The three kids are growing and maturing. Balancing time with kids and time at work and time with Seth and time for our own sanity is challenging, but I think we're getting better at it. Having an au pair really helps. When she takes care of some of the mechanics of just getting kids fed and delivered to day care, our time with them can be more relaxed and focuses on having fun or learning.

Moby

Moby has been blooming since he started kindergarten. He invents things to build and draw and takes initiative to create them. Below are three examples.

	Moby's drawings are sometimes quite complex.
	March 7: This airplane was a spontaneous construction. Moby got the idea himself and built it all by himself.
	April 3: Moby drew his own version of the Snakes and Ladders game, with some innovative twists. For example, instead of dice he cut out three pieces of paper with numbers on both sides. You have to do eenie-meenie-miney-moe to pick one of the pieces, and then toss the paper in the air to see which number lands on top.

Arlo

Arlo continues to be the sweet child. His sense of empathy sometimes exceeds Moby's and oftentimes he is better at playing with Sonoma than is his older brother. Growing up in the shadow of an older sibling means he rarely gets to be best at something and recently has developed a passion for competing where he can: being first to the toilet, being first out the door, being first into his car seat, getting his seatbelt buckled first. Growing up in the shadow also means he gets to try and learn many things at a younger age than Moby did.

Arlo's drawings have been growing more complex lately. He still draws people with arms and legs sticking directly out of the head, but other sophisticated elements are entering his drawings. He can write his name and likes to add letters into his drawings. He also likes to draw complicated geometrical patterns.

Sonoma

Sonoma turned one and started walking 2 or 3 weeks earlier. She's learned a fiesty scream to ward off her sometimes-overwhelming older brothers. She prefers to feed herself than to be fed. She excels at her key survival skill -- being cute.

Fun with Dad!

With three kids it's challenging to find time to focus on their individual abilities and needs. We've been finding that splitting duties so one parent takes Sonoma and the other does something more grown up with the boys works well.

During Moby's winter break at school in February, Seth took both boys on a road trip. He borrowed a trailer from Grandpa Dick that converts into a tent-like sleeping contraption. He took the boys to Pinnacles National Park. They went to some caves, slot canyons with breakdown on top to be precise, and the boys had a good time. Moby wants to go caving again. Arlo was a little intimidated at first but did well once they were going through the cave.

March: Seth bought an RC airplane that the kids could help assemble and fly. Here you can see the obys decorating the freshly assembled plane. Its virgin flight was in Baylands Park, less than half an hour from home. Seth has a setup with two remote controls wherein he can take off, then Moby can take over and fly for a while, and Seth can take over if Moby gets in trouble. Arlo didn't want to try flying. Moby did pretty well, in part because he's been practicing on the computer in a simulator.

The Big Kids

In March Seth and Ania went on a date day. Natalia got all the kids to school and day care in the morning and picked them up in the afternoon. Seth and Ania drove to Laguna Seca Raceway for a motorcycle track day. It's good for the parents to get out and play sometimes. Happy parents with a good marital relationship make better parents than exhausted frustrated people. We try to remember this and take time out to do things as a couple sometimes. This was one of those days. It would have been more romantic if Ania hadn't crashed in the first session.