My Birthday

I hope this is the only year I receive birthday cards mingled with sympathy cards. Nonetheless, I had a lovely day starting out with my co-workers decorating my desk with streamers, balloons, a princess wand, tiara and sash. How sweet is that?! For lunch my office mates took me out for amazing sushi where we sat at the table next to Dominic Monaghan who was Charlie in Lost and, my favorite, Merry the Hobbit in the Lord of the Rings. Note our not so subtle attempt to take his photo.

Cap sent me flowers at work and the girls made me card. After presents, cupcakes and chocolate covered strawberries, we left the kiddos with Papa Mit and went out to see a movie - such a luxury! We saw Silver Linings Playbook which was great and today in homage I painted my nails the same color as Jennifer Lawrence's character, a sort of metallic blue/black.

For my 39 beauty regimine, I plan on wearing a lot more moisturizer, make-up on a daily basis (it's not just for special occasions anymore), drink more water (also my new year's resolution) and get anti-aging facials (which was sadly recommended by the women who gave me my last facial). When do I get to have my midlife crisis?

Rock Star

Addie's band "No Stone Unturned" played at The Roxy on the Sunset Strip today. She rocked!

She has been taking Rock Star class at school every Friday since the beginning of the school year. Addie played keyboards to the One Direction song "What Makes You Beautiful."  I'm crazy fo the pink hair which we applies using washable "hair mascara." I might give myself a pink strip too!

Addie loved being on stage and wasn't in the least bit nervous. Her self confidence makes me beam.

Rock on, Addie!

Memorial in the Desert

Over MLK weekend Xavier and I flew to Tucson to be with Dad and Nanci and the Winn family to honor and remember my godfather Jim Winn who passed away in December. I actually didn't realize, or maybe I just plain forgot, that Jim was my godfather but even without the moniker he was one regardless. He and Bonnie have known me my entire life. They attended my wedding in Tucson in 2004 and fell in love with the desert eventually settling there permanently. I always looked forward to  dinners with them in Tucson over a class of wine and great conversation. I will miss Jim's quick wit and encyclopedic knowledge of almost any subject, but it's the twinkle in his eye that I will always remember.

While the reason for the trip to Tucson was filled with sorrow, it was so great to see family and spend time in the desert. We stayed with GranJanne at her house and Xavier loved her doggy (or "Dooo" as he says). Xavier also continued to charm Nana and Pop-Pop too. I really enjoyed my own special time with him -- even though he still doesn't say Mama or Mommy. He was really the sweetest baby on our trip. In March, we are going to brave I-10 over Spring Break and drive out to Tucson.

Cap stayed at home with the girls and attended another memorial service for our friend and neighbor, Ed Gabriel, who passed away tragically while on vacation with his family in Hawaii over Christmas. This winter has been marked by a lot of loss and sorrow but my family and my three little ones certainly make my heart swell.


Checking out GranJanne's bird-filled backyard


Xavier and his "dooo"

Zoo Trip

I totally forget we went to the zoo on the Saturday before Christmas. I thought it was going to be packed and it turned out to be empty, which was great of course.  Highlights are always the gorillas and the most adorable baby orangutan that you could imagine. Xavier rode on his first carousel (i think at least) and the girls and I wished we could have a pet meerkat but agreed it would probably not enjoy living in our house.


Xavier checking out the mama gorilla



Ridiculously cute mama and baby


Hi meerkat


Hi Dad with kids

Palm Springs and Joshua Tree

For New Year's we drove to to Palm Springs, one of my favorite places. Five of us in a hotel room, even a very nice one at the Hyatt, isn't exactly relaxing at bedtime but our days were fun. We headed straight to the Living Desert Zoo where the girls both rode a camel together. They loved it. The next day we spent by the pool. Addie went down the water slide for 5 hours straight! We rang in the New Year at Mimi's for dinner, yes very classy, and I think we all crashed out waiting for Xavier to fall asleep in his dreaded pack-n-play by 8:30. We didn't even make it to New York New Year's!

Our final day we drove out to explore Joshua Tree. So gorgeous and cold (for us thin-skinned Californians).


Sisters with big horn sheep



Xavier was beside himself with excitement in the petting zoo. "Goh! Goh!" he would point and shout. Can you believe this kid can say uh-oh, ball, owl, goat and dog before Mama? Hrmph.


Two girls and a camel


The water slide


Cap, Addie and Eliza on top of the rock. Addie was really into climbing the rocks.


