Snowball Class

So after four weeks of hounding me about ice skating classes, Andrew finally got to try ice skating. He is in a class for 3 and 4 year olds and he knows several of the kids in the class. He was very unsteady when he first got on the ice, but he seemed to pick it up pretty well. A lot of the class was spent learning how to fall and then get up from the ice, very important when you are first learning. He really enjoyed the class, so much so, that when his class was over he threw a fit over not being able to skate more while Gina had her skating class. He was finally appeased with a bag of gummy bears.

Elephant Seals

Last week Gina was off from school for ski week. We didn't go skiing but we did do a few fun things since we had some friends visiting from Seattle. The weather for President's weekend was great, sunny and very nice. However on Tuesday, the weather reverted back to being more like Seattle, gray, cold and wet, a great day for heading to the coast to view elephant seals at Ano Nuevo.


It was raining a little as we were driving along Highway 1 but it wasn't bad once we got to the reserve. I realized once we got there that I really hadn't brought enough warm clothes for Gina but luckily I had a jacket that I had borrowed from my mom in the back. So Gina was swimming in the jacket but she stayed warm and dry.

Once we got out to where we meet the docent who leads the tour it started to rain a little and as we walked out to the elephant seals it started raining more. It was cold and windy and wet but we got great views of all the males and baby seals (the moms had mostly left the beaches at this point). They were making lots of noises and moving around more than if it had been sunny.
Gina seemed to have a good time and was a real trooper walking back. I gave her a short piggy back ride but she walked most of the way without a break. And afterwards, we all met at Duarte's Tavern in Pescadero for hot cocoa, artichoke soup and olallieberry pie.

Parent Training

A week ago Andrew decided that he didn't want to wear diapers anymore. So now we are in the middle of parent training, training myself and Vic to constantly remind him to sit on the potty. When he sits on the potty, he usually goes but he hasn't quite figured out the signals to go himself without reminding. So far he is doing really well, considering. He still puts up a big fuss when I remind him, but he hasn't had any accidents at preschool. He saves those for when I am around.

Two nights ago Andrew also decided he didn't want to wear diapers at night. He has been dry most nights for awhile so it seemed like a good idea. So far so good, though this morning his bed was dry but he didn't quite make it down the hallway to the bathroom in time. So we are totally through with diapers for him. Which is good since diapers don't come in size 7.

Boston

I've spent the last few days in Boston for a conference. Most of my time has been spent in the convention center but my friend Seble insisted on showing me a little bit more of Boston. So on Monday afternoon we spent the day around Harvard, looking around and having lunch. The above picture is Harvard Square and below is a picture of a very New England style building that now houses a Peets Coffee.

It was definitely fun taking a break from the conference which can be a little overwhelming at times.

I've talked with my sister and Vic every day and it sounds like both Gina and Andrew miss me. Andrew threw an hour long tantrum on Monday evening, partly due to being hungry but he is probably a little out of sorts with me gone. Hard to tell with Dylan, he is such a good natured baby but I'm sure he will be happy to see me on Thursday. As for me, it has certainly been nice to sleep without being awoken suddenly and take a nice long shower every morning, but I will definitely be ready to get back to the regular routine after tomorrow.

Ice Skating Lesson

I was able to take a short video of Gina at her second ice skating lesson last week. She had her third lesson last evening and she still loves it and would love going every day if she could. Andrew is still pestering me for lessons too but he will have to wait until the end of the month.

More Variety Show Pictures

One of the moms took pictures throughout the Variety Show. Here are the little ants on stage: