April Re-Cap

Nana came to visit in April, in time for Easter again. We hosted our second annual Easter brunch for our fellow non-native Bay Area peeps. And of course we did the egg hunt at PDI and had a visit from that crazy bunny at our house as well.

B on the hunt

proud of his find

C on the hunt

our friend Rhys

C led a rousing game of chase

We took Nana to the Bay Area Discovery Museum and for a picnic at Fort Baker. It was a beautiful day and there were a couple new installations at the museum and a fun craft project in their current theme of "nature" (read more about it here www.baykidsmuseum.org/blog/).

we love this spot

J made a new friend, and then they had a falling out

making some music

a cool new natural art structure

a baby Brynnasaur

Nana's first time at the Discovery Museum

Freecycle was especially good to us this month. We got a play structure, which was a bit worse for the wear looking; but several dozen coats of spray paint later...voila! A castle the kids love.

just an ordinary play structure...

...and now its a castle!

kids picnic table before

kids picnic table after

Another fun April happening was the Forsyths of Sussex St (T's brother and sister-in-law) came our way on their Spring Break road trip. We met them in Santa Cruz, and despite the boardwalk being inexplicably closed for maintenance that day we all had a wonderful time. B and C adore their cousins and we love any time we get to spend with them.

pirate friend

first time miniature golfing (well, golfing period really)

heart

cousins!

Aunt Jennifer says he should be sponsored by Odwalla, and the Ducks

happy boy

dug a hole to put C inside

looking for treasure, or shells

sunset on the beach

And....we're back!

We took a break from blogging for awhile. Sometimes you just need to live life, without stopping to chronicle it. But we've taken lots of photos so we can get all caught up, like no one missed a thing!

So, let's go back to the end of March, where we last left you. Obviously, T had a birthday. But more than that happened! The biggest event (after T turning 31) is that she started taking care of the daughter of a friend a few afternoons a week. Having Ada in our lives has been such a blessing; C is learning (and loving) being a big brother figure and she helps to slow down the daily pace of life. Ti-ti (as T is to Ada) is savoring more of her time with B and C as a result of watching Ada. Not that it has been without growing pains; both kids and the dog went through a period of being glued to T, needing extra cuddles and attention.

Another big change for the kids was their new bunk bed. We hacked the Ikea Kura bed, covering the insanely blue panels with a carefully chosen fabric (four votes, T's weighing more than the others as it was her vision) and putting some extra slats on the bottom. There were many sleepless nights due to excitement.

no battles, C is happy on the bottom and B likes the top

a garden themed print in a nice neutral color

B had what was quite possibly the most adorable play date ever. She has made two great friends at preschool, which we are thrilled about since she was slow to warm up to people. Brooke and Victoria are sweet girls and we look forward to fostering their friendship even though they will be at three different schools next year.

B and her BFFs

tea party centerpiece

Our little readers got their own library cards and we renewed our habit of going every Sunday. J also got a kindle this month and was immediately converted when he saw how much easier it was to read on his commute (before this he was using his phone).

showing off their new status as library card holders