Christmas Eve Eve Part 3

Okay this is the last of the "gifts". I promise. But I couldn't help posting this movie of Finn driving the bumper car at the Santa Monica Pier.

Christmas Eve Eve Part 2

Since it is Christmas Eve Eve, Momma has come bearing gifts for everyone. Everyone, that is, that considers pictures of my family at Disneyland to be a gift.

These are out of order so bear with the various outfit changes.

Here we are on the Jungle Cruise. I think this was actually taken

our last day of Disneyland. That would be Day 3.

We actually spent the first night of our vacation in Santa Monica. Finn spotted the ferris wheel from probably a mile or two away and begged to go for a spin.

The boys on the Santa Monica Pier.

Finn mastering the bumper cars.

In line for the Jungle Cruise. I did warn you that these were out of order.

Getting ready to ride the Matterhorn.

On the raft to Tom Sawyer Island. Sawyer watching the boat

named after the man that gave him his name.

Sawyer on Tom Sawyer Island. That was actually a huge hit

with the boys. Can't remember going there before.

Waiting for the fireworks. The brightly lit up castle in the background.

Waiting in line for It's a Small World. The Christmas version.

It's a teacup party.

Toon Town

Waiting in line for the Alice in Wonderland ride.

Finn was beside himself that Alice was not actually included in the ride.

Isn't this how everyone feel after 3 days in Disneyland?

Christmas Eve Eve

I just realized that I had not posted to this blog since Thanksgiving. Is that possible? We have done so much since then- Disneyland, the Annual Tree Hunt, Decorating at various houses, Christmas parties, Christmas in the Park, and so on.

Here is a picture of Finn and Mickey at Disneyland.

We caught Mickey just as he was heading back to wherever he goes when his shift is over. Then Finn thought it would be fun to play hide and seek with Mickey. Oi. We nearly had a missing child on our hands.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Finn with a mouthful of monkey bread and his prized turkey in the background.



Sawyers also enjoyed some monkey bread. Later, while I was making Nana's apple pie, he said "apple" for the first time. Every time he said apple he was rewarded with, you guessed it, little bits of apple.



The ingredients for my pear cranberry streusel pie. Nana's apple pie is already in the oven. Smells heavenly.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!


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Halloween Box

We know for sure that Halloween has arrived when we receive a special box in the mail from Aunt Betty. Aunt Betty (J's Grandma's sister) fills a box to the brim with treats and toys for us. She's been doing this since long before our boys came along. I like anyone who shares Halloween treats with adults and kids alike.

This year when the box arrived Finn said, 'That's from MY Aunt Betty. She is sooooo sweeet!"

The boys are beyond excited with the pumpkin flashlights. Not to mention all of the candy.

SharkFinn & DinoSawyer

Introducing Shark Finn and Dino Sawyer

Lock up your candy.

Trust me. That's a dinosaur costume. Although Finn said it

was a girl's dinosaur costume because girls wear purple. Sigh.

Finn has been telling everyone for weeks that he going

as a "friendly shark" for Halloween.

Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Patch 2010

This year we decided to forego the Half Moon Bay traffic and try out a pumpkin farm closer to home. We visited the pumpkin patch at Spina Family Farms in South San Jose. They had a great selection of pumpkins, hay maze, hayride, train and also sorts of fun stuff for the kids. They also have a great farm stand and we enjoyed their fresh corn for dinner.

Finn in The Great Pumpkin

Sawyer and I on the hayride

Finn and J on the hayride

Finishing touches on the front porch

Fall Festival at Filoli

A few weeks ago we visited the beautiful Filoli estate to partake in their fall festivities which included a pumpkin patch and decorating.

Here's Finn adding some color to his pumpkin.

Sawyer in the patch.

Hmm . . . This one looks good.

Putting the finishing touches on the pumpkin while Sawyer practices being like Finn.

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We've been Boo'd!

Found this bag of treats on our door this morning, filled with candy, toys, glow sticks and other Halloween goodies. Now it's our turn to "boo" a couple of the neighbors (secretly) and pass on the Halloween fun!



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Thursday's Harvest

Fresh picked cherry tomatoes. The littlest ones were the size of blueberries. Carefully sliced (some of my boys don't appreciate the squirty factor), they were delicious with our turkey tacos on whole wheat tortillas.

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Friday Funny

I saw this article (written by Samantha Bee and Jason Jones of The Daily Show) recently in Real Simple. It made me laugh so thought I would share.

10 Ways to Make Your Marriage Divorceproof Real Simple

10 Ways to Make Your Marriage Divorceproof
For starters, no public squawking at each other. Read on for a few more smart (and funny) suggestions from these happily wed comedians. by Samantha Bee and Jason Jones

We have been hitched for almost 10 years now, and until recently our number one piece of advice would have been: Don’t write about how to make your marriage divorceproof. It’s hubris! But we like to take risks (that’s piece of advice number two), so we knocked on wood, threw salt over our shoulders, and forged ahead with all the unstoppable energy that a couple with two kids under the age of five can muster. (Eating a pile of old Halloween candy helped, too.) Ultimately, we came up with this list of marriage rules and reminders—all of which, we hope, are cheaper and more fun than therapy.

