Party at the Pits

This photo looks like a young college freshman off to school for the fall.

Thank goodness she's still my little Addiecakes holding hands with her friend Rya, running up giant hills and trying to feed pieces of grass to prehistoric mastodons at the La Brea Tar Pits.



Bonus from Friday night party at the tar pits - Cap and I could even drank wine with friends while the little ones ran amok. This is a tradition that Rya's parents just introduced us too. I know where we'll be Friday nights.

New Digs

We did it!

Addie turned two last Saturday, we moved into our new apartment on Monday, I started my new job on Wednesday and then flew to San Francisco for a 2 day work retreat. Oh and we also survived a trip to IKEA yesterday smack dab in the middle of when Addie should have been napping. I'm feeing a tiny bit like a super hero. tiny bit.

I know everyone has been asking for photos of our new place but of course I want it to be *perfect* before I share. I think that shall be defined as having our art hung on the walls and the clutter shoved back into closets for the photo shoot. I'm most excited to finally have a "nursery" for Addie since this is the first time she has her own room instead of just her crib and a 15 inch wide bookcase that we used for clothes and books.

Addie also has declared a new chapter. She told me yesterday she was not a girl but a woman. Well then.


We have the bottom floor of the duplex.

The living room looking really huge and spacious. Now it has a new plasma screen TV!

Happy Birthday Little Flower!

The early morning rain and the threat of more to come didn't stop about 30+ guests coming to celebrate Addie's 2nd Birthday in the park. The weather ended up working in our favor as we had the entire park to ourselves. Thanks to everyone who attended and to those who were there in spirit.

Happy Birthday Addie!


Addie ate only the frosting off her (2) cupcakes.

Picking the candy stars off each cupcake

Save Yourself

Last Sunday we attended Miss Clara's baptism down in Orange County and the after party at her grandparent's house. Nothing like a dousing of holy water followed by a sangria chaser to celebrate the beginning of Clara's spiritual journey.

Addie decided to take her salvation into her own hands. All gussied up in her Sunday School best (thanks Nana and Pop Pop!), she dunked her head in the backyard fountain after the ceremony. Amen!

Tomorrow is Miss A's birthday. My oh my! Thunderstorms in the forecast for our outdoor party in the park. If it rains, I'll be eating 50 pink and orange frosted cupcakes. She's excited and we've been practicing singing Happy Birthday. Happy Byoodday Dear Addie!


Grooming the Hedge

Addie and Clara

Addie and Jake

My American Idol

I am not embarrassed. I shall not hide. I LOVE AMERICAN IDOL.

And this year I love David Cook, the underdog contestant to child prodigy David Archuleta. For the first time since I started watching the show severals season ago, I actually voted. Yup, I texted "vote" to 5701 on Tuesday night. I care.

Cap called me yesterday afternoon at 4:15 and told me to get ready, he's on his way to pick me up. He snagged two tickets to the season 7 finale of American Idol about 50 minutes before the show started. Good thing I showered that morning! I had been enjoying a refill of a mimosa on the back deck of my neighbor's house and darn it if i didn't even get to finish my second glass before I was whisked off to the Nokia theater.

When David Cook won I went berserk - possibly equal to or more so than the 8 year old girls one row in front of us. I bet this is how NY Giants fans felt at the Super Bowl.

What next? Season premier of So You Think You Can Dance starts tonight. Phew. Just in time so I don't go into withdrawal.

aaaaaaa-ooooooooooh!

This video is dedicated to GranJanne on her birthday. Happy Birthday to the best dog howler this side of the Mississippi! I think your granddaughter has your gift.

Today is also my last at work. I've been with my firm for 8 years and am moving on to a new position as marketing manager in the same industry. I'll be taking a few days off in between gigs which will probably be spent packing up our apartment. It would be just like me to get a new job and a new apartment all at the same time. On to new and better things. Excelsior!

Fun for Addie, Pretty for Mama?

For Addie's birthday at the end of the month, Cap and I want to get her a tricycle. Of course I am immediately struggling with the my own on-going issue of Form vs. Function. The bike I like is the classic red flyer - sleek and nostalgic (although I don't remember ever having a tricyle.) I did, however, have The Most Awesome Bike Ever when I was little. It was a pink Hello Kitty bike complete with pink wheels and a star shaped electric horn that we got straight from Hello Kitty's homeland when we lived in Japan. I so wish we still had it as I've never seen one exactly like it since. But back to Addie.

