The girls are really not so little anymore. Jay lets them climb this tree at the Discovery Museum, which still makes me a little nervous. Especially since now Maija can climb higher than I can reach!
Photo from a recent 50K race I ran. That's Stinson Beach and Bolinas in the distance. I had some foot trouble about halfway but still managed to finish the race. In glorious fashion I managed to come in 4th from last but still had an amazing time. There is a special kind of comradery among those of us at the back end of a race. Maybe someday I'll be up near the front again, but for now I keep going for the scenery. I never get tired of these views.
We went to Bodega Head recently. They usually have great abalone shells there, but I forgot to check the tide tables and the high tide meant we couldn't access all the good shell spots. It was still so fun. I'm glad the girls love the beach so much - we stay for hours and only leave when we get hungry or it's close to their nap time.
Jay and Maija from above. Anja and I climbed way up here.
All the beaches around here have great stuff to play on.
Anja was making mud cupcakes!
Maija is a camera dodger, but I almost got her here.
Lately she talks nonstop. This week her favorite thing to say is 'why?' To every response. Over and over and over. She also likes to say, "Not yet" a lot. For example:
Me: Good morning, Maija, may I have a hug?
Maija: Not yet.
Me: How about now?
Maija: No, not YET.
And she also frequently expresses frustration about things that are not working. For example, when her food falls off her fork, her fork is "not working" or if she can't get her sock on, her sock is "not working, fix it Mama".
Anja loves dancing to the live music we always come across downtown. This music is from three young guys who wander around town with their tuba, oboe and banjo!
Maija was sooo tired waiting for Santa to make it down the line to us, but she made it. Santa arrives by tugboat on the river every year on Thanksgiving weekend, and then walks through the crowd. We had been waiting about 30 minutes at this point.
Anja gave Santa a big hug when he made it to us. Maija preferred watch from afar.
In Petaluma, it's hard to tell if it's hot or cold sometimes. So why not a winter hat and sleeveless dress?
Petaluma continues to be beautiful. Here is an overview of my daily morning run. When people ask, "How can you get up so early and run before your hour-long commute to work?", this is what I picture:
The sheep farm I pass on my way up the pedestrian path to the county park:
The top of the first hill, where I climb out of the fog and see the sunrise (our house is down in that fog bank):
View from the trail at the top of the park:
View of the farmland looking west:
Some of the thirty or so wild turkeys I saw on that run:
The girls have been playing together a lot lately. Anja is great at inventing random games, like this one she called "Shoes on the Doorknobs" whereby she and Maija put all their shoes on all the doorknobs in the house and ran around yelling "Shoes on the doorknobs!". Maija is always happy to be included in Anja's games.
We were a little late to the lighted boat parade this year, but here is one blurry photo of some of the boats at the dock downtown.
And from the girls:
Me: Maybe I’ll make
some rice we can use in dinner tomorrow.
It’s always handy to have rice, right?
Anja: Yeah. You know what else is handy to have? House geckos.
Anja: Mama, I love
you. That’s why I’m wearing my
Valentine’s Day undies with the birdie and heart. Want to see?
Anja: Maija, it’s run
away time. It’s time to run away! Let’s run away to under our toys. (runs to her room with Maija following)
Maija: (takes toy shoe out of her mouth before brushing
teeth) Take mine shoe out.
Me: Maija, why was
there a shoe in your mouth?
Maija: I put it
there.
Anja: Maija, do you
want to play pillow fight?!
Maija: No.
Anja: Blanket fight?!
Maija: No.
Anja: Well what do
you want to play? What fight do you want
to play? Backpack fight?!
Maija: Yah.
Me: No, no backpack
fights!
Anja: (after running
around like a wild animal for 30 minutes in anticipation of Grandma’s arrival
and finally getting strapped into her car seat)
I’m sorry but it’s not going to be a quiet night! (blows on train whistle)
Anja: (while watching
a cartoon with a misbehaving sibling who is jealous of his new baby
sister) Mama, if I had a new baby
sister, would you not pay attention to me if I did that?
Me: Well, I would
tell you that you were being too loud.
But you know, you used to have a new baby sister, do you remember that?
Anja: No. (long pause)
But did you not pay attention to me when I had a new baby sister?
Anja: (comes walking
out of the bathroom where Jay was giving both girls a bath) Mama?
Daddy needs something to clean up the poop. There is a lot of poop to clean up. Maija pooped in the bathtub. Some of the poop is moving toward Laura the
dinosaur, sooo… and she is really pretty… aaand I really like her, sooo…. We need something to clean up the poop.
Anja: Once upon a
time there was a proud giraffe, and he had a peacock. But the peacock was poor because he didn’t
have a wife. But then they found a thing
that looked like an upside down peacock.
And it was a peacock and then he had a wife. But the giraffe was poor because HE didn’t
have a wife. So the peacock said, “You
can share my wife.” And the girl peacock
jumped up on the giraffe’s ears.
Anja: (while standing
amidst a pile of very nice toys and several paper bags in the living room) Maija?
Can I have the next turn with that paper bag?
Maija: No.
Anja: Maija! Can I HAVE the next TURN with that paper
bag!?
Maija: No.
Anja: Mama, Maija
says I can’t have the next turn with that paper bag!
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