ezra and us

Celebrating #5 @ Stern Grove

2010-04-27T15:13:00.000-07:00

How Time Flies and Sometimes Plays a Few Riffs

2010-03-17T21:23:00.000-07:00

Whoa! I just woke up today and looked at my little baby and, well, he is a giant, beautiful, strong, smart almost 5 year old boy bounding over tall shrubbery in a single bound, tackling a chord or two on his 'ax,' while preparing for his first year of school. How did this happen? I am pinching myself and it's not a dream. Heavens to Betsy.

2009-12-03T19:09:00.000-08:00

Garden Cuddles on a Warm SF Day

2009-09-10T19:19:00.000-07:00

Milestone...2 wheelin' pride...

2009-07-29T22:59:00.000-07:00

Birthday Bliss

2009-05-07T11:08:00.000-07:00

Po left this morning with lots of Ezra kisses and hugs and Ezra was left with lots of presents, lots of love and lots of good times to remember. Knowing that cognitive memory starts at this time, we are certain that he will fondly remember turning 4.

Birthday Bikes and Blessed Boys

2009-05-03T11:59:00.001-07:00

Boy is blessed. These past two weeks could not have gone more perfect for a little boy turning four years old. What started with a Bee Farm Birthday and a sleepover, has ended with bikes, a visit from Po, chocolate cake, pizza and a lone wolf.

Certainly there was the expected treats of a red-flamed Specialized bike in the kitchen when he woke up on his birthday. He received lots of goodies from his Grandma's and Aunties. His friends supplied him with games and books about doggy flatulence. After all, birthdays and presents are synonymous.

But, it was also those unexpected moments that were really special. Like when the upstairs neighbor and his teenage friends were sitting on the stoop with cardboard swords while Ezra and his pal Argus ate chocolate cake and sparred with the boys through the mail slot. When Ezra came running up to me saying, "there are pirates outside with real swords." I thought he was kidding. He wasn't. And, he was in little pirate heaven.

Or, the unexpected wolf sighting. While we ate pizza (for the 3rd time this week), a customer leashed up her wolf dog outside in perfect view of our table. "A wolf is outside keeping us safe, Mommy." And, we haven't stopped hearing about the wolf ever since.

I know that beyond all the gifts and chocolate treats he received this year, some how those little unexpected gifts will most likely be remembered. As well as his time with his beloved family members. Morning snuggles with his Po are always a highlight in E's world. Again, our little boy is undoubtedly blessed.

E's Mommies are unleashing their pup more and more as he begins to trust the world around him. Year 4 is huge in many respects. I am proud and utterly grateful he has been equipped with a helmet and an expected large dose of unconditional love.

Happy, Happy Birthday, Ezra!

Birthday Sleepover

2009-04-25T22:14:00.001-07:00

E was so happy to have his friend Remy all to himself. I think we will plan this kind of birthday celebration next year too.

The Celebrations Bee-gin

2009-04-22T11:13:00.001-07:00

Just a little bee birthday for our little bee.

Only a Month Away to the Big #4

2009-04-02T20:54:00.000-07:00

When you are almost 4 years old you strike a pose for pictures. (no joke...it's the pose he chose)

90 Days

2009-03-09T11:48:00.001-07:00

In 90 days or less we will know:

1. If we are still married.

2. How marriage will be defined in the state of California.

3. If a minority will run the risk of having rights taken away by a 50% of the vote.

4. If we will need to continue to march.

Freedom To Marry- Please Don't Divorce Us

2009-02-12T10:01:00.000-08:00

From the Courage Campaign/Regina Spektor:

"We, the undersigned, share President Barack Obama's view that "for too long, issues of LGBT rights have been exploited
by those seeking to divide us. It's time to move beyond
polarization and live up to our founding promise of equality by treating all our citizens with dignity and respect."

Yet, on December 19, 2008, Ken Starr and the Prop 8 Legal Defense Fund filed legal briefs defending the constitutionality
of Prop 8 and seeking to nullify the marriages of 18,000
devoted same-sex couples solemnized before Prop 8 passed.

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in this case on March 5, with a decision expected within 90 days. We, the undersigned, ask that the Court enforce the equality promised
to each of us by our constitution and invalidate Prop 8. So
doing will protect all loving, committed couples in California -– including the 18,000 who said "I do" last year –- and prevent
the initiative process from being a tool for stripping vulnerable minorities of precious constitutional rights.

As Americans who believe in the rule of law and fundamental civil rights, we know that Ken Starr and the Prop 8 Legal Defense Fund's shameful attempt to nullify equal protection
and all these bonded unions will be condemned in the eyes of
history. We know that, ultimately, love will prevail, no matter "

Please go to their site and sign this letter before Valentine's Day.

It's true...we've been little distracted

2009-01-27T18:59:00.000-08:00

Ezra would say that we were playing Hide and Seek, but life and certain online social networks have prevented us from posting.

To catch up and give you the 'nutshell' of our lives looks like this:

Since the holidays Ezra has made it through 3 successful weeks of preschool without chaos...it appears that may be coming to an end. So we are looking at other means for school next year. I heave a deep and hollow sigh.

Ezra went to the doctor yesterday and is 40 1/2 inches tall and 38 1/2 pounds. He is still a cuddle bug and talks endlessly about work. He was so amazing at the doctor he got a little ice cream treat after dinner.

Photos below are an awesome trip to the Symphony to see and listen to Peter and the Wolf narrated by Leonard Nimoy. As you can see from our seats, we were kind of behind the orchestra looking down into the pit. And, we were in the row directly in line with the French Horns....the instrument that represents the wolf who Ezra loves and adores and was for Halloween. We have come to terms with his empathy for the wolf.

Also, our garden is a growin'. The fava beans will be ready soon and we will have so much garlic come the Spring we will be making, um....lots of garlic recipes. Suggestions welcome. Ezra and his Mommy spend a lot of time out in the garden even when it is cold like it has been. Cuddles in the garden are the best.

Work

2009-01-07T10:17:00.000-08:00

For the last year or more, Ezra has been going to work. We never actually see him go, but he gives us constant updates and references about what he does at work, what he has at work, with whom he works (mostly Minna and Frog) and sometimes even the food he eats at work.

When we talk about a new place, he says, "Oh yeah. I've been there at my work." When it is time to eat vegetables, "I already had some at my work." "Minna likes to eat that at my work." He has adopted our old ipod as his cell phone, and can often be found having 'work conversations' on it. And the weird thing is, it really sounds like a work converation. "Yeah. Okay. I think it should go over there."

About a year ago I asked what kind of work he does, and he told me he is a teacher. Sweet boy, no?

Last week his friend Plum was over, and they were talking about work. I asked Plum if she works with Ezra, and she said, "No. My work is in China. And sometimes India."

When we ask Ezra where his work is, sometimes he points to Sutro Tower and says it is on one of the neighboring hills. And then after Christmas, we were driving down 7th Avenue toward the bridge, and Ezra pointed to a white apartment building and said, very nonchalantly, "Oh. There's my work." Jackie and I jumped in excitement and for a moment I almost turned the car in the direction of that building, thinking that we could go there and see his office.

But why work? Where is the fairy land or imaginary world kids his age generally invent? Sure, I understand that I go to work every day, so he knows it is a place that could very well be either imaginary or filled with fairies (unfortunately, of course, it is neither). I also know that since I don't come home miserable too often, work could be as pleasant as any imaginary world he might think of. But there is something about the change this represents, that I am somehow tainting childhood by allowing my 3 year old to have a career that makes me uncomfortable. Or maybe he is setting himself up for an adulthood in which work is joyful and fulfilling. Who knows.

Merry Holidays!

2008-12-25T16:21:00.001-08:00

Ezra Anecdotes

2008-12-04T20:19:00.000-08:00

Ezra said in response to listening to Peter and the Wolf and when the hunters emerge out of the forest,
"I will shoot them." (E has a hefty and healthy amount of empathy for the wolf)
"Hmmm," I said. "What is shooting?"(I wanted to hear E's version)
"I will shoot them with 'guns'." E said
I had to ask, of course, "How will you do that?"
E replies, "I will chew, chew, chew and blow the biggest bubble and it will pop on them and pow!" Many a hand gesture is flailing.
"I see, you will shoot them with your gum(s)." I said.
E shakes his head vigorously.

Another one of my favorites.....

"Sometimes it rains when I spit."

Baking and Making

2008-11-28T23:14:00.000-08:00

Repeal 8 - Nice to know we have such great friends, even if our statewide neighbors are still a little fuzzy on the whole civil rights thing.

2008-11-16T09:39:00.000-08:00

We feel so high maintenance. Our friends took on our wedding like it was their own, planning, consulting, cooking, cleaning, dreaming about our wedding. What we thought would be a carefree day was a lot of work and our friends worked their butts off on October 18, including our families. It was the most beautiful day I could have ever imagined and we have all been in a state of bliss/shock ever since. After our family left we all settled in for the most historical election of our time. We woke up on Wednesday morning with much excitement and with much sadness. We received phone calls and emails from friends expressing their sympathies as well as their glee about Obama. What California felt about our love and family, all in the name of religion, was a bit hard to swallow. This past Saturday, our friends came out in support again. They arrived early at our house. We made signs, we ate bagels, we marched outside to the train with signs that read, "My family loves your family." We made it down to the rally on a sweltering November day. We could hardly hear what the speakers were saying. Our kids were melting down. But, everyone stayed in support. They watched Ezra while Jess and I moved closer to listen to the speakers. We yelled. We cried.

