Cherries

Picking.

Pitted and pie-prep'd (at Kate & Dave's).

Kate helps Luke cut the dough.

Ready for the oven.

Playing while the pies bake.

Ready to eat.

Lots more cherries left over.

Carrots in our garden

We planted the seeds and they grew into actual carrots. Now we just grab one, rinse, and chomp. Garden success. Crazy!

Bright green spring

In the nature area next to school.

Remember making little "scissors" out of this pointy grass stuff as a kid?

Images from a day at preschool

Today I worked at our preschool. We had dry ice in the play yard and a birthday circle for Wyeth, who turned four. Luke is not far behind.

Practicing cursive with Halina

I just noticed that our practice sheet is kind of beautiful.

Yesterday was full of goodness

It was a hot day. In the morning there were bubbles (and amazing light) at MCPC.

In the afternoon we put the sprinkler under the trampoline.

And played at in a friend's rural-feeling backyard.

Pictures Halina took on our m-day walk

Happy 7 and 1/2

Today I was working for a couple hours on the cleaning and reorganizing the basement, a major undertaking (I'll post before and after pictures when I'm done -- you'll be amazed), and Halina came down to tell me it was time for dinner. "Ugh, I think I've made this room look worse than when I started," I said, looking around at all the jumbled piles. "Yeah," she said. "You have." She took off and I felt a wave of deep demoralizing reality wash over me as I faced all I had left to do. Halfway up the stairs, she added over her shoulder, "But you'll get it done." And just like that I felt totally bolstered. If Halina thinks I can do it, I can. And she does.

Later when I was telling everyone at dinner how that comforted me, Halina said that's why she said it -- because she knew it would make me feel good and that it would help me. 

That's my nutshell story for the day about what makes Halina wonderful. There are many others.

Halina, everyday you inspire, delight, and amaze me. I love you. Happy 7 and 1/2 birthday today!

Catching up.

My Mother's Day gift (to me) is to give myself the assignment to look back over the oodles of photographs from roughly the last six months and share the ones that make me smile. Each of these photos are full of joy and tenderness for me. 

Daddy love, a series.

 Luke likes to be semi-hidden, cozy and peeking out.

Another lost tooth on the bottom. Her two front teeth are now a thing of the past, too. 

 Devotion.

 Lukie push ups. Luke's probably too heavy now.

 Sister love.

 One of our "family fun day" outings, this time to the Children's Discovery Museum in Sausalito. We kept these up weekly for a few months and treasured our time together.

 Our new Meyer lemon tree's first (and so far only) lemon.

New ways to play outside the house, new independence, sibling creativity, and many rainless, warm winter days -- all of which let me cook in more peace. Ahh.

A freakishly beautiful late Winter day for a friend's birthday party at the arboretum.

I love these pictures with Daddy.

 Wyeth love.

 So many valentines to make.

So much to discover, so many new & wonderful things….

A special visit to see Papa and an airplane.

Especially special for Halina, as it turned out.

Then fun with Auntie Sue. And beauty at Uncle Mark's. Always.

Before Halina's top teeth came out, I tried to take extra pictures her. Oh those sweet little teeth. Those tender pre-K teeth.

She lost her second front tooth a week after the first, when Grandma was visiting.

Earlier, we'd taken the train to visit Grandma and Grandpa Dick.

And we'd gone to Truckee where Halina tried skiing (and Crazy 8's) for the first time. 

 After her lesson, she and I rode the ski lift together in our new matching sunglasses. Amazing.

Lots of other fun, amazing, silly things happened in the midst of the day-to-day. Friends, rainbows, and just the best, good, overlook-able stuff.

 Luke had his VIP week at preschool, when his photos and artwork are displayed. Luke's was a "Robot Stuffy" exhibit.

Luke learned to ride a real bike at MCPC's "bike day" outing. Just like his sister a couple years before.

A field trip to Crab Cove, good food, good art, good forts, good hugs….

We went to Uncle Mark's Easter weekend and met up with Papa, and everything was lush, spring, emerald, gorgeous -- with four-leaf clovers.

Aunties Tara and Jill just happened to visit on the same weekend recently. What? Crazy good fortune.

And we got our house painted.

And on Sunday we co-hosted our second annual brunch & hike for Aurora families.

~~~

Luke and Halina one year ago.