One of Andy’s colleagues hosted a work family picnic.  Callum got to hang out with his friend, Reese, and the best part is that another of Andy’s colleagues takes beautiful pictures.  He said, “you won’t even notice; I’m like a ninja.”

I think these photos deserve their own post.  Enjoy!

Thanks, Randy!

. . . so we might as well get on with the blog posting.  A photo essay.

These are old.  The goal is to get up to date quickly, so stay tuned for more!

At Jackson’s birthday party, we went on the merry-go-round!  Callum was a little scared.

But then he cried when we got off!  Here you can see Jackson (right) and Jayden (background)

C was trying to learn how to walk, so we got him this walker, which he promptly used as a seat. . .

. . . and a bus for the parlaiment.

Thank you for the wheely bee, Uncle Thaddeus, Aunt Ronda, and cousins!!

oooOO oooOO

We posed for this one.

We got a new computer, which required a new computer desk.  Callum helped Daddy with the desk.

Sorry – no room for printers here.

C plays a little gee-tar.

Daddy time!

Mommy’s birthday started out PERFECTLY.

I’ll take that camera, please.

Daddy and Callum like to play crazy rough-housing games.  You should hear the laugh that goes with this one.

Swingin’ with our friend Reese

Callum often surprises us by ramming several handfuls of food in his mouth at once.  There are about 4 pieces of banana in there.

C demonstrates his fine motor skills in this delicate pea-balancing act.  Not sure if he ate any, but he moved several from bowl to bowl.

After a contentious few years, Kermy and Toby are friends again.

Obviously we’re behind, but here’s a picture of Callum yesterday, eating his first whole apple (he ate about half in the end).

And click on this photo for a little video of him clapping at the baseball game two weeks ago.  It was very hot and sunny!

Recently Callum has taken to his hammer and peg toy.  Today he hammered the pegs back and forth about six times before then I got the camera and he continued three more times.

Callum is nearly walking.  Everyday he seems to be more stable…

A video of the fun we had with grammy.

Grammy is visiting us this week.  Everyone loves having her around, especially Callum.  Here are some pictures:

Grammy, Mommy and Callum

Around here we call this a good hair day.

Callum tries on some new shades.

We ride the historic streetcar along the embarcadero.  This particular car came from Birmingham Alabama.

Tiffany Grammy and Callum (in the stroller) pause for a photo in front of Alcatraz at fisherman’s wharf.

Daddy and Callum play.

I’ve learned that babies get sick.  Especially when 20 of them spend weekdays together sucking on the same toys.  Daycare rules dictate that when Callum gets a fever we have to keep him home until his temperature has been below 100 degrees for 24 hours.  This means that usually after a day home with a happy sick Callum we have a day home with a happy healthy Callum.  

Today we are staying home with Callum not because he is sick or because he was sick yesterday.   Grammy is visiting us from Florida so we are taking a vacation day.

Here are some pictures from recent sick days and healthy days.

Happy Sick baby.

Playing with blocks on a sick day.

Staging a parade of toys on a sick day.

Callum addresses the parliment on the day after a sick day.

Callum chairs important parliamentary deliberations regarding planned events for the not sick day.

Callum plays hardball with the parliament.

In San Francisco today was the Annual Bay to Breakers 12K race.  The race starts at the bay and goes to the beach, and for most participants is essentially a 12K  long party.  The already lax open container, public drunkenness and indecent exposure laws are apparently fully ignored during the race.  Most participants don elaborate costumes, some don nothing at all.

It’s been exactly one year since we arrived in San Francisco.  I can say this with certainty because we woke up early our first morning in San Francisco to find the streets outside our apartment building filled with costumed crazies toting cases of beer.  We had no idea what was going on, but the spectacle  made quite an unusual introduction to our new city of residence.  I was a bit embarrassed the following week when I walked out wearing a costume and carrying beer – I should have known it wasn’t an EVERY sunday thing.

This year we took part in the race with tiffany’s mothers group.  We entered in the “wheeled objects” division because of our strollers (what race has a division for wheeled objects?).  We found ourselves walking alongside what can only be described as parade floats, each pushed by a group of people, stocked with large tanks of booze.  Most notably was a hospital gurney surrounded by a dozen of doctors and nurses carrying I.V. bags of fruit punch and a life guard stand with dozens of “life guards” in baywatch attire. 

There are, of course, some serious runners but they finish long before the real fun happens.  We had a good time, made it nearly half of the 12k, calling it quits when race route took us within a few blocks of our apartment.  Maybe next year we’ll make it to the beach.

A “doctor” stands on a gurney being pushed by other while holding an IV bag filled with beverage.

Callum and Jayden are ready to go while we adults apply sun cream.

A DJ set up on the roof of a building along the route.

The race route filled with “racers”

The life guard booth is pushed along the route with a green man dancing inside.

Callum and Alexandre pause for a sip.

Callum shows of his handsome race shirt.

As I mentioned in another post, we were lucky enough to find our way down to Florida for Callum’s birthday.  We got to see Papa, Grammy, Aunt Amber & Lux.  THEN, we got even luckier when we learned that Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Lauren and Chi were able to come down and see us, too!  

We had a really wonderful time, and Callum loved spending time with his family in the sunshine.

Here are some (well lots, really) pictures. . . 

Grammy’s birthday is two days before Callum’s.  The grocery store must have known, because they gave us a free cake with an backwards J on it, for “Jenn!”  Weirdly, when you turn the cake upside-down, it looks like a 1.  

Aunt Lauren with the boys.

Grandpa and Chi getting ready for bed at the hotel.

Back at Papa’s, it’s bath time!

Birthday kisses from Grandma!

Happy birthday boy

Hanging out with Aunt Amber

Lots of fun happened. . . some of it was upside-down.

Cousins having a chat

The peanut gallery

WOW!  CAKE!

Whoa.  That was intense.

Grandpa manned the grill.

Chi and his mom seem to find each other pretty funny.

Family shot!

Daddy and Callum in the pool – we had to get that frosting off somehow!

Mommy opens presents while Callum reads his new book.

Handsome.

The next day, we went to the beach – Chi flew a kite!

Relaxing in the sunshine.

The boys dug a very big hole.

Andy, go stand with your sister.