Happy New Year 2012

Hi all,
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Hope you've all been able to enjoy time together to celebrate the birth of our Savior and also time with family and loved ones. We count ourselves as truly fortunate to be able to enjoy company in a warm house with good food and happy children!
Santa was good to us this year, Carson even remarking it was "like a dream" and Maggie continually crowing about her "lucky tooth", which came out on Christmas Eve! I wonder if the Tooth Fairy and Santa ran into each other..."strangers in the night...doo doo bi doo bi doo"...
















Highlights were Carson's Nintendo 3DS and Maggie's Ride on Pony, Butterscotch.

































After presents, we went out for a walk in Rancho San Antonio park, it was a beautiful day, and pretty much has been for the past 6 weeks or so! The lack of rain has begun to cause concern around here due to 1) lack of snow for skiing and 2) drought. But we still have time to get some storms so hopefully we'll catch up...





Then I made some seared foie gras as an appetizer and Annett made a delicous roast beef and popovers for dinner! MMMM!









The day after Christmas we packed up and headed for the Sierra, where we rented a ski house for a week. We had almost everyone in the family join us: Bob and Elisabeth, Julie and Shan, Mary Beth, Melissa, Chris, and Kylah. The house had a nice big dining room table we could all sit around, so that was the main highlight!





We did actually manage a couple half-days of skiing at nearby Heavenly Valley, although almost all the snow was man-made and eerily like East Coast skiing! But at least the weather and views were beautiful, and lines scarce!







The cousins had a great time playing together.











Due to the lack of snow for skiing, we took the opportunity to do some hiking, both near our ski house and also in the Desolation Wilderness near Emerald Bay.

Also, right out the door of the house and up the street about a quarter mile, there was a very pleasant fire road and trail heading up the hill toward Freel Peak (10,800 ft) and Star Lake. One afternoon I decided to see if I could make it to the lake and back in 3 hours. I think the distance was about 6 miles each way, but the sun set quickly and the snow covered the trail so I had to give up before finding the lake.



The views of Lake Tahoe in the evening light were beautiful!

And then I got to come home to a delicious Paella that Annett prepared for New Year's Eve!

Gingerbread houses were built.























Annett's birthday was Jan 6th so we celebrated with an Oma-made cake.

And finally, one of the biggest gifts for me (and hopefully the kids) was that the playhouse is (finally) finished! The weather continues to be absolutely gorgeous here, warm and sunny (but no rain or snow in the Sierra) and perfect for running around outside during the afternoons. We had friends over last week and the kids spent hours running around the back yard and enjoying the playhouse, which was decorated with Christmas lights and quite comfortable!

And Opa helped a ton with the rope bridge and hanging the tire swing!

Hope everyone's had a good start to 2012!

Thanksgiving and Low Tide

Hi all,
We had a great relatively relaxing long weekend, celebrating Thanksgiving with family and going on some small adventures as well! First, the clubhouse - I took Wednesday off and was able to get the walls and roof finished, so now the "only" tasks remaining are finishing the ladder to the trap door, fitting shutters and doors, installing the tire swing, and building the rope bridge.

Then Wednesday night we prepared for Thanksgiving, Annett brining Mr Turkey and I preparing some appetizers like fava bean spread, crostini, and some ahi tuna.

On Thanksgiving everyone arrived around midday, and we ate a delicious main meal of turkey, riesling and zinfandel, and various accoutrements.

Annett checking and basting the turkey

Starting out with a glass of dry mission grape rose

The "kid" table! Maggie, Carson, Kylah, and friend Sasha

The dinner table: Mary Beth, Joe, and Angela

Carson organized a tournament of Uno Attack...

...which he suspiciously won for the second year in a row...

Melissa and Chris

After the pie dance, the pies were served! Mmm!

The throngs in the sunset

On Friday evening, with about all the rest of the San Francisco Bay Area, we drove out to Half Moon Bay to witness a rare low tide - minus eight feet, which is apparently the lowest it's been in 8 years. We went to Pillar Point on a beautiful warm evening, and it was spectacular! Worth the wait in traffic, and half our neighborhood joined us!

Starfish and anemone lay stranded in the sea grass

You can see the shelf in the background.

The sun dipped below the horizon and the crescent moon and Venus became visible (upper left).

Carson's buddies Malik and Lizzy (and Maggie, of course)

 We stayed in Half Moon Bay for a nice sushi dinner, then headed back over the mountain to the Bay Area - the return trip taking half the time! But overall a great weekend!

Hope all is well out there with you! Christmas is right around the corner!

Pumpkins and Play Structures

The Super-Spy and Rapunzel

Hi all,

Happy Halloween! It was a beautiful evening here in Mountain View, with streams of kids parading around the block and the bright moon and Jupiter shining down. The kids got lots of candy and saw lots of friends in the neighborhood.

Carving

We spent Sunday afternoon carving pumpkins in the warm sunshine, then lit 'em up tonight!

Maggie and Mom's

We were joined by some of our friends from England, Martin and Angela and their kids Joe and Sasha, and we went out together.

Sorting Hat and the Cat

 One other minor project I've been working on in the back yard is the new play structure - it will be a spiral slide connected to a raised clubhouse by a rope-bridge, and a tire swing beneath. I am maybe halfway through, but the weather is still warm so I am holding out hope of finishing it before Thanksgiving! We'll see! Here are some construction pics:

Posts set in the ground, connecting the cross-beams

Adding climbing wall

Assembling the slide

Framing the clubhouse

Slide tower nearly complete!

OK, hope all is well!

Soccer Kickoff

Dribbling...

Hi all,

It was soccer kickoff this past weekend! Maggie's first year in U8 on the team called the "Blue Angels" and Carson is the big kid on the U10 Cobras, which I was persuaded into coaching.

He shoots...

...he scores! GOALLLL!

Halftime positions

 We had a good time, cheering on the girls - Carson was running down the sidelines near Maggie cheering them on, totally supportive. Our team did well, but lots to work on to improve.

Maggie practicing as keeper...

Drop kick!

Maggie breaks away down field!

 After the games I began construction of the new Trail Play Structure, which I hope will be done by the end of the month. It is an elevated clubhouse and spiral slide, tire swing, and suspension bridge. We warned the neighbor, as it will rise 14 feet into the air! Then on Monday we welcomed a friend from work into the neighborhood - he just bought a house down the street, so hopefully we'll start the carpool next week!OK take care all and hope you're enjoying the last of summer! Just a reminder you should be able to click on the images for a full-resolution picture.