Finally we get to Big Basin!

We had finally decided to do the Big Basin hike & it was just amazing as the forest there is so lush & old. When we had arrived it was so cold that we thought the kids would be freezing but as we went along we warmed up & the hike was crusing along - I think we did about 3 miles & it was just the best hike for kids with a bridge made from a massive tree trunk & loads of fungi along the way. See the beautiful mushroom Holly found it looks like a cupcake with a big wad of cream on top. And there is Ashwin & Holly against one of the furry massive trees in the forest - so beautiful!

Portola's gems!

Couple of lovely things we found on our hike there were some beautiful old oaks up on the hill. As we were coming down into the sunny paths we found this huge butterfly with damaged wings who was stretching out in the sunshine.

Another hike in the wilderness!

We went on a lovely hike one day not knowing where we were going so we found this entrance & away we went! This was Portola an area in the hills which was quite beautiful with beautiful oak trees & not a lot of signs of where to go! Our hike just went on forever as we just could not remember where the cross junction was!

The ratbags go wild!

Holly & Ashwin at Ashwin's friends 4th birthday party - playing at the playground & then enjoying the beautiful cake! Full of whipped cream that was airbrushed :)

Masked marvels!

Here we are at one of Ashwin's friends birthday party - it was just after Halloween so the costumes were used again! Yay then we had to have fun with moustaches & disguises!

The rascals in costume!

Here the rascals are after the party & they are on a sugar high! They really needed to have a play at the playground after all the sugar they had eaten at the Halloween party!

It's Halloween it is time to Party!

My neighbour had a great Halloween party at a local hall as she organises a great shin-dig every year! We enjoyed a lovely morning full of yummy halloween food such as spider cupcakes, buckwheat ghosts, pumpkin cake & pie & many other Halloween treats. I ended up going as a Grandma as Holly was little Red Riding Hood & Ashwin being the pirate we were a gang of hoods! James was the Grandpa?! Mmmm rewriting of the fairy tale?!!

Ashwin the Pirate!

As I was checking out the Halloween costumes online I asked Ashwin what he would like to be so he said I'd like to be a pirate mummy so the whole theme from his birthday came into Halloween & here he is as Pirate from the Carribean!

Hey there Little Red Riding Hood...

You sure are looking good! As Holly's first Halloween costume I found this great red riding hood outfit online. It won't last another year but still it looked great with a velvet cape that can probably be put into the costume bag for another day! Holly enjoyed the outfit but the design is short sleeved as are many other Halloween costumes for the season - so we had to dress in layers!

An adventure near the shore...

One sunny morning in the Autumn I went for a wander to my favourite place - Shoreline Park. It is such a quiet place where you can wander in peace. This particular morning I was so thrilled to have my camera as there was a flock of pelicans floating around on the water - I love pelicans as I used to see them a lot when I was growing up living near the beach. There were some folks there with a telephoto lens that told me there were loads more on an island in the distance - it was such an unusual sight to have so many there! I also found some snails for Ashwin - they are his favourite still! The ladybugs were also enjoying the last of the sun rays before winter set in & the Canadian Geese were in flight & there are always plenty of geese to be seen.

Them pumpkins as big as balls!

Here is the little red wagon that the kids enjoyed riding in! We soon filled it with pumpkins as we were here with some friends of ours who were doing their halloween Jack O Lantern. We also bought some smaller squash varieties that were just perfect for stuffing & roasting whole with pine nuts & a delicious goats cheese. Ashwin loved the big pumpkin but we really didn't need that much pumpkin guys - man you would be eating soup & all things pumpkin for weeks... Lucky pumpkins are such a versatile vegetable!

It is cinderella in the pumpkin patch...

