Summer - halfway over!

We have had a lot of fun so far this summer with hot, hot days in the midwest and sunny days in California.  We also spent some time at Clear Lake and some wineries, train town in Sonoma - then finally to Sioux Falls, Lake Okoboji, and Minneapolis.  So many friends - and good times with grandma and grandpa too.

Kuba, almost two months old!

He's growing fast...and the girls seem to be having fun with him too!

Beach Time

A few little trips over the past two months, particularly spending time at the beach.  We've been to Santa Cruz, Lake Tahoe, and Stinson Beach spending lots of time playing and enjoying the weather...

Welcome Jakob!!!

Jakob arrived on Friday, April 27th, at 8:30 am screaming and wanting attention immediately!  The first week has been relatively peaceful, all things considered; we're all having fun, enjoying the baby bliss world for the moment.  All grandparents were on hand to share in the joy, and most importantly, Ella and Maya have been excited to spend time with their baby brother.  We're all grateful for the joys of the expanded family and we're sure that things will get a bit more hectic soon!  Here are some pics from the hospital, the trip home (three car seats!) and the first few days.

Easter 2012

Beautiful weather, many friends, family, eggs, and many Easter Bunnies!  We went to San Francisco to bless our Easter basket, and enjoyed lots of activities the entire weekend.   There were much too much candy all around, but the girls loved every minute of it.

Tahoe, Winter 2012

Not much snow this year and unfortunately we had to postpone our trip a few times as it never came falling...still, we got to go skiing a bit, sledding, and enjoy the lake beach too.  Since mommy is not skiing this year, we'll have to try again next year.

Brithdays at the Smiths!

We celebrated both birthdays in March with Maya turning 2 on March 1 and Ella turning 4 on March 16th.  The best part was a bigger birthday celebration with our friends Milo, Brady, Ella, and Jude and a big clown while skiing in Tahoe!  Brady was a bit scared, but Ella explained to him, "Brady, don't worry, it's not a real clown - it's just a person dressed up as a clown!"  - a bit worried about Santa this winter...

Wine country outing...middle of winter

We're a bit behind in our posts - but we took these fun pics in January this year.  It's great to visit the wine country - we're lucky to live here!

Smith Household - aka Dance Party USA

Somehow our daughters have already started to develop an obsession with Pop/Dance music which I had hoped would evolve much later in their teenage years. Maybe it's Ania turning up Madonna and dancing around every time it comes on Pandora or my self proclaimed "money" dance moves that I pull out for Matisyahu these days, but all it took was a plastic guitar and a little bit of open space and dancing is now the main attraction of family activities. Ella and Maya have even worked out each other's role in the band (Ella is the dancer, Maya is the guitarist). So, of course I had to make a video...

Click Here: http://youtu.be/U0lj2HhNyh0


Oh, and make sure to have your volume on


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December 2011 - not really winter yet

We've been busy with lots of family visiting for the holidays, Santa arriving on a boat, picking out a Christmas tree, trips to Napa, and many trips to the beach. The weather has kept us outdoors and we feel lucky to spend so many days enjoying the sunshine, although this may not work for skiing in Tahoe in the spring! Here are a few pics...

A little bit of fall colors in Marin...

We've been busy enjoying the fall in Marin. The weather has been amazing - we're learning how to adjust to the summer in October. Lots of pumpkins, hiking, little trick-or-treating, bike racing, festivals, apple picking and fun all around...

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!