52 : 43 (part 4)

For months all Ewan could talk about was this dinosaur, he politely asked Santa for it when we visited him, and the old man delivered. He loves that this dinosaur stands, and walks, and growls, and burps... his parents tolerate it for his happiness. His Mama and Daddy also surprised him and his sister with a teepee since he has been so excited about building forts lately. This Christmas he was definitely a spoiled boy, but he was so appreciative of every gift he got, except for the clothes his Mama got him, which elicited a stink eye she did not know he was capable of (and unfortunately it was not captured on film). Ewan is proof that Christmas is for kids and he made the day so special for his Mama and Daddy.

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This Christmas post requires 2 pictures... gift wrap did not seem cooler than her gifts this year, but Darby was definitely still in to the novelty of the ribbons and bows, and she enjoyed wrestling in the paper with her brother (pictured). Darby asked Santa for a laptop like her brother has and he delivered that along with a matching phone, she was thrilled. She also received a lot of clothes and toys from mama/daddy, friends, and family. This little girl definitely wants for nothing and seemed the most thrilled with her unicorn rain coat (pictured) and matching boots (not pictured).

52 : 42 (part 4)

Ewan does not go on many dates, but when he does he respectfully requests a hand hold from his companion. This week we went to Zoo Lights at the SF Zoo and had so much fun - we got up close and personal with the giraffes, got glowing tigers, took the little puffer, and played on the playground until we got rained out and ran for the carousel. It was a very fun outing and the perfect holiday date.

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Our special lady celebrated being 20 months on Christmas Eve, and given the holiday we had the pleasure of spending a lot of dedicated days with her. Each day brought a new discovery and a lot of amazement at how quickly she is growing.

Our little baby is more and more like a little girl... her legs are getting long, her hair is getting long, and her brain is obviously getting bigger and bigger. This week we discovered that Darby can accurately count to 3, she understands the timing of "please" and "thank you", she can sing the alphabet (the letters are not all accurate, but she knows the entire tune), her favorite song seems to have shifted from "the wheels on the bus" to "twinkle twinkle" and she quickly grasps how toys work so she plays solo for longer periods now... she also defends those toys vigilantly and screams at an incalculable decibel if her brother tries to snag one, evidently she is not as in to sharing in her 20th month.

It is hard to believe that in 4 months, which we know will pass in a flash, that this girl will be 2!!

Darby Moira - 1 Year 8 Months

52 : 41 (part 4)

Today Mama had a family holiday party at work so Ewan got to go to the office with her all day long. He took BART, attended a meeting with associated video conference, went to the mail room, visited friends, played iPad games, visited Techforce, got hot chocolate at the cafe, explored the city a little, watched "Grinch" on his iPad under Mama's standing desk, did crafts, and snuck a lot of chocolate from the kitchen. Everyone was very impressed by how good he was and are now dreading days when he is not there to lighten the joint up!

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Last year Darby was a little bit stunned by Santa and did not have anything to say to him. This year she was a bit disgusted at the prospect of being forced to sit on this weird man's lap... her outfit was really cute, but she may never forgive us.

52 : 40 (part 4)

You-You:

You are 3 and 3/4 now and while your comprehension of fractions is not quite there you are still rather excited to be that much closer to the big 4! This last quarter of your life was a big one - you have grown, what seems like a ton, physically and as a person.

You are a good big brother 99% of the time, with your largest problem offering Darby too much love as she doesn't like to cuddle like you and me. You say Darby is your best friend and that you will marry her when your both big, maybe when you are 5 you say. Cuddling is your favorite thing these days, either that or you are becoming an expert at avoiding bed time by pulling mama's heart strings. 

Your Daddy and I have really loved watching you become that much more of a talker over the last few months. You say the funniest things and definitely have some catch phrases -

• Of course I can

• Easy peezie, lemon squeezie 

• Come on!? (when you are questioning something we said)

• I am a little lonely (when you want a cuddle)

• I am on it

You sometimes mix phrases up, I should have written those down when they happened so I could have memorialized them here for you too, but the basic summary is you start one saying and end it with another. You also ask us the funniest questions and make hysterical observations -

• Mama when I get old and have no hair I will have to drink a lot of wine

• Mama when I grow up and am a Daddy will Daddy die? (this may not seem funny, but you genuinely thought that you becoming a Daddy meant that your Daddy could not be one anymore and you have been a little fixated on the concept of death, which we are taking in stride)

We are getting excited to celebrate your 4th birthday with you buddy and I have one request for you. Please decide what you want to have/do sooner rather than later so Mama isn't running around like a crazy person trying to make your wishes come true with no time to spare - your wishes coming true is a top priority for us!

