3 "whip-schaaaws"

We've come up with a new rating system for things in the bay area and around. From the snapping of the seaweed whip, we've decided that 3 "whip-schaaaws" are pretty darn good, but 4 (not yet reached) would be the kind of thing you get on the phone and call home about.

We celebrated the New Year with a visit to the Shoreline Park Sanctuary to watch the sunset with the kids, and aborted trip to Trader Joe's (the lines were just too long), a couple too many desserts from the German bakery next door (crappy), and the very best Singaporian food (www.straitscafepaloalto.com) I've EVER EVER EVER had (got 3 "whip-schaaaws"). That makes two dinners in a row, because last night's Mexican was hands down the best Mexican I've ever had (www.paloaltosol.net, also 3 "whip-schaaaws"). Going to be hard to get skinny here.

One kid is asleep, one is about to be, and we've made it to 12:15 east coast time, and we are not going to get much further ... All tuckered out.

One year down, another to go :)

Leaving the "city"

Our day in San Fran ended with a beautiful drive along the coastal 101 highway, where we parked and soaked in a bit of sunshine while the kids napped. I ran down the 50 yards or so to the ocean's edge, took what I hope were some cool shots. watched a couple of die hard surfers, and touched the water before heading back to the car. On the way back, I grabbed long piece of seaweed that had washed ashore - and when I say long, it was a good 10 ft - a thick tuber end tapering off like a whip, which was exactly the sound it made when I cracked it in the air. Brian gave it a try and snapped the rental car with a "whip-schaaaw" to the amusement of some passersbys, who had never seen someone 'whip their own car'. What a beautiful day to be at the beach.

The drive back to Palo Alto was uneventful, easy, and quick. Without traffic, SF really is only 40 minutes away.

Back at home: It always amazes me that no matter where I've gone on vacation in the past five years (which is what this still feels like right now), baring my trip to Greece, I almost always end up in a Walmart or a Target within 24-48. In this case it was a Walmart, and it was an absolute zoo. I had to get all the basics, and I was competing with quite a mob like crowd, including the insanely long lines, and a squabble over something in aisle 9, not to mention carts and elbows everywhere.

By the time I escaped Walmart and headed over with the rest of the family to the mecca that is Mountain View's Wholefoods, the two baskets we filled with various sundries and tidbits was a glorious and pleasurable experience, filled with squeaky clean aisles, cool smells, perky store staff every helpful with any requests. Yes, we semi-filled two shopping carts - not quite full, but enough so that it took a little creative moving of our Walmart crap to fit in the 10 bags of groceries amongst the bags.

Sadly, due to sleep deprivation and just general lack of any semblance of ability to pay attention these days, it did not sink in until around 8pm at night that our boxes still had not arrived (bedding, etc), and that they would not be arriving for several more days (I finally checked the delivery date on the email). My foggy brain had not bothered comparing UPS's estimated delivery date (29th) against the actual listed delivery date (Jan 2). Don't know why. So, tomorrow we wait for Comcast and in the afternoon we shop for stuff to get us over the hump until the moving trucks arrive in a week or so.

Of course we could just keep hoteling it. This place comes with a continental breakfast :)

A day in the "city"

As of yesterday, our "emergency" boxes had not arrive yet, and since we were going to have to stay in a hotel regardless, we headed into SF for the day, and are here now. Yesterday was the Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, driving around and taking lots of really bad car photos while the kids napped.

Later in the afternoon, we hit Pier 39 (tourist trap, complete with lots of kitsche shops, and a whole troupe of barking sea lions), had lunch looking out onto the bay and Alcatraz island, and then headed to the Aquarium in the Bay - they have 2 long tunnels where you are walking around through the inside of the tank and the fish are all around you (very cool even at $1 per minute which is what our admission worked out to). Akira and Kieran were both raptly fascinated - having a shark swim right next to you is pretty awesome. I think I was most taken by the anochovies swimming in schools - so many silver fish - it was dizzying.

Kieran loved the playground at the Golden Gate Park, although the merry-go-round was closed because it was not the weekend. He also had a go at the cardboard slides (big steep cement track just like we made for sledding in the snow, but on cardboard). I think it will be a little while before the thrill of that is enough, or the memory of snow far enough gone to make it thrilling to a child who's just come from snow...



And then there where the gophers in the grass. Brian and Kiwi were sitting and watching them pop their heads up. Amazing how used to people the were, and how oblivious the people were to them. In the 5 or so minutes I joined to watch, 3 different kids stepped directly on one of the wholes, and within 30-60 seconds, out popped another head.

The flight was uneventful, for all that it was long.

We are on the ground, safe and sound. The new temp house is fabulous - too bad our emergency boxes don't arrive until tomorrow. We've decided since we are spending another night in a hotel to kick it and head to San Francisco for the rest of the day.

