A San Francisco Treat Or, of Cousins and Cable Cars and Chocolate

Our girls love to read Good Night, San Francisco at bedtime.  One of a series of books called Good Night, Our World, the little book highlights a number of the city's most famous landmarks.  (The girls also love to read Good Night, Hawaii.)  Although the girls have the book practically memorized, they've yet to visit most of places in the book.  With their cousins as our first out-of-town visitors, we were excited to introduce the girls to some of the things they've been reading for some time.

We've especially wanted to take the girls on one of San Francisco's iconic cable cars.  We'd seen the cable cars on adventures into the city, but we'd not managed to actually ride one with them.  We planned to take Margaret, Matt, and Lizzy to the city to ride the cable cars on Sunday afternoon, and we hemmed and hawed about whether or not to take the girls.  We knew they'd love the adventure, but we also knew that (since we'd begin the trip after church and after naps) it would be a late night, and we're sort of sticklers when it comes to sleep.

Eventually, though, we threw caution to the wind, loaded the circus and our visitors into two cars, and hit the road.

We arrived in the city and joined a rather long line of tourists waiting to ride a cable car.  Fortunately for us, the view from the line was pleasant, the weather was sunny and warm (particularly by San Francisco standards), and we're accustomed to making our own fun.

Madeline played a bit of peek-a-boo.

Kathleen occupied herself by jumping off the bench. She gave her sister some pointers, too.

Eventually we moved up to the front. We watched the workers turn the cable car on the giant roundabout before they loaded the passengers.

Although we'd had grand plans to sit on the outside (well, at least Daddy and Matt were excited about that plan), we wound up sitting inside the car. Inside or no, everyone was still pretty excited.  The lighting inside the car wasn't perfect for photographs, but we couldn't pass up a chance at capturing the circus all together.

Lizzy and Margaret, who were sitting on the opposite side of the car, photographed much better than we did.

And then we were off!  The girls were delighted.  And so were their cousins, we think.  We rode the Powell and Hyde line to Union Square, where we disembarked in search of some supper.  Once we'd been fed, we stood on line, waiting for a cable car to take us back to Aquatic Park, where we'd begun.

We were a bit concerned, though, when the cars that passed us seemed packed to the gills.  We were nearly despairing of squeezing onto a car (we'd already discussed how we could split up) when a particularly nice gripman stopped and, noticing the little ones, promised to get us on his car!  

He was true to his word, directing Mama and the girls to open seats.  There wasn't a seat for Lizzy, though.  The gripman took her with him instead, giving her the best non-seat in the house!  She stood right next to him at the end of the car, next to the lever he used to drive the cable car.  She got to see the sights and watch him work.

We were so excited to have found the kind gripman that we never noticed that he was actually driving a car on a different line! We'd ridden to Union Square on the Powell and Hyde line, but we rode back on the Powell and Mason. The mistake wasn't much of a problem, though -- we ended just blocks from where we'd started and we enjoyed new views.

Coit Tower

We walked just a few blocks to our evening's ultimate objective: chocolate!

We paused for a brief photograph...

And then commenced eating chocolate! The circus ordered two sundaes to share. (Clearly, we ordered at least one more sundae than we needed.) When the waitress brought the the goopy, chocolatey concoctions to our table, Kathleen quickly moved one of the treats in front of her seat. Then, looking over at her Mama, she said, "Well, Mama, since you don't have an ice cream, I'll share mine with you." We're raising some generous children...

The sundaes were extremely well received.

Full of ice cream, and tuckered out from a full day, we finally headed home.  Everyone got to bed late (late, late, late!), but we'll be savoring our sweet memories of cousins and cable cars and chocolate for a long time to come.

In case you were concerned about our children's education

We'd like to offer this as proof that we're covering all the important subjects.

We're confident that they'll be prepared to face the world.

After all, who could resist a face like this?

More fun than usual

There's been more fun than usual around the circus these days.

Why's that, you ask? We'll give you one word: COUSINS!

Aunt Margaret and cousins Matt and Lizzy are visiting from Illinois. (Cousin Ali couldn't come and we are missing her. Visit us soon, Ali!) We've been up to all sorts of fun -- running, jumping, playing, touring fun.

And -- as we discovered the other morning while Daddy and Aunt Margaret golfed at Stanford -- even the "usual" activities are more fun when you're with your cousins.

Take, for example, play dough. It's a lot more exciting to play with play dough when you can "feed" your creations to your bigger cousins. Between the four of them, they had a bustling little restaurant going.