Cuddles, 

Mama

Ewan Porter - 3 years 9 Months

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This week we celebrated Daddy's 37th Birthday! Darby had not been to the aquarium (that we can remember) since she was 6 weeks old. While she has seen many museums and zoos she was definitely mesmerized by the fish, the crowd, and the wave room. We had a lovely time celebrating our main man.

52 : 39 (part 4)

The process of picking the tree, paying for it, strapping it to the car, putting it in it's stand, bringing it in to the house, and decorating it mesmerized Ewan from start to finish. And as the boy of the house he was responsible for putting the star on!

Darby 32/52 v2

Dee-Dee Darby, you were too busy eating turkey and sunning yourself in the Caribbean last week to take your monthly picture so here it is a week late... 19 months already! Your vocabulary is increasing, your physical skills are terrifying to those responsible for your well-being, and your non-nurtered girliness is sneaking in. Your brother is your biggest fan, but all of your teachers adore you pretty intensely too... and mama and daddy are gonna keep you around. We love taking adventures with you and are so proud to watch you take everything in stride - planes/boats/taxis, strangers, falls, weird food, and mama's new love of styling your longer curls.

Darby Moira - 1 Year 7 Months

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**Darby's regularly scheduled monthly update is being delayed 1 week due to Thanksgiving and our Caribbean adventure**

After 8 days in the Caribbean (4 in St. Thomas with us + Grampy and Jamie, and 4 in St. John just us) she was tired of the sunscreen application (slightly lessened due to long-sleeve rashguards), but could have stayed in the sand and water forever. During the trip her swimming improved, her acceptance of sand increased, and her full faced cheese grins took over. 

52 : 38 (part 4)

Not many kids get to spend Thanksgiving in paradise, but this year ours do as we escape the carousel of life and celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary. Ewan has been anticipating this trip for months and did not believe us that the Caribbean would be as cool as Hawaii (he now does). Ewan enjoyed 4 days in St. Thomas with us + Grampy (who we convinced him had a new job as a pirate) and Jamie, and then 4 more days in St. John with just us. Ewan loved the swimming, the smoothies, and the hole digging. In this week's picture he and his dad are digging on the beach in St. John, many kids walked by and complimented how deep their hole was! Another highlight was the swim up movie at the Westin, they had a huge blow up screen and showed "Rio" while we swam, so cool!

Darby 30/52 v2

Taking Darby on a trip that required 2 flights, aka 9 hours in the air, each way, was feeling a bit daunting, and maybe a bit like a bad idea, so we put our heads together on what would equate to our survival... The two most vital were the paci and the iPad, the others remained largely tucked away in her backpack. This week's photo is DeeDee waiting for her red eye to Miami (en route to St. Thomas)... Luckily she rocked the flights, and seemed offended that we ever anticipating otherwise.

52 : 37 (part 4)

It is important to us that Ewan has a giving heart and understands that others are less fortunate. We discuss this concept pretty often and try to bring him to volunteer and community events. When his school announced their food drive we googled a list of what food banks really need and bought one of each item on the list. PLUS cake and frosting, because Ewan said, "every kid needs cake!"

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As a child I hated the angst of school pictures... what to wear, how to do your hair, and then waiting to see the images weeks later. But as a mom I LOVE PICTURE DAY! And picture day is even better when the school does sibling shots... Darby in the mustard yellow Zara shirt I got her in Spain, with her curls and proud baby posture, the perfect representation of her at one and a half.

52 : 36 (part 4)

As a child I hated the angst of school pictures... what to wear, how to do your hair, and then waiting to see the images weeks later. But as a mom I LOVE PICTURE DAY! And picture day is even better when the school does sibling shots... Ewan in his camouflage polo makes my heart melt, such a big boy!

