Greta wore her last Oliver+S Rollerskate dress to death. She wore it a lot, and I only just retired it even though it was a size 18-24 months. It was showing a little too much leg... and bottom. So I made her a new one. I figured I was playing it safe with purple... but she doesn't like it. I think I need to loosen the elastic and then I hope she'll wear it because I love how it turned out. Simple and classic. And I know that if she just wears it, she'll love it!

Holly graduated from Preschool this week and just about broke my heart. I'm not sure why childhood flies by so quickly, but it's moving like a freight train with no brakes. The start of kindergarten has me reeling. I feel like now she has to grow up. And it's all happening way too fast...

It was fun to celebrate her! She's had a lot of fun in Preschool. She went twice a week for 2.5 hours. Now we're onto summer and hopefully having a lot of fun before we begin what will be the many years of daily school attendance. Lots of growth and learning, but also a lot less time in the home with me. Breaking my heart. But at the same time, let's see how far you can soar Holly Bear.

On my Mom's last day visiting, we went to Seacliff Beach. It was such a HOT day. Usually there's at least breeze, usually a strong wind, off the ocean, but there was almost nothing. The waves were so soft - it was the perfect ocean for the children to play in! And we all wanted to be in the water because the beach was so hot (except for Greta - she was one day 1 of tonsillitis). The sand burned our feet. Seacliff Beach is kind of a funny beach. It has pretty palm trees and beach homes and then it also has a pier and a sunken concrete ship that is basically stinky bird paradise.

The week my Mom was here was amazing for wildlife watching. We saw lots of dolphins at this beach - some of which were babies. We watched them slowly make their way north and then back south again. They were jumping out of the water and so close! It was incredible!

I had such a great time with my Mom. It was really fun to have her in my home with my family. I loved it!

I made both my girls chambray Oliver+S puppet show shorts. I thought these would make a great basic for summer. When I finished them, Greta said to me, "I don't want shorts! I want a skirt!" Needless to say, she has yet to wear them. And I don't think she ever will. She would not wear them just for some pictures. Holly has yet to really wear hers. I think I need to remind her that they're in her drawer. Or I need to stick to skirts and dresses! Either way, I just love these shorts. They're so cute, simple and childish.

While my Mom was here, we took her to my favorite beach - Sunset Beach. It's at the top of the Monterey Bay. I love the sand dunes, I love the way it looks! It feels a little rustic I think, but the beach is so nice and there's always lots of shells. Greta played like crazy in the water with my Mom. When Greta was a baby, she would cry so hard if we so much as held her while standing in the ocean never mind dipping her little toes in. The roar of the waves used to be so upsetting for her. But now, she's in and out of those waves laughing and enjoying her little self. We had such a wonderful time at the beach. And, lucky us, we saw whales! I've never seen whales in the wild, but it's been on my bucket list. It was such a thrill to watch them slowly making their way north. After some research, I've concluded they were Gray whales, momma and her calf. They're at the very end of when whales migrate through Monterey and Santa Cruz, so it was really lucky to see them! What a sight! Oh the wonders of the ocean!

Now for a ton of photos!