artist at work

Luke has been reading this lovely book about two hamsters, Max and Mo, who live in an art room at school. One day, Max and Mo make apple prints. So, one Saturday morning recently, Luke and I made apple prints, too. We had a blast making art in our pajamas, and Mama then had a lot of fun cleaning up (seriously!). Next time, I think we'll keep our art projects in the kitchen, which is a bit easier location for washing up. Here's a 1 minute video of the artist at work.

riding the rails

One of Luke's favorite things to do is ride the train at the Redwood Valley Railroad. It's a small "scaled" version of an 1800s era narrow gauge railroad, located in Tilden Park in Berkeley. For the past two weeks, on Thursday (my day off work), Luke and I rode the rails together. Here's a one-minute video of our train joy, courtesy of my new toy.

takes after nana

Here's a quick video of Luke ordering his hot chocolate. This proves the argument of nurture vs. nature: Luke may not have Nana's genes, but he is clearly her grandson. (Love you, Nana!)

shenanigans

This is the kind of nonstop nonsense Luke and his buddy Sophia get into during their time together. The voice you can hear in the background is Jackie, Luke's nanny, whom he shares with Sophia on Tuesdays. Believe it or not, Dada taped over 8 minutes of these two running around--and they kept it up for even longer! Those two are like exuberant puppies!

my favorite singer

a song for grammy

Luke learned a new song, and he wanted to sing it for Grammy -- and his fan club, of course.
Grammy, this one's for you!

the 2nd birthday report

Man, oh man, did we have a blast for Luke's birthday! He was so aware that it was a special day just for him and so excited about his "surprises." We woke up and immediately went into the living room, where we had done up a little birthday display of his presents: the tricycle from Grammy, 2 new trains, a train "washdown station" (i.e., water tower), new books, little cars, and a puzzle. Luke immediately knew what to do with the tricycle, and he hopped on it, asked for his helmet, and started ringing the bell! He put Momo in the backseat, and commanded Dada to start pushing him around.

We spent the day at a favorite spot: Tennessee Valley Beach. Luke walked a long ways (about the distance of what an adult would cover in a brisk 10-minute walk, not a trivial distance for a 3' tall little guy). [Dada disagrees with the distance, but I swear it's true!] We had a picnic on the beach, played in the waves (well, Dada and Luke played while Mama rested on the picnic blanket). Dessert was a chocolate cupcake, which Luke is still talking about! And then, Luke napped in the stroller on the hike home while Mama and Dada enjoyed a gorgeous, warm, and sunny day.

That evening, more prezzies arrived via FedEx and UPS, and Luke enjoyed the authentic tractor from Pop-Pop and lots and lots of birthday cards. Luke was treated to a song (via telephone) from Sesa and family, then another call from Grammy. When we all finally collapsed in bed (at 8 for Luke and just one short hour later for Mama), we were tired, happy, and full of love. It was a wonderful celebration of Luke's arrival. Thanks and love to everyone who helped make it so special!!

Here is 2 minutes of tricycle love (please note Momo in the backseat!):

playtime

storytime

It's a video kind of week.

Please join us for storytime with Luke: a lovely story about Thomas the Tank Engine. For Luke's fans who don't speak French, "hibou" is an owl. Luke now understands three languages: English, French, and Spanish. While most of his spoken words are English, some are French and he tends to mix the French and English. He also speaks Spanish to his nanny.

more crack for dada

shout-out to dada

Dada, this one is for you. We miss you! Come home soon!

baby, i was born to run