Eva in all her Glory

Here is Eva, holding a leaf outside the church doors with a mouth full of bagel. And here is the latest:
She loves to feed her kitties and other animal friends little bites of her snacks, and sips from her sippy cup. She sets them on her lap and reads them book after book after book. Her favorite book now is Goodnight Moon which is simply identified by bringing her index finger to her lips and spitting (a tribute to the 'quiet old lady who is whispering hush'). She loves to blow on things...bites of food, her milk, but mostly her toenails after a fresh coat of hot pink paint. She says hhhhhhot and loves to mmmmooooo at anything that has four legs (identifying it as some relation to the cow.) She has a mild fascination with shoes, my shoes, Logan's shoes, her shoes, the stranger in line's shoes. And probably the most adorable thing she does these days is dip. She dips carrots, toast, fingers and her toungue into anything and everything that looks yummy.

Poached Pears and Presents!

For weeks we looked forward to a fall visit from Grandma Susan and Grandpa John! We had a great time at the children's museum and zoo, at the bookstore and the Stanford Mall, and at the movies.

Upholding the true tradition of grand parenting, Susan brought many gifts.

And of course overshadowing the teeny kitties, the puppet monsters and the baby doll that she brought, was the ordinary cylinder box the kitties came in that soon became a most fascinating drum.

Grandma and Grandpa Deans come to Visit

On the patio with Grandma Susan and Grandpa John.

Her future's so bright...

Showing Grandma Susan around campus.

Reading with Grandpa John.

Family Movie Night at the Evertons!

So Margaret's family has a weekly movie night tradition and we were invited to join in the 2nd ever Family Movie Night with the Evertons (Travis, Margaret, Will and Baby Jane) as they bring the tradition to their generation. And this isn't just a gather around the tube, lets watch. There is the honor of being Movie Bob (played by Logan Deans - note funny hat) who gets to sell tickets, take tickets, sell snacks and drinks, and distribute popcorn. He also gets to decide who sits where and what is watched. We watched the original Parent Trap (love Hayley Mills), enjoyed the best popcorn I've ever had (a secret family recipe) junior mints and a juice. I was also able to take advantage of the fact that Movie Bob thought I was cute for a second treat of gummy bears.

Eva and Will staking out prime spots for the show.

Logan and Eva at the Football Tailgate with Gab and Brian from Thailand.

Eva and darling cousin Caroline Peterson at the triplet's baptism in San Jose.

Tasty desserts from Sakura - a fabulous Japaneese bakery down the road.

The post party let down...Life without a dishwasher, ugh.

Birthday Boy

Logan Deans is 28!

Pumpkin with orange icing (Susan's famous), Lemon, and Double Chocolate of course.

Logan's Birthday Bash in our new home with friends mostly from our South America adventure this summer.

Outdoor Adventure trip with other Business School families

From the look on her face, you might think Eva was not thrilled about craft time.

As soon as she figured out there was paint involved, she was excited.

But not as excited as when she realized there was a bucket of water to wash, splash and play in.

Eva's finished bird house (spruced up of course with some extra glitter added by a conscientious mother - has it begun already?..living vicariously through and 'stage mothering' my not even two year old child?)

Our Business School Family Trip to Sonoma County on the Russian River

Our cozy cabin was perfect for a warm, raspberry hat and a fire in the fireplace.

Wading in the Russian River with Chris and the other families.

Eva and her buddies around the picnic table at lunch time.

Eva in Palo Alto

The first week of Eva's Musical Munchkins class I knew I was in for a ride. While the other children sit happily on their mothers' laps singing 'Splashing in the Tub' or gleefully lay on their tummies and make the pitter-patters with their hands as we sing 'Running through the Forest', Eva wanders the room searching for snacks in diaper bags, stealing shoes, and trying to turn off the stereo. My sweet little nonconformist...She is, however, clearly the best dancer in the class.

Instrument time is her favorite. Bells, drums, tambourines, hand snappers, and plenty of things to shake.

Toys and snacks with our buddy Will Everton across the street. Can you guess her favorite toy? Of course, the play food, especially the orange with a Velcro peel.

Bay Meadows

The 'Mother Hips' are one of Tyler Dean's favorite San Francisco bands, so we were excited when they came to play at the Bay Meadows Track, just 10 miles up the road from us. We thought of Tyler and enjoyed our $1 Hot Dogs.

The Business School gang at the track - actually SeaBiscuit's home track.

Sunday Dinner at the Petersons

We are so happy to be living close to cousins. Here we are at Sunday Dinner with Uncle Rob, Aunt Kathleen, and the triplets (Will, Julia and Clarissa) and of course the most popular member of the family...Lucky the Rat.

Reading with Uncle Ford and Peterson

Sharing

Decorating Marion with flowers

Completely ignoring each other...whatever we can do to completely avoid looking at the camera or smiling.