Damien Does Easter

Damien decided to host his first Easter brunch this year. He had a great turn out. Grandpa Yum Yum and Grandma Lo Lo came from Reno, Cousins Mariano and Alma and Uncle Jordan and Aunt Izabel came, as well as Sam, Jane, Gideon, Bruce and Christian. And to top it off, his girlfriends Juna and Adeline came over for an Easter egg hunt. D didn't know what to make of the hunt, he was more interested in removing eggs from other people's baskets to dump or throw then to collect them. But, he enjoyed all the company as he usually does. He also played the brut to Marino as per usual, taking every single toy he would pick up. Toward the end of the day, Mariano would see D charge for him and he would just hand over the toy. We hope D learns to play nicely with his sweet cousin soon. It was a lovely day and a great bunch! Thanks so much to the cooks, William, Sam, Jane and Locey.

Surveying the scene intensely.

D preferred to play with dirt over the easter eggs.

The kiddos and their eggs.

At least Mariano snagged D's juice behind his back!

Starting to get the hang of things.

The girls examine their loot.

The Easter Bunny brought lots of happiness.

The marvelous couple Sam and Jane.

Lo Lo, Yum Yum, Jordan and Papa

Bruce, Lo Lo and Gideon.

Mariano digs the fruit!

The packed table, creatively set by Lo Lo on some seriously limited decor.

Damien Gets a Visit From "MaGa"

Papa had to go to Nicaragua for blueEnergy's board meeting, so D and momma were sans Papa for two weeks! One week just the two of them, and then, THANK GOD, Grandma Linda came up to help out. D was sick the WHOLE time papa was gone. He was just getting over a cold when Papa left, but his back up day care left him with a worse cold, pink eye and an ear infection! Grandma Linda to the rescue. She arrived just as Momma was about to loose it and was a HUGE help (thank you Grandma Linda). She watched D while mommy was at work - a big feat to watch a sick D while it was raining, and hence no outdoor play. She also made delicious chicken soup - twice - that D and Momma devoured. Both D and Momma were so sad to see her go.

While she was here, D got to go to a special indoor playland called Studio Grow and to the Berkeley Hall of Sciences to let him stretch his legs during this long rain period. D is an outdoor kid, and rainy days are super challenging. D loved both places so much. It was a little challenging sharing toys and such with the older kids, but once he got the hang of both places he had a blast. At studio grow he watched his first puppet show. He was mesmorized.

D had such a great time with his grandma. He nicknamed her "MaGa." It was so cute, he would call out to her when he needed her or just wanted to say hi. Grandma of course loved it. Such a great visit, despite all the illness.

Our sickly boy, lovin the bathtime bubbles though.

Someone loves his "MaGa" and the hat she brought him.

D also loves to use the dust buster (Just like his mom did apparently).

D loved stealing his MaGa's olive bread and butter, he would/will only eat this from MaGa.

The BIG ball pit at Studio Grow.

Balls and snuggles with MaGa = Awesome.

Someone loves slides.

Rainy day activity - finger/body painting.

Talking to Dada while he is away.

Moving big blocks at Lawrence Hall of Science.

SCIENCE!

Sensory fun!

Damien Rings in the New Year in LA

Well, Damien has been up to a lot - but Mommy's been busy. Hopefully she'll have time to go back and update the last few months, but instead of waiting for that ... we are marching on.

The Craigs made a last minute decision to spend New Year's weekend in Los Angeles to go see the Oregon Ducks play in the Rose Bowl and spend time with family and friends. Thanks to Grandma Linda and Grandpa Richard, and Aunties Pam, Candy and Crystal, Mommy and Daddy were able to have a night away for New Year's Eve and spend a glorious day watching the Ducks WIN the Rose Bowl - thank you Grandma Collete for making the game a possibility.

Damien had a blast with his extended family. He was particularly in love with Grandpa Richard, and followed him around like a lost puppy. It was adorable. Damien also enjoyed the wide open spaces, grass, play structure, dirt, and MANY toys and balls grandma got him. All that running around - we kept this active little monster outside as much as possible - made him exhausted, so he napped and slept well! It was a terrific way to ring in the new year. THANKS KLEIN FAMILY!

