Clawson For Three

Olive's stories

2012-01-31T23:28:00.001-05:00

Here is an example of the stories we hear from Olive before bed.

Virginia Beach

2011-05-27T23:30:00.000-04:00

Olive and I got go with Gina (my sister in-law who lives across the street, thank heaven) to VA beach a week or so ago. We just stayed the night and played at the beach one day but it was a great intro to Spring and Summer. Virginia beach is a strange town, it's stuck in the 70's with some new hotels and lots of funny motels and diners. Olive and I were glued to the beach and dug around for hours. Making sand cakes in our yellow bucket and eventually taking a much needed nap right on our towel.

She is looking at the kids running into the water. Yelling, it's not warm, because I kept telling her was too cold to go in. Cold oceans are for dads not pregnant moms.

While I was there I got to indulge in a new favorite book. The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett. My brother Sean recommended it and I always trust his judgement. Just don't look for a plot and enjoy the simplicity. I am not one for reading books over but this might just become an annual summer read.

Saturdays

2011-05-25T22:49:00.005-04:00

Chas has been hard at work for the last month. Almost every Saturday is dedicated greenhouse day. This little project is his brain child and he practically deserves another masters degree for all the research and time he has put into this. Months ago we found some free sliding doors on craigslist (of course I thought it was silly) and the journey began.A little framing and 20 sliding doors later we now have the skeleton of what I have come to know as a passive greenhouse. It will hopefully feed a lot of people year round, if we ever get to planting. Here are some progress pics. I think it is pretty amazing.

Last Saturday was painting.

Notice Chas on the roof, Gary (Chas' Dad) bottom right and good old Fred, the awesome handyman that puts up with all the farm projects that these 9-5ers have no time for.

While Chas slaves away in the sun and heat Olive and I try to entertain ourselves around the farm. Last Saturday Chas took a break and joined us down the road to pick some strawberries at Miller Farms. If you live in Northers VA this is super fun for kids.

Chas' brothers fam (Zac, Gina and kids) is top left. To say Olive loves her cousins would be an understatement. We like them too.

first hair cut

2011-05-09T13:25:00.000-04:00

It's not really the "first"; I have taken my chances with the scissors and trimmed a little here and there. But, this is the first time I have paid someone who knows what she is doing. A girl in our ward with little girls of her own cuts hair in her house and she did a great job. Olive was so good, she stood still the whole time and even let her blow it dry. Before the haircut I had been constantly trying to figure out what do do with Olives sparse un-even head of hair. It got long enough to barely get in pig tails (with lots of clips and hairspray) and they were so cute. Now it looks so much better and much fuller.

green spagetti

2011-05-08T13:50:00.000-04:00

It's not always easy to find something Olive will chow down on besides cereal. Pesto pasta is one exception. I made it for dinner the other night and away she went. It is strange but I can't describe the feeling when you watch your child devouring and enjoying something delicious you made.

Here is the recipe if you want to try it on your little one:

2 cups fresh basil leaves
a little less than one cup olive oil
1 cup grated parm
1 tsp salt
1/4 c. (heaping) pine nuts
2 cloves of fresh garlic

Blend it in a food processor or good blender and pour over any pasta while the pasta is still hot. My favorite is angel hair. You can also grill chicken with it and serve with parm on the top.

descisions

2011-05-06T13:35:00.002-04:00

This is whats on the docket as of late. We have three possible roads to take.

1.) Find a job overseas = move after the baby comes, have an adventure and give us another year to prepare for the process of buying a house and decide better where we want to set down some roots
2.) Buy a house = awful commute for 2 more months. Chas doesn't see Olive until Thursdays... then go overseas in about a year and rent our house.
3.) Rent a house = move sooner and pay someone else's mortgage... 1 more move to our leap frogging life. Be closer to work

Right now Chas' commute is 2 hours each way. It makes me sad just thinking about it and I don't know how he does it. His days are even longer because he works 10/4's so he can take Fridays off. This is the only thing that saves us but it also makes it harder Mon-Thurs.

As of right now I am in the go overseas camp and Chas is more for buying and staying with his company for longer. Who knows what we'll end up doing and I know I'll be excited for any of the above. I just want to know now.

Virginian Safari

2011-05-05T12:38:00.005-04:00

Last weekend we went to Safari Park. It really lived up to its name and was surprisingly what I imagine a safari would be like, minus the jeeps and extreme heat. There were Giraffes and ostriches, crazy monkey's and kangaroos. It was so fun for Olive and we got to feed and feed and feed all the animals. On the "safari" part of the park they come right up to the window of your door expecting food. It is pretty amazing but I was wishing we had a truck and not a tiny Prius. I felt a little vulnerable so low compared to the huge animals.

Unfortunately we left our camera card at home so iphone pics will have to do.

All set with our safari hats!

Camels posing for a pic!

Mama kangaroo and my joey.

life after death

2011-05-02T20:06:00.000-04:00

I recently read this book and I haven't been able to get it out of my mind since. Being a believer in the afterlife this was an amazing secular view at the evidence of the possibilities of our spirits continuing a journey beyond this world. I highly recommend it and if you do have a chance to read it I would love to hear any and all reactions.

D'Souza is also the author of Whats So Great About Christianity, also an interesting lens to analyze a typically personal and spiritual thought process.

28 weeks

2011-05-01T19:31:00.002-04:00

BAM!

a thing or two about olive

2011-04-27T13:50:00.001-04:00

Can you really be two years old? I've been resisting this post knowing that I need to document the amazing child that I have, but part of me has not wanted to let it sink in how big she's getting. I've contemplated the idea of deferring this 2 year update to Chas but even though he is her favorite and he knows her as well as I do, he doesn't get the incredible chance to be with her EVERY day. Some days I wish we could trade with him, other days I just want to sleep, but most days I wake up refreshed and lay in bed waiting for her to stir awake and call for me. Knowing that I have limited days to giver her my undivided attention has made me gain an appreciation for all of our moments together. Here is what Olive has been up to as a 2 year old.

Talking: the girl can talk, question, concern, deliberate and practically debate with us. It was a shock the day she learned out to ask "Why?". She is expressive beyond belief and it is baffling to be able to hear what is going on in her head. She is concerned with our well being and always asking, "you happy dad?". She is great at following a negative with a positive."I don't like nana's, I like grapes". Something I'm working on.

O: "That's dad's phone".
Me: "Oh yah, give it to mom so we don't drop it."
O: "It's not your phone, it's daddy's. I give to him not you."
Me: "Oh really..."
She has always been very aware of whose stuff is whose and now she can verbalize this.

"I want cereal". This is something I hear everyday, at least its not pancakes.

Here is a car conversation on the way to the farm:
O: "We're going Mema and Papi farm?"
Me: "Yah"
O: "It's far away?"
Me: "Yah"
O: "There doggies at Mema's?"
Me: "Yah"
O: "No! No! Reggie, No! No! Polly. Don't lick my hand." (giggle)

As you can tell she didn't get her conversation skills from me. But she has learned how to scold the doggies from me.

Running: When she is well, her pitter-patter can be heard all through the house. She never walks; she runs and it has now evolved into a lovely stride.

Helping: she loves to unload the dishwasher and wipe things off. She can clean her room and always asks, "I'm helping you mom?".

Here is Olive in a flower field down the street from the farm.

Not nice sisters

2011-04-07T21:47:00.002-04:00

Olive has been into this book lately. Her exaggerated expressions kill me. She's 2 yrs. old and a couple mo's.

Happy Birthday Dad!

2011-04-07T09:10:00.003-04:00

"Baby in mama's belly"

2011-01-25T19:51:00.003-05:00

This is a phrase we use a lot lately with Olive. Trying to ease her into the idea of a new little person being added to our family. She doesn't get it at all, but she will when there is a whole person taking me away from her throughout our days together. I have a Dr. appointment next Monday and I will have a better idea then of my due date. For now it is sometime the end of July. I am about 12 weeks along and starting to feel better, hence the new found effort to blog.

