Playdates

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We had a great weekend with Aunt Kat in town for her shower! Friday we met some friends at Shoop Park in Los Altos but the creek had dried up so Francie wasn't very impressed :) We had lunch at Rosewood with Maisie's friends Friday afternoon and then made dinner at home with Dad. Saturday we camped out by the pool and got some sun while Francie went to the Hiller Aviation Museum Airshow with Jannie and Grampa. We had a fun BBQ at the Chane's house Saturday night and the kids all showed off their favorite tricks to Miss Heffernan (Aunt Kat:). Sunday we threw Kat a wedding shower at Jannie's house then had everybody over for a pizza party Father's Day dinner.

Ready to swing with Aunt Kat at Shoop Park

Kelli & Landry with Francie and Kat

"Come on Landry... I'll show you how to do it"

"Just close your eyes... and JUMP!"

"YAY we both made it!"

Miss Manners Landry says "Thanks!"

LUNCH with Aunt Kat and friends at Rosewood

Way up in the air ("like a flight attendant!" as Jannie says:)

Just relaxing

Jack wants that lemonade

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Saturday night BBQ at the Chanes... Peter and Heff grilling a leg of lamb

Maisie likes their Heavnely Green lawn to lay on :)

Girlfriends taking turns in the coveted PINK car

"Weeee!"

Eli, Adam and Rose tackle mom

All the girls
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Maisie Moo is SO sad she's missing all the big kid fun!

Baby Jack's Playdate

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Thursday afternoon Katie and Jack had us over for a playdate with the little babies and some big ones too. Maisie and Jack were immobile little angels who watched from afar as the big kids terrorize the dogs and dump sand in the baby pool. Katie had a yummy spread of snacks for the moms and we stayed cool in the shade while the babies played.

Jack!

Francie stripped down to play in the kiddie pool and wouldn't have it when I tried to put a diaper on her so we settled for her new big girl undies I got in LA (aren't they so LA? :)

These might take awhile to get used to... (and no we aren't potty training yet, just trying them on for size sometimes ;)

Sharing snacks with Conor (and by this point I was a little worried she would have a little accident in her pretty pants so I threw one of Maisie's size 1 "Snuggler" diapers in there.)

She loved the doggies

Another example of my lazy parenting... Maisie fell asleep and the carseat was too far away to fetch so we settled for the diaper bag.

Who can leave to get a carseat when there is all this fabulous food in front of you!?

Katie and Jack

"YAY!" for sitting by yourself little Jack!

Trouble makers... but thanks for letting us all come over Katie and Jack!

Maisie & Mom in Malibu

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Maisie and I got to spend some one-on-one time together and hang out in Southern California Wednesday-Thursday morning last week (someone is behind on blogging. Francie thinks books are better than laptops these days... guess we have to agree) We tagged along with Anne on her business trip and visited with some of her friends who just had their first baby four weeks ago. It was a baby party with three of them there and the moms got to talk all sorts of interesting baby-rearing topics (which usually make dads leave the room fairly quickly) We walked our stroller brigade to lunch at the Malibu Country Mart and then hung out at the hotel for a slumber party. Maisie did great on her first flight although in those "conditions" I'm not sure it counts!

Maisie hanging out with Em-ma-we

letting the babies "play" (a futile effort to get them to look at each other :)

Listening to the ocean... it's like a built in sleepy bear (and I want this cozy blanket made out of sweatshirts behind Maisie's JanKnit)

Sun-bathing and surf-boarding. Or as close as you can get at eight weeks old

Lunch. I had to turn her stroller away from the awesome playground so she wouldn't tell her sister everything she missed out on when she got home

Benji's motto

Someone shared their Sophie...

"Can I just order room service Mom?"

Dinner and drinks on the patio

and playing with mom in the room

"Guess I'll head on home."

A Special Treat for Francie

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Francie got a special treat to check out a pretty cool airplane when Maisie and I snuck away on our 24-hour trip with Anne to Malibu. Francie tagged along with Dad to drop us off at the airport. The pilot gave Francie a tour of the plane and she could hardly believe how lucky she was to get to go INSIDE the airplane! I took so many pictures of her it deserved it's own post :)

She couldn't get inside fast enough...

"THIS is what all those airplanes at the San Car-los Airport are like inside?!" (Uh, not exactly and sorry to burst your bubble Francie but next time we fly somewhere you're in for a rude awakening!)

