Summer Fun Summery ;)

Well, since it's September and Gabriela has started school again, I guess I should start admitting to myself that it's not summer anymore.  We had a good one.  We did almost everything on our summer fun list, and I'm back to report what was and wasn't accomplished.

• Go to Fairyland (several times)
• Go to the Oakland Zoo (several times)
• Build sand castles at the beach (lots of times)
• Go to Farmer's Market
• Make fairy gardens
• Join the summer reading program at the library
• Have ice cream at Tucker's (several times!!)
• Visit with Claire and Natalie
• Visit with Nana and Papa (several times)
• Visit with Grandma and Grandpa (several times)
• Summer bowling
• See a movie at the theater (several times)
• Go to dance class
• Berry picking!!
• Go to the park (We did this several times a week!)
• Bake a pie
• Run in the grass
• Bike rides (lots of them!)
• Blow bubbles
• Watch the 4th of July Parade
• Put on sunblock and sunhat (Gabriela's idea)
• Do somersaults in the grass
• Run like a cheetah (this girl was on a roll with her summer fun ideas
• Story time at the library
• Summer concert at Crab Cove  - we saw an Eagles cover band
• Playdates with Olivia (lots of them)
• Go to a baseball game with fireworks (one of our fun playdates with Olivia)
• Fly a kite (several times)
• Go to Crab Cove
• Swim in the ocean (Oh yeah, baby!)
• Play with sidewalk chalk
• Have a sleepover (a couple!)
• Make smoothies
• Have a fairy birthday party (the best!)
• Go to the Discovery Museum (several times)
• Take the Ferry to San Francisco
• Take care of the garden (at Uncle Nate's house)
• Family Circle time
• Paint a picture
• Get pedicures
• Get a donut (leave it to Gabriela to put this on the list)
• Slip n' Slide fun !!!
• Color outside
• Tilden Park: The carousel, little farm, the steam trains, a hike. We did it all!
• Gilroy Gardens
• Go peach picking
• Family beach dinner
• Museum of Children's Art (MOCHA)
• ride the bus (to MOCHA)

We also did a lot of fun things that weren't on our list. For some reason, we didn't get to doing these things that were on our list:

• See an outdoor movie (we did go see one, but it was technically before summer began)
• go camping
• Visit the Vivarium
• go swimming in a swimming pool (can you believe we managed to get through a whole summer without this?? Thank goodness for the beach)
•  Farmer's market at Jack London Square

We had such a good time that we decided to make a Fall Fun list.  Somehow, many of our items on this list involve eating something.  The holidays must be around the corner.

Growing Ladybugs Instagram Style.

Gabriela got the coolest birthday present from her friend, Keady in Virginia. A Ladybug Land. We all had a blast watching these babies grow.  When we were ready, we sent away for the larvae to arrive in the mail.  While we waited, we read several books about ladybugs and started a ladybug journal. Gabriela and I would choose a ladybug fact - I'd write it down and she would draw a picture. 

We watched our larvae crawl around and molt several times. One night, Lane and I watched as they attached themselves to the sides of the enclosure, ready for their metamorphosis. It was like science fiction.  The larvae turned bright yellow, puffed up and out and after doing this several times, their bodies changed shapes and hardened. Then we waited.

 I took dictation from Gabriela about her observations.  Her dictation was the best. ever.

 We went to visit Grandma and Grandpa in Gilroy one weekend, and thank goodness I brought them along because on Sunday morning we noticed one had transformed into a ladybug. Then next thing we knew, they were all crawling out of their hard pupa covering.  They were a pale yellow when they came out and we could actually watch their spots appear and darken on their bodies. It was fascinating!

 Gabriela named them all.  The ladybugs' bodies are wet and soft when they emerge and they need to open their wings and stay still while their bodies dry.  Well, Got Stuck to Their Skin got stuck to her larvae skin while her body was hardening, so she wasn't able to detach all the way. I had to perform an intervention and reach in to set her free.  Apparently, I should have staged this intervention sooner.

 The weird thing was that Got Dead wasn't actually dead. At least not at first.  She held on tight, that Got Dead.

 After a few days of observing the ladybugs crawl around, we decided to set them free at the rose garden at Lincoln Park, our local park hangout. We found some plants that had aphids for the ladybugs to munch on.