After everyone had "eaten" their fill, we moved the party to the park. The day was sunshiny and not too hot, perfect for some playing. With Indy cheerful lounging in the stroller, parked under a bit of shade, and cousins playing on the play structure with the girls, Mama found her hands unexpectedly free. Strolling around the park, taking pictures of happy children, Mama realized the appeal of really, really big families. Three children three and under might not be so challenging if you had older, helpful children, too!

Happy to watch the playing.

Kathleen loves to "do the rings," but needs some spotting, which is hard for Mama to do while holding Indy (or carrying him in the Beco). But who needs Mama when you have cousin Matt?

Madeline, not about to be left out, insisted Matt help her, too.

Delighted with her playmates.

Cousins, you can come any time!

About Each One

Last week we packed up a light picnic supper (summer deliciousness at its best -- chicken, sugar snap peas and sweet bell peppers, fresh strawberries and juicy melon) and set out to enjoy the mild, sunny weather. We took a stroll, flew a kite, checked out a ship-themed playspace (Kathleen delighted in telling us to buckle up as we set off for imaginary destinations), and ate our supper by a pretty little lake.

We snapped only a few photos, but the ones we managed seemed to speak about their subjects...

Persistent -- Kathleen first asked to fly a kite several weeks ago. Our kite, though, hadn't survived the move from Hawaii. Daddy set about finding a new kite, a task we found far more challenging than we anticipated. Daddy visited at least five stores in the area before accepting that kites were sold out for the season. Instead he tracked one down on the internet. And then he hung in there until it actually flew, which Mama certainly didn't have the patience for...

Independent -- Madeline prefers to do things by herself. No help needed, thank you very much. This is sometimes a little awkward in public, as it can appear that we're making our toddler pull a wagon that possibly weighs more than she does. We've got to admit, though, she's a decent little packhorse.

Sweet -- We've said it before and we'll likely say it again. This little boy is just plain sweet. He sat in the stroller, flashing us the occasional grin, while his sisters played and ran around the park.

Loving -- These two have their sisterly, squabbling moments, but they do love one another. One moment they were watching their kite soar, the next they were hugging. I'm glad we caught it on film (or digits, whatever). Perhaps I'll pull it out the next time they're arguing...

A Race in Review

I've never run a race.

Well, what I mean to say is: I had never run a race.

I'd trained for a number of races, but something always kept me from actually running. (One of the things we like to say around the circus is that the best way to get a baby is to have me train for a half-marathon. Three times I've trained... and three times I've bowed out at the last minute, after discovering I was pregnant!)

On Sunday, though, encouraged by Jim and some very good friends, I finally ran a race --the Wharf-to-Wharf 10K, which began in Santa Cruz and ended in Capitola.

My friend Katie and I had agreed to run the race together. We'd meant to train together, but that never really worked out. (That, of course, is what happens when two moms of three try to coordinate running schedules.) Though we never actually ran together, we e-mailed our distances and times, and we could tell we'd be a pretty good pair.

We runners -- me and Katie and our friends Jay and Andy -- met up early, early Sunday morning to carpool to the race. (Jim had meant to run, too, but his mono made that impossible. He and the rest of the circus -- along with Andy's wife, Kylee -- would drive down to the race together, a bit later in the morning.) Katie and I were nervous. Jay and Andy, old hands at the race thing, were not.

My nervousness just got worse as we stood around, waiting for the race to begin. (Although I did get to see Jim Starling, who was also running.) As Katie and I walked toward our pace group, I thought that the whole thing had been a terrible idea. Of course, once the race actually started, my nerves subsided. We walked along in the giant pack until it thinned out, and eventually we began to run. (The first mile took us twenty minutes -- it was a lot of walking!) And everything after that was great:

• The course is gorgeous. Definitely hillier than my training runs, but gorgeous, nonetheless. The views of the ocean were amazing. It really is a shame I don't get to do all my runs in a similar setting.
• I had no idea that there'd be so much jockeying for position. I zigged and zagged all over! I'm not a particularly aggressive person, but I had to work hard to find a good space to run.
• The runners were fun. At various points, we ran alongside Elvis, Batman and Robin, and a nine-year-old who totally kicked my butt.
• There were bands all along the way -- cover bands, groups of drummers, folks playing recorders, and even bagpipers. Seriously, bagpipers.
• I discovered (thanks to Katie) that I actually run hills faster than I run on the flat. I honestly hadn't realized that. All I know is that I want to get the hills done. Sorry, Katie.
• Something about it being a race made the six miles go much faster than they have before. We were done before I realized it!

