A Brighter Yellow

Watercolor

2012-01-22T10:39:00.001-08:00

Painting together. Each at our own-sized table.

Family shopping

2012-01-08T10:56:00.000-08:00

All aboard the cart on a Home Depot shopping trip buying the rug for the garage.

Lisa's new artist studio

2012-01-07T21:56:00.001-08:00

Finally the garage got the good cleaning it was overdue for
last New-Year's.

Pizza toss

2012-01-07T20:01:00.001-08:00

The chef at Amici's provided top-rate entertainment for the whole family tonight. Standing ovations all around!

Hiking in Ohio

2011-12-23T18:22:00.000-08:00

We headed to Highbanks for a misty afternoon hike. Weston and Brennan hunted for wood to build a fire and David helped them 'light' it. We woke up a snoozing deer, got a close up view of a red tailed hawk, and spent almost 2 hours exploring the warm visitor center.

Decorating

2011-12-23T18:15:00.000-08:00

Grandpa brought a Christmas tree to our hotel room in Ohio. Weston and Brennan loved seeing all the ornaments for the first time and I really enjoyed seeing them for the first time in over a decade!

"Dad, I can't believe you're letting me try this thing?!"

2011-12-14T22:51:00.001-08:00

On Santa's sleigh

2011-12-14T22:48:00.001-08:00

We walked down Christmas Tree Lane tonight. Kelton drove the sleigh while Weston and Brennan went for a pretend ride.

The new sandbox

2011-12-14T22:45:00.000-08:00

In preparation for the new play structure we had the sandbox expanded. The kids enjoyed helping spread out the sand.

Trash day

2011-12-14T22:43:00.001-08:00

The kids were hauling "trash " on their tricycles at preschool.

Lego sunglasses

2011-12-14T22:41:00.000-08:00

After finding my clip on sunglasses, Kelton devised a Lego frame to clip them to.

Rub-a-dub three boys in a tub

2011-12-14T22:39:00.000-08:00

Leaf time

2011-11-30T06:04:00.001-08:00

Brennan and Kelton helped rake the persimmon tree leaves.

Rainy day walk

2011-11-25T16:44:00.000-08:00

I took the boys out for a hike to enjoy the fall leaves and rain. They really enjoyed having umbrellas.

Bean Hollow Beach

2011-11-25T16:31:00.000-08:00

We had a spectacular post-turkey day at the beach. We built a fancy sand castle, ran in the waves, explored caves, collected treasures and did some tidepooling. The kiddos played so hard that all three conked out on the drive home.

Box fun

2011-11-25T16:26:00.000-08:00

How many boys fit into the box our turkey dinner came in? It's been a very busy box since we brought it home on Wednesday.

Pumpkin fun

2011-10-30T18:56:00.001-07:00

Weston and Brennan carved pumpkins with me today. Fun to discuss the designs and watch them pull out the stringy guts. Kelton gets to do his when he gets home tomorrow.

Flashlight fever

2011-10-23T18:16:00.000-07:00

Hatchet man

2011-10-23T18:15:00.001-07:00

Harnessing little brother power

2011-10-09T19:46:00.000-07:00

Kelton is the motor being powered by his little brothers.

Risk tolerance

2011-10-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

Puzzle time

2011-09-28T16:20:00.000-07:00

Weston did the caterpillar and butterfly puzzle that my Dad made for me when I was little. Brennan did a duck puzzle that was also mine. It's neat to see them get excited doing these old puzzles. I'm impressed that my folks saved them all these years.

Boys in motion

2011-09-25T11:53:00.000-07:00

Bicycles, tricycles, and skateboards all got a workout at the park today. Kelton even gave Brennan a riding lesson on his bike.

Fall garden

2011-09-10T17:24:00.000-07:00

One if the joys of living in California is being able to garden most of the year. Today Weston and Brennan were fascinated by all the worms in our compost. They enjoyed turning the compost into the dirt, then planting our cool season crops, carrots, peas, radish and spinach. They really liked coloring the garden labels too.

