Rant and Rave

A Holiday Sleepover

2011-12-03T20:06:00.000-08:00

The kids had a sleepover with their bestest of friends, Marinatha and Obidiah, this weekend. They decorated some wrapping paper and made tags in the morning. Our stop at the "electric" store would've made Steve Job's proud as all four lined up and started gaming with complete authority. Then we made the presumed mac-n-cheese for lunch and took the boys out to a cookie decorating party hosted by Noah's classmate Cole. Then it was time to head home and for the boys to play legos and for the girls to play dress up. After dinner, everyone squeezed into the tub for a bubble bath. It was not so long ago that our tub seemed much larger, now they barely fit!

2011-12-02T11:06:00.000-08:00

Chloe and I went on her Montessori School field trip to see the Nutcracker performed by Stapleton ballet. Ethan went with us and we sat next to Zander and his mom Ann, and Cooper and his mom Lisa on the other. The mice were a big hit with all of the kids. The dragon got a mixed verdict of being both very cool, but kinda scary. I was impressed by the young dancers and the gorgeous costumes. Photography was ix-nayed, so I couldn't preserve any of the actual performance. However, it ended up being a gorgeous, blue sky kind of day with temperatures in the mid-70's. Not bad for December! So we snapped some shots and ran off some steam chasing the birds...

Tree Lighting

2011-12-01T20:20:00.000-08:00

Not ours though. That's happening this weekend. However, the local shopping court had a light up night with none other than Big Bad Vodoo Daddy providing some Christmas swing while Santa Claus made his appearance and lit up the tree. The whole event attracted a crowd. The kids had fun dashing about while dancing around and we ran into our friends Natalie and McKenzie and then Santa himself.

All I want for Christmas...

2011-11-29T07:30:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning to walk down the hall to find that Noah had moved the stool over to face Elfie (or Ella-fee as Chloe says) and read off his Starwars Lego wish list. I could swear Elfie was listening attentively.

Thankful Day

2011-11-24T18:43:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving 2011! We celebrated with the Felsmanns this year in Huntington Beach. Juan and Lisa hosted at their house with an array of yummy food. Odily whipped up a brie and apricot spread that was amazing and I had more than my fair share. So much in fact that dessert for me was reserved to the following day! The turkey, squash soup, stuffing, sweet potatoe souffle (with pecans and coconut), sweet rolls, cranberries, mashed potatoes...were all scrumptious. The kids all had fun seeing exactly how well Gondola could really fetch and then broke out the Twister after dinner. Michael was the only adult to have a go on the dots with the kids. Greyson had his first "real food" dinner of sweet potatoes and had the same response as most babies to their first food. Utter confusion and bewilderment, combined with curiosity.

A traditional Thanksgiving Mentos and Soda Pop Geiser!

2011-11-24T11:00:00.000-08:00

Aunt Mandi and Tio Joaquin gave the kids a goodie bag on Thanksgiving that included a "bottle rocket" that was activated by dropping Mentos candies into a 2L of soda. It was a blast. Literally. Figuratively.

Trick or Treat!

2011-10-31T19:30:00.000-07:00

We joined up with our friends Arjun and Amrit to do some trick-or-treating in the flats near our house. The boys were off and running after the first house and the girls weren't far behind. We loved the houses that were decorated with spooky decor, dry ice or strobe lights. The streets turned pitch black after dusk and the only way to keep an eye on the kids was to watch for the glow rings around their necks. Note to self: sew on reflective tape and have them wear their light up shoes next year!

Knight in Shining Armor

2011-10-31T17:40:00.000-07:00

Noah wanted to be a knight this year, probably a residual effect of our visit to Medieval Times months and months ago. We still had the vest so I sewed up some body "armor" and made as manly of a tunic as I could muster the night before. He was the most noble of knights although battle must have been epic, because I had to do triage on the entire costume before we headed out for trick-or-treat that night. The school had a parade through the nearby neighbor hood, complete with a firetruck and what appeared to be an authentic clone trooper that got lots of attention from the kids.

2010-11-12T15:04:00.000-08:00

It is that time of year again where the winter sun is at a low enough angle to stream directly into our house's southern morning exposure. While I love the light - it is positively glaring on a sunny morning like we had today. So I'm hunting down shades for our house. It's time - we've been here a year and a half.

I'm thinking clean lined, unobtrusive, light filtering, but not light blocking and transluscent enough to still be able to see the view!

Here's what I like so far:

Love the vibe of the glowing light, especially through the glass vases.

This would provide much more privacy, but I'm afraid the lack of light and our dark floors may make our tiny house look a little flat.

This may be it! There is a subtle, but very natural weave of white on transluscent white that may provide the perfect mix of transluscency and privacy and add a little texture to boot. I'm pricing it out!

I think these roman shades are very elegant, however are probably too heavy for our little space and not along the clean, bright lines that I'm after. But wanted to have a picture saved in case we choose super clean lined furniture that needs a little softness to take off the modern edge!

Today's action item: Measure windows and send off requests for quote and leadtime to the http://www.theshadestore.com/.