 Before the release

There are lots more entries in the ladybug journal. And Gabriela's drawings are so precious!  I am so happy we will have this book to remember our cool ladybug watching experience. I'd never watched this process before.  Gabriela truly learned a lot from it.  We have a butterfly kit too! We are going to wait a while before we send away for our caterpillars.  I'm sure it will be just as exciting and interesting.  Thanks, Keady for such a wonderful and fun learning experience for our family!

Ten Months Old

I feel like Easton has changed so much in the last month - how could all these things have happened in just four weeks? Easton gives high fives, points like nobody's business,signs for up, milk, eat, and claps.  Sometimes, he will start clapping on his own as soon as he hears me start to sing, "If you're happy and you know it".  He gives the sweetest hugs, complete with heart-melting pats on the back and the most slobbery open-mouthed kisses you could ever ask for.  He understands lots of what we say to him.  Just last night, I told him to kiss the animals in our goodnight book and he did it over and over again.

Kisses for the baby doll

This month Easton had his first dentist appointment.  One of his front teeth looks like it is chipped. The weird thing is that it grew in this way. The pediatric dentist assured us that there is nothing harmful about this, and that some composite can be used to cover it up later on, if we want.

The pediatrician is a little worried about Easton's rate of weight gain. It's been pretty steady until this last month.  So, we are going in for a weight check at the end of this month.  He eats when he wants, but he's also extremely active. Plus, have you seen what his parents look like? We aren't worried and are pretty sure it's just in his genes.

Some of Easton's favorites are turning the lights on and off, animals and babies.  He hasn't quite mastered turning the light switch back on, but he is a pro at turning lights off, and quickly points out all the light switches asking to turn them on and off.  Our little guy had so much fun at Little Farm last week - it was the first time he helped feed the animals. He adores Grandma and Grandpa's cat, Cozy, and excitedly points to every single dog he spots when we are out and about. Easton is so excited that there are other little kids, just his size. He goes crazy over babies, gives enthusiastic hugs, and laughs and smiles.  He also thinks Gabriela is the funniest person.  ever.  There is nothing better than seeing her be silly just to get giant giggles out of her baby brother.

Easton is standing up all the time by himself and is pretty steady for a few seconds. He is so proud of himself too.  And, you guys, this kid started climbing.  What the heck, Easton!  I will walk into a room to find this:

 On this particular day, Easton climbed up to get a better view of the red table. Then he sat on top of the step stool and did the sign for "eat".  Because that's what his big sister always does there. So, he had a snack.

Easton is always watching what we do and imitating what he sees.  This month I've spotted him putting a comb through his hair, trying to unscrew our water bottles, and just last night he was holding a fork and with the other hand, tried to put a piece of food onto his fork.  So cute.  He really is watching and learning all the time.

At the beginning of this month, Easton was constantly making the same sound over and over again. He would open his eyes in the morning and start saying "ite, ite, ite" and it would last all day long. But now he is making different sounds for different things - it's always consistent though.  It's a kind of pre-language, if you will. The kind that only a parent can understand.  When Easton wants to turn the light on he says "ahh! ahh!" When he drops something, he immediately looks on the ground and says, "Uh!" sometimes he goes for the "uh!uh!" But no "uh oh" yet.  When he wants something he makes a "dah!" sound that sounds almost like "that". And when he gets upset he makes a "mmm" sound, or sometimes, puts his hand up to his mouth while he makes it so it sounds like "mah".  Of course no one other than his mom or dad would ever recognize these sounds for what Easton means, but we certainly do, and that's what matters.

 Look at this little explorer on his tippy toes!

Today Easton crawled up to the dryer and handed me articles of clothing, one by one, until he got distracted and moved onto something else.  He also started dancing when I started singing to him, and spontaneously waved "bye bye" to Daddy when he left for game night.

 Easton Michael, you are growing so fast.  We love every moment with you, little sweetheart.

First day of Preschool

I told Gabriela I wanted to take her picture in front of our house on her first day of school and this girl started busting out all kinds of fancy poses. She insisted that she sit on the step.

I love how much spunk she has.  Gabriela walked right into her classroom like she owned the place, she wasn't nervous one little bit. It helps that we were assigned the same location as last year, and that she has some of the same teachers.  We expected to know three other kids in her class, but it turns out that she knows 7 kids.  score!

