The Beacon: A journal

Xander's gift guide

noreply@blogger.com (haleyhughes) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:32:00 +0000

Xander is only 4 months old and has tried out a very limited number of toys, but he does have some favorites. If Xander were to write a Christmas gift guide, there are four things in these photos that he would definitely include.

First, his absolute most favorite toy, the Playskool Lullaby Gloworm. The first time the glow worm's face lit up, Xander was fascinated. It's our go-to toy in times of stress. Press its belly and its face lights up as it plays a song, such as Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. If I knew anyone having a baby right now, I would definitely be giving the baby a Gloworm.

Second, the Lamaze Octotunes. Each one of its eight legs is a horn. But it's the face that fascinates Xander the most. I've heard him babble to the Octotunes from across the room. He just really loves the face. The horns are nice to give the adults something to do while playing with Xander.

Third, the Bumbo Baby Sitter. It was a gift from our good friends who have a baby just two months older. Xander was instant smiles when he first sat in it. The chair supports him so that he can sit upright, which he's eager to do, but not ready to do without support.

Fourth, the Barnyard Dance! book by Sandra Boynton. "With a neigh and a moo and a cockadoodle do, everyone promenade two by two." Dave loves to read this to Xander, and Xander seems to really enjoy the rhythms of the language. A fun book.

Disclaimer: These are genuine, unsolicited endorsements. No freebies here, unless you count the fact that they were all gifts to Xander from his various aunties and uncles. Also, the links do have my Amazon Associates ID in them, so if you follow them and then buy something on Amazon, I might earn a few pennies for referring you, not that I've ever made any money yet being an Associate.

Hey, this is kind of comfy

noreply@blogger.com (haleyhughes) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 06:30:00 +0000

I have all sorts of (what I think are) cute photos to share, and I'm way behind. So, fair warning, there are a lot of kid (and some dog) photos coming in the next week.

First up:

Loki is our social dog. She loves people. Everyone thinks she is the one that should be most attentive to the baby. In reality, Loki isn't all that intrigued yet. It's our shy dog Thor who is the nurse maid. He likes to follow us around, and will often be found sleeping near Xander. Perhaps he knows it's the safest place to be because we'd never let anything happen to Xander. Perhaps.

Here's Thor and Xander having some totally staged lounge time together. It looks like Xander is enjoying Thor's soft fur, but he didn't seem to really care at the time. He was all eyes for Dad, whose hand you can see at the bottom right.

I can't wait for the baby and the dogs to start to truly interact. Xander is paying more attention to them all the time. Soon, I hope.

Putting World of Warcraft of hiatus

noreply@blogger.com (haleyhughes) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 22:40:00 +0000

I canceled my World of Warcraft account this week. I'm very sad, but with Xander's arrival we haven't had time to play. We haven't really played since the Wrath of the Lich King expansion came out a year ago. So busy.

The cancellation is more symbolic than anything, since my account is paid up through April, and even when April comes around, it's not like they'll delete everything. My toons will still be there if I reactivate my account. The cancellation kicks in really quickly for my husband, though. He has about 10 days paid up. That's it.

Lasaire, I miss playing you.

In honor of canceling my WoW account, here's a video by an in-game band, the Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain. Maybe they're Level 80 now, I'm not sure. Anyway, I find the song, I am Murloc, highly entertaining.

'Ball and Cup' and lots of giggles

noreply@blogger.com (haleyhughes) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 06:01:00 +0000

We're finally getting around to organizing some videos we've taken since Xander arrived. Here's a new one we made tonight of Dave and Xander goofing around with Xander's pacifier.

A frightened dog and some gratuitous shower shots

noreply@blogger.com (haleyhughes) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 06:45:00 +0000

What would scare Thor so much that he would follow me into a running shower? I have no idea. But Thor did it. I quickly had to turn off the water so that I didn't have to deal with a scared AND wet dog.

And what did my husband do as I stood there, dripping water and freezing cold? He ran to get the camera.

I never did figure out what frightened Thor so much that he would go into a room he never enters, into a bathtub that he usually avoids at all costs. But a few treats later we did get Thor out of the bathtub and I was able to complete my shower before the baby woke up.

Oh, and isn't that bathroom lovely? I like to call it "vintage". As in vintage 1979. It's actually much nicer than our avocado green bathroom down the hall. Someday, bathroom remodels will be in the budget. Someday.

