Day Trip to SF!

Max and Mommy, Along with the Fearsome Dylanasaurus (That's T-Rex Behind Them)

San Francisco, CA. February, 2011

Dylan, Fascinated by Undersea Life.

San Francisco, CA. February, 2011

Cleaner Shrimp.

San Francisco, CA. February, 2011

The Albino Alligator.

San Francisco, CA. February, 2011

I woke up this morning feeling like I just had to shake the dust of EG off my feet and get out of town. So we loaded up the minivan (no small feat, that) and headed to San Francisco. Destination: The California Academy of Science. It was a glorious day, tons of sunshine and relative warmth. We ended up becoming members as we are going to be returning. The boys were fascinated by tropical butterflies, albino alligators, African penguins, sharks and rays and so much more. While well past tired by day's end, it was a great day trip and we all had fun.

Boys in Bike!

Max and Dylan in the Trailer.

February, 2011. Elk Grove, Ca

Max Wears His Helmet with Pride!

February, 2011.

Elk Grove, CA.

So now we all have up-to-date bicycles, and we've gone on a few short rides together. More to come up with the weather warming up more and more. Can't wait! Enjoy these in the meantime.

Mommy's Takin' Us to the Zoo Tomorrow!

Dylan on a Photo Safari. February, 2011. Sacramento, CA

Max Takes Nothing but Pictures,

Leaves Nothing but Footprints.

February, 2011. Sacramento, CA

Dylan, Evan and Maya.

February, 2011. Sacramento, CA

Dylan. February, 2011. Sacramento, CA

Max as an Arachnid.

February, 2011. Sacramento, CA

Oh, Those Crazy Cousins: Dylan, Maya and Evan.

February, 2011. Sacramento, CA

Actually, I think it was Dylan's idea this day to go to the Zoo. Any chance he has to meet up with his cousins, he is more than likely to take. Max had a good time too, loving the animals (he can imitate a fish, a zebra, a lion, a dinosaur and so many more!), loving the walking and having a good time as we all did.

Family Snapshots!

Max. January, 2011. Elk Grove, CA.

Mommy and Dylan, Ready to Cook.

January, 2011. Elk Grove, CA.

Mommy and Silly Dylan.

January, 2011. Elk Grove, CA.

Dylan. January, 2011. Elk Grove, CA.

Dylan Doing Truck Art.

January, 2011. Elk Grove, CA.

Dylan, Poppy and Max.

January, 2011. Elk Grove, CA.

Just some little enjoyable family moments from one of Jennifer's memory cards.

The Lost Christmas Photos!

Max. Christmas Day, 2010. Elk Grove, CA

Dylan. Christmas Day, 2010. Elk Grove, CA

Max and Dylan. Christmas Day, 2010. Elk Grove, CA

Max and Dylan. Christmas Day, 2010. Elk Grove, CA

Mommy, Dylan and Max. Christmas Day, 2010.

Elk Grove, CA

Grandma and Max. Christmas Day, 2010. Elk Grove, CA

Grandma. Christmas Day, 2010. Elk Grove, CA

Max, Poppy and Dylan. Christmas Day, 2010.

Elk Grove, CA

Here are some photos taken Christmas morning, 2010. Not sure why it took so long to get them posted, but hey, it happens. Anyway, we had a nice Christmas morning, and the boys were delighted with all Santa and family left for them.

Bay Area's Kid Museum!

Dylan, Sausalito, CA. 2011

The Boy is serious about his trucks!

Max, Sausalito, CA. 2011

Max was ready to do some digging for treasure!

The Bay Area Children's Museum, Sausalito, CA. 2011

How could you beat this view?

We took a day trip to the Bay Area's Children Museum near Sausalito. It's housed in a defunct military base. As is true with many Bay Area ex-military bases, they had a fantastic site! We were literally at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge, making this particular kid's museum the most beautiful I've been to (though the one in Cincinnati is pretty cool). We hooked up with The Boys' cousins, Evan and Maya, and they all had a blast. Sadly, being involved with herding kids and following Max, I didn't get any photos of all of them together. But believe me when I tell you it was a worthwhile excursion.

Superman Sends Season's Greetings!

Dylan as Super Hero. Elk Grove, 2010

Dylan as Relaxed Super Hero. Elk Grove, 2010.

Dylan, Striking a Pose for the Bad Guys.

Elk Grove, 2010

Dylan doing a mash-up as only he can...

Christmast at the Governor's Mansion!

This past Saturday, a rainy and wet one here, we went to the old Governor's Mansion, where they were having a Victorian Christmas celebration. Hey, on a rainy day, almost any activity that's indoors, dry and warm, is a good bet! So off we headed.

