First Day of Preschool

Fall has a new meaning in our house... I can't believe we actually have a child in school! Joey had his first day at preschool this morning, and the jitters were all mine! He was about as laid-back and nonchalant as a high-schooler, although he did run up to me as I was leaving his classroom, and yell, "I need a big kiss and a big hug, Mommy!"

Clara and I had a couple of hours to ourselves for a change, and are accepting ideas about how to spend it. We have three hours every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning! A Gymboree class? A gym for Mommy, and childwatch for Clara? We started off on the right foot with a second breakfast today - fruit for Clara and much-needed coffee for Mommy!

She loved our one-on-one time, but the constant refrain was, "Where Joey go?" If she was expecting him to shower her with kisses when they reunited, she was disappointed. When we picked him up in his classroom, he took one look at us, and said, "You're late! But I didn't miss you!"

Apparently he was having too much fun getting a reputation as the class monkey. His teacher tracked me down as I was gathering his backpack, raised her eyebrow, and said, "You have a climber!" Joey later confirmed this by telling me that he "climbed really high on the playground, but not high enough."

As much as I was hesitant to begin this school journey -- I love the slow pace of mornings at home, and answering only to our own schedule -- it's going to be so fun to see Joey learn, grow, make new friends, and challenge teachers ;)

Are They All Yours?

On Friday night, I got a small taste of what Shawna experiences when she's out in public with her brood. I watched Megan and Bridget while Shawna and Matt went to his back-to-school faculty dinner with (just) the twins, and since it was such a warm night, I decided to bring everyone to the playground on our block for playtime and dinner all in one. Our little blonde troop drew as many stares as a TLC family on location, and I had many horrified moms ask me, "Are they all yours??"

My strategy for the night was to not allow anyone to break rank. I herded them from dinner to the swings to the sandbox to the stroller to the house to the bathtub, and then pulled them all out in an assembly line for jammies. After that, they cut loose and played like giddy little monsters.

How do little girls play? Here's a snippet of Clara and Bridget chugging tea and doing crazy cheers with their teacups. Bridget looks pretty sedate, but Clara might have a future as a fraternity rush chair.

A Fashion Don't

My blogging partner has been cavorting in the streets of Montreal in a coonskin hat for the last three days, leaving me alone in the trenches here. Since when did bachelor parties go international?

The only fair payback for this inequity?

The Sword that Stayed in the Stone

Joey is a boy with a lot of confidence. He can often be heard muttering to himself, "I'm the most special boy IN THE WORLD!" and "NO ONE is as strong as me!" and even, "I'm here to SAVE THE DAY!!"

So it was with mounting excitment that he watched two little boys in front of him try to pull the Sword out of the Stone at Disneyland last week. No matter that they were ill equipped for the job... they obviously weren't Super Joey.

Imagine his surprise when the sword didn't gave way immediately.



Even more perplexing, his super ally Kyle couldn't dislodge it!!





He finally posed for a photo, but was clearly not happy that his superpowers failed him.

We All Scream for Ice Cream

If you know me well, you know that it took tremendous maternal love to 1) take these pictures, 2) not immediately delete them from my camera, and 3) share them publicly. Melting ice cream is at the top of my list of revolting substances, second only to milkshakes, cottage cheese, and whipped cream.

Fortunately, my phobia has not been carried forward to the next generation. This was Clara's first ice cream cone, after a day of playing in the sun and sand at Laguna Beach last week.

Foot Phone

This isn't the best quality video but it was too funny live not to post. I snuck up on Clara babbling her way through nap time and started filming. The house phone suddenly rings. She says "Oh, the phone" then puts her foot up to her ear and begins talking with mommy. Classic...

That's Amore!

Clara found a dancing partner at a romantic Italian restaurant in Orange County.



Our summer travelling has almost become ridiculous. Stay tuned for more photos from our 7 days in Orange County and Vegas. I've become a packing and unpacking machine!

