G-bread House Party

We hosted our second annual Gingerbread House Decorating Party. It's a great opportunity for Addie to hang out with her old daycare pals, and Cap and I to catch up with this group of parents who have really enjoy. Plus the Mom's like to get crafty ourselves on the houses once the kids have run off to play. After Addie left I went peppermint crazy on the back of her house and now she likes to come up to it and like the candy. Gross.




Yes, the Dads were in attendance too but they migrated out the backyard.

My mom arrived last night and the sun came out. Should be a most wonderful Christmas!

A Colorado Thanksgiving

Yes, I finally got around to downloading and then uploading my photos from our fabulous trip to Colorado over Thanksgiving. Our trip was filled with wonderful friends and lots of snow.


Addie and Arden enjoying the hammock at our rental house in Salida where we showered our high school friend Dara with baby gifts.


Eliza trying out life with her snow hat.


Feeding the ducks


Sawyer, Arden and Addie on the run


Drive-by photos of fuzzy cows. Eliza was enamored of course.


Plenty of static electricity


Sunrise and moonset behind Reid's house in Grandby


The big kids doing a lap on the nordic ski trail.


So proud of our little California girl.


Donut time. Addie and Eliza loved getting to play with Sawyer and Arden at their house for a whole week.


Eliza's new best friend, Duncan.


Two girls in a sled


Snow angel Addie


a true ice pop


Reid and I. We got to talk and talk and talk and talk. Poor Cap.


Street sledding


Addie being Addie


The Godlings


Eliza and Cap take on the sledding hill


Taking a moment to relax.

You can check out all of our Colorado photos here. And a HUGE thanks to Reid for opening up her home and heart to us. Love you!

Addie Sings

You may remember Addie's first holiday recital followed by the spring recital. But this year all parents were in attendance, in the second row not the first and Addie was all smiles. There is nothing like 40 kids singing about peace to make you all warm and cozy inside. It was really adorable and she was next to her friend Danika.



Addie was invited to her first sleepover party for Danika's 5th birthday on Saturday night. 15+ kids in PJs attended the "pretend sleepover party" and a few close friends, Addie included, were invited to an actual sleepover. I dropped Addie off at 6 and went back at 9 to check-in and make sure she was still okay with the idea. When she saw me she got all teary and said "But you said I could stay all night!" Of course you can my little independent sprite. Mommy just came to give you a hug and a kiss goodnight. And that was that.

Out of the 5 girls invited to spend the night, two decided they weren't ready before their parents left and one had to have her parents pick up her at 10 pm. It was just Addie, Emi and Danika which was probably the best for Danika's parents! Those three girls take swim lessons together on Saturday and are good friends. Bonus - we like their parents too! Sadly, all three girls will be heading to three separate kindergartens next September. Just when we start to make close friends we get to start all over again. My new year's resolution is going to be to proactively spend more time with friends; invite people over for dinner, guitar hero, playdates and adventures.

15 Months

After coming home from Colorado, I've been neglecting my poor blog. Neglectoblog. The Christmas season has hit me over the heat with a frying pan after returning from an amazing, lovely week visiting wonderful friends over Thanksgiving. Eliza's 15 month birthday though has motivated me get back on the wagon.

Friday was the girls' holiday recital at school. This was the first one for Eliza. She melted my heart in her little cat ears. During the entire recital she sat quiet as a lamb not moving an inch, looking a little like someone had hit her with a Stupify! charm. Afterwards, several parents told me what a hugger Eliza is. I guess she hugs all the parents. She still seems to gravitate towards men but no, I was told she hugged the Moms too. She really is super cuddly and has really gotten into books lately, coming over with an animal book and plopping down in my lap ready to read. She continues to love animals, especially dogs, and was in heaven in Colorado getting to be around first two dogs who would rather she went back where she came from and then Reid's dog Duncan who was such a sweetheart and let Eliza follow him around. Eliza is such a joyous child that she oozes life. I'm feeling pretty darn lucky to have two amazing girls. Gooshy enough?

