Emmy's Senior Game Tonight

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(a new Emmy pic from Grieving Gracefully)

It's Emmy's last home game tonight. Her senior game where her family walks out on the field with her to acknowledge her accomplishments and dedication to her sport and her team. My Aunt Kaky would have been beaming out on the field with her husband standing behind Emmy tonight, there will be a hole in our hearts and on the field. Emmy has asked us all to walk out as her family... we are honored to be a part of the special ceremony tonight and watch her LAST HOME GAME EVER!

We love you Emmy... (last year with our Kaky)

and YAY for the Spartans from your biggest fan!

More From Red Bluff

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More pictures from a fun family weekend in Red Bluff- a somewhat rare event to have EVERY person there! I took a ton of pictures of course :) I realized there are way more pictures of Maisie since Francie is always running around somewhere with her cousins or playing by the barn- and Maisie is such a smily, willing participant! I think I have more pictures on my camera too so there might be an "Even More" post coming next... for now, here's what we did in Red Bluff!

Francie and Isabel played in the dirt for hours in their PJ's the first morning we got there

Silly Izza-Bizza

matching CROCS (I said Uggs, and was corrected by many :)

just hanging out

Dualing burritos after showers

And a weekend with Izza wouldn't be complete without a matching outfit

Someone wanted "the bigga pumpkin"

"What was her problem?"

Aunt Kat and Donald starting the day off right with a Bloody Mary

Building with the "Emily Blocks" (magnatiles are the best toy ever invented if anyone needs a gift for 2-31 year olds!)

and after the Heffernan Family Photo Shoot, the girls played in the barn bucket wagon for awhile...

and rolled over to say hi to the horses

looking up

Francie says "Ahh he's too close to me mom!" as Maisie wonders why I would let a six month old sit in a manure bucket, next to her two year old sister while a horse breathes in her face?

It's a nailbiter

What's down there?

Back to being brave

Blowing Raspberries

Two-year old stink eye

"Mom this horse is in my face again"

Because that's clean for teething on

She loves the horses like her big sis does

"OMG he's breathing on me"

and Daddy surprised everyone with Laderhosen for the german-themed birthday party Sunday afternoon

He makes a cute German :)

I might have worn them too... at least for an hour or so until I needed to sit down. I had to just for you Shigos! (these were Jannie's when she was 20 years old and a little- or a lot- too tiny!!)

Let the party begin! Madeline with Maisie Moo

cute happy girls

time for cake!

The birthday boy- Tom loved having all of his family and so many friends there to celebrate with him. It was a special day, thanks for planning it all Oma!

Sunporch chatter

the new outdoor lower patio and furniture- a great place to watch the kids play on the hill or at the barn while relaxing with a cold beer :)

The Flynn girls with Maisie!

Madeline took some pictures with my camera (she is quite the pro) I love how you can see Maisie's hair coming in with the sunlight here

Izzo's Eyes

A rear-end shot of Paco the new miniature donkey which Madeline titled "An Asses Ass!"... but I hope I don't get you in trouble for that one Mad :)

My big pain in the rear Sancho Panza- he's been a little stinker for Oma, Cathleen and Margaret! First a 10 inch gash to his neck and now some issue with his front leg. Thanks for the TLC for Santi girls and sorry he's so high maintenance lately!

caught a funny face

Masisie's party trick.. "Arms Up"

and smash um down!

kids entertaining themselves

just digging in the dirt

Ronan hiding out

It's all fun and games until somebody breaks your mud pie (humm I wonder who the culprit was?)

"my turn!"

Ellie experimenting

looking up to her cousins

down and dirty

and the dirt party just digressed- Ellie unearthed what looked like a dead animal! But it was just a carpet :)

and Kate and Isabel covered each other in dirt

then started a dirt SLIDE

Andrea tried for a naked baby and daddy photoshoot but Thomas was not so happy about the no clothes thing around his big cousins

Francie was following Madeline around all day

CUTE baby Clara

and one of the best parts of our weekend... Craig and Andrea asked Brian and I to be Thomas Hansanyi Heffernan's godparents!!! We are honored and promise to spoil him appropriately :)

what a fun weekend- thanks for hosting 20 people in the house Claire and Tom!

The Heffernan Family

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We had a Heffernan Family photoshoot by the barn on Sunday now that all five Heffernan kids are married off :) Set aside a few wisecracks and inappropriate gestures we got some good ones...

Me and my Maisie Moo!

Getting set up...

Say Cheese!

and with the kids in front

A great picture of Tom and Claire AKA Opa and Oma

and their offspring in birth order...

