JAB blab

OK, so I’ve just discovered a stack of thank you cards. They were written forever ago and then sat around because I wanted to include a photo. Well, that took me a while to organize and THEN I discoverd that the photos did not fit in the cards (or their envelopes) so I had to get bigger envelopes. And THEN I decided that I should really label the photos because at that point they were getting a little old. I recall vaguely that something went wrong with the computer when I was trying to retrieve the date of said photos and I got frustrated and set them aside. Well, it appears that I NEVER mailed them. So if you are sitting around wondering whether or not Abby received your fantabulous gift; I’m guessing she did. And I’m guessing that I took a picture of her with it. And I’m guessing it’s in this here Peet’s coffee bag by my side. But I’m not even going to guess when it will actually get in the mail because clearly, I suck.

Abby’s still full of smiles. I mean seriously, I have never met a baby who was as content as this child appears to be at almost any give moment. As long as you feed her, lay her down when she’s tired, occasionally give her a smile and a nod, she’s pretty much just happy to be around. What a wonderful way to approach life! May it continue!

She’s been rolling over for a while now from back to tummy. She hasn’t mastered rolling from tummy to back (which is one thing that occasionally frustrates her!), but she is working on it. She’s also got a pretty good tripod sit:

The child LOVES to eat. She is mad about rice cereal…can’t get enough. We started her on it a couple of weeks ago and she literally shakes in anticipation when she knows it’s coming. We ended up increasing to two times a day because she was begging for it with puppy dog eyes. That, and she was grabbing for whatever else we were eating in her presence. I guess she is looking for sustenance to maintain that 95th percentile in weight and height. I think she’s going to be tall like her daddy.

Due to the roll over, she’s sleeping on her side and tummy (yeah, yeah, I know) a lot.  When trying to get her to sleep, if she is slightly over tired, she tends to flail a bit. We’ve found giving her something to hold onto helps. Today, she was most interested in her elephant (courtesy of her Nan) and I snapped this shot even though it was a bit dark in the room because it doesn’t really get much cuter:

While we’re on the subject of napping. Jack’s showing off his nap bed that he takes to school in this photo:

This week was his first week back after the summer session. Only one day of crying at drop off! He does explain to us very seriously that he is happy to go to school but that he will miss us. I’m not sure if this explanation is for our benefit or his! Apparently he has also taken to waving good bye to ALL the parents and has occasionally informed a crying child that “it will be ok.” Gotta love empathy.

And here’s one for the historical record:

And a proud papa shot:

Says Happy Birthday to Dylan! We’re a couple of days late, but will be heading to the party later today, so we’re not that late! Oh, and the video is really dark, plus it takes him a while to get to the good stuff. Forgive me; it was early and I was not caffeinated.

Photo of the two of them on a recent adventure at the Zoo!

So, my sister and her lovely fam were out here the week before Jack started school. Graham and Jack had a ball getting to know one another. It was such a treat to watch them together.

Jack was a little possessive of Abby initially with a repeated “that’s MY sister.” Once we straightened out that Abby was indeed only his sister but that she was Graham’s cousin (as was he), all was well.

The boys got along so well and were already working together to thwart the adults. A favorite past-time was jumping on the air mattress. We literally caught them sneaking into the room together on tippy toe so as not to be caught! A sneak peek at the adventures the years will bring!

Highlights in photos…

The honeymoon period for pre-school seems to be approximately three days. Yesterday’s drop off showed signs of a slightly weakened spirit and today’s included tears. Mind you, the tears were gone a mere five minutes after parental departure, but it was tough to leave.

Overall the week went incredibly well. He’s loving it. And this two week summer session is proving to be the perfect transition into the school year. The class size is super small and he’s getting to know a lot of the teachers. They’re also doing a lot of really fun stuff.  This week’s theme was animals and they brought in a small “petting zoo.” Here’s a picture from the school’s newsletter:

I think it will take a little time to get used to the new routine. The small melt down at the end of the week was expected. He’s been exposed to a lot this week, not to mention a completely new (and reduced) nap time. It’s pretty fun to pick him up at the end of the day and hear how things went from his perspective. His favorite things thus far seem to be Mr. Hennigan and his guitar and the cars on the playground. You don’t say!

Big day today. I dropped Jack off at his first day of preschool. He’s visited three times, and loved it so far, so I wasn’t too worried that it would go off the rails, but he exceeded my high expectations. After hanging up his bag and little napping bed, Jack was ready for me to go. So ready, in fact, that when another dad was asking his daughter for a good-bye hug, Jack ran over and obliged the dad himself. Then he looked at me: “You go to work?” I nodded, gave him a hug, and asked him if he was going to have a fun day at school. He offered a chipper yes, and off I went. The teacher only shrugged at me in wonderment at the ease of all of it. I was a little weepy as I walked to the car.

Some picks of rapidly-growing-up Jack on the way out the door this morning:

Tiffany picked Jack up from school, and after I came home she had to run out to a work meeting. That left me having some time with Jack and Abby. While I love spending time with all of us together as a family, the time alone with the kids is special and irreplaceable, because I relate to them totally differently.

Today, the late afternoon sun streamed in through the window, lighting up a column of air and dust. Jack said “Butterflies!” We tried to take some photos of this but none really came out. I kind of liked this one though.

…and the in-laws.

Headed up to the Russian River Valley for a relaxing week in the “country.” Our extremely kid friendly and cozy cabin was nestled among the redwoods with only a quick ten minute drive into town (Guerneville) and the beach on the river. Overall, we fell in love with the area. It’s gorgeous and tons of stuff to do (both with kids and without). While we basically stuck with the river and low key swimming, there’s boating, hiking, wining and dining, and its only a 15 minute ride to the coast.  

Ok, so we’ll admit, you’ve got to have just a teensy bit of “country” running in your veins to appreciate it. I mean you have to be ok with swimming with the fishies and all. It’s also definitely got the aging hippie vibe. So if you’re looking for a cosmopolitan vacation, this isn’t it. But if you’re looking for a beautiful spot to relax, be real, and entertain the kidlets, it’s spot on AND so close to the Bay Area.

A couple of pics…

Opened THE LISTENER this weekend. Always a relief to get a show up and running.   Many thanks to Mr. Hurwitt for the lovely review. Still running like mad to get butts in seats…that’s my job after all!

So, if you’re lucky, please come on out for a nice evening knowing that you are supporting small, independent theatre. And if you aren’t local, consider adopting me. you know I’d talk you into the $25 ticket if you were. Besides, I’m practically an orphan…adopting Managing Directors just isn’t as sexy as actors, I suppose.

XXOO

Have been promising picture updates for the yard…just wrote up a nice post and lost it, so you get no pithy comments! The photo of the front didn’t come out so well, but the close up of the “terracing” did:

Back yard (tent is “play area,” kieran and abby are sitting in the area that will some day hopefully be a deck extending off of french doors where the ugly window currently exists):