Day 3







































The next day was a whirlwind of wineries. Upon picking up a picnic from the adorable Oakville Grocery, we headed north to Ferrari-Carrano, and what a way to start the day! The morning fog had burned off to make way for our first tasting and spectacular views. We enjoyed two tastings here, a walk in the fantastic gardens (with a real cork tree!), and the purchase of our first case of wine (but definitely not the last)!

Healdsburg
































So we arrived for our first night in Healdsburg upon some excellent recommendations (thanks Liza, Sarah, Kate, Johnny, and Rebecca!) Nestled in the Northern Sonoma valleys is the adorable town of Healdsburg, all tantalizing shops around an idyllic square with first-rate restaurants and appetizing markets. And surrounding the town are hundreds of wineries, not the tour-bus vineyards of Napa, but one lane country roads over picture-perfect bridges with intimate tasting rooms and fantastic wines to be discovered.

We stayed just off the square at the slick modern Hotel Duchamp, six villas, all sleek, concrete, silver, and stone, made cozy with sumptuous linens, a napping sofa, and a welcoming fire. Each villa had its own patio on the pool. The breakfast each morning was a gourmet spread of fruits, yogurts, and baked goods. It was truly an oasis!

And when we arrived at this place much too cool for us, we had a package waiting--surely, it must be something touching and heartfelt for our anniversary from those we love. Well, kind of. You see, I had confessed our addiction to the Hunger Games to our buddies Jenn and Chris who promptly mocked us by sending a special care package of Sweet Valley High and Encyclopedia Brown for our adolescent reading pleasures. Surely, if I hadn't been so engrossed by Hunger Games, volume II, I would have snuggled under my leopard faux fur throw with the SVH twins.

And then at Dry Creek Kitchen.... AMAZING!

10 Years










































Should this blog about our kids include a vacation from them? Yes--I think it should! They made us earn this vacation, maybe even deserve it, certainly made us savor it, and even made us excited to return!

It took us some time to get to it, but last week we took a long-awaited, much-anticipated vacation to the California wine country. After a reasonable departure from Atlanta (just a few tears) and an early landing at SFO, we enjoyed lunch under the Bay Bridge at the Hog Island Oyster Company at the Ferry Building, complete with a pink champagne toast. We had wanted to try out the spot not only for its location in the midst of the fantastic Saturday market with its view of the bay and bridge, but also for its renowned oysters. Tyler Florence had declared their oysters as his numero uno favorite meal--and we might just have to agree, to a degree.

After a surprise double upgrade to a super-fancy suite at the Hotel Monaco, we explored a bit of San Fran, watched some football, and toasted our anniversary over an outstanding meal at Boulevard.

The fog was heavy when we awoke (at the late hour of 7:45!) on Sunday and we were concerned about the impending rain and the Nike women's marathon encroaching on our good time, but we headed over the Golden Gate with no problems just as the sun broke through. A lovely drive over hills and through fields of grapes led us to the Iron Horse Vineyards where we got a view of the Russian River Valley and a taste of all the fun to be had!

While the cats were away...








































































So last week, while we were in CA (pictures to follow), Grammy took care of Elsie and Kit. Basically, their trip was as much fun as ours--just less wine, more costumes. Barbara also stepped in with Bryce and Brooke to hit the zoo, the aquarium, and a pumpkin patch. Poppa helped with puppets at the production of Charlotte's Web at the Center for Puppetry Arts. Donna made possible another zoo foray. And Johnny and Kate, as well as Addie, hosted a visit from the girls. Thanks to everyone for helping make our trip possible! And you can bet Grammy was glad when we came home--with wine for her!

Tis the Season for Gumpmans, Soil Milk, and Maisie and Grace


I'm pretty convinced at this point that my kids are geniuses when it comes to the English language.

I have been trying to remember Elsie's development to determine if Kit's convoluted pronunciations are normal. Is "awigagor" ok for alligator at this age? Should pancake be pronounced "caypake" when you are two months shy of 2? Then I realized that her way with words is much more fun....

Kit has converted our whole family to the joy of the word "gumpman"--her revision of pumpkin--and gumpman just rolls off the tongue. It is a thrill to go gumpman hunting through the neighborhood pointing out gumpmans from the back of bikes or backseats of cars. I love hearing, "gumpman, gumpman, Mommy, gumpman." Something good comes with gumpmans no doubt! I am pretty sure Elsie has forgotten that "pumpkin" was ever even a word.

And while Kit has her own idiosyncrasies with English, Elsie has her fair share, too. Soil Milk makes sense--soy milk is a kind of dingy shade. And "Amazing Grace" is a much jollier song when it is sung in Elsie's treble about "Maisie and Grace."

While David and I are excited to get away for our 10th anniversary adventure to the California wine country this weekend, their little voices will no doubt be ringing in our ears.

Ladybug Ladybug Fly Away Home

Ladybug Land, Part II

Ladybug Land, Part I






















So, one of the great things about this age--the ages of almost 2 and 4--is that ultimately, gifts don't matter. The price, the number, the quality... Twizzlers rank high, a simple balloon competes, and breakfast for dinner seems like a fiesta! Therefore, when it came to Elsie's birthday (besides the pony party), we didn't sweat the gifts--there were some great treats from friends and family, but from us, there were a handful of new bath toys and this most spectacular of gifts: Ladybug Land.

This is $15-20 at Amazon and is a really fun gift for the whole family. We purchased it for Elsie to open and then sent away for ladybug larvae. Over the course of ten days, we watched the ladybugs transform and become pupa and then bugs and then bugs with wings. It was a blast to witness! We fed them water and then raisins. Then, we released them in our yard. Here you'll see photos of day one--setting up the land.

A warning--Butterfly World seems like a good idea but don't go there. Evidently, butterflies bleed when escaping their cocoons and the experience can be troubling and difficult to explain to small children.

And Barbara--don't get any ideas... this will be coming to Bryce for Christmas!