Gabriela was running like wild after school on the playground, so I know she had a good time and was really excited about it.  Yesterday she asked if it was a preschool day and told me she was so excited.  When I asked why she said, "I'm just so excited to see the other kids' outfits. They might be similar to what they wore yesterday".  It's apparently all about the fashion, people.

After playing on the playground and enjoying our picnic lunch there, Gabriela asked if she could go somewhere special, since it was her first day of school. I was already planning on taking her out to frozen yogurt, so it was settled. She told me all about her day - from who got to be the line leader, to what they ate for snack, and what book Teacher Dana read to them. 

 Then we went to Rocket ReUse to check out some books.  We found an awesome over-sized read aloud edition of The Mouse and the Motorcycle, and Gabriela tried on every single pair of high heeled shoes in the store. 

 On Wednesday, Gabriela asked if she could go somewhere special since it was her second day of school.  Oh, so clever, this one.  We went to the library and got a film about Antarctica. That's almost like getting frozen yogurt, right?

My little girl is getting so big. It almost makes me cry just thinking about the fact that she will be a kindergartner next year.

Andrew's Birthday Party

Sunday we drove down to Hollister for a family birthday party for Andrew, who turned 7.  Gabriela got right to work when I asked her to decorate her gift bag for her cousin.

 She explained that she drew the sky, a sun, a tree, a pond, Gabriela, Andrew, and the sidewalk.

 This side has the sun, lava from the sun, a rainbow, a white sidewalk up to a green hill with an orange picnic blanket, a family having a picnic, and their diaper bag. She also wrote, "To Andrew and Love, Gabriela Easton" Such hard work!

 Auntie Theresa never ceases to amaze us with all her hard work, creativity, and attention to detail. I wish I had taken more photos - and this wasn't even the friends birthday party!  Auntie Theresa hand crafted the lego piñata.  She made the pull string variety. Before they got started, Andrew announced that he was going to hold his bag open right underneath the piñata so all the candy fell inside. Here, you can see his plan come to fruition.  So efficient!

 This girl is proud of her loot.  Truth be told, she's only eaten one piece so far.

 Of course the cake was shaped like a giant lego! 

 The party was on my brother Tim's birthday, so Theresa added about 20 more candles and we sang Happy Birthday to Tim after Andrew's turn.

Happy birthday, guys! We are so glad we got to celebrate with you.

Labor Day Weekend Recap

We had a quiet weekend, starting out with Family Movie Night.  Gabriela and I had some special mommy daughter time to pick up our movie and dinner, and we may or may not have stopped in at the See's Candy store too.  Midway through The Muppets, we took an intermission to visit with cousins Mina, Caetlin, and Wes who were on their way up to Oregon for the long weekend. 

Daddy and Gabriela made pancakes on Saturday, just like they always do. Gabriela was a little fussy and sicky, so we decided to stay home that day. 

Sunday, we went on the monthly Alameda Family Bike Ride.  Daddy got a bike, so all four of us were able to go. We rode around the whole island!  I am pleased to report that this was the second month in a row that we held the last place spot, thank you very much. It was a long ride for some four year old legs.  Thank goodness the bike rides end at Tucker's Ice Cream where we get free ice cream after our rides. 

I only had a mild heart attack on the way to the bike ride. Lane and Gabriela were riding behind me (in the very wide Alameda bike lane), when I heard her start crying.  I turned around to see Lane jumping off his bike. I couldn't see Gabriela, but I could hear her crying. What I did see was a big SUV stopped right by her with its hazard lights on.  I was completely terrified.  She didn't get hit, or even close to it.  The driver just stopped to make sure she had enough space to get up safely.  And, really, she was fine. Four year olds fall down on their bikes sometimes.  Daddy comforted her, I comforted her, and then she got back up on her bike like she always does.   I didn't realize how traumatized I was until afterward, thinking about it over and over again. 

I cried a little on that bike ride.  

We have been to Tilden Park a lot in the last month. We went to Little Farm with some friends at the beginning of August, then we went back to ride the steam trains and carousel with one of Gabriela's preschool buddies.  We went back last week with some other friends to Little Farm, and Gabriela, who is usually terrified of the cows, decided all on her own that she was going to feed them.  By herself.  So she did.  And then she asked if we could go back on a day when Daddy stays home, so she could show him how she feeds the cows.  That morning when we woke up, the first thing she said to Lane was, "Daddy, you are going to be so proud of me when you see me feed the cow".  

