Happy 2012!

Lunching outside on the last day of the year while waiting for baby brother. Happy new year fans!

Bi-Rite Creamery

After pasta at Delphina with Nanky and Pappa(Zoe loved the spaghetti and ate her own plus some of Lilia's and asked to come back soon for more) the girls were delighted to stay out late eating ice cream at Bi-Rite Creamery.

favorite Hannukah gift

Lilia also got a bike for Hannukah -a balance bike -but she hasn't wanted to go on it yet. Zoe loved riding her bike (with training wheels). She remarked that most people have to learn to ride a bike but she "just knew how right away."

sliding

artistes

winter fun

Happy Hannukah

Zoe and Lilia are very excited about the holiday season. We've been to a few holiday parties including a couple at friends' houses and our preschool Hannukah party. Now they are anxiously awaiting candles and gifts each night.

a close one

When the dentist asked Lilia what had happened to her tooth she replied "I fell down, I hurt my mouth, now it's all better and that was a close one!"

Academy of Sciences

Over winter break we had some time to see the fake snow and reindeer at the Academy of Sciences. This is probably the closest thing to real snow we're going to see this winter -though Zoe might make it to Wyoming.

Dickens Christmas Fair

We went to a great event where the Cow Palace (a huge convention hall) is turned into Victorian London. Zoe's favorite part of it was watching the candlemaker -she was truly transfixed. One of the women at the candle making shop missed her 2 year old granddaughter who lives in Texas and asked our permission to hug our 2 year old girl. We said it would be fine with us if Lilia was okay with it and much to my surprise Lilia loved being hugged by a stranger in period costume. Maybe she'll be an Historian like her mom. We also saw a really funny show where the performers spit chunks of banana into each others' mouths. Some people from the audience got to participate -fortunately banana-hating Jeff was not chosen. Zoe loved the very old-fashioned merry-go-round that was spun by a man who stood in the center. Shortly before we planned to leave the girls sat down on a bench to have a drink. Somehow Lilia slipped behind the bench and when we got her out her mouth was gushing with blood. The fair medic came and we discovered that she'd knocked a tooth loose. Now she's on a soft diet for the next two days (would you believe that she doesn't like chocolate pudding?) and we're hoping it firms up. Despite this scary moment when we were leaving the fair and met a chimney sweep with a bird on his shoulder Lilia asked if she could have the bird sit on her shoulder.

Nutcracker

Zoe and her friend Samantha loved The Nutcracker.

Sing-a-Long Sound of Music

Zoe and I had a great time at the sing-a-long Sound of Music at the Castro Theater complete with a costume contest beforehand. The most popular costume was Fredrick in his play clothes made out of curtains complete with Austrian-style suspenders -several grown men wore this costume. It was a lot of fun -you've gotta love San Francisco!

Gilroy Gardens

We broke up the drive home with a stop at Gilroy Gardens -a horticulture-themed amusement park.

we are very thankful

We had a great trip to LA for Thanksgiving and spent time with family and friends. Zoe and Lilia loved the dollhouse that Nanky restored and decorated for them.

Playland at the Conservancy of Flowers

We spent a rainy Sunday afternoon at the Conservancy of Flowers. They had a fun (and slightly creepy) Playland exhibit featuring old fair and amusement park items.

splish splash

hair sparkles

Zoe and Lilia love the colored sparkly hair gel that they get in their hair after hair cuts.

catching up on some work

Annie

Zoe and Lilia loved seeing a production of Annie with Zoe's friends Oliver and Sadie. Zoe has started a big trend in her class at school and now many of the kids are Annie-obsessed and they play Annie games every day. Zoe and Lilia love to play Annie also and recently went so far as to pour water all over the floor to clean it in their "It's a Hard Knocks Life" scene while I wasn't looking.

bookworms