So I like the red flyer (wins the Form contest) but I think we want one with a push handle which probably means we have to go with this one (wins the function contest). Now, why can't red flyer make the same red tricyle just with a push handle? Or what is it with me and primary colors?

I googled "modern tricycle" and I'm sorry but I have to draw the line at this. It just screams, "Look at me! My Kid is a Total Pretentious Jerk!"

Anyone else have a suggestion on a cool kid tricyle?

Happy Mother's Day!

One Mama, One Addie, One Chocolate Soft Serve Cone.






We celebrated Mother's day on Saturday with a delicious, 4 mom salute brunch as Cap had to fly to the antithesis of mother's day-land (Vegas) today. Addie and I partied at the zoo and then went apartment hunting in the afternoon. Best part of the zoo? The ice cream.

Happy Mother's Day to All (for being one or having one)!

Thanks Princess Genevieve!

How cute are these little knitted socks?

I think these socks came from Brussels to LA, got returned to sender, sent back to Brussels, delivered back home to Genevieve's in Washington, DC and then resent to us in LA. These are some well travelled socks!

Addie got to meet Genevieve while we were in DC. She ransacked Genevieve's crayons, and bookshelves before we all went to our favorite mexican restaurant in Adams Morgan (at 5:00 pm). Geneveive graciously watched us wolf down enchiladas even though she had another dinner engagement 2 hours later.

Thanks Princess Genevieve!

Happy Birthday Cap!

Addie and I surprised Cap this morning with a hand-painted banner wishing Dada a Happy 29+6. Addie however gave Cap just what he asked for: she slept in.

Happy Birthday Po!

Big Kids

While in Virginia, I also got to hang out with my other Madeira friend, Jen and her posse. Jen and Reid were bridesmaids at my wedding and between the 3 of us we have 6 kids - a hoard. We had a fabulous girls night out while Reid's husband tackled Addie, Sawyer and Arden on his own. I think that deserves Sainthood.


Addie was super duper into hanging out with Jen's older kids Wyatt (6) and Charlotte (4). They were also both gracious entertaining her and she was overwhelmed with delight. They taught Addie how to play Ring around the Rosy and fall down on purpose. You mean you want me to fling myself to the floor deliberately? They played with the ball, chased each other on the back deck at the Armstrong's house, and made a giant Kid Sandwich.

Addie also met her OCD kindred spirit in Charlotte. The two of them went through a small fortune in baby wipes cleaning the seats, walls and windows of the Metro. Wipes are one of Addie's favorite toys, and I think she purposely draws with crayons on the coffee table just so she can wipe it off. This does work rather well when we use the back door as a chalk drawing palette. Chalk On. Wipe Off. Chalk On. Wipe Off.

I loved hanging out with all the kiddos. I actually find it energizing so long as naps are in the agenda at some point. Sometimes I think it would be great to have a giant family. Then again I think maybe I'll just spend more time with other people's children on occasion.

Where to Start

The Coming Back from An Amazing Vacation Blog posts always stump me. How can I sum up 5 days with friends without writing a travelog? So, where to start?

Addie and I flew (Virgin America is awesome) to Northern Virginia to celebrate my God Daughter Arden's baptism. I got to spend tons of time with Reid and her clan before Cap met up with us Saturday for the baptism itself. I forgot how beautiful and lush DC and Virginia are (didn't forget the humidity part though). I loved hanging out with old friends and my second family, seeing how much Sawyer has grown and getting to cuddle up with my little podling Arden. What sweet kids they are!

Addie got to play with rocks in the deck fountain with Sawyer, and she was so protective of Arden, especially when she had to get nebulized. "Medicine. Baby Arden."

Addie continued to be a word sponge learning new stuff all the time including being introduced to a microwave. I tried to give her cold leftover mac n cheese and she quickly informed me after one bite, "Cook it. Microwave." When we were driving around Adams Morgan in DC, Addie unfortunately learned the phrase, "Oh my God" which she repeated several times mimicking my exact cadence (Oh. My. Gaaawd). Oops.


Oh and note to self. Routines are important even on vacation with a 3 hour time change. Poor Addie skipped meals and naps willy nilly and we all paid the price. Poor girl. Despite some meltdowns, I think she had a great time. I know I did!


I've posted photos from our trip so check them out. I'm super exhausted. Do I sound exhausted? I think I'm repeating myself.

