Wild About Idyllwild (2008)

We had a fabulous weekend with our friends, the Browns, the Frattos and the Reynoldsesssss and their delicious little girls, Michayla, Anna and Grace Li Qi. Other than the very dry mountain air, everything was perfect... well, except one toilet was broken and the pellet stove didn't work, and the trash bin was full... but truly, none of these little things took away from one of the most memorable vacations ever.

Sweet Reunion

Jemma and Norah spontaneously pick up where they left off. They play together as if they are old friends, and indeed they are - they spent 8 months together in the same baby room in China. Maybe it's our imagination, but these girls seem joined at the hip. They are sweet and dear to each other- there's Norah sharing some of her strawberry and mint chocolate chip ice cream with Jemma. Jemma snarfed up her ice cream too fast to give Norah any!

Choo Choo Chums

At Train Town, Jemma and Norah climbed aboard a little tiny horse-driven carriage for two - it was a wild ride but beats rush hour traffic any day!

Train Town!

We spent the morning, afternoon and evening with our friends, Anna, Stephen and Norah. We began in Train Town in Sonoma and the girls had a blast. In addition to the train they rode the carousel twice, went on the Dragon roller coaster and Norah rode the ferris wheel with her mom. Then we went for pizza and salad - Jemma ate her first Caesar salad - thanks for modeling that, Norah! The funniest thing about kids at this age, is their ability to smile on cue - it looks more like a pained expression. Well, one day we'll get a genuine response, but in spite of their grimaces, the girls had quite the fabulous time!

Tricycle!

Jemma's Uncle Billy, Cousins Chris & Val and Tiana & Tim, all gave her a brand new tricycle for her birthday! Wow, what a special gift. We had several opportunities to ride around the grounds of the bed and breakfast we stayed in. Whee!

Find Playground, Must Play!

No matter where we go, whether it be Sonoma or Durango or Boca Raton, Jemma must find a playground to explore in. This one was in the center of Calistoga and it was just the right size for her. No playground experience would be complete without the water fountain drinking finish!

Sonoma, Sonoma!

We made a trip up north to wine country to visit Grandma Joan and our friends, Anna, Stephen and Norah. Jemma loved wearing her winter coat. The picture of Daddy was taken by Jemma - she's getting much better at holding the camera steady! We visited our favorite winery - the Rubicon winery (formerly Coppola) and inside the tasting room they had live music. Jemma danced like mad and made her own little mosh pit - the musicians adored her. And on the way out we played in the fountains and made wishes with coins.

Happy Girl!

The best part about being with Jemma is that she loves to laugh and play. She delights in kidding around and acting silly and always tries to engage us in her shenanigans. It's impossible not to join in on her fun and feel like a kid again.

Noah's Ark!

What a treat - our friends, Uncle Dan and Uncle Chris took us to the Noah's Ark exhibit at the Skirball. Jemma seemed to really love it. We were totally impressed by the animals made out of found objects. We can't wait to see it again and again and again, and since it's a permanent exhibit, we'll be able to!

Bed Bug!

A week before the new year, we surprised Jemma with the much talked about new bed! We moved around some things, donated some other things and voila, we entered into another phase. Jemma was thrilled and couldn't stop running and jumping up into it, no matter how many times she hit her knees on the side! The first night she woke up around 11pm and was disoriented, but we set her straight and she slept soundly through the night. In the morning, she called for us, but we screamed back that it was okay for her to come out all by herself. Ah, the sound of little pitter patting feet - delicious. The second night she slept perfectly through the night and in the morning she came bounding out and ran straight to the bathroom announcing, "I have to make a poopie and I'm going to do it all by myself and I need my privacy!" And then she slammed the door and put on the light. We were hysterical. And then immediately nostalgic for the days when she was a little baby!

The Ghost of Christmukah Presents

Jemma made out like a bandit this year with all the Hanukah, birthday and Christmas presents. ( Jemma, one day when you read this you'll find out that we store away some of these gifts in order to bring them out on a rainy day. Who could possibly play with all of these presents at once? Well...) But the biggest and most prized gift of all, was given on Christmas morning - a real guitar. Jemma is only three years old, but she seems determined to learn this instrument. However, she did give us a scare when she held it up to her chin like a violin - the kid is developing a good sense of humor. But with this guitar, she can hold it, strum it, sing and rock out all at the same time, so perhaps this is the start of something musical. We're already imagining her hair streaked purple and pink, wearing leggings and high heels... Meantime, outside our door that morning was this beautiful bug - we thought it was significant, since we have a beautiful bug of our own. Happy Holidays, sweet Jemma Bug!

Christmas Eve 2007

This year we celebrated Christmas Eve in our home with some of our favorite friends. We ate and ate and ate and the children ran around and played - then we sang songs and ate some more. Christmas as it should be.