Obviously we are feeling like rather lucky newlyweds. We are pretty high maintenance newlyweds that have pretty darn amazing people in our lives. We are immensely grateful for the gift of friendship that has been given to us. Despite what 52% of California thinks, I think god likes us quite lot.

We Are Still Married

2008-11-05T06:43:00.000-08:00

Check out the organized and peaceful protests springing up all over the State.

No matter what 52% of Californians may think, our family is strong, unique and bound by enormous love from our friends and family. If 52% of the people can change the constitution, then so be it. We will continue to teach love in our family and to never discriminate against anyone.

We have hope. An African American man is president. He mentioned us in his amazing speech. As Obama continues to do, he gives us that bit of hope. Yes we can.

As he quoted from Lincoln last night, “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. and it continues....The mystic cords of memory will swell when again touched as surely they will be by the better angels of our nature.”

In NYC last night, Nov. 13, 20K people showed up to protest the passing of Prop. H8 outside the Lincoln Center Mormon Temple. Photo by David Shankbone (flickr photostream).

The Big Bad Wolf Says You Better VOTE!

2008-11-02T09:28:00.000-08:00

....the role of the wolf is played this year by Ezra. Peter by Po, Cat by Momma, Grumpy Grandpa by Mommy.

No one wanted to be the duck. Bird flew the coop. Hunters in the forest....

Voters out on Tuesday. Vote No on Prop. 8. It is unfair and wrong!

3 million in 3 days?

2008-10-29T20:17:00.000-07:00

Yup, can you dig in your pockets just a little more? We can't have these hate ads dominating our airways discriminating against our families. They are appalling and just plain sad. I know it feels like we have given all we can give at this juncture, but we have until Friday. Equality for all!

We did!

2008-10-19T20:26:00.001-07:00

"The stars come up spinning every night,

Bewildered in love" Rumi

"As we were strolling through the “richer and older” end of our neighborhood with the kids yesterday and seeing all the “yes on 8” signs in the yards of the homophobic republicans, I couldn’t help but think that they might just change their minds if they were at your wedding. " Vote no on Prop. 8!

Old School New School

2008-10-08T21:01:00.000-07:00

A few weeks before E started his new school, we had a little graduation for the old school, The Chicken Coop, our family created co-op. The kids point of view in the photo is of their teacher, Olli, dressed in a brilliantly funny chicken costume, reading a book about a chicken named Lulu. This is the collective look that we all got to witness as we ran our little school. And, as they all venture to their new schools, they will always have the bond they created with one another, and the Moms will have a sense of pride for creating an environment for our babes in which they truly thrived.

Vow to Vote No

2008-09-22T18:41:00.000-07:00

After weeks of being in a wedding-planning haze I realized I hadn't posted on E's blog in a very long time. Well, there is so much going on in our family right now. But, more is going on in our Golden State that we should be concerning ourselves with. I couldn't resist to post this video on Ezra's blog. Afterall, it is a crucial issue for the basic rights of our fellow LGBT families. If you haven't given a little bit....$5 goes a long way ......
Equality for all is all it is.

p.s. No matter what happens in Nov., we will have a rockin' wedding, celebrating our 10 years together and the family that we've made. We are so proud and always will be no matter what.

Smart Cookie

2008-08-28T20:58:00.000-07:00

He uses the mouse. He's vacuuming as I blog. He knows how to use the to the cd player and plays "I want to be 'elated'" by the Sippy Cups over and over again. He cracks his own eggs, kneads dough and even uses the big potty to poop....

He is....Smart Cookie!

He took this picture on our digital SLR. He hasn't quite mastered the giant lense, adjusting the settings for low light and looking through the viewer....so that's why our pose is leaning a bit. But, we are certian he will be taking master pieces before long.

Not Ready

2008-08-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Ezra did something remarkable. I know, we are always saying he does remarkable things, and in fact, it's true. The boy does things worthy of remark just about all the time. He's three. They're like that.

But last weekend we spent the afternoon with his friend Argus, and they had their usual blast. Slides. Skate boards. Apples. Chasing. Jumping onto the couch in ways that make my neck twitch. So when Karen invited us to stay for dinner, we were absolutely game. And it was about then that Argus began his sleepover campaign. Not with Jackie and me, but with E. We were sure he wouldn't go for it, but some time after his third helping of orzo, Ezra said yes.

We let it pass because, well, Ezra still sleeps in our bed most of the night, so how on earth could he sleep in another bed at an entirely different house? With different parents? But he stuck with it. After at lest 20 "Are you sure?"s from us.

And so we left him there. In another house. AT NIGHT! We thought about going to a movie or something like that, but we assumed there'd be a call in an hour. And when we were finally able to lie down and had our phones turned up all the way and waited for the call, it never came. And I checked every hour until morning. We slept in no significant way.

At 7:30 Karen called to say E was still sleeping and to ask if we'd like to come for pancakes. So we did, and he was great, and we ate pancakes on the most surreal of mornings. What on earth was he thinking not needing us? What about the attachment parenting? Does this mean it worked? But which book tells us how to detach?

Our Giving Trees

2008-08-05T23:00:00.000-07:00

The giant pine in our backyard was removed last week. The lean was too great to fix and little too dangerous for our arborist. So down it came....only 14 years old.

Of course, Momma had a grand idea and took E to the hardware store to procure a new hammer, some nails and some goggles. E was going to hammer some nails into the stump of the tree.

He's been hammering for days now. He's had friends come over and hammer. He hammers in the morning, and yes, he hammers in the evening. He is, after all, a "worker man."
Worker Man takes breaks after much vigorous hammering. I have never seen him so calm. Ezra and the word calm are not necessarily synonymous.
In fact, after all the pent up hammering energy is released, he's down right giddy. He was thinking of ice cream here.
We have also been initiating our Orange Blossom tree with lots of little feet climbing on its trunk....
....and swinging on its branches.

In Need Of a Band Name......

2008-07-26T18:31:00.000-07:00

....we are already booking tour dates.

The Winner Takes it All.....

2008-07-20T17:56:00.000-07:00

...yes...the ABBA song is running through Ezra's Mommies' minds. I guess it could be Dancing Queen or, god forbid, S.O.S.. You are wondering why these songs are running through the minds of an ABBAless household or you are wondering why we have placed these said songs in your head and why would we do such a thing....well...

....it was date night. And, a very special one at that. Our cool babysitter was coming over to put E to bed while we saw a late show. Yup...a LATE show. Being at the movies after babe is in bed is a whole new world for these Mommies. It was our first. Imagine, two bug eyed parents running through the theater, giddy with excitement to the ticket window to purchase tickets for Dark Knight.

I know...you are asking,"you purchased them ahead of time, right"?

No.

We were those naive parents standing in a line with SOLD OUT flashing in our woeful eyes. What to do? Well, there was another movie at a time that would work and we would be home in time.....I think the conversation went like this,"Mamma Mia, Sure! We like musicals and after all we are getting married too."

We race each other up to the top floor (Momma took the elevator while Mommy took the excalator...it was a race. Mommy lost, but a darn good sport about it) and took our seats with popcorn and soda in hand for what would be the most interesting cultural events we have had in a very long time.

Mamma Mia! Holy Moly! We know we've have been out of commission for a while...but, we do believe we left Earth for about 2 hours.

First of all, as we settled in for the ride, Momma mentions to Mommy, "You know, I don't really like ABBA songs." Mommy shrugs it off and grabs the popcorn bag.

As the movie begins, and the first song is sung, we start to notice that the people next to us are singing along. People were laughing and clapping at every joke with much vigor. Meryl Streep flailed her body with much vigor. By the 8th song, the people next to us are still singing wildly as well as the people behind us and we are noticing that maybe we aren't so IN to this movie. We start searching the crowd and it appears we may be the only ones, but we hold each others hands and laugh till we cry at our situation. No one noticed....we hope....we are sure they thought we were enjoying the movie as much as they were. I think people stood up and started dancing at the closing credits....people were so into this movie. Sadly, we were not. We were virgins to being out late without Boy. Three whole years of movie theater deprivation....and, we so looked forward to it. And, I guess you can say we will never forget it.

We made it home after a glass of wine at our favorite neighborhood wine bar and a discussion about whether we know movie culture anymore and admitted to enjoying ourselves at least a little. Then as we pulled out the check book to pay our awesome babysitter, we did the math.

movie tickets + popcorn and soda + babysitter + a healing glass of wine = we will see Dark Knight on DVD.

A Weekend of Pride

2008-06-30T19:34:00.000-07:00

(Full disclosure - Jackie usually writes these posts, but today I am sneaking in with some pictures I just uploaded from my phone - Jessica)

I have to say that over the past five or so years, I have not been that excited about Pride or the parade that goes with it. But we did march a few years ago with Project Open Hand, and to have thousands of people clap for me for no reason at all, except that I was walking upright, was a pretty cool feeling. I guess I'm a sucker for recognition.

But this year, we decided to march with the Our Family/Colage contingents. We figured Ezra could use the applause and the connectedness.

It started like this:

Ezra started out on his scooter and soon learned to navigate around the tracks on Market Street. But he soon tired of that and just walked.

I think he found this boring until he realized that if he waved, people waved back. And if he combined the wave with a little scream and a wave of his sign (above), he was a kind of a hit with the crowds.

Our friends and 'allies' Viru and Plum met us for the march, and they were very convincing and supportive members of our family.

After a walk through the Mission and a good tapas meal, we headed to Bi-Rite Creamery.

He ate the whole thing. We were very proud. And nervous.

