Miles is 3 (and then some)

We're a little late in posting about Miles' 3rd Birthday. It was a great party. Many of his friends and family were able to make it. Miles had a "Cars" themed bouncy house, which (as expected) kids of all ages loved playing in. In order to maintain some semblance of order, we separated the party goers into "Big Kids" and "Little Kids". Only one group in at a time. My role (all day and into the night) was traffic cop and referee. Lina was host and kept the food and drinks going for our third group "Adult Kids".

Karen, our former Nanny (no reflection on her):) was there, painting the faces of all the kids. We had the iPad out to look up images of various animals requested by the kids. She was a big hit and really added to the experience.

The party raged until about 10pm, when the last of the kids stumbled out and Miles stumbled to bed - exhausted. The only casualty was a school project due Monday morning; abandoned in favor of an epic evening. :)

We still need to get our photos in order. Basically, Mommy and Daddy were so preoccupied with the party and making sure the kids and guests had fun, that we didn't take a whole lot of photos (ie. any).

Miles waking from nap to discover cousins and bouncy house.

I was going to call this post "InvenTOYry" as the toys Miles received was generous and rather unexpected. We didn't think to ask that people not bring anything but themselves. So we have a long list of thank yous and "we'll getcha back." To give some perspective, Miles was still opening 2-3 gifts per night and this lasted for 4 days after the party. We thank you all for the gifts and for celebrating with us.

InstaFun

Had some fun with the kids, our iPhone and the Instagram app. Thought we'd share these with the rest of you.

Happy little love bug

Amelia is growing up to be an amazing little love. She loves her mom, and for that matter, pretty much anyone. She'll just as quickly leap out of my arms into Tim's, or Mama's, or a stranger at the rug store (no joke), but she seems to really want me when she just wakes up. If Tim picks her up out of the crib and I am around, she will throw herself out of his arms, and then greet me with hugs. The photo above is the hug she gave me on Sunday afternoon after her nap. She just leaned in, wrapped her arms around me, and pressed her face against mine. She stayed there long enough for Tim to take several photos, and to fill my heart with joy.

(Could you just eat up those chubby little arms?!?!)

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Really? Isn't it April 18? Wasn't St. Patties day a month ago?

Yes, and we've been terrible at blog posts, but I pulled these off the camera last night and couldn't help myself. We are having a ton of fun with our little people, they're just keeping us busy!!!





SQUEAZY HUGS!!!

Mommy Away

This week Lina is away on business; leaving the kids with Daddy. From daily outfits layed out, to alerting Momma Sue that I am "on my own", Lina has done a great job of setting me up for success. Thank you love - you've made this easier for me and the kids.

A joyous moment tonight came when Amelia surprised me with a greeting for Mommy. Its the first time she's said (something close) to Mommy. Just to make sure it wasn't a fluke, I followed Amelia around after this (video below) asking her to "Say hi to Mommy". Most of the requests were met with a "Mommy" that sounded very close to what's on the video.

Ok, without further delay - "Amelia's First Mommy"



The kids have been great, but miss their Mommy; as does their father.

See the Feedgulls

Sunday after the Zoo, we grabbed some bread about to turn into Penicillin and headed to Coyote Point Park to feed whatever we found. Expected to see some ducks or geese, but found instead only Seagulls.

Miles loved the experience. It was fun to watch Miles toss the bread out to the birds, then the birds just stare at the bread which barely clears 1 foot from us. You can see them going through the risk/reward analysis in their heads. "How important is this bread?" "Why would they only throw it 9 inches in front of them?" "Is this a trap?" Their questions were answered when Miles would then shout - "Birds bread! There!"











And then it was off to the swings and slides.

MerWheeeeee! Go Round

While we catch-up on our back log of life experiences, we will have a few posts which are out of sequence and out of date. Posts will date back as far as...(gulp)...Jan.

Amelia got to go on her first Merry-Go-Round ride at the Oakland Zoo. Tucked between her big brother and her father, she was sandwiched by the strongest men in her life; still she was a little unsure of what she was in for.

It was a cold morning, so we apologize for the hats :(

Miles and Daddy went on the train together to see the Kangaroos and Emus.

Think Miles was excited?

Then it was off to the Zoo's playground. Lina bought Miles a pair of sunglasses at the Zoos because it was such a crisp, bright day. For a while, he looked even more like Daddy.

And then it happened. In one of those genuine moments, Miles met Mia where she sat and gave her a tender hug. We are so delighted to have caught this moment. Its one of our favorites because it was spontaneous and all his idea.