We've been very busy of late. Well, always. Lets see, a few weeks ago we went to Lake Tahoe for a visit with my family. It turned out to be a good weekend for us, and it was just a few days before David's 3rd birthday. 3 years already!

We planned on heading up after school on Friday, which we did, but it was a little more after then we had hoped. We got to about an hour away when we needed to head the call for dinner. So we stopped and at an OK meal at Denny's. The rest of the trip up went fairly well. There was a bit of road work which slowed us down, and we had tired children scaring themselves with the shadows on the ceiling from the headlight behind us, but we got there around 10. I set up the bedroom for the kids as they visited with Grandma Jeanne and Aunts Susan and Joan, and Uncle Greg. The kids were super tired by the time they went to bed 30 minutes later, but they still wanted to be all crazy and wiggly. But they can't beat exhaustion, and soon were quiet. That pretty much goes for us too, just an hour later.

Saturday we went to a beach and pool complex, and the kids had a great time playing in whichever body of water they were near. Incredibly, the lake was pretty warm, I think it was 66/19 F/C. We had to go for lunch and naps, which, of course, David and Isabelle both denied needing, and while they slept, I put up decorations around the living room and kitchen. I just love seeing those eyes when there are signs of a party after nap. After David got up from nap, it was present opening time! David loved just about everything he received, as did Isabelle. He got some new matchbox cars, a kids animal flashlight, some clothes, and what turned out to be his favorite, a guitar designed just for kids to learn to play guitar. General mayhem ensued until dinner, and even during dinner, David wanted to finish as soon as he could so he could get back to the new toys.

But then there was cake! That got David to sit down at the table again.

The trip back from Tahoe took a long time. First we had to make a potty break, then we had our picnic lunch, which is the one stop we planned. Then we had a lot of slow traffic down the hill, mostly due to only one lane of the interstate being open. Then we had a sudden awakening incident which led to another rest stop. So in the end, the trip home took about 4 hours longer then is should have. But the kids had a great time, and Isabelle even said, "I don't want Tahoe to end!"

We didn't plan as well as we should have, and forgot to bring the charger, so we don't have any pictures to put up yet.

Last weekend we thought we'd adventure into the wilderness, and go camping. We chose a place nearby, only about 90 min. away. We had to go after swim lessons and lunch, so we thought the kids would sleep in the car on the way.

You know why I mentioned that part about sleeping don't you?

Saturday at the camp ground was a little challenging with two very tired children that would not, or could not, listen.  I got the tent and sleeping arrangements all set up, and the kids had a snack at the picnic table.  Then I started to set up the 'kitchen area' of the picnic table.  David wanted help with that by touching as many things as he could.  Isabelle was pretty good, but wanted to walk as close to the edge of the 5 ft drop into the stream behind our camp.  We tried to have them relax and have some low energy time at the picnic table.  But no, they wanted to run around in circles around the tent.  Which was fine, save for the dust kicked up, but they were having fun, so it was fine.  But if anything was not going to plan in their eyes, the whining started.  We decided to head out for a little trail around the campground, maybe a mile long ( 1.6 km) loop.

They both enjoy 'nature walks' at home.  And this seemed like a good purposeful distraction.  We got about 100 meters out, and David needed to be carried, cause he was sooooo tired.  So Julie carried him for a minute, put him down, and he would walk a little further, then repeat.  He was so tired, he could hardly keep his eyes open.  Julie ended taking him back to the tent for a little nap while Isabelle and I continued our walk.

I spotted a few deer, which I pointed out to Isabelle, who proceeded to tell me their names were Bambi and Felise, which is how she remembers the name of Bambi's girlfriend, Faline.  Then I think she was a little bit afraid of seeing a bear.  After a few minutes, I convinced her that we wouldn't see any bears in that area.  As we got closer to the campground, we saw a gaggle of wild turkeys as well.  Isabelle didn't name them though.

We got back to the tent, and found a almost naked David running around the inside of the tent, NOT napping.  It seems that getting carried back to the tent was enough rest for a boy who's almost 3, and the tent was too new and exciting to sleep in!

