A few days before Christmas

playing the  memory  game   

Baba and Jiji, Uncle Katsuo and Auntie Kazuko visit!

Stopping to eat in San Francisco on the way back from the airport

Taking to Uncle Katsuo

Seeing the sights of San Francisco

Why yes, they are always this angelic!

The one time I wished for an 8-seater minivan!

Happy to get Daddy back!

Sophia gets the laptop bag, Thomas gets the rollaboard

Trying to elicit a smile ... and failing

Cuddling/reading time with Daddy:  the best!

Everybody happy to see Daddy

Mommy gets a cuddle too!

Welcoming Daddy back home!

Even in early August, hot laundry straight from the dryer still feels great!

Tuckered them out!

The pensive look

We love our neighborhood grocery store Trader Joe's!

Welcoming Daddy back home!

End of June hijinks

Putting on his pirate face?

Taking Daddy to the BART train to go on his trip

Playing with the bread dough

Um...?

Building towers with Mommy's old toy blocks

Back to business as usual

The aftermath of a blackberries at breakfast

Reaching new heights at the apartment playground

Things were quiet ... too quiet.  This is what I found when I investigated.  Whew!

Showing us her pretty dress

Sophia has an imaginary friend.  She holds doors open extra time and tells me that she is waiting for "Bobbi".  When I give her something to put into the garbage can, she tells me, "No I don't want to!  Bobbi do dat."   She pretends to hold Bobbi's hand or shares a snack with her. Sometimes when the kids are playing, she announces "I'm going to Bobbi's house!" and pretends to drive away. Thomas latches on quickly and plays with Bobbi too.  Once they visited her house ... which was in space!

Matthew comes back for a week!

Matthew comes back ... just for a week, though!

Happy to have Daddy back!

We go see the old steam train on display in Martinez.  Thomas of course is very excited... especially about the real trains rushing by us!

Storytime ... "Flat Stanley and the Haunted House."  Matthew remembers reading about Flat Stanley when he was a little boy!

Playing "quiet time" on the couch

Matthew leaves again. The kids and I take a walk to the BART station.

We start out well.  Maybe we'll bring hats next time.  

We made it all the way to the  BART!  Then a stop at nearby Starbuck's  for a little treat.

Thomas' favorite was the shortbread cookie.

Sliding down a little hill on the way back home.

Tired but made it home!  Time for a little cuddle and pretending to be Super Why!

Getting into a California routine: househunting, walking, library, grocery store

"I go see Auntie Rose.  NOT YOU!  I go all by myself!"  She even put on her shoes by herself (as you can probably tell!)

My helpful boy pushing Sophia all the way to the BART train station!  Did it take 20 minutes?  Seemed like it!

Eating her dinner

They love the elevator at the BART station. We went up and down ad nauseum.  Literally.  I was starting to feel a bit queasy at the end there.

Thomas read 32 pages of the book "Amanda Pig and her Big Brother Oliver" out loud to me. It was half the book! And I had never read him this story before!  It was the first time that I really understood for certain that he can read.  It was amazing.  He reads to himself now!

OK ... I think we can relax now

More swimming pre-haircut ... sunglasses from Auntie Shauna

Sharing a room these days.  Reading themselves stories before bedtime

Off we go, grocery shopping

 

Apartment playground

"We are going to 'Bubbie's' house!"  She has an imaginary playmate already!

Social inroads

Celebrating Mother's Day ... "Auntie Shauna, can I sit on your lap?"

Checking out the boxes with Uncle Utaka

We have stuff!  And we buy a new dining room table.  So happy to have a real table and chairs again!

Checking out Terran's eventual elementry school.  They were having a  festival.  Thomas flew a kite (kind of) for the first time.  Sophia got more tattoos.

Playing with my phone while we make an offer on a house ... didn't get it (there were 39 offers on that one!)  Subtitle:  Discovering what a crazy housing market there is here!