Where Did I Go?

My laptop had a small crash last month and while it's somewhat recovered, I cannot load any software on since the CD-ROM drive is completely broken. So no photos, and I know what's what you all come for anyways so I haven't been updating. Bad me. I hope to get a new laptop soon.

So what's new int he last month? I've pretty much been focused full time on Patrick's schooling for next year and the big decision between public school and private school. I've spent way too much time on this, you wouldn't believe the applications for kindergarten. For the private school you even need recommendations! For a 4 year old! It's crazy. We ended up applying to a public choice school that provides a "progressive education", a Catholic K-8 school, and a private K-12 school. We won't hear anything on any of the programs (the public one has a lottery) until sometime in March. I have a feeling my anxiety level will not do down until we sign on the dotted line somewhere.

Patrick is doing well, he has started to do a little bit of reading. He goes back and forth between being really interested and being completely uninterested. I'm trying not to push. Batman, Legos, and Matchbox cars are still obsessions. New obsessions include Barack Obama and Chinese New Years. Go figure. We talk a lot about kindergarten and Patrick seems to be excited, but I am going to miss him so much when he is gone every day.

Molly is stubborn. That's the one word I would use to describe her these days. It is a battle to get her dressed in the morning, to change her diaper, to get her to eat, to get her in her carseat, etc. She loves her big brother and they play together pretty well. Their favorite game is chasing each other around the house. Molly's current obsession is shoes. She likes to change her shoes several times a day, and if you come over she will want you to take your shoes off so she can try them on. I've signed Molly up for preschool in the fall, starting in September she will go Tuesday and Thursday morning, just like Patrick did. I hope it helps her come out of her shell, she doesn't have as much exposure to other kids as Patrick did at this age. And for that I have mommy guilt.

In grown up news, our bathroom remodel is finally completely done. Tom's been busy at work and we're thankful that he's in an industry that seems pretty recession proof. I've been sewing more and cooking more and working on perfection my domestic goddess skills. I have a looong way to go.

Happy New Year!

Big Science

A few months ago the newly rebuilt California Academy of Sciences opened up in Golden Gate Park. I've been dying to take the kids but I also have a low tolerance for all the crowds a new museum brings. So finally this week I took the kids along with Nana and Papa. I loved the Academy of Sciences and Steinhart Aquarium when I was a kid, so it was fun to see that they kept so many of the original displays. We were all pleased to see our favorites return (mine was African Hall, Nana's was the alligators, and Papa's was the pendulum). If you haven't been, it's a must see. We plan on returning as much as we can in the next year (with our newly purchased family membership).

Patrick finally got to see a complete dinosaur fossil (skeleton?). He's been asking to see one. Here he is in front of the T-Rex, which it turns out has freakishly tiny hands.



Nana and Molly at the touch pool in the aquarium. Molly really, really liked it and probably would have happily climbed right in with the starfish. BYO Purell.



The alligator exhibit had some silly mist being pumped in so they were hard to see. This is the albino alligator. And they kept the art deco seahorse railing from the original building. Very cool!





More Academy pics on Flickr! Plus pics of our Christmas tree, check it out!

And in house news, out bathroom remodel is 95% done. Whoo hoo! We're still missing the quarter round trim tiles for the shower. Never mind that they were ordered the first week in October and we were told they would be in in a week. Don't order tile from Walker-Zanger unless you have nothing but time. The tile won't be here until mid January, so Jo will finish once that comes in. He's still got a few tiny things to do like adding cabinet hardware but we're mostly done. I need to figure out where to put the towel rack, and ideas? Common sense would be putting it under the window right outside the shower, but I hate the thought of covering up that pretty glass tile. I was thinking of maybe putting a train rack style bar over le toilette, like you often see in hotels. What to do?

Little Pumpkin

I can't believe October is almost over! Halloween is just around the corner and we've been busy getting ready. On Saturday we took the lids to the pumpkin patch (not the first trip, but this time we actually bought pumpkins). I felt bad dressing them in long-sleeved shirts just so I could take pictures. It was about 80 degrees!







Today Patrick and I met a friend at Great America for their "Nick or Treat" Halloween party. I think Patrick has been spoiled by Disney characters, he was not so impressed with Blue and Sponge Bob, even though they were handing out candy. Patrick didn't wear his costume because it is long and black (hmm, any guesses as to what he is going as?), but he and Jo Ann still had fun.



And on the home front, our bathroom remodel has turned out to be a lot more involved than initially planned (isn't that always the case?). It turned out our we had a leaking toilet, which attracted termites in the floor joists. So the joists had to be removed and replaced. And then there was a bunch more with plumbing vents and non-standard walls. In any case, we're gaining a few inches in the room and putting in a much needed medicine cabinet. I took a few pictures but the room is so small it is hard to take photos that show anything!





