markandmeg.com - markandmeg

We were lucky enough to catch the final weekend of Downtown Ice in Napa a couple weeks ago. It's a small, temporary ice rink in a parking lot, but it's just the right size for the girls.

The first step is to put on our ice skates. The second step is to dance around on your ice skates.



The third step is to hold two little hands while trying not to let them pull you down. The fourth step is to let one hand go and cling to the wall with the other little hand. But also kick up your heels.



The last step is to ditch the last little hand and skate around instead with the two littlest hands.



There you go, our winter to-do list is now complete!

We were lucky enough to have some college friends visit right after Christmas. They even got to spend the night, so the girls had a friend sleep over, a rare treat!

But this one has a great soundtrack!

Sorry for the delay in posts. What have we been doing these last few months to prevent us from updating the website? Working, scooting, eating, homeworking, sleeping, cross-stitching, motorcycling, crafting, dancing, singing, frisbeeing, cooking, gymnasticing, napping, playing, holidaying, and going to the movies.

Our garden is really starting to produce a lot of produce!



Mayanna loves picking carrots, even though they could get bigger. She just saw Mark picking them to thin them and now she can't stop!

But in addition to squash and sugar snap peas, now we're getting tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, and a few strawberries and okra.



More:


I'm no longer able to keep up with the squash! Though none have gone to waste, I have some serious cooking to do.

But what am I supposed to do with a single okra? That's the real question.

If you could see Mirabelle right now, this is probably what she would look like:



Yep, it's the first day of school! She has been excited about this day for a while. Which is unusual for her since she doesn't really like change or new things, but she took to Kindergarten like a fish to water. May, Merrick and I walked her in the classroom, hung up her backpack, found her nametag, and then I showed her the schedule. After that, a quick kiss and goodbye! She wasn't scared or anything.

Proud of my girl!



Compared to her first day, I look like a little whippersnapper. So little!



But my lunchbox is awesome!

Someone's dressing up Merrick!



Though I think he's pulling it off. He's still cute!

So one project Mark has been hard at work at since spring is putting a deer fence around our yard. Only two sides of our yard had been fenced, so every time we planted something that wasn't rosemary, lilac, or lavender, the deer would find it and eat it. (Apparently deer don't like purple flowers? Interesting...)

But one six foot six inch fence later (deer can really jump!), we finally were able to plant a garden!



We have four heirloom tomato plants we picked up at the farmers' market on Mother's Day that are doing really well, with some sunflowers above.



We also have this row of sunflowers down below, though Mark swears he planted cucumbers in this spot. There's also a couple eggplant and you can see our sugar snap peas in the front.



Over here we have 11 squash (are we crazy?), a row of corn, two watermelon, two pumpkins, and two pepper plants.



There's even more, and the plants are even bigger now, but it's hard to keep up with the photos. So far we've harvested a lot of sugar snap peas, cherry plums from our neighbor's tree that overhangs into our yard, and some squash, including some squash blossoms. Can't wait to see what else is going to ripen soon.

So, once upon a time I had this baby bath. Even though it was a unique design, I just picked it up at Target so didn't think it was anything special.

One day, we decided to move out and tear down our house, so I got rid of a lot of stuff, packed up a bunch of stuff, and we moved. The bath made it into the get rid of pile, as it was from Target, which means you can always buy another one.

Unfortunately, they stopped making this awesome baby bath.

I was so bummed, but searched and searched garage sales and consignment shops hoping to find one again.

And a couple weeks ago, my favorite baby bathtub returned.



We celebrated with a baby-in-the-bathtub parade.

The end.

Yes, it's very late, but cute none the less.

Look who's still cute!



He's been smiling a lot these last few weeks, so we're out meeting people. First we had a park playdate with some high school friends and kids.



Then we had a lovely BBQ, and Merrick hung out with aunt Lindsey.



Then it was on to Graunt Betsy's shoulder.



Then Merrick went to sleep, and the cousins hung out in their jammies.



Yay for cute kids and smiling babies!

Although I had a lot of internal conflict about whether or not to sign them up for it, the girls had their spring dance recital last weekend. I was torn because it is a lot of expense and hassle, and they are only 3 and 5. But they were both so enthusiastic about it when the time came to sign up, I gave in and forked over the money for the costumes.



They both really did seem to love it, and didn't burn out like Mirabelle did at the end of last year.

The dress rehearsal was a long haul, though. We were there from 12:45 to 6:15. I was very prepared and brought a lot of snacks, coloring books, and the DVD player. But the girls hardly needed it because they enjoyed watching the other dancers so much! Even I didn't mind that much, though some of the repeated dances got a little old. We also set up in a big corner with a table, so we had a lot of room to spread out and were very comfortable.

Mayanna danced to "Beyond the Sea" in the youngest dancing group.



I know I'm biased, but it was ridiculously adorable. She REALLY knew her dance and was so enthusiastic and earnest about it that it was the cutest dance ever. And the dress was darling to boot. The even had sailor hats and gloves! She loves the dance and will do it again and again.



Mirabelle performed in two dances with her beloved pal Hailey, "Doll on a Music Box" from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and "Shake Senora." She was so serious about getting all her steps right, and when she ran off stage at the rehearsal, said to all her friends "Wasn't that so fun?" I was very proud of her!

We'll see how long dance lasts. We're taking a break over the summer, and I don't know if they will want to keep it up next year. After all, Mirabelle will be in kindergarten, so we'll have fewer free days. At least for now they really enjoy it and are super-cute.

Well, we couldn't get it done in 15 days (which is how old I was at my baptism) but we did make it shy of the 6 week mark. Merrick's baptism was on Sunday, May 29th. Also my mom's birthday!



It was at the 9am service, which is right during his morning nap. So in retrospect I should have really tried to just keep him sleeping. Instead I fed him to try to to keep him happy, which worked for about 10 minutes, but the baptism started after 9 minutes, so he ended up crying the whole time. Oh well, at least it was memorable!



And Merrick was lucky enough to have a lot of friends and family there to support him. We let him sleep through the party afterward, so he did finally get his well-deserved nap!

He was born on Tuesday, April 19, at 1:52pm, weighing 8lb 8oz, 20 inches long.



The girls seem to like him.

We are ready for Easter!



See, we've even got egg dyeing checked off our list!

The girls were very serious about it. Patiently waiting their turn for the right color dye and to use the right tools.




Nothing fancy here, just straight dips. I did give them a crayon so they could draw on the egg before they dipped it, but they skipped that part.



That's okay, they are just as pretty all one color!



Crazy faces. We'll probably dye more later!

You know how kids get ideas in their heads and do everything in their power to make it happen? Well, this weekend, Mirabelle decided she wanted to go fishing.

She found a perfect stick.

She found some string.

She got a paperclip for a hook.

She got some sausage for some bait.

And she made a fishing pole. Then she made one for Mayanna.

After asking all morning, we headed down to the lake to take a chance with the fish. We started at her favorite spot, an area she had explored with Mark a year or so ago when the water was way low. But since it's full now, there was plenty of water for fishing!



Let's just say this wasn't the easiest place for me to get down. Steep cliffs and being 9-months pregnant aren't really a good mix.

But I made it, and no one fell in, and we climbed and explored and didn't go into labor.



We explored and fished in one more spot, including walking along a very short trail around the water and throwing rocks in the lake. We still didn't catch anything. But man, were my legs sore the next day! They were just trying to remind me that I'm still really pregnant.

How about a fun weekend in Napa? Sounds good to us!

We had a pretty relaxing Saturday, eating breakfast and getting a few things done before we headed over to the climbing gym.

We've managed to finish a few more kitchen projects in the last few weeks and months. Finally in early January we received our wood countertops for the island and desk areas.



Yay! We've finally moved on from plywood and old closet doors! I must admit this is much easier to clean.

You can also see in the photo our backsplash!

Let's move in for a closer look:



This tile is really great as it's both grey and redish brown, so it really pulls together a lot of the colors in the kitchen.

It's also perfect because my dad only had to make 11 cuts to install it. It was perfectly sized to fit under the window by the sink, and many of the ends and corners just lined up. We love it.

We also got the countertop for the desk, which matches the island.



It's so nice to have such a big work surface!

Now if I could just keep the kids (Mayanna) from drawing on it.

We only have a few toe kick and trim details, replacing a broken drawer slide, and some electrical work to do. And then I think we would officially, really really, be done.

One thing I've learned about sewing is that it is almost never cheaper to make clothes yourself. Clothes are so inexpensive these days, even cute things! And really, fabric is expensive.

Except for when it's 30% off! Though it came at the expense of one of the cutest online fabric store's closing sale. But, I did get a bunch a good stuff including two yards of this colorful heart fabric by Anna Griffin.

As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to make the girls skirts for Valentine's Day. Mayanna especially loves skirts. She is forever wearing them.

So I followed this ruffle skirt pattern from the long thread, modifying it slightly to make the ruffle bigger, and making the main panel a patchwork of three different fabrics. I had make one other set of skirts from this pattern before, and it's pretty easy once you get the hang of it. (True of anything, I guess!)

Then, since I loved the hearts so much, I quilted a single heart layered on a piece of felted sweater to create a matching shirt.

And, ta-da! Valentine wear for 2011. And it was even pretty warm for the party this year, so they got away without jackets or long shirts underneath.

Again, I am so pleased with how they turned out, and, happily, the girls are too.

I've been quite crafty these last few weeks, starting with this project which was a Valentine gift to the girls.



Okay, not the kazoo. I haven't figured out wood carving yet.

But the little house pouches. Aren't they cute?

This was a project from an extremely talented woman, Ellen of the long thread. I worked with her a few years ago for both of my sewing calendars, and I have thoroughly explored her projects. This house always appealed to me, and since I'm trying to make more of the kids' present this year, Valentine's Day was the first opportunity.

I've finally learned something after reading 10 million sewing tutorials, and used a heavy-weight stabilizer so they are quite sturdy. I didn't add a handle to make it into a purse, but might do that later. I filled them with Valentine pencils and cards so the girls could doodle and draw. They were well received. 

And of course, the girls got in on the craftiness too. They are very creative, but sometimes when you're trying to focus that creativity into a specific project, they aren't interested. Fortunately, Mirabelle (who had 38 Valentines to make!) was interested the whole time. We actually finished the majority of her's in January. May, on the other hand, was a little flaky. But we got it done!


More coming! I just have to photograph it all first.

Yes, zooming their way to a preschooler's belly near you, it's the fabulous skateboarding dinosaurs!!

February is chicken season, did you know?

Well, at least down at Rural Supply Hardware it is.

Since we lost all our chickens last year due to skunks or raccoons or something, we've been poultry-free for quite a while. But we couldn't resist picking up a few more at the store last weekend.



Chickens are crazy easy to take care of, so that wasn't the reason we'd gone for so long without them. It was just we needed to secure the coop better, and Mark hadn't had a chance to fix it.

And because it wasn't chicken season!

But these two aren't even living in the coop right now, they are in an old recycling bin in our laundry room. They'll stay there until they get big enough to jump out.

Our first night, we forgot to put a heat lamp on them, and I found the dark chick flat on her back, stiff, and dead the next morning. That was disappointing, to say the least. (Though Mayanna took it really well for some reason.)

Then we saw her twitch her leg. But thought it was lingering muscle spasms.

Then I saw her open her mouth. Which was weird. Was it another spasm?

Then Mark came in, hooked up the light, and started to warm her up. But she was still stiff, so we set her back down for a while.

Then I saw her breathing!

I didn't think that was a spasm.

So Mark spent the next 30 minutes warming her up with the light and a hot water bottle and a heating pad. Within 40, she was weak, but her breathing was stronger and she was no longer stiff. For the rest of the day, she continued to improve, and even walked a little bit, but we had to feed her otherwise she'd just sit slumped in the corner.

Even the next morning she was still slumpy, but by 9am, she was walking around like a normal chicken. And now it's like she was never dead.

Chickens are crazy.

...in with the boy's. Clothes, that is.

I finally got so sick of all these random piles of clothes everywhere, I pulled all the boxes and bags out of the crawl space and under the bed and sorted through everything. Yay! I love to organize.



I'm so happy all my baby and kid stuff isn't in limbo anymore. I had boxes and boxes of girl clothes to pass down to my sister or to save if we had another girl, and now I'm so glad to be rid of them! At least four huge boxes to give away! I kept all the clothes I really liked in one storage bin (for sentimental reasons), and the rest are making their merry way out of here.

Then, I sorted through all the boy clothes I have so far. Between gifts, thrift, baby neutrals, and hand-me-downs, I already have boxes of clothes up to 3T! It was nice to sort through the 0-3 month clothes to see what I'll need immediately, and found I basically have everything in that size. Though I haven't sorted the 3-12m as thoroughly, I can tell I don't need much else in those sizes either!

Finally I organized the baby supplies, and put them all in one box ready to pull out in a couple months. My living room is clean again, the crawl space is organized, and now I have a good idea of what I still need to prepare.

Yes, organizing makes me one happy camper.

Hey, did I mention another project we worked on while Mark was out of town? We built my old lego castle!



This was my set from when I was a kid, and I used to play with it ALL the time. It wasn't always a castle, of course. I remember making all sorts of things with the pieces.

Since  both of the girls are lego fans, and my parents still have my awesome set, we spent several hours one weekend at their house following the instructions to make the yellow castle. We were missing a few pieces, but it worked out just fine. Yay for toys that last for generations!

We took a quick trip up to the mountains this week. We played in the snow for a while, after we found a good, easy sled run by a gas station (yes, we're high class).



It was great, except for some slipping on some ice trying to get back to the car. But everyone was ready to go again the next day.



This time right next to the lodge we were staying at. And it started snowing so we were able to catch snowflakes on our tongues. But then we high-tailed it out of there so I didn't have to drive in the snow.

And on the way home we stopped at the train museum!


The girls loved exploring the trains, it's a really great museum. And they loved the model train exhibit.



All in all, a great getaway. Choo-choo!

We had a lovely Christmas this year. The girls were in the Christmas pageant at church, where they played sheep and sang three songs.




Then on Christmas morning, we started off with hot cocoa.



We kept this going as long as we could while we were waiting for Papa to wake up. Finally we just jumped on his bed and got him up so we could take a family photo by the tree in our jammies.



So after all the presents and hoopla, and the dinners and lunches and the fun with family, we headed down to Pacific Grove to spend a couple nights at Asilomar, where we got to eat at Crocker Dining Hall!



I have very fond memories of this dining hall. They do have good food, and lazy susans on the tables! And it's like being at camp, but you're all grown up! Anyway, we rented bikes and rode along 17-mile drive.



Though Mirabelle actually rode in a trailer with Mayanna.  That would be awesome if she could ride on the back of the tandem.

We did get some time to explore the beach too.



It was a great holiday, and the relaxing days afterward were nice. Happy 2011!

It's hard for them to resist taking photos with characters. Mayanna insisted on this...

Any guesses?

We were able to get our kitchen this October, two years after we finished remodeling the rest of the house. We like to take our time.

So we went from this:

(well, actually, there was a faux island where the table is)

To this:


In just three days! Kinda.

First we started with a lot of boxes in the living room, which Mirabelle enjoyed playing on.



Then there was a lot of sawing and drilling and sweeping and moving and taping and carrying and loading and unloading.



And then there was a lot of plumbing and lifting and setting and reinforcing and measuring and puttying and helping.



And finally we had a functional kitchen again. And now we're waiting and waiting and waiting for the countertops to come in. But it's not so bad, plywood isn't the worst countertop you could have. So even more pictures coming soon!

The girls protest photos about half the time these days. Which is fine, if they want grumpy photos of themselves, oh well! They'll just have to look back at their sad, sad childhood one day.

But where they really like to ham it up is when they can pose with random statues and figures. They love that. These photos are purely their idea. They ask me to take a picture when they spot someone significant, like this beloved character:



Yes, that's Thrifty's Ice Cream we're eating. Chocolate Malted Crunch. Don't be jealous.

And also this lovely lady:



At first they wanted to pose with the statue that was a bit "uncovered" up top, and though I did take a photo with that one, I persuaded them to take one with this girl too. So there wouldn't be that, um, distraction.

I had one more photo of them posing with something random, but I can't find it anywhere, and can't remember exactly what it was. But I'm sure this kind of this will happen again, so I'll have new photos to share.

On Friday, I went to the flea market and spent $13.25.



My favorite finds: the three Haba games which had all their pieces! ($1 each), the eight wooden, Germanesque Christmas ornaments ($1 for all), and two delicious pounds of white nectarines for, you guessed it, $1!

The cheapest things were the old Fisher Price crib toy for 25 cents, the two pairs of kid jeans for 50 cents each, and the Skip Hop diaper clutch for 50 cents.

The most expensive thing was $5 for a pail of random Legos.



Which Mirabelle got into right away, and has enjoyed the few hours we've been home this weekend.

Then I worked on a banner for church, a project which has been languishing in my work basket for months.



I'm trying to figure out the placement of all the strips. Right now it's in a V-shape, but I've trying other arrangements too. I SHOULD finish it up this week.

On Saturday we went up to San Rafael to a fundraiser for the school district, and Mayanna was excited to meet Clo.



Why she wasn't passing out cartons of milk, I don't know.

And sometime this weekend, we had dinosaurs for dinner.



They were walking through the pea green fields next to a lake of ham, across from cheese island with a green tomato palm tree. There was also a cheese bunny, but I couldn't fit that into the story.

And while all this excitement happened, Mark's ultimate team won regionals. Yay!

Happy weekend!

Ta Da!



I finished Mirabelle's Halloween costume. She's Tinkerbell, in case you couldn't tell.

She's been wanting to be Tinkerbell since November 1, 2009. So I felt the money and effort that go into actually creating a costume from scratch would be worth it. There's no chance she's going to change her mind!

I started with this pattern:

Which I found on sale for 99 cents!

Mirabelle and I found some really beautiful leafy fabrics instead of just the plain green in the original photograph. Then I barely managed to interpret the rest of the fabric requirements.

The cutting worked out fine, I had just enough of what I needed. But when I read through the bodice instructions, I got so confused. I could not visualize how it was going to pull together! I wondered if I just wasn't understanding the terminology or what. But I blindly went ahead even though it was so counter-intuitive.

And of course, it all came together in the end.

Besides the dress, there's a pair of matching bloomers to wear underneath.

The wings we already had, and the back has a lacing belt which is a nice detail.

Though it's not really functional. I sewed the belt onto the dress so we wouldn't lose it.

I also added a pocket to one of the petals, because every four-year-old needs a pocket!

There's also a sparkly green butterfly appliqued in the middle of the bodice. Mirabelle picked that out!

So it turned out beautifully, was very fun to make, and now she can fly!

Would somebody please make me another caterpillar?

Preferably out of egg cartons, thank you.

Someone lost a tooth!



Though, it was not through natural causes. Four is a bit early for loosing teeth, especially if you've only had them for a little over three years, like this girl!

Waaaaay back in October, we were having a fun day at Bounce-a-rama! The girls were jumping, climbing, crawling, all that good stuff, and during a particularly exciting run down a slide, they crashed into each other.

