This past weekend we visited a redwood forest with Mike's family. While there grandpa demonstrated how the "grandpa tree" got it's name. 

Wait for me!

None of us are very good at getting up early, so Tuesday morning soccer class makes for a difficult morning. This morning I woke up after eight and just as I was strongly considering getting out of bed Diana decided she was hungry. I fed the baby and jumped in the shower around 8:25. After my shower it was already 8:45. I only had 15 minutes to get Amelia ready and reach her soccer class on time.

Luckily, most of the other parents (and the soccer coach) are no more motivated to jump out of bed than we are. Class had not started without us and only about half of the kids and parents were on the field when we arrived.

As soon as Amelia got out of the car she chirped, "Soccer!" She then ran toward the field repeating, "Wait for me, wait for me." It was great.

Amelia did a very good job at soccer class today. For one thing, she actually kicked the soccer ball. She kicked the ball all the way to her intended target (a flag placed on the field). I was super impressed with her performance. Of course, she later picked up the wet ball that was covered in dirt and grass and became irritated when her hands got dirty. But, she did kick the ball once or twice and that's already a great improvement over what she was doing before.

After class we always spend some time at the playground. Amelia is very timid when it comes to the slides and does not like to go down a slide without mom. Today she watched an older boy (around four) climb up the stairs in the playground and go down the slide over and over. Each time the boy would come down the slide she would giggle (and sometimes applaud) and insist he do it again. I guess watching someone else slide is at least as much fun as doing it yourself (and less work).

When the boy grew tired of sliding and went back to his sandbox and shovel Amelia was disappointed. But her real disappointment came when it was time to leave. I told her we had to go home so that daddy could pay for our new house (whoo-hoo) and she cried. She walked slowly back toward the parking lot, crying as she went, and saying, "One more time" and "Last time." It was precious. I was very proud of her for being such a good girl.

She was pretty good at the grocery store today as well. She insisted that we buy some mustard and was upset when I put it back on the shelf. I told her she could have any fruit she wanted for being so good and she chose a watermelon. The watermelons were on sale, two for one, so all of you are welcome to come over for watermelon any time.

Lisa

The blue fairy

Grandma Lola bought this pretty fairy costume for Amelia to play in. I thought she would look beautiful wearing this dress out in the back yard.

Judging by the way the dress fits, she'll look beautiful wearing it next year as well.

The pumpkin patch

Here it is nearly Halloween again. Time to dress the girls up in super cute costumes and get some great photographs.

Not only do I find myself in possession of some great shots this time of year, but this is also when Amelia finds herself exploring a farm and looking at mountains of fall produce. This year grandma and I took Amelia and her sister to a pumpkin farm on the central coast. The pumpkin patch was great. Not only did the place have literal mountains of huge pumpkins but they also had a large produce stand and animals in pens for the children to watch and feed. If you simply asked you could get a large bag of lettuce and presumably old broccoli to feed the goats and sheep.

Amelia spent a huge amount of time with the animals. She watched and fed the sheep and goats and watched the chickens and the one odd duck they kept. The roosters at this farm were very big and two of them were crowing, though I don't think Amelia actually ever saw them crow.

We were at the pumpkin patch a very long time Friday afternoon. Funny thing is, we never did buy a pumpkin and despite how tired we knew Amelia must have been (having no nap that day) she was asking to go to the park on our way home.

Lisa

As a funny side note - I mentioned before that Amelia is not very good about sharing toys with her little sister. I thought that she was turning over a new leaf last night when she asked me to replace the toys that belonged on the play gym Diana was using. But as soon as all of the toys had been replaced where Diana could see them and bat at them a bit Amelia tried to pick up the whole gym (and Diana along with it) so she could carry it off. I guess it's a good thing Amelia can't carry 13 pounds yet.

Having fun and looking cool

While daddy is away the girls and I are, once again, visiting family all around California.

When I reached my first destination last Tuesday I found that I had forgotten to pack any pajamas for Amelia. Reaching my mom's house on the coast I found myself without any toothbrushes, toothpaste or a hair brush.

Oh well, who needs a hair brush anyway? You can always conceal a bad hair day with a super-cool hat...

Diana and Amelia look as if they are attending a science lecture from the living room couch. 

The family arrives at the coliseum early for post-season Athletics baseball. 

Last night the family and I went out to Texas Roadhouse (one of the things we have missed most about living in Indiana). Everyone was very excited except Diana, who doesn't yet have the hardware (teeth) required to enjoy a Roadhouse steak. 

super big sister

Amelia is almost always a great big sister. This morning, after Amelia and I had our toast and cereal, Diana started to fuss and cry. Without saying a word, Amelia picked up a pacifier off the desk, carried it into the room where the baby sleeps, giggled a bit and returned. Apparently, Amelia has figured out that a pacifier is a good way to get the baby to stop crying. (It worked for a few minutes, too.)

But if there's one thing Amelia does not do well, it's share with her sister. Diana is starting to reach the age when she enjoys playing with the occassional rattle, but every time Amelia sees me playing with a rattle in front of Diana she snatches it away. I don't think she realizes that some of the rattles were actually bought for her baby sister. Or maybe she doesn't care and has adopted the usual two-year old attitude of, "if I want it, it's mine and even if I don't want it but you do, it's still mine."

That isn't the only trouble brewing on the horizon. Tuesday morning during soccer pratice a little boy made a comment to me that I did not understand. His mother asked him to repeat his statement in English and with some hesitation he said he thought Amelia was "beautiful." She's only two and already catching the attention of little boys. I forsee a lot of stress on her daddy's part 12 or 13 years down the road.

Lisa

Super baby! - Diana slept through the night for the first time last night (midnight to seven). She might have just been tuckered out after the Giants game, but now I know she can do it.