Clara Marie Turns ONE!

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It was Clara's big first birthday on March 25. We went to the new Su Hong in Palo Alto for dinner with Clara, Mark, Sarah, Sarah's brother Jacob, Oma, Opa and the four of us to celebrate Clara's big day. The girls played at our house for awhile before we caravaned down to dinner.

Little puff addicts

Francie and Maisie gave Clara a BlaBla doll- she was so excited :)

Su Hong for dinner

The girls had to wear their birthday best

Heff and Maisie (who LOVES her Daddy lately and squeals/jumps out of my arms when she sees him)

Jacob and Sarah (who have both lived in CHINA) asked for the chinese menu and could actually read/order from it! We got some really interesting authentic dishes

Some of the dishes - I didn't ask too many questions- just ate!

Delish Dumplings

The food was really good- much different than the usual stuff I grew up ordering at Su Hongs Menlo Park! and then we brought out the cake for all-smiles Clara Marie

The Mark Heffs on their first baby's first bday

Make a Wish

Of course Mark would feed Clara her rainbow cake with chopsticks :)

Not so sure about this cake stuff

but somebody is willing to help eat the cake!

Hot Tea Daddy and Funny Face Maisie

Francie loves her Oma and Opa

and Oma loves her Bay Area grandkids!

special whipped cream and banana "cake" to celebrate too!

"Hey... I thought I wasn't supposed to have dairy?"

Francie will eat this one too!!

Who called that book would end up in the whipped cream? ;)

Still got the attitude

Happy Birthday ClaraMarie!

Happy Birthdays!

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The end of March/beginning of April is Birthday Madness! My goddaughter Claire Elise's birthday was the 27th and her brother Connor's is today, our neighbors Jerry Carter and Ryan Carter are this week, my friends from college- Heather and Sherry both have birthdays this week, and Heather's daughter Charlotte was born on my birthday (April 5:) which I share w Christian too! Oh and Ollie and Sophie (the dogs) were born at the end of March but no one remembered until yesterday so Jannie and Francie threw Sophie a surprise party, of course. And the twins Craig and Katherine share a birthday today! HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVERYBODY!
That's a lot of birthday cake :)

I really wanted to make this cake:

but settled on the easy-peasy version for Clara's Marie's 1st birthday last week. She couldn't have milk/dairy in her cake so we had to get creative with the "frosting"

Francie was so excited to bake a cake for Clara- here she is being silly baking in her apron before nap time

THESE + THESE = THIS!

Still being silly

Cupcakes in the process

and a special 1st birthday mini cake just for Clara Marie! (pictures from her birthday dinner celebration coming soon...)

It was kind of cool to see that we added a glob of pink on the very top of the batter in the muffin tin and when they baked the sides came up around the top and the pink ended up in the middle. I'm a nerd.

check out this cool poster my SIL Andrea made for her sweet husband Craig who turns 31 today- and so does his "womb-mate" twin sister Katherine! Happy Birthday Kat and Craig!! and great photo collage Andrea :)

Cousins at The Park

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Last week we met my cousin Molly and her cute kids Brady and Baby Lauren at the park with Jannie, Molly's mom Toni and my Great-Aunt Marge (Molly's grandma) We went to our favorite Shoup Park and Jannie brought a picnic spread for lunch. Francie and Brady were off and running around the playground and stomping in the creek. The extra boots we brought for Brady were too small so Francie shared her PINK ones! It was great to see them and we had a fun day in the park wearing out the kids.

Big Kid Brady

Adorable Baby Lauren

Miss Attitude Francie

And Maisie playing with Aunt Marge's bracelets

Francie gave Brady a present (or Jannie did) but Francie said "Here Brady, I'll open it"

A MICKEY BOOK! Brady shares her love of all things Mickey

Standing around watching the kids- somehow keeps us busy all day

Jannie made Brady a "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" blanket with Eric Carle fabrics!
(nice look France)

Say Cheese Cousins!

Brady holding Lauren sweetly. Francie has Maisie in a choke-hold

What a sweet big brother. and a crazy cousin Francie

It's fun to see them all together! I wish my grandma Marmar was here to see her sister's grandbabies with her grandbabies :)

Time for some creek-stomping, dirt-digging fun

Marjorie Sheehy and MaryMarjorie Sheehy!

Jannie had to rescue Francie from the rocks in the creek (some kid made this creek dam- pretty impressive!)


Brady diggin the pink boots

Jannie took the kids over to explore on the other side of the creek. I used to think Hansel and Gretel lived over there on the scary over-grown side when I was little- guess the big kids haven't warned these two yet!

Awww- boot-sharing kissing-cousins

tireddddd eyes

Picking over the picnic leftovers

Sleeping Beauties Lauren and Maisie

Jannie and Toni took the big kids on the slides- Jannie put the picnic blanket on the slide so it wouldn't be as hot/would go SUPER fast! Only grandmas :)

Lauren thinks they are all crazy

What a fun day with GiGi/Gauntie Marge!