Mayanna knocked into Mirabelle's front tooth, and she cried and there was a little blood and it was wiggly, but she recovered and we finished playing. But we stopped at the dentist on the way home because I wasn't quite sure what to do with such a wiggly tooth.

Basically, the dentist told us to monitor it and wait it out, sometimes it gets better, sometimes it doesn't. So we did, and it seemed to get better.

In June, at her regular checkup, they took an x-ray, and discovered an abscess behind the tooth eating away at the root and maybe starting to affect the permanent tooth above it. We could either do a root canal or just pull the tooth. So, we pulled it.



Mirabelle was scared, but we we talked about it a lot and explained as much as we could and hid the needle and she did just fine.

And ice cream and the promise of the tooth fairy made it more exciting!



Mirabelle hid the tooth box under her pillow (it was my tooth box from when I was little, isn't it amazing I still have it?), and sure enough, the tooth fairy came leaving her two golden dollar coins!

But what can you get with $2 these days? Not much. So we went garage sale-ing, and she's now the proud owner of the book Pipsqueaks! Maze School and the DVD Little Einsteins: Rocket's Firebird Rescue.

Not bad for one tooth, eh? 

So, a few weeks ago, while Mark was out of town, I took the girls to the circus.

Please don't hate me. I think they don't beat the animals with sharp sticks anymore. I can't imagine that they treat animals worse than place like Sea World or zoos. I mean, there are regulations and laws and stuff now. Right? The animals seemed happy. I think it's old circuses that are bad, not the new ones as much.

Anyway, I just wanted to go since I had never ever been to the circus, and it sounded fun.




They had a pre-show where you could walk around on the floor and watch little acts. Clowns, and stilt-walkers, a trapeze girl and a painting elephant.



It was nice to get up close.


They also give the kids temporary tattoos and raffled off the elephant painting (we didn't win).


It was very entertaining, I quite enjoyed the spectacle. And the tiger tamer was speaking Russian or something, which seemed really authentic. The motorcycles in the giant sphere were way more amazing than I expected.

The girls liked it too, though Mirabelle got tired of the contortionist act after a while. All it all, it was a great show, and I would go again.

And also, I like animals. Really.

Greetings from Hawaii!

Okay, we're not on vacation anymore. We've been back for two weeks in fact. But I'm going to finally write the blog post so it's like we're there again.

On July 30th, we got up WAY too early and flew to Kauai with Grandma, Grandpa, Lindsey, Travis, and Lucie. Our first day involved a lot of flights and luggage and grocery stores, but it ended with margaritas around our rental house's pool, which was awesome, so there was no complaining.



The next day was a leisurely day spent at Poipu beach:



And let me tell you, I could get used to grass at the beach. It's genius! No sand in your towel. We mostly swam and waded and looked in the rocks for fish and crabs, and it was awesome because we were in HAWAII.



The next few days we got down to work on the vacation, and played in the sand,


climbed some trees,


climbed some vines,


picked out some walking sticks and went on a hike,


visited the Wiamea canyon overlook,


and fed some feral chickens.


And that was all in two days! But we didn't stop there. The next day we focused on the Wialua river. We started at the old Hawaiian village, and crammed 10 people into an outrigger canoe for a short trip up the river.



We were dropped off by our guide to take a hike to the secret falls.



We managed to get lost along the way somehow, but met a couple toads off the beaten path!



I do believe the girls kissed it even. Anyway, we finally made it to secret falls.



Not really secret, by the way.

After returning back to the village, we explored a bit while Mayanna cooked us up some food in the mess hall,


and Mirabelle entertained us with her peahen dance.


And when we weren't out and about, you could often find Mirabelle climbing the tree in the front yard of our rental house.



On Friday, we took a boat ride up the Na Pali coast and saw some dolphins and flying fish.



We even got to snorkel on the way back in some deep, calm waters with some bigger fish. Mayanna refused to go in, but Mirabelle enjoyed the swim. They both liked the wind in their hair.



And it was on this boat cruise that we discovered Mark may have a tendency to get seasick. But I think he kept his sandwich, so it was a success.

We also managed to go on a train tour of an old sugar cane plantation.



The highlight of which may have been feeding the luau pigs.



And we squeezed in a quick photo shoot of the cousins at the house in matching outfits.



It was tricky to get them to all look reasonably happy, let me tell you.

And we filled up our last day swimming at the fancy pool at the Grand Hyatt.



Really, Mirabelle swam all day. ALL DAY!

That night we flew out, and a couple planes later, made it back to San Jose, where the girls enjoyed the ride to the car sans car seats!



Woo-hoo! The freedom!

We were greeted by a dead car battery, but made it out of there 45 minutes later thanks to some borrowed jumper cables.

We all took naps that day.

Aloha!

In mid-July Mark and I had fun at a wedding without the kids.

See?


No kids!

Oh, and ignore Mark's facial hair, he was just growing it out for a contest at work. And, I think he won! It's gone now.

Anyway, we had a great time with a super-great group of friends.



There was a lot of eating a drinking a laughing and trying on hats and taking pictures and more drinking because the mojitos were REALLY REALLY tiny. Honestly, I think I had eight, but it only added up to about 1-1/2 real mojitos. But what they lacked in size they made up for in flavor, because they were delicious.



And there was some dancing, though very little by me, though Mark was up for dancing, which may give you an idea of how many mojitos he had. And kicking off of shoes and changing into flip flops and trying all the flavors of cake and waiting for shuttles and holding of babies.



All in all, a great time. Happy wedding, Megan and Warren!

We spent an enjoyable five days without showers at Dinkey Creek in the Sierras earlier this month. Actually, there are pay showers at a resort just outside the camp, but I did not partake of that luxury during the trip. Instead, the others had to endure me and my not-quite-as-soapy baths in the creek. But it's okay, we were camping. Everything is 20 times more dirty than usual. (See example below.)



But here's proof we were in the water:


Well, Mirabelle at any rate. But who do you think helped her swim out there? Me! So we all kinda bathed.

The water was cold as usual, but not bad once you spent a minute or two getting used to it. Mark certainly had a hard time, though, and spent as little time as possible. He did have no problem sitting on top of it.




From there he enjoyed a lot of fishing and paddling. And he even took a motorcycle up so he could try the off-road trails.



I actually don't know if that's a hard part of the trail or an easy part, but he looks like he's having fun!

Anyway, swimming, boating, fishing, motorcycling, eating, ready, games, singing, and general merriment. You can't beat that!



(And apparently a lot of life-jacket wearing since I don't have a shot of Mirabelle without it!)

The girls and I had a lovely Fourth of July weekend in Napa while Mark was on a backpacking trip. We even got to hang out with Lucie for three days!



Our first stop on our all-American tour was the Jelly Belly Factory!


I hadn't been since third grade, and it was crowded and busy, but it's a very efficient operation, and very interesting. We got to taste different jelly beans through all stages of the manufacturing process. And the automated robots moving trays and packages around were cool too.

The girls LOVED the stuffed Mr. Jelly Belly, and Mirabelle wanted one to take home SO bad. But dang, we have plenty of stuffed animals that she hardly plays with, so I insisted that we get something useful. So we came home with a pencil and a playground ball.



And she was happy.

The next day we returned to another place of my youth, Morton's Warm Springs. For several years, my entire grade school would come here for an end-of-year picnic and BBQ. There are three pools, a creek, a softball field, and a large grassy picnic area.

Even though the whole school didn't come, we still had fun picnicing and swimming, though they did take out the diving board, what's up with that?

In fact, here's a photo of me doing a flip off the missing diving board in third or fourth grade:



Wasn't I cool?!

Anyway, despite the missing diving board, the girls still had fun swimming. Mirabelle swam for about three hours straight, and what's nice about it is that she actually can swim now, so part of the time she was in the medium-sized pool unassisted. The rest of the time was a lot of swimming with sisters, aunts, and uncles.



The next day we dressed up in our very best Fourth-of-July duds.



And went to the Napa parade.



My mom said that in recent years, the parade has been a little lame, but this year was really great. Bagpipes, martial arts, taiko drums, bicycles, dogs, fire trucks, a community band, and candy were all highlights of the parade. But Mirabelle's favorite may have been the reappearance of Mr. Jelly Belly passing out jelly beans! That was exciting.

We ended our long weekend at Lindsey and Travis' house, running through the sprinklers, BBQing, picking cherry plums, and getting treats from the ice cream truck.



Mira and May really enjoyed eating their cartoon-shaped popsicles with black gumball eyes. The only Dora and Sponge Bob themed things I'll let them have.

A great weekend.

Happy July!

We've enjoyed a lot of fun times with friends this summer. We have a weekly park playdate, we've visited Gilroy Gardens, gone to Rinconada wading pool, and generally had a grand old time. It works out well that both the moms and the kids are all good friends.

Riding the train at Gilroy Gardens:


Swinging on the tire swing at the park:


And I'm sure more fun to come!

What's that colorful stack in the corner of my linen cabinet?



What, that? Why it's my collection of vintage sheets and pillowcases! Aren't they all fabulous? Let's take a closer look:



Oooooo! Look at all those awesome patterns and colors! They don't make them like they used to. And if you're lucky, you can even find a fitted sheet of your favorite pattern in original packaging to go with the flat sheet and pillowcase you already have!



So they are inexpensive, easy to find, and pretty, but what do you do with all those sheets? So many things! They are very useful. I could use them for the fabric, and make something cool. It's really cheap considering the amount of fabric you get, but I haven't had the nerve to cut any up yet. Probably someday. I've used them when we had to bring linens for vacation house rentals.

But here in one of the best uses: Forts!



They make really great forts, especially because of the fun patterns. This is a grassy butterfly fort, for example.

But I have to watch out because sometimes the ghosts steal them!



Woooooo! Those ghosts LOVE vintage sheets. I think here they are discussing how to steal more of my sheets.



Better go ghost-proof my linen cabinet!

Over the memorial day weekend, we had a BBQ and pool party at my sister's husband's aunt's house. Follow that?

Anyway, the funny thing was she wasn't even home, but my brother-in-law's entire family was there: parents, brothers, wives, niece, and puppy. My parents and Mark and I also came and together we enjoyed the lively company and celebrated my mom's birthday.

And swam!



Mirabelle is rarin' to go. She loves those fins, and after all, who doesn't love fins? They make you so fast!

So there was a lot of swimming, and we got to use our garage-sale kickboard right away.



There was diving for rings, kicking, splashing, lounging, and a brief synchronized swimming routine by Mirabelle and Lindsey. It was brilliant.



(This is not a photo of the syncronized swimming, just lounging.)

After we dried off, we ate way to many ribs and gorged ourselves with salmon. It was scrumptious. Then it was on to birthday cake, and then a visit to the horse!



We fed him a bunch of carrots and he seemed to appreciate them.

Then, since we're never all together at once, we took a group photo. Ta da!



Isn't cute that all the little girls have rainbows on? And it was totally unplanned! Though that happens more often in the under-five crowd then it does in the adult world.

Boy, do the girls like the chickens!



They love to pick them up and carry them around, but they don't get to that often. Those chickens are tricky! Especially Snowy here.

But Snowy must have been having a lazy day, because Mirabelle had no problem picking her up. And she was happy!

Not sure about the chicken, though.

Happy garage sale day! Here's our Saturday finds, about three hours worth of searching. We were out a little longer than usual since we had to meet up with Mark for lunch. Usually it only takes a couple hours.

First up is our toy finds:
Little Mermaid kickboard, (was looking for one) $1
Foam butterfly puzzle, $1
Bag of seven Sesame Street characters, $1
Doggie coin purse, 25 cents
Musical triangle, 50 cents


Clothing:
Airwalk water and trekking shoes, $5
Size 5 shirt for Mirabelle to grow into, $1


Kid stuff:
Eddie Bauer portable rocking hammock (to sell), $1
Half a package of swim diapers, $1


Office supplies:
Only one thing, printable business cards, which I had been needing, yay!, $1


Kitchen items:
Two silicon mini-muffin trays, $1
12 metal skewers, 50 cents
Neoprene double wine bottle carrier (also something I was looking for), 50 cents


Books!! This was a big book day.
Can't list them all individually, but a big variety for everyone, from 25 cents to $2 each, $9 for all.


That's it for our finds. Another average day, but lots of books! And a few things I had been wanting, so that is always good.

As more and more things I own come from second-hand sources, I get more requests to accompany me as I thrift. Funny thing is, I'm not doing anything particularly special. I don't have amazing luck. I just go frequently.

I do have phases when I feel like I have a lot of stuff, and am not in the mood for the hunt, so I'll skip shopping for several weeks. But when I'm on, I go to thrift stores two to three times a week, and attend estate sales, garage sales, and flea markets every Friday and Saturday. Thursday and Sunday too, if I can find them. If you don't like shopping this way, you're not going to like thrifting. But if you enjoy the hunt, the digging through boxes, the searching, the impulse buys, the amazing deals, the surprise finds, the bargaining, then it's totally worth it, and a lot of fun.

I spent 3-1/2 hours at the Capitol Flea Market Friday, and had an average day. Here's what I found.

Things to sell at the consignment store:
Like new infant carrier, $2
NIB Fur Real Pet, $2 (Mayanna loves this and will be sad to see it go, but she has the duck version, so I don't feel bad.)
Thomas the Tank Engine Wood Suspension Bridge, $9 ($89 online!)


1978 Fisher Price Phonograph, $8
Had been looking for a kids' one for months, so was glad to find it at a reasonable price. It needs a new needle, though, but that's not surprising.


Two VHS tapes.
Aladdin, easy to find, 50 cents
American Legends, had been searching for a VHS version of this since last summer!, was happy to pay the inflated used VHS price of $1


Vintage linen category:
A box of a dozen never-used,vintage handkerchiefs, beautiful designs and handiwork, one embroidered with an M!, $1.50
It's hard for me to resist beautiful linens.


(On a side note, check out these two old toddler quilts I picked up in the last few weeks, about $3 each. I LOVE them.
)

Okay, back to the flea market.
Miscellaneous category:
Corduroy bag from Target a few seasons ago, $1 (I needed a bag like this!)
Bag of 200 Light-Brite pegs, 50 cents (I'd been wanting to pick up some extra of these too)
Two sets of eight each vintage melamine plates, $2 each set


And here's the "Keep Mayanna Happy While Shopping" category:
Is it Cinderella?


Is it Belle?


It's both!!


This doll cracks me up. I can't figure out why they would make it that way. We have a doll this style that is Red Riding Hood one way, and Grandma and the Wolf the other, and that makes sense because they are from the same story. But I don't quite understand this. Oh well, who am I to argue? Now we have both dolls but it takes up half the space! It's in great condition, too. $1!

Now the best part of the flea market, the food!
The fruit was about $10, and the bread $5. I also got some veggies, but no photos.





That's actually one of my favorite parts of the Capitol flea market, the farmers market! They have tons of produce, including lots of unusual stuff since it caters to the Latino/Asian market, and several seafood booths. They also have quite a few booths devoted to plants, places that sell fabric (though not that amazing of patterns), haircut places,stands that sell boxes and boxes of drugstore products, tons of tools, hot food stands, live bands, and much more. The flea market is really huge, and I can't cover it all in one trip. And you feel like you're in a different world since it's not catering to you at all. I don't hear a lot of English there! (Though all the vendors speak it, of course.) It's a fun world to visit.

So this was an average trip. A few good finds, a few good deals, and enough vintage stuff to keep it interesting. You should visit the Capitol Flea Market if you have a chance. The entrance fee is only 25 cents on Fridays!

I'm going to try to post about my garage sale finds tomorrow. We'll see if I can manage, though the post won't be so lengthy. I sure go on and on!

So the thing is, Mayanna loves to paint and write all over herself. Markers, paint, pens, diaper cream, makeup, anything she can get her hands on.

And I can't decide if this is a battle I want to fight with her. Because I'm thinking that someday, eventually, she'll just figure out it's not that cool to write all over your body all the time. Kids don't do that forever, right?

And it's confusing, because sometimes she'll get her face or hand painted at a fair, but then she's not allowed to do it at home. At two, it's difficult for her to distinguish between those situations.

And when EVERYTHING is a battle with this kid, you've just got to choose the important ones.

So I THINK this is not an important one. I'll just try to give her a piece of paper every time she starts to draw on herself.



And lock up all the permanent markers!

Hey, look what came in the mail today!!



REAL Chocolate sprinkles! From Holland!

See the package? You know it's real chocolate because it says "Puur."

Or there's a cat in the box.

Nothing completes ice cream like yummy chocolate sprinkles. Too bad I had to buy it in a three-pack. OR, really awesome I got to buy it in a three-pack. More sprinkles for everyone!

Can you believe I got these from Amazon? With free 2-day shipping? Amazon Prime is THE best.

Off to get some ice cream...

Here's our yard, ready for plants! It used be all covered with weeds. Sorry it's not the best photo of all the raw dirt, but I liked taking pictures from the balcony.

But look at that umbrella, it's totally blocking the dirt view! Maybe I should have closed it.

Anyway, I do like this perspective of the house since we don't see it this way too often.

You can see my car where a gate to close the main fence line should be.
And our spa that is broken and un-fixable. Boo.
And the door is open on the under-the-front-deck shed we built last fall.
And our neighbor's house is just over the far fence. Hi!
And you can see a tiny, tiny bit of the cottage's new roof through the trees on the right.

Back to the plants. I've been extensively researching plants that require no water since irrigation is an issue.

Deer-resistant too since deer are also big factor.

In fact, since we don't have a deer fence, I've had to put all our vegetables on the balcony.



Here's one of our tomato plants. Some large heirloom variety.



The rest are in this stacked container I picked up at the Smith and Hawkins going-out-of-business sale last November for $2! Woot!

From the top, we've got eggplant, a small tomato, mint, strawberry, strawberry, Italian parsley, basil, cilantro, and sage.

I wish I would have taken a photo when we first planted them. Most of them have really grown!

But I wish we could actually plant veggies in the rest of our yard. Sort of sad when we have so much land, but, the deer. The deer!

So far we've harvested some herbs and two strawberries. The herbs were fine, but the strawberries were surprisingly bad. I hope the next ones to ripen are better.

Or I'm feeding them to the deer.

I had tonsillitis last week and it really slowed me down. Besides being in bed for about three days, the next week I was still extra tired and my throat was sore. Only these last two days have I been pretty much back to normal. So now I'm playing catch-up with all those things that fell by the wayside, including the blog, email, and cleaning the bathrooms.

Here's a photo of the girls having a picnic with their new cousin. As much as a newborn can have a picnic. It's not much, but hopefully it will keep you happy until a real blog post happens. I also added three new albums to Our Photos on the left. More to come!

The girls and I stopped at Happy Hollow a few weeks ago for its grand re-opening. We thought the remodel was pretty nice, with a bunch of great new playgrounds, a new roller coaster, and an expanded petting zoo.



The climbing wall was in the petting zoo, I think it was supposed to be "goats climb, kids can climb too!"

There were a couple new kiddie rides.


And some classics.




