"This Little Piggy" Remix

Translation:

"This little boy went to market...

this little piggy went to Target (haha!)

this little boy stayed home...

this little piggy had roast beef...

this little piggy eat nuts...

this little piggy went wee, wee, wee... all the way home!!"

Can you tell we like to shop at Target? haha! Just love watching this video of our little man :)

Telling a story

Translation:

"One time, there was a little boy stomping (or stepping?) on a tree and he fall down...

Next day, he went on a restaurant and he was so hungry...

Next boy, go to another restaurant...

I want to take a picture...

THE END!"

It is so fun to see Cole's mind continue to develop. He has started telling stories, "reading" books to us, and initiating conversation with his peers. Sometimes I will hear him talking in the back of the car, and try to respond, only to be told that he is having his own conversation between his race cars :) What an amazing boy we have!

How to eat an apple...

Hide and Seek

One of Cole's new favorite weekend games is Hide and Seek. It has been so fun to watch Cole learn and progress in this game. Now he can count to 10 almost by himself and is really good at finding whoever is hiding! Here's some video of us playing:

Halloween: Better late than never...

Here are some pics from our Halloween this year. Unfortunately, Jesse was traveling, but we had a great time at Cole's school party and trick-or-treating with friends. It was amazing to see the difference between this year and last -- Cole was RUNNING to each house, screaming, "I want to ring the doorbell!" haha! We had a blast... Happy belated Halloween!

At the school party

Hugging Elmo!

Ready to ring some doorbells!!

Checking out the loot!!

Jack-o-latern :)

P.S. Just for those of you worried about safety, it was a very small tea light candle inside a huge pumpkin :) Just wanted you to know we were keeping it safe!

Catching up

Sorry to have been absent for so long... just the busy-ness of life :) I hope to catch up soon!

My parents have pictures of me sitting in my Granny's suitcase when I was little. The logic was that if I stayed in there, either she would have to stay or I would get to go with her! So in honor of my Granny, here is a video of Cole being silly in a suitcase :)

Just silliness...

A few weeks ago, Jesse's office had a silly dress up day and Jesse brought a whole bag full of silliness home with him! There were crazy hats, blow up mics and guitars and we had a blast just being SILLY!

The Newest Cubby

Welcome to the world, Liam Arel Cubbison!

Born August 30, 2010

7 lbs 7 oz and 20 inches long

to the happy parents, Caleb and Jill

HOORAY FOR BABY LIAM! WE LOVE YOU!

Train ride

This summer, I have been filling in for a co-worker, teaching a 2 year old class on Wednesdays in Palo Alto. Even though I enjoyed the kids, I really didn't love the commute and having to leave Cole with a babysitter for so long. Teaching the class has made the summer zoom by... although it hasn't felt much like summer here, because it has been so cool! I haven't worn shorts once... and capris only a few times! Very strange for a southern girl :)

So, yesterday was my first free Wednesday morning in a long time, so Cole and I celebrated with a train ride! We boarded the Caltrain and rode a few stops, ending up at one of my favorite places -- Barnes & Noble, or as Cole calls it "the big bookstore". Gone are the days of sipping a latte while reading books for hours on end, but I hope to instill a little love of learning in Cole with any time I can get :) What a fun morning!

Waiting for the train to arrive at the station

So excited to be riding the train! The Caltrain is a double decker train and we decided to sit upstairs to get the best views on the trip.

Checking out books at B&N

Enjoying a B&N cookie on the way home

New Parking Garage

Just because...

I took this picture on our trip home from LA in June. He was so tired, but his little head kept falling forward, so we stuffed this blanket under his chin. I just thought it was so cute!

Jesse did it -- SF 1/2 Marathon!!

Months of training? check. Registration? check. Bib on shirt? check. Alarm set to 3:49am? check. Jesse was prepped and ready to run the San Francisco half marathon this morning and he did great! With a start time of 6am and a temperature of 57 degrees, he hit the streets of San Francisco. The course wound through the hilly city and he even got to run across the Golden Gate Bridge (see map)! And he crossed the finish line in 2 hours and 28 mins. WAY TO GO JESSE!!!! WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!!!

Jesse at the finish line! (sorry it's blurry :)

Some of Jesse's coworkers that trained together... way to go guys!!

I finally did it!!

So this is my track record: Buy a cactus on honeymoon, bring it home, small brown spot appears, dead in no time -- a CACTUS!! I killed a CACTUS! I thought that was impossible?!? I mean they live in the desert and I can't even keep it alive in our apartment. Very sad :(

So for years, I have envied those who can get up to their elbows in dirt and actually grow something beautiful or delicious. But this was MY year... I finally did it! I put my black thumb ways behind me and picked my first harvest of tomatoes today!

At the end of April, we ventured to a plant sale at a local college where I bought 4 tomato plants and 2 pepper plants. Then I went to the hardware store and bought all the necessary equipment and potting soil. I was set and determined! Cole even helped me plant and water the seedlings :) And now the waiting game was on... was this going to be like every other time and I would walk out a week later to dead plants or would they survive? Well, survive they did! Other than one casualty, when Cole was "helping" weed the bed and happened to pull up one of the pepper plants (haha!), I am pleased to report that the 5 remaining plants are thriving and taking over the bed and sidewalk in our back yard!! Finally in the past week, a few of the tomatoes started turning red and we got to pick them today! I enjoyed them in a cucumber/tomato salad (which always reminds me of my days in Amman :) and I am happy to report that they were delicious!! I feel so very proud...