... Oh my!

noreply@blogger.com (haleyhughes) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:01:00 +0000

Xander with our three favorite stuffed animals. Props to anyone who can figure out why it's captioned "... Oh my!"

A Moment Caught: Mr. November 2010

noreply@blogger.com (haleyhughes) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:01:00 +0000

Mr. Thor is going to be a calendar boy. One of these two photos (or a crop there of) has been selected to be the November photo in the BARC 2010 calendar. BARC is the Bernese Auction Rescue Coalition, from which we adopted Thor five years ago.

I'm not sure which photo was selected. I like the vertical one better, but I'm guessing the horizontal works better in a calendar.

These photos were taken in November 2007. I tried to capture a similar series this year, but the fall wasn't quite so pretty. See the photo of Loki and Thor below.

To order your own calendar, which is full of photos of lots of adorable Bernese Mountain Dogs, go to the BARC fundraising page or here.

So far, this is the oldest I've ever been

noreply@blogger.com (haleyhughes) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:44:00 +0000

This is my current favorite series of photos of Xander. I wanted to capture his T-shirt, which says "So far, this is the oldest I've ever been," but when I propped him up on the glider, he was being so cute, I didn't care that you couldn't read the shirt.

You can see he has discovered his hands, and is even sucking his thumb a little bit. I didn't expect that to start at 3 months. Somehow I thought babies were born thumb-suckers or not. He's obviously proving me wrong, which, I'm sure, he'll do a lot in his lifetime.

3 months old, and I've buried the lead

noreply@blogger.com (haleyhughes) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:16:00 +0000

It's amazing how hard it is to develop a routine that allows for blogging when there's a new baby in the house, especially a first baby. Every thing is so new to me.

Harder still, I'm finding that I don't have a lot to say right now. Probably because so much of what I'm doing revolves around feedings and diaper changes, and I'm not really finding these topics all that inspiring for blog fodder. Be thankful. Because that could be some really gross blog fodder. :)

Yesterday was Xander's 3-month birthday. He's reaching all the right milestones. There are lots of smiles and giggles. He loves to be sung to, and fortunately he isn't a critic yet, because I hit a lot of sour notes lately. It has left my karaoke confidence pretty low. He's holding his head up really well and likes to be held in a sitting position so he can watch the world. Now if we can just persuade him to enjoy his supervised tummy time.

If you don't know, since the experts started recommending that babies sleep on their backs all the time (to avoid SIDS), they've found that babies need supervised time on their tummies so that they can develop the strength and gross motor skills to turn themselves over. So, it's "back to sleep and tummy to play".

What else is new? Oh yeah, my maternity leave was supposed to end last week. Instead of going back, I quit my job. That's kind of burying the lead, isn't it? Yes, I quit my job and am now a full-time stay-at-home Mom.

Scary big change for me. A good change. But still scary, since a year ago we were DINKs (double-income, no kids).

OK, gotta run. Xander is waking up and my free time is quickly ending.

Still in bloom

noreply@blogger.com (haleyhughes) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:43:00 +0000

To see this photo in a larger size, click here.

I've forgotten what this plant is called, but I know I liked it because of its alien appearance. I thought I'd killed it through neglect while I was pregnant over the summer and when Xander came home, but after cutting it back, it's re-bloomed.

With cold weather and autumn rapidly descending on us, it's nice to see some flowering action in the back yard.

Autumn arrangements

noreply@blogger.com (haleyhughes) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:32:00 +0000

To see this photo in a larger size, click here.

I was out on a stroll with Xander when I saw this wheelbarrow filled with fall flowers and a pumpkin out front of someone's house.

My Sleepy Elf

noreply@blogger.com (haleyhughes) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:07:00 +0000

To see this photo in a larger size, click here.

Have you wondered where I've been hiding? Well, I've been kind of busy with this little guy, Xander, who was born Aug. 8.

This is his 1-month photo. We dressed him in his polar bear pajamas and a hat that Auntie Kelly knitted for him, then propped him up on our LoveSac to take photos. I'm experimenting with my new external flash and still learning to bounce the light correctly.

Xander woke for the second half of the photo shoot, but this is still my favorite photo from it.

Introducing Xander

noreply@blogger.com (haleyhughes) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:57:00 +0000

Alexander "Xander" James, was born Aug. 8 at 3:28 a.m. He weighed in at 7 pounds 6 ounces and was 20.5 inches long.

It's been a busy five weeks since he was born, but everyone is happy and healthy and trying to get enough sleep.

