Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!!!

We spent Christmas Eve at my parents.....

Family picture before all the craziness set in!

Time for presents.....my uncle Tom and aunt Thoma joined us!

 We have a very low key and quiet Christmas morning at home.  Sara has grasped the concept of Santa and presents yet.  But, she was very excited to see her new Plasma car.  She loves sitting on it and pretending to honk the horn.  She's pretty good scooting it with her feet.

Brian was giving Sara a lesson in how it works....Belle was not impressed!

Sara is a cookie monster.  She was excited to be able to open the container by herself and peel off the foil from the Hershey kisses....good fine motor practice, right?!?!

We headed to Dave and Dani's for Christmas dinner.  It was nice to get everyone together.  Sara really enjoys spending time with her cousins.

Local Exploring

We headed out this afternoon for some fun family time exploring some local spots we have been wanting to check out for a while.

First stop,  the newly reopened George Miller Trail along the bluffs of the Carquinez Straight in Martinez.  It was beautiful, although super misty/foggy.  I'm looking forward to going back and doing the full 1.7 mile trek to Port Costa on a sunnier day.  The views must be spectacular!  We heard sea lions, trains, and lots of birds along our walk.  Sara had a blast chasing mommy and relaxing in the stroller when she needed a rest.

Then, we headed to Point Richmond to check out the Golden State Model Railroad Museum.  I don't think I've ever been out to Pt. Richmond.  But, I can't wait to go back.  It's so cute!

December happenings

10 days until Christmas!!?!? What? How did that happen? Here's a bit of what we have been up to....







Christmas tree decorated and ready for the festivities!

















Enjoying the beautiful Christmad displays. Sara loved the lights and the music at the A Heart for Christmas display in Clayton.





Assembling and playing with some of Sara's presents.....we got to make sure they work, right?

Sara's class went on a field trip to We Rock the Spectrum Sensory Gym in Berkeley and mommy got to go too! We had lots of fun....






























How cute are they!?!? Buddies on the big bus!

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5 years later...

We are still as in awe as we were then....




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Matteo's Dream Playground

The weather has been too beautiful to stay indoors.  We are soaking up every minute of sunshine we can before winter sets in.....fingers crossed for a wet, rainy winter!

Brian had to work again this weekend, so Sara and I set out to explore a new park that recently opened in Walnut Creek.....it's an all-abilities playground that is supposed to be super cool.  Well, the word was out.....because it was CROWDED.  So, we headed over to  Matteo's Dream in Concord.  Matteo's Dream is a super cool all-abilities playground that opened in 2007.  Sara loved exploring the swings, the water mister, and the music.  Mama enjoyed the sunshine and watching our girl explore and get some much needed sensory input.

Swings.....I love the look of pure bliss on her face....

She discovered a cool water feature and had a seat...

Then she figured out how to turn it on......

Mind blown....

Music time.....

Sara said, "Hi orange fish swimming in the water".

Some more Halloween fun

It turns out that a mom of one of Sara's classmates sent some pictures go the Halloween parade at school. I couldn't go and I'm so glad she did.
















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Happy Halloween!

It was a rainy. Halloween morning! We brought treats to school for her friends and teachers.





The rain tapered off and we had a good, dry evening. Sara loved her Katerina costume. We went trick or treating around the neighborhood, so she did great. She picked out candy, out it in her bag, and said thank you! So proud of her!









She wanted nothing to do with the hat!





Enjoying her first tootsie pop!







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Fall (???) Fun

So, the calendar says it Fall.....But the weather states otherwise.  It's been HOT here the last week or so.  Brian has been working a ton and got a rare Saturday off this past weekend.  So, we both got to go to Sara's soccer game in the morning.

After lunch, we headed over to We Rock the Spectrum Sensory Gym.  It just opened last weekend in Berkeley.  I was excited to check it out since Sara has been demanding more and more sensory input lately.  We instantly loved the place.  The owners are parents with a 4-year old boy on the Spectrum.  It was like they were speaking our language!  They showed us around and talked about their plans for the gym while we exchanged information about potty training, therapies and school districts.  I'm excited to watch this place grow.  They are hoping to offer classes soon!

Our pictures don't do it justice.  There were theme rooms for dress-up, lego, trains, library/quiet spaces, balls and hoops, trampoline and climbing, and then all sorts of swings and a zipline.  Sara didn't like the zipline, but loved using the carpeted slide.  Everyone was so kind and patient as Sara experimented sliding on carpet on her belly, back, head first, feet first....you name it she tried it!

We can't wait to go back.

Bouncing in the trampoline

Her favorite swing....she kept saying "more swing!"

Fun boat swing

checking out one of the soft quiet rooms