Pink, Orange and Purple Time

Greetings to all from the Merced River Canyon, where spring is shouting out in bright colors and rushing rivers.  It has been a long time since the last Marcis family update, and we have celebrated several milestones in that time, so it feels appropriate to take a break from frolicking in the foothill wildflowers and send greetings and photos to all.

Here's the short of our lives in the past four months: We went to Hawaii!  We moved to a beautiful home!  Kim started a new job!  Whitney turned 2!  And we're gearing up to spend the summer in Palo Alto...

Here's a bit more on those events:

After years of hearing about the Big Island from my uncle, we finally embraced a long trip to the youngest Hawaiian island and instantly fell in love.  Lyell and Whitney have arrived at that beautiful age where you can set them down on a beach and they are happy for hours.  Matthew bought himself a salt water fly fishing rod and found numerous coves and beaches to practice his new sport.  And I was captivated by the black rock landscape, the underwater life, and the energy of this emerging land.  We were so fortunate to share our time there with our parents, my sister and her niece.  While my dream is someday to be in Kona for the Ironman world championship race, we have already made plans to return to the Kona coast next Christmas- come and join us!!!  Did I mention the tropical fruit farmers markets and coffee tasting plantations?  If that doesn't convince you here are a few photos:

Lyell and Matthew navigate the black lava shoreline.

Lyell, Whitney and cousin Georgia hard at play in the sand.

Christmas Day!

Opening presents...

...and setting up all the new toys.

Back to our favorite Keiki beach for some serious playtime.

There was at least one large sandcastle project each day, usually involving Grandpa's patented Drip technique.

Hiking and taking pictures in Volcanos National Park

Matthew and I celebrate our inner dorkiness as we watch steam rise from the caldera in the distance.

Toes in the Sand for Breakfast at the Four Seasons.  Fancy!!!  

Family photo- as good as it's gonna get for this crowd :)

After returning from Hawaii, we began to pack up our apartment home of the past year and a half, in preparation to move "across town."  Those of you who have moved with young children can testify that it's about as close to complete mayhem as you get in parenthood.  We now have the distinction of having moved twice with young children, and I will tell you that the second time is a charm!  Especially when your amazing husband rounds up some buddies and does almost all the work while you vacate the premises with the kiddos for several days.  We are now settled and nesting in our amazing new home which overlooks the river.  Lyell and Whitney adore their new backyard and they are loving sharing a bedroom, which allows us to have a guest room- so come and visit!

Our first fine spring day in our new backyard.  Digging and planting has begun.

This planter box contains corn and sticks and various other household objects Lyell and Whitney have planted.

Our small backyard granite dome.

Coincidentally, our move coincided exactly with the start of my new job as a Director with Galileo Learning (not the preferred combination, just for the record.)  After an intense first couple of weeks, we are settling into our new routine of mommy working from home, and commuting every other week for a day or so.  My first lesson in the work/home balance came early on when a work email I needed to deal with came in just as we were walking out the door.  I sat down for 10 minutes to respond and marveled how Lyell and Whitney were playing so quietly together in the bedroom.  In the midst of my marveling it occurred to me that the munchkins were being just a little too quiet.  Sure enough, when I entered the bedroom Lyell was holding an empty pack of gum and the floor was littered with empty gum wrappers.    When I asked him how many sticks of gum he ate, Lyell paused for a minute then said, "Twenty one."

Aside from the large ball of gum that may or may not be in my son's stomach for the next seven years, we seem to approaching a nice equilibrium of mommy working part time, doing preschool together two days a week, and still having days filled with adventure and early childhood discovery outside in our beloved mountain community.

Just a week ago, we celebrated Whitney's second birthday.  Two years is such a milestone, as Whitney seems to have become her own little person overnight.  She is now jabbering away in somewhat choppy sentences which make perfect sense to her and Pink Bear.  Lyell now understands the meaning of the word "echo" as Whitney repeats almost everything that he says.  My favorite thing to do with Whitney is to have her chose a book to read to me.  One of her top choices is Good Night Gorilla, which she narrates with animation and drama, and I can decipher about 55% of what comes out of her mouth.  The beautiful part is that she knows exactly what she is saying and loves telling me the story over and over (especially the part when the gorilla lets the lion out of his cage- we all have to scream, and then laugh and laugh :)

Whitney had a Pajama Party, in honor of her favorite article of clothing.  For Easter the following weekend, I managed to bribe and cajole her into a fancy dress, but Whitney would much prefer a wardrobe filled with footsie jammies.  Here are a few shots from these big days:

Whitney and our neighbor Eliza make Whitney's party bag.

Our playroom is transformed into Pajama Party Headquarters.

Whitney's friends join her in decorating bags.

All the kids gather to read the special book that calls the Magical Sleep Fairy to come and visit our Pajama Party.

The Magical Sleep Fairy arrives and delivers sleep fairy dust to all the children.  Now it's time for the Pajama Parade and the Toothbrush Hunt!

Hunting for Toothbrushes in the backyard- and let the general frolicking begin...

Frolicking continues until it's time for... 

Carrot cupcakes and singing Happy Birthday.

Classic Whitney, Age 2.  Froggy jammies and Pink Bear.

And another Whitney classic- cowboy boots on, swinging in her special swing.

Here we are one week later, all dressed up and awaiting the infamous Easter Bunny.

Whitney was not a fan of the Easter Bunny.  "Go away, Big Bunny. Go away from me." This picture just about sums it up.

