Julie's Birthday

Julie opted to not have a party, so we did a quiet celebration at home. Nate seemed a little amazed/jealous by Julie's CD player, and I'm not sure what he thinks about hearing "The Sound of Music" soundtrack around the clock. Gina did her usual cake magic by making a large vanilla & chocolate layer flower cake, complete with gummy butterflies.

Build-a-Bear

On Friday, the day before Julie's birthday, we took the kids out to Build-a-Bear so they could create their own bears. Julie selected a colorful orange and pink one with pink dress and pink shoes. Nate built a black bear in Giant's uniform, aptly named Panda.

Mt. Diablo

The inaugural ride with the new bike: a super-windy day on Mt. Diablo out to Balance Rock, around to Prospector's Gap, and then in Rock City to Sentinal Rock (on foot).

Grandpa & Grandma's Visit

Always a favorite time of year for Nate and Julie (and us too). Thanks for visiting Mom & Dad!

Birthday Ride

Julie *loves* VW Bug cars and small dogs....so what could be better than taking a ride through town in a convertible with a dog named "Leo"? My friend Steve generously offered to take us to lunch and through town for a special birthday treat for Julie this afternoon. Perfect weather!

Rock City

Our November summer continues. On Monday (teacher development day) we went to the Rock City campground on Mt. Diablo to look at and climb on the amazing rock formations just inside the park boundaries. I can't imagine how busy it is on the weekends -- the relatively soft rock had definitive slides where many small butts have been before, and many people carved their names. Our goal next time is to hike further in to Sentinal Rock to explore more of the park.

Halloween 2010