arts + leisure

her life size self portrait

in an effort to not concentrate on the fact this family has had a cyclical germ-bug event happening for the first two months of the year...i thought i would highlight the wonderful vacations had and how evia seems to be coming into her own - in the arts!

when a girls weekend was suggested with two very dear friends, there was no hesitation. i am a firm believer in the power and necessity of nurturing our female relationships as women. everytime i do this, i come away revived, healed in someway and inspired by the stories shared.  in this case, it was a one-nighter in calistoga. i drove up friday, got to do happy hour with becky and her dance-mom's crew and then switch cars at karen's and complete the drive to the hotel in napa. the night started with an INCREDIBLE pre-fixed menu, meal at the restaurant on property. a little bubbly, a late night dip in the hot tub, a hike in the morning, delicious breakfast lake-side and great conversation on the way home and throughout the time together! i'm a lucky lady to have such incredible friends.

san francisco from marin

intimate restaurant on the ranch property

beautiful dates and old roomies, becky karen + jess

the pictures i got on my phone as the weekend transpired. made my heart burst

our rooms outdoor shower

our deck that connected our rooms, where we hot-tubbed

in front of our dreamy accommodations

morning hike on property

breakfast view

little kale, green apple juice shots they brought out while waiting for our feast

 

we peeked into the on-site wine cave (for private events)

 

saying goodbye to the gorgeous ranch

 

we were lucky enough to get a little drive-by tour of karen and andy's neighborhood and their hoppin' gym. there was a packed class inside being lead by andy as we peeked inside.

if it couldn't get better. my sisters had also made the drive to the bay area and we rendezvoused  in the east bay for a overnighter at gami and papa's, reminiscent of the summer's spent just the three of us, with our sweet grandparents! we drove up to mt. diablo for a spectacular view. feasted on in n out burgers and sat fireside chatting and taking-in the uninterrupted visit. it was so special. 

so windy and cool atop mt. diablo. anna, gami and em

 

another precious pic from papa, while i was away - showing me all the fun being had

the third trip was a snow vacation. originally planned for the 2nd to last weekend of february...but the girls both had bronchitis and we had to cancel. we were so sad, especially since we had grandma t and grandpa mikey going with us. the following weekend with both girls confirmed healthy, we surprised them, by hopping in the car and making the drive. we got down to big bear on a friday night. ate dinner at the hotel and took in the beautiful scenery of the previous weeks snow-fall, layered on the tree lined terrain. we woke up to fresh snow falling and blanketing the ground. all bundled we headed to the teddy bear cafe for a DELICIOUS breakfast (i get excited about food). at 10 we were at the tubing slopes and had the best time doing the runs together as a family. mila mostly with mama and evia mostly with papa (the exception of one run where we switched littles). we stayed for 4 hours with a sandwhich hot cocoa break - and didn't stop laughing our entire time playing in the snow! diegas and i loved how kid-focused the mini vacation was. although it was a short one, it was entirely devoted to our little loves. the more of those we can fit in to our year, the better!

gorgeous drive through desert with the snow capped mountains in the distance

there was some white-knuckled driving both up and down as we drove through storm clouds 7500 ft. up

this little lady slept for 3 hours in the car on the way there, so eating dinner and walking around at 10pm while everyone was sleeping seemed like a good idea to her

watching the snow fall when she woke - dressed and ready to get out in it!

stretching that little sleepy body after staying up so late!!!

the yummy teddy bear cafe for a hearty breakfast before we hit the tubing-slopes!

mila did not want her photo captured at the lake!

magic carpet hand-holding

mama just isn't allowed to be in front of the camera!

our family photo captured while SNOW FELL

coming out of the clouds as we descended the mountain was breathtaking. all of san bernadino was lit up and you could see showers in the distance.

lastly, evia's art. she seems to have really taken an interest in the details. she has always loved art (as does mila), but it seems the last two months...her eye is getting more sophisticated. it is so fun to watch her become inspired by daily events, movies and discussions. she'll sit down and whip out a sketch of what she sees in her little mind. it's extraordinary for us to see her develop this skill. she also finally convinced me to let her try flamenco. she's done the mommy-me ballet route, but we haven't branched from that. and after listening to her interest the last two fiesta's in the beautiful dancers, we gave it a try. she's had one class and it was as if she found her people. i loved watching her stomp those feet, clap her hands and shimmy that skirt. she was having a ball and that brings a mama so much joy!

the morning she drew this fire truck, we were awoken with flashing lights outside. an apartment was on fire across the street. a couch too close to a wall heater. all were ok and minimal damage...but this little artist went straight to work on her masterpiece.

after watching how to train your dragon 2, evia had dragons on the mind. you can even see hiccup in the drawing on the left flying below his dragon. :)

this painting is described by evia as her playing in the rain while a rainbow is in the sky, because the sun is also out

here we are in big bear, where she was practicing her spelling and working on staying in the coloring book lines

 

 

my tiny dancer doing her barre work. plies in first position

 

and then there are just a few fun pics from the last couple of months to include!!