Flowergirl is a very hard job!

This Thanksgiving our good friends Josh and Jen Whitney paid us a visit. We enjoyed a wonderful turkey dinner with the DeVols, kicked it around the Pearl district, including a trip to Powell's and lunch at Pho Van's SILK with Gus Van Sant. Later Mom, Dad, Josh and Jen went to the Schnitz to see George Lopez, stopped of for treats at Higgins and the Alberta St. Oyster Bar and finished the night watching a frat boy pee his pants and fall into a fire at the Doug Fir. The next day Jen and I ate a wonderful lunch at our fabulous restaurant, the Arleta Library Bakery * Cafe. (I get tips there, you know.)

Fortunately, they brought pictures of their wedding in the beautiful David Fulton Vineyards and Winery, which Jen's family owns. Now you can finally see all of the hard work I did as a Flowergirl extraordinaire.

Happy Birthday Piper!

Saturday we went to Piper's third birthday party and saw all of our friends, including the McCoy-Harmons and the DeVols. Coco took these photos (except for the one of Jerry, Peter, and Gage).

The Devil Inside

Trick or treat
Smell my feet
Give me something good to eat.

If you won't
I don't care
I'll pull down your underwear.


(That's Coco's teacher, Ariel, in the pirate ship with devil girl. She's our neighbor. How cool is that?)

Plumper Pumpkin Patch

I went to the pumpkin patch with Sammy. It was fun. Sammy and I went through a maze. A big maze. And a small maze. Sammy and I got little tiny pumpkins. He was so crazy. And I got an apple but Sammy didn't want one.

My New Restaurant

My parents have been working all summer on our restaurant. It takes a lot of time and I have to sit around a lot. But today all my waiting paid off when we opened our restaurant for the first time. I help by washing dishes, making doughs, and staying out of trouble.

First Day of School 2006

We managed to snap a quick shot the morning of the first day of school before our camera breathed its last breath, sputtered, and died.

Coco is very excited about school this year. Her teacher, Ariel, seems very talented and sweet and we're looking forward to getting to know her. Some of Coco's favorite things so far this year have been seeing her friends from last year, getting to know her new teacher, and singing songs with the kindergarten class next door. I'll TRY to post the weekly newsletter so our family near and far can stay abreast of what's allegedly happening at school. Here's this week's letter (PDF: 47k). If I get a little lax (maybe I should say "when"), please email me, and I'll happily forward the letter for you.

If Mama looks a little tired, it's because we've been working overtime getting ready to open our restaurant. A few more inspections and we'll be a bona fide independently owned business. It's funny playing capitalist in my anarchist sweatshirt!

Once I figure out which digital camera we're going to buy, I'll post some pictures of the place!

Ole Virginny

Coco is having a blast on trip to Gramma Weezie's house near Richmond, VA. Here are some photos that my sister, Laura, posted on Cousin Abby's webpage: (click back through the pages there for more...)

Big Shot First Grader

Coco finished kindergarten with flying colors. She went in a puny kid just past toddlerdom and emerged a reader, writer, mathematician, dramatist, scientist and ballet dancer. We're very proud of her accomplishments. Her teacher Marcia shared with us that, although Coco's very bright academically, her most amazing trait is the level of consideration she shows her peers and her citizenship in the community--caring for their shared spaces and interests. Way to go Coco!

TRIP TEASER: The Space Mountain Photos

There are many photos from the trips NI and Coco took this Spring to Los Angeles and Philadelphia. I'll try to post them in the coming weeks. Here are a few to keep you coming back for more:


Their favorite ride at Disneyland was obviously Space Mountain. Although Nick's blase demeanor suggests that perhaps 46 times on the ride in three days was a few too many...

Catching Up: The HUMAN Project

It's been a long few months around our house. Nick is working furiously to get his restaurant open sometime this summer. I am working furiously to get my PhD sometime this century. And Coco is working furiously to get anything she wants as soon as she can.

The following photos are from the open house her class held in April to demonstrate their learning from this project cycle.

The HUMAN Project--Where People Live. The students made models of houses from around the globe. Coco and Adia made a model of the houses people in Mexico traditionally live in.


The HUMAN Project--Our Bodies. Coco's section was the respiratory system. Notice the pink clay lungs on the cafeteria tray to the right. Scary.

Slice of Pie on Jerry-Built

Jer took the kids to a play and captured a beautiful shot of Coco eating a NY-sized slice of pizza. Check out this (and the other gorgeous photos he's been taking lately) at Jerry-Built

Goodbye, Tigger

Alice and Gert's brother Tigger passed away recently. His family--Brent, Janet, Soda and Baby--miss him terribly. We're posting these pics of the girls bidding their kin "adieu."

I love eggs!

Eggs are one of my favorite foods. Here is a song that shows you how I feel about eggs. Love, Colette aka Coco
THE EGG SONG [Requires Flash]

MaCoco Blahnik?

Hi everybody. I made homemade shoes from scratch. My dad helped a lot. He got me some tape. These blue things are from a different kind of shoe, but they helped make another shoe. These are sandals, and sometimes they go a little crazy but I don't care; I just fix them.

My Favorite Birthday Presents

For my birthday, Daddy took me to the hockey game. He took me, Gramma Weezie, and Mom to see the Portland Winterhawks. Our seats were right in the center of the ice near the front. Our faces were on the big screen and there was a fight that left blood on the ice. I know Sammy would love to see it and Nick said he will take us. This is the mascot. He was crazy:




















My mom got me ballet lessons at the Center for Movement Arts and a ballet outfit that had tights, a leotard, and slippers. The beginners wear black leotards but the older kids wear pink. Sammy went with me to my first lesson and took this picture:




















My classes are on Mondays, so Nick will take me to ballet while Sarah is in school. It is very fun and I go to bed early the might before to rest. I love ballet.

My Birthday! My Birthday! And, uh, Christmas.

Santa brought me Marisol's dance kit. I love my new doll. Christmas is fun. Here's me in my old robe:















And my birthday party at the Children's Gym:

Machines

I am learning a lot about machines at my school. While I was in Indiana, I looked all around for machines. Here is some of what I found:

More Pictures From The Coolest Museum Ever

My Trip to Grampa's House Was Fun

I liked visiting Grampa's. It was fun. We went to the Children's Museum in Indianapolis and it was fun. It was the best museum ever.










I liked the snow. It had a lot of snow.













I had a great time at Grampa's.
The End.