8 Years, 3 Months (November 2024)

Our biggest adventure in November was our trip to Japan over Thanksgiving break, but this blog post is about some of the more ordinary things we did that month.

Jack and I went to a Santa Cruz Warriors (D-league basketball) game. Henry wasn't interested in going, so he stayed home with Steve.

In our first-1,000-fans captain hats:

Halftime churros!

Jack wanted me to take a picture of the final scoreboard. Warriors win!

Henry (blue sweatshirt second from left) and Jack (green sweatshirt to the right of Henry) and a gaggle of 7 and 8-year-olds conspire while waiting for the arcade to open for friend Moe's birthday party:

Steve, friend Bascom, Henry and Jack play TMNT in the arcade:

At friend Bascom's house, Jack and Henry scale the camper van to protest going home from their playdate:

Jack with his Kirby beanie and bright green sneakers (which he has since destroyed, he goes through shoes like kleenex) waiting for the start of the school day:

Steve and the boys met their friend Camden and Camden's dad for a playdate at the San Lorenzo River:

Henry chucking rocks into the river:

Let's make a boat!  

Unsurprisingly, they came home very wet.

Back at home, Henry asks his dad to wear matching shirts and actually agrees to a picture:

Henry delights in stealing my phone to take pictures of Jack...

... who had just stolen his dad's phone and was taking pictures of Henry.

Introducing the classics: Batman the Animated Series (1992). 

They actually seemed to dig it. Some cartoons are still awesome even after thirty years.

Being wild in the house (aka standard daily behavior):

Jack showing off his fabulous table manners:

Jack with his favorite meal: seafood salad sandwich and chips from our favorite deli.

Henry's favorite sandwich from that deli is egg salad. It's making me hungry just thinking about it.

8 Years, 2 Months (October 2024)

With the summer heat finally over, we went to visit Steve's mom in the Sacramento area. 

Jack attends trunk-or-treat with Uncle Ed: 

Henry lounges with Grandma's dog Teddy:

While Grandma went to her volunteer project, we took a day excursion to the city of Volcano. 

Dad is aware of Jack trying to sneak his beer at lunch: 

We then went to Black Chasm Cavern. The boys had never been to a cave before, and I think they thought it was pretty cool.

Tiny blue speck of a pool way, way, way down:

Looking up:

The "dragon" formation:

After the cave, the boys enjoyed some panning for gemstones:

Possibly even cooler than the cave was the "zen garden" area, created by historical hydraulic mining: 

Back closer to home...

Jack really wanted to check out the Hawaiian-themed restaurant near our house, so we finally took the kids. 

Jack with his kiddie mocktail (aka juice):

Henry refuses to pose with his dad:

The nearby city of Capitola was having a fireworks display, so Steve and Jack went to check it out (Henry was not interested). 

Having dinner before the show, Jack apparently disapproves of the restaurant's entertainment:

But he approves of the spaghetti dinner:  

Fireworks (more impressive in person than on camera): 

Out on a bike excursion in a disused UC Santa Cruz parking lot, Henry zooms by:

Jack is ready to dart away:

Pay no mind to the old lady on her electric scooter:

Jack navigates his wall-driving car in the bathroom:

Ready for Halloween festivities at school, Pizza Jack and Banana Henry:

Banana Henry and friend Banana Camden:

Costume change before trick-or-treating, glow-in-the-dark stick figure Jack, Penguin Mom and Stormtrooper Henry: