2010 Photo-a-day Project

Day 365: Goodbye 2010, it's been fun!

2010-12-31T14:46:00.000-08:00

Well that's it! 365 photos to document 2010 as I saw it. I had a lot of fun with the project, and I hope you've enjoyed seeing the photos and hearing some of my thoughts about them. I'm taking 2011 off, but I'm sure I'll be back in 365 days!

Peace,
Tracy

Day 364: We love the Wii

2010-12-30T14:42:00.000-08:00

I got Dave a Wii for Christmas, but it's been fun for the whole family. Even Edward likes the sword-fighting game and the airplane flyover (which we're playing together here).

Day 363: Friends reunited

2010-12-29T14:40:00.000-08:00

Today we had a park play date with Elizabeth's friend from school last year, Lindsay. They go to different schools now, but still love to meet and play together. Unfortunately it was cold and wet, so we didn't stay long!

Day 362: Edward's current favorite bedtime companion

2010-12-28T14:36:00.000-08:00

Edward has very definite tastes about what accompanies him to sleep. He has a teddy that he attached to a few months ago. Then he added a model space shuttle and a couple of books. Now he's in love with this giant My Little Pony of Elizabeth's. At least it's softer than the space shuttle!

Day 361: Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!

2010-12-27T18:03:00.000-08:00

Today we went for a walk to the park to try out Edward's new scooter. He loved riding it, and of course they both had fun at the park. Okay, I had some fun too!

Day 360: Walking off all the chocolate!

2010-12-26T17:57:00.000-08:00

Tonight we did one of our Christmas traditions: a walk around the neighborhood to look at the lights. We usually go on Christmas Day, but it was raining yesterday. We load the kids into the wagon, snuggle them up in a blanket, then walk around to see all the houses that have been decorated. They always enjoy it, and so do I. It's a good way to work off some of the calories!

Day 359: Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T17:54:00.000-08:00

We've had a great day today. We went to mass, then came home and had some lunch. We hooked up with Mum and Dad on the web camera so they could watch the kids open their presents, then we opened all the rest. The kids loved everything they got. Elizabeth especially was very funny - everything she opened she said "It's just what I always wanted!"

Day 358: Hurry up Santa!

2010-12-24T17:49:00.000-08:00

The cookies and milk have been put out for Santa, with an apple for Rudolph. The new Christmas pajamas are on. Santa's progress has been followed on the NORAD site. All that's left to do is go to sleep!

Day 357: That should do it

2010-12-23T17:46:00.000-08:00

It took about two hours, but I got all the kids' presents wrapped tonight. The pile is about 50% bigger than last year. I think we overdid it a little. It will be wonderful to see their faces when they open them though.

Day 356: Building work complete

2010-12-22T23:59:00.000-08:00

Today Elizabeth and I decorated our gingerbread house. It was a kit, but we still had lots of fun doing it. Her favorite part is licking the icing off her fingers!

Day 355: Working hard on Daddy's Christmas card

2010-12-21T23:57:00.000-08:00

The kids made Christmas cards for Daddy today. Elizabeth did a nice drawing on hers, then added stickers and decorated it with glitter glue. Edward only wanted one marker. Note than he managed to mark his face in the process.

Day 354: Kishka's worn out from all the Christmas preparations

2010-12-20T23:56:00.000-08:00

Oh to be a cat.

Day 353: My pretty tree

2010-12-19T23:54:00.000-08:00

I really like how my Christmas tree looks at night when the room lights are off. I had trouble capturing that in a picture, but this is not bad.

Day 352: Christmas photo. Done.

2010-12-18T23:51:00.000-08:00

This is our annual Christmas photo. I do it myself, and we always sit in front of the tree. This is the photo I will put in all our Christmas cards this year. I really like how it turned out. Everyone is looking at the camera and smiling. Technically, Elizabeth took this, as she was holding the remote shutter release!

Side note - I got the dress Elizabeth is wearing from Goodwill for about $7 :)

Day 351: All Edward wants for Christmas is...

