Dec 13th Santa Lucia Day

Our little Swedish girl served guests homemade cookies and made a perfect Santa Lucia. Our neighbors came over for Swedish Limpa bread; Cardamon coffee cake; Swedish Lentzer cookies with Lingonberry jam; sugar cookies; and fruit plate of kiwi, persimmons, tangerines, & pears.

Video of Josie serving treats

Last weekend we went to a Lucia breakfast with cousin Janet and her mom Virginia.

 We ate some Swedish fruit soup; Potatis Korv; Limpa bread; coffee cake; Swedish cookies. There was a performance by little kids on stage and the procession of Lucia girls through the crowd up to the stage. They sang the Santa Lucia song and then served cookies. We sang a few Christmas carols. It was a fun morning.

 Cousin Kirsten and Aunt Jody were there too. Josie lounging with the Shepard's.

3 yrs 10 months

Highlights from the past month.

Josie was in our bed one morning and she said "Mom, can I read my dream to you? You can tell people your dream or read it. You can even have an orchestra with it." That's cool, like an opera. Her reply, "It would have to be a short opera." Telling the dream: "We were at the table, mom. There were 3 pups in a cage. One pup got out. We took him in some water. So then he wanted to go back to the cage. Mom, you said, 'why don't we take him back?' I said, 'ok'. When we took him back he heard a creek sound. It was really me. No it wasn't. The mat went splat when he went on the mat. Then you hanged on to the mat. Actually my dream had a little mud in it. You took him in the mud. Wasn't that a scary dream?" She has quite the imagination.

Adrianna from across the street came over to play.

 Wearing our Gahuas aprons to cook together.

 Checking out the nativity scene at church.

 Picked out her outfit. She likes to wear a solid color even though the color might clash together.

 At the library.

 Daddy on hair duty.

A night on the town of San Carlos.

 Kaira came home with Josie after choir practice and they got ready for bed together.

 Josie loves persimmons

 We don't need to help with puzzles anymore. She does them all on her own. She likes the 100 piece ones. She doesn't do them by finishing the ends first but instead works in sections.

A gift arrived in the mail and it was for Josie from Uncle Mel. It was for last year's birthday. She immediately loved the sled dog. Josie named her Snowshoe after daddy's old dog.

 Before our Thanksgiving dinner we walked to the Park from Jody's.

 We tried to get a soccer game going 3 on 3 but Josie lost interest after she scored a few goals. Kids vs the adults

Saturday after Thanksgiving Eric and Josie went to visit Papa Andy & Grandma Kay and ride on the tractor. Thanks Aunt Gaylynne for the pretty pink overalls.

 

Gilroy Gardens

On Sunday Nov 3rd we spent the day with Justin, Brigit and girls. The big girls had so much fun going on the rides together. It was a warm, sunny day until about 4:00 when the sun was going down. 

Video of car ride

Sweet little Ashlyn peaking out from her stroller sun cover.

 The girls and moms on the caterpillar ride. Brigit behind the girls waiting for me to sit down.

 Pretty fall colors

 Little carousal

 Spinning cups with two brothers

 Video of spinning

We all went on the train ride together. Looking at the scenery.

 The girls loved running under the waterfall.

 Flying Fish ride

 Time for a treat. The lady actually split their cones so they each got half (?!)

 Special friends

 Next year Ashlyn will get in on the ice cream fun.

Dads and daughters on the big carousal.

  Brigit in the hot air balloon with the girls.

 

 Justin in the flying strawberry with the girls.

Closing time song & dance

Dancing video

What a great day thanks to our friends!

Last day of soccer

Last Tuesday was Josie's last soccer practice. We thought the organization, Kidz Love Soccer, did a great job of teaching skills through fun games. They did get some scrimmage games in too which was fun. I included a video of Josie running with the ball down field. She doesn't quite get it yet but she did great for her first soccer experience. Kaira, Josie and Savannah had fun together.

Snow White

Josie and I went to see Snow White with Brigit & Kaira this afternoon. It was put on by San Carlos Children's Theatre. It was cute and the girls liked it. Josie wanted to go meet the characters after. She gave Snow White a hug and then took a picture with Snow White and Kaira. She talked to the evil Queen and asked her why she was so mean. She went back a few minutes later and wanted to take a picture with her. She had stars in her eyes. :-)

  

Cantor Art Museum

Today we went to a Story Telling event at Stanford Cantor Art Museum. We heard the first guy at 11:30 and he told stories based on African American folk tales. At 1:30 the next guy told Yiddish tales. Josie volunteered to be a chicken in one story. In between we walked through the museum and checked out some cool art work.

 

Cool sculpture that's like a maze. Josie and I had fun walking through. Later she wanted to go in again. She met a couple little girls so she went in with them. I finally went in to check on them and they were playing inside in one area. 

 

 

Lunch break in the Rodin sculpture garden. 

3 years 9 months

Another month just flew by....

A few things she's said. 

I was impatient and yelled at her for not listening and stopping something I asked her to stop doing. I grabbed her arm and she was crying.  A few minutes later I apologized for yelling and she said, "That's ok mom. I forgive you." She's very quick to forgive and forget. Not always so quick to obey. 

When we were in SB the 3rd night I slept in Katie's bed and Josie was on the floor. She didn't know I was going to be in Katie's bed. She woke up kinda early and I was still lying in bed. The room was dark and I said "Hi Josie". She said, "who are you?". I said, "it's me". She climbed in bed and said, "Mom you tricked me. I want to snuggle with Katie. She's better to snuggle with b/c I love her so much."

We volunteered at Beautiful Day through PCC and cleaned out a kindergarten classroom in a Redwood City school. Josie did a really good job of scrubbing crayon off various services.

 Caleb turned 14 and is looking cooler than ever.

 One night we sent gymnatics pics back and forth between our house and the CT Anderson's

Officer visit at school.

 Josie put on a puppet performance for me at Redwood Shores Library.

 A new puzzle from Gahaus and Grandpa Rich for Halloween. She worked on it first thing in the morning and with the help of Daddy finished it pretty quickly.

 Go Red Sox!

 Josie is slowly starting to get the hang of soccer. They now break into teams and play a game for the last few minutes of their practice. In the video below she almost scored a goal. She does stand around watching still if someone doesn't remind her to go for the ball.

 Josie, Kaira and Savanah hang out on the line together.

New dance moves in her little outfit passed on from Katie!

Bday rap for Bizet's bday. Not sure where she came up with it.

We went to visit Leilani at her house in Menlo Park. Friday Nov 1st was such a pretty fall day. They have a great kid back yard. Josie was sitting in the lower platform of the treehouse in the picture. There were two more platforms that she went up. The highest level was up a tall ladder. Josie loved it. She kept falling up the swing under the big redwoods and falling into piles of twigs which got stuck in her hair. I never saw her fall but she kept coming over to us smiling.