The Easter Bunny Hops Down the Lane

Welcome to Easter at Charlotte and Max' house, where we had Grandma JuJu in attendance, if only for that morning.  It got off to a bang, as you can see below.  Even before breakfast, Charlotte had already gone through her Easter basket (note the bunny ears in her hair).

31 March 2013

After eating breakfast and getting dressed, Max and Charlotte were ready for their first Easter egg hunt of the day!

31 March 2013

Max took his time opening the eggs he found; it reminded me of Christmas morning, when he took forever to open his presents because he spent so much time investigating each new gift.

31 March 2013

This, of course, gave Charlotte plenty of time to hunt for eggs on her own.

31 March 2013

And whereas Max strongly prefers casual dress (hmm ... I wonder where he gets that?),  Charlotte is all too ready to dress up for a special occasion.  Above she sports a dress given her by Grandma Cheryl.


Hunting for the eggs left by the Easter Bunny in our front yard ...

31 March 2013

31 March 2013

Max proudly shows off his Easter basket, not even noticing that just behind him Charlotte has found the golden Easter egg!

31 March 2013

After dropping Grandma JuJu at the airport so that she could return to Chico, California, we went to a delightful party hosted by our friends Matt and Debbie!  Max and Charlotte dyed Easter eggs -- not to mention their hands -- for the first time ...

31 March 2013

31 March 2013

 '
... played (in the dirt) in the yard ...

31 March 2013

... and enjoyed one more Easter egg hunt!  (Note the Easter egg dye-stained hands.)

31 March 2013

I have to say that it was a pretty great day.  And we're looking forward to a lovely spring, as, I hope, are you!


--- Shawn (for Jenn and Charlotte and Max and Lucy and Rufus)

Catching Up with Max and Charlotte

Since it's been over 5 weeks since I've last updated you on Max' and Charlotte's doings, I thought I would briefly touch on a few highlights.


While I was Back East attending a meeting of the Cassini CIRS team in Greenbelt, Maryland, Max and Charlotte got haircuts.  It was Max' second haircut and Charlotte's first.

8 February 2013

8 February 2013

Here's a picture of Max before his haircut (left) and with his new hairdo (right).

27 January 2013

17 February 2013

And here is Charlotte before (left) and after (right).

20 January 2013

17 February 2013

If you had to stare a little harder at Charlotte's before and after pictures to glean the difference, that's probably because the only reason Charlotte got her hair cut was that Max got his cut, and so she just got a little trim.


We took a visit to the Los Angeles Zoo in February.  The petting zoo is as popular with Charlotte and Max as it ever was.

17 February 2013

17 February 2013

And on this trip, we were lucky enough to be joined by our friend Ronan (and his mother Cindy, whose hand can be seen in the upper left of the picture below).

17 February 2013

Ronan wore his pajamas to the zoo.  Would that I could be equally comfortable wearing my pajamas in public!  It sure would save a lot of time in the mornings getting ready for work.


Jenn had another wonderful idea: build a sandbox for Charlotte and Max in our front yard!  I must admit that I couldn't fully appreciate her vision at the outset.  As you can see, Max and Charlotte were happy to help in the construction.

23 February 2013

February is pretty warm in Pasadena, California; so it made for pretty hot, dirty and thirsty work.

23 February 2013

Playing in the sandbox is pretty hard work, too, though it is fun!

1 March 2013

Being a Jennifer Raftery production, this is no run-of-the-mill sandbox.  It comes complete with a kitty-proof cover, which folds out into convenient seating for parents!


Max and Charlotte are getting bigger ...

7 March 2013

... but are still not yet so big that they can't both squeeze into tight places together.


And Charlotte and Max recently got to spend an evening with their cousins Patrick and Natalie, who traveled all the way down from Chico, California.

9 March 2013

9 March 2013

If Max' raised arms doesn't tell you, much fun was had!  And we're looking forward to visiting with Natalie and Patrick again.


In the meantime, I invite y'all to come visit Charlotte and Max at our home and enjoy a nice glass of wine whilst seated in their new sandbox!  It's a surprisingly relaxing way to spend a late afternoon.

--- Shawn (for Jenn and Charlotte and Max and Lucy and Rufus)