2010-12-17T23:50:00.000-08:00

The lament of parents everywhere - kids have more fun with empty boxes than with the expensive toys that come in them!

Day 350: MOMS Christmas Cookie Exchange. Yum!

2010-12-16T23:47:00.000-08:00

Tonight I went to a cookie exchange with the MOMS group. We got to meet some of the new members of the group who just completed their workshop, and they seem like a really nice group. Oh, and the cookies were delicious!

Day 349: Around Back!

2010-12-15T10:56:00.000-08:00

Tonight Elizabeth's school had their nativity show. It's called 'Around Back!' Last year she had one of the staring roles as a camel. This year her class was on at the beginning. They dressed in their 'jammies' and sung a couple of songs. It was very cute!

Day 348: Writing group Christmas party

2010-12-14T10:52:00.000-08:00

Tonight we had a little Christmas party at our writing group. We all brought some snacks to share, and just talked about general writing topics instead of critiquing work. It was a lot of fun, it's always nice to just hang out and chat. We decided to have one week each month where we do a writing challenge and have a more relaxed evening.

Day 347: Christmas gift for Elizabeth's teacher

2010-12-13T10:46:00.000-08:00

I am the room mom for Elizabeth's class this year, so it was my job to arrange a group Christmas gift for her teacher. We decided to go with gift cards, as most teachers seem to appreciate them. I got a selection from different places, and put them on this cute mini tree. I also had a tree ornament made at zazzle.com with a picture of the class on. Miss Holly seemed very pleased with it all.

Day 346: Christmas party with the RCIA team

2010-12-12T10:42:00.000-08:00

This evening the RCIA team leaders had a Christmas party. Dave came too, and we had a really good time. We had snacks and games, and lots of discussions about how to improve the RCIA program. We left the kids with my friend Monica who lives round the corner. It's the first time we've ever left them with a sitter (not counting my parents), but I wasn't really nervous. And they were fine, they had a great time playing with Monica's two boys!

Day 345: Our house, it is decked

2010-12-11T10:41:00.000-08:00

Dave put up our Christmas lights this afternoon. We got some new ones this year, but there's no way we could compete with some of the houses in our neighborhood!

Day 344: Christmas gift book exchange at school

2010-12-10T10:34:00.000-08:00

I co-oped in Elizabeth's class again today, and we had a really fun day. We had a birthday party for Jesus! I helped the kids make crowns with His name on, then decorate cookies with whipped cream and sprinkles. After we had eaten the cookies the kids exchanged books they had bought each other, and we ended the day with Chapel.

Day 343: Christmas chaos

2010-12-09T10:31:00.000-08:00

We have a nice collection of Christmas toys that only come out at this time of year, and they are always a big hit.

Day 342: Happy Feast of the Immaculate Conception

2010-12-08T10:23:00.000-08:00

Today is the feast of the Immaculate Conception. It is a Holy Day of Obligation, so we went to Mass this evening. Many people think the Immaculate Conception refers to the virgin Mary becoming pregnant, but it isn't. Mary's miraculous pregnancy is known as The Incarnation. When Mary herself was conceived, God protected her from the stain of Original Sin, in order that she would be the perfect, immaculate vessel for His Son. That is the Immaculate Conception.

This is a statue I was given for my baptism.

Day 341: Decking the halls

2010-12-07T10:21:00.000-08:00

No school today, so we decorated the tree. This is the first year I've let the kids do it all by themselves. They had a great time, and actually did a pretty good job!

Day 340: Busted! For loving Oreos way too much.

2010-12-06T10:20:00.000-08:00

This is what cameras were invented for.

Day 339: Breakfast with Santa

2010-12-05T10:17:00.000-08:00

This morning we had breakfast with Santa. The Knights of Columbus organized it. We popped in before Mass, and had our photo taken with Santa. Elizabeth gave him a great big hug, but Edward didn't want to get too close. Oh, and what does Santa like for breakfast? Pancakes.

