From Provo to Clinton!

Provo...







Clinton...







Provo...


Clinton...


Provo... ( and the very happy fan!)

No Cheesy Photos!

We had fun celebrating Daniel's 5th birthday with a family tradition!

On or near each child's 5th birthday, the Melanchuks make a visit to Fairy Tale Town!

The tradition started when they were living in Seattle and they came to visit us and it was Kathryn's 5th birthday.  

We took them to Fairy Tale Town...

Kathryn's 5th Birthday 2010:

Amelia's 5th Birthday 2012:

...and 

on it continued with our visit yesterday for Daniel's 5th Birthday!

The kids pretended this was the real Magic Tree House!

Even though it was all about Daniel, these twins are hard to resist!

They just woke up from their naps but look how they both have one foot up!

They loved getting out of the stroller and sliding down backwards.  Too cute!

A Day of Favorites!

We had a fun day of doing some of my favorite things around San Francisco!

Entrance to the Legion of Honor where we went to the Anders Zorn Art Exhibit...

He is known as"Sweden's master painter."

This watercolor painting was amazing!

"Summer Fun" (1885)

Later he got into oils.

"Midsummer Dance"  (1897)

It was a lovely exhibit with many paintings of scenery in Sweden.  He also spent some time in the United States and did portraits of some of our presidents.

While we were there we were also able to walk through a one-room Henri Matisse exhibit on loan from the Museum of Modern Art.

This was my favorite:

"La Conversation" (1938)

Fun views of the Golden Gate Bridge:

Lunch at Fisherman's Wharf:

And then off to Muir Woods National Monument to see Redwood Trees!  These are Coastal Redwoods so they are taller and thinner than the ones in the Sierras.   These are my three favorite photos Dan took of our walk through the grove:

How did this special day come about?

It was part of my Christmas present from Dan!

He planned it all!

It's going to be a fun year!

We already know what our outing will be next month...stay tuned!

Time's Up!

Has everyone been taking advantage of their "January Gift?"

I hope so because you deserve it!

We had fun doing another puzzle:

(Sorry I always take pictures of the puzzles we do.  But there is something satisfying about bringing order out of chaos!)

The Perrys had a visit from Sacramento Kings' player, Isaiah Thomas, who delivered some free pizza they won!

 Today the twins turned 13 months old.

Here they are out for a Sunday afternoon walk in their new stroller!

 And this cute girl on the left (with her"amazing twin" sister) turned 4 years old today!

Now it's time to get back to routines after our 2-week break?!

The January Gift!

How is everyone doing in 2014?  

Here is what I'm feeling.  

My sister wrote this last January and I couldn't agree more!

So enjoy your gift!

(It's reprinted here with her permission)

The January Gift 

by Kathryn Bates

"No January blues here. Nope. I can honestly say I've "self taught myself" how to enjoy January. I can sum it up in these words: Give yourself a break!

I have spent too many January's beating myself up for being so tired after the holidays and being mad at myself for still having Christmas decorations up, and for being lazy and feeling like I'm not accomplishing much. Not this year! Because I have finally learned! 

January is a gift! 

It's cold and dreary out there. Not very inviting. So stay home! You'll be on the go again soon enough. I used to be mad at myself for just wanting to sit on the couch bundled in a blanket reading. But why? Isn't January the perfect time to do just that? My decorations may not be put away yet. So what? So they're not put away by the 10th? They will be by the 20th or 30th. I'm very tired the first part of January every year. I have finally learned to just listen to my body and rest up. Instead of being so frustrated, I just know from experience that the first two weeks of January, I'm tired! And it won't last. I'll be a normal fully-functioning person again by mid to late January. So enjoy the January gift. Can you imagine if we had to go from December straight to October and all the Fall busy-ness, or straight to May and yard work? I love that we go from the busy holidays to the quiet month of January. 

So put that movie on for the kids, and find yourself a good book to read. January's gift to us? Restoring ourselves for the rest of the busy year!"