And he was. 

 

 At first, Gabriela only wanted to feed the gray cow. Apparently, that one didn't try to eat her alive. But after building up some courage, she decided she could do it.

 There was a lot of fun to be had at Little Farm that afternoon.  Gabriela fed all the leaves from her celery to the chickens and this lovely looking rooster too.

 Gabriela got to pet the bunnies there.

 And grind some corn, which she then fed to the chickens.

 She brushed a goat.

 And then we started feeding the goats.  They are our favorites.  Easton even fed the goats. 

He thought it was amazing.

 So did the goat.

 

See, I told you Gabriela was turning into a farm girl!

 Easton was so happy feeding those goats.  And Gabriela was a good sport about sharing her celery.

 

She really was having a hard time with the idea that eventually, she was going to run out of celery. Toward the end, Gabriela was ripping off the teeniest, tiniest bits of celery for the poor little goats to eat.  See for yourself:

 After feeding the animals, we enjoyed a lunchtime picnic and then headed out to the Nature Area to walk along a gorgeous trail around around a lake at the park. I was surprised we'd never done it before. It was so pretty. We were too busy enjoying the view to take any pictures.  But we had so much fun spotting moss growing on trees, watching the tadpoles swim around in the water, finding cool nature to take home and add to our fairy gardens, picking little berries off the bushes, and spotting turtles in the water. 

When we finished our trail, we came back to the grass, got out Gabriela's soccer ball and played for about an hour - chasing Gabriela, kicking the ball back and forth, throwing it as high up in the air as we could. 

It was a great way to end our long weekend with Daddy. If only they were all three day weekends.

San Francisco with Uncle Noal

Last Sunday we took the Ferry from Alameda to San Francisco to visit Uncle Noal and Auntie Elizabeth.  That's right, people. Gabriela asked if she could call Elizabeth her Auntie.  so sweet.  Anyway, taking the ferry was a summer fun list adventure, so we went for it.  It was perfect.  There is free parking, and it's only a 20 minute ride.  We explored outside on the boat, 

where Gabriela declared it to be too windy.

As long as you catch the last ferry ride home that works with little kids' bedtimes, it's fine.  If your husband makes fun of you for wanting to get there early, and then you don't end up getting there early, or even on time, he might have to drive across the bridge with his brother, bring back the car, and then drive you back home with two sleeping kids. But don't worry, you will still get home an hour before the next available ferry. And you won't have to worry about getting back to the Ferry Building with a sleeping baby and a sleeping 4 year old.  Needless to say, we had more adventure than we planned on. 

So, let's rewind to our arrival.  We got to the Ferry Building in 20 minutes. so quick!  We strolled around outside and Gabriela chased the birds - one of her all time favorite activities, until we met up with Auntie and Uncle.

The Ferry Building has all sorts of enticing aromas and shoppes.  It's also very beautiful.  Gabriela somehow convinced her daddy to buy her a chocolate covered alfajor before lunch. The child is brilliant, I tell you.  This smile may have had something to do with it.

We drooled over and admired hand crafted goods.  Elizabeth and I munched on empanadas. Easton sampled some too, and gave them a thumbs up.

While enjoying the beautiful sunshine along the Embarcadero, we came across this sculpture that we decided we needed to explore.

Gabriela loved all the waterfalls.

Lane took some cool water shots.

And then we walked through Chinatown.  It was a nice relaxing walk, especially since the street was closed to motor vehicles for Sunday Strolls.

We got extra touristy for Gabriela and decided to take a cable car back to Noal and Elizabeth's place. 

Easton slept a lot that day. Gabriela, again, said it was too windy. Welcome to San Francisco, baby.

We enjoyed some wine and a delicious salad and pasta dinner.  Easton immediately found the garden stash of tomatoes and got right down to business sampling them. He bit into about four tomatoes before we finally moved them out of his reach.

Thank you Uncle Noal and Auntie Elizabeth for hosting us again, (and also for driving Lane to Alameda to get our van so he could drive us home).  We always have a wonderful time visiting with you and we can't wait to do it again.