Darby 28/52 v2

This is probably the last Halloween that we will get to dictate what Darby dresses as so we made the executive decision that she would be a purple treasure troll. We thought the likelihood of her keeping the wig on was pretty low, and that we might get ONE picture, but once we put it on and showed her in the mirror she did not touch it! She had fun trick-or-treating and impressed the neighbors (and us) with her "thank you" as we had not previously realized she knew this phrase!

52 : 35 (part 2)

Months ago we asked Ewan what he wanted to be for Halloween and he responded quickly (and with gusto) that he would be a praying mantis. If you google "praying mantis costume" you will not come up with much so Kevin took it upon himself to make a costume. Many hours of hand sewing, spray adhering, and hot gluing later Ewan was the BEST preying mantis EVER!

Darby 27/52 v2

Dear Dee-Dee,

1.5 going on 15! They say that at this age real personality starts coming through and while you have always had a lot we are definitely seeing more and more of you everyday as you become more communicative.

Lady, you keep us on our toes! You are opinionated, fearless, excited, smart, and fun regularly. You have occasional bouts of anger ALWAYS due to being hungry or tired... both at the same time is a real treat. You have more words all the time and shout "HI" the second you see us no matter the circumstances. If we ask you a question, like do you want water, you shout "YEAH" like a crazy baby, but if the answer is no we get a quieter, while more aggressive, grunt of a "NO!" You have a truly amazing side-eye and will cover your face like you can't see us when we want to annoy you with things like hair brushing. Speaking of, your curls are getting tighter and tighter and we pledge to keep them as long as we possibly can!

When you went to see your pediatrician he was excited that you use 2-word phrases, like "I poo" and promised us it is completely normal that you are showing interest (and frustration at your inability) in peeing standing up like you watch your brother do. You continue to be in the 90th percentile on everything and measured 33.5 inches tall and weighed just shy of 28 pounds. He was also happy that you are feeding yourself with a spoon and a fork, and expressed his condolences that we are no longer allowed to feed you.

You are a phenomenal girl and the world better watch out. I am calling it now... come election day 2064 Darby Moira for President!

High-Five,
Mama

Darby Moira - 1.5 Years!

52 : 34 (part 4)

This week at school the kids celebrated Halloween with an Imagination Day Parade. For the festivities each class picked a story to be and made the applicable costumes. Ewan's class did "Beekle The Unimaginary Friend." He was just the cutest Beekle ever, and so proud of the costume he made!

Darby 26/52 v2

This week Darby moved classes so that she could join the same family house as her brother, their new school has 4 houses. Having the kids in different houses was not all that inconvenient, but it sure is nice having them across the hall from each other and being able to really be a part of the community the house creates.

In this week's picture Darby is checking out the new classroom and we imagine she is staking out her new territory. She fit in immediately and had no difficulty transitioning to this classroom at all. We feel truly thankful to have such amazing caretakers and facilities that our children LOVE!

52 : 33 (part 4)

The last two weeks I have been traveling for work (mostly, but I made time for play), first to Spain and then to Half Moon Bay. Ewan was very excited to have me home and he sweetly crawled in to bed with me multiple nights in a row to make up for missed cuddles.

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Darby seems to think she is on Ewan's soccer team... Who are we to burst her bubble.

52 : 32 (part 4)

Mama is traveling for work and Ewan is acting out... and his Daddy is very good at making Mama laugh when she is homesick.

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This year the pumpkin patch was a lot more fun for Darby, and this trip was special because her Grammie McD came along! Darby stomped through the hay, enjoyed the sun, and picked out many many pumpkins... she seemed disappointed that we only brought home 5!

52 : 31 (part 4)

This week Ewan's Grammie McD came for a visit after her annual conference brought her to the Bay Area. Grammie enjoyed participating in Ewan's normal weekend activities and spent a day with us in Napa, where we visited a pumpkin patch and enjoyed a long and yummy lunch. Ewan especially liked the Sauv Blanc.

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This trip to Disneyland with Darby was much easier, no more nursing! She enjoyed it all a bit more as she was that much more aware and mobile! Darby loved wandering around and exploring all the different rides. We think her favorite was the teacups, she laughed hysterically as her daddy and brother spun our pink cup.

52 : 30 (part 4)

Ewan definitely agrees with the "happiest place on earth" nickname that Disneyland has. He loves all of the rides and treats, but still isn't too sure about the characters. This time we went on Splash Mountain for the first time, and while he looks terrified he loved it and wanted to go again immediately.

