matt's favorite wine shop in berkeley has a quarterly event in their parking lot, which pairs some of their wines with delicious food & dessert. somehow we almost always have something going on on the saturdays that they have an event, and with two kids it has become a lot harder to make it since it usually runs right during the girls' naps.
we had already had a full morning this last time, which was "oyster bliss", and really should've gone straight home instead of risking double daughter meltdown by going. matt and i were driving home in separate cars when i drove up to his and motioned "let's just go!" it was crazy and irresponsible, but my philosophy is that sometimes what is best for your kids is more what is best for the parents. i felt kind of giddy driving there, because i knew we may be making a really bad decision, but it felt like something that would be good for matt and me. some days you need to just go for it, for your own well-being which then makes you more patient as a parent.
oysters & wine for lots of people...
and then sausages for people like me, who are not fans of creatures of the sea:
and then, miraculously, the girl who will not touch any meat, poultry or fish (except for bacon)
wanted to eat an oyster.
what!?!
crazy girl.
my favorite part is always dessert.
so so good:
here is our attempt at a family photo.
notice i am holding up bread to try to get ruby to look at the camera.
typical mom & girls photos in which
a. i look ancient and
b. my kids do not mutually cooperate with the camera lens.
here's the thing. they were tired by the end and took very late naps,
but it was worth it to go enjoy some good food & wine & music together as a family.
a gamble that paid off!
also,
i keep meaning to post pictures of m's third b-day at school:
purple (of course) cupcakes
two classes came together to toast m:
(adam was insanely cute and kept diving into the frosting)
viv could not spare any of the frosting (smart girl!)
after all, i got the recipe from her mom
my happy 3 year old...
and the post-cupcake mess:
Add the bacon to the oysters!
ReplyDeleteyum and so fun
glad the risk was rewarded :)
Y'know, seeing M's classmates bedecked with CIs really startled me. I know what school she goes to, and yet it hadn't really occcured to me.... How cool, that she's in a setting where that's the normal. Ben has never experienced that. The only people he's seen wearing CIs were at the Sturbridge conference (and he was too young to take that in) and a couple of kids at the Buffalo zoo, and he was too shy to make eye contact. In our little town, he's the only one. Everyone notices (even if they pretend not to), and everyone remembers him even if they've only seen him once before. It's disconcerting sometimes.
ReplyDeleteLOVE the picture with you holding up the bread. that is the best. seriously.
ReplyDeletejulia-i know; i actually talked about that at her iep...how she will always be the other in a mainstream setting & what a gift it is for her to be in a place where she is the norm. she can literally rattle off every kid in her class & their equipment-which i love.
ReplyDeletealso, with all of her hair her CIs are more hidden, so they are less visible than most boys' CIs unless her hair is back. even then we often get stares, etc. as she gets older that will be interesting to navigate...
anonymous- right? look at her reaching for the bread!
Glad this spontaneous moment worked out for you all! We're all about times like this!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter's not a meat eater either ... except for bacon and sometimes deli turkey (yet she won't eat the good stuff on Thanksgiving?!) I gotta say though she still eats better than her brothers with all the fruits, nuts, and veggies she loves.
Love all your pics. Adorable.