The runners! Just for clarity, Indy did not run. He's big, people, but he's not that big! (Picture courtesy of Katie Chen.)

The real heroes of race-day, though, were Jim and Kylee. As they were driving the circus to the race, Madeline threw up. (We should've known that the girls were under the weather, as they'd had a terrible night's sleep the night before.) Though lesser folk would have turned back, they forged on. Kylee (who, by the way, is pregnant, which makes this all the more amazing), helped clean up our poor little girl as Jim kept barreling down the highway. Then they fought crowds to meet us on the beach. And they even seemed cheerful about it.

The circus, post-race. Check out Madeline's ensemble: that's Mama's t-shirt and her sister's sweatshirt. It figures that the day someone got sick was the day I failed to pack a change of clothing for my bigger girls.

We'd intended to spend the day on the beach with our friends, but circus knows when to cut its losses. We let the girls play in the sand for a bit and then we headed home. We didn't get the day on the beach, but it was a good day nonetheless. (We went home and watched a Disney movie, because that's what you do when you're sick. Or at least, that's what you do when you're sick at the circus.)

Oh, and it's not the last you've heard of the circus and races. We're already plotting our next one!

The Circus Ventures Out

After having spent a lot of time close to home, letting Daddy recuperate, we finally decided to venture out this week. We knew we couldn't handle a big excursion, since Daddy's getting better but still tires quickly. Fortunately for us, our town cooperates with twice-monthly "Thursday Night Live," very near our home! The city closes Mountain View's equivalent of Main Street to all vehicular traffic, and the street fills with pedestrians and music and vendors and fun.

This week featured a classic car showcase. Kathleen was impressed. She delighted in pointing out cars that looked like the ones in Disney's Cars.

We got there early (before the "real" people) and stopped in a Thai restaurant for dinner. We all love Thai food! We discovered that Madeline even loves the lemongrass soup we favor. She couldn't get enough of it! She and Kathleen also ate healthy portions of sticky rice and pad thai. We had a lovely, fairly leisurely dinner. (Or at least as leisurely as dinner can be with three littles.) John David cooperated by sleeping in the Beco for most of the meal, waking only to demand his own food.

The girls have been asking for flowers for the dinner table lately. (They were inspired by the flowers on the dinner table in David Gets in Trouble. Fortunately, they haven't picked up on the fact that David is belching on that page -- just that he says, "Excuse me.") So, after dinner we meandered down the street to flower-seller's. The girls were very serious about their floral purchases.

A mariachi band was playing outside a Mexican restaurant. As soon as she heard the trumpet, Madeline started dancing. She definitely has her own style.

There were a number of small musical groups playing along the street. But there was also a "featured" band, playing on a stage. People brought folding chairs and just camped out in the street, enjoying the free concert. Children gathered right in front of the stage, dancing. We were not about to be left out of that!

Daddy danced with his girls.

And danced some more.

And danced some more!

Indy got some Daddy-time, too. Aren't they handsome boys?

Watching Daddy dance with his girls in the crowd and snuggle with his boy in the fading daylight made Mama's heart and eyes brim. How blessed we are to be all together, to be here, to love one another so well...

In true circus fashion, we topped off the evening with -- what else? -- ice cream. Well, the girls called it ice cream. But it was actually gelato! That made Mama particularly happy and only the tiniest bit nostalgic for Italy. How could she miss Italy when she has this, here?

Full of gelato, we headed home and straight to bed! We're already anticipating the next "Thursday Night Live" in two weeks...

Because you can't always play in the pool

The weather has turned cooler this week, but recently we had some honest-to-goodness hot summer days. For the circus, those days are best spent in the backyard, splashing in the wading pool, painting with sidewalk chalk paint, drinking lemonade, and eating popsicles.

Admittedly, those are some good days.

But even with the most liberal application (and reapplication) of sunscreen and a conscientious use of sun hats, eventually a mom worries a bit about sun exposure. As the heat wave wore on, we began thinking about ways to entertain the girls without sending them out into the bright sunshine. Inspiration struck while cruising through the commissary. In the pasta aisle, to be precise.

We snatched up a box of rigatoni, some rubbing alcohol, and some food dye. With just a little bit of work, we had lots of this:

Some rummaging through the "art closet" produced leftover ribbon, construction paper, and painter's tape. (Of course, any tape will do.) A little fussing, and we had this:

And the next thing you know, we had an excellent opportunity to work on fine motor skills. Kathleen was excited; she'd done this before. We weren't sure that Madeline would be all that interested, but she was. And she did a great job.