Fancy Schmancy

2008-06-28T13:05:00.001-07:00

Ezra's Mommies and Ezra himself got dressed up to celebrate our friends, Wayne and Franks's nuptials. Woohoo!
Momma sported a polka dot dress that David (at her side)stated, "If I were a woman, I would wear that dress." He made this statement in Italian. If you know our David....then you can only imagine the scene.
Mommy and Ezra were clad in their wedding finest.
But, the stars of the day were the beautiful and ever youthful Wayne and Frank. They too have been together for 10 years and were glowing grooms.

Congratulations you two! We are so happy for you!

Step On Up....

2008-06-25T18:51:00.000-07:00

Get your tickets here for the train to Wedding Land. Scheduled arrival will be October 18. Everyone buckle in for a wild ride.

(Disclaimer: Mommies are allowed to be super silly and sometimes over the top during the next 4 months)

Big Basin Bound

2008-06-18T08:58:00.001-07:00

After schools ended, Ezra and his mommies had a couple of pajama days out on the hammock. We took pictures of each other and just relaxed. No place to be. Lunch for breakfast, breakfast for lunch.....structure was set aside.

This is a face of complete bliss.
But, we couldn't just sit around, so off to Big Basin we went for a little camping trip. These were the trees around our tent cabin.
Ezra discovered that we are but little ants in a Redwood forest. He climbed under....
.....and up and over these amazing trees. It was the ultimate climbing playground for Ezra.
And, when the sun set and the mosquitos forced us indoors, we read books and fell asleep while little critters visited us in the night (yikes). A group of Stellars Jay's took a liking to Ezra on day one. They hung around our camp and came very close to us to check us out. A raccoon came into our campsite one night and the Stellars Jay's squawked and circled the raccoon until he ran away. We think E might be a little animal spirit.

It Wasn't A Scooter Accident....

2008-06-03T14:53:00.000-07:00

E and Mommy have a conversation in the bath after a very long day. E says,"I fell down again." Mommy says, "Well, even the best climbers fall. You keep climbing, buddy. You are a really good climber and jumper." E says, "but, I hurt my head." Mommy says, "Yes, yes, it hurts sometimes when you fall down." Mommy adds," Well, I imagine that people will ask you about your face when they see it. What do you want to tell them?" E says, "I don't know (he really emphasizes his "t's"...so cute)." Mommy says,"You can tell them you were on a lion hunt." He gives a blank stare. Momma later says,"Tell them you were climbing Everest, the tallest, snow covered mountain in the world."

The next day E is asked several times about his wounds, and he replies, "I got snow on it."

Mommy and Momma look at each other and shake our heads with agreement.

Map of wounds:
Forehead wound: Forehead met sidewalk while jumping off of a structure.
Nose area: Nose also met sidewalk while jumping, but also met sand when climbing on slide.
Cheek: Good imprint of sand at Dolores Park playground underneath big slide.

Carnaval in San Francisco 2008

2008-05-27T14:57:00.000-07:00

Fat Tuesday and Lent are long past when Carnaval happens in San Francisco. Memorial Day weekend is when we celebrate our "letting go of the flesh." It's either dramatically foggy and cold or sunny and hot, but this year brought a little humidity and overcast skies. We found a nice spot on a curb on Mission Street.

As you can see, Ezra sparkled, clad in his festive outfit. He liked to drum along with the many drumming contingents.

The Friday prior, The Chicken Coop had its own parade. The parade route was simply out the door, up the street and back for snacktime (these kids are always hungry).

Fortunately a couple of neighbors came out to join in our revelry. They were so darn cute!

Now, back to the big parade. As we watched dancers, drummers, fancy cars and floats, occasional pieces and full packages of candy pelted us in the head and the heads of our curious children. Realizing that for the past 5 months we have attended at least two birthdays a month and have managed to indulge in only a minimal amount of sugary treats, which took much consideration and strategic planning by Mommy and Momma, we were caught having to think fast while kids scattered for Red Vines and Jolly Ranchers. While Ezra pulled and tugged on the packaging, Momma was able to trade the Jolly Rancher for a stick of cheese, stomp the hard candies into the ground, and save the Red Vines for after dinner (at which he chose a scoop of ice cream over the twizzlers). We were pretty successful making it only a moderately sugar filled day.

We asked him later what his favorite thing about Carnaval was....to which he replied, "The treat trucks!"

Good news on the Equal Marriage Front! If all goes as planned, we anticipate an Oct. celebration!

m.u.d.

2008-05-23T15:29:00.000-07:00

I Do!

2008-05-15T19:10:00.000-07:00

Today the California Supreme Court ruled that Ezra's Moms could actually get married. They said that the same-sex marriage ban violates the "fundamental constitutional right to form a family relationship."

In 30 days we can have a ceremony. In November opponents to this ruling will no doubt have a initiative on the ballot to change this historic victory. It may be short, but dammit, there's definitely going to be a big party this summer.

Ezra says that we should celebrate by pouring chocolate on our heads.....our ceremony is going to be very interesting.

Dude, Look At My Cool Room...

2008-05-12T17:51:00.001-07:00

Yup, what was once Momma and Mommy's Bedroom before we were Mommies, and then The Office, and for a time Grandma's Room, then The Cat's Room (and Storage for everything that doesn't quite fit anywhere)...is now Ezra's Room. He only naps in it for now. But, one day he may sleep in it through the night.

Dude!

...."and I am 3 years old, and this is my new scooter....

2008-05-01T16:39:00.000-07:00

.....and I have this helmet to match...it keeps me safe....and it's blue.....it's a nice day today....."

Our boy turned three this passed week and not only is he big and strong and beautiful, his verbal skills have vastly changed. He is now having conversations with people on the street. He tells them about his age and his birthday gifts. He tells them about the safety of his helmet and then comments on what a nice day it is. We are blown away. He's been talking a lot but not to random people. The shy gene might be disappearing.

Well, we have been celebrating and the cows have not come home yet. Whoa! Ezra's 3!

He ate lots of coconut cake with ginger snap ice cream.

And, he shared his moment with his pal Argus. His birthday was a blast and we missed those who were not able to be there with us. There was lots of dancing and lots of eating.

Ezra's Po broke the plastic rule and Hot Wheel Tracks are now part of E's toy assortment. No worries Po, you aren't fired. The joy on these little boys faces says it all.

And, since E had been reaping the many prizes for his birthday, he and his civic minded friends (and Parents) exercised their right to protest being sprayed with an icky pheromone for the Light Brown Apple Moth. Chicken Coop pals were at the Play Not Spray Play-In at the Civic Center on 4-28-2008. If you haven't heard about this, please read about it here. Sign the petition, call or write Schwarzeneggar and your Senators. There has to be a better way to take care of this issue other than spraying our kids and pets.

"What Happened?"

2008-04-04T21:00:00.001-07:00

I know some of you don't have little boys, or even little boys who are almost three. Some of you have already experienced this strange phenomenon that resembles a torrential river of emotions, or what some have decribed as the testosterone surge. We don't even have the excuse of it being a sugar high. When these waves of, um, sheer wackiness emerge, we often stand back and observe with eyebrows raised and heads cocked to one side (and, lucky for Mommy, a camera to document this event for posterity).

It all begins with a little of this.

And, then it swoops in like a tornado.

And, then there is a tensing of every muscle in the body....

And, then denial sets in. "What you talkin' 'bout Mommies."

No. He doesn't say that. But, he has been known after one of these bouts to say, "What happened?"

The Greatest Great Great Grandma Edie 1915-2008

2008-03-22T09:42:00.000-07:00

GGE is who she was to Ezra. She was, of course, Grandma to me, Mommy, since I was 18 years old.

When we met for the first time, she grabbed me and gave me such a squeeze. We had the same hands and we held them up together to gaze at their likeness. Her blue eyes were amazing to me. I mean, I am always a sucker for blue eyes, but hers were so warm and cozy. The fact that I didn't exist in her life for 18 years didn't seem to matter.

20 some odd years later, she welcomed Momma (before she was a Momma) into the family, sitting closely and talking to her, accepting my choice of who I could love. She never wavered from her love for me and she extended that love.

Then Ezra came. And, again with those big blue eyes, she filled our family with warmth like she did with all of her great grandchildren. Like she did with her great, great grandchildren.

I don't know if Ezra will remember her. I will show him photos and I will tell stories about her, hopefully in the poetic manner she told a story. But mostly, I will make sure her genuine warmth and acceptance will be valued and cherished in our family and our extended family for many more years to come.

The Adventures of Dragon and Giraffe

2008-03-07T11:11:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, Dragon and Giraffe flew through the ice cream clouds to "Burton's" house. Giraffe navigated; for his long neck lets him see far distances. We picked flowers in the garden, swam in the pool where a dinosaur lives, and went to a jungle were the monkeys swang on the tree branches. Dragon's special skill is making lots of pancakes for everyone with his super fire breathing abilities. We invited several friends over for pancakes and tea. Then we all took a nap.

Happy March and Lava Flows

2008-03-02T10:32:00.000-08:00

Happy March everyone. It's almost Spring. The plum blossoms are blooming. Sunny play dates at the playground. The birds are singing.

Boy is singing too.

......and lava flows on the Big Island?

Yikes! We are hoping Po has a great Spring without a remodeled back yard.

Earth Shadows and Bigger Boys

2008-02-22T09:49:00.000-08:00

I beleive Ezra would say Lunar Eclipses "rock." He would also say that older boys "rock" too. An exclamation that he has adopted from his Mommy, unfortunately. He even uses his little fist while saying it, thrusting it into the air as if he were at an arena concert.