Pilot Brennan

2011-09-10T15:08:00.001-07:00

Brennan lived flying the real airplanes at the Palo Alto Airport Day.

All tucked in

2011-09-09T18:54:00.001-07:00

Weston and Brennan have moved out of cribs and into their toddler beds. They both love the new arrangement. But the first two nights I found Weston sleeping on the floor! After adding a blanket "bumper" he was able to stay in his bed.

Labor Day weekend

2011-09-09T18:51:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a lovely weekend back at the cabin. We explored favorite spots as well as a new part of the Enchanted Pools. We also finished painting the cabin exterior. Hopefully we will be able to head up next weekend again.

First day of preschool

2011-09-09T18:34:00.000-07:00

Weston and Brennan were very excited to put on their big boy backpacks and head to school just like big brother Kelkie.

Art festival

2011-08-28T17:16:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed drawing with chalk, listening to live music and seeing the metal sculptures made of old spoons, chains and screwdrivers among other things.

Scanning puppy

2011-08-28T13:46:00.000-07:00

Kelton scanning puppy with Brennan's nervous permission.

At Ardenwood Farm

2011-08-27T08:36:00.000-07:00

Weston and Brennan explored Ardenwood Historic Farm with Carina. Favorite things to do were ride the train, see the sheep, and hold dried ears of Indian corn. They also liked trying out the big wheelbarrow.

Hard work paying off

2011-08-09T11:30:00.001-07:00

Kelton high above Wrights Lake

2011-08-07T15:53:00.001-07:00

Another week in paradise

2011-07-31T14:20:00.000-07:00

Ice cream after trip to town, afternoon catching dragonflies, big bonfire with fire roasted corn on the cob, and more galavanting about.

More summer cabin pics

2011-07-20T14:20:00.000-07:00

... And even more

2011-07-20T14:02:00.000-07:00

Beauty Lake

2011-07-16T15:27:00.000-07:00

Today's destination lived up to it's name!

Beauty Lake

2011-07-16T14:23:00.000-07:00

Another lovely destination. Kelton wanted to go out to Daddy's Rock so much that he undressed and waded across. I tossed Brennan across like a sack of potatoes. All had a great time.

Hike

2011-07-16T13:23:00.000-07:00

Today we hike up far enough for cell reception. It's a Happy Birthday hike for W & B. They are three today!

Snow in July!

2011-07-13T16:35:00.000-07:00

It's fast disappearing, but still a whole lot of snow for mid-July. The kiddos love digging. The snow plow came through this morning so now we can drive to our cabin. The kids were very excited to see the 'big digger'. I will miss the quiet, buried in the woods feeling, but I can't deny the convenience of driving our groceries to the cabin instead of towing the canoe behind the kayak.

Lake arrival

2011-07-07T17:22:00.001-07:00

Arrival was adventuresome as promised. Road blocked by 2-4 ft of snow here and there. Had to portage selves an stuff by kayak, with car parked almost a mile away. Sweet isolation! Except we did meet a few new similarly crazy neighbors, all helpful well beyond mere politeness. Snow melting fast though!

Snowy summer cabin II

2011-07-07T15:10:00.001-07:00

Here's the photo that failed to load before.

Kids at the cabin

2011-07-07T15:08:00.001-07:00

Kelton loved looking at the snow covered well pump. Weston and Brennan love going out in the kayaks. Brennan is paddling on dry land with his Bjorn potty lashed onboard.

Snowy summer cabin

2011-07-07T14:44:00.001-07:00

We made it to our snowy cabin. The car is still almost a mile away. The kiddos were great troopers hiking over the snow. With the help of kind cabin neighbors, David kayaked all our stuff across the lake. It's unbelievably beautiful and quiet here.

Not happy about bath!

2011-06-23T07:55:00.000-07:00

We can play outside in the water all day, but no bath, no, no, nooooooooo! No washcloth, no soap, no suds in our hair! No, no, noooooooo!

