Bouncing is fun!

Baby Pump It Up

What does it mean?!?!

At the French Laundry

Making stuff

It hasn't just been all Geneva all the time around here. I've actually been managing to make some things in my spare time. Thing 1 is these socks that I made for Chris's grandma.


Then, for Chris's birthday I made him a crazy geeky gift. Behold, below, the lilypad arduino bike light patch.

The patch was designed by Chris's brother and then I sewed a circuit into the back that makes the LEDs on the front blink in a circle.

This was inspired by, or actually pretty much copied from, these instructions. It's pretty much crafty nerd heaven in these parts.

And more strep

G woke up from her nap today unusually grumpy and was just a wreck while we picked out that Christmas tree. When we got her home she had a fever. We tried asking her if she hurt, and she said no. We polled body parts then. Does your ear hurt? No. Does your nose hurt? No. Does your foot hurt? No. Does your throat hurt? Yes. That was enough. I had strep throat this week so we took her right off to the doctor even though her symptoms weren't enough that we usually would.

When we tell a doctor we think she has strep throat they're usually quite nice but firm that it's likely to be viral something or another since kids her age don't get strep. But just to humor us they give her the rapid culture and we're two for two on a positive result. It was late today and the only 24-hour pharmacy always has a ridiculous wait with lots of nasty sick people. When we mentioned this to the doctor she said she could do an antibiotic shot instead. We jumped right on that. I'm not afraid of shots - I've had so many in my life. The doctor seemed really surprised and sort of apologetic about even suggesting it. It turned out the shot was extremely viscous so it took a long time and required two shots. Chris says if he had known those facts he would have encouraged us to go with the liquid 10-day course but even for myself I still would have chosen shots. Anyway. Poor baby. Sore throat and two nasty shots tonight.

All this after a trip on the train to the museum where she was super happy and perky. It's amazing how suddenly it came on. And like I showed in my last photo we just got a Christmas tree so we're looking forward to decorating it tomorrow. Although Chris picks strange trees - this one is super chubby with like 10 points on top. I think we'll have to call it a Solstice Shrub instead. I'll try to get photos once it's up and decorated!

Seriously chubby tree

How will we get it in the house?

Babies on a train

Fixing the car daddy built

Learning to juggle

Seriously, could she be any cuter??? I think not.
Thanks for taking this movie Jen!!!

Backyard skiing

Here's one of Geneva's first ski runs! She took the whole thing very seriously even though we were just in the backyard. Daddy says she's a natural (of course) since she hardly ever crossed up her ski tips.

At the museum

Yay mechanical advantage

Grandma made me these clothes!

The early risers

Thanksgiving at daycare

It was chaos! But worth it to see my little pilgrim.

Hawaii and Slides

Pictures from my trip to Hawaii. Way overdue:

Hawaii

And a cute video I took of Geneva yesterday. She's such a little climber!

Mistress of the vortex

Bobette the builder

Strange family portrait

Here's a photo from a friend's pumpkin carving party this weekend. I think Geneva must have been really short on sleep yesterday because she was just a wreck in the evening around trick or treat time - she flat refused to put on her costume. She screamed and cried "no dress! no dress!" every time we suggested it. So we stayed in, had chili with Craig and Kelly, handed out candy (to about 30 kids?), and watched Finding Nemo for about the gazillionth time (Geneva finds it very soothing). All in all a nice weekend.

Pictures, movie, museum

Ok, so most of y'all have seen these photos already but just in case not, some pictures from the early fall.
These are mostly of a couple specific events - a trip to apple picking and Santa Cruz beach one really incredibly hot weekend in September and a trip to the bounce houses/slides down at the corner "pumpkin patch." Be sure not to miss those photos - especially Geneva climbing up the incredibly tall slide thing and then tumbling down. Man oh man. I can't believe she wasn't more terrified.

Next up, last weekend we went to East Bay Mini Maker Faire, where we managed to have a pretty good time especially once it stopped raining. There was a station where Geneva just glued tons of things together (using uGlu - I'd never heard of the stuff but it basically is as good as hot glue but for the toddler set) and another where they made her a cape. Geneva also stuck a bunch of legos on the Lego Jeep and rode around on this peddle power merry-go-round. I totally want one of these for the back yard.


