Look what we got...

I didn't think we were going to have another kid, but that changed about a month ago.

Kuiper (pronounced Kyper), named after the lovely and entertaining Giants announcer, is a dog we adopted from a rescue. He is a perfect fit for this family. I think there has been some, "oh my gosh...what did I just say yes to" moments, but I have not heard my daughter laugh like she does in her entire life as she does when she is playing with this dog. We don't know much about him, but know he was a runaway, or got lost. He had tags on him, but no number and no one came for him in the pound in Salinas. So BIG DOG RESCUE moved up here to Penngrove and we heard about him from my aunt who was volunteering there. His given name was Kaiser, and the rescue shortened to to Kai...so Kuiper just worked.

Some of the things that have been said about Kuiper:

"That looks just like a giant rat"
"He is more like a flying squirrel"
" You should enter him the in the ugliest dog contests around here"




Yes...this is interesting. Haven't quite figured out how to co-exist yet under the same roof.


I mean come on......he is cute.


Even for Todd and I has he added some laughs and good solid family moments. For instance....

The other night we were sitting on the couch and Kupier tends to want to sit by me most of the time. I am eating a bowl of cereal for dessert (no surprise there) and Kuiper seriously lets the biggest and most powerful fart I have heard (take note that I live with Lilly Petersen). I am not only taken back, but confused as to what just happen. When I look over at Todd and make eye contact with him, hoping he can make sense of it all for me, I can not help but uncontrollably try, yet not successfully, hold in a gigantic laugh coming up in my throat. But instead the half chewed cheerios exit my mouth and nose in an full force fashion all over Todd, the couch, and the floor.

Kuiper jumped down and ate/licked it all up.

Just one of the perks of having a dog.

Farts, laughter, and easy clean up.

My sweet Drew

Drew talks a lot about heaven. In a good way he speaks of heaven, but sometimes I get a little choked up to think that my five year old thinks about eternity as often as he does. He again started to talk today that one day he will go to heaven and all the things and people he loves will be there. Lilly chimes in with her remarks about all the flowers she will pick in heaven and all the ladybugs she will catch.

I tell my 5 year olds that no one will ever be sick or throw up in heaven, have surgeries, have bad dreams, or get bruises and scratches from falling on the ground.

Drew is quiet for a couple minutes and then says, "well yes, because heaven has really soft carpet everywhere"

My sweet Drew.


On another note...I miss my Grandma. I am coming across notes that she wrote me and then I stashed away in a dark place.

I hope she is enjoying the soft carpet.

Bay area baseball

We have been quite the baseball family lately. Went to our World Champion Giants game back on mother's day (so just slightly tardy with this post) and had really such a fun time! It was the Drew and Lilly's first real 9 inning baseball game and they might as well been keeping score on score sheet for how into the game they were. Well, let's be honest......really into it for the first 5 innings, and then resorted to cracking, opening, stepping, and piling up peanuts and their shells until the 9th inning.



The Giants stadium is such a family friendly park. We are so lucky to live so close and be able to go to a few games.



Grandma love....



Then for the 4th of July we decided to make it a family affair, and head across the bay to an Oakland A's game. Uncle Matti even flew in from SoCal to make an appearance and Drew and him discussed baseball strategy for innings 4-5.


Yes, the wave happened, and yes my mom is totally into it.


Our first self held annoying family portrait. It has to be done once in a while.


This is a typical conversation with Drew at a game. "Who is winning mommy?...because I am rooting for whatever team is winning" So yes, he is showing patterns of a fair weather fan...but he is also four. I think (read know) his heart lies with the Giants.

Most comfortable spot in the stadium


Part of the allure of going to an A's game during the 4th of July weekend is for the fireworks. They seriously put on an amazing show choreographed to music. The fans are allowed to head down onto the field before the show starts and lay out blankets to watch the show above.



Earplugs worked magically and delightfully for Drew. He followed directions as to not mess with them, push them in your ear further, or practically require medical attention by the end of the night. I will just say for the record that THE EAR PLUG INCIDENT OF 2011 IS REAL.


She was enchanted.



I see many more games in our future, but we will skip the ear plugs.

My kids....My job....My phone

I would have never agreed to it, but my husband knows me well enough, that he knows I would't refuse.

iphone.

Check out the quality of pictures from a phone...I mean seriously.






(This captures my kids relationship so well)



Can't complain about my job these days either(so much love and admiration for Melody too)....and more evidence for why I love my new phone.






I am hooked..I am believer...I am an apple user.

Never turning back now.

Happy Day to You and Me

When I saw you I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew
~William Shakespeare

I am so lucky he chose me.

Six years down and a lifetime to go.

Of course we were undefeated.....

We had such a fun season. Although the games were rather early (8:30am on Saturdays in Healdsburg), the season seemed to fly by with a ton a memories that make our hearts smile. Lilly liked to typically do a full pirouette after each swing...really cute.




Drew really gets baseball. He wants to learn about it, he wants to practice it, and it makes his parents bubble over with pride.


I mean look at this ready position...


Now before you see this next picture..you should know that no kid plays outfield in tball because the reality is that it is EXTREMELY RARE that a ball would be hit out there. So thoughts and observations about the picture below:




I can guarantee you that there were birds and flowers that were more interesting to her in the outfield.

Another example of Lilly's head in the game....or stick hitting the tree when she should be on deck to hit.
hmmmmm

One of the cutest things coach Fred (who is a celebrity in our house by the way) was to ask when our team was in the field "WHO WANTS THE BALL THUNDER?"....and our team responded, "I DO"....here is Drew's I do.


I am not sure the Thunder was undefeated, but some one might have been keeping score......maybe. First season in the books!!

You know it's summer when....

You can actually wear a bathing suit to the beach in Bodega.


She could live every day at the beach. After all....she did say her favorite food is sand in her "all about me" preschool book.



I close my eyes and pretend we are in Hawaii, and then all sudden a seagull takes my bag of chips, and then a step or two into the frigid water brings you back to reality.




Drew and the beach have a roller coaster relationship. Sometimes he only observes...and then when he decides to take the plunge, he changes his mind. But there is not a better thing to play chase with then the waves. If you could see his face close up in the pic...it is a face of pure panic.





We will see you soon Hawaii. Pinky swear.