(That's an electric Danny the Dragon, in case you couldn't tell.)

Annoying things are that the entrance is a farther walk from the parking lot, and the zoo hasn't changed at all except for moving the petting zoo. I thought the animals were getting all new exhibits! Oh well. We'll still be back.

How about a big welcome to Mirabelle and Mayanna's first first cousin, Lucie!



Lucie arrived just in time for her annual Easter photo with the girls.  Can't wait until they all have matching outfits!!

Happy spring!

And in celebration, I finally made a table runner I had been thinking about for some time. I had about a dozen reproduction vintage handkerchiefs with nothing to do, since I have about 30 real vintage handkerchiefs I actually use. So I thought some sort of sewing project was in order.

Luckily they were all about the same size, so I ironed them, arranged them as I saw fit, and sewed them together.

Ta da!



And there you have it, our spring runner.

Though it turned out so well, maybe it will stick around for summer too.  

Yes, Mirabelle turned four last week and we were full of birthday festivities.

The first event in our birthday line-up was the presentation of her big present on the morning of the extended-family party. In case you're wondering, the traditional gift for turning four is...


...wait for it...


a bike with training wheels!



She had been talking about "a bike with two wheels" for ages. I almost got her a balance bike, even ordered one then canceled it, deciding it would be too small, and instead found this beauty at the flea market the day before for $10. Good timing, eh?

Actually, I think a lot of kids get bikes earlier, but we don't have a ride-able driveway or street, so I waited until it was really worth the effort.

The bike presentation was early because her party was at a (flat) park, so we HAD to take the bike along to break it in.

We hauled it over to windy Baylands Park for the fête.



If you're wondering why the party was way over there, not really anywhere near our place, it was to accommodate people coming from out of town, so they wouldn't have to come all the way to our house. Plus, they have nice picnic areas, playgrounds, plenty of parking, and bathrooms. A win-win-win-win-win location.

And it wasn't even that windy! Though the "theme" of the party was wind. It was a very, very loose theme.



We had kites to play with and pinwheels on the cupcakes. That was about the extent of the theme.

So we had lots of family, lots of food, lots of presents, lots of cupcakes, and lots of fun.



Mirabelle was especially good at opening her presents for some reason. I didn't have anything to do with it, she just carefully went through each gift, opening the card first and thoroughly examining each one, making excited comments throughout. Woot!

And her (second) cousins came, which always makes Mirabelle's day.



After the Saturday festivities, we moved on to a party in her classroom on Monday, complete with layered jello and a glitter crown! But then my camera died, so I didn't get any photos of that.

I busted out the really old camera for Tuesday's fun. Let me tell you, cameras used to be big. I'm glad they've downsized.

Anyway, we started the morning with sprinkles on toast, and moved quickly on to a party in the park with a few of her church/preschool friends.



It was basically a glorified playdate, with donuts and a pinata.

All the kids took a good whack at the pinata, but it proved to be quite a feat for them to break.



Finally we had Mark aim a well-placed hit to weaken it, then brought in our ringer, the kindergartner.



He bashed and bashed and finally the candy and prizes started flying. Pretty soon there were kids scrambling around to fill their bags, while kids who were there just playing at the (boring) playground looked on in envy.



I think we gave them a few pieces of candy. It was actually a very civilized candy clean-up. They didn't have the desperation of older kids trying to grab everything possible.

Next off we went for lunch and ice cream with another favorite friend, Alex.



(Sorry, best photo I could get. They weren't really in the mood.)

Mirabelle was so happy to hang out with Alex. We don't get to see him as often as we used to since (A) our schedules don't coordinate and (B) we don't live at their house anymore. So unfortunately, our visits are few and far between. But we did manage to work it out for her birthday!

Then we were off again driving up to the city. We were originally going to do something fun and exciting with my sister, but she ended up being too busy with work so we just hung out at a park for an hour.



Which, honestly, is pretty fun and exciting if you're a kid. Maybe Disneyland would have been better, but they were pretty happy.

After that a smooth drive down the peninsula, back home for mac 'n cheese, more presents, and more candles.



Four of them to be exact.

A good day for Mirabelle, filled with her favorite people.

Yay for four!

But I found these Valentine photos and realized I meant to post them ages ago.

One thing I noticed about Valentines Day is how few kids make their own Valentines. Am I crazy in thinking that's just what you do? Plaster a few stickers on some sloppily-cut hearts and pass them out to your friends? Well, Mirabelle got maybe one of those, but mostly it was store-bought all the way around.

I do have more craft and art supplies than the average person, so I might have a tendency to go home-made whenever possible.

Anyway, Mirabelle and I got started on her list a couple days before her class party.


Following her lead, our Valentine design was hearts drawn by me on the back of origami paper, cut out by her, names added, stickers stuck, with glue and glitter as the finishing touch. It wasn't too difficult, but I'm glad she only has six other kids in her class!

Here's how they turned out, each one a unique design.


And the backs:


She did get tired of writing the names at the end, so I filled in the gaps.

Her class had a fun party with all the parents and the kids handed out the Valentines in a very orderly manner, directed by Ms Carla.


Then the kids decorated cookies with icing made by yours truly! Okay, that's not really impressive since I just mixed some water and powdered sugar together. Impressive is Abbey's mom who made cookies for both her kids' classes to decorate.


Even Mayanna got in on the cookie fun!


Mayanna feels right at home in Mirabelle's classroom. I have to drag her out of there when I pick up/drop off Mirabelle. She's going to LOVE going three days a week next year.

And then, we played outside in the trees and grass with Abbey. The kids have fun, and the moms get to talk. It's a win-win situation.

We let the two chickens wander around the yard during the day, and Snowy (the white one) often heads up to our house to hang out with us. I'm pretty sure she's just looking for tidbits to eat, since we have two snackers that are pretty close to the ground. But Mayanna seems to think the chicken is just enjoys her company.

After spending 10 minutes or so with Snowy out on the deck, Mayanna tells me "White chicken is my best friend."

Awww, don't you feel sorry for the kid?

That a chicken is her closest friend? Not even something more cuddly, like a kitten?

Eh, you know in toddlerese that just means she likes good ol' Snowy.

But it didn't stop Mayanna from sharing her popsicle with Snowy the next day!



Did you even know chickens liked popsicles? I didn't.

Now I think I'm going to find Mayanna some friends with a little more brain power.

One thing I love about thrifting is finding things you can't buy in regular stores. It is very exciting to come across a vintage or homemade item that you just don't see anymore. Sometimes it brings back memories from my own childhood, sometimes it's things I wish they still made, and sometimes it's the fact that the item has a history that makes it unique.

Vintage household items are great because you find colors, patterns, and styles that aren't around. Well, manufacturers often make reproduction pieces, but it doesn't feel as authentic as discovering a real piece. I much prefer items with a life before they came to me. It's carrying a little piece of history on.

I always look for vintage linens, children's books, kitchenware, toys, and holiday decorations. One thing I've been looking for this last year but haven't found is a set of vintage pyrex. A few pieces here and there, but not a large set.

This is actually pretty popular item for thrifters to search for. Everyone used to get a set of pyrex mixing bowls or covered casseroles for their wedding, so there's a lot out there. They came in a HUGE variety of patterns and colors. (Check out pyrexlove.com) And I've always wanted a set.

And finally, it came.


See? Thrifting is all about patience!

This set of two covered casseroles (1.5 & 2.5 quarts) is decorated with the Friendship pattern, which was made in the early 1970s. (They are older than I am!) I was so excited when I spotted them on the shelf. Mostly because the colors are great, I totally use this type of dishes, and they both have lids! In awesome condition!

The set originally came with a 1 quart casserole too, but I'm happy with just the two.

Aren't they so pretty and happy?

I know you can buy these things on ebay, but you do have to spend a huge amount on shipping, so I prefer to find them on my own. I paid $11 for the set. Not a crazy bargain, but a very good price.

I just wish I had real display space in my kitchen to show them off. They are so cool!

Since my 2011 Sewing Calendar is basically finished, I now have time to actually sew instead of just writing about it and imagining it in my head. I find it funny that I make all of the projects in my brain and manage to learn a TON about sewing and construction without ever turning on a machine.

Glad to return to my trusty Viking, though!

This week I worked on one project that is going to be in the 2011 calendar (August 15-17, if you're interested), the reusable snack bag! I love this project, since all of our other lunch accoutrements are reusable. I just needed a few bags to round out our supplies, and boy did they turn out cute!



This was a simple project, and a great way to use favorite fabrics from my stash. The bags close with velcro, and the insides are lined with cotton sealed with a layer of iron-on vinyl. That was a fun part, pairing the linings and outside prints together.



I'm so pleased with how they turned out! I can't wait to start using them.

Just finished another busy Thursday, which around here is known as lesson day. It all started when I looked into gymnastics class for the girls, which grew into dance class, which exploded into swimming. It's sounds a little crazy, but exciting!

We start with swimming at 9:30.


We're still doing swimming because, well, we'd like the girls not to drown when we're hanging out around large bodies of water. They like it, and I think Mirabelle may actually be kinda swimming! I'd feel pretty good about leaving her in a pool on her own. A really small pool. That's really shallow.

And look! Diving!



After swimming we rush reeeeeally fast in the 15 minutes we have between lessons. I originally thought the pool was a lot closer to the gym, but I read the map wrong. So we dress speedily, and drive very efficiently, and drop Mirabelle off at the door of the gym so she can run in, put her shoes in a cubby, and run into her gymnastics class.
 


May and I park the car and come in for the ParentTot class.


Actually, it's next to impossible to get Mayanna to pay attention to the coach for the class. She runs around and climbs on things and generally causes a lot of trouble. I'm constantly wrangling her and chasing her all over the gym. Mirabelle seems to have better listening-to-her-teacher-skills, thank goodness.

Mirabelle has tap/ballet class at 11:00 at the same place, so we don't have to drive anywhere, yippie! It's actually a 4-5 year-old class, but I asked the teacher if Mirabelle could sneak in because it was the only dance class that didn't conflict with Preschool. I totally felt like one of those pushy moms when I asked, though the teacher says she's doing great in the class.

May and I stick around for open gym during Mirabelle's class, which she is much better at. She gets to run around all crazy, and that she has no problems with.


After dance is over at noon, we have a picnic outside and head for home! It's a full day, but it's actually quite nice to get it all over with in one fell swoop. Now it's naptime!

Had a good playdate at a farm near downtown San Jose a few weeks ago. I had no idea it was there, so it was a good discovery. Ducks and chickens were everywhere, as was farm equipment, a playground, and lots of grass. We went for a picnic with the girls' friend, Josh, and his mom, and they had a blast.



We could have smuggled a chicken home as there were a bunch wandering around our car in the parking lot as we were leaving. Hmmm, a thought next time one of our chickens goes missing...

How about all this weather we're having?

I've been really enjoying the rain. Our rain gauge isn't in the best spot, but I'd estimate we've received 25+ inches of rain in the last month. Some other fun facts about the weather:

-Mark had to clean out/repair the gutters twice to accommodate the deluge.
-The reservoir is looking really full, and is filling up on the west side of the freeway too.
-We got hail a few times, enough to make a mini-snowman at the end of the slide.


-We had to replace the roof on our little cottage between storms since the rain leaked through and made the bathroom ceiling collapse.
-We replaced the floor of the cottage bathroom at the same time with slate.
-If we had rain barrels (and plants to water), they would be really full.
-We had a little part of a stone retaining wall collapse, but all our trees are doing fine.
-Mark had a tree fall down in front of him on the road while driving, followed immediately by a tree falling down behind him. I was about 50 feet in front and missed the whole thing.
-Mark salvaged firewood from the tree that fell behind him a few days later.
-We lost electricity for several hours a day four days in a row during the first week, but have been powered up ever since.
-The girls and I went to the movies twice while the power was out because it is cold and dark and we are hungry in our house without electricity. We saw the same movie both time.


-We did not see the chipmunk movie, but the Princess and the Frog. These characters were just in the theater and we couldn't resist a photo.
-We had seen The Princess and the Frog when if first came out, but none of us minded seeing it two more times.
-Then we bought the soundtrack and we are singing the songs constantly, they are so much fun.
-We visited a different theater every time we saw the movie, and got popcorn each time.

Okay, I guess I'm a bit off topic from the rain. But now you know how our wet, froggy, princessy month has been.

We got the chance to go to the Exploratorium at the end of December. I LOVED the Exploratorium growing up, especially the tactile dome. Although the experiments are aimed a little older than the girls, we went for a visit and figured we'd find a way to have fun. And we did.



The girls ran around all crazy in the forced-perspective room. They weren't interested in the optical illusion part, and cried when I made them take a picture showing the perspective. That's what I love: making the kids cry.

But we all had fun with the experiments, even if the girls didn't learn anything. I think the adults picked up a few new factoids.



And they got to play with water, too. So that's always a bonus.


It will be great to return there when they are older and can really appreciate everything. But we can still find fun.

The evening was spent at the House of Prime Rib. YUM! A super-awesome end to the day.

Mirabelle and Mayanna are a fan of tea parties, of course. Though really we have juice parties. Fun for everyone. Mirabelle is always good about cleaning up after. She washes the dishes in the sink, then dries them the old-fashioned way. On the clothesline:



This was all her idea one day, isn't it funny? But now, it's how we dry the tea dishes.

This really isn't our 104,830th chicken. We've just had so many, I can't keep track.

We started out with four new chickens last spring, lost one almost immediately, and then got a replacement. Those four were doing pretty well (despite one's near-fatal encounter with a raccoon), but they slowly started disappearing in the last couple months. We kept them shut in their coop, but would find them out in the yard. We weren't sure if the neighbors who take care of the chickens were letting them out or what, but eventually they stopped making it back to the coop at night, and we were down to one: Snowy, the white chicken. Mark found they had been sneaking out a hole under the coop, so he concentrated on closing that up and acquiring new chickens.

We didn't want to get chicks again since they don't lay eggs until 4-5 months old, so we searched on Craig's List and found our newest chicken, Lava.



She hails from a backyard coop in Mountain View, and is a Ruffled Ameraucana, or something like that. Very poofy and feathery. She's about 3 months old, and cost $20, if you're wondering what's the market value of an adolescent chicken.

So far, she seems a little shy and reserved, but we think she's just trying to get her bearings.

Welcome to the coop, Lava! It's fun here.

A few weeks ago, we drove under this:



That's a pretty good arc, don't you think?

Welcome to our downstairs! It's practically like a real room now.



What's that you say?

Why yes, those are new built-in bookshelves!

Sure, they were just big holes in the wall (with lights!) for a long time, but now they have these things called shelves, and stuff called trim, and they can hold things and look pretty!

Oh, you want a closer look? Why sure!



Yes, it's all decorated for Christmas right now, we don't usually have felt trees, miniature houses, and fairy lights on the ledge. But it is a nice ledge, isn't it? We have a lot of ledges in our house, and they are very useful.

Even closer, you say? By all means!



See all that lovely redwood trim and lining? That used to be the outside of our house! We had hundreds of 12x1s that have been lovingly planed and cut to finish out all the trim in our house. Isn't that a neat-o factoid?

I'm so glad you asked. The books are mostly my collection of old children's books. Many I've just picked up here and there, but some are from the family, including the red-bound books. Those are the lovely 10-volume set of The Bookshelf for Boys and Girls from 1955. They are activity books and stories my Grammy had that we used to read every time we visited. And they are in great shape, too!

Sure, we can look at the other bookshelf.



Yes, I know the Harry Potter's aren't vintage, they just fit there. But I do have the UK editions of first three books, Quidditch Through the Ages, Fantastical Beasts and Where to Find Them, and a $75 collectors edition of book 1. (That everyone got for free by working for Scholastic. I think they just couldn't sell them. I mean, come on! $75?!?) But gee, that amass of books makes me sound quite HP obsessed. But I'm not. Really, really.

Anyway, yes, you can see the shelves are clear, and in fact they aren't glass, though they appear to be. We bought sheets of plastic and had the front edge polished to look like glass. Doesn't it look nice? That way the light can make it through the shelves and we don't have to worry about them falling and slicing anyone.

By the way, did you see that edition of Five Little Peppers and How They Grew? It's a condensed illustrated version I picked up at a garage sale. Isn't it a beauty? Quite a find, I think. But I better not go into all the books because we'll be here for HOURS.

So that's the latest improvement. It's making the our home more homey.

Happy Christmas, everyone!

After Thanksgiving, we went down to visit my extended family in Santa Maria, which is a town on the central coast. We used to go down there every year when I was young and celebrate Thanksgiving, but now that everyone is grown and has kids, it's just more complicated. So it's been a while since I've spent some time down there with all the family. But we made it this year! One of the things we always used to do is go to the sand dunes.



Now we've returned with a lot more kids in tow. The sand dunes are great, despite all the sand in the shoes. We always used to sled down on cardboard, or roll down all crazy, or just jump.



Sand dunes are great. We also went to see the ocean, but since it was cold, I think the sand dunes were more fun. The walk there was fun too, on a boardwalk along a pond.


And we saw a raccoon! It kept coming out of the bushes, probably wanting a hand out. I think it was pretty tame. The rangers kept trying to scare it off.


And then we cleaned out all the sand and went home and made cookies. Yum!


I'm glad Mirabelle and Mayanna have such an awesome time with their (second) cousins, even though they are older. They play together all day having the best time. It's great!

Hey, we got snow!



Well, not at our house actually. At least, not any that stuck. It certainly was cold enough for snow. All of last week we woke up to 28 degree mornings.

So we were hoping and hoping for a bit of snow, but had to settle for driving up the mountain 500 more vertical feet to find any.


I hear it was pretty well covered, but by the time we were there at the end of the day, much of it was melted. But we still played on the playground. The slide was extra fast with the bonus layer of ice, but the monkey bars were all but impossible. Still, snow is fun.



And cold! Brrrrr!

Hey, someone around here is two! Can you guess who it is?



No, it's not this girl. She's only one.

But maybe...

just maybe...


it's this girl!


Yes, just overnight, Mayanna turned two. (And apparently lost her pants.)

We celebrated her birthday with family on Thanksgiving since everyone was over at our house anyway. We just snuck a little cake and presents in around dessert time and we were golden. I think once she's older, she's going to fight that plan, but for now it works splendidly.

On her actual birthday, we started with presents and breakfast.


And also a daddy with crazy hair, I guess.

Then we played in the morning while Mirabelle was at preschool, which was supposed to be followed by an early nap while mama was doing errands so we could do fun things in the afternoon, but someone missed part of that plan. I guess it's hard to catch on to everything when you're only just two.

Anyway, we ended up with a picnic after we picked Mirabelle up from preschool.


Followed by a trip to the Children's Museum. Originally I thought we'd take the train (light rail) since the girls think it's fun, but it can add an extra 1-1/2 hours to the trip, so in the end I'm glad we drove, especially because we got the very closest parking spot to the museum! This is awesome since the parking around there is mostly in very far away, expensive lots. But we got the best one of the 8 metered spaces across the street. Sweet! Anyway, I digress. Back to the birthday.

