For those readers who weren’t there, a few more family pics (from the professional photographer) from Gil and Karin’s wedding.

-M

If you ask Zoe what she aspires to be, her answer is usually a teacher, a doctor (for people or animals), or a mom. Out of the blue one day Avery offered her thoughts on what she wants to be : “When I grow up I’m going to be a fairy.”

-M

It’s been a long time since Zoe has seen Leo, her friend from way back in the first year of preschool. He and his family invited us down to their house for a swim this weekend, and the two of them  (or, actually, the three of them, since Avery was there) had no trouble re-connecting.

-M

Remember how I said that Avery did a lot of celebrating for her birthday? There was so much going on that we didn’t get her nails done (a tradition I started with Zoe when turned four) – which Q pointed out to me right before our trip. So, not long before we left (better late than never), Avery got a mini mani – with her sister and friend Sophie looking on.

-M

A little story that made me laugh. On one of our last nights at Safta and Pop Pop’s, Q and I put the girls (who were in sleeping bags right outside our room) to bed and went into our room to talk. A few minutes later Zoe called out, “Why are you guys just chatting in there? Shouldn’t you be caring for your two children – your two precious children?”

-M

A few more pics of the girls (and Isaac) playing with – or, more accurately, jumping/climbing on top of – Pop Pop…

-M

Our trip fell over 4th of July, a holiday we celebrated by watching Pop Pop perform with the Redskins band in a Virginia parade, going to a family barbeque, and watching fireworks at night. A very fun and full day!

-M

These last few weeks have been all about family; less than a week after coming home from Madison, we headed to Maryland for Uncle Gil’s wedding. The wedding was held in the sunny, green backyard of Q’s parents’ (a gorgeous spot), and the girls were happy to pose for a few pics beforehand. (Look how Cousin Isaac has grown!)

-M

Last week I shared a few of the girls’ recent performances. In this one, Avery is hamming it up (dancing and singing) on my parents’ lawn.

-M

When we took Avery’s photo (see below), Zoe didn’t want to be left out. So she  jumped on the chair, and I took a few more pics.

-M

When we were in Madison, my dad reminisced about Avery’s first trip there, and it gave me the idea of doing a then-and-now post. So here’s the same chair and same girl – five years later.

Then:

Now:

Today marks a milestone for our little blog, as this is our 2,500th post! To say life has changed since our very first blog entry would be an understatement – back then we were breathlessly awaiting the arrival of our baby (“This is crunch time and we are all getting very excited,” Q wrote on Oct. 27, 2006); these days we’re busy chasing after and managing the lives of two spirited young girls. Q and I have been parents for nearly 3,000 days, and I’m so proud that we’ve chronicled our adventures here. As I wrote in 2012:

For me, five-plus years after starting this thing, I can’t really imagine life without it. Posting quickly became part of my daily routine, and the blog, in turn, wound up serving not only as a  bridge to loved ones far away, but also as a journal, a confidante, and (perhaps most significant to my kids someday) a rich family archive. Writing in it has saved my sanity countless times, and reading old entries has brought me out of a dark mood more than once; though I probably can’t be called a new mom anymore (something that is simultaneously a badge of honor and a little sad), blogging still helps my well-being!

Here’s to 2,500 more!

-M

I asked Zoe yesterday if she wanted to come to work with me, and she answered with an enthusiastic, “Yes! It would be an honor!” And so, the two of us drove to my office in Palo Alto, where she set up her desk, made a to-do list, and “worked” alongside me for much of the day. While there I sent her an e-mail asking if she was enjoying herself and she wrote back, “its so much fun with you mommy.”

-M

“Thank you, Mama,” Avery said as she slid in bed next to me the other morning. “For what?” I asked, to which she replied, “For loving me for my whole entire life.”

What a nice thing to wake up to!

-M