I detached all the knobs, faucet, sink, and burners in the hopes we could reuse them somewhere else and Gavin set to work building another Waldorf-inspired playstand.

Oliver and Patrick helped oversee the process.

The kitchen sink fits perfectly. Everything else? We’re not so sure about.

It still needs a few coats of poly-acrylic before we turn it over to the kids.

If I find the right knobs and other accessories we might add some burners, although we may leave it this way for a while, they seem cool with just having a sink.

Patrick had half of a kolache, and then demanded another whole one so he wouldn’t have to share a second time.

I also made some mini-quiches, but somehow they’re just not as comforting.

Dad had a long, full and adventurous life. We are grateful for the time we had with him.

As dad was fond of reminding us: “You gotta do what you gotta do, god damn it!”

Go forth, live your lives to the fullest, and remind the people in your life that you care about them.

The family at the San Diego Wildlife Park in February 2013

Thanks to everyone for your support during this difficult time.

As of right now, we will not be traveling to Houston. I may go later in the summer if my mother needs assistance. For now, we are working on keeping our routines as regular as possible.

Houston area people & family, I am not currently aware of any plans for a memorial service. I will, of course, keep you informed if that should change.

I probably missed a few places, and I’m open to suggestions.

In West County

• Armstrong Woods http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=450
• Bodega Marine Laboratory http://bml.ucdavis.edu/
• Luther Burbank Farm http://www.wschsgrf.org/luther-burbank-gold-ridge-experiment-farm
• Schulz Museum http://schulzmuseum.org/
• Sonoma Horticultural Nursery http://www.sonomahort.com/
• Train Town http://www.traintown.com/
• *coming soon* Children’s Museum of Sonoma County http://cmosc.org/home.html

South of us & in San Fransisco (day trip distance)

• Bay Area Discovery Museum http://www.baykidsmuseum.org/
• Exploratorium http://www.exploratorium.edu/
• SF Zoo http://www.sfzoo.org/

Additional Resources:

• Sonoma County Gazette listings http://www.sonomacountygazette.com/cms/pages/categories-rtn-sonoma-res-arg1-Resources-arg2-Monthly%20CALENDAR%20by%20Category-article-196.html
• Sonoma County Libraries Kid’s programs http://sonomalibrary.org/chilprograms/
• Sonoma Family Life Calendar http://www.sonomafamilylife.com/mod/calendar/view/1/Sonoma-County-Family-Calendar.htm
• Petaluma – Rohnert Park – Cotati ideas/things to do blog/newsletter http://petaluma.macaronikid.com/

Articles with ideas:

• http://www.kiddytravel.com/2011/04/family-fun-in-sonoma-county-california/
• http://kids.lovetoknow.com/sonoma-county-childrens-activities

After months of looking (and budget-considering) we ended up with the Ronan Dining Chair in Rubbed Black from Pier1. They are “they’ll do for now” chairs, and hopefully they’ll last us five years (the ones they are replacing lasted about 5 so we’re not getting our hopes up).

They are not upholstered, so my job was find cushions. With two small boys my ONLY requirement was that the cushions were MACHINE WASHABLE (or at the very least had a machine washable removable slip-cover). I’m willing to over look a lot for the ability to toss something in the washing machine without a second thought (I’ll even hang-dry it!). Pier one turned up nothing, Cost Plus/World Market turned up nothing. Everything was “spot clean” or “dry clean” or “wipe with damp cloth.” Nothing had a removable slip-cover. I could probably have looked further, but the trend at my price-point (as little as possible) seemed to favor no-slipcovers/no realistic washing options.

After lunch I took matters into my own hands and decided to make my own.

I used dishtowels left over from my big-boy-aprons, old beach towels from my MIL, and some fabulous pink ribbon. I folded the dishtowels in half and sewed up the sides, attaching the ribbon at the top as I went. This formed a pouch for the carefully folded beach towel to slide in.

100% machine washable, and I can put them in the dryer.

I may eventually replace the towels with foam (or replace the entire system), but for now these will work nicely and could also work outside.

Me: “Yes.”

Oliver: “How old you turning?”

Me: “Thirty.”

Oliver: “Ferty?” (sounds like “forty”)

Me: “Thirty.”

Oliver: “Ferty?” (still sounds like “forty”)

Me: “Twenty-nine.”

Oliver: “Twen-he-nyne?”

Me: “Close enough.”

We don’t have a “0″ candle so we stuck the “3″ on a bunt cake, it is sort of like “30″ and a lot less fire to deal with.

Photos from Easter, P’s first haircut and our trip to Armstrong woods coming eventually.