It is strange to think about sharing my love, time and patience with a whole new being on top of Olive. There are so many new emotions that you experience with the second pregnancy. It's definitely a good thing we have 9+ months to prepare.

Halloween is fun again!

2010-11-02T14:04:00.008-04:00

This so called scary Halloween holiday has not interested me for some time. However, now that I have a child who can get excited about things like silly costumes and candy I am again a believer. Olive was a BEE this year. As expected I had so much fun thinking about making her costume far in advance but then actually doing it the day of trunk-or-treat. This was a digression from last year when I started sewing the night before. (Note: Our ward party was Friday so technically I was done with it 2 days before the real deal.)

Friday was a practice run. Olive not only was tired and a little grumpy but she looked it with the droopy antenna I made too long and flimsy. She kept staring at the yellow balls out of the corner of her eye wondering why she had to wear them.

Droopy antenna bee

Dad was a beekeeper I agreed to be one with him if he found them cheap but I backed out on the deal. He wasn't happy so I'll have to make it up to him next year.

Sunday she was even less excited to wear the "bee shirt", but once we forced her to put it on and got to Liams house she quickly learned the fringe benefits from her costume. She very softly said trick or treat at each door, answered "ya" when asked if she was in fact a Bee, and said many "tay toos" when given handfuls of candy per door. Generous as it is, what are people thinking giving a 2 year old handfuls of candy? :)

Notice the improved antennae design, but the Halloween bucket oversight (that was her Easter bucket).

Ollie the BEE and Charlie Chaplin

Let me just mention that Liam is Olives dearest little friend. They get so excited when they see each other and they both assume the other will be at any fun outing and are sad otherwise. They make words up together and...the evolution of her name from his little mouth is to die for. From Olvie and now Ollie. We love you Miam (Liam).

crate and barrel ends the spice war

2010-10-11T11:34:00.000-04:00

Ever since Chas and I got married we have not been able to agree on a spice rack/spice drawer/spice jar/or any spice storage solution. We just knew that we needed some way to rid us of the spice chaos that existed in our cupboards. The problem came to a head as lately we've been getting into middle-eastern/Indian cooking and a recent trip to the local halal grocer doubled our spice inventory. So on top of the mish-mash of Costco and other bottle sizes, we had bags of seeds and powders floating around our kitchen (no skimpy bottles of spice for them, they sell spices by the pound!). After I shot down Chas' spinning spice rack again and a lengthy web research session, we came up with this cool solution: Buy stubby jars that fit inside our drawers and print our own labels. Behold...

this is our baby

2010-09-28T21:36:00.007-04:00

We recently took some very belated 18 month pictures of Olive . Lately she has blossomed into this toddler that we are overjoyed with and always surprised by. The things she does mostly make us laugh but as I think about them now they water my eyes just a little. She needs to put the brakes on and remain a baby just a little longer. Here are the highlights of the shoot.

Merry Christmas...Early Graduation

2010-09-28T21:16:00.007-04:00

A few days ago Chas was grumbling about his adviser at school. A snobby man with Dr. in front of his name who tries to wage his authority over struggling students wanting them to do everything with his stamp of approval. As Chas was fulfilling his school plan at the request of Dr. Annoyingface, a light bulb began to slowly glow brighter and brighter as he realized there was a way he could graduate a whole semester earlier than anticipated.

Elated at the possibility of coming home after work to play with Olive instead of 4 more months of school (and ashamed at the curt manner in which he addressed the now Dr. Helpfulface) Chas left the authority ridden mans office with his tale between his legs without informing him he had actually helped him discover this fantastic news.

So come December, Chas will have completed his Master's Program and family dinner and tag-team bedtime stories will be reinstated. We plan to live within 5 minutes of his new work location even if that means moving to Ft. Meade in Maryland. Right now nothing sounds better than Dada coming home after the end of a long 8-hour day, not 12-14 hour day.

Chas has a way of making my life better by his absent-minded omissions... often related to graduation dates in fact. Before we courted and got engaged Chas was just my friend from school who was graduating the semester I was away on Study Abroad in Spain. I was a little bummed that he would not be returning in the fall to join in our HI fun. However, because of my husbands lack of planning he didn't graduate, had to stay an extra semester and the rest is history. So now the infamous graduation evader once again blesses my life. Thanks love. I'm so glad it worked out this way!

Apple juice

2010-09-23T14:20:00.001-04:00

yum yum, thank you mama!

slirp

Awll dooone mama

Olive is pretty good at just sucking these babies down. Every kind of juice is apple juice and the way she says it almost makes a tear come to my eye every time I hear it. Among many other words and phrases, these days Olive is a little jabber mouth. It is exciting to hear what she has on her mind and even better to have her follow directions.

cute little buddies

2010-09-22T13:47:00.002-04:00

popsicle buddies

milk buddies

swimming buddies

It is so amazing that we get this cuteness on film, even with its occasional graininess. Think of all the things we don't get to record. Which brings me to my husband, whose goal is to have a child who grows up with a camera attached to its lapel for his/her entire life. The first person to have their entire life filmed. Don't worry future children, I of course am resisting this harebrained idea.

swimming is hard work

2010-09-20T14:13:00.002-04:00

On the way home from swim lessons today Olive did not even last the 5 minute car ride that it is home. This is how I found her when I turned the car off. Apple hanging out of the mouth and all. Honestly there is nothing better than carrying a little limp baby with her head on my shoulder up to bed. 2.5 hours later, and she is still sleeping! Ahhh...

the run has come

2010-09-17T14:56:00.000-04:00

Over Labor Day weekend Chas and I dropped Olive off at Mema and Papi's house and headed down to Virginia beach for the Rock and Roll Half Marathon. We got to rest up the day before, carb up the morning of and we set off around 7:25 over the starting line.

It was an amazing experience. It was incredible to see what your body could do and remember. We pushed ourselves and about 2 hours and 25 minutes later we crossed the finish line with lots of pride. I am so proud of Chas, it was his idea and he helped me along the way to train and really push ourselves to reach this goal. Here's a word from the wise though...do not train for a race in the middle of summer in Virginia while pushing a 18 month old. I would say we chose the absolute worst time to do this, but against all of those little obstacles we came and conquered and I'm so proud of us. Good job babe!

On the way home we got into a 4 car crash. Some truck driver (semi-truck) going too fast in the left lane couldn't stop when traffic quickly slowed down. He it the van behind us...

the van hit us and we hit the car in front of us.

BAM! No one was hurt, but we do have $13,000 dollars of damage to our car. Thank goodness for insurance. And please if you know any truck drivers, tell them to freaking slow down and stay in the right lane at all times. I hate when they are passing and weaving in and out of traffic. It seems to be a growing problem.

It's official

2010-09-16T14:33:00.004-04:00

As a mother everyday you question whether you are doing a good job. Well, today it is official, I am not doing a good job. As Olive and I were walking home from the park this morning she was not buckled in the stroller (bad mom) , she was being goofy and playing around in there (should have put a stop to that or buckled her up at least...stupid... I didn't). When I stopped it was just enough of a little jerk to send her flying head first onto the concrete sidewalk.

Here is the damage...

I'm so sorry Olive baby! Mama will try to be better from now on.

Even though we don't see you often...

2010-06-17T14:16:00.000-04:00

we still miss you and talk about you all the time!

Living in Virginia we get to see Mema and Papi a lot. We go down to the farm on the weekend, and sometimes go out to dinner during the week. This is so fun for Olive to get to be by her paternal grandparents, and we love them so much. Unfortunately we don't get to see Grandma Annie, Pop pop's, Yaya, GGma Orchard or Uncle Bob very often. We got to visit them a while ago and need to plan another visit soon. So to all of Olives' grandparents too far to see often we miss you, love you and try to tell Olive about you often.