Kidsize Dreams

2010-11-11T19:00:00.001-08:00

These are such fresh clean fun kids rooms that have me dreaming about starting all over on the kids rooms! For now, I'm just collecting images that I like and here are a few of my favorites below...

Just love the faux log pillows above and the wall paper below...and would work in the sad little cut logs in a piece of artwork somewhere, maybe countered with a happy old smiling face hidden in a gnarly tree trunk...

Love the double bunk beds, I'm on the fence whether it would be a good thing to have both kids share a room and free up a room for guests/playroom/office?

How about this color combination below? - so great for a boys room.

Ran across this bed that would be perfect Lego storage in Noah's room - with a slightly modified print.

A Hui Hou

2010-11-10T13:31:00.000-08:00

I figure a good way to get started with moving on is to acknowledge where I've been.

And I've realized that I never really did say goodbye to Hawaii. Our intention when we left for Sonoma was to drink alot of wine and then return again. We planned on keeping our house, keeping our friends, even keeping a little bit of the pigeon that we picked up. Noah still sometimes slips up and says "shi-shi" and introduced me as Auntie Jill instead of Mrs. X at school a few weeks ago (brought a bunch of blank stares from the kids, but tears to my eyes). I always thought we'd use the time on the mainland to get a bit ahead financially to figure out how to afford 12+ years of private school or for me to figure out how to wrap my head around possibly homeschooling.

Almost four years later, I'm finally wrapping my head instead around the fact that the Noah has entered kindergarten in a public school, we had another baby (I was a few months pregnant in our farewell picture below), sold our house in Kailua, bought and gutted a house here in Marin, and are likely planted in CA soil for a good long while.

(Bye to our house with tons of light and high ceilings and friends on everyside)

I have to admit this relocation has come more easily to the rest of the family than to me. Michael feels challenged and appreciated at his job here, loves commuting on a ferry every day and is totally onboard with the healthy Marin lifestyle. Noah barely remembers Hawaii other than a few friends and what he sees in pictures. Chloe would have made a perfect keiki with her olive complexion and absolute love of the water and sand, but doesn’t know any different. My soul, however, still longs to wake up in bed to the sounds of the birds (I even miss the rooster!), to live year round in flip-flops and shorts, to feel the warm trade winds and to walk on the beach with Kalapawai coffee and our salty wet dog by my side. But day by day, the new memories we’re making here challenge me to believe that I would miss our lives here too if we ever had to leave.

That said, one of the things I really miss our circle of Stroller Stride moms that grew up together with our kids during our workouts near the beach. I’ve moved around often enough to know that eventually an acquaintance moves beyond politeness and curiosity, to honesty and true friendship. In Hawaii that period seemed to happen in a matter of a few months, or split seconds - depending on the person, and before you knew it you were carrying a dish over for dinner or giving your kids baths together outside in some blow up swimming pool to steal a few more minutes of conversation before heading home. I’m not sure if it is because I’m older and maybe more reserved, or if the second child creates a time restraint on socialization and inhibits much possibility for deep conversation, or because Oahu is the epitome of small town, relaxed lifestyle where you run into one another constantly and is a truly unique place to make friends - but it is taking us much longer to form those kind of kick-back, drop in, help yourself to the frig type of relationships. Or, maybe this is just our time of life to drop our kids off at school, pick them up, hang out inside during afternoon naps and then make/eat dinner to get up and do it all again? It feels very solitary and empty sometimes.

Hence, I’ve created this reflection time of blogging to figure out how to make it all better. And I asked my mom for her input and what she remembers from her life during this period? We surmised that that’s when her soap opera addiction began. It was her way of peeking into another world (and Days of our Lives and Santa Barbara …) and enlarging her own while being cocooned in her own house.
(Can I mention that I'm pretty certain this is the same picture I used for my hair inspiration for my senior prom?)

Interestingly enough, I’m wondering if this current generation of moms is instead turning to blogging, forums or internet use to fulfill that same need? The mother’s forum I join each year is up over 1000 participants. Turns out a mom that I carpool with also randomly reads one of my favorite blogs, “Young House Love”. A classmate of Noah’s has a fun mom that started her own blog called “Modern Homestead”. My cousin is off in Ethiopia and keeps everyone updated about their missionary work. The list goes on and on. Blogs are great way to communicate and share a bunch of random information (I’m trying to grow my own SCOBY for kombucha from directions on a blog), but I’ve found that they’re filling a need for community and companionship for anyone living a solitary lifestyle (SAHM, work from home or the road professional, retireree, etc).

So, I’m raving about Blogging today and the therapeutic aspect of having to frame your thoughts into words with the accountability that someone out there might actually read them! I’m raving about the information that is at our fingertips because someone has taken the time to write out what they know or think. I’m raving about my experience reading blogs and feeling inspired or touched or amused by someone else’s thoughts, even if I’ve never met them. I’m also reaching out to anyone that loves the internet but also loves personal contact even more and to applaud you for it.

My plan of action from writing this post is: to take an exercise class again.

