Johnny Jumper Snoozer

Sometimes all that jumping can do a girl in.  We'll hear lots of jumping, jumping, jumping, and the squeaking and bouncing of the johnny jumper as Catherine bounces away.  She loves it in there, and is full of smiles and tons of big jumps.  Then.......those jumps get a little bit slower, and a little bit softer.  Finally........quiet.  A girl can only jump, jump, jump for so long!

Babylebrities

There's a whole lot of hustle and bustle on our street.  We've got tons of big kids riding scooters, running around, playing all sorts of busy games........just being busy-bee kids.  Now we've got two new little ladies to join in the crowd.  They're not very busy yet, they don't do very much, but they're already drawing attention and making themselves known.  Sometimes, they're just so darn cute, that everyone will stop to watch them.  It's not very often, and it's certainly not for very long, but they can tame all those big kids with their adorableness every now and then.

Another New Smile

It's getting hard to keep up with all of Lizzy's new smiles.  Just when I'm getting used to one, another tooth falls out!  This is a biggy- she finally lost her other front tooth.  That thing was hanging by a thread, and she was so gentle with it, I thought it might never come out.  Finally, Lizzy gave it a little pull, and out it popped.  Now we've certainly got a big girl on our hands.  No front teeth equals perhaps my most favorite Lizzy smile of all............for now.

Rub-a-Dub-Dub

You know you've hit the big time when you make it into the big tub.  Catherine has finally outgrown her little bathtub that we used in the kitchen sink.  I loved giving her little baths in the sink, but I was getting tired of getting soaking wet with all her splashes.  Now that Catherine can sit so well, I figured it was time to move her to the tub.  On her inaugural bath, Lizzy and Peter were so excited, they decided to jump into the tub with her.  Everyone loved it so much, it was adorable.  The big kids were so gentle with Catherine, and loved playing with her in the water.  Catherine was in heaven.  She loved splashing and laughing with her big brother and sister.  Now it's not uncommon to have all the kids in the tub in the evening before bedtime.  

Still Lovin' It

It's pretty great (for all of us) that Catherine's so stable at sitting now.  She loves to sit and play with toys and watch everything that's happening around her.  We usually give her a box of duplos, or some of her rattles, and she's very content to sit and play for a long time.  I think she loves to feel like a part of the family, in the thick of things, making her sweet little noises and smiling at all of us.  I love to watch her, so happy and so content.

Birthday Girl

Lizzy had a wonderfully fun-filled day to celebrate her sixth birthday.  (On a side note, how is she already six?  Six sounds really, really old!  When did she get so big?!)  When Lizzy woke up in the morning, she was greeted with a very special present- a new big girl bike!  Pat had the great idea to wrap it up in a super cuter way with tissue paper, and Lizzy was so excited to unwrap her big present.  Then, of course, we had our traditional "Birthday Breakfast."  Then, we quickly got ready to host some of Lizzy's classmates and neighborhood friends for a royal tea party.  The girls made crowns and wands, played some games, and had a yummy lunch.  Lizzy kept telling us what a great day she had, and we were so happy our special girl felt so loved.  Happy, Happy Birthday to our precious Lizzy!  We love you so very much and love getting the chance to celebrate you!  

Zoo Time

One of the things I love best about summer is the chance to take lots of day trips to our favorite places.  Before Lizzy started Kindergarten, we would pack a lunch and hit the road all the time, visiting tons of awesome places.  But once she started school, our days became full of (boring) school stuff, and we just didn't have the time we used to.  Yay for summer time!  A few days ago we hit the San Francisco Zoo with the Nelsons.  What a great day!  The weather was gorgeous, and the kids had so much fun running around and looking at all the animals.  I had a flashback as I was sitting and feeding Catherine her lunch.  I remembered so clearly when Paige was a baby, and we would take Lizzy and Drew out on exciting adventures, and Amy would have to stop to feed Paige her baby food.  Now, Paige is getting ready to start Kindergarten in the fall, and Peter and Catherine have joined the crew.  It's amazing how time passes so quickly, and how kids grow up so fast!  I'm so thankful for these special days we can share together with our friends.