Uncle Bob

Lovely Grandma Orchard

Grandma Annie

Splash Splash with Pop Pops

snowpocalypse 4 months overdue

2010-06-16T13:08:00.002-04:00

I'm not sure if anyone heard but we had a little snow this past winter. It actually broke the record, becoming the most snow this area has seen...EVER. Chas reminded me more than once of my frustration only months before that we don't really get that much snow here.

I must say it was really amazing. The grocery stores were empty, Chas got to miss work, my mom was visiting and was snowed in with us and Olive got to experience something very new and strange. Unfortunately this is way overdue so my recollection of its awesomeness is a bit foggy. I suppose this will teach me not to blog. Maybe some pictures will fill in the gaps.

Church = Play

2010-06-15T12:55:00.005-04:00

Lately going to church is becoming increasingly difficult. Olive is just not that into Gospel Doctrine or Relief Society, I know...I know....what is wrong with this child. She does pretty well during Sacrament meeting, flirting with her buddies Roman and Liam in the neighboring pews, but after the first hour she thinks it is time to play with the balls in the gym. She knows right where the closet is with all the toys and really what can you say to a 2 month pre-nursery toddler. Needless to say I am counting the days until she is 18 months and can join the other babies for snack time and 2 hours of playtime. Its really just 2 hours of free babysitting for Chas and I, and honestly I can't think of anything better than that.

Here is Olive in her favorite spot at church. As it's just her size, she loves to sit her little bum right down in it and of course, play peekaboo.

Ruuuuuuuun

2010-06-13T10:53:00.000-04:00

Well we are doing it...not it, but half of it. Chas and I are running a half marathon on Labor Day weekend in Virginia Beach. Our training schedule starts June 23rd and we are getting pumped and warmed up. We're up to a regular 3 mile run as a base and ready to bust into 4 and 8 miles sooner or later. I am really excited! I never have liked running because I never got past the "wall". I am past it now. I can talk while I run. I enjoy it and I crave it the next day. Bring on the training and all the miles that come with it. It is going to be a little tricky because if we want to run together we have to go either really early before the heat or really late after the heat. That limits our already limited time together and cuts into Olive's sleep. Alas...these minor scheduling difficulties will not stand in our way and Sept 5th will be an amazing accomplishment.

Chas is limping around a little at the moment after breaking in his five finger shoes with a three mile run. After reading online we realized you're supposed to gradually (like 10 mins at first and then add a few here and there) start running with those babies as they use a completely different set of muscles. Despite the soreness he loved running in them, I am still on the fence on the purchase. On the flip side, I have been able to finally justify the overpriced jogging stroller I convinced him we should buy.

Lastly the iPhone has an awesome app called runkeeper that we use to track our progress. It logs distance, calories burned, time, elevation etc. It has been a great tool to start to track our progress. It is also a reminder of how far we have to go. The first ten minutes of each run I think over and over how much I don't want to ever run 13 miles. Once I get past that first mile though I start to feel pretty good. I'll let you know how I feel after eight miles.

Running advice, running playlists, tips etc. are welcome to get this party started.

Swagger Wagon

2010-06-11T13:00:00.004-04:00

My niece Mekanna showed this to me a little bit ago and it still has me giggling at random times throughout the day. I don't have a swagger wagon but these actors are so good they make it a little more appealing.

Wawaah!

2010-06-10T13:37:00.005-04:00

We started off the summer right at an awesome water park with Chas' family. It was super kid friendly and super adult friendly as well. Olive loves the water, or "wawaah" as she calls it. She had fun with her cousins going down the baby slide over and over again. I was surprised how brave she was and how well she could handle wading in the water. With Chas and I close by she cruised around all by herself. At first when she would fall we would freak out and quickly prop her right back up but we finally relaxed and let her do it herself. it was hard to stand back and watch her save herself but she always emerged with a big smile.

Deep survival skills I'm sure daddy taught her in the bathtub.

Work it with that beach body!

Olive, Hannah and Suede

There's nothing better than being in clean jammies after playing hard at the pool all day. Daddy and milk at your fingertips and daddy wrapped around your fingers...that's what life is worth living for. Olive is 100% Daddy's girl.

Memorial Day Show

2010-06-05T14:21:00.001-04:00

We met up with the rest of the Clawson clan at the steps of the Capital on the Sunday before Memorial Day. It was hot and sunny but worth it. The messages of the soldiers and their families who sacrifice for our country were tremendous. It's a little late but God Bless all of those who are now and have previously served.

OBX

2010-05-19T14:05:00.004-04:00

The Outer Banks of North Carolina are a big deal here. We decided to give them a shot with some friends a couple weekends ago and had a wonderful time. Even though Chas was betwixt midterms.projects and finals, not to mention playing hookie from work, he still managed to squeeze in some family time. Here are some pics of the beach time, nap time and play time with Olives buddies Liam and Roman. Unfortunately evidence of Chas actually being on this trip are on his phone. They will have to come later. Lets face it if this doesn't get posted now it will be another six months.

Searching for shells to put in my bucket. Also I can even say bucket...well it is a bucket, basket hybrid, sounds like, "busktet".

New shades that practically shade my whole face!

Olive, Sheepie and Monkey. Lately Olive has become very affectionate kissing everyone and hugging and loving all her animals. It is super cute and she loves to cuddle with monkey and say bye to him when she wakes up and is finally saved from the confines of her crib.

Meeowl=milk

Roman, Olive and Liam

Merry Christmas from Miley Cyrus and the Clawson's

2009-12-15T22:41:00.000-05:00

This Christmas will be our fourth as a married couple, but our first tree. What better way to do it than in double time and with a little holiday teeny bopper pop tunes. Chas actually paid $2 for this song. But it was so worth it!

Merry Christmas!
Love,
Miley Cyrus and the Clawson's

Thanksgiving in AZ

2009-11-30T21:46:00.010-05:00

Chas and I went to Arizona for Thanksgiving and it was so much fun. Both of his Grandmothers are there and lots of other relatives. His Grammy Walton turned 89 on turkey day so we had a huge family/feast/fiesta with the Walton side. Olive liked meeting her distant relatives but she liked WALKING more. That's right my sweet 9.5 month old took her first steps in the desert and has been progressing every day since. She also picked up a few words that we have been working on. This past week she started using them much m0re frequently and clearly. Her word repertoire consists of the following:

dada
light
ball
up
(sign) milk
(sign) all done

she also loves to do the sounds for sheep, doggy, and cow

BAAAA WOOF WOOF MOOOOO

it is so freaking cute

here are some pics from the trip

Chas thought there were too many pictures...he might be right but it's for posterity so just skim :)

Four generations

Corbin and Alice (Chas' brother and his sweet wife with a baby in her belly)

Many of the grandchildren

The turkey roaster, called the China Box. It was very efficient (5 turkey's at once) and probably the best turkey I've ever had.

My baby and me

Pretty cake for the woman of the hour

The next day we went to the Mesa temple and after had a fun time at Gary and Fran's. Olive liked playing on the various scooting devices and we had fun scooting her around.

Family Portraits

2009-11-10T18:56:00.000-05:00

Olive and I got a chance to visit family a couple weeks ago. We went to California, Seattle and Utah. While in Seattle I took some family pics of my sister's cutie family. They are so fun and Olive loved getting to play with her big cousins.

Here are a few of the goods.

lame-O-rama

2009-11-08T21:52:00.006-05:00

I thought I was doing pretty good on the blog front. I guess I let it get to my head though because I completely fell off the blogosphere. Anyways, Olive is now a 9 month old baby and we have lots of pictures and catching up to do.

First things first...Halloween numero uno. The pictures speak for themselves but I do have to toot my horn and mention that I did sew this costume with the help and guidance of my sweet mother in-law. It turned out great and if you know anything about my abilities in the craft department this is big.

Ta daa! Olive as an Olive.

Here are a few from the pumpkin front yard. It can't really be called a patch since it was down the street in front of the local Methodist church.

happy birthday 6 month old baby

2009-08-27T14:21:00.003-04:00

How did this go by so fast. I am six months and becoming such an independent mover and shaker. The past month things have really changed for me.

