Oakland Zoo

For months a group of us have been trying to plan a trip to the zoo.  We finally made it happen last Friday.  We all headed up there and got to see all the animals first thing in the morning.  Many of them were eating breakfast, which was fun to witness.  At one point the chimpanzee got upset and jump kicked the glass right in front of us.  That was quite a moment. 

After the zoo we headed to Fenton’s for lunch and of course ice cream.  We all devoured ice cream sundaes, the kids included, and chatted. It was a wonderful day for all of us. 

Read more...

Oakland Zoo

For months a group of us have been trying to plan a trip to the zoo.  We finally made it happen last Friday.  We all headed up there and got to see all the animals first thing in the morning.  Many of them were eating breakfast, which was fun to witness.  At one point the chimpanzee got upset and jump kicked the glass right in front of us.  That was quite a moment. 

After the zoo we headed to Fenton’s for lunch and of course ice cream.  We all devoured ice cream sundaes, the kids included, and chatted. It was a wonderful day for all of us. 

Read more...

Girl’s Mountain Weekend

Labor Day weekend Cyrus was out of town at a friend's wedding- congratulations Wes!  So, I thought why not take a weekend trip to the mountains with my best friend.  We left on Friday night for Mi Wuk and after 4.5 hours in the car (more than twice what was expected), all of which Sophia was an absolute trooper for, we arrived.  Sophia entertained herself in the car by reading books, talking, singing songs and finally falling asleep in the car.  


On Saturday we headed out and checked out a local pizzeria for lunch and then headed to the lake for the afternoon.  I bought Sophia a new sand toy and she had a great time filling it up with sand and water and watching it drain.  After all the water fun we bought frozen yogurts at the lake store- I have learned my lesson about sharing ice cream with Sophia and decided to buy her her own.  She ate most of it before it fell into the dirt.

 

That evening we had dinner at a local institution and then played board games for hours.  Sunday we headed home slowly, stopping in Sonora for a stroll and later at various fruit and vegetable stands on the way.  Sophia ate her weight in strawberries and I frankly I don’t blame her- they were the best I have ever had- super sweet!  On Monday we went to BBQ at a friends and took it easy- it was a very laborless day. 

Read more...

Girl’s Mountain Weekend

Labor Day weekend Cyrus was out of town at a friend's wedding- congratulations Wes!  So, I thought why not take a weekend trip to the mountains with my best friend.  We left on Friday night for Mi Wuk and after 4.5 hours in the car (more than twice what was expected), all of which Sophia was an absolute trooper for, we arrived.  Sophia entertained herself in the car by reading books, talking, singing songs and finally falling asleep in the car.  


On Saturday we headed out and checked out a local pizzeria for lunch and then headed to the lake for the afternoon.  I bought Sophia a new sand toy and she had a great time filling it up with sand and water and watching it drain.  After all the water fun we bought frozen yogurts at the lake store- I have learned my lesson about sharing ice cream with Sophia and decided to buy her her own.  She ate most of it before it fell into the dirt.

 

That evening we had dinner at a local institution and then played board games for hours.  Sunday we headed home slowly, stopping in Sonora for a stroll and later at various fruit and vegetable stands on the way.  Sophia ate her weight in strawberries and I frankly I don’t blame her- they were the best I have ever had- super sweet!  On Monday we went to BBQ at a friends and took it easy- it was a very laborless day. 

Read more...

Tomatoes everywhere!

Although our summer has been unseasonably cold we finally got a crop of tomatoes. Actually a crop is an understatement- we got a whole bushel. So, we canned some, juiced some, sauced some, gazpachoed some and now we are considering other ideas- tomato muffins, tomato baths and hair dye? Anyway, here are a few photos of this year’s tomato journey.

Read more...

Tomatoes everywhere!

Although our summer has been unseasonably cold we finally got a crop of tomatoes. Actually a crop is an understatement- we got a whole bushel. So, we canned some, juiced some, sauced some, gazpachoed some and now we are considering other ideas- tomato muffins, tomato baths and hair dye? Anyway, here are a few photos of this year’s tomato journey.

Read more...

Trains, Trees, Tractors and Tons of Food

Last Saturday we decided to take Sophia to Roaring Camp Railroads, which is about 25 minutes from our house.  We stopped on the way out of town at a market to get some picnic items, and then started on what we expected to be a short drive.  1.5 hours later (due to major accidents on the road) we arrived to hear the train we planned on catching pull out of the station L.  So we regrouped, ate our picnic and waited for the next train, which ended up leaving 40 minutes late because the earlier train got stuck on the mountain.  At this point we were way past nap time and Sophia was unhappy with all the waiting, but quickly forgot about it when she found some new friends to play with.  

