Interesting libations......

Here are the 2 new wines we bought today!



Is this what you become after you drink a whole bottle of this????

is this what you get after you drink the wine?????

these 2 wines were a really nice surprise! The Big Ass is a 2nd label for Adler Fels Winery in Sonoma County, and it was really really good!!! The chardonnay, Mom really liked as well!

Oyster Fest at Hog Island Oyster Co., Marshall, CA

Today, we took off at 9:30am, headed for Freestone, CA in Sonoma County for Wild Flour Bread. This tiny bakery, makes incredible breads only on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Mondays...and Monday is when they make their Fig, Pear and Ginger Bread! I LOVE fig, and I was willing to drive for bread with this amazing fruit in it!

So, of we went...we found Wild Flour.....was so excited to find it....and....IT WAS CLOSED!!! AAAAAAGGGHHHHHHHHH.......they went camping/fishing...literally......GO FIGURE! they're only open 4 days a week, and they pick THIS Monday to close......oh, it was so disappointing....and we were SO hungry by then...

so, we went up to Bodega Bay...stopped at The Tides Wharf...bought some fun things...like some interesting wine from Sonoma County.....Big Ass Zin (no joking) and Horse's Ass Chardonnay(no joking)...both, which were fantastic....2nd labels for other wineries....but still GREAT wines!!! never mind hilarious names!!

After that, we headed down Highway 1 to Marshall to Hog Island Oyster Farm.....My Dad and Brian LOVE oysters....and to have them right out of Tomales Bay for lunch was just perfect! We had stopped at our favorite market in Sebastopol, Fircrest Market, for some amazing sandwiches and salads, on our way out and we were ready for a picnic!

It was GORGEOUS out in Marshall today...a very light wind..100% sunshine...and good food and family around made it a perfect outing!!

We got back home to Novato around 2:30 where it was over 90 degrees, so we dumped the stuff inside the house and headed for the pool!!!

The Oyster Man Cometh!!

Brian on his way to the table with the oysters!!!

36 Oysters ready to be shucked and devoured!!!!!! they were amazing!!!

Here is Dad, busy shucking his oysters! This guy doesn't waste any time!!!

dueling shuckers!!!! Brian and Dad hard at work for their lunch!!! At Hog Island, it's Oysters ONLY!! and they don't shuck 'em for ya, or bring them to you.....they give them to you with the tool, some tobasco and that is IT!!!!

Grandpa and his Girls!!!

This says it all, I think....

taken today in Bodega Bay....what a gorgeous day it was to be out in Sonoma/West Marin!!!

A Surprise visit from family far away!!

Sunday afternoon, I get a phone call from
my Uncle Frank (center) telling me that
my Aunt Kathy (left..my Dad's youngest sister) will be out visiting next weekend and can he have my address so they can come up and visit us...Suuuurrrrree I say, would be GREAT to see you guys next weekend, especially since my Mom and Dad are here. Well, about 5 mins. later, my doorbell rings and whose lovely face do I see in my front window, but my Aunt Kathy..... SUCH a fun surprise visit! I was so happy to see them, it's been 2yrs. since I last saw them back in Maine for my brother Kevin's wedding.... and of course, Mom and Dad were NOT here, they were on route back from LA visiting my brother Ryan and his family........

My Aunt Kathy used to take me out when I was a little kid, to places with all her grown-up friends, and she used to say "Kristin, if you can be quiet for 1 minute, I'll buy you something"...HA! nope, no dice...I couldn't be quiet for a minute when I was 5.... :))) now, of course, I can be quiet for at least, 30secs....(and no snarky comments from my friends on that)

June 21st...Referral Day and Meigan turns 4!!!!

The 21st of June is a very special day in our house!!! This date marks the date we received Meigan's referral....and it is also Meigan's birthday. It was pretty amazing to get Meigan's referral on her 1st birthday and to find out that she is from the very same city as her big sister Catie!!

It's hard to believe she's 4 already. She's been home almost 3 yrs. now. Meigan is now the same age that Catie was, when we traveled to bring Meig home.

