BBQ and Birthday Cake!

As an excuse to eat some more cake, we had a bbq on Pipey's birthday. Jacqulyn, Jenna and Brooke (aka: the tire swing girls) came over and dressed Piper up. In her own words she was a "super rock star ballerina," it really seemed to work (maybe an idea for a new super hero). We had a great bbq and then celebrated (again) Piper being 4. I don't think you can ever celebrate being happy, healthy and alive too much!

The Birthday Weekend Begins!

On Friday, Andrew took off work and we headed to Disney to start off Piper's Birthday weekend:-) We had such a nice day, we got to ride a few new rides and then of course got our pictures with Mickey. It was very relaxing and fun family day.

Polly and the Snow Cone

We were in a toy shop a few weeks back and little Polly had her heart set on a Dora snow cone maker. At the time we said no sweetie and left the store. We told her we did not have any money to pay the lady, not a lie since we had left our wallet in the car. That week we could not figure out what was going on, Polly was in a frenzy saving change whenever she found it. About 4 days of this went on, she put it all in a little wallet. Finally, she announced she had saved enough money to go buy her Dora snow cone machine. She paid the lady 35cents, and promptly her Daddy received a 35 cent rebate. We were very impressed with her logic and her sheer joy was more than two adoring parents could handle.

Jodi and Trevor (Trevi) Visit

Jodi, one of my good friends from the Weinermobile came and stayed with us. It was so wonderful to have her and Trevor visit. Trevor is 10 months old, Piper just had so much fun giving him his bottle and helping Jodi. In the morning Piper climed into the pack and play with Trevor, when Jodi came in she said she accidentally fell in.Jodi was in our wedding and with us in Australia when we met. It is always great to see her and catch up!

Knock, knock?

I have not had a recent picture of Joe, he is getting more like a house pet. Because of the heat we had our front door open, the next thing we know he was walking on our wood floors. He came right in, I expect to see him on the couch next. He comes every morning for breakfast and every evening for dinner. He also stops by throughout the day as he sees fit. I really just adore him!

Slip Sliding Away

We could not resist setting up the Slip & Slide. The girls were a little timid at first, but once they saw daddy demonstrate, they were game. It actually occupied them for some time. It was just so hot on this day and this was the perfect activity to cool off!

Mini Beach Vacation

It was such a nice weekend that we had to take advantage and have a day at the beach. Luckily, we went with Ro and Dalanie who are always prepared. They had great umbrellas which made it extra enjoyable. Ro made a tide pool for the girls and they just loved it. Katie and Jon were visiting so they came and my parents also came. It was just a wonderful day, it truly felt like we were on vacation.

Portugese Bend Beach Club

Here is a picture of the infamous "tire swing crew". Piper just adores Jacquelyn, Jenna & Brooke. We all went together to Portugese Bend Beach Club, it is an adorable private beach in PV. It is so rustic and wonderful. Of course Piper and Polly had a wonderful time!

Tadpole's Galore

We have been busy making trips to the stream that runs in back of our house, it is very tiny but fruitful. Piper now has a cherished collection of tadpole's. They are growing quickly and we are hoping to add some frogs to our growing animal family.

Piper and Polly Love Me

Hap was such a good sport. Here he is on one of our many car trips just smiling away. He was a stellar traveler and maybe it is because his big sisters helped entertain him.

The Dodd's

We had a great evening with one of Andrew's oldest friends Chris Dodd and his wife Bernie. He has 4 beautiful little girls, Molly, Alice, Gracie and Georgia. Piper and Polly were having so much fun with the girls. The evening culimnated with 4 little girls in the tub, what fun they had!

Immogen and Piper Meet Again!

So the first time Immogen and Piper met was in London. Then we went to Houston to visit. Then it was off to Mexico where they ran along the beach together. Immogen visited us here in LA and this time they got to meet up in their dad's home city of Melborne. Immogen was off to live in Singapore for the next few years so we were so glad we got to catch up.

Beach Boxes Take Two

We had a chance to go back to the beach boxes and play a bit. We searched for shells and now have quite a collection. It was a cool breezy morning but well worth it.

Sue's House

We went to visit Sue. It was a great morning and the crew played so well together. At one point, I entered Bens's room where I found the boys playing video games while blasting techno. I found Piper in there sitting with the boys bouncing to the beat, too cute!

Lizards in a Pram

We were visiting, Andrew's sister Sue, and Piper discovered they had lizards. Needless to say, the lizards were not left alone from that point on. Alice was very patient with her and help her get use to their sharp claws. We were all in the kitchen chatting when the lizards made their apperance via pram (stroller). Poor lizards.

Yummy Dinner!

Mary cooked a yummy dinner for us while we were visiting. It had some delicious Aussie staples; roast lamb with pavlova for dessert. To say Polly enjoyed the pavlova would be an understatement! FYI- pavlova is a meriange and cream dessert with fruit on top, so good!

Luna Park with Natalie

On the way over on the plane, Piper made quick friends with a little girl named Natalie. Her mom is from the states and her dad is Australian. She also goes to a Montessori school in New Hampshire. We were able to catch up with Natalie and her family at Luna Park. The girls had so much fun together, riding the rides and playing games. Andy, came with us too. He was such a huge help, he would go on rides with the girls, and was patient while they were riding the smaller rides.

Brighton Beach Boxes

If we lived in OZ the place we would love to live is Brighton. It is so beautiful, it reminds me of here. Anyway, it is a tradition to go there and take our pictures at the beach boxes. These are storage units for people who own them and you can paint them anyway you loke. The last one sold for over $200,000.00. We have taken Piper's picture here 4 times now. So many fun colors which one is your favorite?

What You Looking At?

Here Geoff and Harrison are exchanging glances, I can only imagine what they are both thinking. I am sure Geoff is thinking "What a good looking boy, he must have my genes." Harrison is probably thinking "Am I going to look like that when I am 68?"

How many Powers?

Although it looks as though this is just a photo of Piper and her daddy walking along the beach in Melbourne...little Harrison is tucked under his daddy's right arm, enjoying the view...maybe checking out the surf (or lack thereof). If you look pretty closely, you can just see the tip of his head in the second photo.

Harrison is 5 Months...about 1,140 fewer than Maisie

Here is a photo of Harrison with Great Grandma Maisie, who is 95 (and a half!). She took the opportunity to pass on a few words of wisdom she has gained over the years to her sweet little great grandson (who is one of many). It was great to catch up with Grandma in Australia