From Boo to Gobble, Wow

I I can't believe my last entry was a month ago! Maybe it's Cody's 100 molars coming in, or just 4 feelin like 100. Or maybe it's been busy at work with crazy drama around grades and standards or how it gets dark at 5, but the days have flown by. I need to look at our calendar to see what we did in the beginning of November. Ok, here's the quick wrap up. All of us plus some of my students set up a food distribution center for those in need one Saturday. This is Greg and I's third year helping our with Samaritan House, a great organization.
Music class sadly ended. I actually got quite into it and so did Cody, aka Mayor of Fun Town. Though there were some epic meltdowns towards the end. I blame molars and snack cups and goldfish or yearning for more goldfish as the major causes.
We took Cody one weekend to the SF Aquarium where he loved the moving walkway way better than the fish. We also took him back to Happy Hollow, a kiddie zoo and amusement park. We're just trying to make him happy and he is 99% of the time, but day light savings Fall Back didn't totally stick and he was waking at 530 for awhile, and in some teeth pain, and as my mom says, starting to "assert his will" so its been a little trying.
Speaking of my parents, we had a great visit with them here for the week of Thanksgiving. We went to the Bay Area Discovery Museum on Sunday then they chilled with Cody letting him walk to all our nearby favs like Whole Foods, the park, and the mall. My dad did a ton of project around the house and together they kept Cody busy, happy and loved. Then we had his bestie Gordon and his rents Charlene and Joe join us for a nice Thanksgiving.
I was thinking back to last year when Brooke and Mike were here and I just mustered ordering all of the food because I was so tired and braindead and Cody was so little. This year we're skyping with Brooke and now Mavis and she's big and Cody's bigger and mom, Greg, Charlene and I cooked tons of good food and I felt actually quite relaxed by the end of the week. Wow what a year. We ended my rents visit with a visit to Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos, then they watched Cody after we all went to Benihanas to celebrate Greg's Birthday Eve.
That night Greg and I took the train to SF and went to Smuggler's Cove and the Sugar Shack, two cool bars in the Hayes Valley neighborhood. It's been awhile since we've been out and about in the city. Yummy Caribbean cocktails...mmmm Turks and Cacaos here we come (in April)
They left Saturday and we went to brunch while our friends the Goldfarbs watched Cody. Then we got Cody and went to the ocean pier at Pacifica and Greg crabbed for awhile while Cody and I watched the 100s of mostly disappointed but really happy/drunk people try to catch crab too. Then we had the Goldfarbs over for pizza and cake to top off his bday.
Now it's already Wednesday. Oh wait, stop the bus. (Which I wish really happened on Tuesday when the bus driver saw me after school but since I wasn't at the stop and was running towards it to catch a ride home, he left me!!! Greg and Cody came and got me though.) Anyway stop for Cody's 1st haircut. It's still Cali cool but trimmed up a little so its not Cali dirty hippie possibly girly. It's all Christmas from here on out. Gotta get the cards ordered, mailed, decorate, cookies, shop. It's on! And we feel very happy to be able to spend it with family! I haven't seen my sisters since the Boilermaker! Too long! Speaking of sisters Paige is now National Board Certified as a teacher, a huge accomplishment. Paige and I have been pumping (literally) each other up about working out and I'm still working with a trainer, but Greg and I have converted the garage into a work out/Cody play space for these dark winter nights. No sit ups for me, its bedtime. Good night!

Halloween was totally Spooktacular!

