Julie turned seven

 

 

The "before and after" photos of Julie's vanilla/chocolate birthday cake in the making. Apparently it met the judges' expectations. The remaining birthday day was low-key and enjoyable: we had a tea lunch in our decorated dining room, opened presents, saw Puss In Boots in a nearly-empty theater, and then did Mexican for dinner before coming home to enjoy Gina's creation.

Shell Ridge Hike

 

 

 

Just Gina and I while the kids were in school. A gorgeous fall day!

Embarcadero

 

 

 

Quick weekend trip to the Embarcadero on the San Francisco waterfront. Chocolates, skee-ball and watching boats!

A helpful girl

One Leaf

 

Bike Ride through Lafayette Park

A looooong video that at first make me sick watching. I processed it through a stabilizer filter, so it should appear a bit smoother, although it still has the annoying wind sound on the camera mic. This is our favorite ride just up the trail about a half-mile from our house.

Codornices Park in Berkeley

Julie at piano lessons

Halloween 2011

This year Julie was a mermaid and Nate was an Enderman, and both received more than enough compliments on their outfits. Function took a backseat to fashion however, as Julie's costume kept ripping and Nate's glowing red eyes hid a hot kid who had difficulty seeing all those little doorfront steps. We tried trick-or-treating around the block, but an empty street forced us head a few streets toward the Burton Valley epicenter of action, including an entire house staffed with actors and props made to look like Hogwarts from Harry Potter.