Allison Cortson..

I spotted this amazing painting by Alison Cortson as I was waiting to get coffee at four barrel. Striking, no? Also one of the mediums used? Dust.

I took this pic with my iPhone and posted it to Instagram (are you on there?), you can see a better, fuller version of the painting at Michael Rosenthal's gallery.

Corey Arnold's Wolf Tide..

Corey Arnold's Wolf Tide opened this past Saturday at Richard Heller Gallery in Santa Monica. No doubt it opened to a full house. Corey's photographs catch a side of commercial fishing that the closest we'll ever get to is on The Deadliest Catch -- which funny enough he was on. 

Corey's photographs capture beauty in his everyday world. His photographs are crisp and clear and you can almost feel the ocean air in them. I love the the way in which he captures his friends and animals. So touching with a touch of hilarity and sweetness.

My friend Kirsten Incorvia interviewed him last year for the blog. Take a read to see just how super down to earth Corey really is. He's lovable. :) You can also check out Kirsten's latest interview with him on Juxtapoz. Enjoy both!

deth p. sun this too shall pass at rowan morrison..

Opening tonight at Rowan Morrison is Deth P. Sun's solo show This Too Shall Pass. An epic show of over 200 new works will be on display. Also available will be a zine to accompany the show, screen prints and beer cozies! With the closing of the show on February 13th will be the launch of I See It All, a collection of pages from Deth's sketchbook. I'll post more about the book as soon as I get more info. Here's a peek of what will be on show:

shes got a boy in the oven!

One of the many highlights of our ultrasound last week was learning the gender of our little nugget – or should I say our little son!I say ‘one of the many highlights’ because honestly, I don’t think anything in my life has been more amazing than seeing our little one moving around on that screen. I am still completely in awe; It was as though we were hanging out with our baby¬† and getting to know him before we have met him face to face. I really can’t describe it better than that. What a gift to get to experience.I’ve been thinking lately that we should find a kickboxing gym and pre-register nugget for classes. Sure enough, when we peeked into his little world there he was, kicking and squirming just as I had figured. At one point he lifted his hand to his face and almost sucked his thumb! Right as the ultrasound tech was preparing to take a side picture of his spine (which was incredible to see – each and every disc perfectly formed!), our baby boy rolled over; already a trouble maker.Ok, back to the announcement: IT’S A BOY! After our appointment, we went to Baby Gap with that knowledge in mind and bought nugget his very first outfit. Funny thing is, it ended up looking remarkably similar to Dan’s everyday ensembles, just a lot…smaller:Wow, that’s totally impractical for an infant, you might say. Why, yes it is, but isn’t it cuuuuuuute?! We couldn’t resist the mini-Dan look.A little bit later that evening, our friends the Germanns came over to find out what gender nugget is, and they brought us this adorable pajama suit:If you look close, those are wrenches, hammers, drills, and screwdrivers in the pattern on the fabric, another tribute to nugget’s daddy. The tow truck on the right is labeled “Mr. Fix-it”. Perfect.So, there you have it: the beginnings of baby boy’s adorable wardrobe! We are so excited to start planning and preparing! This weekend we bought a crib (which we’re spraying black, so I’m waiting to post pictures) and a couple of toys. Watch out, baby retailers: here we come!

Caitlin Hackett..

I just stumbled on Caitlin Hackett's work in my saved folders of 'to write about', that I haven't checked in months. So I am throwing her work up now, because damn...most of this is done in ball point pen. Yeah. So be sure to check her website out, because she is killing it.

The Park..

We went to the really fun West Jordan park for Grandpas birthday. I can’t wait until Miles is older and can really enjoy it, but at least he got to try out the swings this time.. He just hung out while I pushed him back and forth… Until he saw something that disgusted him!

Then something that delighted him!

Sometimes some pictures make him look soo big that it makes me sad, and other times pictures make him look so little.This is one of those little pictures. He looks like such a baby in this picture..

Just like I like it! :)

We love our books

Saturday morning I was in charge while Aaron took a shower. I was working diligently and suddenly realized it was far to quiet. I got up from my chair and started looking for Beez. Our bedroom door was open so I was sure he had wandered in there. I opened every door, looked under every piece of furniture, my heart started to beat faster with every empty space. I looked faster, ran around the house in an almost panic. He wasn’t anywhere, and it was so quiet. My mind jumped to the worst of conclusions. I finally opened the last closed door, his bedroom. There he was quietly sitting in his closet surrounded by books. Reading to himself. He looked at me as I drew a big deep breath. Softly walked over, pushed the door shut again and this time I watched him on the monitor return to his closet and pick up another book.
I guess kids need alone time too.

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When only 2 people in this entire world new of the teeny tiny new baby growing inside of my tummy, I attended a book show and bought 10 children’s book. Surprisingly, no one asked why. They were my favorite books. They are my favorite books. Board books, and touchy feely. Virtually indestructible (but not so immune to spit up.)

Miles loved texture as a learning infant, these books brought him such joy. He could easily open up to the page with the lion’s scratchy paws. (It’s always been his favorite page!) The “That’s Not My…” is our favorite series, and our favorite set books.

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There was a time I thought I would never be able to read to him. He never sat still, he hated just sitting down. I could make it through one page before the crying began. I wondered how parents read to their kids every night. I learned the answer to that question was, patience.

Now story time is our favorite time of night.

I can’t imagine our life without our books. The joy they bring to him. The peace they bring over him. We love them..

{Part of O My Books Week over at OMyFamily}