Friday, May 18, 2007

Eureka, we found you!

We just returned from a wonderful time visiting friends in Eureka, CA over Mother's Day weekend.

Humboldt rocks!

Lorelei had a blast meeting the gang and checking out the cool weather that was a welcome escape from the heat of the central valley. We took her to all of our favorite places and even showed her the J Street apartment (her Mommy and Daddy's first place together) and the County Lane house where she resided in-utero! We were able to visit the Catalino Family (the family I nannied for while living up there) and introduce Lorelei to them. Lucy, who is now 4, had her birthday party on the Saturday we were visiting and so we were even able to show up for that! Those kids have gotten so big!

We also went by and saw Ryan and Tessa's brand new baby boy, Ruger! Tessa and I laughed to see how our husbands who had not even spoken on the phone in over a year picked right back up where they left off while working at LACO together. We sure do miss them! We loved staying with Kristen, Shawn and Otis! Thank you guys so much! Lorelei quickly generalized that Otis (though not jet-black like Bailey and Baxter) was a doggy like her own and started panting and saying "Dah" to him. Otis was a great sport and allowed her to pull his fur and eyelids and chew on his ears without so much as a flinch. Lorelei also loved seeing Mike and Sara's baby Sasha once again. The last time was when Sasha was 3 weeks old! It was so adorable to see them hold hands and squeal at one another! Zeke and Marina's 4 year old son Owen was also wonderful entertainment for Lorelei. She especially loved how Owen shard his toy snakes and played Peek-a-boo with her. We all had a blast and Lorelei LOVED all of the attention. She was (as we say in Humboldt), "passed around like a little joint!" Towards the end of the weekend she was showing off her skills at walking while holding our hands and crawling a bit too! Spending time with "the gang" once again made us realize how blessed we are to know true friendship, welcoming embraces despite time spent apart and genuine, unconditional love. How lucky Lorelei is to have this extended family. We love you all!

Here are some photos of the weekend. Enjoy!

May 2007 Humboldt Trip