Devin Yakoushkin - month 34

Row 1: Devin attended Picnic Day at UC Davis with his father (mom was home and very sick.) He got to milk a goat, twice (photo above) and his favorites were the "Doxie" races; some fast, some not-so-fast, and some check-for-their-pulse Dachshunds chasing after a ball of fur in front of 5,000 cheering fans. It sounds ridiculous, but until you're there and see it, it's hard to convey the entertainment value. We also walked all over campus, fed tons of hoofed animals, ate great nitrite-rich food, saw tons of exhibits, and watched the Battle of the Bands. (Devin still plays his trumpet fairly regularly and asked about it when he saw the trumpeteers in the band.) Later the next week, we also went for a long walk/run (Devin is much into running these days) through Armstrong woods - it was wonderful. He climbed into a large hollow in a burned-out but living redwood tree - very brave! (It was dark and large organic "cave" - kinda creepy - it took him a few minutes to warm up to it.) We met a couple with twins and Devin convinced their boy to come in as well - Devin is getting very good at making (and maintaining) friendships, even if only for an hour.

Row 2: Devin, Avery and Payton at Petaluma's Butter and Eggs Day Parade (yes, that's a real event up here.) Later, hangin out in the back yard and diving into our imaginary pool.

Row 3: A trip to Mendocino to visit uncle Iggy and Mary (and their Dog, missy, too!) Poor Dawn had to put up with a long windy drive with 3 Yakoushkins in the car and a rather colorful and interesting family visit. It was a great time, though, and Devin got to see his 82-year old Great-Uncle for his birthday.