Fresh Post

2010-11-09T10:42:00.001-08:00

I have not looked at my own blog in almost a year! I started this blog when we left Hawaii with the intention of posting what was happening in the our lives to stay in touch with old friends and family. Facebook and email have filled that gap instead.

I also noticed that post of my posts have centered around the kids and their activities (as is my life) and were geared to my "audience" of mainly grandma. And I realized that I've not really felt like raving about anything in my own life anymore. My life has been geared to playdates, trips to the park, the kids' activities and taxi'ing to and from. And alot of time spent cooking and cleaning - neither of which I would rave about!

Well, that's about to change! I really want my kids to know me as a person with skills and hobbies, passions and desires, adventures and travels. I want to know myself that way again! I plan to use this blog to develop and express my identity. To motivate myself to find those things that I enjoy full heartedly. To rediscover dreaming and to RAVE about life again. My "audience" is now going to be Me and anyone out there that may be trying to rediscover themselves. I'm regearing my blog to function as a public diary. A tangible place to hold myself accountable to numbering my days and as encouragement to train my eyes to look beyond the mundane to the brillance lurking inside of every person and every situation.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-14T21:39:00.000-08:00

Click here to view this photo book.

Chloe with her GG (great-grandma)

2009-12-14T17:33:00.000-08:00

Click below to see Noah's video chat from Santa!

2009-12-12T11:58:00.000-08:00

http://portablenorthpole.tv/watch/bd5d9f0e628946dacd62a0efd2b7279c

The Bird

2009-11-26T15:30:00.000-08:00

2009-11-26T12:20:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T11:25:00.000-08:00

2009-11-25T17:31:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-30T11:30:00.000-07:00

Cheetah or Leopard?

2009-10-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

A slideshow of our front yard renovation - before, during and after

2009-10-14T14:43:00.000-07:00

Click here to view this photo book.

A hike up Mt Tam Watershed

2009-09-21T13:35:00.000-07:00

That's a turtle - can you spot him?

The Big Pour

2009-09-13T22:52:00.000-07:00

Wait - that strollers for baby!

2009-09-13T22:48:00.000-07:00

Just the baby! Kisses for baby...

Blink of an eye...

2009-09-07T13:45:00.000-07:00

I blinked and June is suddenly September! My last post was June 17th and I've missed so many great memories of our first summer just north of San Francisco. We've been kept busy finishing up renovation projects (STILL!) and getting started on a new garden/landscape architecture project that is well underway. And somehow amid all of the projects summer seems to have gotten away from us! So I'm going to cheat and backdate some of the highlights since then...

Your future's so bright you've gotta wear shades!

2009-07-20T13:32:00.000-07:00

Noah's on top of the world! And my little cutie-pa-tutti

2009-07-19T10:41:00.000-07:00

and the celebration continues...

2009-07-04T16:26:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T13:04:00.000-07:00

4th of July was spent in Huntington Beach to visit with Cousin Lucca and to watch the biggest 4th of July parade west of the Mississippi River! Joaquin staked out our spots at 7am the morning before the parade and we had a great view of the floats and bands and armed forces that marched to celebrate our freedom. God bless this mighty nation!

Bay Area Children's Museum

2009-06-29T12:52:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite places to visit is the BACM - just under the Golden Gate Bridge. It is a very special place - the setting is stunning and the kids have a blast everytime we go. Noah's favorite room is the ships and trains station where he loads crabs and catches fish.

At home, this has become Chloe's favorite toy - stroller'ing with anything (or anyone!) that will fit! That little dress that she is wearing was mine when I was a little thing like her.

Truly a Green Vehichle...

2009-06-25T12:59:00.000-07:00

Now if we could only figure out a way to play -putt-putt on it!

Sitting Pretty

2009-06-22T13:00:00.000-07:00

Proud to say that Noah's mastered the potty. We were getting a little worried at 4 when he still wasn't showing much interest. But then it was like a switch went on and he just got it. Only a single accident since. And he was on his way to the bathroom when it happened! Course when you can get this cozy - diapers aren't nearly as appealing!

Sitting Pretty

2009-06-22T12:58:00.000-07:00

Chloe's learned to climb up on chairs and likes to perch and swing her legs.

Who's your mummy?

2009-06-20T12:50:00.000-07:00

Its a amazing the fun you can have with toilet paper!

Blowing Bubbles

2009-06-18T12:48:00.000-07:00

Have you ever tried to explain how exactly you blow a bubble? Noah really wants to pop a bubble! We're still working on it!

Moving On, but still in boxes, so no Sew

2009-06-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

Okay, we officially moved in at the beginning of February. And then we were under construction to finish some things. Then we went to Hawaii for the month of March, so that Michael could really finish those things - without all the "help" from us. Then we had to install storage systems so that we could begin to unpack.

It is now June, okay middle of June, and we are still going through boxes (now all located in our basement - notice I show no pictures). I've been beginning to rack my brain to remember if I, could have in some way, offended our movers. Parts of our computer were spread out in no less than 6 boxes. Ditto with all of the AV/TV stuff. I'm now bound and determined to get sewing again. I located the sewing machine and have gone through every box marked "bedroom" where our sewing machine was located - still no power supply and pressure foot. Did find the notions in a box marked "kids bath". AAAHHHHGGGHHHH! I'm beginning to think it is a vindictive plot to drive me insane!

