Santa Monica Gobble Wobble

Hundreds of people showed up bright and early this morning to burn off some Thanksgiving calories by participating in the Santa Monica Gobble Wobble. The last time I ran a 5k was seven years ago when I was training for the LA Marathon. My time was not as fast as before but then the only running I've been doing lately has been chasing after two little boys. I'm happy that I completed the race and that I jogged the entire way.



Spencer, inspired by my running, decided to participate in the Widdle Waddle 1k sprint, even though he was one of the youngest there. See whether you can pick him out of the runners waiting at the starting line.



The children were told to chase after the turkey who would show them the way along the race route.



And he's off! Go, Spencer, go!



Here comes Spencer, triumphantly sprinting for the finish line! Hooray!

Spencer says he's up for another run early next year. Stay tuned.

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving 2010 at Nana's house was bright, filled with sunshine, good neighbors and friends and, once again, missing Nico. Just like last Thanksgiving, Nico napped late, slept long and only woke up for the very end of the dinner. Or did he plan it that way? Nico still can't say "turkey" but he DEFINITELY knows how to say "pie." Pumpkin AND pecan pie were the highlight not just for Nico but everyone at this year's Thanksgiving.

Before dessert was served, we toasted to our health, our happiness, and the many blessings our family was thankful to experience in this past year, and hopefully, for many years to come.

"Pie!" (added Nico, later)

If You Build It

This morning Spencer played the architect while Nico acted out the role of the demolition artist. For a brief moments, the brothers worked in harmony.



For round two, Spencer built a barricade and armed himself with a jackhammer in the event he needed to repair the wall.

Cat Nap

Sometimes you just need to take a cat nap after breakfast, just ask Spencer and Nico. Why under the breakfast table? Why one pillow, one blanket, one stuffed friend?

Hey, sometimes you just NEED to take a cat nap.

One Man Band

Why be satisfied at playing one instrument when you can play a multitude? In this video, Spencer shows us how it's done.

Playing Catch

While Spencer and Lydia were enjoying their morning movie and lunch, Nico and I held down the fort at home. Wonderful baby that he is, Nico took a long morning nap while I caught up on work and watched the Packer game.

In the afternoon, we had lunch together and went for a long walk back to an old, favorite playground. When we returned home, Nico was still keen on spending as much time outside as he could. It was a gorgeous, cool, windy day and when a gust lifted up Nico's hair he always turned to me and exclaimed, "Wind!" He loves all different kinds of balls and I was surprised when he started saying, "Catch!" over and over to me. We picked up one of our old balls and started kicking it back and forth to each other until Nico picked it up. "Catch!" he said again and walked it over to my open hands. "You can catch it Nico," I said. "Hold your arms out like THIS..." And put my palms up, elbows at my chest. Nico formed a perfect cradle with his arms and after only two attempts...Woo Hoo! The kid caught his first ball.

After I told him to throw the ball back to me, he walked right up and kind of rolled it back into my hands, just as he had when we started. And that's OK: first 'catch' and we can work on 'throw' another day.

Tangled

This morning Spencer and I had the privilege of seeing a sneak preview of Tangled, Disney's retelling of Rapunzel. Spencer was enraptured by the animation, in particular a beautiful sequence towards the end featuring floating lanterns that, through the magic of 3D, seemed to linger in the air just out of our reach. As far as the story was concerned, Spencer wondered why Rapunzel wanted to leave the tower and why her mother didn't want her to go. By the time he realized that Mother Gothel did not have Rapunzel's best interest at heart, the tension was almost too much for him to bear. A few tears were shed when it appeared the villains would get away with their evil deeds but Disney saved the day with a happy ending.

After the movie, Spencer and I went for lunch at the Beverly Hills Diner, a restaurant we had visited once before as a family. Spencer had loved selecting music on the miniature jukebox located at our table. Unfortunately, the jukeboxes were not working today but the food hit the spot. It was nice to spend time together, just the two of us. I foresee more mother-son outings in our future.

No Way

Nico's new favorite expression is "no way." I'm not sure where he learned this particular phrase but he says it with authority.

Artists at Work

Spencer is beginning to branch out from writing to coloring pictures. He tends to use a rainbow of colors. Markers are his preferred instrument although lately, he's been switching to crayons, pressing hard to create the most vibrant shade and not limiting himself to the illustration borders.



Following in his brother's footsteps, Nico also likes to scribble away. As long as he sticks to paper, we're all for it.

Fire Station No. 2

School field trips to the fire station are always a blast! We learned all about the tools they carry on their trucks and what life is like at the fire station. We even watched a firefighter slide down a pole. Spencer wanted to know whether they had a mascot. Unfortunately, they no longer keep a dog due to liability reasons.



I couldn't resist a shot of boys with the shiny fire engine. Thanks for the tour guys!



Our little junior firefighter!