Water Fun

Once you can sit up, a whole new world of fun opens up for you.  Catherine is getting so good at sitting up now, that the other day when we were at the Nelsons' playing with water toys, she was able to join in.  Catherine loved the water.  She sat for so long just looking at it, and putting her hand out to touch it.  It was adorable.  Peter loved watching Catherine playing.  He ran all around, busily jumping and kicking at beach balls, but he took lots of time outs to check in on Catherine and make sure she was okay.  What a dedicated big brother!

Beach Getaway

What's a perfect way to officially end the school year, and to kick off summer?  Get in the car and head to the beach!  There's no better time to have a road trip!  Auntie Elizabeth had the genius idea of renting a house on Stinson Beach for a few days, so on Lizzy's last day, we packed up the car and hit the road. The views driving along the coast are truly breathtaking.  We all loved this tiny hidden gem.  We explored the town and the kids loved playing at the local little playground.  Peter discovered the joy of the soft-serve cone, and he refused to share even a tiny bit of his ice cream as he polished off the entire thing.  That guy's sweet tooth is legendary!  We loved getting to play on the beach with our cousins and to hang out at their awesome beach house.  On our way out, we visited Muir Woods.  All I can say is......ahhhhhh!  What a peaceful, truly gorgeous place.  I wish I could have walked around there all day and admired the beauty of the redwoods.  It looks like summer is here, and we are already off to a great start!

Kindergarten Picnic

Lizzy ended her Kindergarten year on the highest of high notes- a fantastic, completely adorable, magical carnival, perfectly designed just for the kindergarten class.  When I drove up to school and saw everything set up for the day, I wanted to start crying.  To see such love, such dedication and thoughtfulness, such time and effort put in to creating this amazing day, really touched me.  Lizzy's class got to play carnival games, do an art project, and go on a treasure hunt.  There were relay races, a prize booth, a BBQ, and a magician.  I mean seriously, could it get any better than this?!  It was like hitting the fun day lottery.  Everyone, from the children to the mothers, had such a blast.  It was a day I think I'll always remember, and I loved getting to share it with Lizzy.

Sweet Hellos

Catherine is getting really good at rolling over now, and is getting so strong, that she can really push herself up.  I think you can see she feels pretty proud of herself.  Catherine has never been too much of a napper during the day.  There's just too much to see!  The other day I thought she was sleeping because she was so quiet in her room.  I snuck in to take a peek, and what should I find but a giant smile beaming up at me!  Now that's a way to greet someone!  

Peter's Last Day

And just like that, in the blink of an eye really, Peter finished his second year of preschool.  Wow!  Time surely does fly when you're having fun.  Peter was fortunate to have another terrific year of play, exploration, and pure, old-fashioned fun.  He continued to grow so much!  He became more confident in himself, more independent, more sure of himself and ready to try new things.  Every school year ends with a class picnic in the play yard.  This year, Catherine got to join us.  We brought her high chair and she sat with everyone and enjoyed her lunch outside on a beautiful day, watching all the big kids running around playing.  It was a sweet, lovely way to end a fabulous year.  

Walking Pals

We don't take too many leisurely walks anymore.  When the kids were little, it could take us 45 minutes to circle the block.  We were so busy looking at every flower, kicking every rock, and exploring........well, everything, that we were slooooooowwww.  I loved it!  There's nothing like kids who literally take the time to smell the roses.  You can see so much!  These days, we're fast.  Usually everyone is on some sort of vehicle, and we're speeding around the block.  The other day when we went for a walk, the kids decided to do it the old fashioned way- with their feet!  What a treat.  There were lots of discoveries, lots of conversation, and lots of hand-holding.  I hope we can take more walks where we're actually walking.

