Getting bigger.....

As Maya moves on from being a baby toward being a toddler, it is amazing how your life changes when they get mobile. Suddenly it is about perimeter management and spacial awareness. So we thought we'd give a taste of what our new life with Maya feels like....
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California life...

What can we say - it's hard not to enjoy the outdoors so far, even as winter is surrounding us. We've been spending endless moments grasping the views around us, right outside of our corporate apartment. The first two pics are our morning views....right when we wake up, from our bedroom -

The rest are from the walk from our apt that we take almost every afternoon, or little adventures we've been having hiking or pony riding with Ella. It's been very sweet, even if only temporary.

Our first hike...

We're so fortunate to be living minutes from many amazing places - including some magnificent hiking trails. We've decided to start taking advantage early...

Halloween 2010

Ella is finally learning what all this means and it was fun to celebrate her first Halloween ever in America in her new school. Poor Maya got stuck with Ella's first costume - we'll try to be better next year :)

Acapulco

On the way to our new home in CA, we stopped in Acapulco to visit our friend Naz who was getting married to a wonderful woman named Fern. We had a great time visiting with Victoria (their daughter) and spending time with Josh and Steph and their lovely daughter Mangnolia. We met many new friends - it was a great way to get used to the time difference and start adjusting....however, the flight over with the girls getting sick was less enlightening. We must admit, it is nice to recognize that the 11-hour flights will be less frequent now.

Leaving London

We can't believe that this is it and we're actually leaving. It's where we became a family of four, where we spent nights and nights staying up with the girls, where we've shared so many memories....

There are many things that we will miss about London (not in any specific order):

1. Our friends and all the places they've been, all the stories they've shared, all the cultures we tasted through them, all the politics we've learned, all the books they've written and read, and so much more

2. The amazing travel opportunities we've had, whether it's spending time on local hikes outside of London, exploring Scotland, or sailing down the Nile, it's all within such easy reach

3. In line with this, Heathrow Terminal 5. Scary, I know, but it is such pleasure to actually fly out of this terminal with less people, more restaurants, amazing shopping. In fact, we'll miss European airports which are so much nicer than any American airport

4. On same topic, being close to my family in Poland was invaluable. In fact, extending our family by having our Polish nanny, Weronika, with us was such a blessing.

5. The parks. Hyde Park, our backyard with our first place, and the Heath, our backyard of our second place (particularly Golders Green park - one of the finest institutions ever created)

6. The walking. Sometimes it's very painful to be carrying groceries up the hill in the rain, but most days, knowing that we did not own a car with two kids gave us such pleasure

7. The urban mixed with quiet. London is special and really nice to raise a family in despite the size of the city - it's a mixture of villages that ebb and flow easily together allowing you to disappear in the craziness of Covent Garden and minutes later relax in the peace and quiet of a park

8. The theater. We saw some amazing plays in London and will miss the small productions as well as the big shows with all the stars

9. The food. Yes, we're moving to the land of magnificence where food is concerned, so I'm told, but London has become a culinary explosion in the past decade and we were fortunate to participate in just a little part of it. From the Fat Duck to the corner Pub, we've had a great time never running out of new restaurants and food experiences

10. The discovery of it all. There is so much that we still did not see and knowing that there is always more to discover was a thrill

Now - there are some things we won't miss:

1. The cost. I still remember the first sticker shock a couple of days after we moved there...but what's more upsetting is that soon it all becomes the norm and you think that it's OK to pay $75 for a mediocre Chinese takeout.

2. The school situation. I know this is similar to other cities, but somehow the Brits have a way stressing this a bit more. The child-assessment game that starts before the toddler turns two is deeply troubling

3. The service. It's incredible that the lack of service is so prevalent and somehow does not seem to improve!

4. The closeness of the Brits (and apologies here to our British friends, but they already are the exception :). We found it so odd that neither we, nor many of our ex-pat friends managed to have many British friends, even after years of living in Britain. We spoke the same language and came from what appeared to be very similar cultures, but somehow, it was very difficult to integrate

5. I know that rain should be included somewhere in this list, but really, somehow I did not mind - the sprinkles were usually short and sometimes even sweet

6. The NHS - really, this belongs also in the top list. We'll miss the cost ($0), but not so much the actual service :) The doctors are fabulous if you could actually see one...

I somehow thought the the second list would be longer but I'm happy that it's not. We will miss London dearly, but that said, we're very excited about all that is upcoming.

Here are some pics from our last days - when my brother and his family came to visit and we spent some time in the Cotswolds

Tuscany

We had to squeeze in a few last-minute trips before we left London - so renting a villa in Tuscany with our close friends Martin and Svetlana and their lovely son Alexander was a brilliant idea (even though it made everything a bit more rushed).