We still had about an hour before it was time to start dinner, so we took a smaller nature walk to the stream and did some exploring there.  We found tadpoles in the water, but no frogs.  We later learned that some other, older boys had found some frogs, so when we were looking for them, I'm sure only the best hiding frogs were still around.  We also found a wild bramble of blackberries, and had a little snack of fresh berries.

Dinner was good, and the kids ate well.  Then we decided to reward them, and introduce a camping special - S'MORES!  We didn't have a camp fire, as that was too much a risk with the two kids in the state they were in.  Especially if we were going to add a bunch of sugar via marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate!  We collected a couple of good sticks, I whittled them down, and we roasted marshmallows over the camping stove, which was good enough for everyone involved.  Then the quiet goodness of eating fresh hot s'mores.

After that, we just kinda sat around the camp and tried to keep the kids quiet.  Not shhh, don't make a sound quiet, but rather the don't run around and get crazy until there is a meltdown quiet.  Isabelle was very eager to find the first star in the sky, which she did.

Getting to sleep was a little challenging, as was foreshadowed by the non-nap david took earlier.  Eventually, of course, after much fidgeting and some crying, sleep won out.

Julie and I were awoken around 2 a.m. by what we think was a turkey vocalizing.  Not a gobble-gobble, but rather a double scream, almost like a bigger sounding crow's squak, which echoed in the valley.  Maybe it was an owl, or a fox, or some crazy coyote.  It was a little confusing, as you might imagine.  Especially since it was moving.  But we were tired, so we quickly went back to sleep.

I woke up to Isabelle saying, "Daddy, Look!"

And right outside out tent, a few meters away, were a couple of deer, munching on the camp meadow before all the campers awoke to spoil their buffet of grass, flowers, and natural herbs.

That was the start to a good morning, as the kids had slept, and were much better at listening and playing.  I cooked up some hot Malt-o-meal, which the kids loved for breakfast.  We took another nature walk around the camp, and saw lots more deer, some chattering squirrels, and a family of woodpeckers.  In fact, deer were the predominant theme of the day, as we saw a family of them as we left the park before lunch.

We have had the book, Chicka chikca boom boom, ever since Isabelle came along. And I recently got a new copy for the kids, with a bonus CD sung by Ray Charles. As it turns out, they don't really like the CD. But we did find a video cartoon on Youtube of the poem by a different group. And the kids love it! At least twice a day, someone will ask to see the Chicka chikca boom boom movie, among many others.

Well, the other day, we were driving in the car, and Isabelle started singing the song, and just about knew all the words! Then she kinda asked us for the missing part, but we didn't really know it all yet either. But we'd get a few of the words or phrases out, and she would say, "No, wait Mommy, Wait!" And then she would pick up where we left off. Of course, when she sings it, it doesn't just end after one verse. In fact the same verse can repeat many times.


We also took the kids to our favorite sushi restaurant for the first time. And the kids did really well, eating with chopsticks, and with general manners. They can be such good kids when they want to be. (They can also be real stinkers too!) They both ate a lot of good food, and tried just about everything we offered them, including a couple of special rolls, some udon, some tempora, and of course, edamame. David even liked the seared Ahi! (In the low light, the pictures didn't come out that great.)

This summer we finally started swim lessons for the kids. There is a great program in town that has an indoor pool, heated to about 90 F, and is only about 3-4 ft deep, with a seat about 1 foot under water that encompasses the outer perimeter. The classes are only 2-3 kids each, so the kids can get all the attention they need, and they advance individually within each class, so if they can do all the things expected at a certain level, the same instructor will just start teaching them the next level. No new times, kids, or teachers.

So far, they've had a couple of lessons each. David doesn't listen to his instructor, so he has to learn by being taken out with her, and then they both do things together. He really just wants to play with some of the toys. And throwing things. He like to throw stuff into the pool.

Isabelle has had a couple of good lessons, but she is a 'little unsure' about getting in the pool with new kids she doesn't know yet. So her lessons have been essentially private with a different instructor. She also like to play a lot more in the water, and she won't do things we know she can do. For instance, when we have gone to the community pool, she can tread water and blow bubbles, and even put her whole head under water for a second or two. At swim lessons, she just barely blows a bubble or two. The lessons are only 30 minutes, but I bet if they were an hour, Isabeel would be more comfortable, and do all those things she can do.

Here's our July 4th recap, a few weeks late...

