Happy Belated Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving filled with carbo-loading goodness. We had a nice feast at our friend's place and have been doing some decadent loafing this weekend. I got Ani reasonably dressed up -- she is refusing dresses these days -- and decided to take a picture. This has become her default picture pose. I have no idea where she got it but it cracks me up.

Swing Voter

Since I use this blog is an electronic album/scrapbook, I thought I'd post this photo of Ani on election night 2008 to commemorate the occasion. It's startling to me that when Obama declared his candidacy for this election, Ani couldn't even sit up yet -- let alone crawl, walk, talk..

As most of you know, Ben and I follow politics fairly closely and it is a regular conversation topic so it's probably not that surprising that Ani picked up on it. As we watched the debates over the last couple of months, she would point to the TV screen and yell out "Obana" and "John MonJain". She didn't have an allegiance to one candidate, sometimes asserting "I want Obana!" and other times "I want John MonJain!". We were highly amused by this and feel we'll wait until she's 3 or 4 before we try to brainwash her into our left-leaning belief system ;)

Ani had a hard time settling down last night and it was after the election was called that she finally fell asleep. I told her that Obama won the election. She answered "John MonJain?" I told her that he'll still be in the Senate and that seemed to assuage her concerns as she drifted off to sleep.

A Not-So-Happy Halloween

Ani was a skunk this year for Halloween. Here's some cute photos of her before the terror struck. Basically, Ani is going through a fearful phase. Earlier in the week she hinted that Halloween would not go well when she got scared of a little boy in a tiger costume. Then last night at a Halloween party last night she saw her friend Joaquin dressed as dracula and it was all over. It was a pretty sweet costume complete with white face, black rimmed eyes, blood dripping fangs, and even an electronic hand that glowed red pulsing veins. We had to leave the party pronto as she shook and screamed in terror. Poor thing. We're hoping next year we can reason with her a little more on the concept of a costume.

Tattoos

We're experimenting with temporary tattoos here at the Bellweather household. I (Nicole) am not sure if it is a lame attempt to recapture my youth or if 7+ years in Berkeley is taking it's toll, but I really want a tattoo. I just can't commit to anything long term. I've gotten Ani in on the fun and she loves animal tattoos. For awhile, I was putting them on her belly because it's a nice broad surface area and it's kind of funny. Unfortunately, Ani now greets every person she sees (friends and strangers, alike) by lifting up her shirt to show them her tattoo of the day. Hmmm...I might be instilling bad habits here ;) We've shifted to forearm tattoos for the time being, but here's an amusing picture of Ani. She's about as Berkeley as a kid can get with the crocheted skull cap and legwarmers on her arms.

How Berkeley Can You Be?

In search of an activity this morning, I asked Ben to see what was going on in town because this time of year is chock full of festivals. Sure enough, today was the "How Berkeley Can You Be?" Parade. Ani and I headed off to the festivities and this time I remembered my camera.

This parade is always a crack up and filled with art cars, political extremists, bizarre and amusing marching bands, and the general populace delighting in getting ridiculous. This year, my favorite was the mexican dancing horses, however, the coolness of them clomping along to the beat was not remotely captured on film.

Ani Turns Two!

On Friday, Ani turned 2 years old. It's cliche, of course, but it is amazing how time flies. We had a nice ice cream social today to mark the occasion. I confess, as usual, I didn't get a lot of good photos. Instead, we tried to replicate the classic birthday moment after dinner tonight.

Here's a couple of other recent photos of Ani to show how she's a big girl now ;)

Coast Guard City USA

Sunday marked the conclusion of the Coast Guard festival here in Grand Haven. Why in the world is this town deemed Coast Guard City USA, you might ask? Good question. I mean, aside from beer-crazed Wisconsonians and a few Canadian gypsies who have lost their way, there really isn't a pressing need to guard the coast of Western Michigan. Outside of one week in late July, I don't recall much of a Coast Guard presence either. The best I can figure is that there is a coast guard station in town and with all the local fruits and vegetables already taken for annual festivals, they thought they'd just elevate the coast guard station to festival status.

It doesn't have to be logical, though, to be a good time. We soaked up a lot of Americana during Coast Guard Week. Daily strolling through the carnival, nibbling on elephant ears and cotton candy, browsing the arts and crafts fair, watching all the local festival queens and marching bands pass at the parade, and concluding with a dramatic fireworks display.