He was getting his "dude boy" on the other night when we went searching for the Lunar Eclipse. We walked up several hills in our neighborhood, watching the moon duck in and out of the fog. We found a spot with a beautiful view that spanned from the city to Bernal Hill. We tried to blow away the fog but resorted to picking several daisies at a near by bush after feeling a bit dizzy from hyperventilation.

Then a Mom and her 12 year old son, Chucky, joined us at the daisy bush and we watched the partially eclipsed moon emerge from the haze together. Well, Chucky eclipsed the moon for Ezra. E was enamored. He danced around Chucky trying to get his attention and Chucky played along. Then we all danced Ring-Around-The-Rosie, the clouds shadowed the moon and we all headed home. We love our neighborhood.

Ezra is one lucky little guy, such as I have pointed out many times. We realize that he has such great men in his life. I don't know how we did it. We live far away from family. But, our male friends have become significant people in his life.

Here are just a few bigger boys in E's life that mean the world to him.

There is Po, who showers him with Happy Anytime gifts and good Po-Haku love.

There's Jeremy, whom E refers to as Daddy, in the universal sense.

There is Axel, whom E has known since birth, who always creates a magical space for E and his friends.

And, there is Viru, whom Ezra always calls first when he is pretending to use the telephone.

And, these are just a few. More bigger boys abound in his life. We just don't have the photos.
Boy looks pretty happy and balanced.
Moms are happy when boy is happy. And, we are grateful.

Gung Hay Fat Choy

2008-02-08T19:04:00.000-08:00

The Chicken Coop celebrated the Lunar New Year today. Happy New Year of the Rat!
These Roosters were perfect little Lions running around Noe Valley.

Playground Prowess

2008-02-07T13:51:00.000-08:00

I think the monkey bars will be next.

We Think Ezra May Prefer Warm Weather

2008-01-24T10:23:00.000-08:00

After we celebrated a beautiful holiday here at home with Grandma, we settled into the new year with a hike with some friends and a highly anticipated scheduled date to take Grandma back to her home in Bishop.

Meanwhile, Ezra and his pal Liko have a moment while reading the Family Book by Todd Parr. Ezra believes that "some families are loud." Ezra has single-handedly placed us into said category.

Then we rented a giant red minivan and we sped off to take Grandma home. While you are viewing this lovely scenery of the Sierra Nevadas, we would like you to imagine E, Grandma and two Moms winding our way through the snowy moutains at about 7500 feet. E subtly mentions his back hurts after drinking a pint of milk. E gives us a squeal to end all squeals and in the slowest of motion, he vomits. Mommy flies from the front seat to the back, Grandma is shielding herself from the milk-curdled projectiles and gives out a faint cry, while Momma rounds another curve as we reach the apex of Echo Summit. We settle ourselves in some driveway surrounded by about 4 feet of snow. We somehow clean up, using the snow to wash all the vomit clothes. We jump back in the foul smelling minivan and continue on our journey. Afterall, there were only 5 hours to go.

Did we mention how beautiful the snow was?

The next day, we bundled our bodies and headed out to have a different experience in the snow. Make a snowman and snowballs? Our cute snow boy lasted a total of 15 minutes and adamantly requested to head back down the mountain and go to a playground. We were more than happy to accomodate that request.

He was obviously happy to be back in moderate weather and at the playground. We're not sure if we'll be able to get him out in the snow anytime soon. I think we may have a beach boy (uh hmm...Po).

While at Grandma's house, Ezra found himself a baby to care for whom he named Zelia (snicker). We are working on our friend, Jeremy's, utopian vision.

When we returned home, our neighbors asked Ezra what he saw on the ground while at Grandma's and he replied, "A red van."

Grandma is happy and back in her home with lots of good people caring for her. We are adjusting to life without her for now. We are excited by the possibilities of spontaneously heading out of the city for the day, while at the same time experiencing a sadness because of the empty chair at our dinner table. Ezra enjoyed his Grandma very much. Although it was a difficult 6 months, we enjoyed her very much too.

Happy Holidays!

2007-12-13T16:49:00.000-08:00

We just finished a lovely Hannukah, eating lots of latkes and lighting many candles. Ezra learned the dreidel game, had a Hannukah party with his Chicken Coop buddies and learned many a Hannukah song. Although, after the lighting of the candles each night, he wanted to sing the Happy Birthday song and blow out the candles. So we did.

Next up is Soltice fun and lots of snow songs sung to Ezra's Po. And, then a Christmas party at Liko's house and then some caroling and a little Santa fun. Ezra is so excited to put surprises in the stockings and pretend to be Santa Claus with a big cappuccino foam beard (funny the references kids will make....You would never know that his Mommy drank many cappuccinos).

Grandma gets to spend Christmas with us and will try to keep warm in our drafty abode.
Momma will happily be on vacation soon and Mommy spends her days looking at preschools for next year and trying to get massage clients. Ezra is Ezra as you can see.

One Pox Too Many

2007-11-30T11:38:00.000-08:00

When we say pox, we mean just that, a pox.

Ezra had the Chicken Pox recently. Or so, we think he did. Yep, it appears that his Chicken Pox was probably the mildest case seen around in a long time. You may notice the remnants there on his left cheek just below his eye. One giant pox.

He had all the symptoms. He was definitely exposed. He broke out with other spots....but the other spots just faded away. The one on his face festered and did its pox thing. We attribute this mild case to our wonderful and smart Homeopath/MD who gave him a remedy when she found out he was exposed.

He seemed fine through the whole thing. The hardest part was keeping him away from others for the 3 week incubation period. Man, what a funky and sneaky illness.

So after our little boy was no longer contagious, Momma took him to see the Red Balloon; his first movie in a movie theater. After many questions while the movie played and a growing circle of empty seats surrounded them, he came home with a red balloon and the hope that other balloons would come and he would float up in the sky and into the clouds.

We are gearing up for Hannukah, Solstice and Christmas.....we hope this finds everyone well.

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T17:45:00.000-07:00

For weeks now, when asked what E wanted to be for Halloween, he would say, "a giraffe." His wish came true with the help of our local consignment store and some store credit. We scored the only 3T giraffe costume in sight.

We didn't foresee the growth spurt that had ensued. Here he is getting warmed up this morning, trick-or-treating with his classmates from the Chicken Coop on 24th Street. For several stops he would stand back and watch his friends say the magic words and receive the magic treats. This little, short-necked giraffe had to process every Halloween move, then........
He and his giraffe friends started loosening up.

....And by the 3/4 mark of the one block excursion, this giraffe was a pro.

....Then he discovered the pink lollipop.

You would think that it was all over at that point, but E tasted the lollipop and put it back into his bag and saved for the Halloween Fairy.

Yup, all the treats E collected today were for the Halloween Fairy. We came home tonight and took our pumpkin and blew out the candle after singing Happy Birthday to the Halloween Fairy. We then filled the pumpkin up with all the collected treats. And, tomorrow when E wakes up he will find that the fairy took all the candy and left him a special gift; a beautiful gourd shaker with a Dia De Los Muertes image on it. At least, that is what she told me.

Tomorrow we will build our altar for The Day Of The Dead. We have our marigolds and papel picados and one sugar skull.

For now, Happy Halloween!

Ezra and the Playground Pioneers

2007-10-12T15:20:00.000-07:00

E's in print again, this time in an article in Greater Good Magazine written by Jeremy Adam Smith, who is also one of the writers for Daddy Dialectic, and a dear friend. It's an article on parenting, which includes interviews with both Mommy and Momma. And, if we weren't involved enough with this article, Mommy contributed the photos. This is probably why you see E in 2 out of the 3 photographs printed.

He's awfully cute and a super lucky little guy to have all these cool people invested in his well being.

The First of Many

2007-10-03T20:20:00.000-07:00

We know how 2 1/2 year olds can have difficult times transitioning, but when a drumming loving toddler breaks his first mallet, it appears that the sun will no longer shine as it had before.

We were pretending to be the Timpani players to Beethoven's #9 and he was louder than thunder....and well, it happened. We saw the splinter fly, and then the mallet took its last bow.

We held the mallet in our hands while tears flowed and said our goodbyes and thank yous. It was a very sad moment. After much appreciation of the mallet, we were able to take its splintered body to the garbage for the final farewell.

And yes, you can bet we will be the first customers at the music store tomorrow.

Here he is in action....

Early Birds, Spanish Words and Peeps

2007-09-27T15:26:00.000-07:00

We have been moving at such a fast pace, we're not sure where to begin. First off, we've been waking up super early because E is going to school! Yup, our little chick has grown up and is attending a four family co-op created by all of us and affectionally named The Chicken Coop. The poem of the month is appropriately The Early Bird by Shel Silverstein.

Here he is on his first day. Oh, those sleepy eyes. But, check out that new backpack. We walked all the way to the bus stop, rode it for approximately 4 blocks and went to school.....

......where he began his day playing with play dough.

Then he and his pal Remy got to see their favorite Spanish Immersion teacher, Susy Dorn, in Palo Alto last weekend. She held a fundraiser/concert for the earthquake victims in Peru. He became rather shy when he met Susy again. If she only knew how much he has learned from her.

Remy and E have a moment while watching Susy.

Here he is with his pal and school mate, Argus.

This boy has developed such great friendships. There are a lot of constants in his life and we feel he is thriving from it. This boy of ours is growing in so many directions it's hard to keep up. We just know that we are constantly proud of him.