Meig is one funny kid. She's intense, stubborn, fiercely loyal, loving and just a blessing to our family!!!

here is the first picture we saw of Meigan on June 22, 2003.

Today, Meigan woke up today at 6:45am, came in our room, poked me at said "Mom, MOM...look at me, I grew overnight".....she was soooooo excited that her day was here, she didn't stop smiling from the time she woke up until she went to bed!!!

We had Meig's party today, with friends...Nana and Grandpa flew out yesterday to celebrate with her...

here is Meigan, at 8:45am today, with a HUGE smile on her face...her Grandpa is singing Happy Birthday to her, and she's grinning ear to ear!!!

At our house, when it's your birthday, you get the "Special Plate" and you get to have ANYTHING you want for breakfast!! and today, Meigan chose ice cream and sprinkles! mmmmmm, breakfast of champions!!!

Here is the birthday girl, ready for her big, fun-filled day!!


THE HELLO KITTY CAKE!!!!!!

the cake eaters, taking time out from the pool.

The Hello Kitty pinata....filled with toys and M&M's....it was the pull string kind...we didn't want to be wacking Hello Kitty with a baseball bat.....

here is Meigan pulling the first string.......

and another string............darn pinata just wouldn't burst open!!!

SUCCESS!!!!! The birthday girl with all her pinata loot!

Anna helps Meigan with her card....the gift craze!!!

IT's 10:20pm...everyone in the house is asleep, except for me...of course...I've filled the dishwasher, cleaned all the dishes, picked up all the papers, boxes, blah blah blah...

A very successful 4th birthday party for Miss Meigan!

A First Place Blue Ribbon for Catie!!!!!!!

On the 16th, while we were in Honolulu, Catie's swim team The Riptide had a swim meet against another team in our town, the Stingrays. Our girl, swam her personal best freestyle time so far this season with a time of 28.34. She WON her heat!!!!! We were so sad to have missed this!!!

She was so thrilled, when we called her to see how the meet went she said "Mom, I got first place!"..."I looked around me under the water and nobody was near me." We're thrilled she loves being a part of this team sport! We'll see what this Saturday brings!!

Back to reality....

The holiday is over........

we got back Sunday around 5pm from Honululu.....The girls had a great time with Anna, Steven and Norah...However, the Bainbridges were wiped out from having 3 girls running around, and all the activities my 2 girls had while we were gone! It was a nice break for 4 1/2 days....now we're on the eve of company...tomorrow my parents come until July 10th. It's going to be busy...the girls are so excited they are STILL awake and it's 9:05pm...they're sharing Catie's room so my parents can have the spare bed in Meigan' s room, so the 2 girls in one rooms is a treat for them...

stay tuned for more pics later this week..as Meigan turns THE BIG 4 on Thursday.....

ALOHA!!!

Greetings from Honolulu!
Brian and I are here a the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Waikiki Beach!
Having a wonderful time......tanning, swimming, sleeping in........

oh, wait...where are the girls?????

at home....with our dear friends Anna and Steven and Norah.....in a moment of COMPLETE DELUSION they offered to take our 2 while I accompanied Brian on his business trip to Honolulu!

ARE THEY NUTS??? you ask......hmmmmmm, I think they might be! Not only are my 2 whiny, trying to throw power trips, mopey and difficult....I thinnk it's all going wel.....ISN'T IT ANNA?????? :))

Today, Meigan informed Anna "Anna, sometimes I'm the boss of you".....and I'm not kidding...verbatim from the almost 4yr. old.....cheeky thing! and Catie...SOOOOOOO sad that school is over, she's been moping for 2 days...

the things your kids do when you leave them with someone else!!!!

on the positive...Brian and I flew first class on United...I actually got to read a book for 5hyrs. and sip wine the whole time....HEAVEN!!!!!!!!

