All posts by Stu

Thanksgiving 2012

November 30, 2012UncategorizedThanksgivingStu

For Thanksgiving we had Jack, Sharon and Aunt Mona visiting us. We all had a great time eating a yummy Thanksgiving meal from Draeger’s including pumpkin pie off the china dessert plates from my grandmother’s wedding. Check out the ultra-wide panorama picture of all of us sitting at Thanksgiving dinner. We also visited San Francisco including a cable car ride and sipping hot chocolate after visiting the the huge gingerbread house at the Fairmont Hotel.

We’re also trying a new format for pictures that WordPress. See below for a mosaic of all our images from the holiday, or click on one of the pictures to start at a slideshow.

Claire’s first ballet recital

August 15, 2012Uncategorizedballet, ClaireStu

Claire’s first ballet recital was a few weeks ago. The younger kids did a short number before the full production of “Snow White”. This video is courtesy of our friend Kevin (whose daughter Anna is also in the class).

Claire’s 5th birthday

August 13, 2012Uncategorizedbirthdays, ClaireStu

Claire turned five years old in late June, a big milestone we celebrated at home on July 4th with about 20 friends. We had a backyard bouncy house, an arts & crafts table, lots of kids riding trikes and scooters, and of course cupcakes. Click on the picture of our family cheering on Claire for a slideshow, or the video below for the birthday song.

Lake Tahoe, Jan 2012

August 13, 2012UncategorizedStu

In late January we headed up to Lake Tahoe for a long weekend at an old-school ski resort called Granlibakken. One morning we had the ski hill completely to ourselves so Katherine and I gave Claire a private ski lesson. We helped her up the tow rope or dragged her up the hill ourselves, then let her go and watched her barrel down the hill. Juliet spent most of the time either giggling at her sister, asking for another run on the nearby sledding hill, or suggesting we take a break for hot chocolate. Click on the picture of the girls for a slideshow, or the video below to see skiing from Katherine to me.

Winter 2012 catchup

May 20, 2012UncategorizedClaire, hiking, JulietStu

Well it’s time to get caught up on a sizable inventory of photos from Winter fun, including making air-popped popcorn for our Friday night movie night, visiting San Francisco for a hike at Lands End park on the bluffs above the Golden Gate Bridge, enjoying our new West family tradition of weekly video conferences, going on a guided walking tour of a nearby elephant seal preserve, Valentine’s day, playing in the backyard, Juliet’s new bicycle, and the girls first indoor rock climbing experience at our local YMCA. For a slideshow, click on the picture of the girls in matching fleece jammies carrying their dolls in their backpacks.

Happy 50th Anniversary!

May 13, 2012UncategorizedAunt Eileen, Aunt Lou Ann, Aunt Mona, Nana, Poppa, Uncle MikeStu

Last weekend was my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. My sister Eileen and her family hosted a great party and dinner at their home in Oklahoma. In preparation for the celebration, Eileen, my other sister Mona, and I poured through the family’s collection of old 8mm films, 35mm slides, and prints. We pulled out the best of the best and put together a 22-minute video which we showed at the anniversary dinner. Here it is! Please leave a reply below with any stories of best wishes for my parents.

Sayulita 2012

March 17, 2012Uncategorizedbeach, Grandma Judy, travelStu

We headed down to Mexico in early March for a lovely week with Grandma Judy on the beach in a small town called Sayulita. With a non-stop flight, only a 2-hour time change, a great house to rent, and lots of fun restaurants a 10-minute walk away, it was just about perfect. Click on the picture of Claire and Juliet on the beach for a slideshow, including lots of playtime on the beach, walking along the promenade in Puerto Vallarta (about an hour away), eating pasta, playing in the pools, and enjoying rather large margaritas. Below the slideshow is a picture from my new Lytro camera, a cool new toy that allows you to click on different parts of the image and change the focus. Click on Juliet or the mountains in the background and try it!

We just finished re-ordering the past year or so of posts to put them in the order events happened, rather than in the frequently different order we got around to posting blog entries! We’ll continue doing this sporadically to fix the timeline.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

February 14, 2012UncategorizedStu

Juliet’s Third Birthday

February 7, 2012Uncategorizedbirthdays, Juliet, videosStu

Juliet turned three and we celebrated in style, with lots of cupcakes (in two batches) and a party with her friends. Highlights included playing in the backyard, taking lots of pictures, and wearing lots of frosting. Juliet also switched out of her crib and into a big girl bed…. sharing a room with her big sister! Click on the picture of Juliet eyeing her birthday cupcake and candle for a slideshow which includes a video of singing Happy Birthday.