Day 338: Pleasanton Holiday Parade

2010-12-04T10:10:00.000-08:00

Tonight was the annual Pleasanton Downtown Holiday Parade. We got there in time to get a good vantage point, and we took our deck chairs so we wouldn't have to sit on the sidewalk. We dressed nice and warmly (last year we were freezing!), but this year was much warmer. Both the kids enjoyed the parade, especially Santa on the fire truck! Afterward we watched him throw the switch the light the Christmas tree lights.

Day 337: Sweep, boy, sweep!

2010-12-03T10:08:00.000-08:00

Dave started clearing up the backyard today, and of course Edward wanted to help. He actually seemed to be helping rather than making more mess for a change!

Day 336: The Trolls are taking over

2010-12-02T10:05:00.000-08:00

Mum got these in Goodwill when she was here last month (she collects them), but didn't have room in her suitcase to take them home, so she gave them to Elizabeth. I remember having some of these when I was little. The seem to be having a resurgence.

Day 335: Dashing thru the snow...

2010-12-01T10:04:00.000-08:00

I spotted this on my walk today. There are lots of Christmas decorations going up now, but this is one of the nicest I've seen so far. The kids love it too, and ask to drive past it on the way home from school each day.

Day 334: Let's get the celebrating started!

2010-11-30T10:01:00.000-08:00

We went to Wal-Mart today to get a few things, and Elizabeth saw this CD and wanted to get it. She's suddenly developed a love for Phineas and Ferb, and this CD is quite fun. We have it on in the car to help us get into the Christmas spirit.

Day 333: I did it!

2010-11-29T09:57:00.000-08:00

I finished my NaNoWriMo novel on Thanksgiving evening. I'm pleased that I finished, but I'm not happy with the way the story turned out. I still like the idea, I still think it has potential, but I don't think I'll be doing any editing on this version of it. Finishing another 50,000 word novel is still a great feeling though!

Day 332: Au revoir Mum and Dad

2010-11-28T09:55:00.000-08:00

Today Mum and Dad flew home. We dropped them off at the airport for their eleven hour journey. It was a little sad, as always, but I know they'll be back soon. The kids dealt with it very well, although the goodbye presents Mum and Dad got them probably helped!

Day 331: Train of Lights

2010-11-27T09:49:00.000-08:00

Today we took our annual Christmas ride on the Train of Lights. The Niles Canyon Railway decorates a train each year with hundreds of Christmas lights, and you get a visit from Santa while you're riding it. The kids always love it. Well, Edward was a little scared at first, but once we got going he soon calmed down and had a great time. This year we took the earlier train, which leaves in the daylight and returns in the dark, so we got the best of both worlds - we saw the passing scenery while it was still light, then saw the magic of all the lights when it got dark.

Day 330: Children's Discovery Museum

2010-11-26T09:46:00.000-08:00

We took a trip to San Jose today to visit the Children's Discovery Museum. When we arrived the place had been evacuated and was surrounded by fire trucks, which was exciting. We didn't have to wait long until it was reopened though, and the kids had lots of fun playing on all the exhibits.

Day 329: Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T11:34:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! Today we celebrated in the usual way. We watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, then the National Dog Show, then stuffed ourselves with turkey. Dave did all the cooking as usual, and it was delicious as always. He also made the centerpiece, with a little help from Elizabeth and Edward.

Day 328: Watercolor art exhibit

2010-11-24T11:30:00.000-08:00

Today we went to see a watercolor art exhibit at the Firehouse Arts Center, the same place we went to see James and the Giant Peach a few weeks ago. My mum is a painter, and I thought she would enjoy it. There were some lovely paintings there, very expensive! I didn't take my camera because I didn't think we would be allowed to take pictures, but they said it was fine as long as we didn't use the flash. So I took a few with my phone camera.

Day 327: Online fun with Grandad

2010-11-23T11:28:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth and Grandad are playing kid games online. I'm not sure who is enjoying it more!

