A Week of Spoiling Begins!

We were all delighted to have Nana and Boom visit us last week -- a visit that encompassed Campbell's baptism and Fiona's 2nd birthday. Nobody was more delighted than Fiona. No sooner had Nana and Boom deplaned, but she received a Red Sox cap and fuzzy bunny slippers. Both of which she insisted upon wearing to her nap. Whether or not she turns out to be a Red Sox fan, she is definitely a Nana and Boom fan!

And there was much more to follow. More presents, and daily fun activities. But of course, we forgot to bring the camera to most of those activities, so instead I'll just post some of the amusing faces that Fiona makes at the dinner table.
Coming soon: the 2-part series that was Fiona's birthday.

Campbell Gets Baptized

A week ago, Campbell was baptized at Christ Church of Berkeley in the presence of 14 family members and countless friends. She wore the christening dress that I (Faith) wore back when I was baptized -- as did Fiona. I can't think of much witty commentary on dedicating Campbell's life to God, so I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves; it was a really special day! (Admittedly, it was a little nervewracking to have both girls up on stage for the ceremony - a looong 5 minutes! -- but everyone was amazingly well behaved).

Halloween Hilarity

I think I've oversold our Halloween a little with that title, but Campbell's 1st and Fiona's 2nd Halloween was very nice. Fiona dressed as one of her favorite foods: a cupcake. Complete with a disproportionately large cherry on top. We carved the 3 pumpkins that we picked earlier this month. The "Mommy & Dadoo" pumpkin got the traditional treatment:
But Fiona & Campbell's pumpkins were decreed "Pony" pumpkins and carved accordingly. (Erick, the knife-wielder, was begging me for no more curved lines after those two).
After Campbell awoke from her nap, she was dressed as a ladybug (a costume commissioned by her older sister. As you can see below, it nicely accentuates her enormous cheeks).

Then, we headed off to the "Fall Fest" party thrown by our church. It was so much fun that Fiona was completely exhausted after the first hour. But she had enough energy to compete in the costume contest, in which she made the Top 5. (I suspect sympathy points for that enormous, homemade cherry. Or maybe it's all in the attitude -- I cannot explain the face she's making below).
In other news, Campbell is now lifting her head 90 degrees. This means that mobility is not far behind.

What will we do with two who can move?!? Halloween nothin', that's REALLY scary!

More Fiona Fashions

Now that Fiona is old enough to voice her opinions, she's been playing a much larger role in dressing herself. This has led to some interesting outfits. She has already grasped the concept of layering - with a vengeance. There are days when I want to post a disclaimer on my forehead (or hers): "My daughter dressed herself this morning. Don't judge."

Many of you will recall that Fiona displayed an early love of accessories, and this has only intensified. There are rain boots from Nana and Boom, which must be worn regardless of the weather and the fact that they cause her to walk slower than rocks eroding:

There are 3-D glasses for viewing sidewalk chalk drawings (a new technology, apparently) from Grandmommy and Granddaddy:

And these fetching glasses:
Which give Fiona a striking resemblance to everybody's favorite dictator:
When obvious accessories aren't to be found, Fiona has been known to supplement her outfits with vegetables...

...either that or she was attempting to use the brussels sprouts as a weapon. She certainly wasn't interested in eating them.

Speaking of eating, Fiona is learning to use chopsticks. A peek at her early technique:
Sometimes, though, we do get fashion right:(Note that Fiona finally has enough hair to support a couple of bows, which have definitively put a stop to questions about her gender, even in Berkeley).
And here is the latest in Campbell photos:
Campbell, at 3 months, is much more alert and active. She's generally a very happy baby, and has produced some great belly laughs. As Campbell becomes more of a person, Fiona has become increasingly protective. Here are the two sisters, with Fiona's stance clearly proclaiming: "This is my sister, yo!"

The Pickles go Pumpkin-ing

This weekend, we celebrated the advent of cool, crisp Fall weather in the Bay Area (yes, it CAN feel like Autumn in California!) by going pumpkin picking with our friends Tommy, Celeste, their daughter Elisa (and their other child, due in March); Kelly, Dani, their dog Trout; and Kathleen (who came along with her baby, still in utero and due in December). We went to Peterson's Farm, site of our pumpkin-picking adventure a year ago. In addition to a nice pumpkin patch, Peterson's features assorted animals (cows, ponies, chickens, ducks, a turkey, and lots of bees). A splendid time was had by all, and we came away with 3 fine pumpkins for our front steps.

Fiona enjoyed mothering Elisa, who is a year younger and thus deserves to be petted.

She affected quite an attitude during a wagon ride.

She attempted to interpret the inner life of a pumpkin.

And, finally, she selected her pumpkin.

Campbell came, too, but was a bit more reserved.

But Campbell came away with her own pumpkin (selected, this year, by her big sister).

Fiona, as she is wont to do these days, insisted on driving home.

But she gave up at last, and settled for a much-deserved nap instead.

A PSA from the Gong Girls (Mostly Fiona)

Hello everyone. Fiona has some important messages to share with you.
First, she would like you to know where her baseball loyalty lies:
Next, she would like to emphasize the importance of bicycle safety.
Campbell, who continues her quest to become enormous through an endless cycle of eating and sleeping, and who has apparently developed an alarming tendency for red-eye in photos, also has a thought to share:
"You can't choose your big sister. Bummer."

(How's that for creating coherence out of random photos?!)

Pickin'

Those of you who've been following this blog for over a year (if you exist) may recall that last year we took Fiona apple picking at Gabriel Farm in the lovely Sonoma County town of Graton. It was so much fun that we're hoping to make it a family tradition. And so it was that we headed back to Gabriel Farm this past Sunday. Things were a bit different this time around.

Fiona can now help out by carrying the apple box (which, moments after this picture was taken, she pronounced "too heavy" and handed off to Erick).

She can now actually pick apples.
AND, perhaps most fun of all, she can actually EAT apples. And eat them she did. In the sun....

in the shade...

back at home.

She also helped "pick" blackberries, until I wised up as to why the blackberries always seemed to stay at the same level in the box.

If you're wondering why Campbell is absent from this experience, it's because she WAS absent in terms of consciousness:

But lest you think that Campbell spends all her time passed out, here is a picture of her actually awake and alert. It does happen.