Under the Lemon Tree

Ribbons

2011-12-01T22:40:00.000-08:00

Alex was surprised with an advancement ribbon at swimming today! He is now a Silverfish.
The next week, Zachary was surprised and moved up to Seahorse!

Helpers

2011-11-29T22:22:00.000-08:00

Today after school the boys helped with the yard work. Do you think they will still think this is fun in a couple of years?

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T22:21:00.000-08:00

Adventures in Seattle

2011-11-21T21:34:00.000-08:00

As soon as Alex's belt test was completed, we drove to Gma and Grandpa's house in Federal Way. The we continued to Seattle to spend the day with Auntie Nichole. Our first stop of the day was the Pacific Science Center. The boys love to explore and push every button. The music room became quite a bit louder once they discovered it!After inspecting some Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches, we discovered a docent holding one. Alex and Zachary bravely petted it.

Then they climbed on a caterpillar.
The butterflies in the butterfly garden were very friendly.

The Gemini Capsule was another favorite.
Even though it was wet and cold outside, we couldn't escape the water experiments.

Argh! A space alien!

Our next adventure was a ride on the monorail! Alex and Zachary were able to ride in the front seat, and the driver let them each have a turn honking the horn!

We headed up to the top of the Space Needle. On the ride up, it looked like we had found a break in the weather. Of course, once we were at the top, the wind picked up and blew in some more rain clouds. I think we walked around the outside deck once before the wind became too strong. Inside, the boys had fun with the interactive displays, and having a snack.

Auntie Nichole took us to a sushi place with a conveyor belt for the sushi treats. Alex and Zachary really enjoyed picking their dishes off of the belt!

Belt Test

2011-11-19T21:15:00.000-08:00

Alex has been practicing for his yellow belt test in Kung Fu. Today was the big day! After a bit more group practice, Alex had a chance to show his sifu (instructor) what he has learned. He did a great job with his routine and displaying the various stances. The last test was to break a board with a kick!
Alex was very proud and excited that he got to keep his board!

The next weekend the results were posted.
Here's Alex receiving his new yellow belt, and some advice and congratulations from the sifus.
The November belt class. Alex and his sifus.

We are so proud of all your hard work Alex!

2011-11-17T21:06:00.000-08:00

Alex and Zachary and their school friends did a great job of singing and entertaining the parents at the Thanksgiving luncheon. The tables were decorated with arts and crafts that the kids made in class. At Children's Church, the kids were asked to name a blessing. Alex named trains, and Zachary chose water.

Real Halloween

2011-10-31T20:49:00.000-07:00

The night for trick or treating has finally arrived! We toured the stores at the shopping center first.
And then we all went around the neighborhood. When we got back home, the boys helped me hand out candy to the trick or treaters who came by our house. Well, when they weren't eating candy that is!

Zoo Halloween

2011-10-30T20:39:00.000-07:00

Even the animals were dressed up for Halloween at the Oakland Zoo!
The zoo organized a trivia scavenger hunt to complete for a bag of treats. The first question stumped us for bit, but we eventually found all of the animals we needed to finish the list.
And our little froggie is tall enough for the rides!

Work Halloween

2011-10-29T20:19:00.000-07:00

Phil's work hosted a Halloween Festival with rides, games, food and candy.
Alex's favorite "ride" was the obstacle course. Zachary's favorite was the Frog Hopper. The seats were raised up and then dropped, raised and dropped.

Of course they both loved the little train.

And what is a festival without face painting?

Preschool Halloween

2011-10-27T20:13:00.000-07:00

Once again Alex and Zachary's school celebrated Halloween with a costume parade around the block. After the parade the kids gathered around their buckets and enjoyed a treat.

Epcot and the World

2011-10-23T17:18:00.000-07:00

Today's adventure took us back to Epcot Center. If there was a ride there, we rode it! The boys enjoyed riding through the "golf ball", or Spaceship Earth, and Living with the Land. Journey into Imagination with Figment was a big hit, and they had fun working in the Imagination Lab after the ride too.

Epcot Center was introducing their new mascot, Duffy. Throughout the World Pavilion there were check in stations where you could decorate your own Duffy hand fan. Each country would stamp your Duffy with a stamp of Duffy wearing a hat from the country. China, Japan and Morocco also had ambassadors who would write your name in their language.

It took some last minute scrambling, but the boys got all 11 country stamps.

Alex dancing with some Italian ladies. Zachary enjoying the Japanese taiko drummers.

Getting ready for the raids in Norway, and drumming in Africa.

Goofy totems in Canada. Zachary finally met Princess Aurora.

The trains in Germany. We literally spent hours watching the trains. At the end of the day, the engineer posed with them.

Zachary rocked out with Howard Jones. With the Terra Cotta Warriors in China.

For lunch we stopped in Japan for teppanyaki. Alex and Zachary enjoyed watching the chefs cook right at the table. We sampled a variety of tasty treats from many of the countries. Unbelievably, we closed down the park!

Farewell ~ Downtown Disney

2011-10-22T16:36:00.000-07:00

This morning we had to say good-bye to everyone. Luckily there was time to get a few last minute pictures and for the cousins to run around and play at the playground. Alex and Ryan had a lot of fun sliding down holding hands and Zachary joined in for a game of hide and seek.

Notice the West Coasters in jackets, while the East Coasters are in short sleeves.

We had such a fun time and are so thankful that we were able to join everyone for this wonderful trip to Florida. Alex and Zachary (and Phil and I) can't wait to meet up with everyone again!

After everyone left for the airport, we returned to Downtown Disney.
We had lunch with the dinosaurs.

And then built and raced cars at the Lego store.

We also met Buzz Lightyear and rode a train.

Back at the resort, we went to the campfire to roast marshmallows and make smores.

Zachary turned on the charm with our hostess, Hannah, and scored extra marshmallows.

Magic Kingdom ~ Epcot Center

2011-10-21T14:12:00.000-07:00

For Phil's birthday, we returned to the Happiest Place on Earth to complete the rounds. There were a few rides that we repeated, but for the most part, we explored different areas of the park. Alex, Zachary and Ryan all really enjoyed the Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted House.When we felt that every ride was ridden and every corner fully explored, we hopped onto the monorail headed for Epcot Center. Unfortunately, we didn't have as much time as we had hoped at Epcot. Everyone did get a chance to ride the Nemo adventure and then play with the sharks in the sunken boat. (Somehow, I didn't get any pictures of that.)On the bus ride back to the resort, Alex lost his lucky acorn and was very sad. Luckily, there were acorns everywhere, and we were able to find a suitable replacement the next day.

Animal Kingdom

2011-10-20T10:31:00.000-07:00

Today we journeyed to the Animal Kingdom in search of animal encounters. We definitely saw some amazing animals! In fact, it seemed a little crazy to be riding in an open air safari car with nothing to separate us from the animals. Perhaps the craziest was the cheetahs. Fortunately, the animals are well fed and didn't mind us at all!

After the safari, we took a train to the petting zoo,
where Alex, Zachary and Ryan made sure to brush every single goat in sight.

