Tag Archives: birthdays

Tahoe Snow

February 21, 2010Uncategorizedbirthdays, Claire, Juliet, Katherine, travel, Will VStu

We spent a long weekend in the snow at Lake Tahoe, meeting up with a group of Claire’s playgroup friends. Thanks to two or three big storms in the days before we arrived, there was lots of snowplay including an afternoon sledding adventure. Katherine and I even managed some skiing after a multi-year baby-related hiatus from the slopes and we all celebrated birthdays of both Katherine and her friend Jen. Also included are a few bonus pictures of Claire’s pigtails and her new hand-me-down train set from her cousin Will. Click on the picture of Claire sledding for a slideshow.

Pink Tornado

October 23, 2009UncategorizedAunt Eileen, Aunt Mona, birthdays, Sara, Sophie, Susan, Uncle AbbasStu

Earlier this month we had a great family visit from my sisters Mona and Eileen along with Eileen’s husband Abbas and their three daughters Sara, Sophie and Susan (I call them the “pink tornado”). Friday night Eileen and Abbas had a quiet evening up in San Francisco, while down in Menlo Park the five girls under ten outnumbered adults and went crazy playing in a tent in our backyard, munching pizza on our new kids’ picnic table, and gazing at a bright Jupiter and its moons through some binoculars. Saturday morning we visited the local fire department’s annual pancake breakfast and saw lots of safety demonstration and rescue dogs. We also checked out the neighborhood playgrounds, hosted a friend of Eileen’s and her family, picked figs from the tree in our backyard, and enjoyed Sara taking lots of pictures including some pretty art shots of trees. Finally we had a Saturday night birthday dinner for me featuring a “train cake”, a family tradition involving individual pound cakes, chocolate frosting, and lots of decorative candy. After the Shobeiris left Sunday, Mona stayed for a relatively serene few days. Click on the picture below for a big slideshow including lots of Sara’s pictures.

Claire’s 2nd birthday

July 16, 2009Uncategorizedbirthdays, Claire, statisticsKatherine

Claire got together with a few of her friends in late June to celebrate both her birthday and her friend Riley’s in our backyard with lots of cupcakes, pushtoys, and sidewalk chalk. Also, for the statistics hounds out there, at her two-year checkup Claire was 37″ tall (99th percentile, same as 6 months ago) and 29 pounds (77th percentile, a bit less than 82nd percentile last time). Click on the picture below for a slideshow.

Happy Birthday!

February 3, 2009UncategorizedAunt Mona, birthdays, Claire, Katherine, pregnancy, WestlingsStu

We celebrated Katherine’s birthday Sunday with lots of anticipation around our new arrival. There’s no sign yet of spontaneous rotation, so we remain on track for a c-section Thursday morning. In the meantime, we’re getting the new baby’s room set up, clearing to-do lists ahead of her arrival, thinking about names, charging camera batteries, and enjoying a final few minutes alone with Claire. Aunt Mona just left after an incredibly helpful five-day visit when she, among other things, taught us some tricks for homemade pizza, put together the new baby’s Ikea dresser which came in approximately 42,000 pieces, and baked Katherine a chocolate-with-cream-cheese-frosting birthday cake complete with 38 candles. Grandma Judy arrives tomorrow. We’ll post updates as we have them, so check back Thursday.

In the meantime, here are a few pictures to whet your appetite, starting off with a visit last weekend to see our friends Kaya/Kelley and their son Thaylo and ending with the only naked belly shot from today’s backyard photo shoot that Katherine would let me publish. Click on the fire hazard photo below for a slideshow.

First birthday party

June 22, 2008Uncategorizedbirthdays, Claire, Grandma JudyStu

We celebrated Claire’s first birthday today. Grandma Judy was in town and helped put on quite a party, with balloons, toys, presents, a book exchange, and even chocolate cupcakes for Claire and 30 or so of our friends. Also included are a few pictures of Claire’s swimming class yesterday. Click on the photo below for a slideshow.

Poppa's 77th

June 15, 2008UncategorizedAunt Eileen, Aunt Lou Ann, Aunt Mona, birthdays, Nana, Poppa, Sara, Sophie, Susan, Uncle Abbas, Uncle MikeStu

May 30th was the 77th birthday for my dad Peter (who Claire knows as “Poppa”). To celebrate, all of us in his family headed to Oklahoma City to spend four fun days together at the beautiful home Eileen and Abbas recently built. We had a big birthday party, and lots of play time for Claire with her three cousins Sara, Sophie and Susan. Click on the photo below for a slideshow of photos by my Dad and us.