Back to Pastornio's for more pumpkin fun

This morning we decided to head back to Pastorinos to find some halloween decorations. The other day Jeff and Julia went out shopping for decorations, and came home with what we've now decided might be the scariest decorations ever. Instead of skeletons and flying demons and bloody rats, we've decided we need a little more in the genre of pumpkins, hay, scarecrows, etc. So, back to Half Moon Bay we went. I will post pictures later of the decorations once we put them up around the house (and maybe some pictures of the demons too for contrast!) Here are some pictures of our jaunt. The train ride was the big hit of the morning.

Friday Fun

Benne came to visit in the morning while I went to get my haircut. Here are Julia and Andrew on the couch smiling at Benne.

And then Grandpa came over and built towers with Julia.

Here's Andrew in his Bumpo chair on the kitchen counter, playing with his favorite toy.

And later Julia decided to do an art project...

 

Julia tries on her costume; Andrew is 5 Months old

 

More from the pumpkin patch

Cousins enjoy the pumpkin patch

Pastorino's Farm, Half Moon Bay

Riding on the hay wagon

Checking out pumpkins in the patch

Exchanging hugs on Benne's lap

Dad's Birthday

This post is a bit belated... Last weekend we all gathered to celebrate Dad's birthday. Julia and Nathan were a big help with the cupcakes and the present opening. It was a great party, hosted by Mom, and everybody had a good time. Such a good time that Craig and I agreed that Dad should have birthday parties more often. ; )
 

Girl's Reunion Weekend

This weekend was my annual Girl's reunion weekend with my friends from business school. We gathered in San Francisco. From left to right: (top picture) Laurel, Hartley, Kari (bottom picture) Jane, Trisha, and Yufen. We talked, talked, talked, ate, ate, ate, walked, walked, walked, and talked and ate and walked some more. I had a fabulous time...there's nothing better than being with old friends.
 

Visit to the Fire Station

By Jeff: With Laurel away for a business school girls' reuinion weekend, I was home alone with the kids. Saturday morning, we went to a pancake breakfast at the Menlo Park fire station down the street. Afterward, we got to check out some very cool stuff. Julia got to "drive" a real fire truck as well as sit in back and talk on the radio. We also saw some demos of firefighting and search and rescue techniques, the highlight of which was the firemen rappelling down a practice building.*









* For anyone who's interested, the Menlo Park Dire Department manages CA-TF3, one of 28 FEMA-coordinated Urban Search and Rescue teams spread across the country. The Menlo Park task force has responded to a number of notable emergencies, including Hurricane Katrina, the September 11 attacks at the World Trade Center, the Oklahoma City bombing, and the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster.

Love that smile!

I look at this picture and I feel like I can picture just what he's going to look like in a few years. There are hints here of a little boy, not a baby. He is growing up so fast.

 

Parents Place

Wendy, Julia and Andrew go to Parents Place every Thursday morning for the drop in program. It's a beautiful preschool classroom, complete with teacher (see Teacher Heidi in the picture below.) Julia absolutely loves it and it's a great way to give her opportunities to interact with other kids now that she's no longer in daycare. Wendy brought the camera this morning and snapped this picture.