Mid-April to June

 Abigail's mini-me creation for open house.

 Went to a donkey preserve. Wonder what they are talking about!

Walk-a-thon at school. Abigail ran most of the time and almost did 3 miles. We were really proud of her. Below is her buddy Arianna.

 Face painting from the walk for life. A lion, zebra, and hearts.

 Olivia's going to the grocery store outfit one day. Guess I didn't specify what get dressed and put your shoes on meant.

 

A mother's day celebration at school in the morning, then a production of Aesops Fables in the afternoon. Abigail did such a great job with the songs and her speaking lines!

 Some fun with Uncle Ben.

 Smores fun with Flat Ashley (from cousin Mae) and some early birthday presents for Olivia.

 The party theme was gum, since Olivia was allowed it due to turning 4. Had a playdate with buddies at the park, then Zachary's pizza dinner and a sleepover with our friend Julia.

 Abigail made Olivia a Tangled pinata full of gum and other candy.

 Beach day with the Wilsons in Santa Cruz. Sand crabs a huge hit. Can you tell we don't get chips very often?!

 Olivia's birthday dress from the Sidors.

 Started BBQ Thursdays again. Olivia chose red velvet for the occasion. Caraline loves hanging out with her new buddies!

 

First grade field day at the park.

 What could be better than camping at Tahoe? Had a beautiful Fathers Day weekend near Meeks Bay. Three other families joined the fun, and Caraline got to spend some Nani time! The girls rode bikes and played hard from sunup to sundown.

 First meal made on the new camping stove - BBQ pulled pork.

 More fun at the Bay Area Discovery Museum. Can you guess that Abigail is kelp?

 Where else can you climb trees, ride a chicken, and be Mona Lisa?

 

And then get an amazing photo like this?

 Feeding the cows at Little Farm and then the steam train at Tilden Park. Both were a huge hit! We have had a busy summer so far, but lots of fun and enjoying being all together during the day.

March to mid-April

Our little Caraline turned two March 1st. It's really hard to believe. She is by far the most spunky of the Smiths, even though she has a limited vocabulary. She loves animals, bananas, and playing outside (usually dogs with the other sisters). We are loving seeing her grow, even if it's pretty exhausting keeping up with her.

 A low key party...cupcakes and pizza with the Burtchs. We had visits from the Wilsons and Nani around that time and she really enjoyed opening all of her presents. Every 2 year old needs a camera and computer, right?

March was also highlighted by a visit from the Stevens! The girls were soooo excited to have a 6-night sleepover with their cousins from Indiana. We did a lot of playing in the backyard, which Jeremy now calls our midwest version of a basement, but also took a trip to Marine World, some area parks, and the adults got to go our one night to House of Prime Rib to eat pounds of food. It was a really fun trip and the kids got along great!

 

Our front yard egg hunt. Olivia wore a bathing suit for the occasion.

We got season passes to Marine World and the girls love this place!

 Fun with the Burtchs. Caraline REALLY likes the rides at Marine World. She is a nutcase!

 

Another fun trip this March was when the Stanley boys/man came out for a visit and we got to 'tag' along with them for some Spring Break fun in Tahoe. Again, my mom and good friend Emily Ann were kind enough to watch Caraline. The snow had alas melted but the girls had a blast in the pool/hot tub, and enjoyed hotel freebies like decorating cookies, and face painting/hot chocolate time in the afternoons. They even went to a Zumba class with me, but just watched the craziness. The guys did get some skiing in and Daddy took Saturday off from that to enjoy the day with his girls. The only bummer was Olivia's barfing incident on the way home, most likely due to eating a 6-day old cheese stick that had been in the car! Yikes!