Daddy's Trip to China

I love the combination of the Starbuck's logo and the traditional architecture.

I was a little worried about being on my own with Anthony for a week and a half. While I'm aware that plenty of women manage on their own with more kids for a lot longer, I'm blessed with a husband who is helpful around the house and a very hands-on Dad. (Anthony knows that Saturday mornings he should go to Daddy to get up and watch tv because Mommy is staying in bed.)

We did okay, better than I expected, actually. Weekday mornings were actually a little LESS stressful. I normally leave the house at 7:00, so that I can leave work early. Daycare doesn't open until 7:30, so we had an extra 20 minutes each day. (Of course, I was late to work every day, but my boss is understanding.) I hired a teenager to babysit for a few hours on Sunday so I could have some quiet, and Anthony even chose to nap on Saturday.

A Glorious Day

The weather the past few days has been amazing. Yesterday one of my co-workers commented that he might take his kid to the beach today. I was inspired. This morning we loaded Elly and Ciaran into Bob's car and headed off to Natural Bridges State Beach. (I cajoled my sleep-deprived, jet lagged husband into going with a promise of a nap in the sun.)

Bob did not get his nap. Instead he played in the water with the boys. He is such a good sport. The frigid water temperatures didn't stop the little boys and Bob gamely joined them. He also brought his kite and the kids were thrilled to "help" fly it.

Daddy goes to China

Daddy got back Wednesday from a week and a half long trip to Shanhai. Honestly, we were pretty lucky that this was the first time he's had to go. He spent most of the time working but did have a little time to get out sightseeing.

Anthony and I missed him a lot! We were able to keep in touch a little through the miracles of modern technology. We skyped briefly every night at bedtime (Anthony kept demanding to see the other people in the room) and Anthony would hug the monitor goodnight. On the weekends we got up and rushed to the computer so we could talk for awhile before Daddy had to go to bed. On the non-technology side of things, we made a paper chain with ten links. Every day we tore of another link until Daddy came home.

We sent some surprises in Daddy's suitcase, so he wouldn't miss us too badly. They included one of our family Valentines and one of Anthony's, some homemade cookies and a piece of Anthony's artwork.

Things he says

So this morning I said to him, "Must you wipe your mouth on your sleeve?"
He responded, "But there was stuff leaking out my mouth."
My response, "You could use a napkin" was completely ignored.

Sarah asked him if he would like a drink of milk or water.
His response, "Milk PLEASE."
Then she handed him the water and he said "Thank you."
Okay, that doesn't sound like a big deal, but kids don't often use manners unless prompted.
I was very pleased.

Woodworking Class

Anthony's preschool offers woodworking projects to all the 4 and 5 year olds.

Teacher Burt takes the kids one at a time and does the project with them. Today was Anthony's turn.

He told me how he used a "grown-up saw" to cut the wings and showed me how he held the saw. He pounded the legs in with a hammer and sanded the edges with sandpaper.

Supposedly the project is guaranteed for life!

I really do love his preschool, they do the neatest things!

Valentines Treats

Anthony loved Valentines day this year. I ended up writing his name on most the cards. I had hoped he would do it, but it was just too big of a task for him. It turned something fun into a dreadful chore. He did design which friend got which card.

He came home from his various parties with a wide variety of candy. I enjoyed teaching him to eat "Fun Dip", I remember how much I enjoyed it as a kid.

Sorry for the poor quality pictures. Daddy took the good camera to China.

Good Dentist Appointment

I know I've used this picture before, but it seemed appropriate.

Daddy took Anthony to the dentist last week for his regular check-up. Anthony was pretty nervous, he didn't believe me when I told him that Dr. Maria wasn't going to give him a shot. Shockingly enough, the kid got a good report card. He's been pretty uncooperative about teeth brushing for awhile now.

Anthony didn't like it when the dentist cleaned his teeth with the "buzzy tooth brush", but discovered quickly that the dentist would turn off the movie if he didn't cooperate. He still didn't like the taste of the fluoride treatment.

Baking Party with the Donahues

Yesterday we had the Donahues over to our house to bake cookies for Valentine's Day. We got off to a rough start--Anthony was not prepared to take turns measuring ingredients. Once we got past that hurdle they made a great batch of Peanut Butter Blossoms. Then they decorated heart cookies I'd made the night before. Their styles varied greatly--Robert put on teeny squiggles of icing while Anthony, as per his usual form, completely obliterated the cookies with icing.

McDonalds

On our way home from Tahoe we stopped for dinner at McDonalds. I'm sure he's eaten at one before (the Denver airport last September comes to mind), but I think this might have been his first "real McDonalds experience." He picked at his nuggets, loved his happy meal toy and even enjoyed the box it came in.

Fun weekend with Grandma and Grandpa

And yet we really don't have much in the way of pictures to show for it.

Saturday dawned a glorious day so we headed up to the San Francisco Zoo. Its been almost two years since we were last there.

Highlights included watching a rhinosaurus play soccer, feeding time at the grizzly bears and the insect house. We really had to pull Anthony off the spider web to go inside the insect house, but he seemed pretty fascinated once we were in there. (There was some seriously creepy stuff.)

The first animals (even before you go in the gates) are the giraffes. We watched one feeding, but Anthony didn't seem that interested in his tongue. (Strange, its about 8 inches long and purple!)