Yum, Paella!

Big Chef, Little Chef

Hey Daddy, put the chorizo right there

Fully assembled and ready to cook

My two chefs made paella on Sunday and it was fantastic! David had the great idea to make paella on the grill, since our "Fall" day seemed more like the middle of summertime. We took a field trip to The Spanish Table in Berkeley (great store if you are looking for any gadgets, ingredients or books related to Spanish cooking), and bought a nice big paella pan and some chorizo. The chefs put it together and it was very tasty. Alex got all dressed up in his new apron which Great Grandma Grace made for him, and the chef's hat which Grandma Elaine sent too. It was a fun time cooking in the front yard.

Mooooo Cows!

Got milk?


Daddy and Alex with Checkers, a 15 year old cow


Feeding a 4 day old calf with a bottle

"Milking" the cow in the dairy yard

On Saturday we drove up to Petaluma to the McClelland Dairy Farm for a visit. Alex enjoyed seeing all of the cows, mixing some feed, feeding Checkers the cow, giving a bottle to a calf, making butter and drinking milk, of course. It turned out to be a very hot day up there with the afternoon temperature around 100, but we stopped in downtown Petaluma on the way back, to cool down and have lunch. It didn't seem like a Fall day at all, but it was fun anyway.

Watermelon Smile

Sis-Sis = Comfy Lounge Chair

Need a place to sit while snacking? Try Sis-Sis, she's quite comfy!

Weekend Kitchen Renovation

Bathroom cabinet purchased six years ago at Target, which did not fit in current bathroom.


Sink/faucet installation-great job Daddy!!


Sides attached, sink/faucet installed.


Alex testing out the kitchen sink and faucet.

Nope, it was not our kitchen which was renovated this weekend, but Alex's kitchen is looking pretty sharp after the renovation. We have been thinking of getting Alex a play kitchen for awhile now and I've been watching Craiglist for a wooden kitchen, versus the plastic ones, but they never seem to show up. In talking with a few parents, it seems that play kitchens have quite the longevity with the kids, so perhaps that is why.

I saw a repurposing of an old entertainment center into a play kitchen on Apartment Therapy recently and ever since, I've been thinking of what we could repurpose. The other day it hit me. We had a cabinet which was previously in the bathroom, but since we moved it no longer fits, so it was being underutilized. I mocked up a "kitchen" scenario with it on Friday and Alex started using it right away. He seemed quite excited to have an "oven" and a "fridge", so it definitely seemed worth proceeding.

After some brainstorming, this is what David and I came up with over the weekend. It still needs some cosmetic touches, like new handles for the oven and stove, knobs for the burners and oven, the burners need to be affixed, and it may recieve a few more accessories, but Alex LOVES it already!! We took quite a bit of video and after some editing, we will share. Best of all, total cost was $17!! ($12 for the faucet and $5 for the loaf pan sink) Our little chef is quite happy and so are we!

Wow! Homemade playdough!

Four toddlers, at one table, happily occupied for about twenty minutes.

Ahhh....the miracle of playdough!

A Lizard!

Alex caught a lizard in the house this afternoon. It was probably trying to escape the heat and did not realize how hot this house gets! This is the first of many creatures to be captured in the future, I am sure. Poor thing probably had no idea what hit him, but Alex was quite excited and proud of himself. We'll keep it to show Daddy and then Mr. Lizard will have his freedom back.

Little Farm

Here's some celery Mr. Goat. I don't know if I want to get any closer, because you seem so hungry that you might bite my finger!

Okay, I'll feed you the celery


Everybody playing in the sprinkler

Who needs animals, when you have water?


Alex and Luke trying to figure out how to get into the Little Farm storage area

What another beautiful day! Alex and I joined some friends up at the Little Farm this morning for some exploring. It is always a fun place to visit and the little ones enjoyed feeding the animals celery, playing in the sprinklers and running around the nature center. We had a nice little snack out on the lawn and just enjoyed the company and beautiful weather. It was great to catch up after not much time together over the summer.

Over the weekend

Blowing bubbles with Daddy


Munching on strawberries, his favorite fruit.


Cutie pie

Yum, pasta with cheese sauce

Road Trip : Capitola/Moss Landing

Egret in the Elkhorn Slough


Elkhorn Slough


Happy little explorer


Climbing trees


Taking a look at the floats being decorated for the Capitola Begonia Festival's aquatic parade

On Saturday we drove down to Moss Landing to take a canoe out on the Elkhorn Slough, a large tract of tidal salt marsh south of Santa Cruz, which is the habitat for over 340 species of birds, in addition to otters and other wildlife. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the rental site, they felt that Alex was "much too young" to go out in the canoe with us, so despite the fact that we have taken him out before, and have a lifejacket which fits him, no canoe for us. Perhaps we should just buy one of our own for next time. As an alternate outing, we went to the Visitor's Center at the Elkhorn Slough and took a hike around the area. There were lots of cool birds and some rabbits, which Alex enjoyed seeing.

Afterwards, we decided to check out Capitola, someplace that we had wanted to visit, but just have never actually made it to. It happened to be the weekend of the Capitola Begonia Festival, so we enjoyed the festival atmosphere, complete with music, beautiful weather and a great view of the beach. They were preparing for an aquatic parade the next day, so we were also able to view floats being decorated with thousands of fresh begonias.

All in all, it was a great day and we will be checking out Capitola again sometime in the future! Hopefully someday we can go to the Elkhorn Slough and see the otters as well.

Mr. Fixit

Fixing the car

After Alex played with Ezra and Eli's toolset for a good deal of time on Saturday, and enjoyed it so much, we decided that perhaps we should get a set for him. David gave it to him the other night and he was quite happy to play with his very own set.

He set off fixing his cars and assorted other items around the house right away. It came in a box very similar to David's bike tool kit, and at the end of the night when we asked him to put the tools away, he proceeded to put them in the box and then bring the box to the back room, where David's tools are. He placed it right next to David's set, designating it as the place for his tools too. It was too cute!

Funny Boys

Let's color!

Cheese!

Hey Mom, do we both really fit on this chair?

Happy Birthday Cousin Landen!!

Make a wish!


What a cool cake!


Smiley frosting face

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Cousin Landen, Happy Birthday to you!

We hope that you have a super birthday, and wish we could have been in Minnesota for your party a few weeks ago. It looks like you had a great time, and wow, that was a cool monster truck cake that Grandma Elaine made for you. Hopefully you will get to eat more cake, now that your birthday is actually here. We can hardly wait to visit you in November. Have a great day!

Love from,
Cousin Alex
Uncle David
& Auntie Janelle

Fun Times at the Park

Sharing a ride in the aptly named "Cozy" Coupe

Cooperation at work!

Johnny navigating Tuggy

It is always fun to meet Johnny and Carrie at the park and this morning was no exception. The boys (and mamas too!) seemed to have a particularly fun time together today. It's fun to see them become more and more interactive.