Acoustic version of "Neon"

This is one of my favorite John Mayer songs. Sorry about the shaky fuzzy camera. I got a little too excited filming. :)

A night with Johnny M...

Nick and I went to the Colbie Caillat/John Mayer concert. This was my 6th time seeing John Mayer in concert and he was just as talented and entertaining as the first time I saw him in 2002. I know, I'm just a little infatuated with his amazing voice and crazy guitar skills. If you are one of those people who are thinking, "John Mayer? Doesn't he sing that stupid 'your body is a wonderland' song? He's lame!" If you have any kind of appreciation for laid back bluesy music and incredible guitar solos, I am telling you go to a John Mayer concert and you will be hooked.

I converted my friend Amber by taking her in 2003 and then my hubby by taking him to the Vegas concert in 2007. Both of them were only radio listeners of John Mayer and then after the concert they were like, "he is so much better live! Most people have no clue he is so talented!"
Ok, I just read through this blog entry and I just realized I sound like one of those paid programs you see on TV that sell blenders or exercise machines...."I have been using the Buns Buster since 2005 and I recommend it to all my friends! But wait! If you order now you will receive the Amazing Abs DVD (a $30 value) absolutely free!" hehehe

Seriously though, John does put on a good show. Nick and I were pretty close to the front too- thanks to my friend Jessie who had some connections. It was an awesome, relaxing, and much needed date night. And the USANA outdoor Amphitheater in Salt Lake is one of my favorites because you get to be right under the stars and its away from the city lights. A HUGE thank you to my sister Vanessa for watching the Tobe-man that night.

Oh and I guess I will put in an honorable mention for Colbie Caillat. I wasn't really a fan before the concert. I thought her "Bubbly" song was kind of average and way overplayed on the radio. But she honestly seemed to have a real natural talent about her. I am not a fan of very many female artists out there but her music seemed really pure and entertaining - a hard thing to come by these days when many girl songwriters get big with their skanky bodies and whiny, fake voices that have been digitally altered.

Ok big breath. *sigh* Sorry about that - every once in a while my extreme animosity towards singers like Britney Spears and the Pussy Cat Dolls comes gushing out without warning. Musicians (if you can even call them that) who I personally feel have half-baked talent, don't know how to write their own songs, but manage to make an obscene amount of money in the music industry because they exploit their bodies, cake on the cover girl and then put a beat to shallow lyrics about their love life, or lack thereof. Ah...and there I go again.... :) Thats another blog for another day.
Well I encourage all to check out the John Mayer video clip I posted prior to this lengthy musician review.

Chunky Monkey!

Well its confirmed - Toby is one big boy! We took him to his 4 month appt. and he weighs a whopping 17 lbs. and is 26 and 1/2 inches long! The doc said he looked more like a 6 month old, but not to worry because he is perfectly healthy - just large for his age. She said the main reason he weighs so much was because he is really tall and that he has his parents to thank for that (Nick is 6' 2" and I am 5' 8"). She also said since he is so large, we could start mixing some rice cereal in with breast milk. That was a huge relief because he was always hungry! No joke - less than an hour after feeding him he would want more! I felt like a human bottle more than a mom. We have given him rice cereal twice now and he seems to like it and doesn't need to nurse as often. Not only that but he is sleeping longer stretches at night now - wahoo! I can finally tell people that Toby is sleeping through the night. I was so tired (literally) of hearing about all the babies that slept through the night that were born around the same time as Toby!

These are some of my all time favorite pics of him. I love the first one because he looks so grown up and wise to me - the way his hands are resting on the pillow and his leg. It makes me laugh. The second one is so adorable because he is in his tight dinosaur pj's that look like they are going to burst open any moment. Also his cheeks are really rosy - which is a trait he inherited from me. A bit of his British lineage showing through I suppose.

Our Alaska Excursion

Its been almost a month since we visited my sister and her family in Alaska. We had a really enjoyable trip. Before the plane ride over, I was having major anxiety about how Toby would handle the 5 hour flight. I kept having recurring images of him screaming uncontrollably and receiving dirty looks from my fellow passengers. After all, I have been on the red-eye flights several times pre-parenthood and can remember groaning whenever I saw someone board with an infant. Now my perspective has completely changed and I now look at other parents with young children with nothing by complete compassion and sympathy. But all my stress and worry was for nothing. Toby slept comfortably in our arms pretty much the whole flight to Anchorage and back. What a blessing! Plus, it was a BIG perk to be flying first class (a huge thanks to my sister and her husband for that!). It makes me never want to fly coach again!

This is a picture of us at our all time favorite pizza place - Moose's Tooth. (And I have heard from others that their beer is one of kind as well, but we usually just stick with there homemade Cream Soda's) :)

The next few pics are of me and my adorable niece, Addison. The city of Palmer was celebrating something while we were visiting, but I can't remember what. Anyhow, they had a little carnival going on and so I went on a few rides with Addy.

Honestly I don't know why we didn't take more pictures. We went to a few scenic places, like the coastal trail and Beluga Point (where you can see whales the right time of the year). I think I was so occupied taking care of the Tobeman that I forgot about taking pics until it was too late. So for those of you who would like a taste of the beautiful landscapes of Alaska, I will be posting some pictures of previous visitations later on in the month. All in all, we had a great trip and enjoyed spending time with my sister and her family.