a long weekend

It is always a good thing when you have an additional day to relax (or keep busy with various activities). We took a nice ride to Saratoga on Saturday where we had a picnic lunch at the Savannah Chanelle winery in the Santa Cruz mountains. We ate way too much food and had some very good pinot. Gracelyn had a good time too.

On Sunday, we went to the Oakland zoo and hung out with the animals. There was an outburst at the chimp exhibit, but other than that, it was mild. Many of the animals just sit there and do nothing. I guess you need to supplement your zoo with the discovery channel to ensure you get some action.

After the zoo, the three of us went to spend some time with Helen and Oren before they leave for L.A. We enjoyed some wine and had pizza. Oren introduced us to the idea of Tapatio hot sauce on pizza. YES, it is very good! Gracelyn made a mess of their place, tossing crackers and tomatoes everywhere. We witnessed a cherry tomato launch from her mouth after she tried to bite down on it with her gums. Since Gracelyn was exhausted from the day, we went home before Ted, Lesley, Bram, and Erika showed.

(Later that evening, I snuck out of the house and went to Anthony's for some beer drinking with work pals. Anthony brewed his own beer and it was actually pretty good. We managed to leave for a bit and go to a dive bar. When we arrived at the bar, I quickly confirmed the dive part. It was fun, and I got back in the house before Amanda even knew I was gone!)

wtf

Our neighborhood is ghetto. You already know about the bums, the shit landscaping, the loud latin rap from passing cars into downtown, the constant sirens, the domestic disputes, the blah, and all that other shit. Well, now we have fucking singing assholes. Last nite, the old married couple with a baby managed to get to bed around 11 PM or so. (Baby was down around 9 PM.) Life is good. Then, at midnight, a group of singing assholes sprouted from the dirt lot across the way and began to make my eyes roll forward in my skull until I found myself cursing to Amanda about how shit our 'hood is. Fortunately for them, I hadn't been drinking; otherwise, I may have snuck into Gracelyn's room, grabbed a handful of Little People, and chucked it at them.

melvyn the monkey

For Gracelyn's birthday, one of the things that Oom Biwie gave her was a gift card to Build-A-Bear. So, last night, after work, Billy came over and the four of us headed over to Valley Fair for some bear-building fun - actually, in our case, it turned out to be monkey-building fun...Melvyn the Monkey, to be exact. We helped Gracelyn pick out her toy, then we headed over to the "stuff me" section, where we stuffed Melvyn full of fluff. Gracelyn picked out a heart for Melvyn which was placed in his chest just before being sewn up. Then we fluffed him, named him, and dressed him. Since it was Oom Biwie's gift to Gracelyn, he picked out Melvyn's outfit. So, now Melvyn the Monkey is also Melvyn the new QB for the SF 49ers. He now graces our living room, along with the rest of Gracelyn's furry friends. Thanks, Oom Biwie!!

happy birthday daughter

So, this post is way too long overdue, being that it's now the 21st of May and Gracelyn's birthday was on the 6th! But, believe me, things in the Jacobs household have been anything but lazy! What with Gracelyn's first birthday party (and first cold the week after), Mommie finishing Spring semester, Mother's Day and all the normal hectic happenings of the Jacobs Family, we've hardly had any time to relax!!

Gracelyn's first birthday party was lots of fun! Thanks to everyone who made it out to celebrate the big day with us (especially those who traveled from afar), and thanks also to everyone who worked to make the party a success!! Gracelyn had her first taste of cake & icing, and, although she was somewhat ambivalent at first, by the end, she proved that she loves her dessert, just like her Mommie!! Check out the pictures (courtesy of Gracelyn's great-aunt Tricia) of our one-year-old princess having her cake and eating it, too...