For July 4th, we went downtown to watch a bit of the annual criterium, then to the towns central park for the usual fireworks display. There is a big play structure there, which got the kids very excited, and a little scared when there were too many other kids there. But they were very busy running around and climbing and getting even more tired then when we had arrived, and more tired then they needed to be for the show later on. But we did eventually settle down on our picnic blanket, and had a few snacks. There was a boy about 13 years old near us that brought his electric guitar and mini amp, and was playing a few bits of songs. Both David and Isabelle were very interested in what he was doing. And I was curious to hear whichever piece he would play next, because everything he was playing was metal from the early 80's! I'm talking Crazy Train, Eruption, even Master Of Puppets!


Then, we saw our friends Megan and Steve, who just happened to park their picnic blanket a few meters away. They came over, and the kids got excited and wanted to tell them all about our afternoon at the park. And then run around them in circles.

After about 9 p.m., the sun set, and the kids realized that they were getting tired. But we kept them interested in the show by talking about it, and then a woman who was also nearby, gave us a couple of glow bracelets, and the kids really liked those too. But soon, David was getting more tired, and having a hard time playing or interacting much. So I sat with him on my lap, and we looked at some of the various sites we could still see, like balloons flying away, other kids with glow sticks, BBQs, etc.


At 9:30 the fireworks began, and the whole park erupted in simultaneous "Ooohs" and "Ahhhhs!" We watched a few fireworks, and then David says, "I want to go home now, Daddy."
He was just so tired. But I told him that we would just be there for a few more minutes, and then we could go home. I think he really like the finale though, when there are a lot of explosions in the sky, and lots of colors. He was too tired to walk back to the car, and so was Isabelle, but once they were in their car seats, they had a lot to say. Kids, Megan, Balloons, Steve, Guitars, Picnics, Diego ( a current favorite cartoon), jumping on the beds, etc.

And the trip home...

We finally made our trip to the beach!! We told Belle that if she wore her glasses every day that we'd plan a trip. I made a sticker chart for incentive, which she barely needed. She's been so good about wearing her glasses that she's actually begun to like them! Incidentally, her eyes have also improved a lot already and the prognosis is good for correction!

So after a long drive (for Belle) to SF with lots of "mommy are we at the beach?" we arrived at Ocean Beach... With our picnic all packed and the kids adequately layered we trekked up the little hill and over to see the ocean and play in the sand. Lucky for us, the weather was a mild 68 degrees with a light breeze. Although the water was certainly too cold to swim in, it was fine for dipping in our feet and chasing the waves back and forth and of course the giggles never ended during that game! Eventually the kids ended up with wet pants and sand sticking all over so we cleaned up and ate our lunch. By then they were happily worn out and with full bellies we headed back to the car for our drive home.

It was great to get out of town with the humidity and smoke and play in the fresh air... We've all been so busy getting the daycare up and running smoothly we haven't had time for special play. I think we all feel a little bit filled up by that one fun little afternoon.

A milestone in development occurred this afternoon at about 7. We were at the park, after dinner and before bath, when the kids were doing what they do. David was riding around in a new tricycle, and Isabelle was climbing around on the play structure. I don't know if you can still call 'em jungle gyms or monkey bars or whatever we used to call them. But I digress.



Isabelle had a great breakthrough while she was playing. For the first time, she was able to hang onto a horizontal bar, one of many which create a ladder to the next structure, and she then reached out and grabbed the next bar. Then the next, and so on. She has never done that before. She was always afraid of falling or not making it to the next rung.

And she made it to the other side! She was so happy! And we clapped and said, "Yeah!" Then she jumped up and down, screamed a little happy scream, and did a little dance.

Then she was right back to repeat her feat! With much more confidence.

So, I think I have captured the face of the previously mentioned screeming and giggling until hiccups expression

So it seems we've got to stage in life where yelling, "OOOuurrrgggh" is the funniest thing ever, as it is immediately followed by lots of giggling. Sometimes this activity occurs near a doorway or wall. This will go on until the body needs more oxygen than is being delivered with all those exhalations, or until the hiccups begin.

But then it resumes.

