Birthday Boy

Peter has been excited about his "big, big birthday" for weeks, and FINALLY today was the day for his super cool big, big birthday party. 

Thank you, Kidville, for putting together such a nice event! The kids loved their arts and crafts project.

Decorating a picture frame... 

Peter loved having all of his friends, like Alexandra and Eyal, at his party. 

Nicholas and Anna 

 Luca

Kaj

Silly face, Lauren. 

The best part of the party was the Jumpin' Gym! 

Clara thinks she's a three-year-old, too. 

"If I just sit here, the other kids will bounce me, right?"

There were also bubbles...

and Peter tried every piece of gym equipment possible. I see a future Olympian, don't you think? 

Zip line...

Ladder climbing... 

... but, really, the bouncing was the best. 

"Hey, good lookin'" 

After all of that jumping and swinging and climbing, it was time for pizza. 

And a yummy, yummy cake. (In case you are wondering about the expression on Peter's face... At this point, he was almost in tears with a stomach ache. I guess that is what happens when you jump around for an hour and then eat pizza.) 

Happy Birthday, Peter! 

What a fun day and what a fun weekend! And now Peter is a THREE YEAR OLD BOY!!

"No, Peter"

A Farewell

This is the day care that Peter has been going to for 2 years. Clara started going there, too, in April. 

It has been such a great place for both kids. They absolutely love it. 

Every day when I pick them up, they are in such great moods. Look at these happy kids. 

OK, so maybe Clara isn't so happy in this picture, but I think it is only because she doesn't know quite what to make of her headband. 

Mina is the nicest woman. 

She is very special to both kids. To me, too.

 And this is Oli, our main babysitter and one of the kids' favorite playmates.

Oli is the greatest. 

The other day was Peter and Clara's last day at Mina's house. It was pretty sad saying good-bye, but we know we'll see them again soon. 

 "Bye, bye!"

Videos

While I'm figuring out my photo storage situation, how about watching some videos?

This video is from the last day that Peter and Clara went to their daycare in West Hollywood. Mina has been wonderful to the children and even gave Peter and Clara gifts on their last day. Clara is wearing her gift in the video. How about that headband, huh?



This one minute clip is a glimpse into what I hope will be one of the great benefits of having children... Having someone around to help unload the dishwasher.

Photo Free

Ugh. I ran out of storage on the blog and I can't upload anymore pictures! Can you believe it? I guess I have posted a few too many shots of Peter and Clara. I'm looking into getting more space, but in the meantime, take a look at some of my other favorite blogs...

Sam and Sarah Richardson -- My brother's family. 2 silly girls the same age as our kiddos.

Mini and Brother's -- One of my oldest childhood friends and her crazy family.

Polka Dot Hippo -- A babygroup friend with a REAL blog.

Girl's Gone Child -- An LA mom who I don't know, but wish I did. I get lots of ideas from the Eat Well section of her site.

Weelicious -- One time I made a recipe for salmon from this website and my children actually ate it.

Motherlode -- The New York Times parenting blog. It makes me feel smarter.

And for a non-kid related site, I recommend Kottke.org. It is hard to describe, but I always find something interesting, quirky or funny there.

Hope to see you all soon with some new pics!

Water Bugs

Like most kids, Peter and Clara have been total water bugs this summer. 

We fill up this pool in our backyard almost every day. I'm pretty sure we'll be Tier 3 on our water bill next month. 

These lucky ducks also got a sink bath the other day. 

"Mom, do I really have to wash the dishes while I'm in here?" 

"Clara, can you help me rinse, please?" 

There was a kiddie pool extravaganza at our neighborhood play group this week. Wow! 

Yesterday, Peter and I went to the beach in Santa Monica. 

In addition to splashing in the ocean (too hard to photograph), we played in the sand.

We tried to build a sand castle. This is about as far as we got. 

Then, it was picnic time!

It was a pretty great spot for a picnic, though it was the sandiest peanut butter & jelly sandwich I've ever had. Peter didn't mind. 

You'll notice that this is Peter's third outfit in the beach series photos. Without going into detail about the outfit changes, I'll just say that it was time for us to go. Bye-bye beach! 

Farm Birthday Party

Today, we celebrated Eyal's 3rd birthday with a really fun party at Underwood Farms. 

There was a gigantic pile of bales of hay for the kids to climb. 

Peter made it to the top! 

Wait. That guy's not a kid. 

Both sillies sat on my lap on a horse-drawn wagon ride around the farm. Woo hoo! 

Clara loved playing in the wooden train. 

And visiting the baby animals. 

She's a total cowgirl. 

Peter and I took a cow train ride. 

Alexandra and her dad joined us. 

Peter and his girlfriends waited patiently for cake. 

Still waiting... 

Happy Birthday, Eyal! 

Happy Independence Day

For the 4th of July, our friends invited us over for a last-minute spontaneous BBQ. We had a really fun time swimming and playing, but everyone was exhausted by the time evening rolled around. Check out Peter's not-so-subtle yawn while playing with his friend, Atticus. 

Clara and Quincy negotiated over stuffed animals and rides in the toy car. These girls are just too cute. 

What is that face, Clara?

Nothing says "Happy Independence Day" quite like a Mickey Mouse USA shirt. 

Some More with Grandma Dorothy

One day while Grandma Dorothy visited, Ben took the day off work and made a gourmet picnic to take to the park. Even though it took him 2 hours to get out of the house, it was a beautiful day and a fun picnic and totally worth all the effort. 

Ignore the jelly smeared all over Peter's face. Doesn't he look comfy and happy? 

Clara has started talking quite a bit. One of her newest phrases is, "I did it!" She says it after pretty much anything. I can only guess that is what she is saying here. 

What a great end to the day... a favorite book and a special Grandma to read it. 

Snuggles.