Day 326: Safari West

2010-11-22T11:19:00.000-08:00

Today we took a trip to Safari West. It's a small safari park about two hours drive from here. We were all really looking forward to it. Unfortunately things didn't quite go as planned. First, it rained. There was only a 30% chance according to the forecast, but we got it. That wasn't terrible though, as we went prepared for rain. The worse thing was, Edward refused to ride on the Jeep. Ever since I took him on a roller coaster in the summer, he has refused to ride on anything that remotely resembles one. He wouldn't even ride the train at the zoo last week, even though he loves trains. I tried to force him to stay on the Jeep until he got going, hoping that he would calm down once he realized it was just a car, but he was having such a fit I was asked to take him off.

So everyone else went off on the tour, and I took Edward back to the car. The tour was supposed to take 2 or 3 hours, so we went for a long drive. Edward took a nap, and I tried to calm down. When we got back we sat in the car and I did some writing for a little bit. Then we went to use the bathroom, and ran into the others who had just got back. They got very wet, and didn't see many exotic animals because of the rain. I was, however, able to get a refund for Edward's and my tickets, so not all was lost.

I took this photo while we were still waiting for the tour to start, before all the drama started. It was the closest I got to the animals. Oh well. Maybe next year.

Day 325: Watching the Steelers

2010-11-21T11:17:00.000-08:00

Edward and Dave watched the Steelers trounce the Raiders today, despite an obviously biased ref who had something against the Steelers. Dave gets quite caught up in the excitement, and then the kids start joining in, even though they don't know what's going on. It's cute.

Day 324: Fun with paper!

2010-11-20T11:14:00.000-08:00

This is a game I used to play with my brother and sister when I was little, and has now been passed on to the next generation. My dad gets hold of unused till rolls, which you unroll and then roll around in. It's amazing how much fun that can be! The more rolls you have, the better. We only had four, as Edward wanted to keep a couple for his 'treasure truck', but the kids still had lots of fun with it. Even us adults had a go :)

Day 323: School Thankful Feast

2010-11-19T11:13:00.000-08:00

Today Elizabeth's class had a Thankful Feast. Everyone brought some food, and all the family was invited. It was fun.

Day 322: It's too nice not to go for a walk!

2010-11-18T10:45:00.000-08:00

It was a beautiful day for a walk today. Not too hot or cold, and all the trees look amazing. I took this walking along the creek near Elizabeth's school.

Day 321: Knitting

2010-11-17T10:30:00.000-08:00

Mum is inspiring me to get my knitting out again. She's making a blanket out of different colored triangles.

Day 320: Oakland Zoo

2010-11-16T19:42:00.000-08:00

Today we took a trip to our local zoo. We go there most years, the kids always have a great time. And the weather was fantastic.

Day 319: TV addicts

2010-11-15T19:41:00.000-08:00

Never underestimate the power of the Backyardigans.

Day 318: Grandad's here!

2010-11-14T19:39:00.000-08:00

My Dad arrived today for a two week visit. It's been a year since he was last here, so it is really nice to have him here again. Once again I'm happy how quickly the kids took to him. They were fine with him right from the start. Yay for web cameras!

Day 317: Goodwill hunting

2010-11-13T19:36:00.000-08:00

Today we made one of our regular trips to the Valley to do some bargain hunting at the Goodwill stores in Cupertino, Moutain View and Sunnyvale. We all came home with armfuls of goodies.

Day 316: Look what I made in school today :)

2010-11-12T19:32:00.000-08:00

I co-oped in Elizabeth's class again today, and this is the project I was working on with the kids this time. I got to make one myself to figure out the process. We made them by placing some leaves on some wax paper, sprinkling some crumbled crayon over them, covering them with another piece of wax paper, then ironing the whole thing to melt the crayon. It's a very cool effect!

Day 315: Walking, riding and scooting

2010-11-11T19:28:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth had the day off school today for Veteran's Day, so we went for a walk around the neighborhood. Elizabeth took her scooter out on the streets for the first time, and had a great time. And we saw a fire truck in the Lucky parking lot so Edward was happy too.

Day 314: Pretty

2010-11-10T19:27:00.000-08:00

This is how most of the streets look at the moment. So pretty.