We Went Walkin' Way Down To Weno Nevada

2007-09-11T20:32:00.000-07:00

We thought our trip with Liko and family to the balloon races in Reno would mean Willy Was a Whale would be the road trip song of choice, but instead the boys discovered Yellow Submarine, which seems rather appropriate since the giant inflating balloons kind of had a 60's bubble-like animation to it.

We packed up the Big Car ( a seriously giant minivan that we all shamefully fell in love with) on Friday morning, gave Grandma and her caregiver a big hug and we went off to see the Big Balloons and indulged in a little vacation away from being caregivers ourselves. It was amazing, as you can see below. Ezra was both intrigued and freaked out about the hundreds of giant, brightly colored, firey, loud balloons that floated up to the sky with people attached in a little basket.

Ezra and Liko are still reenacting going up in a balloon. Liko's favorite was the eagle shaped balloon while Ezra's was the strawberry.

The boys had a blast as did the adults. Thanks Liko and family for inviting us along!

Gravel Pits, Shovels and Blue Notes

2007-09-03T19:08:00.000-07:00

Momma had the brilliant idea of a gravel pit. We realized that idea, planted a little garden with our boy's help, and now on these last lazy summer evenings, Momma gives E a little lesson on the trumpet in a kind of blue kind of way.

Happy September everyone!

Birthday Cakes Made of Sand

2007-08-16T13:33:00.000-07:00

So many people to celebrate! First, Welcome Zelia Gloria Curtiss born August 10th around 11:58pm. Momma was Argus's guide through a beautiful homebirth. Also, Happy Birthday to Zelia's Momma, Karen who spent the entire day in pre-labor and didn't get a chance to celebrate herself, so next year we propose a trip to a relaxing beach after Zelia's 1st birthday. And, of course, Happy birthday to Aunt Oona! Ezra continues to perfect his ability to use Mommy's cell phone unattended and will probably call you again in the near future. He may even have a new song to sing.

Meanwhile, we have made many birthday cakes in the sand and blown out many pretend candles for all of you! In between our sand creations we continue to spend lots of time at the playground. We are bundling up in this chilly month of August.

Ezra is beginning to understand how to push himself swinging. Here he gets a little help from Olli and a high five from Liko

And, a playground date isn't complete without chasing

And, look at this happy big brother. Argus is in bliss

Grandma is still with us and seems to be getting better. We've made many a sand cake for her as well.

Red Guitar

2007-08-07T17:52:00.000-07:00

Ukulele Rock Star

2007-08-02T17:39:00.000-07:00

We are consistently entertained with new songs from E on his ukulele. He would make Justin Roberts proud with this little medley.

Here he is practicing his stage dive after the grand ukulele stunt. The kid's already got moves.

To Love To Hold

2007-07-26T16:55:00.000-07:00

Boy is seriously obsessed with tennis these days. He plays with many versions of rackets, one of which is a bowling pin (he's very creative). Here he is at the beach with a badminton racket. We say he's already got some good form.

It seems that as the summer fog has rolled in so have many changes around the home front. Grandma is staying with us for the time being to do little convalescing which means getting out and over a bridge to find sun may not happen for a few more weeks. But, lucky for us, September is usually a very warm month and we will have to camp at least one more time before the rains and snotty noses come.

Ezra loves having his grandma here. We hope she feels the same way.

City Stars

2007-07-14T18:24:00.000-07:00

Ezra is a star and is in this weeks City Star's City Snapshots! He and his buddy Argus weren't sure what to think of the photographer as you can see in their expressions and Mommy decided to put Ezra's hair in a barrette that day to keep his hair out of his eyes. So I am sure people will assume he is a girl, which is not all that uncommon. The curls throw people a little.

Here he is again with his buddies Argus and Liko. These three are three snap peas in a cozy pod.

Sand, Sun, Work & Fun

2007-07-05T19:56:00.000-07:00

Ezra and family have been having such a wonderful summer. We've been busy with so many fun things. Mommy went back to work for a couple of weeks to her old work place, Project Open Hand, while Momma got to be a full time parent. It was a nice shift for the family, and Mommy had lots of fun seeing her old peeps at work. Good people, good organization. And, Momma was able to get some fun Ezra time in.

But, in between these little changes was lots and lots of water play. This boy has seen so many bodies of water in the past few weeks. No wonder his favorite song is Willy Was a Whale.

First, there was a day trip to Tomales Bay to Heart's Desire Beach. What a beautiful place. Plus, we got to eat a lot of cheese from Cowgirl Creamery.

When we returned, the San Francisco weather allowed us a backyard pool date with E's pal Remy (while Mommy was working and the weather turned cold, Momma brought the pool into the kitchen and had a indoor pool party.....Momma is so much more fun than Mommy sometimes).
Then there was bathtime with Liko. This was a super special treat. And, a little advertisement for Straus Family Creamery. Those yogurt containers make darn good bath buckets.
Then we took E camping on the full moon. We watched the moon rise, and Ezra slept in a tent for the first time. We also played a lot at the beach, and E loved to pretend the tide was chasing him. I have never seen the ocean make someone laugh so hard.
And, then we were fortunate enough to spend more time up at the Villa de Merz in Sonoma. The tempertures were record breaking, but who knew. We spent a lot of time in the pool.

I hope everyone else is having a fabulous summer too! Stay wet!

Welcome Sweet Anjeli and Happy Pride

2007-06-24T20:37:00.000-07:00

The sweetest little girl was born on June 10th, Anjeli Rhianna Looper! Congratulations to new big brother, Remy! And, of course the rest of the cute family! Ezra and Mommy got to meet her last week, and well, as you can see, it was love at first sight. Ezra was so very sweet and gentle with her. It still brings tears to our eyes when we tell the story.

Here is a picture of new Daddy, Malik, and Ezra at the May drum class.

And, Happy Pride everyone. We had a rather quiet weekend, but was proud nonetheless. Sorry to miss Oona and Sarah at the Dyke March. There is always next year.

School's Out For the Summer

2007-06-12T10:54:00.000-07:00

Lordy, lordy! Momma is home for the summer and we kicked it off by spending a weekend with our friends Betsy, Steve, Leila and Gus at the beautiful Villa De Merz in Sonoma.

We picked lots of berries and ate them right off the vine. Lots of them. Then Betsy baked us a beautiful cobbler for dessert! And, Leila made a fabulous Best Berry Blast smoothie!
Ezra and Gus had some fun pool time!
We chased lots of bubbles.
And, Ezra chased Leila.
But, the highlight of the weekend was a little drive Mommy and Ezra took on the John Deere. We sang the tractor song all the home! Which goes like this.....

Tractor, tractor you're so big
Tractor, tractor dig, dig, dig
On the street or on the farm
You bend your great big arm
Tractor, tractor you're so big
Tractor, tractor dig, dig, dig

Yup, this song is all the rage in Ezra's group of friends. Momma out did herself! The tune is the very familiar Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star or the ABC Song. We pick up the tempo quite a bit. Ezra wants to sing it even faster!

Thank you Betsy, Steve, Leila and Gus for such a wonderful weekend!

Hooked on Homophones

2007-06-03T19:37:00.000-07:00

After being cooped up at home with an ear infection for a couple of days and feeling pretty rotten, today Ezra's health and energy level were finally at top volume plus some! Mommy spent a good hour trying to get him down for a nap today when Momma had to intervene. He expressed his joy of good health by singing songs really fast and jumping on the bed and flailing himself atop Mommy, to which Momma exclaimed, "Ezra, you need to give Mommy a little peace." To which Ezra replied, "I want big peas."

This is actually a picture from when we were at the zoo for his birthday. He just has the perfect little crazy face that we witnessed today.

We all gave up on the nap and called it a day around 6pm this evening. It is currently peaceful. At least for the time being.(/div)

Sand and Sleep

2007-05-25T14:17:00.000-07:00

Ezra is becoming more and more interested in what other kids are doing at the playground.

Here he is negotiating a little play time with a couple of older girls in the sand box. Reactions varied.

Earlier that day.....

Mommy takes care of E's little buddy Remy on Wednesdays and can proudly say she has napped them together ONE time.

It obviously wasn't this day.

Birthday Presents

2007-05-18T10:27:00.001-07:00

Momma asked Ezra the other night what they should get Mommy for her birthday. He replied, "Front loader!" She asked again later and he gave the suggestion of a "Backhoe, Circles and Planets!"

It's Official....

2007-05-14T23:20:00.000-07:00

There isn't a cuter boy than this one.

Farmer's Market Bash

2007-05-12T14:34:00.000-07:00

After two weeks of celebration, I do believe E's birthday is over.

Say it isn't so!

Today we gathered a group of his toddler friends and converged upon our weekly Farmer's Market in Noe Valley. We made fruit and vegetable hats and distributed blow-outs. We bought strawberries from one farmer, snap peas from the next, oranges from another....and VOILA, we had a party going on.

Not to mention a great band was playing who sang Happy Birthday to Ezra. Thanks Quake City Jug Band!

E was pretty darn happy. Especially when the band sang "I've Been Working On The Railroad." And, also he was pretty happy because he probably ate a whole basket of strawberries on his own. Here he is, refusing to wear a fruit hat, but was definitely a strawberry in spirit on his fun day and maybe he will be a strawberry tomorrow too. hmmmm....

His friend Emiliano was broccoli. Emiliano danced his little heart out.

Plum was an apple by choice.

Ezra watched one of the musicians today play a stand-up bass and play the harmonica at the same time. Well, this needed to be tested out once we got home.

We're not sure if Ezra thinks that his birthday will always last two weeks. He probaby won't remember this at all. But, he does know the Happy Birthday song pretty darn well and is already singing it to his Mommies.