Check these off the list of things I can now do:

I can roll over and back and over again
Sit up
Play with toys and reach and grab
Say dta dta (I say what sounds like da da but I prefer the "t" sound to the "d") I think that guy everyone calls Dada likes this.
I can drink a bottle and hold it on my own (somewhat)
Pick up the pacifier and put it in my mouth all by myself
I enjoy the cinema (Babies First Sign by Baby Einstein)
Avid reader and eater of board books
Speaking of which, I'm expanding my culinary pallet. I have been known to eat something other than moms milk. A little rice cereal and pureed spinach or prunes. These are not my favorite and the rice makes me a bit constipated hence the spinach. Too much information?

Here I am eating prunes, don't worry not chocolate pudding.

To do list for the next six months:
I have a secret plan to do away with afternoon naps. The trick is to slowly wake up earlier and earlier until mom and dad don't know what hit 'em.
Stay awake on my morning walks with mom
Crawl or walk whichever one I like best.

Until February...

Bath time

2009-08-26T14:07:00.003-04:00

We love bath time at Mema's farm. This is Olive in the kitchen sink. They are a little blurry but you get the idea.

Now that Olive can sit up, bath time is way more fun. I can set her in her little tub in the tub and she can play with things and splash. She can even roll over and end up on her tummy to get a face full of water. I watched he maneuver into tummy time all on her own and realized how fast she is growing. Her little legs almost hang over the edge of the baby tub, and before I know it she will be maneuvering all over the big tub on her own.

Here are a few baby bath pictures a proof. When her first boyfriend comes to the house this blog will come in handy. Blackmail should be a permanent chapter in the parenting handbook. Hopefully that won't be for like 25 more years. Don't you just want to pinch those little buns.

Morning Walks

2009-08-25T13:53:00.005-04:00

Olive and I like to go for walks. It is the best when we make it out the door when Daddy leaves for work. It is nice and cool then and the sun is not blazing on her little legs. Getting out the door at 6:30am is hard work and more the exception than the rule. She almost always falls asleep, but does a great job of supporting me on the long, steep hills. She is my water girl and sometimes entertainment. I always find myself looking much more at her than the beautiful surroundings. Here she is in her six month old glory.

I want one

2009-08-10T13:59:00.002-04:00

When Chas and I were first married we lived in California in my Aunts guesthouse. Auntie is an avid dog lover and has had many adorable pooches over the years. When we lived with her she and Zola were in show business. Zola is her German Wirehair, and she was a great show dog in her day. We got to go to one of the dog shows and I fell in love with the sweetest show dog ever. I want an Old English Sheep dog! They are beyond cute...I know I know puppies and dogs are a lot of work, but before you try and talk me out of it...just look at this picture.

And this one...

and one more

Who can argue with those faces. Luckily Chas' only requirement for a dog is that it is smart. From what I have read Sheepdogs are definitely smart. Not to mention protective, cuddly and great with children. Hopefully one day this blog will have some pictures of our very own puppy, which Chas happens to surprise me with on a lovely day in May called our anniversary. :) A girl can dream.

Milk Shake Landing

2009-07-25T18:14:00.003-04:00

What happens if you combine a baby, a full belly and the infamous airplane maneuver? Lacey happened to document the answer on her iphone five minutes ago, I happened to experience it!

Not too cool for the pool

2009-07-25T15:23:00.003-04:00

Olive had her first large water experience in Mema's big tub at the farm. She liked that a lot so then we tried the lake during the family reunion. She did great at the lake, I'm not sure if it was the little fishes nibbling at her toes or the huge life jacket from 1980 that came up so high on her she could suck on it. Needless to say I wasn't worried about a swimming pool at all, so lately Olive and I have been frequenting the pool at our new apartment complex.

It is usually empty during the day so it seems like we have a private pool all to ourselves, including a private lifeguard. We usually don't last long because she gets pretty tuckered out after taking a dip, but we are working hard on floating on our backs and blowing bubbles. When we're not splashing around in the pool cute swimmers and a swim suit from Aunt Taralyn, Olive likes to sport her white rim sunglasses from Uncle Corbin and Aunt Alice. Together, they are quite the fashion statement, but she pulls it off.

Today we were lucky enough to have daddy home to come with us. He is the best swim partner and likes to practice all kinds of new tricks. She likes to be tossed in the air, jump off the side (not quite but we do the motion), make tug boat noises and get the bubbles that pop up from splashing.

Some people use their nose to hold up their glasses...I use my cheeks.

Ready to go home for lunch and a nap.

Olive can also sit up all by herself as of one week ago. This means she can now play with toys around her. Yay!

Olive One and Olive Two

2009-07-10T07:14:00.008-04:00

Recently we have had a lot going on. Chas started his internship and is gone a lot during the day which is something we are not used to at all. We moved to Alexandria to be closer to work and school and cut down on some commute time. We like our little 2 bedroom apartment and enjoy being so close to downtown. We had a Charles Bernard and Olive Clawson family reunion and got to spend time with a lot of family I had never even met. Many relatives mostly if not all from Arizona came out and we enjoyed the many 4th of July festivities that DC has to offer.

Other than that Olive is growing wonderfully. She is so sweet and happy all the time. She is quite healthy and I am happy to report she is without a doubt the best thing in our little lives. Here are some pictures of her to catch us up on the last couple months.

Olive around 3 months

Blowing Bubbles

Olive around 4 months

Grandma Olive and her namesake baby Olive

Three generations

Sweetness

At the family reunion I learned that Grandma Olive was named after the wife of the Doctor who delivered her.

Cool video

2009-05-22T21:03:00.005-04:00

I did an interview for DPS with the guy that made this video. I thought it was very cool and the music was a good choice as well. Here is the interview.

Death Cab for Cutie - Little Bribes from Ross Ching on Vimeo.

Happy Three Years of Love

2009-05-10T00:00:00.006-04:00

Three years ago today Chas and I tied the knot in the Washington DC Temple. Since that time we have lived in Redding California, Hawaii, Virginia, Korea, and now Virginia again. It has been an amazing three years of bliss and the good surprises keep on coming.

Here is a list of my favorite accomplishments since we became Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bernard Clawson.
Took a river bath with an elephant
Olive was born healthy and we know she likes us because she smiles at us all the time
We saw the lava flow in Hawaii thanks to Chas' determination (and no thanks to me)
We completed a year living and teaching crazy Korean children in Korea. (If you know anything about Korea you know this is a big deal)
We've traveled to much of Asia
Learned to cook Thai food together in Thailand and realized the curry sludge we thought was curry really didn't even come close.
After a few close calls Chas has not lost his wedding ring...still...I'm pretty much speechless babe

Here are a few things we would like to accomplish in the next three years:
Travels to Argentina and Spain
Chas to graduate with a Masters in IT Security in May of 2010
Move closer to work and school
Baby number two sometime in there

It has been an adventurous three years. We are definitely lucky to be able to do all the things we dreamed and have our best friend with us all along the way. I sure like you Charles Bernard Clawson. Happy Anniversary!

Dear Olive

2009-05-06T00:00:00.001-04:00

Baby Olive you are 3 months today! It's amazing how fast you have grown and although you have only been with us for a short time, I find it hard to remember what life was like without you. Everyday you learn new things and we get so excited when we discover your newest milestone.

Here are a few highlights from the last three months.

-When you wake up in the morning you smile at mom as soon and I turn on the lights. This is the best part of my day.

-When daddy comes home from being at school alllll day you get so excited and smiley when you see him. I can tell you realize that you have seen mommy all day and daddy is new eye candy. He makes you laugh a lot and he makes sure you have tummy time and stimulating toys to learn and play with.

-You made me the happiest mommy when you started sleeping through the night at 9-10 weeks.

-You found your little thumb after lots and lots of searching and sucking. I felt so happy for you because I could see you struggle like you knew there was some way to do it that would really make you happy. Although you've found it, it's not your favorite thing just like the pacifier. Hopefully we will continue this disinterest in sucking.

