Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
the dress up box
grandma sent evie all of those princess dresses that i just can't bring myself to buy. think she likes?
Monday, December 28, 2009
christmas dinner
we had a few friends over for christmas dinner, and evie's friends kyra and kijo joined her at the kid's table. while they all seemed to enjoy the beef tenderloin, the candy cane, chocolate chip ice cream was the big winner of the night.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
one more, this time an action video
yeah, i bought myself a little flip video camera when they were having a sale at amazon, so i'm managing a few videos over this vacation. here's evie's very first sled ride. enjoy the action.
snow!
we trekked up to arnold, ca in the sierra foothills the day after christmas. the next morning brought us evie's very first snow, other than the may 15 flurry in iron mountain.
evie approves.
evie approves.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
christmas morning
the joys of being two on christmas morning. favorite line around 40 seconds. sums up two perfectly.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
cookies!
year two of cookie-making fun with our friends. while i will have to admit that about a half a pound of raw cookie dough and two pounds of sprinkles were consumed by these little girls, this still went way better than last year. almost makes me look forward to next year.
click on the pictures from more sugar-induced shots from the day.
click on the pictures from more sugar-induced shots from the day.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
the christmas tree!
for the first time in 20 years i have real christmas tree. i've had lights on a ficus, but i've never bothered to go to the lot and get a tree. this year, we decided that evie would really enjoy getting a tree, and we were right.
we started by getting bundled up for the trip to the tree lot.
once there evie helped pick out the tree. she started by wanting a small "evie sized" tree, but mike had found one that was about five feet tall he liked, so i convinced her to change her pick by telling her a bigger tree could fit bigger presents. she was quick to agree to the tree daddy liked.
the next morning her friend marlon came over with his mom for pancakes, bacon and tree decorating.
it's starting to feel a lot like christmas.
we started by getting bundled up for the trip to the tree lot.
once there evie helped pick out the tree. she started by wanting a small "evie sized" tree, but mike had found one that was about five feet tall he liked, so i convinced her to change her pick by telling her a bigger tree could fit bigger presents. she was quick to agree to the tree daddy liked.
the next morning her friend marlon came over with his mom for pancakes, bacon and tree decorating.
it's starting to feel a lot like christmas.
Monday, December 7, 2009
the muddy playground
one of evie's very favorite places is the koret playground in golden gate park, aka "the muddy playground" with lots of sand and water to explore. we had a picnic there the sunday after thanksgiving with our friday friends.
click on the pic to see more shots from the day.
click on the pic to see more shots from the day.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
halloween, year 3
for the third halloween in a row, we got together with a group of friends to celebrate the day. evie had a fabulous time as a dragon, without a hint of fear when asking for candy.
the group is getting larger, with stella's little sister violet making her debut in the world last tuesday, and her debut with us on saturday, at just four days old. i can't even tell you how impressed i am that they all made it out of the house with her. they are my current heros.
well, actually, maybe that's a toss-up. charli's little sister will be coming around christmas time, and her mom was pretty heroic with the most popular costume of the night.
the group is getting larger, with stella's little sister violet making her debut in the world last tuesday, and her debut with us on saturday, at just four days old. i can't even tell you how impressed i am that they all made it out of the house with her. they are my current heros.
well, actually, maybe that's a toss-up. charli's little sister will be coming around christmas time, and her mom was pretty heroic with the most popular costume of the night.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
my two monkeys
evie's friend stella is about to become a big sister. as a matter of fact, everyone thought it was going to happen on sunday, so stella came over to spend some time with us before her grandparents arrived. unfortunately for stella's mama, sunday was not the day. rumor has it today will be though.
either way, turns out the girls have matching jammies. pretty friggin cute.
either way, turns out the girls have matching jammies. pretty friggin cute.
Monday, October 26, 2009
picking just the right pumpkin
we spent saturday at terra firma farms (where we get most of our produce), for their annual farm day. we set out blanket under a walnut tree, listened to music and ate lamb. and perhaps, most importantly, picked our first family pumpkin (yeah, i know, i've had a few chances in the past to do this).
evie was very careful in her selection, and picked a pumpkin that she could carry. she seemed quite pleased with her selection.
evie was very careful in her selection, and picked a pumpkin that she could carry. she seemed quite pleased with her selection.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
the return of uncle ray
uncle ray had business in fresno last week, so he decided to swing thru san francisco for a weekend.
little ms. evie couldn't have been more pleased.
on saturday we met up with gaurav and zyla to watch the fleet week activities from their fabulous san francisco apartment. front row viewing for the parade of ships (pretty lame) and then the air show, which was very cool. unfortunately the blue angels cut things short due to weather, but it was pretty cool nonetheless.
on sunday we headed to the academy of sciences, where uncle ray was kind enough to buy evie her very own stuffed nemo fish. then we went out for dumplings and chicken wings.
perfect weekend.
little ms. evie couldn't have been more pleased.
on saturday we met up with gaurav and zyla to watch the fleet week activities from their fabulous san francisco apartment. front row viewing for the parade of ships (pretty lame) and then the air show, which was very cool. unfortunately the blue angels cut things short due to weather, but it was pretty cool nonetheless.
on sunday we headed to the academy of sciences, where uncle ray was kind enough to buy evie her very own stuffed nemo fish. then we went out for dumplings and chicken wings.
perfect weekend.
