Campin' and Gampin'

It has been an epic summer.  We had a great camping trip to the Redwoods with the Rennies and down to the coast with Jill and Pete.  Lots of hikes, redwoods, beaches, and even saw some dolphins. Fortunate to be living in California....
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Poland Summer 2015

An epic trip.  We were not sure how the kids would do, especially Kuba who was only 3.  We moved A TON.  Several different locations in Poland starting with Warsaw for just a night at my brother's house to get settled.  Then ALL of us (Grandma and Grandpa included) moved on to the lake district, Mazury where we did a lot of boating, and relaxing.  Then Sopot at the coast - where we met up with Iza and Andrzej for a bit...then all the way south to Zakopane for an unbelievable 4 nights with Ania and Rob and their kids.  The views were stunning - what a life!  Then for a couple of nights to Wroclaw to visit family.   A journey that I hope the kids won't forget for a very long time.  We even stopped by to see Polkowice and my old school. The paczki from the same pastry shop tasted as deliciously as they did 20 years ago.  I hope we get to come back sometime soon.  PICTURES

School is ending....done with 1st Grade for Ella and pre-school for Maya!

Wow!  That flew by fast.  On to a great summer...first some final ballet rehearsals...and on to the first sleep-away camp for Ella.  Such a big girl.  Mommy and Daddy are quite proud...and I think that some tears were shed but with Siena all seemed better.  Sneaking in Father's Day on top of Mt. Tam for pancake breakfast and Ella's first major piano recital.  PICTUREShttps://goo.gl/photos/Z1P15W7KzqqxHLZNA

We found our new favorite spot in Tahoe!!!

This time with Wendy and Sam - some early summer fun over Memorial Day - getting ready for summer at our favorite spot.  We love the house so much that we hope to come back.  Old Greenwood is such a sweet home for the summers...lucky kids.   PICTURES

Disney 2015

I finally caved in.  It was not too busy, got to go with Jill Krimmel and her sister, and the girls did have fun.  We did not stay long.  We did not know many characters.  But some of the rides were spectacular!  And breakfast with the ferries was, in fact, fun.  And well - at the end we go to see Elsa and Ana!

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Easter 2015

Ella lost her front teeth, grandma and grandpa came to visit, and of course the Easter bunny also paid a visit.  We hiked to the top of Tam on Easter Sunday with beautiful views of the bay.  PICTURES

Birthdays 2015

And!!! It's the birthday season again!  Maya is turning the big 5, Ella 7 and Kuba at the end in April a big THREE!  Rollercoasters, some children's theater, and many parties at  to celebrate.  Maya got to even celebrate in Hawaii. They are growing too fast.... PICTUREShttps://goo.gl/photos/UTT7hsFJs8ZHqZjV9

Little Hawaii...March 2015

We returned to Hawaii in March - this time for some Maui adventures.  Kids are getting just a bit older, able to snorkel and chase fish.  Even Kuba got in the open water.  And Maya got to celebrate her big Hawaiian Birthday (turning FIVE!) And of course we got a visit from Aunt Niki as well who is living in Hawaii and flew in from Oahu for a short visit.  Great trip.  PICTURES

Spring is in the air!

It's been busy!  We've had a visit from Kelly and Fletcher, have done a ton of hikes, celebrated Mother's day (did you seek Kuba crying?!) and have some lost teeth.  Squeeze in some beach time, kayak time, and wild flowers and we're just getting ready for summer!

Even squeezed in a quick trip to the beach!  PICTURES

And some fun pictures from the Ross Valley Nursery School auction.... more PICTURES 

Winter 2015

And winter in 2015 came and went FAST!  LOTS of ski time in Tahoe (even Kuba got on skis!) and of course some beach time in Marin.  Super lucky to be living in CA.

The Nutcracker

Ella's debut as a mouse in Marin's Nutcracker performance.  She's so grown up!

Celebrating NYE 2015

Another beautiful trip, this time down to Paso Robles.  What an undiscovered gem.  Great wineries, lots of good food, and of course the beach.  And we stopped at a festival in Monterey before to see a NYE family festival.

The house also came with two beautiful golden retrievers - Daisy was the favorite.  We had a little bit of a scare when Cole forgot to come home for a few VERY LONG minutes, but all turned out OK.  Great fun to share this special time with Jill and Pete along with Stella and Cole.

Christmas 2014

It's that time of the year again - but this time we got to celebrate Christmas twice.  Once in Sioux Falls with Granda and Grandpa an then again back home (double the presents).  Always a favorite in this house...trying hard to limit the gifts a bit, but only partly successful.  Got to get on skis once and explore cold parts of Sioux Falls. Really nice to enjoy this special time.

Thanksgiving 2014

Dinner at grandma's followed by our first family trip to Yosemite.  Lots of rock climbing, visits from Santa, general exploring.  The kids participated in a ginger-bread house contest which they won in their category!  There was no help from mom and dad who were busy drinking bloody mary's.  In general one of our best Thanksgiving trips yet!

Fall Pictures with our photographer :)

It is Christmas time again - so of course that comes with the holiday picture session.  Sometimes painful, but with a little bribery doable.  Hopefully 10 years forward we'll be thankful for these.  It did make  fun Christmas card.

Mommy is turning 40!!!! Ouch!!!! and so much fun at the same time.  Very fortunate to spend a beautiful weekend with my closest friends in the wine country...lots of drinking, playing, and eating really good food.  Love these women who came from all over to celebrate with me.  And to top it off, we had a great dinner at the Slanted Door in the iconic Ferry Building in San Francisco with great friends sharing time, stories, and delicious food together.  Feeling grateful. 

Fall 2014

Mommy's favorite time of the year always gets so busy - but is full of colors and fun.  This year the Smith family decided to go all out with costumes (thanks to Daddy, really, who did the creative and the production!).  A fun night of trick-or-treating as a family, we'll have to keep it up now!  Of course there was the annual pumpkin patch excursion to farms up north, and lots of opportunities to get dressed up - some of which we've captured here.

BELIZE!

Mommy and Daddy got to sneak away to Belize for five days for a solid diving trip.  Celebrating our 9th anniversary and mommy turning 40 (ouch!) was not so bad with the turtles, sharks, and eels.

And the fun with the Krimmels!

Whether we're skiing, camping, or doing little day trips (Russian River - YES!) - it's been fun spending so much time together.  Cole and Stella are amazing...The camping trip to Mt Diablo turned out to be a little hotter than anticipated (no running water and major heat!) - we survived, but I would not recommend last-minute reservations!

But of course we need to squeeze in one more little Tahoe trip!

With Brody (and Jeni and Derek) we had some fun in Tahoe this summer a few weekends.  Just a few pics...