I Love My Babies!

The Headless Horseman

We made the trek out to Conner Prairie Sunday night to visit the ever-so-popular Headless Horseman. I love doing this!….I’ve done it since I was a young kid and it’s truly become a seasonal staple for us.

We started the evening with crafts and music, where Emma made a super-cool spider hat, and Drew spent some time with the Music Man, banging various “musical” objects around in an oh-so-pleasant melody.

Next stop was to the Weird Science pavilion where we saw how electricity works, the insides of bugs, and various rodent skuls.

Then came playground time. I’m not really a fan of this; I mean we come to Conner Prairie to experience all the “ghoulish” things and yet the kids wind up on a playground that they can experience any time. But such is life; I’m not going to argue with a super stubborn 4-year old and a mischievous 17-month old.

After that wore off, we went to the “Scarey-O-Kee” tent where we watched one of Emma’s favorite videos (Thriller) and spent some time exploring the black light magic. And Drew? Well he was just content to bulldoze over the electrically lighted pumpkins, breaking the bulbs in the meantime. That kid. I tell you what….he’s going to be a little trouble-maker. At 17 months, the kid knows what he’s doing…and he just laughs his cute little laugh and shows his adorable little dimple. No one can resist…so WHAT if he breaks a little bulb along the way?!?  :)

Finally, after a couple of exploratory hours later (code for waiting), our time was up to head out to the hayride to see the Headless Horseman.  While waiting in line, we really started to get Emma amped up.  It was kinda funny; she was getting annoyed with me saying I was “so scared.”  I believe she said, “Uh, Mom.  Don’t be scared.  See (*pointing to Malnar*)—Malnar’s not scared.”  But just as soon as we got into the hayride, she slid down into the hay where her head wasn’t seen from above the wagon.  After all that talk about kicking ghouls and not being afraid, ol girl was scared poopless!  Three days later, and she’s STILL talking about who’s head he (the Headless Horseman) chopped off.  She truly believes he got another girl with a bow in her hair.

Matt's Halloween Party

We had a good time at Matt's Annual Halloween Party this past weekend. My girlfriend Jules came down for the weekend so she came fully prepared in her Mad Hatter costume. Andy was a rapper...and was HILARIOUS!...I was a Pink Lady from the movie Grease. Matt stole the show, though. He was Lady Gaga in the red lace dress. And I was all too proud....I made the costume for him! I think the red thong underneath made the outfit, don't you think?!?

Emma's 4-Year Stats

Well, it's been officially confirmed. Emma is a beast.

She had her 4-Year well check-up, where they check her height and weight (and I guess BMI....this was the first time I've seen this measurement). At a whooping 46 inches (that's 3'10"), my big girl is 53 lbs. She's in the 99th percentile for both height and weight! And when the doctor first walked in the room, her exact words were "Wow." As in, she couldn't believe that she was only 4 years old. She asked if most people assume she's a 6 year old. And the answer to that is an astounding, Yes. Not only for her shear size, but she's also developmentally ahead of the game.

Am I bragging? Hell yes I am. I am so proud of my "little" girl. I'm proud that she's a super-achiever; I'm proud that she stands a head taller than all her classmates; I'm just so proud of my Emma!

The "Ghoul House"

These pictures don't nearly do it justice, but we have a FABULOUS Halloween house (that Emma calls the "Ghoul House," hence the title of this entry) in our neighborhood. It's become a little tradition of ours to walk down to it as a family, to get a good look at all the scary things they've put up. You wouldn't believe how much time and energy is put into this decor....there's a cemetery out front, ghosts in every window backlit with black lights, corpses banging in coffins trying to get out, an alligator chomping off a fisher's hand (there's a pond in their yard). It's truly a sight to see. On Halloween night, people carpool in just to see this house. They set an industrial size fogger up so that it looks super-eery and play Halloween music. It's such a neat experience!

Emma's 4th Birthday, Take 2

So you may have been wondering why I put "Take 1" in my first post about Emma's 4th Birthday. Well, here's your answer: the poor little girl got TWO birthday celebrations.

