6 Months

Time seems to have sped up. Strangers in the grocery store or in the security line at LAX remind me how quickly their own kids grew up; how I should enjoy them at this age. I know from my girls how quickly time passes. They grow up too fast.

I look at Xavier and breathe a sigh or relief. He's still a baby.

But not for long. He's half way to one.Two teeth have emerged and he's getting stronger. Not crawling yet. Not even close and i'm relieved. Phew, still a baby. A sweet, smiling baby.  A baby with eczema, who scratches his legs and head until they bleed but still smiles. And a baby that sleeps through the night now.

So thankful. So in love.

Christmas in Chicago

After a few Christmases where my parents flew to LA, we finally sucked it up and decided we'd pack up our clan and brave holiday travel to visit them in cold, windy Chicago. Other than an absurd amount of luggage in a towering mound on a luggage cart, we managed to tackle LAX and arrive at O'Hare without any major hiccups.

We spent the first 5 days with my Mom, Mark and my sister in McHenry. My Mom retired just a month ago and is thrilled to be back in her home with the fat, puffy squirrels and the assortment of winter birds in her backyard. The girls loved looking out the windows at the critters and playing with Gran and Auntie Jennifer. We were total homebodies where we ate, opened presents and ate again. Unfortunately my Bro wasn't didn't to make it, but it was great to hang with my sister and Mom. Santa visited us there and Addie played Santa's helper. She could read the tags on the gifts and distributed every last one of them from under the tree.

The second half of the week we spent with Dad and Nanci in their condo in Northfield. If our time with Mom was about being cozy inside, our time with Nana and Pop Pop was all action. They took Addie to her first nutcracker ballet which is adored. This is a tradition in our family as I went when I was five for the first time. Her favorite parts were the Sugar Plum Fairy and Mother Ginger. We also went to the children's museum, saw the Jellies exhibit at the Aquarium and visited the Museum of Contemporary Art. It was Go Go Go!

Xavier was great during the day but at night he thought it would be great fun to wake up every 2 hours. After several weeks of this, I was on the verge of collapse. I wasn't even sleepy as much as I was a bundle of raw nerves and emotions. This did not make me the most patient parent or the happiest person unfortunately. Nonetheless, I loved seeing the girls play with their grandparents and it was great to hang with my family.

Next Christmas, it's LA or Bust. Come one, come all!


Christmas Eve bubbly in my Grandmother's gorgeous flutes. Don't you love the studio portrait of me and my sibs from 1987?!


Santa's helper


Exhausted and we had only opened the stockings


Christmas baby with a holiday carrot from Santa


Gran and Addie playing


On a cold walk


Pop-Pop playing with the girls


At The Nutcracker


Jellies at the Shedd Aquarium


Playing at the Children's Museum. I really wish we had something like this in West LA.


After several kid-focused events, I picked our adventure - The Museum of Contemporary Art. Minimalist art and toddlers are not a good mix as it turns out. Eliza wanted to touch or step on everything in site. We survived though as did the art.

Check out more photos from our midwestern Christmas here.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Fa La La La La

Nothing is cuter than little kids singing.  Or just standing there. Or jumping up and down.

One night Addie had Mit, Cap and I hold hands circling the Christmas tree to sing carols. It was mortifying but I pretended it wasn't. Aren't I a good mom?!

Seaweed Santa

One of our advent calendar activities was to make a sand (snow) man at the beach. Some days our Advent calendar was just M&Ms or maybe a tiny toy. Other days it was something fun to do that would get us into the Christmas spirit. We were at the beach for Mit's birthday but the sun was rapidly setting so I quickly made this Seaweed Santa. No one was impressed but Addie loves the Santa hat and has worn it to bed on more than one occasion.

Papa Mit Turns 70

On December 11, we celebrated Mit's big 7-0 with a family dinner at his favorite spot - Paradise Cove Beach Cafe in Malibu. After our feast, we ran out to the beach just catching the sun setting over the ocean. The girls stripped off their pants but kept on their parkas to play in the surf. 

What would we do without Mit? We are so lucky to have him across the street from us. He is always on hand to help us out -- which turns out is pretty much every day. Have I mentioned that having three kids is really hard?! He picks up Addie from school, helps her with homework, plays with Eliza, holds Xavier and changes diapers. And, he even hangs out to watch The X Factor with me. I wonder if I can get him into American Idol too . . .

Mit - you are the best!  Happy Birthday (again).

4 Months! (Okay 5)

Yes, I realize he is 5 months now, but look how cute he is at 4 and a half months!

He also rolled over at from his back to his tummy - a feat with a big noggin like that. He was a week shy of 4 months. He started daycare down the street at 4 months, and then we got word that a spot opened up at Eliza's Montessori school. He started there this week and is taking all of these transitions in stride.

We've also been battling eczema these last two months. The big guy scratches up his head so badly, he is now under sock arrest. His hands are mittened and to protect him at night, I even sewed a pair into his pjs. I'm hoping that his dry skin is something he will outgrow - and soon. Even with his scratchy skin, he's still a smiling, laughing happy, little Bubba beloved by all - especially his sisters.

Weekend Away in Idyllwild

Christmas and New Years have come and gone (I'll try to get caught up!), but here we are back in November over Veteran's Day.

We spent 3 nights in Idyllwild - a cute, forested mountain town 2 hours from LA near Palm Springs, where we rented a log house with the Hazlitts and Emmetts. 6 adults and 7 kids. It was mayhem. But fun mayhem as the kids could entertain each other and the grown-ups could talk and play cards (and maybe have a few glasses of wine). When we weren't nestled in the house, we were hiking (strolling?) in the woods where the kids got to see some snow . . .


 . . . and horse poop


Snowball fight


Eliza has no problem adopting new parents . . . and beating them with a stick


Girlzzz


Crack kids


Baby transporters


Babies


Mud puddles

That Sunday, we packed up to head home and then decided to stop in Oak Glen for some apple pie. I had hoped to go apple picking but a May frost damaged the crop. Still, we did have pie and then went for a great walk past the orchards, around a pond and through the Oaks collecting acorns. Lovely.




Addie in the corn


Eliza inspected every hole in the wood boardwalk sure there was a spider living in each.


Making a wish