Our Last Weeks in Cali Part 3: This and That

We finally visited the Japanese gardens in Hayward, where I took some family picture for some friends. Gorgeous! I wish we'd have found them sooner.

K, story time. Up until a few months ago Sophie would rarely let me do her hair. I tried my hardest, but it was something that I felt wasn't worth making both of us upset. (I only put my foot down when we went to church.) Thus, she walked around looking like a frizzy-headed orphan. Then one rare day when she actually let me do her hair (something simple like a headband... I really don't remember what it was), I told her that [insert Disney princess] had hair like that, too. Since then, she insists on having her hair done every day like Belle (half up with a messy bun thing) or Cinderella (a bun with a headband) or Snow White (just a headband). . . and on and on -- you get the drift.

Lately she's not only telling me she wants a certain princess's hair, but she narrows it down to what scene in the movie (because their hairstyles change, you know). She'll ask for, "hair like Belle when she's reading a book at the beginning" or "hair like Tiana when she goes in the kitchen". I'm not too familiar with Princess Tiana's (Princess and the Frog) hairstyles because I've never seen the movie all the way through. I guess she has one braid down the back and a little tendril by her face. (See photos above.) Now she wants to grow her hair out like Rapunzel. That might take a long time because I think her hair is getting curlier as it grows.

The only problem I have now is when Ivy asks for "Belle hair", too.

I know this is a little random, but look at those koi fish up there. They were swimming around in the pond at the gardens. Does that middle one look a little pudgy to you? It kind of sat at the bottom and tried to swim without much luck. One lady said, "Oh, it's pregnant! It must be!" Another lady said, "I don't think it's pregnant. I think there's something wrong with it. It just doesn't look natural."

Doesn't Ivy's hair remind you of David Spade's hair on Joe Dirt? It was the wind. Really, it was.

One day right before we moved Sophie saw a sponge on the counter. She grabs it and says to me, "Mommy, can you get the big red bowl and put water and lots of bubbles in it? I want to clean something."

So I let her. True story.

These strapping young men are some friends of ours. We went to a little New Year's shin dig at some friends' house right before we left.

Looking a little sleepy. . . (We were home by 10. Our kids wouldn't have made it to midnight.)

Got in some girl time. (I won't dwell on this one or I might cry. I need some friends.)

The four amigos will have to postpone play dates for a while. Steve was nice enough to watch all four of these rascals for a couple of hours while I took my BFF out for mani-pedis for her birthday. When I got home, the kids were sitting on the couch like that just beginning a movie and all the toys were picked up off the floor. What a rockstar babysitter.

We spent an evening with our friends Ken and Steve, who brought over so many goodies. A rice pudding-custard thingy and um... homemade peppermint marshmallows?! And the most amazing jam. I'm not a big jam person (just ask my grandma who's been trying to get me to eat jam for the last decade). And I don't even like peaches, but they made this peach passionfruit jam that's incredible. I keep making more bread just so I have something to put it on. Thanks guys! We'll miss you!

Our last evening there (literally. . . we left the next day) the Chiltons took us out for dinner. Not just any dinner, but probably the best meal I've ever had in my life.

(Psst... I could find you a house. Really. Like, down the street from us. I swear every other house is for sale here. Just let me know, K?)