Eliza and Xavier on a rock adventure of their own


Eliza rock clambering

Holiday Adventures

While this was a painful and deeply sad Christmas, we were lucky to have Nana, Pop-Pop and Uncle Drew with us, and the three littles to distract us. We had 6 days of adventures in the city over the break before saying good-bye on the 30th and the the five of us headed out to Palm Springs for New Year's. We miss them!

We picked everyone up at the airport midday on Christmas and then had Christmas Dinner at home with Papa Mit, of course, joining us. The girls did a fabulous job creating our bistro-style table runner (N.B. leave more than 2 hours for the paint to dry next time!).






Pop-Pop, Eliza, Xavier and I checking out the Heizer Rock at LACMA while Nana napped and Cap and Addie had stayed home to play Wii U.



Surprise lunch at the American Girl Doll store at The Grove, a special treat from Nana and Pop-Pop. Addie read the menu to Caroline, made sure she washed her hands after using the bathroom and shared her Shirley Temple with her.



A trip to feed the ducks at Kenneth Hahn State Park


Destroying Uncle Drew. The girls miss their human jungle gym



Afternoon and early dinner at Paradise Cove in Malibu. Tons more photos here.

Holiday Recitals

What a happy Eliza! This is at her school's holiday recital. We prepared her for this one and told her we would be in the audience but she had to stay with her class and sing "loud and and proud." And she did!

Xavier also gave a no-tears performance shocking us by even doing some of the hand movements. He was a cute little clapping elf.

Addie also had one but a giant tank of a Dad with a telephoto lens in front of me blocked my view so no photos. 

Blast Back from the Past

Gran was with us for 10 glorious days before Christmas. She got to see Addie perform in her school musical, Blast Back from the Past. I think this costume is disco? Addie has been out of school for three weeks so we loved having Gran with us for that first week since the littles were still in school and Cap and I had to work. She and Addie got to hang out together which was super fun for both of them. Eliza was also very generous to let Gran sleep in her bed trading it for the excitement of sleeping on the floor (on an inflatable mattress). We miss our Gran and thank her for not only her time her with us, but her bravery for being in Alaska for Andrew and on behalf of all of us.

Art Camp

For the last three days of Winter Break before starting school on Monday, Addie and her friend Clara went to art camp in Santa Monica. She loved it! Here are a few creations plus a poem she penned:

I wish you are nice.
I wish that you are cind (kind).
I wish that you were full of love and
I wish that you were mine.

- Addie (01.04.2013)



Self Portrait, digital photograph and patterns inspired by Klimt


Inspired by Van Gogh's Starry Night. Pastels, water colors and collaged owl with bat. Note the two baby owls in the nest.


Inspired by Ansel Adams' Old Faithful, chalk pastels

Christmas

While this Christmas was cloaked in a heavy wool blanket of sadness, we all tried to make it special for the kids. Christmas is about hope and I certainly look to Addie, Eliza and Xavier for strength as their joy and innocence warms my heart.

Christmas Eve the kids opened one present each - new pjs of course. How cute are our three little Santas?! Christmas morning the girls were surprised with a giant dollhouse from Santa and Xavier got an airplane toy plus all the stocking stuffers. After that it was pancakes for breakfast and then opening tons of tons of presents under the tree before going to pick up Nana, Pop-Pop and Uncle Drew from the airport.



Taking a break to read their new books.


rip and tear


Trying out her stocking stuffers


Caroline her new American Girl doll from us, fancy velvet dress from Gran and the dollhouse from Santa


Eliza immediately removing all of Bitty Baby's clothes


Boy and robot

Brother

I lost my amazing, inspiring, witty and hilarious brother over Christmas. How can I sum up what he meant to me? Impossible. I can only say that I love him, and I hope that he has found peace finally.

As I pack up our Christmas decorations, I both laugh and cry as I wrap up ornaments Andrew gave us from Alaska made of seal and polar bear pelts and the mini flag of the State of Alaska that we also stick on our tree. Even watching a re-run of the TV show Charmed while we were on a vacation in Palm Springs over New Year's reminds me of the many Wednesday evenings when we lived in New York over a decade ago and would watch the witches save the world from demons and warlocks. They called themselves P3 - the Power of 3. Addie recently told Xavier, "You are lucky to have two sisters." I hope that Andrew felt that as we were certainly lucky to have him as a brother.