in the front yard

Our neighborhood is a front-yard kind of place. Aside from the fact that our back yard is the size of a postage stamp, the front yard is proving to be a much more stimulating place to hang out. Neighbors drop by to play, there is plenty of grass to wrestle on and bugs to investigate, and we can watch the resident squirrels go about their business.

On this particular day, my mom was hanging out with us. She and Finn taught Leo how to play rock-paper-scissors. Finn tried to convince her that "dynamite" was a viable option. He thought he was pulling one over on us by throwing dynamite every time. Hence, the victory dance.

Then there was a little hand-slap game (I have no idea what that one is called, but I know you know what I'm talking about) and some tag. My mom is pretty awesome.

photo challenge: love

Wrestling matches provide little glimpses of the relationship my boys are developing. Boys are funny that way. This photo is for the Paper Mama photo challenge. This week's theme is love.

geocaching

It is summer again in the East Bay. Time to get out of the house and have an adventure or two. Going to the playground is becoming a bit dull, but lucky for us we have some lovely waterfront to explore! The boys and I have been doing a bit of geocaching, and yesterday was Finn's first unassisted find.

We were at Crab Cove, a lovely spot that we don't get to very often. So the boys were excited just to watch the ducks and squirrels, climb rocks and trees, and have a race or two.

Finn won all the races. I'm a pretty soft competitor when trying to run in flip flops while taking photos. And Leo just doesn't seem to be that interested in the win. Nevertheless we all celebrated with a victory dance. Finn is developing some pretty great moves. I wish these shots had been better exposed and cropped. But I was winded...

he wakes

One of little Leo's most charming qualities is that he is a happy waker-upper. He must have gotten it from his daddy, because he sure didn't get it from me. After any given nap he will happily chat with himself and sing a little song until someone comes to get him. There is talk of a big-boy-bed in Leo's near future, so before he makes the switch I wanted to capture his little face as I walk in the door to get him.

We have a little routine we follow. Here he is telling me to open the curtains, and put down my camera so I can take off his sleep sack. And please hurry because then we can read a book!

story

Linking up for the Paper Mama photo challenge. This week's challenge is "Story". Getting pretty literal with this one.

sweet sweet summer

 Since coming home from Idaho the weather has been less than summery. Aside from a few days of glorious sunshine, we've been woken up to thick wet fog that may or may not stick around all day. Finn has been enjoying a morning art camp this last week, so Leo and I have hunkered down inside. We are lazy, reading books and eating lots and lots of summer fruit.

My favorite are the deep red cherries, whose season always seems to be so short. Leo can't seem to get enough of anything, though he leaves the cherries to me. We make a pretty good team that way.

scouting outing

Last weekend we were supposed to have some family portraits taken. But as I was staring down a day packed full of activities, I started to panic. So we rescheduled the shoot for another day, and had some time to relax instead. What we did get to do was scout out the location for our photos, an area along the bay that Derick had seen many times before while riding his bike but that I had no idea existed. It was lovely.

After that I remembered that Off the Grid was going on in Alameda. I'm so happy that Alameda finally passed an ordinance allowing food trucks. Now we have access to some really good food! This was our first time actually eating here, since the other time we tried to come was opening day - and it was packed!

We ate some delicious Indian fusion food at Curry Up Now. We'll be back for more. A nice little adventure for the three of us, while Finn was off at Grandma's house.

to the city

This weekend Derick and I headed into the city with Finn. He had a birthday party to attend, and I was excited to see the progress on the bridge. Its been over a month since I've driven into the city, and things are really coming along. 

It is amazing that after living in the city for ten years, it only took a little time in Alameda to forget that you should always bring a sweater! Days like this, when it is sunny everywhere except for a blanket of fog nestled snugly over the western half of San Francisco, I am extra grateful for our east bay weather.

Finn had a great time seeing some old friends, but I think we had an even better time catching up with their parents. Heather of Poppy Haus and I showed up in matching outfits; not the first time this has happened. She has just moved her gorgeous family to the country, and seeing her in person is
a rare chance to swap tales of our wild boys. She is a talented lady, and curates a beautiful blog, so check it out.