Last weekend we also joined the San Jose Children's Discovery Museum and we've already been twice. Geneva loves the sand table and the water tables and the bubbles and the fire truck and the etc etc. Basically everything. It's gonna be our perfect rainy weekend activity.

In follow up news to a previous post: I went to a psychiatrist 3 weeks ago and was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Basically, I worry lots (about my health, specifically) and it was interfering with my life. I was told to stop drinking caffeine, take a low dose of Prozac every day, exercise and eat healthy, and take Xanax as necessary. And I can report that it's all helped a lot. I'm still anxious sometimes but I can think about other things too now. And I don't get the creeps and feel like I need to crawl out of my skin anymore. So that's all good. I hope to be able to stop taking the drugs eventually, but for now I'm happy where I am.

Wheres the fire?

Battle zone

The area around our house is a total battle zone. They knocked down the house next door (see before and after photos below) and they're also ripping out and redoing the road in front of the house. I won't be sad when it's over. Especially the smelly asphalt parts.

Summer pictures

Here's an album I forgot to ever link to previously. Lots of random photos from this summer.

Stroller share

South shore

North Shore

Today's activities: Coconut festival in Kapa'a, and hiking the Na Pali coast.


Here Chris is standing at the marker for where you're supposed to head if a tsunami is coming. You'll notice we're pretty high up by this point.

Chocolate farm tour

Today we went on a tour of a (very small) chocolate farm. We felt like it had to be done given our previous interest in every other part of the process. It was pretty educational and we got to see lots of other interesting plants and learn more about the process of growing cacao. At the end we tasted 11 types of chocolate and I'm really embarrassed to have to confess that my favorite at the end of the blind portion was a type of Hershey's. I guess I'm going to have to surrender my chocolate snob card now.
Papyrus. As in that plant the Egyptians made paper with. Sounds like it grows like a weed and isn't even that hard to make paper with. I wonder why I haven't heard of anyone who does it for fun?

Cacao fruit growing on a tree.

A cacao bloom.

Chris's breakfast

According to him: a lightly sweetened cream cheese burger. According to the bakery: cream cheese manapua.

Hiking in Waimea

Today we hiked the Nu'alolo Trail/Nu'alolo Cliffs/Awa-'awapuhi Grand Loop trail in the Waimea canyon area. 10 miles total and I'm sure tired, so I'm going to let a few photos speak for themselves.

Spouting horn

Chris took this one. I keep taking photos of chickens instead of scenery. There's just so many! And the baby chicks are so cute!

Almost October must mean it's pool time

It was hot here today! And I have the most beautiful baby in the world!

Come here, go away

Come here: Coconuts restaurant with your plantains and jerk tofu and Dark and Stormys made with real ginger beer.

Come here: Monique's Chocolates with your almond milk hot cocoa and free tasting of single origin ganache.

Go away: guys with the lawn mowers and weed whackers in the neighbor's yard at 7:15am on a Saturday.

Come here: Bakesale Betty and Steam Trains in Tilden park.

Go away: feeling like I need to be moving all the time. No seriously, I have this physically uncomfortable feeling of restlessness, occasionally accompanied by feelings of despair, panic, or anxiety. Have had for 3 weeks now. No idea what that's about but I'm working on getting to the bottom of it.

Come here: sloppy baby kisses.

Come here: fall vacation in Hawaii with my sweetie while my mama watches my baby.

Come here: winter vacation in Thailand on a sailboat with bookclub friends!

Baby's first shiner

Slipped and fell in our bedroom but I didn't see it so I have no idea what she hit that gave her such a mark.

Popcorn

About a month ago. Cracks me up.

Hiking is hard work!

Little climber

Boulder has these great playgrounds. Chris and I have been wondering when we'll be able to take Geneva to the climbing gym, and it's looking like sooner rather than later.

Yoga x 2

Happy couple

Extra petal spreading

Down the aisle

With the guys

Sacked out

Decorating the fountain