6/9/07 No more training wheels?

This afternoon, we went to Portal Park for a Las Madres 2004 picnic. Father's Day picnic, as it turns out. I'm glad I semi-forgot about that, so that Dave didn't feel obligated to go. Time off from children alone at home is at a premium around here.

There were some games intended for the kids and grownups to do together. The boys didn't have a grownup, since I had to watch Katrina, but that didn't seem to phase them. Luckily, Betsy was able to corral them and tell them what to do. She even attempted to get Gabriel to play the role of father in one game! Clever!

In the end, they both got ribbons and were happy about that.











Later, Dave took the boys out bicycling. When they got home, they showed me a new development: Julian can ride without training wheels!!

Riding is one thing, of course, but stopping and starting is something else. He needs a lot of help for that, but still, he certainly gets the concept. When he looks where he's going, he can even steer.

Then we went to Willow Glen in the hopes of making it to an open house, at the same new Craftsman-y house I'd seen some weeks ago. The open house was supposed to close at 4:30, but apparently 4:25 is the new 4:30, as we and another couple were stymied by this new interpretation of time.

The plan was to go to the open house, then go out to an early dinner in downtown Willow Glen (an area in San Jose with a short main drag of a downtown with shops and restaurants). We went to Mio Vicino -- a poor choice, in retrospect. Dave and I have a soft spot for Mio Vicino, as our first date was at the one in Santa Clara, and we used to love the one in Campbell until it closed, but this one was different. Service was poor, food was slow, which is painfully magnified when your good-kid-time clock is ticking.

Katrina, incredibly, sat quietly in the high chair chewing on Corn Chex and bread for the 40 minutes it took to get our dinners. She has really been earning good-baby points lately.

Next time, we'll go to Willow Street Pizza, another place we have a soft spot for. Our first kiss was after a date at the one in Los Gatos. And the Willow St. Pizza in Willow Glen was always our kick-off point for our numerous trips to Big Sur the summer we were planning our wedding. Willow St. Pizza is more kid-suitable anyway.

Grand plans busted notwithstanding, at least we got our brood to bed early.

6/9/07