Charlotte and Melanie

These photos are a few weeks old now (forever in the lifetime of 4 and 5 month olds!) but are too cute not to post. Melanie and Charlotte enjoyed the afternoon outdoors while their big sisters ran around with bubbles.

Melanie and Charlotte (5 months and 3 months)



Flashback - Lillian and Ella (5 months and 6 months)
I think the resemblance between Lillian and Melanie is amazing. And the dissimilarity between Charlotte and Ella! Although looking at these two photos they have the exact same mouth...

A Life Well Lived...

That is really the best statement I feel I can come up with encompassing my Grandpa's life. A life lived well. He never lost a minute of living. He was interested in everything happening around him. Sports, politics, books and he never missed an opportunity to ask someone about their life, their thoughts and opinions.

G2 and Ella (7 weeks old)


G2 and Ella (3 months old)


When I was younger Grandpa and Grandma were there for every school concert, play and birthday celebration. They also traveled a lot and never failed to send postcards. Grandpa came with us to Mexico one summer. A few years ago Grandma passed away and Grandpa lost his partner. After that enormous loss for him, he did something really wonderful - he let us all be his partner. He would call everyone for different things, but he found a new way to connect with everyone in the family. He called me after every game that the Twins won. Every game. And every once ion awhile a new book would appear in the mail that he had just finished that he thought JD or I would like. He came out to visit in 2005, and again just this winter.

G2 and Ella (21 months)


G2 and Charlotte (5 weeks)

Relaxing outside

Our backyard is a beautiful backyard - orange trees and jasmine, lemon tree and a short little kumquat tree that Ella pilfers (not to eat but to play with them and collect them in whatever vessel she can find). Last Sunday we had a wonderful afternoon playing outside - the orange tree is out of oranges now (between the squirrels and us we cleaned it off) but has started blossoming and so the air smells like orange blossoms - amazing.

Here are a few photos of the day. Both girls loved being outside.

Happy girl, skeptical girl...


JD and his girls


Contemplative Charlotte


Ecstatic Ella


This is the angry face


Daddy and Baby


Ella made me a playdough birthday cake! I was getting ready for the day and she was playing with playdough and when I cam out she surprised me and began to sing to me. It was so sweet!


Purple Charlotte - still combating the thrush we took desperate measures. After 5 days of purple baby, purple mom, purple clothes, purple EVERYWHERE we are hoping it is gone...

Funny Things...

That a two year old says.

"Mommy, hurry, Anna's house is starting!"
When the wind in MN was fiercely blowing: "My hair is going away." and "Don't hurt me, wind."

After my shower: "Where did your dirty go?"

Banging her closed fists together: "Look, my clapping is broken."

Minnesota Trip

Traveling with a two year old and a three month old. Could be a nightmare, right? No, only if your two year old says "Let's play chase!" all through the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport. An Ella would never do that! Unless we flew over nap time, but she didn't nap and was really over tired or something. Then she might. And she did. So imagine a somewhat harried looking mom with a baby in the bjorn, pushing an EMPTY double stroller, pulling a car seat precariously on wheels and chasing a two year old. Oh, you saw me? Looked like fun. It wasn't.

Luckily, the beginning of our trip was much more difficult than the rest of the time there. We had lots of wonderful family time, Ella got to see SNOW, she had a hair cut, saw a play, Charlotte rode on a plane for the first time, we had a wonderful Easter and then we flew back to sunny LA. Here are a million photos from our trip!

Sleepy Grandma, sleepy Charlotte


Twins! Ella and Kait before all the snow came...


Ella getting her hair cut by Karen, who cut my hair when I was little. She did a GREAT job and finally Ella's hair looks great even when I don't get a chance to brush it!


This is COLD!


It feels funny...


Erik, Ella, Kait


Making snow angels


This is really deep! Examining what was once the pool...






Grandma, Kait, Erik, Ella and Charlotte


Ella and her Easter basket on Easter morning. Candy? I love Easter!!


Charlotte eating her Easter dress.


Happy birthday to Grandpa! Ella and Jack


Cooking dinner with Joyce.


Traveling with two was not easy but definitely rewarding. And a LOT of strangers offered to help. Ella was a great traveler (when she wasn't practicing her sprint) and helped a lot. Charlotte was not a fan of the plane, but she'll get there. I found it hard to swaddle her while sitting in the middle seat. Guess I need to practise that! All in all, it was a great trip and now it is nice to be home in LA!