Happy Valentines Day!

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Francie sent a few of these to some of her friends. The ones with an extra lollipop or two got returned in the mail for a few cents more postage! Ooops. Francie apologizes to a few friends who are getting late Valentine. And we didn't make very many so if you didn't get one here is a virtual, organic lollipop for you. Happy Valentines Day!
I copied the idea from Courtney's blog "5 Under 5"

AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY to HEFF today! He usually gets a hallpass on his birthday not to have to do anything for Valentines day so I was surprised when he brought me home these:
and said "you're welcome but do you want the real story?" One of his clients he had a meeting with yesterday gave them to him as a gift to get him off the hook having to get me anything! Birthday post next...

Shoup Park

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Jannie, the girls and I made a trip to Shoup Park in Los Altos today to play and run around in the creek while the water is still running. It is such a fun park. I remember going there when I was little and being so scared that the old witch from Hansel and Gretel lived behind the scary chain link fence behind the creek (I think some "big kid" at the park told James and I that story- thanks kid.) Afterwards we walked around downtown and had lunch at Rick's Cafe. We're glad Jannie is back!

First we had to build castles with our favorite EmilyBlocks in the morning and wait for Jannie to text us that she was awake and reayd to go (way before we were today!)

Getting ready in our rain boots. Francie's new room is Maisie's favorite place to play

and heading to Shoup Park to stompa-stompa in the creek

So serious Francie pants!

at least we got some big smiles on the playground

zip line

reaching out

pulling up your own pants is harder than climbing the wall sometimes

the race is on

Jannie and the shark

Francie had to convince Jannie she could do this by herself

so funny

1... 2... 3...

All done.

and Maisie is really getting her big teeth on the top! So sad to say goodbye to that gummy smile but the teeth are so funny. Maisie might have the gap like ABA did!! Braces here we come.

Sarah Ackerley Paints Francie & Maisie!

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The Amazing Sarah Ackerley has outdone herself with "Avatars" for the girls and camo names on my blog header! THANKS SARAH!! They are soooo good!!

Sarah knows the girls and their quirks pretty well but I sent her some photos of some of their favorite things and she came up with these paintings that are so perfect for each of the girls. I love how Francie's hair is exactly hers and Maisie is a little Maggie-Simpson-binky-addict in her red sleepers! I LOVE THEM! Sarah can do illustrations, custom paintings for blogs, wall murals or whatever you like!

These are the pictures I sent her of Francie:

and of Maisie:

She is a children's book illustrator by trade. Check out her cute book "Patrick the Somnambulist" (a sleep-walking penguin) on Amazon HERE.

I think she hit the nail on the head! If YOU want adorable avatars too... just go to www.sarahackerley.com or email her at ackerley81@yahoo.com and commission her to paint your babies, your nursery, your playroom... or anything else! She's amazing!!

Throw Back Pizza Party

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Saturday afternoon we went to Aiden's 4th birthday party. We missed the gymnastics party part (late nappers) but met them at Round Table Pizza afterwards... I was pretty excited. Keep in mind this is the original, maybe even "historic," first ever Round Table Pizza. I hadn't been inside since I was driving a Jeep Wrangler in high school. It looked EXACTLY the same. It has an awesome vintage salad bar with the brass/glass hood over it, a video game room that is even more sketchy then when we were 12 and a party room with a babbling fountain, a terrarium party room with ivy growing out of hanging pots and stained glass skylights! It was awesome. Jealous Beth Carter?

Happy Birthday Aiden!

Pajama Jammie

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Friday we went to a Pajama Party at the new Books Inc at Town & Country to benefit the Pajama Program, donating PJ's to kids in need. Francie picked out her favorite Mickey PJ's that Emmy gave her of course. We went around 6/6:30 after naps and most kids had gone home to bed so Francie was showered in attention from the big girls who were there hosting the event and Maisie just crawled around everywhere checking things out like Maggie Simpson with her binky.

The party was hosted by a new local magazine for moms called "M Magazine" and they are doing a Facebook contest for the next "cover models." Yes I am such a nerd I just entered a pic. The picture with the most comments wins! Uncle Jerry took this one Friday night after the party and baths so I entered it, not a great pic but that's real life! VOTE HERE

MICKEY!

everyone looking up (Maisie watching Francie, Francie watching the big girl)

Reading books with her new friends!

