Our Fall: A Summary

Since clearly I have lost control of the timeline and am now in the position of posting about August events in November, I am making a desperate bid to get caught up -- all in one post! (Deep breath) Here goes....

We had a great Fall!

Fiona started preschool 2 mornings a week at Caterpillar Co-op Preschool, a little thing we put together with 4 other families. It's been a LOT of fun, and she gets along well with her peers.
We went apple picking (with our friends the Stinsons, parents to Addie & Elisa). Fiona met one of her heroines, Snow White, at close range. Fiona was thrilled, but Snow White, perhaps feeling suspicious of Fiona's apple, seemed a little stiff.

We also went pumpkin picking with the Stinsons. It was rainy, but that didn't stop the girls from having a great time.
Fiona loves all things princess-related, especially dressing up like one.
Campbell is resistant to dressing up, until she sees how cute she looks.
But they both had fun dressing up at Halloween (as Cinderella & Tinkerbell), and trick-or-treating with friends from preschool in Alameda.

We had a fun little visit with my college roommate, "Dr. Kristin" (she's really a doctor, and really named Kristin, but that's also what the girls call her), in town for a pediatrics conference.
And the girls continue to grow, and to have more & more fun together. "Fun" at this point consists mainly of running around the house screaming, but there you go.
Next Installment: Nana & Boom's Visit & Fiona's 3rd Birthday!

East Coast 2010: The Final Chapter!

At long last, 2 months after the fact, I am concluding the epic of our visit to the East Coast! After Kate & Zane's wonderful wedding, we still had a VERY important visit to make: to my grandmother (known to the girls as "Great-Grammy Caroline," from whom Fiona takes her middle name) and my father's brother (Uncle Raymond) and sister (Aunt Joyce).

We spent a wonderful afternoon all together at Aunt Joyce's house. Aunt Joyce immediately won Fiona's heart by giving her the Cinderella wedding dress-up set and book.It was really special for Fiona to see her Great-Grammy again (after almost 2 years) and for Campbell to finally meet her Great-Grammy.

And then, all too soon, it was time to say goodbye to the East Coast, and to our beloved East Coast family. It was an unforgettable visit!

Upon returning to California, Fiona and Campbell decided to reenact the mood and overall experience of our return flight:

Next up: our entire Fall in one marathon post!

East Coast 2010: Part 4

Yes, it's been almost a month since the last post -- but yes, we're STILL on the East Coast. In fact, I've been putting off this post because it's one of the most important -- the whole reason we visited the East Coast when we did: my cousin Kate's wedding to Zane Brown.

It was a truly beautiful wedding, outdoors on Meaders Point, right on the lake. It was Labor Day weekend, and it felt like the start of Fall. The whole thing was genuine to who Kate and Zane are, and their love for each other was clear in every detail. And you'll have to take my word for it, because somehow we've become such self-obsessed people (which is what happens when you start a blog, I guess) that we have NO pictures of Kate, Zane, or the actual wedding. How this happened, I'm not entirely sure, other than that they were busy getting married and we were busy ensuring that our kids didn't disrupt anything!

Anyway, enough prologue. We all were dressed in our wedding finery.
The girls behaved beautifully throughout the day, although Campbell refused to abandon technology even for the sake of a formal occasion. ("What's the big deal? Dad's cell phone matches my outfit!")
Here's a post-wedding photo of Nana and Campbell in which you can see the lovely family house on Meaders Point.
Fiona enjoyed sprinkling the cups of birdseed that were on hand to toss at the bride & groom (the scene on the lawn the next day must have been Hitchcockian).

At the reception, Kate and Zane had anticipated the onslaught of little girls by providing magic wands as favors. Fiona and her cousin Fallon engaged in some friendly spell casting.
All the cousins (technically, 2nd cousins -- with one 1st cousin wrangler) together (and really, they WERE having fun!):
Then the dancing started, and we danced the night away! Or, as much of the night as a 1-year-old and a 2.5-year-old can handle.
It was a magical day, and we've never had a faster bedtime!

East Coast 2010: Part 3

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING POST CONTAINS NAKED BABY PICTURES. SORRY!The third leg of our trip found us in Rochester, New Hampshire. Why? Because Rochester is close to New Durham, where Nana's family has maintained a cottage on Merrymeeting Lake for the past century. It is, without question, a special and idyllic spot. And since Nana spent much of her childhood there, it was very special for her to share Merrymeeting Lake with her granddaughters. Upon our arrival, Fiona checked out the lake with Nana and her Great-Uncle Craig.Which quickly led to this:Which then led to this:Campbell was quickly inspired to do the same.
There was lots of naked water-frolicking for the duration of our visit. Once everyone was clothed again, there were big rocks to climb.The main reason we were at Merrymeeting Lake was to celebrate the wedding of my cousin Kate, so lots of family started arriving fairly quickly. A highlight for our girls was spending time with their second cousins, all girls ages 6, 4, and 2. Shortly after meeting, hilarity ensued.The girls were also staying at our hotel, so breakfast (fun for us, probably not for other guests) featured lots of little girls. Fallon (age 2) and Campbell developed quite an affection for each other.
And Fiona and Maren (age 4) discovered they were kindred spirits.

East Coast 2010: Part 2

Our fun-filled week in Virginia came to an end too quickly. Fiona summed up the difference between Northern Virginia and Northern California as such: "There aren't any pink houses here." Step 2 of our East Coast trip involved renting a minivan and heading North: grandparents, parents, and kiddos all together. This is why we rented the minivan:It was a two-day drive, about 10 hours total. Nana took the prize for greatest endurance; for about 8 of those 10 hours, she repeatedly acted out the role of the wicked stepmother to Fiona's Cinderella in the back row. But finally we arrived in hot and humid (yet still beautiful and coastal) Newcastle, New Hampshire.The girls joined Boom for a lovely morning view of the marina from our accommodations...although Campbell wasn't entirely willing to abandon technology.Due to the oppressive weather (at least for us soft Northern Californians), we spent as much time near water as possible. The beach was lovely and both girls loved mucking around in the sand, although Fiona continues to be the only Gong girl who'll venture into the water.A HUGE highlight for all of us was being taken out for a boat ride by college friends of Nana and Boom. At first, the girls were dubious about whether the water-safety gear would be worth it.
Their bad attitude continued before the boat began moving. Campbell to Fiona: "Dude, get that ugly orange vest outta my face!"But as soon as they felt the wind in their hair (and, even more fun, the bumps from the waves), all was well.