"Wait... those wings are really for ME?!"

somebody pinch her...

Checking out the front row view of planes taking off...

Don't all pilots wear pink crocs?

Making herself right at home

This was not the same face you saw if you were there to watch her have to get OFF the plane and see it take off without her

Airplanes

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Tuesday Jannie stopped by bright and early just as Heff was going off to work (after she took Emmy to early practice- she's not usually up and about in the morning ;) so we decided to head to the San Carlos airport for breakfast. We called grampa on the way over and Francie asked him "Gampa, can you go?" so he came and met us for a cup of coffee. I highly recommend breakfast at the Sky Cafe (and I'm playing with the B&W settings on my camera :)

Mickey Mouse pancakes!

she's pretty happy about that

last week when Francie had lunch here grampa asked her if she wanted to stand in her highchair to see the airplanes better... she looked at him like he had two heads and said "Gampa- too DANGOUS!!" she had a pretty good view from Jannie's lap today

Maisie Moo sleeps through anything if we are out and about

"Where's that one going Jannie?" (most planes go to Red Bluff or Hawaii :)

My dad whose new office is conveniently right near the airport!

Is that a "Heh-woo-copter" Grampa!?

Grampa let her spin on the stools... not too dangous I guess?

Jannie bought her a flyer airplane at the "airport gip shop"

There goes another one!

Thanks for a fun breakfast Jannie & Grampa!!

Entertaining Ourselves

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Sunday was a "do nothing" day around our house. I got to sleep in while Heff took the girls to the park, he and Francie made buttermilk pancakes for breakfast, we cleaned up around the house and then I caught up on emails/blogged/watched Tivo while Heff went up to the Kings Mountain archery range for a few hours while the girls napped. Francie entertained herself when she woke up playing with all of her beloved dollies in the front yard and Icie came over to visit for awhile too. I was a little stir crazy by dinner time when I realized I hadn't left the house all day so Francie and I snuck out for a late night Target run... nothing special for a Sunday but pretty relaxing (besides the cabin fever part).

Maisie Moo watching the ceiling fan on our bed

When toddlers pick out their own clothes... it's a rainbow of fruit flavors

Funny Face

Matching chubby cheeks (she loves her doll even if her head is on backwards)

Little toes

Picking "other people's flowers" from her own yard

Happy face

DONE with those flowers

Thanks Auntie Em!!!

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Em came over last night with the SWEETEST GIFT! Her sister Carrie Guy has a company called "Henry & Me" and she paints these really beautiful watercolors for kid's rooms and did a custom one for Francie and Maisie! It has so many personal touches... Jannie & Grampa's house with Jannie and Sophie out front watching Francie walk home with her wagon and Ollie in tow... then in her bedroom with her new little sister in her crib, fat little Ollie watching and every detail down to the polka dot walls and name blocks are exactly like her room!! We can't get over how much it really looks like Francie (and Jannie!). I love the sweet quote at the bottom and the framing is beautiful (thanks Marla too!) Carrie you are so good!!!

Francie was showing off "HER" new painting to Emmy this morning... she likes lounging on her changing table looking at it!

WOW... thanks Auntie Em!!!!

I LOVE Amazon Prime

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Anyone else out there as addicted to Amazon Prime as I am!? If you haven't signed up do it now. For $79 a year you get free 2-day shipping (I swear stuff shows up in less than 24 hours most of the time) and $3.99 overnight shipping on everything Amazon sells (except third party stuff).

PLUS lots of stuff is eligible for their "Subscription Service" where you get an extra 15% off the price if you sign up to have it auto-delivered every 1,2,3,6 months but you can cancel anytime (when will they figure out this is ridiculously cheap?) Diapers and wipes are so much cheaper this way and they show up on your doorstep! And there is no sales tax (whatever CA with your 9.25%) Do I sound like a late night informercial yet?!

I just stocked up on some to-go snacks in the organic section... guilt free :) You do have to buy a case of the stuff but if Francie doesn't like it I'll take it over to Brilliant Babies :)

and I will admit to my all-time low (or high?)... last week I really didn't want to make the Target run I know I needed to do so I ordered TOILET PAPER on Amazon. I know, I'm an addict.

