Boo! Happy Halloween

At age 4... Isabella really gets Halloween this year. She changed her mind several times on what she wanted to dress up as (after we had already bought her penguin costume :-).

At 11am this morning, Isabella started asking about when it was time to get Trick-Or-Treating... it didn't let up for another 6 hours.

Finally at 2 she opened the front door and sat there.

I asked her "What are you doing? Are you inside?"

Isabella answered, "Yes, I'm just sitting here waiting for Trick-Or-Treaters to come"

Daddy: "Bella they are not going to come for quiet a while"

Isabella: "That's OK daddy"

And so went the afternoon. But that excitement translated into a magical evening (despite her getting diagnosed with Strep Throat the day before... nothing could hold her back!).

Earlier at the pumpkin patch... say cheese

Mom.. can we bring this one home??? Please, please, please!

OK... now it is finally time to get dressed. Mom has safely pins ready to go... I think this costume is appropriate for ages 4,5,6 & 7 :-)

Dad and Bella out knocking on doors... We are the penguins from the movie "Happy Feet"... I am Memphis and Bella is Mambo. If you haven't see the movie, don't miss it (doesn't matter your age)

We met up with Sofie to go around the neighborhood.

Homeward... time to give out candy at our house!

For Bella... giving out candy was every bit as fun as going around the neighborhood. She decided to take her penguin costume off and put on a princess outfit to give out candy.

The front of our house... after Isabella gave out candy for a while, another neighborhood friend came by and Isabella went out again... for another hour around the neighborhood :-) Its just more fun with a buddy.

On Friday, Isabella wasn't feeling well (we discovered it was strep throat on Saturday). At work on Friday, my team spent considerable effort turing our combined offices into a haunted house. It turned out pretty amazing. Since I was in charge of bringing several things Friday morning, I brought Bella in with me. She LOVED helping out with putting together our haunted house. When I was trying to get her to go home, she found rubber ducks in the fountain at work.. one of the admins always does this and keeps them clean... because the kids LOVE IT

We all dressed the part and Friday afternoon we had a SPOOKY haunted house that was the talk of the campus. From 2-4 on Friday we had at least 350 people come by. What fun :-)

Isabella's 4th Birthday

Wow... how has four years come and gone?!? Our little girl turned four yesterday. It has been a very special weekend. Isabella's school class made a carrot cake... all the kids helped.

On Friday morning mom and dad got to come to school with Bella and participate in a special birthday ritual with Ms Christy and all the kids. We came for story time... and the story was all about how Isabella came down from heaven and choose mommy an daddy. Isabella was dressed in a special cape and hat... she felt so special.

We got to join all the kids for snack time and ended with eating this beautiful carrot cake. There is a hummingbird made of raisins on top because Isabella's cubby at school has a hummingbird on it (all the kids have different animals).

On Sat, we had Bella's birthday at the Reuben H Fleet Science Center. What a huge success. Not only was the staff marvelous, but it was a great environment since we had about 10 kids of various ages.

The Science Center just re-opened "Kids City" and boy did the kids have a blast!

The fire truck was a huge hit... here is Bella with Rowan (Byrne)

... and with Sophie our neighbor

After playing it was we hosted lunch and then it was cake time...

Happy Birthday to You...

Our friend Natalie knitted the most precious hat for Bella

Nothing more fun than watching the excitement of kids opening gifts

Are they cool shoes or what!?

Mackenzie... you are growing!!!

Dad and Grandpa

James's cousins Paul, Gina, Kaylie and Lucy Riddle

My dad and his sister.. My Aunt Sandy

The birthday girl with Annie

Our mama's to be (again :-)

Natalie and Fredrica

Annie and Fredrica... 32 and 29 weeks

Isabella... how old are you? "I'm FOUR!"

The funny things they say

Bella has always been a very verbal child but now her speech is so clear and she is very good at telling us what she wants ...and don't want. Here are a couple of examples.

"They are triangles looking like squares". Telling me how to cut the kiwi.

"Get out!!! I have a scratch on my butt". telling daddy off as he open her door.

She is a great entertainer alright!

Goodbye Summer

Well, we had some surprising hot days a couple weeks ago... actually 100F!! (38C). Last weekend is started to cool and Fredrica made home made banana ice cream for Bella and a friend from pre-school that was over for a play date.

Being 7 months pregnant, Fredrica was done with the heat and longed for cooler weather. She actually did a rain dance... I laughed... but here we are a week later and we have rain!!! Lots of rain and thunder storms in the forecast for tomorrow... Now I just have to figure out how to package her up and sell her to rain needed people:)

We say goodbye to summer with this picture of Bella eating ice cream.