What a great couple of weeks!

A Big, Growly, Feathery Birthday at the Zoo

2007-05-08T15:01:00.000-07:00

As we mentioned before, Ezra spent his 2nd birthday at the zoo with his family and he is still talking about how much fun he had.
He got to clown around a little....tee hee
Here he is admiring the peacock from afar...then all of a sudden......
Wow! What a beautiful gift. You should also hear E's interpretation of a peacock. It's not for the faint ear.
Shortly after that a tiger growled a loud tiger growl. E said it was "scary". Here he is with Kobi. E adores his cousin Kobi and Kobi was so sweet to him.
But, E got to spend some quality time with his Po, and E has been in heaven. It has been great seeing their relationship grow. We Moms are so happy with our little family. Dare I say it again? Oh, I can't help it....this is one lucky little boy.

We have one more party this weekend in celebration of Ezra's 2nd year. Then it's time to celebrate Mommy and Momma's birthdays....I think I foresee May being a very fun month for years to come.

Happy Birthday Ezra!

2007-04-30T19:04:00.000-07:00

More photos will be posted soon, but we have this wonderful little video of E and his friends eating his strawberry short-birthday cake.

Ezra had the most amazing weekend. All of his favorite peeps came over on Saturday night and sent Ezra into his year #2 in style. And, on Sunday we ventured to the zoo where the peacock proudly fluffed his plumage and a tiger growled the loudest growl, wishing our boy a happy birthday.

It was really a perfect weekend. More later!

Drum Class

2007-04-26T15:27:00.000-07:00

Every third Saturday of the month E gets to meet up with his pal Remy and play a couple rhythms at James Henry's drum class. Here he is playing Remy's new djembe. Remy is up jamming with his Papa and Momma claps along. Thanks Isa for taking this cute video!

Big Birthday #2 Right Around The Corner

2007-04-23T15:35:00.000-07:00

....and one could not mistake that there is a special day coming soon because there have been special wishes arriving at our door on a daily basis.

A birthday wish and a special $20 bill from Australia! Thanks Gma Pat!

E woke from his nap today to a large, colorful tunnel in his play room, aka, our living room. Thanks Grandma Elizabeth!

I know we say this a lot, but this boy is one lucky little guy. And, we moms think we are kind of lucky too.

While he awaits his big day, he celebrates Jordy's 3rd birthday! Honestly, if all he got for his birthday were one of these party-blow-out thingies, he would be the happiest 2 year old on the face of this planet.

Ezra and Mommy

2007-04-15T22:37:00.000-07:00

Mommy finally stepped in front of the camera to have a moment captured with E.

This wonderful picture was taken by the lovely and talented Eve Allen while we were visiting Bishop this past week.

Side note: E survived an 11 hour car ride through the snow, the rain, the mountains and the cold desert.....sheesh.....he has seen it all. We did have to play lots of Find The Tractor games(there are lots of tractors out there people) and sing "If You're Happy And You Know It" about 70 times.

He also asks frequently, "What's that called?" This boy has a good, healthy curiosity and a serious obsession with tractors.

Cute Boy On The Right

2007-04-05T21:19:00.000-07:00

Who's that cute boy on the right?

Ezra enjoys a moment with his pal Remy.

The Music Continues

2007-03-24T10:09:00.000-07:00

Band practice is a weekly gig....clothing optional!

Top 5 Song Requests:
5. Willy Was a Whale
4. Itsy Bitsy Spider
3. Chinchilla
2. I've Been Working on the Railroad
1. "Momma's Songs" Compilation of, you guessed it, Momma's songs

How Grateful We Are For Our Cool Neighbors

2007-03-09T13:35:00.000-08:00

We aren't exactly the quiet types.

And, here's a completely unrelated photo that is just too cute to not post.

artClass!

2007-02-27T15:13:00.000-08:00

When we took E to his first day of art class we knew it was going to be a good thing. Paula, the teacher, bowled a big ball of purple play dough into his green tray and it was love. The hour continued in purple, the color of the day, and ended with a paint magic trick we continue to do to this day.

You put yellow paint in one hand and blue paint in the other, and then you smoosh the colors together in your hands and, voila, you get GREEN!

Paula took these pictures the first day of class for a future project. She was to develop only one but couldn't make up her mind which one she wanted for the project because they were all so darn cute. They speak for themselves.

Well, although art class is over, it still inspires. E continues to have art/play dates with his buddies Liko and Argus. These three are three peas in a pod.

This is their future album cover for when they form a rock band. Too cool for school.

Happy Valentine's Day

2007-02-14T14:35:00.000-08:00

Ezra has heart.

Happy heart Momma. Meet Mommy on 29th and.......

Since We've Been Home....

2007-02-07T19:43:00.000-08:00

Ezra is experimenting with his own personal style. Since he has learned his colors, dressing Ezra has become very, very interesting.

E is becoming fast friends with Burton during breakfast time. They both seem to enjoy toast.

He is becoming politically active in his community.

And, he is ALWAYS exhibiting rather creative ideas about what he likes to play with..eh hmmmmmmmm........

And, when he can't just choose one....he must choose them all...right?

Lots of fun here in SF. Ezra is taking an art class and loves the color green. And, he gives lots of kisses and sings songs. 21 months is a pretty great age!

xoxoxoxoox

The Grand Holiday Finale

2007-01-26T15:13:00.000-08:00

There are certain things that are of the utmost importance to share with your family. These things become family tradition as they say, or simply put, a happy ritual that makes you feel all giddy inside. For example, all these crazy holiday traditions that we have adopted. Well, it would be apropo that we finish our holiday trip introducing our son to our yearly indulgence to Joe and Pat's Pizza in Staten Island.

There is no pizza that compares to this tasty, thin crust treat, according to Momma who grew up eating this heavenly pie. Ezra has heard about this pie since the day he was born. In fact, if you ask Ezra who makes the pizza, he will tell you, "Joe and Pat." E already knows that a saucy, bready pie just isn't a pizza at all. The only pizza that suffices here in SF is at Delfina. And, there we shirk all tradition and order the ricotta and broccoli rabe pie so E gets his greens.

Anyway, making our way back to NYC from Asheville, Grandpa Oscar picked us up from the airport. It was nice to see him again, and since we only had this day left of our vacation, we wanted to make the best of it.
After relaxing a little at his apartment, we set out for the park. It was very cold that day, so we had to do some extra bundling up.

The sun sets, while E takes a swing. Grandpa watched while Momma had images of pizzas dancing in her head.

Finally we have THE pizza. Look how serious they are. This IS very serious stuff.

As Ezra says goodbye to everyone at the restaurant, we meet Joe. You know, Joe and Pat Joe....Of course, he asks, "Who makes the pizza?" to which E replies,"Joe and Pat!" Momma is so proud.

And, what a great ending to our trip. The following morning we catch a cab back to the airport. The cab driver has two kids, so we teach him the taxi song (Taxi, Taxi, riding in the back seat.....)And, he draws a picture of a dog for Ezra. Ezra named it Joe....

Just kidding...he named it Archie.

So happy to be home, but we miss everyone a lot.

Holiday in Asheville-Part2

2007-01-24T13:56:00.000-08:00

Well, After Grandma E outlasted all of us on New Years Eve, we brought in the New Year quietly and cozy. E woke up early and we watched the sunrise. On New Years Day we got to see an old friend from SF who now lives not far from Asheville. Jeff and Regina immediately bonded with E and Jeff and E played a little catch.
And, of course, Ezra maintained his oral hygeine while in Asheville....
And, we visited Asheville's Family Health and Science Museum where Ezra got to crawl through the Tunnel of Blood...now not many boys and girls can say they have crawled through a tunnel of blood.
And, sadly we said goodbye to Asheville and Grandma and made our way back to NYC to say our final goodbyes.

Holiday in Asheville-Part1

2007-01-24T13:26:00.000-08:00

We made it to Asheville on a little commuter plane the day before New Years Eve. E was on our laps the whole hour and a half and, again, was a trooper. It was rather surreal to come from a very crowded city, standing in hour long lines at the airport, and then arriving at this beautiful little airport where it was so quiet and still. I think we were still a little frenzied when grandma met us at the end of the escalator.

Then she drove us to her beautiful big house with a beautiful big yard in a beautiful little area in Asheville. Did I mention it was big and beautiful? When she pulled in her driveway, I think we all finally took a deep breath.

E fell asleep in the car and woke up on Grandma's bed. He was a little disoriented, but that all ended when lots of presents ended up on his lap. Grandma E was very generous.

E and Grandma spent a lot of time together. She read to him.

They played Leggos together.

They took a walk together.

They even played drums together.

Grandma was such a good sport about having E's new toys everywhere. He really enjoyed himself having lots of space to run around in. Grandma made us feel like we never wanted to leave. We all played a lot in the day and always had a nice meal together in the evening. Then when E was sleeping after a busy day, Grandma and the Moms pulled out the Boggle and played for a few hours before we all crashed. It was such a nice visit.

But wait, there is a Part 2 of this trip.

Stay tuned.

Holiday in NYC-Part 3

2007-01-15T14:20:00.000-08:00

NY wouldn't be complete without a trip to the Petrillo's. We were fortunate enough to see them a couple of times before we flew off to North Carolina. They made a lovely meal with some excellent apple crisp at their cozy abode and we met Thay for the first time, as did Thay, Aswad, De La and Maya meet Ezra for the first time.

Ezra took this cute pic of Thay and Aswad.

