Seeing Clearly Now

Second window is in!
After having a play day on Saturday, we worked Sunday to put in the dining room window. Stace did a great job, and I helped a little.

What a difference - because the sprinklers had been set too high, our previous window was badly water-stained from our hard water. It was almost foggy to see out of the lower half, and simple scrubbing did nothing. Now it is great to see so well into the grassy part of the back yard.

Now we have one more window to put in, Cora's window. Then we'll look into ordering the two sliding glass doors we need. And on to painting!


The next two photos are from my beautiful walk this morning with Stroller Strides. I love March in SClarita - the weather is great, the hills are green and the trees - including the oaks seen here - are leafing. (Is that a word?)

Day in the Life - at 2

It was about two years ago that I gave you the first installment of the (very popular) series, "A Day in the Life of Cora."
Now that our dearest is well into her 2's, I thought it high time to continue with another episode. (Note: if you are not a direct grandparent or aunt/uncle to Cora, you may want to skip this post. And, if you are actually interested enough to desire larger photos, just click the photo and it should open in a large format.)

8:20 - I enter Cora's room to find her lying on her back, wide awake, staring up at her toy cabinet. "I need yellow bird up high," she says, and quickly adds, "I need Elmo." I get her the "needed" bird and bring her into the kitchen.
I ask her if she wants baked oatmeal "cake" for breakfast, but she turns it down. "I want just oatmeal (o-ee-ah). I do want strawberries (staw-be-ah)."
Immediately after I note how nicely she is cradling the yellow bird in her arms, she throws the bird down. "I drop you," she says with glee. "It flew away. It upside down."
Cora eats her oatmeal, and we then get her diaper and clothes changed.

9:15 - Elissa and Harvey come over, and we get ready to take a bike ride. The toddlers first investigate Cora's "lights and sounds" Percy train, with us moms encouraging each of them to share with the other. We manage to leave the train on the counter and get the kids settled in the trailer in the garage.
We take the paseos to the mall and have a drink and snack at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. The kids do remarkably well - the four of us have been to coffee shops before, last summer, and never could stay very long, but this time they are old enough to handle a longer outing. Cora draws on my notebook. Only once did she end up on the floor crying and kicking, and that lasted just a few seconds.
11:00 - We get the kids back in the trailer, and this time it takes a lot of negotiating with Cora to get her to wear her bike helmet. On our ride back, we make a stop at the park. Cora loves riding on the seesaw with Harvey.
12:00 - We leave the park. Cora amazes me with her willingness to go home.
12:30 Back home, Elissa and Harvey get ready to go back to their house when Cora tangles with my bike. The bike won, leaving her with a decent bruise on her forehead. Her "boo boo" fish, a frozen Nemo fish toy designed for such occasions, does the trick in helping her forget her pain. (In the photo, note the beautifully blooming apricot tree!)
Time for a diaper change and lunch - tortillas with cheese, leftover taco meat and an apple.
1:30 Then, a book and naptime

1:45 - I overhear Cora saying, "Mummy, where are you?" She wasn't really looking for me, just practicing a phrase she's picked up in the last couple of weeks. Just for fun, I peek into her room to better hear her chattering. She's sitting up in bed playing with her beloved yellow blanket. "Cover up feet," she says. "Cover up book. Cover up bird. Bird go night night."
She plays until falling asleep about 2:15.

By the time she wakes up at 4:15, Daddy has come home and is watching a war movie in the living room, which is next door to her room.
When I enter her room, she says, "I hear T.V. Daddy watch T.V.? T.V. loud." We have a conversation about this, with me telling her that Daddy is watching something for daddies, and that I'll play with her in the play room. She keeps repeating parts of this conversation.
4:40 - I make Cora a strawberry/banana smoothie and we go play in the tent. Well, she plays and I bring the grocery sale ads.
Stace finishes his movie and I leave to make a quick grocery run and pick up a pizza for dinner. (I really do make dinner most nights, but he's been asking for a "store bought" Hawaiian pizza and I found a 50% off coupon.)
Stace and Cora plant a little flower seed thing... and then play outside with Cora's tricycle.


Apparently the day's second run-in with a bike was much gentler than the first.
6:30 - When I get home with dinner, she chooses to eat while still wearing her helmet.