There wasn't much else at this train stop, so we rode back to the main station and headed to Dinosaur Land! First we stopped for lunch, where the kid's meals came in plastic buckets with shovels. Those came in super handy when we were digging for fossils! After lunch we broke off into smaller groups, with the Mason clan heading to a more adventurous ride, and we went to the play area. There was a big climbing structure with rope nets, slides and tunnels. It was from here that we found the fossil dig site. Next stop, the carnival area. Alex and Zachary convinced Grammy to ride a dinosaur!
While Zachary was busy playing carnival games (and winning big!) Alex had his face painted. You were supposed to pick from a design on the board, but Alex really wanted a green dinosaur. We asked the girl if that was possible, and I was expecting a little dinosaur on his cheek. What she created was amazing!

Alex played some games and won while Ryan was transformed into a tiger.

And finally, a walk through the dinosaur statue park.

We found a fairly unobstructed view for the Parade of Animals. The animals were giant puppet-like creatures. They were really amazing.

And of course we had to have pictures with some of the characters! Zachary just about tackled Thumper in his excitement!

Later that evening, Phil, Jeff, Leslie and I took advantage of the grandparents' babysitting skills and extended hours at Hollywood Studios. We rode a couple of the rides, determined it wasn't a very pre-schooler friendly park and called it a night.

Magic Kingdom

2011-10-19T19:59:00.000-07:00

We got the whole gang together for breakfast and a bus trip to the Magic Kingdom. The park was decorated for Halloween, and everything was so pretty.

We rode many rides together, and some in smaller groups. Ryan, Alex and Zachary were mesmerized by the spectacle of Small World. And they had a chance to meet Pluto.

Alex and Zachary tested their strength with Excalibur, and when that didn't work, they tried a bit of teamwork.

After a very full morning of fun, the silly adults thought it would be a good idea to go back to the hotel and "rest". The little people had different ideas.

The hotel provided nets and balls for soccer. The boys had fun chasing the giant beach ball around and then jumping on it and rolling off. After a quick dinner, we went back to the park for a few more rides and then to scope out seats for the Electrical Parade. Well, maybe not seats, but a break in the trees.

On the way back to the hotel for the night, Zachary required assistance. He was our first sleepy casualty, but definitely not the only one!

Florida Vacation

2011-10-18T21:08:00.000-07:00

Grammy, Grandpa, Aunt Leslie, Uncle Jeff, Cousin Ryan and Grandma Mason planned a family trip to Disney World, and we decided to crash it! Ok, we were invited. Since we have a much longer distance to travel, we planned to arrive a day earlier, and got in very late last night. While we were waiting for everyone else to arrive, we walked around the resort grounds and saw the awesome water slide, and then took the river ferry to Downtown Disney to explore. Alex and Zachary definitely enjoyed the lego sculptures and playing legos at the store.

When Aunt Leslie texted us that they had arrived, we ferried back to the resort to meet up for lunch and some time in the pool.

None of us would have guessed that a pool in Florida would be so cold! Even though the pool and slide looked so fun, this was our only swimming excursion. For dinner we all went back to Downtown Disney at the Rainforest Cafe. All three boys were very amazed by the animals throughout the cafe, but weren't too sure about the scheduled thunderstorms! After dinner, it was time to rest up for a day of exciting adventure!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-16T20:37:00.000-07:00

Today was pumpkin patch day! Last year we had so much fun at Smith Family Farms, that we decided to return. It was much too warm to wear costumes, so the boys decided to wear the masks they had made at school. Of course, it soon became too warm for masks too.

But it is never too warm for face painting!

We found a fun scarecrow on the way to the corn maze. And stopped to see the animals. This year, both boys had a lot of fun hand cracking corn kernels and then taking the cracked corn to feed the chickens and peacocks.

In an Ohlone hut. And finally, with the pumpkin haul! Sweaty heads and all.

Fleet Week

2011-10-09T20:13:00.000-07:00

We took the ferry into San Francisco in the hopes that the whole area wouldn't be completely crowded and we could watch some of the air show. Our reward was perfect timing and location to watch the Snowbirds!

While we wanted to see the Blue Angels, we thought it would be wiser to catch an earlier ferry back. The earlier ferry is also the one that goes to Angel Island, placing us on the water during the Blue Angel time slot.

On the way to Angel Island, the Blue Angels flew right over us! Moments after that, the fog rolled in and we heard from the boat captain that the Blue Angels had to cancel their show. Our early departure turned out to be the very best choice, and, the ferry wasn't crowded.

Garin/Dry Creek

2011-09-25T21:15:00.000-07:00

After last weekend's hike, we bought new backpacks for the boys. Zachary's old one was too big and he struggled with it a lot. This morning, they were both very excited to pack up some snacks and animals to take on the hike. Up up up the hill we went and from the top, we could see last week's adventure, Coyote Hills (see them in the near distance).

Alex forged the trail while Zachary peaked through the grasses.
We chose a trail that we thought would lead us to a pond. Instead we found the steep road less traveled and a little stream.

As we were headed toward another trail, someone asked us if we were there for the apples. We just happened to be at the park on the one day a year that the orchard is opened up for apple picking! Alex and Zachary had a lot of fun going around the orchard picking and tasting apples.

Now we have piles and piles of apples...time to start the applesauce! Oh, and a few figs and plums.
The next trail we tried did take us to a pond, and also to a hillside filled with goats.

Coyote Hills

2011-09-18T20:48:00.000-07:00

Today we decided to go hiking at Coyote Hills. Alex and Zachary packed up their backpacks and we headed out. We started up the first set of hills and enjoyed the views along the way.

There were some interesting rocks at the top of the hill, that were perfect for resting.

Next we went back down the hill toward the visitor's center. We rounded a corner, and there was a ranger showing a couple of snakes. First he let the kids touch it, then hold it, and then he asked if anyone wanted a snake necklace. Alex's hand was up instantly. Ay yi yi!

After the snake necklaces, we washed up and went outside for a snack that Zachary packed for us. He handed out fruit strips to everyone. When snack time was over, we hiked up the next set of hills. This one is the highest one in the park. Zachary and Alex both hiked the whole way up!

Once again there was a cool rock for resting and enjoying the view.

School Days

2011-09-12T19:07:00.000-07:00

We've had a few days to try to readjust our internal clocks, and now it is time to start a new year of preschool. Alex will be going 5 days a week and Zachary will be going 3. The reviews of the first day were pretty good, so I'm hoping for a great year!

Hong Kong

2011-08-27T19:04:00.000-07:00

I know everyone is eager to read about our adventures in Hong Kong. I have decided to start a separate blog for the trip, since I want to share a lot of pictures and there are limits. It is a still a work in progress, but check it out, Beyond the Lemon Tree.

Way to go!

2011-08-26T13:43:00.000-07:00

Zachary had a couple of make-up swimming lessons on the books, so we decided to try out the next level. Up until today, he has been in the pool with Phil, but they have been working on some of the more advanced skills in anticipation of moving up. I had expected some trouble getting him into the water, but he sat right down on the edge of the pool and let his teacher put on his fins and plop him on the platform. When he wasn't swimming, he was waving to me, with a big smile on his face!
After the class, the teacher said he was more than ready to move up. And he got his ribbon!

Overheard

2011-08-20T22:42:00.000-07:00

Sifu Sam at Alex's kung fu studio: You boys look like you could be twins.
Zachary: Well, we have a different birthday, so we can't be twins. Alex is February and I am July.

