Birthdays!

April is birthday month around here. First came Dahrius' birthday, celebrated a day early to accommodate daddy's unfortunate travel schedule. He's a candle-blowing expert at this point. Maman helped us celebrate, and Ranier always likes cake and party, no matter the occasion or size of the crowd.



We then held a joint birthday party for the boys at a local park, La Loma, which is tucked away above the UC Campus. It's tricky to find, but it's a great place for a party like this because there are separate playgrounds for the different age groups and everything is easy to see from the picnic table. The weather really came through for us - sunny and warm and absolutely perfect for a bunch of kids (and adults) who want to run around and scream a bit.




The highlight of the party was the dinoland cake baked by Megan, complete with an erupting volcano, herds of dinosaurs, and edible turf. Yes, it took a whole day to bake and assemble. And yes, it was delicious!




After all that running, the boys settled into a more reflective mood once the other kids (and parents) left. These two will take up a book anytime, anywhere!


Ranier then got his own special day for his actual birthday. His school celebrates birthdays (unlike in kindergarten), so Ranier proudly wore the Henry (train) crown Eric made for him and sat at the head of the table. Mounds of pasta were consumed, followed by a cupcake or two.




Finally, we celebrated Ranier's actual birthday with some cake and presents at home with Maman and Baba. Ranier was in a festive mood, and he went absolutely giddy upon unwrapping a bath-tub Thomas. I'll look forward to many funnel-squirts in the days to come. :)

Spring is springing...

It was a rather discombobulating Spring for us due to workplace challenges. Regardless, the days were getting longer, the flowers were emerging, and we had much to look forward to, including a great trip to see Nana and Papi's completed house in Tucson. I don't have an exterior shot that does the house justice... it's magnificent!



We paid a visit to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. Ranier still fits on the brone javelina statues at the entrance.


We has a number of excellent hikes out their back door, including a great climb to the top of Tumamoc Peak, with views all around...



Back in California, we enjoyed a visit from Katherine and her new girl, Beatrice, whom we were all meeting for the first time. She got right to work wrapping the boys around her little finger...

"Mmmmm. I wonder what camera tastes like?"


Since we met at Jeanne's folk's house, we could easily take a walk to nearby Golden Gate Park and enjoy the botanical garden while it is still free.



The boys found time to wear matching shirts and be silly for a while.


Spring is unfolding itself slowly this year, since it has been wet and cool. It reminds me of Oregon Springs. Though the coast is one of the first areas to produce wildflower displays, it was still a little early, but the coast is beautiful any time of the year. We paid a visit to Kehoe Beach on Pt Reyes. It was sunny but very windy and cold. Ranier walked the whole way there though.



The cold didn't stop some of us from getting wet anyway. The creek flowing across the beach was moving along nicely, riffling and waving in mesmerizing fashion.


And the "run away!" (from the waves) game is always a hit.


We pulled out all of the stops for a Persian New Year party this year. It turned out to be gorgeous warm weather - lots of people came, the food was delicious, and it was a grand time. Here is the haft sin.


And the food!

We made a trip to the Sierras (Sorensen's) over MLK weekend, which brought the boys into their first contact with real snow. There was plenty of it, and on our way back to Berkeley we barely avoided getting hung up in the mountains as one of the most significant series of storms rolled in that day. It was a great time, dampened only by some colds that Ranier and mommy picked up and had to deal with. We'll do it again and try skiing next time...


Dahrius figured out sledding pretty quickly... we didn't quite get to expert level, but pretty close!


It was then time for a haircut, so the older Bissell boys arranged a joint visit to our local barber who has been cutting bab's and daddy's hair for a decade or two. Here is the "before" shot.


And the "after" shot. Much better!

Last of the winter holidays...

We rounded out the winter holidays with a visit from the Uhls - the cousins had their usual grand time. We visited the nearby little farm...



...enjoyed snacks together...


...and opened thematically matched presents.

The boys helped mommy make cookies.

And then we all went for another hike in nearby Tilden, which is looking very green and mossy with all of the rain and cool weather.

Puerto Vallarta

We had an amazing holiday with the rest of the Halls in Puerto Vallarta, staying at a house owned by one of Papi's good friends. This is just a sampler of that trip...

Here is the view from the deck of the house we stayed in, a few miles south of the town center of Puerto Vallarta.

Ir was Christmas, so we had all the trappings down there as well. The kids enjoyed it, as expected.

Nana may have read over 1000 pages to Dahrius by the time the trip was over...


The pool was nearly always in use, no matter what temperature we could get it to be. Dahrius progressed from dipping his toes in the water to practically swimming over the course of the week, with Uncle Joshie's help. Here, they're looking for whales.


We managed to get away from a the pool on occasion, including a memorable trip to the local zoo, where you can hold baby tigers...


...or get up close and personal with a camel, among other creatures!


We took a hike along the spectacular coastline, stopping at secluded, or sometimes very busy, beaches along the way and contemplating the possibility of life on a jungle cliff.


A visit to the local botanical garden was also a hit. Good thing we had some seasoned jungle explorers on hand!


The botanical garden included a section next to the river. Some of us went swimming.


We also got into Puerto Vallarta proper just a little bit, which is a beautiful colonial town.


We celebrated many different events, from Christmas itself to Nana and Papi's anniversary, and so on. I don't think anyone starved.

Mostly, it was really nice to spend some solid time with the family, and for the boys to be doted upon by everyone. We can only wish that everyone could live life so well.