It's a crisp Saturday. Cody's sleeping. I'm tired. Last night we got our co op sitter friend to come over and we went to Warren Miller's new movie in the Castro. It was fun being up in the city, at the famous Castro Theatre, chillin with CO friend Matt and his friend Bree, going out afterwards. The movie definitely makes us want to A: move to a ski town ASAP and quit are jobs and more like B: plan a great couple of ski trips and dream of being ski bums. We got home by the late hour of 11:30. But then I was on duty to start Cody's new morning routine. No more bringing him into bed with us, he doesn't fall back asleep, slowly pulls my hair out and is generally grumpy when we all get out of bed. The new and improved fall routine is to get him up no earlier than 6:30 into an immediate milk and cheerio snack and get breakfast going asap. He was happy playing around and it's 1:49 now and I feel like I've already had a full day. We went out for breakfast, I went into school, made copies, talked to my mom, met up with Greg and Cody at the park, found a new secret park behind the mall, went to Trader Joe's, Old Navy, got a flu shot, then Cody pooped in the parking lot and by the time we got home (5 minutes) was sound asleep. Me too for a little bit. Not the poop part, but the nap.
Did I write about how Greg and I are training for the Chariot Tri? Just kidding, we made that up in case someone ran into us pushing Cody and his Chariot stroller up a wicked steep trail and then back down. It was ridiculous, but fun. Besides that craziness last weekend we laid pretty low. We hung with the Griggs "watching" the World Series on Friday. Then Saturday while doing errands Cody starting not feeling well. We brought him into the doc on Sunday and they prescribed a nebulizer 3xs per day and we're still using it to help him breathe. It's a bummer, but it has helped him with his cough and breathing.
I was worried that Halloween might have to be canceled for us due to Cody's illness so we kept him out of daycare and split time watching him during the day on Monday and he was fine. So as you can see Halloween was Spooktacular!! Cody's buds, Gordon and Jackson, and their rents came over and we hit up our own amazing Otay Ave. Our street looked like Disney World or Las Vegas' Treasure Island. A nearby neighbor works designing movie sets and encased his house and he neighbor's house to look like pirate ships complete with lights, sound system playing music, haunted house, and fog machine. There were hundreds of people. It was wild. I tried to upload the video here but it was too big, we'll work on getting it up there. You have to see it. CRAZY!
We're going to go hiking now on this yet another crisp fall day, (it's Sunday now) then make baked ziti for us and hopefully our neighbor who just had baby Paige! Nice name!

Pumpkins and Vino

Whoa, where did a month go? My last post was mid September and I think today is October 19th! We've been keeping busy and enjoying the fall's fun activities. Greg had another fun softball tourney a couple of weeks ago and we went to a neighbor's daughter's bday party at the end of September. It's nice being in such a friendly neighborhood! Then October came quick! We're still finishing up the living room. It's almost there. Curtains are up, the ottoman finally came on Friday, we got the entertainment center last night and now we need to decide what pictures to hang.

For the last 10 days we've been having a blast hanging with Greg's parents; Pops and Grammie. They've watched Cody and took him to fun places like the SF Zoo and Palo Alto's little kids museum. Together we've gone to Lemo's Farm in Half Moon Bay, dinner at Mark and Courtney's Ranch, music class and we just returned from three days in Paso Robles, the Central Coast's really cool wine country.

We tasted lots of great wines, swam in the outdoor pool, Cody played in parks and the Children's museum and we had a ton of great food. It's a really cool place less than 3 hours away that's a lot less shee shee than Napa. Cody was great in the car, partly thanks to the Ipad's fun Elmo apps and Caillou and did great sleeping in the hotel. Barb and John even watched him one night and Greg and I got really crazy. We went out had two glasses of wine and dessert and got home by the early dawn, jk we got home and in bed by 10:30 but it was really fun. Well the last two nights I've been grading papers until 11:30 I think I'm delirious, Greg's going his softball and I'm going to bed.

Fallin' into the season

So many fun things to report: First Wyatt Cole Ashley was born yesterday making me an Aunt times 3! He's a big boy at almost 10 lbs and is doing well in Columbus, OH with my sister and her family.

We had a blast in Lake Tahoe with the Goldfarbs over Labor Day weekend. You'd think we were filming a fun in Tahoe commercial since we: hiked, biked, swam, stand up paddle boarded, rode horses, saw fireworks, and sat in 7 hours of traffic on the way home.. Whoops that last part wouldn't be in the commercial, but even with the traffic it was sooooo beautiful and fun.

School has been going well or should I saw muy bueno. The little 6th graders are cute and I got 99% of them using Google Documents already. (I'll get the last little guy this week.) Last weekend I was soooooo exhausted from everything that we just chilled. We did some hiking in local Water Dog Park and cleaned up a little.

