Metropolitan Museum of Art, here we come

Bennett learned how to use the Paint application on the computer, and the result looks surprisingly like his work in other media.

San Francisco Fun

We have taken a couple trips to Pier 39 since arriving in the Bay Area. It has been super fun to bring our sisters along during their separate visits. Favorite things:
1) Sea Lions- barking, lounging, rolling, every now and then erupting in a semi-violent frenzy
2) Tourists- the people are almost as funny to watch as the sea lions. And it's always interesting to see which random, nondescript backdrops some of the visitors choose for their photographs. Handrail? Sign for restrooms and elevator? Cruise ticket office?
3) Seagull poop- it's always an adventure
4) Bungee trampoline- At ten bucks a pop, it's out of our league. But watching other people do it is free.
5) Good times- fresh ocean breezes, views of ships and island prisons and the Golden Gate Bridge, and hanging out with people we love. This one should really be number one. Or two, at least.

Asher liked parts of the trip. But cold air and sleep deprivation are a bad mix.


Bennett displays his "silly face" at the Palace of Fine Arts, which I recently discovered is neither a palace nor a repository of fine arts. But it is pretty.

Pretend fishing in the pond. When given a choice between eating the pretend fish and putting them back, Bennett chose to put them back. Just like mom on the seafood front.


Bennett has long been obsessed with chocolate, but only recently to the point where I catch him sucking Hershey's chocolate syrup directly from the bottle. The other day I left the room for a second and rushed back after a suspicious prolonged silence. When I came back, I saw a baby on his back, connected to an upside-down bottle of chocolate syrup, held in place by a smiling two-year-old. I stopped the mayhem, but had to get a pitcure before cleaning the whole thing up. Sorry about the red eyes.

Similar to Halloween, except with bows replacing costumes. Wedding video, here we come.

Halloween and more

Halloween is a funny thing. I have to admit being a little suspicious as a three-year-old in a pumpkin suit and practically rolling down the street and trying to stand up straight long enough for a picture that would embarrass me for decades. But now as a parent, my suspicions are confirmed. Halloween is a holiday created "by the parents, for the parents." See the Jerry Seinfeld bit on the same topic (skip to -6 minutes)



To our credit, we let Bennett be a firefighter this year despite numerous attempts to convince him to wear the cuter cowboy suit. Asher, on the other hand, was not so fortunate...



The facial expressions accompanying the pumpkin gutting process were awesome. Unfortunately, this is the best we could capture.


Look at all those cute mouths (below)

"Who are those guys?" -Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Asher has started smiling recently. And Kelly is trying to work on not looking creepy.

Movies with popcorn on the living room floor. It's amazing how much money parents spend on entertaining their children.

Math 101

Chocolate + 2-year-old = Pure Bliss
Smith boys = nerdy
and cute

We spent the better part of Saturday morning at the pumpin patch. It was missing the New England apple orchards, but Bennett felt pretty strongly that the pony ride and cow train more than made up for it. And running through the straw wasn't bad, either. Asher mostly slept, and we mostly took pictures and video footage. View through the Viewfinder...

We took a Sunday afternoon walk with our friends the Richards. Bennett and Andy get along swell, about 85% of the time. There are these nice, scenic trails stretching all through the neighborhoods of the East Bay. Besides walking, Bennett and Kelly also enjoy riding the bike with the trailer attached.

It's weird how fast they grow up. And also, why pay a studio to take pictures when we have Kim, some good sunlight, and a digital camera?

Getting crazy at Pier 39.

Hermanos.
The penetrating eyes. The imposing forehead. The forearm rolls. This is a serious baby

Asher Robert Smith

Asher didn't wait long after we finished the move before he decided to get out and see what the California hype was all about. (Born 7/2/2007, 8 lbs, 11 oz, 21") Welcome to Earth, little fellow.

Welcome to Northern California

To-do list for new-comers to the Bay Area:
1) Soak in the climatological perfection
2) Notice how nice all the people are
3) Marvel at the regularity of moving 70+ mph (this only applies if you're coming from Boston or another city with bad roads and too much traffic)
4) Visit the Oakland temple.

It sure is pretty here.