Carter's Blessing

Carter was blessed in our church on Sunday, April 13, 2008. It was a very special day and we're so grateful for all those who were able to be there.

The men who participated.


The Woods


The Bradleys


The whole group.

Battlestar Concertica

I'm glad Katie liked the surprise. I wish the night could have gone off without a hitch, but when has that ever happened? Despite the kinks in the plan, the bad luck was balanced out by the good.

Right from the start the fun began when I got on the wrong freeway. Luckily, this is Los Angeles, and every freeway connects to the others in a massive web, and we eventually got ourselves where we needed to be.
Note to self: next time follow the map directions, don't assume you know how to get there.

I assumed I could pay for parking with a credit card. You know what they say about assuming, right? Of course I didn't have cash. Just use a nearby ATM, right? Wrong! My debit card has had problems for over a year, and even though I thought it had been fixed, it hadn't. The ATM was useless. And of course I had told Katie she didn't need to bring her wallet! But luckily a very helpful person was manning the phones at the card service center and set my card straight and we got the money we needed.
Note to self: always carry cash. And make Katie also bring some for good measure.

The concert was supposed to start at 8. But no! The Roxy's doors opened at 8. The opening band didn't come on till 9. By the time the concert ended around 11:30, the standing room only venue had done a number on our knees and backs. Luckily we got out before they finally gave out. Note to self: bring a bottle of Motrin.

Hijinks aside, the concert was really awesome. I love movie and TV scores immensely, and since Battlestar Galactica is one of my favorite shows this concert was pretty much a no-brainer. In addition to the great music, a behind-the-scenes documentary of Battlestar's music was aired, as well as clips of the show with the score played over them. It was a fun change of pace from the usual show viewing, as here the music took center stage instead of being relegated to the background while the dialogue and sound effects played over it.

Here are a couple photo highlights of the night:

Kandyse McClure, an actress from Battlestar, hosted the concert.


Bear McCreary, the show's composer, conducts the band.


This Irish-inspired tune is one of my favorites (ahhh, the heritage running through my veins...)


Drums are a staple element of Battlestar's disctinct sound.

Again, it was an awesome event, and I love that Katie was surprised and enjoyed it. We don't often get to do things that genuinely surprise each other, usually one or the other of us spoils it somehow, but this one played out almost exactly to plan. Yay!

The Best Husband in the World!

I called Ryan on my way home from work yesterday and he said he had stayed late at school and was on his way home as well because it was too late for him to go to work. I didn't think anything of it and when I got home there he was with a rose in a vase. I still didn't realize there was something going on until Ryan said "there's a card with the rose." So, I open up the card and it said to enjoy the evening and Ryan told me to put on some comfortable clothes and away we went.

As we're driving along the freeway I'm trying to figure out where we could possibly be going, but Ryan won't give in. I had no idea what was going on until we drive in front of the Roxy Theater on Sunset and the sign says "The Music of Battlestar Galactica". I was shocked and so excited because Ryan had mentioned the concert before, but it was this past Sunday. What he failed to mention was that they decided to schedule another performance because the Sunday one had sold out so quickly.

It was an awesome concert and I loved hearing music from my favorite show! Thank you to the best husband for planning a great surprise! I love you!

Also, thank you to Grandma and Grandpa Wood and Uncle Garin for watching Carter...he said he had a blast and wants you to move back to California.

The Mad Hatter Stowaway

Carter loved his Auntie Lauren and Uncle Brett so much he decided he wanted to go home with them and jumped in Uncle Brett's hat.

Ryan is dumb for leaving his blog logged on.

Auntie Lauren is the BEST AUNT EVER!!!

Cartman and Lolo

Lots of family will be in town this weekend for Carter's blessing on Sunday, and the first new family members he got to meet were Aunt Lauren and Uncle Brett. It was love at first sight.

My first attempt at shooting Carter with his new favorite aunt was thawrted by Aunt Denise.


Okay, we got it this time.


Carter loves his awesome aunties!


Maybe Auntie Lauren's not such a good influence...

Cutie

Awwww! He's so dang cute sometimes!

Maybe he knows Grandma and Grandpa Wood, Garin, Lauren and Brett are coming to see him this weekend?

The Carter Show

Over the last few weeks we've captured some great video of Carter, but haven't done our best in getting them onto the blog. Here's a little roundup of some highlights of our little boy:

Carter rolled over one night, and we were so surprised. Then he kept doing it!


Sometimes it takes him a bit of effort to do it, and other times, like in this video, it's very quick.


At work with mom, Carter lies in a playpen from Grandma that has elephants hanging from it. When he kicks the sides of the playpen, the elephants move, which excites him to no end!

First Ultrasound

After the surprising news, Katie had her first ultrasound for the new baby.

If you didn't fall for it, congrats! Sorry for deleting your comments throughout the day, had to keep it safe for those who arrived to the blog late.

If you fell for the trick, well, I guess you think we're crazy enough that we'd have another one already. We've got our hands full with Carter as it is, so the next one is a ways off yet.

Happy April Fool's Day!

Here We Go Again!

Unwittingly following in the tradition of our parents, Katie and I are expecting our second child within a year of the birth of our first. Holy. Cow.

Katie had an appointment with her doctor yesterday, and after the usual tests the doctor came back and broke the news. Having to know for sure for herself, Katie pulled out a pregnancy test at home and confirmed it, and then surprised me with the news.

Frankly, we're shocked. But excited. But shocked. Didn't we just announce this? The new addition will join us in December. December is already a crazy month for birthdays in the combined Bradley and Wood families.

Will Carter have a baby brother or baby sister? If the other Bradley family tradition continues, we've got another boy on the way!