Pensive (and tired) boy.

Those eyes!

All smiles during lunch.

Somebody loves to give kisses.

Water play in January!!!

Somebody loves water.

Basking in the warm sun.

Our nature boy!

Damien Celebrates "Discovers" Santa

Last year, Damien was too small to get Christmas. This year, he was still a little too young, but he liked opening presents and getting gifts. He did pretty well with the tree, he would occasionally decide to relocate some of the ornaments around the house, but for the most part left it alone. Despite Mommy's best efforts to rein her shopping impulses in, Damien ended up with a lot of loot. One of his bigger presents was a talking Elmo doll, since Damien has recently been enjoying watching a little bit of Sesame Street here and there. He loved it. He also received some bath toys, some dinosaur magnets, some kitchen food for his little kitchen, and many books, cars and ornaments. As an added bonus, D's Aunt Pamela was up to spend the holidays, and it was great to have her. It took D a few days to warm up - he seemed nervous that her presence meant Mommy and Daddy were going to leave, but once he did, he smothered her with kisses.

Checking out his Elmo doll.

He immediately pointed to the eyes, said "ball" and then proceeded to try to eat them!

Happy with his new toy.

Loving his Aunt Pam.

Oh, the ever more present skeptical look - You mean I can't have whatever I want?

Damien Celebrates Grandma LoLo Birthday

Grandma LoLo came to San Francisco to celebrate her birthday with Opera and family. Sam and Jane hosted a delicious dinner at their gorgeous house on Sunday evening. D dressed up in his Sunday's best. He had a great time seeing their chickens, ducks, and goats. And D loved playing with his cousins. The party animal got to stay up way past his bedtime!

Happy to see Grandpa William again.

What do you think about the menu?

Feeding the chickens with Jane.

The Craig boys.

Damien tackles Mariano (out of love!).

Damien takes it all in.

Damien smootches his cousin Alma.

Damien and Mariano - what cuties.

William and Mathias entertain the cousins.

Damien Goes to Mineral King

Grandma Lolo has a couple of family cabins in Mineral King, California in the Sequoia National Forest. Momma and Papa have been fortunate enough to enjoy the magic of Mineral King for many years and this was D's first trip up there. Unfortunately, little D got quite car sick on the winding road. Poor little guy. So, it was a bit of a rough start. (Also probably not a good idea to feed him Mexican food for the first time at lunch before the drive up there - another parenting mishap). We were also sharing a room again, and that didn't bode well for nighttime sleep. D regressed and ended up waking up screaming several times in the night, except for one! Thankfully, Grandpa William and Grandma Lolo were more than happy to play with D in the wee hours of the morning (they are early risers!).

D was a little fussier than normal, and cut a tooth while we were there (his 8th tooth). So, wasn't exactly the most relaxing trip to Mineral King for momma and Papa. But, he loved the outdoors, especially eating rocks. He tried out his new backpack carrier on his first hike. D was not a huge fan, and after quite a scream fest, he got to enjoy the nature from the comfort of papa's arms. His favorite part, however, was probably taking a bath on the deck in his toy bucket. He loved to splash and splash around - even though there wasn't much room to move. We look forward to bringing D back many times.

The upper cabin, named "Hub's Barn"

Trying out his new carrier. Skeptical/content for now.

Splish splash I was takin a bath.

A man of the new frontier

Lookin Good.

Watching Papa and Uncle G go in the freezing stream water.

3 Generations of Craig's

Into the wild.

Stopping at the creek for a lunch break for D, and a little swimming for G.

Card sharks!

Somebody loves the great outdoors

Our serious sock monkey.

Dining alfresco.

Our little mountain man.

Toasting to Nelda with the last of the Cordi Brother's White Port

Damien had a BLAST with his Grandpa, who taught him how fun rocks are.

Lots and lots of rocks to choose from.

Enjoying his teething rock he found.

Getting measured on the stairs, a Mineral King tradition

There Damien is, taller than the dogs Dilo and "Red Dog" Dungan!

Enjoying the farewell meal - his first ribs!

Mastering the sippy cup finally!