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Jan 16 2012

Nutcracker

Catching up on some December posts….here is another event from last month.

We went to the San Francisco Nutcracker this year, and had a wonderful time!

This was our little one’s first time at the SF Ballet, she saw the San Jose version of the Nutcracker last year, after her first ballet last summer.

Here are some pics from our adventure.

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After the performance, madame felt like dancing…as did other kids we saw twirling out of the Opera House.

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We weren’t allowed to take pics during the performance of course, but you can watch it online or on dvd.

By jill • by Jill, The Kid, Time Capsule • 0 • Tags: , , , , ,

Nov 28 2010

Dickens Fair

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We went to the Dickens Fair today, first time for Mike and Lucy, and we all had fun. Mike liked the ‘time travel’ aspect, and that the participants were so into it; Lucy liked the variety of activities for kids (especially the carousel), and any time there was music and dancing. I always love the bookstore, the costumes, the humorous stage shows, and the tea. My dad mentioned at Thanksgiving that he had once gone in costume. So it is a longstanding and now revitalized family tradition.

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(here she is up on stage with Mother Goose.)

Before we popped in I browsed a victorian dictionary to familiarize us with standards and language of the day (the fair is set in Victorian London, at the time of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.) It was interesting to learn that many of our common expressions started out as Victorian slang. Everything old is new again!

It is always fun to visit London even as remotely and tangentially as this. The victoriana website’s graphics reminded me of our old favorite London Walks, if ever you are in London or near abouts these historical walks are not to be missed!

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carolers at the tea shoppe

I had been going with my mom every year since they started it up again, til recently when madame came along. We (Mommy & I) would always hit up Cuthbert’s tea shoppe first, then come back around again for the special 4 o’clock tea.

This time we missed out on the tea, which is one of the best teas in the bay area.  If you want to go, make a mad dash to Cuthbert’s the moment you walk in, and make reservations for their special 4 o’clock tea. New this year, you can also make tea reservations online up to the day before. You may also pay in advance, which is helpful as they only take cash at the Fair.

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crafts for kids

One more tip if you are going with kids…the carousel line is much shorter later in the day. The ride has only 5 animals and lasts pretty long, so your wait will be longer than an ordinary carousel. It has a safari theme and the ride presenter acts out their safari, which is certainly unique! The kids were enraptured, hanging on his every word. Lucy rode it twice!

By jill • by Jill, The Kid, Time Capsule • 3 • Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Oct 9 2010

Pumpkin Patch Visit


Daddy: “It’s the weekend, kid—what do you want to do?”
Lucy: “Maybe we can go to french fry town and then the park!”
Daddy: “And visit Gma too, and see her garden!”
Lucy: “Yes, and we can go to her garden and see if there are any snails that need a snail race!”
— sorting out weekend plans with Lucy

Pumpkin Patch Visit from Mike C on Vimeo.

I spent last weekend in front of my computer, finishing up a project for work. However, the kid and her mom got to go out and have some fun in Half Moon Bay.

This video is of a pumpkin patch they visited with GpaTom, Gma Karen, Auntie Laura, and Uncle John. Check out Lucy on her first ever pony ride!

Music Used:

By mike • by Mike, Relatives, The Kid, Video • 3 • Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Aug 24 2010

Swimming

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Another first today…a swimming pool! It was very hot today, one of the few hot days this summer…so it was perfect for swimming. Madame has been in the ocean, at the beach, and even in a river, but never in a swimming pool til now. Of course her daddy was right there to help her.

By jill • by Jill, Relatives, The Kid, Time Capsule • 0 • Tags: , , , , ,

Aug 13 2010

Making a Doll

I made my first doll for madame tonight (this morning?!) It was a great deal of fun, and I put a lot of love into this dolly. I hope she lasts til Lucy has babies.

She was from a waldorf doll kit, so basically everything was done, I just had to sew her head to her body, stuff her a bit more, and close the arm seams.  I have a new level of respect for dollmakers…even this little bit was a lot of work, and took me a few hours. I can’t imagine making her from scratch.

Here are some pics I took while I was putting her together…

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and finally, she is finished!
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getting dressed…
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at the play table waiting to be discovered. Hope you love her sweetie!
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By jill • by Jill, Geeky, The Kid, Time Capsule • 2 • Tags: , , , , ,

Aug 6 2010

Summer (part 2)

“Shhh…I’m baking.”
— Lucy, while making banana bread with her mom (and wearing apron and chef’s hat.)

Part 2 of the summer pic series…more beach, boating on the lake, painting with auntie, and playing at the park.

By jill • by Jill, Relatives, The Kid, Time Capsule • 1 • Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jun 16 2010

Flying a Kite

Last week we had our first adventure in kite flying, on a big hill overlooking the valley. Madame was a natural!

The weather was warm, wind was blustery, and the view was spectacular…you could even see the water of the bay and the hills in the distance. What a perfect day.

By jill • by Jill, The Kid • 3 • Tags: , , , , , , , ,

May 31 2010

First Ballet

Our little girl went to her first ballet this weekend. I loved ballet when I was a kid, so this was a special moment for me. I was a bit teary-eyed when it started. It just hit me…I am with my baby…at her first ballet!

Lucy has recently started liking ballet, dancing around wearing her tutu, pretending she is Angelina Ballerina. So when the chance came to see a kid-centered ballet we took it.

The ballet we saw was the Ugly Duckling, featuring as many students as possible from the local ballet school, costumed as ducks, swans, flowers, cats, dogs, and chickens. The baby swan stole the show.

Madame behaved very well, applauding in all the right places, staying in her seat the whole time, and watching enraptured for much of it. Not bad for a 3 year old.

When I was a little girl I was obsessed with ballet, and remember asking my mom for ballet lessons…and her saying, ‘not ’til you’re 5′ (or was it 7? either way it seemed a long ways away.) And boy I held her to it!

I remember changing into my ballet clothes in the station wagon as my mom drove me to ballet from school. I remember watching the older girls in the advanced class taking pointe lessons, and dreaming of the day that would be me. I remember the wonder of seeing some of those same girls performing in the LA Ballet’s Nutcracker.

I don’t want or hope for madame to become a professional ballerina, that would be a hard life (low pay, constant aches and bruises and little time for anything else).

But I am happy that she likes ballet, and will be happy to see her studying it, and to take her to many more performances. And I can’t wait for the day when she will be the student up on stage for the first time taking her bows.

By jill • by Jill, The Kid, Time Capsule • 5 • Tags: , , , , , , ,

Jul 21 2008

Obon Festival

Lucy and I went to the Obon Festival yesterday. It was a lot of fun, her first festival/faire/big outdoor thing with lots of people. Lots of pics here.

She played a game and won a pinwheel. We stood in line for shave ice three times, and three times decided the line was too long and we couldn’t wait.

We went to the children’s activities tent and Lucy tried her hand at the Taiko drum (not sure if we were supposed to, but hey, the drummers weren’t there) and watched balloon animals being made.

We saw lots of doggies and other kids, Lucy picked up a few cat toys in the book sale area, and we looked at dolls in the exhibit area. We will be sure to go again next year!

By jill • by Jill, The Kid • 2 • Tags: , , , , , , ,