traditions

this year we decided that we will not travel for the christmas holidays anymore - so that we can be home together as a family and begin our traditions now that the girls are getting old enought to "get" them.

we started tonight with christmas eve - one of my memorable traditions as a child. we each get to open ONE gift on christmas eve - and amazingly it happens to be new PJs for each of us.. every year! stella and sammy enjoyed this - stella got some cozy flannel thomas the train pj's which she is LOVING... sammy got some monkey pj's which she seemed impressed with (minorly) too! daddy got some that weren't such a hit (too hip for him, yoga pants) and mommy got some lovely ones as well!

we also had fondue for dinner and enjoyed making some cookies!

puppet mania!

today stella and mommy had a lovely girls afternoon... we busted out of school/work early and headed up to the Drake hotel downtown SF and had a lovely tea - so many treats and cider and... a very fancy tea indeed. then the show started - we watched an elaborate puppet show - cinderella - and stella got to meet the puppet masters and the intricate puppets after the show. it was a great little treat and she was SUCH a grown up little girl during the tea and the performance. a lovely afternoon, indeed.

15 years...

this is a picture of taylor this morning - her last day on earth. it's so sad, I can hardly type, but I need to get it out there and then get past it. i've had taylor for about 15 years - since I was a sophomore in college. she was my best bud- people used to make fun of how much I loved my dog.... she was fond of running errands with me. when we lived in dallas she'd hop into my convertible and sit there nicely in the passenger seat while I made a deposit at the bank, or picked up the dry cleaning, and she loved the wind in her nose while we drove.

in the last couple of years though, her health has seriously deteriorated and she's become more my arch nemesis thanks to the trouble (and MESS) she causes since she's blind, deaf, and very incontenent. i feel really guilty - like we shouldn't have the right to decide when her time is up, but I also know that running into things because you're blind, and being totally in darkness with no hearing or eyesight and having old limbs and joints that make the stairs a feat, and having no control over your bladder and bowels so that you step in your own business isn't a fun life...

so, today i worked from home and hung out with her... we went out back and played a bit (and I use that term "played" loosely since she doesn't really get around very fast) and i gave her a bonus bowl of food. we also snuggled a bit and then charlie came to get her. he took her to a park and she rode/slept on his lap the whole way. she sniffed around the park a bit and then they went to the vet and she got a sedative and then she got another injection.

we both cried and i'm thankful to charlie for being strong and taking care of the actual trip to the vet. tonight we'll explain to stella that taylor is gone and get rid of her bowl, bed, etc. so that i'm not too sad everytime I see them. pretty soon lucy will probably figure it out too, and that will be sad for her too, since she and taylor were buddies and loved to spoon.

gift wrappers anonymous

if there is such a club, I'm going to submit stella's name to giftwrappers anonymous - for immediate membership. she helped me wrap a bunch of christmas gifts for her friends and our family, and now she's addicted to wrapping things! if you can't find something in our house, check "stella's pile" - she has likely wrapped it up! good news is, she shows great potential, has great patience, shows pride in her work, and worse comes to worse, we'll find all of our things on christmas morning when we open the gifts!

holiday lights and miami hurricanes

today stella's preschool class took a field trip and i was a chaperone. we all walked many blocks from their school to the hyatt regency, downtown SF. it was quite cute with all the little ones hanging onto their "rings" and walking two by two down along the streets of downtown san francisco. we passed the hall of christmas trees and lights in One Market plaza, and checked out the ice skaters at the embarcadero center... then we made it to the hyatt where we rode a glass elevator up and down 17 floors - like our own personal 6 flags ride! we ran into the miami hurricanes football players, who were staying at the hotel for their bowl game this week against Cal. the thousands of lights hung from the 17th floor all the way down to the lobby were gorgeous and the elaborate holiday displays with trains, planes, santas, reindeer, "snow", christmas trees, cars, people, etc. were quite fascinating for our group of 3 year olds!
they did a great job walking back and never whined about their little feed being tired - until we got back to school and they all needed a rest...

