lots and lots of pics

get ready for photos

K is 3...

K spent some of the weekend telling everyone she got beautiful weather for her bday... What an understatement! We had warm weather which allowed two park visits in addition to two play dates on Saturday but more importantly a beautiful birthday.

K's request for her bday was horses, cake and at about 9am yesterday morning... a party... after only focusing on cake and horses for weeks. We went down to Lemos in half moon bay with Tay and rode horses, jumped in the bouncy house, fed the goats, rode horses and rode horses. The initial plan was to allow for a day at Lemos before going over to lunch at the Ritz and beach, but we couldn't get her to leave the horses. On the way to the car we had so many requests for horses that we turned around and rode the horses again... After all it was the bday girl's request even if Mommy and Daddy were starving!

We had a mini impromtu party with S&R who drove over the hill on a last minute's notice even after we met the night before. Gma S and pmogi also came! K loved it.. and practiced opening presents as fast as possible, piling on different outfit combinations with no tags and the best part of the evening besides having R around... (we are in love with R) was the cake Pmogi brought from ici... she ate as much of the chocolate lettering off as she could and had two pieces of cake... wait until you see the photos! It is offical our girl is three!

wearing some presents (new glasses, pjs, hat and scarf

SO proud!

K is thrilled to have me home... I think it is me and not the presents she is most excited about. She took her new scarf to school today and is wearing her new tights... When she walked by unpacked suitcases this morning she pointed to them and said that is where Mommy is keeping the presents... I guess we are ignoring the million sweaters that I took with me... We started to have a conversation about what were my presents... I started to say I didn't get any but noticed a look from T... so I of course pointed out that well Mommy did do a bit of shopping it just wasn't unpacked yet. Translation... there are a few new things in the closet... ok maybe a lot of new things.

The best part of this morning was watching K do her homework... She had to write her name three times by tracing these dots on a sheet of paper from school. The homework assignments just started as the woman feels she is a bit older. Most of them are just drawing a picture, writing her name, etc but I had missed this because I was gone when they started. Today I got to witness her writing her name three times and we chatted about how to spell her name all the way to school. Who is this big girl?

Reunion

We picked K up early and the greeting was awesome. 10 minutes of cuddling, tickling, yelling and running. We went to Starbucks given the limited greeting time due to class and chatted.

I asked K about her bday and what we were going to do. I mentioned I wasn't sure what we were going to do having a three year old in the house. K looked at both of us and paused and puffed her chest out. I think she is ready to be three. T and I of course burst into laughter and are thrilled to be back together.

New York

Yesterday morning I noticed something falling from the sky. Only a Californian has to pause to wonder what the occasional flakes are. Of course after a second I realized it was snow... I got to my favorite breakfast place and sat at a window table watching the snow fall over Central Park (and the horses) with a warm latte and more good food. The day only got better as the post holiday sales were on. 80% off shops making them barely affordable.. So I hit Madison, West Village, SoHo, Meatpacking before meeting K for a great greek dinner and lots of chatting in SoHo. And now after a morning coffee watching Grand Central I begin the trek home... Couldn't justify a car in the middle of the morning even though the bags are umm a bit large so subwaying with rush hour to see everyone!!! Very exciting. Tonight's classes with jet lag sounds less exciting. Unfortunately no museums to report on this leg of the trip... Happy to detail the current styles and colors in the shops.

Florence

Florence and Tuscany turned out to be stunning minus the rainy weather. My friend's home was on 40 acres of olive groves and on a hill overlooking Florence. It was a different experience to live in someone's home in that area even if it was more of a short time. I could have moved in. We spent some of our time in Florence shopping, walking, drink coffee,checking out sights like the Pitti Palace, the world's first orphanage and eating. We ate at one of the best little restaraunts which served this beef that you had to approve before they cooked, which was very good. It was a local specialty and wins out kobe beef when taste tested together. I was quite impressed and I rarely order steak. We had lots of great wine and I might have consumed by yearly allotment of wine as we had it at both lunch and dinner everyday. We also went into the Tuscan countryside and wandered the towns and just explored. The visit was really nice and getting to go around a city with people that really knew it made it so fantastic.I read in their tower on one of the only sunny mornings. Yesterday, the fun had to end and I traveled to Manhattan. Never one to fly over NYC without shopping, I mean stopping I am going to have one day of my favorite Manhattan moments before coming home.As I came through customs yesterday all of a sudden the crowds went crazy... Turns out the Giants won just a walked out and so it was really neat to see the celebration.. People got out of their cars, the international room was full of screaming. It was just enough super bowl action for me.

Everytime I chat with K a new animal moves in... She has informed me of a mommy and baby skunk, a donkey and a purple cat. It is time to get home and kick these guys out and get ready for K's birthday. Another reason to shop today... I will be eating salad for the next month, after too many good meals to recount, but that definitely doesn't start today.

the fun goes on

We went to Padua the day before yesterday to see the frescoes. They apparently mad everyone rethink modern painting because of the way the artist got the paint to stick with the plaster. There was some good shopping, great eating and a much more mellow pace as it is a college town minus the bicycles that stop for no one.

