Christmas Morning - Year of the Tiger

Nana got matching nighties for us, and I think Juliet's will probably still fit her next year! Juliet didn't quite know what to make of the fuss on Christmas morning. We set up the video camera and brought her into the living room. She seemed a little perplexed by the tricycle (even though she has been hinting that she wants one for ages!). I guess the big reaction will come next year when she really gets what is going on. We asked Grandpa & Mary to spring for the kitchen and we picked it up in advance so that she would have it on Christmas morning. We spent about two hours on Christmas Eve assembling it - whew! - but it was worth it. She adores it and plays with it all the time (and it is a big hit with all of her friends who come over; especially Chloe!).

One present that got a surprisingly strong reaction was Tiger from her Derham cousins (thanks, Bob, Ryan, Jack, & Will!). It was love at first sight. She sleeps with him every night and has now seemed to develop an interest in her other stuffed animals that she had ignored previously. Now we need to find an emergency replacement tiger because I am terrified that we will lose him and it will break her heart. We think that Tiger may have become the object of Juliet's affection because she no longer has Nina around to snuggle with. Lately, we have taken to recording nature shows about tigers because she likes to watch the big ones on TV. She will probably ask for a trip to India to see the Bengals when she is 5. I don't think we will tell her what happened at the SF Zoo the day she fell in love with "Tiger". Crazy coincidence...

The living room is no place for a tricycle, so we were off to the playground (where we were not the only ones showing off new Kettlers!).

After nap, we were off to Uncle Bob's to see the rest of the family. Juliet got a ridiculous amount of loot and ate loads of pumpkin pie, courtesy of Nana. We all had a lovely day.

Tiburon Yacht Club Christmas Party

Aleesa brought us to the Yacht Club's Christmas Party in Paradise Cay. Juliet had a great time running around, eating treats, and banging away on the piano. She was not a big fan of Santa, but his elf gave out candy canes, so she recovered quickly. After this experience with Santa, I was glad I didn't stand in line at the mall! Maybe next year...

Hunt for the Perfect Tree

In years past I have dragged Michael around to see every tree in the lot (and in the lot across the six lane street) to make sure we get the best tree. Interestingly enough, having a toddler in tow (and one in the belly making me queasy) made for a much speedier excursion. I went along with the first tree Mike picked out. "Perfect, let's get out of here!"

In my sorry state I only managed to get lights on half of the tree, but the next morning I woke up to a fed child and a tree with lights all the way to the bottom. Hurray for helpful husbands! Juliet loved having the tree in the house and enjoyed pointing out her favorite ornaments, and for the most part didn't touch. Nina's ornament got a special place front and center. Juliet took to kissing the ornaments, especially the bride & groom, the dog, and the angel. Very silly and cute.

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: