Please join us for story time!

Miss Leyba loves reading her books aloud! Not only does she like to sit in our laps for story time, but she frequently reads aloud to herself (and to anyone else who will listen!). She is especially partial to reading in bed, something David and I are quite fond of too.

Since we read to her every day, and often read the same books over and over again at her request, she has several favorites memorized (such as Goodnight Moon, The Hungry Caterpillar, and I’m as Quick as a Cricket); here are two others for your enjoyment.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

Video: Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See? from Carrie on Vimeo.

Where’s Spot?

Video: Where is Spot? from Carrie on Vimeo.

We could read and discuss books all day.

Oh, yeah, we frequently do.

What books are you enjoying right now?

What do you do when all of the kids in your play group have birthdays within three months of each other? (Yes, Miss Leyba is the youngest!)

Hold a group birthday party!

Thank you to Christina for the inspired idea, to Lien and her family for hosting the shin-dig, to Eveline for procuring the pastries and for the Melissa & Doug Cutting Food Box for Miss Leyba (for the Secret Santa type gift exchange — 1 present per child!), and for our great friends for an awesome potluck and wonderful afternoon together.

Edited to add:
Here’s a video of the girls jumping on the trampoline. Unfortunately I missed the hysterical giggle-fest part, but it’s still cute nonetheless.

Video: Great End to a Great Party from Carrie on Vimeo.

It dawned on me that if I started working on my to-do list for Miss Leyba’s second birthday party now, then I might actually get it all done!

We’re planning a very small party: just Miss Leyba and her three closest friends (and their parents too!), and possibly some grandparents.

The theme?

Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar, also known as “Happy Caterpillars!” which is how Miss Leyba lovingly refers to it. (Yes, plural; as in there is a caterpillar on each page of the book!)

She is completely obsessed with The Hungry Caterpillar, and with the entire concept of caterpillars turning into butterflies. (We have SO many books, both from the bookstore and the library, on the subject. Life Cycles are a big hit right now.)

We have so many wonderful Very Hungry Caterpillar related items that we can pull into the party too: a handmade caterpillar puppet, puzzles of the caterpillar and the butterfly, the pop-up version of the book, as well as the French translation!

I am planning on serving up the menu in the book, with punched holes in all of the food as well!

Stay tuned as I post more pictures and share more of my ideas. I hope it will be a fun and memorable day and, wow, I have 2 months, 1 week and three days to get cracking.

Updated to add…

Curious how the party turned out?

Read these posts:
– Birthday Party Preparations invitations and goody bags
– Party Decorations banners, coloring pages, and snacks
– Party Fun photos from the event!

We love an excuse to throw caution to the wind and eat at a lot of really good restaurants.

And what better time to not exercise restraint than when family comes to town?!

I mean, who can resist not one but two trips to Screaming Mimi’s for ice cream?!

And an excuse to eat sushi too.

We had a wonderful time this weekend eating great food and hanging with my aunt and cousin.

Thanks for coming, guys!

Now please excuse me; I have some exercising to do. (SO worth it!)

Our winter garden is doing wonderfully. We’ve had warm, but not hot days (think 60s and 70s!) and cool, rainy evenings. The lettuce, cabbage, spinach, and kale are thriving.

Okay, the reason it’s really going so well is probably due more to the huge amount of composted manure we added to the garden and the thick layer of mulch we covered the top with. Plant food and a warm blanket are always a good thing in November.

Phew. Our summer crop, while plentiful in tomatoes, was otherwise quite sparse.

We’re glad to have a new season and a fresh start to our garden.

Grow, garden, grow!

How is it possible that it’s been nearly two years since I posted any flickr favorites? TWO YEARS?! We are talking about before the birth of Miss Leyba here! Amazing how fast time goes by these days.

To those of you who have started reading my blog more recently, let me tell you that this used to be one of my favorite post categories to share with you. I hope that you find an inspirational photo or new favorite photographer through this collection (or from other flickr contact favorites pages). Enjoy!

Look! Now I can post a slideshow of my favorites. The things that have changed in two years. :)

Love these photos.

We’re entered the rainy season here in Northern California. After months of no rain, the cool foggy mornings have transformed into all-day affairs with bursts of occasional rain showers. The brown grass of summer has been replaced with a green carpet across the hills and our garden is thriving. (Yes, as an East Coast transplant, I find this lush green in November thing SO weird.)

Today we woke up to cold and wet day, so we bundled up and headed out for a walk.

A perfect start to the morning.

However, unlike the last two days of full-on gloom, today was a more typical California Fall day:

Right now it’s so sunny and bright outside that the foliage looks dark in comparison! (I am sitting here squinting at the computer, as light streams in through the window.)

Of course, it arrived just in time for nap time, so Miss Leyba hasn’t seen it yet. (Sorry, love!)

Welcome to Wine Country. We love it here.

* Organic polar fleece by Kee-Ka (bought it on sale for 50% off over a year ago — score!).

* Also, I’ve been tweaking the format of this blog. If you haven’t done so already, please hit refresh!