Day 313: My latest project

2010-11-09T19:24:00.000-08:00

Mum is working on a knitting project, and it inspired me to dig out my own knitting project. I started this years ago when I was still living in England, and haven't done any work on it for a couple of years now. It's quite relaxing though, so I'm going to pick it up again. It's going to be a blanket of some sort :)

Day 312: Mum's here again :)

2010-11-08T19:22:00.000-08:00

Mum's back for another visit. Dad will be here too in a week. I'm always so happy to see how affectionate the kids are with her. They see her quite often on the web camera, and it really seems to make a difference. They both ran up to her and gave her a big hug at the airport, and were immediately perfectly at ease with her.

Day 311: RCIA team

2010-11-07T19:17:00.000-08:00

Today we had nine new people go through the Rite of Acceptance and join the RCIA team. Afterward I took head shots of the entire group that will be posted on boards outside both the churches in the run up to Easter. They all came out really well. I also took this group shot of the other team leaders and me.

Day 310: It's never too early for the Polar Express

2010-11-06T19:14:00.000-07:00

Edward is still crazy about trains, so I put The Polar Express on for him today. He loves it. Between you and me, so do I, which is why I don't mind watching it this far in advance of Christmas!

Day 309: The leaves are turning

2010-11-05T19:11:00.000-07:00

I love this time of year. The colors of the trees are so beautiful. Time to break out the polarizing filter!

Day 308: "A present for you Mommy"

2010-11-04T18:43:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth likes to give me little flowers as presents to keep in the car. This is the latest one. She's so cute.

Day 307: My novel has given me whiplash

2010-11-03T18:41:00.000-07:00

I've got a really stiff neck today. It started on Monday. Yesterday it felt a little better, but today I can hardly move it. I think it's from sitting and writing in long stretches in uncomfortable positions. I bought a reusable heating pad, but it's not helping much. I'm going to try and take a day off writing today and hope it's feeling better tomorrow.

Day 306: Birthday celebrations at our writing group

2010-11-02T18:38:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had cake at our writing group! Tom, the guy who started the group, turned 30, so we thought we should celebrate.

Day 305: A month of noveling madness begins!

2010-11-01T18:34:00.000-07:00

National Novel Writing Month began today. This is my fourth year attempting the challenge, but I've only succeeded once, in 2008. I'm very optimistic about this year though. I have a good plot and a good outline. I started writing at midnight last night, and wrote 2000 words in an hour before going to sleep. If I can keep that kind of pace up I should have no trouble finishing 50,000 words by November 30th.

Day 304: Trick or treat!

2010-10-31T18:29:00.000-07:00

This evening the kids went trick-or-treating. Elizabeth dressed as a Monarch butterfly, and Edward was Buzz Lightyear. Elizabeth chose her costume when she saw it in Target. Edward was going to be an astronaut, but his costume turned out to be too small. Fortunately Elizabeth's old Buzz costume fit him perfectly.

We went around the neighborhood with our next door neighbor, and they had lots of fun of course. Edward really got the hang of banging on the door and shouting 'Trick or treat!'. He also liked to run into people's houses. They did more houses than usual this year, and got loads of candy. When we got back all of our candy that we had left outside was gone, so we started giving away what the kids had just collected.

Day 303: Homemade Halloween decorations

2010-10-30T18:02:00.000-07:00

Dave made all these Halloween decorations himself. He made the web out of rope, and the spider and the Frankenstein heads he made last year out of Tria boxes. He's so creative.

Day 302: Pumpkin patching

2010-10-29T17:59:00.000-07:00

Dave had the day off today, so we visited our local pumpkin patch. We go there nearly every year. We don't buy our pumpkins there, as they are way too expensive, but it's fun to visit. They have rows and rows of pumpkins, plus rides for the kids and other fun stuff. It's a nice family trip, and we had fun. And the weather was nice too!

Day 301: Fresh and clean. And cold.

2010-10-28T17:56:00.000-07:00

Just out of the bath. It's a bit chilly today, so they were cold. They do look cute in their hooded towels though.

Day 300: Only 65 days to go!