Its beautiful and cool - just a hair too cool for a long sleeve, but much to warm for my down winter jacket.

Kieran is in heaven - a short sleeve over a long sleeve. Now he just wants to go and play.

It was perfect to spend a few days with my mom before flying out. Not only did we get everything done so that we actually got to enjoy Christmas, but the weather was fabulous. She of course had tons of snow, so we got the winter wonderland of snow shoeing, and sledding. The first night we were there, Kieran and mom donned their snow gear, snow shoes, and head lamps and tromped into the night in search of a Christmas tree, and while in the end, the didn't come back with one, Kieran made it about 75 yards up and down a hill in the dark before deciding it was too much and heading back.

Mom and I went out and got a tree Christmas morning, and we decorated it later that day. The tree was a little charlie brown, but I like trees where you can see in and actually see all the decorations. The ones that are two full look like a sheet with stuff dropped on top to me.

Santa came and ate the cookies, but was nice enough to have left once for Kieran.

Presents were simple and easy. It was actually quite nice not to have the intense plethora of gifts. I'm sure Kieran would have liked more, but no stress to this one at all - it was literally what I'd picked up randomly the week before.

Akira discovered kissing her own reflection in the mirror. Repeatedly. There were so many kisses on the lower section of the mirror that it became one big smear. It was terribly cute as she'd crouch down below and pop up on herself with a smile and then a kiss.

Sledding was fabulous. We tromped down sled runs with snow shoes, and then had the run of them. Brian kept trying to extend one run so that from the back of the house you would end up almost at the pond. It didn't work in my runs, but he swears he made it that far once ... until I discoved that the only way he'd made it was by pushing past the hitch spot with his hands, which in my books means he didn't.

We also managed to pull of a gingerbread house from a kit, but it took quite a bit of doing, and in the end was held together entirely by the cardboard frame and lots and lots and lots of frosting. I put it together Friday night, and Kieran was thrilled to find it the next morning.

Nice to have a lot of fun in the snow before heading to CA.

They came. Our stuff went.

A lot goes into a move. The packing, the prep, the fretting, the planning. You know you have a deadline, you hope you can make it, you terrorize everyone around them so that they hustle as fast as you, or at least some semblance there off... And the day comes and you are still not ready, and still scrambling a bit, but at least this time, it was not as bad as 5 months ago. This time I already had a lot of things packed, I had a system already, and we had a LOT less stuff. Somehow I kept all my playdates and felt like we got to say goodbye to everyone, or at least spend a good amount of time with everyone prior to exiting.

I won't talk about the movers other than to say, if one is screwed once, don't try the same route again. Pot pie is tasty.

They came. Our stuff went. Someday soon it will arrive.

The first and last snow.

Prepping. Packing. Packing. Prepping.

First snow today. Kids are happy as clams. Akira just thinks is the coolest. I didn't pick up winter boots for her, so I've got rain boots over her booties. It will do, but she looks very funny in pink and bees. Kieran is thrilled to be making snow angels.

A: Wet Kiss

Kiwi - So yesterday I got my first wet kiss - a real kiss when asked. It only happened once. She is so bubbly and cute. And then there is the wanting to sit on out laps. If you are on the ground, she'll sort of back up to you with her but and plop down. And the hugs are lovable.

She's looking at books and has just crossed the verge of having us read them to her, although with exception to date of Moo, Ba, and La La La (a K2 favorite as well), she mostly reads them to herself. Today she was sitting with a first words book that had a smiling and laughing photo of a boy and a girl, and she sat there chortling and laughing to the pictures for a good 5 minutes.

There is little "more" and mostly "this, this, this," (pronounced "dis"), and squish (nursing) is ninga-ninga. Right at this very moment, she is sitting on the kids armchair flipping the pages to "That's not my dragon".

Dada is still the only consistent spoken work, but we get the occasional Mama. Its coming. There is so much comprehension. She already follows very basic instructions, like sit, and get down, and my god, she listens. When we are with friends and I tell her to stop climbing stairs, she actually does!!! Of course if she does not want to listen or does not like what you've said ... or you've taken away something w/o a distraction, she'll stand and cry to high heaven, and either slump down so she lands hard on her butt, or bang her head against something close bu.

I'm getting a this, this, this summons for books.

It will be nice to be in between the move and the arrival of our stuff. Its been ages since I had time to just hang. And I'll need to find a whole new mode as I'll be starting from ground zero.

K2: 40 inches tall

So I measured Kieran and he's hit the 40 inch mark! only 26 or so more to go? That seem so totally strange when one does the math that way.

Kieran is still and as always a handful, and forever I'm frustrated what I poor parent I can be - the road is long and windy... But on the good days, the sun shines, and the flowers smell oh so sweet.