We have another busy week, and on Friday Patrick's preschool will have their annual Halloween Sing. I cannot wait, it is too adorable to see them all in costumes.

Autumn Leaves

I've been a delinquent blogger again. Somehow my kids seem to be kicking my ass on a daily basis. I was talking to a friend recently about how 18-24 months seemed like such a difficult time with Patrick. I had forgotten about it until Molly got there. It amazes how similar she is to Patrick at that age. Every trip in the car is a struggle because she arches her back until I pin her down (screaming and crying) together into her car seat. In Molly's eyes, strollers are for wimps, she repeats the arched back and screams when I try to put her in it. She prefers to walk everywhere which turns every walk into a long and wandering one. Patrick seems to be going through a growth spurt, he is eating everything in sight and sleeping really well, sometimes until 9am (if only Molly would too!). He's still loving school and making new friends. Current obsessions include Batman, Legos and Disneyworld. He's at a really fun age now, he's just fun to hang out with.



On the house front, we've started our much antipated bathroom remodel. We let Patrick loose in the bathroom with some Sharpies the day before it was torn out. His only intruction was to leave the window alone. He thought it was the most hilarious thin in the world, and promised us that he knows he can never do that again. Like most little boys, Patrick is a fan of anything contruction related. He loves watching our contractor at work, and says he wants to "be a builder with Jo when I grow up". Earlier this week they shared a snack together on the front porch. Patrick was in heaven.



When the bathroom was torn out there was a lot of water damage, which we were expecting. What we weren't expecting were the subterranean termites that had eaten their way through some of the joists. So the project became a little more complicated. And since all that wood had to come out we decided to move the wall back a little bit, which necessitated replumbing everything. You know how it goes. Can't wait until it is done!



And in the "New Of The Wierd" category, I have ths to report. Molly has been taking amazing long naps while all of the contruction is going on. This is the child who usually wakes up from her nap if the doorbell or phone rings. But somehow she manages to sleep through power saws and sledgehammers. Right outside her room. Go figure.

So Long Mickey Mouse

We're back from Disneyworld! Patrick had an absolute and complete blast, he soaked up every single little detail and loved it all. It makes me want to take them back when Molly is 4 because it seems like such a perfect age for the Disney experience. Plus, at 40+ inches Patrick could most most everything. Patrick's favorites included Thunder Mountain Railroad, the monorail, the Kilimanjaro Safaris, Star Tours, and meeting the princesses (hubba hubba, he has stars in his eyes). Molly's favorites included running around after Patrick, the model trains at Epcot, the monorail, and frozen strawberry fruit bars. It was a wonderful time to go, the lines were pretty much non-existent everywhere we went. We missed the hurricanes, but did get a taste of Florida's rain which was really quite spectacular (I am thankful it doesn't rain like that here!). We all had fun but it was go, go, go all week and when we got home on Saturday night we were exhausted.

Here are a few of my favorite pics. I took about 500 pictures, and uploaded about 100 to flickr (including pictures from Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party), so please look over there too!















It's back to the grind here for all of us. Patrick is now in school Monday/Wednesday/Friday mornings, and until the end of fall he'll be taking science classes on Thursday mornings. I think I am going to sign my fearless Molly up for gymnastics while Patrick is in school. My plan to get her down to one nap a day seems to be working, which is better for preschool pick-ups but unfortunate for me because I used to nap with her in the mornings sometime while Patrick was at school.

And on the house front, our hall bathroom is getting completely torn out in about 2 weeks. If you have never seen it it is quite possibly the smallest full bathroom ever known to man. It's the last big house project we have left, I'm really excited to finally get it done. Tom and I are going to pick out tile tomorrow, whoo hoo!

Summer Days

Happy summer! It's been crazy hot for the last few days, in the upper 90s. Every summer there are a few days that make us sit and pat ourselves on the back for putting in central air conditioning with our remodel. Yesterday was one of them.

Patrick has his first week at preschool camp last week. He goes again next week and then we're taking some time off. He's also been keeping busy with swim lessons twice a week. Yesterday for the first time he swam the long length of the pool, yay Patrick!



Molly's been practicing standing on her own, which will hopefully soon lead to walking. We're also making progress on the sleep front (knock on wood), she's been sleeping through the night every so often but when she does she gets up at 6am. Good times. Molly's favorite activity lately has been standing on the couch, looking out the window and pointing at any "buh" she sees. Today she actually let me brush her hair and put a little piggy in. She picked out a few pieces in front but managed to leave it in for 5 hours or so. Progress!



And remember my post about my post about my little baby apricots? Look who is almost ready to be picked? Yummmmm!

