Reading with Daddy

Ah, nothing says it's almost time to go to sleep for the night more than sitting beside Daddy and letting him read a book.  Paul also sit between Daddy and Mary Jane while they all figured out who the "monster" was in the book.  Hopefully it wasn't created by some college student named Victor who later abandoned it and then discovered it went on a murderous rampage.

Daddy will have to watch what Mary Jane reads...

Post-Nap-Time Surprise

Mary Jane takes two naps a day: one at eleven and one at three.  Well, the one at three is more of a cool-down time when she sits by herself and plays in her crib.  She flips through books, plays with stuffed animals, and kicks the bars while screaming, "Attica!"  (wait... too much Cherry Bugg there)

But by 3:40 or so Mary Jane starts to whine.  It's not real whining for as soon as Mommy or Daddy opens the accordion door, she beams with a big smile and says, "Mama or Dada" depending on who opens it.

In this wonderful example -- sorry, that it's sideways -- Mary Jane stands at the edge of her crib right next to the accordion door just waiting... and there he is, Dada!  She busts out the big smile and she knows it's almost time for her 4 o'clock feeding.  And 4:40 walk.

Betsy's Goin' Mobile

Betsy Jo is getting a whole lot more mobile now as she gets closer and closer to the camera.  It also helps that she radiates a large smile to the camera as well.

Everyone Inside!

Ruby Jane tried her best but was unable to get inside the back screen door this weekend.  Betsy Jo watched on as Ruby Jane tried a few times and failed.  Never give up, Betsy Jo.  Then again it's hard to sneak inside when you're strapped in a stroller.

Hiking in the Desert

 A week or so back, Miss Jill and Mister John went on a brief hike in a desert park west of Phoenix.  (No, they didn't leave their girls by the side of the car for the live snakes, coffee, and trail maps to take care of them.)  It was just for a few brief hours but it was quite relaxing to walk through the clear (but dry) desert air.

With the picture on the right, Mister John shows how small he is compared to that of a mighty saguaro.  There were footprints right where he was standing so this wasn't the first photo at this spot.  However, it does show the wonderful contrast in nature.

Mister John with the "Valley of the Sun" behind him.  Yes, a good trip to have sunglasses.

 

Miss Jill is quite the master of the snap picture in which she manages to get the two of them without any decapitations.

Queen for a Day

All hail, Mary Jane, Queen for a Day.  Wear that crown well, my sweet little girl.

Family Photo

Looks good to me.  The girls seem a little perplexed but that's alright. 

No bunnies in the photo though.  I bet Cherry Bugg is a bit angry about such things.

Sunday in the Park

Mary Jane and Betsy went to Airport Park this morning with some other pint-sized friends of theirs.  Nothing like playing on the swing.  OK, maybe eating lots of strawberries too.

Walking the Path

Sometimes you just need to go out on the open road and wander.  But not without due supervision!

It's that time of the year again when spring makes on think about... swimming!  Mary Jane swam all last summer and enjoyed it immensely.  Those first few classes at LMU were a bit rough but she learned to enjoy the splashing and then spent most of August in Arizona pools.  Good thing as last August was the hottest August in Arizona history.

Somebody likes playing with water.

This year Gramma and Grampa Kendall brought out a small portable pool which is the perfect size for little Mary Jane.  Note: we'll try it out on Betsy over Memorial Day weekend.  As for now, we'll just let her try out her water-loving skills in the bath.  Mary Jane had a great time in the mini-pool.  She didn't quite learn the word "pool" yet but she did point at the outdoor mini-pool (from inside the Kendall's house) and say "bath."  Good enough for me.

Rabbit Liberation Day: 2012!

It's just a few days until one of the biggest days on the rabbit calendar: Rabbit Liberation Day. On that day, rabbits of the world unite and break their chains of bondage and servitude. They hop and thump proudly and independently while they enjoy eating carrots, apples, and pretzels (at least the German ones) throughout the world.

The Erb rabbits in charge of setting up Rabbit Liberation Day festivities

This event used to be led by the "Easter Bunny" but truth be told, that bunny was a sell-out to the cause. He was voted out in an election over ten years ago and there has been an amalgam of bunny leaders ever since. Root Beer Float and Ruby Jane, for instance, are the local Mar Vista chapter representatives in charge of food and drink. Cherry Bugg is in charge of security. Prince Phillip is in charge of decorations. Mary Jane and Betsy Jo are the new coordinators of cuteness.