all i want from santa is....

"a wii and the magical dust that makes the reindeer fly"
--Gracie

"an orange teddy bear and sponge bob DS game. that's all i want!!"
--Nora Jane

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

hawks & santa passing by....

i always say i want to write down special moments on this blog and tonight was one of them. i wasn't able to get my camera out in time for this moment, but maybe sometimes that happens so when you remember it seems bigger and better than what really happened. BUT that is not the case this time because.....

nora jane saw santa AND he definitely saw her. he came down main street in Redwood City during the holiday parade, turned and waved directly at HER. nora jane, the little girl jumping up & down and screaming "SANTA! SANTA! SANTA!" amongst a bunch of other kids, including her sister and 3 cousins. SANTA saw her & she was all smiles. that type of happiness is infectious and i want to bottle it up and shake it on myself whenever i'm caught up in the less important things.

Halloween....Hawk Style....

Gracie, can I take a picture of you?!....




Nora Jane, can I take a picture of you?





Girls, turnaround for a picture!!!





Are you sure you just want to watch the parade?




Add one silly Daddy dressed up as Woody......and you get the Halloween spirit!

Happy Halloween from your.......

favorite Cowgirl......

....and Bumble Bee!

Bubbles

Reminds me of when she said her first word ... Bubble... In a little voice that just melted my heart.

That's not a hawk!

Mirror signature

Bill & I were tripping out on this. If we hold up to a mirror, is spells
Nora Jane, just with the backwards J.

Nora Jane being pampered

I can spell my name & draw a hamster!

Gracie's tile at school

Gracie and Daddy

Gracie and Mommy

Our School

Big Idea

I want pig tails and a headband, mama.  That's my big idea!!!

Oakland PD in training

Swing Time!

After over 7 years in our little fixer upper, our version of landscaping in the back is a massive play structure for the girls over "grass". Best thing we've done so far! You gotta come over & check out the view from their 2nd floor.

Hawks Bathing in the Shade

Every July we take a trip down south to spend a week of fun in the sun with Los Lynches.

The rest of the year Mommy & Daddy Hawk spend a lot of time responding to questions as follows: How long until we go to "Sun Diego" again? How long is a year from now? Is a month from now tomorrow when I wake up? Etc.

Finally, the special day arrives and the girls are plucked from their little nests at 5AM. Daddy Hawk takes care of the grocery run, car packing, and early AM driving. We usually arrive in San Diego 10-11 hours later after visiting every McDonald's bathroom on the I-5. God forbid the girls(including mommy) coordinate potty breaks.

Some rare pics of hawks in the sun:






We also had Nora Jane's birthday party in San Diego which went down in usual style. See for yourself.



The happier moments:


Yeah, it was staged. (Auntie Annie had whispered "Will you smile for a picture with me if I give you your present?")


"And one more & we'll give you all your presents..."


Note to Mama Hawk: Next year keep "Sun Diego" and the birthday festivities separate.

Happy Birthday to Nora Jane!

NJ is 4!!!! She got VERY angry in the morning in reponse to me wishing her a happy birthday and said "I'm still 3, mama!! My party is in San Diego". We are having a little party with her 3 cousins in San Diego when we go down for our annual beach trip. Apparently, you don't age unless you have a party. Hmmmmm, I think I just might give that one a shot.

Hello Kitty made a special appearance at Rose & Al's daycare to wish NJ a Happy Un-Birthday, nonetheless.

Gracie the Grad and Daddy

Gracie the Grad and Mommy

Gracie and her prescool teachers

Kiddie Hawk Graduates from Preschool

Sniffle, Sniffle, Sniffle...[wiping tears]

Last year Bill & I were slightly torn about whether or not to send Gracie to kindergarten. She's a November birthday & she legally could have started last fall. We went with our gut which told us to wait. We are SO happy we did. She's really grown up this year socially & academically and is so excited for Kindergarten next year. I hope this enthusiasm keeps up until fall. Only time will tell.

Here's her preschool graduation picture:

Hawks Hiding Napkins

hawks dancing....

bill & i went to the girl's 1st ballet/tap recital today. i felt so silly, but i was extremely nervous for my two little loves - nora jane for her unwavering confidence (that can sometimes get her into trouble) and gracie for her fear of people looking at her (especially people she doesn't know).


gracie looked an unusually lighter shade of white in the AM and kept asking me if there were going to be a lot of people there. i thought she might throw up. nora jane was fired up the minute she woke up.


we made it to the ballet studio and i was feeling a bit better until i discovered that half of their ballet class was missing. they didn't realize the recital was an hour before the usual class (weird because even i got the memo on this one). i whispered to daddy hawk that "the dance ringers" weren't there and i think we might have a problem. he gave me a look that said "you're joking, right?" and realized i wasn't. he's said they'd be fine with a look that said "you're nuts".


daddy hawk is always right, they did wonderful and we have video to prove it. i'm so proud of my little hawks.



tap (grace far left & nj far right. note that you have to click in the upper left corner to view the full video on youtube to see the full width to see nj)


ballet

special thanks to daddy hawk for responding to momma hawk's order to get up in the front & film our babies no matter who's in the way.

It means Gooder...

Gracie: I think this game is gooder than that one over there.

Mommy: Sweetie, you are supposed to say 'I think this game is better than that one over there'.

Gracie: What does better mean?

Mommy: Um. Well. It means gooder.

Gracie: Ohhhhhhhhhhh.