While we finish eating, Stace has Cora count to 20 - she does pretty good, missing only 12 and 13. They then sing the ABC's, which starts a discussion about whether the final letter is pronounced "zee" or "zed." Cora agrees with me, which leads Stace to ask, in an exasperated tone, "Who do you believe, an engineer or a stay at home mum?"
Cora says loudly, "Stay home mum!"
We all laugh. Does she really have an idea about what she's saying? Stace repeats the question with "housewife" and "homemaker," and each time she gives the "Lisa" answer. I love this girl!
When we bring in the dishes, Cora wants to play with the new remote control for our dining room light/fan. I say no, and she has an impressive fit.
7:30 - Then I do the dishes, and Cora hangs out behind me, jumping and talking. She turns her attention to sweeping with the broom I had used earlier in the day. Then the broom is lying on the floor, and she is jumping over it, back and forth.
8 - Cora goes into the living room and plays with the phone. She picks it up and says something like, "Hello, Nanny. Hello, Pop. I go park, I slide, I swing. Good bye!" She hangs up, and then repeats the whole thing several times.
8:30 - I get Cora ready for bed, and find a chore she is now old enough to help with: emptying the trash from her room into the kitchen trash. (Cora also tries to help put her clothes away into her drawers, which usually means a mixture of tops, bottoms and pjs are all squashed into the bottom drawer.)
9 - Cora is in bed, with her water, her yellow blanket, and her yellow pillow. She's had her two favorite nighttime books read, said many of the words along with me, and said "Amen" after her bedtime prayers.
9:15 - I'm sitting at the kitchen table, and Cora is still chattering. I overhear, "I need Elmo, Mummy. I need Elmo up high." She repeats this four or five times.
Within a few minutes, she's asleep.

More fans, and train tents

You might not think that installing a few ceiling fans would take up the majority of the work time while Dean and Jenny visited us. But, getting them wired in properly made it a challenge.
I'm so glad for Dean and Stacey's hard work - now you can go into any of the bedrooms, flip a switch on the wall, and, PRESTO! - a main light comes on! The fan lights before were mostly on pull chains.
At top, we have the multicolored pastel fan in Cora's room, complete with flowers and butterflies. (You can see that yes, Stace does need to do a little ceiling repair work there before it is fully finished.)
The second photo shows the new fan in our bedroom. And, no photo, but the old fan that had been in Cora's room is now in the spare bedroom.
While Dean was here, our windows arrived, so the guys spent a few hours putting in the biggest of the windows. I'll help Stace put in the others. Of course, having that nice pretty window makes me anxious to replace the horrible old sliding glass doors...

Stace and I are really loving not having cable these days. Several nights this week, after dinner we've all played together, coming up with new games and songs to sing.
Tuesday night, Stace and Cora made this tent fort in the playroom, and were entertained for a long time. It got really good when Stace brought in a flashlight and we turned off the playroom lights.
Today, after Stroller Strides Cora went straight back into her tent, this time playing with her new Percy train (from Thomas the Tank Engine).

In the video, she talks about playing in her tent, and Percy going fast. Also, she calls him a "choo choo train." That marks one more word change - she used to say "tee tee" for trains, just like she used to say "more ta" for please and "ta ta" for thank you. Now she says those words very clearly.
Speaking of speaking - Cora has picked up the word "mine" and "my." She uses them a lot now, which is really fun! (You can hear my sarcasm, right?) I'll be changing her diaper and I'll lift her feet in the air to stick a new diaper under her bum, and she'll shout, "My feet!" and try to take a foot out of my hand. I just humor her and normally she ends up laughing.
On the positive side, she really is going through a better-behaved stage lately. Not that we don't have our (daily) moments of willfulness, but in general I feel more confident taking her out in public.
Last week we had a meal out with Dean and Jenny (well, several of them), and it struck me that I no longer have that sense of anxious foreboding that I felt every time we attempted to eat out in the last year or so. I can now expect that things might go well, that she might sit quietly, eat her food, and chat to us, rather than throwing a tantrum. What a relief!

Playing Catchup - Spending time with Dean and Jenny

I normally don't let a whole week go by without blogging, but we've been too busy having fun with Dean and Jenny! It's great having an excuse to take a week off from normal life to just have fun around L.A. and SClarita. Above, Cora loved seeing Universal CityWalk for the "first" time, at least for the first time since she's old enough to be really aware of her surroundings.

Cora loved the lights, the sights, and dancing to the piped-in rock music. We managed this excursion with no stroller, only monkey on her back, and all went well. Dean and Jenny spent Thursday at Universal Studios, while Stace worked and Cora and I rested at home. We met them in the evening for dinner and a walk around.

Below, my parents took Cora on Wednesday evening and the four adults went out for a meal.

Later Wednesday evening, Cora enjoyed the chocolate strawberries my mom dipped for us. Yum!