Apricot Baby

7 or 8 years ago I planted a Blenheim apricot tree in our backyard. It was my own little personal homage to the Santa Clara Valley. For 7 or 8 years I would watch it blossom every spring and be disappointed every summer when no fruit was ever produced. I decided (in my infinite botanical wisdom) that it must have something to do with cross pollination or bee colony collapse disorder and I resigned myself to the fact that the tree would bear no fruit. Very sad. Then last summer, while in the backyard of a neighbor, I noticed a huge apricot tree that was just dripping with fruit. Like there were so many apricots the branches were practically snapping off.

So imagine my surprise this week when I noticed out apricot tree had fruit! Several tiny little green apricots, so perfect and lovely. Now I just need to make sure the squirrels stay in the neighbors tree, and not mine ;)

Sneak A Peek

On a whim this weekend I scheduled a 3D/4D ultrasound for fun. My appointment was tonight and the baby was not so cooperative, she was in an odd position and kept waving her hands in front of her face. The ultrasound tech was super nice about it and spent a lot of time with me trying to get the baby to move. We did finally end up getting some face shots. It was a sort of strange experience, the baby has chubby cheeks and I don't really think she looks like Patrick did at birth. It will be interesting to compare pictures when she arrives. And she is definitely still a girl!







In other news, we had a productive weekend. We took Patrick to Build A Bear on Friday night to make a bear for his baby sister. He's very excited to bring it to her in the hospital when she is born. Tom is working on his "honey do" list and spent the weekend putting a new closet system in Patrick's closet and putting up crown moulding in the baby's room. We still have a ton of work to do in her room (I'm not really sure why I say "we", I'm mostly shopping and supervising, lol!). Hopefully it will be ready before she gets here!

And make sure you get your name suggestions in. My friend Allison put in a lovely list of suggestions!

Hot, Hot, Hot

It's supposed to be under 100 tomorrow, we'll see. It's been in the 100-107 range since Friday and we're a little tired of being stuck on the house. On the other hand, Tom and I are patting ourselves on the back for installing central air last year.

Heat Wave

We're in the middle of a heat wave, today it was 100 which is way hot for us. It's supposed to continue until the middle of next week. Our air conditiong has been getting a work out, it's been going almost constantly just to keep the house at 75 ot 76. I've been trying to find things to keep us all cool while having fun, today we broke out a little inflatable water playground I picked up at Target . Patrick had a blast, he loved the little sprinklers and all the toys. Unfortunately, the water was creating a lake on our grass so he mostly had to play with the sprinklers off. Hope you are all staying cool!

Lawn Party

Exciting news on the home front... we're finally doing some landscaping! Today new sod was laid in our front yard, and we're thrilled with the new look. It took a lot of Round-Up and time to kill our old lawn (do you call it a lawnm if it is mostly crab grass?), then we hired someone to put in a new sprinkler system and do the rest. Next we will get al the bushes in front and back trimmed up and looking clean. Now we just need to tackle the backyard....someday.





And in other news, today we got to spend the day with cousin Olivia who is visiting this summer from Switzerland. She'll be here for 6 weeks working on perfecting her English. She is Patrick's fifth cousin! So my fourth cousin once removed or something like that? Cool!

The Daily Grind

We're getting settled into the house and still unpacking. It scares me that we still have an entire storage unit to unload. Yikes. Patrick is having a ball exploring every nook and cranny of the house. His new favorite activities include tormenting the pugs (and slipping them Cheerios) and emptying the cabinets (who knew I had so many ice trays?).





And I have to mention that I swear Patrick normally wears pants!

In other news Patrick has his 19 month well baby visit yesterday. My little baby is getting so big! The official stats...

• Weight - 23 pounds, 14 ounces (20th percentile)
• Height - 33 inches (70th percentile!!!!)
• Head - 55 cm (97th percentile)

Patrick has been steady on the height chart at 50% so the jump to 70% is interesting. Especially since I am 5'2'.....

....in a slight heel.

Our House

Our house is almost done! This week the cabinets are getting painted and it should all be done by Wednesday or Thursday so we can move back in! We still have a few tiny things to do like putting in light fixtures and door knobs but those are things Tom can do.

Front of the house


Entryway


Fireplace in living room


Built in buffet in dining room


Kitchen


New bathroom


New bedroom


And that bright blue laundry room!

The Finish Line

We are oh so very close to the house being done, finally!

This weekend we celebrated my cousin Michael's 9th Birthday. Patrick had a great time playing with his cousins. I've been trying to teach him names so cousin Isabel was pleased when Patrick called her Izzy!



This past week our hardwood floors were stained, sanded and sealed (or whatever it is called) and the deck in back was started. Tomorrow the final coat of sealant will be put on and the appliances are being delivered. I think the painters come back on Tuesday or Wednesday to finish the walls, cabinets and baseboards. The stain I picked for the floors is sort of dark (turns out I like dark colors!). Today Tom and Michael put in all of the deadbolts.











Before anyone freaks out about that cobalt blue paint I will point out that that is the laundry room and I like the color. Once the second coat goes on I will like it even more :)