March 2012

Pacha and Avi jumping really crazy on the trampoline!

This shopper always reads the labels!

Millie and Avi jumping on the dunes.

Her first nap in her big girl bed!

Avi and Halle.

Avi, Mila in belly and Maren reading.

waiting at Dr. Hoopes

sand angel

first braid!

new house color!

New patio furniture.

New outdoor bath - lots of fun!

Swimming in February

We are very blessed to live somewhere we can go swimming in February.  Avi joined Millie at Baby Seal's Survival swim class and had fun hanging out in the spa most of the time (Avi is a warm water baby)!

Cuteness Update: 2 years, 8 months

Avi is so much fun!  I was thinking the other day: it's great she has her "bad" moments like tantrums, because otherwise, we would have a world population of 20 billion - you'd want to have toddlers around all the time!  Here's some of the endearing, cute, silly and amazing things she's done this week:

"When I was a little baby, I used to say Okie dokie artichokey." She's two and a half!

"I'm not going to sleep, I'm just going to wake up."  She'll say as she's about to take a nap.

During a morning stay at bilingual Pacha and Millie's house the other day, Pacha texted me this: I just told Millie and Avi to put on socks and shoes. In German. The Avi responded: put on shoes? In German. I nodded, then she turned around and said "Where are our shoesies?" (In English).  Isn't that amazing that Avi is partially bilingual just from hanging around Pacha and Millie for 3 hours a week?!  Thanks to Pacha - whom I beg to speak only German to my child - do you know how hard that is to speak to a toddler only in a foreign language (who's hard enough to communicate with in their native language)?

She counts by saying "two ones" which means 2, or "five ones" which means 5.

She calls us by our first names often, by our pronouns at other times, and by a combo at other times, like "Michael Daddy."

                                       Wearing a tutu on her head.

                                                                                        Going "outside" to scream!

Dana Point

We recently made a trip to Orange County to celebrate the life of Paul's cousin's husband, Mel, who passed away last month.  He was one of the sweetest men I've ever met - he always, always, always had a positive attitude even though he was very sick for about the last 20 years of his life!  

After the service, we met with my parents in Dana Point and stayed at the Marriott.  It was a very nice experience since we are used to staying in our little motorhome!  I went swimming in the morning, Avi enjoyed the hot tub at night with Mimi, we all devoured with joy the breakfast buffet (I got about 3 plates, and Avi ate enough salmon lox for an adult!)  We had a very nice time - talking and hanging out with Mimi and Boppy.  Avi got to spend one afternoon with them while we went out on a wine cruise date around the harbor.

At the petting zoo, Zoomars.

Avi's first bunny holding!

Bunnies and chickens... even guinea pigs!  

The guinea pigs were the sweetest and calmest!

Avi loved riding on the train, and then afterwards, watching the train!

The "corn pit" - probably Avi's favorite thing - was a 15'x15' box filled feet deep with corn kernels.  All the kids had fun running their hands and bare feet through the strange sensation!

Strange, but Avi will often get to the top of a slide and then not want to come down. She's not scared of swings though - she loves going higher and higher!

 

5 and a half months baked

On our "date" on the harbor.  It was a cold evening for Orange County.

After our date, we got to come "home" to this - definitely the best part of the day!

Hiking is getting harder!

With this second baby, my uterus and ab muscles really cramp a LOT.  If I just walk one block at a steady pace I feel like I'm having a mild contraction!  Crazy!  I just walk through them though, figure they are just a reality of the state I'm in now.  I also try to breath into them and focus on relaxing that area.  Geez, it's really crazy cool how the body works, though!

The top of West Cuesta Ridge where you can see from Morro Rock to Point Sal on a clear day!

5 months pregnant

Avi doesn't seem to think that this hiking is too hard!

Every Monday we do stroller class.  Sometimes my stomach is killing me, but I just try to keep up with all the other moms and babies.

If You Give a Maren a....

Being pregnant is awesome in many ways (and really difficult in others - see my post "on being a saint").  What makes it really fun is the excuse to eat whatever you want when you want - because it's the baby craving something, so you can't deny the unborn, right?!

One thing we love to do is hike and be outdoors.  So the other day we hiked West Cuesta Ridge (my second favorite hike on the entire Central Coast).  Before we left Arroyo Grande, Michael said, let's stop and get In N Out - I said sure!  Then after the hike, I said we should get some frozen yogurt (I actually went through the line twice - my first helping wasn't enough).  Then, after that cold yogurt, we needed some warm tea, so we went to Barnes and Noble for some chamomile tea with cream.  A yummy afternoon!  Actually, writing this right now makes me want some coconut ice cream (yes, I just had breakfast - burrito with eggs, hash browns, broccoli and cheese - 3 hours ago!)

 

                                                                   Hike first...  then ice cream!

Santa Barbara, February 2012

 This Santa Barbara trip was spurned by a Wilco concert Michael went to for his birthday with Matthew Eames. (Happy 39th Birthday, my Love!  I'm so glad you are here!) Then we spent two more days in Santa Barbara as a family.

Still feeling a little sick from the stomach flu.

 Reading with Daddy.

 Waking up in the morning.  Here Avi is sharing pictures of herself she is looking at on the iPhone.

 Playing in the sand while we wait for a table at the Boat House - what a great location!

                                                        Michael's birthday dessert!

                                                        (Pregnant Maren ate half!)

 

 Our campsite (at a friends house on 60 acres

 on the ocean north of the city) the first night 

while the boys were at the concert!  Eames got 

up and went surfing on the property at 6am.  Michael

slept in til 7:30 for his birthday!