Yesterday Francie was cooing at Janie in her little seat, telling her she was about to go "try school" for the first time and Janie smiled her first real smile! Maisie, Emmy and I were right there too. Of course impossible to catch on camera but here was a close-enough shot with my phone as she slept… a half smile in her dreams will half to suffice as memory for your first real smile Janie Girl.
Last week we celebrated Clara Marie's 2nd birthday at her house for dinner- Oma and Opa were here and Jannie came along to work on knitting projects with Oma too. Maisie and Clara are big buds now, they ask for each other all the time and Clara calls here exclusively "Maisie Mooo." Francie tries to run the show and they all just entertain themselves now. Clara is getting so big and she is so blond. Can't wait to see her as a big sister next month!
digging into her cupcake
cousin kisses for Clara
Awwww the love- (and isn't her feathery cake pretty!? I was in SF doing some research for Bumble and saw it at Tartine Bakery, Bavarian PassionFruit with Lime soaked cake and coconut frosting… couldn't resist it for the birthday girl! well the adults appreciated even more)
time to eat cake
love this face Clara
and after dinner some plasma car riding (a gift from Oma) and puzzles with Clara-the-puzzle-master
I forgot I had these pictures and they never made it on the blog :) We went to Casa Lupe a few weeks ago when Janie was 3 weeks old for our first real family dinner out with just the five of us. It was great besides a) Maisie being a stinker and picking her nose in pictures like the top one b) Francie making Grumpy-McGrumps faces and c) Maisie spilling an entire tall glass of cold ice water right INTO the carseat while Janie was sleeping in it! And of course she had already gone through my spare diaper bag outfit that day so she was in a onesie and hoodie the rest of dinner. But the Margaritas made it all worth it!
yup- that glass all over her and the carseat
Little Stinker #1
Little Stinker #2
Little Stinker #3 (not- she's still perfect :)
looks like we're in for lots more of these very unpeaceful, not-relaxing, crazy family dinners with our little stinkers to come - we're not complaining!
Just trying to stay motivated doing my taxes while the girls all nap - sleeping sounds way better than Quickbooks data entry right now! This year might finally be the year I remember to download my statements before they disappear from the world wide web and I have to hand enter every credit card transaction for AT, BB and the Heffs one-by-one.. by-one... by-one...
(thanks for taking this great photo Emmy :)
Our good friend Molly Coogan wrote and sang an incredible song as a tribute to Kaky before she died - we all still listen to "Kaky's Song" often but rarely without tears. We were, and still are, in awe of what Molly created for Kaky and the gift she gave us by writing, singing and producing this song.
Molly is in NYC and an incredible actress, singer and songwriter. She is on a mission to create a music video for one of her fabulous songs with her good friend and movie producer Liam Brady. They are challenging themselves to create a first-rate music video in ONE SHOT and need our help... watch their great video explaining and if you want to support Molly just CLICK HERE to Kickstart their goal!
And thanks Molly- for such a beautiful and FUN reminder of Kaky who was ALWAYS so much fun.
Background on Molly and the Song (from a blog post two years ago)...
The Coogan's are all dear family friends and Molly's mom Anne has been right there with Kaky through a lot of her battle. We've shared a lot of great times with their family from when their dear grandpa met Kaky, fell in love with her and tried to set Kaky up with their son (right before she met Rich!) to our tea parties at Lovejoy's, family events, holidays and lots of shared laughs. It is an incredible tribute that Molly was so moved to write, produce and sing this song with her band members.The story behind the song... when Kathy and Anne Coogan were alone recently at the hospital, she asked her what she was most afraid of? Kathy paused for just a moment and said, " That I will miss all the fun". Anne replied, "You are not going to miss a thing." And with such a level of calmness and assurance she said... "I know." After Anne shared this story with Molly, Molly said she "couldn't get the fact that she didn't want to miss all the fun out of my head." We can't get this beautiful song out of our head Molly. Thank you.