Toward the end of October just before Halloween we did a trip to a pumpkin farm in Half Moon Bay on the coast. We had a bit of a wander around the fields & checked out all the types of pumpkins & of course took plenty of photos. The kids enjoyed sitting on the hay bails & riding around on the little red wagons that were being used to collect pumpkins to make Jack O Lanterns. A favourite variety of pumpkin of mine was the Cinderella pumpkin which is the one you see in the fairy tale. It has such a lovely shape & I think we did buy one to make some pumpkin soup. I haven't had the patience to make a lantern as yet, maybe in 2010? Each year I get more excited about Halloween & the kids do really enjoy dressing up - maybe I can get us to dress up this year as well, hehehe!!!

Strawberries are in - summer is here!

We love to see fresh strawberries at the local farmers market! When there are loads of them everywhere it is a sure sign that summer is here. We get some amazing produce here in California & it is always bountiful. I spoke to a friend who lives on the East Coast & she says as soon as winter hits the price of produce sky rockets. A lot of beautiful produce gets shipped across so we are very lucky to be in this area & have farms in the local vicinity. The picture of the crab apples in this post came from Whole Foods & they are very cute so I just had to buy them to take a picture of them! These guys ended up in a cobbler from my favourite chef's cookbook Jamie Oliver - he is such a no nonsense guy in the kitchen & his Italian influence fuses with most of my menu plans! Living in Melbourne for a while we have an affinity for Italian & we just love the ease of cooking as well - especially when the kids like all types of pasta dishes.

Mushrooms unite!

October in da valley we had some lovely rain & the kids loved to see the mushrooms when they popped up in little fairy rings all over the lawn. Ashwin enjoyed checking them out as I told him the story of the fairies that live underneath the mushrooms so he would not destroy them. Even Mack enjoyed the action out on the lawn in front of our apartment. Since we moved this is where we hang out a lot of the time as it is right outside the front door.

The celebration at school!

Ashwin's celebration at his Montessori school had a show & tell of Ashwin through the years. After the show Ashwin walks around a rug with the months of the year 4 times singing a song with his class. It was a lovely way to honour his birthday & to learn the months of the year as well.

The 4th birthday party!

The day of the birthday party came & we had a lovely chilly day down at the park. Thank goodness the sun eventually came out to thaw everyone out. Ashwin had this great lizard shirt on & Holly had a butterfly jumper hand me down.

The little cake testers

Finally it was time for Ashwin's birthday in mid October! I've decided to make the kids cakes as a creative project for the year & as we had a pirate party, I made a purple pirate ship. The idea was all thanks to the Women's Weekly book of childrens Cakes which is just the best baby shower gift. Thanks to whoever gave it to us when we had Ashwin :) Still the kids enjoyed testing out the icing plus they really loved the chocolate cake with Ghiradelli cocoa - mmm so good especially the fact that it was a whole wheat cake too!

Feeding time at the Zoo!

Lunchtime with the snacks at the zoo were quite decent too, well for the adults anyway. We ordered the kids meal with a PB&J sammwich (Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwich) which looked like a pizza with peanut butter & jam smooched together on the inside. There is Holly looking a bit worried eating her first PB&J. It was quite gross actually as it came in a packet & was straight off the sandwich conveyor belt.

Trip to the Zoo my darling!

Beginning of October we made another trip to Oakland Zoo with our neighbours from our complex. They have a little boy the same age as Holly so the kids had a ball checking out all the animals. As Holly is a climber she loved to climb the big red frog & sit on his head. Ashwin loved watching the elephants & the enclosures at this zoo are all very good. Oakland Zoo animal enclosures are excellent with plenty of room for the animals to wander & play. It is great for the kids to experience the animals they see in their books, one day we can all go to Africa to see them in their natural habitat.

Back to da Valley...

August we spent in Oz so we returned to da Valley in September. Here we are end of September at Half Moon Bay at one of our favourite little beaches the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve. There are amazing tide pools here full of interesting little creatures. This day was high tide so we went for a wander up through all the Monterey pines. It was all a bit eerie so no wonder the kids got a little freaked out. It looked quite amazing with the trees all lined up & waiting to get 'cha.