Aaron Graduates to First Grade!

Sea Cave

Few more Jesusita fire pics

This first one is while I was still on street level (De La Vina), waiting to get onto the freeway. I am behind the Ralphs.


Then, from the freeway (while stopped):

View as I evacuated from Fielding

Around 4pm this afternoon, the Fielding administrative offices were evacuated. We were not in the official warning area at the time, but power had been going out and some employees do live in the mandatory and warning evacuation areas. This view is as I was pulling out from the driveway of the parking lot on to De La Vina. This view -it's just smoke...the fire is actually in the opposite direction.

Whale Watching

Today was Aaron's first whale watching trip and his first time in a boat out in the ocean. He's been nervous about the trip but, in the end... absolutely loved it.



The first thing we saw were hundreds of dolphins.



Above, is a view of our home, Ventura. Seeing it from the ocean just adds to our appreciation for where we live.



Humpback whales were very active. We found several feeding by the islands. They seemed to enjoy breaching the surface to scoop up as much fish as possible.



The ride out into the channel was at high speed and that made the choppy ride like a roller coaster. I thought this would freak Aaron out but he loved it. He held onto the rail tightly and screamed every time the boat lifted and dropped.



There were many baby dolphins among the hundreds we saw. The photo above looks like a baby bottle nosed dolphin.

Aaron waiting for his first 3D movie

Aaron & Rocket in Local Newspaper

A Sick Little Boy and His Dog

Chitting Potatoes

Earlier this week my seed potatoes arrived. This will be my first time growing potatoes. I bought a sampler pack so I could try a few varieties. I set them out to 'chit' which means to leave them in a bright warm spot to encourage sprouting from the eyes before you cut them up and plant. This will be too many for our small family to plant, especially after they are cut-up; I'll be sharing these with a friend.



Varieties : Yukon Gold, Yellow Finn, Red Gold, Sangre, and some purple ones from my own cupboard...

Sleepy Time

A Puppy for Christmas

Actually, it was a somewhat spontaneous decision as we have been talking about getting a dog for more than a year but had no specific plans to do so over the holidays....but you know how cute puppies are!

Introducing Rocket, who is now 17 weeks old, a Maltese/Yorkie mix (or a Yorktese in designer-puppy terms), and very very happy to be a part of our family.

Holiday Cookies

Aaron has been begging to make cookies, so on Saturday we prepped some sugar dough. I directed, but he did all the work. Today we cut, baked and decorated, although he pooped out on me after the candy canes and trees were done. But he did a great job overall!

Aaron is...

...very pleased with his performance at his school's winter assembly.

Tree Climbing

Aaron's not much of a risk-taker, but on this day at the park he suddenly got a climbing bug and climbed a tree!

The Elusive Puda

Puda, who was previously always an outdoor cat, got out about a week and a half before Halloween, and returned the night before Halloween crying at our front door to be let back in. She came back inside for a few days but seemed miserable and would cry to be let back out (we did not oblige).

But then one very hot weekend prior to Thanksgiving, Michael placed the floor fan outside in our patio and left the patio door open to cool the place off. She snuck out. We did not see her before we left for our Thanksgiving trip, so we left food out for her. I have not spotted her even once (although tonight as I write this post I keep thinking that I hear hew meow outside), but Michael and Aaron have occasionally seen her. These were shots of her Michael got recently; in the second one she is quickly going underneath a neighbor's fence to hide from him.



She will not let Michael catch her.

Snow Day at the Zoo

The Santa Barbara Zoo has started a new tradition of a snow leopard festival in early December each year with snowplay and sled runs. This year, the Marcus and Meraz families went together.

Just getting ready took time. The kids aren't used to mittens!


But they soon got the hang of it.


Aaron did not enjoy his first snowball in the face! Ben was so sweetly empathetic, he cried too!


But soon all was well again and they proudly posed with their first snowman (there wasn't much snow for anything bigger)!


Then the boys each took a turn sledding. One unlucky rider did not make it through unscathed....


The day was capped off by a stroll to see all the animals, although the one most captivating by far was the snail Aaron spotted in the grasses outside the elephant's pen. Such cuties!

Disneyland

To celebrate my birthday, I decided we would go to Disneyland. I love going at holiday time, and we have been going each December (although usually during my break), since Aaron was 1. Aaron was most excited to see the Jedi training show that he remembered from last year. Perhaps next year we can get him to participate in it...although he seems pretty intimidated by Darth Maul.



Isn't this a beautiful shot Michael took of the ship that cruises around Tom Sawyer's Island?


We got a prime spot for the parade this year, right on the curb, and right where Santa could see us!