Fall

Surprise birthday party for our friend Patrick at the Shady Lady

and back to SB...

for quality time with Grammy, visits with lifelong friends - and a bit of goofing off as well

October 2010

Birthday season begins...

and let's just say that three birthdays in a week makes for a very busy, fun September!

A typical September Sacramento afternoon - in the pool of course!

Let the Thomas birthday madness begin...

I actually made the cake!

Note: I was not exaggerating about the Thomas situation (see earlier posts)

Amazing trains at Aunt Judi's from our friend Henry - I used to babysit Henry and did not think I would ever meet a child as into Thomas as he was...until Harrison's Thomas phase began...

We enjoyed a fabulous Gaucho Reunion weekend with UCSB friends at El Capitan Canyon Resort - H loved playing with all of the dudes but has it really already been 10 years since we graduated??? How is that possible?!?

Checking out campus on move-in day...14 years to the day since the parents moved in!

Tahoe for Daddy's birthday

So much fun hanging out with Kate, Josh and Baby Zoie while we were in the mountains

September is a big birthday month for this family but we also managed to squeeze in a celebration for Shannon, Michael and soon-to-be-baby McKinney Hearn at their shower in our backyard - with a very special guest, too

September 2010

Beat the heat

We had a super fun impromptu 24 hours in Tahoe to escape the hot at home - always our favorite to visit Z'berg Park, walk around the West Shore and eat too much all over town!

The new "cheese" face

Viva la Fiesta! A quick trip to SB to see Mom...but of course since it was Fiesta, I couldn't pass up cracking some eggs and enjoying fun with Meg

Certain people in this photo might have used a bit too much self tanner. Maybe.

Back home for Kate's 3rd birthday!

August 2010

Hot hot hot

We love the pool at Bertha Henschel Park!

Madeline and H under the mushroom fountain - perfect relief for a hot Sac day!

Bubbles with Uncle Alex at the family weekend in Big Bear

Can't WAIT to see our friends the Meadows in New Zealand!

Riley and H taking down the cupcakes

Monster truck happiness with Luke and Riley after hours in the hose and water

Gardening on Lakeview Drive

FINALLY a haircut!

July 2010

Summer and the new camera

Pizzas with Uncle David

Tutu's birthday at Club Pheasant

Happy guy at the dentist for the first time - no cavities, no major issues from the paci so far!

June 2010

New bike

Checking out the new bike in the halls of the Doubletree Claremont during our mini vacation. I miss Claremont so much and loved having a little family weekend there. Plus it is pretty cool that H's first big kid bike comes from Coates Cyclery!

May 2010

Thomas

There's no easy way to say this so I'm just going to - as most people know, our son is completely 100% totally obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine aka Thomas the Train aka Thomas.

I still blame my dad who innocently took his then-13 month old grandson to the Sacramento Railroad Museum and subsequently bought a lovely starter wood train track. Little would we know that years later, H owns almost every train, more Thomas related products than are even appropriate to stock a toy store, let alone one child's room, and talks about or plays with Thomas every. single. day.

Thomas is a HUGE part of our lives, and not one that I am especially thrilled about. I just don't really get the draw/fascination. Sure, boys-trains-things that move, that I understand. But Thomas and Friends specifically? Definitely do not see what the big deal is. In fact, it can be, how do I put this lightly, sooooo annoying. Someone once told me that they believed the trains' faces (yes, the trains all have names and faces and are extremely British) are calming to kids...I tend to believe there are subliminal messages that send kids crazy messages to yell at their parents for Thomas stuff. There are no lessons in multiculturalism or being a good neighbor, for example, coming from Thomas. And while Ringo Starr, George Carlin, Alec Baldwin and Pierce Brosnan are rad narrators, I still don't see what is so great about it? *SIGH* But what do you do when your kid adores something? Well, I guess you just kind of give in to a certain point. And learn how to build really awesome train tracks. And spend every free day in Sacramento at the Railroad Museum. And wash the Thomas shirt and pajamas and sheets all the time so they are clean. And memorize all of their funky names. And if you are really just giving in, learn to appreciate some of the joy that Thomas brings - like the magical Day Out With Thomas.

Earlier this year, the Fillmore Western Railway (perfect location between SB and FP) hosted "the real Thomas", as H still calls him, and his friends. We rode on a train pulled by the little blue cheeky engine himself while the theme song played on repeat overhead.

Maximum amount of Thomas activities. It is important to note that not much about Thomas really has to do with trains in general, but rather this specific brand. I am not really as cynical as I sound, just pointing things out!

One of the coolest part of the day is that our friends the D'Cruz family met us for the fun. Miles was very serious about the train table and we wish we could play with him all the time - and of vent about how random Thomas is with another Mommy who gets it!

Harrison and Livia hung out with the "real Percy"

H still talks all the time about how much fun he had with new friends, meeting the real Thomas

But the real highlight was sharing all of the fun with the original Thomas

pusher and his accomplice!

April 2010