Fairway Waterfall

What a beautiful day we had! All it takes is one looong Saturday of rain and pink eye to make us want to bust down the door on a sunny Sunday morning and get out of the house.  We drove out to wine country this morning, our favorite getaway, and even though it's not really very "away" it sure feels like it.  We ate pizza & drank prosecco in the sun as the kids tossed pennies into the fountain at VJB Cellars.  We toasted to an early anniversary celebration and seven years of wedded bliss.

This afternoon we went on the most beautiful hike IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.  It was magical!  A rope swing and a waterfall might be required on all future hikes because now we are just plain spoiled.  

It was gorgeous -- the perfect way to end the weekend.

11/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2014."

lucca: Queen of the monkey bars.  She can go across and back and across again.  And then probably again.  And her latest and greatest trick is pulling herself up on the bar to do flips or hang upside down... all by herself!

jackson:  I could kiss this face forever.  

Bedtime prayer

Getting ready for bedtime prayers, Lucca asked me to be really quiet, quieter than I've ever been in my whole life, because she really needed God to hear her tonight.

And then she prayed:

"Dear God,

Please, please, please, pretty please let me grow a tail tonight.  I really want to be a mermaid.  And even though I would be in the sea, I still want to be with my mom & dad.
Amen"

<3

Disneyland

Our first baby, Lucca Elizabeth, turned FIVE!!!!!  5!  Can you believe it?  Neither can we. 

We decided to celebrate the big birthday with a trip to Disneyland.  Daddy has a way of making things very special around here.  We had the very best time and already want to go back.  

We came home with a pile of memories.  Highlights include Lucca's first time on Splash Mountain and Jackson's first roller coaster, which Daddy made an awesome video of.  Lucca rides an emotional roller coaster every time she goes on any ride, and it goes like this:  smiling, nervous, scared, crying, laughing, loving it & then begging to ride it again.  ON ALMOST EVERY RIDE.  Exhausting!  I think she had tears AND smiles on all but maybe 3 rides.  Our girl.  We are so, so proud of our girl.  The last five years with this angel have been a dream.

Hello Spring!

The weather is warming up, basically amazing, and we are spending most hours of the day outside. Today we painted new bird feeders and we already have new birds eating our seeds. The birds must have heard Lucca & Jackson shouting "Birrrrdddies, come eat some seeeeeeds!" My favorite part of projects is always the kids signing their own names. Melts my heart! Jackson might have written his name in Chinese?

10/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2014."

lucca: Hanging in Sausalito, our favorite place.

jackson:  Shopping for a BIG BOY BED!

9/52

Still iPhone pics, obviously.  And sadly.  

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2014."

lucca: Working on her class Valentine's.  She had to make 30 and was just about over it.
jackson:  We finally got rain in California!  Happy dude!

8/52

Wouldn't you just know it, as soon as I start a photo project with my "real" camera, my real camera breaks?   Don't take your cameras to the beach you guys.  Sand, I have learned, is very, very bad for them.  These are iPhone pics until I get a new lens for my Canon.

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2014."

lucca: Her very first time in the snow (that she remembers!). The real 1st time was at Mimi and Papa's house on Christmas when she was only 1.  
jackson:  He takes music class very seriously.

LUCCA SAYS...

"Jackson, did you know that a long, long time ago people didn't have utensils?  And then they prayed to get some, but it didn't work.  So you should be VERY thankful and use your fork."

Lucca, 4