To View "Before" Pictures of our house...

2009-06-14T13:54:00.000-07:00

See the post dated October 6th, 2008...kinda scary?!!

Happy Birthday Honey - are you getting a little roll around the middle?

2009-06-13T12:35:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the highlights...Michael and I sumo wrestled for his birthday...I took him down and then couldn't get back up!!

JUNE 13th

Welcome to our house....

2009-06-12T22:10:00.000-07:00

I've had a few requests to see pictures of the house now that we've finished renovating the inside (for now!). Our home sweet home is small, but we are making it work by getting rid of a bunch of stuff and storing what doesn't fit. In some ways the downsizing has been refreshing. I've found there are advantages and disadvantages. For instance it takes less time to clean but gets messy in a hurry! I love the single floor layout for keeping track of the kids and not having to carry laundry. And finally, finally I have a kitchen that I can see the TV from which has inspired my cooking and baking during the am/pm nap schedule the Chloe is in. So welcome to a sneak peek at where we call home...

Chloe was sleeping while I snapped these pictures - so I'll have to save her room for next time!

Noah's Room

2009-06-12T22:03:00.000-07:00

Noah can watch his dad come home of the ferry from his bed..

Things I love about our kitchen, and don't

2009-06-11T22:36:00.000-07:00

Here's some of the things that I really am glad that we were able to include in the kitchen (and some that we weren't), just fyi in case anyone is embarking an a kitchen re-do!

Love, love, love the big single basin deep sink (The cutting board is covering almost half of it.) I love that I can push scraps down the disposal (for now, until with get our worm box going for composting) and paper into the garbage right below...no dumping out a strainer!!

I also really like that we were able to work out an oil pullout right next to the stove top and cutting board and pan storage on the other side (Thanks KimSue!)

Michael loves the potfiller. I forget about it half the time, but now that I'm getting used to it, I suspect I'll wonder how I lived without it. Michael uses the griddle every weekend to make pancakes. I have yet to try out the grill option! Love having gas again - what a difference in control. I like having the storage for pots and pans right under the cooktop. Had that in Sonoma and duplicated it. I didn't bother splurging for the pull out drawer b/c I had doubts on whether it would wear well under the weight of our really heavy pots and pans. I'd be curious to hear what people that have that think.

We went back and forth about the pendant lights over the island. I'm second guessing our choice. I went for something more traditional since we were "reusing" our more transitional living room furniture. I kind of wish I would have kept with the initial feel of the design and wouldn't have rushed into getting something up to have lights in place. Bummer!

I wish that we would have had more room for an appliance garage so that I could keep my kitchaid mixer out at the ready. But I don't have any regrets because I really don't know where we could have put it. I found it more important to have a spot for our toaster oven and coffee maker since we use those on a daily basis. I would have loved to have a built in coffee maker, but that went out the door when we needed to replace the siding. Oh, and I really like that we were able to have some super deep uppers on the frig/oven wall. Great for big platters and such. I also like having the extra glass/dish storage by pulling the uppers down to the counter on both sides of the cooktop and it prevents that wall from looking cluttered since I am looking at it all of the time. And even though we had to squish the pantry down to 12 inch depth - it's still working out fine and I'm surprised at how much fits. It's Chloe's favorite thing to empty out. Noah loves the little corner bench and often sits up there to wait for company or Dad to come home. We have a little pendant to install and I found a table. Now I just need to budget for it! I also want to get some cushions made for it. I'm so glad that my talented friend Stephanie helped me on the detailing of the columns around the island. They really seem to integrate well with the cabinetry and rest of the room. She was so right to inform me that they could really look like an afterthought without some contemplation. Thanks Stephanie!

We're still looking for knobs and pulls for the cabinets. I'm gun shy about just putting things up because I feel like I rushed ahead with the lighting, so if anyone has any suggestions let me know!

Did you hear the one about the Polish mom cooking?

2009-06-11T22:13:00.000-07:00

Went back to my polish roots and cooked up some galumpki's (pigs in a blanket, the ones above aren't cooked yet!), sarufka (cabbage/apple/celery salad) and some smashed garlic dill potatoes this week. Almost as good as my gram's!!

Bows for everyone!

2009-06-10T22:02:00.000-07:00

Laundry/Garage/Playroom/Sewing/Office...

2009-06-05T21:37:00.000-07:00

We finished putting up the cabinets in the garage to transform our garage into a multi, multi purpose room. Its been great to have everything in one spot and I've liked camping out in here during b-ball playoffs and the stanley cup!

Not gonna smile and not gonna let you catch me...

2009-06-04T22:00:00.000-07:00

Splashing in the Creek with friends

2009-06-03T21:45:00.000-07:00

Noah's become best buds with Obediah! We went to a great park with a creek to play in, swings for the girls and lots of labs to play with. Our kids are within months of one another and Lynn and I clicked from the start so its been fun to explore all of the new (to us!) parks around the area with another little boy that is as energetic as Noah.

