We heart Half Moon Bay!

We finally made the (short) trip up and over to Half Moon Bay for the first time. The weather was fine, the beach was beautiful and the town was quaint (at least the old town was). We found a wonderful little "tree fort" of gnarled, windy old trees that managed to delight all of us; it was quite possibly B's favorite part of the whole day! J managed to climb higher than T, but she maintains that if she had not been wearing Uggs she could have climbed all the way to the top. B was enamored of the horses people were riding on the trails and she tried to run after them (she was very upset that we wouldn't go along with that plan)! There was a dicey situation where we found ourselves on the top of a windy cliff with a hungry baby and a poopy toddler; we survived and felt like the parenting version of Bear Grylls! We found a couple of bookstores, but B and C get tired of that waaaaay before J and T do and they basically run the show so we didn't stay long. But if you find yourself in the area be sure to stop in at Moon News Bookstore, the owners were very friendly and its a nice little shop that deserves more shoppers (we bought "A Child's Christmas in Wales" by Dylan Thomas and a collection of short stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald). For dinner we tracked down an English-style pub we had heard about, it was...interesting. The staff was very nice and the decor was fascinating, but our favorite part were the pirates who were arriving just as we were leaving. Then it was back to the beach to watch the sunset and taunt the waves. It was a perfect day.

Where are all the helping hands?

The other night, and I do mean night as it was about 9:00pm, J and C went to get hot dogs from our beloved Ben Franks drive thru (the best fries around, and the corndogs aren't bad either). On the way home they have a minor collision with a cement block. How did they happen to hit a cement block, you may ask. Well some very bored kids, with some very poor judgement skills, decided to place it in the middle of the road. Even still, you may say to yourself, how could he miss a big cement block right in front of him? The answer lies in the very bright headlights shining straight into oncoming traffic, which blinded poor J to the block until he was right up on it. Fortunately, he was able to swerve with enough time that it only ruined the tire and not the wheel or the car itself. Now you may be wondering who the headlights belonged to. They were the headlights of one of four (yes, folks, FOUR) police patrol cars on the scene. And after J pulled our car over to the side of the road, not one of those officers came to offer any assistance. Once J got C all loaded into the front pack he went and asked for help (for some reason we did not have a jack in the car) and they informed him that none (NONE) of the patrolers had a jack and they could not help in any way other than to call him a tow truck. You may think that the presence of a young baby on such a cold night might have garnered some sympathy, but no. It did seem to arouse suspicion, however, as they asked him whose baby it was strapped to his person (they might not have worded it quite that way...) Evidently he does not look old enough to have kids.*

So J and C walked the half mile or so that it took to get home. Later he rode his bike down there to remove any valuables from the car and we hoped to have better luck with the light of a new day. It did not come quite that quickly. The next day J asked at the dealership/shop, which was across the street from our abandoned vehicle, if he could borrow a jack or get some help. And they laughed at him! Evidently it is a big insurance no-no to lend tools to someone who doesn't work there or to work on a car not on their lot. So then he sees a tow truck, randomly, and asks if he can borrow his jack. The answer was no again, but for $65 the driver would help him. So J came home and we signed up for AAA online. About $160 later we call AAA only to be told that there is a 48 hour waiting period! T freaked out at this point and demanded that the expiration date be changed to reflect the fact that the membership wasn't actually in use until the 29th. They wouldn't do that. So she cried. And in between tears told them how the cops wouldn't help, and the dealership wouldn't help, and she has two babies... Low and behold and exception was made and 40 minutes later the tire was changed.

Moral #1: Don't depend on the kindness of strangers. At least not in California; evidently the sunny weather does not inspire sunny dispositions.

Moral #2: Don't underestimate the value of true emotions. If it doesn't inspire empathy, there is a very good chance that it will at least make them uncomfortable enough to help you quickly just to be done with you.

*We think its worth pointing out that, biologically, a person could have kids starting at about 13 years old. So J could have a 15 year-old, and could also be a grandfather by this point. That could have been his grandchild in the front pack!

What's your sign?

(B is a Gemini & C is a Scorpio)

Like Night and Day

Gemini

Scorpio

Could your children be any more different? Hardly! Their divergent interests make them as dissimilar as night and day. Your witty, curious Gemini child illustrates the old saying "student of all, master of none," while your complex, emotional Scorpio enjoys deep, focused investigations into anything hidden, such as secrets, mysteries, and underlying motivations.

