los orozcos

Welcome to California

2009-04-14T21:31:00.001-07:00

We've now been here more than one month, and in some ways this time seems longer, sometimes shorter than that. We miss being on the East Coast in a lot of ways. We miss our friends there. We have however adjusted to the splendid weather out here. No shoes required. We can take walks to the park down the street at any time and not have to bundle up. Josh keeps busy finishing his dissertation at the Starbucks down the street - recording brilliant thoughts about epistemology. We've settled into a routine.

I'm still pregnant and awaiting the arrival of baby boy #2. Name undecided - we continue to pray for divine inspiration for that. Suggestions welcome.

Closing our NJ chapter

2009-02-15T17:42:00.001-08:00

Josh got a job as a professor at Whitworth University. We are overwhelmed at this gift from God and eager to embark on this next chapter of our lives. Josh begins teaching this fall and we will move to Spokane sometime in the late summer. But before we do, we'll have a little intermission in California, to be near family and have the baby.

We head to California in one month. We can't believe we're leaving New Jersey! Lamenting the close of our NJ chapter, we're running all over to kiss our favorite people and places goodbye. Here we are at our favorite gelateria in Philadelphia, after hitting Jim's Steaks and walking up and down South St.

Micah is so much fun right now. Everyday holds new discoveries. He's eager to repeat sounds of words. We're working hard at "please." He loves saying horse and says it to anything resembling one: giraffe, camel, donkey, zebra. We went to the Bronx Zoo last weekend and it was funny trying to discern when to tell him what he was calling a horse wasn't really a horse. How do you explain it's an antelope? Or a yak? We have the same problem with "tractor." Anything big or yellow is a tractor to him.

Winter/nesting/packing - all in full swing

2009-01-31T04:31:00.001-08:00

This is the season of full swing. Here are pics from our trip to California. Now that we are back in NJ, we feel winter in full swing: we bundle up to leave the house. I walked with Micah to the post office and library yesterday and felt so very accomplished after those chores were checked off. My pregnancy is in full swing: I'm absolutely showing, am well into my 2nd trimester, we are preparing for our second little boy. I'm nesting in full swing: we're preparing for a move, probably to California for a few months then off to Josh's professor post. All of these details are working together to create a chaotic household state. My goal in life of late is to downsize because it means living more simply, and transporting less bulk cross-country, and really enjoying what we have. So everyday while Micah naps I scurry to the basement to sort and clean. I'm trying to refocus these efforts on giving to those who need them rather than having the selfish motivation to carry less around.

St. Basil wrote: "The bread you store up belongs to the hungry; the cloak that lies in your chest belongs to the naked; the gold that you have hidden in the ground belongs to the poor. If everyone would take only according to his needs and would leave the surplus to the needy, no one would be rich, no one poor, no one in misery."

Wonderful Christmas

2008-12-26T18:41:00.001-08:00

Yesterday Micah woke up late, so we received the good fortune of sleeping in until 7:30 on Christmas morning and then we made a big breakfast together. Micah likes to help cook - so he stirred empty bowls and taste-tested his creations while we flipped pancakes. You see Micah here in his pajamas; I just love the way those make him look like a baby super hero! If it weren't for social expectations, I would fill his closet with all baby super hero pajamas.

After present-opening, we enjoyed our unusually lovely weather (which melted every trace of snow) and went for a walk. Good friends of ours invited us to their place in the afternoon and they shared food and family and basketball with us.

Gearing up for Christmas

2008-12-12T18:20:00.000-08:00

We set up the Christmas tree last week. The nostalgic smell of pine fills the air and makes me smile when I pass by. Micah was old enough to get involved this year, so we enlisted his help to hang (well, it turned out he liked more to remove) the ornaments and watch the lights sparkle. This Christmas we'll be carving our own traditions here in New Jersey.

Signs of Winter's Coming

2008-12-01T10:25:00.000-08:00

Since winter is well on her way, and outdoor playtime is limited to however long we can stand the cold (and my tolerance in particularly low), my friend Ruth and I take our kids to the malls in our area to walk around and let them play where we can all be warm. Santa was there last week and we tried to encourage them to visit with him, but none of them were thrilled about it. In fact, Micah was downright depressed about it. On another mall excursion, these silly kids sprawled out on the floor and tumbled over each other. Micah loves Isaiah and Leorah.

Thanksgiving Joy

2008-11-29T19:01:00.000-08:00

On Thanksgiving morning we woke up, and brushed our teeth, and made cinnamon rolls together. Micah makes us laugh, here he looks like a little old man with that toothbrush hanging out of his mouth! We're undecided about who he looks like, but Josh says he looks like his dad in this pic.