We saw them in the park the following cold day in the East Village. Thay and E were pretty darn cute together. We kicked around a ball or two with De La and hung out with the lovely Tiny and Maya who have grown into such amazing women. In the summer we all usually treat ourselves to a De Roberti's Ice, but our treat this winter was just to be together.

Look at this cute family all bundled and cozy. Momma and E both had fevers that day

Now, we are off to Asheville, North Carolina to see Grandma Elizabeth. Ezra hails us a taxi!

Holiday in NYC-Part 2

2007-01-08T14:43:00.000-08:00

It was an oddly festive morning as we entered SFO in a cab blaring Handel's Messiah, passing many colored lights and decorations. It felt like Christmas. E was so happy to be in his first cab. And, we moms were looking forward to a stiff cup of airport coffee to help us awake after a sleepless night. We were too excited to sleep.

It was getting close to 7am and E was in heaven watching all the planes land and take off. If he remembers this trip, he will remember the cab rides, the airplanes and the NYC fire trucks screaming down the road. He wasn't used to fire trucks actually in action. He was used to his neighborhood firefighters returning videos at the neighborhood video store and picking up a cup of joe at the neigborhood cafe. It was pretty startling for him to see his first fire truck turn a corner, honking its horn with sirens blaring and lights flashing. Now when he hears a siren he mimmicks it by saying, Nee Nah Nee Nah.

After a fairly uneventful flight, we arrived in NYC around 4pm on Christmas Eve. We completely missed the sun that day and bundled ourselves for what turned out to be some pretty mild New York weather. We hopped into cab #2 and found our way into Manhattan singing the Taxi song we learned from E's friend Lily.

E's Uncle E and Aunt H and cousins V &G were so kind to open up their space for us. There is no such thing as a large apartment in NYC, so letting a family of three stay with them for almost a week was pretty great, and we hope to repay the hospitality one day.

When we arrived, we settled in and decided to go out for a Christmas Eve walk. We ended up at this great light show in Union Sqare called Bright Lights by the artist Tord Boontje. Signature Boontje shapes were projected onto the ground, and when you stepped into a lit square, the images moved away from you. I have never seen E laugh so hard. He was making other people laugh because he was giggling so hard. He would run from lit square to lit square, and the images would scatter. Music played and created such a great ambience. It was a nice introduction to NYC for Ezra.

Christmas morning was beautiful, and E was overwhelmed by all the excitement. He adored his cousins and watched their every move. He also met his Grandpa Oscar for the first time. The entire day was very cozy and super fun for him. So many toys to play with. Yet, he only wanted to play catch with a balloon and pretend various stick-like objects were flutes. Easily entertained, our boy is.

Of course, like every other parent in NYC, we decided to take E to the Museum of Natural History the day after Christmas. Although it is was a grand mob scene, it was so much fun to watch E inspect the bones of dinosaurs and point to the birds in some diorama of some prehistoric creature. I think he thought the scenes were real. The crowds were worth it because we got to hang out a little with E's Aunt Cassie and his Uncle Noah.

NYC wouldn't be complete without a little New York style pizza. If this boy is particular about anything in his life, it will probably be his taste for pizza, instilled in him by his Momma. Thin crispy crust, fresh sauce, lightly seasoned with quality cheese. Oh, light on the cheese. Heck, he already practically orders his own bagel at the cafe. I am sure it will be pizza next.

More NYC later....

...And a Partridge in a Pear Tree-Part 1

2006-12-21T14:25:00.000-08:00

Wow! This has been such an amazing holiday season for E and his Moms. We celebrated Hannukkah with friends, met the jolly fat man in red, flew East for Christmas, and South for the New year, and here we are at home, recovering and grateful for all of our loved ones and our many adventures. So much generosisty was extended to our family this year. We feel pretty lucky. E has definitely learned what presents are. Lots of little wrapped boxes arrived in his lap through out these past three weeks. He now says "present" farely clearly. And, there are still more gifts coming his way. We thought we would start our many planned posts of the holidays with Hannukkah. Forgive the inability to rhyme. We are a bit jet lagged. Happy New Year Everyone!

On the first night of Hannukkah, my buddies gave to me:
A Thomas engine car, a spinning top, a hebrew alphabet set and lots of latkes to eat.
On the second night of Hannukkah, my aunties gave to me:
A pair of grammy jammies (thanks Charlotte), one Christmas book, a harmonica and one flute to toot(Thanks Christina! And yes, I insist on playing it upside down).

On the third night of Hannukkah, my Mommies gave to me:
One butterfly clicker, a puppet jungle glove and train tracks with cars that go coo coo.

On the fourth night of Hannukkah, my mommies gave to me:
A new Ezra bag that will house my playground snacks, my SIGG water bottle and spare hats and an extra pair of shoes.

On the fifth night of Hannukkah my mommies gave to me:
Lots of kisses under the snowflakes and cranes (ickcakes and canes)and bowl of Tom Yum Kai to ease our icky colds.

On the sixth night of Hannukkah, my Po gave to me:
A set of wooden blocks, the dot game of my dreams, a sharky bath toy, earplugs for my mommies and some really tasty Hawaiian shortbread treats (Thanks Po!).

On the seventh night of Hannukkah, my mommies gave to me:
A strum, strum on the big, big guitar.

On the eighth night of Hannukkah, I gave to my mommies:
30 straight days of pooping in the potty!

And then we packed our bags and flew off to NYC.....to be continued.

Gearing Up For the Holidays

2006-12-11T13:10:00.000-08:00

Our family continues to build onto our holiday traditions. We've maintained a few traditions from last year and have introduced a few more. We still have our green and orange stockings made from old sweaters. They are hanging up and have been accepting gifts all year 'round. Momma continues to push the boundries about when we actually give gifts. Apparently, this year we've introduced PRE-Hanukkah gifts. Gotta love her! Her ability to avoid traditional gift-giving Eves is uncanny and makes for lots of entertaining negotiation. We decided not to have a Christmas tree this year and have introduced snowflakes and oragami cranes to our holiday aesthetic. We went a little over the top and hung many snowflakes from the ceiling while E was napping last weekend. He loves them. And, calls them blohplaxk.....he's almost got it, right? ADDENDUM: The new pronunciation for snowflake is Ickcakes!

We will have a little Hannukah party on Friday, and E and his little friends will dance under the snowflakes (ickcakes)and eat latkes and light a candle and sing songs about, um, a winter wonderland clad with menorahs and dreidels and lit trees and giant, jolly, white-bearded men saying ho ho. Then we are off to NY and NC to see those that we love and miss and celebrate more cold winter nights together (the idea of cold may be a bit different than what we've been used to).

Oh yeah, latest interests that have developed for E are:
-moons, stars, and yes, snowflakes
-any form of guitar and drum and his new love, the harmonica
-taxis, trains, buses, garbage trucks
-bagels, bagels, bagels
-music by Justin Roberts
And, lately his favorite video is this one:

Happy snowflake and moon dreams, everyone.

Happy Teeth-Giving

2006-11-26T19:22:00.000-08:00

The two-year molars are on their way. They are poking through and after this we are done with teething.....right? He's obviously pretty proud of the current 16.

He's been flashing this beautiful smile to complete strangers lately.

And, occassional expressions of boredom. Or, it could be exhaustion, but us Moms have come to terms that this boy never gets tired. It seems that, as of late, the only expression on our faces is a giant yawn.

A Birthday Wish

2006-11-19T20:21:00.000-08:00

MinnoMinnoMinno

2006-11-15T15:06:00.000-08:00

We are having so much fun with our 18 month old. What a great age. Every day E learns something new and we moms are regularly grabbing our sides, roaring with laughter.

I mean, really, who could take a t-shirt and watering can and make it so funny? He's checking himself out in the mirror.
And, there's nothing like a good song sung naked in the entry way.
And, we will never get tired of his obsession with trying to draw the moon.

But our favorite new E song and dance is his love for this classic Sesame Street/Muppets skit, Manamana. He sings MinnoMinnoMinno and we sing the Do Dos. So cute, we can barely stand it.

Napa Fun and Cosmic Graffiti Artists

2006-11-07T15:13:00.000-08:00

After a great dance party at Pip Squeak a-go-go and checking out the great all-Dad-band, Timeouts, E was inspired and took his "deetar" to his Aunt Christina's house for a play date with Kobi and Cassidy.
Kobi pulls E and the guitar in the wagon.
Aunt Christina suggested the guitar may be his security blanket. We think she may be right.
He let go of the guitar long enough to play a game of "Bah." "Bah" is a game of fake falling....something E and his friends made up on their own.

It was great to see you all...let's do it again soon, and we promise not to bring quiche.

The week prior, we had the pleasure seeing our traveling lizard friends, Kellie, Greg and Zahra. We layed down three sheets of butcher paper in the kitchen and got out the crayons and let beautiful Zahra and E have at it.

It was great to see this beautiful family. We hope to see them again soon when they travel back through. E and Z get along famously.
Check out our graffiti a week later. Moons, planets and stars everywhere.

Happy Halloween

2006-10-31T21:39:00.000-08:00

The part of The Tiger was played this year by Ezra .....grrrrrrrrrr
Did you know that tigers howl at the moon? Well, this one does.
Looking for tiger treats.....
Since E's not yet eating bags of sugary treats, he gets "treated" to doggy kisses from the neighbor dog, Pronto.
Tiger trails to you.....

The Sweet Sounds of Ezra's House

2006-10-27T16:10:00.000-07:00

Momma gifted this drum to Ezra last Christmas. Look at our little guy here, just about 8 months old, singing a sweet song....something like, "ga ga."

Well, watch out people, the boy's got a different tune these days.