The great carrot harvest

2011-06-19T19:52:00.001-07:00

We harvested a bunch of our carrots today. They were all eagerly eaten immediately, not one carrot made it out of the backyard into the kitchen.

Kelton's office

2011-06-19T19:47:00.001-07:00

Kelton liked the way his computer would roll on the balls.

I love noodles.

2011-06-14T18:53:00.001-07:00

Weston enjoying dinner at Amit's house.

Family portrait at Lake Tahoe

2011-06-14T18:52:00.001-07:00

Everyone together at the beach.

... And one more of the K-man on top of his world

2011-06-13T23:56:00.000-07:00

Snowballs by morning, beach bums by afternoon

2011-06-13T23:53:00.000-07:00

Snow in June?

2011-06-13T21:44:00.001-07:00

The boys loved playing in the snow remnants. What's better than a snowball fight while wearing shorts in sunny 70 degree weather?

The graduate

2011-06-13T21:37:00.000-07:00

Kelton has has his first graduation. He is done with kindergarten! Here he is with his class for a goodbye ceremony with teacher Shawn. Kelton is sure growing up.

Row, row, row your boat

2011-06-13T21:13:00.000-07:00

Weston and Brennan love riding in the kayak. They even tried to row with brooms and shovels while the kayak was upside down in the back yard.

Elephant

2011-06-09T23:41:00.001-07:00

Riding along at Mitchell Park. One of the few moments Weston and Brennan were in the same part of the playground!

Frog hunting

2011-06-05T23:11:00.000-07:00

Surprisingly one of the best local frog hunting grounds is on campus at Stanford University. They were everywhere. Kelton caught too many to count. Weston caught a few all by himself. They were very little and very jumpy, so they were hard to hold onto but very cute. Everyone enjoyed wading in the marshy lake. Brennan got his foot stuck in the muck, but managed to free himself before we had to go in after him. Both little guys needed a bath when we got home.

Rainy day hike

2011-06-05T22:59:00.000-07:00

Rain is unheard of in June, but raining it was! We headed out to Foothill Park with our umbrellas and rainboots. Kelton found a California Newt right away. About halfway through our hike the sun peeked out. Brennan was very excited when he found a puddle his size.

Fire station

2011-06-05T22:49:00.000-07:00

Weston and Brennan went with our playgroup to see the local Fire station. Brennan enjoyed sitting in the rig. Weston loved ringing the silver bell on the truck. All the kids were very interested as the fireman demonstrated putting his gear and they got very nervous when the fireman put on his helmut and face shield. Weston and Brennan are both excited about wearing their very own helmets and badges.

The broccoli snatchers

2011-05-17T06:46:00.000-07:00

Taking food off the counter isn't usually allowed, but who could stop such enthusiastic broccoli eating?

Ant observers

2011-05-14T17:14:00.001-07:00

... enjoying a springtime meadow.

Springtime hike

2011-05-14T17:04:00.000-07:00

We went to Foothill Park again today. In the month since our last hike here the wildflowers have really been blooming up a storm. Kelton found a bunch of coralroot, a parasitic orchid, I found a big mule ears. All the kiddos enjoyed trying out the binoculars. We also found a very active anthill and two bee hives.

Adventures around town

2011-05-08T21:43:00.001-07:00

This weekend we had a variety of local fun. Saturday was the May Fete children's parade downtown. Brennan and Weston met a clown up close. Weston kept saying, 'I saw a clean, mommy, a clean!'. Kelton yelled out 'Hi principal Mary!' when his school marched by and she answered with 'Hi Kelton!'.

After the parade, we visited a little redwood forest and splashed in the stream. We found a humming bird nest. Kelton built a dam with Daddy.

Sunday, I enjoyed a lovely Mother's Day pumpkin pancake breakfast cooked by all the boys. Later we went paddling with Suji, Dan & boys. All in all a fun and full weekend!

