Ahh yes, Chili's was good to us as we celebrated Julia and John's birthdays. ...big Mexican hat (not pictured), song, large desserts and all.
If this guy were running for office, wouldn't you vote for him? I mean, he's THE captain for heaven's sake.
Liza has the propensity to be a very planful person, just like her mom and dad. Poor girl can't escape it. She snatched a piece of cardboard and made her list on the way to Target one day. Sure signs of great things to come. For a kindergartener, Liza is very, and I mean VERY smart and "with it."
Caroline Turns Into a Swimmer.
Behold, Caroline's first foray into going solo in the pool. With the lifejacket and kickboard (and a summer full of swim team appearances), Caroline has the confidence of a ... fish. She went WILD with this, kicking with aplomb.
Grace Call, Faith Call, John, Ella Call and Nate Turn Into Tennis Players. Let it be known than when "the Call girls" (no pun intended) are together, Nate and John want to be there. Steve & Sue Ellen made their yearly pilgrimage to visit (which we love) and the boys found some time to go play tennis with the girls. The awards... drum roll please. Best player = Ella. Most Energetic = Faith. Most Improved = Grace. Most Powerful = John. Most Athletic = Nate.
Then, They Turn Back Into Themselves.When challenged to a game of Dan versus all of them, this was the astounding result! Their deep game needs some serious work. When they realized Dan has a habit of hitting it long and then 'doinking it' short, they caught on, only to be burned by the long ball.
Nate Turns Into One of "the Older" Cousins. This is Nate with his older cousins, feeling like a million and change. They are all Calls and one Doxey. L to R we have Tanner, Carter, Dustin, Alex, Nick, Brady, Rachel (with Dave the cat), Ben, and Nate Call Doxey. The day before all those older dudes hiked up Half Dome with their Uncle Tom, with zero preparation...and I mean ZERO. Like, they bought sleeping bags, packs and granola at a store on the way there. Nuts. The weekend after this a girl slipped, fell and died right at the cables. Apparently the granite is slick and when it is wet, deadly. We were glad to see them all get back safely.
Latte Turns Into a Disobedient Dog.
One if the biggest pet peeves (again, no pun intended) of dog ownership is dogs in beds. Should not happen--ever-- in Dan's opinion. Dogs also should never lay on hand quilted or hand made quilts, or anything else we don't want dog detritus on. You know full well that once the dog is comfy on it or with it, it's his. It's like a camel that sticks his nose under your tent (little by little) and all the sudden he is in there with you, and wants you to get out. All he wants is a chance...and that is all he needs to take over. We know and live this, and don't even have a camel. When Dan isn't looking, the kids sure do like to prove that they have not learned this lesson, and show Latte some extra love. This is the first time this has ever happened...hopefully the last!
Ernie Turns Into a Nice Traveling Companion.Dan recently went to D.C. for work. He took the kids famed friend, Ernie with him. With his new fangled phone (which makes video calls), he called the kids from the airport and had Ernie talk to them, like he always does. We were all impressed. Then, Ernie went on to Washington, and had his picture taken at most of the great landmarks and sent to the kids. They may not know what that building is behind Ernie, but they do know that Ernie is world traveler of worthy and good repute.
Dan's favorite stop was the Library of Congress. Fascinating building, fascinating architecture, fascinating how they have all the historic stuff, but also all the "modernities" of a first rate library. Tons and tons of information at your fingertips. Dan said he could literally spend weeks in this one building. The kids were impressed that Ernie liked it too.
Not. Julia may look like she is 26, but Dan really is 40, and Julia 37. All the usual fanfare was to be had -- birthday pancakes per tradition, gifts, kisses, notes and cards from all the kids. Who could ask for anything more?
Whenever we need to 'get out of Dodge' there are a ton of places to go here in the Bay Area. Lately every one of the places we visit has been in conjunction with some sort of merit badge requirement Nathan is working on the Cycling Merit Badge. So, in this case, we decided to take our bikes on the ferry and go out to Angel Island, and ride around the whole thing for one of his rides.
The Happy Sailors. Sitting on a container of life jackets, the Doxeys pause for a family pic. The kids were amazed at all the different types of boats, sail boats, motor boats, and mondo buoys that prevent teeny boats from taking on water and sinking. Their favorite...nimble,agile and fun looking Zodiacs.
After packing up bikes for the family in sunny San Ramon, Dan discovered he had no jacket when we arrived in the cold and misty early morning fog on the bay. Everyplace to buy a jacket was closed, except for a hardware store, where they had this 4XL sailor's jacket. The thing is like a tent for the family! When Liza and Caroline were cold, they fit right in!
Things warmed up and they were excellent travelers!
We came upon a huge, old rock crushing machine that had been built in the 30s by a mining outfit. It was quite a contraption--it would sort, grind, and load crushed marble to be hauled away.
One of the best parts of Angel Island is its history. This is an old military hospital that we explored at Fort McDowell. Nate and John were able to ride their bikes all through it playing bike tag and chasing the girls.
We were mostly alone on this beach, sitting there in the sun watching all the boats go by. Nate (and the rest of us) LOVED this Cutter ... it was moving so fast and so silently. Really cool. It made us stoked that the America's Cup is coming here in 2013. That will be a really, really fun thing to see. Make plans to come stay with us and see it today!
He's light, strong and now has a bike with gears. Watch out. There are lots and lots of fascinating rides around the Bay Area. It's a great place to earn your cycling merit badge. Nate has two 25 milers and a 50 to go and he's got it.
You seriously feel like you've gone back in time at this place. Fort McDowell was "the gateway to the war." You can just imagine all the soldiers heading out and coming home from WWII in the Pacific as you walk around this place. Fascinating history.
Caroline Officially Turned Three.
John Turned Into a Lightening Bolt Victim.
1 comment:
So happy to see an update!! You guys are awesome!! I love all that you have going on! What a busy, cute family you are!!! Can't wait to see you at Christmastime!! :))
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