Zachary is a very logical 3 year old.

Summer Camp

2011-08-18T22:36:00.000-07:00

Zachary and Alex went to day camp for much of the summer. We didn't get many pictures...ok, basically no pictures. Each week had a theme and the boys had a lot of fun! During bug week, they made the bug hats from CG day, and butterfly wings.There was a week devoted to cooking and they made fresh squeezed lemonade which they then turned into popsicles. Alex really enjoyed making melon balls.
The final week they talked about world travel, which was the perfect set up for our upcoming trip to Hong Kong! We can't wait to have a grand adventure!

Coast Guard Day

2011-08-04T22:13:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to the Coast Guard! Alex and Zachary wore their CG gear to day camp, and then they wore their camp bug hats to CG day. They received many compliments on their hats! Unfortunately, we spent a large chunk of our time waiting for lunch, but while we were in line, we had dessert (birthday cake!) first and listened to the Coast Guard band.
Petting zoos are always a hit with Alex and Zachary. Today they were able to pet an emu and a tortoise.

Alex wanted to have his face painted. He asked for a dolphin, and I was expecting a little blue blob on his cheek. Cinderella did a wonderful job!
There were even some carnival games. Zachary won about 5 stuffed animals...we have a waddle of penguins. Alex was successful too.

Sporty

2011-08-01T22:01:00.000-07:00

Zachary has started a gymnastics class. He has really enjoyed it. His favorite is jumping on the trampolines. Alex was moved from his beginner kung fu class into the belt series. His classes are now more structured, but he is still having fun!

A couple of crazy boys! Zachary chose his outfit and wore it, sock and all, for the better part of the day. Alex went a little crazy with the hose...I think the plants got a little bit of water.

Videos

2011-07-31T21:53:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks before his 3rd birthday, we realized that Zachary could pedal his tricycle. Then we remembered that Alex learned how to pedal the tricycle just before his 3rd birthday!

Toddler approved "fireworks"!

Brothers

2011-07-31T20:27:00.000-07:00

Biking and Hiking

2011-07-23T21:04:00.000-07:00

Today was a beautiful day for a bike ride, so we drove out to the Hayward Interpretive Center and Regional Shoreline. The out and back trail resulted in a 2 mile bike ride, which Alex and Zachary did a great job on. We rode through an old salt marsh and past a windmill.
The only wildlife we spotted were shore birds, but we found some raccoon tracks in the mud.

After the hike, we explored the interpretive center. They have a little laboratory with microscopes, sea creatures and some crafts.

Garden Bounty

2011-07-17T20:59:00.000-07:00

Maybe we aren't so great at gardening...

Zachary is 3!

2011-07-09T20:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Zachary!

We had a nice birthday celebration, starting with yogurt parfait and balloons! After a fun morning of playing in the backyard, there was more cake.

Later everyone dressed up for pictures.

LHS

2011-07-07T20:05:00.000-07:00

Zachary and Alex thought it would be fun to take Gma and Grandpa to the "science center with the dinosaurs" and we all agreed, thinking that the beautiful views of the bay and the air conditioning sounded perfect! The week had been so hot, that the whale had a warning sign so kids wouldn't burn themselves. But the fountain mist felt great!

Unfortunately, the fog on the water never fully burned off. So much for the views.
The boys don't go for the view anyway, and had a great time exploring and trying out the different experiments.

Luckily, they didn't get eaten by any dinosaurs! Although they both looked worried.

The next week, I went back with just the boys. Alex was invited to take part in a study with some graduate students! He did a great job listening to directions and answering their questions. At the end, they gave us contact information so that both boys can participate in more studies.
Alex's main mission was to go to the yard and float things down the river. He soon had a following.

It's a Party

2011-07-06T14:04:00.000-07:00

Zachary invited his friends over for a pool party! The real theme of the party was 'swim diver' aka scuba diver, but swim diver decorations are difficult to find, so we went with an underwater fish party!
We filled up the pirate table and the pool and everyone had lots of fun playing with the water. We even had a lifeguard on duty. It was the perfect day for swimming, nice and hot, almost too hot!

We even had a couple of underwater themed crafts.

And don't forget the food! Zachary chose strawberry cupcakes.

I wasn't able to get a group shot with everyone in it. So here are a couple of different group shots, and between them, everyone is accounted for!

By the end of the party, the excitement was just too much for Zachary.
Thank you to all of our friends who came out to help Zachary celebrate, and especially to Gma and Grandpa!

Happy 4th

2011-07-04T13:38:00.000-07:00

We haven't missed an Alameda 4th of July parade in our 5 years here. Over the years we've learned a few tricks to getting a good spot too! Once again, we spread out our chairs and blanket early and then went for breakfast. After breakfast, some of us napped, others played, and some went for iced drinks!Here comes the parade!

We told Alex that he could run out to pick up goodies that were thrown from the floats. He definitely excelled at that task! At one point he started to follow a float that was blowing bubbles off the back and we had to convince him to come back!
It was a long day in the sun, and the boys were worn out.

Happy Anniversary

2011-07-03T13:27:00.000-07:00

Gma and Grandpa drove down to celebrate Zachary's 3rd birthday. We were able to convince them to come down a few days early so that Phil and I could celebrate our 12th anniversary. I have always wanted to take a harbor cruise under the Golden Gate Bridge, so we did! When we set sail, the captain warned of windy weather and high seas, and the possibility of not sailing out to the bridge. In the end, we did get to sail under the bridge, and it was very bouncy. But fun and scenic!

The 'back' side of Alcatraz IslandUnder the Golden Gate we go!

Can you find the moon?

And, having on call babysitters meant that for the first time since we have lived in California, we were able to watch the SF fireworks show...from our beach, less than 1/2 mile away!

Alameda County Fair

2011-06-28T20:07:00.000-07:00

We've had a very unusual year weather-wise. There has been a lot of rain, and the rain canceled our plans of a mid week camping trip. The up side of that was a mid week trip to the fair! As an added bonus, it was 99 cent admission day and the boys were free. So without planning ahead or paying attention, we got into the fair for less than $2!
There was an exciting petting zoo, with all the standard farm animals, the highlight of which was two wallabies!
They also had ice cream cones filled with animal feed for sale. We didn't buy any, but then Zachary saw some other kids feeding the animals and was most insistent on getting some food. Most of the animals were at least as tall as he is, so I wasn't too sure about it, but he and Phil got a cone and headed back in. Within seconds, Zachary was crying and being swarmed from all sides. A deer grabbed the cone from Phil's hand, Phil grabbed it back. The deer grabbed it again, and so did Phil. The third time, Phil let him have it. Once he calmed down, Zachary announced "the animals were very very hungry. That is why they tried to eat me."
Next on the agenda was the kiddie tractor pull. Alex was very excited to get on the tractor.

Based on age, there were weighted plates in the trailer. The further the kids pedaled, a pulley system caused the weight to redistribute and make it harder to pull. If they pulled it all the way to the end, they advanced to the next round. Alex's first try was an empty trailer, which was about 250 pounds. He made it to the second round with an extra 50 pounds.
He didn't quite make it to the next round, but he did a great job, and he was ready to leave anyway.
We found a tent full of musical instruments from all over the world. Alex and Zachary had a great time playing all of the different instruments. I'd say they both enjoyed the many drums the best.

