Dance Performance - The Video

Opa's in town!

Gymnastics

Some Birthday Pics

Topfschlagen:




The cake:

The Kite Festival

The Three Muskateers

Palomi 's last time seeing Owen before he moved to North Carolina. Her best friend since she was one. A sad day for the parents.

Ben Holds Forth

Camping with Owen, Ben and Families

After a year or so of talking about it, we finally did it. We took the kids camping! In case meltdowns, we went to nearby Chabot Park in Oakland.

Camping Fun with Owen and Ben

Playing Obstgarten with Eli, Ben, and Papa

Palomi Giraffe

Oma sent Palomi's Halloween costume a bit early and it was impossible to keep it off her. Every Wednesday in September, Albany hosted Music in the Park, just a few blocks from our house. So, we let her go to those events in her costume in exchange for not wearing the costume to daycare.



Palomi liked the bluegrass band, but she went absolutely nuts over the West African Highlife Band and Forro' Brazuca ("Accordion-Powered Brazilian Dance Music"). There were numerous sightings of a crazed giraffe dancing madly. She was actually a danger to others around her; I had to keep a close eye on her to keep her from crashing into other kids as she jumped and danced with unbridled energy. She would occasionally fall over and, acting as if it were all part of her dance, flail with her legs and feet, a huge smile on her face.

More Pictures from Palomi

Hangin' with Ben

Aside from a typical Ben and Palomi interaction, this video shows Palomi's leadership skills. Leadership skills, not being bossy.

Pics by Palomi, part II

Palomi's 3d Birthday Party

Ben and Palomi sing Raffi

Hangin' in the Village

Abi, Owen, Ben, Venezia, and Palomi



Ben is never happier than when he has airplanes:

At Play with Ben

Fortunately, Ben did not climb the tree, catch the airplane, jump down, or have Palomi catch him.

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

I didn't realize I could be nostalgic about something I never experienced until the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. The bombardment of movies and pop culture references to boardwalks, Coney Island, etc., etc. had a strong effect on me. I did go to Cedar Point as a kid and plenty of smaller fairs in Germany, but this is different. Something about the beach, the boardwalk, the rides, the grossly entrancing deep-frying capacity of this great nation. The most amazing find: deep-fried cheesecake.

Palomi loves the rides. The faster, the better. And the merry-go-round! The trip was worth it just to see her hop in excitement at seeing it. She looks serious in the pictures because she takes the rides, especially those where she's steering, very seriously. The plane and helicopter rides, in particular, require her complete focus. She lets loose on the roller coasters, as long as they're fast enough.

Flying with Eli












The beloved Merry-Go-Round:


































And a few more rides:

Easter...

... is for children. Palomi, Owen and Ben spent the morning hunting for Easter eggs, playing with bubble toys from Ben's Grandpa, and generally having a good time. A two-year-old Easter egg hunt is quite amusing - after finding an egg or two, it's time to sit down and inspect the loot, despite the adults exhorting you to find more eggs, pointing out where they are, and generally bothering you in your discovery of jelly beans and chocolate.

Check out this Easter video from Ben's (and Eleanor's) blog.