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.

Halloween!

The most common view of Gwendolyn- whoops, I mean Ariel- on Halloween night.

















Seconds before the camera actually took this shot, my child was the most ethereal, beautiful mermaid you've ever seen.

















We met up with Ryan and James at the Clark's house to go trick or treating. Ryan had a tiger costume, and James was a bat with big eyebrows. It was a little hard to see his costume, until we asked him to show us his wings. Then he was absolutely adorable. This was our second house, and you can see Ryan was a little confused. But really, how many other times do you ring the doorbell and not go in?



There was this one, too, with a shot of the belly:


After we trick or treated all around a very long block, during which I managed to trip my daughter twice by stepping on her tail, we headed up to the Senkos' party. Gwen, I mean Ariel, threatened to fall asleep on the way there, but showed her true party colors once we arrived. MacKayla the princess was there, too.


Huh, the thumbnail of this shot looked so cute. Now it looks kind of... evil. I'm pretty sure no princesses were hurt during this photo.











And then they danced.













In the end, Gwen had to be dragged kicking and screaming away from the party, because both of her parents were exhausted. Gwen would've partied on, because if you ask her if she likes a party, she'd say, "Yes, Ariel dooz. Happy Halloween!"

Grandy and Gramps and the Train

My mom and Phil came up for the weekend. Gwennie's greeting? "Oh, Grandy. I missed you so much!" It was very sweet, and unfortunately, very quietly said from the back door, before her grandmother had even gotten out of the car. But there were lots of hugs and kisses to go around.

Gwen got Mom right to work in our garden.

Do you think these two like each other?

How about these two? That lion has many tales to tell.

We spent Friday on our regular Henry Cowell hike, and then I rushed off to the OB. Mom and Phil were going to take Gwen to ride her new trike in the park. (Riding the trike on our hill is not a good idea. In fact, a very very very bad idea.) However, Gwen chose that day to take one of her marathon naps. It's a good thing Grandy thinks she's cute when she's asleep.

The next day, Uncle Scot and Auntie Kathleen came over - that's always exciting in and of itself. Do you think these two like each other?

Two of the biggest goofballs I know.

We went to Roaring Camp and rode the train. Gwen was very excited, and promptly declared that Thomas himself was pulling the train. The rest of the family really enjoyed the scenery, but Gwen was a bit "Yeah, trees, big trees, seen them before." My kid has no idea that she's growing up in a tourist destination. ( see "regular hike in Henry Cowell.") She thinks everyone gets to look out their kitchen window and watch the deer, or chase raccoons off their deck. (That last one - she called her daddy in one night because the raccoons were too loud. There were four of them hanging in her wading pool underneath her window, the hoodlums.) Or stands out in their driveway at dusk to watch the bats swoop around.

Anyway... Mom and Gwen and I scooted around the farmers market and Safeway getting together a picnic lunch (and scoring an ollallie berry turnover, yum) which we ended up leaving in the garage as we drove away. But the train ride itself was loads of fun, and here are the pictures to prove it.

It was a wonderful visit, even if it was way too short. I wish San Diego weren't so far away.

Here's one last Gwendolyn shot, because my child, she is the adorable.

Glamor Girl

2009. The Summer of the Princess (or Ballerina) Dress.

Gwen got a bunch of beautiful hand-me-down dresses from Rachel and Karin, and she lived in them this summer. Getting her to put on a pair of shorts was a major undertaking. Over the months, it took me a bit to realize that I should take some pictures of her in them.

This one is her favorite.

The accessories are important, too - check out those shoes! And that scarf!

It's a Girl!

Update: No ultrasound pictures, but here's one of me and my girls.

The amnio results are in, and we have a healthy baby girl swimming around inside me. Her name is Julia Robin. Julia because we like the name, although we'll probably call her Julie. Robin for my grandfather Robert, who would've loved my little girls so much. He was so important in my life. When I told Grandma, she told me that Robin was her pet name for Papa when they first married, the way I call Jim Jamie. I hadn't known that, but it makes the name even more special.

I have another ultrasound next Wednesday - maybe I'll post one of those blurry shots. In the meantime, Julie's really started to move around. I've felt her for a while now, but mostly when I've been lying down still. Now she kicks me at odd moments throughout the day. This is the fun part, when I can really tell she's in there, and Hello! I'm not sick anymore! (I really really hope I haven't jinxed that.)

And one of Gwennie, who decided her baby had better ride in her belly, too.

What happened to August?

