Blessed be the little girls, Kaya and Ava. I am so happy I have two beautiful little baby girls. They keep me so busy. I take them on walks every morning and also to the park before lunch. I let Kaya run it out and she uses everything; the slide, the swings, the sandbox, the bridge to somewhere, and the hanging bars.

Ava at almost six months, enjoys watching her sister and I run around on the grass. We have a true green park up here in the mountains of Northern Arizona. The residents built the park at the turn of the century to remind them of the more manicured East Coast.

I still get homesick though, even though I have made some close friends in the mommy world. I have been hanging out almost every day with a gal by the name of Bethany. A beautiful artsy local woman who lived for five years in San Francisco, working at a funky coffee house in Cole Valley. She is actually from our little town here, born and raised, and has three children who range in age between eleven and two months old. Their names our Bailey, Finn, and most recently Elias. Bethany’s husband is also really interesting, he has a culinary background and lived in Porland, Oregon for several years. I also spend my time with her close friend, Amber, who lives up in Jerome with her partner, Dean, and toddler, Matteo, and little baby boy, Juno. She is really mellow and also adorable and progressive. Amber and her Dean live in the old shower stalls of the Jerome miner’s. Her house is really remote and has been transformed into a gem on the cliffs.

My third best mommy buddy is Shana, originally from Connecticut and now lives with her husband, Ilan, from Israel, and their little girl, Ahdivah, in a newer housing development closer to Sedona. I have written about them before. I am so thankful to have these three women in the my life, as they are getting me through an isolating, yet divine, still tiring mommy schedule.

I have lost a good fifteen pounds since giving birth to Ava Rose. I am staying fit by taking the stroller up and down steep sidewalks. It is my miniature San Francisco minus all the cool people and shops.

Speaking of miniature, I lost my miniature Schnauzer, Sophie. Old age got the better of her and she died on 8/8/08. I miss her so much but am happy I got to be with her for fifteen years as she sailed with me during my twenties and thirties, living in such towns as; New Orleans, San Francisco, Ann Arbor, Santa Fe, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Sedona, Arizona.