Skating and Halloween

A couple of weeks ago we took the kids to the ice rink in Oakland. This was Madeleine's second time skating, and she absolutely loved it. The kids took turns skating with Daddy around the rink and having snacks with Mommy in between turns.

This was Ross's first time on the ice and he loved it too.

Madeleine is really keen to help me in the kitchen these days, and I just had to include this cute picture of her helping wash the dishes.

Last year they were both a bit apprehensive about Halloween, but this year they got pretty excited about it. Madeleine requested a heart nose for the Jack O Lantern.

Madeleine decided to be a "princess fairy" and Ross decided to be a firefighter. Madeleine was jumping up and down with excitement as we got ready to go Trick-or-Treating, and Ross cautiously followed. 

They were overjoyed at the experience of getting candy and reliably said Thank You, but usually forgot the "trick or treat". 

Uncle Chris Comes to Visit!

We were so happy to have Uncle Chris come visit from Ontario. Here is the scene from the first evening of Chris' arrival, soon after Chris gave the kids the Clifford book...

We all went to Muir Woods to see the big redwood trees, and the kids loved running around with Uncle Chris.

M had a lot of fun building her lego car with Uncle Chris.

The crew taking a break from an afternoon dance party, with Uncle Chris on baby doll duty.

We spent a day in San Francisco and waited in long lines to ride the Cable Car, but it was really fun and Ross especially loved it.

Then came the part that Madeleine associates with trips to San Francisco - ice cream!

We stopped at the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge to take in the views.

It was a wonderful visit and the kids were so sad to see their beloved Uncle Chris leave. He was non-stop fun for the kids - never hesitated to say yes to their constant requests to play, and calmly distracted them from sibling squabbles. Steve and Chris also got to spend some quality brother time in the garage giving Steve's lathe a try now that it is all assembled. It is visits like this make us so glad to be back on the same continent as our family.

Grammie's Visit

My mom came down for a 2.5 week visit at the start of September. It was so fun to have her here, and we really appreciated her help since Steve was spending long hours at work preparing for a big presentation. 

Here are some pictures from Steve's birthday - the kids helped make vanilla cupcakes and shortly after this picture M got a bit of hot wax on her finger...

...which explains her blank stare in this picture:

We went for a little hike with Grammie, around one of the water reserves in Marin County. M dresses herself most days, and usually has a few outfit changes throughout a day. This was her chosen hiking outfit, and the most important part of it for her was her little red emergency kit.

She said several times, "when is someone going to have an emergency?!?"

M playing the role of big, protective sister as she "helped" Ross cross this dry creek bed.

Our lunch stop... it wasn't until I saw this picture that I realized my mom and I were dressed alike that day!

The kids and Grammie examining the Acorn Woodpecker holes in the trees.

M took this lovely picture of Grammie!

We also went to the Oakland Zoo with Grammie.

Both kids did not put their little zoo maps down once. I think the maps were more interesting for them than the animals!

A beach day at Point Pinole...

... topped off with yummy frozen yogurt. (Ross had just woken up!)

M and her pretty braids, just hours before she decided to give herself a haircut (with braids still in)...

... which results in a sort of reverse-mohawk style, with added little short spots at the back, sides, and crown. Fortunately, there is enough for a comb-over, and I added a few more bangs to even it out. As much as she claims to like her long hair, she didn't seem at all bothered by the short pieces. This is her second DIY haircut, so the scissors now live on top of the fridge.

Grammie with Ross, Madeleine, Baby Theo, Poppy, Madeleine, Anna, Elsa, and Baby Coconut.

Grammie's visit also coincided with a 3 week visit from Luna, a little white rabbit who was escaping every other day from her home a couple of houses away. The owner offered her to us after we caught and returned her one day, so we had a bunny living in our kitchen for a few weeks. In the end, the owner's sister wanted to take her, which was fine; as much as we all liked her, we had realized this is not the best house or time for us to have a pet. 

One final shot of Grammie and Ross reading together...

Summer Projects

Here is a collection of pictures from the last couple months, starting with a project in the garage.

The kids wear their ear protection and stand far away when Daddy is cutting wood.

Ross was so proud of himself for doing as he was told...

They were cutting wood to make some little wooden boxes.

They were so excited with the finished products and as soon as they rolled out of bed the next morning, they were showing them off and putting treasures in them. Ross used his to hold all his plastic bugs, Madeleine used hers to hold a wide variety of trinkets and papers.

Madeleine helped me iron some fabric I bought to make her a skirt. She had never seen an iron in action before!

While Ross was napping one dayMadeleine helped Daddy scrub some of the parts for his lathe...

 ... and then re-grease them.

We went for a weekend hike in Marin County and the kids loved throwing rocks into the reservoir.

Searsport, Maine

We flew to Maine at the end of July to see Kristin and Matt. They were married at city hall in August of last year and this year they wanted to throw a party at Matt's family cottage to celebrate with friends and family. The kids did very well on our red eye flights out to the east coast, and were very excited to see everyone. We shared the cottage next door with my parents, who brought their tandem bicycle and afterwards cycled to Nova Scotia.  

We enjoyed the first few days of cloud, rain, and cooler temperatures. 

But soon enough the sun came out and Madeleine was prepared!

Madeleine loved "babysitting" Polly the dog and was very happy to have her at our cottage as much as possible.

We had so much fun taking the kayaks out from the nearby beach. Both kids loved it, and so did I.

Ross held his treasured crab very tightly...

... and stopped to smell the flowers.

M loved the slip n' slide that Kristin and Matt got for the kids. It was luxurious to have so much water and green grass to play in - the kids don't get much of either in drought-ridden California.

Uncle Matt set up a ping pong table in the garage and all the kids had lots of fun playing together.

The gardens around Matt's family cottage are beautiful and lush - the kids loved running and exploring and rolling in the grass.

The party day was a lovely sunny day and about 35 people gathered here for a delicious lunch with pie for dessert.

Matt and Kristin re-enacted their vows, and shared their story of getting three family wedding rings melded into two. 

Matt and his friend Melanie entertained us with music.

After a relaxing afternoon, we all headed to the beach for an impressive bonfire.

Here's the happy couple and Polly!