This last weekend was Father's Day, of course. The kids all said "Happy Birthday!" when I got up in the morning. We didn't go anywhere special, just played at the homestead. We did head out to the smoothy store, which the kids love. So we all shared a few tasty fruit smoothies. Sometimes I think they drink them so fast they must get brain freezes.

OK everyone.  I found the blogging software again.  Well, not really.  I just found a few minutes to try and get caught up.  For those that don't yet know, we have moved.  Contact us if you need to new address.  The moving explains most of why there have not been any posts lately.  Just too many other things to do.  We've also been getting ready for opening our daycare, so that includes lots of other hoops with the state to go through.

Grandma Judy came out for a week to help us out, and my friend Randy was also in town, and he helped a lot too.

So besides that, what have we been up to?  I went on a camping trip with a couple of my best friends.  It was good, albeit a short trip.  I can send you pictures if you want as well, but I'm not going to put them up here, as I try to keep this mostly about the kids.

David also had a recheck hearing exam, and it turns out his hearing is fine.  He's just very selective at times.

Isabelle also had an eye exam, following her wellness check.  It turns out she has a lazy eye, and she's almost exclusively using her right eye to see things.  So she now has a pair of very nice polycarbonate scratch resistant sparkling red glasses to force her to use her left eye, before her brain just starts to ignore it all the time.  We also have the option to put a patch on her right eye, and force her to use the left, but we won't do anything drastic like that yet.  Although I think she might like being a pirate all day.  We have a recheck with her ophthalmologist at the end of the month to see how her vision is improving with the glasses, then we'll decide the next step.

We had Grandma Jeanne, Aunt Susie, Uncle Greg, and Aunt Joani come up for a Mother's Day BBQ.  It was nice, except for the 100 degree temp!

Julie and I just made a huge chalk board for the back yard, which the kids tend to ignore.

We have two cherry trees in the back yard, which is nice to get that fresh fruit.  Unfortunately, David likes to swallow the pits, so we have to be pretty attentive to low hanging fruit.

We also live very near the edge of town, which I think is great.  We can walk about 100 meters and be at the city limits.  And the city has done a really nice thing in that they have built a greenbelt the encircles this part of town, so we go for 'nature walks' with the kids and they can see lots of wild animals, mostly birds, and pretend they are in the deep dark jungle, a la The Jungle Book.

"Look David!" says Isabelle, "There's Bagheera and Mowgli!"

As an aside, I hope David isn't constantly disappointed, because he can't see the things in Isabelle's imagination when she says things like that.

Yesterday they got to see their first real live snake in the wild.  Julie spotted a gopher snake going into a gopher hole, and the kids were so excited to get up close to see it's tail.  I held onto it so they could pet it a little, but it had to get into that hole, either to escape us, or get dinner.  I've also seen a gaggle of turkeys (one tom, and maybe 8 hens) in the vicinity, but I see them early in the morning, and the kids haven't seen them yet when we all go out in the afternoon.

Look who got to sit in a firetruck!

Here's some fun at the park. With the geese telling the kids to settle down!

This week we went house shopping, and the kids love to run around all the back yards, and up 'n down empty hallways. We clearly have no control over our kids. But we did find a new house, and now begins the application process, and planning the moving.

A friend of Isabelle had a birthday party at a new park this weekend, and the kids had a blast. It was a really nice park too, with a fence all around, so we could actually not watch the kids every second without worrying about one of them running into the sunset. It also had two sections, one for big kids, and one for not so big kids. They also had lots of good snaking food, and for lunch, pizza! Yeah, we love pizza. I think the kids have been talking about it all afternoon, well, at least Isabelle.

We also picked up a few second hand Disney princess dresses and a fairy dress with wings on Saturday. And dress-up soon ensued. Sometimes Isabelle calls herself Cinderella, other times Snow White. Even David gets himself in one and calls himself Cinderella, although Cinderfella would be more appropriate. He has no idea what he's doing, the way he's bending all the social norms. In a few years, he'll be embarrassed when he see the photos, but for now, its harmless fun.


And oh yes, ice cream!

So, most of you know that John and I have odd, alternate schedules. I don't always get to hear details of every day conversation that he has with the kids, so when he said he posted a new blog post about the "whys" I sat down for a read... It's funny how our perspectives on things can be so different.