Our last day in Venice included one of the most interesting museums as it had a very unique collection with a great sketching exhibit. I made it to Tuscany last night and gearing up for an adventure into Florence. My friend's place is on a hill overlooking the city and has thirty acres of olive groves. Beautiful...

back we go

We went back to the local bar, thistime we just watched the singing as there were real actors and singers with the mics.

However we went to Torcelo an island 30 minutes away and took in the island which feels a bit like Greece with little kitties and even a farm and of course a beautiful church. We had a lovely stop in Burano which is known for their lace and I had the best pomodoro ever. I might have eaten 2 pounds of pasta because of the great parmas. cheese. And of course a little shopping. More fun tomorrow.

back we go

We went back to the local bar, thistime we just watched the singing as there were real actors and singers with the mics.

However we went to Torcelo an island 30 minutes away and took in the island which feels a bit like Greece with little kitties and even a farm and of course a beautiful church. We had a lovely stop in Burano which is known for their lace and I had the best pomodoro ever. I might have eaten 2 pounds of pasta because of the great parmas. cheese. And of course a little shopping. More fun tomorrow.

Another day..

We learned today our flat is where Marco Polo lived, which explains all the photos being taken since it is down an alley you would never find. We wandered most of the day away hitting a few churches and Cafe Firenze which is known for their bellinis. We had pomegranate and champagne as peach is out of season and lovely treats. The highlight of the evening was dinner at a local restaraunt where we ended up singing with the pianist and some other locals. Some of the girls even danced in mask with the staff which was quite sweet. The locals even took us to a disco for a real bellini and a chat which was awesome since they have lived here their whole lives. As a result we didn't turn in until 4am, but it was very fun. I also finally got a mask. As we get closer to Carneval more and more people are out in full costume so now I have a mask, which I am sure I can use for Halloween. No longer will I go as Mommy. K and I are chatting daily and today she informed me of her wish to have a skunk and it's mommy come live with us. Hmm. I also got to butterfly kiss a bump away as T moved the phone around for me and luckily it cheered her up. More adventures tomorrow.

Venice

I made it!!! 26 hours of travel... Three planes, a bus and the vaparetto and I am here.Got to love using miles. The suitcase is already heavier with a new Ted Baker coat. I somehow managed to find something to buy in London even though the dollar value is a depressing thing.

Our flat is really beautiful and overlooks the grand canal. I awoke this morning to see someone unloading their store goods from their boat. A very unique moment. Our place is down a little alley and is very very European. Last night we went to dinner at a beautiful little restaraunt with beautiful bras lining the celing and some of the walls in the same way you often see wine bottles hanging from an Italian restaraunt's celing. It was very nice and they had great music. There are folks walking around with masks as Carnival is just a few days away.

Pmogi

Pmogi....

the euro is way too strong for us.... counting the days until you are off crutches... and dreaming of the day we can return to Croatia.....

How to get Mommy into your big girl bed!

Mommyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Can I snuggle with you just a little bit....

Mommyyyyyyyyy can I snuggle with you just a little bit pleaaaassssssssssssssssssssssseeeeeeeeee

You can guess who ended up in K's bed this morning before it was light after that kinda request. She tried it earlier in the night with Daddy around 1am... luckily he didn't quite understand her as we had just fallen asleep due to a research assignment for class and put her back in her bed.

Daddy pizza: thank you for researching with me last night... again... first defending pretty woman as a feminist text for a feminist literary theory class during my undergrad years and now voters rights... you are going to go back to school just so I can help you... and thank you for covering K while I go to Italy... I will miss you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

K's first email to Mommy

Here is the note K dictated to T which I received on my bb in class tonight:

I love you.You are my friend.I love your computer.k I love you baby.

Her favorite thing to do on the computer is find a K for her name and type K everywhere... I wonder if my colleagues wonder why there are K's all over our internal documents...

The countdown

K was home on Monday due to MLK day so we had a three day weekend filled with lots of coffees, coloring, some play dates, pizza making, park adventures, meals out and family time. We took K to her first gymnastics meet on Sunday at Stanford where K got to watch the girls meet. K liked it a lot and said she preferred it to basketball although she didn't seem as into it. Regardless we had a nice time and are enjoying our last few adventures before I go... =(

One of the highlights from the weekend was going to MoCa's vet appt. In the past few months I have had to involve K in standard errands something I had avoided in the past so that she could have more free time... The new schedule doesn't allow this so she has learned to love Whole Foods for little grocery carts, Trader Joes for balloons... and now the vet. K loved the vet, helped me get MoCa in the box, put treats in the box and mice so she wouldn't be bored and reassured her on the drive... It's ok MoCa. It's just a check up, Don't worry... we love you... It was very cute. MoCa made it home safely and spent yesterday under a bed recuperating, but has returned to her normal hungry self. The vet was great as she let K listen to MoCa's heartbeat and there were toys and our favorite right now... coloring... K gave one of her pieces of art to one of the other pet owners there which was really cute especially as he really talked it up!