rainy days

today was a really rainy, dreery day.. sammy and I were out and about running errands (like christmas shopping and returning daddy's tux). and we got quite wet - but actually liked it! as we were walking from the car to the store, sammy pointed her head up, opened her mouth and tried to drink the "wa wa" that was falling from the sky!

fancy pants

tonight stella and sammy went over to franny's for a sleepove, as mommy and daddy got all dolled up in a long gown and tux, respectively. stella said I looked "fancy" as she studied me closely while I got ready for the Webcor Holiday party. it was such a nice event - held at the Cal Academy of Sciences in the city -such an amazing spot, the architecture, the finishings, the animals (I liked the albino alligator). we had great food, mingling with co-workers and friends, and it was nice to see the exhibits and get so dressed up for a date night!
the only sad part was hearing the score of the cowboys/ravens game after we left the party at 1am...

jingle bells & not-a-box

today was the holiday sing-a-long and cookie exchange for stella/sammy's school... all the parents come pick up the kids and walk across the street to the Gap offices - to a big conference room. then we all gather round and sing holiday songs while alodiah (sammy's teacher) and a couple of the dads play guitar. the preschoolers were particularly jolly - as they created a holiday "mosh pit"! i don't know what it is about these cuties, but instead of groovin' to the music (like sammy and her friends were doing), they all jump around - just jump, jump, jump! that's how they dance and feel the groove!
also, we got a big box in the mail (diapers and wipes!) and stella decided that it was NOT a box, afterall, and was actually a BOAT! she and sammy in their jammies decided to go for a ride... then they made mommy and daddy get in too - believe it or not, we all fit!

arghhh matey!

today we went to marin for kai & jack's 3rd birthday party... it was a pirate theme and stella and sammy had a great time seeing their friends and playing games with the live pirate chick... she did face painting and animal balloons and sang songs, etc. the goody bag was quite well received - with a treasure map and lots of little pirate treats!
after we got home, stella and sammy decided to eat some snacks and share their stool while mom and dad were busy cheering on the cowboys to their victory over the ny giants!

boswick diaper head

this morning i took the girls to studio grow to play and see a show- boswick the clown. he was quite funny and stella really got into it, she especially liked the part where he put a diaper on his head like a hat and called himself boswich "diaperhead"! when we got home, stella decided to re-enact it for daddy, by using a bandana for her very own "diaperhead"!

rock star

sammy seems to want to follow in her uncle danny's footsteps and become a guitar playin' fool..

stella and I went shopping for the family that we adopted for the holidays, and picked some toys and clothes for the little boy Tony and his family. at the end, i was so proud of her for being so excited to give these gifts and never asking for any toys for herself, that I offered to let her pick out ONE thing at target. she picked this guitar and brought it home where sammy promptly confisgated it - she decided that she was the rock star of the family and stella has never gotten the thing back! she was cool though, did a great job of sharing (aka "giving" it to) with her sister -- which reinforced my reasons for buying her the treat in the first place. she's a good girl. and sammy's apparently a rock star...

ice skating in california!!!

today my team at work had our holiday fun - we all went ice skating downtown, right off the embarcadero, near the water/bay bridge.. it was lovely and also humbling- it's been a while and I should be better skilled at this, based on my wisconsin roots! i didn't fall at all, but I wasn't exactly speed skating either. great part is that my team was showing up! jennifer and david and becky were all kickin' butt, easily the best ones out there!
then we had hot cocoa and baked goods, and then drinks and snacks at a local restaurant.

the carousel

tonight i took the girls with franny and her parents to tilden park to visit santa (who looked strangely different from the santa stella sat on a couple weeks ago, but she didn't seem to notice) and a really creepy elf. we also went on the carousel there - it's decorated so nicely during the holidays, with tons of christmas trees with all kinds of fun themes (one was covered in cupcakes - a stella favorite!).. we couldn't find the reindeer who were supposed to be there live in all their glory - maybe next week we'll try again.

gingerbread fun

this morning stella and I went with aidan and christine to build gingerbread houses at the bay area discovery museum. i'm quite impressed with stella - she exhibited magnificent restraint and didn't eat any of her candies til she was done decorating the house with them! much better than I could have done- it was a battle for me not to eat hers up!
later we went home and watched the cowboys game with daddy and sammy, while sammy sported her tony romo jersey!

