Bridget's Birthday Dinner

We had a lot going on for Bridget's big birthday weekend (Bridgapalooza as we're starting to call it). Bridget's Grandma and Papa came in to town from Portland on Saturday. We had a good visit in the afternoon before departing for a special birthday dinner.

Before we left Bridget managed to open up a few of her gifts.


Bridget had a great time travelling between the two sides of the dinner table. Here is an "action" shot of Grandma and Papa quickly Bridget-proofing their side of the table.


We managed to get a really great family shot, which also go placed on the sidebar as one of our seasonal family portraits.


It was a very busy evening and special cup of vanilla ice cream seemed to do the trick when we needed a rest.


We stopped by the park on our way home so Bridget could run around and see the ducks. It also tired her out so she could get a really good night's sleep before Sunday's party festivities with the rest of her local family.

Weekend of Ducks and Desks

This weekend centered around getting household chores done. We are busy preparing for the second annual "Bridgapalooza" next weekend, in which Bridget turns Two and the Oregon Foley's come into town.

Nathan was nice enough to take Bridget out of the house for a little while on Saturday and they made their way into San Francisco. They grabbed a bite to eat and Bridget graced Nathan with her typical restaurant behavior. We have decided to place a moratorium on restaurant dining for a little while (this will start AFTER her birthday dinner next weekend).



On Sunday Nathan and Bridget headed out to get the car cleaned, and happened upon a mini-golf course while they were waiting. She had a lot of fun getting Nathan to chase the ball for her.




While all of the daddy/daughter outings were taking place, I was busy getting the downstairs completely unpacked and picked up. It has been nearly 3 months since we moved so it is about time. I sure wish I had thought to take a "before" picture. Here is the "after" and we are hoping we can keep it this clutter-free. But we are not holding our breath.



Our last outing of the weekend was a quick trip to feed the ducks. This is one of Bridget's favorite activities. In fact, every time we head out of the house she asks if we are "going to feed the duckies?!".

Pancakes and Picking Up

It was a pretty uneventful weekend in the Foley house. We didn't have any parks, petting zoos, or fairs to explore. Instead we stayed low-key, partly because of the heat, and partly because we've been so darn busy over the last few weeks and months.

On Saturday we ventured out separately, with me running errands while Nathan and Bridget headed to Berkeley (so Nathan could check out the Adidas store). He didn't capture any pictures, but it was a pretty uneventful outing for them. The one highlight was when they stopped at Toys R Us and the one thing Bridget HAD TO HAVE was plastic replica of a Deer fawn. You'll see it in the toy picture below.

On Sunday morning we had a late breakfast and made pancakes out of a whip cream can. Have you ever heard of this? I sure had not, but stumbled upon it during my Saturday grocery expedition. They turned out pretty good! But I find it hilarious that they put the word "organic" on the can. Seems like an oxymoron considering it probably has tons of preservatives and is not packaged in the most earth-friendly way.



Nathan headed into San Francisco Sunday afternoon with a coworker for a picnic hosted by a favorite local restaurant and brewery, the 21st Amendment. While he was out, Bridget and I got to work cleaning up and organizing the downstairs. This is something I've been meaning to do since we moved and now the pressure is on with the Oregon Foley's coming into town in 2 weeks!

I sure wish I had snapped a "before" picture because the "after" sure looks a lot different (better). And I am so glad I finally found a place to put my old college bookcase that doesn't seem to match anything.



Nathan brought home a koozy that is meant to go on beer cans but fit Bridget's bottle perfectly. I managed to get a picture of her posing with her eyes open, but couldn't resist posting this one instead -- because she looks SO MUCH like her daddy in this picture. Don't you agree?

The Sporty City Girl

Saturday was a pretty mellow day in the Foley house. We made a trip to Costco and Bridget had a blast cruising around the warehouse from the helm of the cart seat. She sampled a few random snacks like salami and a smoothie. But the real fun came when we made a quick stop into the Sports Authority. Who knew a sports retailer would provide such entertainment for an almost 2 year-old??? She tried on a pink baseball helmet, held a lacrosse stick, bounced a few pink basketballs, and played a row of metal baseball bats as if they were an enormous chime set.



Saturday night Bridget got to hang with her friends Fiona and Finn (and their parents!) while Nathan and I enjoyed a rare date night. We went to a favorite Marin spot, the Buckeye Roadhouse, and I even put on a dress for the occasion. We made a kid-free trip to the local Toys-R-Us for a few staples and then to Borders for some browsing. It is amazing how much you can accomplish while childless!

