on monday i received an e-mail from barbara, my wonderful former boss and the mother of the kids i used to nanny, asking if ellie and i were free today to visit them at their incredibly beautiful orinda estate. i was excited to hear from her, as we hadn’t seen them since last summer and it was about time we got together to catch up!

we arrived at 10 o’clock sharp and spent about an hour on the floor in the foyer talking, making music and playing with the kids’ extensive collection of beanie babies. ellie was in heaven.

… and BOY, did she loooove ellie (aka: “ellie n.” or “big ellie”). she’s always fascinated with bigger kids, but it was like big ellie was her long lost sister. she followed her around like a puppy the whole time. luckily, big ellie enjoyed little ellie just as much ;)

after lots and lots of playing, barbara was kind enough to make the kids grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. it was actually ellie’s first grilled cheese EVER … i know, i know. it’s super weird that i’ve NEVER made my kid a grilled cheese sandwich. i don’t know why. but OMIGOSH she looooved it! she sat at the table with everyone (in a very big chair on top of two phone books) and ate her entire lunch with only small amount of encouragement from me. it was amaaaazing :)

after lunch the girls and i took a walk around the grounds, down past the stables and the garden (where they’re growing sunflowers and pumpkins) and over to the chicken coop to see the birds. they have chickens, pigeons, finches and even baby quails! ellie enjoyed waving to all of them and saying, “hi, chickens!” over and over again.

then we walked down past the putting green and chinese tea house to the pools. on our way we saw lots of flowers and ripening blackberries and the sun was shining through the trees and everything was lovely <3

we had so much fun with the novogradacs and can’t wait until the next time we get to see them. thank you, novo mama and kids, for having us :) we love you!

yes, another wedding! ryan’s uncle bob’s stepdaughter crystal (did you follow all that?) and her fiancee-now-husband anthony got married on saturday in a catholic ceremony at st. bede’s church in hayward. happiness was written all over their faces as they exchanged vows in front of a large crowd of friends and family.

despite the long ceremony (nearly an hour and a half – whew!) ellie was amazingly well-behaved and we never had to take her outside. we had plenty of snacks handy and she was even fascinated by the spanish bible for a little while. gloria a dios en las alturas! ;)

the reception was held at the newark community center, and we felt like VIPs because uncle bob kept delivering bottles of wine to our table. score! :D dinner was delicious … there was even an entire roasted pig, which … i declined to eat. i’m sure it tasted good, i just don’t like seeing what my dinner used to be :\ ignorance is bliss.

one of the best things about the day was that ellie’s auntie danielle flew up from southern california to be there. we haven’t seen her since christmas and ellie loves her, so it was nice for them to reconnect <3

ellie had a bit of a breakdown near the end … it was a long day and she took an early nap, so i don’t blame her. we came home and let her run around for a bit, and when we put her down she fell right to sleep.

a very big congratulations to crystal and anthony. we wish them a long and happy life together :)

big event #1 : the wedding rehearsal
st. mary’s chapel, moraga

ryan, ellie and i left the house at 3:15 on friday afternoon to make matt & alyssa’s 4:15 wedding rehearsal in moraga. had we anticipated the horrendous traffic jam that was 580, we would have left at least 30 minutes earlier … we didn’t arrive at the chapel until nearly 5 o’clock. luckily we weren’t the only ones who found ourselves stuck in traffic, so the rehearsal was just starting as we walked in. phew.

big event #2 : the rehearsal dinner
piatti ristorante & bar, danville

after a quick run-through of the ceremony (ellie did great), we drove to a really cute italian restaurant in danville for the rehearsal dinner. leroy and bunny, matt’s parents, rented a private dining room behind the bar with four round tables and our very own wine & food server named doug :) all of us in the wedding party were in attendance (minus the tiniest ring bearer and flower girl who went home to bed), as well as all of the bride and groom’s parents and grandparents. everything about the evening was lovely, from the company to the conversation and the capellini pomodoro to the tiramisu. it was the perfect way to start the weekend.

big event #3 : the ceremony
st. mary’s chapel, moraga

there was NO WAY we were going to be late to the chapel again, especially when it mattered most. i got up early on saturday morning, went to the salon and got my hair done, came home and did my makeup and met the rest of the girls at st. mary’s at 11 o’clock sharp. ryan followed in a separate car with ellie when she woke up from her nap – yes, she went down for a morning nap, hooray! – and they got to the chapel about a half hour later. the ceremony didn’t start until 12:30, but there were pictures to be taken :)

everything about the procession went as planned. the groomsmen escorted the parents and grandparents, the bridesmaids followed, and then came the ring bearers and the flower girls. ellie walked down the aisle holding hands with kate, a super cute red-headed 6-year-old alyssa used to babysit. ryan ran as fast as he could from the vestibule to the front of the pews so ellie would see him and keep walking toward the altar. she did great! and she *even* sat through the ceremony with daddy, armed with all the ritz crackers she could eat :)