say "cheese"!

today we got the girls' pictures taken, and it was classic. stella did a great job, since she's mastered the whole "cheese!" process... but sammy couldn't be bothered. oh well, at least it's representative of their personalities!
stella also sat on santa's lap and told him she wanted a "talking elmo" for christmas - not sure where that came from, but I guess santa had better oblige (here I come amazon.com!). sammy wasn't having any of that santa business , maybe next year...

girls' day

today was a lovely girls day - sammy and dad hung out at home while stella, mommy, and shannon had a day out. we started with mani/pedis, and then we went out for a lovely lunch.. and finished off the afternoon with stella's 1st movie at the theatre - BOLT -which was TOO cute! now she also got bolt pj's, cuz he's so sweet and "cozy" according to stella!

thankful

we had a lovely thanksgiving - auntie lygia and tom and karla and tyler all came over to enjoy the meal with us. and shannon was in town visiting us, so it was lovely to see her.
we are so thankful for all of our friends, family, health, opportunity, and all blessings... though we are sorry that we're so far away from grandma ginny, grandpa rick, auntie laura, and uncle danny.

sleepovers & fires = plan b

the girls slept over at franny's today, and went to bed QUITE late (sammy conked out early)... while mommy & daddy went out to dinner for a date! we were supposed to go to Nopa in the city, but they called earlier to tell us they had a fire in the kitchen and had to close! i hope it's not too bad, we've been wanting to try that restaurant for quite a while! since those plans were off, we went to one of our new favorites in berkeley - corso.. and had a lovely meal at the chef's counter!

harvest feast & pj parties!

today was the harvest feast at stella and sammy's school. all the parents came and brought thanksgiving potluck dishes and we ate together - kids, parents, teachers. it was lovely - and of course the BEST part was the entire room filled with desserts!
later that evening, after school, stella went over to elsa & julia's to attend elsa's birthday party -what a treat! she and julia loved hanging out with all the "big" girls - who were about 7 years old - and the big girls loved playing with stella and julia like they were there own personal living dolls! they ate pizza, cake, ice cream, played games, watched a movie, and got to hang out in their pj's!

old friends

my old friend hilary was in town with her boys (she moved from bay area to north carolina a year or two ago) and we got to hang out this evening, when she came over. also, kathleen came over with baby ruby adn we all got to catch up. it was nice to meet little milo, and ruby was a doll, as usual.. and I think stella really enjoyed playing with kai, since he was her buddy when they were wee ones, and hadn't seen each other in quite a long time. but they picked up and had fun playing this evening, just like old times!

measuring up

today i went to stella's preschool class and led all the little ones in little activity with pumpkins. we had about 15 different sized pumpkins and ghords and we measured them all by counting how many links around each one was. then we plotted their measurements on a poster board graph and celebrated by eating the pumpkin seeds. it was a lot of fun -the kids were so engaged and really enjoyed showing off their counting skills!

mommy & me day

today stella got to play hooky from school - she and mommy took the day off to hang out for her birthday.. we started off by going to see dr. abbott for her 3 year checkup - she did a great job with her shots and is healthy and growing! then we went shopping together, and ate lunch together in rockridge area... we also went to the park and then hung out at home. then it was time for mommy's soccer game and stella came and was my #1 fan!

a giant birthday extravaganza!!!

stella and aidan celebrated their 3rd birthdays together, just as they did last year. this year was extra special since the party was at the Giants BallPark downtown!

Even though baseball season is over, the park was still fun. we had a nice area on the upper deck for snacks & drinks (think goldfish and capri sun!), aidan, stella, and their guests went up and down the huge slides about 256 times collectively, they played in the batting cages (don't worry, soft bats, balls, etc!), they had the scoreboard lit up with a special birthday message to aidan & stella that people could even see from the highway (it was huge and bright and awesome!), and lou seal the giants mascot came by and posed and hugged and high-fived with all the kids, and we had lunch and cake and cupcakes! when all the kids left, they got a sweet giants backpack filled with goodies (courtesy of aidan's daddy patrick who hooked it UP, since he works for the giants!).
the only thing we couldn't control was the weather, and who knows in november.. but san francisco smiled upon us and it was SUCH a gorgeous day - quite warm, so sunny, and the view of the bay & boats & city looked amazing from our special little celebration spot.