This weekend is shaping up to be a little more lively. Last night I went to a SUPER fun Zumba class with a friend then came home and cried my eyes out to Biutiful. Man, what a sad movie. Greg definitely needs to pick next time, I've been on a streak of so so films. But this morning we woke up and went out for breakfast, then over to my school for our car wash, then to Palo Alto to a free children's museum/zoo/park, then hit at the batting cages (I did pretty well if I do say so myself) and now we're chillin during nap time. Soon we'll FINALLY get our bookcase for our living room. Crazy with so much planning and money spent our living room looks exactly the same because NOTHING has come in yet. Later tonight our neighbors invited us over for a BBQ then tomorrow we'll host a little EAGLES football viewing. Go Birds!

Cody and I started Music and Me on Wednesdays and dear God its fun, cute, but exhausting! Watching and participating in 13 kids singing and playing instruments is enough to make someone need a drink. I went for the tamest of choices in a coke (and I rarely drink soda) just to keep my eyes open when I got home. I think we'll settle into a routine and I'll be accustomed to the class but it was fun. I left school at a normal time, got Cody, played in the park, then did class. It's a good Wednesday after school activity to look forward to (hopefully :)) Another activity that is way fun is watching Cody eat corn. Enjoy!

All good things....

must come to an end. My summer romance with Cody ended today on a high note of course. We went to Yoga (there's daycare up in Daly City) then the zoo then to the teacher store after a lengthy nap to buy Spanish supplies because this year in addition to teaching 8th grade social studies, I'm also teaching 3 classes of 6th grade Spanish Cultural Studies Technology. Basically I need to teach/learn myself some basic Spanish vocab, do overviews of 5-6 Spanish speaking Latin American countries which include my fav: Peru and weave in technology. I'm psyched! Learning more Spanish has been a goal and I loved teaching the little 6th graders in CO so its meant to me...I hope :)

Hmmmm as always let me think, what have Cody and I been doing since Happy Hollow on August 11. Well I had my social studies department over for lunch and taught them how to use these cool clickers we bought for students. Charlene, Christie and their boys and us have gone to countless more parks and on Monday we met up and cooked triple batches of meat lasagne, veggie lasagne, and corn chili chowder. We ended up with 12 meals each that we took home and froze. So awesome for when school gets crazy and cooking dinner becomes stressful instead of fun.

Last week Greg and I were super social and organized a volleyball happy hour at a local park with friends. It was a success. Hopefully, we'll do it every couple of months. Then Saturday we had two couples with their boys come over for a BBQ. Then Sunday we went for a BBQ at another friend's house and got to swim in his heated pool and hot tub. Ahhhh

The weekend before Greg was a super trooper and spent most of it at SF's Room and Board since we're redecorating our living room. We already bought a new couch, ottoman, and entertainment center. Next up is accent chair, curtains, storage ottoman, and picture rails. I've done more research on redoing this room than my senior thesis. It's nuts. We want modern, kid friendly, moveable (since we're renters) and comfortable. We did also manage to bike Cody up to this cool park and have a picnic too. And jump on the Caltrain and go out for Mexican in Redwood City at night.

In weird news, I went to an oral surgeon and got scar tissue removed from my mouth. I guess I constantly bite it and it was not healing. It feels so much better, hopefully I can bite right in the future :)

Paige is back at school. Mandy is about to have her 3rd baby and my parents are gearing up for Hurricane Irene! Barb and John were driving today to VA to celebrate their anniversary. I hope the storm doesn't damper their celebration. We'll see them in October for 10 days, then my parents for a week at Thanksgiving. Oh yeah, Greg and I just bought our Spring Break tickets to Philly then onto Turks and Cacaos sans Cody. As Noah/Asa would say, Whoa Whoa Whoa!

Here's the updated Cody stats: Cody is walking, running, climbing, and trying to jump. He has 6 teeth. He eats total people food and fell in love last week with raviolis. I know Cody we love them too! He's recently said choo choo (today on the train at the zoo,) duck, and quack quack (in the bath with Greg last night.) We've been getting some heat about the first hair cut. We wanted to wait until Barb and John got here in October but it might get too crazy by then. People LOVE his red curls and we love them too. We'll see, he doesn't look like a girl, he's 100% boy.