Darby 22/52 v2

17 months! The biggest change in Darby's life this month was her new school. This is a tough age for flexibility so we were a little worried about her ability to go with the flow (she really had not given us any reason to worry), but after a few days she was ruling the room. She also took to the routine very well, quickly getting in to the family style eating that allows her to put her own dishes in the bin, and the outside playtime that allows her to run wild in the fun new yard. Darby's teachers are skeptical that she has a mischievous bone in her body, but we know the truth and surely they will soon too!

Darby Moira - 17 Months

52 : 29 (part 4)

This week Ewan began his soccer career. He took to the sport pretty immediately and his favorite skill to practice is definitely his "power kicks!"

52 : 28 (part 4)

This week Ewan started at a new school. We have known this change was coming for about a month so we have talked a lot about it. We also took him on a tour and had him stay at the new school in backup care for a few days to prepare. By the time his first day rolled around Ewan was so excited he did not even seem to care when we left, or came back to get him! The teachers have been excited to see how quickly Ewan has adjusted to the new classroom's rules and routines, and everyone keeps saying it seems like he has been there forever... and his old school emailed me to tell me how much they miss him!

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This week Darby started at a new school. After a couple tough drop-offs she was fitting right in. In just 3 days she seemed fully adjusted, and appeared to be running the class. The teachers love to tell us how sweet and smart she is... they have not seen her hangry yet!

Darby 20/52 v2

This weekend Darby was helping Mama bake brother's 3.5 year birthday cake and she tried batter for the first time... chocolate cake batter! We may have created another McDonald chocoholic over here.

52 : 27 (part 4)

Ewan -

You are 3.5 now, that seems very old to me today!

Some people say the twos are terrible, but we are definitely finding you more challenging at three. Do not get me wrong, you are still a very very sweet boy, but you sure are contrary some (most) days. You can be a little rough with your sister, and sometimes with your friends, which we are working on, but you are still so sensitive. Your dad and I often discuss how you pick up on the emotions of everyone around you and you often ask, with tears in your eyes, why the people/animals are sad on television. You are always willing to give hugs and kisses, and have snuck in to bed with mama at night a few times in the last couple of weeks, and when I wake up and ask why you say, "I need a cuddle." Your imagination is running wild, which has also brought on the idea of fear, which you do not have much of, but you definitely talk about it more than ever before. You love to hear stories and tell stories, and you never turn down a sing-a-long. Now that I jot this all down, maybe there is nothing terrible at all about you, you are an awesome kid.

For your half birthday we had a small celebration... you got a 1/2 birthday card at school (it was mail day), a 1/2 cake at home, and two floor puzzles. The first puzzle is a world map because you love to name all of the continents and are working on learning your oceans, and the second is of dinosaurs (another current addiction). We do not want you to be the kid that needs something every-time you go in to a store, which is becoming more of a challenge, but we really love celebrating with you and are always looking for an excuse for cake.. chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, and red sprinkles and writing of course --- red continues to be your favorite color.

We have some fun plans coming up, a trip to disneyland and then the caribbean, but first you are starting at a new school, which you can't stop talking about... we really hope the excitement for the change continues. Stay cool kid, and know no matter how much we debate things you will ALWAYS be our favorite boy!

Cuddles,
Mama

EP @ 3 Years 6 Months

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The kids have spent weeks preparing their summer home - there was a lot of coloring needed and then some strategic folding. Since it has been done they have loved bringing every toy they have in to the house and sitting in it singing. Darby gets so excited when ever anyone pops in the door to say hi and her favorite feature is definitely the window.

52 : 26 (part 4)

Ewan has an increasing interest in video games. He names toys and drawings after the characters and begs his Daddy to race (Mario Kart 8) or fight (Super Smash Brothers Wii U). He is a bit of a button masher, but he loves to play, and this last weekend his sister wanted to join the fun and he was a great mentor.

Darby 18/52 v2

Dear Darby -

Are you tired? We are tired! You are demanding, but fun, cranky, but cute, and hangry, but sweet. As a 16 month old you seem to have a witching hour, something you never had as an infant - from 6:00 to 7:00pm you are exhausted from all the fun you had at school, hungry in a way that makes it seem like you haven't seen food in days, and in need of some distraction free cuddles. When we explain your evening attitude to your teachers it almost seems as though they do not believe us, "oh no, not at all she is a doll for us" - for us you are more like Chucky.

