Let's get this show on the road!

Molly is heading towards the pool at Granny's house and is telling us to hurry up. Last day of summer as tomorrow is her first day of preschool.

Can you believe it?

Lunch with daddy in the man cave.

My little monkey

Molly likes to go in Chai's crate (she can do it all herself so she's not locked in) and now she likes to hang her wooden monkey toys in there too. Crazy monkey child.

Reason #8,547 why Molly is AWESOME!!!

I am running back n' forth between the house and the backyard. I come outside and Molly is in the way back by the veggie gardens. I get closer and I see the tops of our poop scoop (basically this one) peeking over the bushes. I get closer and she's working the last piece of dog poop onto the pan with the spade. She did this all on her own with no prompting from me.

Already earning her allowance and she doesn't even have one of those yet!

At the Hallow...

Molly's usual white horsie was taken so this seahorse had to do.

Shot with my Hipstamatic for iPhone
Lens: Buckhorst H1
Flash: Off
Film: Kodot XGrizzled

Muay Thai elbow?

Miss Molly looks ready to throw down.

Shot with my Hipstamatic for iPhone
Lens: Buckhorst H1
Flash: Off
Film: Kodot XGrizzled

Tunnel vision

Shot with my Hipstamatic for iPhone
Lens: John S
Flash: Off
Film: Blanko

Grandpa's Garden

Grandpa Hickson came down to visit on Saturday and brought us some sunflowers from his garden along with some super yummy veggies.

Shot with my Hipstamatic for iPhone
Lens: John S
Flash: Off
Film: Ina's 1969

Anniversary flowers

My parents got us these gorgeous flowers for our 9th wedding anniversary last week. It seems like a new one opens up every day.

Shot with my Hipstamatic for iPhone
Lens: Buckhorst H1
Flash: Off
Film: Kodot XGrizzled

Chai pulling a Lola

Waiting for the shiny spot (phone screen reflection) to return.

Home sweet home

Daddy is "watching" Rio with Molly.

On a mission...

Molly picked a little white flower from the grass on our way into the hospital and informed me, "I picked a flower for daddy and it will make him feel allllll better."

Vacuuming is scary!

Inside the closet in N's office INSIDE the cubby where the bottom drawer would be.

Shot with my Hipstamatic for iPhone
Lens: Jimmy
Flash: Off
Film: Blanko

Breakdancer?

I was trying to lure Molly to the stone staircase for a pic, but she was having too much fun twirling around in the gravel. Stone... gravel... eh, close enough.

Right after I took this pic and older couple walked by and said, "She's a Tomboy, huh?"

Oh yes.

Shot with my Hipstamatic for iPhone
Lens: John S
Flash: Off
Film: Kodot XGrizzled

Fountain at Heavenly Village

Molly didn't fall in, but Woody went for a swim. Mommy scooped him back out much to Molly's relief.

Shot with my Hipstamatic for iPhone
Lens: John S
Flash: Off
Film: Kodot XGrizzled

Grumpenstein

Molly: Don't take my picture!

<click>

Me: Do you want to see it?

Molly: Yeah.

Shot with my Hipstamatic for iPhone
Lens: John S
Flash: Off
Film: Kodot XGrizzled

New iPhone app

Shot with my Hipstamatic for iPhone
Lens: John S
Flash: Off
Film: Ina's 1969

Dedicated dog owners

At the beach earlier I am holding on to Chai's leash and she spots a black lab to our right. I pull her in close and keep an eye on them. A few people in their group then swim off to a boat just off shore. The man on the beach then puts a life jacket on the dog and they head out.



What you can't tell from these pictures is the back of that boat is going a good 5 feet up and down with the waves. As the dog got closer he decided "F that!" and turned around to head back to shore. With some coaxing and good timing the owners got him on board.







I wanted to get Chai further into the lake so I had put my phone down, but I'm really bummed I didn't get a picture of the next part. There was another dog already on the boat that had been hanging out all day. The guy that swam out with the black lab swam back to shore with this little white guy (think Bichon Frise) in the smallest little inflatable boat so he could have a potty break. It was hysterical!

Weekend in Tahoe

We drove up Friday night. Molly had a long day (swimming at Granny's) and no nap so she pretty much passed out immediately. She didn't even want to be bothered when we stopped (twice) and told us to leave her alone. However, Chai wouldn't pee (hence the two stops). We've noticed she doesn't pee on walks and holds it until she gets back home. We've been trying to train her to go on the gravel behind the garage and apparently we *really* got that point across. When we got to the cabin about 1:00 am she finally went outside after some serious coaxing. Crazy freakin' dog!



This was the first time we didn't bother to set up the inflatable toddler bed and instead just let Molly sleep in the big bed. For those of you that have not been to the cabin these things are TALL. We got the serious pillow top PLUS memory foam mattresses (plus box spring and frame) and I swear they come up to my waist. However, Molly has always been very good about sleeping in a real bed so we decided to give it a shot. No issues (*knock on wood*) so far.