No commentary needed.

Happy Birthday to Po! This drum's for you.

Pumpkin Time of Year

2006-10-15T22:46:00.000-07:00

This will be Ezra's second pumpkin. But, this is the first one he picked out himself. Saturday we set out for a foggy Half Moon Bay, enduring heavy traffic to enjoy a little Pumpkin Harvest Festival at Arcata Farms. We found that E is quite a particular kind of guy about his pumpkins, amongst other things.....
First off, we had to take in all the orange.
We went through mazes of corn stalks to get to this one....The One.
Ezra and his pumpkin go on a wagon ride.
No, wait! No sitting, I wanna push!
And, heck, give me the keys! I might as well drive too!

Over The River and Through the Woods...

2006-10-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

To Grandmother's house we go....

Phew! 8+ hours both ways. Just E and Mommy. It was quite an adventure.

First, E was such a trooper. He would sit in the back reading his books (The Very Busy Spider, Trucks, Goodnight Gorilla) in between stops. Grandma lives on the other side of the Sierra Nevadas so we got to see some really beautiful sites on the way.

After treking through the mountains for 8 hours or so, traveling as high as 9000 feet, we made it to grandma's house all in one piece.

We had many adventures playing in the parks and in grandma's back yard.

We went to Laws Railroad Museum and rang the bell of Engine #9. He also got to sit in a little model car and pretend to drive it. Bells and steering wheels....a big, big deal.

We went for a hike up at South Lake where we were able to really hear an echo. We had a lot of fun screaming really loud to hear the echo bounce off the mountains. I am sure the black bears didn't appreciate it. All the way home when E would see mountain ranges he would yell, "echo." It was an amazing hike. All of the aspen trees were changing colors. It was gorgeous.

E got to play with his cousin Sierra. E was enamoured with her! She read books to him and chased him around the house until he fell asleep.

Although it was really hard at times missing Momma and all, we both had a great time creating our little rituals while away. For instance, Mommy would get coffee in the morning at Spellbinder Bookstore's little cafe, Black Sheep. We would sit and read books and E would run around the store greeting everyone that came in. "Hi!"

But, the highlight of the trip definitely was the utensil drawer at Grandma's house. For some reason, Grandma has about 15 spatulas. And, the day we left, I think each one of them were in different places inside and outside the house. Before collapsing into bed one night, there were three strategically placed on the bed. That was also the case for the cans of cat food. Grandma said there were a few cans of cat food hiding out in the rose garden. E likes to reorganize. The world according to E.

We are so happy to be home with Momma and Burton. Momma is refreshed from getting good sleep and time to herself. I think it took us about 5 minutes to wreck all of her hard work cleaning the house. Burton seemed adjusted and ready to deal with E chasing him around the house.

We celebrated yesterday by going to Crissy Field for probably one the last nice days of the year. It was perfect. So glad to have the family together again.

A Day Without E

2006-10-05T09:38:00.000-07:00

Normally Jackie writes our posts, but on Tuesday she took E on a mammoth car trip to go visit grandma. So this week has been quiet for me.

I have to admit, going to bed and not waking up until Burton wanted to see his food at 4:30 was a bit of a treat. Turning on the lights to shower was another. But coming home to a quiet and somewhat dreary apartment that looked just as I'd left it that morning was sad. No food under the table. No sand on the floor. No boy running through the place screaming 'NA NEE' at the top of his lungs. Sad. Grandma gets all the good stuff.

This morning before I went to work, I put on his Justin Roberts CD -- I Chalk, Meltdown, Maybe the Monster -- and jumped up and down for a while as I looked at the earlier posts in this blog. Too many days without E.

el cerdito para pee pee en el potty

2006-09-21T13:35:00.000-07:00

E's learning about trade these days. In his quest to become potty trained, for every pee pee in the potty we give him a sticker to put on the wall to mark his progress. But, sometimes the sticker does not end up on the wall.

We should have a wall filled with animales de la granja but we don't.

Farm animal stickers end up everywhere but, and ultimately in the mouth.

Hence the fate of el cerdito. Oink, oink.

E looks like the cat who ate the canary. Or, the piglet.

Potty training is on the up and up. Not perfect yet, but E looks us in the eye and signals when he has to go.....or when he is going....tee hee

What A Life This Boy Has

2006-09-06T13:19:00.000-07:00

If we aren't at the playground building sand castles, swinging on the tire swing or sliding down the slides....we are......
Wrestling on the bed!
Playing dress-up with our new fancy hats from grandma Elizabeth!
Hanging out with Lily and playing the "big blue ball" game (very serious game...will discuss at another time)!
Having band practice with bandmate, Remy!
Or dancing....especially when Momma Jess plays the Deetar (aka ukulele)

So Much to Catch Up On....Man, We're Long Winded

2006-08-15T19:36:00.000-07:00

Prepare yourself, we love to talk about our boy.

Well, it appears we are on the up and up over here. The Coxsackie virus did more traveling this year than we did. When E started feeling better we re-packed our bags and got the heck out of Dodge and went camping. Well, it was more like luxury camping at this great place called Costanoa. We got in on the "Full Moon Special" and enjoyed a few days exploring the tidepools and giving ourselves a little rest and relaxation. E met several wonderful older kids who took him under their wings and let him kick around their "offical" World Cup Soccer balls and chase them around the grounds. I think we developed lots of hope for our future. There are a lot of good little people populating this earth. Hopefully, they aren't populating the earth with Coxsackie as we write.

This place was just what we needed. We had a Swallow's nest outside our cabin, and E would watch it very intensely. By the time we were to leave, the baby swallows were poking their little heads out. The moon was a treat all nights. It was big and yellow and just amazing. Ezra saw lots of starfish and crabs at the tidepools. Of course, he preferred the rocks on the beach just above the Pigeon Point Lighthouse. We have a bag full of rocks that we'll turn into some form of holiday gift. Prepare yourselves.

We decided to go to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk on our way home, and I think we are still debating whether it was a good idea. It felt like way too much stimulation after being in our serene campground. Ezra loved the ride called Convoy. Yup, you guessed it, a ride that consisted of mini-semis that had Pepsi plastered on the sides. It went around a circle twice and there was a pretend steering wheel and horns to honk. After it ended he would repeatedly give us the ASL sign for "more." It was hard for him to understand that we had to get off and get in line again.

We hadn't been to the Boardwalk in a while and had forgotten they pipe in music throughout the park. At one point, The Pretenders "Don't Get Me Wrong" came on, and E stopped and danced. We couldn't resist stopping and dancing with him in the middle of the park. Heck, there is no pride when it comes to being a parent. We secretly hope that he will always be a free-spirit, dancing to every tune he hears anywhere and everywhere. We imagine it will be us Moms that will try to model this behavior, and Ezra will be yet another kid embarrassed of his crazy parents.

As we mentioned, Ezra is signing quite a bit. His Auntie Oona will be proud to know that he signs "all done," "thank you," "elephant" (sound effect included with that one), "shoes," and he is learning more each day. We think he will be able to sign "help" soon. And, yes, he is signing "more." The ulitmate usage of the "more" sign happened after Momma Jess finished playing a song on the ukulele, E then signed "more." Momma Jess feels she was paid the highest compliment ever. Our boy is pure sweetness.

Okay, one last tidbit about E. When we got back from camping, we didn't want the fun to end, so we went to the Discovery Museum and had such a great time, we are now members. This boy was *so* happy. There was this little exhibit of frogs where you pressed this button and bubbles came out of the frogs' mouths....and, good golly, it was like the most amazing thing ever. He kept running back, pushing the buttons, and yelling (We're not kidding about the yelling) BUBBOOOLES! He said "bubble" with such exuberance, we Moms were about to fall down laughing. This boy has passion. We only wish we had a sound bite of it. Here is a picture of him in mid-bubble.

We wish everyone a happy August. Bubbooools!

NYC Postponed

2006-08-05T14:25:00.000-07:00

Ah man, there is much sadness around here for a couple of reasons today. For starters, our little man is sick with Coxsackie. Yup....you read it correctly, Coxsackie. He doesn't have the sniffles or a cough. He has Coxsackie. It's not a major thing, but he is pretty irritable and refuses to eat. And, well, you've seen our boy. He rarely turns down the nosh.

We were to be jetsetters today, making our way to NYC to see family and friends. Some who have never met Ezra.

So much to be sad about. Ezra is playing some blues on his new Hilo ukulele. Yes, he calls it his "deetar." And, yes, he is singing the Coxsackie blues.

We send lots of kisses and hugs to you all back East. We all have really big pouty lips and heavy hearts right now.

Straws and Dot Games

2006-07-29T20:38:00.000-07:00

Phew! Back from a hot, hot trip to the Eastern Sierra Nevada to see some family. It was so great to see everyone and we should have pictures from it all soon. For now...we are home in the grand SF fog (highs of 70 degrees today) and having fun times. For instance, Ezra is learning to drink from a straw.
How fun it is to sip a yogurt and strawberry shake with a straw.

Apparently, there were moments of tartness.
But, he just kept going back for more.

And, Dear Po and Travis, here is a pick of E playing the dot game. It's still famously popular around here. For those of you who have never played the dot game, it consists of a lot pointing and pushing of the dots on the "dot couch" and saying "this one, this one, this one, this one." Or in E language, "deeta, deeta, deeta, deeta." Good times!

And, lastly, THANK YOU Grandma Pat for your birthday wishes. E loves his bear (his other Christmas bear went to Bishop with us) and thank you for the Australian update. Everyone looks great down under! XOXOXOXOX