The Brian Heffernans~ Brian, Mary, MaryFrances & MaryMarjorie

Mark, Sarah & Clara Marie Heffernan

The Matthews Family ~ Maureen, Doug, Ellie, Kate & Patrick

Just the kids- Ellie, Kate and Patrick

Craig, Andrea, Isabel and Thomas Heffernan

Kat & Donald Doverspike- the newlyweds

A jokster with my camera (Doanld)

No pictures while nursing!

Only a few screamers for Oma and Opa... 8 babies under 7!

Heff loves his baby girls

and I love this face!

Tom and his silly sons

Namesakes... Tom, Craig and Baby Thomas

The two peas in a pod (can you guess?)

yup....Izzy and Francie

and out little family next to my horses (Ollie didn't make the cut)

Beth & Chris' Wedding

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Saturday we had breakfast over at my parents house with Pat's family and then packed up the car to head to a winery in Livermore for my cousin Beth Brady's wedding. Heff had gone up to Red Bluff for the night to hunt out on Edward's Ranch so he drove back down to meet me at the wedding. It took me forever to pack for the wedding, the girls to play with a babysitter (our friends in Livermore- thanks Kelly, Shannon and Joy!) and for Red Bluff but I finally managed to get us there almost on time. I had the girls settled in at the Spiller's house and was ready to head out the door when we had a little problem with my dress... so Kelly ransacked her closet for me and found a cute dress that happened to be an "Ann-me-down" from my sister! It was a really beautiful wedding- we were all honored to be included!

Mimi, Uncle Jerry, Great Aunt Marge, Aunt Kim and Uncle John

Silly Jannie

Jerry and Allison

Jannie and I with Aunt Marge, Molly and Megan (We are second cousins with the Brady girls- Aunt Marge, their grandmother, was my grandma's sister)

"The Simo Siblings and Significant Others Table" pretty rare to have all 8 of us there

The Bride and Groom!

Baby Ann and Pat

The Arnerich siblings

with out-laws

James and Em

Singing "You Be Good To Beth- On Her Beautiful Wedding Day"- an Arnerich/Sheehy family tradition at weddings :)

And Chris knows his line "I'll be good to Beth- but she better be good to me!"

My sis
the girls
more random shots with no flash ;)




Ann and Em

Date night without kiddies!!

Everything looked so pretty

A crowd outside after cake

I loved Beth's dress!

The single girls ready for the bouquet toss

Emily caught it! By throwing elbows and diving on the dance floor....

and that garter sailed straight into my brother's hands ;)

Aunt Marge loved it :)

My cousins- the always beautiful Brady girls: Megan, Molly, Beth and Kelsey (Molly is due with number two in 5 weeks!)

What a fun wedding! Congrats Beth and Chris!

We headed out around 10pm to pick up our girls at the Spillers and found this adorableness :) Francie was attached at the hip to Kelly's little sister Shannon. They watched Mickey.
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Thanks Shannon :)

and Thanks Kelly!!!!

Emmy's Game

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Friday night we all went to Spartan Stadium to watch San Jose State beat Idaho! It was Emmy's second to last home game of her college career and the Spartans are on a 13 game "no loss" streak (only a couple tie games) Go Emmy!

Emmy fans- ABA, Maisie and Christian

Pat holding Maisie Moo

Cousin Luke with Maisie and Mom

The Williams Family~ thanks for coming out to the game!

Francie down by the field to congratulate the girls on their WIN

Deer in the flash-I-mean-headlights

Francie got to go down on the field with Emmy- she was soo excited

Lucky Little Girl

She sure loves Emmy

Emmy let Kaky's balloon go after the game- we all miss her there

Then AFTER the game was the running-out-of-gas disaster... I knew I needed gas earlier in the day and planned to get it on the way to the game (since I usually don't leave my 2 mile Menlo radius- a low fuel warning gives me a good week UNLESS I leave my bubble to drive to San Jose!) It just escaped my mind trying to get to the game on time with both girls (Heff was hunting overnight in Red Bluff) so I am on 280 at 10:30pm in Los Altos Hills (no where near gas stations) when the gas pedal just gives out (sinking, yet familiar feeling;) Luckily Christian was with me... OnStar and AAA came to the rescue after 45 minutes. We finally got to Rosewood where Pat's family was staying after 11pm! This was the only picture I took of Anna and Pat double-teaming Maisie to rock/pat her to sleep :)

oh wait, I took these pictures too but ABA was not in the mood...

