Picture Day

This is what Amelia picked out to wear to picture day at school.  Note the bead necklace, silver and opal bracelet and huge flower head band. Oh- and the box she's carrying is filled with sparkly princess chapstick.   I just love this girl!

Baby in a Basket

Visit from the Kearns Family

Our long time friends Kenny and Alex and their son Brady spent Sunday afternoon with us.  The husbands watched a plethora of football games, the kiddos had a blast pulling toys out of every nook and cranny of the house, and Alex and I enjoyed a long-overdue visit.  It was especially nice as the day actually felt like Fall!

Good food, good wine and good friends make for quite a day.  I was having too much fun to capture the majority of the activities, but the evening had to end with a warm bubble bath and jammie joes.

Amelia, Brady had so much fun with you!  thanks for playing --

uh oh - I think we're going to have our hands full!

Coach Altick

Brad is coaching another season for Menlo School frosh-soph football.  Amelia absolutely loved going to the games last year.  The school does not have cheerleaders, so Amelia would wear her UCD Aggies cheer uniform to all the Menlo games (they share the same colors) and the team parents would love to see her cheering on the Knights with her pom-poms.

The team is 3-0 and Audrey attended her first game on Friday.  We watched in the End Zone to keep in the shade, where we fed Audrey dinner, Amelia kicked the soccer ball and played in the track and field's "sandbox."

Way to go, Coach Altick!

Menlo School v. Hillsdale

Here Chicken, Chicken!

"Mimi, can you catch a chicken for me?  I really want to hold one!" - Amelia at Hidden Villa

A for Effort Mimi!

Vegas was truly disappointed that she was not allowed in the free-range chicken area.  

Exploradoras

The last few days my parents were in town (aka "Mimi" and "Papa"), and we packed in activities with the girls.  Thursday was still very warm, so we decided to keep the girls busy until dinnertime - we headed to the local Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo.

I like to call it a "Suburban Zoo" because the animals they keep are ones that suburbanites might find in their backyard - raccoons, bats, ducks, bunnies, turtles, peacocks, reptiles and bobcats.  The museum portion had an exhibit on insects with spiders, butterflies and everything in between.  In any case, these activities kept the girls' attention and we were successful in keeping them out until dinner.

GO Knights!

Daddy's team wins again!  Go Menlo Knights!  

Amelia, you're all grown up!

Bathing Beauties

Hot, hot, hot!  We started the morning by filling up the elephant splash pool - by early afternoon the water was a balmy 80+degrees.  It definitely kept the girls entertained for quite a while.  I am surprised Vegas did not join in this time...

I couldn't resist...

 Amelia has been particularly obsessed with lining things up in rows and "trapping" something inside.  It varies from people, her baby doll "pink baby", herself, her sister...

And in this case, it was her Dora kick board.

Chocolate Princess

What's cuter - the tiara or the chocolate beard?

(thanks for the photos grandma ellie!)

Blueberries for Audrey

Avocado was her first love - she still enjoys every morsel, but now we are in blueberry heaven!

I love the classic children's book Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey, and watching Audrey take in handfuls at nearly every meal brings back adorable images from that story.  I have to wonder if one could possibly give her daughter too many blueberries; you know those enormous berry boxes at Costco that you can never finish unless you're having a party?  We finished one off in two days - and Audrey was the only one eating them!

I love to watch her feet swing and kick with delight!

Oh, and yes, we started clapping on Sunday!  Audrey's new favorite thing-

Even more fun when you get to squish blueberries in your hands!

Dining Al Fresco

Summer is coming to an end; we've had a mild summer for the most part, but the last few days we've had warmer nights.  I love to take advantage of this time of the year and enjoy dinner outside.  Brad and I love to cook and to entertain.   

Creating the tablescape is one of my favorite parts!  It must stem from while growing up my mom would let me set the table.  I always loved to watch her create her centerpieces for the holidays.  I like to challenge myself to use things around the house and yard in a new way, and mix up linens and tableware.  This one was for an upscale "mexican" dinner:

Here is Audrey enjoying her dinner al fresco- Vegas keeps a close watch for any goodies that don't quite make it in her mouth!

Back to School

Fall is here, and school is IN!  I am not sure who is more excited - me or Amelia!  Amelia enjoyed a few week-long summer camps at her current school, where she attended M-F 9-3pm.  She loved it and probably wishes we could send her that often and that long during the regular school year.

Amelia has Ms. Jodi and Ms. Nicole MWF from 9-12 for Pre-Kindergarten.  It feels like I have just put Audrey down for her nap and do a load of laundry by the time I am back in the car picking up Amelia.  It is great for her to be so stimulated at school and learn to socialize with kids her age and like I said, she LOVES it, and that makes me so happy.

Here is a pic from her first day last year, followed by this year:

Fall 2010 - Preschool with Ms. Becky

Fall 2011 - Pre-K with Ms. Jodi / Ms. Nicole

Crazy to see the difference between 2.5 and 3.5 - her hair is so much longer (took forever to grow to begin with!) and she looks like a little girl now!

One with Vegas, of course!

Amelia loves to set her clothes out before she goes to bed - makes mornings much easier!  Notice she laid out the socks near each shoe, put the head band at the top and you can't really tell from this image, but she put her undies under the leggings!

She is too much.  We love you Super Mema.