285th Face(s)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

284th Face

Hiya sweetee! Give us kisses.

283rd Face(s)

Exactly how it works.

282nd Face(s) Halloween Comes Early

Yesterday was the annual Halloween Festival at Santana Row so I took the kids for a third year. Amara got to trick or treat, moving from shop to shop getting candy. There were a LOT of people (mostly moms) with their kids all dressed up for H-day. I love to see all of the costumes. Disney Princesses were all of the rage. Nearly every girl in attendance was dressed as her favorite princess closely followed by Tinkerbell. Amara was her favorite princess, Cinderella, and Kai went as a monkey. You can tell who was excited to go...And who really wasn't into it...
Getting ready for candy collection at the fountain.Amara looked great
And Kai finally woke up.
We even made an appearance at Container Store to see Grandma Karen.
It was a really fun day but the cold wind finally got the best of us and we headed home with our pumpkin bucket half full of candy. A fun time, despite teh crowds and the weather.

281st Face

Amara in her "Dress of my (her) dreams." She loves this dress and wears it as often as mommy and daddy will allow.

278th, 279th, 280th Face(s)

A little family bathtime. (This one from a time when Kai actually fit in the infant tub)
A very scary guy in scrubs...

Halloween cookies and their maker.

277th Face

Chimpanzee (also from Cal Academy of Sciences) okay I'll get back to faces of the living, maybe I'll post more of my skull photo collection on my other blog. happy Dia De Los Muertos! Or All Saint's Day if you wanna call it that. Or just happy Halloween.

276th Face

River Hippopotamus from Cal Academy of Sciences

275th Face

Grey Whale skeleton from the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

274th Face

A skull for Dia de los Muertos, coming soon. I have lots of skulls, stay tuned.

273rd Face

Darth Amara...know what I mean jelly bean?

272nd Face(s)

Amara waiting for her swim lesson to start.Getting instruction from Miss Susanna.

271st Face

Amara's self portrait, she drew this morning while Kai was napping. Look, the letters are in a line! Neat!

270th Face(s)

Patient #1:
A well known mer-princess (name withheld as she is a minor) who, in the act of faux-swimming, suffered a catastrophic form of Armus Outis at the lateral truck. Though the arm was completely severed, the patient kept on smiling.
Patient #2
A stray gray and lavender nameless cat who suffered a most traumatic version of Cranium Twisti-officitus. Another real trooper who, despite it all, continued to smile as well.

Our obligation as care providers was to try and save them, insurance or no. Above the capable operating hand of world class reattachment surgeon, A.M. Jackson along with her "tools of the trade".After a grueling multi-hour surgery, both patients in recovery. Note right arm of princess reattached (and patient still smiling) but heavily bandaged. Cat,patient #2, sits next to patient #1. Questions have been raised about proper care and breathing apparati but assurances were given as to the safety and vitality of Patient #2's recovery.

Reviewer's note: After a seemingly improbably reattachment surgery on the part of both patients, the bandages were removed, and both patients continued to smile. The right arm of the princess, though securely fastened, was left completely immobile, jutting out in a permanent "princess" wave, patient still smiled on. Patient #2 came out worse for wear as the surgery is thought to have caused all of the cat's moving anatomy to fuse together. Patient #2's head was one with its body but now the whole was completely useless. An investigation has been called regarding the surgeon's practices and methods and results are pending.

After note: Word has it that shortly after patient #1 was released from the O.R., her right arm (after so recently being reattached) suffered a case of Princess Waving Wrong-Wayus which caused the appendage to once again become disembodied. Again, an investigation of the operation and aftermath have been called with results pending.

268th and 269th Face(s)

Doug and Kai last Halloween.
A modern picture of Kai. All he does now is run around, so much for still shots.

267th Face

Happy 1st Birthday to our little guy, Kai. May this be the first of many, many more happy birthdays!

266th Face

Kai coyly cuddles.

265th Face

Kai makes a call on the go.

264th Face

Kai in a big straw hat.

263rd Face(s)

Amara:

"I drew a picture of me and you daddy. It's me and you walking under the sun, mommy and Kai stayed home so we could just walk together because I love you daddy." -- This is now, my most favorite drawing ever.

Add a caption

"I drew a picture of me and you daddy. It's me and you walking under the sun, mommy and Kai stayed home so we could just walk together because I love you daddy." -- This is now, my most favorite drawing ever.

262nd Face

Another one from Amara's camera. This is quite an expression.

261st Face

Amara is a tough kid to wake up.

256th, 257th, 258th, 259th AND 260th Face(s) Yeesh

In honor of the month, here's a throw back to Amara as chicken when she was 2 and a half. She's the one saying "She's got candy...I want candy!"

Speaking of going back in the photo archive, here's a fun one from 1998 (+ -) when Lynette and I drove up to Oregon to be a part of Brad (Roxanna's son's) wedding. Here we are with a bunch of Clapes family members on a Hellgate Jet Boat Excursion. Help me out here if you recognize any of these folks.
In the front row (closest to the bow) left to right is (one of Karen's kids), Kimberly, Boyd (son of Roxanna), and Roxanna. Second row left to right; Toni, (another of Karen's kids) Karen (daughter of Roxanna), Debbie and Christopher (on her lap).
Next row is...a family unrelated and unknown.
Next row L 2 R: Harriet Clapes' sister, Harriet Clapes and Roxy Clapes (Lynette's grandmother and grandfather - also Roxanna's mom and dad), Jeff and Lynette.
I don't know anybody else in the rest of the boat and so will move on to the next photo.
A recent one of Kai. Here he is saying "What do you mean, 'all done'?"
I spoke at Fairy Tale Town in Sacramento on Sept 27th. That was fun, but more fun to give a drawing demo to the kids in attendance.
Going back in time again: Lynette and Jeff dancing at John's wedding. There's Roger in the lower left.
That should get us all caught up...I think...

255th Face

Nuts! Did it again. I'll play catch up in while. For now, look in your mail boxes for the invite below.
Happy birthday (almost) Kai!!!
(click image for larger version)

254th Face

I had a left over Lynette.