Of course there were rides and carnival games. They played a fishing game and a ball toss game and won both, and were so happy with their prizes!

Last T-ball Game

2011-06-12T15:32:00.000-07:00

The last game of the season came just when the kids were starting to get the hang of the game. Funny how that works. Alex spent more field time chasing the ball than digging in the dirt.

Contemplating big hits and getting high fives.

After the game the kids were awarded with a certificate and personalized bat. Their snack cupcakes had little pennants with their names and numbers.

It was a fun year of learning how to play baseball. Next season he'll have a jump on the competition!

So Much Spirit

2011-06-03T15:28:00.000-07:00

For the final week of pre-school spirit, we mixed up our shoes, wore crazy socks and had a pool party!

It was a fun end to a great year of school!

Mt. Diablo

2011-05-29T14:55:00.000-07:00

We decided to go for a hike on Mt. Diablo. It was a bit of a drive to get out there, but we figured since it is 'over there, where it gets hot' and is one of the higher points around here, it would be nice and we'd have some great views of the bay and the surrounding areas. We were wrong.
It was cold, windy and foggy. But we didn't let that stop us from enjoying our hike! We did about a mile loop and both boys did a great job of staying on the trails and keeping their feet moving. Here they are at the start of the trail. After this, it went downhill fairly steeply and there were a lot of loose stones. Luckily no one was injured.
Leading the way.Pretending to be mountain goats.Wait, did I say no one was injured? Alex shows you how wrong that is!The pinecones were huge!
The visitor's center is built right on the summit. Zachary was excited to have reached it! Can't you tell?
Afterward, we sat in the car watching the fog waves roll by and enjoying some yummy trail mixes.

Even More Spirit

2011-05-27T14:48:00.000-07:00

For the third week of pre-school spirit, we present to you the cutest cowboys of all time.

This was followed by Disney day and Blue day. We've never been to Disneyland, and we don't go to movies (I know, they are so deprived) so we don't have any Disney gear. I did find a bunch of stickers and Zachary decorated himself with them. Blue day might have been my favorite day ever, because one thing we do have is blue! I wasn't able to convince Alex to wear the wig to school, but he liked wearing it around the house. When I went to pick him up, I wore the wig and the kids all loved it! They were coming up to me and saying 'how did your hair get blue?' ' you have blue hair!' 'look! she has blue hair!'

More Spirit

2011-05-20T21:56:00.000-07:00

Monday and Tuesday were pajama days.

Thursday was costume day. Zachary couldn't decide what to wear, so he wore it all! And Friday was sunglasses day. Don't these guys look cool?

Zoo Day

2011-05-18T22:01:00.000-07:00

We met our friends at the zoo for a fun day of animal sightings. Zachary's favorite animal is the elephants. His second favorite is the alligators, but we'll get to that.
The zebras were all lined up, I was trying to get them and the boys in the picture, but I only captured these cuties.
We managed to get all of the kids in one place and relatively still, but gave up on trying to get everyone to look the same direction!
So, the alligator story. Even though everyone else was headed to the rides, Zachary was very adamant that we go see the alligators. On the other side of the zoo. Alex, Zachary and I headed toward the alligator tank. One of the alligators was dozing in the water, but the rest of them were sleeping in the grass. In order to see them better, we started to go around the alligator tank toward the river otters. Suddenly a gush of water started running down the hill and some older kids were running around yelling that the otter tank was leaking. Interesting. As we walked by a zoo employee, I said "wow, you've got quite the commotion here." His reply "the otters are playing in the grass and everyone is excited." Really? No mention of the leak? But sure enough, the tank was leaking! And it was feeding time for the otters. A momma otter was diving after the food the keepers were throwing in the water and taking it to the babies, who were tripping her and falling all over the place. As we were walking toward the chimpanzee area, I saw another zoo employee walk by with a big roll of duct tape! One of the chimpanzees was carrying his blankie around and then sat down to snuggle. I'm so glad Zachary was so insistent on the alligators!
When we finally made it to the ride area, our friends were still there so we were able to take the train ride with them! And Zachary got to take his first trip on the car ride!

We've Got Spirit

2011-05-09T22:51:00.000-07:00

May is Pre-school Spirit month! On Monday and Tuesday, it was a teddy bear picnic. Alex took a giraffe and Zachary took a kangaroo.
Thursday was hat day. Zachary chose this one.

For crazy hair day on Friday, we experimented with some new looks for their punk band.

Walking into school, Alex was fascinated by his hair shadow.

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T22:47:00.000-07:00

Alex and Zachary surprised me with some beautiful flowers and a pretty dolphin wind chime. I am still looking for a prefect place to hang the chimes.

The yellow flowers are in a decorated vase that the boys worked on at school. The rose is from T-ball. Thank you Alex and Zachary! I love you!

Seahorse

2011-04-30T22:34:00.000-07:00

Alex graduated to Seahorse class at swimming!

There's a slightly wider view of the video here.

Crafty

2011-04-26T22:33:00.000-07:00

Another Lakeshore craft, enjoyed by all!

Acadamy of Science

2011-04-25T22:22:00.000-07:00

Next of our list of adventures was the Academy of Science in Golden Gate Park. I don't have any pictures to prove the boys were there, but they were, and they all had a fun time! We arrived just in time for the penguin feeding. There is a pair sitting on eggs, so hopefully soon we'll get to see the baby penguin. Inside the rain forest, Alex spotted some little frogs and we were lucky that this butterfly decided to take a break.

As I've said before, Alex is a west coast guy. Almost immediately after entering the rain forest, he started to complain about being sweaty. I can't say I didn't agree with him! I don't think the heat and humidity was a problem for Aunt Leslie and Ryan!
The exit of the rain forest is an underwater tunnel with some of the largest fish I've ever seen. (I'd heard of them from a video game I used to play...see, video games are educational. Or something.) Alex and I leaned up against a concrete wall to cool off while we waited for the gang to catch up. Then everyone explored the many aquarium rooms and visited the touch tank. Zachary was kind of just swishing his hands in the water and I told him not to touch the water. He wisely told me that "if I don't put my hands in the water, I can't touch the sea star." True.

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T21:55:00.000-07:00

The Easter Bunny knew that Ryan was going to be staying with us, and the boys all woke up (at varying hours of early) to a fun filled basket!
Even though it was cold and rainy, we headed back into the City to spend the day at the San Francisco Zoo. From the ticket plaza, you can spy on the giraffes!
It was a good thing it was so chilly, because the Nestle Bunny was handing out chocolate milk! And my backpack was filled!There was also a puppet show, crafts, a bean bag game and some live bunnies to pet.
This peacock was showing off his beautiful feathers, and we saw the baby gorilla. He is 2, just like Zachary!

The boys mauled a baby elephant on the way by too. (just kidding) And in typical Bay Area fashion, the day cleared up and we were able to shed our jackets for a train ride!

How do you compare to a full size ape?

Alex and Zachary had a lot of fun playing with the big cats.

