Camping at Sugarloaf Ridge

On Friday afternoon we headed to Sugarloaf Ridge SP to camp with our friends Greg, Mary, Lucas, and Cora. It was our first time tent-camping with both Alanna and Ethan. They did great and had so much fun. We cannot wait to go again next year. I see tons of camping in our future, yay!

First Day of School

Today was Alanna's first day of school. Our big girl is a first grader! She is clearly her Daddy's daughter, because she remained calm and cool all morning long. I on the other hand was a nervous wreck, and felt the same anxiety I always felt as a child on the first day (and a few days before). Some things never change!

When I picked Alanna up this afternoon, she was still full of smiles and told me, "Mom, I had a great day!" What a wonderful way to start the school year.

Our Painted Ladies

My Mom recently bought the kids a "Live Butterfly Garden." They were very excited when the caterpillars arrived, and loved watching butterfly metamorphosis up close. Last week we released our Painted Lady butterflies in the backyard. It was really cool.

Goldfish

Here is a picture of Fairy and Fairita. Ethan won Fairy at the SoCo Fair last year. This year, when Amelia played the fish game, the kind carnival man gave Ethan a fish too. We thought Fairita was an appropriate name. I think Fairy is happy to have a friend. We decided that Fairy's tank was not large enough for her and her buddy, so I found a nice tank on Craigslist last week.

Fairy and Fairita

The new digs

Fun Times at the Sonoma County Fair

We waited for Justin to return from Austin to go to the fair. We went with our friends John, Sharon, Hannah, and Amelia on Sunday, the 7th. It was a super-fun day! We even brought home a friend for Fairy (the fish Ethan won last year). We decided to name it Fairita.


The smiles quickly disappeared when the motorcycle ride started...tears and screaming "Mommy, get me off!" began. Fortunately Ethan was the only child on the ride at the time, so the kind operator stopped the ride and let him off.

The kiddie Ferris wheel

Alanna was brave enough to try the kiddie "Drop Zone," and loved it!


The "Jiggly Feet" foot massagers were great entertainment for the 6 and under crowd!


Alanna and Amelia trying to milk the pretend cow

Hannah and Ethan giving it a try

Amelia and Ethan hugs

Alanna, Sharon, and Amelia on the slide

Justin, Ethan, and Hannah on the slide

Deep in conversation holding hands...so cute!

A Day at the Beach

On the 31st, Justin left early in the morning to head to Austin for the week. We are always sad to see him go, so a day at the beach seemed like a perfect distraction...it was! Our friends, Sharon, Hannah, and Amelia hopped into the van and we headed out to Bodega Bay. The kids had lots of fun playing together. It was a great outing!

Visit with Aunt Nance

Aunt Nance (my Mom's sister) visited us from NY this weekend. She and Mel drove down from Sacramento on Saturday morning. We had a lovely lunch at our house and then headed to Kenwood to visit Landmark Vineyards. The weather was perfect, the kids, Justin, and I enjoyed a horse-drawn carriage ride, we "played" bocce, had a few tasty snacks, and the adults enjoyed sipping a little vino. The vineyard was surprisingly very child-friendly, the tasting room even had ice pops for the kiddos! We enjoyed a bbq dinner at home and then went out for ice cream. It was a terrific day!