Pumpkin Patch

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Friday we had Ann's boyfriend Pat's family visiting for the weekend and took the girls to the pumpkin patch in Half Moon Bay for lunch. It was actually really warm weather and a sunny day in Half Moon Bay (although my Dad was in shock that we drove all the way over there and didn't see the ocean- lunch and pumpkins were all we cared about!) It was a fun day with all the girls.

Margy, Ann and Anna at lunch

ABA and Maisie teething on a purse item

Pasta at Pasta Moon, Francie was trying to catch the steam

Margy has three girls of her own (8, 6 and 3) and was so sweet to help me with the girls all weekend since hers were at home with her husband! She was always there to help me feed, clean, carry diaper bags and push the stroller :) We had a great time getting to know each other.

Time for a little shopping after lunch
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I had to slide with Francie- there was no way Jannie was letting me send her alone after what happened last year :)

last year :)

Shopping

with ABA

Francie on "Fancy"

(same horse as last year!)

"Does she go any faster?"

She loves a pony ride

Mary, Francie and Jannie

Margy, Ann and Anna

Sisters

Not afraid pick up the chicken/rooster in the petting zoo

We couldn't pull her out of here

Happy Pumpkin Patching!

and thanks for coming out to California for a visit girls!

Maisie Tries Real Food

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If you call rice cereal "real food"! Thursday night we had Brian's Uncle Bob and Aunt Francy from Lake Oswego over for dinner- they were in town for the Stanford Alumni Reunion weekend and we got to steal them for a night. Jannie offered her house so we had pizzas and rice cereal... or at least one of us did :)

Francie made pizzas for us- only cheese on her mini pizza

Jannie, Francie, Dad, Maisie, and Uncle Mark

Jannie, ABA and I found new laterns for the tables out by the pizza oven

"Pizza anyone?"

Aunt Francy AKA "LaLa" spoiled her with gifts!

Dad held Maisie while we tried the rice cereal

"Where are you gonna put that stuff?"

Not so sure

She did pretty well chowing on the cereal after a few funny faces- Opa Bob (the pediatrician) told us to throw a little applesauce in there to liven it up :)

Francie asked Heff why he was wearing his "hunting clothes"

Trying it herself

Good first try Maisie Moo- welcome to food!

How Many Pictures Does It Take...

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...to document our busy weekend?? I just downloaded 1,200 photos on a full 8 gig card. I have lots of blogging to do. Since Thursday night we had family in town (on both sides), a pizza party, a soccer game, a Mary run out of gas event, Heff on an overnight hunting expedition, more family, a wedding, a dress disaster, a late night-post-wedding-drive up to Red Bluff, a Heffernan family portrait session by the barn and Opa's 65th birthday party.

"WHAT!? This is crazy mom."

"Yeah I said crazy!"

But Maisie is still smiling :)

We're So Proud of Dad!

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Heff was in the San Jose Business Journal this morning with an article about his law firm, Heffernan, Seubert & French, LLP. He went out on his own when we were first pregnant with Francie (made the big announcement the same day we announced we were pregnant which also happened to be on his 35th birthday!) and has been joined by Dan Seubert and Tom French. They are great guys and Heff is very lucky to be doing what he loves doing with great colleagues. Congrats Heff, Dan and Tom!

Here is the article....

“I wanted more control of my destiny,” said Brian Heffernan, left, who was joined by his former colleagues Dan Suebert, center, and Tom French after leaving megafirm DLA Piper. The smaller firm offers the three lawyers the ability to do the legal work they love with the clients they know while charging less than big-firm rates."

In 2007, at a time when law firms believed survival meant more attorneys and a broader geographical footprint, a disenchanted senior real estate associate at DLA Piper LLC struck out to hang a shingle of his own.

Within a year, Brian Heffernan, 37, would be joined by Dan Suebert, a 48-year-old DLA real estate partner who himself had grown weary of the big firm model at 3,500-attorney DLA Piper.

This year, the duo became a trio when another annual rate increase at DLA caused 67-year-old corporate partner Tom French to leave the firm.

Today, Menlo Park-based Heffernan Suebert & French LLP, born in July, is an amalgam of three attorneys, all at very different stages of their career. Joined by a common objective, the aim is to serve their clients better and cheaper than the big firms while recreating the collegiality of a close-knit partnership.

Part of what brought the three lawyers together was the big law firms’ pricing structure.

For years, business clients have complained about increased billing rates. Now lawyers have joined the conversation either because their firms are pricing them out of competition or because they simply feel uneasy about charging clients more each year to support a big firm’s rigid cost structure.

Heffernan’s rate at DLA, which he declined to divulge, encumbered his ability to build the client relationships needed to support a successful real estate practice.