Once we boarded the train her mood changed and she was super excited, but told us she did not like the horn.  Once we started moving she was in heaven.  We had a blast riding the train through the redwoods, taking a short hike at the mid point where you can get off and then riding it back down.  At the end of the trip Sophia turned to us and said, “again?”

By the time we got to the car it was 4 pm and she had had no nap.  She decided she was too tired to cooperate and get into the car seat; one chocolate square later she was happy to oblige with our request.  (Disclaimer:  I am not above bribery of my 2 year old in certain circumstances- this was one of them.)  Once we started driving she fell fast asleep.

While driving home a friend of mine invited us to a pig roast in the Los Gatos hills.  We were more than happy to join as it sounded super fun and Cyrus was super excited about the pig.  We arrived at this huge house and BBQ area surrounded by Christmas trees.  Apparently these people bought a Christmas tree lot and then built a house on it.  The pig roast was wonderful- the company and food were amazing and Sophia even got to ride on their tractor (which she loved and wanted to do many times, just not without her dad holding her). 

All in all it was a wonderful day full of new priceless experiences. 

Read more...

Trains, Trees, Tractors and Tons of Food

Last Saturday we decided to take Sophia to Roaring Camp Railroads, which is about 25 minutes from our house.  We stopped on the way out of town at a market to get some picnic items, and then started on what we expected to be a short drive.  1.5 hours later (due to major accidents on the road) we arrived to hear the train we planned on catching pull out of the station L.  So we regrouped, ate our picnic and waited for the next train, which ended up leaving 40 minutes late because the earlier train got stuck on the mountain.  At this point we were way past nap time and Sophia was unhappy with all the waiting, but quickly forgot about it when she found some new friends to play with.  

Once we boarded the train her mood changed and she was super excited, but told us she did not like the horn.  Once we started moving she was in heaven.  We had a blast riding the train through the redwoods, taking a short hike at the mid point where you can get off and then riding it back down.  At the end of the trip Sophia turned to us and said, “again?”

By the time we got to the car it was 4 pm and she had had no nap.  She decided she was too tired to cooperate and get into the car seat; one chocolate square later she was happy to oblige with our request.  (Disclaimer:  I am not above bribery of my 2 year old in certain circumstances- this was one of them.)  Once we started driving she fell fast asleep.

While driving home a friend of mine invited us to a pig roast in the Los Gatos hills.  We were more than happy to join as it sounded super fun and Cyrus was super excited about the pig.  We arrived at this huge house and BBQ area surrounded by Christmas trees.  Apparently these people bought a Christmas tree lot and then built a house on it.  The pig roast was wonderful- the company and food were amazing and Sophia even got to ride on their tractor (which she loved and wanted to do many times, just not without her dad holding her). 

All in all it was a wonderful day full of new priceless experiences. 

Read more...

I love parenting my little girl.....

When Sophia was a tiny baby she would hold onto my necklace as I fed her.  Now she is constantly taking my necklaces off of me and wearing them.  Since I have lots of long necklaces this tends to work.  Well the other day she wanted to wear my short diamond circle necklace that Cyrus bought me when we found out I was pregnant with her.  I thought about it and eventually came to the conclusion that she could hold onto it while we read books before naptime.  At naptime she reluctantly surrendered it in an adult fashion (aka without tears).  After her nap I asked her if she would like to wear a necklace.  She said yes, ran into my room and stood next to the bureau with my jewelry box.  I told her that she had her own jewelry box in her room with a few things we bought for her in the past few years.  I pulled out a silver plumeria necklace with a rhinestone and she went nuts.  She said “put fower necklace on me”.  After I did, she looked at it and said “wow, it has a dimon in it”.  For the rest of the day she wore the necklace and looked down at it often.  Since then she has asked for a necklace every day.  She knows she can not sleep or play at the playground in it, but she is happy with those rules.  

Read more...

I love parenting my little girl.....

When Sophia was a tiny baby she would hold onto my necklace as I fed her.  Now she is constantly taking my necklaces off of me and wearing them.  Since I have lots of long necklaces this tends to work.  Well the other day she wanted to wear my short diamond circle necklace that Cyrus bought me when we found out I was pregnant with her.  I thought about it and eventually came to the conclusion that she could hold onto it while we read books before naptime.  At naptime she reluctantly surrendered it in an adult fashion (aka without tears).  After her nap I asked her if she would like to wear a necklace.  She said yes, ran into my room and stood next to the bureau with my jewelry box.  I told her that she had her own jewelry box in her room with a few things we bought for her in the past few years.  I pulled out a silver plumeria necklace with a rhinestone and she went nuts.  She said “put fower necklace on me”.  After I did, she looked at it and said “wow, it has a dimon in it”.  For the rest of the day she wore the necklace and looked down at it often.  Since then she has asked for a necklace every day.  She knows she can not sleep or play at the playground in it, but she is happy with those rules.  

Read more...