Darby 1/52 v4

Darby is a sweet girl and a very good friend. When asked, the highlight of her day is always playing with her friends. Her bestie is Sophia and these girls are quite the pair... and Sophia's presence completely determines how smoothly drop-off goes (she better be there) and how pick-up goes too (she better have left or be leaving as is pictured this week). 

52 : 8 (part 6)

Always fun to find photos on your phone that your children took while you got your much needed coffee. Ewan takes his art very seriously, he takes the photos and edits them and then shows them off... we think he may be concerned that his sister, who is days from three, looks to crazy in this one. 

3 Year Old Darby

Darby at 3 is always offering big hugs, getting compliments on her head of curls, and telling everyone how it is.

Darby Moira - 3 Years

3 Bows and a 3rd Birthday Date

Karl, the San Francisco fog, could not put a damper on Darby's 3rd annual birthday picnic at the botanical garden. We spent the morning wandering, toasting, and playing. Darby hunted for all the purple flowers and had to be reminded a few times not to pick them! We had been planning to surprise Darby with her own big girl room since we moved to our new house and were so excited to see all the details come together and to see how much she loved it, it truly was the perfect gift and our family members contributed different bits making it even more special. As is tradition we ended the day with cake, purple of course!

A letter to my daughter on this the day of her 3rd birthday...

Darby -

You have this way of stopping us in our tracks, often to discuss how awesome you are or to laugh hysterically... and today you are 3!

I worry that over the last month we have been pushing you too quickly to be a big girl, you moved into a big bed and today your very own big girl room, but you seem to be loving it while we mourn it. You said goodbye to diapers like a champ this year, are talking up a storm, and have continued to prove your flexibility as we have changed things up on you.

Darby, you have the best sense of humor and can drop a joke better than a lot of adults, you love to dance and only insist on being naked most of the time, you are sweet and sensitive with a HUGE dose of sass. You still struggle with discipline, not liking getting in trouble, but this happens so rarely and you are getting better at bouncing back. You follow directions, love to help teachers/parents, and even soothe your littler friends at school when they are missing their parents or can't fall asleep.

Your BFF is Sophia, you are your brothers biggest fan, a daddy's girl through and through, and more and more into me and all things girl. Speaking of... we tried to avoid the princess track but it has taken a hold of you and we have decided to embrace it, all the better for family sing-a-longs... up where they walk, up where they run, up where they play all day in the sun, wandering free, wish I could be, part of you world! You love playdates and birthday parties are your favorite, I think yours took the cake (pun intended).

This year you will refine your speech, start to write if we can ever get you to hold your pencil right, and continue to take the world by storm. You are a force to be reckoned with but you always (ok usually) make time for a hug and a good mouth-on-mouth kiss.

Let's Cuddle!
Mama

Rainbows & Unicorns for Darby's 3rd Birthday Party

When we asked Darby how she wanted to celebrate her 3rd birthday she knew right away... rainbows, unicorns, and playing. Her favorite people joined us for games, yummy lunch, and cupcakes. The day was perfect for our girl and resulted in a large donation of toys to Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. 

Darby 52/52 v3

For months Darby has been begging to get her nails done. Knowing two was a ridiculous age for a first mani/pedi we held firm on waiting until three... way less ridiculous right?! Well the experience was everything she wanted, we got an "icy cold white one" and wandered over to Bella Nails where the team was waiting for her. Darby quickly picked orange for her fingers and purple for her toes. The team loved her so much that they all stopped by to talk to her and as she left they gave her a gift card for her next mani/pedi as a birthday gift!

52 : 7 (part 6)

Easter stuck with Ewan this year, he asked often when the Bunny was coming and when we could do eggs again. He wanted to be more artsy with his eggs this year, so used the wax crayon more to make fancy designs, and then mixed dyes to create deeper colors. On Easter when he woke up he was so excited to find yet another Star Wars basket and to start egg hunting... and boy did he hunt because the Easter Bunny this year forgot how short our tall kids are. And the best part was that Grampy was here to see all the fun and to celebrate every egg find with us!

Darby 51/52 v3

We are really hoping that these April showers do bring May flowers...

52 : 6 (part 6)

Ewan should really stop napping, really, he does not need them anymore, but instead of giving them up he takes a solid two hours a day to sleep when the time is offered, which creates an interesting/infuriating push/pull each night when he refuses to sleep because he "still has energies!"

Darby 50/52 v3

Darby's first trip to the dentist was a success, even though we made her wear her least favorite outfit, which she hates because it has buttons, the nerve... the staff loved her while her brother coached her through the experience. Her favorite part was definitely the treat she picked from the treasure chest at the end, a pink balloon on a string.

52 : 5 (part 6)

It is easy to forget the excitement that comes along with a Field Trip, and remembering these things is one of the most fun parts of having kids. Ewan and the Bat Rays went to the San Francisco Zoo at the end of their animal unit and he talked about it for WEEKS leading up to the big event and when we arrived he was SO happy to see his buddies at one of his favorite places. They did an animal scavenger hunt, played at the playground, and ate lunch... always talking about who has what allergies because that is what kids these days do.