2010-10-27T17:48:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how quickly this project has gone. It's been fun, but also a challenge. I'm thinking I'll do something a bit different next year, but I haven't decided quite what yet.

Day 299: Target. $2.50 each.

2010-10-26T17:44:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth is a big fan of Nutcrackers, so when I saw these in Target I bought a couple for her. I was going to put then away until Christmas, but she wanted to play with them right away.

Day 298: Edward's favorite game

2010-10-25T17:40:00.000-07:00

Edward's obsession with all kinds of vehicles continues. We have to set his train set up at least once a day, and he'll spend hours pushing the trains around the track.

Day 297: Here we go again

2010-10-24T21:18:00.000-07:00

The rain is back. It almost feels like it never went away. I took this shot with my cell phone through the windshield of the car while we were waiting at the grocery car. In case you can't tell, they're trees :)

Day 296: My current favorite perfume

2010-10-23T21:16:00.000-07:00

Another day where I forgot to take a picture until last thing at night. Since I didn't want my camera flash to disturb anybody, I looked for something in my bedroom to photograph. I liked the way the low lamp light came through this bottle of perfume, and it came out even better after I tweaked the colors and contrast in Photoshop.

Day 295: Getting ready for a big boy bed

2010-10-22T21:14:00.000-07:00

Edward has been very good about sleeping in his crib recently, so I decided to take the side off and turn it into a transitional bed for him. As you can see, he was quite pleased about it! We'll see how well he does at bedtime tonight.

Day 294: Must be a classic car rally this weekend

2010-10-21T21:12:00.000-07:00

I spotted this car on my way home from school today as I was waiting at a red light. We have a lot of classic car rallies at our local fairground, so I expect there is one coming up this weekend.

Day 293: Nuts

2010-10-20T21:11:00.000-07:00

Another little guy I spotted on one of my walks this week. I see a lot of squirrels, but again they usually move too fast to be photographed!

Day 292: Cavities be gone

2010-10-19T21:07:00.000-07:00

Today Elizabeth got her cavities filled. This is a picture of her playing in the waiting room. She was quite anxious about it, but she was very brave and did really well. They gave her a sedative to keep her calm, and she actually dozed off a few times during the treatment. Unfortunately, while her mouth was still numb afterwards she bit the inside of her cheek quite badly, and now it's very sore and swollen. Hopefully it will heal quickly.

Day 291: Butterfly

2010-10-18T21:05:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to get a photo of a butterfly for at least a year. Usually they don't stay still long enough for me to even get the camera up, but I spotted this guy on my walk today, and he was settling on the dandelions for short periods, so I was able to get a shot. I've cropped it as much as I can, but I wish I'd had my telephoto lens on so I could get a closer shot.

Day 290: Lily

2010-10-17T21:02:00.000-07:00

Just a macro shot of some Lilies we bought today.

Day 289: Theater trip

2010-10-16T19:56:00.000-07:00

Today we took the kids to see James and the Giant Peach at a new local theater. It was the first play they have seen, and they really enjoyed it. They were both very well behaved too. Elizabeth sat with her fingers in her ears a lot of the time, but it wasn't really loud. I think she was just a little nervous after our trip to see the Imagination Movers last year, which was really loud. She said she's like to go again to see another play, so I'll be checking to see what else is coming up.

Day 288: School visit to the pumpkin patch

2010-10-15T19:52:00.000-07:00

Today Elizabeth's class visited a local pumpkin patch. They got to feed some sheep and goats, listened to some stories, then picked out a pumpkin each. After a quick snack break they had time to play in the play area before we went home. Edward was able to come too, and they all had a great time. It was really hot, but that didn't seem to bother them, and I got lots of cute pictures. Elizabeth was glued to her BFF Ashley the whole time :)

Day 287: A little light reading

2010-10-14T19:42:00.000-07:00

I've just joined the team that leads the RCIA program in our church. RCIA is the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, a program for anyone who wants to join the Catholic Church. I went through the same program in 2002 when I became Catholic, culminating in my baptism at the Easter Vigil. I decided to join the team a couple of months ago when we had a ministry sign-up day at church, and I'm quite convinced I made the right decision. When I met with Fr William to discuss what my role will be, he told me he had been praying for another woman to join the team. Then, when I went to my first meeting last Sunday, I could feel the Holy Spirit guiding me and giving me the right words to say to the candidates.

