a father's first.

it's safe to say, officially, that baby n's first word is dada. he's been babbling it all weekend now, and even if cort disagrees, i know he's made the connection. it's fine i guess. i only housed him for ten months, have given him my body, my mind, my every waking and sleeping moment...should i keep going? but who am i kidding? i never had a chance....i don't blame him. one of the reasons that i married cort was because i knew what an amazing father he was going to be. now that we have the little mini-cort in our life, i can say confidently that he has exceeded my expectations in every way possible. i love him even more now that he is a father. the father of my child(ren). i love saying that.

i've had glimpses of what's to come with these two. camping trips, baseball games, a late night one-on-one of basketball or playing tricks on mom. they are the best of buds.

cortney adores his son. and the feeling is so mutual that it's heart-melting to watch (speaking of heart-melting...can you believe that picture?? matching shirts (cort's idea)! be still my heart...)

speaking of adoring...i adore all the father's in my life, particularly my own, who is a guiding force to me. where i get my wisdom, and my confidence. who roots for me daily. who still takes care of me and my growing family even though i'm all grown up. i love and admire him so much.

happy father's day and (1st) father's day! xo.

lesson learned.

never bet your first child's future college education on the outcome of a football game. 

p.s. happy birthday carlee. i'm sure you are sulking right now, but try to keep your chin up. it's your day - this too, shall pass. 

p.p.s. i love you. 

north face for rainy days

for the husband's birthday, he bought me this jacket from my favorite store. said it was for me and the cool weather we will be facing in san fran. that's right, for his birthday. doesn't make sense does it? this boy surprises me no end. what a guy.

happy birthday, cowboy

happy birthday love. you fill me with sunshine and make me dream big dreams. xo.

wordless wednesday

just dreaming....

st. john, us virgin islands - april 2009

(drinking our weight in pina coladas)

weekend warrior

...or, um...cowboy.

the husband came out on saturday, all ready to run some weekend errands with me, in his favorite get-up.

this is just further proof that i need to get this boy out of the city very, very soon...

terribly happy may

there is something about spring time that just brings out the best in people. when the weather turns, usually the moods do too. i have always loved the month of may, with its sunshine, green-ness and blossoming flowers ~ all this happiness brings me to a fun idea...

taza, of the rockstar diaries, is featuring posts of those who have 10 things that make them terribly happy. i brought the husband in on the idea, and we came up with few of our own...

Cort's list of 10 (ok, 11) things that make him terribly happy:

1. my wife

2. cowboy stuff

3. my wife's laugh

4. camping tents

5. riding bikes along the boardwalk with my wife

6. basketball

7. saying "my wife"

8. seafood

9. seeing my wife's face in the morning

10. plain frozen yogurt with fresh fruit

and

11. loving my nieces and nephews

Laura's list of 10 (ok, 13) things that make her terribly happy:

1. my husband

2. snuggles and kisses from my nieces and nephews

3. after a good, hard workout - fresh from the shower, fresh face, fresh pj's, all warm and cuddling with my husband.

4. watching my husband playing basketball, or any sport for that matter.

5. clean smells

6. the exact moment said husband gets home from work.

7. hot chocolate

8. bikram yoga

9. baking or cooking something new

10. "all day saturdays" spending the whole day with my husband 

and

11. picturing my husband as a dad

12. witty jokes

13. sunshine and a good book 

what makes you terribly happy? do share.

{both photos taken by the oh-so-talented, rachel thurston}

we like pina coladas

after spending some time at rei, macy's and williams sonoma this weekend, the husband and I spent the night unpacking our new goods and making (not so) virgin...(pun intended) pina coladas. that was our saturday night...we are p-a-r-t-y animals....

i wanted to pack up and move into williams sonoma, but i settled for making a goal to own everything in the store at some point during my lifetime. for right now, we bought some pina colada mix (they sell a great kind), and pretended we were back in st. john....

laura and cortney's virgin pina coladas:

- williams sonoma pina colada mix

- skim milk or rice milk 

- lots of ice

blend, and enjoy!

camping in style

this weekend the husband and i spent a good amount of time in rei, and emerged with some camping gear. i thought it was so cute how cort couldn't wait to set up the tent, and pulled it out on sunday night for a "practice run". he almost convinced me to sleep in it last night. almost. 

cort getting ready to set up the tent....
hmm...better read the instructions....
...now i've got the hang of it....
the completed project. 

he is adorable. 

cortney and laura nelson

"I want real love. Ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can't-live-without-each-other love.” - carrie bradshaw

that's what i dreamed of, that's what i got. thanks husband, for giving me everything i've ever wanted.

xo

st. john, vi

I'm not one to post pictures without much of a story behind them, but these speak for themselves.....

honeymoon highlights:

- the scenery

- drinking 3 pina coladas a day (at least)

- the constant sunshine

- tour guide, jimmy (both knowledgeable AND animated about the island)

- every second of every minute with the husband...i am truly the luckiest girl in the world.

just cause i can...

I refer to him as "husband" just cause i can...

we are home, and i'm the happiest i've ever been. 

an obnoxious amount of more pictures of the honeymoon and wedding to come....