Best of Spring

Memorial Day is over and summer is on its way!

This was a great spring, starting off with my fifth annual girls' weekend trip, this time up to San Francisco.

Summer and Stephanie in a pedicab in SF

I started an interesting new copywriting project and another big upcoming project I'll post more about soon. 

We began a major renovation of the backyard, which will continue through the fall. 



Notes for the renovation

Hauling wood

Watering the bougainvillea

Beatrice went to her first opera, a special children's performance with selections from The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, and The Magic Flute.

At the Dorothy Chandler

Dev went on a long business trip to Nanjing, leaving me alone with the three kids during their spring break, but it went relatively smoothly.  We kept busy going to Underwood Family Farm, the zoo, the aquarium, and the kids' new favorite place, Pretend City in Irvine.

At the farm:

At the zoo, with Paul and Donovan:

Camouflage

Finding insects with Donovan

At Pretend City:

 

 

You can paint on real (junk) cars.

My favorite part of spring is watching the daily changes in the garden.

Japanese maple getting its first new leaves



Apple tree gets its leaves

  

First tiny grapes

First blueberries

Apricot blossoms

Trailing basil

Watering the grapes

 

This wildflower comes back to the children's garden every spring.

 

 

  Just like last year, we raised and released butterflies:

A lot of crafts and cooking, as usual:

 



Finger painting outside

Painting white flowers with watercolors

Beatrice making risotto



Beatrice wove this dollhouse rug on her loom

Failing to get a good Easter portrait:

 

 

The kids have soccer every Friday evening and then we go out to dinner.

 





 

 

Arthur's friend Callan had a wonderful hiking birthday party at the Stough Canyon Nature Center:

Arthur was so tired after the hike that he fell asleep on our front lawn.

Mina and James gave Arthur these rockets for his birthday and they are the kids' new favorite toy.  Every evening they go out and play rockets with Dev.

And a few more pictures of just hanging around:

 

 

In Monty's hot tub

 

 

Slumber party!

Hugging at Trader Joe's



Pretending to be a king and queen (the plastic box and winter hat are crowns)

 

Arthur in a ball pit



At the Americana fountain

Our neighbors playing basketball in the street

This will be a very busy summer, with visits from my parents, Gillian, Suzan, Naresh, Travis, Sam, Lilli, Juli, Dan, Aubrey, and Melissa; a trip to Chile; and daily activities like summer camp and swimming lessons.  

Resting up for summer