Maybe I'm not ready to go
but you're - standing at my door
And the sun's going down and the waves are rolling in
Right across my shore
But, what if there's a party down the street
What about all the new people I could meet
and the stories we could tell and the laughter that we share
Oh, none of this seems to be fair
So don't make me go til the last glass is poured
Until everyone's asleep
And the lights are all turned out and the band is gone away
Oh, why won't you let me stay
'cause what if I'm gone before it's all begun
I don't wanna miss all the fun
When I sail across the wide eternal sea
When they carry me home will I still be me
Will my laughter still ring out
Will you hear me shout
That I am finally free
Will my memories still keep all my pictures of you
Will all my thoughts stay the same
And years after all of this is through
Will you still remember my name
So don't make me go til the last glass is poured
Until everyone's asleep
And the lights are all turned out and the band is gone away
Oh, why won't you let me stay
'cause what if I'm gone before it's all begun
I don't wanna miss all the fun
I don't need any parting gifts
I know my send-off will be grand
Let's just keep telling jokes and smiling hard
and never let go of my hand
Because each and every morning the grass will still be green
Mary will still glow and the dishes will get cleaned
And when your pouring tea into my favorite cup
I'll be off somewhere else living it up
So thanks for giving me the last big pour
I'd love to dance with you and drink some more
But the lights have all gone out and the bands no longer play
but I'm not really going far away
And I know it's only just begun. I'm so glad I had so much fun.
Yes, I know it's only just begun. I'm so glad I had so much fun.
***************************************************Sarah, Jannie and Molly Coogan Dec 2007
and at Lovejoy's for Tea with Anne Coogan
"And the stories we could tell and the laughter that we share..."
You make us all laugh like this Kaky :) We love you.
and I remembered this video of Francie who had heard me play Kaky's Song so many times she knew all the words...
just CLICK HERE to donate to Molly and Liam- any little bit helps and you even get a souvenir reward for your donation in any amount!
Just a few pictures from my iPhone from this week. Francie went to Peet's Coffee one morning with Dad and walked around with her warm chocolate all day like it was her latte. And they are both still obsessed with their Dora polyester Pj's of course. Funny girls...
Our New Orleans trip came to an end Saturday- We had brunch on Saturday morning at Broussards and then did some sight seeing before heading to the airport- the flight home was a little more eventful, getting us home at 3:30am but we made it and are still talking about what an incredible weekend we had in New Orleans with the Skidmores.
Jen and Heff with the girls at brunch. Nice face Francie ;)
Simo's at brunch
Sisters
Ann and Pat
After brunch we went on a carriage ride through town. We'd been trying to fit this in all weekend and I don't know who was more excited- Jannie or the girls
Jannie, Francie and Maisie sporting shades
Horses? Nope it's a mule! (they all are pulling carriages- our guide says they tolerate the heat and humidity better)
Janie's first ride
Giving the mule "Cash" treats after our ride
The Heff's taking on the town - skateboarding stroller on cobblestone streets and all
My brother and brother-in-law
Jackson Square
after lunch Heff took the girls swimming and I escaped to lunch with my mom, Jer, Ann and Pat before the left for the airport
So we left NOLA on a 7pm flight and changed planes in LAX. On the runway to SFO the pilot says SF is closed due to rain so we sit for almost two hours… get to SFO at 1am and our stroller/carseat don't come out for gate check. They tell us to go to baggage and then announce the cargo door has mechanical problem and they can't get it open… we WAIT and WAIT until 3AM for our bags! Girls were troopers and it could have been worse but we were so happy to be in our beds at 3:30am (5:30 new orleans time)
After the ceremony we gathered at The Elms Mansion for the reception and to let the party begin!
Bridesmaids at the reception
Jen and Zach with Jen's family - Clark, Ann and Earl
My pretty flowers in my diaper bag- pretty much sums up the weekend juggling both :)
Bride and Groom as the sun goes down
Flower Girls waiting to come on in
Jerry and Jannie
Pat and ABA with her goddaughter (she did a great job keeping her happy from the time we left the hotel for pictures, through the ceremony AND the bus ride to the reception- nice work stand in mom :)
The tables were so beautiful- I LOVED these tablecloths!