The highlight of the trip was The Boys getting to sit on Santa's lap. Mrs. Claus was there, too, but Santa's the guy. Dylan took a bit to warm up to him (Max never did), but once he did, he had a good talk with the old man. And he got two large peppermint sticks, so it's all good as far as Dylan's concerned. (Tech note: the two photos with just Dylan were taken by me, balancing Max on one hip, while holding the camera set at 1/30 second... not too bad for me.)

Holiday Photo Extravaganza!

Just for fun, a bunch of photos of The Boys...

Walking 101!

We have been very impressed by how quickly Max has become a consummate walker. He really only started walking at Thanksgiving, though he had perfected, in form and speed, crawling. That must have helped. He has not had the perpetual lump on his forehead that Dylan had (Dylan really never crawled...). Max also has never had what I call the "Drunken Sailor Walk" where a toddler just gets going in whatever direction they happen to be pointed, and continue in that direction until either they fall down or run into something, usually increasing in speed the longer they walk.

Here is a video of Max executing a perfect one-point pivot of 360 degrees. He does these regularly, as well as stopping on a dime, picking things up, and so on. I, for one, am very impressed.

More Holiday Hijinks!

Just more of The Boys and their different approaches to decorating the tree: Dylan with all the seriousness a 3 year old can muster, Max playing the role of jester, keeping us all on our toes. What fun!

Max Helps, Too!

Just some more snippets of the tree decorating hoopla of the other night. In this one, Max gets involved. He is doing what he was doing throughout the decorating: un-decorating the tree! We would put them on the tree and he'd take them off. Oh, Max.

In this one, he has taken Jennifer's Christmas pickle (made of glass, mind you) and is running off with it. You'll get an idea as to just how accomplished a walked he has become considering he just started walking at Thanksgiving. (And don't worry - the vast majority of ornaments on the tree are shatter resistant, from the Home Depot, no less!)

Dylan Tops the Tree!

As I said, we've made a new Christmas tradition of going to Apple Hill to visit a Christmas tree farm, finding a tree and cutting it down. With our new home, we can have pretty much as tall a tree as we like. Of course, tall trees have their own issues - like how does one get the star up on top?

Dylan proved once again to be the right man for the job!

Dylan Dances!

Every December, The Boys' daycare provider, Yolanda, stages a performance. It is both a low-key event, and very memorable and sweet. This year, Dylan was one of the show's stars, and he danced the first number with Ashley, Yolanda's granddaughter. And he also provided some real comedy with his impromptu opening line. Like most comedy, it is a real situation over which he has some anxiety, and what he says is just priceless. He had everybody in the audience laughing because of his delivery while we all sat in anticipation of the start of the show.

For those of you who may not know, the woman with the red sweater on in the background is Yolanda, a real treasure. We are so happy our sons are cared for by her and her loving family.

We hope you enjoy!

Merry Christmas, All!

The Family. Apple Hill, CA.
November, 2010

Sorry for the long delay in posting anything... Password/Google issues.

A lot has happened in our lives since I last posted back in October. Most recently, I just got back from a visit with my older sons, Jack and Matthew, in Louisville, KY. What a great trip that was! We three got to go out on numerous photo shoots (thank you Teresa and Gypsy for letting me steal your guys!), which was a blast. I am so impressed and inspired by Matt and Jack's skills and their eyes... Also I got to spend time with my granddaughter, Dahlia, which is always a treat. Thank you to Matt and Jack and especially their respective families for opening up their homes to me and for their patience and kindness. It will be a trip I will long remember.

Before I left for Kentucky, we (Jennifer, Dylan, Max, Grandma, Grandpa and I) all loaded up in the minivan and went up to Apple Hill to find a couple of Christmas trees. We did, and brought ours home and set it up. Everyone was kind enough to wait until I got back to decorate the tree, so we did that tonight. This whole process has become our new annual tradition, and it's a very enjoyable one.

Above is a photo taken by the one of the Christmas tree farm workers as we were trudging around in the "cold" (I think it was maybe 50 degrees - nothing like what I was going to feel when I was back in KY!). A nice photo for a quick grab...

We hope all of you and yours have a very Merry Christmas, that you have time to be with those you love and are important to you, and that the new year brings you health, contentment and good cheer!

Happy Birthday, Max!!

Yesterday was Max's first birthday! The big ONE-OH. It's been a fast year, and a delightful one, too. We all love our little boy and he brings much happiness and joy to all around him. Today we have the party, so look for celebration photos to come on this page soon!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DYLAN!!

Dylan and Friends Celebrating His 3rd Birthday!

Sacramento, CA.

September, 2010.

The Barefoot Firefighter!

Dylan, the Barefoot Firefighter

Sacramento, CA.

September, 2010.

This is the photo, staged and taken by Mommy, we've put on Dylan's birthday cake. But it's too darn cute not to have on blog!