I know, I know. Highly unnecessary. But the first party was really the "celebration" one, where we invited all her friends to Monkey Joe's for a night of crazy-bounciness. No presents were accepted; just the celebration of Emma turning four. So I had to have a family celebration, where gifts were given, and Hello Kitty was in full effect.

And it didn't disappoint. Emma got more crap than needed. Some of the gifts that our family gave:

- A "vintage" Cabbage Patch doll from 1985. Aunt Anne got an authentic doll at a garage sale, complete with all the original adoption papers, in the original box, everything intact. It was super-cool!
- Her first digital camera. The girl hasn't stopped taking unnecessary pictures. I think she likes it.
- Leapster, an educational video game. She already knows how to work it. The tricky thing now is: who likes it more, daddy or Emma?
- Zsu Zsu Pets. Compliments of Grandma, we now have these annoying little robotic gerbils that reek havoc on my nerves. Thanks, mom.
- Disney Princess Keyboard. What IS IT with grandparents giving all the annoying toys?!? Not that we needed Emma to be even louder than she naturally is, we are now serenaded with beautiful "melodies" every morning at breakfast. And during NFL football games. And at night-night time. And.....you get the picture. Again, thanks dad!
- Barbie dress-up clothes. I think she got like a 500-piece set. All I could think about was, "How the HECK am I going to keep these things out of Drewbie's mouth?" Ugh, fun times!

San Francisco Trip: DAY 3

Our third and final day was spent back in the city. We started bright and early to experience Alcatraz. Words cannot express how cool this is! You first board a ferry, taking you 1 1/2 miles out to the island, all while enjoying the scenic backdrop of the city. Once the ferry drops you off, you are quickly given instructions on what you may do while at Alcatraz. It's pretty cool; you're allowed to walk the island on your own, looking at the school house, or the water tower, or the morgue. Whatever you'd like. We first choose to do the "adventure walk," which included a spiral trail up the island. We got to see the vegetation of the island, make quick stops to take some breath-taking pictures, and just leisurely enjoy the eery sites of the prison. Once inside, you're given headsets that walk you through the entire prison. The voices are narrated by formal prison guards and prisoners. It's beyond cool. I don't think I've ever experienced any other tour quite as cool as this one. This is an absolute MUST if traveling to San Fran.

After Alcatraz, we grabbed some lunch then took a cable car back to Union Square. (Andy was eager to ride one of these. I had actually ridden on one before, when I was in town on business.....so we forked up the $10 fee and took a whirl on the car.) We shopped a little more---hey, we couldn't leave our babies for 5 days and NOT get them something--then took a power nap back at the hotel. The time change had finally caught up with us, so we just needed to catch up on some zzz's!

We then took a cab to a neighborhood called the Height-Ashbury district. This neighborhood was characterized as a flower-power, incense-burning, acid-dropping, tie-dye-wearing, peace-and-love-vibing 'hood, reminiscent of the 60's hippie era. Many raved this as a "must-see," but honestly...I would have to say this was my least favorite part of the trip. With all they hype that I read about, I expected a little more out of this neighborhood. Instead, I found this to be just a landing zone for burnt-out, 20-somethings, who prefer weed over life. It was quite sad, actually. But, I guess it was worth it....Andy & I got a MEAN ice cream cone from Ben & Jerry's! :)

That ended our fast-paced, action-packed San Francisco adventure. It was a great trip, and I can't wait for the next one!!!

Welcome to "The Rock"

Processing Center

Cell.  I believe it is 5ft wide x 12ft long.  Imagine that that is your home.

Replication of what the prison guards looked like.

Another picture of one of the cells.

Warning sign that's posted on the south end of the island.

This is a picture of one of the prisoners who escaped.  You can see the hole they drilled (from a spoon!) at the end of the room.  He made a face from a rock, to make it look like he was sleeping.

