June 2012

With July coming to a close, here's our blog post for June.  I'm happy we're almost caught up, hooray!

After OODE the Bells (Alex, Erika and Atty) came down to visit.  It was such a pleasure getting to spend some time with them in our home.  We went to Matos Cheese Factory, Wildflour Bakery and Union Hotel in Occidental for lunch.  Then headed home where Tony and Alex made a "simple" Mexican dinner for us. It was so good and anything but simple.

6/3/12 - Alex Bell and Otis

6/3/12 - Alex, Erika and Atty Bell with Tony

6/3/12 - Matos Cheese Factory

6/3/12 - Atty and Erika Bell

6/3/12 - Otis in the garden at Wildflour Bakery

6/3/12 - Alex and Tony making Mexican feast

6/3/12 - Alex and Tony

6/3/12 - Erika, Atty, Melanie and Otis

6/3/12 - Alex, Erika and Tony

6/4/12 - Melanie and Atty

On June 6th Cathie flew down from Seattle so she and I could go to Stanford Inn in Mendocino.  It's been many years since we've had a chance to spend time just the two of us and it was fabulous!!! She spent the weekend with us.  We had Sabin, Xochitl, Yona, Sabina, Erin, Josh, Kora and Elizabeth along with Cathie over for dinner that Saturday. 

6/7/12 - Cathie and Melanie at Stanford Inn

6/8/12 - Cathie and Otis

Here are two videos of Otis running and jabbering:

One

Two

Video of Otis and Tony turning a paper towel roll into a noise maker here.

June 9th Dinner Party

6/9/12 - Xochitl with Yona and Otis

6/9/12 - Otis and Yona

6/9/12 - Otis, Yona and Sabina

6/9/12 - Sabina

6/9/12 - Josh, Erin and Kora

6/9/12 - Tony, Cathie and Xochitl (assembling salad rolls)

Yes Otis, Kora is real...

Otis loves Kora

6/9/12 - Sabina

6/9/12 - Kora

6/9/12 - Yona, Sabin and Sabina

6/10/12 - Otis' first marinara

June 11th Park Time

Video of Otis and Tony on the big slide, here. 

Video of Otis and Tony playing with bubbles, here.

June 13th Kindergym

Couple videos of Otis at Kindergym here and here.

On June 15th we had a very spontaneous (less than twenty four hour) trip to Santa Cruz.  Tony and I were talking about how it had been over a year since we'd been down there and decided we just needed to make it happen, even if only for a quick visit.  We hit up Tacos Moreno (my first time) and brought lunch to Beckmanns to eat with Scot in the office.  Scot chased Otis around the bakery while Tony and I talked with Beth for a little while.  From there we went over to Alice's place and then to Jason and Jennie's for dinner and sleeping.  The next day we met up with Scot and brought Otis to the park.

6/15/12 - Tony, Otis and Scot

6/15/12 - Unkle Bunny (Alice) and Otis

6/16/12 - Otis and Melanie

6/16/12 - Jennie and Otis

6/16/12 - Jason and Otis

Debbie came over to hang out with Otis and me on June 19th.  She brought one of those toys that you pull a lever and it plays the animal noise that the arrow is pointed at.  Otis LOVES it!

6/19/12 - Otis and Nana Debbie

On my list of things to do for June was to take garden photos with Otis.  Every time I tried though, Otis would go bolting through the garden and out onto the sidewalk and down the street.  There's just no containing that kid!  So sorry to disappoint those that are wanting to see garden photos, you'll just have to wait until the July post.  Until then, here's the only garden picture I took in June, the view out our front window.

There's a house a couple blocks from us that has three dairy goats, a male, female and new baby.  I brought Otis over there during one of our walks around the neighborhood to meet the goats.  He was way more interested in meeting them, than they were in him. 

In June I started watching Sabina on Thursday mornings, while Yona is in school, so she can have somewhere "special" to go as well.  Plus it gives Xochitl some "kid-free" time.  Otis, Sabina and I have dance parties and chase each other around the island, it's great fun.  Otis studies all the naughty things that Sabina does and then practices and perfects these things after she leaves, usually when I'm not in the room for a minute or two.  When I return, he's dancing on the dining table or reaching things on top of the island, after he's climbed onto the bar stools.

6/21/12 - Otis and Sabina (percussion with pots)

Video of Tony and Otis eating snacks together, here.

Tony brought Otis to spend some time with Melissa, Jeremy, Noah and Dylan Yoches on June 22nd.  Seems there was some serious dance party action!

6/22/12 - Dylan and Noah Yoches with Otis

6/22/12 - Tony and Dylan

I brought Otis back to the Yoches' a couple days later for Emilia's casual birthday gathering.  I didn't plan on going, but was very happy that I did!

6/24/12 - Dylan and Otis (chillin poolside)

6/24/12 - Otis and Blake Anderson

6/24/12 - Dylan instructing Otis on how to ride

6/24/12 - Otis and Dylan

6/24/12 - Emilia, Liz, Melissa and Lacy

On June 26th Jane came up to our place for a visit, she hung out with Otis for a little bit while I worked on projects.

6/26/12 - Jane and Otis

Scot drove up to Plunge with me on June 28th and hung out with Otis while I packed.  He brought Otis on a garden tour.  Otis stayed with the MacPhees that night.  The next day when Sabin and Xochitl left for Plunge, Xochitl's mom took over Otis, Yona and Sabina duty, while we all had some much needed down time, dancing and hanging out with friends.

6/28/12 - Otis and Scot

Congratulations, you made it through another blog update and so did I.  Next up is July, yay!!! I promise you all garden photos in the next post.

much love,
~melanie (along with my amazing husband and beautiful son)