Meeting Aiden

This past weekend we made the drive through California's great flat, cow-scented San Joaquin Valley from Berkeley to Orange County to meet the girls' first cousin (and our first nephew) Aiden. Fiona was set to go with her new Hello Kitty backpack:
The girls were great on the long drive, but the highlight was definitely the hotel. Due to a serious design flaw at Embassy Suites, wherein the bathroom is connected to the living room portion, Erick and I ended up on the pullout couch, while Fiona and Campbell shared the spacious master bedroom. At the bottom of this post is a video of the rejoicing (plus a little sisterly body-slamming) that happened immediately after Fiona entered the room and turned the radio to a hip hop station.

Fiona and Campbell were both delighted with their little cousin, who, being 2 weeks old, is still in the eat-sleep cycle. He's adorable, a very good baby, and Uncle Wesley and Auntie Kristin seem like pros already!There was plenty of time during the day for pursuits other than staring at the baby, of course. We hung out at Laguna Beach, where we realized that our girls have vastly different beach preferences. We have surf:And turf:We also visited the Children's Discovery Zone in Santa Ana, where Fiona strapped on a shark against a green screen to appear in her own undersea movie:
There were wonderful pastries to be had at the Corner Bakery in Irvine:But undoubtedly the highlight of the visit (apart from Aiden) was the shopping cart at Ralph's grocery store. They don't have these in Berkeley!It was a fun visit for the whole family, and we can't wait to see Aiden again soon!

Campbell Turns 1!

Well, that was the fastest year ever! This past Sunday, our baby Campbell turned 1 year old. The celebration actually began a couple of weeks prior, when we had an early celebration with Grandmommy and Granddaddy (who were in Alaska being rugged for the actual day).Although Campbell looked pretty stoic when she saw her first cake, she seemed to warm up upon actual consumption.Campbell's birthday weekend began with a visit to the California Academy of Sciences, a marvelous place that includes a rainforest dome and an aquarium. We took Fiona there for her 1st birthday, too, so it's becoming something of a tradition. The difference between the two girls couldn't have been more clear; while Fiona was riveted on the fish (this is not just an age thing; it applies both to this visit and when she was 1), Campbell -- as these pictures show -- just wanted to MOVE.But there were some moments of equal fascination.And Fiona also developed an affection for the turbo-hand-dryers.Campbell's actual birthday began with presents and pancakes. Among her favorite gifts were the stroller and baby doll that Fiona had picked out for her and bought with her own piggy bank money (and which were swifty re-appropriated by Fiona!).There were also balloons.That afternoon, we invited our friends and neighbors, Elisa and her baby sister Addy, over for cake and playtime. Note Fiona playing the big girl and trying to wrangle the little ones into the photo!Elisa and Addy also gave Campbell (and by extension, Fiona) a wonderful gift: a shopping cart!
Amazing to think that this was Campbell 1 year ago:

Our Life Now

This pretty much sums it up. I don't think it needs much explanation; the way I describe life at our house these days is that we have one who won't stop talking, and one who won't stop moving!

We Love Campbell

As we approach Campbell's first birthday (hard to believe!), it seems appropriate to single her out for a minute. Over the past year, she's had the typical but unfortunate 2nd child tendency to be overshadowed by the antics of her big sister. However, Campbell has certainly been coming into her own of late.She's a little ray of sunshine, this one; typically happy (and a HUGE flirt).She's also very independent, and loves to explore. Fiona has already corrupted her by introducing her to the forbidden pleasures of the linen closet.And speaking of Fiona, Campbell is usually quite patient with her overbearing older sister. Although she can certainly hold her own when necessary.
We're so glad she's a part of our family! At this point, it's becoming harder and harder to recall our family without her.

Fiona the Flower Girl!

Fiona has a pretty huge crush on our friends Mark & Rhonda, so she was absolutely thrilled when they invited her to be a flower girl in their July 4 wedding. Despite being a bit young for a flower girl, and despite a rather agonizing rehearsal (during which she displayed some obsessive-compulsive tendencies when it came to emptying her ENTIRE basket of flower petals!) she performed very well at the wedding itself.
(Until she was finished with her walk down the aisle and started demanding potato chips very loudly from her father, at which point she had to be removed!) Here's the whole wedding party:
Campbell napped during the ceremony, but was reunited with us during the reception. Which, despite the looks on our girls' faces, was actually quite fun.Fiona captured the affection of the 7-year-old "Bible boy", who followed her around throughout the reception. Probably not the last time she'll lead a man around....

Campbell Walks!

It's happened at last.

(Sorry for the video being sideways -- I'm usually not a total computer idiot, but I can't figure out how to rotate it in iPhoto. I'm afraid you'll have to turn your computer sideways to get the real effect -- otherwise it looks like we have a Spiderbaby on our hands).

Happy Memorial Day!

Fiona and Campbell's Memorial Day weekend involved THREE picnics -- much to their delight (Fiona: "I had a really fun time at the picnic with my family!" Wonder how many more years that will last?).
The first, on Saturday, was a picnic on the lawn of the Bay Area Discovery Museum. It was possibly the most picturesque picnic we will ever have, right at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge overlooking the San Francisco Bay. Of course, we took no pictures of the picnic, but did manage to capture some of the delights of the museum.Sunday was the picnic-stravaganza, featuring 16 members of the extended Gong family at Rinconada Park in Palo Alto. It was a day-long affair, and included playground time, a BBQ, and an hour in the pool. Plus some good old lounging.
And finally, on Memorial Day itself we enjoyed a cookout in the backyard of our friends and neighbors, Tommy and Celeste, and their daughters Elisa and Addie . It was a LOT of fun, but as it featured 4 girls ages 2 months - 2.5 years, there was absolutely no picture taking!

Perhaps the most sweet (and unintentionally humorous) part of the weekend was our phone call with Nana and Boom on Memorial Day. Hailing as they do from Washington, DC, Boom was patriotically telling Fiona the story of Memorial Day, and happened to ask whether Berkeley has a Memorial Day parade. Let me repeat: whether Berkeley has a Memorial Day parade. Here is how we do it in Berkeley, Boom!