Our Neighborhood Goats

A staring contest? Nope. Just the local goats.

It is summer once again, and the 'fire goats' are here to eat the hillsides of the Peninsula. The slopes are too steep to mow and there is the chance that a mower could cause a fire on the dry grasses. Enter your local goat. For Silicon Valley tech-minds, this is one concession they'll have to make!

Memorial Day in Lodi

We celebrated the day with Dan's cousins, John and Steve, and their wives, Maria and Gretchen. Second cousins to Russell are, Timothy (3 1/2 years), Joanie (2 1/2 years), and baby Julia (8 months). Gretchen is expecting #2 in October and it will be wonderful to see this little group grow once more!

We had burgers and hotdogs and salads for lunch and had cookies and rhubarb crisp later in the day- served with ice cream, of course! The kids played in the little pool and had fun in the water.

Memorial Day

"To mourn is to love..."

We watched the PBS presentation of the Memorial Day ceremonies in D.C. and one speaker spoke these words. It was touching to see young and old, strong and frail, in attendance. Each one of us has a story and here in the States, it is especially this weekend that we honor the military.

It is an honor to love and be loved in all aspects of life...

Congratulations!

Many well wishes my high school friend, Kate, and her fiance, Nathan. They were engaged on May 1 and will marry on October 13th in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Kate is a wonderful girl and we are so happy she has found her 'help-mate'!

Washington D.C. 2007

On Friday, May 11th, the three of us boarded a plane for D.C. Russell did great on the flight with exception of a 20 minute crying spell due to a missed naptime. We arrived in D.C. about 10pm and gladly crashed at our hotel.

Day 1- Saturday

Russell and Mom at the Russell Senate Building (one of three buildings). He was fighting to get out of my arms but someday he'll be glad for this photo!

Climbing the steps of the Supreme Court. It was Saturday and there was nothing going on, but Russell loved the marble steps! More the better!

Later that day, we walked down to the new WWII memorial. Father and son together make Mom very happy! Russell really likes fountains.

The Lincoln Memorial. What a delight to be able to see these historical sights! More steps for Russell to climb...

Relaxing at the hotel before bedtime- Russell's picked up some of Emma's tricks! (See Peters' Paradise).

Day 2-Sunday

We spent the day at the Smithsonian 'Air and Space' Museum. We were disappointed to find out that the 'American History' museum was closed until 2008 for renovations, but they put about 100 artifacts in the Air/Space museum for display. This was the actual outfit of Gen. George Washington (shirt is a replacement as are the boots).

As close to the White House as we'll ever get! We missed the Queen by 5 days, and Tony Blair by two days! Oh well...

Playing in the foreground of the Washington Monument.

Day 3- Arlington (Cemetary), Virginia

Tomb of: baby boy Kennedy, John F. Kennedy, Jacquoline Kennedy, baby girl Kennedy.

Grave of Robert Kennedy- what a difference from his brother's.

Russell guiding the masses into the entrance of 'Arlington House'- the home of George Washington during his years in office. Later the home of General Lee before he led the southern troops during the civil war.

We watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Too many lives lost in war...

Day 4- Tuesday

We took the Metro and a local bus line down to Mt. Vernon- the estate and plantation of George Washington, south of D.C. 16 miles. Well worth the trip. The grounds were kept beautifully.

Waiting on the porch of the mansion for our tour. The Potomac River in the background.

Our futile attempt at a family picture. Don't expect one for Christmas;-) Russell doesn't like to be held- he'd rather be walking around.

The burial site of George Washington, his wife, and 13 (?) other family members.

Washington's final resting place.

The end of Day 4- taking an evening walk and climbing the steps of the Civil War memorial. Russell was sure to have a bath every night!

Day 5- Wednesday

The 'Hope Diamond'! Big, bold, and beautiful! (The Natural History Museum- Smithsonian)

On Wednesday afternoon, we made our way to the airport and boarded our plane. Due to an electrical storm, we sat on the tarmac for 1.5 hours and by the time we were set to depart, all our snacks for Russell were exhausted! Thankfully, the attendants kept Russell's sippy cup filled with milk. Due to our late departure, we missed our next flight in Houston and had to wait two hours for the next flight. We finally arrived back in SF at 11pm (2am EST). Woo.

