California Academy of Sciences

Our usual Friday routine, Dad and me head on over to see the fishes, along with the other interesting animals. But my favorite thing to do above all others, going to the Early Explorers Cove where I get to pretend to make cupcakes and run all around.

And nap soundly when he gets home--Editor.

Ron and Sharon

Our old neighbors Ron and Sharon and their daughter Simone touched down for a few days visiting from Southern California, it sure was good to see them. We also got to see our other friends at the playground too, Kim and Chewy and Luciano, Kate and Shepherd, Christine and Evie, Illiana and Eli, a really excellent day.

Couch Surfing

Cowabunga style!

Kate's Birthday

Man oh man, the only thing more fun than a birthday party is a SURPRISE birthday party, you grown-ups know how to do it!

Turtle Cookie

With a delicious fruit filling, thanks James for making just for me!

No On 8

The ruling came down, we didn't know what else to do than get out and walk with a lot of other people, sometimes that's the best thing to do.

Dance Already!

To Soul Finger by the Bar-Kays, this is how we do it.

Life is Good

That was the name of the festival we went to on Saturday, where we got to meet up with Mark and his family. It was very warm but I didn't mind so much as long as we stayed in the shade. The Sippy Cups played and they were very excellent, there was even a Ramones cover ("I Wanna Be Elated"), where we danced and jumped all around, good times!

Hangin' in J-Town

Japantown with Debbie, that is. Dig the crazy glasses, rockin' it Kanye West style.

Tenderloin Forest

This is very cool. Our friends Sue and Llu helped create a park in the middle of the Tenderloin in Cohen Alley off Ellis, with artwork and music and even a stone oven. It was a lot of fun and I got to play in the dirt which made the day even better. If you're anywhere near you should definitely check it out, and that's the truth!

Mother's Monday

A day after the official day, off to Pescadero. We built sand castles, headed to Duarte's where Mama and Daddy had fish and pie and I had ice cream. And how could I have almost forgotten? There was a tow truck parked right outside!

Meals on Wheels

Cornered

Green Hat

How much do I love my Green Hat? Let me count the ways. P.S. Four!

Visit From Granddad & Bicycle, Learning to Ride!

Okay, here's a crazy story. Granddad came to visit us in San Francisco, heading down from his home in Alaska! Kodiak, to be exact. But then he bought a car here in California and drove all the way back, can you even believe it? Oh, also while he was visiting I learned to ride my bicycle with training wheels, now this is a huge deal! Now I pedal and can go pretty fast too, what amazing things will I be able to do next?

Reading With Cooley

Diggers and Dumptrucks, the perennial favorite.

Easter

Easter at Michael and Glori's, so this is what all the commotion is about. Eggs! So many eggs (some with chocolate and others with actual toy cars inside)! And there was Olive and Glori and Owen and Tess (not to mention Eric and Katharine, Jeff and Shira too). What I'm saying is that the Easter Bunny is one right on guy, can I tell you how great I think he is?

August and Olive!

Thomas!

Okay, I might as well confess it now. I love Thomas. Thomas & Friends, that is! Such as Percy and Gordon and Isabella and Jack, I could go on and on. Give me a half hour with Thomas and my day is complete, he's a very useful engine is all I'm saying.

Cousin Daniel

A visit from cousin Daniel and his wife Anna, along with their friend Stacy, visiting from Montana. We had a great time all right, Cha Cha Cha's was good fun!

Samuel P. Taylor National Park

A nice Saturday morning, trees and quiet.

Ocean Beach

Hats Off!

Dust Buster!

Uncle Brian cleans house.

February, Portland

Thanks again to Deron and Laurie and LuLu, Uncle Brian and Aunt Theresa.

Pony Up!

From our time in Southern California, I love the horses (okay, I was a little tired).

December

Well we got through December. Okay, maybe just barely. Anyway, here's some assorted pictures from the month. Somewhere in there was my second birthday (December 20th in case you were wondering), not to mention Christmas. So let me just say this much. Best to everyone, good wishes for the New Year.

Big Day

First we went to Evie's birthday party where she turned 2 years old. Then we went to Betsy and Serena's baby shower (that's Betsy in the middle). I ate chocolate cake. I missed my naptime. You know by the time we left there I was a crazy kid, taking off my shoe and biting on it. When I got home I slept for three hours and woke up at eight at night, we had some good times then!

Monster Mash

Halloween

Okay, I was a pumpkin. Or I was supposed to be a pumpkin. Only problem was I didn't want to wear the pumpkin suit. So I just wore this orange sweatshirt instead. We went to a Halloween party at Tanya's, my mom dressed as a nurse and my dad sang in a scary Halloween band (short video forthcoming). At first I was scared. Then I danced. Anyway, Halloween is funny and weird and I was pretty tired by the time it was all over.

Punked!

What the heck? People cutting up these orange melons and putting fire inside. I just don't know, even though it is kind of fun to see them all lit up like that. There's my pumpkin all right!

Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Patch

Okay. Here's what happened. I got to ride on a pony. Bounce around in a rubber house. Man, this was fun all right, I even got to pick out my own pumpkin. Evie and Shepherd came along, so did Eli. Then, just when I thought it couldn't get any better I got to ride a train. An excellent day all right, at the end of it all we were tuckered, that's what my dad said. Then he put us all in a wagon and it was time to go.

The Ecstatic

Okay, what is it you guys say? The be-all and end-all. Well, that's what this was. A backhoe AND front-loader parked around the corner from our house. Can you believe it? I couldn't, which is why I asked my mama and dada to take me out each and every day they were there (five days, not counting the late morning they finally left - EDITOR). What fun. What delight. Especially when my dad lifted me up behind the steering wheel of both vehicles. Heaven is what I'm saying. Nothing better. I still talk about it all these weeks later. Even sometimes in my sleep. Now I like to look at the pictures, all these pictures, which is what I'm doing right now.