Do I sound grumpy? I promise I am not, I am just so TIRED! You sleep like a dream most nights, are more and more communicative, which is helping with the grumpy periods, and are always easy to laugh when your brother is nearby. You two are definitely exploring the world of rougher play, which makes Mama and Daddy cringe, but you have so much fun and thus far are pretty unfazed from your few close call falls. We warn Ewan that if he is not nice to you one day you will kick his butt and you most certainly seem to be up to the challenge. The good thing is that you are his soft spot and the reverse seems to be true as well... we dream that when you are old you will still be best friends because the two of you have a beautiful yin and yang thing going on.

You are very smart and seem to be connecting things in your environment unlike other babies your age, while adding words and quick phrases to your vocabulary, like "i-do-it" all run together, which I think was also your brother's favorite phrase around this age. Your teacher and I agree that your babbles are still the best, but hearing your words is so fun. You like to dive in for kisses with your mouth wide open and your tongue way out... and the other afternoon you saw me and Daddy kissing across the room and started making smooching noises, already mocking us we determined. Your sign language is all food focused, not surprising as snacking is your favorite pastime - you sign more, milk, all done, and please (used frequently to beg for more berries). I would say your current favorite snack is cheese, which you can say and find in the fridge drawer. The quickest way to know if you like someone is to see if you share snacks with them, if you do, they are golden.

Not that I need to tell you this lady, but keep on keeping it real!

XO,
Mama

Darby Moira - 16 months

52 : 25 (part 4)

We recently found out that Ewan was accepted in to a new preschool and accepting the position was a no-brainer, but the change still caused Mama some anxiety so we decided to go for a tour.

We started the morning at Daddy's office where we played with the touch screen entry unit and sampled the bikes. After that we made our way to the new school where everything was mesmerizing, especially the chef... he does demonstrations and makes it so Daddy has no more lunches to pack!

Darby 17/52 v2

This weekend we went to a small aquatic park in San Mateo with friends. The park has a beach with access to the bay. Darby enjoyed playing in the sand with the big kids and venturing out in to the water to cool off, it was nearly 90!

52 : 24 (part 4)

Ewan has become a bit of a date crasher, always insisting on joining Mama on her monthly movie dates with Auntie Marianne. This month we saw "Shaun the Sheep" and had quesadillas. The movie was okay, the company was good, and the treat of a new book at the end was great.

52 : 23 (part 4)

It is all about letters these days. Ewan has been spelling his name aloud for awhile, but writing is the new focus. Each morning he traces his name when he arrives at school and is getting better all the time. When he free writes the W is definitely the most difficult and commonly looks like an M.

Darby 16/52 v2

Darby's list of words is increasing daily - dada, mama, ball, dog, shoe, more, bubber (brother), no (nose), poop, duck (any bird), uh-oh, oh-no, hi, bye. It is fun to watch her connect her words to her environment, like bringing everyone their shoes while saying "shoe" over and over.

52 : 22 (part 4)

This week Ewan illustrated his current aggressive rough and tumble status perfectly by learning how to cannonball at the pool... And then doing it over and over!

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This girl is getting smarter and braver every day! This week she found her shadow, stared taking steps without holding on to anything, and she started knuckling. Time is going quickly!

Darby 14/52 v2

When you were just a little feisty baby we talked about "the many faces of Darby Moira!" You face told us everything - you were hungry, you were hangry, you were annoyed, you thought we were too loud, you did not understand why we were fussing over you, you did not understand why we were not fussing over you, your brother was bugging you, the dog's breath smelled... we adored watching your facial expressions and tried desperately to catch them all on film (well not really film, but you know what we mean). Now we love to watch you throw looks at random people and see how they react, you are forever a skeptic when people talk baby talk to you, and will not hesitate to offer a stink eye over treats that are not being shared. Our expectation is that as an adult you will have what we commonly refer to as "resting bi#ch face" nowadays, but we have no doubt that those who get past the blue steel face will adore you and forgive you for whatever looks you throw their way!

Darby Moira - 15 months

52 : 21 (part 4)

Ewan's love of Darth Vader is still strong. This week for pajama day he wore his new pajamas and happily escorted Princess Leia.