July 31, 2009

• Two Sundays ago, we went to Dylan's house for a swim playdate. The kids had a great time playing in the water - and Zachary "swam" for the first time, with no floatation device, across the width of the pool. (I use quotes because his form is questionable ... a frantic doggy paddle while he laughs hysterically.) For dinner we enjoyed barbecue ribeye with corn, salad, and homemade sorbet.

  

   

  Last Thursday, James parent's came to visit. They were in town for a car show and decided to stay at our place and spend some time with the grandkids. James and I took advantage of that and went on our 2nd date night ever since Calie was born. Friday evening, James and I went to The Kitchen - and it was their best menu yet!  (Well, at least out of the 3 times I've been there.)

   

   

  My favorites ... Hamachi over grilled sea scallop with a Chardonnay-fennel broth, and beef tenderloin with lobster creamed corn. We sat at the counter, so we got to talk to the servers and see all the preparations up close. It was a nice, relaxing 5 hour dinner - and it felt good to treat ourselves!

  

  The next morning, I took Zachary to swim class. Afterwards, I headed out myself (sans kids) - picked up my bridesmaid dress (had to get it shortened since well, I'm short), had a relaxing mani/pedi, and bought last minute groceries for Calie's birthday party. In the evening, we went to Sam and Melissa's for a dinner playdate ... they served yummy grilled pork chops with lots of mustard sauce and creamy mashed potatoes (a recipe from French Laundry!) Dessert was homemade banana and chocolate ice cream. Do I know how to pick my friends or what?!

   

  Sunday morning was ... Calie's 1st Birthday party! I bought her a tutu for the occasion but since she wasn't walking yet, it hindered her movement. I snapped a few pictures of her in it and then set her free. We had the party (and cake) at My Gym, and then invited people over to our house afterwards for a pizza lunch.

   

  

  The hosts at My Gym did a great job entertaining the kids ... it was a good mix of free play and games. At the end they had a zipline ride ... I thought Calie would be scared  but she enjoyed it!

   

   

  

  At our house, we ate lunch and opened gifts. It was a special treat to see cousins Auggie, Hayden, and Samantha, who came up from the Bay Area to join the fun. Calie loves all her new toys - thank you everyone for coming and celebrating with us!

   

  As for 11 month Calie milestones, she has 10 teeth and she's finally able to cruise around using a push toy. She's added the infamous "uh-oh" to her vocabulary.  She also says "uh-puh" for "up".

  On the Zachary front, we got all his Kindergarten paperwork yesterday ... school starts August 10th and he'll be in K-1. Although it doesn't really matter, I am pleased he tested into K-1. He's been in daycare ~9 hrs every weekday since he was 12 months old ... and we're too lazy/tired to do flashcards or work with him on anything educational after the work day ... so he basically just plays free-range at home. I know lots of parents that really work with their kids, but we just don't have the time/energy/interest. It feels good knowing that (at least for now) he's still doing okay academically despite slacker parents! hahaha.

  • 1:22 am
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