These other photos are taken after Thanksgiving dinner at our good friends' house. We're so thankful to have our NJ friends!

Halloween photos

2008-11-04T07:48:00.001-08:00

We dressed Micah up for Halloween last week and took him out with some friends. We didn't dress him up last year; I can't even remember what we did, which leads me to believe we didn't do much. He was a monkey this year and was a trooper about it. I have a feeling this was my last chance to get him to dress up in a cute costume. The older boys in our trick-or-treating group were Batman and a transformer. In the meantime, though, we seem to be winning battles like these and he continues to put up with silly outfits like dino pajamas and sweater vests.

Autumn joys

2008-10-30T18:38:00.000-07:00

Before we took off for the East Coast, we were told again and again that autumn is the best season. Though Josh argues spring (despite his newfound vicious pollen allergies) is a fierce competitor, I find the fall season breathtaking. The leaves are vibrant and carpet the sidewalks with unbelievable shades of reds and oranges, while the wind is brisk but not too chilly to keep us indoors.

Last week we had the honor of having super friends Maaren and Andy visit us from San Diego. Both of them inspire us with their creativity and love. It was great to have them here.

And did I ever mention potty training? Lofty goal of mine, I know, but I'm ready to be done with diapers and we're making great strides. I figure we'll divide and conquer: we've accomplished potty training at home so he gets to rock his big boy underpants around the house; we're still working on me remembering to take him when we're out of the house; and he still sleeps in diapers. I'm so proud of Micah.

Photos from our Spain trip

2008-10-11T17:39:00.000-07:00

Traveling was great. We hadn't been abroad since we traveled to Greece and London in 2004, so I had been itching to go. And we kept hearing from friends about how we need to travel now while we can, because soon Micah is going to be the age where he doesn't sit still. So we packed up and left. It was harder than I had expected - we only packed 1 carry-on each but still with the luggage and Micah, both of us felt like we were hauling around a lot of stuff. But it was also a lot of fun. I even had a chance to go on a couple of runs (I packed my running shoes with hope), which was wonderful, really. And I hadn't been to Spain since I studied there in 2001 so it was great to be there with Josh and show him fun parts of the city I used to live in.

As dreamy as it was, though, we were both ready to be back. Micah didn't seem to mind either way. But Josh and I were ready to be back in our own space. We were there 10 days and Josh was feeling anxious about the applications season, and I had a desire to be in one place longer than a few days (we went from Seville to Cordoba to Madrid). I think that's a sign I'm growing up.

California Trip - closing credits

2008-09-01T19:03:00.000-07:00

We returned to NJ last week and are just about settled in. It is good to be home. Here are some photos from the last days of our trip, including a shot of Micah at work on his new easel (a gift from Grandma who is convinced Micah has special powers). My sister Kacie with Micah and me at the Botanical Garden at Balboa Park. Also a shot of Micah with Maaren (in black) and Andy (with guitar), talented and beloved friends. Our friend Jason is leaning over at the table at BJ's brewery and pizzeria (a favorite haunt - and former employer - in Westwood), and our niece and nephew are attacking Micah at Souplantation.

California Trip - with family and friends

2008-08-13T21:47:00.001-07:00

We're having a great time with family. They take good care of us.

California Trip - San Diego Zoo

2008-08-01T11:07:00.000-07:00

My mom graciously took us to the San Diego Zoo the first weekend we were in town. Micah was pretty well behaved and entertained, but the photos where he is disgruntled are my favorite to share. He's so serious! My brother Perry handles all of this pretty well. He's always been a trooper.

The shades

2008-07-18T20:00:00.001-07:00

We bought these sunglasses for Micah because he squints in the sun - like his mommy. Daddy argues we should omit shades to toughen him up. But if we did that, we wouldn't have pics like these.

Micah's birthday party in NJ

2008-07-12T19:29:00.000-07:00

We'll be in California for Micah's first birthday so we wanted to celebrate his 1st here with our good friends in New Jersey before we headed west. We had a wonderful backyard cookout - Josh manned the grill and served up hot dogs and veggie dogs for everyone.

Sunny Cape May

2008-07-06T19:13:00.000-07:00

Recent trip to Philly

2008-07-05T19:06:00.000-07:00

Burton's Send-off Party

2008-07-04T18:54:00.000-07:00

We sent off our friends with a BBQ and cheers just hours before they rode off into the sunrise to bring home their baby from Ethiopia.

Our friend Angela

2008-07-03T18:33:00.000-07:00

Here we are hanging out with our friend Angela. Angela and her lovely family are responsible for exposing us to lovely Greek culture (for which Mandy's Greek relatives are thankful). Micah and Angela are always eager to see each other.