So first the girls took a ride in a Wells' Fargo stage coach:


(By the way, you'll have to ignore the band-aid on Mirabelle's forehead. She smacked it hard the day before and got a little cut, and wouldn't let us take it off for a week! She finally let her sheep puppet take it off. At least her bangs are too long and sort of cover it. Crazy kids.)

Then we hit up the bubble area and played Catch the Bubble for a bit.


That was followed by a few games of Fall Down Because the Floor is Covered in Soap. Good thing the floor is also covered in rubber mats.

Then we went upstairs to the art studio and painted...


and played with dye and glitter and salt on ice...


and climbed into a tree.


We also sang eight verses of a rousing edition of "If You're Happy and You Know It Clap Your Hands!" (clap clap, stomp stomp, ROAR, flap flap, nod nod, kiss kiss, spin spin, hop hop, we are!)

After that we headed home, where Mayanna finally got the memo about the nap and crashed in the car. Mirabelle joined in as well.

We ended up having mushroom olive pizza from Nonno's for dinner, followed by a chocolate ladybug cake decorated by Mirabelle and I. There was also much wearing of hats and blowing out of candles.


And everyone was happy. The End.

Especially this girl:


TWO!

In a rush to get ready for hosting Thanksgiving and Mayanna's birthday at our house, Mark spent a good part of a weekend installing the carpet downstairs in the family room. We used flor carpet squares in the green modern mix. They are fairly easy to install, just making all the cuts around the edges of the room gets tiring.



And the grid pattern really shows how uneven the room is. But we knew that, and we call it character.



Having carpet makes the room feel finished. Though there's a bit of trim, and some shelves to put in, we're basically done. It looks great!

Just in case you were worried I wasn't thrifting anymore, here are some of my finds from garage saleing last week. Actually, it was my first time in a while, as we've been busy the last few Saturdays. And in fact I don't go to thrift stores as often as I used to. Part of it is simply we have a LOT of stuff now that I've been going for the last few months, and I just don't have as much room as I used to. Part of it is I'm busy with my 2011 sewing calendar. Part of it is I've found many things I've been looking for. But I do still go when I can, since at the very least, I always have room to buy inexpensive toys I can resell at the consignment shop. That's been working out pretty well. I probably make about $50 a month there.

Here's the haul from November 7th:



As you can see, it was mostly a toys and tools morning. I found one garage sale that so many bags and boxes and piles to dig through, I spent quite some time there, got a huge bag of stuff, and only spent $7. I love it when I have tons of stuff, and I'm adding it up in my head what I think I should pay, and it's getting pretty high, and then the sellers look at my pile and say a price way lower than I was expecting. Awesome!


So that big garage sale had a lot of puzzles, many NIB. I got some to keep, some to resell, and some to give away as presents (shh, don't tell!).

All of them were either wooden or Ravensburger, which makes nice paperboard puzzles.

Next we have books and movies, which I really don't need many of, so some of this will be gifts.

But I couldn't pass up the Pat the Christmas bunny NIB (stocking stuffer!), School House Rock Science Rock, or Dr. Desoto on video. I loved that book as a kid.

Here's the toy haul.

Paddington Bear because, um, PADDINGTON BEAR! He was a bit worn on the leather on his coat, but still had his boots and tags and everything. I always pick up extra trains when I see them, so I got an old-school Thomas and Sodor fuel car. I wanted an extra pencil sharpener (the blue thing), so that was nice to find, and the train whisle I sanded down the mouthpiece and cleaned it up before we used it.

I LOVE when I'm in the market for something and I find it at a garage sale. I was just about to get some jumper cables, when BOOM, there's a pair for $3 at a sale.

Most of these things were from an estate sale from an electrician. Tools are a great thing to pick up on the cheap. I also got a level and some pinky/purply electrical tape. And the mulling spices are the kind I use already, so it was great to find a full can.

This was from a Christmas-heavy sale.

It's just a plastic set, but cute enough, and Mayanna can't destroy it, so it will work. We have a couple other ones for the kids too, but I like to have several out for them to maul.

And here's something I forgot to put in the book photo.

And old book called "The Spirit of Chirstmas" that was about the origins of gift giving and charity around holiday time. Some good, true history about Santa Claus, the three kings, and other Christmas figures from around the world. Really old book, maybe from the '30s? With beautiful illustrations.

I also got a small wooden doll, green sunglasses for Mirabelle, and a Curious George viewmaster card I forgot to photograph. Total spent this Saturday: $12. Not too shabby, eh?

I forgot to mention how Mirabelle's Cinderella costume for Halloween came about. At first she was happy just using random pieces from her dress-up clothes. She would get all dressed up in a white slip, pink slippers, and a crown and dance around in the kitchen to the music. It was great, I thought I was off the hook for making anything more complicated. Unfortunately, one trip to Target was all it took to spoil her. She saw all the costumes and decided she needed a blue, sparkly, poofy, down-to-her-feet dress.

So while I was considering what to do about this, including trying to convince her to just use what she had, we found found a home-made Cinderella dress in a thrift store for $1.99. Well, I can't pass up that bargain, even if we only used it for dress up. It was well made using nice fabrics, and it fit her well.


But Mirabelle said it was too short and not sparkly enough.

So first we added an extra 12" or so to the bottom.

This fabric was left over from my bridesmaid dress from my sister's wedding, and though it was actually grey, the tone was just about the same, so it worked.

Then I added an overskirt of a sheer fabric with sparkles all over it.

This helped to fulfill some of the sparkle requirement. Oh, there's also a band of sequin trim on the bottom of the overskirt.

Finally, we added a row of lace to the hem of the underskirt, lace and other sparkly trim to the bodice, re-aligned the zipper, and trimmed down the neck.

Actually, this photo is before I added the lace to the underskirt and trimmed down the neck. You can look back at the Halloween post to see the final final version. By the end, we had also added sparkly trim to her shoes and underwear.

It was a pretty enjoyable project for me, and Mirabelle wore that dress constantly for several weeks. Mayanna loves it too. She's back to her slip again, only because she's waiting for me to make NEXT year's Halloween costume, Tinkerbelle. Don't worry, the fabric's on order. : )

Here's some art Mirabelle came up with recently. She found some 1" foam I was going to use to make some cushions, glue, and colored popsicle sticks, and made these lovely pieces.





Do you think I should frame them?

Actually, the glue didn't hold so she's been re-gluing the sticks in different arrangements. I love that she's just using supplies in ways she came up with. I do keep a lot of stuff out and accessible to them so they can be creative on the spur of the moment. But that's another post. I'll give you a grand tour of their awesome set up in a few days.

The girls and I spent a weekend up in Napa in early October while Mark was out of town, and we joined my parents working with their wine-making club Saturday morning. I had visited before, but we had never stayed long and the girls really had fun.

First we harvested some grapes.



Then we got the fruit ready for the destemmer.



Then we dumped the grapes into the machine.



Then we squeezed some older grapes and pumped the liquid into other bins.



Then we smiled for the camera.

Kinda.


It was a fun way to spend the morning and get our hands purply.

Mirabelle's new favorite holiday is Halloween. I'm pretty sure. Even now, after the fact, she's talking about what her costume is going to be for next Halloween (Tinkerbelle, in case you were wondering) and asking how many days there are before it comes. And she wants me to make more and more costumes, for her and for me and for everyone. I'm going to have to figure out a way to distract her with Thanksgiving and Christmas over the next few weeks.

We did have a full month of activities, including going to the pumpkin patch three times. We carved pumpkins, which was very fun. Mirabelle did it mostly on her own with one of those specialized pumpkin saws. They spent the next few days carrying them around EVERYWHERE. (The pumpkins, not the saws.)



Our next activity was making caramel apples. At least that's a treat that has some nutritional value, right? And Mayanna actually wasn't that good at covering them with caramel anyway. Though I guess she did pretty well in this picture.



Then we went to a fun carnival at Mission San Rafael. It was all cheesy games and prizes and the kids loved it. Even when Mayanna fell into the duck pond. Well, she was dressed up as a mermaid after all.



And we did go trick-or-treating that evening for a little under an hour, where Mirabelle scored 38 pieces of candy. I'm not sure how many Mayanna got, she can only count to 10.



Happy Halloween!

I forgot to mention how we fared during the storm in early October, so just a quick recap.

The rain started sometime early Tuesday morning, and it was steady all day long. By 9:30am, we already measured 2-1/2" of rain. I was planning to stay home and get things done that day, including laundry, computer work, and baking. But at 10:45, the lights went out. So the girls and I cleaned up and headed out an hour later to get some food and escape the rain. We don't have any gas at all at our house, so we aren't able to do anything when the power is gone. We were stopped at the bottom of the road by this:



That explained the power outage. The truck in front of me turned around, and I considered going under it, but used the other road instead.

We spent the day at the mall where they have covered parking! And food, and playgrounds, and toys, and books, giant puddles on the sidewalks. and everything one might need. I had to pick up a few things anyway, but I stretched out the day, calling home every once in a while to see if the power was restored. By 7:30 we had finished dinner and no luck with the power, so we just went home, turned on a few flashlights, and went to bed. Actually, I think the girls were both asleep when I got home, so I just had to tuck them in. Yeah, easy bedtime routine!

We still didn't have power the next day, so in the afternoon we took a walk down the road to see if work was being done. I wasn't raining too much at this point, so it was fun. We watched the guys fixing the lines for a while.



Then we walked slowly home, looking for letters in the debris on the road and taking photos. By the time we got home, the power was back on. Hooray! Electricity is great. And the girls got to use their new umbrellas, bought just the day before on a whim. It was fun. Especially getting electricity again. The final rain total for the storm was 10-1/2". I had to empty the rain gauge twice! Too bad we don't have rain barrels. They would have been full.

On Thursday we had hamburgers for dinner, and the girls didn't touch them. They gobbled down the french fries, of course. They usually aren't too picky, but typically go for basic toddler fare, with random obsessions of broccoli, apples or things like that.

For lunch on Friday, I picked up some sushi. This usually goes over well, as long as I get shrimp. However, I picked up a calamari salad too, since it looked pretty good. I wasn't sure if the kids would be into it, since it was whole calamari, heads, tentacles, everything. But they pretty much skipped the sushi in favor of the squid.



Most adults would get weirded out by the tentacles, the rubbery texture, but not them. They almost ate the entire tray. Kids are funny.

We've finished off some more projects downstairs in the last couple months. There was a lot of debate between Mark and I on what the downstairs floor should be, which is why it was subfloor with a lovely layer of dropcloth for soooo long. We finally compromised between cork in the "hallway" area and carpet in the family room area. So Mark got to work installing the cork. In the meantime, we had Jose finish the shelves in the linen closet area which was AWESOME! That eliminated another big pile of boxes. More storage, yeah!



We also bought some doors for all the empty doorways. The downstairs bathroom used to only have a curtain, so that was a big one. But the office door was great too. Now when Mark works at home and is on a conference call, he can shut out some of the noise.



The other doors we got were the pocket doors for the laundry and the upstairs bathroom. We're still working on the hardware for those.

So storage + doors + floor =  AWESOME!

Next up is the carpet (on order), trim, and closet door (needs to be picked up).

At the beginning of August, Mayanna started climbing out of her crib. Once she figured it out, she was getting out all the time. And Mayanna is not one of those easy-sleeper kids. She whines about going to sleep, is VERY difficult to rock to sleep, doesn't take a pacifier or any other lovey, and often cries for a bit before going to sleep. So having her able to get out of bed at night was not helpful. I mean, you can't reason with the under-two crowd. That's why you have cribs: so they can't get out and are forced to sleep. So it's no surprise we were really disappointed in her new ability.

We got her a toddler bed right away, since I didn't want her to hurt herself trying to climb out. Might as well make it easy for her. And we started the long evenings of just returning her to bed every time she got up. Which, during the first month, was probably 15-30 times a night. Once she fell asleep, she was good for the night, but getting there was a difficult road.

The second month, she went down to getting up 10-15 times before falling asleep. That's still a lot. I think most experts will say it takes a week to have them adjust to something new. But to say Mayanna is strong willed is an understatement. She really took us to task on this one.

Just in the last few weeks, I've noticed she's finally caught on and has been staying in bed. Sometimes she'll get up 1-3 times, but we've had several times she didn't get up at all. Halleluja! She's learning. It's been a long process.



Mirabelle, during this time, has been going to sleep in our bed to start. Because having her sister in there is a huge incentive for Mayanna not to sleep. Thank goodness Mirabelle is so easy going.

We've been busy settling into the MWF school routine these last few weeks. Mirabelle still really likes preschool. Actually, Mayanna really likes preschool, too. I have to drag her away from the classroom when I pick up Mirabelle.

Other fun things we've been doing include making pizza:


There was some slight unevenness in the cheese layer, but we went with it.

Also, we planted some flowers. Mirabelle picked them out, and they are mostly pink. Mirabelle wanted to dance in front of them, so here it is. I think she was spinning.


These are pretty much the only growing things in our yard. It's just a sad, sad dirt lot still. And even these, I wonder how long before the deer get them. Bah, deer.

What's with all the hot weather? I mean, I know it's summer and all, but I sure prefer the mild summer days. I think I just need to get some shades for our windows. They let in a lot of view but also a lot of heat from the sun. Around 3 or 4 in the afternoon, the temperature just shoots up. Okay then, shades. I'm on it.

So how we're keeping cool in the heat is our new pool!



Actually, we would just use our spa (without the heater on, of course) as our pool, which we've done before. But the pump and 20 other things are broken, and Mark can't find spare parts anymore. So now we need a new spa too. Yay, one more thing.

I had been searching for one of those little plastic wading pools after our inflatable one died, but I could not find one for the life of me. Actually, I saw one at Long's Drugs while we were on vacation in the Sierras. Here's a bonus photo of that vacation:



But it's not really convenient to buy one while on vacation. So I waited until I returned home. I went to every drug store and toy store around but couldn't find one. I almost gave up, but checked Craig's List, and found our new blue beauty. $10 and one rubber stopper later, and we can swim! And slide!

Apparently they don't make this pool anymore, and I found it on ebay for over $100. Isn't that crazy? This one is a lot larger than the ones I had been looking at, and the kids enjoy the slide.

So that's what we're up to. Keeping cool in the heat, and I'm still working in the evenings which explains the lack of posts. Mirabelle starts school next week, that should be fun. She's in a new classroom with a new teacher, but has a good friend from church in her class this year, so she should do okay. We also are attempting to finish up the downstairs floor, the closets, and add interior doors. Man, we're on a roll!

I added some summer photos! See, I'm working on it. More to come.

Here's a really quick post before I go to bed. I've been slow posting lately because I'm working again on the 2011 sewing calendar. And that takes up a bunch of time. But see, the 2010 is available for pre-order here. It came out really cute. Go give it good reviews or something.

So I posted one album from our summer adventures over on the left. That was a weekend trip to Coloma. It was fun, and not as hot as previous years. Here's one photo close-up, and more photos and such to come. As we had many adventures this summer. Which seemed really short since all the teachers I know are back in school this week. What's up with that?

I finally figured out how to display our new webpage. Here it is.

I decided to use the Shutterfly site because I wanted a better way to integrate our photos into the blog. And many of my photos were on Shutterfly anyway. Now they are in a lovely sidebar, see? Over there on the left. Maybe you have to scroll down. Ah, there it is! Of course, there's only a few albums now, but I'll be adding more later. And you can also go to our old gallery from the link on the left. It still exists.

Anyway, I hope it works for everyone. There are a lot of shutterfly things and links and everything, and if you're not careful, it will send you email updates, though you can turn them off. So those things are a little annoying. But hopefully the pretty pictures and such will make up for it. You can always go back to our old side if you like. Once again, the links are on the side over there on the left. But I'm not updating that blog anymore.

We'll see if it lasts. I may add a password because it's very easy on this site (another reason I switched) and I'll email you. Or email me if all of a sudden there's a password required and I didn't contact you. I don't know, maybe I'll get too annoyed and switch back. Maybe something better will come along. Who knows.

Okay, I'll try to blog again later. With a real blog entry.

We are quite a craft-friendly house. That's no surprise considering my old job. I have a ton of craft supplies from that. So we try to be pretty artsy around here. Of course, there's only so much a 1- and 3-year-old can do, and I get tired of creating "things." I usually just let them play around with supplies.

Right now Mayanna loves playdough (and not just eating it, though she does that too), painting, and crayons. She'll actually sit and color for a while. And though I wasn't sure for a long time, I think now she might be right handed. She's really started to favor it lately, though she used to switch back and forth all the time.

Mirabelle has been very into beads lately. I have a couple of big bins, and she threads them on pipe cleaners, sorts them by color and shape in muffin tins, and pours them around from container to container. Man, think how many developmental skills I'm working on with that one craft supply! Very often, a lot of them end up on the floor, but she's remarkably good at going on a "bead hunt" with me to pick them all up. She's a bead-o-holic. Here she is making bead soup:



I also thought I'd share my awesome thrift finds from the last month or two. I've had lots of good deals, but this is a selection of big toys I've bought.



Mini Trampoline - $9 at Salvation Army
It was in new condition, and it has elastic bands instead of springs. I was going to buy Mirabelle a trampoline for her birthday, but the place I ordered if from didn't get it in time, so I gave up on it. But this was a steal!
Foam T-Ball Set - $5 at Goodwill
This was new-in-box! We've had a bunch of fun with this.
Kettler Tricycle - $10 at garage sale
We have another one in opposite colors, so now we have one for each kid! Mayanna's getting close to pedaling. Kinda.
The Learning Tower - $30 at Goodwill
This may be our best find. I hemmed and hawed for a while before giving in. I'm so glad I did! It's meant to be a big, safe stool for the kitchen. Before, the girls always wanted to come up to see when I was cooking, but they would knock each other off the little stool and it was so unsafe. But now they totally fit and it's awesome. And they just love to play in it too. It's big, so it wouldn't fit in a lot of kitchens, but it slides under our island perfectly.

I calculate I would have paid at least $325 if I had paid retail for everything. Instead, only $54. Awesome!

While I have your ear, I'll gush about my great garage sale find from last week. Actually, I could go off on a lot of garage sale/thrift finds, but that's another post.

I had wanted to get another storage cabinet for the kitchen while we are waiting to buy our real cabinetry. I wasn't able to fit all our stuff into the storage pieces I had rounded up to form our temporary kitchen, and left everything that didn't fit in a big pile in the corner. Unattractive, yes, but I had no choice. This is the best before photo I have, and you can only just see the pile of boxes on the right behind the desk. Just know there were about nine piled there with stuff on top of that.



So I had been looking at Craig's list, consignment centers, thrift stores, etc. to find something that wasn't too expensive. After all, this was only a temporary storage solution. And just last week, I spotted a little cabinet at a garage sale. I didn't look closely at first, because it seemed like an overpriced garage sale, so I didn't think it would be worth it.



So when I finally went to check it out, and saw the $10(!!!) price tag, I immediately said I would take it. Then I looked it over a bit and saw it could break down to fit in the station wagon, and it was sturdy enough to work. The helpful garage sale dudes loaded it up and I was on my merry way! $10 is a fine price for a temporary piece of furniture.

