San Francisco

So our flight out of NYC was delayed 4 hours (!!!). The kids were eating snacks off the airport floors and causing ruckus by the time it was time to board. You could tell that all the other passengers were saying silent prayers: "please let me not sit next to them." The flight was fine after Lulu screamed for about 1 hour and Jared calmed her down while I talked to the guy across the aisle about the election. (what?)

We got there at about 4 in the morning:



And after two or so hours of sleep, we were off to see the city:



Jared's parents came out to see us there:







Cyra walked by these statues and said: "Hey, that looks like Papa!"













We also saw our good friends Chris and Alia (who just had a baby).

And the reason for the trip: my cousin, Alaleh's wedding.

This is the sofreh. See here for the symbols.



We had one of these at our wedding too. Too bad I didn't have a blog back then or I could have posted pictures. Come to think of it, I don't think there was digital photography back when I was married.





We so rarely get dressed up that I will indulge you and post one too many pictures of us dressed up:



The bride and groom:


Cousin Arash and Yismary:



It was a beautiful wedding. Great food, great band and then a great DJ. As is custom at Iranian weddings, we danced until very late and left the kids at the hotel with a baby sitter. It was a lot of fun.

Random wanderings around the beach:



When Jared saw this boy scout troop band just appear out of nowhere in perfect pitch walking toward the beach, he was mesmerized and just stood staring at them. Then, he just shook his head and just kept mumbling: "how do they get a whole band out of their troop?" "We can barely get a troop." "And look at all of them with their neat shirts on!" I guess not all boy scout troops are like ours in Harlem, but there are very few who have as much character and charm (who needs a well-coordinated band?)



Excuse the pictures. It only looks dark and gloomy because it was a very dark and gloomy day. But look on the bright side:



This guy sleeping in his Carpe Diem bus is basically living Jared's dream.





These guys too.

And then there was this random group walking the beach:



Wait, look closely:



It's the "small dog society." Really? People who just get together to walk their small dogs? Why do they think that they have more in common with other people with small dogs than say, people with big dogs or is it just for their dogs so they don't develop a small dog complex? But in seriousness, I bet some of those dogs have some great ideas.

Happy Birthday Cyra!

Cyra turned 3 on the 13th of October.

And here are all the things I love about Cyra:

• When I ask her how her day was at school she says (with a huge smile): "I doesn't cry today!"
• She loves to pick her toes. She just sits there for hours and picks lint out of her toes--silent and totally focused.
• She wears size 18-24 month clothes and everyone thinks she is a genius because because she is actually 3, but looks like she's two.
  
• She still loves her dad more than anyone and anything.
• She can be a good big sister and Lulu worships her:
• 
• She recognizes Obama, McCain, Clinton (Hillary), Bush, and Palin by sight.
  
• She still claims that her best friend is this little girl Sandra that she met in Bali 6 months ago who did not speak any English and was 2 years older than Cyra.
  
• Her favorite colors are pink and red and (much to mommy and daddy's dismay) she loves all sorts of princess paraphernalia.
• She loves to put things in bags and carry them around and unpack them and re-pack them. The heavier the bag, the better.
  
• Sometimes, she has her own language that she just babbles to me with real intonations and hand motions.
  
• She is always smiling (unless she is crying, being mean to Lulu, or picking her toes).
• She still sleeps with little red octopus that she has had since she was 3 months old.
  

Happy Birthday Cyra. I wish I had better words to describe how totally and fully I love all 35 inches and 27 pounds of you!

Photo shoot with Chelsea

Chelsea came to visit me with her nice camera and camera-working talent and took some pictures of my less that cooperative family.


She put some on her website here and here too

My favorite:



Here is a slide-show of the rest:



(I hesitate to post stuff like this because I don't want you to feel obligated to tell me how cute my kids are, but I want to post it because I want you to know how cute they are without having to show off about my cute kids. :) Also, if we do get around to sending a Christmas card this year, please do not be disappointed to see one of these pictures in there.)

Apple picking and Hamilton, NY

We went to visit our friends Dan and Sunny and Chad and Kimber up in Hamilton, NY and the leaves were turning and we picked apples and made apple pie. We have accomplished autumn. On to winter.







Low hanging fruit is not always easy to pick off.









And then an apple hit her on the head.





And this one was teething the entire weekend. Top two front teeth. No, she does not have them yet, but that didn't stop her from eating the apples off the ground.







And the leaves...















And then just chillaxin' with the ipod.



















"Mom, what are these things? what will the street-cleaning truck do with them? Do you think they have to alternate sides of the street?"







The Colgate campus is lovely.



Thanks to Sunny and Dan for letting us come to your house and meet your beautiful baby.