Sunday was a very hot day up in the North Bay, so we stayed inside with the fans running for most of the day. We finally ventured out in the afternoon -- to the city to meet up with Sara, Brett, who were in town from Reno, and Sonya and Levi who came up from the Pacifica. You might remember them from the post about our annual roommate Holiday Dinner. We were unsure where to meet up so we finally decided on a park that Nathan remembered from when he worked in the Marina. Bridget had a blast on the swings and the slide.




She even showed off her new "Dinosaur Walk" in the sand. (I promise to try and capture the walk on video, it is priceless.)



We then headed down the street to find something to eat. Along the way we passed a shiny new park with dozens of kids, and we quickly realized why the sand/slide/swing park had been so empty. Oh well, Bridget still had a blast.


We settled on Pizza at Amici's and we all got to catch up while Bridget scarfed down some pasta and apple juice. We also thought of the perfect gift for Brett when he took this group photo:

Guess Who's Turning Two?!

It is hard to believe Bridget is almost 2 years old! We are getting excited for Papa and Grandma to visit and we're already planning a nice dinner and family celebration.

The reason for this post is because we are starting to get asked for gift ideas for the birthday girl. To be honest, Bridget doesn't really NEED anything but we thought it would be helpful to throw some hints up here on the blog.

If I had to sum up Ms. B's favorite things we would definitely use her initial and continue with the B theme - as in BOOGIE, BLING, BLOCKS, and BOOKS.

BOOGIE - A while back I stumbled upon a review of this kid-friendly MP3 player from SweetPea and have been secretly coveting it for Bridget ever since. It is super simple for kids to use, just 3 buttons, but still advanced enough that parents can load and change music on it. The one downfall is I think Bridget might break her hip if she got one of these - because she'd be dancing so much.



BLING - She loves accessories, including necklaces, bracelets, hair barrettes, and sunglasses. Anything with elastic that she can put on herself is also a plus.

BLOCKS - It is an understatement to say that Bridget is set when it comes to toys. But her favorite toys are the ones where she can build or assemble - some of her favorites that she already has include her Mrs. Potato head, her wood train/blocks, and her jumbo Lego's and even a few puzzles.

BOOKS - She is big into colors, numbers, and animals right now. She is starting to learn her letters too so that will surely be an interest soon.


And of course clothes are always a hit too. She wears a size 3T and will likely be in that size for a while. Her shoe size is 6.5 wide. I was perusing the Old Navy website the other day and Bridget told me she loves this outfit:

OK, maybe I decided that for her, but come on, the ensamble is CUTE! Also, I am requesting that Grampa P refrain from making any comments about corduroy jumpers, turtlenecks, and tights that Bridget's mom may or may not have worn EVERY DAY as a child.

We already got Bridget a new dress to wear, courtesy of her Great Uncle Hank, and Bridget is already thinking of ways to accessorize with some of her "bling." Here is a sneak peek, and we'll be sure to post pictures of her in it on the big day.

Sonoma County Fair

We took Bridget up to the Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa this weekend. It was so much fun, and it blew the socks off of the Marin County Fair we went to last summer.

We knew we'd encounter some traffic on the way, so we let Bridget bring as many toys and accessories as she wanted. She ended up with her Hello Kitty rolly bag (stuffed full of toys) and her Hello Kitty purse. She objected a little on the way to the car (when we wouldn't carry any of her stuff for her) but she figured it out.


There were A LOT of livestock areas and we spent the first 45 minutes at the fair exploring the pigs, cows, sheep, goats, and a few donkeys. The setup was very kid-friendly and Bridget had plenty of opportunities to get really close and see and even touch a few animals. Here is a shot of her seeing a few pigs close-up.


We wandered over to the carnival area after viewing all of the livestock. We hadn't planned on going on any rides but the carousel was very tempting. Bridget immediately noticed the Zebra, which is where we started out, but we ended up moving to a horse right as the ride was starting. I wish we had a video camera because she was yelling "Go horsey, giddy up!" the whole time.


After the carnival we wandered over to the racetrack. We didn't see any races but we got to see a few horses walk by with their Jockeys.


What Fair would be complete without ice cream?? We almost got Bridget a milkshake but decided to take a risk and let her try her first ice cream cone. Needless to say, she LOVED it!


Just as we were thinking about winding down the day we spotted a big Petting Zoo. It was a huge step up from the petting zoo we visited in Petaluma. Bridget had a blast petting and trying to pick up the little piggys and goats. There was a llama that really got her attention. But her favorite part was the "Mommy" goat laying down with her "Baby" goats.


When we left the Petting Zoo we wandered right into the "Barnyard Stage" where there happened to be a band playing kid-style music. Bridget wasted no time running right up to the stage and dancing to the beat. It was no surprise when the lead singer pointed her out to everyone!


Bridget winded down pretty quickly after a song or two and we called it a day at that point. Bridget had a really great time and talked about all the animals all day Sunday. We can't wait to take her again next year when she is even bigger!