Friday, October 16, 2009
bring your evie to work day
evie had a great week, even giving her binkies over to dr. anderson as her transition to "big girl" enters full swing. the end of the binky was initially a little rough, with me playing pacifier for the first night, but things have been good ever since.
as a reward, i brought her to work with me today. i know this might not sound like much of a reward to you, but she has been asking to do this for over a month. odd. i know.
at the office, she pretended she was shy for about 30 seconds with new people. after that, she'd pull up her dress and show you her panties. that's my girl.
she even sat thru an hour long meeting with me. she was an angel. it didn't hurt that she watched finding nemo on my computer through the whole thing. many of my colleagues were jealous - they would have much preferred to watch the movie too.
as an extra special bonus for the day, she and dana rode home on the train.
good day.
as a reward, i brought her to work with me today. i know this might not sound like much of a reward to you, but she has been asking to do this for over a month. odd. i know.
at the office, she pretended she was shy for about 30 seconds with new people. after that, she'd pull up her dress and show you her panties. that's my girl.
she even sat thru an hour long meeting with me. she was an angel. it didn't hurt that she watched finding nemo on my computer through the whole thing. many of my colleagues were jealous - they would have much preferred to watch the movie too.
as an extra special bonus for the day, she and dana rode home on the train.
good day.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
friday of freedom
i finally managed a friday off of work, and evie and i took full advantage. after one pesky conference call in the morning, we headed out to golden gate park to play with our friends. sadly, i never pulled the camera out of my purse, so you will just have to imagine the joy of kids playing half naked at what evie calls the "muddy playground". water and sand, and endlessly fun combination.
after a few hours of play, we headed out for lunch. four wild girls, one sleeping girl, and four mommies - the other patrons loved us. i have become a very generous tipper when evie is in tow.
then the others headed home for naps, but evie said she wanted to go to the "music festival", so we made it three years in a row at the hardly, strictly bluegrass festival. evie fell asleep on the walk over, but woke up towards the end of tom morello's set. she was none too happy about the crowd and noise, so she wanted to go home.
ok, if that what she wants, we can go. then we passed a hot dog stand. turns out a hot dog and dad showing up, were just the combination she needed to keep her going. we managed to see john prine and lyle lovett to end an absolutely wonderful day.
i need to get me some more of those fridays with my girl.
after a few hours of play, we headed out for lunch. four wild girls, one sleeping girl, and four mommies - the other patrons loved us. i have become a very generous tipper when evie is in tow.
then the others headed home for naps, but evie said she wanted to go to the "music festival", so we made it three years in a row at the hardly, strictly bluegrass festival. evie fell asleep on the walk over, but woke up towards the end of tom morello's set. she was none too happy about the crowd and noise, so she wanted to go home.
ok, if that what she wants, we can go. then we passed a hot dog stand. turns out a hot dog and dad showing up, were just the combination she needed to keep her going. we managed to see john prine and lyle lovett to end an absolutely wonderful day.
i need to get me some more of those fridays with my girl.
Monday, October 5, 2009
cloudy with a chance of evie
we took evie to her first "big girl" movie on saturday - "cloudy with a chance of meatballs". she was fantastic. she especially loved riding the escalator up to the fifth floor. we probably could have skipped the movie at that point, and she would have been happy.
but of course, we didn't. and things got even better. evie learned the joys of movie popcorn.
i was surprised that she was able to sit thru the whole thing, only getting up twice to go to the potty. frankly i was pleased as punch that she wanted to get up for that, because i was afraid that she'd get so engrossed in the movie that she'd forget all about going to the bathroom - and i'd end up buying a new theater seat.
but of course, we didn't. and things got even better. evie learned the joys of movie popcorn.
i was surprised that she was able to sit thru the whole thing, only getting up twice to go to the potty. frankly i was pleased as punch that she wanted to get up for that, because i was afraid that she'd get so engrossed in the movie that she'd forget all about going to the bathroom - and i'd end up buying a new theater seat.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
ladies night
i got a call a few weeks ago from my friend karen. it started out with a "you can say no, but...", then came the request that we watch two little girls for the evening, so their parents could go out for dinner. turned out to be loads of fun with a movie, homemade peach popsicles and a group bath, followed by lots of stories and no sleep.
good times.
good times.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
gladys' last day
ok, i know i'm way behind on posting. i'm still adjusting to juggling full time work, commuting and spending good time with my girl. i decided that the posting could wait while i tended to evie time. i'll try to do a little better, though, because i know i'm not the only one who's interested in how things are going.