The nice thing is that it's mid-century, which is what I was looking for anyway, has sliding doors, which I love, and a nice glass display. The height ended up being perfect for storing stuff on top too. It's just a veneer, but it's not super cheesy. I think I saw some real wood in the back. And the wheels are a nice touch. So all in all, a good buy.

And the storage transformation is spectactular!



Here's a better view:


I know, it's not as nice as real cabinetry, but it's so nice compared to a pile of boxes in the corner.

Sorry it's been a while. I'm actually ready to switch our blog over to it's new format, but I have to figure out how to set it up, and that's my stumbling block right now. I'm going to get it set up soon. Promise. So here's what you've been missing while I've been working on other things.

May was a great month. We started with a lot of dancing.

The girls like dancing, but of course dancing skirts and dancing ribbons are required.

Of course, we enjoyed Mother's Day with a picnic.

Followed by a visit to the insect fair! It was really fun and we got to see a lot of cool insects.

Mirabelle went grapefruit picking with her friend Chloe who was visiting from San Diego.

They did eat a grapefruit, but needed a lot of sugar to make it edible.

The three of us also took the train up to Maker Faire in San Mateo.

Although it was somewhat overwhelming since there was so much to see, we managed to focus on a few good things like the Exploratorium exhibits, a marble run, giant light bright and cupcake cars, so the girls had fun.

Mirabelle and Mayanna also spent a lot of May looking at bugs.

They are both fearless when it comes to picking up bugs. They will grab anything and run to show me. We caught a lot in our little bug box, and Mirabelle loved the caterpillars and roly-polys the best.

Finally, I got another bike seat for the back of my bike and now I have a bicycle built for three! So we have been on a lot of bike rides these last few weeks.

As long as the path is flat, I'm happy.

Okay, I'm back in the swing of things, and new website coming soon!

Here's a crafting/thrifting combo I think turned out quite nice. Found this really good-looking chair at Goodwill last month. I needed a chair for the upstairs desk, and this one was quite comfortable, though the fabric wasn't that great. But it was 50% off, so I couldn't pass up that deal. About thirty 8mm staples later, it was done.



I looked through my fabric stash, played around with a bunch of different looks, and finally decided on this orange and green flowery thing.



I've always wanted to re-upholster something! Good thing this one was super easy.

(On a side note, the same Goodwill had about 75 pairs of slightly-used ballet toe shoes for sale. I so wished I needed some, I could have gotten a deal! I'm wondering how they got there and if they were ever sold. Hmmm... the things you find at Goodwill.)

Sorry no posts lately, we took a spontaneous trip to Hawaii!



Yes, Mark and Mayanna went too:



Just didn't have a super picture of the four of us that shouted "Hawaii!" So two separate shots will have to do.

We were on the big island, which was fun. We had great weather, even on the Hilo side where it didn't rain at all. Did some swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, hiking, eating, drinking, fishing and all that good stuff. Mark wants to move there now.

I've still been into garage sale-ing, this weekend I scored a nice Kettler tricycle for $10! That was Friday, at an early drive-by garage sale. And then even though it was the Sunnyvale city-wide garage sale Saturday, I hardly found anything. Maybe I spent $3. It was lame. Sunnyvale disappointed me. But I did get to visit four friends while in the neighborhood, so that made up for it.


Mirabelle had her 3-year check up and she passed with flying colors. She is a clever little nugget. Loves to play with her sister (but likes a little alone time too) and to help me with everything. Is absolutely in the "why" phase and asks it endlessly. She has stopped napping, which makes bedtime so much easier. I thought I'd be more sad when she gave up her nap, but I don't mind a bit since she's fun to hang out with. She's been reading for a few months now, which has been a neat process. And she still totally enjoys preschool and swimming.

Mayanna is a typical 16(17?)-month old. She knows what she wants and is mad when she doesn't get it. (Why can't I have that knife?!?!?!? WHAAAA!!!) She's an amazing tantrum thrower. I'm so good at ignoring her cries. It's funny because she can say a ton of words, but her pronunciation is not so hot. She tries to talk in sentences, and they sound like: "Puh-bee puh-bee puh-bee puh-bee jooce blease." (That means can I have some juice please.) Or she just tacks please onto anything. But talks (babbles) A TON. And tries to sing. That's cute. Today she made it climbing up our green rocket slide by herself! The girls had fun doing that, then sliding down, for quite a while.

Mark is still working, though not as crazy as before. Ultimate has started, but not hard-core yet. And he climbed Mauna Kea while we were in Hawaii. Did you know that's the world's tallest mountain? I think if you want more of an update, you'll have to ask him.

The house is continually progressing. We finished all the upstairs trim around the doors and windows, including baseboards, and it looks swell. Also we have a big new retaining wall/storage area underneath the front deck, which will really come in handy. We can't wait to fill it up with stuff!

I've been thinking about moving the blog and gallery to another site, so I may post infrequently in the next month or two while I work on that. I'll try to put little updates here and there, but this post was to give you a good update while I'm somewhat silent.

Of course, you can always email me if you get desperate for information. I'm usually good for a quick note.

Yes, just a couple of weeks ago, we celebrated Mirabelle's third birthday. It was a fun affair.

We started the weekend off with a trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium! That was a gift from Aunt Lindsey and Uncle Travis for Mirabelle's <i>second</i> birthday. Ahem. Well, you can see we made it just under the deadline! And it was a fun trip that she probably enjoyed even more since she was 11+ months older.


The next day we had a birthday brunch for all the family we could find. The winners were my cousins Adam and Tara (plus kids) and Jessica who came all the way from Sacramento! And I hear some of them came via San Francisco. That's tricky, eh? We ended up having two cakes! So she had lots of candles to blow out.


She chose one of the cakes when we visited the <a href="http://www.icingonthecakebakery.com/">bakery</a> earlier in the week because it had carrots on it. Why? "I'm a little bunny!" It's a game we often play. It involves bunny hats and a lot of hopping.


As you can see, she was quite happy with her birthday gift-o-rama. Here she is applying a red bandaid from her new doctor's kit to her new green pony, Rody, wearing her new bathing suit and new flip flops. What a day!


Her actual birthday started with crying, as Mirabelle said she didn't want to be three. She wanted to stay two. She got over it when I mentioned the presents. And Mickey Mouse pancakes!


After the regularly-scheduled swim lesson, we went in search of a McDonalds playground. Dude, it was her birthday. And she wanted to go to this one we always drive by after swim class. But it was closed for unknown reasons. We were foiled by a garbage can in front of the door. So, on with the search, and we ended up and one of those pizza/playground/arcade places.


There were hardly any people there, which was super, and this one had a lot of windows, which I felt was unusual. There was a lot of climbing, playing in balls, sliding, pizza, and then arcade games! Mirabelle's favorite was catching "popcorn" (ping-pong balls) in a bucket. It didn't have a very good token to ticket ratio, but she seemed to enjoy it despite her lack of skill. Tickets were exchanged for cheap-o prizes, then home again!


Wait, haven't I seen this picture before? Yes, you have! Just a reminder that she's three. Posing with her birthday cookies. With pig sprinkles.

Happy Birthday, Mirabelle!

I have been so into garage sale-ing and thrift stores lately! I started going to thrift stores looking for name-brand kids' clothes to re-sell in second-hand shops (it's complicated, I know) and then I went to a few garage sales, and now I'm hooked all over again.

Way back in college a group of us used to buy things from garage sales and then sell them on ebay for a profit. We made enough to all take a fun trip to Vegas together, so it was worth the early mornings. But now it's fun just shopping for fun things for myself and the kids.

Mirabelle likes it too because there's often toys to play with, and Mayanna sometimes ends up sleeping in the car, which is fine because she can just sit there while I'm right outside at the sale. And Mark can sleep in at home. So everyone has fun.

Here's my haul from today, a good one!


From leftish to rightish:
1. One of those cool teaching clocks you remember from Kindergarten!
2. Books: Tales told in Holland (vintage), Chickens Aren't the Only Ones, The Circus Baby, Betty Crocker's Boys and Girls Cookbook (vintage), and Three Roald Dahl's
3. Just a pretty drawing of a ballerina. Bought on a whim.
4. Two darling wooden puzzles from maybe the 40s or 50s.
5. Tickle Bee magnet game
6. A toy stethoscope
7. Some kids' clothes

I also got a couple new scrapbooks for cheap, but didn't take a photo. And I almost bought a plug-in cooler ($15!) and a camping table ($5!!) but I resisted. Barely.

It was a good day. Can't wait for next Saturday! I hear spring is the best time for garage sales.

So I finally (mostly) finished decorating and setting up the girls' room. Whew. But it was loads of fun, and I didn't mind a bit. Since they have to share a room, it's nice that the room is so big. Makes it easy to divide it up into a sleep/read space and a place space. Okay, on to the photos:


Here's the sleeping side, with the beds end-to-end. I tried just about every arrangement imaginable for those beds, and this was the best I came up with. It works, and later, when the kids get bunk beds (Yay!), they can go right along the same wall. I'll move the quilts around then. Those, by the way, were made by my old co-workers and my aunt, and they are cute. Mayanna pulls hers off the wall if she's in bed awake too long.


Here's the tree! I knew I wanted to paint a tree on the wall, but not too complicated of one. I saw this one in the window of the Gap last summer. I snapped a picture, bought the paint, and there you go. It turned out well, though this perspective is funny. I added the pink flowers, if you can see them. There's a bird mobile hanging from the ceiling.


Here's the play side of the room. Table and chairs in the bay window, bins of toys, play kitchen, map on the wall, cute hanging light, etc.


Finally, we have the clothing wall. Just a IKEA dresser/changing table and a stack of drawers I got from Katie (thanks!). The closet is full of clothes and more toy bins. We don't have closet doors right now. I want to get louvered bi-fold ones like in our bedroom closet, but it's not a necessity, so no big rush. The shelves are for the art and nick-knacks. I need one more shelf in between the two on the right, but have to pick up one more bracket.

One thing I'm really proud of is all the awesome original art I have up on the walls. Some of it was made for me by talented friends, others I bought from the artist or got for free from work. But there's a good story behind all of it, so that makes me happy. Maybe I'll do a post later showing all the different art.

There's your tour!

One inch of rain over the weekend. That's 19.5 inches.

Meet the newest members of our brood:


Hailing from a feed store in Gilroy, these three beauties will be fully grown in a couple months, and ready to relocate into our newly-renovated chicken coop. New door, new chicken wire, new supports, new pulley system to lift of the lid off the nesting boxes, it's quite a set up. But right now they are living in a recycling bin in the laundry room. It's the perfect spot for them.

As you can see, we have three different breeds. And in fact we had a fourth, but it died about two hours after we brought it home. We'll have to get another one. I don't know what the breeds are since Mark picked them out. Maybe a Buff Orpington? If I find out, I'll update the blog. We haven't chosen names yet. Maybe when we get the fourth one again. The girls, of course, love them. Think they are tons of fun. Would pet them all day if they could.

I think anyone who has spent any time at all around kids knows that you always spend a good deal of time making mundane tasks fun. That's like my whole life. Making clean-up a game, racing to change into pjs, climbing up the slide to get to the car, singing songs to get them motivated, and on and on.

Food is one thing I never worry about. If they're hungry, they'll eat. If not, they won't. I try not to fill them up with snacks, but if they don't eat dinner, eh, I'm already over it. So I've never had to make any extra effort to make eating fun.

Mirabelle has upped the fun factor on her own. She really likes sprinkles on everything. I think it's brilliant. It makes any food fun, is inexpensive, has like 0 calories, and it's pretty too.

 

Though that's a slice of chocolate chip banana bread, so I don't know why that needed a little extra fun. Yummy!

4.5 inches this last time around. You should see the reservoir, it has really filled up! Still about 25(?) feet below its maximum, though.

That's about 18.5 inches up here since February 12th.

I stole this idea at least from SouleMama, if not other places. I see it around, and it's a good blog topic.

ten things I'm loving right now:

1. The rainy days. The sound of rain on the roof, little girls in little boots, puddle jumping, rain hats, and sisters hiding under umbrellas.


2. Knitting again. Makes watching tv seem not so lazy.

3. Netflix instant watching + tivo = awesome. I may never buy movies again.

4. My little M&M sharing M&Ms.

5. With the addition of a painted tree and some artwork, the girls' room is pretty much finished. And it's pretty darn cute, if I say so myself. I guess a bigger post of that to come.

6. Having lots of delicious leftovers in the fridge. All yum, no work.

7. Rediscovering the library. Book and books and new books to read every week. And it's right across from preschool, so it's convenient too.

8. The pat-pat-pats on the back from the littlest M who can't hug without them.

9. Craft blogs like The Crafty Crow, Skip To My Lou, and the long thread for creative inspiration.

10. This little plant, that is somehow not dead even though Mayanna upturned it and spread it out all over the carpet. I put it back together in the pot, but I didn't think it would live. Stay strong little plant!

This round: 3.75 inches

Ready, set, rain!

Look at this beauty Mark installed last weekend:



Isn't that a pretty picture? In an effort to get our permits finished off, Mark added the laundry room sink to complete our plumbing, and it worked! We have our final plumbing signature. Still need a few things to get final final sign off, but we're actually really close.

We ended up using IKEA cabinetry for the laundry room. The quality is moderate, the price is low, and it's easily available. So it's working in there so far. But I wouldn't do the kitchen with it. I'll step it up a notch when we finally complete that. Mark was very skeptical, but I put it all together with glue, which eased his worries. That's the secret to avoid IKEA crappiness, you know. Wood glue.

The sink and countertop were also from IKEA, but those aren't crappy so no complaints there. It's just a solid birch top which I may or may not stain green and a square porcelain sink. We love having all that work space, and are glad we put the washer and dryer side-by-side. There was some debate whether to go stacked, but more countertop won. The big laundry room right off the main space feels like having a really nice (but small) garage. In fact, it seems better than a garage because it's not outside at all so it's easy to access. Now we can't wait until we get the rest of the cabinetry. I think I'm going to get one of the big wall ones next week.

Oh, and Mark finished up the paneling between the laundry room and bathroom. I'm throwing in a photo, but without a "before," it's sort of boring. Sorry.

How 'bout those rains last week? Weren't they something?

Okay, it was just rain. Not really that amazing. But nice when we haven't had much rain at all this season. And usually it is so on-and-off. Rain, break, sprinkles, break, showers, rain, break, etc. But this was steady from Saturday night until Monday morning. I liked it. But I'm a fan anyway.

It turned out I bought our rain gauge just in time. Picked one up Thursday after wanting one for a bit. Stuck it in the ground, and we ended up emptying it three times over the next five days. 2-1/2", 3-3/4", and the last at 4-1/3". That's almost 10-1/2 inches in less than a week! Nice.



We floated one of the girls' hair clips inside so you can see the level from a distance. Genius, I know.

And here's my still life post-rain. It's our old kitchen garbage can full to the brim with water. Inside are some kids' utensils, breast milk storage bottle caps, a drawer organizer, a green funnel, and our old front door handle.



I thought it looked random, all floating together.

It's raining again!

I'm so excited we have an office now. A dedicated craft and computer workspace. I have quite a collection of art and creative supplies from working at Klutz and my general interest in everything. There's not really a craft I'm not willing to try. So having a place to arrange supplies, have them easily accessible, and work in a dedicated space is awesome. I'm back in it after a long break of not crafting, able to pull things together on a whim.

Just on Tuesday, I decided to whip up a knitting-needle case. I inherited a bunch of needles from my Grandma, and they came in a not-so-attractive and bulky case. So I pulled this together based on some designs I've seen before. Having the sewing machine ready to go with supplies right at hand made this a breeze. It took me about 45 minutes, start to finish.



Of course, after I was done, I started thinking about things I would have changed for next time.



It works just fine, but I think I would have used interfacing for a little more sturdiness, and added a flap that folds over from the top to keep the needles in, and maybe added a pocket for circular needles or other oddly-shaped things. I could still add the flap, but it actually works fine, so we'll see.

I also realized yesterday I didn't have valentine's cards for the kiddos, and I wanted to give them something. So I was able to create these two cards in about 15 minutes.



It's just a fabric heart slightly stuffed and sewn onto a piece of cardstock with a zig-zag stitch. I used red metallic thread for added pizazz. So simple!

And I'm not just sewing. I've got two projects I'm knitting right now, a little crocheting, and Mirabelle and I made a bunch of painted, glittered valentines for her class. I'm glad I'm able to do things like this. I'm often thinking when I'm shopping, I could make that! And now I have the space to do it in. I'm so delighted!

Just a week ago, we were at the happiest place on earth. Boy, I wish we were back again. Disneyland is the best.



I'm not really obsessed with Disney, but I do like Disneyland quite a bit. Maybe because I have so many good memories there, from when I was young and also when I was in high school. We even went a couple times in college. So I was most excited to share it with Mirabelle and Mayanna.

We met up with friends from college who also have kids our kids' ages, so everyone had a buddy. We squeezed our visit in before both of the older kids turned three, key because they are free until then!



Wednesday was a great day to go since it wasn't very crowded. We arrived at opening (10am) and managed to hit Peter Pan, Dumbo, the Carousel twice, and Pinocchio before 11:30. This was a different type of visit since we were focusing on little kid rides. We managed to hit rides I can't remember the last time I've been on. Like the Casey Jr. train, that was a good one! I though it was just going to be a regular, flat train ride, but we went up and down, sometimes fairly quickly, through tunnels, over bumps. It was quite a ride. I think the kids' favorites were the Tiki Room, Autopia, the Nemo Submarine, and the Teacups. Oh, and the carousels. Kids like carousels.

We ventured over into CA Adventure, since our friends had never been. They had some good Bugs' Life-themed rides, and a good, though sometimes scary, 3D show. One thing we all noticed is there's often a scary component in the rides, so we each were having to talk the kids through the frightening parts. It's not that hard to make things less scary, except for the fact some of the rides move so fast we felt like we were speed talking the whole time. Here, imagine this really, really, fast:

"Did you know boats can fly? well, just magical ones with pixie dust I guess, I see a dog over there and wheee! now we're going out the window, oh, it's dark because it's night, see the stars and there's the moon and more stars and did you see Chloe? she's right over there in that other flying boat now look down there there's cars driving and a tall bridge and a funny big clock and now there's a big island see the mountain and the waterfalls and little teepees and the tiny boat and look at the indian princess, do you think she's going swimming? do you see the funny crocodile and oh boy, there's a big boat and we're flying right through it in our boat and quick, there's Tinkerbell but she's really really tiny, look there! no there! over there! see up high? and there's that funny crocodile again isn't he silly? ooo, look mermaids over there, mermaids are people with fish tails instead of legs and our boat is flying back to the beginning and we're done! See? We made it! It was fun!"

Okay, I may have over-talked that one but it was our first ride of the day. It was also really fast. I don't remember it being that short. And a lot of black-light usage. But still cool. By the way, I love that you can find videos of all the rides on YouTube. It's awesome. Relive the memories.

