Cooperstown - Part I (Travel to NY and Visit with the Powells!)

We were SO, SO excited to go to Cooperstown. We adore going and staying with Tom's family and look forward to it for months and months. This time, I used it as a way to teach Cyanne more numbers: "It's 10 days/9 days etc. until we go to Cooperstown to see Nanna and Grandpa!"

We took our usual flights to Cooperstown. We arrived at the SB Airport in time for our 8 PM flight. Both kids were dressed in their jammies and were ready to sleep. Ha, who am I kidding... we would try...

Cyanne at SBA:



Hanging out at O'Hare at 5 AM. Remarkably, everyone was in a pretty good mood. Starbucks for me and Tom helped quite a bit. The kids had a great time people watching, per usual...



Cyanne with her two must-haves: Puppy & Blanket. All is right in the world when she has these two with her.



Hi! I'm getting teeth!



They both did a great job. We flew from SBA-LAX-ORD-ALB.
Yes, it's always 3 flights...!

Sleeping from ORD - ALB. Peaceful silence...



I love how Cyanne used Maritt as a pillow:



My perspective:
So precious.





When we arrived, we were met by Anne & Richard at the airport - We were all very excited to see them!

Onward to Cooperstown!

The day we got there, in the afternoon, Devon, Mike & Henry came to Cooperstown to see us!!! I'm almost embarrassed to write this but it had been since June 2007 that I'd seen Devon. Henry was 3 months old and I was pregnant with Cyanne. I was so excited for her to meet Cyanne (and now, Maritt!) and for us to see Henry and spend some quality time with Devon & Mike.

Cyanne and Henry had a fantastic time together.
Running up and down the hill in the backyard:

Tom likes to flip Cyanne around - she's squeals with glee. Part daredevil, part cheerleader, part gymnast. It's amazing to watch.







Henry, Cyanne, & Tom running up and down (and up and down) the hill. Perfect way to wear out the kids... (and the adults).











Bath time!
Let's just say they had fun together =).







On to the rest of the trip!

Playdate at Cami's House!

Cyanne had a blast at a playdate at her buddy Cami's house.
She had a LOT of fun playing with Cami, Cali, and Cami's sister, Ella.

Here are some photos of their fun playdate:

Cyanne trying to get some apple juice from Lori (a treat for her as she really only ever gets it at playdates and birthday parties!):


Neat view from their dining room:



Cyanne & Cami drawing:





Cami & Lori:



Yay! Cyanne loves her buddies!

Jay's Visit to SB

Jay visited us for a weekend before he left the West Coast for Jackson, Mississippi!
Cyanne & Maritt loved hanging out with their Uncle Jay.



Tom & Jay had a great time hanging out at the BBQ.



Grilled filet mignon and asparagus:



Dining out on the deck:





They took a fun hike with the Cyanne walking & Maritt in the backpack up in the hills and then we had lunch at a restaurant outdoors before Jay headed back up the coast to San Francisco.

Someone's a fan:







We loved visiting with Jay & hope he comes back to see us soon!

Pigtails

Cyanne was looking especially cute on the way in this morning -
She let me put her hair in pigtails!
=)

So, so cute.

I Madonnari Festival

Tom, Cyanne, Maritt & I went to the I Madonnari Festival today at the Mission after school/work this evening. This is one of my favorite Santa Barbara traditions - I am always amazed at the drawings the artists create.

Here are some of our favorites:

Dancing on the steps of the Mission:









This next one was done by the current art instructor at Laguna Blanca:











This one was so realistic - it looked just like a photograph of a little girl:





A cat eye - if you look closely, you can see the reflection of a bird in the cat's eye. Clever...













A little art for the little one:

Peonies!

One of my all-time favorite flowers is the peony.
Here are some beautiful ones we got recently. They smell incredible. Each time we walk by there's this gentle scent of clean, light, floral scent.







(as an aside, I love the fact that when I see them at Trader Joe's or my friend Lara sees them, we immediately text or email the other to let them know they are in and to get them before they are all gone! Thanks, Lara!!) =)