this pic is from a bittersweet day. our last day with gladys. after more than two years, gladys has moved on to a new city. the girls are getting used to their new lives, but they sure do miss her. there was a lot of love between the three of them. i will always feel grateful for the love and care that gladys gave to our families. she's definitely going to be missed for a long time to come.
this pic is from a bittersweet day. our last day with gladys. after more than two years, gladys has moved on to a new city. the girls are getting used to their new lives, but they sure do miss her. there was a lot of love between the three of them. i will always feel grateful for the love and care that gladys gave to our families. she's definitely going to be missed for a long time to come.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
the update
ah, so much to cover here.
let's start with childcare. evie's nanny gladys is moving to san diego in september, so her daughter jeannette moved here from north carolina to take care of evie and paloma. only paloma's parents decided it was time for paloma to start pre-school, so they decided that it was a good time for them to start with something new. so the plan became evie with jeannette three days per week and then two days a week with some hippies in noe valley (more on that later). well it turns out that jeannette was just offered a fulltime position back in north carolina, so she's going to move back there and work and be with her husband. all around a very good thing for her.
so now our plan with evie is changing again. i think our friday nanny share which was going to end this month is now going to be mon/weds/fri thru october when my friend spring has her second baby. tues/thurs with the hippies (i promise i'll get to that at some point) for now then full time in november, unless of course i can start a four day work schedule, then just mon-thurs with them. are you keeping up with this all? i think i may need a diagram.
all in all i think this is going to work out, but my head does spin a bit at this point.
ok, let's see next topic - potty training. overall it's going pretty well. we're running at about an 80% success rate. the problem seems to be when she's having too much fun playing she's not very interested in stopping to use the potty. we'll get there, though. of course not all accidents are created equal. let's just leave it at, a little pee is a whole lot easier to deal with than when you're out and about.
next up the big girl bed. still feeling like we made the right decision on this one. i loved that she bunked with grandma on the recent visit, and i just adore laying in there with her and reading. both mike and i have fallen asleep at her side. pretty damned sweet. she has figured out that she doesn't need to stay in the bed at night, and mike was awakened two evenings with her standing at his bedside. we were a little nervous that it was going to become a nightly event, but fortunately it seems to have been just those occasions - for now.
on my birthday, evie and i went down to the san francisco main library to pick out a new book. in talking to the aforementioned hippies (don't worry, i'll get to them) a couple of weeks ago, they had mentioned that their three year old daughter would sit and listen to chapter books. i was intrigued by the idea, though somewhat skeptical. i decided that i wanted to try a copy of "charlotte's web".
unfortunately all of the copies were out, but the librarian suggested "mr. popper's penguins". she too was pretty skeptical about evie being old enough to sit and listen to a chapter book, but she thought that this one would be a good one to try.
let's start with childcare. evie's nanny gladys is moving to san diego in september, so her daughter jeannette moved here from north carolina to take care of evie and paloma. only paloma's parents decided it was time for paloma to start pre-school, so they decided that it was a good time for them to start with something new. so the plan became evie with jeannette three days per week and then two days a week with some hippies in noe valley (more on that later). well it turns out that jeannette was just offered a fulltime position back in north carolina, so she's going to move back there and work and be with her husband. all around a very good thing for her.
so now our plan with evie is changing again. i think our friday nanny share which was going to end this month is now going to be mon/weds/fri thru october when my friend spring has her second baby. tues/thurs with the hippies (i promise i'll get to that at some point) for now then full time in november, unless of course i can start a four day work schedule, then just mon-thurs with them. are you keeping up with this all? i think i may need a diagram.
all in all i think this is going to work out, but my head does spin a bit at this point.
ok, let's see next topic - potty training. overall it's going pretty well. we're running at about an 80% success rate. the problem seems to be when she's having too much fun playing she's not very interested in stopping to use the potty. we'll get there, though. of course not all accidents are created equal. let's just leave it at, a little pee is a whole lot easier to deal with than when you're out and about.
next up the big girl bed. still feeling like we made the right decision on this one. i loved that she bunked with grandma on the recent visit, and i just adore laying in there with her and reading. both mike and i have fallen asleep at her side. pretty damned sweet. she has figured out that she doesn't need to stay in the bed at night, and mike was awakened two evenings with her standing at his bedside. we were a little nervous that it was going to become a nightly event, but fortunately it seems to have been just those occasions - for now.
on my birthday, evie and i went down to the san francisco main library to pick out a new book. in talking to the aforementioned hippies (don't worry, i'll get to them) a couple of weeks ago, they had mentioned that their three year old daughter would sit and listen to chapter books. i was intrigued by the idea, though somewhat skeptical. i decided that i wanted to try a copy of "charlotte's web".
