Mexico Part II

We had so much fun in May that we decided to come back - but to the other coast where the water is just a but more blue, the beach sand softer, and well, we just wanted to try something new. We went to Isla Mujaris Beach - just off of Cancun to a sweet resort called La Amada. Ella had her own pool to swim in and the food was great. The girls spent the entire time outside. It was nice to get just a bit more summer in!

Summer in CA, 2011

We have had a busy summer and can't believe that it is over. We did a lot of hiking, going to the beach, the pool, and spending time with friends. We also did some sailing and made it down to Southern California - we visited Julie and Kelly, went to the beach and spend some time at the San Diego Zoo. It all went by too fast - but the girls had a lot of fun.

Kelly's wedding....

We had a chance to get away to Palm Springs this spring to celebrate Darren's and Kelly's wedding. It was beautiful. And so much fun for mom and dad!

Mexico 2011

Finally! The sun was fun, villa beautiful, the pool so easy to play in...but the best part was the staff. It made the vacation so much more relaxing. It's going to be hard to go anywhere outside of Mexico now. Jack was super fun, and Victoria - well, just a sweet little lady. Too cute for words.

Ella 'reading' a story to grandma...

She does love some books more than others - and as a result, some end up getting memorized :) Here is one of her favorites: 'Are You My Mother' by P.D. Eastman:

Maya's Baptism

We waited a bit longer than last time, but it was very sweet to have Maya's Baptism on Easter Sunday. Bribery with cookies was critical to success. All the grandparents were here with a lot of family. The Godparents were spectacular too!

Easter 2011

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit as did the Easter Bunny.
We hunted for eggs, spent some time on a ship, visited San Francisco and ate a lot of food. We had so much fun.

the big sister...not always so helpful

Ella's 3rd birthday!

We are this late in posting. Really sad. We have been incredibly busy - but of course we always are.

Anyway, it was the first major event in our new home. Some friends came by, we had lots of food, toys, and of course a bouncy castle in the back yard. All was great, although our little Ella got a bit overwhelmed when it was time to sing 'happy birthday' by all the attention. Thank god daddy was there to save the day!

We have moved!!!

After many years in many cities, we have finally become homeowners (it is shocking to us as well!). We bought a small house in San Rafael, a little town about 15 mins north of the Golden Gate Bridge, in Marin. It's an old Victorian and there is a lot of work that needs to be done in the house still, but we got a good start, and are in the process of moving in. Here are some pics before all gets our stuff gets in there.

Maya turns 1!!!

We can't believe it, but our youngest one is now one!!! A bit crazy! We had a little celebration for her - unfortunately Ella was a bit too excited about Maya's gifts. And clearly she can't wait for her own upcoming birthday.

California water in January...

Yes, we now officially feel spoiled. We did get to go to the beach multiple times in January and February which means that this has been a winter like we've never had. Monterey was lovely, and the beaches 10 mins from our house were also fun. We're excited for more trips to come!

Christmas 2010

A little late, but it's been somewhat busy. We had a very nice first Christmas back in America (!) - Santa Clause came many times. We first saw him show up on a boat, so we now believe that he lives somewhere on a boat...he was also there when we picked up our Christmas tree on a Christmas tree farm. Then again in Sioux Falls! Finally he came to visit while the kids were sleeping at home (really, while we were in SD) and AGAIN at gradma's house. It as a very busy Christmas! Although not everyone loved Santa :) We did get to play in the snow with everyone - always fun.

First trip to Tahoe...with many to come

What would living in Northern California be like without a weekend trip to Tahoe. Given that Ella is the minimum age for the ski school (come on, just another month!), we figured let's get her geared up. Plus, nothing like a little skiing in short sleeves.

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