We have about 12 people in the group at the moment, and 4 more should be joining next month. We meet twice a week, On Sundays after mass to discuss the readings for that week, and on Monday nights to talk about other topics they need to know about. There will be a retreat for the 4 new members in a couple of weeks, and I've been asked to share my story as I've been through the program quite recently. I'm looking forward to it.

Fr William lent me these books to guide me in my new role as a team leader. I think it's going to take me a while to get through them!

Day 286: Happy Feast of the Miracle of the Sun

2010-10-13T19:20:00.000-07:00

The Miracle of the Sun occurred at Fatima in Portugal on October 13th, 1917. Mary had been appearing to three shepherd children Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco, every month since May, and had promised there would be a sign on October 13th. The sun grew larger and larger in the sky, appearing to touch the earth. When the event was over, the ground and the people, who had been soaked with rain, were completely dry. Dave made this cake to help us celebrate. He put candles around the edge of the sun, and we recited the Hail Mary before blowing them out.

Day 285: Pink kitty

2010-10-12T19:15:00.000-07:00

Kishka came home today a slightly different color than usual. She has been rolling around in one of Elizabeth's chalk drawings outside. You can't quite see in this picture, but her head is pink too. I tried to brush it out but it wouldn't come off. I'm sure it will eventually.

Day 284: If you're going to do Halloween, do it right

2010-10-11T19:08:00.000-07:00

This is one of the houses I pass on my daily walk. They had the big spider up last year too, but I think the pumpkins are new. Both the kids love seeing this house, and there are more and more decorations going up each day as we get closer to Halloween.

Day 283: What's the date today?

2010-10-10T19:05:00.000-07:00

Every year when the day, month and year are the same it's fun to celebrate that fact. Only two more years left to do that though this century. This is just a shot of my computer screen.

Day 282: Daddy & Me soccer

2010-10-09T17:47:00.000-07:00

Edward had his second Daddy & Me soccer class this morning. Unfortunately he's not really into it. He HATES wearing his sneakers, and doesn't have much interest in kicking the ball. He would rather sit in the shade and play with the babies! I should have signed Elizabeth up, she really wants to play!

Day 281: Preschool pizzas

2010-10-08T17:43:00.000-07:00

Today was my second co-op at Elizabeth's school. We had a fun day. My main task was helping the kids make these pizzas (it's 'P' week). They had a great time making them. We cooked them and ate them for snack, and they were very tasty. After that we had chapel, which is always fun. Elizabeth was VERY vocal this time, shouting out all the answers before the questions had even been asked! At least she got them all right :)

Day 280: How to make a 5-year-old happy

2010-10-07T17:42:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth woke up with a sore neck this morning, and was quite upset about it by the time it was time to go to school, so I took her to the doctor to get it checked. The doctor was able to 'cure' her with a lollipop, so it looks like it was nothing. She was sad to have missed school though, so I made her this sandwich, which she loved.

Day 279: Tree Face

2010-10-06T17:40:00.000-07:00

I pass this tree every day on my walk, so I had to take a picture of it. I don't think it's for Halloween, I think it's there all the time. It makes me smile.

Day 278: Love

2010-10-05T17:38:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth and Edward were sitting nicely together watching a movie on the bed, but as soon as they saw the camera the started acting goofy. I told Elizabeth to give Edward a hug though, and got this cute picture.

Day 277: New walking hat

2010-10-04T17:37:00.000-07:00

I lost the baseball cap I usually wear when I go walking to keep the sun out of my eyes, so I had to get a new one. I actually wanted to get a nice straw one, but of course it is the wrong time of year for that. I spotted this one though, and thought it looked cute. It fits really well, and does the job.