Swinging brothers

2011-05-05T19:37:00.001-07:00

Kelton and Brennan figured out how to swing together.

Up neck

2011-05-02T15:42:00.000-07:00

Weston peeking into the kitchen while riding 'up neck' on daddy.

Our cabin in mid-April...

2011-04-30T22:03:00.001-07:00

...thanks to a neighbor more adventurous than ourselves. See the matched before-and-after shots. What a difference 12 ft makes! Weston is ready to go to work with his red shovel.

Easter Sunday outings

2011-04-24T22:11:00.000-07:00

Kites in the morning, kayak in the afternoon. It was blustery but beautiful!

Gallery of Nana's and Papa's visit

2011-04-23T22:04:00.002-07:00

From lakes to hills, from gardens to redwoods, a great time was had by all. When will they come again?

The swing

2011-04-23T13:26:00.000-07:00

While Nana and Papa were visiting we sanded and painted the swing from the cabin. Now it is in almost constant use. Should have put one up years ago!

Surgery

2011-04-23T13:23:00.001-07:00

Brennan had surgery on Wednesday. He came through brilliantly and by Saturday he's running around like nothing even happened. I think it was harder on his parents!

Ladybugs

2011-04-23T13:20:00.000-07:00

Today we took a walk at Bayshore Park. We were there at a very low tide, right at the lowest point. We saw water spurting from holes on the mud like little geysers - clams? We also saw avocets, stilts, herons and egrets. Weston's favorite were the ladybugs. He was able to catch them, let them crawl on his hands, then watch them fly away.

Maiden voyage

2011-04-15T16:19:00.001-07:00

Everyone had a several rides around Lake Boranda in the kayak.

Kayak

2011-04-14T17:20:00.001-07:00

The tandem kayak arrived today. Everyone is very excited try it out. Brennan thought the paddle was too big so he used his broom

Nana's turn

2011-04-14T15:07:00.001-07:00

Storytime before naps fell to Nana today. Weston and Brennan would have listened all day!

Cable Car Museum

2011-04-14T07:34:00.001-07:00

We had a lovely day walking around San Francisco yesterday with Nana and Papa. Lunch at House of Nanking was the grownups favorite activity, but watching the workings of the cables was definitely Kelton's. It was fascinating to actually see and hear the cables spinning, generating motion for all the lines.

Swinging Baby Bear

2011-04-08T20:59:00.001-07:00

David hung the cabin swing in our backyard. All the boys love it. Weston even gave his lovey, Baby Bear, a special ride.

Storytime with Papa

2011-04-08T20:36:00.001-07:00

Nana and Papa arrived safe and sound today. All the boys were thrilled. Papa read bedtime stories.

Gone fishin'

2011-04-03T18:04:00.001-07:00

Brennan fishing off the dock at Boranda Lake at Foothill Park. He caught a purple one!

Mowing

2011-04-03T18:00:00.000-07:00

Daddy has a new helper this year.

Spring flowers

2011-03-27T08:37:00.000-07:00

On our Fern Loop hike this weekend we identified a bunch of wildflowers. Giant trillium and Hounds Tongue were the favorites.

Water, water, water

2011-03-27T08:35:00.001-07:00

The rain has been coming down. Saturday's hike followed a network of rushing streams at Foothill Park, many of which are dry much of the year. When it started to sprinkle a bit on the way back, Brennan found himself a stick umbrella.

Goin' on a critter hunt

2011-03-20T23:10:00.000-07:00

After days of pouring rain, we headed out to Foothill Park to see what critters we could find. We had a lucky break in the weather and had fun exploring under very damp logs. First we found a fast moving centipede, then a curled up millipede, next three slender salamanders, a worm, and finally a California Newt. On the trail back Kelton spotted a bunny. We also enjoyed seeing the Giant Trillium flowers.

I so funny

2011-03-20T22:57:00.001-07:00

Weston loves wearing the glasses from the doctor kit. He also loves to say, "I so funny!"