Getaway Not So Far Away

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Last weekend Heff was loaded up with work to do so the girls and I checked in to the pool at Rosewood! It was an impromptu party up there with three of our neighbors also staying overnight (without kids ;) but the kids all came for the day to swim and play.

Sisters: Annabella & Alexa with Francie & Maisie
(none of them too excited for a group photo)

Grampa and Jannie came up too! Grampa gets points for swimming :)

and Christian and Summer were there to swim too. Summer loooves the baby :)

After a full day at the pool, naps and showers the girls and I wandered around waiting for Dad to come join us (they love their hand-me-down shirts from The Shigos! Francie woke up to see Maisie in hers and said "Ohhh I LOVE all your letters Maisie!")

Maisie all of the sudden loves to have headbands on her head! She squeals when you put it on, holds her ears/head and looks at you with a squinty-eyed smile like "Can you BELIEVE how good I look?!" They don't last all that long- but it's a start :)

"Watch the comments about ME mom!" (sorry- inapprop)

I wonder who taught Maisie to climb INTO everything (I almost lost my camera jumping over the fountain to pull Maisie back once or twice!)

Still waiting for Dad- reading our current favorite "What Do People Do All Day" and not into sitting together for a photo (who am I kidding, they never are)

Daddy's here!!!! And it's a kids menu room service picnic on the floor!!!

Where did she learn this?

"Two extra large milks... thank you."
(I swear the girl would live off nothing but milk if she had her way)

Yummmmy. I had ventured up to the bar to meet some friends for drinks before our picnic (thanks for the break Heff) but quickly came back down to the real party with my favorite people :)

It got a little messy eating pasta and burgers on the floor

"WHOA. I think I ate too much."

Funny Francie

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Francie has been saying some funny things lately- I have to remember to write some of them down. This morning she was in bed yelling at the dog who jumps onto the foot of her bed while she's sleeping and it drives her crazy. She was screaming-

"OLLIE! Get OFF my bed! Get off my bed RIGHT NOW! You are so ANNOYING Ollie! THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE DOING OLLIE. Ugggggh you are soooo annoying. Get off my bed and GET IN YOUR OWN DOG BED!" (followed by a dog jump to the ground) and then "Thank you. Good boy Ollie." and she went back to sleep.

What a little nut.

She is also still obsessed with moles. Yes, MOLES. Like a dermatologist. She tells me moles are more interesting than freckles and that she thinks the mole on my arm is "the most wonderfulest mole in my whole wide life" and she kisses it and says "Oh Mole Arm you make me soooo happy." There is also a "Mole Back" that is a close second favorite. She HAS to have access to a mole of some sort while she drinks her milk when she is tired so she usually comes up next to me and sticks her hand in my sleeve. She told Jannie she needed to go to the mole store because "Jannie didn't have a big enough mole to pinch like Mommy's." Isabel has earlobes- Francie has MOLES!

First Library Card

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Francie, Maisie and I took a trip to the library three weeks ago (and I know that only thanks to the courtesy reminded the books were due Thursday!) to get Francie's first library card and check out some books. We pass the library all the time on our walk into town/work and we used to go to Story Hour when she was little- but slacker mom hasn't taken the girls often enough to use this public service :)

This was a camera phone pic of the girls on the floor at the library I forgot to upload until now (we loved this cute rhyming book called "Class Two at The Zoo")

It was pouring rain that day and I decided to park in the lot closer to our route home but FAR from the entrance. Good thinking huh? And even better thinking taking my phone out to take a picture of Francie in the parking lot in the rain.

"Don't mess with my. I gotta library card." (When I asked the kid behind the desk at the library how old you had to be to get a card he said "uhhhh. Old enough to write your own name. Errr... I guess... It doesn't really matter." Way to have a policy on it dude.)

then- 2.9 weeks later reading the books one last time with Jannie before they expire (and guess who picked out her outfit herself?)

Time to head back to the MPL (with her special Ballet Bag from Christian)

"Come on Jannie..."

My mom took Francie to the library AND to Target last week while I was trying to get my taxes done, from home, with both girls, on my laptop- in their entirety. THANKS O JANNIE!

The Ears Have Cleared

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Maisie Shark has been battling ear infections since January- poor baby. She's a trooper and hardly complained about them but after being diagnosed with a double-whammy in both ears right after New Years- five rounds of antibiotics later (some would clear one ear and not the other, some didn't work, some did and and then infection would come back) she had either infection, inflammation or fluid in her ears for 2.5 solid months. We thought we were looking at TUBES and had been to Dr Cisco once a week for 11 weeks (talk about frequent flyers) BUT I am so happy to report that we went in Wednesday and her EARS WERE CLEAR! It was the last chance appointment before we were headed to LPCH Audiology. Way to cut it close Sharkie.

Minnie Me

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This is what Francie does to her sister all day.

usually she obliges. As long as it's not the choke hold

It's hard work being the big sister

I pulled out (and washed down) Francie's old climbing thing. Maisie the Monkey loves it. Can you tell?

and her favorite spot lately is this chair on the front porch. She perches her self here and watches the world go by most mornings. Lots of exciting dogs to watch walking by.