We are back in it

The week flew... did I even look up... not sure... back to school and work is hectic... Even more hectic... heading to Italy on Thursday with a quick stop in London for lunch with a friend... Venice for S's bday party, on to Tuscany to visit friends, stopping in Manhattan for awesome shopping moments and a visit to K before heading home... K and Daddy are hanging together at home so a weekend of prep to make sure they have fun while I am gone... Somehow I doubt they will miss me too much... mac and cheese at Whole Foods, Il Postale... the adventures and stories I will miss.

Last night T and I went to the Stanford Arizona game... a lot of fun...

The funniest moments from the week have been K's post bedtime adventures... Every night after we tuck her in we find her with the lights on her room... We have seen her wearing beads, grabbing books, horses, dolls and changing pajamas (to match the tights she insisted on wearing to bed).

The funniest moment was when I found her with our big duster which has a long stick trying to get a cat from a shelf above her closet... I walked in and she had this stick up in the air right next to the shelf trying to figure out a way to actually reach the shelf... Impressed that she found the duster and figured it out... but of course she always impresses me. Wonder if daytime naps are over... she is sleeping about 8 hours a night after a massive snoozing period a week ago... What a girl... hurrah for a weekend together.

this weekend

Ojai

Mommy/ K adventure!

K went to church with Gma this weekend and got to debut more tights... She is very into playing dress up. Luckily this time we didn't have to pull the dress out of her tights. She also helped us clean the house which she really enjoys... not sure where she gets that from! Sat night M&J came over and although J wouldn't gallop like a horse after the last galloping adventure with K ended in a fall (not for K) we still had a great time as we continue to taste test pizza parlours throughout the Bay Area.

On Sunday K and I met a couple mommies and big girls from the mommy group for a Monterey day... We had lots of lattes (yummy), the girls had pasta, K got to see her first Disney movie although she only was interested in the horse on the movie and not as into Belle... The most important part of the trip was the aquarium. The river otter exhibit was really incredible this time as there was a little mommy and baby and we got to see them eating. The octupus was a highlight for K as was playing and hiding with Am and Tay and running and screaming... Although we didn't end up staying over in the hotel we had a really great time especially because as we drove away we got to watch a family of deer... It was a fun mommy/ big girl adventure. And of course... lots of pics to come...

What is the point of work?

Our conversation on the way home from school last night...

K: Mom, does Dora work with you?
M: No
K: How about Boots?
M: No
K: How about Swiper?
M: No
K: Is Daddy at your work?
M: No, he works somewhere else.
K: How about monkeys?
M: No
K: Elephants?
M: No
K: Giraffes?
M: No
K.... long pause... do you have cars at work?
M: Yes!
K: Inside?
M: No, outside.
K: Oh, hmmm. I have cars outside my school. We are the same. A match!

K seems a bit lost about why I go to work... We have already discussed the fact there are no swings, I don't play with dollies and we don't have any bunnies or any puppies... like her school.... and no one makes me lunch. In an attempt to help me pack my lunch for work the other day she handed me a carton of soup... I guess she is trying to help make the office more fun!

Steve who

During my Sept trip to NYC I bought K a Steve Alan dress on sale... K told me she wanted to play dress up and wear it to school with some tights... I am thinking I really scored a dress she likes only to realize why she wants to wear the dress... so she can tuck it all the way in to her new horse tights... This morning K spent the morning walking around the house in her cool new dress tucked into her horse tights with her horse sweater on top... Hmm... maybe she doesn't like the dress as much as I thought. She was a horse from head to toe!! the dress was well hidden and scrunched up underneath everything.

It is really over

School starts tomorrow... and we are back to work for a little bit.... T and I went on a get away down to Ojai this past weekend. We debated canceling because of the rain, but finally decided to go ahead and go. Gma S & Gma C covered while we went on our rainy adventure... T was a fantastic sport and wandered through the rain for five hours while we shopped the boutiques on State Street in Santa Barbara. One of my faves was having a sale so we checked out all four of their shops... Great buys... horrible weather... Ojai was very different in the winter, but still fantastic... we had nice long dinners and breakfasts at the resort and also went into town for sushi and coffee... Our room had a beautiful fire place and golf course views so I spent part of the time curled up with a book... we watched the Stanford basketball game, T got to golf, we went to yoga, I took a toning class, we wandered down to the herb gardens and we got a chance to chat... photos to come... Last night we visited the shops and found some great things for K and headed back in more horrible horrible rain...

A couple more shots

back to work... for a little bit...

love this girl

Saturday

We went to story time on Saturday at the library and were thrilled to have one of the books from our collection read to us. We loved Stanford men's basketball even more.... we want to go to a game every single day.... Mommy was made to be the band (we were stoked about the band) when we played with a basketball later in the weekend...

A .. is the bestest

K had a great time with A this weekend... Mommy had a great time with A this weekend. The lychetinis were great, the mojitos were awesome and the appletinis were always fun.... Thanks for being such a great girlfriend! Although we were a bit offended with the fact that the Cascal bartender suggested 30 is umm old we still had fun... Straits was also awesome although I am glad we are only together every few months. Looking forward to a SoCal get together.

Garrod Farms... loving the horses!

We loved the horses, playing princess with Tay and making cookies... we loved it!