Some bouncing time in the spare room. Cora will miss having the guest bed out for bouncing, and she'll definitely miss having Dean and Jenny here to play with.

Below, Jen and I were lucky enough to spend much of Wednesday at Glen Ivy Hot Springs, the day spa in Corona. We had a great time, and the weather really spoiled us - super warm but not too hot. Then it was home for our meal out - I was Cora-less nearly all day, such a weird feeling! Uncle Dean and Auntie Melanie had Cora duty for the day, and did a great job. It's nice that she's old enough to really enjoy her time with people who love her other than me, and not cry about my absence.

The photos below are from Monday, when we went out to visit the Americana shopping center in Glendale for a few hours.

It was another beautiful Southern California day, and we had our beautiful Southern California two-year-old with us...

...she is too cool for words.

After our big outing to Disneyland on Saturday, we stayed around the house on Sunday, with Stace and Dean working on some more house projects. More on that in a future blog posting. So on Monday, we wanted to make sure to do something outdoors to enjoy the sun.

On Tuesday, when Stace went back to work, we went out to Malibu for the afternoon. Again, we're really loving Cora's ability to enjoy these sorts of things more. She was excited about seeing the water while we were driving down, and when we got to the newly reopened Malibu Pier, she kept talking about getting in the water. After lunch on the pier, directly over the water (gorgeous!), she got her chance. The rest of the day, she kept telling us how the water was cold, and she ran away.

On another afternoon, we all went to the park for tennis, football (soccer) and some sliding on the slides. Cora got a kick out of trying to drink out of the fountain.

And, we simply enjoyed the sunshine, having as many meals outside as practical.

We said our sad good-byes at the airport Friday evening, and can't wait to see them again when we return to England in May. If only there were a way to bring England and California a lot closer together!

See Eee Eee!!!

Saturday was the big day - Cora's first trip to the Happiest Place on Earth!
It was my sister's 21st birthday - Happy Birthday, Mel! - and Dean and Jenny are here, so it was a great time to introduce Cora to Disneyland.

Since we aren't a family that goes to Disneyland several times a year, I'm so glad we waited until now for Cora's first time. She is definitely old enough to really enjoy it, and to even look forward to it.
She's been talking about seeing "Eee Eee" for weeks now, and asking about when we were going to go. (She still refers to some animals by the noise they make, and "mouse" is one of them. When we would ask her who "Eee Eee" is, she would clarify - "Mee Mouse!")
She even woke up a few times in the middle of the night Friday night, and when we would go in to comfort her, she would stop crying immediately to say, "See Eee Eee?"
The park was quite crowded, since it was a Saturday, but Cora had a great time. She went on the carousel, which she loved, and the Roger Rabbit ride, which she deemed a "stary ride." (Oops - hope we don't regret that, with future nightmares!) We also took her on the Winnie the Pooh ride twice. After the second time, she said excitedly, "Wee Pooh ride fun!" That made me melt! I hadn't heard her use the word "fun" before.
She also liked the classic "It's a Small World" ride, and I caught her clapping her hands during the song. Cora also loved running around Tom Sawyer's Island, and later, she was amazed at the fireworks show.

We also went into Disney's California Adventure park, and Cora enjoyed watching three shows. During one of the shows, which she watched with Grandma and Grandpa, Stace, Dean, Jen, Melanie and I went on the Tower of Terror ride - just the way to end our night!

Other than one meltdown, she did amazingly well on her very long and exciting day. She took a 45-minute nap on Daddy's lap when we stopped for a bite to eat and watched the "Billy Hill and the Hillbillies" show.

There is something special about taking your child to Disneyland for the first time, especially if you've grown up in SoCal going to the park on a regular basis. I was as excited as a little girl on Friday night, looking forward to Saturday. And, just like when I was little, I was sad when our day was over.

The top photo shows Cora on our way to D-land Saturday morning, with her breakfast and her Minnie Mouse doll. And the last photo shows her napping on Dad's lap.

We saw lions, tigers AND bears

Stace had a day off on Friday so we took Dean and Jenny (and Cora of course) to the L.A. Zoo. We hadn't been since Cora was two months old, back when the Partridges came to visit.

It's so much fun taking Cora to these places now, since she is old enough to really enjoy them. She liked seeing all the animals, and did very well considering she didn't have a nap.
Though she's expressed some fears of lions lately, she wasn't scared in any way of the real lions. I pointed out how lions are nice, and she said that she wasn't scared of them, but she was "scared of Mummy." Hmmmm.

We ended up buying a family membership, so I think we'll be making some more trips to the zoo this year.