“It wasn’t the road I wanted to go down, long term. I wanted more control of my destiny and saw it being much more quantitative than qualitative in terms of relationships,” he said. “The machine was an impediment.”

Confident in his legal and business development skill, Heffernan set out on his own in March 2007. He had practiced since 2001 at Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich LLP, and then DLA after it merged with Gray Cary.

Heffernan spent a little more than a year solo, counseling clients who included commercial landlords, developers and investors on all facets of commercial real estate transactions, entity formation and governance.

Meanwhile Suebert was discovering that the big firm platform and the financial crisis were combining to stifle his practice.

For Suebert, it wasn’t just the rates that were adversely affecting client retention and development, it was the big firm model itself.

The big firms bill high rates, to big clients on big-money legal issues. Senior associates can fetch as much as $500 an hour, while veteran partners bill out between $750 and $1,000 an hour. Big firms compete for business from Fortune 500 companies. Matters are often vetted on their feasibility. In some cases, the cost of opening and maintaining a client file makes it economically unattractive to take that particular matter. In a case where an individual real estate investor is in need of minor easement issue, for instance, the administrative and procedural tasks to open the file take longer than the legal work.

Like Heffernan, Suebert believed his practice would benefit from a smaller, more flexible platform. The pair had practiced together at DLA, as well as at Gray Cary. Recognizing that their practices would complement one another, Heffernan & Suebert LLP was born in October 2008.

French, over a longer career, had been similarly disillusioned.

He began his career in 1971 when a “big law firm” was one with more than a dozen attorneys. As a witness to the growth trend for close to four decades, he said he’d become desensitized to the big firm culture.

“I’d been working at big-firm paces for so long I didn’t know any better,” said French. “I was programmed to work long hours and had gotten everybody in my family more or less conditioned to it. I didn’t really rebel against it because at my core, I liked being a lawyer.”

At his peak, French billed as many as 2,500 hours a year, or nearly 50 hours per week. But a “billable hour” includes only that time spent working directly on cases, not the time spent serving in managerial and administrative roles.

When DLA instituted another annual billing increase across the board on Jan. 1, French, too, cut his tether to the firm.

At the new firm, all are finding it easier to retain clients and capture others. According to French, a “high percentage” of his client base came with him to his new firm.

Each of the three lawyers service about 50 clients to some degree, French said.

All are quick to say that their change of platform isn’t a personal indictment of their former firm. But they agree that somewhere along the way in their legal careers, the essence of practicing law, such as close client relationships and a partnership, got lost.

“I had very good partners and colleagues at DLA, particularly within the group I practiced, but that ran against the institutional force that threatened to make that kind of collegiality go away,” Suebert said. “That wasn’t something we were going to overcome in a small practice group.”

All three shared a feeling that a firm with collegiality, mutual respect and a respect for client service had to be started from scratch. The result is a firm that concentrates on corporate and real estate law.

They acknowledge it’s an odd fit on the surface.

“Here’s a corporate guy and two guys that really prefer real estate to corporate. How does that work?” French said.

Suebert answers best.

“We felt like we would complement each other and be able to collaborate on certain things,” Suebert said. “If you go back to this whole notion of working with someone who you trust, it’s easy to pass work back and forth because you know your partner is someone who’s going to look at a situation and figure out what’s best for the group rather than what’s best for me.”

San Jose Business Journal Article Link HERE :)

Isn't he cute? ;)

Stanford Study

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On Tuesday Francie went to the Stanford Graduate Infant Studies Program to participate in a two-year-old language development study. She went twice when she was 18 months old and she'll go one more time next week. My mom took us to do some of these studies when we were little, it's fun to be a part of- especially since this is exactly what Auntie Baby Ann is doing in Nashville for her full time job right now! She works in the Child Development Program at Vanderbilt University in research studies involving language in Downs Syndrome children. She "codes" these videos like Francie did where they ask the kids to look at a certain object and track their eye movements. Heff came with us and got to go into "the studies" with Francie- he had fun doing it with her.

Dad signing away on forms while the girls play in the waiting area

The girls kept themselves busy for a little while before Francie went in another room to play with toys while they video taped her and Heff, then watched a series of short video's on Dad's lap

Outside the language lab - all done!

Francie was very proud of her certificate :)

Willows Block Party

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Saturday was our neighborhood block party (not to be confused with our street block party :) so we ventured over for a couple hours to play, paint, eat, drink and see our neighbors. They did a great job this year with a band, tons of toys and art projects in every driveway and lots of good food... even free margaritas! We didn't stay long enough to rally for the "afterparty" since Francie had for some reason been awake since 2:30am and was ready for a nice loooong nap. But it was a fun day in the Willows.

