monkey

Kaitlyn is definitely a monkey.  I think she was switched at birth…her real mama must be part primate. 

this was from a few weeks back…a little morning swing session on the kitchen island.  

I turn my back for one second, and this is what I find.  What am I gonna do with this one?  

picasso

Ryan all of a sudden, all on his own, has become obsessed with coloring.  For the last 2 years I've had a box of art stuff, crayons and markers galore, coloring books and blank paper, construction paper, you get the idea.  And he's shown very little interest.  But in the last week or so, he started, and now he won't stop.  And I love it!  

Maybe it's because we finally purchased a kid size table and chairs…

For teacher appreciation week at school, the kids were supposed to make a card for their teachers.  Ryan wrote out every single letter on this card by himself…I only helped with the "Y" and the "S" after he sorta got them right.  And his teacher's name is Celeste…not Deles like Eddy thought.  Apparently Eddy forgot that when reading kid writing, you must tie multiple lines together to make one word.  

a little painting at school, with his friend Luke

once again, little miss K wishes she was in preschool NOW….joining in circle time at the beginning of the morning

spring cuts

When the weeds in your backyard are taller than your children….it's obviously time to cut them (the weeds, not your children). 

And when your daughter's hair looks so straggly and mangy, and she defines the world "mullet" better than most, it's obviously time for a trip to the salon.  So Kaitlyn had her first haircut this week.  She was a bit unsure at the start, but nothing that a good Mickey show and an entertaining older brother can't help cure.  She was a champ, sat very still, and then enjoyed her very first lollipop.  

the before…look at that shaggy hair!

the beginning…totally unsure, but not one tear was shed

the middle…happiness

the end…balloon in place on her wrist and a bow in her hair

can I just freeze time now?  

lollipop love

Mama's Day

My own mama was out of town, visiting her own mama, for Mother's Day this year.  And I had the day off last weekend to go riding with my dad.  So for Mother's Day this year we invited Eddy's family over (and my dad, who was in need of a good hearty meal since mom was out of town) for a big ol' brunch at our house.  The weather was gorgeous, and I managed to fit in a run before brunch so I could eat even more delicious food.  It was a super great way to celebrate Eddy's mom, my mom in spirit, Andrea, and I guess myself, for doing such a good job of raising such wonderful people.  

Cheers to the moms out there!

backyard picnic

After we filled our bellies, we walked across the street to the playground to let the littles get the wiggles out. 

hey there cutie pie!

Sometimes, all ya really want is one good photo with your kids…where they are both looking and smiling and pretending to be happy.  Guess I'll just have to wait another year...

Drea's kids seem to cooperate with this wish every time .  Lucky mama!  She must be doing something right.  

Ryan & Alexandra in a serious game of chase….rolling down the hill

then running

 To wrap up the day, I got to read stories with my two favorite munchkins.  Not that we don't do this every night, but tonight it was extra special.  

61 miles with dear ol' dad

My dad and I are training for a bike ride around Lake Tahoe in a few weeks.  So we took ourselves through the hills of Marin yesterday on a training ride, and rode a glorious (and at times very grueling) 61 mile loop.  It took all day, and we were pretty exhausted.  But I feel so thankful and lucky to be able to share things like this with my pops.  And the man can still leave me in the dust on those downhills!  

Thanks for getting me out there Dad!  Bring on Lake Tahoe!

still smiling at mile 20

gorgeous scenery

we happened upon this old beauty at the side of the road

we made it to the top of the Marshall Wall -- an incredibly long and steep climb, but totally rewarding at the end with views down onto Pt Reyes and Tomales Bay (we ended up riding down along the water that you see in the background)

Thunder Over Solano

On Saturday we took a chance and headed up to Travis Air Force Base (about 20 minutes from our house) to their open house/air show.  And it was SO worth it!  They held it on the runway on base, there were a number of huge planes parked that you could walk on and explore, and it was incredible!

the huge cargo plane…opened up from head to tail so you could walk through it.  They fit tanks and helicopters inside that thing. 

