Eccentric Artist

Joey still maintains that he's going to be an artist when he grows up, so I figure it's best to continue to document his early efforts. Here, he experiments with one of his favorite media -- the DoodlePad -- and tackles two different animals.

If you couldn't tell that the first was a kangaroo (carrying a little joey, of course) and the second was a brontosaurus munching on grass, I'll assume you were too distracted by his "gloves," his "hat," and the fact that he was borrowing Clara's princess pad. Every artist is entitled to a few quirks!

Gumball Girl (and a Flashback to Jellybean Joe)

It wasn't until we were actually in the pediatric dentist waiting room yesterday for Clara's first checkup that I realized what a poor outfit choice we had made that morning.

Let's just say it didn't go unnoticed by either the dental hygienist or the dentist himself. You would think I would know better after being schooled over Joey's jellybean addiction at his first appointment.

Luckily, Gumball Girl cooperated beautifully, and her teeth are none the worse for an occasional ice cream or candy treat. Apparently, her penchant for fresh fruits and vegetables balances things out!

Joey's come a long way from his first squirrelly visit... I went back and retrieved these photos, even knowing that it would seriously depress me to see a) how much older he looks now (sniff), and b) how much blonder he used to be (double sniff).

Joey at 2.5

Joey at 4 (and seriously in need of a haircut and/or actual hairstyle)

Rain, Rain Go Away!

We took advantage of a break in the rain for a trip to Fort Funston, our go-to spot at least three days a week. It's in this topsy-turvy place that dog-loving San Franciscans never fail to ignore our cute children, but shower compliments on our dogs.

And finally, another rare shot of Pregnant Sara, courtesy of a certain 3 and a half foot baby stalker/ cameraman.

Sotto Voice

Apparently, Clara is training herself for a career in the dramatic arts. The little girl who used to be so pliant and accomodating is now perfecting passionate food refusals at the dinner table, craves the spotlight of time-outs, and loves to pout at her reflection in the mirror. But her most ridiculous performances don't come until bedtime, when she's in her crib with the lights out, trying to get our attention and score one more backrub, blanket, or book. Her tactic?

"Mommy!"

(quietly to herself) "louder"

"Mommy!!"

(sotto voice) "louder"

"MOMMY!!!!"

(one more stage whisper) "louder"

"MOMMY!!!!"

Look for her one-woman act at a venue near you.

2024 Olympic Training

Joey faces several handicaps on his road to Olympic glory in downhill skiing -- namely, the fact that his father doesn't ski, and his mother is petrified of black diamond slopes -- but his enthusiasm counts for a lot.

We enrolled him in ski school at Homewood in Lake Tahoe over the weekend, and although he had some minor meltdowns involving his mask, his gloves, and an itchy nose, he was a champ and powered through the entire lesson. It was snowing the entire time, which is never fun, but he was one of the last men -- I mean kids - standing at the end of the session, and his inner speed demon loved the "thrill" of the bunny slope!

Here he is being suited up for his big day.





Doesn't he look hardcore here? Believe it or not, the red strap around his leg is a GPS device that prevents him from being lost on the mountain -- this, despite the fact that they spent the entire lesson in a gated area half the size of a football field.







Next up: suiting up Clara next year! She desperately wanted to join the fun, but settled for some snowplay instead.

Outdoor Adventures

I think parents should earn some kind of hard-core scouting badge when they are forced to pull a tick from their own child's face. Necessary tools: a pair of tweezers, some antibiotic lotion, and antiseptic. The squeamish need not apply!

For the record, this happened to our most pain-tolerant child, Clara Jane. Joey was traumatized enough just watching the procedure...

Love Letters

The postal service really delivered for Joey and Clara this Valentine's Day... they loved checking out their cards, chocolates and treats in their mailbox on Sunday morning!

At brunch with the Cassanego family on Sunday morning, Clara fended off suitors left and right with her all-red ensemble, including her "kiss me" shirt. Impossible to resist! ;)

Time For Some Tim Pics

Be Mine

There might be nothing quite as endearing as a little boy so tuckered out from his first-ever Valentine's Day party that he fell asleep still clutching his valentines just five minutes after leaving school.

Weekend Warriors

No, not the home improvement kind!

But we have been busy the last couple of weekends with trips to the park, birthday parties, outings with friends and grandparents, and plenty of monkeying around! Here's a snapshot of life for the last month...

We celebrated cousin Marco's second birthday (this is just a smattering of the kids in attendance!)



We met Grandma and Grandpa Cecchin for breakfast at Nick's in Pacifica, and watched the waves swell and spill into the parking lot.

Joey defied all bets placed against him, and demolished this plate of pancakes. I think he vacuumed up three slices of bacon, too. He is definitely a breakfast boy!

Joey met up with his girlfriend Gitte for burgers and milkshakes at Taylors (their daddies chaperoned).

Thankfully he wasn't wearing THIS on that date... here, he models a Canadian tuxedo at Fort Funston.

Clara was much more stylish in her trendy puffer vest.

We were spoiled with an overnight visit from the best future babysitters ever, Kami and Hayleigh (and their parents, Tim's cousin Sara and her husband Lorenzo). They kept the kids busy and entertained nonstop!

We helped Grandma Cecchin celebrate 25 years of teaching at St. Gabriel's... here the kids are hopped up on juice and bagels at a reception after Mass. Joey looks like he has a future as teacher's pet with that smirk on his face!

And finally, some monkeying around at Lafayette Park with Gitte and Mela!

Kid Bowl '10

The Puppy Bowl on the Animal Planet still had us beat for cuteness, but a menagerie of crazy toddlers did their best to compete with the Super Bowl at our house on Sunday. If there were points allocated for chucking toys into every random corner of the house, leaping off furniture with monster growls, and tackling other pint-size people, they would all be in the winners circle with the Saints!!

I only managed to snap a couple pictures of the chaos... a few of the girls snuggling in Joey's bed. Fortunately, he was absolutely incensed at this... I have a feeling that he won't be able to summon the same outrage for Super Bowl 2020!

The Super Bike

If you've been around Joey since his birthday, he very likely has cornered you and described his present. The Super Bike is a special bike that holds both Daddy and Joey, allows them to go both uphill and downhill, and ferries them back and forth on various errands (usually the 7-11 for ice cream).

But despite Joey's breathless descriptions, there aren't enough superlatives in a 4 year-old boy's vocabulary to really capture the utterly dorky charm of this special vehicle. Which is why I had to take a picture.

Low Riders

Our kids have obviously inherited our rhythm, but Joey still thinks he's got it. The last five seconds of this video are priceless.