unfortunately all of the copies were out, but the librarian suggested "mr. popper's penguins". she too was pretty skeptical about evie being old enough to sit and listen to a chapter book, but she thought that this one would be a good one to try.she was right. the book is 139 pages (not very dense) and we made it to page 100 by monday morning! it's such a nice change from reading the same short books over and over (and over) again. it was written in 1938, but holds up well, mostly because of the penguins. i'm looking forward to another chapter tonight.
ok, now for the hippies, i suppose you'd like to know a little more about that, especially after the build up. our nanny share partner dana (as opposed to our friday nanny dana, who evie calls "different dana") met this couple through a midwife that she works with at the hospital (dana is a nurse practitioner). they have two kids of there own - henry, five, and iris, three. they've decided that what they really want is to spend as much time with their kids as possible. so duncan (the dad) has been home with the kids since birth, and jeannie (the mom) recently decided to give up her job teaching art in the public schools so that she could be home with the kids too. they've got a small apartment with an amazing yard. the yard is kind of magical with a playhouse, garden and a couple of chickens to boot. we took evie there to meet them a few weeks ago and she was in heaven. she was absolutely filthy by the time we left, and you couldn't wipe the smiles off of any of our faces. my kid needs to be familiar with dirt - it's the only way that i can assuage the guilt i feel about her growing up in such an urban environment when i was practically raised by wolves by comparison (um, no offense mom!).
that's all for now. fingers are tired. evie's asleep and i have a little time all to my self while mike is out. *smile*
Friday, August 14, 2009
my early birthday present
evie woke up with a dry diaper this morning. i was shocked. we went to the potty about 15 minutes after she woke up and she let it all go. i still can't believe it.
as i close my 42nd year, it's amazing what can make me smile for a full day. i sure do love that girl.
as i close my 42nd year, it's amazing what can make me smile for a full day. i sure do love that girl.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
and so it begins
evie has officially entered the potty training phase. or perhaps i should more rightly categorize this as we've entered the phase, since i seem to spend most of my time asking if she needs to go to the potty. today saw three times on the potty and one poopy in the training pants (thankfully that was all mike's, since i'd already left for work).
be assured that i will keep you posted.
be assured that i will keep you posted.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Sunday, August 2, 2009
and let's not forget uncle ray!
ray came for the long 4th of july weekend. evie had a great time getting to know him better, and especially enjoyed napping on "uncle ray's" bed, the aerobed set up in her room. first step towards the big girl bed.
grandma & tyler come for a visit...
.... and a great time was had by all.
tonight when i asked evie who she loved she said "tyler john and grandma".
mission accomplished!
tonight when i asked evie who she loved she said "tyler john and grandma".
mission accomplished!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
i'm staying
well it was a week of turmoil and emotional ups and downs, but i have decided to stay at my current job. after talking to my boss last week about my issues he has been working hard to make changes here. truthfully, i still wasn't really sure i was staying until i actually told him yesterday, but it feels like the right decision.
i do feel bad about not taking the other job. i know that i'm passionate about what they are doing, but i think that i just feel like i need to finish what i started here at epocrates. time will tell if i made the right decision, but for now, i feel like i'm doing the right thing.
also, i talked to my boss about phasing in a four day work week over time. he's open and we'll see how it goes.
i do feel bad about not taking the other job. i know that i'm passionate about what they are doing, but i think that i just feel like i need to finish what i started here at epocrates. time will tell if i made the right decision, but for now, i feel like i'm doing the right thing.
also, i talked to my boss about phasing in a four day work week over time. he's open and we'll see how it goes.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
the transition is complete
as i mentioned in my last post, evie has been transitioning to a big girl bed. we started by moving her crib mattress to the floor and letting her sleep there for a week and a half. she was hooked after the first night, with no interest in returning to the crib.
as you'll see from the picture, she didn't always sleep on the mattress. on a couple of occasions, she got up and put her head under her tricycle and slept peacefully there. don't quite understand what that's all about, but it's all good.
last weekend we braved ikea on a sunday to pick out a bed. if you've ever been to an ikea on a weekend, you understand that this is a fairly crazy undertaking - especially with evie in tow. things went ok, though it took longer to pick out the bed than evie was really up for. we decided to divide and conquer. mike took evie to the play area, and i headed to the warehouse to pick up all the pieces. that's when i realized that we wouldn't be able to fit it all in the car with evie and the carseat.
oops. back home and another week of sleeping on the floor.
yesterday morning mike disassembled evie's crib to make room for the bed that he was going to pick up that day.
evie thought the rails made very fun "walking sticks".
then mike headed to ikea, and evie and i headed to a party. we definitely got the better end of the deal. when we got back evie and mike were both ready for a nap, so bed assembly would need to wait a few hours. mike and evie awoke well rested, and we let sponge bob babysit while we put the bed together.
evie's reaction when she saw it? "i love my big girl bed" (imagine that said in a high pitched squeal).
as you'll see from the picture, she didn't always sleep on the mattress. on a couple of occasions, she got up and put her head under her tricycle and slept peacefully there. don't quite understand what that's all about, but it's all good.
