Hmm...he's never this interested in food (at least veggies!) when we are trying to get HIM to eat it.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Vote for Mark
Breaking news...this just in. It appears that Mark Farrell has won the endorsement of toddlers in the city of Berkeley. Yes, today Nikos Romios, resident of the much ballyhooed Ocean View district in N. Berkeley proclaimed his allegiance to the young Democrat and quickly rising star. Wow, considering his environs consist of two republicans (and witnesses have even spotted a John Kerry chew toy littering the back yard!) it appears clear that Nikos has chosen his own path.
The youngster himself was overheard saying " For Pete's sake, I live in Berkeley people, this shouldn't be that shocking."
On a side note, it does seems to confirm studies that show it is easier for toddlers to form and speak the word "Mark" as opposed to "Pablo". We are hoping that this campaign will be more successful than the most recent one that Nikos was a part of. For the record, his mother did state that the presence of the propaganda piece "The Phillie Phanatic's Parade of Champions" and its reference to Shane Victorino may have backfired against the Sandoval campaign. However, more recently, a search of the home showed no books supporting any other District 2 candidates, so we should be in the clear.
The youngster himself was overheard saying " For Pete's sake, I live in Berkeley people, this shouldn't be that shocking."
On a side note, it does seems to confirm studies that show it is easier for toddlers to form and speak the word "Mark" as opposed to "Pablo". We are hoping that this campaign will be more successful than the most recent one that Nikos was a part of. For the record, his mother did state that the presence of the propaganda piece "The Phillie Phanatic's Parade of Champions" and its reference to Shane Victorino may have backfired against the Sandoval campaign. However, more recently, a search of the home showed no books supporting any other District 2 candidates, so we should be in the clear.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Go Giants...er...A's
Last week our neighbors invited us to the A's/Yankees game so we ditched Nikos with Jeff and Sarah and joined Guillaume and Lorraine for a fun night at the ballpark.
It was Olive's 4th ballpark in her 5 months (Giants, Cubs, Phillies, A's) and she was so excited she slept through most of the game. Also fun, around the 4th inning I went up to get something to eat with Lorraine and ran into a Tsan You! (Friend from high school.) Next thing I know, Olive and I spent the next 4 innings in the Irish bar with Tsan, Rich Durkin and Fergal. Too bad I didn't get any pictures!
It was Olive's 4th ballpark in her 5 months (Giants, Cubs, Phillies, A's) and she was so excited she slept through most of the game. Also fun, around the 4th inning I went up to get something to eat with Lorraine and ran into a Tsan You! (Friend from high school.) Next thing I know, Olive and I spent the next 4 innings in the Irish bar with Tsan, Rich Durkin and Fergal. Too bad I didn't get any pictures!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Silver Lake - Grand Finale
I know, I know, it took me FOREVER to get to this post. Sorry. Chaos in the Romios household...really, trust me.
Here's the Silver Lake wrap-up!
On Saturday morning we headed up to the Lake - did I mention that since we were down Robin we had exactly the same number of kids as adults. Uh huh, crazy.
Ahh, boys and their...watering cans?
(Nikos still rockin the 6-12 month swim trunks.)
Hugs all around!
Some photos taken by the kids.
Photographer credit: Ryan
Photographer credit: Nikos
After the lake (and some naps thank goodness!) we walked the kids down to see the horses. Most of the kids were THRILLED while one in particular appears to still be clinging to his fear of horses. (Mom and Dad, I saw shades of the Elephant Incident! It wasn't nearly as bad though, thank goodness!)
Enjoying the horses.
NOT enjoying the horses.
Next up - pretend playing the arcade games.
We then enjoyed some good cocktails and great company down at the bar and then back at the cabin.
Sunday morning we packed up and headed back to Berkeley. Thanks for having us Cecchins!
Here's the Silver Lake wrap-up!
On Saturday morning we headed up to the Lake - did I mention that since we were down Robin we had exactly the same number of kids as adults. Uh huh, crazy.
Ahh, boys and their...watering cans?
(Nikos still rockin the 6-12 month swim trunks.)Hugs all around!
Some photos taken by the kids.Photographer credit: Ryan
Photographer credit: Nikos
After the lake (and some naps thank goodness!) we walked the kids down to see the horses. Most of the kids were THRILLED while one in particular appears to still be clinging to his fear of horses. (Mom and Dad, I saw shades of the Elephant Incident! It wasn't nearly as bad though, thank goodness!)Enjoying the horses.
