Bouncing Boys

Think It's Haircut Time?

Levi's hair grows like a weed, and I just can't keep up with trimming it often (or well) enough. Consequently, he's always got this giant mop of hair on his head. He is always willing and eager to try just about anything, and wants to do whatever we are doing, so he has asked from time to time to have a rubber band in his hair like Mommy. Since he's got such a vast canvas of hair to work with, I got a little creative one evening...it's a good thing we don't have a girl :) He loved his hair like this, so much in fact that I was afraid he was going to demand to wear it like this often and in public! Luckily, he eventually let me take out the rubber bands, and forgot to ask for them again by the next morning.

Visiting Daddy at Work

Goggles!

Levi found Parker's swim goggles and happily wore them around the house for hours!

Carlsbad Tidepools

We joined Forest and Krista for an afternoon exploring the tidepools in Carlsbad this week. It was really fun, and I definitely want to make a point to go back more often. Even though it was a really grey day, the weather was still warm, and there wasn't a lick of wind--the ocean was smooth and glassy. Levi fell into one of the sandy pools and was totally submerged for second--luckily he seemed to move on pretty quickly once I took off his soaking wet clothes and put him in one of Forest's extra t-shirts and his fleece jacket (he was pretty stoked to be wearing one of Forest's shirts, I think he felt pretty special about that!). We saw some really cool starfish--a couple of really big ones, a black one with white spots, and a purple one--as well as lots of sea anemones and hermit crabs. 

Learning to Read

Parker loves school, and seems to be learning a lot this year. His teacher has started sending books home with the kids once a week to read out loud--Jared and I were literally shocked and amazed the first time that we witnessed Parker truly reading a book to us. It was so cool!

Vacation!

After enjoying a long day of opening presents and playing with new toys on Christmas, we packed up that night and left the next morning to head north on a vaguely planned road trip. We knew that we wanted to visit Geoff in the Sierras, so we headed there first. We had a nice time visiting and enjoying his property in the mountains--the boys were entertained for hours playing with little foam "boats" that they made and floated in Geoff's wheelbarrow full of (freezing) water. Jared has been wanting to "interview" Geoff about the history of Prindle Catamarans for a project that he has in mind, so it was a good opportunity to bring some camera gear along and sit down for a chat. We also got to head just a little bit higher into the mountains to find some bona fide snow for the boys to play in, which was super fun. 

Next, we headed west to the Bay area, and found ourselves in Mill Valley, one of our favorite places to stay outside of San Francisco. We loved the hotel that we stayed at, with a view of the water, nice soft beds, and all the wine, fruit, cheese, and crackers we could eat every evening at 5pm. We made the quick drive over the Golden Gate bridge into the city and headed for Chinatown (via Lombard Street), where Parker did some souvenir shopping and we tried a vegetarian restaurant for lunch. 

The next day, we headed up to Healdsburg to visit with my best friends and their kids--it was a quick visit, but so nice. I'm glad Jared got to see how much fun Parker has with all of the kids--they are always instant friends whenever they get together. Sadly, I didn't think to take any pictures while we were there!! I hope we get to see everyone again soon.

We headed back down the coast towards home, making a pit stop in Monterey. The weather there was gorgeous--sunny and cool--and the ocean was smooth and peaceful. We struggled with whether or not to bring bikes on this trip, ultimately deciding not to, but definitely missed out on some great rides in Mill Valley, San Francisco, and Monterey. Next time we find ourselves in SF or Monterey we will definitely have to do the coastal bike trails. Hopefully Levi won't be too giant for the baby bike seat by then! 

After six days wandering the road, we were all ready to get home again. The boys were happy to see their Christmas presents again and I was happy to wash our clothes and, surprisingly, not eat at a restaurant for a while! 

Happy New Year, everyone!

Mickeycakes in Monterey

Getting Grandpa Geoff on film--I'm sorry that I didn't get any pictures of him and the kids on this trip! 

Floating foam boats

Yes, we are flatlanders. I have come to accept that. We pulled over on the side of the road and had tons of fun. Now I understand all of those people I used to make fun of while growing up in the mountains.

Chinatown

Walking on the Municipal Pier, SF

Watching the waves break under the Golden Gate Bridge--there were lots of people in the water surfing--brrrr!

Right outside our room in Mill Valley--the lights on the hillside, reflected in the water, made for a really pretty view while laying in bed at night.