So we didn't go on Small World (closed for maintenance), or to Toontown, or Pirates, or Jungle Cruise, or the Treehouse, or Tom Sawyer's Island, or the new Rocket Blaster ride or the Space Rockets, which are all things I'd like to do next time with them. The park closed at 8, so we really only had 10 hours, and 3 of them were spent in CA Adventure. I'd love to spend two or three days down there next time, so we could really relax, take in a few shows, hit a few more rides, and play a bit more. We'll have to see, Disneyland tires Mark out. Though he did say he had way more fun than he thought watching the girls have so much fun.

Oh! One of the best things was we met Mickey and Minnie and Mirabelle was so excited to meet them! She wanted to give them hugs and kisses and shake their hands and it was so darling. I wondered if she would be scared of them, but I guess not. We also saw a glimpse of Tinkerbell (her favorite), and she commented that she was so big! Ha!

One of the coolest things we did was take the older kids on The Matterhorn! Did you know you only have to be 34" tall to ride it? So we all buckled in and bobsleded around the mountain. We did have to talk them through the dark parts, and the scary snowman parts, and Mirabelle kept asking "Is this a ride for little girls?" so we had to point out anyone slightly young on the ride, but they did enjoy it. That was the only "big" ride we went on all day.

I think the girls earned their ears, don't you?

There have been some great changes at the house lately. We've finished the office floors, so there's a place to put all the boxes and furniture that were piled downstairs and in the girls' room. Mark almost entirely finished the cork floor in December, but realized the floor wasn't level enough and took it all up, leveled the floor, and then laid it in again. Even added baseboards. Sweet!



We didn't get new furniture for it yet, I just got a couple of folding tables at Target to set up a desk, and we moved our two large storage cabinets down there.



Of course, it's not organized at all, I still have to go through everything, which is why there's stuff everywhere in the photos. I'm going to put some art and shelves on the the walls. Jazz it up a bit. But look! My sewing machine is just out! So I could use it at the drop of a hat! Or the rip of a seam.

Next we installed the sinks in our upstairs bathroom. This doubled our sinkage! We finally got around to paying someone to cut the marble, then Mark (with Mirabelle helping) attached the sinks. I helped with the install.



It worked out pretty well, except we lifted (heaved) it up to set it in place and found that the holes in the plywood it rests on weren't big enough for the sinks. So we had to set it down again, cut, and lift it back into place. Let's just say marble is heavy. Especially with two sinks attached.

Finally, (and maybe the best thing?) we got rid of our giant trash pile!



It's been around forever, and we were getting so tired of living with it. Though it is fun to throw trash off your front deck. But having no trash is way better.



Now we're not the scourge of the neighborhood. Yay!

1112 gym meet.mov

Mirabelle's non-competitive gymnastics meet on December 3, 2011. Camera work is poor, editing is awesome.

photos from 2001 on

entries from 2005 to 2009

very very old webpages

IMG_1917.jpg
IMG_1917.jpg 2011-12-24

IMG_1918.jpg
IMG_1918.jpg 2011-12-24

IMG_1919.jpg
IMG_1919.jpg 2011-12-24

IMG_1920.jpg
IMG_1920.jpg 2011-12-24

IMG_1921.jpg
IMG_1921.jpg 2011-12-24

IMG_1925.jpg
IMG_1925.jpg 2011-12-24

IMG_1926.jpg
IMG_1926.jpg 2011-12-24

IMG_1927.jpg
IMG_1927.jpg 2011-12-24

IMG_1928.jpg
IMG_1928.jpg 2011-12-24

IMG_1929.JPG
IMG_1929.JPG 2011-12-25

IMG_1931.JPG
IMG_1931.JPG 2011-12-25

IMG_1933.JPG
IMG_1933.JPG 2011-12-25

IMG_1934.JPG
IMG_1934.JPG 2011-12-25

IMG_1935.JPG
IMG_1935.JPG 2011-12-25

IMG_1936.JPG
IMG_1936.JPG 2011-12-25

IMG_1937.JPG
IMG_1937.JPG 2011-12-25

IMG_1938.JPG
IMG_1938.JPG 2011-12-25

IMG_1939.JPG
IMG_1939.JPG 2011-12-25

IMG_1940.JPG
IMG_1940.JPG 2011-12-25

IMG_1942.JPG
IMG_1942.JPG 2011-12-25

IMG_1943.JPG
IMG_1943.JPG 2011-12-25

IMG_1944.JPG
IMG_1944.JPG 2011-12-25

IMG_1945.JPG
IMG_1945.JPG 2011-12-25

IMG_1946.JPG
IMG_1946.JPG 2011-12-25

IMG_1948.JPG
IMG_1948.JPG 2011-12-25

IMG_1950.JPG
IMG_1950.JPG 2011-12-25

IMG_1951.JPG
IMG_1951.JPG 2011-12-25

IMG_1952.JPG
IMG_1952.JPG 2011-12-25

IMG_1953.JPG
IMG_1953.JPG 2011-12-25

IMG_1954.JPG
IMG_1954.JPG 2011-12-25

IMG_1955.JPG
IMG_1955.JPG 2011-12-25

IMG_1957.JPG
IMG_1957.JPG 2011-12-25

IMG_1958.JPG
IMG_1958.JPG 2011-12-25

IMG_1959.JPG
IMG_1959.JPG 2011-12-26

IMG_1960.JPG
IMG_1960.JPG 2011-12-26

IMG_1961.JPG
IMG_1961.JPG 2011-12-28

IMG_1962.JPG
IMG_1962.JPG 2011-12-28

IMG_1963.JPG
IMG_1963.JPG 2011-12-28

IMG_1964.JPG
IMG_1964.JPG 2011-12-28

IMG_1965.JPG
IMG_1965.JPG 2011-12-28

IMG_1966.JPG
IMG_1966.JPG 2011-12-28

IMG_1967.JPG
IMG_1967.JPG 2011-12-28

IMG_1968.JPG
IMG_1968.JPG 2011-12-28

IMG_1969.JPG
IMG_1969.JPG 2011-12-28

IMG_1970.JPG
IMG_1970.JPG 2011-12-28

IMG_1971.JPG
IMG_1971.JPG 2011-12-28

IMG_1972.JPG
IMG_1972.JPG 2011-12-28

IMG_1973.JPG
IMG_1973.JPG 2011-12-28

IMG_1974.JPG
IMG_1974.JPG 2011-12-28

IMG_1975.JPG
IMG_1975.JPG 2011-12-28

IMG_1976.JPG
IMG_1976.JPG 2011-12-28

IMG_1977.JPG
IMG_1977.JPG 2011-12-28

IMG_1978.JPG
IMG_1978.JPG 2011-12-28

IMG_1979.JPG
IMG_1979.JPG 2011-12-28

IMG_1980.JPG
IMG_1980.JPG 2011-12-28

IMG_1981.JPG
IMG_1981.JPG 2011-12-28

IMG_1982.JPG
IMG_1982.JPG 2011-12-28

IMG_1983.JPG
IMG_1983.JPG 2011-12-28

IMG_1984.JPG
IMG_1984.JPG 2011-12-28

IMG_1985.JPG
IMG_1985.JPG 2011-12-28

IMG_1986.JPG
IMG_1986.JPG 2011-12-28

IMG_1987.JPG
IMG_1987.JPG 2011-12-28

IMG_1990.JPG
IMG_1990.JPG 2011-12-28

IMG_1991.JPG
IMG_1991.JPG 2011-12-28

IMG_1992.JPG
IMG_1992.JPG 2011-12-29

IMG_1993.JPG
IMG_1993.JPG 2011-12-29

IMG_1994.JPG
IMG_1994.JPG 2011-12-29

IMG_1995.JPG
IMG_1995.JPG 2011-12-29

IMG_1996.JPG
IMG_1996.JPG 2011-12-29

IMG_1997.JPG
IMG_1997.JPG 2011-12-29

IMG_1998.JPG
IMG_1998.JPG 2011-12-29

IMG_1999.JPG
IMG_1999.JPG 2011-12-29

IMG_2000.JPG
IMG_2000.JPG 2011-12-29

IMG_2002.JPG
IMG_2002.JPG 2011-12-30

IMG_1850.jpg
IMG_1850.jpg 2011-12-10

IMG_1851.jpg
IMG_1851.jpg 2011-12-10

IMG_1852.jpg
IMG_1852.jpg 2011-12-10

IMG_1853.jpg
IMG_1853.jpg 2011-12-10

IMG_1854.jpg
IMG_1854.jpg 2011-12-10

IMG_1855.jpg
IMG_1855.jpg 2011-12-10

IMG_1856.jpg
IMG_1856.jpg 2011-12-10

IMG_1857.jpg
IMG_1857.jpg 2011-12-10

IMG_1858.jpg
IMG_1858.jpg 2011-12-10

IMG_1859.jpg
IMG_1859.jpg 2011-12-10

IMG_1860.jpg
IMG_1860.jpg 2011-12-10

IMG_1861.jpg
IMG_1861.jpg 2011-12-10

IMG_1862.jpg
IMG_1862.jpg 2011-12-10

IMG_1863.jpg
IMG_1863.jpg 2011-12-10

IMG_1864.jpg
IMG_1864.jpg 2011-12-10

IMG_1865.jpg
IMG_1865.jpg 2011-12-10

IMG_1866.jpg
IMG_1866.jpg 2011-12-10

IMG_1867.jpg
IMG_1867.jpg 2011-12-10

IMG_1868.jpg
IMG_1868.jpg 2011-12-10

IMG_1869.jpg
IMG_1869.jpg 2011-12-10

IMG_1870.jpg
IMG_1870.jpg 2011-12-10

IMG_1871.jpg
IMG_1871.jpg 2011-12-10

IMG_1872.jpg
IMG_1872.jpg 2011-12-10

IMG_1873.jpg
IMG_1873.jpg 2011-12-10

IMG_1874.jpg
IMG_1874.jpg 2011-12-10

IMG_1875.jpg
IMG_1875.jpg 2011-12-10

IMG_1876.jpg
IMG_1876.jpg 2011-12-10

IMG_1877.jpg
IMG_1877.jpg 2011-12-10

IMG_1878.jpg
IMG_1878.jpg 2011-12-10

IMG_1879.jpg
IMG_1879.jpg 2011-12-10

IMG_1667.jpg
IMG_1667.jpg 2011-11-22

IMG_1673.jpg
IMG_1673.jpg 2011-11-24

IMG_1674.jpg
IMG_1674.jpg 2011-11-24

IMG_1675.jpg
IMG_1675.jpg 2011-11-24

IMG_1676.jpg
IMG_1676.jpg 2011-11-24

IMG_1677.jpg
IMG_1677.jpg 2011-11-24

IMG_1678.jpg
IMG_1678.jpg 2011-11-24

IMG_1679.jpg
IMG_1679.jpg 2011-11-24

IMG_1680.jpg
IMG_1680.jpg 2011-11-24

IMG_1681.jpg
IMG_1681.jpg 2011-11-25

IMG_1682.jpg
IMG_1682.jpg 2011-11-25

IMG_1683.jpg
IMG_1683.jpg 2011-11-25

IMG_1684.jpg
IMG_1684.jpg 2011-11-25

IMG_1685.jpg
IMG_1685.jpg 2011-11-25

IMG_1686.jpg
IMG_1686.jpg 2011-11-25

IMG_1687.jpg
IMG_1687.jpg 2011-11-25

IMG_1688.jpg
IMG_1688.jpg 2011-11-25

IMG_1689.jpg
IMG_1689.jpg 2011-11-25

IMG_1690.jpg
IMG_1690.jpg 2011-11-25

IMG_1691.jpg
IMG_1691.jpg 2011-11-25

IMG_1692.jpg
IMG_1692.jpg 2011-11-25

IMG_1693.jpg
IMG_1693.jpg 2011-11-25

IMG_1694.jpg
IMG_1694.jpg 2011-11-25

IMG_1695.jpg
IMG_1695.jpg 2011-11-25

IMG_1696.jpg
IMG_1696.jpg 2011-11-25

IMG_1697.jpg
IMG_1697.jpg 2011-11-25

IMG_1698.jpg
IMG_1698.jpg 2011-11-25

IMG_1699.jpg
IMG_1699.jpg 2011-11-25

IMG_1700.jpg
IMG_1700.jpg 2011-11-25

IMG_1701.jpg
IMG_1701.jpg 2011-11-25

IMG_1702.jpg
IMG_1702.jpg 2011-11-25

IMG_1703.jpg
IMG_1703.jpg 2011-11-25

IMG_1704.jpg
IMG_1704.jpg 2011-11-25

IMG_1705.jpg
IMG_1705.jpg 2011-11-25

IMG_1706.jpg
IMG_1706.jpg 2011-11-26

IMG_1707.jpg
IMG_1707.jpg 2011-11-26

IMG_1708.jpg
IMG_1708.jpg 2011-11-26

IMG_1709.jpg
IMG_1709.jpg 2011-11-26

IMG_1710.jpg
IMG_1710.jpg 2011-11-26

IMG_1711.jpg
IMG_1711.jpg 2011-11-26

IMG_1712.jpg
IMG_1712.jpg 2011-11-26

IMG_1713.jpg
IMG_1713.jpg 2011-11-26

IMG_1530.jpg
IMG_1530.jpg 2011-10-26

IMG_1531.jpg
IMG_1531.jpg 2011-10-26

IMG_1532.jpg
IMG_1532.jpg 2011-10-26

IMG_1533.jpg
IMG_1533.jpg 2011-10-26

IMG_1534.jpg
IMG_1534.jpg 2011-10-26

IMG_1535.jpg
IMG_1535.jpg 2011-10-26

IMG_1536.jpg
IMG_1536.jpg 2011-10-26

IMG_1537.jpg
IMG_1537.jpg 2011-10-26

IMG_1538.jpg
IMG_1538.jpg 2011-10-26

IMG_1539.jpg
IMG_1539.jpg 2011-10-26

IMG_1540.jpg
IMG_1540.jpg 2011-10-26

IMG_1541.jpg
IMG_1541.jpg 2011-10-26

IMG_1542.jpg
IMG_1542.jpg 2011-10-27

IMG_1543.jpg
IMG_1543.jpg 2011-10-27

IMG_1544.jpg
IMG_1544.jpg 2011-10-28

IMG_1545.jpg
IMG_1545.jpg 2011-10-28

IMG_1546.jpg
IMG_1546.jpg 2011-10-28

IMG_1547.jpg
IMG_1547.jpg 2011-10-28

IMG_1548.jpg
IMG_1548.jpg 2011-10-28

IMG_1549.jpg
IMG_1549.jpg 2011-10-28

IMG_1550.jpg
IMG_1550.jpg 2011-10-28

IMG_1551.jpg
IMG_1551.jpg 2011-10-28

IMG_1553.jpg
IMG_1553.jpg 2011-10-28

IMG_0680.JPG
IMG_0680.JPG 2011-10-31

IMG_0681.JPG
IMG_0681.JPG 2011-10-31

IMG_0682.JPG
IMG_0682.JPG 2011-10-31

IMG_0683.JPG
IMG_0683.JPG 2011-10-31

IMG_0684.JPG
IMG_0684.JPG 2011-10-31

IMG_0685.JPG
IMG_0685.JPG 2011-10-31

IMG_0686.JPG
IMG_0686.JPG 2011-10-31

IMG_0687.JPG
IMG_0687.JPG 2011-10-31

IMG_0688.JPG
IMG_0688.JPG 2011-10-31

IMG_0689.JPG
IMG_0689.JPG 2011-10-31

IMG_0692.JPG
IMG_0692.JPG 2011-10-31

IMG_0697.JPG
IMG_0697.JPG 2011-10-31

IMG_0699.JPG
IMG_0699.JPG 2011-10-31

IMG_0700.JPG
IMG_0700.JPG 2011-10-31

IMG_0701.JPG
IMG_0701.JPG 2011-10-31

IMG_0702.JPG
IMG_0702.JPG 2011-10-31

IMG_0703.JPG
IMG_0703.JPG 2011-10-31

IMG_1554.jpg
IMG_1554.jpg 2011-10-31

IMG_1555.jpg
IMG_1555.jpg 2011-10-31

IMG_1556.jpg
IMG_1556.jpg 2011-10-31

IMG_1557.jpg
IMG_1557.jpg 2011-10-31

IMG_1558.jpg
IMG_1558.jpg 2011-10-31

IMG_1559.jpg
IMG_1559.jpg 2011-10-31

IMG_1560.jpg
IMG_1560.jpg 2011-10-31

IMG_1561.jpg
IMG_1561.jpg 2011-10-31

IMG_1562.jpg
IMG_1562.jpg 2011-10-31

IMG_1563.jpg
IMG_1563.jpg 2011-10-31

IMG_1564.jpg
IMG_1564.jpg 2011-10-31

IMG_1565.jpg
IMG_1565.jpg 2011-10-31

IMG_1566.jpg
IMG_1566.jpg 2011-10-31

IMG_1567.jpg
IMG_1567.jpg 2011-10-31

IMG_1568.jpg
IMG_1568.jpg 2011-10-31

IMG_1363.jpg
IMG_1363.jpg 2011-09-30

IMG_1364.jpg
IMG_1364.jpg 2011-09-30

IMG_1365.jpg
IMG_1365.jpg 2011-09-30

IMG_1367.jpg
IMG_1367.jpg 2011-09-30

IMG_1368.jpg
IMG_1368.jpg 2011-09-30

IMG_1369.jpg
IMG_1369.jpg 2011-09-30

IMG_1370.jpg
IMG_1370.jpg 2011-09-30

IMG_1371.jpg
IMG_1371.jpg 2011-09-30

IMG_1372.jpg
IMG_1372.jpg 2011-09-30

IMG_1373.jpg
IMG_1373.jpg 2011-09-30

IMG_1374.jpg
IMG_1374.jpg 2011-09-30

IMG_1375.jpg
IMG_1375.jpg 2011-09-30

IMG_1376.jpg
IMG_1376.jpg 2011-09-30

IMG_1377.jpg
IMG_1377.jpg 2011-10-01

IMG_1378.jpg
IMG_1378.jpg 2011-10-01

IMG_1379.jpg
IMG_1379.jpg 2011-10-01

IMG_1380.jpg
IMG_1380.jpg 2011-10-01

IMG_1381.jpg
IMG_1381.jpg 2011-10-01

IMG_1382.jpg
IMG_1382.jpg 2011-10-01

IMG_1384.jpg
IMG_1384.jpg 2011-10-01

IMG_1385.jpg
IMG_1385.jpg 2011-10-01

IMG_1387.jpg
IMG_1387.jpg 2011-10-01

IMG_1388.jpg
IMG_1388.jpg 2011-10-01

IMG_1389.jpg
IMG_1389.jpg 2011-10-01

IMG_1390.jpg
IMG_1390.jpg 2011-10-01

IMG_1391.jpg
IMG_1391.jpg 2011-10-01

IMG_1392.jpg
IMG_1392.jpg 2011-10-01

IMG_1394.jpg
IMG_1394.jpg 2011-10-01

IMG_1395.jpg
IMG_1395.jpg 2011-10-01

IMG_1396.jpg
IMG_1396.jpg 2011-10-01

IMG_1397.jpg
IMG_1397.jpg 2011-10-01

IMG_1398.jpg
IMG_1398.jpg 2011-10-01

IMG_1399.jpg
IMG_1399.jpg 2011-10-01

IMG_1401.jpg
IMG_1401.jpg 2011-10-01

IMG_1402.jpg
IMG_1402.jpg 2011-10-01

IMG_1403.jpg
IMG_1403.jpg 2011-10-01

IMG_1404.jpg
IMG_1404.jpg 2011-10-01

IMG_1405.jpg
IMG_1405.jpg 2011-10-01

IMG_1406.jpg
IMG_1406.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_1407.jpg
IMG_1407.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_1408.jpg
IMG_1408.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_1409.jpg
IMG_1409.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_1410.jpg
IMG_1410.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_1411.jpg
IMG_1411.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_1412.jpg
IMG_1412.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_1413.jpg
IMG_1413.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_1414.jpg
IMG_1414.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_1415.jpg
IMG_1415.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_1416.jpg
IMG_1416.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_1417.jpg
IMG_1417.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_1418.jpg
IMG_1418.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_1419.jpg
IMG_1419.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_1420.jpg
IMG_1420.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_1421.jpg
IMG_1421.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_1422.jpg
IMG_1422.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_1423.jpg
IMG_1423.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_1424.jpg
IMG_1424.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_1425.jpg
IMG_1425.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_1426.jpg
IMG_1426.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_1427.jpg
IMG_1427.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_1428.jpg
IMG_1428.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_1429.jpg
IMG_1429.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_1431.jpg
IMG_1431.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_1432.jpg
IMG_1432.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_1433.jpg
IMG_1433.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_1434.jpg
IMG_1434.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_1436.jpg
IMG_1436.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_1437.jpg
IMG_1437.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_1438.jpg
IMG_1438.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_1439.jpg
IMG_1439.jpg 2011-10-02