last weekend we braved ikea on a sunday to pick out a bed. if you've ever been to an ikea on a weekend, you understand that this is a fairly crazy undertaking - especially with evie in tow. things went ok, though it took longer to pick out the bed than evie was really up for. we decided to divide and conquer. mike took evie to the play area, and i headed to the warehouse to pick up all the pieces. that's when i realized that we wouldn't be able to fit it all in the car with evie and the carseat.
oops. back home and another week of sleeping on the floor.
yesterday morning mike disassembled evie's crib to make room for the bed that he was going to pick up that day.
evie thought the rails made very fun "walking sticks".
then mike headed to ikea, and evie and i headed to a party. we definitely got the better end of the deal. when we got back evie and mike were both ready for a nap, so bed assembly would need to wait a few hours. mike and evie awoke well rested, and we let sponge bob babysit while we put the bed together.
evie's reaction when she saw it? "i love my big girl bed" (imagine that said in a high pitched squeal).
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
we're still here!
sorry, bogged down in the work/life thing again these days, thus the radio silence. i've got some pics from uncle ray's visit over the 4th that i will try to post soon, as well as a milestone update - evie's moved on to the big girl bed. well, to be accurate, it's really just her crib mattress on the floor because i haven't gotten around to buying her a bed yet, but we are out of the crib!
Monday, June 22, 2009
a father's day concert
we had a lovely father's day weekend here. we went up to our nanny share partner's place up in marin for an overnight on saturday. then morning bagels and lox and a trip to the beach. two very cute and very naked toddlers made it a great day for both of the daddies.
david (paloma's father) is a bass player like mike, and we spent the night in his studio which was full of many instruments. evie was immediately attracted to the drum kit. i'm going to have to say that she looked like a natural to me. if you turn the volume all the way up, you'll be able to hear her singing the alphabet.
david (paloma's father) is a bass player like mike, and we spent the night in his studio which was full of many instruments. evie was immediately attracted to the drum kit. i'm going to have to say that she looked like a natural to me. if you turn the volume all the way up, you'll be able to hear her singing the alphabet.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
6/20/2009 - a happy day!
someone finally went pee pee in the potty today (hint - it's not a big deal when mike or i do it)! my guess is that she'll pee on the floor sometime soon, since i didn't put a diaper back on, but this is finally a step in the right direction.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
first friday fun
so today is the first full friday that i'm going to work since evie was born. the whole thing has really been weighing on me ever since i accepted this job. evie decided to make it a little easier on me.
this morning she was totally excited that she gets to go to a new house for the day and play with her friend stella (our new friday share partner). evie, paloma and gladys have been playing with stella and her nanny lindsay at the park for the last few months, so there's a lot of familiarity. today is actually lindsay's last day (she's moving to wisconsin and getting married), but it's a great transition for evie and she knows her, and the new nanny, dana, will be spending the day with them, so evie will know her next week when she's on her own with the girls.
on my way out the door this morning, evie was sitting down and thumbing thru her copy of "gallop" (oh, mom, we already have "swing"). all of the sudden she starts "reading" the book out loud. ok, i know it's really just reciting, but it was so bloody adorable. made me a little teary. i didn't even know that she'd memorized it.
to top it all off, i had the lightest traffic on the way into work and made it here in record time AND i just found out that the other friday mommies are going to meet up with evie, stella, lindsay and dana at the playground today, so she's going to have herself a wonderful day.
happy.
this morning she was totally excited that she gets to go to a new house for the day and play with her friend stella (our new friday share partner). evie, paloma and gladys have been playing with stella and her nanny lindsay at the park for the last few months, so there's a lot of familiarity. today is actually lindsay's last day (she's moving to wisconsin and getting married), but it's a great transition for evie and she knows her, and the new nanny, dana, will be spending the day with them, so evie will know her next week when she's on her own with the girls.
on my way out the door this morning, evie was sitting down and thumbing thru her copy of "gallop" (oh, mom, we already have "swing"). all of the sudden she starts "reading" the book out loud. ok, i know it's really just reciting, but it was so bloody adorable. made me a little teary. i didn't even know that she'd memorized it.
to top it all off, i had the lightest traffic on the way into work and made it here in record time AND i just found out that the other friday mommies are going to meet up with evie, stella, lindsay and dana at the playground today, so she's going to have herself a wonderful day.
happy.
and a great time was had by all
evie is officially over considering the campioni family "strangers" with this last visit. she is fully in the court of "this is my family", and i'm very happy to be with them. it was a great transformation to witness. the trip to florida in february put all of the pieces in place, and this visit cemented things.
now finally after six flights with her where the flight out is great and the flight back is a nightmare, i think i've figured out the problem. on the way out, we leave early in the morning, so she's had a lot of sleep before we leave. on the flight back, i wait until late in the day, usually cutting into her naptime. duh! of course she's going to have a rough time. next trip we head home in the morning too, and hopefully avoid kicking and screaming the entire way across the minneapolis airport and for the first 15 minutes on the plane. i mean really SCREAMING. thank goodness for my new favorite friend, the portable dvd player with a six hour battery life and a copy of "finding nemo".
