I apologize for the absence . . .

Swinging high and loving it!

Swinging, etc.

Carefully studying her every move

. . . and pictures will be your recompense.

A couple of weeks ago the Snyder family braved air travel once again. It was Billy's grandfather's 80th birthday and his entire progeny gathered in Palm Springs to surprise him (or give him a heart attack, I couldn't quite figure out which one). After a brief, but enjoyable visit, we drove west to visit Kaisa and her family in Los Angeles. This is where these pictures were taken.

Highlights:

1. My brilliant sister fixing my brilliant (as in brassy and orange-hued) hair post-home dyeing accident. I am currently sporting my old, tried-and-true blonde hair. Awww. Sigh of relief.
2. Billy volunteering to single-handedly tour The Living Desert (aka zoo) with Liam and other Snyderfials while I stayed back at the pool to read, solve two Suduko puzzles, listen to my iPod and yes, paint my toe AND fingernails bright pink. Now that is one heck of a birthday present if you ask me.
3. Turning 24 years old. Now don’t look at me like I’m too young to have a child. Our ancestors birthed complete litters by the time they were my age. I’m just doing what feels natural.
4. Touring Paramount studios with my brother-in-law Matt. Yeah, that's right. I am related to the Executive Assistant to the President of Productions at Paramount, or more importantly, to a man who has regular contact to celebrities, as in his wife (Kaisa) has an iPod from Tom Cruise, as in he gave Billy a bunch of Paramount produced DVDs, and yes, as in I am such a desperate nerd I become titillated just walking through a deserted Paramount set on a quiet Saturday afternoon.
   
5. And of course, spending time with my rambunctious nieces Katia and Aerlind. Liam came home with a few tricks he picked up from his older, more sophisticated cousins, such as: chewing gum, refusing to crawl down the stairs (he must walk down holding onto the rails), practicing new vowels previously unfamiliar to his unpracticed mouth, and sitting in a forward-facing car seat.
6. There is much more to report, but as always, I am up late and need to sleep before the dozing monster wakes for his nightly nursing barrage. Oh such is life!