I'm a Little Tea Pot

Making Tinkerbell right at home

We have gotten into making crafts on the weekend together. We all help out and Bella absolutely loves it. Last weekend we made a home for Bella's Tinkerbell doll Karl and Jessica in Sweden gave her this summer. We used a box and cut out door and windows. We made furniture and drapes out of Bella's old t-shirt. Bella loves the home and Tinkerbell loves it so much she invited her friends over. It cost nothing but brought so much joy and her friends who came over the next day loved it too.

San Francisco #2

We decided to take one last trip away before Fredrica can't fly anymore and we wanted to go somewhere fun with good food---That's San Francisco folks. We had a good time and stayed in a condo we rented in the Marina. Everything would have been perfect if Fredrica didn't come down with a nasty cold the day we left. She still enjoyed SF and only one time did she stay behind when me and Bella went to the science museum. We had luck with the weather because SF had a heat wave when we were there.

The trip started well when the Captain of our flight wanted to meet with Bella. She even got to sit in his chair.

Bella loved the penguin exhibit at the Science museum the best

Fun fish!

We had lunch with old friends Alex & Maria at Greens which was walking distance from our condo

We could see the Golde Bridge from our Condo

There were a great play ground walking distance from our condo and they had they this amazing swing and Bella thought it was perfect for meditation

View of the bay and bridge on a evening walk

Palace of fine art

27 weeks pregnant

We're more than 2/3 done!!!! It's getting heavy and it's harder to be pregnant. I'm much bigger than I was with Bella but it's all three B's; butt, belly and boobs. Don't really get why my but gets big when I'm pregnant but it does. But it's the baby that's growing, not me. I've loved the cool and rainy weather we've been having and just wish it would stay like this for the remaining of my pregnancy.

Our little boy pushes and stretches in side the belly and you can now feel it and see it on the outside. Bella has felt it and loving it. I've stopped teaching yoga and is concentrating on other work instead. It was just simply getting to hard to teach vigorous yoga for non-pregnant students. I sleep like a log but yet feel like I'm always tired.

Next week I will have the glucose test done to check to diabetes and week after that a ultrasound and doctors appointment to see if my placenta has moved. It's been placed too close to my cervix and if it move any closer a natural birth will not be an option. However, I had the same thing happen with Bella and it changed with help of acupuncture so we're keeping our fingers crossed. We thank everyday for our miracle!

Señior gives dad a chase

Our rabbit, Señor, loves to run around in the garden... I think if it were safe he'd just live out there! He loves hanging out in the vegetable garden (although mom sometimes has to chase him off if he starts eating). He eat the grass and runs around behind the bushes.

But when it is time for Señor to come ... well that is easier said that done. While I am amazed that he is potty trained... I certainly haven't figured out how to train him to walk inside to his cage :-)

Annie's Wedding... 270 Cupcakes!!!

Isabella has been in day care since she was about 1... for Annie has been a big part of her life and ours for the past three years.

So it was a very special day for all of us when Annie got married last week. As a wedding present, Fredrica offered to make cupcakes... Annie wanted cupcakes as her 'wedding cake'... but it had a few twists... the flavors were fun: chocolate, passion fruit and key lime... AND they had to be done gluten free and lactose free!!! The journey making these ended up being a very interesting one since she could not make cakes until the day before and frost them the day off. Off course it ended up being a super hot day so all fans were aiming at the cup cakes to keep them from melting. At one point the kitchen aid broke, thronging frosting all over Fredrica and the kitchen. But in the end the reward was that it made Annie and her guest very happy.

The dining room table filled with cupcakes as Fredrica's assembly line worked each batch

James's job was transportation... a less glamorous role... but real planning was required to ensure the drive would be safe

Annie helped pick this dress out for Bella on her wedding day

Tony is in the navy so the wedding took place on the beach on north island... the first time we've ever been allowed onto that part of Coronado Island.

Lizette is Annie's helper at day care. The kids just adore her.

Could this be more beautiful?

Look carefully... you can see the Hotel Del Coronado down the beach

Flower Girls Anna and Gaby... Tony's daughters

Annie and Tony... husband and wife

Fredrica did such an amazing job with the presentation... the edible flowers really make the trays pop!

What more could you ask for... Annie loved them

The interesting thing about having the wedding and reception on North Island is that you are right be the navy airstrip