Let there be light!

Dean and Jenny are here!
Cora loves spending time with her aunt and uncle, and they are enjoying her and enjoying soaking up the sun.
Today we met Stace for lunch at Chipotle, a piece of SoCal we now feel is a must-eat for English visitors. We stopped at Bridgeport, the manmade lake, for a walk afterwards, and visited the ducks, geese and turtles.
The next photo shows Cora eating her dinner sitting at the dinner table, in a booster seat. It's a big step, especially in our family, as we still put Cora to bed in her crib, change her diapers on her changing table and have her rear-facing in her car seat for safety reasons. Since she has been happy in her high chair, and I've appreciated the convenience, we didn't make the switch. But, tonight, she asked to sit at the table and how could we refuse?
Then we have Cora playing with Jen in the playroom, with her new puzzle that Nan and Pop sent over. Thanks! Every time Jen sits down, Cora brings her a book to read. I'm so spoiled when we have family staying with us!
We're also spoiled to have the hard-working Dean on duty. Stace has been at work this week, but they have installed a fan in the dining room (see photo) and the new over-the-stove microwave in the kitchen. It is such a great improvement to have a main light in our dining room! One of those things you don't really appreciate until you don't have it. It took a lot of work to get it wired in, because there is no loft or crawl space above the vaulted ceiling. But, it's in perfectly and we have a remote control to work the light and fan.
Stace will now be taking a four-day weekend, so we will have some fun now, around the house projects. (On tap next are three more ceiling fans! They all need to be wired in properly to the wall light switch, and Dean is a qualified electrician in addition to his car mechanic skills, so that's why we're tackling that set of projects while he's here.)

On the Cora front, her favorite phrase of the moment seems to be, "This hurts," or "It hurts." She says it multiple times a day, pointing to some body part or another. Ninety percent of the time, I can find no discernible cause for her "pain," so I've started humoring her about it.
She also (unfortunately) has picked up the phrase, "It's mine!"
She has become very good at naming her colors, and today I caught her counting to 20, minus one or two of the "teens." She loves running in circles ("I run sudu, Mummy!!!!") and spinning.
On Saturday, we plan to make our first family trip to Disneyland. Wish us luck!

Enjoying Old Stuff

We had a busy but fun family day on Sunday, starting out at a British classic car show in Van Nuys, about 30 minutes from our house. Stace had two classic sports cars (Triumph Spitfire convertibles) when I met him. He sold them both, along with his main car, a beautiful Mazda convertible, to move here and start our life together. Whatta guy! Someday, when our house projects slow down (????), we hope for him to get another fun project car.
There were tons of cars and a lot of visitors, and Stace had to feel right at home with all the English accents. There also was a pair of London double-decker buses, including the one above, which was for sale. I doubt our HOA (homeowners association) would be pleased if we were to park this baby permanently on our cul-de-sac though!
After the car show, we traveled to Simi Valley to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. The library is hosting a special exhibit with one of the few remaining copies of the Magna Carta, the 1215 English document on government that is the basis of our Constitution.
We decided to check it out on Sunday because the Library was also hosting a Medieval Faire. Cora and Stace watched the jousting before we headed to the inner courtyard, where there were programs, arts and crafts and music. We then went to buy our tickets to enter the museum and see the exhibit, when we spotted fliers promoting another special event at the end of March: Colonial America Day, with a "town square with artisans exhibiting their skills; military camp life demonstrations; 18th Century crafts and games; and colonial attire encouraged."
Since Cora had skipped her nap and we were kind of playing with fire (paying an admission fee to a museum with an un-napped 2-year-old), we decided to just enjoy the Medieval Faire and return in a few weeks for the Colonial Day, with a hopefully well-rested Cora. (This kind if thing is right up our alley - I minored in history in college, after all, and Stace can recite random historical trivia as if he had a degree in the subject.)
Above, Cora is doing a handstand and learning about somersaults. Two older children were practicing their tumbling, and Cora was very intrigued, and started throwing herself onto the ground. With some help from Dad, she actually did pretty good with her tumbling.
Cora thought she would take the easy way out when it came to be her turn for the bean bag toss.
She really liked the music, and kept asking Stace to pick her up and dance with her.
After the faire, we went to our friends Jason and Stephanie's house for dinner since we were close by. We had a very nice evening and didn't get home until Cora's bedtime, so it was a very full day! Now we are getting ready to pick up Dean and Jenny from the airport tonight!

Below, you can get a feel for the music. Cora was having a great time dancing, and was giggling away, but I don't think you can hear it very well.