Gabe and Doug look very happy hanging with Santa at the Capitola mall. It’s a pretty rare thing for us to be at the mall, let alone do the Santa’s lap routine. I have to say though, that it made a big impression on Gabe. Doug looks like he’s enjoying it a whole lot too. Gabe’s also sporting his favorite spike hair style just for Santa. Not a lot of snow outside though.
George really outdid himself for Ellen’s 40th birthday. We met up in San Francisco at Hawthorne Lane. He invited a large group of people who were clearly happy to be there to join in the celebration. George spoke eloquently about Ellen, and was followed by a number of their friends and family telling private stories about Ellen. Both the food and the company were outstanding. George and Charlotte enjoy one of those great moments. It must be good having a twin. The paintings on the wall are quite a story, but this is a family site so I can’t go into detail.
We had Thanksgiving at Val and Kim’s house this year. George, Ellen, and their family came down for the night as well. Here Kim and Gabe enjoy each other’s company for a moment. Then Gabe collapses from the effort. Meanwhile the girls work hard on getting everything ready. Val, Charlotte, and Monica are a great team. he kids get to eat at their own table in the kitchen. It works out best for the kids and the adults this way. Everyone is being remarkably civilized. I guess they really like the food. Gabe, Doug, and Zach are having fun checking out Toodles the bird. Lindsey and Caroline are so well mannered. ...
Here’s Gabe showing off his spike hair. He always sees his Peyser cousins sporting this attractive coiffure, so of course he can’t resist. I can never do it right, so mom gets all the credit.
It was a big day at Brook Knoll today. All the classes were performing a variety of dances for everyone. Here Monica is a cowgirl doing more western dances than I had ever heard of. She was occasionally having a little trouble with her clogs falling off, but she did fantastic as usual. We never get tired of it of course. Nick did a great job with his dancing too. As you might expect, at this grade the boys are a little less enthusiastic about dancing with girls. Give him a few years and let’s check again on what he thinks. ...
Here’s the latest addition to the clan, Annabel Multer. She’s about 2 months old in these pictures. It’s good to see Scott and Bridget as parents. I’ve been bugging Scott about it for a while. Their dog Joe has got some competition now.
Well it’s Monica’s birthday again and the real treat is that grandma Phoebe is in town. Of course that awesome looking cake was pretty good too. Gabe is anxiously awaiting his serving of cake, but he’s gotta get past grandma. Nick managed to get a piece and is chowing down. Gabe is trying to wait, but he might lose it at any moment. It might show grandma a side of him that she’s never seen before. ...
Gabe is having an awesome time painting pinecones. It’s a beautiful day and there’s nothing finer than making pinecones even more beautiful. It’s kind of like doing a coloring book. There are so many little facets you can paint all different colors. Gabe wants to be an artist one day like his uncle Scott.
It’s that fun time of year again for the kids. There’s always something fun at school for Halloween. Kind of a warm up for the big event this evening. Gabe is the black kitty if you couldn’t tell. At home, everyone gets into their real costumes. Monica is some kind of tiger woman, Nick is a skeleton, and Gabe is Zorro. I loved that show as a little boy. Good to see the tradition being carried on. ...
Nick’s all time favorite stuffed animal was this Komodo dragon. Not quite its natural home in Indonesia, but it looks happy in our garden just the same.