NOT enjoying the horses.
Next up - pretend playing the arcade games.
We then enjoyed some good cocktails and great company down at the bar and then back at the cabin.
Sunday morning we packed up and headed back to Berkeley. Thanks for having us Cecchins!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Silver Lake Part 1 and Happy Birthday Reese!
Last weekend we headed up to Sarah's cabin in Silver Lake with the Cecchin family and the Grochol family (minus Robin who was working in Japan. Yes, JAPAN!) Just like last year, Sarah and I drove up early with the kids (one more this time!) and Jeff and Tyke followed behind with Bosco. Yes, they hit more traffic but at least they didn't have to deal with any screaming (Romios) children!
The drive up was a little long so the boys made sure to stay hydrated (Olive is off camera since she is backwards.)
Once we were up at the cabin they kept up the hydrating and relaxing. (Sarah and I were doing the same thing we just don't have any pictures of it.)
Flashback to our trip last year...
After the Grochol's arrived it was time to celebrate Reesey's 2nd Birthday!!
And what's a birthday without cupcakes??
Make no mistakes here, my kid did not touch his cupcake. (Who is this kid?)
Cabin follies to be continued...
The drive up was a little long so the boys made sure to stay hydrated (Olive is off camera since she is backwards.)
Once we were up at the cabin they kept up the hydrating and relaxing. (Sarah and I were doing the same thing we just don't have any pictures of it.)
Flashback to our trip last year...
After the Grochol's arrived it was time to celebrate Reesey's 2nd Birthday!!
And what's a birthday without cupcakes??
Make no mistakes here, my kid did not touch his cupcake. (Who is this kid?)
Cabin follies to be continued...
Maternity Leave's Slow Demise
My Six Month Travel & Leisure stint is slowly coming to an end. I dropped Olive off at daycare this morning with Nikos. The good thing is I wasn't nervous at all since I love my daycare, although I have to admit I was a little sad. I'm still off of work for the next two weeks but I am going to be working on various house projects - including painting the exterior of the house. Yes, you read that correctly. The things we will do to save $6800...of course, Olive's daycare for this week and next IS costing me $400 so I guess I am only saving $6400.
Here's a shot the two this morning in their sibling shirts. You can't really see the intended effect of the pictures since Nikos' book is covering the "Big Brother" portion of the shirt but you get the picture. I felt the need to let you know so you didn't spend all day wondering What is Nikos? I'm the smartest? I'm the skinniest? I'm the one that threw a fit when mom wanted me to put my book down?
PS - Have no fear, the chest hair behind them will not be dropped off at daycare as well. Looks like the Method employees are the losers in this round.
Alright, off to play Cinderelly. I'll update you on how the day went later and will also be posting our pics of the great time we had at Sarah's cabin at Silver Lake this weekend.
Here's a shot the two this morning in their sibling shirts. You can't really see the intended effect of the pictures since Nikos' book is covering the "Big Brother" portion of the shirt but you get the picture. I felt the need to let you know so you didn't spend all day wondering What is Nikos? I'm the smartest? I'm the skinniest? I'm the one that threw a fit when mom wanted me to put my book down?
PS - Have no fear, the chest hair behind them will not be dropped off at daycare as well. Looks like the Method employees are the losers in this round.Alright, off to play Cinderelly. I'll update you on how the day went later and will also be posting our pics of the great time we had at Sarah's cabin at Silver Lake this weekend.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
BOO EAGLES
Seriously, Michael Vick?? Two thumbs down and may repack the Eagles sleeper that I hung in Olive's closet earlier this week. Boo. Hiss.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
5 Months
Baby O hit the 5 month mark yesterday! Here's the official pic with Opa Bear.
Here are some fun facts about Olive at 5 months.
Here are some fun facts about Olive at 5 months.- She loves her brother! Whenever he is around she stares at him and is all smiles. -- For his part he's very good at entertaining her and making her laugh.
- She is still getting up once at night (argh - I guess it isn't so bad, compared to how many times Nikos got up at her age!) She goes to bed at 7 or 7:30 with Nikos, up at 1 to eat and then back down again until around 6:30. She eats again and is back down until 9 or 9:30 -- I LOVE that part!
- She is a good napper during the day, taking two long naps when we are home and shorter ones while we are on the go.
