Yesssss!

'Tis the season to rewrite a festive song and tell you a little about our 2014.  Although a wee bit lengthy, here is our little slice of holiday cheer...

Marcis Holiday Song 2014 (click on this link to take you to YouTube)

Decorating Gingerbread houses at our house

Whitney and Dana at Pebble Beach

Lyell and Dana Rose

Napa Harvest Half Marathon October 2014

The To Do List

You know when you have something on your to-do list that just sits there for months?  Every time you write another list, it gets put on there, but one thing or another gets in the way, and after a while you just stick it on the list for show.  Well, that's what happened with the Blog for these past couple of months.  It just never floated up to the top of the list, the next load of diapers needed washing and a runny nose needed to be blown, and mostly I just needed to be a parent rather than sit at a computer and write about being one.

  

So here we are in October.  Dana is eight months old.  She is well, thriving and so very loved.  Not quite as many words will be written to document her every move as were recorded for Lyell and Whitney.  But oh, she is loved.  Wrapped up in hugs and kisses every morning from her sister and brother, smothered with cuddles by her mom knowing how quickly this babyhood will be gone.  Dana naps when she can, she eats whatever I can scrounge up, and is learning to take full body charges from her brother which he considers "playing with her."  Dana is a big, round, snuggly ball of love.  If she knows you, she will burrow her nose into your chest when you hold her, she will laugh when you make a funny face, she will make you feel like the most special person on the planet.  Sometimes there are 6 other children at our house, all running around involved in various projects and make believe games, and Dana sits in the middle of it all with a big grin on her face, waving her gads around as if conducting the entire scene.  Yes, she is loved, and probably not often bored :)  

Our family life these past 6 months can't really be summed up.  This is probably why I have found many reasons to keep blog nestled far down on the to-do list.  There are too many stories to tell, too many trips and experiences to share, the task seems unmanageable.  Instead I will say that we have lived well and fully, with healthy doses of both laughter and tears.  The pictures below I mostly leave up to you to caption, and hopefully will help us to share a little piece of our lives with you.  

SUMMER IN PALO ALTO

 

CAMPING IN TUOLUMNE

DANA AND NARIZ

LYELL'S FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

SWIMMING AND BOATING ON TENAYA LAKE

MARCIS FAMILY REUNION AT CHIPPEWA PINES, MINNESOTA

We are settling into a Fall rhythm here in El Portal which includes lots of biking (for everyone), running and swimming (for mommy), soccer, legos, baking, board games, new chapter books and rambles through the changing leaves.  

Much, much love to all!

Two and a half months have passed, and yes, having three kids is crazy!  It's mostly awesome crazy, with a side of everyone's-screaming-and-I-have-got-to-make-dinner-crazy.  But when it gets to that level I just look at the picture below and realize how ridiculously amazing these three beings are, and I feel grateful everyday that I have the privilege of watching them grow.

One thing I have to concede is the time I have to work on a blog.  I lament this even as I write it, as the blog is my way to solidify this moment in time and the wonderful childhood experiences that each child is having.  Quickly- Dana Rose at 2.5 months is emerging from her newborn phase and looking at us with big smiles and "goo's."  She still prefers to be carried around in the Ergo most places we go, but she is starting to enjoy her exercise time on the floor as she lays on her back and bicycles her legs and arms.  

Whitney Florence- at just over 3 (Butterfly Birthday pictures below) is all about being silly and quirky.    After a long play session with Lyell she'll run up and tell me, "Mom, we were pretending that the snake monster came into our house and sat down to have tomato soup with Nariz.  That's silly!!!" And she'll laugh and laugh…Whit is still very attached to her pink bear and blankie which have been with her every day for three years now.  Pink bear has gotten hair cuts, had trouble sleeping, and has been given several time outs lately due to conflicts with his big brother.

Lyell Todd is almost 5 and graduates from preschool in a month!  He is truly a "big boy" now, and his creative and experimental mind think of grand projects every day.  The other day we were headed to the play park and Lyell wanted to bring both his bike and his scooter.  I told him to choose one, as I couldn't carry the other with Dana Rose in my arms.  He spent the next half an hour devising a bungee cord system to attach the bike and scooter together so he could successfully carry both items to the park himself.  And he did it!  Lyell is also an amazing big brother; his first words upon waking in the morning are, "Where's Dana?" and he goes to her, lays down beside her and has his 'morning Dana time' as he explains it to me.  

Matthew and I have been scrambling to keep up with these three beings as they each emerge in their own way.  We are valuing our family dinners more than ever as our time to sit and be thankful for each day in this very special phase of life we are in. 

We splurged on a newborn photography session, and it was the best!  Here are a few shots from the day after Dana was born.

Dana Rose

Mommy and Dana

Sweet Daddy and Dana

Two weeks later- the three kids in the middle of the playroom, crazy central.  

Two and a half weeks old.

Sleeping Beauty

Daddy time on a Sunday morning.

Lyell's new favorite chore!  He is an excellent weed wacker if anyone is in need of services.

Those of you who have followed our blog from the start know that Nariz is a big theme with the babies.  Here's Dana chilling and Nariz keeping guard for her.

Grandpa and his little bear exploring Yosemite Valley.

Our attempt at a family dinner selfie.  

Dana and her bestie Lyell.  

Grammy and Whitney making birthday cupcakes.

Six Weeks Old.

Whitney choose to have a Butterfly themed birthday, and we had a gorgeous spring day for the event.

All the little butterflies eating lunch.

Whitney and her buddies.

Getting ready for butterfly hide and seek.

Face Painting with Sylvie and Dawn.

Our butterfly piñata lost her wings quickly, but took a while to crack the body.

Lyell takes a swing.

Our next door neighbor and butterfly expert Michael Ross brought over some caterpillars.  We took care of the catapillers, and they made their chrysalises in our house.  We watched all the butterflies emerge just last week, and released them back where the caterpillars came from.  

The late rains have produced an incredible poppy display this spring.  Here we are on a hike on the hillside above our neighborhood.

Whitney and her friend Marley.

California Kids.

Two months old!