First Trip to Oakland Zoo

We don't travel to the East Bay often, but we were out and about and near the 80 entrance looking for something to do when the idea struck. On a whim, we headed to the Oakland Zoo, which we were happy to learn is half off for SF Zoo members. I had seen the bat exhibit on TV and was curious about it, but had never made the trek, since the SF Zoo is so much closer and we have a membership. Now that we have visited the Oakland Zoo, I am glad we made the drive. It is hilly and has tons of mature trees and feels more like being out in nature than viewing the old concrete exhibits we have in the city. If I were in captivity, I would want to be there! There is a great children's area (part of which is the petting zoo with goats below). My favorites were the sun bear exhibit and the bat exhibit - very creepy and cool. We will definitely go back.

Trip North

We decided to get out of town for the weekend and went up to Healdsburg for the day. We had lunch at Ravenous, a restaurant that belongs to a friend of Michael and his mom. We had been there before when we were wedding site shopping and sat outside in the sunshine. This time we had our little booga with us, who loved running around the patio and living dangerously on the stairs. They make the BEST bread! Next time we will have brunch at their cafe around the corner.

We spent the day hanging out at the central square and walking around. Then we headed to Santa Rosa and checked in to the Flamingo Hotel for the night. We had to drive around to kill time for a bit while Juliet slept and we came across a very special street sign! We never find her name on Christmas ornaments or barrettes, but here it is spelled correctly on a little street in Santa Rosa.

BBBbbrrr!!!!

Sadly, our house really gets this cold! It is summer yet?

Reading Girl

Juliet can't get enough of books. If she had her way, most days would be spent on a warm lap in the rocking chair under a blanket reading story after story after story after (well, you get the picture). Unfortunately, her appetite for reading books exceeds mine, so I usually have to beg her to go play with something else to get a break. Even asking if she wants to go to the park usually is answered by a finger pointed to the bookshelf. Hopefully this means that she will be a better student than I was! See video of the bookworm:

Cozy Slippers

Just in time for winter, Juliet has grown into her little shearling slippers from Nancy. They are the perfect gift, because our house is FRIGID in the winter time. Insulation and central heat were great inventions that, unfortunately, came after our flat was built. Anyway, the slippers are darling and Juliet loves them.

Pumpkins, Take Two

Juliet and I went to lunch in Half Moon Bay with some friends and their munchkins. Then we all headed to the pumpkin patch at Pastorino Farms. When Juliet saw the little scene with cutouts for photo ops, she went right behind it and stuck her face through the hole for her picture. She must have remembered the concept from our trip to Fairyland. She surprises me every day with something new (I have probably already said that on another post, but it's true!). There are more photos from the outing on Nikki's blog (I knew she would show off and post her photos of the day first!).

See Juliet exploring and smelling the flowers.

The petting zoo:

Juliet had a big first at Pastorino: her first pony ride!! The other pumpkin patch we went to doesn't allow kids who have to be accompanied by parents, so I assumed that we were going to have to wait a few years for ponies, but not here! I wasn't sure how she was going to react. She just looked a little puzzled. Not really scared, but not enthused either (I think I was excited enough for both of us, anyway). See for yourself...

Our last adventure was the train ride. After that we were beat and it was time to head home. I expected that Juliet would take her nap on the way home. No such luck... The beautiful drive up the coast had a rather unappealing soundtrack. I will never again neglect to pack milk when I know I will be in the car with her for a long stretch. We've been cutting back on the (soy) milk per doctor's orders, but it was not worth it in this instance!

Another Day, Another Trick

Juliet learned to drink out of a straw today while we were out to lunch with Lisa H and Francheska, fellow escapees from Alliance Residential. I ordered her mac & cheese at Nordy's cafe and it came with apple juice in a covered cup with a straw. It took her a few tries to figure it out, but she did it. I wanted to bring it home, but by the time she and Gaby were done with carrying the straw around, I thought it best to leave it for the trash. They had fun playing and terrorizing the other diners together while the three of us chatted, periodically taking breaks to chase one or both of them down. We went to the zoo with Gaby and Francheska last weekend, but I didn't get any photos of them together, so I made up for it today.

Watch Juliet being coy with Gaby.

The problem with lunching at Nordstrom is that the Cafe is on the same level as the children's section. I tried the Ugg boots that I have been coveting for Juliet on her as we were leaving. She had a darling pair from my uncle Gerry and aunt Deedee, but she has now outgrown them (although I have still been squeezing her into them, they are really meant for pre-walkers and have a soft sheepskin sole). I was very close to buying new ones for her, but decided not to (okay, what I really decided was to wait, but the point is I resisted - even though they are SO cute - they look better with the top standing up, more like a traditional Ugg). She just got new boots on Friday, so it seemed a little excessive to spring for a second pair already. Maybe for Christmas.