I just love watching those chubby little hands at work.

Fine motor skills produce some fine jewelry. Okay, a lot of fine jewelry. (And fine is in the eye of the beholder, I suppose.)

Kathleen very generously made necklaces for everyone in the family. Some family members may have been more excited about that than others, but everyone wore a necklace, nonetheless.

Poor, sick Daddy still wears a necklace. Kathleen wanted to give Indy a necklace, too, but we convinced her that necklaces aren't a good idea for little babies.

And that's how to keep the circus out of the pool. . . but only for a while!

A bit of catch-up: our mini-vacation

Last month, back before Daddy came down with mono, we packed up the circus and headed up to Clear Lake, California for a bit of a mini-vacation. We were there to celebrate -- along with the rest of Grandpa's family -- Mama's Aunt Maureen, who has been serving the Catholic church and her people as a nun for fifty years.

We gathered for a barbecue and pool party at the home of Mama's Aunt Sheila and her husband John-- and we got the perfect sunny day for it. Our hosts thought of everything. They even greeted the girls with sticker books, bubbles, and fish toys for the pool. We ate great food, let the girls splash in the pool (Kathleen tested out their diving board!), and visited with lots of family. This was a particularly nice treat for the circus; because we've lived so far away for so long, we've not gotten to see much of our extended family. We really enjoyed being able to catch up a bit.

We lounged on the porch (which was cooled by ceiling fans!) taking in the views and the company.

Grandpa and his siblings.

As is typical, Mama's camera lay forgotten in the van, so we don't have many pictures to share from the party. (The ones we have here were actually taken by Auntie Caroline -- thanks!) This is truly unfortunate because there were such gorgeous views of the lake from our hosts' home in the hills.

Since Clear Lake is a few hours from our home, Nan and Grandpa very generously arranged for the circus to stay at a nearby hotel the night before and the night after the party. Cousin Emily and her family did the same, too! So, in some ways, the party just kept going! We all enjoyed hanging out by the hotel's pools.

Sweet cousin Emily and her parents checked out the wading pool.

Nan snuggled with Indy while Daddy and Grandpa chatted.

The girls, of course, really enjoyed themselves.

It never ceases to amaze me -- these children don't need to learn to relax. They're just born knowing. Kathleen demonstrates her natural ability.

Jumping into the "big" pool was a big favorite.

Does this girl love the water, or what?

Our first big -- well, mini, I suppose -- trip as a family of five was a big success! The children were remarkably well-behaved on the car trip, and even cooperated in sleeping reasonably well in the one hotel room. (We were always among the first at breakfast, though, when the restaurant opened at 8!) It went well enough that the circus even started plotting more mini-vacations.

But it's a good thing we went when we did, because all we've done since then is recuperate!

Not so itty-bitty Indy

Look at this baby boy. Not so little, is he?

He's awfully sweet, though. This is how he looks, mostly. Happy.

Here he is, having his very first bottle, ever. (I know! Can you believe he got that big without ever having had a bottle?)

A rookie and a pro.

He wasn't too excited about his first bottle, but by the second try he performed like a champ. Now Mama and Daddy can go on a date. Maybe. (If Mama can muster up the nerve to leave her little man.) And even if they don't manage to go on a date, hopefully Mama will be able to run (ever so slowly) in her first race next weekend!

And just for good measure, one more photo of our budding superhero.

Captain Adorable. We think that's pretty much perfect.

(Did Carter's see us coming, or what?)

The Summer of the Sicknesses

Apparently our family was absent the day that immunities were handed out. It's about the only way I can explain our near-constant sickness. We're reasonably health-conscious people -- we take our vitamins, we eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables (and protein, too, for those of your remembering Mama's fleeting meat-free days in grad school), we drink plenty of water, we play and exercise in the fresh air, and we sleep as much as possible for a family with small children.

And yet, someone is almost always sick.

The girls both had fevers a couple of weeks ago. And then Kathleen had a strange stomach virus (the sort that only manifests itself at 2am and then lies dormant for a few days and then reappears) and then John David got his two month shots, so he was cranky, too.

For about two minutes, we were all well.