-You saw your first movie in a movie theater, Coraline and you didn't make a peep. We got a little nervous when the ad in the beginning said not to bring babies and to turn off your cell phones. :)

-We put a tiny bit of lemon on your lip to see what you would do and as expected we saw your first sour face.

-The other night Dad tried to tickle you, we expected nothing because we have tried before. You can't really laugh yet but you were doing everything but laughing and it was the cutest side of you I have ever seen.

-When Daddy and I were talking the other night after putting you to bed he said, "Olive has a nice disposition...she's just calm and sweet you know." It was a nice thing for a Daddy to say and a nice thing for a wife to hear her husband say.

Olive you are the best baby, we feel so blessed to have you in our home and look forward to all of the wonderful things you will do.

Eureka!

2009-05-03T21:51:00.009-04:00

After a week of searching and sucking her fists so loudly that I could hear it in the other room with the doors closed...Olive found her little thumb. This was 2 days ago and she hasn't really done it since then or sucked her hands at all. Maybe she conquered it and then realized it wasn't her thing. We shall see.

Easter

2009-05-02T21:02:00.001-04:00

This year we went to the Farm for Easter. It was a really nice day with family and even th e adults got to participate in some die hard Easter hunts. Chas' family always hides one big egg for each person in a really hard place. It is a fun tradition now we just have to ge t those big German eggs for our family as well.

Olive donned her very first Easter dress and looked just lovely. We forgot to wipe her face for most of the pictures so these are very realistic pics in the life of a 2 month old.

The rest is just pictures and more pictures. My very talented sister in law Heidi prints her blog out every year. It is so awesome so I figure I would just cut to the chase on this one and post the pics before Easter is months behind us. Also I just talked to my Aunt tonight who mentioned that the blog was lacking in baby pictures. Here you go Auntie!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter, I for one forgot how much candy was involved. As a child we used to get big See's chocolate bunnies. I always thought I would carry on that tradition but, I realized this year that Lindt is the new See's. Their bunnies are more velvety, milky, and smaller. Although not as much bang for your buck they are the better chocolate.

Look-a-likes

2009-05-01T16:44:00.005-04:00

Lacey and I always ask people, "Who does Olive look like?" because we don't see either of ourselves in her features. That was until... I stumbled upon an old baby photo of me. Yikes... Olive is gonna be in for a rough ride. She looks so much like I did at her age. She even has the same crooked smile as I did. I couldn't find a picture of Olive with the same smile or expression, but trust me when I say she's got it.

Here are some sample pics as evidence.

click for larger view

Auto-Tune the news??

2009-04-27T16:31:00.003-04:00

Discovered after a friend called me in uncontrollable laughter...

Using an auto-tune device to alter news-anchor's voices is pure genius. I've been worried that watching too much news lately is making me dull. This could be the solution.

TEA - Taxed Enough Already

2009-04-20T09:03:00.007-04:00

I'm sure most of you already know of my conservative views. I showed my support at the D.C. tea party and here are some images. Look close and you'll see my pops singing America the Beautiful in a quartet. -chas

LINK: DC tea party

Wonderful Spring

2009-04-10T21:02:00.012-04:00

(Too sunny for my eyes but we only got one :)

Today was an amazing Spring day. We woke and went for a power walk/run and stretch in the park. It's amazing how motivating it is when your not freezing once outside. Then we went to DC for the Cherry Blossom Festival. We missed the blossoms though as they were already falling off and not so cherry looking anymore. But there were happy people picnic-ing, sleepy people taking naps on the grass, bike riders, families on spring break and awesome paddle boaters. Chas decided to use our over priced camera to make a few time lapse movies of the bustling festival goers.

This Spring has been overwhelming for me. In Virginia there are so many trees and for the last 5 or so years of my life, since moving from Seattle I haven't lived anywhere with so many coniferous varieties. Let's recap, Hawaii has a rainy and a dry season not really spring so much. Spain has a lot of bird poop on the sidewalks and I'm sure beautiful spring trees in the country, but I wasn't in the country and it was the coldest winter in 30 years and never really ended in the 4 months I was there. Korea, oh Korea...they did have some beautiful Magnolia trees with lots of large blossoms, they were a wonderful discovery but they like the cherry blossoms were fleeting and they were the only good thing about Spring in Korea. Now I find myself in Virginia, it's bursting with trees and it is making my heart overflow with happiness. Every time I'm outside I am constantly telling Chas to look all over the place at the colorful spectacle of buds and blossoms popping out of nowhere. Today was a wonderful climax for this joyous season.

Back to the day. After the festival we went to a Korean restaurant with Chas' parents. It was the first time we had had Korean food since moving back and it was so delicous and exactly the same. On the way home Olive was super tired and ready for bed after having such an exciting day. So she was crying her little head off in the most unusual way in her car seat. Finally she started nodding off with her hand gripped tightly around Daddy's pinkie finger. I looked over and saw her eyes getting heavier along with Chas' and they quietly drifted off into a sweet slumber together. I wish I could have taken a picture but I think you can imagine the cuteness.

I hope everyone else is enjoying Spring as much as I am.

Birthday's and Chubby Babies

2009-04-07T19:00:00.004-04:00

Today is my dear husbands birthday. Drum roll.....He's a big 32 years of age and I have had the pleasure to spend the last 3 birthdays with him. He is a sweetheart and I want him to know how much I love him. Happy Birthday love!

Today I made brownies for breakfast because his present was a Brownie Edge Pan. It is awesome! They were the best brownies ever and cooked perfectly. I highly recommend this product.

Then we went to Olive's 2 month checkup. She is 12 lb's 12 oz...yowzers. That's barely two pounds away from doubling her birth weight, which babies are supposed to achieve around 6 months. What can I say we have a healthy, overachieving baby. Here is a picture of her at the doctors office. And a Happy Birthday melody from our family to Chas.

Bless-ed Baby

2009-03-05T22:40:00.002-05:00

On Sunday the 1st of March Olive was blessed in our ward in Woodbridge. It was a beautiful blessing and a wonderful time with family. After the blessing everyone came to our house for brunch and later we met at the farm to enjoy the snow storm. It was a wonderful day. I am so grateful for the rituals and ceremonies we have to remind us of our promises to God. My whole life I have watched families bless their babies and baptize their children. It is surreal to see it in my own young family.

Olive wore her cousin Miliania's blessing dress. It was so pretty, but the bonnet (which she only wore for pictures) didn't stay on her head very well. I wish she could have worn it all day. It was funny for me to see her in this gown when I have never seen her in anything except pj's.

We miss Grandma Annie!

2009-03-05T22:14:00.006-05:00

My mom has been here for the past five weeks. She arrived one week before Olive came and just left on Thursday. Some people might hate having their mothers stay for this long but I am not that way. My mom is the most wonderful woman. She is so helpful and fun and I have loved having her here. She helped me through the delivery and pretty much waited on me hand and foot for two or more weeks after. She made sure I ate well and she took such good care of the baby so I could sleep and not worry. Having her visit was a huge blessing and now our house seems pretty empty.

Every time Olive cries I say, "I know baby I miss Grandma too". I feel sad when I go into the guest room. It feels like her room because she was the first one to stay in it as our guest. It is a bummer at night when Chas is at school and I have no one over the age of 1 month to hang out with; at least we have iChat. Thank you mama for taking such good care of me and my family and for sacrificing so much of your time to come and be with us. It was the greatest comfort and I am so grateful.

Here are a few pictures of her with Olive, who happens to be number 12 of her 13 grandchildren.

Happy Four Week Birthday Olive!

2009-03-05T21:45:00.012-05:00

This time exactly 4 weeks ago Olive was beginning to make it known that she was ready to bravely enter into this big new world. In a few fast and insane hours she was here and it has been an amazing month since. Getting to know her and watching her personality come out has been a joy and we are loving, loving her. By her two week check up she had gained a pound and half and grown a half an inch, making her 8.5 lbs and 20.5 inch long. She is getting chubby and we all seem to think that she has flashed us a "real" smile. Not gas, not stretching but a real one. (The smiles that morph into crying are questionable.)