Day 276: New BFF

2010-10-03T17:33:00.000-07:00

Today Elizabeth went to her friend Ashley's princess birthday party. She is her new best friend at school, and Elizabeth was the only person she invited from her class. Apparently they play together all the time in school, although I haven't seen it yet myself. She's a very nice girl, very smiley, and Elizabeth had lots of fun at the party. I think it's interesting that she has curly blond hair, just like Elizabeth's best friend from last year, Lindsay.

Day 275: How to celebrate your anniversary in style

2010-10-02T17:27:00.000-07:00

Today was Dave's and my 6th wedding anniversary. It coincided with the annual Leap Sandcastle Competition. We've never been before, but I really wanted to go, so we did. The weather in San Francisco was horrible - cold, windy and foggy, but we still had a good time. We met a friend there and spent about an hour on the beach checking out all the sandcastles. I took lots of photos, and I'll post a link when they're all uploaded. The kids weren't that interested in the sandcastles, but they had fun playing in the sand and the water (yes they wanted to go in the water, even though it was so cold!). Afterward we went to the Beach Chalet restaurant to have some food and warm up. It was a great way to spend our anniversary.

Day 274: The scent of England

2010-10-01T17:08:00.000-07:00

I pass these roses on my daily walk, and the scent really reminds me of England. I don't know why. I don't even know what species they are. It's very nice though.

Day 273: Sunny street

2010-09-30T17:03:00.000-07:00

I walked Edward up to the train tracks today, hoping to see a train go past. While we were waiting I took this picture of the street which looked very pretty with the light and shade. Unfortunately we never did see a train.

Day 272: Mugshots

2010-09-29T17:50:00.001-07:00

Dave's and Elizabeth's passports expire in about a month, so today we finally got around to getting new pictures taken so we could apply for new ones. We don't have any international travel planned right now, but it's good to be prepared!

Day 271: Record highs? We have a solution for that.

2010-09-28T17:45:00.000-07:00

The Bay Area is having record high temperatures at the moment. So it was great timing to have a play date with Elizabeth's friend Lindsay at their community pool. We could only stay for an hour, but they kids had lots of fun playing in the water, and I had a great time catching up with Liz. At her insistence, I even squeezed myself into my swimsuit and had a dip too. It was lovely!

Day 270: Daily walk

2010-09-27T17:38:00.000-07:00

I've started taking Edward for a walk in his stroller immediately after dropping Elizabeth off at school. It's a very nice area to walk around, and I have a good route worked out that takes me about 35 minutes at a good pace. We're having a bit of a heatwave at the moment though, so I only managed a shortened walk today. Edward loves riding in the stroller, although he likes to point out every single airplane, truck and car that he sees, which can get a little annoying!

Day 269: Ending the summer with a splash

2010-09-26T17:35:00.000-07:00

While I was out this morning, Dave filled up the inflatable pool, and when I got home he and the kids were having a great time in it. The water was rather cold though, and Edward didn't like that very much. It didn't stop him going in though, and they all had a lot of fun. Me? I opted to stay dry :)

Day 268: Backyard visitor

2010-09-25T17:32:00.000-07:00

I spotted this guy hanging out in a web in the backyard today, so I put on my macro lens and took some pictures. He was in a shady spot, and I couldn't be bothered to get my tripod out, so I had to use the flash, but I think it came out pretty well, especially after some fun editing in Adobe Camera Raw.

Day 267: Ice cream social

2010-09-24T17:28:00.000-07:00

This evening Elizabeth's school held an ice-cream social. There was free ice-cream, and a couple of bounce houses for the kids to play on. Elizabeth had a great time of course. I wanted to try and get a picture of the whole family eating ice-cream, but Edward spent the whole time playing in the playground. Elizabeth had fun playing with our neighbors Gabriel and Julian, and her new best friend at school, Ashley.

Day 266: Book club book

2010-09-23T14:11:00.000-07:00

Book club meeting tonight. This is the book we read. I LOVED it! It was very well written, and I found something interesting and useful in every chapter. I have lots of things to follow up on, and lots of little ways I want to change the way I do things. It's a very inspiring book, and I think I'll be turning to it again and again for many years to come. I highly recommend it!