it came in handy each night too.
before the trip, evie was pretty firmly in the grandma and grandpa camp - liked looking at pictures of them and talking with them on the phone, but the cousins were more of a distant concept for her. not this time. this time it was all about the cousins.
i really appreciate everyone taking the time to give her some smaller groups to hang out with as well. i think it really helped her get to know each of them. and we've been talking about them ever since.
i also want to thank folks for all of the great food, drink and time that we were given. it was a great visit.
next stop - the mccurdy's.
the link to the full set of pictures from the trip is here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jcampioni/sets/72157619513766309/
now finally after six flights with her where the flight out is great and the flight back is a nightmare, i think i've figured out the problem. on the way out, we leave early in the morning, so she's had a lot of sleep before we leave. on the flight back, i wait until late in the day, usually cutting into her naptime. duh! of course she's going to have a rough time. next trip we head home in the morning too, and hopefully avoid kicking and screaming the entire way across the minneapolis airport and for the first 15 minutes on the plane. i mean really SCREAMING. thank goodness for my new favorite friend, the portable dvd player with a six hour battery life and a copy of "finding nemo".
it came in handy each night too.
before the trip, evie was pretty firmly in the grandma and grandpa camp - liked looking at pictures of them and talking with them on the phone, but the cousins were more of a distant concept for her. not this time. this time it was all about the cousins.
i really appreciate everyone taking the time to give her some smaller groups to hang out with as well. i think it really helped her get to know each of them. and we've been talking about them ever since.
i also want to thank folks for all of the great food, drink and time that we were given. it was a great visit.
next stop - the mccurdy's.
the link to the full set of pictures from the trip is here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jcampioni/sets/72157619513766309/
Thursday, June 11, 2009
i'm alive
ok, finally got around to posting the pics from the trip to flickr, so here's one of my favorites. more to come soon, i promise.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
ramping up
hi all. sorry it's been such a long time since a post, i know folks are probably waiting for pics from our trip to michigan. i promise i will post them soon. i'm still trying to find my balance with the new job that started on monday and all of my family stuff. i'm suffering from a bit of anxiety this week as i realize the impact of the new job on my time with evie.
no worries. i'm sure it will all work out, but it's going to take a little time to recalibrate.
no worries. i'm sure it will all work out, but it's going to take a little time to recalibrate.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
winding down
today's my last day at work. feels strange. it's been a good five years, but it will be good to start the next thing. i wish the next thing could be part-time, but i will get used to full time work again.
evie and i are headed to houghton on saturday for 10 days. mike will join us next week for a long weekend. we're looking forward to some family time, though i wish the weather forecast were happier...
evie and i are headed to houghton on saturday for 10 days. mike will join us next week for a long weekend. we're looking forward to some family time, though i wish the weather forecast were happier...
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
happy girls
found this lovely picture on my camera, taken by katherine, so that explains the nice composition. it captures how much i enjoyed the day, and evie's dirt level ensures her happiness.
now, for what this flat of strawberries yielded:
- 8 half pint jars of preserves
- 1 quart of sorbet
- 3 quarts of frozen berries
- a heaping bowl covered with whipped cream for dessert on mother's day
now, for what this flat of strawberries yielded:
- 8 half pint jars of preserves
- 1 quart of sorbet
- 3 quarts of frozen berries
- a heaping bowl covered with whipped cream for dessert on mother's day
Monday, May 11, 2009
strawberry picking
evie and i finally made it out to the farm for strawberry picking. our friends katherine and phil joined us for the adventure. katherine got some great photos of evie which i'm sharing here.
the plants were heavy with strawberries, so the picking was easy. extra easy for me, because evie wanted me to play with her instead of pick after a while, so phil finished picking my flat for me.
evie had a blast playing in the dirt, eating berries and wandering around on her own. she was filthy and happy.
and exhausted by the time we headed home...
the plants were heavy with strawberries, so the picking was easy. extra easy for me, because evie wanted me to play with her instead of pick after a while, so phil finished picking my flat for me.
evie had a blast playing in the dirt, eating berries and wandering around on her own. she was filthy and happy.
and exhausted by the time we headed home...
Sunday, May 10, 2009
happy mother's day to all of us!
happy mother's day to all of you wonderful women out there.
being a mom is pretty much all of the reward that i need, but this picture shows the very first full-on smile evie ever gave on my very first mother's day.
best present ever!
being a mom is pretty much all of the reward that i need, but this picture shows the very first full-on smile evie ever gave on my very first mother's day.
best present ever!
