Farmer's Market

We've always been big, big fans of the Farmers Market, and now that we're locals, we're ready to enjoy it even more.  We had such a lovely time at our first (of the season) Farmers Market.  Grandma and Papa were up visiting and checking in on the progress of the house, so they joined us too.  The afternoon was lovely- perfect weather, breezy, sunny, just wonderful.  We even managed to find seats in the crowded eating area, and everyone, especially Catherine, enjoyed a delicious dinner.  All the kids loved listening to the music, and they danced and danced away.  When we went home, Lizzy said, "That was so much fun, Mommy!  I can't wait until next year to go again!"  I was thrilled to tell her she wouldn't have to wait a whole year.  We would be going again next week, and the next week, and the week after that.....

First Day Fun

Yes, this really happened.  I still can't believe it, and I almost have this weird feeling that if I talk about how great it is too much, it will poof, disappear, like a fantastic dream just out of my reach.  Lizzy began her first day of school at her new school in Caroline's class.  There's not too many days left in first grade, but Lizzy is ending her year here in Davis.  It was a weird mix of emotions for us.  We were so happy to see Caroline and Patrick, and excited for all the "newness" and the thrill of doing something different.  But it felt weird to be putting on a new uniform, driving to a new place, seeing new faces and getting used to a new routine.  It felt right, but different, and I think it will take a little time for us all to get settled in.  Lizzy was so happy and thankful to have Caroline there, to help smooth out everything for her, and to welcome her to her new school.

Did I Mention The Pool?

Oh yeah, and if things couldn't get any better, our new house has.......wait for it.......a pool!!  I've never really considered myself a big pool person, but I've got to say, the pool is awesome!  The kids love it, and it's so fun to go swimming with them.  Even in the short time we've been here, the kids have already improved so much in their swimming.  Lizzy loves the slide, and will go down over and over, and do such a great job swimming to the side.  Peter loves to splash around in the shallow end, and is great at getting his whole head in the water now.  Catherine loves the water, and is ready to become a little fish.  I'm so excited for summer time and lots and lots of swimming.

Breakfast Bar

We've got a breakfast bar!  That's how excited we are to be in our new house- even really simple, kind-of lame stuff like a breakfast bar is exciting to us:)  It's so fun to see the kids eating their breakfasts there in the morning.  The "bar" has become a favorite spot for hanging out, getting work done, and of course, eating.  There are three seats there, so one day Catherine will be joining Lizzy and Peter at "The Bar."

So We've Got Some Big News.........

So, we've had a lot of changes around here lately.  Even "a lot" might be an understatement.  After living in Menlo Park for the past nine years, and after some very thorough soul searching, we decided to pack it all up and move to Davis.  Oh, the reasons were many, and it was not an easy decision, but we are very excited for a change, and we have been so fortunate with the way things have played out.  Pat found a job!  That was huge, and so great that he could find a great job near where we wanted to live.  Lizzy and Peter were accepted into school, which was an integral part of this move.  They will be joining Caroline and Patrick, with Lizzy even in the same class as Caroline, so we were so thankful they got into school.  And, most excitingly, we bought our very first house!  As soon as we saw it we loved it right away, and we put an offer down and it was accepted on the same day.  We have been on pins and needles, and were so thrilled when everything cleared and it officially became ours.

Our "moving day" was a dream.  The day before the packers came and packed up the whole house in three hours.  On moving day, Lizzy and Peter went off to their final days of school and Catherine stuck around the house to watch all the excitement.  Everything went so quickly, we barely had time to clean the place up before the truck was ready to take off.  Pat followed the truck up to Davis, and I rounded up the kids.  We picked up Peter at school and enjoyed one last singing time together and said goodbye to all his special teachers.  We went to get Lizzy and picked her up right at lunch time, and she was able to give her special friends a final goodbye.  We zipped over to McDonalds for a quick lunch, and then were on the road.  By the time we got to Davis, everything had been unloaded from the truck!  Our cousins came over for a move-in pizza night to toast to our big day.  We are so excited for all of the adventures ahead of us in our new town!  

Easter Fun

We love to go over to Grandma and Papa's house to celebrate Easter and enjoy all our favorite traditions.  Papa always puts together the best Easter egg hunts.  He color coordinates all the eggs so that each kid only looks for their color.  He hides the eggs very carefully, and it's not easy to find all his secret spots.  He is very tricky!  We always dye eggs together and then the kids love to run around and play.  This year, Lizzy and Peter loved the new little treehouse that Grandma put up in the backyard.  It's a perfect spot to play or to just hang out and enjoy a beautiful afternoon.  It's always a special time at Grandma and Papa's.

Neighborhood Easter Festivities

We can never resist a good old-fashioned neighborhood get together.  We rode our scooters over to the spot where all our neighbors were gathering for an Easter egg hunt and some super fun Easter games.  Lizzy and Peter are pros by now, both racing around and gathering tons of eggs.  Catherine wasn't too sure about all of this and mostly tried to steer clear of the Easter Bunny.  Lizzy and Peter loved the sack race, the egg and spoon race, and the hockey stick race.  Catherine loved watching, and tried to find anyway she could to join in.  What a great way to kick off our Easter celebrations.

Peter's Family

I love this one (even if Pat and I aren't wearing pants)!  It's so fun to see Peter getting more and more into drawing.  He takes his time to add so many careful details, and the results are absolutely precious.  I love this sweet family portrait!

Easter Bunny Smiles

It's our tradition to always indulge the various characters that make their way to our mall.  We always get all dressed up for Santa and the Easter Bunny and take our picture with them.  I'm not sure why I take my quivering, nervous kids and make them sit by giant weird people in costumes, but I do, and I love it, so there.  The Easter Bunny has been a wild card for us the last couple of years.  Let's just say that Peter really didn't like him very much (imagine a yelling, shaking little boy who wouldn't come within 50 feet of that bunny to save his life).  Well, now that Peter's such a big boy, he's worked through his bunny issues and was ready to take a picture.  Now Catherine's at an age where it's anyone's guess how she'll react to a giant bunny.  She was apprehensive, and pretty nervous, but once I sat down with her, she was okay.  Yay, another year, another successful picture!  I wonder how much longer my kids will let me torture them?