He's been so much fun this summer. Part of what's made it fun is hanging with Charlene-Gordan, Christie-Jackson. Those three are super cute buddies and us girls always have things to talk about. Oh I signed Cody and me up for Music and Me classes on Wednesdays to make sure I leave work early once a week and have fun with Cody. I'm also keeping up with the trainer and working out 2-3 times a week. This week was a good one. I ran 2x, did a trainer work out, and today did yoga. I want to train for a half marathon. Paige has inspired me.

Well Greg is picking up Thai for a dinner in. Cody is fast asleep after a busy day. Tomorrow, end of summer bash at Josh and Susan's then Sunday is Gordan's 1st Bday party. I think we're going to bring Cody to Gilroy Gardens tomorrow. It's a little kid amusement park in the heart of garlic country.

Back to school Monday. Kids Wednesday. Tahoe Friday. Life is good.

Life's a Zoo, Summer Fun Continues

Man, have I mentioned that I love summertime? My friend Susan and I were talking recently about the year round school idea that's popular out here and I think if you had the mountain house it would be fun to ski for three weeks, but having the summer to hang and not think about work (until recently) for a couple months plus is the way to go. We ended July with going to Gilead's nice Family Carnival on Friday the 29th, then Greg's friend's party on Saturday.
Then August we kept up the fun schedule by riding bikes with Abbie and Susan with the beautiful new Redwood Shores Library. On Tuesday Christie and I did it up in the Mission going out and then hitting up the awesome Matisyahu Concert at the Regency Ballroom. It's been awhile since I've seen a show, So Fun!! We totally took a taxi all the way home, totally worth it! Greg started on a Wednesday softball league with work friends.
Jon and his friend Danny came into town late Thursday night. Friday the boys went to the Phillies Giants game (they won, big fight too!) and Cody and I went with friends to Foster City's music in the park. Oh Friday during the day we did a full tour of SF: the Haight, the Presido, Fisherman's Wharf..good times, I love taking people to Boudin's Sourdough. Then Saturday we all went to Santa Cruz. The boardwalk was soooo crowded. At night we got a sitter and went out for a great dinner in Palo Alto at Nola's and then played some Foosball and shuffleboard until they kicked us out of Ausiello's. Sunday we all went to the Phillies Giants Game (they lost :() and then had a great dinner. It was great to hang and catch up with Uncle Jonny. Him and Danny were so great with Cody.
I've been doing my weekly trainer appointments at Crunch which have been great except for this week's weigh in. I definitely have been eating like I'm still nursing full time but working out hard too. I did stop nursing last week and gained a little bit. I can't believe I went this long, but it was time. So far it hasn't been too bad. Today I woke up and had to take some Aleve for pain but I was down to only at night so hopefully it won't be too bad. I pumped a little this morning and it was much better. I'll miss nursing him to sleep. He's good with the bottle, but its not the same. Although it was painful at times (many times) it was a good experience overall.
Today my co op friends, Charlene and Mandy, and I brought the kiddos to Happy Hollow, a young kid amusement park and petting zoo in San Jose. Last week we went to the SF zoo with Susan and Cody's favorite sitter, Abbie!
So now that its August, I'm starting to think of school and am getting excited. I even had my department over yesterday to plan and catch up. I'm sad I won't be with my bestie Cody, but he went to Shirley's (his daycare) Monday while I did some school work and had a great time. He'll go again next Monday. Judging by the pic of him with his lunchbox, he's ready for school!
Well this weekend I think we'll order some new living room furniture. I've done more research for this than a car, its crazy, but I think we know what we want and where to get it. I'm excited for a new look though you know I'll miss the purple furniture a little. Wait, no I won't, its not comfortable anymore. The end of an era like Brooke said.