The parade, in particular, cracked me up. All those poor high school students marching in 90 degree heat dressed from head to toe in polyester and heavy shoulder pads. Then there was the young hunters club decked out in camouflage, followed by people tossing squirt guns to the crowd. The sheer volume of flags was the most striking thing to me. Every time another one came into view-- the entire crowd would rise to their feet. I feel like I soaked up enough mid-western patriotism to get me through another 5 years in Berkeley ;)





http://www.coastguardfest.org/

Negligent Blogger

We've been having such a pleasant summer that I've forgotten to take pictures and write things down. Here's an update.

In late June we flew to Louisville, Kentucky for the fabulous wedding of Nate and Melissa Bellows (Ben's brother). It was a fantastic family occasion and I've attached some photos sent on by the newlyweds.

After the wedding we rode to Michigan and stayed on the farm for a few nights and enjoyed more family time and pleasant countryside. We criss-crossed the state making other visits and Ben left for his trip in Uganda July 8th. Ani and I returned to West Michigan, where we've been enjoying beautiful weather, daily trips to the ice cream parlor, and visits with old friends.

It's always nice to spend some time in West Michigan -- such a startling departure from our beloved Berkeley that I think it brings me some needed perspective. Today, for example, in the neighborhood we saw a man driving a motorcycle. He didn't have a helmet, but he did have a 6 month old strapped to him in a Baby Bjorn (of course, no helmet for baby either). When he saw us (myself, sister, and brother in law) staring in disbelief he said to us..."Gotta start em' young." Now in Berkeley, one is required to get outraged by such an action, but here, naw. It's summer. Have some fun, take some risks, enjoy!

SupaNani!!

Ani has taken on a superhero persona -- SupaNani---and watch out. She punches her fist in the air and spins around the room enough to make your head spin.

Mother's day matching

I've decided that holidays are perfect for cheesy matching photos. Shopping at my favorite resale store the day before Mother's day, I found a shirt that was the exact print of a dress Ani has and I couldn't resist.

Not another history buff!

Whenever Ben and I travel someplace even the least bit historic, I try to remember to pack my patience because Ben wants, or shall I say NEEDS, to thoroughly read every historical marker sign within sight. Our visit many years ago to Rome was completely ridiculous as Ben insisted on trying to decipher the meaning of each sign, even though many were only written in Italian. Alas, it appears this trait is genetic, for take a look at Ani and Ben when we went for a simple morning hike yesterday at a nearby park.....

San Pablo Ave Burger Reviews

We've always been intrigued by the numerous burger joints along San Pablo Ave. Not the McDonald's, Burger Kings, etc... but rather the more obscure ones that have survived in spite of the influx of the typical franchise chains. So, we've decided to go ahead and try them and rate them for future reference. Tuesdays have been chosen as "San Pablo burger review night". Our goal is to try all of the burger joints on San Pablo Ave between the Richmond and Oakland borders. Once we accomplish this laudable goal, we may extend further down the avenue -- or we may go on a diet.

Here's the rating system for the burgers and accompaniments (fries, etc...) :
* = gut bomb
** = blah, not impressed
*** = pretty good
**** = very good
***** = amazing!

Our first review (4/22/08)

Al's Big Burger
This was a good place to start as it is much less scary than some of the other places we plan to get to. The burger was actually quite tasty with yummy grilled onions and crisp lettuce. While the fries were just ok, the fried zucchini with ranch was great.
Burger = ****
Accompaniments = ***

Nation's
While this burger joint is more mainstream than the others on the list, we felt it merited inclusion. As with last week, not a bad burger at all for this type of place- tasty lettuce and lots of mayo. In my opinion, though, it wasn't as good as Al's and I thought the fries were not very good. It could have been just a so-so batch because our neighbors who came with us seemed to get better ones.
Burger = ***1/2
Accompaniments = **

Reviews to come: Nibs, The Red Onion, Nation's, and more....

Lexicon

Ani is gradually transitioning from a rather complicated communication pattern in her own special language to using English. She'll repeat just about anything, but there are several words that she uses consistently and somewhat accurately. So, for anyone who is going to prepare for a conversation with Ani in the near future, here's a peek into her English vocabulary:

• Aacky – meaning yucky. According to Ani, almost everything is aacky, especially Ani’s feet.