San Francisco Trip: DAY 2

The second day's itinerary was to picturesque Napa Valley. We started the morning bright and early (forgoing breakfast, as we were still hungover from our food binge the previous day) at City Rentals, to get our call for the day. We opted to rent a luxury Rolls Royce for the day because hey---when in Rome....

Wait--who am I kidding?!? We went with a mid-size vehicle (which happened to be a Honda, so I was right at home behind the wheel). I was the driver because I have a pretty good sense of direction. That, and I trust Andy to read me directions from his GPS system (iPhone) more so than vice versa.

It takes about an hour or so from San Fran to Napa Valley, so we enjoyed the picturesque scenery along the way. Once in Napa, we stopped in the cutest little town of St. Helena for some brunch. This town kinda reminded me of Zionsville, with it's brick sidewalks and quaint shoppes. While waiting for our table, I took a stroll down the road stopping in a cute kid's boutique and bought Emma a book. ("Llama Llama Misses Mama," in case you were interested. She loves the Llama Llama Red Pajama book we currently have, and after further research the other day, I realized that it's a whole series. Llama Llama Holiday Drama drops 10/17 and Llama Llama Mad at Mama is currently in stores. Just FYI.) And I was tempted to buy a pair of Valentino pumps for the low, low price of $1,500 for myself at a cute shoe boutique called Shoecandy, but then I woke up.

So after brunch, we headed to all the wineries. Our first stop was Castilla de Amorosa winery, or "Castle of Love." It is an amazing winery that truly looks like a castle out of Italy. In fact, that was the goal behind the construction of this massive building. Back in the early 70's Dario Sattui, owner, traveled around Europe for two years, studying the architecture of medieval buildings. He took photographs, studied their designs and took detailed sketches and renderings of these structures then brought them back to the states in 1972 with the intent to re-establish his great grandfather's original V. Sattui winery which had been dormant for over 50 years. In 1993, he purchased a 171-acre vineyard property and began construction on Castilla de Amorosa in 1994. The success that came from this venture can be seen in the beautiful pictures below. It was truly an experience to visit.

The next stop was to the Beringer winery. I wanted to go to a "big one," meaning one that was massive in quantity of bottles distributed, and one that I had drank before. It was beautiful as well. Sprawling landscaping, live music, and serene waterfalls all made this winery a pleasant stop. Andy & I enjoyed a tasting with chocolate at this one. It was fan-freaking-tastic. The lady who explained the wines to us was very down-to-earth, so we were able to "be ourselves" at this one. Which may or may not have entailed some purposely-placed chocolate in our teeth! Hehe!

We ended our winery tour at Sterling Winery. And let me just tell you, we saved the best for last. This winery was unbelievable! After driving up the entryway of beautifully-lined trees, we took the aerial tram up to the actual building. This tram was a car that was suspended on cables, taking you up the mountainside, allowing you to enjoy a truly picturesque view. From there, we leisurely took a tour at our own pace, on our own agenda. We saw the fermentation part, the barrels used for the aging process, and impeccable views from the top of the mountain. All while sipping on some wine. Not too shabby, eh?

At the end of the day, we drove back into the city to drop our rental off, then headed to the neighborhood of Nob Hill for some fine Italian cuisine. We stuffed ourselves full at the Nob Hill Cafe then headed back to our hotel for some much-needed rest.

Castilla de Amorosa

Live sheep and chickens on the grounds!

Simply amazing.

Dining hall inside the castle.

View from the courtyard.

Inside the cellar, where the wine tastings took place.

Storage process at the castle.

Beringer Winery

The grounds at Beringer.

Ever the connoisseur, Andy Swickheimer.

Followed by the Mrs., toasting to 5 years.

Impeccable landscaping @ Beringer.

You can see the tent outside the mansion at Beringer.  Live music serenaded us as we walked around.

Aboarding the aerial tram at Sterling Winery.

View from the tram.

View from the tram, as we traveled up the mountainside.

Fermentation process @ Sterling.

Barrells line the storage celler at Sterling.

View from the 2nd tasting station, along our walking tour at Sterling.

The countryside in Napa.

Oh, the views!