Cody, the Junior Ranger, in Sequoia Kings Canyon National Parks

I'm tired but wanted to write up our trip while I still remember everything. Today was fun, but tiring because I brought Cody to the gym this morning (they have a sweet daycare) for yoga then we went to the SF zoo then car wash to wash off the dirt, pollen and sap from our recent camping trip to Sequoia and Kings Canyon then home to make my first quiche for Cody then I had a trainer appointment at the gym. tired..but the trip....

was awesome! We left late on Friday to avoid traffic and just let Cody sleep. We arrived at the campsite around 1130 (I got a little car sick, I think it was because I was trying to read Greg's Iphone to avoid looking out at the curvy dark road in front of me.) But we set up our new HUGE tent with Cody's pack n play and our air mattress (so long backpacking style stuff, we're totally big time car campers for the time being.) Then we transferred a sleeping Cody into the tent.

Cody was a 5 at sleeping but a 10 during the day. The 5 was because he did wake up each night and we moved him into our sleeping bags which zip together. That wasn't too bad, actually it's super cute because he cuddles but then he likes (just like his mommy) to twirl my hair. I may be bald the next time you see me. But during the day he loved exploring the campsite and being carried all over the place. Here's what we did:

Saturday: climb to Morro Rock, hike from Converse Meadow to General Sherman's Tree (I think the largest tree in the world by volume

Sunday: drive into King's Canyon, Grizzly Falls, Roaring Falls, hikes around Zumbalt Meadow, swim in Hume Lake

Monday: stroll around Grant's Grove, then off road in the Subbie through Stump Meadow and the hike to Boole Tree (the only sequoia that was sparred the axe in this particular location.)*

It was all so beautiful. The trees huge. The skies blue. The water raging. The meadows' grass so green and wildflowers all around. Cool rock formations like mini Half Domes (big granite slabs, makes you think of rock climbing) Cody enjoying it all. The food we prepared was great. We had our staple camping burrito and s'mores but also some caprese, veggie brats, cookies, hummus..we were well fed.

*So I do have to note our little or large encounter on Boole Trail about 1.5 miles in. Greg was carrying Cody in the Ergo and said, "Jes, back up." in a slow, quiet, calm voice. I knew there was nothing calm about what I was about to see. A bear? A mountain lion? No, it was a HUGE 6 foot plus rattle snake that was super pissed about us walking on his turf. He rattled, coiled up and as we moved backwards he slithered across the trail. We then got a stick and were on high alert for the rest of the hike. Triple yikes! Good eye Dada, glad you saw it!

It's been such a fun summer and this camping trip was a great introduction to camping for Cody Bear. Man, California does not disappoint with the ubber options of outdoor beauty.

Cody Walks!

We got back from NY on the 12th and Cody walked over to Greg who was holding his Iphone. Now it's been over a week and he's all over the place. He's walking down the sidewalk, pushing his car, falling and getting some bumps and bruises along the way. Each day he gets better and more stable. Today we're gearing up for our first real camping trip down to Kings Canyon Sequoia National Park. Back to packing....