Touring

2011-04-22T21:30:00.000-07:00

Today was a day of tours. We started out at the Jelly Belly Factory, because who doesn't love jelly beans?After enjoying the tour and all of the free jelly beans, we drove aimlessly for a while and found a cute little town to stop in for lunch, Suisun City. There was a great little diner-y place along side the river, and I still don't know how a tray of their cinnamon rolls didn't end up in our car. We also found an It's It outlet shop. Next time we are going prepared with a cooler!

Our next tour was at Travis Air Force Base's Air Museum.
The boys are trying out the space capsule simulator. It raises up for take off! Outside, they all had fun running around all of the planes and being able to touch them, spin their wheels and look inside some of the windows.

I just had to add this same plane from our last trip out here. I know the boys have grown, but they don't seem to be catching up to the plane!

Fisherman's Wharf

2011-04-21T21:23:00.000-07:00

We began our day with a ferry ride from Alameda to Pier 41. It was a beautiful day on the water and in the City. We checked out a few shops, and then rode the carousel. I was impressed that the boys all chose animals that were near each other. It made it much easier to get a picture of them all!
After lunch at Grammy's favorite restaurant (Bubba Gumps), we went to the Aquarium of the Bay. It's a fun aquarium with some different interactive areas, and two long underwater tunnels.
Alex, Zachary and Ryan all enjoyed petting the rays as they swam by. They were keeping a count of how many they touched, and it was a challenge to get them away.
Zachary found this hat in the gift shop. Even though he totally can't see a thing, I think it looks great!

Let the Whirlwind Begin!

2011-04-20T21:17:00.000-07:00

Cousin Ryan and Aunt Leslie arrived today for a fun filled week in the Bay Area. It is the first time they have been able to come to visit us, and the first time the cousins will be together since before Zachary could even roll over! I can't believe it has been that long! Today was a take it easy day and we went to the park across the way to play and then walked along the water. We also started planning for all the upcoming fun!
The last time the cousins were together!

Pre-Easter

2011-04-16T21:14:00.000-07:00

We're getting ready for Easter out here in Cali. The Easter Bunny has dropped off a couple of helpers, and a yummy gummy treat tree.The boys had an Easter egg hunt at school and found many fun eggs full of treasures!

Backyard Video

2011-04-15T18:48:00.000-07:00

A little bit of batting practice.

Zachary shoots 12 of 15.

Preschool Zoo Day

2011-04-13T18:38:00.000-07:00

Zachary and Alex's preschool went on a field trip to the Oakland Zoo. Everyone started out together, but soon, the group broke up with the plan to meet for lunch and a train ride.
Alex and I saw a monkey playing with pink sunglasses.Zachary chose to explore the zoo with his favorite teacher, Teacher Elizabeth. Fortunately, she took some pictures, so I know what he saw.
It was kind of strange knowing Zachary was there, but he wasn't with me. He had lots of fun though. After lunch the class took the train ride together, and we all saw the new baby wallaroo!

Let's Play Ball!

2011-04-03T18:19:00.000-07:00

The big first game of the season has finally arrived!
Alex was the first batter of the season and he got a great hit!He even made it to first base.The coach has a rotating lineup that allows each kid to play every position. For the first game, Alex was assigned to the pitcher's spot. Since there are a few extra kids than positions, sometimes they double up, which leads to scrimmages to get the ball.

At one point, one of the players from the other team, who was supposed to be on first base, ran out to field the ball too! There is also a fair amount of picking daisies in the outfield, and drawing in the dirt.
It was actually very entertaining, but Zachary couldn't resist the pull of the awesome playground behind the diamond.

I have a great video from the game, but it is from Phil's phone, and we are having difficulty re-formatting it to post it. Once we figure it all out, I'll add it.

3.14

2011-03-14T17:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Pi Day!

In honor of Pi day, the boys made themselves celebratory Pi hats. We had a delicious chicken pie for dinner, which followed a very confusing recipe. For dessert, there was cherry pie.
Phil carved an awesome Pi pumpkin.

Opening Day

2011-03-12T16:46:00.000-08:00

Alameda is serious about Little League. Since this was our first year being involved with it, we had no idea what our day was about to entail. We met our coach at the Little League park, and blindly sent Alex away with him for the parade. With a few of the other parents, we followed the masses and tried to find a place to watch the parade. We didn't have chairs. Or blankets. Or snacks. Well, we did find a blanket in the car, so we had that going for us after all. After much waiting, the parade of teams began. Here comes Alex's Cubs!
Somehow, Alex's hat became backward, and he is so tiny, his uniform hangs like an old timer's uniform. He looks pretty serious and ready to go.
There were so many teams. The T-ballers came by first, then settled in to watch the rest of the levels. The kids on Alex's team are 4-6 years old. The divisions go up to at least young teens, so there were a lot of teams, kids, siblings and parents.
Alex is in that mob somewhere. We were just hoping we would be able to find him again. I have no idea how the coaches managed to keep 15 4-6 year olds together for the entire time, and how on earth they kept them entertained.

After the parade, the kids said their Little League Oath, and there were lots and lots of speeches. The speakers weren't working very well, so I don't really know who all spoke, but I think it was just about every elected official in Alameda. Really, we were surprised the governor wasn't there too!

Now, we're just waiting for our first game!

Crab Cove

2011-03-09T16:24:00.000-08:00

Alex and Zachary's class went on a field trip to Crab Cove. The kids walked around on the tide flats discovering different types of seaweed and tiny bay dwellers. Then we moved into the rocks to look for crabs.
The were told they could only pick up rocks that were smaller than their head, and crabs that were the size of a quarter.

Alex took a turn being tickled by a little crab.
Snuggling and sheltering in the rocks.
Adventuring complete, the class had a picnic, that was soon broken up by the wind and rain!

While we were out in the mud, I was reminded that last year on this field trip, Zachary wasn't able to pull his boots up out of the mud. And Alex tripped and was covered in mud. This year, Zachary was a super adventurer. And while Alex stayed clean, Zachary "forgot" where he was and sat on a dirty wet rock.

More Swimming

2011-03-06T16:11:00.000-08:00

Zachary wanted to share a video. Here he is, showing off his swimming skills.

Presidents

2011-02-28T15:53:00.000-08:00

In honor of President's day, we bring you two important facts learned from the boys.

After finding a $5 bill on the table, Zachary announced, "Hey! That's Mr. Lincoln."

Alex told me that "George Washington had wooden teeth. He smiled mad, like this..."

Dr Seuss

2011-02-27T15:52:00.000-08:00

On of our favorite Saturday morning activities is to go to Lakeshore Learning Supply store and make craft projects. Today they were celebrating Dr. Seuss's birthday. The boys made Cat in the Hat bowties, and 10 Apples up on Top hats.

Alex's apples fell over a bit, we need to prop them up better.

Everyone was

2011-02-26T15:43:00.001-08:00

Kung Fu fighting!

Alex went to a trial Kung Fu class and came home all excited about it. We drilled him on some of the skills he learned and he continued to enjoy it, so we signed him up!

Hands at waist!

Overhead block!

Here's a bit of his first class.

And receiving his belt.

Soccer

2011-02-25T15:17:00.000-08:00

Today was the last day of Zachary's soccer class. He kicked a big goal and received his certificate!

