Christmas bikes

On Christmas morning, Caden and Finley came downstairs to find new bikes waiting for them.

Snow in So Cal

Given the relatively warm temperatures this time of year in Southern California, we were pretty excited to see that the Discovery Cube in Santa Ana had converted part of their parking lot for "snow" play, including sledding. We headed over there last weekend. It didn't quite live up to expectations of snow play forged in places like Massachusetts and Alaska, and the lines were obnoxious. But Finley did get to go sledding for the first time.

They also had a cool exhibit featuring the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Kowabunga dudes!

Santa Claus is Coming

Finn is ready for the holidays!

Every day

Finn's morning performance. One of his preschool teachers plays guitar and sings for the kids. We're glad to hear that he's learning good tunes.

Funny faces of Finley

I've been saving these up for a few months now. Here are some silly shots of Finn-Finn:

March 6

March 29

April 2

April 10

April 30

May 8

May 18

May 19

June 21

July 13

July 16

July 23

Riding

Caden cruises the cul de sac.

Baskets, birthday, and back to Bodega Bay

Things have been pretty crazy around here recently. Easter brought egg and jelly bean hunts, egg dying, and a trip to the zoo. 

A few days later, we flew up to Sonoma County, where Mama and Dada are trying to get some research projects up and running. We hadn't been back there since 2010, and it was great to revisit some of our favorite places. It was particularly interesting to visit Sebastopol and our old neighborhood on the eve of Caden's 10th birthday. And the weather was absolutely gorgeous!

And we returned just in time for our traditional meal on the eve of Caden's birthday: pancakes and sausages. It's the same breakfast dinner that Mama and Dada ate shortly before driving to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital in the pre-dawn darkness of April 4, 2006. It's amazing to realize that we have now spent over a decade with Caden. And we couldn't be more proud of him. 

A few days ago, Caden had some friends over for a birthday party. It featured a Minecraft theme: block-shaped snacks, crafting, a cake made to look like a chunky landscape, a treasure hunt, and a journey through a Nether Portal into the garage, where they could play Minecraft projected on the big screen.

The Phantom Tollbooth

For several months, Caden's class has been rehearsing a performance of The Phantom Tollbooth. Caden was cast as Milo, the main character and leading role, which meant that he had to memorize hundreds of lines. The performance was a musical, and he also had to learn several songs, including at least two solos. We finally got to see the show the week before last, and it was truly wonderful. We are not sure exactly how Caden memorized everything - he didn't bring much home to work on - but, as another parent told Dada after the show, "Caden was amazing! He is going to be a star!"

Oregon State! Fight! Fight! Fight!

Finn reacts to the Oregon State Women's Basketball team advancing to the Final Four:

Dramarama

Caden has been taking a drama class after school on Fridays, and this past Friday was this session's performance. The kids design, write, and perform a play in 10 weeks. This play pitted spies against thieves trying to steal a magical statue. Caden was the lead spy, seen here expressing his frustration at the fact that the statue isn't where it's supposed to be and blaming the thieves.

I want a treat!

This morning, we headed over to Balboa Island for brunch and browsing.

When we went into the candy shop, Finn was overwhelmed...

To build a fire

Caden and his Webelos den met yesterday to learn some survival skills. They constructed a shelter using wood, rope, and a tarp. This required cutting supports using a pocket saw and learning to lash them together to build a structure. They also practiced building a fire using an emergency fire starter.

Nana and Boopa are visiting right now. Boopa will fly with Dada to New Zealand this evening for a research trip, and Nana will stay here to help corral the boys. We've had fun going to the farmers' market (including the train), hiking along the Newport Back Bay, and checking out the touch tanks at the Back Bay Science Center. Boopa brought a special book for the boys. It's called The Funny Thing, was his favorite book when he was a boy, and has recently been re-printed in a new edition after being out of print for many years. Of course, Boopa can read it better than anyone, complete with funny faces and funny voices.