The Full Catastrophe

Brian has plans to see “Dark Knight” tomorrow, so we had to move our family fun afternoon to Wednesday this week. Here’s my crew hiking up Cowles Mountain. Oscar really enjoyed the climb and when we decided to turn back halfway (that backpack is heavy) he cried and told us that he wanted to keep going. One of these days we’ll have to take him solo and see how high he can go.

A while back I wrote about some things in the world I wanted changed. Not big stuff, just a few ideas that had percolated up in my head. I’m pleased to report that the Toby Wells YMCA now has a shade canopy up in the big kids’ playground. I left this suggestion in their comment box many moons ago, but I’m still going to take credit for this improvement. All of you playground goers can thank me with pedicure gift certificates.

I just checked the Terrasoles website and it looks like that offensive picture is gone. YOU’RE WELCOME!

I haven’t been to Costco in a while. Can anyone report if Costco is selling muffins in Cafe 150?

Since I’m on a roll, here’s my suggestion for the powers-that-be at NPR: don’t cancel my favorite news show, The Bryant Park Project. I’ve sent messages, left comments, and joined the Save the BPP Facebook group but am also preparing myself for the void that will exist after their final show airs this Friday. Listen here for a small sample of the show. Please tell me what to listen to on Monday morning.

Yesterday Laurel walked from Brian to me using 3 independent steps! That’s her greatest walking achievement thus far. I got some video…be forewarned that it is not great footage. It is super tricky to shoot at such a close range.

Today Laurel raised herself into a stand without support for the first time. We believe that our kids reach developmental milestones after a visit to Grammy & Poppy and sure enough, it happened again.

Here are some notes on Oscar. He loves to use the expression “speaking of …” to transition to something on his mind. He also likes to respond with “sure” when answering questions. From time to time he uses the word belly, which I think is just cute for some reason.

I’ve been to Murphys and back since my last post. Brian’s mom wanted to make a trip there this summer and so the kids and I tagged along. We were lucky that the extreme heat and smoky skies cleared out on the day that we arrived, so we had a very pleasant stay.

Here we are on our way to Murphys Park. Oscar & my dad have a new tradition of taking the redneck stroller around town.

One nice thing about visiting Calaveras County is the fact that I always run into old friends. Here’s Andrew Oneto and his daughter Sadie on the swings with Laurel. Andrew and I grew up together.

The kids enjoyed a splash in the creek.

And here are some shots of the kiddos hanging out in my parents’ garden. Those are brownie crumbs all over Laurel’s face.

I took both of the kids in for haircuts today. It was actually Laurel’s first haircut. I was having fun with pigtails in her hair but she figured out how to tear them off so all of those teeny-weeny ponytail holders that look like orthodontic bands will have to wait. I really prefer Oscar’s hair longer, but he gets it cut just once a quarter or so and I know it will grow back.

Happy Birthday, Maisy!

Brian and Oscar ventured out this morning to bring back doughnuts. Such fine young men, right? Here’s my favorite buttermilk bar from Mary’s Donuts paired with a patriotic fruit salad. I love a good buttermilk bar for the contrast of the soft and tangy cake inside against the crunchy crust of super sweet glaze.

Brian got an apple fritter. Look at the size of this thing!

(Note from Brian: for any of you out there concerned about my health, I did NOT eat the entire thing)

Here’s our neighborhood 4th of July parade. It is a very simple event where everyone gathers at the center of our neighborhood and walks together for a couple of blocks. I was so excited to bring my crew down to the parade all decked out in red, white, and blue and with flags attached to our stroller. I started walking with my friend and realized that Oscar wasn’t next to me. After searching the crowd I found him:

He didn’t want to do the parade walk. Do you remember the loser horns from “The Price Is Right”? Wham Wham whaaaaaaam That’s what I felt like. Maybe I’ll get him in the patriotic spirit next year.

A while back I wrote briefly about my family tree on this post along with a photo of Laurel wearing a babushka. Our friend, Lydia, left a comment on that post mentioning a children’s book called “The Keeping Quilt” that I finally read for the first time. It is indeed an amazing book that felt especially poignant to me. My mom’s mom had a stroke recently (and is recovering well, thankfully) and it is my mom’s mom’s family that has the Hungarian heritage. Moses Herschkovitz and his son Emmanuel were born in Hungary and lived in Vienna, Austria where Emmanuel served as a rabbi. They immigrated to the US in the late 1880’s and settled in Denver where they operated the city’s only Jewish bakery. Emmanuel’s son, David, was my great grandfather.

In “The Keeping Quilt” younger generations possess a family quilt which is incorporated in the weddings, births, and other significant moments in their family history. I don’t have any keepsakes from the Herschkovitz’s, but I am so glad that do have my mom & grandma. Here’s a picture of my own Keeping Quilt. made by my mom to celebrate my marriage to Brian.