We had a wonderful time and we both loved Washington D.C. recommend the city to anyone and everyone. The city transit is so easy and fun. It is the most inexpensive city to visit since all attractions are free. Now- if only hotels and airfare were free!

We've only posted a few of our 160+ photo but if you'd like to know more, just say so and we'll share our knowledge;-)

Russell did better than we could have hoped and we are so proud of our little traveller.

Where in the World?

Just a quick tease- we'll have more photos of our trip within the next few days!

A Day at the Beach

Today (Tuesday), our family and Brit went to Half Moon Bay. We stopped for fish n'chips, of course, and Russell did so well at the restaurant. He liked sucking on the lemon wedges- this, being the same child that won't eat vegetables with exception of peas. Go figure!

Russell loved the sand and the unlimited play space he had. He went right up to the water's edge and Dan kept him from going any further.

Our Week in Review

Russell loves to play on our porch and likes to be outdoors. He was sick this past week but every day is getting back to his regular old self!

My sister Brittany and my high-school friend, Melissa came to visit for a few days. We were limited the first few because Russell was sick and Dan had to sleep during the days since he worked at night. On Tuesday, the weather was PERFECT- and Dan's day off. Us gals hit the city and left the men at home.

A view through the morning haze from the bridge. Even though we've lived here from 2 1/2 years now, going to the city never gets old and we enjoy it more each time (probably because we find better ways to get around the city than driving!)

Officers' Row on the Presidio. I'm not artistic, but I did like the symetry of this view. How we'd love to have a house like one of these!

After seeing the Bridge, we went to Alcatraz. I was surprised to find that even on a random Tuesday morning in the middle of April, hundreds of people were drawn to the island. The tour had even gotten better since we were there two years ago. Brit and I had the honor of meeting one of the ex-prisoners (bank robber) who had written an autobiography and was signing his book in the gift shop. After his time in prison, he became a Christ-follower and was involved with Chuck Colson's Prison Ministries. We asked to shake his hand and thanked him for his service. How wonderful it is to meet another Believer and immediately share the same bond...

The only residents of Alcatraz now!

My beloved California poppy.

Grandpa Waitt used to have these flowers in his garden at home and when I see them, I always think of him. How incredible this plant was to grow out of the stone wall on Alcatraz.

More California beauty...

After Alcatraz, we headed downtown on the electric bus (circa 1950's) and then had lunch. After lunch, we hopped on the Powell-Hyde cable car and went to Lombard St. In this picture, the men are turning the car around at the end of the street.

The view from the top of Lombard...

Brit and Mel and the infamous street. But, those that walk down must also walk back up!

It is fun to look at our 'prayer board' in the kitchen and note the pregnant couples listed:

Alysun/Jeff- #2 due September 12
Julie/Mike- #1 due October 4
Natasha/Scott- #2 due October 29
Gretchen/Steve- #2 due October 31

Each of these couples have godly, Christ-centered marriages, for which a child could not be more blessed by. Congrats to all these friends!

Later this week, my high-school friend Melissa, and my sister Brittany will be coming for a visit. We'll leave Russell with Dan for one day so we can see SF without too much delay.

In a few weeks, Dan and Russell and I will be heading to Washington D.C. for our own family vacation. Of course, Russell will never remember the trip, but what are photos for? We're dreading the flight (4hrs to Houston, 4hrs to D.C.) but oh well. You can't stay home all the time. Besides, if Alysun and Jeff can take Emma to Mozambique, we can do this!!

This past weekend, I decided to finally do some scrapbooking. Summer is coming and I still hadn't working on last summer's pictures. "Don't touch" was our moto for the weekend and Russell did quite well with a few exceptions;-)

Russell's new trick is dislodging the couch cushion and climbing up onto the couch. He loves his red sofa. We already told him he could take it with him to college/university someday:=)

He really is the king of the castle!

When you see this picture, you will probably think, "Why is Russell crying?" Maybe a lost toy? Maybe no cookies today? Nope... it is because I bought new shoes for him! Socks have always been Russell's enemy and shoes were just too much for him to bare. He loves his little toes (and so do we!) to be free and uninhibited. After cruising around the house for a little while, he seemed to forget about the shoes. I finally took them off after lunch so he could nap:-)