Prayers for Adam, Hope & Charlie

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A good friend from college, Pete and his wife Kerry, lost their triplets at 17 weeks 2 days when Kerry got a major infection half way through her pregnancy :( It is such a sad story and I have been thinking about them every day since I read thier blog about it all a few days ago. We've been praying for you little Adam, Hope and Charlie and send good thoughts your way Pete & Kerry.

Nativity Carnival

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Friday and Saturday night we BBQ'ed lots and lots of Tri-Tip at the Nativity Carnival for the "Academic Trainers Tri-Tip BBQ Booth." My Dad and some of his friends started doing the BBQ booth 10+years ago and AT eventually wised up to 'sponsor' it but Big John and his BBQ crew (and Heff!) still do all the hard work! We set up Friday afternoon and had the grill going until 10pm and then again Saturday from 4pm until we ran out of meat. The girls were troopers, the look on Francie's face when we drove up was great- she loves the "carnibal"! We ate lots of fried food, traded too many beers for tri-tip at the bar and had a great time, as usual... I've been going to the carnival almost every year since I was little!

setting up our basecamp and sporting Academic Trainers stuff everywhere you look ;)

sometimes Maisie just needs a place to stretch out

she's happy anywhere! (unless her mom gets more than 10 feet away from her, this one is a momma's girl. I ran into Costco earlier today and left Heff in the car with both girls. Sleeping Maisie immediately starts wailing and Heff thought "REALLY Maisie?! She just got out of the car?!" but her looked back to find Francie's finger in her eye "touch Maisie's eye OK Dad??" NO NOT OK France! Maisie has a red little left eye and a broken blood vessel in the inside corner... poor second child!)

only half an outfit change from lunch.. dad put her jeans on but she insisted on wearing her "rose tank top"

the guys getting things going

Maisie peaking out from her blanket


and in the sling with mom watching Francie on the rides

she loves the kiddie rides... Jannie and grampa only took her on them about 12 times a day

ONLY JANNIE would win $250 on the first round of Cherry Bells she opened! Our neighbor Erin Glanville sold her the big winner!!

Cashing out... more money for games and rides Francie!

Our set up

Francie spotted Bob (our neighbor right next door) and went over to tell him all about her favorite rides at the carnibal

Michelle and Katsy helping out (thanks girls... for your help and the secret stash of Rambauer:)

Jannie and Francie won a fish (aka "shishy") and when we brought it back to show everyone Heff just said .... "Poor fish." (update from sansie Saturday morning: "shishys aren't swimming anymore daddy??")

"I can make a fish face too"

St Raymonds BBQ dads

Grampa took francie on the airplane (rockets?) ride... she wants "only the purple one"

Grampa helping the little Doo out of the ride

"She said AGAIN Grampa!"

back for more tickets

he's a pushover for Francie ;)

dancing queen (in awe of the big kids and showing off)

we found Lena and her big boys, Eli & Adam!

They invited Francie to go on a few more rides

Eli and Adam got to go on the gator rollercoaster! (Francie watched this time, Jannie put her on it earlier and made the guy stop the ride much to the disappointed cries of all the big kids because she thought it was whipping Francie around a little too much... i think the 30 inches to ride sign was ignored by Jannie and the ride operator :)

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back for more on Saturday! We tried to coordinate black shirts again...

Dave, Jackson and Marla here for the fun

already tired Francie!? You've got lots to talk Jannie into!

Francie found a big girl to play under the table with

Cooking with Daddy (love that Heff found the only pink apron ;)

strangling mom

working hard serving up meat

The Johnets and Katsy (thanks for all your hard work!)

the face of a toddler who has been eating meat off the ground at a carnival

winning more small stuffed animals Ollie will eat as soon as we bring them home making Francie scream at him and cry. fun!

The "Kamakaze" crazy ride sponsored by Jannie's needlepoint friend Grandma Marie who is in her 90's!! Jannie though this was funny and told her maybe she should sponsor something a little more tame next year ;)

The water-balloon race... Francie won!

and everybody's favorite impossible-to-win ball game. we didn't win

and back to the fishy... thank goodness her aim was bad this time!

fluffy marsh-maaallows

Carousel with Jannie! (who is brave. the carny guy said only one adult at a time on the entire ride or it would break... would you get on!?)

but they loved it

Maisie looking forlorn in the Bjorn

the heff girls with Uncle James

Francie "not yours uncle jam-bes" with Auntie Em too (we were all excited for the poker tables this year but they gave up the casino for BINGO. snooooze!!)