Trouble makers

and Dad got creative and made "meat-n-cream-cheese-rolls" for the girls when we got home

deslish.

and Jerry and Allison came over for pizza that night too. Uncle Jerry antagonized Francie by sleeping in her big girl bed (which we still have to assemble all the way, waiting for a piece :)

and Allison brought Francie some treats from Disneyworld! She was there for a conference last week and picked up a Minnie Mouse sippy cup, cute Mickey-head hairbow and Mickey stickers- thanks Awoo!

Happy Birthday Jannie!

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Francie can't say "Jannie is 60!" to everyone she meets anymore! Today is Jannie's 61st birthday... but she sure doesn't look a day over 41!

MY MOM :) I feel so lucky to have Jan as MY mom. She was, and still is, the most fun mom around. She taught me how to be a good mother (I just wish I was half as good as she was at mothering babies and toddlers!) and she always put us first... and still does.

She made having four kids look easy- taking care of us, cooking healthy yummy meals, keeping a warm/cozy/good smelling house, baking, thinking up fun projects, reading books, playing board games, whipping up after-school snacks, organizing the house, driving carpool, planning vacations, making time for extended family, doing thoughtful things for her friends, planning birthdays, hosting holidays, sewing, knitting, needle-pointing, crafting, making perfect carmels, opening our home for friends and guests, saying yes to all the crazy pets we begged for- and caring for them when we didn't keep our promises, helping with homework projects, letting us stay home from school to play our new Nintendo when it came out, staying in PJ's alll day in the playroom and convincing Dad when he came home from work we were just ready for bed early, driving to sports and activities and friends houses all over town, supporting and helping orchestrate summer fun camps and lemonade stands, making fresh smelling laundry and being able to get any stain out clean, teaching us how to drive, how to be responsible adults and how to be a good friend to others, having the whole entire family for Christmas for almost 30 years, restoring a 100 year old farmhouse from a haunted house on stilts to a beautiful home to grow up in, setting up a college dorm room to feel like home, planning my wedding, doing the details right, making Sunday dinners every week to bring everyone together, being a supportive and caring sister/daughter/wife and mother AND being the best Jannie-the-Grannie-Nannie in the whole wide world. How do you do it Jan! I only hope to be like you. I love you Mom!

What a MOM! (and awesome outfits :)

Look how cute Jannie was in this newspaper slipping from 1954. She was 5 years old and the photographer, a cousin- Jim Vestal, won an award for this photo

Last year we were all in Palm Springs to celebrate Jan's big 60th...

Francie got the royal treatment too as Jannie's sidekick (I love this picture :)

We had an "Orange" party in PS for her since it's her least favorite color

Tonight as I was typing this and Francie is sitting next to me laughing hysterically at the squirrel-in-the-house-scene in Christmas Vacation (don't ask why she is watching that!) she turned to me and said "I think you're SUCH a great mom, Mom." I thanked her and she said "Good job Mom. It's hard work." She couldn't have said it better!
Jannie- THANKS for being such a good mom- you are the best at it and I know- IT'S HARD WORK!"

WE LOVE YOU O-JANNIE!! and can't wait to spoil you when you get back.

Holy Hand-Me-Downs

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OMG we hit the hand-me-down jackpot. This week a huge box of adorable outfits (lots of matching ones!) landed on our doorstep from our friends the Shigos (who have 3 girls and new baby Will) and then an enormous bag dropped off at Academic Trainers from Suzi Tinsley (who has 2 girls... and 5 boys!) I mean Francie and Maisie's closet just got seriously hooked up. I love all of the matching dresses- especially since Maisie will be walking when she will get to wear them, much cuter than propped up on the couch for pictures :)

Lily Pulitzer for the next five years.

THANKS Kate, Ella, Claire, Megan & Molly!! We can't wait for spring and dress season!

Babies at BB

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Francie went into the office this morning at 9am with Heff- she played at Brilliant Babies until ballet while I had a couple meetings. She loves BB now (she used to cry hysterically if we both left since she was so used to me being there or Heff being right next door. Yup we had the worst kid at Brilliant Babies- great). But finally she can't get enough and played ALL DAY today until around 3:00 she looked at me and said "Mom. I'm tired. I'm ready to go live at home now."