Oppositeland

We leaving in less than an hour for the airport to spend Thanksgiving week with Reid and her family in Colorado. Addie is super excited to see snow, go sledding and "maybe we'll go ice skating!" which would be a first for her. I'm excited to spend an entire week with my dearest friend from high school and celebrate the imminent arrival of a little baby girl of another wonderful Madeira friend (and wear my new LL Bean duck boots). Cap is hoping to snowboard, and little Eliza has no idea what she's getting into.

Good-bye beach! Hello snow!

14 months

A coworker brought in her 18-month old daughter who is probably the same height as Eliza but resembled a miniature girl. Eliza still looks like a baby, a giant baby that walks. I know Eliza could have taken her in a fight. Eliza even tackled a 7-year-old boy at Disneyland yesterday who was wearing a Nemo hat. The tackle is one of Eliza's characteristic moves often sending Addie flat out on the floor with her sister landing on top of her.

Nevertheless Eliza is learning to be gentle and is a big cuddle bug. She goes nutto for dogs and every time she sees one she points and says "dug, dug!" She powered through an extremely long day at Disneyland and fell asleep on my shoulder after the second water slide in Pirates of the Caribbean. It was fun to watch her eyes get huge during the rides. She loved the Jungle Cruise the best and had her mind blown in Haunted Mansion. Addie was a totally delightful Disneyland companion not once complaining about the lines and also quite brave going on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad twice and Splash Mountain for the first time. If you saw my facebook post you'll know which one of us had their eyes shut! (Speaking of Facebook, The Social Network is one the best movies I've seen in ages.)

Happy 14 month Birthday Eliza. You sure are turning into a fun little girl.






A trip to Franklin Canyon

The Big Sister Surprise

The girls have off from school today for Veteran's Day. We are going to surprise Addie with a trip to Disneyland as a reward for being such a great big sister. Obviously.

The Hundred Board

Addie's first Hundred Board. I love those happy, curvaceous, backward nines.

Last week she counted how long we were on the freeway and she got to 140 (with a little help). It was only one exit so not bad. Addie has this thing with freeways. She hates them. Every time we get in the car she asks if we are going on the freeway. If we aren't, we are either going the "regular way" or the "fast way." She's definitely an LA girl if she already knows that the freeway isn't always the fast way.

Sunday Art Section: Cloud Girl

Can you spot a cloud Addie? Hilarious.


Rapunzel with a crown as long as her locks.

I love taking Addie to the movies and I'm looking forward to Tangled not because I think it will fantastic but because I bet Addie will love it. Today we are going to Megamind with her friend Erica. Yay for popcorn and soda treats!

Body Art: Hand and Foot

These are school projects the girls came home with. I love the idea. Maybe we'll do this again next Halloween!


Addie's ghost


Eliza's ghost


Eliza's bat hands. or hand bat.

Dia de los Muertos

Happy Day of the Dead!

For Jamie's birthday we did a Girl's Day Out, spending three hours at the Urban Craft Center in Santa Monica learning about Mexican Sugar Skulls. There was a little too much listening for our taste and not enough crafting, but we had a blast decorating our Mexican sugar skulls once we got started. Now I want to go to Oaxaca, drink Mexican hot chocolate and learn cake decorating.


I must have been watching too much Toy Story as this has an odd resemblance to an evil Buzz Lightyear.





Our Mexican sugar skulls

More photos here!

Peace Keeping Forces

Holy Halloween, Batman!


The caped crusader family


Wonder Woman!


Supergirl!


Sister Power!


The Masked Midwesterners


Weekend festivities included:
Halloween parade at the girls' school attended by Nana, Pop Pop and Cap.
Halloween party at my office attended by Wonder Woman and myself.
Grown-ups only Dinner at Katsyua Hollywood with Nana and Pop Pop.
Addie's swim lesson.
Malibu beach trip.
Halloween block party with Addie's old daycare peeps, attended by the entire crime fighting family, Nana, Pop Pop and Papa Mit.
Day at LACMA.
Halloween party and trick-or-treating at Bobo Fet, Dorothy, Snow White and Mr Banana's house, attended by the caped crusader clan and the masked midwesterners.

Now it's time to eat all of the Milky Ways out of Addie's candy pumpkin and pass out on the sofa. Crime fighting is tough work.

Check out all the photos from Halloween 2010 here!