And now it's Daddy. He was feeling miserable for a few weeks and finally visited the doctor. Turns out, the poor guy has mono. We're not sure whether the girls had it, too, since (according the internet) the virus is generally milder in children. We think there's a chance the girls had it first, and then (through their generous use of our cups and such), passed it along to Daddy. We do know that Mama can't get it, since she came down with it in college. And we're grateful for that, because if she hadn't, who would run the circus? But for now, Daddy's spending a lot of time with the circus, lying on the couch, trying to read his schoolwork (but not quite mustering the energy), reacquainting himself with various mind-numbing daytime television shows, and regaining his strength.

It's not exactly the carefree, adventure-filled summer we were anticipating. Still, though, we're largely enjoying the slower pace of days at home, sharing our activities and discoveries with Daddy. (The girls have been most excited to get to share in the stash of popsicles and push-pops for Daddy's sore throat.) Daddy's had a front row seat for everyone's growing and learning -- he's witnessed Kathleen write her name for the first time (with considerable coaching), Madeline exercise her independence and determination ("Myshelf! Do it myshelf!"), and John David begin to smile and even laugh. Even if they're not the adventures we imagined, those are some pretty sweet summer memories.

But let's hope the fall is healthier!

Growing . . . a lot.

John David had his two month check-up yesterday. Our pediatrician confirmed what we already knew:

Indy's a big boy.

He's been growing a lot, and yesterday he tipped the scales at 15 pounds, 15 ounces. Not surprisingly, he's in the 98th percentile for weight! The official length measurement was 24.4 inches. (They convert it from centimeters, which accounts for the somewhat strange numbers.) We think there's a decent chance he's longer than that, though -- he wasn't particularly cooperative when the nurse tried to stretch him out!

We are truly grateful for such a healthy little boy, who's growing in size and strength. John David is already demonstrating his nascent super-powers during tummy-time. Of course, he's got a sister to show him how things work, and that helps a bit!

Madeline relishes her opportunity to "teach" her baby brother.

(Kathleen hadn't woken yet, or she'd have been right there, too!)

John David doesn't hesitate to make his voice heard when he needs something -- he can certainly holler when wants to be fed or held or moved (sometimes the scenery gets a bit boring, I suppose). But he's also "talking" to us more, cooing and gurgling and even giggling. Every member of the family relishes his sweet smiles. We're so blessed to be able to watch him grow!

A Literary Allusion

We're running errands, the three children and Mama strapped into the van and careening around town. We've returned an ill-fitting Land's End order to Sears, we've dropped the books in the drop box at the library, and we're patiently listening to Kathleen lecture about how children should not be left alone in cars. (This because Mama stepped out of the idling car to be able to reach the library drop box out the passenger window. Explaining that Mama could touch the car for the entire 20 seconds she wasn't sitting it did not suffice. The children were alone in a car, according to Kathleen. Let's hope she never has occasion to talk to, you know, Children and Family Services.) We should be headed home, because everyone's tired and cranky, but we're going to Costco instead, since we're out of fruit and milk and other staples at home.

Kathleen pauses in her diatribe just as we cruise onto the on-ramp for the highway. As the van takes the curve, the girls cry out in delighted unison, "WHEE!"

Mama chuckles, and the girls continue whee-ing until we're on the straight, flat highway.

"Are we going home?" Kathleen asks.

"No, darling, we're not. We've talked about this. We're going to Costco." Mama sighs, imagining a battle about the day's last errand. But when she looks in the mirror, Kathleen catches her eye and flashes a grin.

"But, Mama, if we were going home," she offers, "we could go "whee, whee, whee -- all the way home!"

Gratitude

Today, of all days, we are grateful

to God and to our soldiers

(and their families)

for

life

liberty

and the pursuit of happiness...

(How could we be anything but grateful for that?)

Happy 4th of July, dear friends!

Madeline and Her Mama

We've always thought our girls look like Jim. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that when Kathleen was born, she looked a lot like Jim. (So much so that Nan had a hard time cooing at her -- "How am I supposed to baby talk to a mini-Jim?" Nan would say.) And when Madeline was born, we thought she looked a lot like Kathleen -- just with dark hair. By the time our girls were walking, talking people, we didn't spend much time thinking of them as anything but themselves.

But you can imagine our surprise when we stumbled across this photo of Mama, circa 1970-something, at Nan's a few weeks ago. "Wow!" we said, "Mama looks so much like Maddie Beth!

And then we compared it to a couple photos of Madeline, circa-2009.

They're not the perfect photos for comparison. We're still plotting how to get the one that will show the similarities in features and expression we already see. Still, though, we thought it was worth sharing.

A friend came to stay recently and when he walked and saw Madeline he exclaimed, "Oh, Kristen! She's you."

You know, we just figured that out.