Well hello,

April is an auspicious month in the McGerston household: Molly's birthday month.  She didn't get her party last year so this year, with her second birthday, we were determined to give her a great first AND second birthday party.  She wasn't disappointed.  Lots of cake and ice cream, and at least two celebrations.  Of course, we've set a tough precedent here, and she'll now expect every single birthday to to be worth two, but so be it.

We also had Spring Break this month, with the single worst weather ever recorded for the beginning of April for the NW (with apologies to Mike and Kay who flew out from Minnesota to spend that week with us, soggy and cold).  Still, we had a good time at our place near Mt Baker, and for a few days at Roche Harbor on San Juan Island as well.  Lucy gets a kick out of seeing where Mommy and Daddy got married (The Sunken Garden).

The weather did eventually get better and, it being April, a lot of the photos this month involve daughters picking flowers.  Hopefully, you won't find them too sappy or cliche, but if you do, don't tell the girls: they think they invented the sport of flower picking.  You'll also see that more and more pictures have the girls doing stuff together.  Lulu and I are amazed and grateful at how much fun the sisters are having together, and I think the photos show that.

Here you go: http://www.curtgerstonphotography.com/april09/

Enjoy.

Poppa McGerston

Well, Hello!

I'm posting pictures a little early this month because we are leaving on vacation, lasting into the first week of April.

This month's selection features lots of dancing with Lucy, lots of goofiness with Molly (exhibit A, above) and a smattering of other activities.  Lucy continues to enjoy her ballet, but her real growth is with books: she's beginning to read, and her parents are, as you can imagine teachers would be, rather pleased.  Molly is turning two in a week, and is asserting her rights, as a two-year-old will, to completely subjugate all around her to her will.  She is the most powerful being in the universe now, and she knows it.  She's also damn funny, which makes it all tolerable.  And you should hear her sing...

The pictures can be seen here:

http://www.curtgerstonphotography.com/march09/

Enjoy, and we'll have lots more, including Molly's birthday party pictures, next month.

Hello Everyone,
February was a short but busy month, punctuated by one big trip: Hawaii.  So, the gallery this month is mostly shots taken in the warmth of South Pacific, and if viewing them happens to help you through these colder days of late winter, than all the better. 

In fact, if you need a little extra warmth, I've posted a second (much larger) gallery of pictures from Maui, including many shots of the aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents who were part of the trip.

In the february gallery are a few other shots of life in Seattle as well, including visits with Gramps (Allan), and Lucy's first ballet class (!).  Enjoy, and warm your hands by the computer screen.

http://www.curtgerstonphotography.com/february09/
http://www.curtgerstonphotography.com/maui09/

Happy New Year!

So the big news, of course, is our new president.  But, while our girls missed the inauguration, they continued to bring about their own "change we can believe in."  Molly has become a singer: "tinkle tinkle witto star...." and etc, which she'll chant any time she feels like a little ditty.  She's also becoming a rocker and will specifically ask for a "rock song" in the car. Lucy has been enjoying reading to her sister and teaching her stuff (about dinosaurs, volcanoes, princesses, you name it...).  We enjoyed a lot of time outside this month, including time at our cabin in Glacier, and a wonderful time at a cabin near Naches, on the eastside of the Cascades, belonging to our friends, the Webers.  This cabin, as you'll see in the photos, is the definition of the word "rustic": its heated by three wood stoves, and it was 21 degrees in the cabin (24 outside) when we arrived.  

Enjoy the snowy photos...February's pics, I suspect, will be of different flavor: We're headed to Hawaii.

Link: http://curtgerstonphotography.com/january09/

~Lucy's and Molly's Dad

Well, hello, happy holidays and happy new year!

This month, a month filled with presents, family and, for the first time in a decade, real snow in Seattle (lots and lots of it), our best gifts were, of course, the girls: Molly went from about 10 words to about 1000, and she seems to think everything she says is funny; she'll be a comedian for sure.  Lucy will be the artist: whether it be drawing (she has a knack) or dancing (the sugarplum fairy is her inspiration) she is finding new ways to express herself, and entertain the rest of us. Perhaps the finest gift is how much Lucy and Molly clearly love each other, as I think is evident in the pictures. They've become inseparable.  

Here's the link to this month's pictures: http://www.curtgerstonphotography.com/december08/

AND, as a bonus for those who wish you could have the Girls photos with you at all times while on the move, I have a new feature this month: an iPhone compatible gallery!  So those of you with Apple's wonder device (Me, Kyle, Jenn, Andrew, Katie, Ryan.... anyone else?)  try this link: http://www.curtgerstonphotography.com/december08iphone/  It's a little goofy, but works: click on a thumbnail to view the photo bigger....click outside of the photo to close it and go back to the thumbnails.

In theory, those with other smart phones such as Blackberries can view it too....let me know if it works.  And if you don't have an iPhone yet, go ahead, stimulate our economy and treat yourself to one.

Enjoy our new year, a hopeful one to be sure.

~Curt