More San Fran

Oops, a sideways Sadie.


The lovely windmill at Golden Gate Park.


Umm, a giant piece of mac and cheese at Fishermans Wharf.


Walking around Fishermans Wharf.


The two-story carousel at the wharf. Fun!


A view of Fisherman's Wharf.


The sea lions take a sun bath.


Becca and Sadie enjoy the sunshine!


The cousins pose at a pretty mermaid fountain at Ghirardelli Square.


Getting our chocolate fix at Ghirardelli Square.


The view of the ocean from Sarah's front yard. Beautiful!


Becca swings!


The kids pose in front of the ocean view in Sarah's neighborhood.


Fin snuggles her cousin Becca.


Bex is surprised by auntie with camera!

San Francisco!!!

The first wave of photos!


At the California Academy of Sciences museum.





Fin in the garden at Golden Gate Park. Cute!

Finley Turns 6

How did it happen? How did my baby get to be 6 years old?! As hard as it is for me to believe, here is the photographic evidence that it was, indeed, 6 years ago that she made her appearance... We had her party at an indoor climbing gym/arcade, and it was so fun. Everyone had a blast!


The birthday girl!


Opening presents.



About to blow out the candles on the Harry Potter cake.



"Simpsons" wrapping paper from mommy!



All the birthday party guests smile together!

MORE Professional Photos!

Well, here they are! As promised, here are the photos our friend Melissa took! They turned out SO CUTE!!!


A little bit of crazy eyes from Fin.



Cute, pensive Finley!



Cute, pensive Maddie!



Sassy Fin.




Cheesy smile Finley!



The girls pose (reluctantly, on Maddie's part) together.



Mads "hates getting her picture taken." Riiiiight.

ALL my thanks and love go to Mel for her great work!!!

Pictures by a Pro

WAY better than the crappy ones I take! These are just a sneak peek at the photos our friend Melissa took of the girls. CUTE!



More to come soon (I hope!).

Before & After

The horrendous home-improvement nightmare is finally over! Our lovely friends Mel and Chase came for their visit this weekend, and we got the guest bedroom and bathroom finished just in time... Literally about an hour before they got here! Everything turned out nice, and our guests said the bedroom was perfectly comfortable, so it was a success! We're so glad it's over; no more DIY projects for at least a couple months.


Bedroom BEFORE.


Bedroom BEFORE (Alex painted me a message). :)


Bedroom AFTER.


Bedroom AFTER.


Bathroom BEFORE.


Bathroom BEFORE.


Bathroom AFTER.


Bathroom AFTER.


Bathroom AFTER.

Finley Graduates

It's official: Finley is a kindergarten graduate! Her school had a lovely ceremony last night to celebrate all the little grads. Each class did a little performance featuring songs and dances from other cultures; Finley's was a hat dance from the Philippines, and it was adorable, of course! Then each graduate walked across the stage, got a diploma and shook hands with their teachers and principal. It ended with all the kids singing "What a Wonderful World" and all the parents crying. :) Here are some photographic highlights...

I gave Finley some roses to congratulate her on her achievement!

Finley and her teacher, Mrs. Gann (who is on her knees; she's not really that short).

Finley waves as she makes her way to the stage.

Fin and her BFF Chloe!

Even Maddie was proud of her little sister! (They had a '50s/'60s day at school that day, which is why she's dressed like someone from "Big Love.")

Fin walks across the stage to get her diploma. Her boyfriend, Liam, is waving in the foreground. It looks like he's flipping off the camera, but he's really just waving. :)

Finley looks a bit nervous as the ceremony kicks off...