My angel has wings

2009-06-03T21:42:00.000-07:00

I think that Chloe looks like a little angel in this tunic from Aunt Mandi!

Dr. Noah

2009-06-02T21:30:00.000-07:00

Noah had a memorable trip to the doctor's office. It was just a check-up and the doctor and nurse were both so great with him. However, he sat hunched in a corner hyperventilating with unexplained angst for at least half an hour while the doctor took his history and tried to get him to warm up to her. Michael had to hold him (this isn't the first time he's acted this way - so I brought reinforcements with me this time!) to be weighed and measured and eventually he settled down enough (after reasoning, bribery and eventually threats) to get his vision and hearing checked. But I was pretty worked up by how traumatic these doctor's visits were getting. So I was pretty surprised when a few days later he had his veterinarian's kennel out, with Chloe's doll up on the "zay'minning" table looking for a hearbeat. Maybe there's hope after all.

Peaceful Noah

2009-05-31T13:22:00.000-07:00

Its rare these days for Noah to sleep later than me - he's just like Michael - an early bird. Normally he comes into our room and climbs up into our bed to say "mom, its morning time GET UP!". So I loved being able to sneak into his room and catch a few seconds of watching him sleep like an angel.

This summer's first visit to Scully's Ranch and a bounty of good food!

2009-05-30T21:13:00.000-07:00

We headed out to Napa to purchase some veggie plants for our dream (yet to be created!) garden. Michael was cramming to study for a LEED certification exam that he had to take Monday morning, but he was a trooper and would look at his notes while I did the driving. We met up with our friends and their daughter and son. Noah got to hold a baby chick and Chloe just climbed around to her hearts content.

After the farm we drove on the windy'est road I've been on to Chateau St. Jean for a picnic on the lawn. www.chateaustjean.com

After a sunny lunch and lots of catching up with our friends we followed them to their favorite bakery near Bodega Bay for the world's most enormous cinnomon rolls, delicious bread and amazing hazelnut biscotti. Check it out at: http://www.wildflourbread.com/

Noah had his heart set on ice cream so we drove to Sebastopol to Screamin' Mimis to finish out a driving tour of some of our new favorite spots. http://www.screaminmimisicecream.com/contactus.shtmlThanks Mihn and Karyne!
We had fun driving around with you guys and with all that cramming - Michael passed his exam!

2009-05-29T20:15:00.000-07:00

Noah's Graduation

2009-05-29T11:02:00.000-07:00

Noah had the first of his 15 (if I calculated right) graduation ceremonies last night!

And the class performed a bunch of cute songs like "puff the magic dragon", "a doe-a-deer", and my personal favorite...

Chloe could sense all of the excitement and really enjoyed watching all of the music and wanted to join the other kids. She had a blast later going up and down all of the slides at the school's playground.

CONGRATULATIONS BIG BROTHER NOAH!

No more babies

2009-05-27T06:08:00.000-07:00

Chloe seems so much older all of a sudden. She's definitely a toddler now. Even Noah tells me that she's not my baby any more. Here's my little one with bed head. She empties out her crib every morning and after every nap!

Happy Memorial Day 2009!

2009-05-25T13:53:00.000-07:00

We headed out to Mill Valley to see the local parade. We were planning on being in the parade and handing out flyers with our church, but ran into a slight parking problem (and in some really steep hillsides!) so we watched along the sides with everybody else. Noah collected candy and liked watching the little kids do their karate moves.

We sat right around the town square and got a feel for this small town just south of where we live.

Our focus has been on getting the house in order so our grill is in need of much love after sitting outside neglected all winter. So we went to Marin Brewing Company after the parade for yummy burgers and spent about an hour letting the kids splash in the fountain at Larkspur landing. We got a few snide looks from the ducks that apparently have taken up residence! Then everyone went home and the kids crashed. Michael spent several hours below our house removing this evil, evil weed that creates foxtails that get stuck in Hux's fur. We just found out about them at his vet appointment. The foxtails have barbs on them that prevent the splinter portion from working its way out. They can work their way into an animals body so far that they cause damage to organs or eyes or eardrums. Hux had several locations that are so bad that he's going under tomorrow to have surgery for them to be removed. Poor Hux.

Daddy's little helper

2009-05-23T13:46:00.000-07:00

Chloe's off and running and climbing and dumping now. She also loves to be with her daddy any time he is at home. We are turning our garage into a playroom and he was installing cabinets this weekend. Chloe made sure that she didn't miss a thing.

Face painting before bath time

2009-05-20T11:34:00.000-07:00

Noah's discovered that eraserable markers are great for painting his face and body. Then he discovered how much more fun it is to paint on mommy...

Here he is when I have to take the markers away! Time for a bath Noah.

Doggy Wash

2009-05-17T19:39:00.000-07:00

Our local pet shop has this amazing animal wash at the back of the store and we've been utilizing it to wash Huxley. For a $15 token you are able to wet, shampoo, condition and even dry your pet. Its perfect for us because we can leave the puddles and fur at the store and go home with a fluffy dog! Its worth every penny.

