Huh

(above: our very own Carmel-by-the-Sea Firetruck)

One thing I have discovered lately is that my own English is quite poor sometimes. The reason I've discovered this is that Tommy is copying what I am saying... and it sounds bad. The latest thing he's saying is "huh" all the time - usually at the end of a sentence or phrase. Dave was the first to really notice him doing this and now it's all I hear from him. But I think I've figured out where this is coming from. Until recently, my conversations with Tommy have been very one sided, with me doing all the talking and Tommy doing all the listening. So to include him in the conversation, I've added "huh?" to the end of the sentence which gives him an opportunity to say, "yeah!" which he's been saying for almost a year. So here's an example: "Look at the fire truck, Tommy. It sure is loud, huh?" And Tommy replies, "Yeah!"

And now our conversations go like this:

Tommy: "Big book, huh?"
Me: "That IS a big book, huh?"
Tommy: "Yeah!"

or

Tommy: "Food goes way way down there, huh?" (pointing to his stomach)
Me: "It sure does."
Tommy: "Yummy in my tummy, huh?"

then of course there are the more noticeable huhs like:

Me: "I love you!"
Tommy: "Love you, huh!"

or

"Spoon! Want it! Huh!"

Because the huh is standing out to me so much but I can't break the habit of looking for his concurring agreement during conversation, I unconsciously started saying "Isn't is?" at the end of my sentences the last few days. I actually think this will be worse than huh. I can already hear him saying, "Idn-it..?...."

Pretty poor English, huh?

$149.58

That's how much we spent HEATING our house last month. With lots of fog in the summertime here, the temperatures will stay between 50-60 degrees. Add to this the fact that the house we're renting has basically no insulation with paper thin glass windows, and is built off the ground on stilts with a huge crawlspace underneath. There is a famous quote credited to Mark Twain referring to the fog that goes something like, "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." It never made sense to me before because Palo Alto, so close to SF, was always very pleasant - but it really can be chilly here on the coast! So all of you who are living in 100 degree weather still might not believe me - but I swear it is true that we spent $149.58 on our heating bill...in JULY. Just thought you would like to know...

"Tricia and Dax, San Diego!"

Beautiful San Diego with Tricia and Dax


Dax and Tommy wrestle the gorilla at the zoo


Tommy and a real gorilla, just one inch away!


Tommy was jealous of Dax's muscle suit


The Mattress Room at the Children's Museum


Whoopsie Daisy!


Tommy enjoyed all of Dax's great toys!

First of all, let me apologize for my critical omission of bike details from the previous post. Obviously I should have anticipated this and catered to your needs better! Don't worry, I have alerted Dave of the readers demand and perhaps he will fill you in on the details (I would do it myself but have no idea about the bike components, etc...)

Tommy and I just got back from a fun 3 day trip to visit our friends Tricia and Dax. Tommy has been saying "Tricia and Dax, San Diego!" multiple times a day since we moved away from them. Dax and Tommy were best friends in Palo Alto, and so we had to go visit them in San Diego to see their new home! (Poor Dave stayed home and worked.) We had a fabulous time and saw the zoo, the beach, fun parks, and the Children's museum. We also enjoyed Tricia's great food and hospitality - she is the best! I miss not seeing Tricia every day - we lived in the same complex at Stanford and had great adventures together. We look forward to more visits and think we should take Dave with us next time!

Number 4

Dave just put together bike #4, another new bike justified by several reasons: he would like to put Lil' T on the back and go out for a spin but was worried that the steep hills called for disk brakes. Also he wanted a cheaper bike for possible commutes to work. So anyway, he ordered a new bike (and a new baby seat - we already have a bike trailor but Dave thought the trailor would be too heavy to pull up the hill) and he just finished assembling it all. Tommy was super excited about the new bike seat, which is a good sign. Today they went out for a short ride in the neighborhood and Tommy liked it and said "Do again!" when they came home. Several months ago we tried to rent bikes and ride over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco with a similar bike seat and Tommy SCREAMED being in the seat so we had to turn around after a few blocks - and we never got to ride over the bridge. So I was wondering if he would ever like anything but the bike trailor (which he tolerates ok) but now I think he may like the bike seat even better!

In case anyone is wondering, I just have one bike. But just so there's no confusion as intonation is difficult to appreciate with the written word, I'm very happy for Dave to have his new bike. Bikes are, after all, one of his passions. I'm also happy he has a great hobby that's good for his health. And I'm not sure I even need one bike - because I don't know if I'll be able to get myself up these hills let alone with Tommy on the back ... these hills appear worse than Virginia Street!

Today we had nearly 80 degree weather (the hottest it's been yet) and enjoyed the beach without being cold! It's so fun!!