Field Trip

2011-02-24T15:06:00.000-08:00

Preschool took a trip to Chinatown for our annual Chinese New Year lunch. The kids wore their crowns, and we took the city bus from school to Oakland. Phil had originally planned to ride the bus with us, but ended up having to meet us at the restaurant. When the teachers asked Alex and Zachary if their daddy was coming, they told her "Daddy has to work so we don't have to live under the bridge." Fortunately, the teachers thought it was hilarious, so we didn't have to explain that one! Zachary enjoyed the outer dumpling of the pork bun and the fried rice. Alex is always game to try it all, and really, really enjoyed the noodles. It isn't the most complimentary photo, but it does show his love of noodles!

Monterey Day 2

2011-02-20T22:19:00.000-08:00

The rain that had been following us finally moved on, and we had a beautiful day in the Monterey Bay area. After breakfast we started walking along the waterfront trail. Zachary saw a man running and dribbling a soccer ball and said "He has a soccer ball!" The man stopped and asked the boys if they wanted to play soccer. So he kicked the ball back and forth with them for about 10 minutes. Alex and Zachary thought it was really fun and it was so nice of him to play with them. Thank you stranger on the path! A little further down the trail, we came across this harbor seal resting area. It was fun to watch them lift their heads to avoid the waves, get washed out with the bigger waves, and hop along the beach.

And, a little further down the trail we came across this great photo op area.

Just as I was getting ready to ask someone to take a family picture, they asked us!
I think Phil had planned on walking a bit further, but we weren't making very good time. I don't think he knew about the seals, and how fun they are to watch! We turned back and found a little public beach to play on for a while. Alex and Zachary had a lot of fun bulldozing the sand into a castle. One of Zachary's new talents in "taking a dive". He'll just topple over. He found that it is even more fun on nice, soft sand.

Here they are, ignoring me, with their castle, complete with flag.
We hit the outlet mall again for some more rides. For the most part, they were happy to just sit in them. Which was fun, because they would try one out, and then run and trade. Alex has decided that when he grows up to drive a car, it is "going to be with no top, like a convertible".

After naps, we signed them both into the awesome kid's club at the hotel for a few hours so we could go out and explore alone. They were both so excited to play at the club, we could barely get a goodbye. When we came back to get them, we stayed around the corner for a couple of minutes, and could hear them playing hide and seek. They also ordered room service for dinner (which they didn't eat, no surprise!) and made a bunch of crafts. I know they had a blast!

Monterey Bay Aquarium

2011-02-19T21:56:00.000-08:00

As is their way, the boys woke up early and we had to get out of the hotel before their stampede bothered the neighbors. We had breakfast at a nice little place in the outlet shopping center and then ran around the mall area for a while. There were a bunch of little rides, so the boys were entertained.

Then it was time for the aquarium. Alex and Zachary got bracelets with our cell phone number. Just in case.
The boys entered the coral reef and became the newest display. Then they were eaten by a giant clam.

Checking out the ghost jellies.

There was a little cave for viewing the sea turtles. It was (obviously) at kid level, so kids would just disappear into it and it took a while for the parents to realize where they went. Alex and Zachary really liked being in there. Then they cozied up to an Emperor penguin.

We saw the African penguins being fed, many sharks, touched some sea stars, and explored the wave tunnel. Then we returned to the hotel for a rest before returning to the aquarium for a couple more hours. We were able to get a table in the aquarium restaurant, right by the window. They have binoculars and a wildlife identification chart which was really fun. Alex and Zachary really enjoyed using the binoculars and I think they may have even seen something through them. We definitely saw a bunch of sea otters playing by a big rock. After lunch we watched the indoor sea otters being fed, and explored the pink flamingo exhibit. Then we got our own sea otters to take home. We had to cross a sky bridge to get to our part of the hotel, and the boys liked to sit in the windows and watch the traffic. I think they were starting to fall asleep. You can just make out the aquarium at the end of the road.

Monterey

2011-02-18T21:40:00.000-08:00

After a fun day at the Children's Museum, we continued South to Monterey. When Phil booked the hotel, we had the option of paying extra for an "obstructed ocean view" room. We declined. We did however splurge for the fancy hotel a block from the aquarium. We checked in, and discovered our room was in the other building, across the street. Check out the view.Yep, that's the ocean, at no extra charge. And, right across from Grammy's favorite vacation restaurant. Our room even had a gas fireplace that we used a lot. The boys enjoyed watching the flames, and it kept us nice and toasty warm.There was even a beautiful rainbow.And a beautiful sunset.We walked around Cannery Row a bit and then tried to get the boys to sleep at a somewhat reasonable hour.

San Jose

2011-02-17T21:46:00.000-08:00

We decided to make a long weekend off of school into an adventure. After naps, we drove to San Jose. Our hotel for the night was connected to the Convention Center, and the boys went exploring. And found this art.We wanted to get an early start Friday morning at the San Jose Children's Museum. Before we headed over, Zachary created a new breakfast sensation: Waffle-French Toast Sandwich. I believe it had one tiny strawberry inside. Zachary is a carb-monster.
So, onto the museum. While Zachary drove the firetruck, Alex wielded the hose. And served as the siren.

We painted Alex's face with a cat nose and whiskers. Later, in the pipe cleaner art room, he made some cat ears.

There was a fun bubble room, with many different experiments with bubbles. This walkway was buckled, and when the kids walked on it, it would turn the wheel on the right. Zachary didn't like it, he found it hard to keep his balance, but Alex played on it for quite a while.

The boys also made corn husk dolls, and played in the pizzeria. There were also many other areas that we explored. However, we steered clear of the water play area....maybe next time!

Just Another Zoo Day

2011-02-09T21:43:00.000-08:00

We met friends at the zoo for a very chilly, windy day out. The cooler weather seemed to agree with the tiger. She is rarely so visible.

Japantown

2011-02-05T21:31:00.000-08:00

We went into the City and visited Japantown. We had gone once before, when Zachary was very little, and it was a very rainy day. Today was a beautiful day and we were able to enjoy the pagoda in Peace Plaza. Alex and Zachary put on a little song and dance show. After one of their shows a while back, we gave them each a penny. Now after their song, they come and ask us for money!

Inside, we found this nice garden and enjoyed some Pocky.We wandered around, shopped, and dined.
Later in the day, the boys kicked back to chillax.

It's a Party

2011-02-02T16:59:00.000-08:00

The second thing Alex was sure about, was that he wanted to have a giraffe party. He found a giraffe pinata in a catalog and was determined to have it. It is much easier to find safari or jungle themes than just giraffes. But, I think we did a pretty good job of creating a giraffe party!The giraffe pinata, with the giraffe print goody bags, made by Gma.
Friends, waiting through many table adjustments and pictures for cupcakes featuring giraffes, walking through the grass.
We weren't sure about the weather when we woke up, but by afternoon, the sun was out and it was a gorgeous day. With some help from Ms. Karen, we hung the giraffe outside to begin the festivities.
The kids all took turns pulling on the strings, trying to release the goodies inside. In an unexpected, but happy coincidence, the last string was the prize dumper!Alex and Zachary really loved their goody bags. As you can see, they carried them around all day. (And since I am post dating, I can say they still do!)
We also had a yummy lunch, and a birdhouse craft.

I didn't get a picture of everyone's completed birdhouses, but they were all great. Here are Alex and Zachary's creations. Sticking to his giraffe theme, Alex added a herd of giraffes.

