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!

Introducing Dana Rose

She's here!  We are so happy to introduce the newest addition to the Marcis Family, Dana Rose.  Dana arrived on February 11, exactly one week past her calculated due date.  We had a bit of an extended trip to Palo Alto for the delivery, as our home in El Portal is about 2 hours from a labor and delivery hospital.  We had also come to Palo Alto for Whitney's delivery, and my labor had started just a few hours after walking up the local hill called "The Dish."  This time around it took 4 walks up the Dish, as well as some serious patience, to start things moving.  As with Whitney, I was in early labor for about 3 days, which fortunately coincided with the start of the Olympics.  I have never watched so much ice skating or luge in my life.  Finally, on Tuesday morning, the contractions started to "organize" themselves, and I went to my scheduled dr appointment, where my doctor confirmed that I was 4 cm. dilated and said she would probably see me later today.  It was a crisp and sunny February day, and Matthew and I went out to lunch in downtown Redwood city.  Interesting the things you remember about labor- I will never forget sitting in the Redwood City plaza with the sun beating down on me and watching all the people rushing around in the usual lunch hour buzz.  As my contractions strengthened I was thinking how it's just an ordinary day for the rest of the world, but this day will be forever etched in my soul.  Two hours later we were at the hospital, and after a short but intense active labor Dana joined us at 7:29pm.  

Dana is now almost 2 weeks old, and every day is a miracle!  I want time to stand still for these few precious newborn weeks, as I know so well how quickly they will pass.  I am so thankful for my husband and my amazing community of friends here who are keeping us nourished with food and visits and playdates for Lyell and Whitney.  I wish I could have captured on camera the scene in our kitchen a few mornings ago...Matthew was carrying Dana on his chest in the Ergo while cooking eggs for Lyell and Whitney- all so mommy could have a break to take a shower!  Here are a few images from the past few weeks that we did manage to capture (much harder to pull out that camera with three kids around!)

On February 4, which was Dana's due date, we took a trip to Half Moon Bay for the day as I was not feeling any kind of labor.  On a weekday in February we had the beach to ourselves to fly kites and make sand sculptures.

Here I am, 40 weeks pregnant!

Watching a flock of white pelicans swoop over the ocean.  It was a lovely day, as we all tried to cultivate patience until  Dana let us know it was time for her to join our world.

5 minutes old.  She went straight from my belly onto my chest and has pretty much stayed there for 2 weeks.  I fact, as I am typing this sentence Dana is sleeping on my chest (hands free, thanks to baby carriers.)

On the scale, she weighed in at 7 pounds, 8 ounces.

Sleeping like a baby.

Lyell and Whitney came to visit first thing the next morning.  They were a little tentative at first, I think they were in disbelief that after 9 months of talking about it, a little baby had actually arrived.  

Our first family-of-5 photo.  

Lyell and Whitney got to take a special big brother and sister trip to the Carousel park in San Francisco, while mommy and Dana rested.  

Whitney on the huge rope climbing wall at the park.

Lyell also got his first ski day of the season in, as Badger finally opened (the first week of Feb.) after a no-snow Dec. and Jan. for us.  

He also learned to drive a snowmobile!  After all, he is almost 5 :)  Just kidding, but our ranger friends did let him play on the snowmobile.   You can see the scary lack-of-snow we are experiencing here in the background.

Back to Potluck Preschool after an extended stay in Palo Alto.  Lyell and Whitney were so excited to see all their friends.

Dana's first preschool at 1 week old. 

Lyell earned his Yellow Camo Belt in Karate.  Here he is at the belt ceremony with Master Angie.

The best part of the belt ceremony is he gets to yell as loud as he can at the end (called a kiya) while breaking the seal of the belt.  

Back to little Dana Rose.  Here she is cuddled into her nighttime bassinet.

Whitney loves to push Dana in her swing.  She brings Dana an endless supply of blankies, stuffed animals and toys to play with.  We have had several talks with Whitney about how covering Dana with toys will not actually help her learn to play with them.

Newborn hands and little smiles.

The usual spot for us, snuggling with baby and getting a few things done.

The Marcis girls.