fire & light

in the hometown, there is a local glass-making company, fire & light, that creates the most beautiful items out of recycled glass.  they use 100% recycled glass materials, crush it up, and turn it into useable art.  i've long since coveted a piece from them, but it's always been pricey.  luckily, they started giving tours of their workshop and allowing the public to purchase their "seconds," (items with a slight imperfection or two that aren't up to the high-quality standards of the items being shipped to the various retailers).  kevin & i would love to have a complete dinnerware set from them, but it's totally outside the budget right now.  and for a good long while.  although maybe we'll start buying a place setting at a time whenever we go up there.  that could be fun.

buckets and buckets o' glass

they twist off the caps but leave the labels on.
that gets burned away in the fire when they melt it down.

pouring a bowl in the mold

pressing out the bowl

the furnace; it's over 2,000* in there.  just a little toasty.

they look bored.  and stoned.  but i promise, kevin was completely fascinated.
lily was mostly just along for the ride.

some of their finished products.  gorgeous, right?

shop away, my friends!

christmas scenes

we spent christmas with my parents at the homestead and had a delightful time.  there was a lot of relaxing, tons of sleeping in (lily slept from 6:30 pm to 8:30 am three nights in a row.  it was the most delightful christmas gift ever!!!!), lots of naps (and not just lily's), and some fun adventures.  and then she gave us the best gift of all, and was a gem for the whole car ride home.  seriously, it was the best week i've had in a really, really, long time.

a little iphone bonding with grandpa

this was her favorite pillow.
she kept throwing other pillows on the floor so she could reach it.

climbing on her chair, hoping dinner will come faster.

santa brought her a lily-sized chair.  best. gift. ever. 

she loves the chair.  and mama's shoes.  especially the glittery ones.

a play-date with the daughter of an old friend from elementary/jr. high school.

backyard adventures.  she kept looking for the chickens.

trying to get the chicken.  "chicken?  chicken?"
 followed by knocking on the door.  hilarious.

cheeeeeeeeese!

santa baby

lily's first visit with santa claus didn't go so well.  hopefully she'll warm up to him next year.  i don't know how she expects to get loot from the big guy when she acts like this:

at least she looks cute and festive.  better luck next year. 

ninja dog

there is a ninja dog in our midst.  maggie is spending the week with my in-laws since she and my parents dog don't get along.  at all.  today maggie managed to pull a disappearing act from the house.  no one knows how she got out, or where, but she managed to sneak away and play in somebody's front yard until she was discovered and returned to her stay-cation house.  the only explanation i've been able to come up with is that maggie is a ninja dog.

i mean, come on.  she's a ninja dog, fo' sho'. 

the grinch

i am feeling a distinct lack of christmas cheer this year.  i'm not hating christmas or wishing it were over, i just can't find it in me to do anything about it.  the house isn't decorated at all.  as in, we don't have a tree, didn't put up any decorations.  we didn't even pull the christmas tubs (we have 6 totes dedicated to christmas decor, and one dedicated to christmas ornaments).  i made an advent list, but so far we haven't done any of the activities listed.

i haven't gone fully to the dark side; we sent out christmas cards and delivered christmas goodies to some friends/co-workers/loved ones, and the christmas shopping has been done since the beginning of november.  so christmas is happening.  just not with the usual cheer and 5-year-old enthusiasm i usually exhibit around the holidays.

we head up to the hometown next week, so maybe the christmas decor at the homestead and the christmas traditions there will kick me into the spirit of things.  because thus far, nothing else seems to be working.

indoor fun

i found a little play structure/slide someone was selling, and snatched it up for lily (and the animals probably use it when we're not around).  she has been loving it; lots of up and down, over and over and over.  when she slides down, she claps and cheers for herself.  it's pretty cute.  it didn't take long for her to start multi-tasking on her way down the slide--she plays with her phone, drinks her milk, or holds a book.  lily has also discovered the joys of climbing up the slide itself, and has figured out bare feet are best, then shoes, and her footie pajamas don't work at all (but they are fantastic when she's sliding down standing.  seriously, this girl has no fear).  and, because we're such cool parents, we put it in the living room (for now; we'll see where it winds up later), so our days and nights have been filled with sliding fun.  