Happy Birthday Alex!

2011-02-01T16:47:00.000-08:00

Today is Alex's 4th birthday! One of the things he was very certain about was that on your birthday, there are balloons tied to your chair. When he came down for breakfast, he was excited that the balloons made it!
Since it was a school day for Alex and Zachary, and a special birthday too, Gma and I went to school to help out in the classroom, making Alex and Zachary the special helpers for the day. The special helper gets to bring the outdoor cars and bikes out of the "garage", flicker the lights at clean up time, choose friends to join them at the first craft table, and squirt the soap into everyone's hands before snacks. The boys did a good job of sharing the job and both enjoyed being the helper.
After Alex's requested dinner of macaroni and cheese from Panera (of course), we had a cake with a giraffe.
His balloon cheeks from swimming class came in handy for blowing out the candles!I have no idea what this look is about. Maybe because we asked him to stop eating cake?After cake, he opened his presents, with a bit of help. Here the boys are, sitting with Alex's swag.

End of January Fun

2011-01-31T16:23:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from the last few days of January.

Little explorers, stuck in a tree.

Alex was wearing his cape, and changing his hat. For each outfit, he would ask "Now who am I?"

Rainy Bay Area weather is great for puddles. The roads flood within minutes of the rain starting to fall.

A nice foggy day for the City.

Swimming update

2011-01-23T15:19:00.000-08:00

Alex and Zachary are continuing with their swimming lessons. Both boys are doing a great job of learning the skills needed to advance.
They both practice kicking with straight legs.

Zachary is perfecting his "monkey walk" and Alex is a master at the back float. The flags got in the way, but he is floating without assistance, his teacher's hands are out of the water.

One thing that Alex has been working extra hard on is getting his face in the water. And leaving the platform by himself. I think he did a great job on both!

I just watched this video, and it is a bit cut off. Check it out on my YouTube page.

Pizza Party

2011-01-14T14:57:00.000-08:00

We decided to try our hand at making pizza. Since we all like different toppings, we each made our own pizza. Alex and Zachary had fun adding sauce and toppings.
They did have a hard time waiting for the pizzas to cook, but once the pizzas were all toasty and melty, they got to enjoy their creations. We might even try it again sometime!

Playhouse

2011-01-08T14:46:00.000-08:00

One of the boys' Christmas gifts was a playhouse for the backyard. It arrived a couple of weeks before Christmas, and was in two (!) of the biggest boxes ever. (It took a couple of weeks of filling up the recycle bin to dispose of the cardboard.) Fortunately, the boys can't read yet, and there was only one picture on one side of the boxes. I threw a blanket over that part and tried really hard to ignore them in the garage. A couple of times, Alex asked me what was "in that box" and I managed to distract him. We finally had a combo of nice weather, and a free weekend, so Phil and the boys started setting it up.

Here's Alex inspecting the parts.

Many hours later, the construction workers were ready to relax and make a snack.

Zachary's 1st Day

2011-01-04T14:31:00.000-08:00

Today was Zachary's first day of preschool! He has been waiting for this since school started in September.

On Tuesdays, Alex and Zachary are in school together, and on Thursdays, Zachary goes by himself. Zachary enjoys both days, but likes Thursdays especially. He says "just one boy goes to school today!" He knows where his cubby is, and just marches right into the classroom. He is really excited to show me his projects. When I picked him up today, he walked to his cubby and it was empty. He said "where's my project?" and then started looking everywhere for it. It was still on the drying rack, and we didn't bring it home until Thursday. He really didn't want to leave without it.

Happy New Year 2011

2010-12-31T16:32:00.000-08:00

We had a practice 2011 countdown with the boys, celebrating Chilean midnight (7pm). The boys popped confetti poppers and yelled happy new year. Then we had a sparkling cider toast.

We wish you all a very happy, healthy, and prosperous new year!

More Crafts

2010-12-30T16:24:00.000-08:00

Alex and Zachary really enjoying doing craft projects. I wonder where they got that? (wink wink)

Snowmen

Working with their new watercolor books.

Handprints.

We also made larger plaques, with both boys' handprints on the same one. But they were gifts, and after I picked up the finished plaques, I was worried about mailing times, and wrapped and mailed them without taking a picture. (Maybe someone will send us a picture...)

Lawrence Hall

2010-12-29T16:13:00.000-08:00

We spent the day at the Lawrence Hall of Science with friends. They boys enjoyed playing the math games, even if they were making up their own rules. The hall is featuring Scream Machines, and there was an area where kids could make their own roller coaster tracks and then send a ball down them. Around that area, there were a bunch of pre-designed roller coaster tracks, with different angles and loops. Each one had an objective that required a mathy answer, for instance, trying to determine how much speed would send the ball flying off. While they enjoyed experimenting with all of these, I wasn't able to capture them in action. I did however get this picture of their friends trying it out.

Overheard

2010-12-28T19:32:00.000-08:00

Alex had to have a preventative filling on one of his teeth. He did an amazing job of enduring the procedure. The dentist did an amazing job of explaining in silly terms what was happening. At one point she was talking about putting a star on his tooth, and from under the counter Zachary could be heard singing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star". The dentist then started to sing with him.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T16:44:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

The boys are already having trouble sleeping on Christmas Eve, and they already get up pretty early. What is in store for us next year?
Here is the calm before the boys were released.As they came down the stairs, they stopped at the landing to see all the presents and then came running down to open up their stockings.

They had fun sitting in their new chairs, and we've been moving them from room to room depending on our activity.Zachary is auditioning for a new position.And of course, the after picture. I'm not sure how or why everything became piled in the middle.

Looking Festive

2010-12-22T16:38:00.000-08:00

Here's a look at the festive decorations at the Prather house.

Penguin!

Santa is almost down the chimney!Kid art and holiday cards.

The tree is almost ready to go.

Special Visitor

2010-12-18T16:32:00.000-08:00

It's a good thing we had the cookies decorated and ready to go, since Santa made an advance stop at our house tonight! He and his elf just showed up on our doorstep with presents for the boys.
Zachary was still feeling a bit skeptical, but did enjoy the visit.
Santa brought them the perfect gift. Pillow Pets!

Crafty

2010-12-17T16:26:00.000-08:00

Alex made this at school. Aside from being a great project, I really like how well he is writing his name!

The boys helped decorate cookies. Everything looks good so far, but shortly after this picture, Alex dumped 1/2 a bottle of sugar onto one cookie. And then we switched to the safer process of putting the decorations on a plate.

Alex made avant garde owl decorations. Zachary was very precise in his placement and followed the picture exactly.

School Program

2010-12-16T16:21:00.000-08:00

Tonight was Alex's school Christmas program. Because of our goofy schedule, he is in the M/W/F class and the T/TH class, so he had a chance to sing a lot of songs. He did a great job with the hand motions and singing, all while wearing an awesome snowflake head band.
Before the program started, Zachary and Fiona were keeping each other occupied and doing a great job of staying out of trouble.
After the songs, there was a potluck dinner and a visit from Santa. Santa sure does get around. Tonight Santa was delivering books, and the boys were excited to read their new books. Alex's book has magnets that you add to the story.