Olive pretty much sticks to the basics...eat, sleep, poop. However this is just fine with us. The eating is obviously a necessity, the sleeping means that we can sleep too, the pooping we could do without but it is a sign that she is healthy so we find ourselves talking about its frequency color and consistency. We enjoy the time she is awake and Chas is always wanting her utilize our baby gadgets and sit in the rain forest swing or her vibrating chair. The sleeping part has not always been ideal, mostly at night. She sleeps so great in the day but wants to party at night. I don't know if she gets that from the Clawson side or the Nobmann side. She is learning though and we have to say that she is the sweetest and easiest baby we have ever had.

Baby feet are cute!

Finding Rhubarb

2009-02-19T11:50:00.004-05:00

I discovered perhaps the greatest movie ever made, but can't find it. Join my quest in finding this masterpiece.

----------

Rhubarb was a 1969 British short film written and directed by Eric Sykes, starring Sykes and Harry Secombe. The dialogue consisted entirely of repetitions of the word "rhubarb", all the characters last names were "Rhubarb", and even the license plates on vehicles were "RHU BAR B". A baby "spoke" by holding a sign with the word "Rhubarb" written on it.

Rhubarb is a radio idiom for unintelligible background speech.

No Sleep 'til...

2009-02-17T00:16:00.002-05:00

I read a study once that goes like this. Put a man in a room with no environmental clues as to what time of the day it is. Other than that, he will perform the normal activities of work, cooking, entertainment etc. Eventually his body will switch from an 8 hour sleep-at-night schedule, to short intermittent cat naps throughout. It was claimed that is a more efficient way of operating. I can now say this is completely false. I try it every night and constantly feel exhausted. Olive is worth it though. Those are some shots we took this morning of the 10 day old babe.

Olive joins the tree

2009-02-06T23:51:00.009-05:00

I witnessed the most amazing thing this morning. Here is how it went down:

5:00 pm While shopping for window treatments at target Lacey mentioned that her contractions were getting a bit stronger. I didn't think much of it and left for school.

10:00pm I arrive home to see Lacey and mom counting minutes and writing down numbers. Whoa!

1:00am Lacey tries to sleep but the contractions are coming on strong too strong

4:00am After 3 hours of me trying to convince her it's better to be safe than sorry, and her trying to convince me she'd rather be at home in our king memory foam bed than in a birth center we pack up and leave.

4:30am Arrive at Birth Care in Old Town Alexandria

5:30am After soaking in the tub, and being the toughest girl I've ever seen through some big contractions, Lacey crawls into bed for the final 45 min of pushing.

6:00am Watching Lacey give birth 100% natural was incredible. No screaming, just concentrated breathing and pushing. I've lost the right to complain about anything, ever.

6:23am We grew a new Olive on our family tree. The most perfect thing I've ever been a part of making.

Click here for a sample of only the "G" rated shots of the evening.

What I didn't know...

2009-02-02T21:04:00.010-05:00

Tonight is the first night that I have had anything at all like contractions or what they call Braxton Hicks. My mom, Chas and I were walking around Ikea and I started to feel the tightening and surging as they call them but didn't pay much attention because we were on the hunt for a cheap, practical and esthetically appealing form of shoe storage. Luckily we found most of what we needed, but had to leave early as Ikea can be an all day affair and Chas had to get off to school. After he left, while my mom and I were eating a yummy dinner of orange roughy, brown rice and green salad with Annie's Poppy Seed Dressing, I started to inform her of this tightening in my now bulging stomach. Throughout dinner and my dessert of chocolate milk (which has become a favorite in the last couple weeks) we realized that although I may not have the baby for a few more days things are definitely happening.

I figured that tonight may be a good night to get some thoughts out about this pregnancy because things may get a little crazy very soon. I wondered what would be important to me in years to come if I read this blog again and what would be interesting to posterity as well. The things I didn't know before I got pregnant came to mind, so here are a few of them.

I didn't know...
-I would be so happy to be having a baby girl (even though I had to wait to get confirmation from a doctor who spoke English as his Native language. The first person who told me was a Korean nurse who hardly spoke English.)
-I would be so curious to see what color eyes she has
-My belly could possibly get this big and then continue to get even bigger
-That I would have to have Chas tie my shoes almost everyday and he would do it so lovingly each time
-I would see and feel her kick for the first time on a bus in Korea and that Chas would see it too
-I would be so lucky to have absolutely no complications and enjoy such a comfortable pregnancy
-That I would like being pregnant so much
-I would choose to have the baby at a Birth Center and feel so peaceful about it
-I would have no cravings
-I would walk on the Great Wall of China at 4 1/2 months
-I would cry when I heard her heartbeat for the first time
-I would look forward to hearing her heartbeat at every appointment after (it is so reassuring)
-That Chas would sing to her in my belly

So little Olive these are the things that I remember so far from this pregnancy. I am so excited to meet you and kiss you and play with you. Come when you're ready and we promise to take care of you and love you dearly.

Chas took these pictures January 28th 12 days before my due date which is February 9th. Thanks love for having such a wonderful talent.

Orbiting Virginia

2009-01-29T12:00:00.000-05:00

Thanks to my brother Beau getting the word out and the rest of my family contributing to a slightly excessive purchase on behalf of Baby number 1, my unborn child is the beneficiary of a beautiful and highly functional stroller. Whilst in Korea I was recently pregnant and perusing the internet for important baby items...car seats, strollers, cribs etc. When on the crate and barrel website I came across what looked like a very streamlined, compact yet pricey stroller. They had a link to the stroller website including an informational video and I was quickly convinced that this stroller was worth investigating more despite the cost. After researching, comparing the Orbit with many other strollers and reading countless consumer reviews from both sides, Chas and I pretty much decided that we would use dishtowels for diapers and use a laundry basket as a crib in order to have this stroller. When we shared this desire with my family they were skeptical but being the youngest and the most spoiled they all indulged me enough to look into it. Their contemplation turned into action and effective January 18th we became proud owners of a Mocha Orbit stroller. It is parked in my living room waiting for a tiny passenger named Olive. I can't wait to try it out and I know that Olive and I will have many comfortable power walks with the Orbit, not mention the rest of our children to come who will all partake of the pneumatic tires and completely washable microfiber lining.
(*Disclaimer...I do not read People, or US magazines. I don't care what Brad and Angelina's kids are wearing and I could care less if Gwen Stafani is "Hollywood's hottest mom". I wanted the Orbit before I knew of it's popularity among the stars and before it was on The Office. It would seem that I just happen to have really good taste and my supportive husband likes seemingly NASA made baby gadgets. :)

Here is Chas practicing putting a diaper on a butternut squash. It's his first time with a squash and baby for that matter real or pretend.

We live to DIY

2009-01-28T12:00:00.002-05:00

(New eating nook)

For those of you who wondered, we did make it out of Ogalalla. Our car was miraculously fixed although not in time for the temple marriage of Josh and Jessica. Since returning to Virginia on October 13 Chas and I have been avidly helping Mema and Papi Clawson move out to their beautiful farmhouse at Lake Anna while just as avidly painting and preparing their old home in Montclair for baby Olive. We have had so much fun making it more our own, and all before 1.) Olive arrives and 2.) Chas starts school. We have pretty much finished and it feels like a huge accomplishment. The house is beautiful and perfect for us and we are so grateful to be settled. It was a major combined effort but I have to say that for a married couple we passed with flying colors. Although our visions and ideas were not always in sinc the overall process was not tainted by our opposing views. All in all we were able to both have a say and fuse our styles into something that works. I did have to put my foot down when Chas wanted to paint our kitchen table half black and half white calling it, "really funky style". However now that he sees the completed all black table he is relieved that I had the sense to stop that madness.

