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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