lemos farms

i'm a sucker for groupon & living social; if a good deal comes along to a place we've never been, i'll usually get it.  i like to try new things, and i like to pay less if i can.  win-win!  awhile ago i had bought a deal for lemos farms.  there is a petting zoo, train rides, pony rides, and a play area.  all things that sounded like a good time for lily.  and a fun time for me watching her enjoy them.  yeah, not so much, apparently.  she didn't want to ride the horse, barely petted the goats in the petting zoo (and mostly she just walked around them, clinging to kevin), and insisted on being held during the train ride.  she did enjoy just walking around in circles, though.  which we could have done at the park instead of driving down to half moon bay.  it turned out to be a nice day for a drive, and maybe she'll enjoy it more next year.  if a groupon deal comes along again, that is.

action shot!  the kid does love a good slide.

she wouldn't ride the real pony, but she insisted on getting on the fake ones.
what gives?!

i did a little victory/happy dance when she finally started petting the goats.
it took some coaxing and letting her wander.  

the train.  

fascinated by the chickens.  we had to carry her away.

this made me laugh so hard.

ride 'em, cowgirl!

the lily chronicles

15 months old

lily had her 15-month well check and is doing wonderfully.  she is doing everything she should be for her age and even some things that are a little ahead of the curve (go lily!).

head circumference: 18" (50th percentile)

height: 33.5" (98th percentile)

weight: 24 lbs (75th percentile)

• lily has developed a fascination with jewelry (she has several strands of beads she adorns herself with, in addition to trying to put my jewelry on)
• she loves purses and grabs mine to drag around the house (which means she's getting her own purse for christmas)
• facetime is kind of her favorite thing.  she loves talking to people she can see
• maroon 5 is her favorite band and she dances every time one of their songs comes on
• lily loves shoes and is constantly bringing us our shoes or her shoes; she just wants to get her hands on some shoes! 
• makeup is a fascinating toy to her.  she grabs it, walks around with it, and tries to put it on.  she's becoming a fairly girly (yay!)
• lily is kind of a terror; she tackles and tries to wrestle other kids, but they don't usually understand.  she likes to roughhouse (and we oblige her), but not everyone appreciates her special brand of play

lily is developing her language and chatters constantly.  sometimes even using words recognizable to the rest of humanity.  she knows how to get her point across and has some definite opinions.  she has pretty much left the baby behind and is on her way to becoming an actual little kid.  it's kind of crazy to see how much she has changed in just one short year.  

i love going out and about with her, when it's our little family on an adventure.  it is so fun to watch her interact with the world around her and enjoy the activities we take her on.  i think i'm going to like this stage (sometimes). 

that's my girl!

a text message i received from jessica, (lily's babysitter while kevin & i are at work):

"this morning lily reached into my bathroom drawer and pulled out my mascara and she was carrying it around.  she was later found trying to put it on!  she kinda missed her eyes (it was on her lips) but all i can say is you must be training her well!"

that's my girl! (i'm having such a proud mama moment right now)

eureka fun

in an effort to maintain favorite child status, i gathered up my little family and we road-tripped to eureka for my mom's birthday weekend.  she had no idea we were coming and we managed to surprise her at work.  dad was in on the plan, and helped us with a couple details.  we managed to cram a fair bit into a little weekend and had so much fun.  and mom still likes me best.  :-)

trick-or-treating in style

cutest little witch, ever!

my dad was performing at the haunted mill tour; he did an amazing job, as always.

you know you're part of the tribe when you have
your own tombstone in the "family plot" of the front yard cemetery 

15 months and casting spells

devil dog and the headless horseman from sleepy hollow
 (my brother chris sent annabelle a costume for halloween)

sf & aquarium fun

we recently went on a little adventure to sf, visiting the aquarium by the bay and wandering pier 39/ the embarcadero.  lily was quite the trooper and handled the whole day like a champ; the girl loves to travel and be out and about.  i'm so proud!  i love the city; i love the thousands of ways it is new every time i go, and the different things to see and do while i'm there.  anytime anybody wants to be a sf tourist, call me.  i'm down to join you on any madcap adventure.  and so is lily.

architectural details; i'm a sucker for 'em.

the ferry building; i'd never been inside before, and it is amazing! beautifully restored and an incredible example of adaptive reuse.  and the food inside is delightful: artisan cheeses, fresh-baked bread (we picked up a loaf and ate that for lunch as we wandered--delish), and a host of other things.  i'll be back, ferry building!

lily loved the jellyfish; she just kept staring at them.  and i'll admit, i was entranced by them to.
they are just so peaceful to watch.  

this starfish waved "hi" to us.  lily waved back.

she kept trying to grab the fish swimming by. 

sharks!  they were huge; much bigger than i anticipated they'd be