From the Mountains to the Sea and Back

September 3rd, 2013

Yesterday I watched my children play for several hours.  Families with two children close together might relate to the evolution that occurs in the sibling relationship, and yesterday I got to marvel at Lyell and Whitney and how they interact at 4 and 2.5.  Matthew was busy canning his huge tomato harvest, and I needed to rest on the couch (for reasons I will reveal soon...) so the two children were left to their own devices.  They decided to construct a train using our couch cushions, arranging them on the living room floor and connecting each "cushion car" together with string and tape.  Then they spent the next hours collecting and arranging items on each "cushion car" that they would need for their journey.  Their conversations right now are priceless, with Lyell directing the flow and Whitney chatting right back at him, filling in words she doesn't know with made up words like "doodle."  Finally, I was allowed to take a ride on their train, only if I sit in the adult sections ("this train is just for little kids," Whitney announces.)  I was served some yummy food as we made our way from 100 degree El Portal to the "snowy place" where you could go skiing and also see jellyfish- Lyell informed me.  

Six months ago I was asking for any advice I could get on sibling rivalry- as it seemed that every five minutes one was screaming at the other.  That was when Whitney was just learning to talk and hold her own in the face of her big brother.  I felt like I was watching some deep and primal DNA at work as one would pick up a toy and the other would snatch it out of their hand, yelling, "Mine!"  I'm not sure exactly how the evolution happened, I'm sure it was slowly, although right now I am only remembering the extremes.  But watching the two of them yesterday I saw two best friends and playmates on their imaginary journey together and it was awesome!!

Last night Lyell got to stay up a little later than his sister and have some "adult time," as he likes to call it.  He wanted to talk to me a little more about a subject that fascinates him right now- Mommy has a new baby growing in her belly!  Lyell knows it takes a long time to grow this baby, but now that he can see mommy's belly getting big (at 18 weeks) he has lots of questions about this new life.  Last night the topic was how the baby will move.  I explained that the new baby wont be able to walk or even crawl.  Lyell proudly announced that he will be the one to teach the baby to crawl.  He showed me several techniques he could use to demonstrate crawling, and asked which one would be the best for the baby.  Finally, he reflected, "Mom, if the baby just wants to rest for a while on their belly that would be ok with me too."  

So, needless to say, summer has been full of adventures and surprises.  Mommy's new adventure led the family to Palo Alto for the summer as I was a Camp Director for Galileo Learning.  I was blessed with an awesome staff, and got to watch my campers construct rockets, amusement park rides and medieval castles.  My camp days were long and often led into the evenings, but Lyell and Whitney hardly noticed as they had Daddy, Nana and Grandpa, as well as cousins Leandra and Katie to play with.  Click here for an article from the local paper on my camp which goes into a little more detail on the daily happenings at Galileo.

We found out in June that baby #3 was on the way!  I am due in early February, and after some initial sickness have been feeling great.  We will be keeping the gender a surprise until the big day.  Whitney keeps lifting up my shirt and asking, "Where is the baby, mama?" She is quite interested in babies and gets lots of practice taking care of all her stuffed animals and dolls.  Her favorite thing to do right now is make us yummy pretend food in her kitchen.  She keeps her entourage of animals well fed!

Here are a few photos from our pre-summer, summer, and post-summer experiences...

Lyell's El Portal Birthday bash with a pinata in our driveway.  

A month later we celebrated his true 4 year mark in Palo Alto with his best friend Whitney. 

Showing off his birthday clothes.

Birthday greetings and presents for Lyell.

Lyell watches a helicopter take off at the Crane Flat fire lookout in May.

Summer in the Bay Area was filled with play parks, pools, beaches, the junior museum and even preschool for Lyell.

Matthew pulled both kids everywhere in our bike trailer and they loved it!  They especially loved our weekend trips to the Farmer's Market for tasty summer treats. (and yes, Pink Bear still comes with us everywhere Whitney goes.)

Ahhhhhh Summer

Lyell attended the neighborhood preschool in June where he met a great friend, Simon.  Lyell and Simon had many high energy playdates throughout the summer. 

Speaking of High Energy!

Nana and Lyell made peach/apple/pear juice from the harvest in the front and back yards.  Nana has created an urban fruit and vegetable paradise which we got to help harvest all summer.

On the weekends we headed to Santa Cruz and Monterey for some ocean time.  Here's Whitney with her buddy Sebastian.

Lyell turned into a full blown water fiend.  He would run, jump, swim and dig at the beach until he collapsed from exhaustion.  After our final trip to Santa Cruz- he refused to eat all day as he was way too busy playing- then downed an entire mega-slice from Pizza My Heart on the way home.  We watched in amazement.

What is it about getting buried in the sand?  Everyone had to get buried once or twice a visit to the beach.

We visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium a few times to make sure the jellyfish were still as unbelievably cool as the first time we saw them.  

Out to dinner in Los Altos during my final week of camp.  

Enjoying one of the many outdoor activities set up for youngsters in the city.

We said goodbye to Palo Alto in the beginning of August and made our annual pilgramage up to the High Country, camping in Tuolumne Meadows for 8 days.  Here we are at the top of Lembert dome looking down on our camping area.

Whitney and Pink Bear relaxing at our campsite.  

Loving the mountain air, peaks and sunsets.

With the support and inspiration of 7 other ladies, I finished the 2nd Annual Tenaya Lake swim!  

The Swimming Posse

Through our travels and adventures this summer, the trusty drip system kept Matthew's tomatoes steadily on track.  When we returned to El Portal the harvest was just beginning.  As I write this blog the number of tomotoes on the counter has doubled, and our porch has turned into the canning center. 

Late summer in El Portal is the season to eat popsicles on the back porch and head to the river whenever possible.

As summer winds to a close, we are settling back into our school schedule.  Matthew begins his fifth (wow) year at El Portal Elementary (and 12th year in the classroom!), Lyell and Whitney head into their third year at Potluck Preschool, and Kim prepares to welcome our third child into the world.

We send greetings and love to our family and friends, near and far.  Come and visit us in Yosemite if you can!  Much, much love from Lyell, Whitney, Kim and Matthew.

Whitney, 2 years 4 months

Lyell, 4 years 1 month

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.