The Shoups, the Olsons and the Heffs!

Francie dancing to the bluegrass band and Maisie wondering what the heck she is doing

The blue stripes club~ Heff, Maisie and Uncle Donald (Aunt Kat had a bridal shower in the city so we dragged Donald around with us all day!)

The MPPD brought Old Tom the Firetruck for rides around the neighborhood and this fire engine for the kids to check out

I tried to give her a snack when we came home and she fell asleep at the table!

Francie's First Day of Ballet

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Ok, her first REAL day :) We went back Friday for round two and I got the class time right this time. Francie looked so cute in her ballet ensemble! She wore her leotard from Aunt Kat's wedding, a pink petal skirt, footless white tights and little ballet slippers from Target (might have to invest in "real" ballet shoes- these look exactly like my grandma Marmar's old house slippers) The little girls, all two year olds, were all so adorable! Francie was so into the class concentrating really hard on following the teacher. And since it is a "Mommy and Me" class I got a little workout too (that's how much of a whimp I am) It was such a fun class... Francie and I can't wait to go back!

Ready to dance

Francie sure had an entourage there to watch her! Oma, Opa, Jannie, Grampa, Aunt Sarah, Baby Clara and Maisie! Heff came too at the very end and we all went to Stacks for lunch of course :)

We knew two of the other moms in the class too

I don't look quite as cute as Francie does trying to dance ;)

She's got it!

Happy spectators

I love Opa's bright smile in this picture looking at Francie :) Thanks for coming to watch EVERYBODY!

After class and lunch we were off to the park

"when do I get to dance?"

off and running

Then we met Daddy back at Dr Cisco's office for Maisie's SIX MONTH checkup! She is 16 pounds and 90% in height (I missed the height measurement :) They both got a shot but no tears for Francie as the blue lollipop was a good distraction

Listening to Maisie's heartbeat after she checked out her cabbage patch doll she borrowed from Jannie's house named Frederica Charlotte... and "you can't call her Frederica- her name is Fed-a-rica Shar-let!" Okay, MaryFrances Borchard Heffernan :)

Then Clara came over for dinner at our house!
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I didn't take many pictures the rest of the night... but Francie did! I found a ton of pictures just like this on my card when I downloaded :)

Dinner with Cousin Clara

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Thursday night Claire and Tom came down to the bay area for a doctors appointment and to spend some time with the babies! Mark & Sarah had us all over for a Carne Asada dinner in their backyard, their authentic cooking is always a treat. Jannie and Grampa came over too and the girls were funny playing together with all of Clara's fun toys. Francie thinks she is such a big girl around the babies :)

Cute cute Clara Marie (look at her eyelashes!)

and my still-baldy baby Maisie

Jannie put pigtails in Francie's hair :)

Showing Jannie and Grampa her puzzle skills

YUMMY. Thanks Mark and Sarah!

All Closed Up

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Thursday was supposed to be our first day of Francie's Ballet class at the Menlo Park Academy of Dance (where I took ballet when I was little too- really little before the lack of coordination set in :) Jannie met us at Stack's for breakfast before the class and we were taking our time around town waiting for the 11:30 class... which we got to just in time for all the cute little tutu-ed two year olds to be filing out of. I got the time wrong, it was 10:30!

OOOPS!

Francie was a little miffed it was "All closed up" but settled for a trip to the toy store and playing at Brilliant Babies with Jannie and Maisie. It worked out fine since we go to go back to the Friday class and Oma and Opa (and her entourage, next post!) got to see her dance too.

Jannie and Maisie having tummy time

being silly with the kids at BB

"Mom, will you tell her not to step on my toy please"

Those big sisters....

The happy little Maisie Moo moved on to a new toy :)

A Rainy Day Playdate

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Wednesday we had some friends come to Brilliant Babies to play since the weather was still rainy and wet (and our backyard is waiting for new grass to be put in... think giant mud pit!) We took over BB and let the kids burn off some steam dressing up, snacking, playing music and bouncing in the bounce house. It was an easy place to play- good thing the girls at BB put up with us! ;)

Francie, Estelle and Gianna sharing apples at the snack table

Maisie in her favorite spot on the floor

Estelle and Francie holding hands to go play in the imagination room... they usually only look at each other so this was a big deal :)

Issac being cute as ever

Landry (who just had her 1 year anniversary HEARING with her magic ears/coclear implants!) dressed up

Gianna reading her fav "NO David" (must be a big sister thing:)

Wes-man singing out loud at the ever popular piano

The moms- Paige, Lindsey, Beth, Mary, Tami, Kelli and Icie with our excuses for a good playdate :)