Micah gets a hold of the spoon

2008-07-02T19:22:00.000-07:00

These videos are really for the grandparents and people with extra special patience to sit through them. Please feel free to, but it's totally understandable if it tests your patience. It's exciting for us to see his growth and development, but you might be wondering why there are so many clips in here with him holding a spoon.

"Oooo...Look honey, he's holding a spoon!"

Little taste of California

2008-06-30T20:34:00.000-07:00

Our dear friend Johanna (my old college roommate) was traveling through NJ on her way home to CT from an audition in DC. Sidenote: that's one of the great joys of East Coasting it; that is, driving a short amount of time and covering such a range of geography, states, culture! We are currently toying with the idea of making a quick roadtrip to Philly. We took this opportunity with Joh to walk a couple of blocks to our favorite ice cream shop and enjoy some treats. Micah ate teething biscuits - he does not yet know the wonders of ice cream.

Summer Days

2008-06-28T11:18:00.000-07:00

These days we're enjoying quintessential summer treasures. Micah had his first taste of watermelon at our friends Dean and Tami's house and Micah devoured the watermelon, crying in the periods in between bites when we couldn't put it in his mouth fast enough. He also had his first swim there.

Micah meets our friends Denisse and Ben

2008-06-20T18:42:00.000-07:00

Denisse and Micah met in NYC when she was here with Ben. What a perfect day for a picnic in Central Park!

Josh's first Father's Day

2008-06-15T18:52:00.000-07:00

For our first Father's Day, we had a nice luxurious breakfast after giving Micah a bath. After church we grilled with our friends J Armstrong and Becca. Getting Micah to look at the camera is a true test of skill.

Enjoying our backyard

2008-06-14T17:48:00.000-07:00

We are working on enjoying life's simple pleasures - Micah is helping us get there. He loves relaxing outdoors and admiring squirrels, cats, birds. We find taking him outdoors is the best way to get him to focus on (or tolerate?) an entire book as we read to him. Current favorites are The Butter Battle Book, Horton Hears a Who, and Ferdinand.

Micah at Work

2008-06-13T06:25:00.001-07:00

Micah takes himself way too seriously. Here he is at work with his pushcart and hammer toy bench. I am a novice at this iMovie adventure; forgive me, it is poorly constructed. At least there's room for improvement.

Azalea's Birthday Party

2008-06-09T19:31:00.001-07:00

This weekend we celebrated our cousin Azalea's 4th birthday (she's in the first photo, far right). We breathed in a beautiful day in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. The sun was bright and the people were incredible. Watching the little kids play together was so much fun. It will be exciting to see Micah running around soon. Little Azalea proudly announced to us upon our arrival, "I dressed like a boy today." Things like that make me realize how absorbent their little mids are - maybe someone told her she dressed like a boy that day, or perhaps someone told her only boys wear t-shirts and shorts. Donned in their inquisitive innocence, they absorb so much.

Berry-Picking Fun

2008-06-09T19:02:00.000-07:00

Here we are picking strawberries at a local farm with our friends Cami and Graham (Starr and Rose are behind the scenes). I had intended to make a strawberry pie with our pickings; alas we consumed all the ripe red goodness shortly thereafter.

Kathryn & Justin's Baby Shower

2008-06-05T20:04:00.001-07:00

Great friends of ours are having a baby and here is Micah hanging out at the party. He handled himself rather well. We just recently tried out teething biscuits on him and it has made parenthood ten times easier. We exhausted our stash at K&J's shower.

Micah Says Cheese

2008-05-23T19:38:00.000-07:00

Have we drawn attention to this funny face Micah makes for the camera?

Micah Enjoys the Spring

2008-05-23T19:29:00.000-07:00

Today we strolled to the park to watch the spring season in action. Micah sat around looking like a little old man.

Papa & Micah

2008-05-20T20:24:00.000-07:00

2008-05-20T20:14:00.000-07:00

2008-05-19T04:34:00.000-07:00

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2008-05-18T20:09:00.000-07:00

Up, Up & Away

2008-05-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

Here we go! We are opening our world of toddling and chasing up to you. It is with great pleasure and a tinge of sheepishness that we invite you in on this. Blog? The word sounds so silly. Blllogggg. But the effect is nice, and so here we go. Thanks for checking us out.

Josh's dad, Miguel, flew into NJ tonight for a conference, and had time to stop by for dinner. What a surprise! As is always the case with visitors from California, they step back into our NJ lives so naturally that we hardly noticed they were ever gone.
-This feels perfect, we can totally handle New Jersey!
The problem arises, however, when our visitors leave and there is a gaping hole there in our souls, in our time, in our home. Sigh. We miss Miguel already, and he has only been gone a couple of hours.

2008-05-18T19:21:00.000-07:00