How large an emptiness can a few pounds of charm create?

We just spent a couple of weeks with Ona, Stacey and José in Santa Barbara. We got a week of very hot weather, and Stacey and Ona ended up spending a lot of time (and most nights) with us, while José worked on preparing the trip to Yosemite. The time went fast, and we had a ton of fun with her walking around the house calling for us, jumping in bed with us in the morning, playing with us in the improvised pool, spreading joy with her giggles and ‘mimos’, and in general making us very happy.Today, the three of them left to spend the Summer in Yosemite, and we hope they will have a fantastic time. We can just imagine her running through the meadows, playing constantly, exploring and charming the world around her. I hope they have an AWESOME time, they certainly deserve it, they have worked very hard this year.Just hours into her absence, we are already aching for her. Those few pounds of jumping smiles can leave a huge emptiness behind when they are not jumping around you  
 

Ona in the pool

Ona wandered if she could move fast enough to grab the camera before ‘el nono’ pulled away…

Why we are always smiling around Ona

Give it a try, look at her, try not to smile  

Ona and the Holidays

This year we had, as usual, very nice holidays. The kids in the house, some delightful time off, good food and wine, peaceful sitting by the fire… Just these family pleasures made for a great time…

But there was an extra blessing this time, Ona, smiling, crawling around the house, grabbing glasses, mouthing on everything, giggling, stealing our hearts over and over. She made for an unforgettable time.

Then, the kids left, and Ona with them, and we both felt the real empty nest feeling, the feeling of not being with Ona…