Anika's Earrings

This post is for Nene. After she left we took Anika to get some good gold posts for her ears (to stave off an infection I was afraid was looming), she was so excited that she promised to show Nene as soon as she could. Here is the post to share her new bling:-)

A Visit from Nene & Papa

We enjoyed having Nene & Papa here for a few days this week. It was a great time of just relaxing together -- since it rained every day. Kathryn takes her nap on Nene.

Time of Tea:

Another trip to the Zoo

With a day off of school for Anika, we headed to our dear Sac Zoo to enjoy some time with the animals. We took a chance on the rain and we were pleased to get a dry day. That has been rare around here lately. We are anxious of spring to arrive with WARMER temps!

The kids were laughing hysterically at these African parrots. So amusing!

Kat might have been content to ride in this car all day long. (And it wasn't even running!)

Just because. . .

Because this doesn't happen much anymore, I had to have Lloyd snap a picture of my "sleeping beauty". I don't get many chances to hold her while she sleeps now that she is a busy two (almost three) year old. Time just flies!!!

More loose teeth????

In contrast to the preceding post, I'm publishing this one! Anika took a nasty spill on the street yesterday and this is the result. She is pretty miserable (as you can see). She prematurely loosened a few top teeth but a trip to the dentist today confirms that there are no cracked roots or further problems. We are grateful for that and the teeth will probably be falling out soon anyway -- her HUGE adult teeth are waiting. (Yep, there are braces in our future.) Although she looks like she's been through a war, each moment she is improving and she is currently waiting for me to take her school this afternoon. (No doubt to share her story and get some attention!!!)

Another Lost Tooth

This makes three teeth Anika has lost so far. She has a head full of loose ones but she likes to take her time.

Almond Blossom Parade 2011

Brrrrr! We've now experienced the Almond Blossom Parade in rain and shine -- and COLD! It was a beautiful, sunny but bone-chilling day for a parade. However, it was still a hit -- all of our favorites were back again - beautiful princess from our church, clowns with a "broken" car, dancing horses, and Shriner's karts. Each year has its special moments and this year we were excited to pet a horse and see a friend from church rockin' out on the Cal Crush truck.

Ready for the parade: Christa, from our church, was one of the beautiful princesses:

Joie, from our church, was concluding her reign as queen:

Kat loved when this car "broke":

Bill rockin out:These beautiful horses entertained us:

Shriner's "mini" cars:

Oops!

These two pictures somehow got missed when I was uploading the photos for the previous post.
Here is "Laffing Sal". She has welcomed visitors to the boardwalk for decades:-) And we can't forget that Kathryn, too, got to hold a birdie!

Soggy Santa Cruz

We spent the night in a great Holiday Inn Express & Suites. We were all able to fit into a nice-sized suite. Just staying a hotel is such a treat for my kids that they didn't even complain about the rain. After a wonderful breakfast and a few more hours at the hotel waiting for the rain to let up, we decided to brave the elements and visit the boardwalk. Even with the rain, there was plenty to do - mini-golfing (pirate-themed with a black light tunnel to play through), laughing Sal, arcade games, beach and the surprise hit - holding parrots.

Entering the black light "tunnel":

A stormy, but beautiful, day at the beach:

Mom in Santa Cruz:

RUN!!!

They had so much fun chasing - ahem, being chased by the waves!

We met this gentleman and his three birds on our way out. It was such a neat surprise to end our time at the boardwalk.

We ended our time with a drive along the coast (admiring the dream homes and visiting the Surfing museum) then we grabbed ice cream before cutting our visit a bit short and heading home. Next time we'll try it with some sun:-)

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Months ago, I had planned to take Mom & Dad to the coast for the long President's Day weekend. Again, my plans were thwarted by rain. We adjusted our expectations and still enjoyed an amazing time at the world-class Monterey Bay Aquarium (where we are now members!).

These sea nettles were a favorite:

The Seahorses are another favorite, incredible exhibit. I was able to capture 2/3 fishy faces here:-) Our family:

Kat in the Kelp "holdfast":

Here are the kiddos at the entrance to the "Splash Zone" here they are in the same place last April.

A momentary brightness provides a great pictures op of the bay:

This big wave that crashes down regularly is a huge hit with my kids:

Dinner at El Torito (after a damp walk) was a welcome respite. Great food, great conversation, great location!!!!

And to end our day, one of the brightest rainbows I've every seen right stretched out over the bay.