Zoo Lights

2010-12-15T15:47:00.000-08:00

We bundled up and headed out to zoo lights. This might be the closest thing we have to a holiday tradition. And now we are experts, arrive a bit early, hit the train first and then explore the zoo.
Of course, the rides are at the entrance to the train station. I tried really hard to get Zachary onto the car ride. "Here's your ticket Zachary. Give it to the girl Zachary. Here, right here." But she caught us and made us measure him. Again "Stand up straight Zachary. No straight." Total fail. And this time Zachary knew he was missing out. I told him to ride the carousel with Daddy, and right then, the carousel started up. Zachary started to cry "but it's already going!" We all caught the next ride though.

Sitting with snakes, while giraffes look on.

Alex really liked this tree.

Street Car

2010-12-08T15:38:00.000-08:00

Gma and Grandpa were in town for about a week, and once again, I did a very poor job of photo documenting this. For the most part, they stayed home with the boys while Phil and I (or just me!) went out and about. However, we did go to the City to ride the street car. Our plan was to ride the street car up the hill, transfer and ride to Ghirardelli Square, get some chocolate/lunch and reverse course. The ride up the hill went great, but the transfer was a total fiasco. Finally we decided to ride back down to the waterfront and take the trolley to Ghirardelli. Our day passes allowed us unlimited rides on all forms of public transit, so it worked out nicely. After a lunch and chocolate treat, we hopped on board the street car and at least got our return trip as planned. Grandpa wanted to ride outside (but didn't hang off like in the movies) but the boys were a little sleepy and wanted to stay inside. I did get them to sit outside at the end of the line for a quick (and only) picture. And since I was standing in traffic to get it, I had to give up on getting everyone to look at me and smile! Gma and Grandpa did a good job of it though.

Science!

2010-12-07T15:33:00.000-08:00

Phil and Zachary went to the Chabot Space and Science Center for toddler science class. Zachary learned about seeds and how they grow and brought home to projects. One got really moldy really quickly, but the other actually sprouted and I am waiting for my chick pea harvest! Zachary was pretty excited about the class, and they'll probably go again.

Train of Lights

2010-12-01T15:15:00.000-08:00

The Holiday Train of Lights offered free tickets at Phil's work. We chose our travel night based on the weather forecast, and it turned out to be the perfect night! Since it was a weeknight, not very many people came out (which was great for us, maybe not so much for the train company). When we arrived, the engineer asked Alex and Zachary if they would like to see where he drove the train, so we got to check out the engine. It was very loud in there, so we didn't stay long, but it was really cool.
Since it wasn't crowded, we were able to walk up and down the length of the train and go between cars. Each car was from a different era of rail travel and beautifully decorated.

There was an open air car, which would have been a very chilly way to ride, but provided a great opportunity to see the lights on both trains as they passed. The boys also enjoyed watching the scenery go by.

The train route was an out and back journey, so we passed the other train twice, and had to wait at the switch to get back on track. The second time we passed, a special guest transferred trains.I've left this photo un-cropped, so that Zachary and his skepticism could be included.

We changed into jammies before heading home, expecting the boys to be exhausted. Alex fell asleep fairly quickly, but Zachary was a chatter-bug for most of the way home. We are now fielding constant requests to "do that train light thing" again.

Deck the Halls

2010-11-28T15:57:00.000-08:00

Alex and Phil hung up the outside Christmas lights today while listening to the Raiders "play" football.

They did a really great job and the house looks so pretty at night. I'll post a picture of their final project after we finish taking the Thanksgiving decorations (pumpkins) down and add the crowning touch, Mr. Penguin!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T15:44:00.000-08:00

Alex's class gave a little presentation before Thanksgiving lunch. Last year he mostly just stood there, but this year he was very involved with singing and seemed to enjoy himself. They decorated 4's and wrote what they were thankful for on them.

Once again we decided to forgo the big turkey dinner and spend the day in the City at Fisherman's Wharf. We found a very yummy dinner option.

Sushi!

I really like this picture of Alex, he looks like he is having so much fun!

And the boys had fun putting on a song and dance on the main stage.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Royalty

2010-11-17T15:39:00.000-08:00

I bet you didn't know we had royalty living right here in Alameda.

All hail, King Zachary!

Cruising

2010-11-11T15:34:00.000-08:00

We have been trying to find a bike for Alex for a while. It seems like everytime we go out to look, he either doesn't want to try any of them, or he only wants to try the tiny bikes. Finally today, he was in the perfect mood for bike shopping and here is what he picked out.The handle bar even makes a fun revving sound! He could hardly wait to get home from the store to try it out.

Our neighbor was excited for him too and was giving him pointers.

Banjo

2010-11-07T17:56:00.000-08:00

Zachary thinks his guitar is a banjo. And he loves to play.

The runny nose is just a bonus!

Giraffe

2010-11-07T17:11:00.001-08:00

The other day Zachary came running up to me and said "Mommy, look at me!" "Oh, you're doing the splits." "I'm a giraffe!"

On our last trip to the zoo, we saw the giraffe drinking from the moat. He had to do the splits to get his face into the water. What a smarty-pants.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T16:37:00.000-07:00

We stuck to our routine, and went trick or treating at the shopping center down the street. Since it was a Sunday night, the church's fall festival must have been another night. But we still had fun and even took a mid trick or treat break for sushi.

When we got back home, the neighbor kids ran over and took Alex and Zachary trick or treating around the cul-de-sac. They were having so much fun that Phil took them down the street a ways. This is the first year that they have gone door to door, and the first year that Alex (and by extension, Zachary) really understood the whole concept. They enjoyed it and were so excited when they got back home.

Here they are with their haul.

The next day Alex was talking to someone and told them "I filled my basket all the way to the top!"

Parade and Festival

2010-10-29T16:17:00.000-07:00

Alex's school was having their Halloween parade today. Since Alex was wearing his costume to school, Zachary decided to wear his to music class. About half of the kids in music class were dressed up, they were all super cute! We went back to school, and Zachary ran into the classroom to line up for the parade. The kids started out marching, but towards the end, only Teacher Elizabeth was still attempting to march!

After the parade, the kids handed out trick or treats to all of their friends, and Teacher Renate let them all pick one treat to enjoy before heading home. We took lunch to Daddy at work and visited his co-workers. Alex was so excited to show off his costume, he ran up to two ladies in uniform outside of Phil's building and told them "I'm a giraffe!" They were properly impressed. Later in the afternoon, we went back to the Island for the fall festival. The boys didn't want to go into the haunted house, but they did try out the jumpy house and had hot dogs and Halloween candy. We were going to try out the hayride, but they were waiting for dark to start running it. Apparently it was supposed to be a scary hayride.

And since we failed to remember our camera for Boo at the Zoo, I'll just make a note of it in this post. On Saturday the boys wore their costumes to the zoo and participated in the scavenger hunt. There were 5 clues, and they had to find the animal that the clues described. After they visited all 5 stations, they got a goody bag. So, while I actually remembered to go to Boo at the Zoo this year, I forgot the camera. Next year, next year.

Oops

2010-10-27T16:06:00.000-07:00

Another opportunity to get a playgroup photo foiled. Karen hosted a pre-Halloween potluck and we all had good intentions of getting the kids together with their costumes for a picture. This is as close as I got....Zachary wearing his costume and part of Julia's.