IMG_8603.JPG
IMG_8603.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8604.JPG
IMG_8604.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8605.JPG
IMG_8605.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8606.JPG
IMG_8606.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8607.JPG
IMG_8607.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8609.JPG
IMG_8609.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8610.JPG
IMG_8610.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8611.JPG
IMG_8611.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8612.JPG
IMG_8612.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8613.JPG
IMG_8613.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8614.JPG
IMG_8614.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8615.JPG
IMG_8615.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8616.JPG
IMG_8616.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8617.JPG
IMG_8617.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8618.JPG
IMG_8618.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8619.JPG
IMG_8619.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8620.JPG
IMG_8620.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8621.JPG
IMG_8621.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8622.JPG
IMG_8622.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8623.JPG
IMG_8623.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8624.JPG
IMG_8624.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8625.JPG
IMG_8625.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8626.JPG
IMG_8626.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8627.JPG
IMG_8627.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8628.JPG
IMG_8628.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8629.JPG
IMG_8629.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8630.JPG
IMG_8630.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8631.JPG
IMG_8631.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8632.JPG
IMG_8632.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8633.JPG
IMG_8633.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8634.JPG
IMG_8634.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8635.JPG
IMG_8635.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8636.JPG
IMG_8636.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8637.JPG
IMG_8637.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8638.JPG
IMG_8638.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8639.JPG
IMG_8639.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8642.JPG
IMG_8642.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8645.JPG
IMG_8645.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8646.JPG
IMG_8646.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8647.JPG
IMG_8647.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8648.JPG
IMG_8648.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8649.JPG
IMG_8649.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8650.JPG
IMG_8650.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8651.JPG
IMG_8651.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8652.JPG
IMG_8652.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8659.JPG
IMG_8659.JPG 2010-11-29

IMG_8660.JPG
IMG_8660.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8661.JPG
IMG_8661.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8662.JPG
IMG_8662.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8663.JPG
IMG_8663.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8664.JPG
IMG_8664.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8665.JPG
IMG_8665.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8666.JPG
IMG_8666.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8667.JPG
IMG_8667.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8668.JPG
IMG_8668.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8669.JPG
IMG_8669.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8670.JPG
IMG_8670.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8671.JPG
IMG_8671.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8672.JPG
IMG_8672.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8673.JPG
IMG_8673.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8674.JPG
IMG_8674.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8675.JPG
IMG_8675.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8677.JPG
IMG_8677.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8678.JPG
IMG_8678.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8679.JPG
IMG_8679.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8680.JPG
IMG_8680.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8681.JPG
IMG_8681.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8682.JPG
IMG_8682.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8683.JPG
IMG_8683.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8684.JPG
IMG_8684.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8684.JPG
IMG_8684.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8685.JPG
IMG_8685.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8686.JPG
IMG_8686.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8687.JPG
IMG_8687.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8688.JPG
IMG_8688.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8689.JPG
IMG_8689.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8690.JPG
IMG_8690.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8691.JPG
IMG_8691.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8692.JPG
IMG_8692.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8693.JPG
IMG_8693.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8694.JPG
IMG_8694.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8696.JPG
IMG_8696.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8697.JPG
IMG_8697.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8698.JPG
IMG_8698.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8699.JPG
IMG_8699.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8700.JPG
IMG_8700.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8701.JPG
IMG_8701.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8702.JPG
IMG_8702.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8703.JPG
IMG_8703.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8706.JPG
IMG_8706.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8707.JPG
IMG_8707.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8708.JPG
IMG_8708.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8709.JPG
IMG_8709.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8710.JPG
IMG_8710.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8711.JPG
IMG_8711.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8712.JPG
IMG_8712.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8713.JPG
IMG_8713.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8714.JPG
IMG_8714.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8715.JPG
IMG_8715.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8716.JPG
IMG_8716.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8717.JPG
IMG_8717.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8718.JPG
IMG_8718.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8720.JPG
IMG_8720.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8721.JPG
IMG_8721.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8722.JPG
IMG_8722.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8724.JPG
IMG_8724.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8725.JPG
IMG_8725.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8726.JPG
IMG_8726.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8727.JPG
IMG_8727.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8729.JPG
IMG_8729.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8730.JPG
IMG_8730.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8731.JPG
IMG_8731.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8732.JPG
IMG_8732.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8733.JPG
IMG_8733.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8734.JPG
IMG_8734.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_8736.JPG
IMG_8736.JPG 2010-11-30

IMG_6022.JPG
Cousins together for a cookie-decorating party!

IMG_6023.JPG
Lots of candy, lots of cookies.

IMG_6024.JPG
More decorating.

IMG_6025.JPG
Watching the master at work.

IMG_6028.JPG
Ta-da!

IMG_6032.JPG
Mayanna and her cookie.

IMG_6034.JPG
A friend on a hike.

IMG_6035.JPG
Hi!

IMG_6036.JPG
Standing on a table in the middle of the lake.

IMG_6037.JPG
More standing.

IMG_6038.JPG
Walking on the bridge.

IMG_6039.JPG
It's Ann and Chuck!

IMG_6040.JPG
Cousins.

IMG_6042.JPG
Kids in the sand.

IMG_6043.JPG
Looking at their sand angels.

IMG_6044.JPG
Adventuring.

IMG_6045.JPG
Sliding down the dunes.

IMG_6046.JPG
And jumping!

IMG_6047.JPG
Lindsey!

IMG_6048.JPG
Krista!

IMG_6049.JPG
Drew!

IMG_6050.JPG
Mark!

IMG_6051.JPG
Having to hike back up the sand. Ulg.

IMG_6052.JPG
Mark and Mira taking the plunge.

IMG_6053.JPG
Anne and Chuck.

IMG_6054.JPG
Joel and Krista.

IMG_6055.JPG
Sandy rest.

IMG_6056.JPG
Corralling the kids.

IMG_6057.JPG
Ready to go down again?

IMG_6058.JPG
Heading back to the boardwalk.

IMG_6059.JPG
But May won't leave the sand.

IMG_6060.JPG
Come here, please!

IMG_6061.JPG
But, no.

IMG_6062.JPG
Finally we make it to the beach.

IMG_6063.JPG
Lindsey and Travis with a football.

IMG_6064.JPG
And without a football.

IMG_6068.JPG
The family photo that didn't happen.

IMG_6070.JPG
Snacking and a show in the afternoon.

IMG_6071.JPG
Clark, Mirabelle, and Drew before goodbyes!

Thanksgiving10-001
Appetizers on the deck.

Thanksgiving10-002
It was a lovely day!

Thanksgiving10-003
May getting her snack.

Thanksgiving10-004
Getting the food ready!

Thanksgiving10-005
A boy and his dog.

Thanksgiving10-006
Getting the food!

Thanksgiving10-007
Marsha and Erin enjoying the grub.

Thanksgiving10-008
The other end of the table.

Thanksgiving10-009
The other end of the other table!

Thanksgiving10-010
Food!

Thanksgiving10-011
And more food!

Thanksgiving10-012
Yummers.

Thanksgiving10-013
Linds and Travis.

Thanksgiving10-014
The birthday girl getting her gear ready.

Thanksgiving10-015
We're ready for cupcakes!

Thanksgiving10-016
Yes, we are!

Thanksgiving10-017
Crazy family photo.

Thanksgiving10-018
Whoosh!

Thanksgiving10-019
Can you tell Mira really wanted to blow out the candles too?

Thanksgiving10-020
Happy Birthday!

Thanksgiving10-021
The birthday girl enjoying her cake.

Thanksgiving10-022
A whirlwind of presents!

IMG_5711.JPG
Waiting for the train. So exciting!

IMG_5714.JPG
And so loud!

IMG_5717.JPG
May and I on the very very back of the very very last train.

IMG_5718.JPG
Mirabelle scrunched down to look out the window.

IMG_5719.JPG
From outside the window.

IMG_5722.JPG
Josh and Ann on the train in front of us.

IMG_5723.JPG
Checking out the flowers as we pass.

IMG_5724.JPG
Farm and gardens.

IMG_5725.JPG
May and I in the train again.

IMG_5726.JPG
The three of us (mostly).

IMG_5727.JPG
Mira in our train car.

IMG_5728.JPG
Kids with straw. They loved throwing it around.

IMG_5729.JPG
Red Warty Things!

IMG_5732.JPG
Pumpkin on a pumpkin.

Sierras001
Walking down to the pond from our cabin.

Sierras002
Through the weeds and wildflowers.

Sierras003
A frog!

Sierras004
Frog hunters.

Sierras005
Frog in the hand.

Sierras006
Josh, Dave, and Ann. And probably frogs.

Sierras007
Still frog hunting.

Sierras008
A frog, mama!

Sierras009
See? See???

Sierras010
One frog of millions.

Sierras011
They were small.

Sierras012
And plentiful.

Sierras013
Running out to the end of the dock.

Sierras014
More frogs?

Sierras015
Running in the shallows. (Actually, the whole pond was really shallow.)

Sierras016
Ann and Mark lounging.

Sierras017
Dave showing the kids some frogs.

Sierras018
Mayanna's diaper was HUGE from soaking in the water.

Sierras019
So we took it off.

Sierras020
Josh in the flowers.

Sierras021
And then playing in the sand.

Sierras022
The girls swimming with Mark and Dave.

Sierras023
Wheee!

Sierras024
IMG_5321.JPG 2009-07-24

Sierras025
May and Josh.

Sierras026
One on a rock.

Sierras027
The kids "walking."

Sierras028
But mostly they were eating snacks.

Sierras029
Some kids on the big rocks.

Sierras030
More snack hunters.

Sierras031
On a train in Jamestown.

Sierras032
The other side of the train.

Sierras033
The big, big engine.

Sierras034
Dave and Josh.

Sierras035
The whole family.

Sierras036
Our visit with the big engine.

09 Summer001
Mayanna in on the fun of Mirabelle's last dance class.

09 Summer002
Happy Birthday to me!

09 Summer003
My dad brought me cupcakes.

09 Summer004
Yum!

09 Summer005
It's summer! High five!

09 Summer006
A beach trip with a playgroup.

09 Summer007
Getting crafty with beads.

09 Summer008
Fun at the Little Gym.

09 Summer009
Happy Birthday, Arjun!

09 Summer010
Jello jiggler fun.

09 Summer011
Yum!

09 Summer012
Little jiggle.

09 Summer013
Yay!

09 Summer014
Mirabelle and Mayanna love the tunnel.

09 Summer015
Playing with water and goop out on the deck.

09 Summer016
The inflatable pool before it died.

09 Summer017
Mayanna driving.

09 Summer018
Visiting Rinconada pool in Palo Alto with friends, it was a great place!

09 Summer019
Snacks!

09 Summer020
Swim, swim, swim.

09 Summer021
At the Bay Area Discovery Museum.

09 Summer022
Frogs and fish in the creek.

09 Summer023
Artsy sand.

09 Summer024
Mirabelle at the top of the crows' nest.

09 Summer025
And then hauling crab.

09 Summer026
Fish!

09 Summer027
Trying to take a photo of ourselves and the GG with lots of wind.

09 Summer028
Kinda did it!

09 Summer029
At Napa's Scientopia!

09 Summer030
A fun place.

09 Summer031
Paddle boats at Gilroy Gardens!

09 Summer032
Wheee!

09 Summer033
The kids didn't do much paddling.

09 Summer034
To the waterfall!

09 Summer035
And back.

09 Summer036
Then Mirabelle takes us on a drive.

09 Summer037
Vroom!

09 Summer038
Mayanna driving far away.

09 Summer039
Our little coupe.

09 Summer040
Up on the ferris wheel.

09 Summer041
Up, up, up!

09 Summer042
Mayanna's goat.

09 Summer043
The next day she met a lama.

09 Summer044
And Mirabelle found a very big swing.

09 Summer045
Wheee!

09 Summer046
Whooow!

09 Summer047
Yeeeee!

09 Summer048
A more comfy swing.

09 Summer049
The mini swing.

09 Summer050
What is this face?

09 Summer051
Running around like crazy.

09 Summer052
With Tanner and Payton. And the giant flower.

09Coloma001
Ready for a hike.

09Coloma002
At the top!

09Coloma003
The memorial.

09Coloma004
Resting in a spot of shade.

09Coloma005
The group at the top.

09Coloma006
A squished frog! Being eaten by yellowjackets!

09Coloma007
Ewww!

09Coloma008
May and Mark at the cemetery.

09Coloma009
The ditch.

09Coloma010
It was so cool!

09Coloma011
Old church.

09Coloma012
Mirabelle took this picture.

09Coloma013
And this one.

09Coloma014
Mirabelle got tired of walking.

09Coloma015
Mountain lion!

09Coloma016
Fox!

09Coloma017
Rowr!

09Coloma018
Broken bucket.

09Coloma019
But still fun.

09Coloma020
Fun in the river.

09Coloma021
Whee!

09Coloma022
Lots of reading.

09Coloma023
And relaxing.

09Coloma024
And boats.

09Coloma025
In Grandpa's boat.

09Coloma026
Row, row, row...

09Coloma027
Lindsey stuck with the frog.

09Coloma028
I was there too.

09Coloma029
Relaxing still.

09Coloma030
gently down the stream.

09Coloma031
Hi!

09Coloma032
Mirabelle under her tiny umbrella.

09Coloma033
Yep, just enjoying the shade.

09Coloma034
And ping pong!

09Coloma035
And ice cream!

09Coloma036
A fancy fountain in the parking lot.

09Coloma037
Songs around the "campfire."

09Coloma038
Back in the river again with a clear plastic tube. Apparently the best toy ever.