Francie has been feeding the chickens (who are laying eggs again! After the cannibalized the bottom-of-the-pecking-order poor hen I guess order is restored in the flock) and doing chores for "reward money" after she found a Target catalogue and wanted everything in it. Heff told her she had to earn money to buy something in it. She is collecting coins in a jar but is scared to death of the "disobedience tax."

Francie loved watching Emmy's video over and over

and later we made cookies

St Patrick's Day Outtakes

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Okay not even outtakes. THAT was as close as I got to a picture of both girls in the remnants of their not-even-that-green matching outfits. We had a pretty mellow St. Patty's Day- remembering my grandmother's funeral on St Patrick's Day 5 years ago and Aunt Kaky's 1 year ago (both at St Patrick's church and one with Father Patrick!) I miss them both. But the girls and I had fun meeting our friend Baby Ryan and her grandma Lea at Shoup Park with Jannie - then I got a moms lunch out in the sun at Rosewood for the afternoon while Jannie took both girls to her house for "naps" (or to play and play and try unsuccessfully for quiet time (THANKS Jannie! You're allowed to spoil them :) followed by unsuccessful pictures of two half-clothed, covered-in-their-dinner girls! Oh well- it was still a good day.


"No more! Make it stop!"

maybe next year :)

Cows and "Aminals" at The Coast

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Last weekend (I'm a little behind on my posting!) we went out to the coast to hike, play and see all the animals on the ranch- or AMINALS as Francie calls them. She is sure an aminal lover- got that from her Dad. Maisie had fun playing with her buddy and made her "what's a doggy say" sound whenever she saw the cows.

Maisie Moooooooooooooo

Big Girl!

who still won't leave home without her binky

Maisie snuggling with Sarah- it was a nice sunny day out there but cool ocean breezes up on top of the hill

Looking for trouble

Moms with babes in matching Ergos marching down the hill

Francie at the baby animal barn around sunset

"Does this goat have Poison Oak like Pierre and Wu-wees?" (Pierre, Blanca & Loius- Oma's goats always come with a warning :)

She was so excited to see the infamous ROCKY THE COW up on the hill!! She met Rocky when he was a bottle-fed baby and talks about him all the time- she asks whenever she has meet at dinner "Is this Rocky meat?" and won't eat it unless she thinks it came from her buddy Rocky. Guess we'll have to thave the "actually cows die to give you meat" talk- I think she thinks meat for cows is just like eggs for chickens.

"Pleeeeeeeease Daddy can I have one?" (won't be a hard sell in 5 years I'm guessing)

He's such a sucker for his tom-boy-baby-girls :)

The girls and their buddy- what a fun day!

Say Yes To The Dress!

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Baby Ann was home for a long weekend! We were so excited to see her- see her ring in person and talk all about wedding plans. They have a date! October 30, 2010 and will be married here. We had two appointments in the City Friday for dress shopping- at Bridal Galleria and Marina Morrison and she found her dress. It is SO perfect for her and we knew as soon as she came out of the dressing room... can't wait to see it on her in the fall!! But your visit home was too short. Come back soon Baby Ann.

Ann and her good friend Katherine who joined us for lunch

Jannie, Me and Maisie at lunch at Kokkari before dress shopping (now a family tradition- we did for mine and Aunt Kat's too!)

Maisie was pretty happy she got to tag along (and get all the Jannie attention)

ABA sharing the spotlight on the brides pedestal- not for long Sharkie!

"Ohhhhh you look so pretty Auntie Baby Ann!"

we thought she found a dress she loved at the first stop- but THE ONE was waiting for her at Marina Morrison

Em getting ready to take her picture in it (only after we were sure it was her dress!)

YAY ABA :)

Maisie Moo (in my favorite hand-me-down bubble Jen Skidmore brought Francie from Gump's NYC when she was born!)

Little Stinker always climbing for higher ground

"Who me?"

watching the city life below

We're sooo excited for you Ann! and sorry this post is supposed to be all about you but every picture is of Maisie- I can't post any DRESS pictures yet and you were in the dress for all of them!! (or half naked- and don't forget Jannie thinks you need "real" underwear ;)

ALLLL DONE! now on to the planning...

I'm A Sucker for a Contest...

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A new local Mom's magazine called "M" is holding a contest for the next cover models! Sorry for the shameless and vain self promotion but wouldn't it be fun to let someone else do you hair, makeup, dress you up and take your picture?! (and good advertising for AT and BB- not that I would ever sink so low as to try and get my girls photo on a magazine cover for business reasons ;) But Jannie cursed with a competitive nature so- if you have a few seconds... will you please VOTE for us?!

"Is out mom BANANAS or what France?!"... "Yup, get used to it Maisie."

I think we have 12 and the next closest are 25,35,50ish comments- one lady has 102 but you just have to be in the top five and they pick one! If you are on Facebook just CLICK HERE and leave a comment and I'll owe you an ice cream, or a banana.