Pat, My Dad and Heff camped out at the Champagne Bar (yum- four champs cocktails including my favorite French 75)
Francie and Maison
Chaos ensues at the request of a family photo…
close enough
and then Janie got MAD! :)
More champagne bar - a Simo family fav
Jen's First Dance with her dad
then they got EVERYBODY on the dance floor for some grooving to kick things off!
Daddy's Girls on the dance floor
The Worthing's looked so cute in coordinating outfits
Mr Worthing loves the babies
The girls say "Woo-Hoo!"
and Teddy was the cutest Ringbearer ever - he went up to Jannie later in the night and asked her to dance by taking her hand and doing a little dance ;)
I like this picture of my dad- the party animal
Although no one can hold a candle to my mom who closed down the bar TWO nights out of three- she is crazy and we love you for it Life-of-The-Party Jannie!
Earl and his father-of-the-bride toast
Cheers to that!
Jen and Zach thanking Ann for all the planning
Clark and Jer- the two trouble makers :)
The food outside under the tent was amazing- grits and shrimp, oyster bar, pasta, authentic Nawlins food- and THEN inside the house was another jazz band, more good food and so many more beautiful flowers!
The girls were running wild
Pretty cake.. and pretty yummy
Another New Orleans tradition, the cake had charms on bracelets baked in and each bridesmaid pulled one out…
One you licked the frosting off you found out which charm you got and Jen read us our fortune- mine was Bourbon Street so my fortune said I would be blessed with a lifetime of celebrations- I'll take it!
The boys
THe big girls still rallying at 10pm but looking a little tired
Jerry, Jannie and I
Cut the cake
Zach and his entourage of little ladies
Teddy loving his cake
Jannie and Lisa with Janie - Lisa was my "second mom" when I lived in their cottage and started my tutoring career on her four boys, I love Lisa and her family- and now she has a two month old grandbaby girl!
Here goes the bouquet
Gathering up all our stuff, can't stop taking pictures of these flowers/tables
Awww :) and now we're ready for the second half of the party… the Second Line!
and on the bus for the Second Line! The entire wedding party got dropped off by Jackson Square for a very NOLA tradition, processing through the French Quarter with hankies and beads lead by a Jazz Band - I mean how much fun can you have in one night?!
Here we go
Francie was waving her hankie like a mad woman on Pat's shoulders…
Clark!
Love this picture of my Dad and Ann
and my favorite pictures of the weekend- Mr and Mrs Neeley loving their parade!!! They are so cute :)
Going…
Going…
GONE
Jerry said "I'll take that Pat, I think she's had enough."
Little brother and Big Sis (and an impromptu baby sling so I had a free hand for flowers/pictures/beers)
Yup- especially beers ;)
Maisie outlasted her sis and got a RIDE on the horsey carriage with Jen's grandparents and Aunt. All she talked about all night and the next morning
Heff babyless for a short minute
Living it up with the Johnets!
This is where we broke off from the crowd (continuing on to Bourbon Street after party) and took the girls to bed. Luckily we conned one of the babysitters from the reception to come to our hotel room to watch the big girls while Heff and I went to the afterparty :)
Yup, outnumbered.
Francie kept falling over as Heff carried both of them and two diaper bags and Maisie held her head and said "I Got Ga-Ga!" good try at least Maisie.
Bourbon Street
and that's all folks :) What a fun day and night!!!
Friday was wedding day! The ceremony was at St. Mary's Assumption Church at 5pm on Friday. We spent the day relaxing and getting ready, Jen was a VERY relaxed bride and everything was so well organized there was no stress or rushing around, just a fun day getting ready to watch Jen marry Zach :)
We went to breakfast with my parents and siblings (Pat slept in and we gave him a hard time for missing out of course :) at a little breakfast place- grits and omelettes, yum!
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Then Janie and I went to the Bridal Suite for hair, make-up, getting ready and hanging out with the bride!
Jen and I in hair and makeup! (and in matching outfits- just like old times! :) Jen and Zach live in Brooklyn so I found these cute hoodies for all the bridesmaids to wear getting ready
The DRESS! Jen's dress was gorgeous- Vera Wang and she added a black grosgrain ribbon sash. Traditional, beautiful and very New Orleans! She looked so pretty in the dress…
and the little girls carried these down the aisle… like little antique purses
Janie just hanging out before we put her dress on- didn't want to risk it getting dirty
Beautiful Bride in her dress!
