Bubble Trouble

Maeve took her first bubble bath this week.

She was thrilled, but unsure of what she should do with all that white stuff. Eat it? Splash it?

No worries! Big sister to the rescue. She knows exactly what to do with bubbles.

Upcycled Tutu

We are all happy to be home! Except Maeve, who is wishing for more people to smile at and dance with. She is quite the extrovert.

Eva made this skirt at the conference and was showing it off today. You can tell she is still a bit worn out from the trip.

9/11 Tribute

This was a memorial of the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Powerhouse Park, Del Mar.

Time Out

Being at a conference with lots of other parents and kids for five days is amazing! It can also be a bit overwhelming. We decided we needed to take a break and spend a couple hours at the beach.

We think it was a good decision.

Stack 'em Up

Sometimes things in life just balance themselves out and line up for your viewing pleasure. We took great photos of the kids at Birch Aquarium, sometimes they pose perfectly. Sometimes the fish do!

My Ham

Credit for this photo goes to Kureen Schwarz.


Apparently Maeve clapped and raised her hands, just as they asked, at a birthday party this weekend. She was thrilled to be a part of the group. This is quite unsurprising. If I take her to the store she spends tons of time catering to the crowds of people who flock around her cute smile, blond hair and sunny disposition. It makes shopping difficult as I have to answer questions and allow her time to visit with almost every passerby. We joke she might be our politician!

Here Fishy, Fishy

We have the friendliest fish I have ever seen. They flock to your hand if you touch the tank, follow you as you walk by and unlike other fish we've had they don't tend to swim away at every movement. It is strange.

Maeve takes advantage of this and climbs up to watch them. They flock right up to that cute face. As a side note: Isn't she getting tall?!

Missing Post

Craig is in Cupertino this week getting some "face time" with the coworkers. It is part of working remote and only happens once every few months. The last time, we went out as a family since we were homeless and it broke up that two months. That means for Maeve it was over half her life ago that dad left for one of these trips.

She spent the first day he was gone roaming from his office, to the bathroom, to the kitchen and to the swimming pool window. She signed dad and wandered a bit aimlessly. By evening she was truly confused, but let me put her to sleep. Today was a bit more distracted, but she definitely showed moments of "looking" for dad. So, I figured I would post a picture of her and that wonderful father she is missing. Just a few more days...

You Have to Crawl

Elias pulled out the tunnel today and had it immediately usurped by his baby sister. I don't think she had seen it since learning to crawl/walk. She was thrilled by the rolling structure and kept picking up an end and looking down it. She didn't want to go in it because that involved crawling! After several demonstrations by Eva and some encouragement from the camera, she decide to give it a go. She made sure to stop and give me a good picture. She then came over to the camera to take a look at herself. What a ham!

My Three

There they are, all three of them: Maeve (1), Eva (4) and Elias (7.5)

Trying to get a picture where are three are looking at the camera AND smiling is close to impossible. I do like this picture; it has all sorts of interesting things in it. Maeve is trying to figure out what her siblings are doing. Elias and Eva are almost holding hands. Eva, as usual, is wearing a big grin and, as usual, has chocolate around that grin. Elias is looking at the pond where he will quickly go when this photo shoot is done. None of them possess combed hair. Amazingly, they are in relatively clean clothes and there is an incredible lack of scabs and bruises. They are lovely.

Spark

In honor of Maeve's 1st Birthday, I have decided to post two pictures.

The first was taken a few hours after birth; she was so welcome, a relief after a couple years of stress and heartache. You can see the blonde hair that attracts so much attention.

The second was taken today. This bundle of joy is no longer a baby, but a full blooming toddler with oodles of personality. She is friendly; she will reach out to strangers to be held. She is full of smiles, spark and a general happiness that makes everyone smile. I already miss the baby, but look forward to what this Spark of mine will show us this year!