Visit with Jeremy, Jackie, Riess and baby-to-be Cavin

Our good friends Jeremy and Jackie welcomed us to their home in Tampa Bay from our first cross-country plane ride with Sydney. We drive up to their home, a very very nice neighborhood, on the bay with a close view of Downtown Tampa. When we walked in, we were all greeted by Cali, the family dog. Sydney loves dogs, but Cali LOVED Sydney. So much so, Cali knocked Sydney off her feet. After that, Sydney would whimper everytime she saw Cali. I thought she would be traumatized forever, but by the end of the trip, they were friends again.

The house was beautifully decorated for Christmas. Riess had her own little playroom with a big oversized chair and her own little dvd/tv playing Baby Signing. She is so funny and brave. She climbed up the table from the chair, then fell back on to the chair. Luckily Riess was fine, but poor Jackie couldn't move quick enough because of baby Cavin in her belly.

We went out briefly for a stroll through the cute little downtown in their neighborhood. Jeremy, Jackie, Brett, and Sean (brother) went out to the company Xmas party while grandma and I looked after the kids.

The weekend was fun and it was nice to spend some quality time with the Esteps. The are the most hospitable people we've stayed with. Thank you for taking care of us.

Hurricane Sydney lands in Florida

We all got up at 3:30am to catch our 6:30am flight out of SFO. At about 6:00am at the airport, Sydney threw up. It's just not a vacation unless one kid throws up at the airport. The flight was easy. She slept the whole way through, but by the end of the flight, she had diareah. Changing a baby with diareah in a small airplane bathroom was an event in itself.

The day after we land, Sydney had a high fever and was pretty much sleeping the rest of the day. The next day, Brett go sick - vomitting, diareah. Sydney's fever was not going down. We decide to make a detour to Deland to see Ushaben to get them both checked. Sydney ends up with a lot of drugs. We find out she had a stomach flu. Her fever was down and on antibiotics, we decide to go to Jacksonville for the pre-wedding events.
That's when the eye of Hurricane Sydney strikes Jacskonville. Two days later, my mom gets sick and after that everyone started dropping like flies - vomitting and diareah. It lasts for a day but it felt like forever. This was the biggest lesson I learned as a parent. It's not only about your child, it's about everyone around them as well. Luckily, everyone is in South Africa enjoying themselves away from the disaster. We found out later that Grandma Johnson (Jeremy's grandmother) and a few people from work at the Christmas party Brett attended also got sick. To quote my sister (who got sick the day after the ceremonies) "how can something so cute be so deadly".

At the end of the trip, we all gathered back at Ushaben's where the last person on our journey fell ill, Mona masi. She was a wreck. To top off all the vomitting, I gave her a soy latte and she ended up with a massive allergy attack that inflated her entire face, just like Will Smith in Hitch. Anyway, just wanted to thank Ushaben for providing us with love and care and a safe retreat from all the hecticness of our trip.

Dinner with Jeff & Tia

As Jeff & Tia prepare to move into their new home with a new baby on the way, we were invited to their temporary home, high in the skyline of San Francisco, for a fabulous stay home dinner. Mark, DeeDee and Brynn were guests as well and Mona to finish out the list. Out of her Cooking Light cookbook, she whipped up Eggplant Parmesan Lasagna and Steak with Scallop Potatoes Gorgonzola. We brought the wine, DeeDee brought the salad and desert and Mona started it off with cheese and crackers. It was a fun evening with friends and stories. We hope to have more of these nights.

An Ode to Kyler

On a warm winter day, on the second of December
there was a little girl born, a day to remember.

We all arrived to the hills of Castro Valley.
Big kids and little, all to rally.

For a sweet little fish, making her way
Through the sea of life in where she'll stay.

Kyler, be happy and safe in your journey
Because this is the first, just ask your mom, the attorney.