The Twins Turn Three!

That's right! M&M are three and you know what that means? It means I'm getting older and they're getting faster. In another year, we'll stand almost no chance of catching up to them. Hopefully the Toddler Death Wish will fade away by then, and dashing into the street won't be so alluring. It also means just 15 more years until I can start charging for rent!

As promised, I dusted off Mr. Bear for the annual photos. Of course, they aren't growing quite as fast as they were a year ago, but I took a look back and the Ms definitely have gotten a lot bigger. Check out last year's bear pictures here http://miloandmadeline.blogspot.com/2010_06_01_archive.html; the year before here http://miloandmadeline.blogspot.com/2009_06_01_archive.html; and the very first pictures from October 2008 (their approximate corrected first birthday http://miloandmadeline.blogspot.com/2008/08/long-march-to-september.html.

M&M - 18 June 2011 - a few days after their 3rd birthday.

Maddy

Milo

We had a nice shin-dig to celebrate the big event albeit a few days late, but it all worked out for the best. We had great weather and a good crowd. Unfortunately, I wasn't so good about getting pictures of the party. The ones below are about the best I could come up with.

Above: Maddy - In true San Francisco fashion, she wandered around the whole afternoon in her dress, a fleece and no shoes. And why yes, she still likes cake!

Above: Milo and Jody contemplate the magic of the spinning flower.

Above: Jim, Gretchen, Bryan and Riley (the baby in the foreground), and Milo.

The trampoline was a crowd pleaser as always. Look close and you'll see Maddy stealing one of about a dozen hugs from Callie.

Grandpa also swung by for a visit (yeah, bad joke...). Above, Maddy and Grandpa take a ride on the swings.

M&M out for a stroll with Dad and Grandpa - 26 June 2011.

One of the nice recent developments - the kids will finally walk home from the park on their own steam without running into the canal, traffic, or rolling around on the ground and having a tantrum (well, mostly without a tantrum).

M&M off to the pool - June 2011.

As summer arrives, the kids are asking to swim non-stop. They don't really know how yet, but they love the water and are pretty fearless. Hope to have them in a class shortly, and then it's just a few more steps to their first whitewater boats! One of the downsides of Bay Area weather is that we don't get many warm days without a cold breeze involved.

Above: Some ugly, pale, bald guy and Maddy enjoy the pool together. I don't remember seeign the guy, but Elaine said he looked pretty seedy, so she chased him off.

Milo lounges at the pool side.

Mommy, Grandpa, and M&M heading to the pool in their muscle suits. These swim suits are not only humorous, but they also provide some much needed flotation and warmth. The kids hated them last year but seem to really like them now. I guess the fact that the suits now fit could account for that.

In other exciting developments, M&M received their first bikes for their birthday. Above, Maddy takes the first ride on her new bicycle as Grandpa looks on. Milo also got a new bike, but he's not so into it yet. He's still pretty fixated on his red tricycle and is determined to master that first.

Safety first! Our little diva rocks her helmet on the stairs while Daddy carries her bicycle across the bridge for her.

Maddy demonstrates how all country music is written. June 2011.

Milo shows off his blue eyes, straight teeth, and thick hair. The lucky little guy seems to have dodged his Dad's bad genes on all those fronts. Keep your fingers crossed: he seems to have inherited my temperament.

Above: Maddy does her best Sean Penn imitation - "No cameras!"

Of course, sometimes she loves the camera!

Our silly boy rockin' his sweet red ride in the backyard. This trike is a model of inefficiency. The little guy has another much nicer one and a new bike, but he only has eyes for the little red ride.

Parting shot. Mommy and the new three-year-olds clown around on the trampoline.