Early Birthday Celebration (Part 1) for Nico

Tonight, we began celebrating Nico’s 9th birthday, which is Monday, by going out to dinner at Soule Park’s restaurant, Zaidee’s Bar and Grill. This was followed by a stop at the Ojai Ice Cream Shop and then onto the Farmer and Cook for cookies. Tomorrow, we’ll hike in the morning, then have lunch at the orange grove, followed by honey-sweetened peach pie, which I was asked to make since this is a favorite of Nico’s. We’ll also have orange cookies that I made to compliment the peach pie. At that point, Sarah and Gregorio will assess the fire potential and air quality in South Pasadena and either take the kids home or decide to stay a few more days. They are operating on a day-to-day basis at this moment. (Hence the early birthday celebration.)

This evening, Melissa Kennicutt, a long-term babysitter for Luna, Nico, and Lyla, joined us. Melissa tragically lost her home during the recent Altadena fire and has a friend here in Ojai who has offered her a place to stay. Melissa told us that as hard as it was to see her neighborhood ravaged by the fire, she has been deeply comforted by the concern and offers of help from everyone she has encountered. She said she has felt “wrapped in kindness” and is most grateful.

I missed not having Rachael and Andrew with us, but they had conflicting plans. They will see the kids later in the week to continue Nico’s birthday celebration.

Here are a few photos of our gathering:

Lyla, Melissa, and Sarah