Kayak

2011-03-20T22:55:00.001-07:00

While it was pouring buckets outside, we all test drove a tandem kayak on dry land. Weston took a photo of his little legs in the front seat.

Brennans turn

2011-03-18T07:13:00.000-07:00

Brennan enjoyed watering our little garden with an old mustard bottle.

Watering

2011-03-17T16:19:00.001-07:00

Weston is watering our garden in-between rainstorms.

Gardening

2011-03-11T18:43:00.000-08:00

Weston loves helping in our garden. He and Brennan were very excited when the first radish leaves popped up.

Gym class

2011-03-10T22:37:00.000-08:00

Weston gave Brennan a skateboard ride at gym class.

Woodrat houses

2011-03-05T22:39:00.001-08:00

We discovered a whole village of woodrat houses on our hike today. I did some research after Kelton found some scat on an oak tree branch at the top of the trail last week. I concluded that it looked like woodrat scat. This week when we did the same hike we found 7 or 8 of these large woodrat houses with fresh signs. I don't know how we missed them last time! The little rodents were probably sleeping in their houses as they are nocturnal. Kelton wonders if they ate the Cherrios Brennan dumped out in the vicinity last time?

Hiking under the oaks

2011-03-05T22:29:00.001-08:00

Here's Weston hiking down the Coyote Trail on our hike at Foothill today. He looks so little, wearing Kelton's hat, under the ancient oak trees.

Oak tree

2011-02-27T16:54:00.001-08:00

Kelton and Daddy in a lovely old oak tree at the top of our hike at Foothill today. Brennan said he needed a big ladder to join in.

Snacktime

2011-02-27T16:53:00.001-08:00

The little kids have snack with David while the big kids ride bikes at the park.

Bobcat !

2011-02-27T16:32:00.000-08:00

Kelton and I watched the bobcats at the zoo next to his school.

Badlands

2011-02-20T21:53:00.000-08:00

Hiking around Artists Palette, we found green, purple, white and red rocks in addition to the more usual browns. The kids thought that was very nifty.

Three canyon sliders

2011-02-20T21:48:00.000-08:00

The little guys were not convinced about hiking on the way up the canyon, but they sure loved sliding down the marble on the way back.

Giftshop cowboy

2011-02-18T22:32:00.000-08:00

Two little boys in a big canyon

2011-02-18T15:10:00.000-08:00

Weston and Brennan played rock throwing games in Golden Canyon. Kelton impressed all of us by catching a chuckwalla lizard. David took lots of photos, but we can't upload until we get home. Two tired little boys are napping, hopefully they'll be up in time to hike out into the sand dunes this afternoon.

Cactus hike

2011-02-17T22:27:00.000-08:00

In the northern part of Death Valley, as the elevation increases there are a some cacti. We pulled off the road and went exploring. We saw barrel cactus, cholla, and beavertails. Some of the beavertails had big bites taken out of them. Both Weston and Brennan were very excited that a page from their book, "Who Took the Cookies from the Cookie Jar", was there in real life. Did Rabbit do it?

Kelton found huge spines that were all that was left of a barrel cactus. On the ride back to Furnace Creek he said that now he could recognize the cacti from the car since he'd seen them up close.

Canyon walk

2011-02-17T22:19:00.000-08:00

We hiked up Natural Bridges Canyon this morning. The troops were a bit fussy, but we did make it to the bridge formation. Here the guys are exploring a little grotto.

Environmental art

2011-02-13T23:50:00.001-08:00

Kelton showed me around Palo Alto's newest environmental sculpture. His class toured it earlier in the day so he was able to tell me all about it. He emphasized that I wasn't allowed to pull out the sticks. I wonder how he learned that tidbit?

Another lovely hike

2011-02-13T23:40:00.001-08:00

Enjoyed a new trail at Foothill Park today. Then we spent a lazy hour lounging on the dock while the kiddos dabbled in the lake.