“Wubie crushed my wand — no magic show for him!”
— Lucy’s response after she waved her ‘magic wand’ (stick with a ribbon) in front of Wubie one too many times (he destroyed it).

We went to the SJ Obon with friends recently and had loads of fun, especially Lucy…she got to dance in her first Bon Odori.

Lucy went to her first Obon fest way back in 2008, when she was still a baby. Grandmommy had suggested we go, she had cut out a clipping from the newspaper for us, and urged us to go that very day (it was a Sunday and we had been visiting her in the hospital). We went and had a lovely time. Shortly thereafter Grandmommy got out of the hospital, so we all went together to the Palo Alto Obon fest. That was about a month before she passed away in September, and it was our last big outing together.

The Obon festival is held to remember ancestors and loved ones who are gone…so it seems appropriate that we keep going in memory of Grandmommy. (Posts from last year’s visits here and here.) If she were still here, she would surely be dancing with us!

Lucy: Tell me a pretend story about how Wubie doesn’t like Christmas lights and it’s Christmas.
Jill: Does Wubert get a present?
Lucy: Yes, a catnip mouse…but he doesn’t like it!
Jill: What would he rather have?
Lucy: A sardine sandwich!
Jill: OK. Wubert gets a sardine sandwich. Did he get a present for you?
Lucy: Yeah, a poop! Yech!
— A conversation overheard in the car

Academy of Sciences from Mike C on Vimeo.

I’ve been cranking out the videos lately in an attempt to get caught up with the mountain of footage Jill and I shoot on a continual basis. So with that said, here’s another gem from my “Getting Caught Up/Making Room on the Drobo” series.

Jill shot this video in April when she, the kid, and Auntie Laura visited the Academy of Sciences. It’s full of penguins, fish, stingrays, and seahorses, with a couple of squirrels thrown in for good measure.

It also features a little kid having a most fun and memorable day, courtesy of her mommy and auntie. Check it out and see if you can spot where Jill encounters the elephant butt.

“We’re going to make a pumpkin pie. It’s going to be very tasty. Why don’t you have some when you are done with work? It’s going to be very tasty!”
— Lucy, upon waking from a dream she had where she’d been baking

“Wubie drove me to the cupcake stand and picked out which cupcakes I wanted.”
— Lucy at the breakfast table that same morning

Wedding Video: Extras from Mike C on Vimeo.

Here’s more video from my niece’s June wedding. This one is mostly the kid just running around and acting goofy.

Year 4 (Part 1) from Mike C on Vimeo.

Here’s the latest episode of our “Life with Lucy” series, where I post a video collage of pics and video snippets from the last six months. (A picture collage can be found here.) Previous “Life with Lucy” installments:

1. Year One: 2007 Part 1 (Jan – Jun) | Part 2 (Jul – Dec)
2. Year Two: 2008 Part 1 (Jan – Jun) | Part 2 (Jul – Dec)
3. Year Three: 2009 Part 1 (Jan – Jun) | Part 2 (Jul – Dec)

All pics and short videos used in this collage were taken between January 1 and June 30, 2010. Noteworthy happenings from the last half year:

• January: Lucy’s third birthday
• February: Valentine’s Day, My big garage clean-up project
• March: Grass Valley visit in the snow
• April: Meeting BJ Penn, Easter
• May: Lucy’s first ballet, last Lost episode
• June: Father’s Day, Michelle’s wedding, a new nephew

Music used:

• “Maggie May” from Every Picture Tells a Story by Rod Stewart
• “Life’s Lonesome Road” from A-Town Blues by Wayne Hancock
• “Let’s Stay Together” from Let’s Stay Together by Al Green

The tree house…a room made by hanging branches

Trying out cameras…she sure has some trusting relatives!

lounging by the pool…phew it was a hot day.

(Anyone else notice how much auntie resembles G’Mommy these days…almost thought it was her in some of these pics. maybe it’s the hair…)

dancing in the ballroom with grandpa

cavorting in the café

In addition to shooting the ceremony and dinner, I made sure to pester people into making quick “congratulations!” videos for the young couple. Though I haven’t gotten around to making a video of the ceremony yet (it’s coming!), I did manage to spend some time making the “congrats” video. Here it is:

Congratulations to Michael & Michelle from Mike C on Vimeo.

Last week was full of good news and great times. It started off with a bang with the arrival of a new cousin for Lucy. It ended with an amazing time at my niece Michelle’s wedding.

At the wedding, Lucy had a blast running around on an actual dance floor with some other kids. Mike Honda, a friend of the family, performed the ceremonial duties. The whole event was fantastic (especially getting caught up with the family, including Tisa and Sam, who traveled from Hawaii and Oregon.)

Of course, Jill and I reminisced about how time flies and how Michelle was around Lucy’s age when we started going out (yep, it’s been a while!) We all wish the new couple well and hope their eventual move to the east coast goes smoothly. Hopefully they’ll be able to make it back for some holiday get-togethers!

It’s official. Lucy is no longer the youngest kid in the family. My brother is now a Grandpa! (Wow, that sounds weird.) Anyway, the joyous occasion happened last week and was met with much fanfare and happiness. Jill was so happy with the news that she immediately sent off a CARE package full of all the stuff a new mother and child would ever need.

Lucy is looking forward to seeing her newest relative. The notion of one younger and smaller than she is quite a novel concept to her.

Notable happenings from the past month:

• Lucy attending her first ballet
• Lucy’s first dentist appointment
• Lunch with Thea, a friend we hadn’t seen in a very long time
• Family get-together at Gma Vita’s
• Family get-together with Gpa Tom, Laura, and John
• Farmers’ market trip with Gpa Tom (he even had Lucy wrapped on his back for a while!)
• The end of Lost

Notable happenings from the past month:

• Celebrating Jill’s birthday in SF (too bad John couldn’t make it!)
• Easter Egg Hunt at Gma Vita’s place
• BJ Penn Book Signing
• Getting together with old friends, including Kelly

Stuff I’ve watched/read this month:

Movies & Books