Easily bored, Gemini needs exercise and many diversions to hold her interest, but Scorpio needs only space in which to delve into his passions. Of course, Scorpio also needs your unwavering emotional support -- that usually carefully controlled exterior conceals a highly sensitive heart.

Since young Scorpio can be jealous, passionate, and possessive, the occasional family clash is almost unavoidable, but sibling rivalry isn't a huge issue, since your children tend to play separately. When they do argue, Scorpio has a maddening way of outfoxing Gemini, whose wit can't seem to top their all-knowing sibling.

(http://www.babycenter.com/horoscopeCompatibility)

Sweet dreams for a BIG girl

What was meant to be a simple recon mission to Ikea turned into a life altering experience once it became clear that B is ready for her own bedroom set...one that does not include a crib. We rode the wave of enthusiasm all the way to the check out and found ourselves in our baby girl's room with a toddler bed and new bedding. And a toddler all set to, not only sleep in the bed, but also to help put it together! Once it was all built and the room had been rearranged we realized that we forgot a sheet for the mattress so T ran to Target to remedy the situation and before even stepping foot inside the store, B had already fallen sound asleep in her new bed sans sheet! Guess she was more than ready. Her bedtime ritual that evening was a bit longer than usual (about and hour and a half instead of 20 minutes). It didn't make it any easier that B can now open all the doors in the apartment by herself so she would unexpectedly show up in the living room when she should have been in bed. She loves the independence she now has and came to wake us up in our room this morning instead of the other way around. T's having a harder time adjusting to the new arrangement than B is, but it turns out she's planning to grow up whether we like it or not!

J is Twenty-Eight!

Today marks the 28th anniversary of J's birth, a day we are all pretty happy to celebrate. So far he's celebrated with lemon zest cheesecake with fresh fruit, carrot cake, lemon meringue and chocolate chip cookies. Evidently the older you get the more desserts you get! He also got a birthday card from Jeffrey Katzenberg, so that's pretty cool. He's older and wiser, but still wanted to spend the evening with chocolate chip cookies and a little x-box time. Some things may never change. : )

Happy Inauguration Day!

Without getting too political, we are all very excited about our new president and for the future of our country. We have great hope for what President Obama can do for our country, and for what we can all do for our country. We plan to take his advice and be of service to our community as much as we can and we urge all of you to do the same. There are no small acts of kindness, so do what you can and be mindful of opportunities to help others. We are aware that each and every action we take (or don't take) is being absorbed by our children and will be reflected in their future choices and beliefs and ideals. So we count ourselves doubly responsible; we want to make the world better for ourselves and for our precious babies. So we wish you a happy Inauguration Day and hope that you are as inspired as we are today, no matter what your political leanings may be.

A Day at the Zoo

J decided he wanted to celebrate the end of his 27th year by taking us all to the zoo. Even though its only January, the weather was beautiful and a very pleasant 68 degrees. Much fun was had by all and we were all ready for bed by 8pm. There's a lot of walking to be done at the zoo!

A PSA from B

B would like to remind everyone to BYOB (bring your own bags) when grocery shopping. They're a lot stronger than paper or plastic, as you can see, and they are hours of fun at home too...well if not hours, then at least a good, solid 15 minutes! She takes a bag everywhere, especially to the library because you don't want your books getting damaged on the way to the car. And it doubles as a sleeping bag in a pinch. You never know what could happen after all; best just to be prepared.

The two month mark

Our little man is two and a half months old now and is growing perfectly. He's already close to 13lbs (12lbs 13oz to be precise) and 24 inches long, which seems downright ginormous to us. He's very alert, babbles when he has an audience (in contrast to B, who babbles whether anyone is listening or not) and has the best smiles and laughs. He loves watching his big sis and seems to think she's the coolest thing since the ipod. She helps take care of him and is always the first one at his side when he gets upset. For the most part he is a pretty mellow fellow, but he has a short fuse and is quick to let us know if he's not happy. He inherited his mama's famous sensitive skin, but the doc says he may outgrow it (we're not holding our breath on that one). He got his DTaP vaccination this week and so far, so good.* He didn't even cry when they gave him the injection, such a tough guy.