More to come soon. To see more photos, check out my Flickr album from the first week.

An Eye on Dali's clock

noreply@blogger.com (haleyhughes) — Thu, 21 May 2009 12:21:00 +0000

To see this photo in a larger size, click here.

Along the Southbank of the Thames in London, across the bridge from Westminster, is the London Eye, a giant Ferris Wheel that has quickly become a London landmark. Next to the Eye is County Hall, which is currently exhibiting The Dali Universe featuring the works of the famous artist Dali and other surrealists.

Giant Dali statues line the Thames in front of County Hall. I was drawn to this one of the melting clock. I like the way the Eye looms over the statue. I just wish I'd turned on my fill flash to brighten up the face of the statue more.

Skies over Westminster

noreply@blogger.com (haleyhughes) — Fri, 15 May 2009 21:45:00 +0000

To see this photo in a larger size, click here.

I overlooked this photo on my first pass through my vacation photos, thinking it looked like just another snapshot of Westminster. When someone "favorited" it on Flickr, I took a second look. And then I noticed the sky behind Westminster. It almost has a painted-in look to it. Like it was done in watercolors or something. Very cool looking, I think.

I took this about two weeks ago from the London Eye, which is the giant Ferris wheel along the Thames. It's probably the only photo I took through the glass that doesn't show any random reflections.

I'm participating in Skywatch Friday today.
Click here for more about Skywatch Friday and to view other participants.

St. Paul's in Spring

noreply@blogger.com (haleyhughes) — Wed, 13 May 2009 13:01:00 +0000

To see this photo in a larger size, click here.

Yet another shot from our recent trip to London. This one is of St. Paul's Cathedral. I think the flowers are wisteria, I'm not sure, I just know I like the color and contrast they bring to the shot.

I had a really hard time deciding which view of the cathedral I like best. The vertical shown or the horizontal. I ultimately decided on the vertical, because it shows the trailing ends of the flowers. Do you have any thoughts?

The pitchfork tree

noreply@blogger.com (haleyhughes) — Tue, 12 May 2009 13:01:00 +0000

To see this photo in a larger size, click here.

In the courtyard outside the Southwark Register Offices and Nationality Services in London where our friends were married, was this intriguing tree that reminded me of a pitchfork reaching skyward. Naturally, I had to snap off a few pictures. I like the framing and mood on this one, even though it makes it difficult to see the cool-looking mottled texture of the bark.

Tower Bridge at night

noreply@blogger.com (haleyhughes) — Mon, 11 May 2009 13:01:00 +0000

To see this photo in a larger size, click here.

A touristy shot from our recent trip to London. This is the Tower Bridge all nicely lit up at night. I took this from outside the restaurant where we ate dinner one night. A place called The Butler's Wharf Chop House. Excellent meal with an excellent view.

Put the fire department on standby, I'm 40!

noreply@blogger.com (haleyhughes) — Fri, 08 May 2009 12:18:00 +0000

Sometimes life gets so busy, it's hard to keep up. There have been so many things I want to blog about, but haven't had the time -- Loki's double ACL surgeries and recovery, Dave breaking his hand while snowboarding, pregnancy updates, getting the house ready for little "Oliver" (that's his public code name right now), and a quick trip to London to see some good friends married.

Well, I might yet go back and update about those things, but right now I wanted to pause and wish myself a belated happy 40th birthday. Yes, I crossed that threshold on Wednesday and turned 40.

The trip to London last weekend was the beginning of my celebration. That was how I'd dreamed of celebrating turning 40 long before I became pregnant. I'd thought that option was out of the cards, though, until Marc and Lesley choose that weekend to get married. Suddenly, a 40th birthday in London was back on the table! (Although, I was technically back home in Chicago by the time my official birthday rolled around.)

Marc and Lesley were so sweet and even arranged for a birthday cake in the middle of their wedding day. It was perfect -- on their rooftop with views of Southwark (up until 6 years ago we could see Tower Bridge from their rooftop, now we had to be content looking at the surrounding hotels that towered over us.) Marc's Mum even baked and decorated a cake for me -- gorgeously done, too.

When we got home from London on Monday evening, I was treated to my second birthday cake. Jaye had been staying at the house to watch Loki and Thor while we were gone, so she'd left a small little cake on the table, complete with 40 candles ready to go. It was difficult, but I manged to leave the cake unmolested until Wednesday night.