Chloe LOVES to play in the water so she'd jump right in the tub with Huxley if we didn't keep her strapped into her stroller.

Pixie Park Fair

2009-05-16T13:16:00.000-07:00

A park near us sponsored a kids fair and Noah got to go "fishing", make a sippy cup and bounce all day long. The weather was steaming and hit a 100 so both kids were zonked out o the way home.

2009-05-15T15:14:00.000-07:00

The golden gate bridge was covered by fog on our ride out of Sausalito to Angel Island on a ferry boat full of kids on their field trip to hike and play on the beach.

The fog rolled out and was rolling back in again as we made our way back to the dock.

Field Trip to Angel Island

2009-05-15T15:11:00.000-07:00

Food Frenzy in Berkeley, CA - good eats and great friends

2009-05-13T11:16:00.000-07:00

Okay, this time Lucca is the one to get down...

Lucca got Chloe dancing at Cheeseboard Pizza when we met up with his mommy for pizza and walk down Shuttuck street. Cheeseboard serves one type of pizza a day and that's what you are going to get! Good thing it's great pizza and the line is out the door at lunch. Being a college town there are loads of students munching on their pizza right on the green strip between lanes of traffic with signs posted every few feet right above there heads about not loitering on the green strip. I found a gem of a bead store for when I have time to start making jewelry. And Karyne took us to a great bakery for a phenomenal piece of strawberry rhubarb pie. I have to take my mom there and try the pear rose pie next time!

Cheese Board
(510) 549-3055
1512 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA 94709
Cross Streets: Between Vine St and Cedar St
cheeseboardcollective.coop

We're out of the bubble!

2009-05-12T13:25:00.000-07:00

Once the rainy season was over we were excited to be able to paint the exterior of our house. Unfortunately once we had all of the windows covered in plastic the weather took a turn for the worse and we lived inside of a "bubble" for about 2 weeks. Now that the paint is all finished we are soooo excited to start on landscaping our front yard.

Summer Weather is here, even if summer is not

2009-05-12T11:12:00.000-07:00

After a few days in the 90's Chloe was having fun in the sun. We tested out our AC after toughing it out the first day (it works!).

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T14:58:00.000-07:00

How true...

Need a glass?

2009-04-08T13:31:00.000-07:00

Our own winter "white-out"

2008-12-16T09:42:00.000-08:00

Our house is coated in white...primer. Primer went on yesterday and we're looking forward to seeing color start on the walls today. We are firing up the furnace because we have a cold chill like the rest of the country. (Fell below freezing in Windsor last night!) Our wood flooring is scheduled to start on Thursday. Bathroom tile should be done by this weekend. Kitchen cabinets will go in next week. Counters, unfortunately, will not be installed until after the holidays. It's starting to take shape. We're praying that it will come together and that the choices we made so quickly a month ago were wise ones. Our movers are scheduled for the week of January 26th and we couldn't be more excited to move (getting ready is another story!) We've met our neighbors on all sides and are happy to be in such a great neighborhood. Michael and I both are ready to take a long hiatus from logging any more mileage on our cars. We've calculated that little Chloe has spent substantially more time in her carseat than her crib or anywhere else for that matter! She is a well known customer at HomeDepot, our city's building dept. and Direct Buy, and dare I say, a favorite one! Everyone loves a baby. Noah's adjusted to pre-school although he no longer likes nap time. He loves to color and carpets our floors with Michael's old blueprints that he glitters and glues together. Well, better run, time to get on the road and see what's happening at the house! Love to you all!

Family and Thanksgiving.

2008-11-27T19:06:00.000-08:00

What a year to be thankful! We spent the day with Mandi, Joaquin and Lucca and cooked up a storm. This is our 4th Thanksgiving together and we're finally comfortable with the dishes to get things on the table hot or cold as needed and even be able to relax and enjoy one another and the kids in the process.

There is so much to be thankful for. While it's cliche, health, family, a home and full bellies top the list. We pray for peace and stability for the coming months and years, but today was warm and full of fun memories for us parents of watching the children roll around with one another and experience their impressions of what Thanksgiving means (Noah - Indians sharing corn with Pilgrims sharing pie). Lots of love to you all! Oh, and plenty of corn and pie!

Drywall is going up!

2008-11-27T18:58:00.000-08:00

Noah is beginning to warm up the house as it begins to take shape. Before, he thought that it was dirty, yucky and smelly.

Best books for baby

2008-11-27T13:30:00.000-08:00

Chloe's been chilling with some new reading material over the holiday weekend. Looks like a real page turner.

Renovation Progress Nov 19

2008-11-23T15:56:00.001-08:00

Photobucket Album

2008-11-23T15:24:00.001-08:00

Mom and her granddaughter

2008-11-11T13:03:00.000-08:00

My mom was here for a long weekend to help out with Chloe and Noah while Michael and I worked on the house. We miss her very much already.

