A Trip to the City

Peter had to work on Friday. Bren, Neil, Nancy and Mom were all going into the city to sight see and have tea at the Ritz. Dad was a hero and said he'd watch the girls so I could tag along. Thanks Dad! It was another gorgeous day. Mom and I rode the BART with Peter and then walked through China Town to Coit tower. The other three met us there. Then it was off to Pier 39 and to the Ritz. The highlight of the day wasn't having tea; it was seeing the parrots on Telegraph hill.

Breaking in the Toys

We had a very mellow Christmas morning. We slept in, had a big breakfast, did dishes, and finally got to the gifts. The girls were excited about their toys but had a difficult time sharing at first. We tried to ban the word "mine" from the living room. Their favorite toy was this doll crib. Lauryn crawled in right away to claim ownership. Eventually she was distracted by other new toys.

Bren, her boyfriend Neil, and Neil's mom Nancy, joined us for an early Christmas dinner. It was a beautiful day so we went to the park to play Frisbee and build up an appetite.

More Chicken Pictures

How'd I get so White and Nerdy?

When I told my sister, Bren, I was going to get a fuel belt for running, she said something like, "Oh Karen! You're not going to be one of those dorky people with all the water bottles are you?"

As I was heading out the door for my run, my dad said, "Are you wearing white tights or are your legs just really white?" Thanks Dad.

A few songs into my playlist I found myself running to "White and Nerdy". I just laughed. I give up.

It's beginning to look like Christmas

My parents arrived on Friday and strapped to the top of their car was our Christmas tree. They had cut the Silver Tip sometime in November before the heavy snows. Our poor tree was the top of a 30 ft tree; it survived the fall and being dragged up the hill. It sat outside for weeks in a bucket of water and then was wrapped in a tarp, bound by duct tape, and strapped to the roof of their car for three days. We didn't know what to expect when we began to unwrap it. Would all of the branches fall off? Would they be pointing straight up? The tree is perfect. Thanks Mom and Dad.

Chickens

On Friday we got three Rhode Island Red hens. I only have this one picture so far but when it stops raining I'll post more. We haven't named them yet. Any ideas?

Morning Routine

Lauryn used to come into our room as soon as she woke up in the morning. Now, she gets a book and reads it in her bed. I prefer this new morning routine; it's so cute.

Better than the Sun

We lit our pellet stove for the first time yesterday and it is awesome! Taylor's favorite place to hang out was in front of the big window in our living room where the sun warmed the floor. Last night and this morning she made herself comfortable in front of the stove. She says it's better than the sun.

A Real Lawyer

We found out Friday that Peter passed the Bar! So now he's a real Attorney at Law. If he hadn't passed he could have always become a gardener since he seems to enjoy working in the yard every Saturday. It's looking pretty good too.


Thanks to the guy on craigslist who gave us all the free mulch!

Visit from Grandma and Grandpa

Doug and Heidi were here briefly before they flew to Germany to tour Europe with Cierra. They took tons of pictures and enjoyed their time with the girls. Here are a few shots from a park and our backyard. Taylor loved her galoshes and umbrella and wated to take both to the city when we went in to meet Peter for dinner.

Clean House

We had a housewarming open house on Saturday. I decided to take some pictures because I don't know when the house will be this clean again. So here are some more house pictures.

Halloween

We had a Halloween get together for the young women at our house. Taylor loved having company and all the yummy sweets. For Halloween Taylor wanted to be Fancy Nancy. However, she wouldn't wear the pink boa, the posh glasses, or the flowers in her hair. Instead she wore her fanciest church dress with one of Lauryn's sweaters, size 18 months. Taylor and Peter went trick-or-treating around the block in the rain.

Haircuts

We all needed haircuts but didn't want to fork over the money. I cut the girls' hair and I think I did pretty well considering they didn't sit still at all. I couldn't even get them to sit still for a picture.

Dressed?

It's hard for me to keep clothes on Lauryn. She has become a nudest..or else she tries to put clothes on herself. Here she is with a pair of Taylor's underwear around her waist, and a pj top on her legs. Those are Taylor's shoes.

Pumpkin Patch

We went to a pumpkin patch in Livermore with Taylor's preschool. As usual, Taylor was mostly excited about lunch. She learned the word "awesome" from a boy she met while panning for gems. She now says it constantly.

At the park

Taylor has learned to pump and so now she loves to swing. Lauryn climbs and hangs on everything, including her bunkbeds which always scares Peter and me.

A visit from the sibs

Evan, Bren, Amy, and Neil came for a bluegrass festival in the city. What a good looking bunch.

Our New Home

We've recently moved to the bay area. Here are some pictures of our new home. It was built in 1933 and still has a lot of the original features.