I've slept in, shopped, tanned, swam in complete peace and quiet!!!!!!!!

we're lucky to have such amazing friends.....not only are they disrupting their lives and Norah's nap schedule by taking over my 2 kids and living in our house, they sent us a bottle of bubbly to enjoy in our room! well, yes, of course it's GONE!

I can't post pictures, as the Kodak program isn't on Brian's computer now, but if can download it i'll try to upload pictures!!!

Kristin

Catie's swimteam update...

My little swimmer is doing AMAZING!!!! She has knocked so much time off her original time trials in early May, it's just fantastic! On Saturday, she got her freestyle down to under 30 seconds. She got a late start, but she kicked in, and she caught the girl infront of her, and overtook her and finished at 29 seconds!!! It was the best finish!! I was right at the edge of the pool cheering her on hard, and I was SOOO happy for her! ..and she swam her backstroke at 36 seconds....that's down from over a minute in early May!

She's really getting it now, understanding that the only thing to beat is her own time...and now she swims fast!!

It's so fun to watch her...it makes me cry every time she finishes her heat!! She gives it her all and her best...and of course, that's all anyone can ask for!! We are so proud of her!!!

Swim...Swim...Swim....

The weather has been mostly great for swimming, albeit for the stinkin' winds that come up every afternoon!

Meigan's been swimming without her floaties now for a week. She took 2 swimming lessons last weekend, and screamed through them both! I however, have the best swim teacher,who doesn't care if kids scream, and they can't get out of the pool.....Meigan hated it...but she also GOT IT! that little stinker listened to everything her teacher told her, and she came home and refused her floaties and she can now swim across the whole shallow end! she's obsessed with it, and is in every day, cold or not, swimming like crazy! she takes a few breaths, uses her arms.....she's a determined little stinker! but we're not surprised, she's like that for everything... by the time summer is over, I suspect she'll be able to swim to the deep end....

Novato, CA Brownie Troop 1067

On Wednedsay, we had Catie's brownie troop meeting at our house. It was the last meeting of the year, so it was of course, a pool party! 9 bikini-clad 6 & 7yrs. olds frolicking in our pool for the afternoon...snacking on cheese curls, chips, juice, pizza and ice cream sundaes! What more could a girls ask for! It was FUN! and Catie loved being the host for the meeting! All the girls go to the same school together, so they'll be friends for a long time! This just gave us a glimpse into the future...god help us when they're teenagers...we're doomed!

ORDER IN THE COURT!!!! ORDER IN THE COURT!!!!!

well, that wasn't gonna happen on Monday the 4th! These 3 girls were full of beans at 9am when we entered the courtroom for our readoption proceeding.

however, we did manage to get the unruly under control to raise their right hands and swear that they would NEVER disobey their parents again.......:) he he he...

We had a wonderful readoption with Judge Beverly Wood...she took us back into chambers and completed all our paperwork there. She took Anna, Steven and Norah too, so we could all do it together...all the good pictures are on Anna's camera... we now, just wait for the girls' California Birth Certificates!!

Who says you have to play IN the playhouse....

not Daddy apparently.....he thinks they belong on the roof of the playhouse....
surprisingly, they didn't get blown off the roof...it was howling wind here today...

GOOOOO RIPTIDE!!!!!!!!

Saturday was a BIG DAY for Catie! It was her first official swim meet for her team Novato's Riptide! She was VERY excited and so ready for her big day! We were out of the house at 7:00am, at the pool and she was warming up by 7:30am.... She did GREAT! Did her best! We are so proud of her!!!

Here she is before we left the house...
and a good luck hug from Meigan...

I took this just before I lined them up for their heat....the sun was right in her eyes, as you an tell...

and here is our champ, making her way down lane 2 in her freestyle heat. She came in just over 30 seconds....pretty awesome for this first time swimteam participant!!!!

A Tuesday Surprise

Today, Meigan and I picked up Catie from school and went right down to Larkspur and got on the Ferry to San Francisco. There we got to see my brother Ryan, up from LA for business. The girls get VERY excited to see their Uncle, as we don't see him very often. He lives in Eagle Rock (next to Pasadena) with Nicole and our little niece/cousin Ella, who will turn 1yrs. old very soon! The girls ran like crazy to Uncle Ryan when they saw him, it was really cute!

