The Professor and Mary Ann

Even before his baptism, Sebi had a big weekend. The day before Rob took him down to the pool to try out for the UVRays swim team. He has desperately wanted to get onto it for a couple of years, after watching Maddie and Will and attending their swim camp. He had all kinds of support from coaches, siblings, parents, and friends and he dominated in the pool. Hooray for our newest Sunray! Then Sebi's baptism was the day before Easter. The grandparents all came and many friends and family too. Maddie gave a smashing talk, and he was baptized with Ryan from our ward too, so the chapel was packed with friends, teachers, and neighbors. Brother Olsen told everyone some of Sebastian's favorite things, and also that Sebi wanted to be a muffin when he grew up (Brother Olsen's son wanted to be a stop sign when he was a boy, which gives me great hope -- the Olsens are sharp ). He was baptized in one try (fish that he is), and then Rob gave him a very thoughtful and personal confi...

We've been busy around here for Advent. Rob had three musical numbers at church. Maddie had a ballroom concert and two choir concerts. We had ward friends over for soup and cookie decorating. We attended the Adventsingen of the German department (held this year in the DeJong concert hall in the absence of the Provo Tabernacle). Maddie and Rob dressed up in their TrachtenMode again for the ward Christmas breakfast and Maddie found to her dismay that her dirndl was not even close to fitting. I did a quick and dirty alteration (my mother is never allowed to see it), but in the end she wore a very pretty one borrowed from the Isaaks. Sebastian had a Christmas program too, and they sang all of those chinese classics like We Wish You A Merry Christmas and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Fa-ra-ra-ra-rah I mean Silent Night. In addition, just before Thanksgiving Grandpa was hired up in Salt Lake by one of his favorite clients. This has meant that we're all getting spoiled by him at...

Over Labor Day weekend we had a whirlwind trip out to Berkeley for John and Clarissa's wedding. It was held at the Berkeley City Club, another beautiful Julia Morgan building. It was an intimate, personal ceremony and we were glad we got to be there to see it. Aside from that, we played hard, we ate well, and we fell apart before the dancing began! Here is more of the occasion in pictures: bride and groom with nieces and nephews reading an e.e. cummings poem during the ceremony Shumway siblings McFarlands were here oooh! nice eyebrow! Joss banged it into the door of the rental car that afternoon and it would not stop bleeding. the cousins snuck off for some pictures in the courtyard flower girls dance with the bride parents of the groom give a toast during Clarissa's mother Barbara's toast Sebastian talking to Grandpa Each table was themed with a spot from Manhattan Milkshakes used for toasts (John's friend Will said the next morning: "So it really is true -- yo...

We spent the next two days relaxing and retreating. I read nearly an entire "O" magazine, none of my Isherwood novel, and I even colored in a coloring book. It was such a peaceful day and I felt no guilt since it had been snowing outside. This is some of the view out the window. Later we went out walking around the grounds of the Homestead and Zermatt. On Monday we got to check out the spa. It has a fitness center, steam room, dry sauna -- the works. It also had plenty of skulls and horns and some fabulous homegrown masseuses (is that the plural of masseuse?). Kim worked on my back and ground out horrendous knots from one shoulder (the one I thought was my good shoulder). I went home a new woman. It was a wonderful retreat. Happy Birthday, Mom!

My mom came up to Zermatt resort to celebrate her birthday a few weeks back. We got in Friday evening and had soup for dinner, played Blokus and stayed up late talking. Saturday morning we attended yoga with Ned. He was a different sort of instructor than I have had in the past, but he put us through a good workout. We had missed breakfast completely by then, so we skipped straight to lunch at Matty's Bistro. We made a stop by the Heber thrift store of great renown to pick up some $5 boots so I could go snowshoeing. My sister has taken up the sport, so she took us on our first hike at Wasatch State Park. It just so happens Wasatch State park was having a snowshoeing race that very day, so we got to hike on groomed trails while true masters jogged past us on the final leg of the race. They were very chill and I liked snowshoeing. I'd love to go again with my own boots on! That evening we met up with my cousins and my aunt and all went to the Homestead across the street. The food...

After lounging around the warm house all day, we jumped into the car and headed up to Park City for a sleigh ride. It was fun to get out and see a different crowd -- the hardcore skiing/snowboarding bunch for whom Christmas is all about the snow. Grandpa, MA and Joss. I think Joss looks like some sort of crazed Russian royalty in his hat. It was meant for someone larger than he, but he loves it, so it's become his signature piece. Our horses, Cap & Nick. We didn't discuss Nick's size, since he was the runt here, but Cap is seventeen hands high. These were some monstrous beasts, snorting and steaming up the hill with all of us in tow. The whole crowd on our two horse open sleigh. Our cheeks are nice and rosy and comfy cozy are we.... John, our driver, who grew up in the area and used to mine here in Park City. The Professor thought he was the best part of the ride--he used to work in a silver mine here, and knew the real, old, 'ungentirfied' Park City before...

It can be hard to tell, but I think Christmas lived up to its billing here. Sebastian was tickled that he got everything on his list (legos, duck tape, and a nerf gun which he graciously subsituted for the requested air soft gun). A sadder and wiser Will pored through his stocking and was impressed with his hand grenade screwdriver, a watch, and a polar bear that pooped jelly beans. Santa brought Joss a LightningQueen garage and it was gratifying to see him come back to it again and again throughout the morning. Kiecoo passed out presents with the help of Sebastian. My breakfast was stellar (there's no picture, but it was a potato-rosemary strata and a pecan coffee cake and they both turned out marvelously)! And there was nerf. A whole lot of nerf. Actually an appalling amount of nerf. Um, yeah. Because we didn't have enough nerf before. And even some other presents, like the hexbugs above. It was a good day, overall.