California-Denver-New York Summer

So we got back from Puerto Rico but the celebrating didn't end there. Greg and I finally made good on our arepa sangria party. We had about 20 people including Cody's besties (Gordon 10 months and Jackson 2 and a half yrs) to celebrate Cody's birthday with our CA peeps. It was really fun. A lot of people never had arepas. We made veggie, pork and chicken and got cupcakes from Kara's in the city. Since our party started at 4 Greg and I had the new chiminea (clay fire pot) to ourselves. It was the first time we used the back portion of our yard. It was awesome to sit, have a drink, and look at the stars.
That whole weekend was packed with summer fun. Two sets of friends invited us over to swim and hang on Sunday and Monday. Then Tuesday Cody and I flew solo to Denver. I willed us on the plane after the Frontier lady told us our flight was canceled. There was another flight that we were on standby and luckily it worked! We got to Denver and immediately got Spicy Pickle sandwiches and went over to Mike and Brooke's. Mike was home and Cody got to meet his future bride, baby Mavis. So cute!!! We hung with them and Paige and Kyle and during the day I got to meet two more babies of friends of mine I worked with in CO. It felt good to be back even if it was for two days.
After another delayed flight and standby we (Paige, Kyle, Cody and I) finally made it to Syracuse, NY at 5 on Thursday. We even made it out that night to the revitalized happening bar scene on Varick Street. It was a good time. Friday Paige and I got pedis and we went to the Boilermaker Expo. Mandy and the whole fam drove in from Columbus late that night. Saturday was the big family reunion at Delta Lake. It was so great to hang with all the everyone and have the new set of cousins play with each other. I hope we can do this again. Then....
The Boilermaker was this morning. Dad drove us down early and I was a little nervous. Barb and John made a surprise visit and along with Mandy and Kate were at the 9 mile mark. I was very proud of myself that I kept up with Paige and Kyle the avid monthly race runners that whole time. They did beat me at the end with their strong kick by a couple of minutes but I think I got my best time ever. The time shown was 1hr38min but the official time will be even less because we were so far back from the start. 13,000 people ran it. We enjoyed the celebratory Saranac afterward. Then the Ashley crew headed out followed by the Nottes. We leave Tuesday. Back to Dada. We miss him. He got to scuba dive in the cold Pacific waters of Monterrey Bay yesterday.
So we're back home and I just updated some more pics. On Monday we got to see Lindsay and her cute kids at their awesome house. Then Tuesday Cody (Code Code as Asa calls him) and I flew back home. He was once again great on the flights and we were soooo happy to see dada. Yesterday we unpacked and today we went up to the city and enjoyed a great concert in Yerba Buena Gardens. Have I said, that I love summer!!

Cody's Puerto Rican 1st Bday Fiesta!!

Hola! We did it!! I finished my 11th year of teaching and we immediately flew to the Caribbean for Cody's 1st birthday bash. Wow, I love the immediate start of summer vaca and decompressing island style. This year has flown by, yet looking back over the blog we've managed to do a lot and have tons of fun. So Cody took yet another cross country flight first to Miami, then onto PR. We landed amidst a HUGE thunder and lightening storm. Yikes! But although the forecast called for a chance of stormy weather everyday, that first day was our only storm (there were a couple of rainy downpours but it was fun to run through the streets of Old San Juan in the rain.) Barb and John arrived shortly after us and we proceeded to have a ball exploring Old San Juan, El Yunque Rainforest, the BioLuminescence in Mosquito Bay on the island of Vieques (it's the strongest in the world, you get in and totally glow with sparkles and a bright blue aura of light,)and the ocean and pool right outside our condo at Farjardo. Cody loved playing in both the ocean and the pool and spending time with Grammie and Pops. It was quite hot and humid so he definitely preferred the time in the water and the AC condo to the heat of the street. We ate great food and enough plantains to last a lifetime (not quite a lifetime, I love them, and am making them tonight.) Their typical dish was the mofongo which consists of muddled plaintain and usually some type of meat. There were some celebratory rum punches and pina coladas. Barb and John did a horseback ride on a nearby island and a nature preserve tour. Greg and I did 6 dives and saw sea turtles, 4 HUGE stingrays, and lots of fish and coral. Cody ate Baskin Robbins ice cream cake on his birthday and we went out later for an excellent final dinner at Calizo near our place. Cody did great on the flights back and we still had the weekend to hang out with dada before he went back to work today. Cody and I went running (gotta prep for the Boilermaker Race in two weeks!) and then he got a clean bill of health (YAY, he kicked his double ear infections and got another tooth) at his 1 year doc appt. The rest of this week is chill time with friends here and then onto Denver where he'll meet his future bride, Mavis Meagher and hang with his CO buddies both young and old. Yay Summer Time!!!!

