November so Far

We went up to Scot and Kathleen's cabin (which is really a very nice house, but still - vacation home in the woods=cabin to me) to hang out with Uncle Ed last weekend. It was a long drive with plenty of traffic, but once we got there, it was nothing but relaxation.
Gwennie played with blocks.....

Scot and Uncle Ed played cribbage. I wanted in on that action, but the timing was never quite right. Which was fine. I'm over on the couch, hanging out with my belly-baby kicking the bejeebers out of me.
(Can I just say once more how much easier this pregnancy is than the last one? I was completely done traveling by this point with Gwen. Trips to the mall were too much for me to take. This time, I'm planning on Thanksgiving in Sacramento. And boy, I hope I haven't jinxed it.)
We didn't do anything huge or too exciting, but it was really great to see my uncle. I don't think I've gone this long without a trip to see the Rabago clan since I was travelling in 1990. I miss everyone. So just hanging out, checking out movie trailers on the Internet and playing cards was a real treat. One of my favorite things about the trip?

This. It isn't as if Gwen doesn't know Uncle Ed (he's been there from the day one, after all) but 11 months is a long time when you're not quite three. But she wasn't shy with him at all. He's "my uncle, and mama's uncle. He's my family!" and that's all she needed to know. She walked right up to him with her favorite Max and Ruby book (the beauty kit one, no less) and demanded he read it to her. Priceless look on his face for that!








She's a snugglebug, that girl.












Gwen loves to visit her Auntie Kathleen and Uncle Scot, because they're so silly.

The hardest part of the whole weekend for the girl was the trip home. There were lots of tears, and lots of requests to stop by the beach on the way. Clearly, we need some work in the geography department.







Luckily, the next day'snature class was at Natural Bridges. We took a hike, did our project, and visited the monarch butterflies. After the class, Gwen and I headed to the beach. The weather's been getting cooler, so I was careful to dress her warmly for the hike. Didn't do such a good job remembering clothes for the beach. And since she is newly enamored of the ocean itself, we stripped her down. We had a great time. It was sunny and beautiful, and somehow the ocean doesn't seem so chilly when the air's a bit cooler.

She's so pretty, my girl.















Other favorite Gwennie tricks, besides the "yes, she dooz!" phrase that pops up frequently:

-kissing, splodging and generally loving on her sister in my belly. She can't wait to meet her, and I can't wait to see the two of them together.

-Calling her Daddy her prince. Today, specifically, he is her Mermaid Prince, because she is Ariel. I am not allowed to call him anything else, and she corrects herself if she forgets.

-The Mermaid Prince just walked by, wondering which pajamas to put on her. She chased him down, yelling, I want to make my choice! Th'at's my opinionated little person.

-She's still shunning her bed in favor of a "nesty" on the floor - a king sized quilt that she wraps around herself.

-Baby Jaguar has become Baby Lion's big sister.


Ok, so go back and look at the pictures so far. Because the latest thing we did in November so far? Just this morning, in fact?



We got my baby her first real, more-than-bangs, haircut. Doesn't she look grown up? (And yes, I saved a ringlet.)

Autumn Catchup

...or, All the Cool Things We Did Whilst* Computer Challenged

We have been very seasonal this year, even as the weather has stayed very hot. (Ok, not today, and maybe not overall, but I am pregnant and a heat factory, and I want some days in the 60s, dangitall.) It's funny - summer's always been my favorite time of year, with the sun and fun and all the fruit, but as I get older, autumn's coming on a strong second.

In late September, it was a gazillion degrees out, and we went to a farm in Boulder Creek. Hey, Gwen! The bunnies are inside the cage!

We fed the goats (that's Adessa, because I got a decent picture of her) and picked Indian corn. That was Gwen's favorite part, I think, although she didn't understand why she couldn't eat it. Still tries to, some days.

Then we took a tractor ride to the pumpkin patch, which was Mama's favorite part, especially when we were sitting in the shade. You could either take an ear of corn or a pumpkin home, and a friend had given us some pumpkins already. So we just took a wander through the patch.

That weekend, we picked apples, again in the broiling sun. I had visions of getting all Laura Ingallsy and making applesauce (well, actually, both Mom and Papa made applesauce on a regular basis, so I didn't have to go back quite that far.) But the apple sauce apples were waaaay down a hill and did I mention the heat? So we stuck to the Red and Golden Delicious apples, which are not my favorites.

But man, Gwen loved picking them. I love this picture, scraggly hair and all.

Jim swears he's going to create a montage of all the shots of Gwen running away to show at her wedding.

Then we went over to the farm part, where Gwen played in the hay and we ate apple pie. On the way back, we stopped at the beach, and Gwen went into the water (willingly) for the first time. We had a blast and I almost lost a shoe and we all got splashed up to our knees. Gwen hasn't stopped asking to go back to the beach since.

I have a whole pumpkin post - the trip to the patch, and the carving - but that's for another day.

*I love that word.