- She is the biggest spitter upper ever. That girl can ruin your shirt in 4 seconds flat. Crazy. You can often hear Nikos reporting "Uh oh Mama, Olive made mess 'gain."
- She's a very happy baby and gets compliments all the time when we are out - the two most frequent being "wow she has a lot of hair" (or the variation "was she born with all of that hair?") and "she looks like a little doll."
Monday, August 10, 2009
Crazy Cousins
Last Tuesday was a full day for the kids and I. First up - Habitot! We spent a few hours there in the morning. This was the first time Olive really was able to take advantage of any of the fun. As you can see here, she tried out a new form of transportation - a welcome alternative to the pouch.
Next up - watching the firetrucks outside. Some of us prefer to watch the trucks while others prefer to watch the firemen. Regardless, it is always a crowd pleaser. On this particular day there was actually some sort of swat training going on which was exciting. We entertained ourselves watching a bunch of armed men walk around in camo while waiting for Mel and the kids to come out for a visit.
After our guests arrived we headed over to Adventure Playground, conveniently located down the street from our house at the Berkeley Marina. This playground is highly rated, it has even been named one of the Top 10 Playgrounds in the U.S. Although it is geared towards the older set (7 and up) and looks like a bit of a junkyard, we actually found it to be really cool and it was a big hit with the kids.
Pretty much the entire thing is made up or wood structures that have been built/added on to by the kids themselves. You can check out tools when you get there (hammer, nails, etc.) or paint for decoration. Maile had fun with a hammer and nails while the rest of the kids just explored the yard.
Nikos has fun on some of the boats and structures.
Kira checking out one of the tunnels.
Mason on his way to mastering a tight-rope thingy. Yes, that is the technical term.
Maile plays the role of sailor (or to be honest, knowing Maile, it was probably "Baby mitosaur stuck in a sailboat nest" or something like that.)
Somewhere between the time we arrived and these pictures Nikos went from Nikos to Oliver Twist. Not quite sure how it happened.
Here is the cleanest kid in the bunch (mostly because she didn't leave the bjorn.)
And last...we find the crown jewel of the playground (at least for our kids)...the sliding board. It looks unassuming at first, but it really was the bomb and great fun to watch.
It was awesome how much air the kids were getting when they went off of it. Next time we will have to get it on video.
Here are the best air shots from the group.
Mason
Kira
Maile
A great time was had by all and we can't wait to go back. Loving the fact that it is free too!
After we left the playground we met Vernie and Taki at our house for Picante. While the boys watched the game we got some cute cousins shots - here are some outtakes.
Next up - watching the firetrucks outside. Some of us prefer to watch the trucks while others prefer to watch the firemen. Regardless, it is always a crowd pleaser. On this particular day there was actually some sort of swat training going on which was exciting. We entertained ourselves watching a bunch of armed men walk around in camo while waiting for Mel and the kids to come out for a visit.
After our guests arrived we headed over to Adventure Playground, conveniently located down the street from our house at the Berkeley Marina. This playground is highly rated, it has even been named one of the Top 10 Playgrounds in the U.S. Although it is geared towards the older set (7 and up) and looks like a bit of a junkyard, we actually found it to be really cool and it was a big hit with the kids.Pretty much the entire thing is made up or wood structures that have been built/added on to by the kids themselves. You can check out tools when you get there (hammer, nails, etc.) or paint for decoration. Maile had fun with a hammer and nails while the rest of the kids just explored the yard.
Nikos has fun on some of the boats and structures.
Kira checking out one of the tunnels.
Mason on his way to mastering a tight-rope thingy. Yes, that is the technical term.
Maile plays the role of sailor (or to be honest, knowing Maile, it was probably "Baby mitosaur stuck in a sailboat nest" or something like that.)
Somewhere between the time we arrived and these pictures Nikos went from Nikos to Oliver Twist. Not quite sure how it happened.
Here is the cleanest kid in the bunch (mostly because she didn't leave the bjorn.)
And last...we find the crown jewel of the playground (at least for our kids)...the sliding board. It looks unassuming at first, but it really was the bomb and great fun to watch.
It was awesome how much air the kids were getting when they went off of it. Next time we will have to get it on video.Here are the best air shots from the group.
Mason
Kira
Maile
A great time was had by all and we can't wait to go back. Loving the fact that it is free too!After we left the playground we met Vernie and Taki at our house for Picante. While the boys watched the game we got some cute cousins shots - here are some outtakes.
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