playing chase on the runway

just to give a little perspective…those wheels alone are quite large

waiting to go aboard the KC10 -- an air refueler

 This plane is the one that does the mid-air refueling.  Flying at 25,000 feet, going 400 mph, this plane gets within 10 feet of another plane, drops a large boom down with a hose attached, that nozzle then inserts into the other planes gas tank and it refuels that plane to save it a trip back down.  They can refuel in about as fast as one minute, or it can take up to about 45 mins, depending on the plane and the weather.  Wow. Talk about steady hands while flying!

love this photo bomb!  Pilot Nate, who flies this plane, gave us a good laugh.  

checking out the cockpit

the view out the side of the plane -- where they load on all the huge pallets of cargo 

at the bottom of the plane, where the guy sits who is in charge of lowering the boom and doing the refueling 

all seat belted up in the cargo plane, ready for takeoff

 While we were touring all the planes, they were doing an air show as well.  Planes flying in loop-de-loops and other crazy maneuvers.  It was pretty impressive.  But the favorite by far, was the F16 fighter jet that flew by a few times.  It was screaming loud, so loud that Ryan told me "it made my tummy rumble mommy".  After the first pass (which freaked us all out), Ryan jumped every time but loved it.  Kaitlyn on the other hand got more and more scared.  

watching the F16 fly by

these planes are huge! 

from the wind, noise, and all around excitement…these two were pooped on the drive home!

the staycation

Two weeks ago we had the entire week off.  Originally we had grand plans of a far away vacation in a tropical place.  That was pre-purchasing a new house.  Then we played around with vacations to places within driving distance.  Then we crunched some numbers, and decided to put our efforts towards projects around the new house.  Kinda boring, but definitely productive.  And we managed to work in some fun every few days.  Plus, it was a week away from work…can't complain about that!

glamour girl!

Ryan had preschool on his normal 3 days this week, so those were the days we tried to be productive around the house.  But on the off days, we created some fun adventures.  

Tuesday, we hopped up to Sonoma for a bike ride, with some gorgeous scenery.  Followed by lunch and a good old fashioned milk shake at the Fremont Diner.  And the whole trip that direction was driven by a need to stop and pick up some wine at Eddy's wine club winery…in the old days that would have been our first stop to enjoy the wine tasting that comes with it, but sadly these days all we have time for is literally a quick stop to pick it up on the way home so we could get home for nap time.  

patiently waiting for lunch 

not sure how much of that shake Eddy and I got to taste, as these two sort of dominated it

Eddy did get out to play golf one afternoon, and I took these two monkeys to the park across the street for some play time before naps.  (It happened to be PJ day at school for Ryan, otherwise no, he normally does not spend all day in his PJs!)

 On Thursday we met Auntie Dana who was babysitting Alexandra and Lucas, and we all ventured over to Discovery Kingdom for a day of animals and rides.  The kids loved it of course, and I hadn't been in a few years...who doesn't love a good dolphin show?  

Eddy braved the bouncy frog ride with the two wee ones

these two were perfect ride companions

the thrilling jeep ride

Lucas and Eddy, and some unknown boy who was nice enough to share his jeep so we didn't have to wait another round

  On our final day of Staycation, the weather was warming up and we decided to head into the city for a day of fun.  We started off at Dolores Park in the Mission, such a fun playground and so much better (read, less crowded) on a weekday!

making some music with the pipes

this slide is really a lot longer than it looks, and Ryan loved it

 We walked a few blocks to grab some lunch treats at the Tartine Bakery, and then headed to the beach.  As we drove down the steep part of Divisadero, the kids loved to pretend we were on a roller coaster with their hands up yelling "wheeeeee!", and Kaitlyn yelling "Yee haw!"

this was Ryan's choice for a treat…who wouldn't want a cookie as big as your face?  No we are not the worst parents ever, we split that 4 ways.  

loving the warm sand, and that view!

way the make the most of our family time, Bayer clan! 

As far as vacations go, we made the most of it while also being productive, which was very necessary.   And it felt darn good.  But next time we have a week off, you can expect we will be getting out of dodge!