Camo-Ballerina

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Maisie in my favorite hand-me-down from the Salzes and her new tutu from Auntie Em- Francie insisted she wear it for ballet practice in the living room.

WARNING: Boring update on children's sleep patterns to follow. Don't read- just had to document because I never remember what they did when...

We're going on night 5 of "sleep training" a 9 month old and 28 month old :) Getting our double bed back. Maisie does great when I put her in the crib tired but not asleep and close the door (with a nightlight) She's been sleeping until 6-7am and then nurses and goes back down until 9:30/10am. Francie is a little harder to get down "Will you puh-leeeease just lay down with me for a few more minutes!!" but once she's out (10pm on average) she sleeps until around 8/8:30am and then watches Mickey's Clubhouse with milk-a-sauce (we stopped the sauce- ran out of Hershey's or Heff would still be giving it to her!) while I sleep for a few more minutes :) She does great going down for naps in her big girl bed though (she knows Dad is a softie when he is here!) and naps usually from 3-6pm. EXCEPT at Jannie's house. A nap has never been had at Jannie's house. And Maisie still takes 2-3 naps a day.

and just because I can't post without pictures... if Maisie took a bottle I think she would aspire to do this. I mean she has my genes and finger-toes so seems logical right?

and Sarah is working on new personalized "avatars" for the girls on the blog header... I can't wait to see what she paints!

Four Girls

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We had the Komos, Tim and Cat, over for dinner with their girls Chella and Phina (Marcella and Josephina) Francie was in heaven to wake up from her late nap to find two girls over to play dolls, dress-up and put on some shows for us. Tim and I have been good friends since high school- it was fun to see our four stairstep girls playing together... 4, 2, 1 and 0.

The Girls

The Moms (Cat and Mary)

The cute Dads with their baby girls

RIP Red Neck

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I always begged Heff for chickens every time we went into the feed store in Red Bluff around Springtime. I mean how can you resist those fluffy little chicks!? He always said "NO WAY." usually followed by "We'll get chickens when we have kids and have to teach them about death." Buzzkill.

So for my 30th birthday when he could think of nothing else to give me.
I got baby chicks.

Six little tiny fluff balls

and today Francie got her lesson on death and dying.

I didn't think I could blog this. But oh well I'm crossing the line....

Yesterday I went out to give the chickens scraps and fresh water. I was cleaning the cage a little when I hear Francie say "Mom, that chicken has a red bottom." I'm not really listening. "MOM. That CHICKEN has a red BOTTOM!" I look over and MAN THE MOST DISGUSTING THING I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY WHOLE LIFE!! I got myself together enough to quarantine the poor thing away from the others. Then I called my sister to see if I could make her pass out describing it (not that hard to do) then I emailed my friends Sarah and Molly because I couldn't blog this. (time has passed, it's bloggable now.) I forwarded them the email I sent to Heff.

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Heff,

Sorry I just called your phones 3 times, don't want you to worry about girls. We're fine.

However we have a chicken in BAD SHAPE. I've never felt so bad for an animal in my life- and you know I don't have a heart for beasts so that's saying a lot. BOTH red ones are getting pecked but one has no butt left. It looks like a gigantic hemorrhoid where it's back end used to be. It's bad. I put both red chickens on one side of feeders and built a temporary block to keep safe from the mean ones. They are both drinking water and eating but MAN it's sick. what should I do? Cut off it's head or something? shit.
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(sorry to swear on a family friendly blog. But you would too if you saw this.)

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it got worse but I won't go into details or post the string of emails from Sarah and Molly with moral support on what to do. I thought I'd have to kill it myself but I couldn't figure out how to do it. Maureen suggested a large rock or a shovel. I was scared of the spray. I waited until Heff got home. Sorry chicken.

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Heff came home from work, took one look at it and said "Oh yeah that's a death sentence... but I've seen worse." WHAT!? I want to grow up on a farm. He picked it up by it's legs, took it into the garage so the noise wouldn't wake up the neighbors, and whacked it's head off with an axe. I watched of course. Now I really understand the phrase "running around like a chicken with it's head cut off." Head and rear cut off... not a pretty sight.

How do Queenie and Daisy sleep at night?