She is what... 6 months already!!

Here is Missy Moo herself, 6 months old & racing around the house - literally! I cannot believe that she just loves to crawl & cruise everywhere, sometimes getting herself into trouble especially where big brother is concerned. Ashwin loves to call her Missymoocher - he certainly doesn't enjoy her touching his cars & his trains, still she just wants to be part of the action!

To you too!

Here's Scrap looking quite wasted with his tongue hanging out - he is getting on in years so maybe he likes to feel the air on his tongue these days! Maybe he could go on lolcats some day with this pic... just have to think of a caption. For those of you (i.e. the fam who don't have the internet) who haven't seen lolcats - it is a site dedicated to cats doing funny things with extremely funny captions such as 'invisible bike' for a cat jumping in the air!

The Diwali dancers

In this pic are the gorgeous children in costume for the dance show - they were so good & the outfits were adorable. Even though it was hot in the sun, I enjoyed this immensely as there were dances from different regions in India.

Diwali celebrations!

In the lead up to Diwali we went to a festival celebration in Cupertino just to see the fabulous colour & dancing. The day was really hot & I found this great stall that sold Indian Kurties - a tunic which is very cool & comfy especially with jeans. I just love Indian fabrics & manage to score a couple which are just beautiful! We had a great time enjoying delicious Indian food - dosas are so yum!

Pancakes at the firestation

Early Saturday morning Ashwin & James visited the firestation fundraiser complete with a breakfast of pancakes & sausages. There was even balloons & stickers with the 'Stop Drop Roll' message. The balloon didn't last that long as Ashwin let it go & it flew away...

Happy birthday to James...

Sometimes it feels the celebrations are never ending - this time it was James' birthday. We shared a drink of wine & delicious carrot cake with our neighbours complete with candles and macadamia cream cheese icing. This is such a yummy cake from the best baking book ever - Whole Grain Baking so far all the baked goods I've made have been so good! Therefore gym sessions have to take priority :)

Hey there big boy!

Here is big boy Ashwin who is - nearly 3 years old, whaaaat I cannot believe it. He was posing away on a delivery of nappies & here he is in action. Thank goodness for a digital SLR to capture the joy. It is funny, he is no longer looking like baby Ashwin. He is so grown up now & such a chatterbox who loves to sing & talk so loudly especially when Holly wants some peace. That's what big brothers are for!

Hide & seek

'Count to ten & we will hide' if you look closely at this pic all the kids decided to hide behind the same tree! It was pretty funny to watch! This was at Shoup Park, with a redwood grove within which we meant to visit.

Holly's first gallery - SFMOMA

What a wonderful age for a baby to wander around a gallery they are transportable & can check art out in a carrier or in the stroller... well in theory!! Holly did enjoy herself in the carrier but not so much in the stroller as there was such a crowd to deal with - she screamed as soon as we entered the Frida exhibition :( Still I had the backup ergo & she fell asleep - that is time to take advantage of!

Fabulous Frida!

We got to see the Frida Kahlo exhibition at long last! It was very crowded so it was a quick wander through the galleries - still it was incredible to see the paintings in real life plus there was an awesome collection of photographs of Frida.

Letz frisbee dudes!

We found another great park the other day - thanks to our mates! It is called Shoup Park in Los Altos - with redwoods, a creekbed (which makes an excellent place for kids adventures) & a great play area. Would make a cool spot for a hang out type picnic - which is what we were trying to do if it wasn't for the yellow jacket wasps!! They just love food. Holly found this frisbee extra tasty lucky we had another two as backup to play with on 'frisbee hill' in the sunshine.

Star guitar!

Ashwin the star playing guitar - hey, he could be the next John Butler playing it lap style. Now he just needs to practice with the slider (watch some Ben Harper on YouTube) & he will be set. Also the guitar need to be a tad smaller, hehehe!

Ye ol' minisweater...

that ain't so mini as when I knitted this I was pregnant & then it was frogged & I started again only to finish & still it is too big!! Oh well it is this pattern here... hopefully 3rd time lucky! The skinny cat that is wearing it is made by my talented sister - check out some of her other critters & maybe buy one ;) we have two - an owl as well as a pussycat.

I'm a happy little pepper!

Look closely at the pepper - actually it is a capsicum! No that isn't it... when this pepper was chargrilled a smile was charred onto it's skin - pretty cool eh! Well anything for a bit of excitement in the kitchen these days as time spent in there is quick with my favourite vegetarian cookbook Quick Fix Vegetarian - excellent meals in 30 minutes! And believe me when you have two rascals to deal with at dinner time this is the biz!!

I am a robot... take me to your leader!

Maybe this Halloween Ashwin can get dressed up as a robot - all he needs is a paper bag! This is James' idea of dress ups, take a paper bag & cut a few holes for the face & arms & there you have it - instant robot or even spaceman??!! Ashwin wasn't too down with the look in the beginning & took him a while to get the bag over his head - lucky I managed to get this shot!!

It's a racetrack, how exciting!!

