Happy Halloween!

Videos

We've been taking a lot of videos and pictures that I need to post, so here they are. Children are naturally suspicious of the camera, so if it seems like most of the videos are taken from weird angles, that's why.

Sadie in her cute little tennis dress from Aunt Carolyn

Just having a grown-up conversation with Dad.

6 months offically!

Play time! This is usually right as Ryan gets home from school.

This is a look that Sadie reserves just for Ry. It's when they "sing" together. Sadie just coos along.

Videos. By no means feel obligated to watch all of them. They're mostly for grandparents anyways.

I'm sorry, what's going on here?

I've been shopping for a baby crib (finally) for Sadie. We figured that we were going move twice in the first 4 months of her life, and there wasn't much point in getting a ton of furniture. Well, she's been happy in her pack 'n play, but we think it is time to get something a little more substantial. While perusing on-line sites to get a general feel of what our options are, I stumbled upon this gem of a picture. At first glance, I thought, "Hm, nice looking crib." [Looking a little closer.] "Why is the baby coming out of the crib like that? Is the parent in the crib holding the child up?"

Imaginary board room decision:

Photographer: Here is, I think, an excellent way to show off this fine crib. The baby is happy, the colors are rich, lighting, simply perfect.

Executive: I agree with you completely. In no way does this picture look odd. In fact, lets post it on our home page, to show people the quality and craftsmanship people can expect from us. We have a keen eye and sharp attention to detail.

I think the rest speaks for itself. Also, if anyone has been particularly happy with their crib, please share details.

Cake or death?

Hi everyone, we're back. We've finally put down some roots in Omaha, NE. I can't believe how much I rely on the internet, which feels good to be surfing again. The title refers to an Eddie Izzard stand up bit that is only made funnier by being dubbed into lego people. Enjoy:



This video has been playing over and over in m head since we got here. I've been asking Ryan if he wants cake or death for dinner. Having just come off a 4 month cooking hiatus (really not as fun as it sounds), there's something nice about having your own kitchen again. Ryan can attest, I have been very experimental with dinners lately, having just made my own tortillas a few days ago. They were, satisfactory. I liked them a fair amount, but it was hard to get them thin like the pros do. If you've been to cafe rio or something, you see they have those killer tortilla presses, where I was using two cutting boards wrapped in saran wrap. I guess you'll have to ask Ryan if they were really good or not, but I was thrilled with my efforts nonetheless. I went with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law to that Julie ad Julia movie (minor disappointment), but since then my curiosity in cooking has been piqued.

What to say about Omaha: I really quite like it. It is quite a pretty place, especially where we live. It's very green and lush, where I had yellow, parched fields in mind. We live about a minute walk from the botanical gardens, about a mile from the zoo and the stadium where the NCAA World Series of Baseball is played, and about 2 miles from the Missouri river. We're right on the border of Nebraska here, and we actually go to Council Bluffs, Iowa, for church. I just keep thinking of the song in the Music Man, "you are in Io-way..."

Ryan and I keep saying that we don't really feel like we've got a good grip on the people of Omaha, because everyone we know is from out of state (mostly Utah). We live in a complex full of med/dental/law students who are married and have on average about 2.8 children. I had thought that most people would be around our age with one, maybe two kids, tops. But we seem to be on the younger end of things, and people are surprised when we say that we only have one. As far as the weather goes, lately its been gorgeous! I know temperature fluctuates, but I hadn't counted on humidity changing so much. We've barely even noticed it really, with the exception of one day.

I'm especially liking where we have moved. There are a ton of moms to hang out with and talk to at anytime of the day. Already there is much talk of recipe sharing and days of bread making. I loved it when my mom or dad would make fresh bread, and I feel like I've got the time to really learn how. Once I've got a good mixer, watch out.

That's all I can think of for now. I'm posting on the family blog about our trip up to Canada if you wish to wander over there. The link is at the bottom. Or to the right, I forget. Sandstrom, out.

"Talking" Pictures

I love Singing in the Rain. Here are some videos for you all to peruse at your leisure. They're pretty similar, and if I were better at video editing, then I could save you all some time. I posted more pictures and stuff below.

Surly Sadie

This is a copy post from the family blog, for all who read both.


Here's a shot of our pudgy girl looking upset, which I assure you she is not. Here she is at 3 months. I love her little scowl!

We just got back from 2 relaxing weeks in Carlsbad, CA. It was a nice break from the extreme hot here in Mesa, and I think it's topping out today at 113, since I know how much mom is obsessed over the weather where her children are. I ran a little experiment with ice cubes, and the one in the pool melted fastest, followed by the cube on the slate in sunshine, and then the one in the shade. I've yet to compare melting times between the fake grass and the pavement, but I have the rest of the summer ahead of me.


Back to California. The Sandstroms take an annual trip to Carlsbad to escape the serious Arizona heat. It was a lot of fun to finally have everyone on vacation, and not just Ryan and me (I? neither really sounded right). We went to the usual restaurants, like Jay's and Vera Cruz, and a fair amount of Cessy's, the local dive. We also spent one day at Sea World, which Sadie did surprisingly well. She really babbled when we would go into the darker exhibits, like the penguins and amphibian exhibit. On the 4th of July the beach was packed! We had a "non-traditional" family sit right in front of us (lesbians with kids). Our brother-in-law, Alan, tactfully got them to leave by asking if Mae was feeling better from the swine flu. In all actuality, they were sitting uncomfortably close.

Ryan's book: A People's History of the Supreme Court
My book: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Unfortunately, our trip was cut short. One day when I walked into the condo and our closet looked like it was pouring rain indoors right into my suitcase. We got the maintenance guy in, and he thought the shower drain from above plugged with built up sand. I was just upset that water was pouring into my bag, much less where that water came from. Thankfully, it was clean shower water falling into my bag. Later they found out that about 12 feet of the sewer main had collapsed because of the sand build up. They had to rip out all the carpet right outside the condo, and were using a jack hammer just as we were leaving. We only left one day early, so we didn't feel cheated out of vacation time. Sadie was absolutely the best at the beach, and slept for most of the time by the water.

Dolphin show at Sea World. Sadie is thrilled. While in California she found her voice, which has been lots of fun. Sadie also found her legs, and almost prefers to stand on you when you hold her up. She isn't quite "walking" like Jane yet!

Lookin' so fresh in her thug cap.

The pout! No one can resist the lower lip once it starts....

Post bath time. She really is a happy girl.

I took this video just yesterday. Evidence that she smiles and chats.

Testing..1 2 3

This video is waaaaaay overdue, but I just figured out how to do this now. Prepare for the flood of videos, as soon as we can figure out how to get them off our camera. It really shouldn't be that hard, but I sometimes I despise macs.

I love the slow newborn movements. Sadie is so erratic when she kicks and wiggles now, its hard to believe she was once like this. Our laughing is in response to Sadie's burps, which are quiet, but you can hear them.