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Target wears me out too....

More Ballet

We had ballet again this week and didn't have the usual entourage of at least Jannie, Emmy and Dad to watch (but Heff made it over to hold Maisie while "Mommy and Me" danced! He is so cute through the glass smiling from ear to ear watching Francie so serious about her ballet moves :) Francie thinks she is quite the ballerina... she tries to mimic everything the teacher does but her interpretation is hilarious! These were some photos from last week Emmy took of Francie in her Halloween ballet getup.

Always checking to see if her audience is appropriately enthralled

"I am a BIG, OLD TREE!"

Maisie the Pumpkin Baby watching and waiting til one day she too can dance

time for pinwheels and "free dance" (even more hilarious)

yay!

Good job my uncoordinated little ballerina

Look Who's Standing

Crazy Maisie Moo! Now when I come in the girls room (they are officially sharing with Maisie in the big girl crib and Francie in the toddler bed- we graduated from the "camp bed" sleeping bag on the floor in various places around our house, we'll see if it lasts!) The only problem is now she gets stuck standing up and grips the railing with all her might until you come save her :)

Oh happy baby

"Now get me outta here Mom!"

Lunch with Friends

Tuesday we went to lunch with Jannie and some of Kaky's friends she grew up with who came for a little visit. Our old favorite Red Currant restaurant at Allied Arts Guild closed a couple months ago but the new place that re-opened "Cafe Primavera" is even better (they like kids now ;) Then Tuesday night Heff and I had a benefit dinner and Jannie had the nerve to have a dinner planned with her friends ;) So Grampa babysat Francie for the night, they hit up the toy store and got a new Minnie Mouse doll and talking Mickey toy and then had dinner together at the Oasis and played pinball... she loved it! Maisie got to have a date with her BFF Christian and I picked her up snuggled in an adult size cozy Little Giraffe blanket on Christian's couch next to her little doggies- she looked pretty happy but might have screamed for awhile- sorry!!

Francie walked herself to the gate ready to go. She insisted on bringing her suitcase full of clothes she packed herself. I told her we didn't need to bring all that and she pleaded "YES Mom, I need them in case I PEE!"

and a basket of wooden fruit to make Jannie lunch

Maisie saw me sneak both items back inside while Francie wasn't looking ;)

Maisie wore Emmy's dress

and Francie woke up to a berry parfait

Jannie and the girls

Carol Ann, Jannie, Francie and Joan

My big girl!

One More....

As Andrea said "I'm not sure Clara is ready for the love that is Isabel."
(Andrea took this picture, it's classic!)

Farm Girls

I caught up on the craziness of Halloween weekend and found more pictures from Red Bluff. Here are a few more scenes from the day after Opa's party... the calm before the storm when a flu bug hit 22 of 40 people that were there on Sunday!!! Isabel started throwing up Sunday night and by Monday people were dropping like flies... we narrowly escaped somehow!

Taking turns reading the girls their books

Going for a bucket ride with Oma!

Heff drove them around

Andrea and Thomas

they call him Tomcsi (Hungarian for Tom-chi)

Pony ride time

Double Trouble

Snuggling with their Oma

Madeline got to stay over (on a SCHOOL NIGHT!) for a sleepover! We love her :)

as do all of the little girls

funny faces

Baby face

Isabel loves her zumi

Happy Birthday Opa

Monday morning Ellie took the girls on a nature walk

collecting acorns

on the move

Fun cousins

Playing with Paco the new Miniature donkey

Hugs for Paco (who apparently says "Hee-haw! I want my MAW!" when Nugget leaves!)

"WHy do they all like the dirt so much? Way cleaner up here."

Nice donkey

Kate attempting to hypnotize the donkey

and got a big sloppy kiss instead!

she still loves him

Nugget is back from school and can drive Oma's cart now!

Francie thought that was pretty cool

Tag team on Nugget (Francie not so happy about this, Maisie loves it)

until the next visit to The Bluff!

James & Em are.... ENGAGED!!

YAY!!! I am so happy for my brother and Emily. If you didn't guess already by my not-so-sly suspenseful posts... James surprised Em at her birthday brunch to propose to her! James told me a few weeks ago he was planning this. He had the ring made and was trying to figure out exactly how to pull off a surprise birthday proposal- it was pretty cute :) He asked Em's dad, my Dad, Heff, my brother Jerry and their good friend Bammer to come up for it too. James and I were texting all morning- keeping the secret was killing me (and Marla and my mom who knew too!) But James did a great job pulling off a very "James&Em" engagement...