(I got this clock for my birthday and I love it, especially on our red walls)

Chas started school at George Mason last Wednesday and he is slowly remembering what it's like to be a student. He has 12 credits and they are all in the evenings, I'm not quite sure what I will do when he's not here but I suppose you can count on at least a little regularity with the blogging. I am slowly finishing getting things organized for the baby who seems to be positioning herself already for her big debut. My midwife said that she is very low and dipping which means that she is almost engaged. I have an appointment every Thursday from now until I deliver and last Thursday she said, "well I'll see you next week if you make it that long". YIKES! Luckily I am not to the point of wanting her out right this second and I also would like her to wait until Grandma Annie (my mom) arrives Thursday the 29th. We will see.

(Chas making enchiladas in our new kitchen with painted cabinets, new hardware and I already mentioned the red walls...the cabinets were a long process but definitely worth it.)

Adios Neil y Megan!

2009-01-27T18:00:00.004-05:00

On Saturday we had a going away party for Chas' cousin and his wife...Neil and Megan. Megan is in the Foreign Service and they just received their first assignment to Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was a fun time had by all and we were so happy to be able to open up our freshly painted home to friends and family. We will miss you Walton's and can't wait to come visit you. The 3 of us of course :) Here are some pics from the evening.

These are pictures from a camera we had set up on a tripod.

This cake was supposed to look like Argentina, it was pretty close but we forgot to take a picture before we hacked into it. It was a joint effort...Thanks Heidi for the tips, Judy for doing the actual assembly, Zac for the flag, and Brandon for the last minute outline.

Fine China

2009-01-10T14:39:00.004-05:00

Many of you know we spent 3 weeks traveling China at the end of our sojourn in Korea. Well here are some fabulous pics of our excursions. Sorry they're all of the fine art variant sans any of us Clawsons.

Click here for the images.

Oh Golly Ogallala

2008-10-09T22:24:00.004-04:00

Have you ever been curious about those small towns with crazy names in between cow pastures and corn fields you pass as you drive across this great nation? Ya, me either. Unfortunately we've been afforded a few days to see one intimately. I am currently sitting in a Holiday Inn Express (the nicest motel in town) in a rustic Nebraskan town called Ogallala. Our car broke down as we pulled off to find out if Wendy's Jr. bacon cheese burgers and frosty's taste the same as they did 1 year ago before we left this great land.

We had to find a motel after our car broke down and was being worked on. The weathered old tow truck driver, barely audible through is blacked vocal cords, gave us some friendly advice on where not to stay. "There are some motels in this part of town, but even I wouldn't stay there and I'm not driving a Cadillac." Hm... Things weren't looking so good but he continued "My cousin drives a Cadillac too. He lives in California. When he comes into town he stays at the Best Western so that might be a good place for you." It made me feel proud to realize I have reached Best Western/Caddy status while still in my 30's. Is going to grad school really necessary?

The guys at the shop were great. They stayed 3 hours after closing to try and get our car running. I know that wouldn't have happened on the east and west extremities of this country. I guess there is a reason they call this the heart land. They've got lots of heart (and lots of land too). Need further evidence? The guy working at the front desk of Holiday Inn felt bad about our situation and decided to give us a room with TWO large beds at the $40 discounted government rate! I'd tell yo more of our adventure but AFV is back on and they are doing a segment on cats fighting with birds. Keep those cameras running (but not your cars) America!

The sadest part of this whole situation is that we are missing Lacey's best friend from HI's wedding. We planned our drive home perfectly so that we would rendezvous the wedding party in Nauvoo, IL and spend a night there and go to the reception the next day. We are still 9 hours away from the temple so that's not going to happen. If we can make it to the reception we'll count that as a blessing! I hope these guys have good mechanic skills. If we are here for another day I'll take the camera to document these parts. Sorry Jessica, we really want to be there tomorrow.

Chas

Gluten Goodness

2008-10-02T18:02:00.007-04:00

After visiting with family in California Chas and I made our way to Flagstaff, AZ to visit family including Grammy, Zula Belle Walton. This is Chas' maternal grandmother and she is a ripe 88 years old. She is still sharp as a tack, up and moving all over the place making us meals and pies, Grammy definitely makes 88 look good. We got to visit with her and interview her for some family history. She was full of advice and stories inviting us into her wonderful past and amazing life. We loved getting to know her more and staying with Scott and Carrie.

About 3-4 months ago in Korea I started getting major cravings for my moms homemade bread. She grinds the wheat in a wheat grinder and makes the flour fresh. About an hour or so later we have warm soft deliciousness. I informed her of this craving at the time and mentioned that it might not be a bad idea to have a hot one right out of the oven when we arrive. She agreed and I have been looking forward to it ever since. She was good to her word and when we walked in the door the aroma felt like home. With butter and honey it was the best treat I could have asked for. I think Olive liked it too!

Behold the belly and the iphone

2008-09-24T01:39:00.000-04:00

A belly shot has been requested 2 times on the blog. I have been reluctant to share because so far I don't have much to show for being 5 months pregnant. Baby Olive is only about 8 or so inches from head to rump as they call it on my baby updates. She weighs around 3/4 of a lb. So what I'm saying is that she is little...hence my little belly. They also say that with the first pregnancy it takes a little longer to show than subsequent babies. Without further introduction here is a shot that Chas just took. Not too exciting but I promise when I am a big mama (and I no doubt will be) I will update the pic again.

My Apple loving husband has been chomping at the bit to get his hands on the iphone. Ever since we left for Korea it has been a regular topic of conversation and highly sought after purchase upon our return. Needless to say the day after we arrived on American soil we purchased the much anticipated hand-held device. And what a little device it is. Today I did online banking, requested a copy of our insurance policy to my email, and checked the email minutes later to make sure it was sent all in the CAR. Not to mention google maps the weather report and just using it as a regular old phone. It is a time saver, the most convenient electronic and I love it. So far we only have one but we will get another for Chas when we get back to VA. (He heard there was a rumor they were coming out with a 32 gig phone and he thought it was worth the wait just in case :) For those of you who would like to contact us with the peace of mind that its no longer 2 am and a day ahead for us, here is our new number,
# 703-789-fifty fifteen.

home sweet home/babies/China madness!

2008-09-22T04:02:00.000-04:00

We arrived in San Francisco yesterday and have been enjoying the beautiful Napa wine country and my many family members that live in this area. After the airport my Dad took us immediately to the Cheesecake Factory. Not only was it delicious we were a little shocked at not being a minority anymore, or having to repeat everything 2-3 times. We went to Safeway later on that evening and basked in the spacious supermarket while admiring the availability of food items we struggled so much to find in Korea. We only needed Garlic Powder for my families famous tacos on Sunday, but again I was surprised when I asked where the restroom was and the clerk answered me without a confused and lost expression. This I experienced one too many times in that Asian country. It was a beautiful day and we almost shed a tear when the immigration clerk gave us a warm, "Welcome home!"

BABY NEWS!
On Friday the day before we all flew home I had one more Doctors appointment. In Korea this means nothing about the Dr. because I only see him for all of 2 minutes. These visits really mean I get another ultrasound which I always look forward to. This time it was extra special for two reasons, first the baby is definitely big enough to tell the sex and second Gma and Gpa Clawson could come with us and see the munchkin on screen too. I had to ask a lot of times for the Korean nurse to tell me the sex but she seemed confident that it is a BABY GIRL. We are so excited and unless something got lost in translation we will look forward to a plethora of pinks and purples. By the way were naming her Olive Clawson after Chas' 83 year old grandma. Hopefully our Olive will be as spunky as the original.