We had a quick visit and dinner at The Marketplace Cafe at the Ferry Building, and it was FUN!

The girls have a Ferry tradition...no matter what time of the day it is, chips are a MUST on the Ferry! As you can see by this picture...2 very happy girls!!

Sweet Catie...growing up so fast....

It's hard for us to believe, that in less than 2 months, Catie will turn 7yrs. old. She's been with us for almost 6yrs. now, yet it seems like forever! She's changed so much lately, maturing rapidly...She's a fantastic student, quite a swimmer on our local swim team, loves her art class and will be playing soccer in the fall...she's always reading, writing and drawing...and she's amazingly patient with her little sister 80% of the time...

She knows her story...knows how she came to be our daughter....and she in recent times, gets a bit sad thinking of her birthmother, and is full of questions about all of it.

She's such an amazing little girl...we are so incredibly lucky......and to say that we are her parents is both an honor and a priviledge....

We love you so Catie!!!

These were taken Mother's Day out at Limantour Beach in Point Reyes...

Pee Wee Soccer Star

Here is Meigan in action!! We signed her up for a pee-wee soccer clinic for 5 weeks! She LOVES it! ...she's out there for 45mins. every Saturday and just goes and kicks the ball, and she can control it pretty well.....

Strawberries taste best when you grow them yourselves!

We've had our first official "harvest" here in Novato....the weather has been perfect for Catie's strawberries to grow....tonight we got a few of our first ripe berries......Catie chose strawberries for her planter boxes, and Meigan chose cucumbers and tomatoes...







however, since Meigan's cucumbers and tomatoes are nowhere near ready, she had to get in on the strawberry action and plead with her big sister for "just one pleeeeeeeaaaassseeee".....


nuthin' left on that one...this kid can clean a strawberry faster than anyone I know...

What are little sisters for??????

welllll......to cart their big sisters around the backyard, of course......

Sooooooo Busy.....so little ltime to blog.....

Where DOES the time go with 2 kids??? well, it goes to school, preschool, volunteering in class, doing the class art project for the school auction, driving back and forth to swim team practice (oh, did I neglect to post that in March??)...soccer sign-ups, gymnastics.....blah, blah, blah.....it never ends it seems......oh, and I do fit in the gym for me most mornings a week.....phew, makes me tired just typing all this.....

As an updated to our owl visitor a month ago.....we actually got the owl back, and got to let it go ourselves...it was VERY cool...the kids thought it was fun, and the little owl even came with 2 of it's own DEAD MICE for a snack.....yep....Brian picked it up from Wild Care, and they threw in 2 of the dead little suckers....but our owl wasn't going for them...so it flew away, across the street into the neighbor's yard..... what a fiasco that was...but quite exciting!

We had a visitor this past weekend, one of Brian's closest childhood friends from Long Island...he lives in Riverside now, but he came to see us...we haven't seen him in years...we had such a fun visit with Ed..and the girls loved him and he loved them... Brian's been traveling a lot (nothing new there).

Here are some pics from the past month!

Meigan and Daddy out at the Point Reyes Lighthouse

Catie was a bit apprehensive waiting for the owl to fly away.....

I found Meig one day, up in the cabinet getting herself a glass for water.....monkey!

Catie models her new uniform for Novato Youth Soccer......she'll be wearing #1 for the season!! she is very excited!!!

a shot of the girls on Friday on the way to school...

The girls on the Larkspur Ferry on Saturday with our friend Ed...the girls didn't leave him alone for a second the entire weekend! We had a great day in San Francisco, ate our way through the city, and walked the girls from the Ferry Terminal, to Pier 39, to China Town, back to the Ferry and home...they ate all day, and were STILL hungry at 8:30pm that night...

A trip to the city is not complete without a ride on the Pier 39 carousel.....or a trip to the Sea Lions.