County Fair with Grandpa and Grandma Kate

Today we went to the Alameda County Fair with Grandpa and Grandma Kate. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day; the temperature was perfect, there was so much to do and see, and our hosts are always so thoughtful and generous. Great idea Kate.
Thank you, we had a wonderful time!
The videos speak for themselves. :-)













We will miss you.

ACDShe Kicks A$$

Yo! EV here on inaugural post! Arrived home a week and half ago. Missed family deeply and can't wait to get back to India for the beginning of our adventure! Friday was an awesome reunion seeing the lovely Mandi and hangin' with old, old high school friend, Justin. We saw ACDShe! HAHAHA! A bunch of 40 year old guys in a mosh pit singing the old songs and trying to cause some damage. They were great and it was a once in a lifetime experience!


Check out the Video!!!!

Tack så mycket Ann-Britt!

Hej Ann-Britt!
Thanks for sending the Swedish shirts for the kids! This way they can continue to celebrate their heritage while in India.







Vi älskar dig!
- Helen och familje

We've moved!!

We are officially no longer living in our cute little Redwood City house with the most amazing backyard ever. We'll miss you amazing backyard. :-(

The movers came today. It took them all day to pack us up and fill a large truck with all of our stuff. Amazing, I really didn't think we had that much.

The majority of our stuff went into storage with a pod of items being shipped to India.

We are staying in temporary housing for the next few weeks. It's a cute little place in a complex with a swimming pool, playground and housekeeping. :-) What's not to like??

Double Decker bus tour of SF w/ DW India

Today we went on a full day, double-decker bus tour of San Francisco with people from DW India. The weather had been in the 90's all week, but when Sunday rolled around, so did the fog. Good thing the bus had fleece blankets.







The group consisted of a group from India who were flown to Los Angeles for training, a group of French PDI'ers who will soon be moving to India, the Vignau family and a couple Angels from DW Glendale who put the whole event together. It was an excellent mixer. I was so excited to finally meet the guys Erik has been telling me about for the last 6 weeks. I can see why he loves it over there so much.







Thanks for a GREAT DAY!

Annika graduates from Kindergarten

Wow, my first born is now a 1st grader.
So wonderful that Erik made it home to see her "graduate." There was a class party that family was invited to.

D A D D Y... I S... H O M E !!!

Erik made a surprise visit home last night! Came in at 2:00am - I thought we were having a break in!! He had been traveling for 36 hours and didn't give me a clue that he was coming home to surprise us. After he dropped his bags, let my heart calm down, he went straight for the kids room to give them kisses and hugs all over.

So nice to have him back. :-)

Thanks for dinner Beth!

Beth came by tonight and brought MY FAVORITE dinner... lamb kabobs from Kabul Afgan Cuisine! She even brought side dishes of pumpkin, spinach and eggplant. ABSOLUTE HEAVEN!! Since it was a warm night, we dined in the backyard over a bottle of wine.
Thank you for checking in!
What a treat!!

Lunch with Natasha

Had a wonderful lunch with Natasha today. :-) I'm so glad she checked in because I will miss her and it was very nice to spend some time with her before we go.



She came baring gifts... she gave me a necklace that she described as a little bit of both of us... red garnet for me and blue moonstone for her. I will treasure it always. Thank you.



She also brought a Wall-E poster for the kids. Annika went crazy and wanted it displayed immediately.

1st poster for Mad 2

Saw my first poster for Madagascar 2 today!
11 * 07 * 08

Fun in Felton / Olive at 6 weeks

Met the P-Z family + friends for breakfast in Felton this morning. The place was beautiful, like being on a mini-vacation. We sat for a long time and enjoyed each others' company. There was a sandbox and areas for the kids to run around, so the adults had adult time once the kids were no longer interested in breakfast.









After breakfast we walked around the Roaring Camp Railroad park area and then went on a walking tour of the giant redwoods at Henry Cowell State Park. Lovely.

After the redwoods we went to the P-Z family homestead where we had a nice meal and dropped off our beloved trampoline.

Happy Father's Day Daddy!!!

WE MISS YOU DADDY!
WISH YOU WERE HERE!!!
Love,
Annika & August









When you get your package, there's a little bit of homemade love inside.
We hope you like it. :-)

Happy Anniversary Honey!

11 years of marriage... almost 19 years together...
dang!
What's our secret??

Love you -
Miss you

Looking forward to having you home.
All my love,
Helen

Songs for Daddy...

Goodbye red boots

August declared his favorite shoes are officially too small. Actually asked me to take them off... :-(

A story for Daddy...

Images of India

Tanya and Lexi came for a visit

Had a great visit with Tanya and Lexi. They arrived Thursday afternoon and we had a whirlwind visit; Aug's birthday at Chuck E Cheese, Annika's Open House, a day in Half Moon Bay, a trip to the farmer's market, a day in San Francisco, and lots and lots of time soaking up the sunshine in the backyard w/ kids on the trampoline.







We had lunch in Chinatown where we were seated in our own private room. We felt like superstar VIPs but quickly realized we were really being sequestered due to the fact we were with three small children.

Half Moon Bay

Went to Half Moon Bay with Tanya and Lexi to have lunch at my favorite spot on the coast... Barbara's FishTrap. We had a great time lunching while overlooking the ocean and enjoying the sunshine.



Gratuitous clam chowder shots for Erik and Linda.
Before...


After...


Mmmmm...



To round out the trip to the coast, we drove home via Pescadero and stopped at Duarte's. Tanya ran in to pick up a fresh-baked still-hot-from-the-oven Olallieberry pie. Duarte's Olallieberry pie was named one of the best pies in the country by Life Magazine. Tanya enjoyed the pie but still believes her Mama's crust could beat this one hands down.