Jannie came to tie the bow - she's the expert bow lady- perfect.
Brian managed to get the girls napped, bathed and dressed on time and we all met up to load the buses and head to the wedding at 4 (after some fun bridesmaids pics with Jen in the French Quarter, can't wait to see those)
The ceremony ~ (I was obviously without a camera in hand since I was on the alter but I hijacked these pics from Julie, one of the guests who is a photographer)
Mr and Mrs Zach Neeley!!!
Thursday was pampering, touring the city, rehearsal and rehearsal dinner day - another full day running into friends and family in the hotel lobby or out and about downtown, it made me realize how much fun a destination wedding can be. Heff took the girls on their own adventure in the morning and wore them out (like we had to hold their eyelids open worn out) and after naps and the church rehearsal they got to play with babysitters back at the hotel while we went to a fun rehearsal dinner at the wax museum...
The ladies all went to get our nails done outside of town Thursday morning- I love that the nail salon had a full bar inside! Mimosa please :)
and while we were getting our nails done- Brian took Francie and Maisie to the water to see the ships and they found the NOLA Aquarium and Insectarium- what a find! They loved it and came back so tired we were practically pinching them to stay awake at lunch to eat something and get back to the hotel before they crashed
Walking above the alligator pit
Francie's Favorite- Bat Rays NOT Sting Rays
Walking back after lunch- a stroller on the streets of New Orleans isn't the easiest thing in the world but we managed (only a little grumbling from Heff, a stroller is like my security blanket but he prefers to haul three kids on his back and isn't so fond of my love of baby mobiles with wheels)
ABA and Pat arrived around 2pm- we met at the "Carousel Bar" in the lobby that actually spins! ABA got to met her goddaughter Janie for the first time
And of course we had to find a little pooltime in this weather while the stinkers napped
Maisie says Happy St Patty's Day after she woke up- little goof ball
Rehearsal at the Church- it was beautiful!
ABA came along for baby holding duties- she earned her keep as godmother this trip taking care of Janie while I had bridesmaid duties
Mom and her girls - trying to bribe them any way I could to behave and walk down the aisle like little ladies
Luckily there was a big girls there, Maison, who was 6 for Francie to look up to and want to be like… much more likely the walk down the aisle happens with a big girl around
Jen and Zach going to dinner after church rehearsal on the mini bus
The Rehearsal Dinner was in the New Orleans Wax Museum, a really cool venue for an event!
all kinds of godmother-goddaughter connections in this picture (Ann is ABA's, ABA is Janie's, Jannie is Ann's - and I'm just tagging along - are you confused yet!? :)
The place settings were so pretty- they had irish blessings tied to everyone's napkin
A date night for us with the girls and all the kids in the wedding back at the hotel with babysitters! Heff was nice and let me go straight to the dinner, he took the girls on the mini bus and got them all settled with two slightly overwhelmed babysitters :)
and lot's of good bonding-I-mean-drinking time with my siblings!
Janie and Jer enjoying the dinner - it was all served family style and cooked by a celebrity chef (but of course I forget his name now…) really good food
Jen and Zach brought each bridesmaid and groomsman on stage to say a little about them- it was really sweet and gave all the guests some background on why they choose us to stand up there with them on their wedding day
Texas Longhorns Groom's Cake for the native Austin, TX UT fan Zach!
There were a few other "St Raymonds" families we all went to school with - it was great so many people made the trip out and fun to catch up in a new place with old friends
One of the bridesmaids, Jodi, had a really cute game for them to play where they had to hold up a "face" to answer questions about each other - great idea!
It was such a fun night - and even better I got to eat dinner and listen to toasts with two hands! The wedding planners passed Janie around in the back and then a few friends rocked her to sleep, I love how popular newborns are :)
and we had to get a passing shot of as crossing Bourbon Street walking home after dinner… It was CRAZY! But we passed on the Bourbon St party on St Patty's day to go get a good night's sleep and be ready for THE big day Saturday.