The kids loved playing together - we spent a lot to time going to wineries, enjoying the views, hiking, and relaxing by the pool. The food was amazing (as you can see in one of the pictures, Ella also loved it!). We'll miss London and the access to travel it offers.

Istanbul

After six months we got away to enjoy our fifth wedding anniversary without the girls. We missed them, but had such a nice time in Istanbul. The dichotomy of the modern and the traditional was striking...we spent the days walking through the grand bazaar, seeing the Blue Mosque and enjoying time on the Bosphorus. The city comes alive at night with amazing restaurants and inspiring foods. We felt very young trying to fit in to clubs where we were clearly the oldest patrons!

Photo session

Maya had to visit the photographer as well (just as Ella did when she was 3-4 months old!)

Summer in the States, Part II - South Carolina

We continued our warm summer days at the beach in South Carolina. Finally, a place where Ella was a bit timid (the waves were 'VERY BIG'!), but not so much at the pool. And Maya, well....hmmm....'hi, i'm here, my name is maya, i smile too, i'm just as cute as ella... :)' She was such a trooper letting the rest of us enjoy our holiday, that we almost feel guilty for doing so! She also enjoyed the beach a bit. All the kids had fun - the fearless baby Jack, the cutest baby Dalton, and the sweetest Madeline. Such good memories!

Summer in the States, Part I

We are lucky creatures to be able to jet between two continents to visit family and friends and actually feel the sun on our skin and wear summer dresses (well, shorts for Rob). Both Maya and Ella enjoyed spending time with their grandparents in South Dakota, along with an evening in NYC (I wonder, Jen, did you enjoy that evening?? :) There was lots of lake swimming, boating, canoeing, and general summer fun. Kelly, we love the lake house! Thank you for being such amazing hosts!

Maya at the time was just a little baby (she seems big now, at nearly six months!) - but already proved to be a good traveler, making sure to sleep the entire flight across the pond. Ella was just excited, as always, no sleeep, as always.

Guess Who???

We both look alike - although one of us is a few weeks older in this shot...

Spring 2010

Hi everyone -

We've been busy growing! We've also been getting out of London a bunch - first to the see our aunt, uncle and cousins in Warsaw for Mathew's first communion, then to Wales to do a bit of hiking for the long weekend (where the weather was chilly and windy!). Grandma and Grandpa also came to visit and we went to Cambridge for a day...

Maya is growing quickly and Ella is getting more adjusted to having a little sister. It's been crazy - and probably will get more crazy soon when we start getting on planes more, but this keeps everyone on their toes!

Spring in London and around!

We've been having fun! April has brought amazing weather, and lots of visitors. We celebrated Easter with Grandma Smith...we prepared the eggs for blessing at the church and Ella got to hunt for them the next morning. We also have been taking some fun trips around London to spend time playing with friends, visiting Greenwich and enjoying the weather....Ella even saw a lamb being born and forever now we hear - 'Baby lamb, take it OUT!'...Meanwhile, Maya is now over two months old - she's been smiling a lot, but still keeping us up during the night.

Ella turns 2!!!!

We can't believe that it's been two years since she's joined our family, but little Ella is now...well, not so little anymore! We had a tiny birthday party to help her celebrate amongst all the chaos going on with little Maya around and she loved the presents and of course, the cake!

Maya - almost 4 weeks old!

She's growing fast! Still having fun keeping her parents up at night, but everyone seems to be thrilled anyway...

And then there were four

Maya Agnieszka Smith was born on Monday, March 1, 2010, weighing just under 7.5 lbs. After two days in the hospital we came home to enjoy two weeks of family time getting to know each other and settling into our new life. Ella has been a great big sister and Dad has learned all about children's songs by taking Ella to her classes each week. So far Maya has been blissfully sleeping - we know that things will get more challenging once she wakes up, but for now, it's great being home and relaxing with all of us. Ella has learned how to help with diaper changes and rock the baby. Sometimes, she wishes that she was a baby too, but she reminds us every day that she's a big girl!

Dancin' Machine

Now that I'm almost two years old, just like J-Lo, I've decided to move from my movie career to a dancing and music career. I've heard there is a show called American Idol, and I'm going to submit my latest work. I hope you enjoy it! As always, turn your volume up!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgEVP7zfq8I

Christmas 2010

Warm and sunny California...and cold and snowy South Dakota! I got to touch snow for the first time...and Santa came three times!!! Once in London, once in California and finally in SD! And I loved the plane, I did not even fall asleep once during the 11-hour flight to California..mom and dad especially loved that.

Here are some pics - I got to visit a farm and a zoo...and play lots and lots with grandmas and grandpa!

Fall in London

Before we left for the States - we took some more pictures around the house :)