Farmer Kasper

Kasper had a big week this week! On Monday he started his transition to the toddler room. Sigh. We drop him off in the infant room and at 9:30 he and the rest of his friends that are transitioning head to the new room. This allows them to participate in some of the craft activities and play time with the big kids. They stay until 12:30 so they also eat lunch with the big kids and miss the morning nap in the infant room. As HARD as it'll be to leave his current room, I know he's ready to move. There's only 1 teacher left from when he started and he's pretty attached to her. I know she's going to miss him terribly as well. He transitions this week as well and a week from tomorrow he starts full time in the toddler room.

I talked to his teachers in the new room every day and as the week went on, it sounded like Kasper did better and better. He needed a paci the whole first day but by Wednesday he didn't need it. One fun thing about the transition - crafts!


I mean, come on. How cute. He apparently glued all those little squares on. One silly things about the crafts - I guess he doesn't like to get his hands dirty with finger paints or anything! Ha! It was "school" week at daycare so each day the craft project had to do with school and they also learned Spanish words for school stuff.

It was sort of a big change for the guy. I'm glad they do it little by little and he has a friend to go over to the toddler room with otherwise I think it would be pretty traumatic. He did seem like a bigger guy this week.





I spent Wednesday at a taping for the Choo Choo Bob Show! My boss is a train fan and has bought in to the business. He goes to most of the tapings and invited the lab.


It was so fun and so different from what we do every day! Maybe I haven't mentioned it but I am a scientist so I work in a lab. Nothing like working on a TV show. I came home laden with DVDs, CDs and books for Kasper and he LOVES the show. (For you MN people, you can watch the show on KSTC at 9 am Saturdays but it shows in other cities as well.)

Big this week - JUMPING! Kasper thinks he's an awesome jumper but he doesn't realize he doesn't even get off the ground. He starts jumping which turns into dancing ("baila!").


I also got a couple funny videos during bathtime Friday. Check out his throwing effort face.




I wish I got it on video, but Kasper has been mimicking us like crazy lately. His favorite phrase? "NO BARKING" when Lois barks. I don't know that we even say that but he's started saying it. Also "It's hot" about the grill or stove. There's also a running commentary about clothes and car colors. "Blue car, elmo car, verde shirt, etc.).

Yesterday morning when we woke up it was downright chilly outside! We got to wear sweatshirts and slippers! And Kasper has a cold so it felt a lot like winter! Must be the new germs in the new room.



We had waffles for breakfast with rhubarb strawberry compote my co-worker made. Kasper ate it up! I'm so glad he has a somewhat adventurous palate. (See his poor nose?)

This week I started something new at meal time since it was getting to be a battle at dinner to get him to eat ANYTHING. I get a bowl and put whatever we're having for dinner as well as some frozen peas/corn, cheese and fruit. When I present a bunch of foods, including dessert, he ends up eating almost everything! He's also getting toddler lunches at school which apparently he's gobbling up. This week they had spaghetti with veggies, turkey and mashed potatoes, taquitos and SPLIT PEA SOUP. He ate all of it. Even for pizza Friday night we got greek pizza with feta, artichokes, olives and he ate it.


We finally made it to the zoo yesterday! We've been meaning to go all summer but it just never happened.







We walked down to the farm which was so fun. This was a HUGE bull. Kasper was pretty interested in him. I asked him what he said and he said "Mooooooo". Classic.


Then we went into the goat area. Guess who kissed all the goats he could reach and basically had the best time ever?







This afternoon we headed East to WI to go to a picnic at my boss' farm. Kasper had such a great time! He rode a caballo, sat on a tractor and jumped in a bouncey house. He was in heaven!



He was riding around and screaming "CABALLO!" as loud as he could. He was so excited.




Hope everyone had a great week! We have a short week - Rob and I are headed up North to go camping! We're leaving the boy home so it'll be nice to get away for a bit.

The San Francisco Diaries: The City-Day 1

We spent our first 2 days out West exploring Sonoma, the redwoods and the coast. On the third day we explored the city. This will be the shortest post of all. Here it is:

We walked.

The End.

I kid but seriously we did a lot of walking that day. We mapped it out that night and I think it was something over 5 miles! Most of the pictures in this post are Jess'. I think I was too busy grumbling about all the walking.

We woke up to a heavy fog/rain. It was a different view from the sun we had seen in Sonoma but I loved the rainbow!


Emily and Devin live in the Castro, which has a very unique feel to it. Ha! We walked to a super cute little breakfast spot in the neighborhood - Harvey's named in honor of Harvey Milk. It was delicious and we had the most adorable waiter.

We did some walking around exploring the Castro after breakfast. I loved the neighborhood. Lots of fun shops to poke in to and lots of cool looking places to eat. Lots and lots of rainbow flags as well.


After bumming around for a little bit we started out on our adventure for the day. We took a street car towards somewhere. (I totally can't remember anymore. Oops! Maybe it's because we saw a naked guy right before getting in the car. Apparently he's known in the area as "tank top guy.")

Anyway we took a street car a ways until it stopped because the car in front of it was having problems. We got out and started walking.




There were some serious hills to walk up and down, you guys! We walked through Chinatown then over to Fisherman's Wharf where we enjoyed clam chowder.



SO.GOOD. My Mom and I got our soup in a sourdough bread bowl so we could try some of that as well. We didn't spend a ton of time in the wharf but it was nice to sit and eat soup.

From Fisherman's Wharf we headed over to Pier 39. To be honest, I hadn't heard of Pier 39 although the sea lions did ring a bell. There were only a couple sea lions that day, I apparently didn't take a picture of them. We could also see Alcatraz from here but I didn't take a picture of that either?




We walked down the piers, stumbling into a chocolate shop along the way.


I forget how we got back to the Castro but I'll assume we must have walked. (We probably saw another naked guy.)

Anyway, we found our way back and went right to the Castro theater. They were showing a Grease sing-along!


The theater itself was adorable and there was a guy playing the organ before the movie started.


We got little bags filled with props to use for the different songs in the movie. I hadn't seen Grease in YEARS so it was fun to see it this way! For each song, the audience was encouraged to sing loudly (the words were on the screen) and you had to use the correct prop for the song - we had a pom pom, glow stick, etc.


Super fun!

We had dinner after the movie at an AMAZING Thai place after the movie. Best drunken noodles I've ever had. We may or may not have stopped for dessert and shared an enormous phallic chocolate covered macaroon cookie. Hahahahaha! (I'll omit the incriminating photos)

We covered a lot of ground that day. And while I did my fair share of whining about the walking, it felt really good to be out and walking and seeing. We don't do enough of that here.

Whew!