Quatro de Mayo

We had a fun Cinco de Mayo party this year.  We just did it on the fourth instead.  You may or may not know that May the 4th is also Star Wars day, so after the party we had a Star Wars marathon with the kids.  It was a really fun day!

At the party we made maracas out of our old Easter eggs, plastic spoons and duct tape.  We filled the eggs with rice, beans, macaroni and popcorn.  It was a lot of fun and I still have about 10 maracas left in my house four months later.

We also had a marvelous time smashing a pinata.  It was so much fun watching all of the kids - the little ones who were hitting a pinata for the first time, up to the big ones who swung the stick with purpose.  In the end it was a girl that broke the pinata open.

After everyone was inside, I looked out and saw Charlie smashing the remains of the pinata to bits.  He was so happy out there, destroying something that was perfectly allowable.  It was one of those moments that you wish you could have frozen in time.

Our kids really enjoyed their Cinco de Mayo party and I enjoyed doing something to celebrate the day. We may just have to make this an annual tradition!

Macie at 13 Months

My 13 month old girl was super happy.
This month people started to ask me,
"How do you get her to smile for pictures?"
Well, I usually just point the camera at her.
She's usually just smiling.
But, sometimes I do break out into song.
Or blow a raspberry at her.
Sometimes I peek-a-boo around the camera.

It doesn't take much to get this girl to smile.

At 13 months, Macie was 11 months old adjusted.

Here are some of the things she was doing.

She loved cars and planes.  She especially loved playing them while watching Ephram.

She started to do tricks for me.  If I said, "Where's you're tongue?"  She'd stick it out.  If I said, "Point up high!" She would do it.

She loved playing with her daddy.  Especially when he would tickle-attack her.  She loved tickle-attacks from just about anybody.

She had her first french fries.  And, soon after, I let her have the box, (not full.)  And it was the greatest thing that happened to her all week.

She loved this castle most out of all of her toys.  It was so much fun to watch her stack all of the princesses up in one area.  And then move all of the princesses over to another area.  And again.  And again.  She also loved her princess legos.

This month she started climbing, she perfected her pull-up-to-a-stand and her crawl sped up.  My 13 month old baby girl was the best and cutest daughter I could ever imagine.  Love her to pieces.

Vacation Skills

Andy and I have learned that our babies always gain new skills whenever we take them on vacation.  In California this time, Macie learned...

To climb stairs.

If you look in the distance, that's Ephram at the top of the stairs.
And that would be the reason that Macie decided to go up the stairs too.
The next day she did it again, and again, and again.

She was very proud of herself.

She also learned how to make a ride-on toy go.
This fire truck was just the perfect size for her.

And she strengthened her recently acquired skills of pulling up and crawling.

She sure is a cute little girl!

Ephram Photographs...

It was inevitable, really.

With how much love I give to my camera,

It makes sense that one of my little loves would start to love it too.

This spring, Ephram started trying his hand at photography.

I have deleted a lot of blurry shots.

But he has also captured some gems.

I love watching him ground his stance,

Check his handhold,

And set-up his shot.

Yes, he sets up his shots.

In the group of pictures below,

I was surprisingly happy with the photos he took of me.

We were just playing,

In our usually Mommy and Ephram fashion,

And I have to say that I love the smiles he sees when we play.

I hope his life is full of more faces that look like this than the other way.

I also loved the pictures he took of the little ride-on fire truck at my parents house.

He took one picture,

Made a few noises,

Thought about it,

And then stuck his foot out.

He leaned back,

Looking through the camera,

Until it was just right.

And then he took a picture of his foot in front of the fire truck.

Yes, Ephram, foreground is important.

In truth,

I don't really know anything about photography.

Not in a formal, "I'm a photographer" sense.

But I do know what I like to see.

And I do know what I think is interesting.

And I think my job as a photographer Mommy,

Is to capture images that will help my family see in the future what I saw today.

To me, photography is about capturing moments.

I love to see Ephram already thinking about this.

I love to see his little three year old body holding up my big, heavy camera with care.

I love his pensive nature as he looks for those moments.

Maybe he'll be more of a photographer than his mom ever was.

Only time will tell.

Last Day Play

Our last day in California was full of playtime.

We played at the park and we played at my parent's house.

At the park, Ephram finally conquered the little suspended stepping stones.

He had been staring at them on every park trip,

But was too tentative to attempt them.

In true Ephram fashion,

It took three visits to the park,

And enough time with his mommy turned away,

So that he could brave them on his own with no watching eyes.

That's just Ephram's way.

When it was time,

(Actually more than 30 minutes past the time we should have left,)

We drove to Long Beach, 

Hopped on a plane,

And made it back to Seattle.

This trip to California was our best yet.

We can't wait to return.