This month we started our kitchen demo! We had the demo done the Monday before we flew to MA and while Amy + Sasha stayed back east to visit with family Alex flew home to crank away on the kitchen!! He got a lot done while we were gone and it was good having Sasha out of the house so he didn't have to worry about making too much dust. Tune in next month to see before and after photos!
Our trip east started in DC visiting Alex's family, his mom had a big dinner Sat. night and we got to see everyone which was great. The next morning Sasha got to play with her 3 cousins and we all had fun playing football and jumping in big leaf piles in the backyard. It was great to see friends as well, thanks Ted + Robin for hosting dinner for all of us again!! It was so nice to catch up with everyone and being in DC always feels like home.
Sasha + I then took off up the coast and stopped at a friends' outside Philly for a night and another friends in Westchester County, NY. It's always so nice to spend time with those friends you've known for so long and know you so well. Ryann, Randi and Matt's daughter, taught Sasha the art of dumping something out and then standing there with her hands on her head saying, "Oh No!!" while she's giggling. They played this game for about 40 min. in Randi's kitchen and it was hilarious to them...now at home it's a daily occurence- thanks Ryann! Sasha did really well on the drives- which were through not such great weather, but her nightime routine was completely thrown and I was exhausted by the time we arrived at my parents. We were welcomed with big hugs and kisses and were incredibly thrilled to all be together. There was a lot to celebrate while we were there- Thanksgiving, Lisa's Bridal Shower and my Mom's birthday!
Let's start with Thanksgiving since it came first, all I have to say is Grape Pie, that's right grape pie- something most of us have never heard of, right? Lisa's inlaws who we got to meet during the Thanksgiving vacation were so thoughtful to bring freshly made grape pies. Apparently it's a really big thing in the Finger Lakes where they are from b/c they grow concord grapes. It was pretty good but I have to admit Lisa's apple pie was my favorite!!
Then we had Lisa's bridal shower over the weekend and got to see more family which was really nice. And we had fun playing a few games and just chatting the afternoon away. The food there was a hit as well but the coolest thing was this coffee/tea/hot cocoa maker we were all in awe of. It makes one cup at a time and therefore if one guest wants decaf and another wants a mocha everyone can get what they like. Really cool! It was incredibly nice of Lisa Hodge to host- thanks again!
My mom's birthday was topped off with an excellent chocolate cake- what else? but as you can see there is a theme of good eating going on here, which is what Thanksgiving time is all about!
Sasha over those 12 days with my parents learned the word "No" and we were less then thrilled with her discovery. While she has quite the vocabulary and says a lot of words, book, boat, apple, milk, knock, baby, some of our favorites are car [with a Boston accent leaving off the r] and bubbles. She also knows a bit of sign language which we've been working on for a while and am glad to see it's paying off! She has become obsessed with babies and Nana and Grandpa got her one while we were there. When we got back home we bought a little stroller for the baby and Sasha is in heaven strolling her baby around the house. We had a great time visiting with Nana + Grandpa and Lisa + Scott we can't wait to see them again soon!
Here's some photos of our trip:
http://picasaweb.google.com/amyres/November?authkey=Yd5LIjYTC-M
October was a fun month and we headed out to the apple farms. We made the mistake and good fortune of driving all the way out by Sacramento to Apple Hill. There were about 35 farms all within close proximity which was great!! But it also took us about 2 1/2 hrs. just to get there! Sasha + I slept along the way...so Alex was the only one to have to bear the long day trip. Next year we'll head somewhere more local- or maybe even make the trip to Half Moon Bay [1-1/2 hrs. away] We had a pie eating contest and tried about 4 different pies along the way. We came home with 2 to freeze they were so good. Sasha was more interested in watching the kids on the pony rides and all of the excitement around her.
We also had some visitors this month- my Dad came back out for a quick visit which was great. He always loves being with Sasha and they have a lot of fun together. His visit also allowed Alex and I got to go out and see two movies- sounds pathetic to you non-parents but just wait...Then Abby + Will [newly engaged] came down to visit a few weeks later. We're so excited for you both! With them we headed down to Santa Cruz for the day and had a fabulous time. We hung out at Bonny Doon winery nestled in the Redwoods but only 15 min. from the beach and then relaxed at the beach watching the sunset. Will actually went swimming- crazy man! In his defense though, the weather was perfect and in the 70's so you just couldn't beat it. Sasha was a rockstar and didn't nap all day while remaining incredibly happy. She had run into the water at another beach just the day before and her shoes were still soaking..so we luckily found a shop and got our baby a new pair of shoes.
Other than that we just had our regular days at the park + outings with friends. This year we didn't do much for Halloween - while we carved pumpkins a few times at various parties, she had no interest in the costumes or celebrations. Next year should be a lot more fun with her being a bit older.
There aren't many pictures of all these fun things...b/c we broke our 3rd camera. My parents let us have an extra one of theirs so there shouldn't be any problems in the future!!
http://picasaweb.google.com/amyres/October2007?authkey=9Ky0f8uxUM0
Sasha had just turned the big "1" at the end of August and we had a little party to celebrate. Between all of our birthdays, finishing the backyard and having visitors the summer flew by. September was a bit more laid back and our weekends were filled with more local outings. We often visited the farmer's market on Sundays [they have a band that Sasha enjoys dancing to], hung out with friends and went on some hikes. We went to the DeYoung to check out an exhibit by a japanese artist and got some great photos. Sasha has been to the musuem a few times now and always enjoys the outdoor sculpture garden. This month was also Desi + Ann's wedding and we all went up to Healdsburg and had a fabulous weekend. Everything was AMAZING but unfortunately we forgot the camera...so no pictures here to show. Sasha's best buddy Sophia also turned 1 and we had a great time at her party. And drumroll please...Sasha got her first teeth this month!! We've been waiting for a year to be exact...but 3 came in all within one week, so that was a bit of a rough few days for all of us.
Workwise, Alex finally finished the big project he's been focusing on in Pacific Heights, it was the restoration of the old Belguim Consulate and is now a private home. The client threw a fancy dinner at the house to celebrate the completion which we enjoyed. Amy had been working on a house on the Venice Beach canals and we finally got a permit!! So hopefully this spring it will start construction.
If you'd like to see some pictures from this month follow the link below:
http://picasaweb.google.com/amyres/September2007?authkey=SNf-EOFTH1M
Well we've finally axed the website and decided to give the blogging thing a try. Hopefully, we'll be a bit better about updating this so you can see what we've been up to. There are no future construction projects in the works and the kitchen is about 85% done so the chance that we'll be able to keep up with this is much more likely.
Most of this will be about Sasha, of course, but we'll try to write a bit about what Alex + I are up to as well! Hope you enjoy checking out the posts regarding the last few months adventures!
This month we started our kitchen demo! We had the demo done the Monday before we flew to MA and while Amy + Sasha stayed back east to visit with family Alex flew home to crank away on the kitchen!! He got a lot done while we were gone and it was good having Sasha out of the house so he didn't have to worry about making too much dust. Tune in next month to see before and after photos!