Friday, May 8, 2009
a break
well i did it. quit my job yesterday, with nothing official lined up yet. hopefully that will be resolved today. things have been very slow at work, and i feel a bit like i'm stealing (or in detention) every day when i go and have nothing to do. i think the best chance for the studio is to get as lean as possible and try to wait this economy out. that means it's time for something new for me.
fortunately i've been interviewing with a company for the last three months and they're supposed to make me an offer today. ok, it was supposed to be last week sometime, but i guess the wheels turn slowly there. i don't consider that a very good sign, but i'm hopeful that they will end up being a good fit for me.
i'm diving back into the world of software product management. this does scare me a little as i was a bit of a maniac, workaholic when last i did that job. that has been one of the great things about the last five years, i found a little balance in my life - especially since i was only working mon-thurs. the new gig is full time, and the commute is longer (20 miles instead of 10). i'm hoping that evie is a natural governor on my workaholic tendencies, and that i can still have some balance in my life.
in very happy news, evie and i will be taking a trip to the UP next weekend to hang out with the family for a week and a half. we're very excited about it, since we won't be able to go up in july like we'd originally planned. mike's going to join us for the long memorial day weekend.
just please let all the snow be gone by then.
fortunately i've been interviewing with a company for the last three months and they're supposed to make me an offer today. ok, it was supposed to be last week sometime, but i guess the wheels turn slowly there. i don't consider that a very good sign, but i'm hopeful that they will end up being a good fit for me.
i'm diving back into the world of software product management. this does scare me a little as i was a bit of a maniac, workaholic when last i did that job. that has been one of the great things about the last five years, i found a little balance in my life - especially since i was only working mon-thurs. the new gig is full time, and the commute is longer (20 miles instead of 10). i'm hoping that evie is a natural governor on my workaholic tendencies, and that i can still have some balance in my life.
in very happy news, evie and i will be taking a trip to the UP next weekend to hang out with the family for a week and a half. we're very excited about it, since we won't be able to go up in july like we'd originally planned. mike's going to join us for the long memorial day weekend.
just please let all the snow be gone by then.
Monday, May 4, 2009
the best laid plans
we had big plans this past weekend. big outdoor plans, but they were not to be. rain clouds gathered over california and decided to give us a little more rain this year. i would complain about it, but it turns out that we really need it, and i like long showers, so this is probably a good thing.
on friday we were supposed to go downtown and meet our friday friends for a cable car ride, and then playing over at aquatic park. this is the third time we've planned for the cable cars. the first time we stood in line while three cars came and went, and we were next up when the whole line broke down. the last time, we were sidetracked by rain, just like this time.
what to do?
how about everyone come over to our house and we bake chocolate chip cookies. after all, there were only three of us going the cable car ride, it would be a nice little indoor activity. though as soon as we decided to stay indoors all of the folks nervous about the weather decided they would join in too. seven little girls and six mommies in all at our place on friday. there was painting, crayons (i'm still finding crayon in interesting places, thank god they're washable), cookie baking and general mayhem.
it was loads of fun, and not too bad to clean up. the only problem was evie was a little moody while her friends were there - much more clingy than normal. i put her down for a nap after everyone left and when she woke up, she had a fever of 101.3. nothing serious, but enough to throw her off her game and put her out of sorts.
after that we just hung out and had dinner with my co-worker joe who came over that night. evie's interest in older men continued as she pulled out all of her tricks to impress joe.
saturday was supposed to be strawberry picking and jam making. again the rain decided that was not to be. instead we got a trip to the grocery store, then a meat loaf and dan and claire for dinner.
again, evie much more interested in dan than claire. i wonder what this is about?
on day three of rain, we headed down to the garage to plant a little indoor herb garden. basil, parsley and oregano. hopefully evie will stick with a look, but don't touch attitude, so that we can watch these grow on the window sill. she had fun pushing the seeds into the dirt.
the weather broke a bit in the afternoon and mike and evie headed out for a walk around the block while i put the final touches on some homemade carnitas (made from pork shoulder). i think evie thought the weekend was a great success because it ended with a big bowl of meat.
on friday we were supposed to go downtown and meet our friday friends for a cable car ride, and then playing over at aquatic park. this is the third time we've planned for the cable cars. the first time we stood in line while three cars came and went, and we were next up when the whole line broke down. the last time, we were sidetracked by rain, just like this time.
what to do?
how about everyone come over to our house and we bake chocolate chip cookies. after all, there were only three of us going the cable car ride, it would be a nice little indoor activity. though as soon as we decided to stay indoors all of the folks nervous about the weather decided they would join in too. seven little girls and six mommies in all at our place on friday. there was painting, crayons (i'm still finding crayon in interesting places, thank god they're washable), cookie baking and general mayhem.
it was loads of fun, and not too bad to clean up. the only problem was evie was a little moody while her friends were there - much more clingy than normal. i put her down for a nap after everyone left and when she woke up, she had a fever of 101.3. nothing serious, but enough to throw her off her game and put her out of sorts.
after that we just hung out and had dinner with my co-worker joe who came over that night. evie's interest in older men continued as she pulled out all of her tricks to impress joe.
