November 2012. Part the first.

Let's start catching up with what happened in the early days of November.

1. There's a new trampoline place in town.  Our youth group descended on it in early November.  Sort of a slightly belated Halloween event.  You got prizes if you dressed up. Skip reprised his role as a ninja, and got a Starbucks gift card out of the deal.  Of course, he nearly melted in the "all black, all the time" costume, so shed the layers pretty quickly.


2. Kelly's school had a week of half-days, Nate's school did not, so Kelly and her friends joined me one afternoon to give a "Vertebrate Biology" lesson to my friend's 2nd grade class.  Gotta love kids who aren't afraid of critters.
 



(oh, did I mention that this is the day after I let my daughter skip school to take the train up to the city to watch the Victory Parade of the SF Giants baseball team?  Yeah, I'm just a truancy-encouraging machine!)
Jewel says "I'm a vertebrate, too!"  

3. The new trampoline place had a great fundraiser offer.  Nate's class used it twice to raise money for their 5th grade promotion party in the spring.


4. Skip was invited to participate in the Santa Clara University High School Mathematics Contest.  He spent three grueling hours answering math problems.  I spent three grueling hours photographing the rose garden.  Heh.
  

5. I've been participating with a number of photo opportunities through Google +.  I went on a photowalk to Mare Island with the local group, and it was a blast.  Yeah, we take photos, but we also just hang out and laugh a lot, too.
      

6. Went out to Natural Bridges State Park to check on the butterflies.  Still a little bit early, it seems.  Found a caterpillar, though.


7. No trip to Santa Cruz (where Natural Bridges is) is complete without a visit to the waves.  Yes.  it is November.  Yes, those bathing suits NEED TO HAVE MORE FABRIC!
 


Aw.  Sunset Love!


And look.  It's me!  I do exist.


8. Kelly continues with her riding lessons.  Whenever we can get over to the coast.  And it's not raining.
 


She's been involved in lessons with developmentally disabled girls, and I'm very proud of how she's helping them, even though it may mean she's not getting 'her share' of the lesson attention.

9.Everyone's classier with a moustache.
  

10.  Ok, ALMOST everyone's classier...