B would like everyone to know that she too had a shot this week (measles vax) and didn't cry either...well, she cried about the band-aid (she really hates band-aids) but as soon as it was removed she dried her tears and went back to scowling at the offending nurse. Its a serious scowl too, the nurse was so humbled that she brought B an offering of a sticker in a vain attempt to get a smile from her.

*Back story: Both B and T are allergic to the Pertussis component of this vaccine. T almost died as a toddler and B had a strong enough reaction at two months that the doctors have decided not to give it to her anymore. We were very nervous about Cavan getting it for the first time.

Welcome, Welcome 2009

As we enter a new year we are finding ourselves meditating on the year ahead as well as the year just so recently concluded. We're counting our blessings and listing our resolutions! On the "Blessings" list: Justin's job, Cavan, family and friends. On the "resolutions" list...well that's really kind of a personal thing. We can tell you that being more efficient and keeping in close contact with everyone we care about are both resolutions on the list, thus this blog!

Let us quickly recap 2008, in case you missed anything.

January we moved into our dream apartment: two bedrooms, hardwood floors, a ground level patio and roughly 1600 square feet of pure, NW PDX living bliss. Dustin and Jessica moved in with us and we were having a grand time. Brynn was just learning to crawl and said her first word, "duck," followed quickly by her second "dada." Justin turned 27 and had a job interview with Dreamworks.

February was the month we decided to move to California as Justin was made an offer he just couldn't refuse. We also found out that we were expecting a second bundle of joy on Valentine's Day. Most of this month was a whirlwind of preparing to move to a new town while cherishing all the moments left in our old one.

March we moved to Redwood City and Justin started his new job, making Shrek 4. Tiffany spent most of this month with morning sickness. Brynn was pulling herself up on everything and loving the Doodlebops. Tiffany turned 27, but pregnancy brain prevents her from actually retaining that fact and she continually has to ask Justin how old we are.

April and May were pretty much a blur. We finally found the green places and started hiking. Brynn took her first steps at the end of May and she started using sign language. Tiffany was still sick with pregnancy.

June was Brynn's first birthday. We had visits from both sets of parents (or, um, grandparents as they probably identify themselves now) and Uncle Tony. Lots of visits into the City. Went to some art exhibits and the aquarium. Tiffany's belly continues to grow. We learn its a baby boy growing inside there.

July marked the first time any of us went home for a visit since moving. Tiffany and Brynn flew to Portland for one week, Brynn's first time on a plane. At the end of the month Tiffany gets put on bed rest. Maybe the trip wasn't such a brilliant plan, in hindsight. Brynn was a busy, little hand full at that point.

August and September were spent preparing for the new baby. Dustin and Jessica came to visit and Tiffany did not adhere to any of the rules of bed rest during that time, but we sure had fun! We learned that we are not really a "beach family." We may be more of a "coast family." The Oregon coast and the California beach are two different animals.

October we thought the baby would come any minute all month long! It was the longest month in human history! Fortunately, Nana was able to be here most of the month to help and to be at the ready for when we eventually went to the hospital. Finally, Tiffany was induced a week after the due date and Cavan Everett Fischer, the first, was born on Saturday the 25th. Dustin and Jessica came for another visit to meet their newest nephew and we all went to a big Halloween lunch at PDI where Brynn walked her first catwalk in her adorable rose fairy costume.

November we were trying to settle in with our fully formed family of four. Justin's parents came for a visit at the beginning of the month and they spoiled the heck out of Brynn, which both parties enjoyed to no end. We had our first Thanksgiving all of our own making; hopefully lots of new traditions were formed that day. Not the least of which was the drinking of bellinis (a yummy Italian concoction involving sparkling wine, cranberry juice and fresh lime). We also got our first synthetic Christmas tree (which is actually still standing in our living room...)

December we braved the elements to be with family for the holiday. What should have been a 12 hour drive turned into about 17 hours. The drive home was even longer somehow. But we loved spending time with our loved ones. And it was the first time Cavan met all of his cousins and extended family. It did make us sad that we live so far away because obviously Brynn and Hayden Moore and Cavan and Demir Cifcti are destined to be BFFs just like their mamas! On our way back to Cali we stopped in Eugene to show the kids their future school and to eat a yummy lunch at the Glenwood. Brynn was so impressed she got a cheerleader outfit to show her school spirit. We spent New Year's very quietly, and almost asleep actually. But we did manage to see the ball drop and have a few sips of bubbly to say good-bye to '08.