I have been remiss

Yes, it has been too long.  I know.  Things around here have been crazy.  Where to begin?  On Sept 20 we welcomed Calder Denali Baldwin into the Baldwin-Killen fold.  That was the same day that Lone Star premiered on TV (unfortunately, it got cancelled, but not before making a pretty big splash in the entertainment news).  Shortly thereafter Grandpa Bob (Kyle’s dad) had major surgery (he’s home now and doing well).  Umm, what else?  Kyle moved back home.  We got a triple stroller and it is huge.  Mars is crawling and pulling up and wreaking havoc and the girls spend a great deal of their time either a) vomiting or b) telling people “you are not my friend”.  I guess that about wraps up the last month or so.  Here are some pics…

This is one of their "you are my friend" moments

Smile!

The crew

Anyone else want to eat some dirt?

Dude, check out my hair?

He loves electronics

Nixie

Mars

The Beast

LA Weekend

I spent 3 nights out in LA visiting Kyle this past weekend.  Dana and Deicy were kind enough to keep the kids (thank you!) while I spent time relaxing with Mr. K.  On Monday night, they had the LA premier of Lone Star and afterwards we went to a for-real Hollywood party at Boa steakhouse in Beverly Hills, hosted by FOX.  We spent the night gambling, sipping cocktails, eating fancy nibblets and watching as a slew of photographers completely ignored us. It was great fun.  Here are a few shots from the weekend…

Eco-Casino party at Boa

With Jimmy (aka Bob Allen, aka Robert Allen)

Hangin on the beach

HUGE billboard at entrance to FOX

Mars – 8 months

Mars is now 8 months old and is (finally!) sitting up without the protective pillow wreath behind him – woo hoo!  He’s becoming more feisty every day – today he discovered the cat food and went to TOWN eating it.  Had cat breathe for the better part of the afternoon but never lost his dimpled smile!  Here are a few pictures from this afternoon.

What? I'm NOT supposed to eat this?

Sitting!

I'm innocent. I swear.

As a side note, does anybody else think that Mars looks strikingly like Nixon at that age?  Check out these pictures (Mars on left, Nixon on right)…

Crawling, running, pottying?

No big events around here lately but the kids have been up to their usual shinanigans.

Mr. Mars is now 8 months old and is pseudo-crawling (he hasn’t figured out how to get those back legs in the mix but he still manages to get around) and pseudo-sitting (he is ANTI-sitting and whenever we have little practice sessions he insists on either a) attempting to stand or b) attempting to crawl.  He’s still as super-sweet as they come but has recently discovered his scream-voice, which he likes to try out randomly to see if I’m paying attention.

The girls are active as usual.  They love to go running with Dad when he’s home on the weekends (Ripples will run a half-mile without any problem) and our afternoons are filled with non-stop playing at various establishments and parks around town.  Lately, we’ve also been working on potty training a little (see pic below) which is not going so well.  Last weekend, after I’d been working with Nixon for a couple of hours, trying to get her to use the potty instead of her underwear, she said, “I am NOT a big girl – I need to wear a diaper!”.

"Uh oh"

Man about town

"Wanna go run?" - R

"How about a tea party instead?" - N

I walked in on this last week (R & baby)

Super sweet girls

Steamboat

We returned today from a week in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.  Somehow, I convinced both grandmothers and Deicy to join me and my crazy kids for our first attempt at traveling since the epic disaster that was our Mexico trip.  The result:  An amazing week. The kids slept at night and played all day and, since I had several other helping hands on board, I got an actual, bonafide vacation out of the deal!

Kyle made it up for the weekend for a little family hike

My little hikers

They saw a man with his shirt off and decided they had to disrobe as well

Mars got so spoiled by his g-moms (he's the only 6 month old eating french fries!)

Nixie - how sweet is this?

This kid LOVES swinging (just like his sisters)

I told them they couldn't drive the neighbor's car so Ripley got out and pushed it

Deicy entertaining the girls

I love this picture

Fabulous Hot Springs pool (Ripley)

Nixie-Fish

Hee hee - what's that middle finger doing there?

Thanks everyone for an amazing vacation!

Hola Deicy!

Our new au pair, Deicy (rhymes with Stacey) arrived a few days ago and has been great so far.  She’s from a small town in Columbia and is Spanish speaking primarily so we’re hoping to learn a lot from her.  In the few days that she’s been here she’s already been a huge help (despite a small language barrier) and the kids already like her, which is a big relief.  Here are a few shots from today…

Deicy and Nixon

With Ripples

The new computer

Looks like Mars is a fan!

Don't bother me now, Mom. I'm working.

Nixie Pixie

What's better than popsicles, a swing, and a new friend?

Goodbye Sweet Stacey

We said Goodbye to our Stacey on Wednesday and it’s been so darn sad.  After two years here, she had truly become a member of the family.  The girls have known her since they were 2 months old.  When I told them she was leaving, they just didn’t understand.  Today, on the way to the mall to get Chick-fil-A, they kept asking if Stacey was going to meet us there (she liked to take them there to play).  When I told them that she had to go back, Nixon said, “we have a black car.  she can drive the car and come back home”.   Of course, we will keep fingers crossed that she can find a way to do just that.

Braveheart meets Lance Armstrong?

My little painted ladies took to the mean streets of Austin.  Here’s the evidence.

Ripley - the evil mastermind

Ripples

Nixon

Nixie takes to the ground

Bathtime!

Habibi’s Hutch

The girls started attending a half-day pre-school a few weeks ago and have been having a great time.  It took them a few days to get used to the place but before long they were crying when I tried to take them home.  The school is kind of a hippie free-form playfest – lots of “potion” making, naked dancing (well, diapered), singing, and painting.  Oh, the painting.  Here are a few shots of the girls as I found them when I arrived on Monday (Nixie was sitting at a table while two other little girls painted her from head to toe)…

Nixon

Ripley

Mars – 5 months

Here are a few cute shots of the little guy, taken by Mr. Austin Baldwin, during our recent trip north.