The other week we went to our friends birthday party - it was a fantastic chilled out time with plenty of food! The kids had an awesome time - pictured is a birthday present for Felix that Ashwin just loved! Anything to do with cars is what Ash loves... his car collection is everywhere in the house & as soon as he gets up in the morning it's cars, where are my cars?? His favourite car at the moment is a shiny, red cadillac, chosen by his Dad.

Oh look at her eyelashes...

...they are soooo long! This is a macro shot of ms eyelash herself, lucky girl she has inherited these from her father - no mascara needed for Missy Moo Poo! Or another name for her is Moochee (from Mochi, Japanese rice cake??!!)

Who is the hippy baby??

Nice tie-dye vest Holly! This is a present from Auntie who lives on the sunny Sunshine Coast in Oz. This is just perfect for the warm California weather & lifestyle ;) All she needs is some dreadlocks & flares & the look will be complete. She is looking quite excited by the whole affair, standing is one of her favourite things to do! This is smiley face which she is doing a lot more of these days, very cute indeed.

Excrement on my socks, eeeew!

I found this socks for Ashwin on sale the other day - just to help with the potty training. He says 'Here's my poo socks!' When I first saw them I thought my brother-in-law would love these but unfortunately they weren't in an adult size!

Happy 2nd Anniversary!

Saturday September 6th marked our 2 year stay in the States... we are now staying another 2, so we will be home in 2010. Here's our baby yank 4.5 months old!

Da Bean Scene, done dat!

Look closely - this is a collection of expressed milk :) that had to be thrown away as it passed it used by date. Which brings me to this post of "nursing" your baby in the United States. Mmmm I do miss the cafe culture back in Australia where you would have no thought of taking a bubb to a cafe & feeding out in the open. Here in this crazy place you had better hide that b**b or deal with the consequences that is OMG I can't look at you your b**b is out in the open, aaargh. The other thing is that there is no atmosphere in any cafe around da Valley as they are full of nerds with their laptops working away & oh if your baby cries, the nerds get up in a huff & take off! Well our fave place to feed is the front seat of the car, so I make sure I park in some shade just in case Holly gets hungry. Well I have been meaning to write about this for a while as it does bug me a bit, still Holly is nearly 6 months old she needs to be undercover as there are so many distractions out there, hehehe!

I'm goin' down to Holly St...

'sing it to the tune of Prince - Alphabet Street!' Well back to the pic... As we were driving home the other day from the beach, Holly wasn't too keen on being in the car & she was a bit upset. Taking the closest exit was Holly Street, so here she is levitating on the road. Look near her head & there is the sign big & bold, just like the Americans like it - 'Holly St'. No Holly wasn't named after an exit on Highway 101 to San Francisco, it is all just a strange coincidence??!!!

Look out sharks!

If you look closely at this sign you will see NO SWIMMING yep on this gorgeous California day at Stinson Beach there was no swimming due to shark sightings. Scary huge great white sharks haunt the waters. Still I wouldn't want to swim here unless I had a wetsuit on as the water is chilly willy! The water is fine just for your ankles & you definitely have to get used to it just for the thrill of watching the waves lap the shore.

Whoa all out of sync!

Oooops in my recent blog posts I realised I forgot to include this pic of the boys at Villa Montalvo - entering the path to the conservatory. Another hot day & we wanted to have lunch under some trees so we landed here - we visited Montalvo when we went hiking up to Castle Rock. Even the pic is a bit out of perspective with giants walking the path, well my new philosophy is, if a pic needs some life - just add it!

The fam hit the beach - G!

Here we are hitting the West Coast stylie! This beach is one of the better California beaches that we have seen & it was really good to finally enjoy a beach in the sunshine & warm weather. Previously we had seen plenty of fog on a beach at Half Moon Bay & when we went to Pacifica it was just too chilly willy. Still, dipping your toes in the water feels like an ice cold glass of water - so no swimming here.

Is it a bird or is it a plane...

...no it is Superboy! Check out the silhouette of this guy I caught him in the glimpse of my eyes & had to look twice, second time trying not to laugh! It's just the little guys flotation device under his wettie :)

Beach baby!

Beach baby out in the sun - in a beautiful hat. Perfect Angel well maybe in my dreams but still she is a good girl most of the time - will have to stop eating beans & hopefully her 'gas' will disappear!

Baking in the sun - that's nuts!

I have a great book on whole wheat baking that inspired me to make these delicious Morning Glory muffins.

Yoga baby!

This is something I hadn't seen before till the weekend - Plank pose, so good for your abs! Holly even has the yoga pants on for future yoga poses. Or she could be getting ready to go to a dance party with her colourful outfit of pink & multi-stripes.

We're on the road to somewhere...

We are on a trip to Stinson Beach winding our way along Highway 1. Warning - this can make you a bit car sick!