No doubt that Isabelle is in her "why" stage. Most of the time I can't really even figure out why she's asking because she usually knows the answer to her own question. But anyway, back to John's post. I was amused and endeared (but not surprised) by his scientific approach to Belle's cloud questions. Certainly I take opportunities to teach her when things arise; like the time she told me that the steam from the espresso machine made her hand wet and we had a talk about the different forms of water. But here's our usual conversation addressing her whys:

"Mommy, look at those pretty clouds! Why are clouds white?"

"Oooohhh, those are pretty!! They must white because they are made from big puffy cottonballs!"

"Yes they are! Mommy, can we jump on them?"

" Of course we can! We could float up in a bubble and land on top and jump on them all day"

"Why would we float in a bubble?"

"Well, how else are we going to get up there if we're out of magic flying dust AND our fairy wings are at the cleaners?"

"We could use a biiiiiiiiiiiig ladder!!"

" Yes, we could, but who is going to hold the ladder if we all want to get to the clouds??"

" I don't know"

(Unexpected swerve to avoid an inconsiderate driver)

"Mommy, why did you do that? Was that person a doe-doe bird?"

"Yes sweetie..  a big one with a capital A."

"Were they talking on their phone?"

"I don't know, maybe... maybe they just don't know how to drive."

"Why don't they know how to drive?"

"Because they're a doe-doe bird. What does Mommy say about people who don't know how to drive."

"They should stay home."

"That's right."

Then on to the next why question...:>)

So this weekend was Easter weekend, and that means colored eggs and jelly beans. And an egg hunt. First though, came the coloring. We had a couple of coloring kits, and 18 eggs. Clearly, 18 eggs is never enough for two kids. I think they would have gone through 180 eggs if we had 'em. Of course, when anyone dyes eggs, it's important to give the eggs enough time in the dye to really absorb the colors, but when you are 4, that seems like an eternity! We did get lots of good colored eggs done though, and only a few broken shells.

After we dyed eggs, our friend Jen came by for dinner. Sometimes when friends come for visits, the kids have a hard time eating, because they have so much to show our guests. But after telling stories about the eggs, both Isabelle and David were glad to sit and have dinner. Especially for the desert, chocolate lava cupcakes!

Sunday was Easter, so the big egg hunt was scheduled. The kids got up VERY early with excitement, but we didn't have a chance to hide the eggs yet, so we told them we didn't hear the Easter bunny yet, so we had to wait. We did a little pre-Easter egg hunt in the morning around the living room which was great. Nothing like doing and easter-egg hunt in your pajamas. After it warmed up a little outside, Julie got both kids in the bedroom playing games, and I sneaked out the front door, and hid the eggs, plus a few plastic egg shells full of toys or fruity colored Cheerios. After I got back inside, and just before I closed the door, I rang the doorbell. I can only imagine the looks on their faces as they stopped what they were doing, and looked all wide eyed, with mouth slightly ajar, at Julie. Naturally, Julie surely gave them the same look back, then mentioned that the Easter bunny must have done that, and they'd better get their shoes on.



As a side, there are a lot of times when we do things with the kids, and then I remember doing the same thing as a child, but that memory was lost in the recesses of my gray matter. And one such event like that occurred during the Easter egg hunt. Now, it's not something so grand as the egg hunt itself, but a mall part of it, which I'll get to in a second.

The kids were very excited and ran around the front yard with their Easter baskets in no particular order. Go left, go right. Oh look!

And so it went. Then Isabelle reached into a bush to grab an egg, and here's where my memory was jolted out of its slumber. She was so excited, and focused on the egg, she didn't see the branch leaf sticking right out in front, and right into her eye. Ouch! Fortunately, it was a glancing blow, and probably just stuck her a little at the corner, but it brought an end to the smiles and giggles. After I got over all the guilt of putting an egg in a bush and the resulting eye poke, I remembered a hunt I was on as a youngster, and when I reached for an egg on a tree branch, JAB! Right in the left eye! Enough about me though, I clearly survived. As did Isabelle. Its all about the eggs and candy.

Later that afternoon, we picked up some new flowers at the nursury, and the kids helped play in the dirt and helped to plant the flowers in flower pots. And water. They love to water. We didn't overload them on suger, so the day was pretty good after that.

The 'Whys' have started.

