him, a real Mother of the Year moment.

vacation

We recently spent two weeks in Southern California. It was heavenly. No cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, and if I (accidentally of course) left my laundry it would magically become washed, dried, and folded to perfection. I feel like I should probably be growing out of this soon (I am going on 30), but there is something so wonderfully refreshing about mooching off of my parents.

And my mom is seriously the best laundry folder. Clint, who is not the most observant type, even noticed her origami underwear masterpieces. While he wistfully stared I threw him a look that said: Don't get any ideas buddy. I'm not that type of girl.

I'm more the Jackson Pollock type with my colors and whites, while my mom is Botticelli or Michelangelo. They both have their merits, right!??






We spent as much time as possible at the beach. Corona Del Mar, Blacks, Scripps, and a night of beach camping at San Onfre. Clint and I rekindled our love of body boarding, and went out several times while kind family members watched Z snooze on the shore, or try and eat sand.




It was so fun to be out with Clint catching waves---I felt like we were eighteen again. We rode a wave together and then he reached over and held my hand...totally something out of a Zac Efren movie. We finally came to terms that there is no beach,and no waves in Utah, and so we left our wetsuits and fins in California for next time. I cannot wait. I love being out there.

Surfing the Big One

HATS

I was intrigued by all the wild, high fashion hats at the royal wedding. What is the process/evolution of taking something super functional like a hat (blocks the sun and hides a frizzy head of hair when lazy) and rendering it completely useless?

It begs the question, what makes a hat a hat? Is it its purpose and functionality, or is a hat simply anything that rests atop a head?

Zachary too has been grappling with these same questions. He asks, If a hat can be a completely useless object that sits on the head, why can't the everyday object serve as this accessory?

Here Zachary explores the hat as everyday object with the lid to a Cafe Rio Pork Salad with pinto beans, and yes please the creamy house dressing.

And here Zachary wears the top of a chicken burrito with black beans and mild salsa. At first he thought that maybe the lid was wearing him, but ultimately said I am fabulous and went for it.

And here Zachary pays homage to the source of all these musings with a very English tip of the hat and Top of the morning to you, Cheerio my lady.

men and their shirts

Just a couple of guys in their white shirts ready to go to church on a Sunday morning.

Momumental May

May has been a great month.

1. I finished writing my thesis and passed my orals.
2. I graduated!
3. I fit back into my old clothes. Jeans that zip! Pants that button!! Shirts that hug!!! Hello to all my long lost friends.
   

Here is a picture of me and Z at graduation. I like it because I look busy; like I am an accomplished (graduated!) no-nonsense do it all Mom on the go.


The speaker at the fine arts graduation was a fellow dancer and friend. He gave such an uplifting and inspiring speech. Here is Z with that hopeful academic look that seems to say

Being smart feels amazing. I am here to change the world.

May really has been a great month. Cheers to a fabulous June.

springtime for utah

We really love living in Salt Lake. It is perfect except for one thing: winter lingers. Snow in April, snow in the middle of May...it happens every year, but every year we complain and act super surprised and outraged. This year, when we woke up to a snowy Saturday the last day of April, Clint declared that he was going to make a snowman for Zachary.

Of course, what snowman isn't complete without a binky and some huggies?



Zachary loved it.

And Clint was super proud of his creation.

The good thing about snow in April and May is that it usually doesn't last. By afternoon our snowman was much smaller, the huggie absorbed to the max, and we were all out of our cold winter clothes.

All in all, it was a pretty good Saturday.

Faces of Z

Baby Math

If it takes 15 minutes to nap a baby that then sleeps for 10 minutes, I ask, is it worth the effort?

Seriously Mommy, do the math.

Baby Woes

Ever wonder what all the fuss is about? Finally, here are some answers:

My stocks dropped 500%!!!

Traffic really gets my blood boiling.

Taxes stink!!!

I knew I should have gotten that prenup!

Ode to Grandpa

Zachary,
I want you to know a couple things about your Grandpa Mac:
He adores you. And not just in the typical What a cute baby, let me pinch his cheeks, and pass him back to Mommy.
Oh no, this man will play with you for hours, and then similar to how an older sibling interprets for the younger sibling, your grandpa will tell anyone else who might want to play with you your preferences.

Z man likes to boing...and then he likes to play baby Godzilla.
Well, right now he wants you to spin that ball really close to his face so he can reach for it...and he really enjoys slobbering on his red polka-dot bird. But whatever you do, make sure to hold him so he can see what is going on...

Zachary, I think you are already catching on, but you are really going to love hanging out with your Grandpa Mac.

When you were just twenty weeks old, and still a little bean in my belly, your Grandpa began making plans to turn you into a snow skiing pirate.

When me and your Grandma shopped South Coast Plaza, Grandpa and you hung out in the wings, you being initiated into the Men waiting for the shopping trip to end club.

Your Grandpa doesn't even care to acknowledge the beauty of self-entertaining toys. You are just going to leave him there??!! is his incredulous response when I go for some indulgence such as brush my teeth or go to the bathroom.

This man is devoted. You are one lucky grandkid.

You and Grandpa playing baby Godzilla