Then on Wednesday, Dave lit all 40 candles for me, which I quickly managed to blow out, but not before setting off the smoke alarm. No joke.

My birthday celebration continues this weekend when we go out with friends for dinner. Nothing like having a whole week of celebrations!

So, do I have any profound thoughts on turning 40? Not really. Except to say that 40 seems to be one of those landmarks intended to make you realize that you really are getting older. But, the good news is that being almost 6 months pregnant while turning 40 is a great antidote to that "I'm getting old" feeling. See, it's all part of my scheme to stay eternally young, especially since in 20-some years we'll get to go right from paying for college to retirement, with nary a pause in between.

Super mammoth olives

noreply@blogger.com (haleyhughes) — Thu, 07 May 2009 22:20:00 +0000

To see this photo in a larger size, click here.

Another photo from Borough Market in London. This one of bulk bins of olives. I don't know why, but there's something about bulk bins at produce markets that seem so picturesque. I don't even like olives, yet these bins call to me.

I had a hard time deciding which of these two photos I like better, the still-life one shown above, or this one with the merchant packaging up some of the olives, which has some action. Usually I go for the action shots, but I think I like the colors and framing better on the photo shown.

Borough Market

noreply@blogger.com (haleyhughes) — Wed, 06 May 2009 22:22:00 +0000

To see this photo in a larger size, click here.

A long overdue update! Yes, I'm still here. I've been busy doing everything but photography lately. Thanks for sticking with me and checking back.

Over the weekend we made a whirlwind trip to London to see some good friends married. We arrived Friday morning and left Monday morning. Not enough time to even adjust our body clocks.

Friday we were a couple of jet-lagged zombies as we strolled around our friends' neighborhood in Southwark, which is on the south-east side of the Thames across from the old city of London.

It was a familiar area, as we have visited previously. One of our stops included the Borough Market, which is a famous fresh produce market with a long history.

This photo is the roof above an older part of the market. I think what I like about this photo is the way it juxtaposes the elegant Victorian scrolls against the more modern looking sign and the decay being held back by the netting.

Green shutters

noreply@blogger.com (haleyhughes) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 23:00:00 +0000

To see this photo in a larger size, click here.

While we were in Utah for vacation recently, we went to this little shopping area called Gardner Village, which is near Salt Lake City. Gardner Village was made up of lots of historic old buildings. This shop really caught my eye with its green shutters. I think I love the contrast of the whimsical shutters against the weathered log house. Now, if you have to ask me what the shop sold, I can't be certain. From looking at a map of the village, I think it's yarn.

Blue skies above

noreply@blogger.com (haleyhughes) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 05:01:00 +0000

To see this photo in a larger size, click here.

This was the sky last week while I was on vacation in Utah. We were outside a restaurant at the Canyons Resort near Park City. I love the way the white birch trees play against the perfectly clear blue sky.

I'm participating in Skywatch Friday today.
Click here for more about Skywatch Friday and to view other participants.

Kiss the Moose!

noreply@blogger.com (haleyhughes) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 22:54:00 +0000

We were on vacation in Park City, Utah, last week and found this huge moose outside a store on Main Street.

A loose re-enactment of how this photo came about.

Me: Dave, pose with the moose so I can take a photo.

Dave: No.

Me: Come on, kiss the moose.

Dave: No.

Me: Those big red lips are begging to be kissed.

Dave: No.

Random passer-by: Kiss the Moose!

Everyone: *laughter*

Me: At least stand near the moose.

Dave: If I must...

Me: Get a little closer.

Dave: *makes exasperated growling noise*, *puts on smile*, *graciously poses with moose*

Me: Thanks, Honey. I love you!

Waiting for Spring

noreply@blogger.com (haleyhughes) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 22:43:00 +0000

To see this photo in a larger size, click here.

It's been a few months since I skywatched. Today felt like a great day to jump back into the game.

When the temperatures decided to take a very spring-like turn and hit the mid 60s today, I simply had to get outside. I went over to a park near the office (Lake Park in Des Plaines, IL) and walked around. Nothing is in bloom yet, but it was nice and sunny out, and there were a lot of people enjoying the break from winter.

Here's the marina area of the park, where boats have been parked for the season and are waiting for consistent warm temperatures. My guess is it'll be a few more months before either of these feel the water.

The sky is not the most dramatic, but I should get points for timeliness. It was only a few hours ago.

I'm participating in Skywatch Friday today.
Click here for more about Skywatch Friday and to view other participants.