the ceremony was really beautiful. it wasn’t a full mass, so no one had a chance to get bored ;) the officiant, an irishman named father paul, gave a lovely homily about how saying “i do” really means saying “i will,” among other thoughtful words about love and marriage <3

big event #4 : the reception
shannon community center, dublin

the party, like most wedding receptions, was filled with friends and fun. we ate, we drank, we danced … and, need it be said? ellie was a perfect dream child. all she wanted to do was talk, laugh and run around. we left around 6:30, brought her home and she went right to sleep. nothing about the day could have gone any smoother.

the happy couple is now enjoying their honeymoon in paris <3 congratulations, matt & alyssa! it was a truly memorable weekend for all of us :)

[matt + alyssa = love]

this week is a whirlwind of appointments and errands and preparations for the events of this coming friday and saturday … and i’m not even the bride, ha! turns out it’s a lot more work being a bridesmaid AND the mother of a flower girl.

i spent sunday and monday at the mall in search of something to wear to the rehearsal dinner. today i went looking for a new pair of dress shoes for ellie (no luck, so i’ll have to go again on wednesday), and tomorrow i need to get a mani/pedi and my eyebrows done before i swing by matt’s mom’s house to pick up ellie’s dress. add all that to the usual mix of gymboree, naps and mealtimes, and you’ve got one busy momma.

the festivities commence friday afternoon at 4:15 when we meet at st. mary’s chapel in moraga for the rehearsal. then matt’s parents are hosting what is sure to be a lovely dinner at an italian restaurant in danville called piatti. ellie will be joining us at the chapel, but grandma shirley will be picking her up from the restaurant because her bedtime is promptly at 7 p.m. (thank you, grandma)!

saturday will be an early morning for me, as i need to be at victoria’s salon at 8:00 for my hair appointment. alyssa wants the bridesmaids to meet at her house and leave for the chapel by 10:15, but i might opt to finish getting ready at home and meet them there with ellie and ryan at 11.

i’m a little anxious (ok, VERY anxious) about how ellie might behave during the ceremony because it’s scheduled to begin at 12:30, the exact time she typically goes down for her nap. but i have faith in ryan that once she makes it down the aisle, he can appease her with snacks (and possibly a new toy) until matt and alyssa’s big kiss seals the deal :) and then, assuming she sleeps in the car on the way to the reception, she should be good to go until the end … or … almost the end … i hope. please?

and there will be photographs aplenty!

happy wedding week, matt & alyssa <3 we’re so excited for what’s to come!

today we went to a surprise party for our friend matt, who recently graduated from … whatever school he’s been attending for the past five years :D i’m a bad friend for not knowing the details, but i’m pretty sure it means he’ll be able to rake in lots more dough to help make his and alyssa’s marital dwelling into her dream home … or at least closer to it ;)

ellie was such a good girl (as uuuuusual). she seemed to enjoy being the center of attention once she got comfortable. she really enjoyed playing with the water from alyssa’s cool backyard fountain, and she even joined in a game of catch with matt!

congratulations again, matt. we’re proud of you!

a little after four o’clock yesterday afternoon, our good friends eric and alicia welcomed their first baby, a precious little girl they named brylie mckenna blum. she weighed eight pounds, five ounces and measured 21 inches long at birth.

it’s been a long road for mommy alicia, as brylie was estimated to arrive on may 5th, 16 days before her actual birthday. they scheduled an induction for thursday morning and labor lasted more than 30 hours. but in the end, daddy eric received the greatest gift ever when his little girl arrived on his 29th birthday <3

we had a chance to visit them in the hospital tonight and were thrilled to meet little miss brylie at just one day old. she was so teeny-tiny! i almost forgot how little ellie used to be <3

we spent a little more than an hour with the happy family of three before wishing them a good second night together and heading home. in the car we reminisced about our own baby girl at that age, and we both agreed that we’re sooooo glad she’s bigger now :) sleepless nights and all that stress … oh, the fun they’re going to have! but what a ride it’ll be, and we couldn’t be happier for them.

congratulations, eric & alicia! brylie is absolutely beautiful.

[ . lane . riette . kailyn . ellie . sinclair . ]

today we had our friends kori and summur and all four of their kiddos over for a playdate. it was so nice to see them again, and to finally meet sinclair, lane and riette. ellie just kind of stood by in awe of her fellow little people as they scaled the stairs, explored the house and played with her toys :) she got overwhelmed and cried a few times (typical ellie!), but overall she did great.

thanks for coming all the way out, guys! we’re so glad you did <3