Saturday

We spent Saturday running errands and trying to catch up on everything we've neglected with fun Kendall here. In the afternoon we caught up with Jameson and Jesse. Ella helped Jameson build a shoe rack.


Kendall has a talent of getting Claire to sleep almost anywhere. Which makes her indispensable.


Ella wanted to wear her hair "in traids" just like Kendall. We will really miss her when she leaves tomorrow.


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Monterey

We always seem to have good luck with weather when we go to Monterey. Today was no exception.


Kendall loves carrying Claire.i love not worrying about a stroller. Claire loves all the attention. Win win win.






We stopped for icecream sundaes at Ghiradelli's.


Claire tried to sneak away with Kendall's purse.


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Sweet Stop

We took Ella, Claire and Kendall to the Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield yesterday. My friend Heather joined us with her two girls Abby and Hailey. Ella loved the sample bar. Her favorite flavor was birthday cake.


A rare picture of the girls standing still.



They insisted that everyone, even Claire, wear a hat.


It wasn't the best fit.


We learned many things. Like the fact that Kendall doesn't like Jelly Bellys. But Ronald Reagan did. They didn't say whether he'd liked the mosaics they made of he and Nancy out of the candy.


Or the sculpted duck landscape.


We all had a lot of fun. Made me wonder if Applets and Cotlets still does tours.


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Ano Nuevo

Every year a large colony of even larger elephant seals comes home to Ano Nuevo state park to calf and mate. They come in December and stay through March. The bulls come in weighing up to 5000 pounds ( the nose alone accounts for 3 to 4 of those pounds at least). And best of all, the park rangers there will take you on a walking tour through the dunes where the huge beta males kill time and to the harems where the females and pups and alpha males reside. It's like being in a zoo without cages. The guides even offer to carry unruly three year olds up sandy hills when their mothers have sadly miscalculated the difficulty of the hike and are themselves already encumbered by their own little pup in a bjorn. Fortunately my cousin Kendall was with us and helped haul little Ella around for me. Otherwise we might still be there. I've never been so grateful my kids are in the 5th percentile for weight. By the end of the 2.5 hour tour we were all a little tired, damp, dirty and hungry (and at least one of us was questioning the wisdom of making such an excursion without the Pater Familius) but it was not a sight to be missed. Especially when a huge male drug himself directly across our path and forced us to pass about five feet from him.


Some one asked me a few days ago what I liked best about Palo Alto and he laughed when I responded truthfully "marine mammals". But I wasn't joking. I love being an hour or less away from this kind of stuff. And Ella really liked meeting new friends. She eventually even took out her thumb, but by then it was raining so hard I didn't think it wise to expose my iPhone to the elements and take more pictures. My children on the other hand, are water resistant.


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Petty Confession

As a Young Men's leader, Andrew is naturally expected to participate in the annual scout ski retreat to Lake Tahoe, regardless of the fact that he doesn't really ski. I just can't stop thinking about how much I wish I were up there too, enjoying the five feet of fresh powder they've purportedly received.

Good Answer

Ella and I had this exchange today:
Me: where do you get all your cuteness from? Do you think you get it from mommy or from daddy?

Ella: I get it fwrom Cwaire.


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Primary Assignment

Ella was assigned the scripture in opening exercises today. She worked on it all week and did a great job. Spiritual giant in Pygmy body.

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Claire crawling

Now that Claire can motate, it's even more fun to take her toys away from her.

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Non nutritive sucking

Claire likes to hold something when she sucks-- some hair a blankie, whatever is handy. In this case, her pants.



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Claire

Just looking through the communal family purse for some snacks or toys or diapers or extra outfits or sunscreen or stain remover or money or makeup or juice or keys or candy or blankets or receipts or nursery handouts or crayons or anything else that mom keeps in this bag that she once controlled.


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Smart Alec

We had the following conversation in the car with Ella a few days ago:

Ella: Mom I have something to say to you! (repeated about five times with ever increasing urgency)

Mom: Okay okay. Let's hear it.

Ella: It.


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So long sea lions

A herd of 1,500 or so sea lions used to hang out right next to Pier 39 in San Francisco. They were so close I took this picture without zooming when Julie was in town Nov 14.





When we went to see the same thing with Mare on December 31, this was all we saw:






I thought it was a fluke, like they were out hunting or something, but apparently not. Day after Thanksgiving they all up and left for the Oregon coast. Maybe Oregon was having better sales. Everyone here is sure they'll be back by spring. I hope so. Ella loves the "sea wy-ons".

Read about it at: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-sea-lion-newcomers,0,7699201.story

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Christmas Eve Pageant

It's a little late. but who has time to post during the actual holiday? We spent Christmas eve with our friends and former neighbors, the Tidwells. Their daughter Alice is Ella's age and the two were both really excited to be reunited. The kids put on a little Christmas pageant. Our cast included:

Alice as the angel

Ella as Mary

Teddy as a sort of Ewok-inspired Joseph

Claire as an extremely cooperative baby Jesus

Andrew as the donkey, a role Ella still likes to talk about whenever she sees a donkey in a nativity "my daddy is a donkey too!".

The kids had so much fun together and we had a great time visiting with our friends. It was a great way to spend Christmas Eve.

Alcatraz

I've always wanted to go to Alcatraz, and Mare's visit afforded the perfect opportunity. Ella was confused. She kept calling it "ex-a-size". I think she thought we were going to a gym or something.


Not Andrew's first visit.





Ella's thinking this looks like a serious time out location.


Heading back on the ferry with Mare.


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