Ardenwood Farm

On Tuesday, we visited a farm in the East Bay called Ardenwood Historic Farm. It was fun to let the boys run around, pet the animals, and check out all the farm equipment!

The entrance... looks like an old train station to me!

The boys LOVED petting and feeding the sweet goats!

One of the barns that held tractors :)

Checking out the sheep

Cole wasn't so sure about this turkey, but enjoyed his coop-mates -- the chickens :)

Fitzgerald Marine Reserve

For a couple of weeks now, we have wanted to visit the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve and finally had the chance this past Sunday. After checking the tide chart, we ventured to Moss Beach and got to walk out on the rocks to view all the sea life in the tide pools. Very cool!

A view as we were walking down the trail to the beach

When you put your finger in this sea anemone, it would suction it's "arms" around your finger!

Cole and Jesse looking for more sea creatures... we saw crabs, fish, anemones, and sea stars!

Cole checking out a tiny hermit crab that we found

The anemones were beautiful!

Walking out on the rocks... it was slippery!

Look closely... those aren't rocks, they are seals!

This is why we need coffee EVERY morning...

I read in a book that at the age of 3 you have the most energy of your lifetime... as Cole inches toward three, I can definitely believe it!!

This is one of Cole's favorite activities... a game called "fumble" that his Uncle C introduced and has now become a regular tradition. And it's so cute to hear Cole run up to his daddy and say, "Fumble me, Daddy!" Who could resist? So, just bring on the coffee...

Liam's Baby Shower

We were so excited to be able to go to LA and attend Caleb and Jill's baby shower last weekend. It's hard to believe that Liam will be here so soon! The shower was held at a really cool venue, one that typifies LA... a rooftop setting with cool couches and a beautiful view of the city! Very chic! The best part was getting to celebrate Liam and to have the opportunity to meet Caleb and Jill's friends. And Jesse generously watched Cole during the party, so that I could play photographer. Here are a few of my favorite shots...

Caleb and Jill at the Kress. Jill looks so great with her pregnant belly!

The parents-to-be :)

A view from the rooftop

A wide view of the rooftop

I just love this one!

What's a shower without silly baby games?!?

Cole's favorite part of the shower... cake time!

Whatchu say?!?

The NorCal and SoCal Cubbies

Happy Father's Day, Jesse!

Happy Father's Day to such an amazing dad! We love you SO much!

Day date

On Sunday, Jesse and I got to take a day date and wanted to go somewhere with yummy food and a view. So, what could be more perfect than Sam's Chowder House in Half Moon Bay?!? Even though I have had the chance to eat there a few times, this was Jesse's inaugural visit and he LOVED it! Of course, the drive there is beautiful and before lunch we ventured into HMB's downtown area. Can you guess where we ended up? That's right... a book store! haha! It's like we have a sixth sense... we pulled into a random parking space, looked to the right, and there it was! We walked out with only 2 books and headed to lunch to enjoy the sunshine and seafood. It was so relaxing to just sit and chat and take in the beautiful scenery!

Jesse enjoying his clam chowder... can't you just hear him saying, "mmmm..."?

A view from our table

Jesse's and his lobster roll!

Me and my lobster roll!

Is your mouth watering yet? Well, you better come visit!

A San Francisco Icon

Nothing says San Francisco more than a view of the Golden Gate bridge. So on Saturday night, Kristen and I trekked through the city and up onto the sides of mountains to try to capture the spirit of the icon in photographs. Not only did we have a great time, but we learned a ton about the times we need to be there and what the best angles are. So, these are just a few from our first try... there will be more to come from our future trips!

A dusk view from Fort Point National Historic Site, looking toward the Marin Headlands

This one was my favorite of the night... I just love the spray of sea water crashing on the rocks below the bridge

The we headed across the bridge and up into the Marin Headlands. You feel like you are on top of the world! This is a view back toward the city. Unfortunately, we had arrived after the sun started going down below the hills (but now we know for next time!)

Kristen in action :)

A night shot from the Marin Headlands. Unfortunately, there is a huge cliff on the left that blocks some of the bridge, but we took what we could get!

SF Zoo

Between starting a new job, finishing up Cole's school year, and just the business of every day life, we haven't been more than 10 miles from our house in a while! So on Thursday morning, when I first looked at my blank calendar, I felt a small panic... "What am I going to do to keep an active 2 year old busy?" And then I thought, "Let's get outta town!" So, after seeing an ADORABLE baby gorilla on the news, I decided on the zoo. And even though this was our 4th visit to the zoo, we got to see things we had never seen before... like penguins up close and bears fishing for their lunch. What a great day at the zoo!

Running!

For the past 4 months, Jesse has been working toward an amazing goal... to run the San Francisco half marathon in July! I am so impressed at how hard he is working and how well his is doing with his times. To prep for the big day, he has run in a few smaller, local races. Cole and I went to cheer him on at the San Carlos Family Fun 5K Run a few weeks ago. It really was a family race... there were lots of people running with their kids in jogging strollers or with their pets by their side! Jesse did so great and we are so proud of him!

Getting ready for the race

It's my guys!

Coming in toward the finish...

Way to go Jesse!