Mommy's Little Helper

Check out these cute videos of Keira. She certainly loves helping me with my chores around the house. I hope that this excitement lasts into her teenage years.... :)

Fun at the Park!

It has been fun watching Keira and Soraya grow up together. When Glory and I first started our "playdates" the girls would just lie on the carpet and look at us. Those days are definitely over as K and S are running, climbing, and sliding all over the place. We had a great time hanging out at the park and luckily I was able to get a few pictures that were actually in focus.

Play slideshow - 9
View photos individually

Social Butterfly

What a busy day!

Keira and I met Lara and Chloe for a morning walk at the Mill Valley Reservoir to work up our appetite and then we made our way to Chow for brunch.



After some yummy pancakes we did a little shopping downtown before heading back to SF. Keira took a quick nap and then it was off to pick up Uncle Kevin at the airport. We took him to Fresca for a special birthday celebration and then had homemade cake for dessert!



Play slideshow - 13
View photos individually

Santa Cruz Video

Surfing in Santa Cruz

Keira had a blast playing in the sand and to my surprise she actually liked the ocean (I thought it would be too cold for her). She also had a special surf lesson with her daddy!



Play slideshow - 15
View photos individually

I did it!

Keira was so proud of herself. She finally figured out how to get onto the couch for the first time. First, she took down all the pillows and with a running start she was able to launch herself up!

Happy Hallow Videos

Bye Bye Goat - Keira was excited about the idea of petting a goat, however I don't think the feeling was mutual as he took off as soon as she came over.


Hi Birdie - Although the sign was most interesting to the girls, Keira did stop to give me her bird sign. :)

Happy Hollow

Keira and I had a fun filled day down at Happy Hollow with Glory and Soraya. It was hot and the girls were more excited about the signs and puddles than they were about animals or rides but we had fun!





Play slideshow - 22
View photos individually

San Diego

In January, our good SF friends moved down to San Diego. Although we miss them greatly we were excited to have a fun place to go visit! We had a wonderful time touring the area during that day and staying up way too late talking at night.

We flew in on Thursday afternoon, spent Friday just hanging out enjoying all the extra space that comes with leaving San Francisco. :) Keira and Krishna enjoyed a little playground action in Del Mar overlooking the Pacific - that alone might be worth moving to San Diego. Then, Friday night we went out to the Gas Lamp District for some yummy Italian food and wine. Temecula was on the agenda for Saturday so that the adults could wine taste and enjoy the sunshine. And Sunday was the obligatory day at the Zoo. I highly recommend the bus tour at the Zoo, we saw just about everything from the comfort of a double decker bus! I only wish that we could have stayed for a few more days... as we all know, time spend with friends goes way too fast!


Play slideshow - 88
View photos individually

Kissing Cousins - Summer Videos

Here are a couple of pool videos from the HOT days back in the good old Midwest.

Swimming Pool


Kick, Kick, Kick


Aiden and Keira had fun running back and forth at Grandma and Grandpa's house. It was a great way to wear them out before bed.

Ready, Set, Go!

Happy 4th of July!

Check out these pictures from our 4th of July BBQ.

Play slideshow - 41
View photos individually

Keira was especially festive in her red, white and blue!

Brookfield Zoo

Keira is certainly the zoo expert these days. Another hot day in the Chicagoland area but that didn't stop us from heading to the Brookfield Zoo.


The dolphin show was quite popular and Keira knew to clap at the right times!


We also enjoyed the new Great Bear Wilderness exhibit where we saw the biggest Grizzly Bear taking a dip in the pool. The glass viewing wall allows you to get SUPER close and this bear was putting on a show for his audience!


The sign of a successful zoo trip!


Play slideshow - 37
View photos individually

The Morton Arboretum

The gang piled into 2 cars and made our way to the Arboretum for the day. It is hard to believe this was our first visit. It is beautiful and very kid friendly. We were all impressed by the variety of areas for the little ones to explore. Keira and Aiden has a blast. Colten, as usual, was content just hanging out and observing all the excitement.

Play slideshow - 67
View photos individually

Cosley Zoo

We took the kids to the Cosley Zoo for the afternoon and had a great time. There were lots of animals to check out and places to explore. Afterwards, we headed over to Gino's East for some Chicago style deep dish, yum.

Here are a few cute videos from our day!

Keira is getting so fast, it's hard to believe she only started walking in March!


It's funny that all little kids like pushing strollers once they are mobile. Aiden is happy to go for a ride and Keira is determined to be the one who pushes him!


The double wink has been a popular Keira trick and it is pretty cute.


Play slideshow - 34
View photos individually

Monkey Joe's

One of Aiden's new favorite places is Monkey Joe's. After hanging out there for an afternoon I think it's Keira's favorite place too. It was hard to get a picture to capture all the fun but I tried.



Play slideshow - 14
View photos individually