Halloween at the Zublins

Nicholas was a rookie when it came to this Halloween business, but cousin Eli led the way! By the time we'd been to 3 houses, Nicholas would walk down the driveway saying, "Let's go to another house!"


The loot!


This one's for all you Homestar fans. Dave did a stellar job on his Trgdor and Strong Sad pumpkins, don't you think?


Some other cute pictures of the boys from the playground and the carousel at Fashion Island.

Fall fun

This has been a fun fall teaching Nicholas about the joy of "Wiquid Amber" trees, pumpkin patches, and trick-or-treating. He jumped right into it all with his usual gusto, and I can hardly get in the car to go anywhere without him pointing out the "beautiful trees." It seems like someday we'll have to take him somewhere with REAL fall colors, but Santa Barbara is good enough for training grounds.



Okay, is it just me, or is he too cute for words? He LOVED his monkey costume, and found as many opportunities as possible to dress up - the YMCA fall festival, Kindermusik class on Halloween, and a special visit to Great-grandmother's house ("The one with the white hair.")

Ridin' the Rails

This was an exciting event for Nicholas, as he has been talking about riding on an Amtrack for months now. When the moment came, he was a bit hesitant (it was loud!) but he quickly overcame his fear and had a fun ride to Carpinteria with Daddy, where Mama met them for a nice walk and breakfast. He wants to know when he can ride again now!

Ready to go!


Oops, a little intimidated


Ready to go! (again)


"I'm a conductor now!"

The Rest of Summer

We were delighted that Lauren and new baby Sam could come for a quick visit early in August


Nicholas chillin' and enjoying a "special treat" at the wharf


Ready to swim laps!


Enjoying a new toy from Grandma Sherrill


"e" for "ear," Get it? :)

Rick and Kate Visit

We had a wonderful visit with Rick and Kate. We ate lots of good food, drank lots of good beer, and just enjoyed each other. We even pulled off the 40th Anniversary surprise for Richard and Elaine! We made them a scrapbook and took them out to a delicious dinner at Fresco by the Beach. A good time was had by all!

The Best of Summer

We have been enjoying family picnics, trips to the Oak Park kiddie pool, LOTS of trike riding, and some wonderful family visits. Grandma Sherrill and Papa Doug joined us for a 3 day "Stay-cation" during which we relaxed, ate out and played games. (Unfortunately, Nicholas got sick for one of the days - high fever, vomiting, the works) but it was actually nice to have another "mommy" here to help take care of him. During his umpteenth Thomas video of the day, he proclaimed, "This is a special treat!" And thankfully, the next day he was fime and ready to eat a big breakfast at Jeannine's!

More Summer Fun

We are loving the summer in Santa Barbara! Even though a year ago I would've scoffed that the weather is ALWAYS nice here, we are relishing the even nicer long sunny days. Time for lots of water play, BBQs, picnics, and that classic all-time summer favorite...potty training!
Time for a few tickles before this Saturday's walk from the Mission to the Farmer's Market. "Wanna share something?" Nicholas asked when he saw the delicious fruit. :)


As it turns out, learning to smile for the camera when asked is a bit of an elusive skill. We still resort to tickling most of the time!


A skill Nicholas HAS mastered is huge jumps into the pool - and he has the bruises to prove it! His pool is only inches deep, but he doen't seem to let that bother him!


The bathing beauty in all of his "I've been stripped down for potty training" glory!


Hard at work with coloring - too bad the potty training isn't as easy! We have had some success, but LOTS of wet training pants as well! All in good time...

Summer Fun

Nicholas rides his bike in the driveway.



Doug, Dave, and Nicholas enjoy Father's Day.



Nicholas helps wash the car.

May we tell you about May?

This has been a good family month. We celebrated Great Grandma J-V's birthday and Mother's Day with the Howies and The Jacobsens, had a nice visit with Auntie Lisa and her friend Catherine, and celebrated our 7th wedding anniversay. Good times!

Nicholas has becone quite a "helper" when it comes to opening presents. He always thinks it will be a car!



As Auntie was eating her toast Nicholas exclaimed, "It's an F!"



At Hendry's Beach before our anniversary dessert at the Brown Pelican




Hiding Hot Wheels in Nana's flower pot!

Easter

The Jacobsens had a wonderful Easter. Nicholas LOVED "grass church" - seeing the "wagoon" (lagoon), dancing to the music, running in the grass, and donuts to top it off - I don't think he'll want to settle for regular church again! Then, Grandma Sherrill and Papa Doug drove up to help with the egg hunting and Easter basket festivities. It was such a joy to watch Nicholas get excited and have such a fun day. That night when we were saying his bedtime prayers, he wanted to be sure and thank God for "Candy!" Amen!

A Visit with the Rudders

We had the chance to drive up to Paso Robles for Jacob's 6th birthday and to visit our goddaughter, Emma. Nicholas had a blast playing in the backyard, and thought his party at the gym was awesome, for about 5 minutes until he split his lip open! He was a real trooper though (the ice cream cake helped him pull through) and he ended up having a great time in the ball pit.



Stine with Marisa and Emma



Throwing rocks in the pond



Our little Rocky Balboa



Life is good again!

Papa Doug Turns 60...

...and we celebrate by going to the Lomita Train Museum.