let them eat cake!

stella and aidan did a great job with blowing out the candles and then they scarfed down MANY mini cupcakes, and a nice chunk of the bear's head.

fancy presents

mommy & daddy gave stella a fancy dress up purse & shades and fancy play pizza (complete with anchovies!) for her birthday and she was quite grateful... until she got to open her fancy computer from grandma and grandpa!

she's plum worn out

sammy had a good time at stella's birthday party.. she enjoyed the slides, and the snacks.. and had grandma and grandpa chasing her all around for hours!

but after all that expending of energy, she decided to take a wee snooze on daddy while the rest of us cleaned up the mess!

well played sammy, well played.

mount grandpa

grandpa danny and grandma michelle came down this weekend to visit and celebrate stella's 3rd birthday. grandpa decided to give sammy a ride, and of course stella felt compelled to join the fun! then sammy decided the fun was done and it was time for a dismount.

bless his heart.

ice cream sundaes & birthday crowns

on the friday before stella's bday, charlie and i went to her school during snack time and brought fixins for ice cream sundaes for all the kids and teachers in the sea homebase. they made her a birthday crown which she wore with pride, and it was quite cute to pass out sprinkles and chocolate sauce to all the little cuties!

my little helpers

the girls got a new stool (thanks ikea!)... and they LOVE to climb up and "help" me in the kitchen. usually with pancakes on a saturday morning, or washing the dishes (see pics above). sammy has already fallen off about 5 times - I'm hoping she's learning with each bump and bruise, so that it's not all for not.

stella loves the thing cuz she feels quite self sufficient, and can use it to get her bowl and cereal and milk - and some for sammy too! mommy and daddy like that at 6:30am on sunday mornings when we can listen to the chatter and banging and scooting of the stool, and hope no one falls, while we are cozy in our bed!

playoff blues

my indoor soccer team made it to the playoffs... we kicked backside ALL season, but tonight, we got our backsides KICKED and lost. seems that our heads were up our backsides, and it didn't help that we were missing some key goal scorers.. i couldn't seem to make anything go in the net, and our defense was abyssmal... not pretty.
but i'll be over it soon, since the next season starts next week and we can start all over again!

fickle pickle

i had it good with stella, and i actually DID know it at the time, and greatly appreciated it. not as much as I do now though, since sammy has gone to the dark side.
stella would eat anything - TRULY anything, roasted eggplant, a nice steak, sushi, tomatoes, cheese, WHATEVER!
sammy on the other hand, is convinced that if it's not dairy (aka yogurt, cheese, mac&cheese, grilled cheese, or milk) or fruit (aka peaches, apples, pomegranates, bananas) or processed (but organic and low in sugar, thanks to mom) like goldfish or crackers or craisins... that it's not worth eatin'!
1st pic is her response to me offering her some lovely ravioli with a tomato herb sauce...
2nd pic is her response to me offering her a banana...
3rd pic is just cute.
even though she doesn't seem to be hurting due to these eating habits (have you SEEN her gut!?)... i'm hoping it's just a phase.

good food, good times

tonight daddy went solo with the girls while mommy went over to angela's house for a little fine dining.. we made a BOATload of butternut squash polenta, some tasty garlicky broccoli rabe. crunchy sage leaves (interesting, eh?), angela's on-the-fly pumpkin mousse for dessert, and my famous nori crusted sirloin delight. good wine, good food, good friend, good times.

work it, girl!

typical saturday with sammy - you catch her in her pj's, all day if we'd let her! but usually she eats something like yogurt or a smoothie or applesauce and alas, they are DESTROYED! she also goes into the bathroom while mommy is brushing her teeth and helps herself to something fun out of the drawer - she's a big fan of the floss, not sure what to use it for, but it's GREAT fun to pull, and pull, and pull....

she decided to give me a photo op..

give me cute! check.

give me happy! check.

give me sexy! (almost) check.

give me ecstatic. check.