6! (at school)

Whew!  Boy, were we busy with all of these birthday snacks this week!  Lizzy was super excited to get to bring a special snack for her class to enjoy to celebrate her birthday.  She picked out blue and pink plates, beautiful butterfly napkins, and decided to give every child a pencil by their place.  We made our famous banana chocolate chip muffins and brought in grapes- yum!  Thank goodness for Peter.  While Lizzy's class was inside, he set up all the places for the kids.  What a sweetie!  Happy Birthday special girl!

4! (at school)

One of the best things about celebrating your birthday is getting to do all the special things at school.  Because Peter has a summer birthday, we always have to celebrate a little bit early, but that's okay.  It makes his birthday last a little bit longer- yay!  Peter was so excited to get to have his school birthday celebration.  We got to bring in the snack (chocolate chip cookies and grapes) and I got to be the helper mommy.  Peter picked out a bright orange birthday badge, with lots of sparkly jewels on it.  During snack time, he got to open the special birthday mailbox, pull out his birthday card and candle and wind the little music box.  He loved that he got to have a "job" that day too, and helped to pass out the plates.  Happy Birthday, special boy!  We love you!

Swinging Beauty

Oh, if ever you are feeling down, or you just need an adjustment to your priorities, just take a walk to the park on a sunny day.  Watching a little baby gently swinging in the baby swing, chunky legs dangling out, wearing her rainbow dress and lacy sun hat will instantly put a smile on your face.

Love!

I love this picture!  Of course, I love all the subjects, so that makes it easy to love, but I love all the unspoken beauty behind the sweet smiles.  I love Catherine's big smile and giggling eyes, so excited to be included in the mix, and loving being held.  I love Lizzy's tender smile and gentle snuggle.  I love the soft way Peter's holding Catherine's hand.  Having a family is tons of work.  You can easily get caught up in the daily grind and get discouraged by the mountain of work constantly before you.  It's so, so important to see beyond that, and to remember that underneath it all, what really matters is the love blossoming all around you.  It makes everything so worth while!

God Bless You, Catherine

Catherine had her baptism, and what a special day it was.  She looked so adorable in her baptismal gown, just like an adorable little doll.  Thank goodness it fit!  She's gotten so big we were a little worried, but it was just perfect.  Lizzy and Peter wore this same gown for their baptisms, so it was extra special that now Catherine got to wear it as well.  Who knows?  Maybe one day my grandchildren will wear this gown- now that's hard to imagine!  Everyone made the trip to celebrate Catherine's special day, which made it so wonderful.  We had the whole church to ourselves, and Father Edward did such a fantastic time walking us through all the symbolism of the baptism.  Afterwards, everyone came back to our house for lunch.  What a special day to celebrate and honor our special girl.  We love you, Catherine!

So Adorable

I had to take a picture of Peter to send into his school to hang by his hook next year.  I caught this great shot, and it made me do a double-take.  Who is this big guy?  Look at that sweet smile, that darling dimple, that long, tousled hair, and those big, brown eyes.  What a handsome boy!  And boy is the key word there!  My goodness, he has just sprouted up and is looking like such a big guy these days.  What joy it is to watch Peter grow and grow!

Sleeping Angel

Oh, she's so delicious, I could just eat her up!  I'm not quite sure where to start- those fantastic folds, her soft hair, the darling way she sucks her thumb..........sometimes, she's just too cute for words!

Eclipse

A few weeks ago we got to experience a full solar eclipse.  As we were driving home from a picnic, I quickly spied it happening, and even in that moment, was seeing spots.  I was bummed the kids wouldn't really be able to check it out, for fear of hurting their eyes.  Then, out of the blue, our neighbor quickly threw together a pin-hole projector, and everyone got to take a look.  What an amazing experience!  The sky became an eerie muted color, the shadows long and confused, something just not quite right.  But what was awesome was people were pouring into the streets and the neighborhood came alive.  Everyone wanted a chance to see the eclipse, be part of the action, and converse with friends and neighbors about this odd afternoon.  Lizzy really got a kick out of the projector, and she loved watching the whole eclipse unfold.  The next time this happens they'll be grown-ups!