Always Winging It

"Hello? Addie. Yeah. Bye." - Addie P.

Cap bought Addie a Tinkerbell cell phone which she adores. You can press the buttons and it goes from beeps and bleeps to a few key fairy catch phrases like, "Sparkle Power" or "Always Winging It" which she repeats in the same sing-song manner. She loves her phone so much she wanted to make sure that her three friends in the painting have a chance to talk to Tinkerbell too. This painting hangs in our bathroom and was painted by Cap's aunt (or is it his second cousin), Gaye Hicks, in 1979. And that is seriously her name. Seriously. Well, her maiden name. This makes me giggle every time I think about it.

Addie has a special affinity for this pastoral piece of art. The three ladies and a little girl are dining al fresco on cake with sheep grazing in the background. "Cake." Addie brushes their teeth, polishes their smiling faces with her favorite toy - wipes. "Dirty" (pronounced Andrew Dice Clay style - dwooty). Apparantly now she also makes sure they have a direct connect to a special magical world where you never grow up.

Oh Addie, Sweets. I don't want you to grow up. Never ever.

CONSTRUCT!

90-something degrees outside today. Yikes. Yesterday we explored an Earth Day celebration at a local park and found refuge at the beach in the afternoon. Both activities were sans camera but not today! Jamie and I took the girls out for strawberry crepes at the Farmer's Market and then spend the rest of the morning in the air-conditioned Boone Gallery at the LA County Museum of Art. The exhibition called Construct, part of their celebration of the new addition, is all for kids - blocks, painting, crafts. And it's free. Can't get much better than that. Check out photos of our adventures here!


After tearing it up with the soft and hard blocks, they took to the easel. Addie and Clara are quite the budding artists. Their collaborative masterpiece is now taped above our bed. This was the first time Addie explored the world of paint. She loves the sidewalk chalk we bought her recently and often decorates our back door. When I took this she was saying "Circles Circles." I'm selfishly so thrilled she loves drawing and painting and can't wait for our gallery of her work to grow.

Feeling Remiss

I haven't taken the time to do a proper post all week so here are a series of portraits to ponder from last weekend before we kick off this weekend by strolling over to the Farmer's Market to drink beer and eat gumbo. I took these outside one of the artists' lofts at the Brewery Art Walk on Saturday afternoon.

Cheers to the artists that choose to Live Work.

Tickle Pickle

After cleaning out our fridge I realized I had 3 opened containers of cornichons. I wonder if I've had them since I was pregnant? Do pickles go bad? Oh well, I've combined them into one jar and a curious fridge door monitor named Addie has taken to them. Since Cap started his new job at MySpace, I've altered my schedule. I work 7:30-4:30 so that I can pick up Addie from daycare. I rather like this schedule as it gives me long evenings at home. If I'm running on-time in the a.m., I leave before Addie wakes up but most often than not I've snoozed my alarm at least twice and am rushing out the door when I hear, "Mama? Mama?" How can I resist seeing my little fuzzle-headed angel wake up in her robot pjs? She gives me giant smiles and giant hugs. "Mama hugs" she says and when I tell her I have to go to work she hugs me extra hard and says "Goodbye."

When we get home, I'll open the refridgerator and she'll go find "tickles" as she calls pickles. We eat them right out of the jar spearing them with a shared fork. Addie is all about doing everything herself these days. She says "Addie Helps" and means it. Back away Mama. So she stabs her cornichons and I stab mine. "Sour" she smiles and winces.

To Each Her Own

A few days ago I was tickling Addie on our bed.
I stopped, showed her my pointer finger and said, "Tickle Finger."
Addie showed me her pointer finger and said, "Booger Finger."

Double Dates

This weekend Addie got to hang out with two of her favorite daycare buds. I'm pretty sure that they are her best friends or maybe I just really like their parents. Saturday afternoon was spent at Clyde's house where they enjoyed dinner for two and the adults sipped organic belgium blonde ale.

Sunday morning we hopped over to Rya's house for bagels and coffee while the little lasses fed their baby dolls (and fought like sisters over all the toys). Thank goodness for Mickey AND Minnie, as well as a stroller AND a baby buggy or there would have been toddler warfare.

Last week, the triumvirate of power were playing after daycare, when Clyde, Rya and Addie joined hands and walked side by side down the sidewalk. Awwww. Then they ran up the stairs of a strangers house screaming their heads off.