| For $34 each, we could afford four seats! We took five
bags (one for each of us, plus the laptop) and got to
carry it all on. On the trip back, we actually decided
it was easier to check two of them than to try to lug
two babies and five bags through SJC security.
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| Having babies has its advantages... namely preboarding!
For both legs, we got the rows that face each other, which
meant we didn't have to fight over who got to sit next to
whom.
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| wurzel sees his niece Maddy for the first time.
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| Sgt Keir graduates along with only five other Russian students from
the DLI. Way to go, Mikey!
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| This cat, Schmulik, takes friendliness to the extreme.
I petted him for 10 seconds before going into Mike's place, and
when I came out, the cat had parked himself on my hood. I took this
picture as I was backing out of the driveway with the
cat still loafing peacefully. Crazy cat!
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| Susan and Muir anxiously await their breakfast at Baker's Square
in Carmel.
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| Maddy gets a little bouncy from her daddy Mikey. What fun!
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| Grandma and Grandpa also made it up for Mike's graduation. Well,
not quite in time for the graduation, but at least long enough for
two good meals and a walk along the beach.
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| In true Marilyn style, mom hauled Mike's favorite cake all the
way from Utah to Monterey. Not only that, but she brought it up
in a Bud Light 24-pack box.
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| Grandma and Maddy... There might be a bit of family resemblance here...
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| Grandpa knows the safest way to hold a baby right after a feeding;
direct the sputum away from the clothing.
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| Muir happily colors anything *but* the placemat while Susan restrings
the necklace he just finished breaking, and Mom kind of fades
away thinking about how she just barely survived her childraising
years.
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| Susan puts Muir on a leash to take him out to the scene of the
crime... the Gazebo in the upper left where Susan and wurzel
got married. Awww...
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| wurzel straps on Larkin and lets Muir the guide toddler pull
him along the path.
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| Sometimes it's easier not to give them a choice about where to go
or how quickly to get there. Besides, the view is much better from
up there, and he acts as a seagull-poop shield. Babies are so
versatile!
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| When last we were here, we were two. Now we are four.
My appointment for the snip-snip is September 27th. Still time
to change our minds....
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| If there's anything more delightful than a giggling toddler,
I can't imagine what it would be.
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| Someone with a bit of extra time on their hands and a sense
of the artistic had beaten us to this particular spot. Very cool,
but not quite as cool as our next rock-oriented experience. This
shot is full 1024x768, just right for a peaceful Windows wallpaper.
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| It was a beautiful day.
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| Trying to get 9 people, three of them babies, to all be ready
for a picture at the same time is about as likely as getting
a thousand aces and a family in the same hand.
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| Musical babies. Four laps, three babies. Everybody pass the
babies to the left. Once the music stops, whoever doesn't have
a baby is out!
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| So, Mom and Dad always wanted a convertible, and what better
place to try one out than Monterey? Here they are breaking it
in....
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| ...and laughing about it afterwards.
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| For our second artistic rock experience, we drove just south of
Carmel on Hwy 1 and found a bunch
of rocks doing unnatural things.
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| This is what it looks like when rocks are at peace.
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| These rocks got scared and jumped up into a tree. This image
is full size, just right for Windows wallpaper.
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| Rocks at attention.
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| 175,000 fish in 120 different exhibits, and Muir's favorite
part is pushing the button on the drinking fountain and
splashing the water.
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| Muir stands at the side and thinks about walking onto the water
mattress in the toddler's section....
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| ... but then decided to hunker down and take the thing apart
instead. Cool... a zipper! (splootsch!)
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| Muir kisses a fish.
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| Susan and Larkin take in the aquarium.
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| Muir tries out the slide all by himself. He loved it so much he
went back ten times.
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| Muir and daddy dress up as clownfish to ride the bouncy
seahorse. Oh, wait... Daddy was dressed up almost like a clownfish
to begin with. Bizarre.
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| Muir gets buzzed by a penguin. The keepers in the tank were
wearing shirts that said "One by one, the penguins are stealing
my sanity" but the shirts were staff-only. Bummer.
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| Aha, another Muir favorite -- a real working typewriter.
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| Larkin and Maddy have a relaxing afternoon on the couch
together, just talkin' about baby stuff.
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| For more Lark and Maddy funniness,
click here
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| Muir prepares to engage the toddler warp drive and escape
Daddy's tractor beam.
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| Muir tries (for the 20th time) to get close enough to Schmulik to
pet him without screaming in anticipation and scaring the cat off
anyway.
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| This'll be one of those pictures we save to show to Larkin's
first boyfriend before they go on a date. Mommy and Daddy think
the hat's the cutest thing in the world. Lark just doesn't
like it much more than she likes any other hat.
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| It's a great hat for a sunny day -- keeps the sun off her shoulders
as well as her head!
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| Nature makes babies chubby so they can act as life preservers
in the case of a nautical mishap. On this day, the waters
were still, wind was calm, and Mike, Megan and Maddy had a great
ride.
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| As expected, Muir's much more interested in how to steer the boat
than in the view.
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| ... but we did get him to look up for a moment...
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| After boating, we went to Dennis the Menace park, not so much
because Muir wanted to as because Daddy did. However, once we
got there, Muir headed immediately for the ladders and started
going vertical.
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| Peek-a-Muir!
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| Head-first belly slide -- 10.0!
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| This is what a box of cereal must feel like riding on the
rollers at the Kellogs plant. It's pretty spine-jarring
and quite noisy, but Muir just kept climbing back up the stairs
and wanting to roll again and again.
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| wurzel and Muir wave down to Mommy in the Sand.
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| Hmmm... any resemblance between the attendee and the park's
namesake?
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| Awww, do we have to go home already? asks Muir.
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| Ahhh, there's nothing like getting away from the rental cars
and the hotels and driving your own Prius back to your own bed
and settling in for a good night's sleep. Travel with two
babies is exhausting!
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