Leah's 5th Birthday Party . . . very low key and manageable. The most creative thing we did was decorate foam visors. I'm liking low key these days.

Mud Masks with Ethel and the girls---June 8

Serious Hiker Chicks!

Stay away from the Poison Oak!

Ain't she sweet? Lime Kiln, June 07

6/1: Family photo op at Lime Kiln State Park on central Cali coast, aka Big Sur, aka fabulously beautiful

Preschool Hugs from Miss Kris

These girls are friends! I have loved Miss Kris all year long, and so has Leah.

These girls met as babies! And now they're big girl friends.

Magic Cookies made by Jon without wheat, dairy, or eggs! And impromptu candles from our Menorrah. (No, we aren't Jewish.)

SHE'S 5!!!

This is my darling darling darling. She's a light in my life and an almost-constant source of joy. I'm thrilled I'm her mom and that she's my girl. How could it be 5 years already? I don't know . . . but at the same time, I can't really remember life without her. Here's to you, Leah Blue!

*thanks goes to ph for the darling tutu skirt. I think I should commission some for Darlybird!

Cure for a Steaming Sacramento Afternoon . . . or Recipe for Fun

Mix2 cute and saucy girls


One crazy mom
3 bowls full of water balloons
Enjoy some girly screams, hearty laughs, and silliness all around.

I Love Life

Last night Leah and I perused PetFinder. This almost-5-year old is dying for a dog. We'd love one, too, but are just now getting warmed up to the responsibility owning a dog entails. We had so much fun reading the little profiles and looking at the pictures of these animals.

These are the three dogs we currently have our eyes on.

They are all poodle mixes, since the poodle part makes them hypo-allergenic.

Top is Turbo: I talked to the foster-owner of Turbo last night about how he did around small kids. She said, "Is your 2.5 year old the type that would want to be in his face all the time?" HELLO! Turbo might not be a good fit for our family.

Middle is Seabiscuit: Leah said, "Mom, he's smiling at me!" Is that not the saddest/cutest/most pathetic little mug shot you've ever seen. I wanted to drive up to Grass Valley last night to get little Seabiscuit. His time ran out on Friday, but we're hoping they let him live a little longer. At least long enough for us to go check him out.

Bottom is Noodles: This girl is a Labradoodle and she's potty trained! I love labs, but we can't have one, so I'm hoping that the labradoodle mixture will mean no shedding! Leah said she'd want to change her name, but I kind of love the labradoodle named Noodles.

Who would you adopt?

Jonnie in the woods . . . .

Bathroom almost done

Bathroom #2 . . . the guest bathroom; meaning, will you come stay with us!

Come July

I will be downing these O'Henrys one after the other.

dessert from the garden

My Little Paradise

Check out my amazing green chair . . . $5 at a yard sale on the way home from Yosemite. You like?

A Happy Mom on Mother's Day

El Cap in the background, Yosemite

Sisters in Yosemite

Will you please come play?

Feist nugget

I love calling my kids random nicknames. This is a "feist nugget" moment. I love it! At times when my girlies are driving me bonkers, I refer to them as "toxic midgets." Totally un-PC, and even though I believe in PC-ness, it wouldn't be nearly as hilarious to say "toxic little person." I coined the term when I was pregnant with Esther and Leah was using me as a jungle gym and refused to be extricated. I just blurted it out: "Get off of me, you toxic midget!" And it stuck. We all think it's pretty funny. Even the TMs themselves.