1. Realize that if you can agree on what constitutes a clean room, you can agree on anything. If you are the kind of person who wants the vacuum tracks on the living-room carpet to last all week (as in, Jason), you need to understand that your spouse is physically unable to hover three inches off the floor when traveling from point A to point B. You may have to shoulder the burden of raking the shag rug twice a day yourself. Conversely, if you are the type of person who “gets around ” to wiping up a raw chicken–juice spill on the counter (for example, Sam), you should know that if you want to live with other humans, you need to surpass the hygiene standards of, say, the average fraternity-house bathroom. Fortunately, if you can compromise on the red hot–button subject of cleanliness, your marriage is unlikely to be thrown off course by comparatively less volatile topics, like politics, religion, and money.

2. If you’re irritated by your partner, imagine him as a small child. We know! You totally don’t want to try this! It sounds awful! (And maybe even not that much of a stretch.) But trust us—this is an amazing way to see him from a fresh angle. Here’s what to do: While your partner is puttering around and looking idle, imagine him at age five. Awww. Isn’t he adorable? And so smart! It’s easy to forget how appealing your spouse is when you are looking at him through a prism of all the chores that he has yet to accomplish (fixing the garage-door opener, booking the tree-removal service…we could go on).

3. No fisticuffs in public. Take this example: We were at a picnic with a group of friends when the wife of one of the couples present casually announced that she had bought their family a house. In another country. Without consulting the husband. He turned about 14 shades of red, and they began fighting at the top of their lungs. Cut to everyone else with their heads down, forensically examining their egg-salad sandwiches as though they contained the secrets of the human genome. You do not want to be That Couple Who Ruined the Otherwise Delightful Picnic.

4. Marry someone with a backbone who appreciates that you possess one of your own. That said, try to have bendy backbones if possible. Don’t attempt to win every argument and get your way all the time. Who could bear all that responsibility, anyway? Repeat this spouse-mollifying phrase after us: “Yes, honey, I will see the Transformers sequel on one of our precious and rare date nights. But on our next excursion, I get to choose a period piece featuring people in bonnets who churn their own butter.”

5. Procrastinate. Yes, we know things need to be done, but seriously. Put your BlackBerry away and stop worrying about the broken garage-door opener. Have dessert in lieu of dinner. Watch old John Hughes movies. Hold hands. There, aren’t they smoother than how you remembered them?

6. Have sex with each other. And if you can’t have sex with each other for some reason, let your spouse know that you are thinking about having sex with him and that you are looking forward to the next time you are both available for sex. Like, in 2012. Try sending a “sext”; apparently it’s all the rage.

7. Accept that everybody needs alone time. Sometimes your spouse needs to go to the bathroom for 45 minutes. Look, he’s not going to the bathroom the whole time; he’s trying to get away from you. And that’s OK. Maybe you’re being annoying. Sometimes you can be kind of annoying, you know.

8. If you have to fight, walk and fight. In our experience, arguments stem more from being cooped up together in tight quarters than from the issue at hand. Plus, getting fresh air is good for you, and it will give you more energy for No. 6. (Hey, everyone knows that makeup No. 6 is the best kind.)

9. Let your spouse in on 90 percent of your day-to-day routine. Save the other 10 percent for your bathroom time. Sam, for example, will never allow Jason to see her lurching to put on a pair of panty hose, and he never wishes for her to see him struggling to shave the back of his neck. It’s those small things that keep the mystery alive.

10. When you buy gifts for each other, give them at least a full minute of thought. Sam’s mother once gave her partner a giant meat grinder for Christmas so that he (an extremely reluctant cook) could make her tastier hamburgers. In our opinion, gifts that require someone to perform a household task don’t count as gifts. A present should convey the message “I love you, but most of all, I get you.” (Yes, that’s a tough sentiment to express with a big-box–store gift card. Ahem.) Like playing chess or figuring out Facebook privacy settings, delighting a longtime spouse is a genuine challenge—which (duh) is what makes it worth the effort.

First Birthday Extravaganza

Sawyer and Momma pre-party.

Enjoying the comfort of the A/C. Who knew it would be in the high 90s!

Chillin' at the water table with cousin Connor.

The water table was a popular place.

As was the jumpy house.

Pinata time. No wild swinging of bats here. Jason held the pinata while the kids pulled ribbons from the bottom to release the goodies.

Cupcake time.

Sawyer got his own cake. I think he likes the fire.

This is what happens while Momma is busy serving cake to the rest of the party.

The next morning, all smiles.

Happy 1st Birthday Sawyer!

Sawyer covered with cake and frosting. What you can't see is the brick of cake in his right hand that contributed to his messy smile.

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Ice Cream Celebration

Happy Boy with his treat last Saturday for doing you-know-what in the potty.

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It's the Great Pumpkin, Finnegan Brown

I'm proud to say that this is the second pumpkin in our pumpkin crop this year.

Finn LOVES pumpkins so the whole growing experience has been immensely exciting.

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Happy Birthday Big Daddy!

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Summer rain

Someone insisted on wearing his rainboots on our sunny Saturday afternoon walk.



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9 months

Sawyer is long and lean. 29 3/4 inches long and 18 lb 1 oz. Longer and lighter than Finn at this age.



Zonked out after a busy morning at the doctor's office and Momma's office.

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