Yesterday we headed down to Camp Richardson so Chai could have her first swimming experience. The parking lot was full so we parked just off 89 and walked in. The wind was up a bit so there were some waves (I use this term loosely as we're talking about a friggin' lake here) and Chai was not exactly thrilled by the water coming at her. Eventually she did warm up, but stuck to wading in as far as she could stand for the most part. I think it helped that Sadie was swimming way out to retrieve a tennis ball over and over..... and over. Molly also loved playing in the water, but Lake Tahoe is COLD. When she started changing colors and shivering we pulled her out and stripped off her bathing suit and got her wrapped up in some warm towels. She pretty much started to fade immediately so we took off. N has some new map app on his phone and in order to "get points" (?) we ended up going down the road to Fallen Leaf Lake and decided to take the scenic detour back to our cabin. Molly passed out hard so we didn't get out once we hit the marina. I grabbed some snacks and then we headed back to the cabin.



Today we had a lazy morning around the cabin, but I wanted to take the kids (furry and human) swimming again. I was looking up dog friendly beaches since we were the only ones with dogs the day before. I came across Kiva Beach and it was the next beach past Camp Richardson. The directions took us to the next road past Camp Richardson which was the turnoff for the Valhalla and Tallac Historical Site. We still had to park on 89 as parking was about to be closed. We had actually cut through the Valhalla Estate the day before since we had moved further up the beach to get away from the live music at the Beacon and the wedding set up just past that. It was a pretty easy walk in and a hidden gem. They had a blacksmith there (Sat and Sun 10-4) and everything has been restored to it's heyday (early 1900's). I didn't get a peak inside the main house (Pope Estate), but Molly and I peaked in some of the cottages (Seamstress, Nanny, Cook's Quarters) and they were set up like a big doll house. All period specific furniture and decorations with some creepy mannequins to boot. I definitely want to head back there and explore some more when we don't have dogs to wrangle.









On our way back to the cabin we stopped in Murphy's Irish Pub to grab a pint on their garden terrace. There was already another dog there (very dog friendly establishment). They have a patio area with some picnic tables and umbrellas and then a huge grass lawn with a gazebo. Molly and another little girl there ran around and played. I also took Sadie off leash and let her explore a bit since it was entirely fenced in. Chai was itching to explore, but she had to stay on leash. It is definitely a kid and pet friendly place. A band was setting up just as we were leaving (kids were tired from their swimming adventure) that looked interesting. One of the members described them as hillbilly rock.

For more pics click here.

Time for bed

Earlier Molly tucked a sleeping Sadie in with her blanket (which woke her).

Just now Molly declared it was time to brush her teeth and go to bed. I love it when she puts herself down!

Swimming is hard

Chai vs. Lake Tahoe

Chai has been such a water whore, but that all came to a screeching halt when she encountered waves. She did eventually warm up, but it took her a bit of coaxing. I think Sadie swimming all around helped.

This was taken earlier today at Camp Richardson Beach, Lake Tahoe.

Molly rode the train with me!

In a shocking and sudden turn of events (for those of you who really know me), I began commuting to work via train about a month ago. I don't do it every day, but try to at least 2-3 times a week. Molly seemed very fascinated with the process as I talked about catching trains at certain times, and she kept asking to ride the train with daddy... So on Tuesday, Kim took Molly to SF for a bit, and dropped her off in San Mateo on the way south so we could take CalTrain home.  The process of checking the schedule, buying a ticket, and waiting for the train was fascinating for her. When the train did arrive (loud and close)... she was immediately on her feet, clutching my hand, wide eyed, and smiling. Then the entertainment really began....   

Jellyfish!

Someone's a jellyfish! Molly graduated from the sea horse class today and is now a jellyfish. Time to work on gliding.

Dancing Queen

Twirling and dancing like the birdies in Rio. The flip flops on her hands are her wings.

Love notes

This is what happens when your husband has a pressure washer.

Rio

Note the dog leash attaching Molly and daddy. Someone likes the movie Rio.

For those that are completely confused there are two birds in Rio that spend a good portion of the movie chained together.

Peekaboo!

I can see you!

Someone's tired

You know you're tired when the deck seems like a perfectly acceptable place to lie down.

Note passed out N in the background.

Hammock time

We finally celebrated Grandma's b.day at The Yard House. Now it's time for some cuddles in the hammock.

My little fishie!

Molly is having a blast swimming back n' forth between the steps and Granny.

C is for Contortion

How this is comfortable is beyond me.

Late lunch

Whole wheat sesame crackers, roasted red pepper hummus, carrots, and bell peppers. Molly's request. Also, Fraggle Rock. That's my girl!