Whitney was, however, a fan of finding plastic eggs in the grass that contained candy.

Lyell was a fan of the whole Easter experience, and after all that sugar he preformed a lengthy airplane flying demonstration for us.

Family Eater Pic

I'll leave you with a few more shots of St. Patricks Day, one of our two ski days we managed to pull of this year, and my favorite cousins picture of all time- the tire swing!!!

We send much, much love and big bunches of virtual wildflowers to all of you, near and far.  

Prayers for Peace in Our Time

Presenting Lyell and Whitney's first Holiday performance!

In the season of darkness we give thanks for the light that friendship and family brings to our lives.  We pray that each day, with every action, we may bring more peace and love into our world.

The Latest from Us

The Popsicle Club

A typical late summer morning in the Marcis house goes something like this... long before the sun appears over the ridge behind our house, when the very slightest bit of light indicates the slow progression into morning, somehow little Whitney's 18 month-old brain decides that YES it is officially morning and we should all be up- especially you mama- as I need someone to read me my morning stories.  So Whitney, and her beloved Pink Bear- stand patiently at the crib waiting while mama verifies that it is indeed 5:45 in the morning.  Our little ritual begins as Whitney, Pink Bear and Mama head to the kitchen where I desperately tries to get a pot of coffee going while Whitney desperately tries to get me to read her 15 favorite books to start the day.  Lyell hears the slightest bit of sound and appears out of his room, but he's not entirely awake and curls up on the couch with 6 blankets and Tigger of course.

After reading books and snuggling in blankies, Lyell and Whitney somehow manage to sync up and they're off... on some play adventure usually including stuffed animals, blocks or puzzles.  Whitney is determined to keep up with her big brother, which leads to many "Owwwwws" and the development of a toughness that I think will serve her well in life :)  Lyell, in spite of all his shenanigans and "experiments" he preforms on his little sister, loves her dearly.  Once during preschool I overheard him explaining to another youngster, "This is my sister, Whitney.  You have to be very gentle with her because she is still learning how to run.  Let me show you."  And he leaned over and gave her a little kiss.  This scene makes up for the times that he conks a metal bowl on top of her head and says, "Moooom, I'm just giving her a haaaat."

Now, finally, the rain is pounding down on our roof for the first time in months.  I am already checking on my baking spices and pulling out the warm boots.  September and October have brought some exciting events and next steps for our family- specifically for mama.  Most significantly, I have accepted a job as a Camp Director for Galileo Learning.  My journey to find balance in motherhood and career has been both frustrating and enlightening.  When Lyell was born over three years ago it became almost instantly clear to me that there was no way I could be the mother I wanted to be and continue to work full time.  Over the past three years I have had numerous conversations with mothers about the life choices we make in an attempt to "have it all."  I realize that I am unbelievably lucky to have so many choices, and I am grateful to all the women fought to give me these choices.  Having it all, for me, means having the choice to be my children's primary care giver and first teacher, while continuing with a meaningful part-time job in my field.  I can not tell you how thrilled I was to find such a fine company as Galileo Learning, who has created (in my unbiased opinion) the most excellent summer day camp program in the country.  But don't take my word for it- read all about it on their website- and come be a camper with me next summer!  Or, be an Instructor, Lead Teacher, or Intern if you are a little older!

Other fun events in our lives mostly included- you guessed it- running, biking and swimming- with some camping, hiking and weddings thrown in along the way.  See below for all the details...

Every day is Popsicle Day here in El Portal where the summer temps regularly hit 110 in the shade.  Clothes were difficult to keep on small bodies.

We escaped the heat with a week long camping to Tuolumne Meadows.... ahhhhh.

Whitney hard at work prepping our camp dinner.

Climbing Lembert Dome.  

Mama and Whitney at the top of Lembert Dome.

Playing around inside our camper.  Good thing Whitney is such a dainty girl and can rock all of Lyell's hand-me-down pajamas :)

We hiked to May Lake, a 3 mile round trip accomplishment for our family.  

We spent much of our camping time (and our summer, really) playing at the shores of lakes and rivers.  This is our favorite spot, Tenaya Lake.

Another favorite beach, June Lake, with mama working very hard.

Clapping to the music at the Mobil

L and W prepare for a beautiful Mariposa wedding.

Mama's athletic endeavors began by swimming the length of Tenaya Lake with three other awesome women and Matthew rowing next to us.

The support boat and the length of the lake.   We had a big barbecue party at the other side.

Mama continued her training with a 100 mile ride through the eastern Sierra followed by a girls weekend of long rides through Sonoma vineyards with decadent stops at luscious bakeries.

Making baking soda and vinegar "volcanos" at Potluck Preschool.

Gathering sunflower seeds on a field trip to Mountain Meadow Farms.

Matthew has taken several solo backpacking trips in August and September to the high Sierra lakes.

L and W help me prepare for my final race- the Merced Gateway Triathlon.

I took an early lead in the run section, and never gave it up- finishing first among all the women!

Our fall trip to the Eastern Sierra where we broke out a bottle of wine saved from our wedding 5 years ago!

Silly sunglasses and sillier kiddos....

Inside the giant clam at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  This photo is just to reassure you that Matthew does still exist. He has officially become the family photographer and it's hard to get him on the other side of the lens.

That's a little slice of life, we'd love to hear about yours!  Sending lots of love to family and friends near and far, looking forward to seeing many of you during the upcoming holidays.