Yesterday was Lewis and my first day off together in a really long time, and we went for a drive for the girls...and there was snow! Luckily I'd packed warm stuff in case we were lucky and found snow close by...and we did! Just 30 minutes from home!
Playing expert-level tetherball
Look, Emma takes after Mama!! Also an expert tetherballer. 
This little cow family totally enthralled me...they were all so cute!
This is what happened when I said "Smile!". I think Em was truly trying, but her face was frozen! Kaia was just having a blast! Snow boots would make the experience much more fun for the kids...but they both just had their rain boots, so we didn't last too long before everyone was cold. 
I brought some cones and the fixings for "Snow cocoa" just in case we found snow...and the girls loved their cocoa-cones!! We waited to eat them until we were in the car, nice and warm, with the heater on!
My little puppy and kitty, sharing a laugh...(sometimes we draw kitty faces on the girls for fun, and Em wanted to be a puppy this time, and also she wanted me to write "puppy" on her forehead, just to be clear.) So I laughed, but I did it, and they thought it was perfect!
My little puppy and kitty, sharing a laugh...(sometimes we draw kitty faces on the girls for fun, and Em wanted to be a puppy this time, and also she wanted me to write "puppy" on her forehead, just to be clear.) So I laughed, but I did it, and they thought it was perfect!
Isn't she beautiful? Emma and Santa are good buddies, so she's been wearing her Santa hat everywhere--even to bed!
Kaia and Santa? Not so close. Poor little thing was on his lap for half a second and was all worked up. She calmed down as soon as we picked her up...and she still says "Santa!" whenever she sees him...but she also holds on extra tight...
My lovely ladies in their Christmas dresses
My mini barista is so cute. Lewis brought home coffee from Dutch Bros, and I had finished almost all of mine, and went in the other room, and when I came back, Emma had made me a new "coffee" in the cup! She put tomato sauce, milk, water, and frosting in a cup, and then put a little blob of frosting on the straw (because Dutch Bros puts a little blob of whipped cream on the straw of the kids' hot chocolates) because "We were out of whipped cream, Mama, so I used this". I made lots of yummy noises as I "drank" my tomato-sauce-coffee, I promise.
The first hail of the season...it was so much fun for the girls! They made "hail balls" (it doesn't snow enough here for snowballs) and had a blast!
Such a beautiful, serene, classic Christmas picture...
Oh my God, the snails. Okay, so we bought a live Christmas tree last year in an attempt at conservation and home beautification. We kept it alive inside last year, and outside all of 2008, waiting for its second (and final) indoor Christmas before we plant it in the ground. We brought it in (when I say "we", I mean Lewis, and a dolly--thank you!), set it on a table, got out the tree skirt, and suddenly noticed the tree's planter was COVERED in hundreds of tiny, crawling snails that were more than happy to be inside. Emma, our own little animal rescuer, loves snails, so I gave her a container and she went to work "rescuing" the little snails to move them outside. Lewis, Kaia and I all helped, too, and when we were done, the planter was finally snail-free. Below is a sampling of some of the snails (who were relocated out into a field).
My sweet Bucket, dressed all nice and warm!
Inside a sculpture of a giant safety pin.
We went to a lovely sculpture garden in Golden Gate Park. Let me start by saying that I love Lewis SO much and he is such a great husband and father, and I think he is so handsome! However, something about this giant green squished in head reminded Kaia (and me) of Daddy! I'm sure it's just the bald head...but we all had a good laugh!
Emma's new smile...eyes closed, big cheesy grin....a-la-Kaia
We went to the Academy of Sciences in SF with our family friend, Tuck. There was a huge aquarium, a "living roof" and a rainforest (which housed 600 butterflies!). Most people who know me have found out about my little aversion to flying insects...it was such a big deal for me to go in that rainforest. There were tons of butterflies, some the size of dinner plates. They were everywhere. Em loved it...Kaia was not into the crowds and missing her nap, but after she fell asleep in the Ergo, she seemed to feel a little better. I was just trying to make it through without anything landing on me! Then, I got in the elevator, and the guy said, "There might be some butterflies on some of your clothes, so please check before you leave!". I just tried to remain calm...but wow...I never thought I'd go inside a room with 600 butterflies. The Academy of Sciences was a really fun place, though...and we had a lot of fun.
Tuck and the girls on the Living Roof.
An albino alligator. 
Golden Gate Bridge...it's us, I swear, but we should've stopped on the other side so the sun would be in front of us!
A beautiful San Francisco sunrise (our girls get up plenty early to afford us views of the sunrise most days!). We stayed on the water right near SFO, and we watched planes take off and land...the girls were mesmerized. 
Scary little princesses!
