Here come the holidays, whoooo!! whoooooo!!

All righty! Well, I think I have us signed up for almost every holiday event out there. Here are a few photos of the Christmas tree lighting in Tiburon and the Santa Claus Express Train (aka the Napa Valley Wine Train). Both were with our friends Mike and Hilary and their little guy, Luca.

Hot mamas

Well, normally we have no holiday parties to go to. However, this year, we have TWO! Yippee! The party shown here was hosted by one of the many kick butt mamas in my mommy group. Time has flown but I have been a part of the group since Kiira was a mere babe which puts us at almost 5 years now. I have to say that I am always amazed at the group of women we have. We have those who have worked in the Fortune 500 crowd, those who are entrepreneurs and those that are everyday creative overachievers! There is always something going on and someone to learn from. Here's a large part of the group. Several are missing but you get the idea! Go girls!
I have to include a photo from our other party since Kiira and Alan both look so dashing!

Anticipation

Okay - not only do we have anticipation of the holidays on the gift side of things, but also we here in Tiburon, eagerly await the lighting of "the lights". Hmm...what do you mean by that you ask? Well, funny you should ask. As you come down Tiburon Boulevard towards our home, you decend a bit with a hill ahead. Perched part of the way up this hill is an apartment building that, every year, puts up a "photo" of lights. It seems to have a theme each year. The first year I remember was a shark. Clever, as Tiburon, means Shark in Spanish. Last year I also distinctly remember, an angel holding a rifel. Not my favorite. This year, they got it just right. A 40'-0" Peace sign. That sums it up.

Nostalgia

Well, as some of you may remember from my traditions entry in the blog, I am a nostalgic gal to the heart. Got my fill of said remembrance when the family and I went a Christmas tree pickin last weekend. It really was EVERYthing it was cracked up to be. We loaded up the kids, the dog, plenty of snacks and drove the hour to Petaluma to pick out that perfect tree. The place had lots of different types to choose from, hot cider, and they provided the saw and a little cart to drag it back to your car. The only thing missing was the Christmas carols. Alan's come a long way on the celebrating of Christmas so I thought I wouldn't push it. Maybe next year. Kiira and I have been belting the tunes out in the car so by next year she'll know more words that me probably (and those of you who know me well, know this is probably the truth!). Her favorite last year was Rudolph and this year we both are working on memorizing the 12 days of Christmas. She's beating me so far.

There's no beating around the bush here...

What is it about kids and beaters? It must be in an innate thing because I'm not sure Evan has ever seen anyone lick a beater. And yet, after I was done mixing the cake, I got the eehhh...eeehhhh....and paws reaching high for the beater. I thought, what the heck, let's try it. Well, as you can see, he dug in like a pro. Maybe it's hereditary! :-)

The poopy party

Here we are again. I've posted this photo - stay tuned for an explanation for those of you who don't know. Believe it or not, it ties in with the fish. Who, has died by the way - did I mention that? 3 strikes and I'm out. This third one actually jumped to her death. Am I that bad?

Memory Lane

Well, today was just a buzz of activity. Kiira and I, on Thursdays, go to Nicasio to a wonderful barn there called Kilham Farm. I am not sure of the heritage there but the owner is a wonderful woman named Lumpy. Yes, Lumpy. Now, with a name like that you would expect a colorful character with something of an accent. Well, how wrong I was! Lumpy is actually a down to earth soft spoken woman who runs and owns a barn to rival the best! The horses and barns are immaculately kept and the indoor ring is a blessing in the rainy season. There are yet TWO other outdoor rings to choose from. Now, I have to admit, I was looking for slick but somewhat hesitant about what may accompany it. I've had my share of snooty horse people believe you me. I tend to think that that crowd could rival the best snooty people anywhere.
I am happy to report that I've found the slick factor but don't have the baggage to accompany it.
I mounted my trusty steed Orbit today and said a silent prayer that after 6 years, my muscles would remember their duties while mounted. Although a bit floppy, I made it through my first lesson since babies. Ahhh....the muscles relaxed as did my mind and my form of therapy took hold.
All the while, my little one, not yet five, was mounted on her own trusty stead, Robin Hood. And SHE was doing magnificently. She has masted the walk. She can turn and stop. So, of course after only 3 lessons, she moved on to the trot. She was a natural. No really, I'm not kidding. She is really good and does not have any of the fear that I thought she would. Yes, she is cautious, but who wouldn't be of a beast that weighs 15 times what you do?
You see, my strategy here is...start 'em young. Give them something to be passionate about. Something that will distract them from all the evil our world has to offer the young. I know, I know, it sounds dramatic. But, seriously, there is alot of temptation to go down the wrong path. And, well, it worked for me, so perhaps, just perhaps, I can preserve my precious one's childhood that much longer. Life is long. Childhood short. Let's give them as long as possible to live in safety, good, and innocence. Let's face it, if you could go back - wouldn't you?
Attached - Heidi and my first pony, Memory Lane. I am 10 years old.