Daddy, why does that horse have brown spots?

Mommy, why does she have red hair?

Daddy, can we sleep on those clouds?

I'm afraid not dear.

Why?

Well, those clouds are not strong enough to hold us up in the air.

Why?

Because they are made out of water?

Why?

Well, sometimes water takes that form instead of water like we can drink, or ice cubes you can hold.  ( I thought I should wait until she has high school chemistry before discussing the temperature and pressure points. )

Why?

Well, everything can be in one of many forms.  (Again, I have to hold off the physics discussion. )

Why?

That's the way it is, Hunny.

Why?

And so it goes.....

Last week was a busy one for the kids.  On Saturday we went over to our friends Jen and Jay's house for dinner.  They always have a great dinner for us, and the kids love the added bonus of three dogs.  Isabelle is always a little bit afraid when she first gets there, and three dogs are putting their damp little noses on her, or trying to lick her face, but she loves the attention anyway.  After we leave, she talks about the dogs trying to say 'Hi' to her all the way home. 

David just loves to put his hand out and let the lab and the shorthair lick him.  He also like to run down the hall and get chased, but only for a little distance.  In a couple of years, I think he's just gonna wrestle the dogs all night long. He had a very hard time leaving that night and all the way home we heard a sad little boy..." it's not time to go.... it's not time to go..."

Then we headed to the East Bay for the third of our spring birthday parties.  We met at an Il Fornaio, which actually had a good kids menu.  Well anything in the French Toast variety is always a winner with them!  They enjoyed visiting with the family, as they always have a lot to say on the way home about who said what, or who did what with either of them.

There is a big fountain out front, and on this day, we also had a lot of wind, so the fountain was spraying anyone who got within about 8 feet of the edge.  But it was still the best thing about leaving the restaurant.  Until it was time to open presents!  The kids always want to help open gifts, and Isabelle was right in there.  David wanted to help a little too, but by then he was very tired, and was having a hard time focusing on anything for more then a few seconds.

Later that week we had Isabelle's 4 yr wellness check.  She was very good for the visit with her Dr.  She was a little bit upset that there were a couple of shots at the end, but I guess that's to be expected.  Isabelle continues to grow, and be one of the taller girls of her age, as she is in the 95th percentile for her age in height, weight, noggin circumference; but her Body Mass Index is right on spot, so she's not too big in the wrong direction.

She also got her first hearing test, which seemed to go OK.  It was a little difficult for her to focus on the directions when there was all this neat stuff to look at, and headphones on too!  She also had her first vision test, and we think she can see OK.  There was also a bit of trouble following the directions, so the results were not as expected.   But, rather then worry about it, we scheduled an appointment with her eye doctor for a proper eye exam.  She'll get to see the same Dr that fixed her eye duct problem from a few years ago.  I wonder if she remembers?

And David watching the watchers.

Also during pig day, all the activity brings out a lot more people then usual, so it was a bit crowded.  But the crowds also warranted a visit from a local farm that has ponies for the kids to ride!  Here's Isabelle.

So two weekends ago, we were all feeling better, and the sun was shining, so we headed out to the farmers market on Saturday morning.  We try to frequent the market when the weather is nice, as the kids always like it, and we can get some good food too, so it was a welcome event that day.  That day also happened to be something called 'Pig Day.'  Apparently, the first weekend in March is National Pig Day.  Really.  Look it up.  But in any case, the market gets a very curious, surreal feel to it.  There are pig balloons and pork chops, clowns and a petting zoo, sausages and pig costumes.  And the usual organic fruits and vegetables.

We picked up a couple of pig noses for the kids after they visited with some baby goats and baby pigs, but Isabelle just wouldn't wear it.

A couple of weeks ago, I took the kids out to the same construction site we visited earlier. And is there ever a big hole now! I bet it's 20 ft (6 meters) deep, and a couple hundred feet long (60-70 meters). We parked nearby, and the kids, and I, got to look through a chain link fence at all the action going on. We visited on a Friday, I think, so everyone was in full swing. The kids were all excited to see all the coordinated action, as bottom dump trucks brought in gravel, then a water truck sprayed it down, then a grader smoothed it out, followed by a compactor. Then it all happened again. And David was sure to tell me about each truck that came down the road, each and every time.