Last Weekend

Natalie and Anika threw me an incredible baby shower last weekend, and I have many, many photos and stories to share.  I promise to write more soon.  For now, you can feast your eyes on the cupcakes.  Just the tip of the iceberg, folks.

Arianna is Here!

Arianna is here!  The three of us (John, Harper, and I) are beyond excited.

Oh, and Anika is here too.  :)

 Post-PJs and pre-bedtime Arianna entertained us with some "get the giggles out" silliness.

John picked her up a pair of sunglasses from Google, and she loved the game of putting them on, taking them off, and then having someone put them back on for her.

I swear she started acting "cool" as soon as she slipped on her shades.  Silly thing.  We can't wait for more shenanigans this weekend!

Weekend Prep

Anika arrives tomorrow with Arianna in tow, so I've been getting things ready for our first ever baby/toddler visitor!  Arianna will be able to do a test drive of the crib for us and to let us know if the mattress is firm enough (feels like a rock to me) and whether the Restoration Hardware sheets are up to code.

I can't say I've ever bought cheddar bunnies before, but they were on "the list" of Arianna-endorsed foods (that I begged Anika to give me).  I have a feeling cheddar bunnies and grapes will become staples in my life in the not too distant future.

I can't wait for them to arrive tomorrow, and then on Friday night Heather flies in too!  Anika and Natalie are throwing me a baby shower, and it should be a wonderful weekend!

Windy Day at Crissy Field

Kyle and his girlfriend, Lauren, were out in San Francisco visiting for a few days, and after some pizza in the city we headed out to Crissy Field to play fetch with Harper.

Harper was completely obsessed with Kyle and Lauren.  I honestly think she would have left me and John to go home with them.  Kyle enjoyed playing fetch with her almost as much as she enjoyed it.

It was a big of a foggy and windy day on the beach (note the Golden Gate in the background halfway fogged out), but we all still had a good time.

I had met Lauren once before, and I loved getting the chance to know her better this weekend.  Who knew we read all the same food blogs?  She's wonderful, and I love that she makes Kyle so happy.
  

My biggest regret of the weekend was that I forgot to show Lauren all the horribly embarrassing photos I have of Kyle from college.  Next time!  (Or when I find a scanner!)

Dog Portraits

Joyce and David's dogs had a two night sleepover at our place a few days ago, and I snapped a couple of pictures of each of the dogs while they they looked up at me while I ate a pretzel.

By the looks they gave me you whould think I was chewing a piece of bacon instead of a Snyder's Sourdough.

I admit that I manipulated them into thinking they might get a bite of said pretzel if they sat and gave me a cute face and sat for me.

Harper knew she wouldn't get anything I was actually eating, so she wouldn't pose.  Instead, here is a picture I snapped of her one morning when she was snuggling with me on the couch before work.  Whenever she gets up on the couch with me, I can't tear myself away and  always end up late for work.  Definitely worth it.

Maternity Photos at the Orchard

Natalie was sweet enough to take some maternity photos of me and John when we were cherry picking, and I think they turned out great.  See for yourself!

Natalie climbed up one of the cherry picking ladder to take a few shots.  Pictures taken from above are a pregnant lady's best bet!

Our first family photos and baby girl's first time cherry picking immortalized.

Our daughter weighs about three pounds now and kicks harder than ever.  Even when they are inside of you they grow up so fast.

I'm so glad Natalie took these wonderful pictures for us.  One day when our daughter is older we can show her what her mom and dad looked like just a couple months before she came into this world.

Cherry Picking

John and I went cherry picking in Brentwood on Saturday with Natalie, Mitch, and everyone else in the Bay Area.  It was paaaaaaacked.

Luckily there were tons of cherries on every tree, so everybody got their fill (even those who tried to eat directly off the tree).

As someone who is 30 weeks pregnant, there was no way I was going to be doing any sort of picking that involves bending over.  Cherry picking is incredibly easy, you just reach up pluck them right from the tree.  Perfect for a big bellied lady like me.

We also went peach picking, which is just as easy and just as delicious as cherry picking.  Lots of the peaches were so ripe you had to eat them standing in the field or else they wouldn't make it home in one piece.  

After a couple hours working up an appetite in the orchards we stopped for a picnic of sweet and spicy cole slaw, zucchini appetizer, curried chicken salad, and whole wheat chocolate chip cookies.  It was great.  

  

They had gigantic baskets of loganberries for sale at the farm stand, and I picked up a quart.  

What better way to use a lot of berries than to put them in personal pies?  We bought the mini pie dishes just for this purpose, and they were perfect.  I made enough homemade dough to make personal peach pies tomorrow.  Don't you love long weekends?  Happy Memorial Day!