San Diego

(6/28/05 - 6/30/05) Jill, Henry, and Evelyn spent three days in San Diego with Ariste and Alex Wright. Ariste is Jill's friend from Chicago, now living in Los Angeles, and Alex is Ariste's 3 year old son. They rented a minivan and travelled together, visiting Legoland and Seaworld. It was Henry's second Legoland trip this year, and his first ever trip to Seaworld. He was especially impressed with the dolphins and the acrobats.

RV Show

(6/26/05) Henry's in heaven as he joins Brent Smith and me at the annual show. We tour scores of RVs, with Henry testing all of the mattresses. Henry becomes quite disturbed as we leave without buying, asking all the way home, "how come we not buy one of those?"

Pretty Girls

(6/26/05) Jill and Evelyn play on the sofa. Evelyn is a great giggler when she gets going.

Road Trip

(6/22-24/05) Pete and I drive to San Francisco to eat and watch baseball. We see the Giants win a chilly night game on Wednesday and lose badly in an afternoon game on Thursday. We fit in lunch at the Ferry Building and a great dinner at restaurant called Myth. After a round of golf Friday morning at Harding Park, with Bill Gorman, we drive back to SB.

Proud Potty Boy

(6/21/05) Henry decided, on his own, to use the potty today instead of diapers. He jumped up on the potty and pooped like a pro, unbelievably proud of his work. Why today? And will it last until tomorrow? Who knows, but it's great to see that he can do it if he wants to.

El Capitan Beach

(6/20/05) After breakfast on our shady picnic table, we walk to the beach and spend time in the surf before walking back for lunch. We aren't quite ready to go as the housekeepers chase us out of our cabins and we drive home.

Camping Trip

(6/19/05) We join the Smiths for an overnight at El Capitan Ranch in adjoining cabins. We pack our car so full that there's not much room for ourselves. On the way, we stop to down some burgers at In-And-Out. Our friend Will, in town for some AOL business, stops by for dinner--flank steak, corn on the cob, homemade potato salad and a great caesar. We've known Will

Happy Father's Day!

(6/19/05) "My Dad Rocks," says Evelyn. She seems to mean it, too. She presented me with a painted pottery coaster with her footprint, while Henry had matching "full pint" and "half pint" hats for us.

Saturday

(6/18/05) Jill entertains Henry and Evelyn first thing in the morning.

Evelyn sits in her high chair for the first time. She likes being up high and part of the table conversation.

Henry and Evelyn and I stop by the beach to build a sand castle and splash in the waves.

A Monkey, For Real?

(6/16/05) Sometimes we call her our "little monkey" (though usually she's our "little bunny"), but this family tree at the Santa Barbara Zoo puts new light on Evelyn's ancestry.

Playtime

(6/15/05) Evelyn likes to lie on her playmat and swat at the dangling toys.

Story Time

(6/14/05) I read to Henry and Grace at the Wenzel's house, as we put the kids to bed at our "family sleepover". Jill and Betty and I party while the kids, and an ailing Pete, sleep.

Clowning Around

(6/14/05) During lunch at the Natural Cafe, Jill and Henry mug for the camera. I think that Henry's tonsils are actually visible here...

Cold Springs Creek

(6/12/05) This afternoon Henry and I rode the bike and trailer up to where Cold Springs Creek crosses Mountain Drive. It's a nice cool spot on a hot day, and the water is chilly. It's a 10 minute uphill ride to the creek, and while I'm huffing and puffing Henry asks "are we there yet." Every time I say "not yet," he says "I'm being patient, Dad."

We kick some water, throw rocks, watch waterbugs, and pet the long strands of green moss underwater that feel like hair.

Jenn's Graduation

(6/12/05) We had a breakfast for Jenn and her family today, to celebrate her graduation from UCSB. We're going to miss her. She's been babysitting Henry since before he could walk. But we're happy for her accomplishment and excited about the new directions she'll get to take in her life.

Movie Night

(6/11/05) We spent the evening at the Whelan's house, eating enchiladas and watching "Herbie the Love Bug", outdoors on the big screen. What a great event--it was like going to a drive-in movie.

Brianne's Graduation

(6/11/05) We attended Bri's graduation party this afternoon, on the bluff at her sorority house in Isla Vista. We met her family and had fun visiting with them. Bri's going to be here this summer so we're not saying goodbye...

Henry's Graduation

(6/10/05) We were proud today to participate in Henry's first graduation, from the Joyful Noise preschool. "Dark-Haired Susie" placed the mortarboard on his head, while "Light-Haired Susie" presented him with his diploma. Henry earned special recognition for his frequent and enthusiastic sandbox play. He slid down the slide to make it official, and when everyone was done we had cake. It was short, and lots of fun. That's how the year of preschool was, too.

Dreams and Reality

(6/6/05) I went into Henry's room this morning to get him out of his crib and he wanted to know what kind of truck I was driving.

"What kind of truck I was driving?"

"Yeah, last night I dreamed you were driving a big truck and pushing big rocks. I didn't know what kind of truck it was. What was it, Daddy?"

AAhhhhh....he thinks because he was dreaming about me driving the truck, that I must have been having the same dream. What a fascinating idea. He was puzzled when I told him I didn't have that dream and I didn't know what kind of truck it was. Maybe I should have made something up??!!

Self Service

(6/6/05) Evelyn can grasp objects now, with both hands, and can even hold her own bottle. She doesn't yet know how to tip it up to get the last drops, but she'll learn that soon.

Shoreline Grill

(6/5/05) We took Kelly to Shoreline Grill for a going away dinner. Henry collected sticks and built a house, while Evelyn sat on my lap and Jill and Kelly shared a laugh.

Kelly Richmond

(6/4/05) Our friend Kelly Richmond came to visit this weekend. She introduced Jill and I eleven years ago at the AOL offices behind the Cadillac dealer in Vienna. She was in town for the wedding of two more AOL people, Helen and Andy, who were married on the ocean bluff at Bacara with a reception in the restaurant wine cellar. We spent the day having breakfast at East Beach Grill before taking an architectural tour of Santa Barbara and attending the wedding festivities in the evening.

Favorite Snack

(6/5/05) Evelyn has discovered her fingers in the last couple of weeks. Moving her fingers in and out of her mouth must be how she learns--she's also started to put her pacifier in and out and do the same with a bottle.

Great Checkup

(6/3/05) "Perfect" is the verdict as Dr. Brewer checks up on Evelyn's health. They enjoy a few moments of great fun and bonding until he has to give her some shots.