Wii are Thankful

The Ogg, Brown, Bates, Carlson & Hutchinson Family, Thanksgiving 2008

Our Thanksgiving was fun and tasty as usual! My parents drove up with my Mimi in their motor home. It took them 11 hours but they finally arrived safe and sound Wednesday night. Carina was so excited to see them the next morning, and they were thrilled to watch her walking all over the house! We had a delicious meal at Mike's Mom's house, followed by our usual family game night. However, this time Mike and I brought our Wii so everyone could try it out. What a crack up! We all took turns bowling, playing baseball, and even some Wii Fit hula hooping! (That was by far the funniest to watch.) Apparently we were having so much fun that we didn't realize we played for 4 and a half hours! I feel it was justified because we were at least burning some calories while we played. It was a great day and we all enjoyed spending time together as a family.

I am thankful for:
*Our beautiful baby girl who eats her veggies, goes to bed at 7 p.m., and makes us laugh daily!
*My fantastic hubby who lets me sleep in on the weekends!
*Our supportive and fun-loving family and friends
*My 50% teaching position-I have a career but can still be home with the Bean a few days a week, and all summer long!
*Our home-sure it's worth less than what we bought it for, but it's OURS (and the banks too)

*COFFEE-Enough said.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Grandpa Dave playing Wii Tennis

Papa (Dad) hitting a home run!

Fall Leaves

In Autumn when the trees are brown
the little leaves come tumbling down
they do not make the slightest sound
but lie so quietly on the ground
Until the wind comes puffing by
and blows them off towards the sky
-Anonymous

It was a beautiful fall day in Sonoma County, so Carina and I played outside for a while. She loves to watch the leaves blow in the trees and on the ground, and she found a leaf that she walked around with for a while. Just a simple, relaxing day outside!


Look at my leaf Mommy!

Our beautiful brown-eyed girl

Aquarium Trip

We decided on Friday night to take a trip to the newly remodeled aquarium at the CA Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. I love spontaneous trips, especially when they postpone the ever present household chores! So we left early Saturday morning and arrived right when it opened. I highly recommend checking this place out-the exhibits were amazing! Although it was pretty crowded, we were able to see what we wanted to see and avoided any major stroller collisions. I have to say the best part for me was watching Carina take everything in. She was totally enthralled with the fish and other sea life, and she walked around pointing and saying, "WOW!" You really do look at the world differently when you consider the perspective of someone who is experiencing things for the first time. Thanks to Grandma Gloria and Grandpa Dave for suggesting the trip! Here are some pictures and video of our fun family day!

"Wow! Fish!"

Daddy sharing his love of the ocean with the Bean

It looks like she could just slip right in!

One Penguin Puppet: $29.99
One happy little girl cracking up at penguin puppet long enough for a good video clip and then leaving gift shop without the aforementioned puppet: PRICELESS

Look at me go!

Here is another video of Carina struttin' her stuff in her cowgirl outfit from Texas! This was actually taken 2 days before Halloween...she is gaining speed every day! She has also learned a new game...it's called "I can get into all kinds of things I'm not supposed to now!" Mommy & Daddy aren't big fans of this game. Oh well, it's still exciting to watch her toddle around!

(Not sure why the sound isn't working-any one know why the sound would disappear after uploading?)

I Voted-Did you?

Only 17 more years until I can register to vote!

Regardless of your political views and beliefs, having the right to vote is an incredible privilege we have in this country. I hope everyone that could vote did so today, and more importantly, I hope everyone made INFORMED choices. Even if the results are not what you wanted, you can at least take solace in the fact that you voted for what YOU believed is best for your state and your country. Respect the viewpoints of other people even if you do not agree, because everyone is entitled their own political opinions whether we like it or not.

I voted absentee for the first time ever. I have to admit I missed going to a polling place...there is something exciting and patriotic about standing at miniature cubicle to cast your vote. However the thought of entertaining Carina for who knows how long at a polling place was something to consider. As silly as it sounds, I talked to her about what was going on today. We dressed in red, white and blue and I tried to read the book Vote! to her (it's a little long for a 13 month old...and yes of course as a teacher I have literature for every occasion!) I want her to grow up with a love for her country, and to learn that you can stand up for what you believe in even when others don't agree. Things may not go your way, but if you can fight with respect and dignity then you can always be proud of your part in the outcome. I'm proud to have been a participant in this election no matter what!

Trick or Treat!

Halloween was spook-tacular at the Ogg house this year! Our little monkey trick-or-treated at 3 houses. Mike and I initially thought it was silly to take a baby trick or treating because it's obvious that you are just out getting candy for yourself. However our neighbors insisted (not that we were hard to convince...we do love candy!) It was a lot of fun-Carina even left her monkey head on, which was a rare feat! I quickly pinned a bow to an ear after a little girl said, "Oh what a cute little boy!" Here are some pictures of Carina in costume along with our jack-o-lantern (aka Kimi's work of art) Yes, I even scooped the guts out...okay I used a glove...who wants that gunk under your nails? We hope everyone had a great Halloween!