Endless China
I knew that Clawsons travel a little differently than Nobmanns and Chas had also warned me but I have more clearly defined the difference after this almost 3 week extravaganza. Clawsons travel/marathon tour and Nobmanns travel/tan/roll in the sand/room service. Needless to say I am tired but by the end I was comforted to know that even though Clawsons go all out they were just as tired as I was by the end. I did survive and barely held my own with these world class touring experts. There was hardly a dull moment and because of the spectacular planning we experienced and saw so many wonderful things.
Before China we all (actually only the women) did a lot of reading of memoirs and biographies of foreigners living in China or Chinese who have immigrated to the States. They were pretty incredible and if anyone is interested, two books I would recommend are River Town by Peter Hessler and Wild Swans by Jung Chang. One thing that impressed me is that China accounts for almost 20% of the worlds population and I know so little about the culture and history. These books and seeing so much from the trip has been so educational and memorable. Instead of rattling off all of our tours and adventures I want to share one. (picture at right: Chas and Judy on the Great Wall)

(Temple of Heaven old Chinese Checker Game)
Our second day in Beijing and China in general we went to the Temple of Heaven. This is where the Emperor would visit at certain times of the year to remember his ancestors and pay tribute/worship etc. The architecture and ancient feel of the buildings were beautiful but not my favorite part. There is a courtyard leading up to the buildings and the people who fill the courtyard are who made the trip incredible. Elders and their families come in the morning everyday before 10 am and dance, sing, exercise, play cards, chess and talk story. This is amazing because up until about 10 years ago leisure activities and some fine arts and traditional music were strictly prohibited or frowned upon. Seeing the people happy and spending time together sharing their abilities and learning together was emotional because all of this age group could remember the time when they lost this freedom for so many years. This was my favorite and most memorable part of China.

Near Future Plans:
We will be in California for another 5 days or so then off to Flagstaff to see Grammie (Chas' mom's mom) and then to Utah to me my mom and other family. We are driving from their to Nauvoo for a wedding and then finally to Virginia. We should be in Virginia around the 13th of October. It is going to be a crazy ride and I think by time we finish I will never want to see my blue suitcases again. However we are so excited to visit family and friends who we have missed this past year along the way.
(below is a video of the activities outside the Temple of Heaven)

Hawaii Pics

2008-08-13T04:28:00.000-04:00

Chas just posted some of our favorite photos from Hawaii. We miss the rust, the insects, cooking outside and we miss SWIMMING. Why did we leave you Hawaii for the somewhat scenic deprived Korea? I don't know but in the mornings when we drag out our Cheerios before heading to school Chas says in his most pimp street voice, "Anotha day anotha dalla."

Link: Hawaii

If you_______you will DIE!!

2008-08-05T22:33:00.000-04:00

Superstitions are a funny thing. But its even more hilarious when they cease to be deemed superstitions and become absolute truth. Through our travels we have found that certain countries are a little more prone to the transition from superstitions taken with a grain of salt, down a very slippery slope to absolute truth. It may sound like I'm making the following account up and, I wish I were...but...no such luck.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays I have a conversation class with Korean teachers. We usually talk about current events, and any topic that I choose to help with their vocabulary and the like. Chas had sent me an article all about superstitions and I used it one day in class. We talked about all the superstitions in Korea and America and like I said, with a grain of salt and a smile we agreed they were fun traditions, interesting to talk about but definitely not true. About five minutes before class was over I remembered the funniest one I had heard in Korea but had forgot to mention. Excited to see their reaction to it I said, "What about that one...If you go to sleep with the fan on you can die." They gasped as if they were worried for my life at not knowing the danger of this truth. "No no Lacey Teacher that is true!' "Every summer we see in the paper and on the news that people die that way, it is so dangerous." Thus were their exclamations and I could tell they were glad to set me straight before I was the next victim. I told them that I sleep with the fan on every night. Oh that's bad they replied. I asked what actually happens then, what does the autopsy say? what are the signs that it is because of the fan and not another factor? To this they had no answer but still did not budge. I asked where they heard about this being the cause and they all said TV. Chas had the similar response from his teachers class and he asked, is everything on TV true? This question was only met with confusion.

This is by far the silliest thing we have heard of in this country. All over the Internet there are Korean doctors who discredit this Superstition; I guess they are just not on TV. A friend of ours told us that in Paraguay if you eat watermelon with other food your stomach WILL EXPLODE. They found this out the hard way when they brought watermelon to a potluck in said country. If anyone has any other experiences with foreign countries and their common If you...you will die...superstitions feel free to contribute to the madness.

For more info on fan death go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_death

PICTIONARY and cold showers

2008-08-04T03:52:00.000-04:00

We play pictionary a lot. That and charades have come in handy this past year. Chas and I gave up on the language after trying to learn how to say a few key sentences and having no one understand a word. We have found that anything can be expressed in a picture so this is precisely what I turned to Saturday night when once again we had no hot water. We weren't sure if it was going to last the rest of the summer as the same situation occurred last summer when we got here. Those of you who live pampered lifestyles and have never gone a day in your life without a hot shower let me break it down for you. Apartment complex turns off hot water heaters...due to freezing cold water showers become fewer and significantly shorter... husband and wife maintain a personal bubble and don't feel like cuddling.

Determined to find out when the hot water would return I raced down to the security guard picture in hand, and my kindergarten characters which I hope said "NO HOT WATER VERY SAD FACE!" Luckily for us the security guard must also play a lot of pictionary. He got it in no time and directed me toward the apartment bulletin board wherein a document indicated in all Korean that hot water would return on August 5th. How silly of us, why didn't we just read the Korean sign. I was satisfied with this information and figured I could grin and bear it three more days. One more to go and although I still don't feel that clean I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
One more note on this security guard. He is quite a dear old man. He has learned from his grandchildren probably how to say three English phrases since we have been here. In his bag of tricks are "Good Morning" "Hello" and "It's hot." This makes me so happy and I am really impressed with his efforts to welcome us just a little. One time we made rice pudding and thought...hey, Koreans like rice I'm sure they would like rice pudding. Lets take some to the nice old man downstairs. Yeah not so much he was really confused and I'm sure he thought we just didn't know how to cook regular rice.

Oh Baby Baby

2008-08-03T09:14:00.001-04:00

In Korea they do an ultrasound at every checkup. It is so fun and exciting every time. However last Friday Chas got to come for the first time. We heard the heartbeat and as you can see it actually looks like a human. Of the two pictures I have here one is upside down, that shows you how much I can read what's going on. We can't tell the gender yet that will hopefully be at the end of August. I think its a good thing because there is this amazing baby boutique in the front of my hospital. They are having a major sale on baby clothes but...I can't take advantage unless I go for the neutral colors. Chas is happy about our ignorance for this reason. We will have to make a quick exit after the next ultrasound.

Rebirth

2008-08-03T03:32:00.000-04:00

We are back! Not from Korea but from the death of our previous blog ziplocsfortrash. That blog was fun while it lasted but we soon realized that there wasn't much we wanted to blog about regarding our Korean day to day. This is why most if not all posts revolved around the amazing trips abroad and pictures of OTHER beautiful countries. Unfortunately we only had a couple of those adventures outside Korea, hence only a couple of blog posts. We have been reminded of this failure to deliver by many a disappointed readers. We may have lost you all so we went to extreme measures to ensure your blog loyalty once again. What are those extreme measures you ask? If you haven't guessed already by the title of the blog, what was once a mere party of two will soon become the best party of three ever! Chas questioned the blog title worrying what will become of this blog when we are someday four. Whoa slow down silly husband, party of 3 will do for a good two years, we will cross that morning sickness bridge when we come to it. Thus was my response and since he had nothing better we are now Clawson party of three formerly known as ziplocs for trash.

If your worried you may lose interest in post after post of my rapidly expanding belly pictures, ultrasound pictures, constant updates about what color we will paint the babies room and all of my difficulties sleeping each night do not dismay. I guess I can throw in a little recap of the past year which I did not document... and all of the awesome adventures that await us in Virginia which we are so excited to reunite with.

For the next few weeks we are wrapping things up with teaching in Korea. Off to Thailand for the second time to relax, explore, float in the ocean and eat. Then to China post Olympics with Mom and Dad Clawson AND Grandma Clawson. We are so excited to see them and it will be the first time for all of us in China. It's destined to be an amazing trip and photo opp.