IMG_4643.JPG
IMG_4643.JPG 2009-04-13

IMG_4645.JPG
IMG_4645.JPG 2009-04-13

IMG_4646.JPG
IMG_4646.JPG 2009-04-13

IMG_4647.JPG
IMG_4647.JPG 2009-04-13

IMG_4649.JPG
IMG_4649.JPG 2009-04-13

IMG_4651.JPG
IMG_4651.JPG 2009-04-14

IMG_4652.JPG
IMG_4652.JPG 2009-04-14

IMG_4653.JPG
IMG_4653.JPG 2009-04-14

IMG_4661.JPG
IMG_4661.JPG 2009-04-14

IMG_4662.JPG
IMG_4662.JPG 2009-04-14

IMG_4666.JPG
IMG_4666.JPG 2009-04-15

IMG_4667.JPG
IMG_4667.JPG 2009-04-15

IMG_4669.JPG
IMG_4669.JPG 2009-04-15

IMG_4672.JPG
IMG_4672.JPG 2009-04-15

IMG_4674.JPG
IMG_4674.JPG 2009-04-15

IMG_4675.JPG
IMG_4675.JPG 2009-04-15

IMG_4676.JPG
IMG_4676.JPG 2009-04-15

IMG_4680.JPG
IMG_4680.JPG 2009-04-16

IMG_4681.JPG
IMG_4681.JPG 2009-04-16

IMG_4682.JPG
IMG_4682.JPG 2009-04-16

IMG_4684.JPG
IMG_4684.JPG 2009-04-16

IMG_4686.JPG
IMG_4686.JPG 2009-04-16

IMG_4687.JPG
IMG_4687.JPG 2009-04-16

IMG_4688.JPG
IMG_4688.JPG 2009-04-16

IMG_4689.JPG
IMG_4689.JPG 2009-04-16

IMG_4693.JPG
IMG_4693.JPG 2009-04-16

IMG_4694.JPG
IMG_4694.JPG 2009-04-16

IMG_4697.JPG
IMG_4697.JPG 2009-04-16

IMG_4699.JPG
IMG_4699.JPG 2009-04-16

IMG_4700.JPG
IMG_4700.JPG 2009-04-16

IMG_4701.JPG
IMG_4701.JPG 2009-04-16

IMG_4704.JPG
IMG_4704.JPG 2009-04-16

IMG_4706.JPG
IMG_4706.JPG 2009-04-16

IMG_4710.JPG
IMG_4710.JPG 2009-04-16

IMG_4711.JPG
IMG_4711.JPG 2009-04-17

IMG_4712.JPG
IMG_4712.JPG 2009-04-17

IMG_4713.JPG
IMG_4713.JPG 2009-04-17

IMG_4714.JPG
IMG_4714.JPG 2009-04-17

IMG_4715.JPG
IMG_4715.JPG 2009-04-17

IMG_4717.JPG
IMG_4717.JPG 2009-04-17

IMG_4718.JPG
IMG_4718.JPG 2009-04-17

IMG_4719.JPG
IMG_4719.JPG 2009-04-17

IMG_4721.JPG
IMG_4721.JPG 2009-04-17

IMG_4722.JPG
IMG_4722.JPG 2009-04-17

IMG_4723.JPG
IMG_4723.JPG 2009-04-17

IMG_4725.JPG
IMG_4725.JPG 2009-04-17

IMG_4727.JPG
IMG_4727.JPG 2009-04-17

IMG_4729.JPG
IMG_4729.JPG 2009-04-17

IMG_4730.JPG
IMG_4730.JPG 2009-04-17

IMG_4731.JPG
IMG_4731.JPG 2009-04-17

IMG_4733.JPG
IMG_4733.JPG 2009-04-18

IMG_4734.JPG
IMG_4734.JPG 2009-04-18

IMG_4735.JPG
IMG_4735.JPG 2009-04-18

IMG_4737.JPG
IMG_4737.JPG 2009-04-18

IMG_4738.JPG
IMG_4738.JPG 2009-04-18

IMG_4741.JPG
IMG_4741.JPG 2009-04-18

IMG_4743.JPG
IMG_4743.JPG 2009-04-18

IMG_4744.JPG
IMG_4744.JPG 2009-04-18

IMG_4746.JPG
IMG_4746.JPG 2009-04-18

IMG_4748.JPG
IMG_4748.JPG 2009-04-18

IMG_4750.JPG
IMG_4750.JPG 2009-04-18

IMG_4751.JPG
IMG_4751.JPG 2009-04-18

IMG_4752.JPG
IMG_4752.JPG 2009-04-18

IMG_4753.JPG
IMG_4753.JPG 2009-04-18

IMG_4755.JPG
IMG_4755.JPG 2009-04-18

IMG_4756.JPG
IMG_4756.JPG 2009-04-18

IMG_4757.JPG
IMG_4757.JPG 2009-04-18

IMG_4759.JPG
IMG_4759.JPG 2009-04-18

IMG_4761.JPG
IMG_4761.JPG 2009-04-19

IMG_4762.JPG
IMG_4762.JPG 2009-04-19

IMG_4763.JPG
IMG_4763.JPG 2009-04-19

IMG_4764.JPG
IMG_4764.JPG 2009-04-19

IMG_4766.JPG
IMG_4766.JPG 2009-04-19

IMG_4767.JPG
IMG_4767.JPG 2009-04-19

IMG_4768.JPG
IMG_4768.JPG 2009-04-20

IMG_4769.JPG
IMG_4769.JPG 2009-04-20

IMG_4775.JPG
IMG_4775.JPG 2009-04-20

IMG_4776.JPG
IMG_4776.JPG 2009-04-20

IMG_4777.JPG
IMG_4777.JPG 2009-04-20

IMG_4778.JPG
IMG_4778.JPG 2009-04-20

IMG_4779.JPG
IMG_4779.JPG 2009-04-20

IMG_4780.JPG
IMG_4780.JPG 2009-04-20

IMG_4783.JPG
IMG_4783.JPG 2009-04-20

IMG_4784.JPG
IMG_4784.JPG 2009-04-20

IMG_4785.JPG
IMG_4785.JPG 2009-04-20

IMG_4787.JPG
IMG_4787.JPG 2009-04-20

IMG_4788.JPG
IMG_4788.JPG 2009-04-20

IMG_4791.JPG
IMG_4791.JPG 2009-04-20

IMG_4792.JPG
IMG_4792.JPG 2009-04-20

IMG_4793.JPG
IMG_4793.JPG 2009-04-20

IMG_4794.JPG
IMG_4794.JPG 2009-04-20

IMG_4795.JPG
IMG_4795.JPG 2009-04-20

IMG_4796.JPG
IMG_4796.JPG 2009-04-20

IMG_4797.JPG
IMG_4797.JPG 2009-04-20

IMG_4798.JPG
IMG_4798.JPG 2009-04-20

IMG_4593.JPG
IMG_4593.JPG 2009-04-05

IMG_4594.JPG
IMG_4594.JPG 2009-04-05

IMG_4595.JPG
IMG_4595.JPG 2009-04-05

IMG_4597.JPG
IMG_4597.JPG 2009-04-05

IMG_4598.JPG
IMG_4598.JPG 2009-04-05

IMG_4599.JPG
IMG_4599.JPG 2009-04-05

IMG_4603.JPG
IMG_4603.JPG 2009-04-11

IMG_4604.JPG
IMG_4604.JPG 2009-04-11

IMG_4605.JPG
IMG_4605.JPG 2009-04-11

IMG_4606.JPG
IMG_4606.JPG 2009-04-11

IMG_4608.JPG
IMG_4608.JPG 2009-04-11

IMG_4609.JPG
IMG_4609.JPG 2009-04-11

IMG_4610.JPG
IMG_4610.JPG 2009-04-11

IMG_4611.JPG
IMG_4611.JPG 2009-04-11

IMG_4613.JPG
IMG_4613.JPG 2009-04-11

IMG_4616.JPG
IMG_4616.JPG 2009-04-11

IMG_4617.JPG
IMG_4617.JPG 2009-04-11

IMG_4620.JPG
IMG_4620.JPG 2009-04-12

IMG_4621.JPG
IMG_4621.JPG 2009-04-12

IMG_4623.JPG
IMG_4623.JPG 2009-04-12

IMG_4624.JPG
IMG_4624.JPG 2009-04-12

IMG_4625.JPG
IMG_4625.JPG 2009-04-12

IMG_4629.JPG
IMG_4629.JPG 2009-04-12

IMG_4633.JPG
IMG_4633.JPG 2009-04-12

IMG_4634.JPG
IMG_4634.JPG 2009-04-12

IMG_4635.JPG
IMG_4635.JPG 2009-04-12

IMG_4637.JPG
IMG_4637.JPG 2009-04-12

IMG_4638.JPG
IMG_4638.JPG 2009-04-12

IMG_4640.JPG
IMG_4640.JPG 2009-04-12

IMG_4641.JPG
IMG_4641.JPG 2009-04-12

Mirabelle's Birthday001
Wake up!

Mirabelle's Birthday002
Mickey pancakes, yum!

Mirabelle's Birthday003
Even Mayanna is happy.

Mirabelle's Birthday004
Birthday breakfast.

Mirabelle's Birthday005
Balloons!

Mirabelle's Birthday006
Presents!

Mirabelle's Birthday007
Group shot.

Mirabelle's Birthday008
A mermaid card! Because they're cool!

Mirabelle's Birthday009
Opening presents...

Mirabelle's Birthday010
more...

Mirabelle's Birthday011
more...

Mirabelle's Birthday012
more...

Mirabelle's Birthday013
She's getting good!

Mirabelle's Birthday014
Yay, Mickey!

Mirabelle's Birthday015
Mayanna got a Minnie, just to be fair.

Mirabelle's Birthday016
Mirabelle's new sleeping bag.

Mirabelle's Birthday017
One girl sleeping.

Mirabelle's Birthday018
Swimming lessons that day.

Mirabelle's Birthday019
Swish!

Mirabelle's Birthday020
Splash!

Mirabelle's Birthday021
Riding the train.

Mirabelle's Birthday022
Balls!

Mirabelle's Birthday023
More balls!

Mirabelle's Birthday024
Up in the net.

Mirabelle's Birthday025
Climbing around all over.

Mirabelle's Birthday026
Whee!

Mirabelle's Birthday027
Mini ball pit!

Mirabelle's Birthday028
Action shot.

Mirabelle's Birthday029
The balls were a hit.

Mirabelle's Birthday030
Trying to find a slide, probably.

Mirabelle's Birthday031
Eating pizza.

Mirabelle's Birthday032
Birthday pizza.

Mirabelle's Birthday033
The popcorn game, her favorite.

Mirabelle's Birthday034
Woot!

Mirabelle's Birthday035
Turning in tickets.

Mirabelle's Birthday036
The prizes!

Mirabelle's Birthday037
Driving another car.

Mirabelle's Birthday038
More balls. It was hard to get a good picture.

Mirabelle's Birthday039
Birthday dinner.

Mirabelle's Birthday040
#3 cookies.

Mirabelle's Birthday041
3!

Mirabelle's Birthday042
Hip hip hooray!

IMG_4037.JPG
IMG_4037.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4038.JPG
IMG_4038.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4041.JPG
IMG_4041.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4042.JPG
IMG_4042.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4043.JPG
IMG_4043.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4044.JPG
IMG_4044.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4045.JPG
IMG_4045.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4046.JPG
IMG_4046.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4048.JPG
IMG_4048.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4049.JPG
IMG_4049.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4050.JPG
IMG_4050.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4052.JPG
IMG_4052.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4054.JPG
IMG_4054.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4055.JPG
IMG_4055.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4056.JPG
IMG_4056.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4058.JPG
IMG_4058.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4062.JPG
IMG_4062.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4064.JPG
IMG_4064.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4065.JPG
IMG_4065.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4067.JPG
IMG_4067.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4068.JPG
IMG_4068.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4069.JPG
IMG_4069.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4071.JPG
IMG_4071.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4072.JPG
IMG_4072.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4073.JPG
IMG_4073.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4075.JPG
IMG_4075.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4076.JPG
IMG_4076.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4079.JPG
IMG_4079.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4080.JPG
IMG_4080.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4081.JPG
IMG_4081.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4082.JPG
IMG_4082.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4083.JPG
IMG_4083.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4084.JPG
IMG_4084.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4085.JPG
IMG_4085.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4087.JPG
IMG_4087.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4090.JPG
IMG_4090.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4092.JPG
IMG_4092.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4093.JPG
IMG_4093.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4094.JPG
IMG_4094.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4096.JPG
IMG_4096.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4097.JPG
IMG_4097.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4101.JPG
IMG_4101.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4102.JPG
IMG_4102.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4106.JPG
IMG_4106.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4107.JPG
IMG_4107.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4108.JPG
IMG_4108.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4110.JPG
IMG_4110.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4114.JPG
IMG_4114.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4115.JPG
IMG_4115.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4116.JPG
IMG_4116.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_4117.JPG
IMG_4117.JPG 2009-02-04

IMG_0272.JPG
IMG_0272.JPG 2004-12-28

IMG_0273.JPG
IMG_0273.JPG 2004-12-28

IMG_0274.JPG
IMG_0274.JPG 2004-12-28

IMG_0275.JPG
IMG_0275.JPG 2004-12-28

IMG_0276.JPG
IMG_0276.JPG 2004-12-28

IMG_0277.JPG
IMG_0277.JPG 2004-12-28

IMG_0278.JPG
IMG_0278.JPG 2004-12-28

IMG_0279.JPG
IMG_0279.JPG 2004-12-28

IMG_0280.JPG
IMG_0280.JPG 2004-12-28

IMG_0281.JPG
IMG_0281.JPG 2004-12-28

IMG_0282.JPG
IMG_0282.JPG 2004-12-28

IMG_0283.JPG
IMG_0283.JPG 2004-12-28

IMG_0284.JPG
IMG_0284.JPG 2004-12-28

IMG_0289.JPG
IMG_0289.JPG 2004-12-29

IMG_0290.JPG
IMG_0290.JPG 2004-12-29

IMG_0291.JPG
IMG_0291.JPG 2004-12-29

IMG_0308.JPG
IMG_0308.JPG 2004-12-29

IMG_0309.JPG
IMG_0309.JPG 2004-12-29

IMG_0311.JPG
IMG_0311.JPG 2004-12-29

IMG_0317.JPG
IMG_0317.JPG 2004-12-29

IMG_0318.JPG
IMG_0318.JPG 2004-12-29

IMG_0319.JPG
IMG_0319.JPG 2004-12-29

IMG_0327.JPG
IMG_0327.JPG 2004-12-29

IMG_0328.JPG
IMG_0328.JPG 2004-12-29

IMG_0329.JPG
IMG_0329.JPG 2004-12-29

IMG_0330.JPG
IMG_0330.JPG 2004-12-29

IMG_0331.JPG
IMG_0331.JPG 2004-12-29

IMG_0332.JPG
IMG_0332.JPG 2004-12-29

IMG_0333.JPG
IMG_0333.JPG 2004-12-29

IMG_0334.JPG
IMG_0334.JPG 2004-12-29

IMG_0335.JPG
IMG_0335.JPG 2004-12-29

IMG_0336.JPG
IMG_0336.JPG 2004-12-29

IMG_0337.JPG
IMG_0337.JPG 2004-12-29

IMG_0339.JPG
IMG_0339.JPG 2004-12-30

IMG_0340.JPG
IMG_0340.JPG 2004-12-30

IMG_0345.JPG
IMG_0345.JPG 2004-12-30

IMG_0346.JPG
IMG_0346.JPG 2004-12-30

IMG_0347.JPG
IMG_0347.JPG 2004-12-30

IMG_0349.JPG
IMG_0349.JPG 2004-12-30

IMG_0351.JPG
IMG_0351.JPG 2004-12-30

IMG_0355.JPG
IMG_0355.JPG 2005-01-01

IMG_0358.JPG
IMG_0358.JPG 2005-01-01

IMG_0360.JPG
IMG_0360.JPG 2005-01-01

IMG_0362.JPG
IMG_0362.JPG 2005-01-01

IMG_0364.JPG
IMG_0364.JPG 2005-01-01

IMG_0367.JPG
IMG_0367.JPG 2005-01-01

IMG_0368.JPG
IMG_0368.JPG 2005-01-01

IMG_0370.JPG
IMG_0370.JPG 2005-01-01

IMG_0372.JPG
IMG_0372.JPG 2005-01-01

IMG_0373.JPG
IMG_0373.JPG 2005-01-01

IMG_0375.JPG
IMG_0375.JPG 2005-01-01

IMG_0381.JPG
IMG_0381.JPG 2005-01-01

IMG_0384.JPG
IMG_0384.JPG 2005-01-01

IMG_0393.JPG
IMG_0393.JPG 2005-01-01

IMG_0396.JPG
IMG_0396.JPG 2005-01-01

IMG_0402.JPG
IMG_0402.JPG 2005-01-01

IMG_0403.JPG
IMG_0403.JPG 2005-01-01

IMG_0407.JPG
IMG_0407.JPG 2005-01-02

IMG_0408.JPG
IMG_0408.JPG 2005-01-02

IMG_0410.JPG
IMG_0410.JPG 2005-01-02

IMG_0411.JPG
IMG_0411.JPG 2005-01-02

IMG_0414.JPG
IMG_0414.JPG 2005-01-02

IMG_0421.JPG
IMG_0421.JPG 2005-01-03

IMG_0423.JPG
IMG_0423.JPG 2005-01-03

IMG_0424.JPG
IMG_0424.JPG 2005-01-03

IMG_0426.JPG
IMG_0426.JPG 2005-01-03

IMG_0428.JPG
IMG_0428.JPG 2005-01-03

IMG_0435.JPG
IMG_0435.JPG 2005-01-03

IMG_0436.JPG
IMG_0436.JPG 2005-01-03

IMG_0437.JPG
IMG_0437.JPG 2005-01-03

IMG_0443.JPG
IMG_0443.JPG 2005-01-03

IMG_0446.JPG
IMG_0446.JPG 2005-01-03

IMG_0447.JPG
IMG_0447.JPG 2005-01-03

IMG_0450.JPG
IMG_0450.JPG 2005-01-03

IMG_0474.JPG
IMG_0474.JPG 2005-01-04

IMG_0476.JPG
IMG_0476.JPG 2005-01-04

IMG_0477.JPG
IMG_0477.JPG 2005-01-04

IMG_0478.JPG
IMG_0478.JPG 2005-01-04

IMG_0481.JPG
IMG_0481.JPG 2005-01-04

IMG_0490.JPG
IMG_0490.JPG 2005-01-05

IMG_0491.JPG
IMG_0491.JPG 2005-01-05

IMG_0492.JPG
IMG_0492.JPG 2005-01-05

IMG_0494.JPG
IMG_0494.JPG 2005-01-05

IMG_0495.JPG
IMG_0495.JPG 2005-01-05

IMG_0496.JPG
IMG_0496.JPG 2005-01-05

IMG_0504.JPG
IMG_0504.JPG 2005-01-05

IMG_0505.JPG
IMG_0505.JPG 2005-01-05

IMG_0506.JPG
IMG_0506.JPG 2005-01-05

IMG_0508.JPG
IMG_0508.JPG 2005-01-05

IMG_0512.JPG
IMG_0512.JPG 2005-01-05

IMG_0514.JPG
IMG_0514.JPG 2005-01-05

IMG_0517.JPG
IMG_0517.JPG 2005-01-06

IMG_0518.JPG
IMG_0518.JPG 2005-01-06

IMG_0523.JPG
IMG_0523.JPG 2005-01-06

IMG_0524.JPG
IMG_0524.JPG 2005-01-06

IMG_0526.JPG
IMG_0526.JPG 2005-01-06

IMG_0528.JPG
IMG_0528.JPG 2005-01-06

IMG_0531.JPG
IMG_0531.JPG 2005-01-06

IMG_0533.JPG
IMG_0533.JPG 2005-01-06

IMG_0536.JPG
IMG_0536.JPG 2005-01-06

IMG_0538.JPG
IMG_0538.JPG 2005-01-06

IMG_0540.JPG
IMG_0540.JPG 2005-01-07

IMG_0541.JPG
IMG_0541.JPG 2005-01-07

STA_0221.JPG
STA_0221.JPG 2004-12-24

STA_0224.JPG
STA_0224.JPG 2004-12-24

STB_0225.JPG
STB_0225.JPG 2004-12-24

STF_0229.JPG
STF_0229.JPG 2004-12-24

STE_0228.JPG
STE_0228.JPG 2004-12-24

IMG_0214.JPG
IMG_0214.JPG 2004-12-24

IMG_0211.JPG
IMG_0211.JPG 2004-12-24

IMG_0213.JPG
IMG_0213.JPG 2004-12-24

IMG_0212.JPG
IMG_0212.JPG 2004-12-24

IMG_0215.JPG
IMG_0215.JPG 2004-12-24

IMG_0216.JPG
IMG_0216.JPG 2004-12-24

IMG_0235.JPG
IMG_0235.JPG 2004-12-24

IMG_0236.JPG
IMG_0236.JPG 2004-12-24

IMG_0238.JPG
IMG_0238.JPG 2004-12-25

IMG_0239.JPG
IMG_0239.JPG 2004-12-25

IMG_0240.JPG
IMG_0240.JPG 2004-12-25

IMG_0241.JPG
IMG_0241.JPG 2004-12-25

IMG_0242.JPG
IMG_0242.JPG 2004-12-25

IMG_0243.JPG
IMG_0243.JPG 2004-12-25

IMG_0244.JPG
IMG_0244.JPG 2004-12-25

IMG_0247.JPG
IMG_0247.JPG 2004-12-25

IMG_0248.JPG
IMG_0248.JPG 2004-12-25

IMG_0249.JPG
IMG_0249.JPG 2004-12-25

IMG_0250.JPG
IMG_0250.JPG 2004-12-25

IMG_0252.JPG
IMG_0252.JPG 2004-12-25

IMG_0262.JPG
IMG_0262.JPG 2004-12-25

IMG_0263.JPG
IMG_0263.JPG 2004-12-25

IMG_0266.JPG
IMG_0266.JPG 2004-12-25

IMG_0265.JPG
IMG_0265.JPG 2004-12-25

IMG_0267.JPG
IMG_0267.JPG 2004-12-25

IMG_0268.JPG
IMG_0268.JPG 2004-12-25

IMG_0270.JPG
IMG_0270.JPG 2004-12-25