August

August is a birthday month...Alex's birthday is at the end of July and mine a week later. So we celebrated together when Alex's mom was in town. We went to see the new Batman movie and ate at this great little restaurant across from the newly renovated theater in Alameda. We had a great time with Nellie visiting. We headed to a street fair by Lake Merritt and Sasha went right into the bouncy house. It was so fun watching her in there laughing and running around. Although she's often quite timid, sometimes she surprises us with her boldness and in the case of the bouncy house we were happily surprised. For our birthdays we also all headed to see the local MLS soccer game. We saw the LA Galaxy vs. the SJ Earthquakes here at the colliseum in Oakland. For those of you that know soccer that means we got a close glimpse of Mr. David Beckham which with all his stardom was quite fun. I do have to say thought that the best part was the game. We won 3-2 and scored the final goal in the 89th minute. Really it was awesome! Sasha's first soccer experience when she was much younger didn't go so well, but dealing with the loud crowds and cheering she's getting much more comfortable.

We really stayed put the rest of the month considering Alex just took his new job and we knew we were heading to Tahoe at the end of August to celebrate Sasha's birthday. We had a little party the weekend before Sasha's real birthday. And it really seemed like she enjoyed herself playing with all her little friends. It also turned out to be a beautiful day, but our backyard gets a ton of sun and people were definitely migrating to the few shady spots. Alex and I made a Curious George cake which came out wonderful! Unfortunately, we didn't take a picture of it alone to show off our cake making skills...next year. When we sang Happy Birthday Sasha became quite shy and wasn't as excited as we hoped. But when the spotlight was removed from her, she happily ate her piece of cake and went back to having fun. For her birthday gift we bought her this play kitchen which was the best thing we could have gotten her. She plays with it constantly and loves to cook for us. Our friends were awesome and bought her different foods and pots and pans to help get it started. She just LOVES it! The day really was a lot of fun and I'm so glad everyone could make it!

Check out the pictures of the festivities:
http://picasaweb.google.com/amyres/August?authkey=jAGLoUoz8zY#

July

July was a big month with lots of changes! First off Alex took a new job with another high end residential contractor, Ford Mazzola in the city. He is now working on three jobs all with the same architect which hopefully will bode well. Due to him changing jobs the best part was that he took 2 weeks off between them. During his time off, he finished the front stairs, entry door and railings. It looks amazing! And as a little treat he went on a solo backpacking trip to the Jennie Lakes area. He said it was really beautiful and enjoyed the solitude, which is a rare treat. We also took a little family trip for 3 days up to Guerneville and the Russian River. It was incredibly relaxing and warm! We went swimming and played in the river and just did a whole lot of nothing.

Then I left on my first solo trip since Sasha was born and headed to Whidby Island, off of Seattle, to partake in Abby's bachlorette camping trip. We had a blast and I have to say it was nice to be on my own for a few days but by day 3 I was ready to head home and see my family. We went to an ollalieberry festival on the island and did a little hike along the water. Most of the time the weather was nice but we did get rained on while camping. Oh Seattle, you and your rain. Then we headed back to Portland where I got to meet up with some other friends in the city. I met Mr. Henry Wines who is adorable and such a great baby. It was so nice to finally meet him at 3 months old! Jenna and Aaron seem to be doing really well and are naturals at parenting. I also have to say I forgot how nice it was to hold an infant again, he's not even that small for a 3 month old but I realize it's all relative. It really is amazing, and so cliche, but it goes by so quickly! And Sasha, although only 2 is such a little girl now.

Also in the beginning of the month Lisa and Scott were here for a quick visit. We had an amazing breakfast in North Beach and headed to Coit Tower. Then they came over for a BBQ and I think we would all agree we ate well that day! It was nice to see them both and we were thrilled to have them here.

Other than that, there were a few neighborhood BBQ's and lots of play time outside. Sasha loves her little pool and we use it weekly. She also has become a great little hiker. Literally on our hike in Armstrong Redwoods Park she ran 2/3 of the time, did I mention while singing? It was a lot of fun discovering things in the woods and we had such a nice day. Like most kids she also loves her bath- lately it seems like she's in there at least for 30 min. and comes out as a little prune. She shows Alex how she goes swimming, they blow bubbles and sing at the top of their lungs. It's hilarious and quite a lot of fun. The other thing we often do in the evenings is sit out on our stairs before we head out for a walk. Sasha likes to see people walking through our neighborhood and asks us, "Who's that?" And we reply, "A neighbor." She then says, " What's their name?" We say, "We don't know but you can introduce yourself and say Hi I'm Sasha. What's your name?" She has only done it once to a little boy around 5, but it was adorable. It feels very old school sitting out on your front porch watching the neighborhood before you but we love listening to all that she sees and then we head out to the cul-de-sac to see who's out playing.

Here's some pictures for you to enjoy!
http://picasaweb.google.com/amyres/July?authkey=u-UZ5Tg2R9o#

June

The summer always flies by...however living here the summer weather has really just begun. Mid August is when the days are hot, the evenings warm and it feels a tad like the East Coast w/o the humidity. It usually lasts until Oct. and as I write this it is close to 90 degrees outside!! But back to June...we were actually in town for the entire month. It was so nice to be home! We went to various street fairs, bbq's and brunches with friends. I even was able to scrapbook a bit for a gift for Father's Day.

Other than the fun stuff, I was focusing on studying for my MEP exam which took up all of my "free time". Alex was using his time working hard on our house...the never ending project. It is looking beautiful though and the last big interior project is really now just the bathroom! This month he also became a green certified builder and attended some all day seminars learning more about sustainability. This month we celebrated Father's Day and Sasha made Alex a painting while I gave him a full day to go biking on his own! He did a great 4 hr. ride and was thrilled when he got back. We also all got ice cream to celebrate!

Our little Sasha is approaching 2 and we are just amazed by all she is doing. She is such a good kid and really is a joy to be with. What are these people talking about when they say the terrible 2's...maybe she's just not there yet but we love this age! We laugh alot, talk alot and play with our dolls quite a bit. Sasha is definitely what I would call a "girlie" girl, she loves pink, she loves her dolls and really I think if she could wash her hands all day she would stand in front of the sink for hours. She is also a little chocoholic, really it's hilarious how she gets so excited about it. Even when she is pretending to cook she always makes sure to add in some chocolate and cinnamon. I guess the Resnick sweet tooth is in her afterall! She has a huge vocabulary and is quite imaginative in her play....she enjoys playing doctor, as you'll see in the pictures, and it's so cute how she listens and says, "bump,bump, bump" for the beating of your heart. We have a stethascope she plays with and we sometimes even get a band-aid after she is done with her examination. She also plays with 2 little boys, Nico + Liam, every Tues. and Thurs. and she adores them. From what I'm told she is Rosa's [her nanny] little helper, she gives everyone their milk, snacks and even tries to clean them up afterwords. They are the cutest together and I love watching them all dance and give kisses and hugs goodbye.

Check out the photos this month:
http://picasaweb.google.com/amyres/June?authkey=nW5dpY7a-j8#