More Santa Barbara

Sophie playing patty cake with her Grandpa:

My lovely sister Cat (and me with crying eyes - that was the night before we left):

Nana and sick Sophie snuggling:

Eating dinner with Zavien and Kassiana - please note Sophie's princess dress. She borrowed it from Ginny and wore it all day. Didn't want to be parted from it for an evening out. This is not a battle worth fighting. Plus, I think she's adorable. (I'm not biased at all.)

With the Sanfelices in Goleta

A few days before Christmas we met up with the Sanfelice family at our beloved Stow House and took all the girls to feed the ducks. Then, we attempted to get 3 toddlers to sit still for 2 seconds while the dads took pictures. You can see how well Sophie, Aida, and Ariana did with that.

One day they'll smile for the camera. For now, we love the craziness.

My sweet Christine.

More pictures to come this week...I didn't do as well as I thought last week, but I'm on the right track!

A few more

Some Christmas morning fun (with Ginny's toy, of course!)

So good to see these ladies (my daughters were in a very cooperative mood, can't you tell?)

Sophie and Auntie Stepha make a run for it!

Oh, I love it.

In No Particular Order

I have been putting off blogging about our trip to Santa Barbara for Christmas because it just seems overwhelming - sorting through all the pictures, putting them in order, uploading all of them (which sort of takes forever on our old and dying computer)... I have neither the time nor the mental capacity for it at this point in my life.

So my goal is to quickly post a few pictures each day this week. We'll see if I can do it!

The girls enjoying some piano time with their Uncle Timmy:

Aida on Christmas morning (a tiny bit shell-shocked, I think):

with Uncle Jobie and Auntie Erin:

Sophie learning to "ride a bike":

More tomorrow...

An Ode to Giraffey

Oh, Giraffey -

You joined our family on Christmas Day, 2007.

Tucked inside a gray sock, the perfect gift from Santa for a sweet little girl.

You were the carseat buddy from the start.

You endured the salivating and sucking on your horns. What a comfort you were to such a little girl!

And, Oh! How she did love you.

You loved to take long walks in the stroller...

...all the time...

...and you fit perfectly under this sweet little girl's arm as she drifted off to Dreamland.

You eased the transition to not 1, but 2 new homes.

You made it into the Easter picture (along with various and sundry other toys, true - but you were the only one that got to come to church).

You were a morning comfort.

Even in Santa Barbara, when the excitement of new toys and new faces made other things fade, you were not far away. (Can you spot him?)

You were firmly clutched as this little Lovely celebrated her 2nd birthday.

You came with us on family picnics.

Heck, you even came with us to the coffee shop.

You snuggled up with 2 sick girls in a hotel room in Charleston.

And you were allowed to join in during Sister Time.

You were almost one of the girls, little Giraffey.

You helped this sweet girl to be brave as she ventured to her first tea party.

But, alas Giraffey...you are no longer with us.

You are floating in the abyss that is the Phoenix Airport.

Did we leave you in the bathroom amidst the turmoil of having the automatically flushing toilets flush while your sweet girl was still sitting on it?

Or did you get left behind at the gift shop where we comforted your sweet girl by letting her play with the toy lizards and butterflies?

Wherever you are, we miss you.

"New Giraffey" is nice, but he isn't the same.

He's too clean.

R.I.P. Giraffey