“Whooah! They fall down on the floor, tiny ice cream.”
— the kid narrates as mom drops something on the floor

It’s 3:22 AM Christmas morning, so I better be getting to bed pretty soon. I stayed up a bit later than I thought I would, wanting to finish off this video Jill shot last night of the kid leaving out various foodstuffs for Santa and his trusty reindeer.

This is our fourth “Christmas Eve with the Kid” video. I really treasure these things and am already a bit fearful of the eventual day when the kid isn’t bouncing off the walls excited about Christmas morning.

Luckily, Gpa Peter, Uncle John, and Auntie Laura visited with us last night, so we got a bit of them in our little video. These are the good times. Merry Christmas.

Yesterday we wanted to get in a little outdoors wandering before the rain started up again.  It was a bit late in the day for Filoli so we went to the lovely Elizabeth Gamble garden instead. It feels a bit like a mini Filoli.

The main difference that is completely unlike Filoli is the traffic noise…it is surrounded on all sides by busy streets. I would guess it hasn’t always been so, and it must have been a most tranquil spot when Elizabeth Gamble first lived here.

The grounds have a vegetable garden area where elementary school kids have been allowed to plant,  gorgeous rows of flowers, and several secret nooks with water fountains in them. By far madame’s favorite part of this garden is the rabbit topiary.

Afterwards we stopped at a local patisserie for a macaron and next door got a really giant balloon…alas it popped as soon as it got home.
Today it’s expected to rain all day, so we will stay indoors and dry…and probably make chicken soup and pumpkin bread. Fall is here!

“Daddy, you talk funny, like Donald Duck!”
— The kid

Saturday, after hitting a book sale at the Sunnyvale Library, we took a vote and decided to trek over the hill and take a leisurely drive along Highway 1. The girls were going to show me some of their favorite haunts. Once over the hill we stopped off in downtown Half Moon Bay for a short walk and some lunch.

From there we were off to the tide pools with hopes of taking advantage of the low tide and spotting the ever elusive octopus.

The kid got to see plenty of of seals, hermit crabs, sea anemones, and assorted other tide pool dwellers (though alas, no octopi.)

From the tide pools we drove along Highway 1. Is there anything more relaxing then driving along the coast with no need to get anywhere in particular and little to no traffic?

We turned in at a lighthouse to see some sights.

After the lighthouse, we were off to do some strawberry picking.

Yep, it was a pretty good Saturday.

“I’ll eat after I finish performing!”
— the kid’s response to her daddy when offered fried rice

The kid is always very helpful. She helps sweep up, vaccuum, brings stuff in from the car, etc.. Today she wanted to help by writing down a grocery list on paper. I told her what letters to spell. She did the rest. Here are the items she wrote down:

• Coconut Milk
• Spinach
• G. Turkey (Ground Turkey)
• Nuts
• Cantaloupe
• Watermelon
• Almond Butter

And here’s a pic from our store run. Pretty good, I got everything on the list.

We went to the Nevada County Fair, which had loads of rides, games, food, music,  animals and exhibits.

 
After watching her fearless cousin tackle walking on water in a big bubble, L had to give it a try!

We had a wonderful visit, can’t wait to see everyone again!

“Daddy, I want to watch that spinniness!”
— The kid wants to watch the spinning wheel game

Yesterday we went to the Palo Alto Obon Festival with some Peter, Laura, and John. The kid was really looking forward to this particular Obon because she’d won a stuffed animal (a cat, of course) the two previous years playing the “Spinner” game (basically a variation on Roulette).

Would she win this year? There’s only one way to find out.

Dad: (watching the kid create a barricade in the hallway) “Why do you like making barriers?”
The Kid: “It’s fun, like making a sand castle! Why do you like cleaning up (cat) poop?”
- The kid answers a question with a question

2011 Mountain View Obon Festival from Mike C on Vimeo.

Yesterday we went to the Mountain View Obon Festival. Here’s the video.

Last weekend we saw some old friends we hadn’t seen in a long, long time. We had a great get together that stretched over the whole weekend.

On Saturday we were invited to check out a golf club, and ended up being treated to dinner by our friend who is a member there. Note the plaque – Chris is very proud of his win.

It was a tranquil, beautiful place, with wild deer roaming about. The weather was nice so we explored the grounds while waiting for our meal.

Look at the food!

As the sun went down, we headed back to meet up with the rest of the gang.

The kids stayed up late playing with a marble run while the grownups played Mille Bornes. We had so much fun, everyone decided to get together again the next day!

Stay tuned for part two of the story…

“Mommy, where’s my goggles?” – Lucy preparing to cook

The youngest member and I were invited to a party at Filoli, an after hours stroll for members.

Madame handled her first garden party with aplomb. She enjoyed the hors d’oeuvres, particularly the crackers.

She waited patiently to go in the house,  listening to the barbershop quartet.

She was excited to go upstairs (usually not allowed, but open on this special occasion) and see the rooms up there.

In the ballroom she entertained the guests with some impromptu ballet to accompany the piano player.

She enjoyed herself so much, she didn’t want to leave…even when her tuckered mom was ready to go.

Mom: “Hey, what was that WEIRD food you were eating?”
Lucy: “Yeah, Daddy–it smelled like POOP!”
— The girls expressing their affection for me in their own unique way

Lately I’ve been adding a scoop of chia gel to my morning smoothies. Here’s how I make the gel:

Take chia seeds. Combine 1/3 cup chia seeds with 2 cups of water. Stir.

Pop a lid on the container and shake it up. Have a little girl stroll by and accuse you of making “snail snot”. Place snail snot sealed container in refrigerator.

And the next morning you’ll have chia gel. I usually add a scoop of chia gel to my morning smoothie.

I don’t really know if the gel is making much of a difference with me healthwise. However, I knew I needed to get back on track regarding my nutrition and doing little things like adding a new ingredient to my smoothie helps me stay semi-motivated. Plus, it’s always cool to gross out the little one!