Kindergarten is over. Already???

"Julia, you could probably run this class." So said Ms. Merk as she handed Julia her certificate of Kindergarten completion and her memory book. "And I appreciate all your help" she added as she hugged Julia amid laugher from the assembled crowd. It was such a cute moment.

Jeff and I weren't surprised. And no doubt Ms. Merk is right. That girl's got something special, and everybody who gets to know Julia can see it. I'm bursting with pride about our little baby who's all grown up.


After class Julia and her friend Mason, who is moving to Pleasanton (so sad!) shared an extra big hug. So cute.

Every year the kids gather to say farewell to the departing 5th graders in the annual "clap out". Here's Julia at the fence awaiting this clapping tradition.

Julia's good friend Grace Ann hosted a pool party for all the girls in the class immediately after school. Here they are getting a quick talk on pool safety before diving in. Benne met us at the party and stayed with Julia all afternoon.

Strike a pose

Silly posing by my team at our work offsite meeting yesterday.

I am very lucky to work with such a smart and fun group of people.

Marital harmony resored: The Shed is Complete

I won't go into the gory details of what it took to get this shed put together... lets just focus on the happy outcome: Have you ever seen a more gorgeous garden shed in your life? I don't think so. I'm thrilled with this darling new addition to the garden.


Here's a glamor shot close-up of the shed's adorable details.


Ah, the bliss.

Strawberry Shortcake

After polishing off what was on his plate, he proceeded to climb onto the counter in pursuit of the bowl of leftover whipping cream. Both the bowl and the boy came crashing down onto the floor a moment later. After a momentary pause (during which I was sure he'd broken a bone), he popped up grinning ear to ear, saying "I ate some on the way down!"

Sleepover with Jane

Julia had a guest on Saturday night. It was a busy night. Fava beans were shucked, the climbing dome was summitted, the tricycle was tested, the Meow Meow game was played, the Blendy Pens were used, Cinderella was watched, and the cat was pet. Fun night for all, and they even got a little sleep.

Rare sighting: Grandpa on a bike!

Lion King Weekend

Thanks, Nana and Grumps, for taking us to the Lion King and for treating us to a special weekend! We had a great time. Highlights were the Lion King, of course, seeing Brad, Kim, Kira and Gwen, and looking for the soccer ball way up in the tree. :)

Wendy and the kids in the garden

Here is our very favorite person in the world, WENDY! With the kids, in the back yard.

Griffith Clan Reunion

Here is a picture of the whole Griffith crew, taken at the reunion last month in Pajaro Dunes. Thanks to a bit of organizing by Janie and Susan, ever single aunt, cousin, nephew, mommy, brother-in-law, grandpa, and the like were represented. Here we all are!

It was great to see everybody and have all the kids together. Thanks to everybody for making it such a fun weekend!

Been a while...

I've been busy, what can I say. But I'm thinking it would be nice to give the blog another try. I have a mac now, and am not sure how it will work with iPhoto... so this is a test post to see. Here is a picture of a few of us at the Walk4Hearing.