Happy Valen-Birth-A-Tino-Day

The Nelson's Season of Celebration has come to an end. We celebrate all of our birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and Valentines Day within the space of three months. The last week includes my birthday, Heather's birthday, and Valentines Day. By February 14th we barely have enough energy to untie the bows on our gifts. However, this year we had a special guest - Cardboard Liberace! He was a splash at the party but now he just stands in a corner. Its a little startling to wake up in the morning, stumble into the next room, and see the figure of a man standing in your home. In a nano-second, your basal ganglia snaps to attention and says "A man should not be standing there." A tiny shot of adrenaline hits you just as your frontal cortex says "Relax, its just Cardboard Liberace.

I'm a big fan of Berkley Illustration's series of animals dressed in clothing. www.etsy.com/shop/berkleyillustration. All prints are signed, numbered, and very affordable. I couldn't wait until Easter to give these to Heather.

Heather bought Taschen's Magic, 1800s to 1950s. This picture doesn't do the book justice. It is enormous. Six-hundred and fifty pages of full color vintage posters, photographs and handbills. Christian struggled just a little to hold it up for the photo. www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/popculture/all/00378/facts.magic_1400s1950s.htm


Heather decorated these gems for Valentines Day. They measure nearly four inches across. Christian handed them out to his class. By the way, stock up on your old Sweetheart's Valentine Candy. After 145 years, they changed the flavoring and the recipe. Now they come in fruit flavors. What a terrible idea. www.necco.com/OurBrands/Default.asp?BrandID=8

What The Kids Are Up To

Tip toeing through the tulips.











Everyone stops Erika on the street when she wears this sweater (thanks Jane).







Messy sundae at Samy's.






Juliet hijacking Erika's bed.









Solving the world's problems or playing SuperMario Wii, I forget which.







Caged and confused.










Time to make the donuts.











Slam poetry.

Me Circa 1916

I'm lucky to have a youthful appearance despite my age. Here I am during my first tour of duty in the Great War. That conflict could have been avoided if the Archduke had only followed my advice - "Duck."

After a particularly nasty day of fighting in Somme, we watered our horses and rested for the night. Gypsy vampires attacked our camp, bit me on the neck, and voila - immortality. I've been collecting veterans' benefits for nearly a century.




Actually, these pics are Grandpa Nelson. When I showed them to other people three of them said, without any prompting, "You even stand like him." Really? Palms backward, one foot pointing North, the other East? "Uh, yeah, that's how you stand - straight legged and awkward - just like him."






I used to have this haircut in highschool. I remember dad driving me to school in our yellow van the day after the barber committed malpractice on my scalp. My kind father was never one to laugh at or ridicule his kids, but he looked at my shaved sideburns and couldn't contain his guffaws.

Another Snowy Surprise

Heather hit it out of the park again - another great party for Christian's seventh birthday. We sent out invitations which said "Its A Snow Party" and told them to bring an extra pair of warm clothes. The parents were a little skeptical - "Snow in San Diego?" My friend Sabah Toma of San Diego Ice came through with snow - lighter and fluffier than shaved ice. We sculpted a 35 yard track for the kids to sled down, put out the beach umbrella, and slathered on the tanning lotion. The first few kids ate a little pavement at the end of the run but that didn't stop them from sledding and sledding and sledding some more. Everyone was pelted at least once with a snowball. Our neighbor Josh ran around decked head to toe in ski gear but without shoes or socks. No one was going to put shoes on him. Below is a pic of just some of the kids from the party. All of them raved about it. Christian wanted "Mom's Texas sheet cake" - easy to make and delicious. Later we topped off the birthday with a late breakfast at Kono's by Crystal Pier.

That Dog Will Do

Christian noticed some empty gift boxes from J Crew and pleaded with us "Please can I have those?" Sure, why not. An hour later he had converted them into a "dog." We loved his creativity but grimaced at the thought our kids were itching for a dog. We're just not ready to make that commitment. At least let baby Juliet be potty trained first.


Erika wanted to make a cat so Christian sat down and wrote detailed instructions. Read them carefully. Its full of wisdom such as "Write the name of the pet on the head" and "Make a photo to remember." I love the instructions more than the dog. Oh, are you wondering why Erika is dressed as a leopard? Beats me.

Two Years In A Row

He did it again. The school photographer snapped another winning photo of Erika. I praised his work last year here - http://nelsonsinspace.blogspot.com/2008/12/give-man-medal.html

When I saw this year's photo I nearly called the school and accused the photographer of PhotoShopping last year's photo into a new background. I must learn his secret to posing kids, especially kids who love to mug for the camera. She the photo below? That's what I'm used to.

Christmas Photo Extravaganza