Wow, what a weekend! We all went to New Orleans, Louisiana to celebrate my oldest and "first" friend Jen Skidmore's wedding to a great guy- Zach Neeley. The Skidmores are like family- our parents met in Lamaze class pregnant with me and Jen and we have grown up together. Heff and I both said it was really the most incredible wedding we have ever been to. The Skidmore's sure know how to do things right and they thought of everything to make everyone feel right at home in New Orleans. We flew in Tuesday night- the parties started Wednesday and didn't stop until Saturday… I'll let the photos speak for themselves… in multiple posts since I took so many :) Congrats Jen and Zack and thanks for bringing us all together for a real New Orleans experience to celebrate your wedding!
We left SFO Tuesday night on a direct flight to NOLA. We arrived at 11:30pm and took a shuttle bus to the Hotel- pretty easy trip considering we had two lap babies and a 3 year old!
Wednesday morning we ventured out for lunch - we stayed in the French Quarter at the Hotel Monteleone and were in walking distance to almost everything. We had breakfast on the sidewalk and the girls lost their minds over the horses/mules pulling carts by every few minutes. I downed two Bloody Mary's - TG for not being pregnant in NOLA!
It was 80+ degree weather so we spent some time at the rooftop pool- Francie claims she "learned to swim"
and caught naps when we could - the girls were troopers and went along with our five day party schedule as best they could! Francie had a pull out couch but preferred to sleep right on top.
Getting ready for party #1 - a Crawfish Boil on Wednesday evening.
Ann and Jen had every detail done so beautifully- down to this artist's map of the city with all of the places we would visit for events and explanations of what to expect/wear for everything!
Isn't Janie getting big already?! ;) She was a little mad here getting dolled up for a party but for the most part she was GREAT the whole trip- she started sleeping at night! The past five nights she has slept all night, just waking up once or twice to nurse and going right back down which is a HUGE improvement :) (maybe I need to make Hurricane's and Jambalaya part of my day at home??) Keep it up kid.
Thanks to our little book I read we should wear bright colors to the Crawfish Broil so we happily obliged
Walking with the crowd to the Crawfish Broil - it was an authentic Nawlins event with delicious food and a great night to meet and reconnect with all the friends and family
Maisie had the funniest face every time she saw a "BA!" in the street
Arriving at the Oyster House and let the party begin...
My parents and Jerry got there Wednesday night too (Ann and Pat came in the next morning) which made it all the more fun to celebrate -
Look at the cute Crawfish kissing! The artist did all of these little drawings for the wedding- a really neat touch.
Father-of-the-Bride, Earl, giving a cute toast…
My first friend :) love you Jen!
The Bride and Groom excited for what's still to come!
Rehearsal Dinner up next...
Can you guess where Janie celebrated her 1 month birthday??
Saturday Francie got to spend the day with Grandpa while Jannie, Emmy, Janie and I went up to SF for Em's wedding shower at The Rotunda @ Neiman's for an afternoon tea. We left two hours early to go up and shop but hit crazy broken-down-bus/construction traffic in the city and ended up right on time! We did a little shoe shopping on the way into the shower but just enjoyed a nice afternoon with Em, her mom, sister, friends and my Aunt Tere and her daughter's in law Erin and Sadie. The invitation said wear white and matched the room! Happy almost wedding Em :)
The Bride-to-be
my favorite fare
Erin and Jannie talking while Aunt Tere snuggles Janie
all the ladies in white
Janie and Mom
Opening presents
my brother James came at the end to say hello - and help carry the presents down four floors and through Union Square!
The hosts of the shower- bridesmaids for the big day
We took a group picture in the Rotunda (but I don't have the picture on my camera) and James carried Baby Janie- he stood about 10 feet from the edge of this railing the whole time, thanks Uncle James :)
Maisie got to go on a special adventure all by herself with Dad on Saturday when he flew to LA for the day for a business meeting (benefits of not yet being two- she's still a free lap baby) They left at 5:30am and Maisie came in to say bye to me in bed "Momma! Airplane! Daddy! Banana! Airplannnnne!" (= Mom! I'm going on an airplane with Dad and taking a banana with me!" :)
They left San Jose at 7:30am and got a window seat- Heff said she was losing her mind she was so excited. She behaved herself very well all day with Dad and they got home around 5:30 Saturday night. What a lucky lady! (and Heff thinks he is pretty lucky too- Friday night we were watching her being silly at dinner and he said "I get to spend the WHOLE day with her tomorrow?!")
