happy birthday dad

My dad is 81 years old today. He is the man from snowy river...so handsome in his cowboy hat and scruffy beard. Along with being a bit of a cowboy he was also a world traveler and a teacher. He has always had a love for people, their culture and beliefs. Sometimes he would take us with him on his travels and we would stay for a while. I will always thank him for taking me to China when I was 15 years old to live for a year. In China, his students, friends and colleagues loved him. Everyone always wanted to hear what Ray had to say and I was always so proud to be his daughter. Because of the love he has for people they are naturally drawn to him. His enthusiasm for life, his knowledge, his wit, his adventurous spirit, his example, his unconditional love. While in China, dad read me this saying from the philosopher Confucius. It was meant to inspire me to right a talk for church. At the time I was a mopey teenager that just wanted to write the talk and get if over with. In fact, I think mom and dad wrote most of it...yikes. Now as an adult, I always remember the quote and associate it with my dad and our experience in China. He loved its simplicity and always tried to live by it.

If there be righteousness in the heart,
there will be beauty in the character.
If there be beauty in the character,
there will be harmony in the home.
If there be harmony in the home,
there will be order in the nation.
If there be order in the nation,
there will be peace in the world.

Happy Birthday Dad I love you!

trying to keep it cool.

It's sweaty pits time and the heat is leaving me with the groggy grumps. Here is how we are coping so far...
I had my bangs cut. Ella decided she wanted her bangs cut too. She took the craft scissors and disappeared into her bedroom and gave herself some mini-bangs. Aren't they so rock and roll?
Tiger, being a cat and covered in fur spends hours in the bathroom sink. Poor lil dude. The cats are shedding like crazy and their fur is also all over the house. Wade loves this.Yesterday around 3 o'clock the heat was at its peak and we had had it with our hot apartment. Wade says... come and pick me up and let's go to the beach. So we did. Spontaneity always works like a charm for me. It was just what we all needed. Wade did his run on the beach. Thomas and I played tag in the water and climbed rocks. We saw a fisherman catch a shovel fish and let it go. We ended the night with a giant cheeseburger from Barney's in Brentwood. Ahhhhh. Summer.

Thomas turns 4

Wade made sangrias and slow roasted beef tacos. Kathryn made a pot o' pinto's with spanish rice. All from scratch and all delicious.

Party peoples

Thomas insisted that I make him the american flag cake from Ina Garten's cookbook. He was mad at me for replacing the raspberries with strawberries.

Wham-o slip n slide is always a hit

Wade chillin with his bev in the pool in our weed garden.

Thomas spent much of the afternoon on his birthday stool waiting to open his presents.

rocket balloon launch!

Amy and Yoni now live in Cali and like to party with us.

Burlap baggies sewn with love for the pinata.

Pop rocks were the item of choice.

birthday boys always get grumpy.

Happy Birthday Thomas! We love you!

cry baby cry

Ella and I found these video clips in our archives the other day and we can't stop watching them and laughing at our little Thomas. As I look back, I have many a movie clip of newborn Thomas crying. I loved that sound. Okay...maybe not at 4 in the morn when your double d- jugs are hard and filled with milk but still... I do remember wanting to hear it. That little dude needed me. He was belting his little baby lungs out, fraught with frustration, completely dependent on me for survival. Now it's beginning to sound like I'm baby hungry...well, I'm not. I think as a mom I will just always long for the newborn phase. I loved it. The End.

my country tis of thee!

view from the Trumfio house in Silverlake

red, white and blue love

punk rock americore!

Our patriotic hostess Ronna

Thomas is showing his pride with a hot dog in one hand and a melon in the other

aniko and maia so totally love this sweet land of liberty!

Oh my... illegal fireworks!

there ain't no doubt I love this land!

plants are cool and so are our healthy bowels

I have been going through another flare up with my colitis and the last couple months before the kids got out for summer have been rough. This includes leaving the house in the morn racked with anxiety scoping out all the possible public restrooms along my route. 711 has one. Rite Aid has one, but you have to ask for the key. Starbucks I can always count on not only having a bathroom, but also that they are conveniently located on every corner block in LA. Sometimes I would make it to that bathroom and sometimes I wouldn't and as everyone can attest sh**ing yourself in public is the most horrifying thing on earth. Oh my troubled and vile bowel! Thomas was always my right hand man and would speedily jump out of the car when I needed him too. He would also say things like..."Mom, I'll wait outside." and "Mom, I won't look." My sweet boy. I hope I haven't scarred him forever with the bathroom adventures of kathkarol.

I finally had my colonoscopy 10 days ago and the doc put me on heavy duty steroids to reduce the inflammation. I am also taking a colitis med that he wants me to take indefinitely to keep it all in remission. Other than the steroids making me feel like my eyes are popping out of my head and I'm on 10 cups of coffee I feel a world of difference... I'm drinking more water and taking my vitamins. Summer is here and it feels fabulous. Nothing is happening...my bowels aren't a creeking ship anymore and I missed all the summer sign ups for everything. We stay home and have a good old fashioned summer. Late dinners with corn on the cob. Water play every day. Sleeping in. Barefeet....no set schedule, no summer camps, just popsicle drippings and whiny kids. We have our own compost bin in the backyard and our front porch is turning into our little herb and vegetable garden and it is bringing me much solace. Yes, yes, I'm drawing up a cheesy metaphor for the the beauty and the perils of a growing plant and the beauty of our healing bodies... but ain't in the truth? All this green makes me feel alive.

bloggity blog it

Since leaving my battery charger in the outlet at our last hotel I realize this blog is soley inspired by photographs. I am not too inspired to write unless there is an image to write about or look upon. Over the last month or so I have slowly let my camera battery die along with the desire to blog.

Resolution...

Step 1... go to best buy and give more money to the man for a new charger that they probably don't make anymore.
Step 2...take awe-inspiring pictures of my lil' ones and blog about it.

But then blogging can be obnoxious. Its narcissism in true form....hey look at me look at my beautiful reflection in the pond and while I'm at it here's my awesome stenciling tutorial for your recycled tote bag! But...I have to say I do miss it. I like making my life look more perfect and glorious than it really is. I like picking and choosing only those photographs that we look good in. I like pretending I work as an art director for Martha Stewart as I stage my hand knitted items. I like that it opens my mind up to really big words and writing that I haven't done since college. Most of all, I like having a record of my days as my kids are small.

Okay, that being said I am going to attempt to blog again, to keep a record in this cyberworld... for my posterity , for the world, for Michael Jackson, for me. Of course for me, me, me cuz that's what it's all about right? But then if blogging begins to get in the way of life then I will stop and just twitter... or visit the quilted bear and just start scrapbooking it instead. This is my prayer amen.

we love to dress up our cats in doll clothes.