Avery, who is always getting into things around the house, reached for Q’s wallet yesterday morning before school. When Q asked what she was doing, she responded, “I need money. I am going shopping.”

Uh-oh.

-M

There’s been a real shift at bedtime in our house lately. While we used to (even just a month ago!) be able to plunk Avery in bed and have her go to sleep with no trouble, these days a few books is the minimum – and she still often cries out for more when we leave her bedroom. (“Three more,” she’ll say, holding up her little fingers. “No, five!”)

On the other hand Zoe, who at one time used to demand books, songs and even plays before she would go to sleep, has gotten much more mellow. Q commented just the other day how easy Zoe’s bedtime routine has gotten, and I was reminded of that last night when I told Zoe she could watch another 15-minute show (Dinosaur Train is her new fave) if she promised to go to bed right after. “No tears,” I told her, to which she replied. “I know. I just need a kiss, an ‘I love you,’ and some water. But you know that, right?”

-M

I had to laugh when Avery, who doesn’t always speak in an easy-to-understand way, spotted something at the Farmer’s Market we were visiting this weekend and said (clear as day), “I see a bouncy house, Mommy. I want to go in it.” We wound up letting her and her sister go down a bouncy slide, instead, and I was so excited by the picture Q snapped of them at the end. I love the pure joy that kids experience from the simplest of things…

-M

How do you know when a) your baby is no longer a baby and b) the gap between your oldest and youngest is shrinking? Answer: When your oldest’s jacket is immediately handed down to her little sibling. This weekend, Avery officially took possession of Zoe’s size-5T jean jacket – which, though snug on her, Zoe wore as recently as a few weeks ago!

And while we’re talking about the jacket, let’s look at one of the first times Zoe wore it. I could swear it’s Avery in that second pic!

-M

I was the “mystery reader” in Avery’s class one day last week. (Her teacher had warned me that it might be difficult to hold the attention of this group of oft-squirmy 2- and 3-year-olds, but they actually seemed pretty interested in the selection of Sandra Boynton books I brought.) Ever since my visit, Avery has been running around the house carrying books and declaring herself the “wisry reader;” she’s pretending to be one in the videos below.

-M

A small milestone of sorts: Zoe is five and a quarter today! And, as we learned from our traditional quarter-year measurement, she’s up to 47 inches.

-M

Jack Hanna, who you may have seen on TV before, recently made a stop at the San Francisco Zoo. Q and Zoe met up with some friends and went to the show, and then spent the rest of the afternoon running around and playing. (As for Avery, she was sleeping at home with me. But next time!)

-M

Little kids, I’ve learned over the years, have the tendancy to bust out the sweetest, most caring comments at the most random moments. The other night, for example, I was dressed to go walking with some girlfriends when Zoe eyed my hoodie, work-out pants and sneakers and said, “Oh! Pretty!” (Really? I thought. This was the outfit that caught her eye?) And then this morning, I was leaning down next to Avery when she stroked my bare arm. “This your arm,” she said, stating the obvious as toddlers like to do. “It’s beautiful!”

To say those comments made my day would be an understatement.

-M

On the agenda yesterday was more playtime with friends (this time we met up with Zoe’s friends Miles and Zander at a playground), and Avery wasted no time getting to the sandbox.

-M

Zoe, Avery and I kicked off our girls weekend yesterday afternoon with a playdate with Avery’s friends Greta and Natalia. It had been a few months since the three smaller girls last got together – and they were all smiles to see one another. (And they’re hardly babies anymore, no?)

-M

The Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo is a few miles from my work, and I’ve always thought it would be fun to take the girls there. And so, we checked it out after our visit to the office (the verdict: small but cute) – and then enjoyed a picnic at a nearby playground.

-M

The girls’ school was closed today, so I drove them down to Menlo Park to see my office and visit some of my work friends. Neither girl remembered visiting there before, but they fit right into the office environment – enjoying, in particular, playing with tape, scissors and other office supplies. (“Mommy, I love your work,” Zoe told me on our way home.)

If they’re ever looking for a day job – they’re hired!

-M

On our way home from school the other day I asked Avery if she had eaten her “nanners” at lunch. (I admit it: Some baby-talk words still slip out.) “Mommy,” came the stern voice of Zoe from the backseat. “She does not know what a ‘nanners’ is. Please call it a banana so she can learn the word.”

File this one in the little mommy/scolder category!

-M

Every year on Valentine’s Day morning, my mom would give me and my sister a little heart dish filled with M&Ms; it would be waiting for us on the breakfast table and was something I always looked forward to. And so, in the spirit of that, I gave the girls a holiday-inspired breakfast this morning: yogurt with a homemade, heart-shaped granola bar. I think it was a hit! (Thanks for the inspiration, Mom.)

-M

…From our little lovebugs to you.

-M