saturday was supposed to be strawberry picking and jam making. again the rain decided that was not to be. instead we got a trip to the grocery store, then a meat loaf and dan and claire for dinner.
again, evie much more interested in dan than claire. i wonder what this is about?
on day three of rain, we headed down to the garage to plant a little indoor herb garden. basil, parsley and oregano. hopefully evie will stick with a look, but don't touch attitude, so that we can watch these grow on the window sill. she had fun pushing the seeds into the dirt.
the weather broke a bit in the afternoon and mike and evie headed out for a walk around the block while i put the final touches on some homemade carnitas (made from pork shoulder). i think evie thought the weekend was a great success because it ended with a big bowl of meat.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
sharpening my home skills
mike was kind enough to give me tuesday night off so that i could attend a class on fermentation sponsored by an old friend that i hadn't seen in years. it was great to sample ginger beer and cider while learning and catching up with old friends. the class fit nicely with my interests in the food preservation (planning to pick strawberries and can them this weekend). i suspect that there is a batch of pomegranate sparkling wine in my near future.
now for a little insight into what i do at work.
my favorite project in the last five years was working on the design for the Pulse Smartpen from Livescribe. i got to work on a few different aspects of the interface on both the pen itself and the software you use to interact with the files on your computer. i find the pen very cool, as well as very useful. the pen records both what i write, along with the corresponding audio, so you can both see what was written and hear what was said at the same time.
i used the pen to take notes during my class on tuesday night, so i thought i'd share them here to give you an idea of what i'm talking about. click around in the notes to manipulate the audio playback - and let me know what you think (but no comments on my handwriting!).
now for a little insight into what i do at work.
my favorite project in the last five years was working on the design for the Pulse Smartpen from Livescribe. i got to work on a few different aspects of the interface on both the pen itself and the software you use to interact with the files on your computer. i find the pen very cool, as well as very useful. the pen records both what i write, along with the corresponding audio, so you can both see what was written and hear what was said at the same time.
i used the pen to take notes during my class on tuesday night, so i thought i'd share them here to give you an idea of what i'm talking about. click around in the notes to manipulate the audio playback - and let me know what you think (but no comments on my handwriting!).
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
old friends
mel, eli and brighton came for dinner on sunday night. they were visiting sf from new mexico. we hadn't seen them since a visit in january, so it was great to catch up. brighton turned two last week, and is such a little boy. he and evie had a great time together.
they were having so much fun, that brighton decided he wanted to get in the bath with evie. i decided to oblige and stripped him down and was putting him in the tub when evie exclaimed "brighton's got the penis!"
well, i guess she's got that body part figured out.
they were having so much fun, that brighton decided he wanted to get in the bath with evie. i decided to oblige and stripped him down and was putting him in the tub when evie exclaimed "brighton's got the penis!"
well, i guess she's got that body part figured out.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
a happy monday
i came home last monday to a very loud banging in the stairwell. when i got upstairs paloma and evie were sitting on either side of the drum banging out their abc's in unison. pretty impressive. of course when i pulled out the camera, mayhem ensued.
evie and mom's big adventure
mike was away for the weekend, his first time since evie was born. he left on friday morning and got back on sunday evening. evie was a champ, and mostly took it easy on me.
we started out our weekend with a trip to moss beach to explore the tide pools with our friday friends. there were fish, crabs and anemones to see, but evie was most partial to being barefoot and splashing in the water. she was tuckered out by the time we headed home.
that night she and i went out for pizza and ice cream. big fan of ice cream, it turns out. all was well and good until the ice cream hit her system, then it was time to beat a hasty retreat - on piggyback of course.
saturday we went to the bakery for breakfast. then gaurav came up to the city with zyla and his sister cheri (visiting from india). it was all so much fun that we headed down to los altos to do it all over again on sunday.
evie taught zyla the joys of watching sesame street videos on youtube.
some really great time just hanging out and playing in the sun.
evie was in the bath on sunday night when mike pulled up out front. normally i have to pry her from the tub after a bath, but not that night. she hopped out of the tub and ran to see daddy. i think the best way to end our special weekend.
we started out our weekend with a trip to moss beach to explore the tide pools with our friday friends. there were fish, crabs and anemones to see, but evie was most partial to being barefoot and splashing in the water. she was tuckered out by the time we headed home.
that night she and i went out for pizza and ice cream. big fan of ice cream, it turns out. all was well and good until the ice cream hit her system, then it was time to beat a hasty retreat - on piggyback of course.
saturday we went to the bakery for breakfast. then gaurav came up to the city with zyla and his sister cheri (visiting from india). it was all so much fun that we headed down to los altos to do it all over again on sunday.
evie taught zyla the joys of watching sesame street videos on youtube.
some really great time just hanging out and playing in the sun.
evie was in the bath on sunday night when mike pulled up out front. normally i have to pry her from the tub after a bath, but not that night. she hopped out of the tub and ran to see daddy. i think the best way to end our special weekend.
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