My little guy is growing up

2008-11-07T13:01:00.000-08:00

I'm continually shocked by what Noah is able to do. He talks to me and tells me his thoughts and corrects me when I'm wrong. He helps me with Chloe and is beginning to really help out picking up around the house. Where did my baby go?

Fall Colors

2008-11-07T12:54:00.000-08:00

My mom and I took the kids to snap some fall pictures. Chloe is now able to sit up!

Scary, Silly Sibling

2008-11-05T11:37:00.000-08:00

My favorite part of being a mommy has been watching the relationship between Noah and Chloe grow. Okay, so it's not much yet - considering one is barely understandable and the other non-talking. They are still a riot to watch!

Election Day

2008-11-04T12:51:00.000-08:00

We proudly fulfilled our civic duty and voted today at the local high school. I strapped both kids into the double stroller and brought candy to bribe Noah while we waited in line. However, everything went so quickly since so many people in Sonoma mailed in their vote. Noah was excited to wear his "I voted" sticker all day. And I snacked on candy the rest of the day!

Grandpa Pumpkin

2008-10-31T11:29:00.000-07:00

Noah just can't seem to get enough of Halloween. Everything scary alternately intrigues and spooks him out! We got out the crayons and decorated our pumpkins. Noah and daddy did this pumpkin. We think it bears more than a passing resemblance to grandpa!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T09:14:00.000-07:00

Noah is so 'sighted!! (so excited) for his halloween party at Montessori school. He'll have a parade and (healthy) treats to share. Remind me to try to get more creative about what you put in a healthy treat bag next year. It's halloween for goodness sakes - I expect a sugar high. Chloe is a panda for the school party and is going to be a puppy for trick-or-treating tonight. Typical girl, has to switch it up! Can't be seen wearing the same thing twice. (Actually, I just couldn't decide!)
Have a Happy Halloween!

Sitting Pretty - well almost

2008-10-29T09:54:00.000-07:00

Here's Chloe "sitting" at the pumpkin patch in Greenbrae last week on Friday. She almost can sit w/o help. Noah was too busy jumping in the bouce house to pose for a picture!

Some Toys You Just Never Outgrow!

2008-10-29T09:52:00.000-07:00

We've been pulling all of Noah's baby toys out for Chloe to use. Noah's reliving his past all over again.

John McCain Sighting Yesterday

2008-10-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

We were just driving along the 101 when we got passed up by John McCain. He's such a down to earth guy - no presidential motorcade or anything!

And the walls came tumblin', tumblin'...down

2008-10-22T10:40:00.000-07:00

Michael spent Saturday filling up a small dumpster and then we filled up a larger one yesterday!

On Top of the World at the Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-17T09:25:00.000-07:00

We've been talking about a visit for the pumpkin patch for WEEKS! We drive by each and every day on our way to Marin, but have been waiting to go with Noah's school field trip. So bright and early, after meeting a friend for coffee and a chat, we headed out to the patch on a bright and sunny day that would reach to 90 degrees.

Noah had a blast climbing on the haystack, relocating pumpkins, poking at the rooster and posing as a scarecrow. About a half an hour in, I realized I wasn't seeing anyone that we know. Turns out that we were at the wrong Patch! And that there are 8 in Petaluma. Never did find the school, but had a great time anyway!

State of the union...

2008-10-15T18:55:00.000-07:00

He loves to make Chloe laugh and smile. Chloe will be 6 months on the 17th. She is very fond of laying on her belly and is reaching for everything. She'll only eat food mixed with breast milk. She spits anything else out. So she's not eating very often right now. I've just been too busy to pump. I was curious to see what Noah was doing at her age. He was already crawling, sitting up on his own and pulling himself up in the crib and on furniture. I can't even imagine Chloe doing any of that! She still pretty much stays put.

Pack it in - Pack it out

2008-10-15T18:46:00.000-07:00

Noah's new thing in the car is to question my sense of direction..."mom are we going the right way?", "this isn't how we get to school". He also loves to drive around our neighborhood and look at all of the "scary houses" that are decorated for Halloween.

I'm amazed by the shear volume of items that we load into our car on a daily basis! Since we've begun to drive the hour or so to Noah's preschool we leave the house at 10AM and return about 7 in the evening. So there are AM snacks, school lunch, a snack for the drive home and dinner to pack up each morning (or I'm learning, the night before), extra clothes for Noah and Chloe (it's in the 50's when we leave and 80's by lunch time right now), toys for Chloe, diapers for both, DVD player with movies for the evening trip, specification catalogs for appliances, kitchen cabinets, plumbing fixtures for planning purposes, measuring tape, stroller, baby carrier, diaper bags, the list just goes on and on! I remember when I used to leave the house with a wallet, phone and lip gloss! Life has changed so much.

1st Week Progress - Room for a view

2008-10-10T09:17:00.000-07:00

Our realtor recommended a great arborist to come and help us clear the wildlife away from the house. Here is the After and Before:

Bonk on the Nose

2008-10-09T09:09:00.000-07:00

Noah fell of the seat of the sand box and took the brunt of the fall on his little nose. This is what he looked like that night.