Another gorgeous hat

This one was knitted for my friends new 10 pound bub it has ear warmers - not that you would need it in this warm weather?! Still the yarn knits up beautifully & Holly is modelling it in a cute dress from the Grandparents. She's just fitting into a bunch of stuff she got from back home - so I have to make the most of it while it's hot & she can wear dresses, dresses are quite impractical but still very cute.

Not a Holly berry but a Juniper Berry

This is a Hollywood Juniper tree at Montalvo Conservatory - it made me think of juniper berry that is found in one of my favourite beverages - Gin! It is quite apt then that Holly (who makes me drink a lot of gin) is in this pic with a HOLLYwood juniper tree... crazy, yep but that is how I feel after a couple of G&T's! Wouldn't mind one right now - a perfect afternoon, still hot & sunny in California but responsibility beckons!!!

Acorn buddies

Acorns are cool! A freshly dropped green acorn & one ready for a squirrel to eat together on an oak leaf... Couldn't resist the temptation to capture the two stages.

Boo how are you!

In the background of this pic is Castle Rock - it was quite large, this shot didn't capture it at all! Nearby were other rock formations that looked really fun to climb - Ashwin enjoyed it but no can do for me as I was carrying Holly in the carrier - it's the only way to hike! Ashwin was Photoshopped in this shot too as it was a bit dull without an interesting subject. The light on Ashwin doesn't match at all with the background ;)

The rockclimber

Hey Ashwin - my you have grown! Some of the huge rocks we saw on our hike - yep he is 'shopped in there, dodgy job!

A hiking we will go!

We went on our first hike in ages to Castle Rock - just under a mile long, so really it's just a walk through the hills. This place is great for kids & there are some huge rocks & tunnels through rocks to play in & out.

The great American Craft Show!

What a fantastic day we had over in Fort Mason SF a couple of weeks ago... The plan was that my mate Chantal & I (plus Holly of course!) wandered around a craft show while the boys hung out with the kids at the park. It was very inspirational checking out the goodies on offer - there was a cuff I loved by a local artist but it was a bit out of the budget! Oh well it was lovely to look at... I ended up buying a beautiful felted pot holder for a new cacti hanging out on the dining table - the artist there was lovely & I loved her booth too! One day when I make the time it's time for me to start felting again... there are some UFO's (UnFinished Objects) hanging in the cupboard waiting!!

Catch me if you can!

Look out you can't catch me "I have my super nappy & sandals on!" Where are the socks with the sandals though??!! James thought this would be a funny pic for Ashwins 21st birthday - love it!

A plant experiment...

Ashwin got to plant this at school & he did an excellent job of painting the pot with paint dipped cotton buds.

Holly's first ricebowl

Hehehe, here is Miss Holly trying out the organic rice cereal & loving it. We gave it a go a couple of weeks ago.

Tainted Gin!

Evil, evil high fructose corn syrup!! Here in the US of A where corn is grown everywhere across the country see this film for more info King Corn - it is very scary. From now on I am reading every label as I don't want this stuff in my body!

Winners are grinners!

Once I got one of the pair of kids together - here's another pic! This one is the winner though - Holly is now quite the mover & groover on the floor these days, methinks she will be crawling real soon!!

A piece of Knitted heaven...

Thanks again to Brooks Farm Yarn for the gorgeous superwash wool for this cute little hat.

Finally, a pic of the two muffins!

Peek a boo...

there's Holly! The cars at the show were so shiny, shiny that I couldn't resist taking some reflection shots - even though we look a bit strange. Holly was getting a bit fed up in the pram so I think she decided have a nap

No, don't touch the cars!!

On another one of our weekend adventures around the bay, we visited a classic car show in Palo Alto. The big draw were the 50s cars & there were some fantastic designs from the day - when cars were sexy not big, fat & ugly - like the many trucks/SUVs on the roads in da U S of A. Well these are precious vehicles just for looking & here's Ashwin busted touching a beloved car - lucky WE just saw him!!

Kitty is gone, bye bye Kitty!

Following the last post here is kitty with her ears bitten off. She soon disappeared until there was only the stick left. After she was eaten & Ashwin was on his sugar high he was telling me 'Daddy ate Mimi' & so did you Ash!!

Sweetie Kitty

While on a local trip to the Asian supermarket to buy supplies I found this at the counter staring at me. I saw it & immediately thought of Ashwin & how he would enjoy this marshmellow lolly. Anyhow, I placed this in an inconspicuous place then I heard Ashwin yell out 'Mimi, mummy' - oh, oh he'd discovered kitty. So for the rest of the day he wandered around holding her on a stick till Daddy came home & they both scoffed her for dessert.

Granita anyone??

As watermelons are plentiful this time of year, it was time to buy one & chill out. Here is a granita I made, inspired by my favourite Italian coffee house in Melbourne - Pelligrinis. I have fond memories of homemade gnocchi & watermelon granita for dinner, yum! Certainly a great way to end an evening of drinking after work on a hot summers night, oh Melbourne I miss you!!

Check out the henna tattoo - cool!!

At the summer market we were on the lookout for the henna tattoo lady - here is Ashwin getting a ladybug tatt.