Another portrait of our budding artist

Yeah, see, I promised to update more often, and then I fell off the planet again. The thing is, we're slightly computer challenged at the moment (both our laptops died within a month) and photo/blog management has been an issue.

Other than that, August was a great month for us. Jim's back at work, and it looks like it may very well turn into something long-term. It's something indefinitely long-term right now, but still in "for the time being category." His employment coincided with my second trimester, which means that I am far more of a human being than just a big bundle of pregnancy symptoms. I actually feel pretty good most of the time, particularly in the past few weeks. And Gwen - well, Gwen's a happy little kid, bar the occasional meltdown and the fact that she hates to sleep.

Oh, and we're having a girl! The amnio (which was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be) came back, and we have another healthy little daughter. Jim and I are both thrilled, and we're just about set on a name. I'm going to post a belly picture soon. (Ok, so I'm little bummed around the edges not to be having a boy, because, you know, one of each and everything. But you know what? I would have been bummed around the edges not to be having another girl, because you know, look at the one we've got! This is why I didn't find out the last time. I like the possibilites. But knowing is fun, too.)

We've been spending a lot of time at
this little river beach this summer. (Well, it's called a river, but half the time I call it a creek, which Gwennie says this way "keeek") (I was packing-challenged this particular day, which is the only day I actually took pictures.) It's a great little spot for a picnic and wading. There are little tiny fishies to watch if you feel like sitting quietly to watch them, but mostly Gwen splashes around and digs. We were there as a family this day, but mostly we go with friends, and the mamas sit in the shade while the kids entertain themselves. Lots of butterflies and dragonflies and the occasional duck or helicopter. It's in the same park as out wedding, and they use the grass area for med-evacs and trainings and stuff.

This is Gwen posing for an early morning photo opp, one of the first times she's actually asked me to take her picture.

Me and my girl, in one of her favorite princess dresses.

Not necessarily the cutest picture ever, but this is Gwen in her favorite mermaid bathing suit. Her Auntie Kathleen gave it to her. Mermaids are very big in our house this summer. We were swimmin with Keidi and Adessa and Eliana and her family this day. Here are the little BFFs
afterwards.

It was so hot that weekend that we had to get out of the house on Saturday night. We went out to dinner, and then we drove down to the beach at sunset, where it was much cooler. Gwen thought that was magic. It was a perfect night for bonfires, and the beach was studded with them. The waves were beautiful in the moonlight, and the sand was nice and cool under out feet. Gwennie wandered all over, finding sea gull feathers and other treasures. It was a wonderful adventure, and we thought for sure it would wear our little night owl out. It was full dark when we left, and we figured that if we took the long way home, Gwen would fall asleep in the air conditioning and we could slide her into bed. Great idea, and would have worked, too, except Gwen had other ideas. The whole way home, she was singing at the top of her lungs."Wake up, sun! Wake up! Go to sleep, moon! Wake up, sun!"

She is nothing if not determined.

Last photo - the one that Jim calls "I'd rather fight than switch to Huggies."

Gwen had a literal run-in with a boy at the mall playground the other day, neither one of them looking where they were going, humongous bonk, mucho tears. His big ol' bean collided with Gwennie's cheek at just the right spot, and we've been watching the evolution of a shiner ever since. It's a nice yellowy green now.

And now the girl is yelling, Mama! Come down here! Play blocks with me! so I gotta go.

Where have we been?

Well, here. We actually don't go anywhere.

It's been a crazy summer, though, in a not-so-good way. Jim keeps coming soooo close to getting a job, but then - no job. I've been busy gestating, and whooboy. I'm much much better this go-round than the last time, but whooboy. I'm clearly starting to come out of the worst of it, though, so here I am again. I even cooked breakfast this morning! Yea me! And Jim is up for a job that would be great for him, so please hope/pray/send good energy our way.

But let's get right down to it, shall we? How, you ask, is Gwen?
Big. The girl is big, and she talks a mile a minute. She's very into Dora the Explorer, ballerinas, picnics, swimming, and princesses. She sings herself to sleep at night. Every dress she owns is a princess dress, and that's what she wants to wear (except this week. She's worn shorts 3 days in a row this week.) Her sandals, complete with flowers, are princess shoes, unless they're ballerina shoes.
And dancing. She's definitely into dancing, especially with her daddy. These pictures are from the last Aquarium trip. We were waiting to watch a play.

I just like this one. Because she's pretty.

Nobody puts Gwennie in a locker! Except, you know, Gwennie.

More updates to come, I promise.