Since we couldn't get an appt with his pediatrician, we took Noah into
the ER this morning (well and into the afternoon) and they checked
him out. The doctor says that he'll be just fine. She said that it's
a misnomer to call it a broken nose, because so much of a child's nose
is cartilage, so its classified as a facial contusion, but the care is the
same as a broken nose. We visited the doctor's office the next after noon with an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor. He didn't seem to have much pain, but he was fussy and slept more than normal.

Home not-so-Sweet Home

2008-10-06T22:02:00.000-07:00

DAY ONE:
Noah took 3 steps in and said this "is yucky, smelling and dirty - let's go back outside". He about summed up the current status!

If anyone reading this wants to plan a San Francisco trip, you are welcome to stay with us!

Noah's off to pre-school!

2008-10-01T10:39:00.000-07:00

It's off to school. Noah started his Montessori pre-school on Wednesday, October 1st. He is set to go M-F from noon until 6. He met Ms. Doris the director and I could see that he was torn between leaving me, but really wanting to go try out all of the play equipment. Eventually, the play ground won out! Chloe and I stayed until play time was over and got him settled for lunch and then we were off.

I had 6 hours to fill until I could pick him back up and drive the hour back up to Sonoma. We did lots of comparison shopping for appliances at Home Depot and Best Buy and the other showrooms in Marin. And then we landed at Corte Madera, a mom's (shopping) playground!

Noah was happy, energetic and very excited to show me the school rat when we came to pick him up. (It's an albino rat in a cage.) I was so happy to see him be so well adjusted the first day. And I'm loving the span of time it gives me to focus on Chloe and the house remodel.

A Solid Start

2008-09-28T14:38:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to wait until Chloe was 6 or 7 months, like I did with Noah, to start her on solid foods. However, she's started to wake up and want to be fed 3 or 4 times a night this past week! Something she hasn't done since she was just a few months old. So we figured it was time for her to have her first taste of something "solid". I've been reading the book that my awesome mommy friend Kathy, gave to me when we met up at Disneyland 2 weeks ago. It's called "Super Baby Food" by Ruth Yaron and is full of great advice and ways to make your own healthy baby food.

First, I used the double electric pump that my oldest and dearest friend Tiffany loaned to me. Wow, what a difference. I used a hand pump with Noah and it would take 3-4 sessions just to get a few ounces. 10 minutes, I had a good 3 oz of milk after having fed Chloe only half an hour earlier.

So I ran out and bought some organic bananas and mashed them with the breast milk until it was slightly thicker than the milk alone. We got Chloe outfitted in a hand me down bib from cousin Lucca and fed her a few bites. She's soooo mellow. She very sweetly took a few bites and then seemed content to try and wiggle her way out of the Bumbo seat.

Our great harvest - picking veggies in Napa

2008-09-26T15:16:00.000-07:00

Today we loaded up the car, drove through starbucks to pick up my first americano in 2 weeks, and headed to God's country, otherwise known as Napa, California. With the median age in the vehicle being 3, we weren't going wine tasting - we were going veggie picking with our friends Karyne and Lucca!
Today was gorgeous Indian summer with bright blue skies and upper 80 degree weather. With the babies fastened on, we lead (well, chased) Noah around Scully Ranch.
Scully Ranch "adheres to the strict codes of organic and sustainable gardening to produce ripe, flavorful and seasonally correct veggies and fruits" and grow produce for local Napa restaurant Uva and for local farmer's markets... but for us today, that meant really tasty pickings!

Noah was in his element pulling beets up from the dirt and squirting them off with the hose at the watering sink. Aman showed him how to look for the ripe ones. Luckily Curious George had grown and picked carrots in an episode earlier this week, so Noah had the concept down. I'm baking them up with some asparagus both for a salad, as I write. After the beets, he seemed to spend most of his energy picking and eating the golden rasberries below. My favorite was the supersweet tiny cherry tomatoes.

(Only in Napa, do Scarecrow's sport Ralph Lauren...)

Free-range chicken ran around and this turkey is just biding his time in preperation for Thanksgiving festivities.

This was our great harvest, along with fresh baby greens and arugula that I already have in the fridge.

I am really inspired to investigate what we can do on the hillside of our new house. The terraces that held the raspberry bushes has given me the motivation to to some research on planting our own little garden once we are settled in Marin. Any of you reading this with any gardening experience, pass on your suggestions!

We closed on a new home today!

2008-09-25T19:02:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that we are doing this again! We closed today on what our realtor tells us may be the ugliest house in Greenbrae. And I won't even tell you what it cost! Just a hint, those aren't bamboo blinds in the windows - that's cardboard. It's a tiny little 3 bedroom but it's right outside of the city so it will save Michael from the 5 or so hours he's spending in the car a day. We can watch the Larkspur Ferry dock at the terminal from our living room. So Noah will be able watch his dad go to and from work and Michael will be able to enjoy happy hour on the ferry. In lieu of our normal mode of operandi (living in the house through construction then moving once it's finished) we are going to spend a month or so renovating before we move in. Stay tuned for some pretty scary pictures of the inside of the house. We'll post some progress photos once we have the chance to get inside and do some work.