• Ani – she loves to talk about herself in the third person.

• Apple – meaning any round fruit.

• Baby - any person under 12.
  

• Ball

• Bappa – her name for Ben.

• Bath

• Blueberries – her favorite food and one of her first words, pronounced “boo-berry”

• Book – after much coaxing, Ani is finally interested in books.

• Boot

• Bye
  

• Cheese

• Circle

• Cow

• Cup

• Doggie

• Duck

• Eye

• Hello and Hi

• Help
  

• Hot

• Milk – meaning any beverage.

• Mommy – meaning Nicole, but sometimes it is used for Ben – it means parent

• Moo

• Mouth

• Nanoka – (na NO ka) I’m not sure how this is spelled but it is a 4 year old Japanese girl who lives across from Ani's babysitter and Ani talks about her all the time.

• No

• Outside

• Phone
  

• Poo/ poopy – meaning either “I have to go” or “Um, I would like you to change my diaper”

• Potty
  

• See ya!

• Shoe
  

• Slide – favorite playground equipment

• Snack

• Sock

• Uh-oh – usually stated after doing something naughty but completely intentional

• Up/ uppy – a little confusing because it means both “pick me up” and “put me down”

• Walk

• Weeeeeeeeeee – ok, not really a word, but sung with great enthusiasm when riding down a slide

• Yes

Urban hang

Ani's latest obsession is hanging from bars. Being in Berkeley, there are a lot of places to park one's bike and this means we have to stop frequently so that Ani can hang for the necessary 10-20 seconds.

Flash forward

Ani has been giving us some alarming (albeit amusing) glimpses into her teenage years. Here's her with her feet up having a good chat on the telephone and one being too cool for us in her shades.

On the red carpet

Ani and I glammed it up for the Oscars last night. Sure, we mostly just sat on the couch eating brownies and clapped with the audience, but we did get a photo shot of us looking very serious as we struck our red carpet pose.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! Ani had a busy day and is cashed out here after a walk.

I love this cheesy holiday and always celebrate it like a 4th grader by wearing red and pink and eating as much chocolate as my body can handle. Tonight we made an all red and pink dinner - good stuff.

Back to Berkeley

Life has settled back into our Berkeley routine here quite nicely.

We're back in the UC village apartments, I'm back at work half time, Ani is back with her beloved babysitter Nora, and Ben is back to literally running to and around campus.

Of course, things are a little different here than when we left. Ani has many more tricks up her sleeve. One of her favorite games is to take all the clothes off her somewhat organized shelf, then cram them back in haphazardly, and then crawl into one of the cubbies herself (see photo).

New Address

We've moved -- again! Our current address is:

525 Red Oak Ave., Apt 300
Albany, CA 94706

Our cell phones are the same. No land line as of yet.

Right now we are still living amidst boxes. Turns out, Ani is not the most helpful mover. She likes dismantling all our progress and keeps gleefully taking things out of the cupboards.

We'll get back to the photos once we unearth the camera and catch our breath....

Grandma Jenny

Ani and I have been enjoying Michigan for the last few weeks. One of the reasons we decided to come home early was to see my Grandma Jenny who has been ill for a number of years and was placed in Hospice mid-December. She passed away on New Years Day at age 95.

While it is sad to know she is no longer here, preparing for her funeral has strangely put me in a good mood because it requires conjuring up all the great old memories of the grandma I knew and loved. Grandma Jenny (Vincenza Maggiore) was a beauty with sparkling blue eyes and perfectly coiffed and colored hair. She was a woman who knew how to accessorize and I think of her whenever I see fitted leather gloves, butterfly pins, and beaded clutch purses.

While her fashion taste was impeccable, she had some hilarious food and drink preferences for someone who was a phenomenal cook in her day. My mouth waters at the thought of her cooked all-day tomato sauce and her delicious cookies but Grandma had a penchant for Kentucky Fried Chicken and Blackberry Manischewitz. She always had Double-Mint gum on hand to help with the inevitable indigestion that results from combining the Colonel's special with sugary wine. More than anything, these things bring a smile to my face.

Tomorrow is Grandma Jenny's funeral and I am grateful to be there with my freshly colored hair and butterfly pin where I will lift a glass of Manischewitz and toast a long life well-lived.