sage says

today sage spent a solid two hours of quiet time "reading" (she really does read simple books, but i love when she pulls out magazines and scriptures and "reads" them) to her dolls and just looking at books. this girl adores books, and nora is following suite. it makes me so happy. sage is passionate about dancing and music and singing and frozen and joy school and changing outfits and french braids and scootering and pancakes and her grandparents. she is a solid helper and a rule follower. she is usually patient and gentle with nora. when she is sad, a tight hug and a good snuggle can solve any of her problems. i love watching her interpret the world. some moments from the last six months...

as she takes a bath with nora: "mom! there's too much water in here! nora might drain! (drown)"

looking up at mt. rushmore: "i like the man with the mustache on his chin," referring to abe lincoln

as we slowly drive through yellowstone national park: "peel your eyes! look for animals!"

saying a prayer: "and we're thankful we can go swimming after church...wait, mom, do we swim after church?"

chuckling to herself: "i hung my goggles up on a hanger. it's like the funniest joke i've ever seen!"

pretending to voice text into her fake cell phone: "melissa. period. i'll be down there in ten minutes. period. okay, bye. period." (another confirmation that she watches everything i do)

after school: "mom, we had a lesson in honesty today. nora is going to get jam all over her face if she eats that sandwich. i'm being honest right now."

one i hope she'll never grow out of: "mama! did you saw that?!"

playing with nora: "if you don't play the game, you WON'T GET A TREAT FROM GOOGLE." (the ultimate punishment apparently, since nate often brings home candy from his office)

and lastly, sage was assigned to recite the fifth article of faith in primary a few months ago. but, the way sage memorizes is by song, so instead she sang it for everyone...and then received a standing ovation from the other kids. hah! it was a good show.

sf + napa + michelin stars

i'm so behind on documenting that i need to just jump in and start somewhere! and this somewhere is a pretty great place to start. the annual girls' trip with some of my favorites from our chicago days was close to home this year (and we just so happened to MOVE the same day...busy!). we stayed in the city, but drove out to wine country on saturday for natural mud baths, michelin-starred restaurants, and vineyard upon vineyard of exquisite color. i thought we'd missed the fall colors, but all the vineyards were a mix of red, orange, and yellow. not bad, napa.

i was simultaneously grossed out and completely relaxed during my first mud bath. we literally climbed into concrete tubs of thick, gooey mud, then had more mud gently dumped on us, followed by a clean bath, a steam, and a nap bundled in blankets with cucumbers over our eyes. my skin did feel silky when we were done though (could this be the placebo effect?). we chilled in the natural hot spring pool that felt like a giant hot tub before dining in nearby yountville that night.

meals at the ferry building, foreign cinema, solbar, ad hoc, and of course bob's donuts didn't disappoint. these weekends go by way too fast, especially when you come home to a disaster zone afterward. i always leave feeling refreshed and so grateful for these girls. until next fall!