Guys' Night Out (Fort Funston Style)

With Joey in the O.C. with Sara and Clara, he's been replaced on the evening walks by Less Filling, Tastes Great.

Joe Go Boom

Here's a video of Joey chasing Gitte at the DeWeese wedding. Make sure the volume is up so you can catch my initial reaction. I will not be able to submit this with my Father of the Year application, but at least it's good to know the kid will be able to handle a collision at the plate when he's playing catcher in a few years.

(Background singing courtesy of DeWeese's bro-in-law Joe Polichio)
(Special thanks to Justine for actually showing concern for Joey)

The blog may never be the same...

Sara made the mistake of granting me posting authorization for the blog. I will now be balancing out the endless stream of cute kid pictures with embarrassing stories, juvenile humor, and lots of dog pics. With that disclaimer, let the games begin...

Sara will tolerate just about anything to sleep in. Here's Clara using her as a pillow while watching Dora the Explorer.


Jakey goes perpendicular....

Davis and stuffed animals. Has this blog seen a cuter picture (not since The Great Beard Debate)?

We went to the free Stern Grove fest with the Gafnis on Sunday to see the ballet (T's idea). They had a fun kids lesson before the professionals performed. Look for Joey in the orange shirt and brown hat trying to put arms out and pointed leg forward. Ballet or failed sobriety test?

The House Always Wins

I picked up a very cool parenting Jedi Mind Trick when flipping through a magazine this month, and I'm passing it on to mothers everywhere -- whether their little eaters are going through a picky phase or have been a mealtime challenge since birth.

Bring a pair of dice to the table (or download a dice application on your phone), and have your child roll the dice (or shake the phone) to determine how many bites of food he or she needs to eat.

We may be fostering an unhealthy obsession with dice (although really, is it a stretch to see Joey at a craps table in 20 years?), but we'll deal with that later. For now, Joey has renewed his membership with the Clean Plate Club!

Surf's Up!

Joey and Clara channelled Uncle Mike at Lake Temescal in Oakland on Wednesday -- and even used his old boogie board! We'll definitely be back soon to visit this great little lake - it's perfect for little ones!

Re-entry

It's back to jeans, sweatshirts and 60 degree weather here!

Packing Essentials

Next time you head off on vacation, don't forget to pack Play-Doh and an Uncle Kyle.

Not everyone is lucky enough to have a patient, energetic, hardworking, endlessly entertaining uncle available for a week's vacation, but you can at least run to Target for the Play-Doh. They were both unbelievably indispensable at the cabin in Lake Tahoe last week, especially since I was on my own with the kids for 5 days, until Tim joined us for the weekend. Kyle stepped in as a surrogate dad, and really took one for the team by bunking up with Joey "Early Riser" Cecchin in the "boys' room" at the cabin.

The Play-Doh occupied the kids for HOURS on end.

We had a lot of fun in the sun, despite some summer thunderstorms. Our friends Crystal and Chad joined us for several days with their girls, Lorelai and Lily, and we met up with Shawna and Matt on the west shore. We loved Meeks Bay as always, but also tried out a new (to us) beach near Incline Village called Sand Harbor, and even crashed the Harrah's pool with our brood.

We got a few group shots -- if this looks like insanity, remember that we forgot to take pictures of the twins!

Making Mischief

Just what you want to discover two minutes before your moms' group arrives at the house.





Clara is getting more and more devious (as Shawna can attest, after Clara collaborated with Megan in biting through Bridget's pacifier in Tahoe last week!). In other Naughty News, I told Joey this morning that he was full of it, and he responded with an evil, diabolical laugh, " YES, I AM!!!"

The Way to a (Little) Man's Heart

I can't help it, I love good little eaters. There's something ridiculously rewarding about a baby vaccuum cleaner.

We got to babysit Tim's nephew Marco on Friday night, and he ate as much as a grown man. Here he is not even stopping to smile for the camera, shovelling in green beans, strawberries and turkey.

Maybe he's been taking notes on eating from his older Cecchin mentor, Joey.