The spectators

James with nervous hands maybe? ;)

and they head outside...

and I think these speak for themselves...

everybody watching (and screaming!) from inside

Step back James, here come the girls!

Congratulations hugs for her Godfather

future father-in-law

Father of the bride-to-be

Marla checks out the ring (she helped James design it at Hirzel's in Menlo Park!)

It's gorgeous! Good job James

so excited

and CONGRATULATIONS JAMES & EM!!!

Happy Birthday Em ~ Part I

Sunday morning we celebrated Auntie Em's 27th birthday at Rosewood with a Ladies Brunch- hats required! Emily planned a great day for the girls to help celebrate her birthday and friends flew in for the weekend to join in the festivities. Maisie tagged along in her party dress (thanks Sarah Coogan!) and her hat too! It was a fun morning and a surprise was in store.....

The table looked pretty

Em and Maisie Moo (who wore her fancy 'head dress' too!)

some of the ladies

Em's sister Marla and Mom

Em and I with my flowery head piece I borrowed from Christian's Kentucky Derby wardrobe stash!

out on the patio- it was 75 degrees this weekend for some reason

Jannie and Em

Em surrounded by her friends (a bunch flew up from southern california- what nice friends :)

Jan and Mare (looking awky attempting to pose in heels/with the Paris arm ;)

Brunching

Crawling (fully on all fours now!)

With the birthday girl

Awww. Jannie got some rare Maisie time and rocked her right to sleep

Jackson game with birthday balloons!

and then my brother James, Joe, My Dad, Heff & Francie joined the party....

and stay tuned for PART 2 ~ The big surprise!! Can you guess? ;)

Halloween 09

Francie was SO excited to be Minnie Mouse for Halloween- she borrowed Emma's old costume which made it even more awesome (for her and for me) Maisie was the Itsy Bitsy Spider and I was her web :) We hit downtown Menlo Park during the day for the town parade and festival at the park then walked around downtown through their naps in the stroller before heading home to get ready for the Courson's Halloween party in West Menlo, back to the Willows to Trick-or-treat and then hosting a little afterparty at our house!

Minnie ("I'm not Francie anymore") in he carseat heading to the parade

We met the crowd on Santa Cruz Ave and missed the procession from the park- cheaters ;)

Downtown in front of Le Cirque

Stopping in after the festival in the park (forgot to take pics) to visit Christian

Maisie with a rose-studded headband she borrowed from Summer

Summer-Snow-White

Itsy Bitsy

Sleeping Beauty? Oh no, Minnie Mouse ;)

Crazy clown giving out candy!

Home... quick change.... and who did my husband turn into??

FRANKENSTEIN!!!!

We took his old black work boots to the cobbler where they added 6 inches and shined um up!!

A little green facepaint, oversized jacket from Goodwill with hockey pads underneath and the neck bolts Heff put together right before the party with Francie's old headband, paint, bolts and zip ties.

Heff and Steve (guess who he borrowed the Laderhosen from last weekend?!)

Minnie found the bounce house

Heff with the host- Mike Courson

Francie has never really eaten a PB&J before until Amy had them cut into dinosaur shapes- Francie ate two. Brilliant idea Amy!

Max the fireman and Minnie raiding the juice box stash

The Heffs- Maisie was not a fan of Dad in scary face paint! She wouldn't let him change her diaper at home and is looking up at him like he's crazy here

Back home in her snuggly hat to trick-or-treat

We set out with Ben and Alexa- Curious George and The Man in the Yellow Hat

Francie's first trick-or-treat house experience :) at the Ewers

Amazing pumpkin!

Next house- full size candy bars on a silver platter! The legend of the street I had to see to believe

We made it almost to the end of the street and then caught up with Emma and her big-girl friends... that was all we needed to be lured home

party time

It's A Still-In-PJs Kinda Day

Guess What Dad Was for Halloween??

Next post with Halloween... and so much more from our crazy weekend including some big news in the Simo family!!!

"What mom?! Tell us!" ;)