Happy Birthday Ari!

What a weekend! My baby is 3 now! I think she has finally decided that she is no longer a baby. I think. This year I just couldn't get it together to throw her a party. Not at all. So we took the kids to a festival in San Francisco over the weekend with some friends of ours (Nathan and Lindsey F.) and their little ones. Upon arriving at the festival, Ari shouted, "It's my party!" I couldn't have planned it better if I tried! And I'm so glad I didn't try. The kids had an absolute blast.

So, I think I've decided from hence forth that I'll plan birthday parties in sync with childrens' festivals. Although Mateja did say to me at the end of the day, "That was a fun birthday party, Mom, but we didn't actually know any of the kids that were there." Ah, well. That's OK, isn't it?

Mother's Day

That time of year is here! Day to honor mothers. So... it was my day, well, sort of. But that's kind of the way it goes when your kids are young, right? Anyway!!!

I had a great morning. French Toast & (decaf) French Roast was waiting for me. I was served by a beautiful fairy princess who then joined me at the table to eat some french toast with her maple syrup.
Somehow (ha) organic maple syrup ended up getting tracked all over the dining room and kitchen floor. Guess who got to clean that up? It was my day, after all. Not sure Nathan even noticed, otherwise he probably would have cleaned it up for me. Well, a mom can hope.

After eating and showering and going through a few different outfits to figure out which one made me feel the least fat, we headed to church. My friend Charlene said I looked gorgeous. Aw. Thanks friend! My girls scored a gift bag each full of makeup and costume jewelry from a lovely lady there who has fallen in love with them.


After church Nathan insisted we go out for lunch. I chose a big, fat, juicy burger since it keeps alluding me. Ari walked right in that Red Robin like she owned the place, found an empty booth, and sat herself down. The girls covered their faces with pink and orange powder blush while we waited for our lunch. Altogether memorable which is exactly what "my" day should have been like, no?

Once we got home, naps were on the schedule for all and after we woke the rest of the daylight was spent outdoors. The girls continued to smear their new makeup all over themselves (especially Ari, imagine it!) and then they shared it with the neighbor girls. All in all a very relaxing day. Yay for Moms!

Farmers Market

This morning I took the girls to a local Farmer's Market. It's something I hope to make a family tradition. I wish we went to Farmers Markets three times a week, but I'll settle for once a week for now. I love them. I talked it up so much that by the time we parked the car (I know, we should have biked) and headed down the closed off street the girls were squealing with excitement. It was perfect. The weather was agreeable, the street was not over crowded, it was well organized and the live music wasn't obnoxious. My only grimace of the day occurred when I looked at the posted prices of the face painting booth. That was after I'd agreed to let Mateja get a "kitty" caked on her right cheek. Boo. Oh well. She was pleased with the outcome and I was pleased with the positive experiences my girls had at the market. It wasn't their first, by any means, but it was certainly the first memorable experience for each of them as they were very involved in the choosing of the foods we purchased and the variety of samples they consumed. Yay for FM and summer time produce. Aaahhh ~ loving life!

Mouth Wide Open

Today our girls had their first dental appointments! We turned it into a family affair (or course!) and each had an appointment. I had the first examination and cleaning so the girls could watch and ask questions and begin trusting the doctor. When Mateja’s turn came round, she suddenly shrank into the pool of insecurity and fear. Wailing was heard throughout the exam rooms. Daddy pulled her up onto his lap to console: "We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. We can wait until you are six." She wouldn’t have it. Wait another YEAR?!? Uh-uh. She sucked it up, dried the tears and put on her brave face. She was darling reclining in that big chair, muscles tensed, mouth wide open.

Ari was next and followed sister in her resistance to climbing into the chair. After the doctor reminded her of the treasure chest full of toys that awaited a patient with polished teeth, she reluctantly climbed onto Daddy’s lap and opened her mouth “wide, like an alligator.”
We were perfectly proud of our two angels, just as we should be. After leaving with toys and toothbrushes and floss and toothpaste, Daddy took his treasures to a “restaurant” as a special treat. After lunch Mateja was quick to instruct us all to brush our teeth AND floss. That’s our girl!