California

Liam, Timothy, my mother, and I were in San Jose this week, visiting family there. We told Liam we were going to stay with Uncle Tim and Auntie Jan, but he thought I said Jam, so he started calling them Auntie Jam and Uncle Peanut Butter. He was a little freaked out about their big yellow lab, because she licks faces, but overall he did great on the trip. Timothy was his usual cheerful self.

We visited with my grandma at her new place, an assisted living apartment, where she apparently has been voted Miss Congeniality. Last time I saw Grandma, she had her hair colored sort of a light brown, as it has been almost as long as I can remember. This year she let it go to its natural color, which is a beautiful pearly white. I could hardly stop staring at her. And the other residents in the dining hall could hardly stop staring at the kids. We had to stop at every table so that people could admire them, squeeze Timothy's foot, talk to Liam, and so on.

One of the days I was out there, I had to go into San Francisco for a conference at the Hilton. I rode BART in and walked to Chinatown, then stopped for some noodles since I thought I had

plenty of time to spare. Well, it turns out there are two Hiltons in San Francisco, and I was at the wrong one. I still made it in time though.

We also visited with my cousin Jamie and her husband David, who are expecting their first baby in August, and my cousin Roger. Liam got to eat an orange from the tree in Jamie's back yard.

We had a nice time, but it's good to be back home and in our routine again. Traveling with the kids, even with Mom's help, is exhausting.