Memorial Day Get Away

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Wow & whew we've been quite busy. Last week was Cody's premiere on stage. He was in the opening scene of our school's musical, "Bye Bye Birdie." He did great, there may be a career in "the industry." Saturday we biked with Cody 12 miles around Crystal Springs Reservoir then went out for a fabulous date night. Then Sunday we went to the Maker's Fair which was a huge, 100,000 people event where people show off all the smart, interesting, weird things they make like robots, food, cloths, experiments. It was wild. Then the busiest school week in awhile. There was the end of a great boys soccer season and the Second Annual Career Day that Greg came and took part in. All the while we were preparing for our weekend get away to Pinnacles National Monument. We scooted out of town early on Friday to avoid traffic and timed it just right for Cody's nap and in about 3 hours we were somewhere totally new. We stayed at the Pinnacles Inn B & B which is located right on a 160 acre winery. It was awesome!!! Then Saturday morning we hiked 8.5 miles around the national park. The rock formations, flowers, animals and caves were amazing!! Cody did great. I thank god for whole wheat mini bagels. Then Sunday we checked out Arroyo Seco park and did a little beautiful hike along a high old fire road above a crystal blue river. We drove up and over the mountains to Carmel-by-the-Sea and Cody played on the windy beach. Then home and to bed. Today, Monday, we're taking it easy. It was such a great decompressing weekend to help me charge up for the last two weeks of school...then Puerto Rico!!! I can't believe he'll be turning one. I look forward to him reading this blog about how we've kept him quite busy during his first year!

Mother's Day Ball n Crawl

Cody is so on the move! We've had a ball playing with my mom "Nana" and Aunt Paige. Mom has watched Cody last week while our daycare was on break and together they enjoyed the California sunshine. Last weekend Paige came out to hang and we had a great time hiking in the redwoods on Saturday and eating Greg's yummy Mother's Day breakfast on Sunday. It was a great 1st Mother's Day! It was fun to be able to share it with mom and Paige. Mom got to see Cody say ball and crawl really fast, she also helped to make lots of healthy baby foods this morning. They came to my boys soccer games and to play practice. Cody is going to be in the opening scene of Bye Bye Birdie at our middle school. Well state testing is over and there's only a month of school left. Greg got me a membership to our local gym so I only have four weeks to to prep for Puerto Rico!

On the move plus teeth and animals!

Wow so much has happened in this last week. Last weekend for Easter Sunday Barb and I with a wicked cute Cody in his Easter outfit (thanks to Mike and Cindy) went to mass at San Fran's Grace Cathedral. Then we joined back up with John and Greg and all we all went to the zoo. It was so much fun. Cody enjoyed the carousel and petting zoo the most. Then, sadly, we said goodbye to Grammie and Pops on Tuesday morning. It was a great trip and we're thankful for them to be able to come and hang with us. Then, much to my surprise, my collegues nominated me and I won an award Wednesday night for my contribution to programs and events at school. It was really nice to be recognized. I love the school I teach at and have gotten involved in many things like the Boys Soccer Team, Career Day, RTI, and PBS. Greg and Cody surprised me there at the ceremony. Cody hadn't been sleeping until 6 like he usually does and we wondered what was up. We soon found out it was because he was breakin in his new top left tooth with rightie soon to follow. He also think week and last has learned to clapped, shake his head "no" and CRAWL. He is everywhere, no cord is safe. I thought we babyproofed but it's a whole new ball game....speaking of which yesterday, all day we rooted for Dada at his softball tourney where they came in 2nd place! Then we went to a friend's BBQ. Today, Sunday, we're going to go swimming and q-ing with friends. Its so nice out. And Wednesday mom comes and Friday Paige comes!!! We're super excited to see Nana and Aunt Paige for Mom's birthday weekend and my first Mother's Day. I still can't believe he's 10 months!!

Swims, Quakes, and Easter Visit

We're back and busy. After the worst sickness ever, Cody and fam is back to our usual busy, happy selves. Today is Cody's 10 month birthday and John "Pops" Notte's birthday too. We celebrated by going on a bird walk then to our favorite Cuban restaurant last night, then this morning yummy brunch at Town and a trip to the ocean in Half Moon Bay. We experienced our first earthquake Wednesday right before Cody's swim lesson. I was outside yelling at our undefeated soccer team to start running so I didn't feel it, but Greg felt a shake and a loud thump on the roof of his building. It was only a 3.8 luckily. But as you can see Cody LOVES swimming and his swim teacher, Krystal. Tomorrow is Easter. We're going up to the city, going to mass at Grace Cathedral and then maybe the zoo.