You are Crazy Maisie and we love you for it!
Emmy has been coming some mornings to help with the big girls while Janie and I are still figuring out this "sleep" thing. (She is doing a little better, but still prefers to sleep all morning and not so much at night) Emmy is awesome and the girls love her. She makes them eggs, gets them dressed in cute outfits and plays at home or takes them to the park. I'm pretty jealous some mornings and want to join them on their fun! But then I remember how much I need sleep/to clean/return emails/work and I just enjoy the peace and quiet :) Thanks Emmy!
Wednesday we walked to St Nicks to say a prayer and light a candle for Kaky- it was her birthday
Emmy's Amazing Boat entry- this is a good story :)
so the neighbor kids (3 siblings) were at the park with their "manny" (male nanny obvi ;) and the kids started talking about sending a boat down the creek from our houses to race to Shoup. Well Emmy challenged them to it and they set a race day. That day, Emmy suggested making a boat in the morning but the girls weren't that into it so they skipped it figuring the neighbors forgot too.
Well they get to the park and here come all three kids running down the hill with a super-duper homemade boat, even stenciled USA on the side! So Emmy says "oh yeah hold on, ours is right here" and whips up an impromptu boat. "Francie eat these Apple chips QUICK!" for the plastic bag, combined with a little caution tape on the ground- left over from the creek storm surge, a pinecone and a stick for balance… Viola! And guess which boat "took those corners" and won?
yup- the big winner!
puzzle time at home- happy kids
This is a typical Francie face after a full morning running around with Emmy
"What? No I'm not even a little bit tired Mom." yeah right.
and why is it my pictures look like this (no one looking, bad angle, lame lighting) :
and Emmy can do this with the same subjects! (oh yeah, it's because she has way more talent and kids LOVE her so they look at her for photos)
no stopping them… thanks for all the fun lately Em!
Tuesday night we went over the hill to Aptos to celebrate Uncle Rich's birthday on March 8 and to toast Kaky who would have turned 60 on March 9. We went to Cafe Cruz and had a great table outside under the heat lamps. Jannie brought the Mardi Gras beads since it was also Fat Tuesday! It was nice to be together with our family to remember it has been two years (march 11) since Kaky died. We sure miss her.
A Sidecar again! It's been awhile ;)
Mimi, Janie and Jannie
Jannie and her three granddaughters
Emmy and RB
ice cream sundae birthday candles
yummers
Drewby and Johnners getting some baby love
Happy Birthday Rich!
A fun night to celebrate the Beldings
Janie came to help us try some breads for our Bumble menu this morning… I posted on our Bumble Facebook page she's famous already ;)
Anne just sent me this picture of my "last days of being pregnant" from one night we walked downtown with the kids for dinner. There was the prettiest sunset that night so she took a picture of me and my belly as we were walking. It's so weird to NOT be pregnant anymore but since Janie is all curled up on my chest right now as I work on my laptop, I don't have heartburn anymore and I have a few more choices in clothing- I'll take this side of pregnancy :)
Janie slept much better last night! She seems to have an three night pattern or a BAD night (last night), an okay night and a really good night. Last night she slept from 11pm-5am in the bassinet, nursed and slept from 5-9am curled up next to me. I tried this crazy co-sleeper bolster pillow thing in out bed since she sleeps way better next to me - but go figure after Jannie, Emmy and I spent 30 minutes trying to figure it out and rig it up on the bed- Janie sleeps well in the bassinet almost all night! My husband is very patient.
I miss your little kicks and jabs in my belly but I'm glad you're here in the world Baby MaryJane!
Life with our Four Marys! Raising Free Range Kids in Northern CA.