David Comes to Dinner

Man, I love when we have company. Because these people do things with me. Like draw in my notepad with my crayons, making excellent drawings of animals and cars. Thank you, David!

Water Water Everywhere

Here's what I love to do. Fill up the bathroom sink with water and go to it, float things and throw water all around. If you know anything that's more fun I will tell you you are crazy.

August and Olive

A day at the deYoung.

Uncle Ted and Aunt Simone

Got to see my dad's Uncle Ted and Aunt Simone, visiting San Francisco from Canada. We went to a lot of fun places, from the pier where I got to see all the barking seals, to Golden Gate Park and the Flower Conservatory where there was a huge butterfly and I wasn't even afraid. Excellent day!

Have Bear Will Travel

Nothing gets between me and my Teddy Bear.


Except maybe my dad.

Table Time

Swing Baby Swing

Hand in Hand

LuLu, Shepherd, Cousin Janine, I like to hold hands, what can I say?

August with Haircut

It's true, what a difference a haircut makes. The way it happened, my dad telling me they were just going to take a little bit off. THIS is a little bit off? I was pretty okay until the clippers. Oh, that buzzing. I hate buzzing. "Lawnmower," I said. "Lawnmower, all done. All done." So that was that, the job stopped there, everyone keeps telling me I look so grown up now. They also tell me not to worry it will all grow back.

Just One More

Suddenly Last Summer

A trip to the Sacramento water park, a final summer hurrah before the business of autumn begins.

Boxtop

Critical Mass

Next up, training wheels!

Grandpa's Birthday

So it was Grandpa's birthday. We went to Sacramento and spent the day at Aunt Nancy's. There were my cousins, man there's a lot of them. Good times like I even need to say it.

Bicycle Built for Two

Another August day in San Francisco, another day that's freezing. Not that it wasn't fun, it being Eli's second birthday and all. There were excellent people, great things to do. Like riding Eli's old school tricycle for instance. Eli and Sheperd rode first, with some help from Eli's mama Illiana. Then I got to ride the tricycle with my friend Evie coming along, these things called birthdays sure are good all right.

Tiny Town

Okay, now this needs some explaining. Our friends Mark and Kee, or to be more specific Mark and Kee's kids Gabe and Sage, gave me Tiny Town a week or so back. Well, ever since I haven't been able to get enough of Tiny Town. In fact, I wake up and the first thing I say is, "Tiny Town, Tiny Town, Tiny Town." It's also the last thing I say every day too, you could say I'm kind of obsessed. Not that I couldn't stop playing with Tiny Town if I had to, you know? Really, I could stop any time. Just not today.

The Reader

My new favorite book, "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day." Not that my day is ever that horrible. Still, sometimes it's not exactly easy either.

Pescadero

A Saturday trip down the 1 to Pescadero. We went on a hike, which was really just going to the creek next to the parking lot where I threw rocks in the water for an hour. Then we went to Duarte's downtown and what a great meal. Whatever you do when you go, get the pie!

Colleen

Aunt Colleen came to visit for a few days, we had lots of fun like I even need to say it.

My Left Wrist

The first cast fell off while I was sleeping, the second stayed on even though it sure smelled funky underneath after three weeks of wearing it. Okay, I'll say it. My dad almost fainted when they finally took it off in the doctor's office. "Toejam," he said. "Sour, sour, toejam." Besides that, I can't say the cast did much to cramp my style. In fact, it gave me style if you ask me. I was still glad when it came off though.

Something Bad Happened

A fractured wrist, the "toddler injury" is what the people in the Emergency Room called it. How it happened, I fell off a ledge in Golden Gate Park when I was out walking with my dad. Oh, a very long day for everyone.

Mister Bubble

What's better than getting dirty in the dirt? Taking a bath, that's what!

Toy Truck

A toy truck, clean diapers, the living is fine.

Those Shoes

Dad's Birkenstock slippers, actually. Dig 'em.

Baby Pie

Quality Time

Quick stop in Sacramento, hello Aunt Jennifer, Viviane and Regine!

Haircut 100

Actually one. My very first one. Thank God for the racecar chair or I would have lost it. Seriously.

This Is How We Roll

Portland, Portland

Visiting Deron and Laurie, good times as always. Including but not limited to, hanging with LuLu, indulging my inner John Bonham, taking a walk through the neighborhood and getting to push my stroller, having dinner with special guests Uncle Brian and Aunt Theresa, hanging at the playground with all the good people.

Drumming Man

Luciano's Birthday

Birthday number One, big fun in Precita Park with Luciano's parents Kim and Chewy, everyone and all.

All Shook Up

Thank you, thank you very much.

Sacramento Bee-In

Visiting with the aunts and uncles and cousins, being made to wear the Bee costume. I'll get you all for this some day, oh I will.

The Good Life

Tropical relaxation, what follows is a chronicle of my time in Hawaii visiting Grandma. Enjoy, you all!

Boy Howdy

A little post-dinner clean up and conversation.

Beach Party

Island Life

Looking for turtles on the beach with Grandma, sitting on the porch too, our favorite pastime. Next to sitting on my toy dump truck. That's really my favorite pastime. All the time, you know?

Runaway Beach

A Respite

Then onward to seeing the sights, doing fun things. Not that taking a load off isn't fun too.

Built to Spill

Grandma's swimming pool, and the living's easy.

Zoo TV

A day at the Honolulu zoo. First things first, I liked the monkeys best. Mama gave me a piggyback which was fun. There was the obligatory photo op in front of the tiki (I'm SO embarrassed), then afterward in Waikiki visiting my Namesake church. Finally, sweet dreams!

Speaking in Tongues