Beautiful Weekend

I so rarely get time away alone with my big girl, and Saturday she had birthday money burning a hole in her pocket. Since I had a couple of errands to run (what mom doesn't?), Cora and I went out together.

We started out at the mall for the Disney store, since Cora needed to buy another Tsum-Tsum for her new collection. We also hit Menchie's, to acquire the necessary energy for the next few errands. Love time alone with my Cora Rose!

The girls have been sharing Cora's bed for more than a week. Violet starts out sleeping at the foot of the bed, in her own cozy area, but most nights winds up right next to Cora.

(I can't even get over the cuteness in the photo here - this adorable pose is NOT normal!)

Sharing the room has helped Violet not wake up and wander into our bed, or demand we come snuggle with her in the middle of the night. Strange - she's always been a great sleeper but the last few weeks, it's like having a baby again.

One of the nice things is that on weekend mornings, they entertain themselves with Cora's tablet, or her new Star Wars book.

With the girls off Monday, and a heat wave hitting the Southland, we decided to join Colleen and her kids on a trip to the beach.

Thousands of people had the same idea, so it was a blessing that Aunt Patty was willing to come with us. We parked at their house, and later used their outside shower to clean up before the drive home.

She and Uncle Bill both came with us, and it was a perfect beachy afternoon.

The water was cold, and a bit rough, so the kiddos spent their time digging and building.

A mid-February day - only in SoCal, eh? Hard to believe it was icy on our way to school just two weeks ago!

Week in Review

Stace captured this sweet image of a tired Violet during our Magic Mountain trip Sunday.

Our Louisiana-native friends invited us over for a New Orleans-style Mardi Gras party. Mardi Gras is Tuesday, but since Cora's real birthday was that day, we enjoyed Emily and Brad's gumbo and King Cake on Monday evening.
















We all enjoyed ourselves, and it was neat participating in a part of American culture I haven't experienced. The food was great, too!

The girls celebrated Valentine's Day at school Thursday, by passing out cards to their friends.

For Violet, decorating the box and writing her name on the two dozen cards was her homework.

(They have no school Friday or Monday for the President's Day holiday, so Thursday was their last day of school before Valentine's Day.)

I helped out in Violet's class for a bit on Thursday, while the children walked in a long line to pass out a card in each classmate's box.

After receiving hr new Tsum Tsum toy for her birthday, Cora decided she'd like to collect them.

She promptly cleared out a shelf in her bookcase, ready for her new collection.

Cora also really loves her new light sabers, which, true their names, light up. They also make the whooshing noise when you swing them.

She's also had fun playing Battleships with Stace in the evenings - thanks, Nan and Pop!

She's 9!

After Cora's Big Birthday Weekend, we still wanted to make her actual birthday on Tuesday feel special.

She wasn't thrilled about having to go to school, but Daddy went into work late so he could stay home and make a birthday breakfast of crepes.

We also let her open her cards, and a couple of presents in the morning.

Stace made Cora a birthday card with a 3-D drawing of Jedi Mickey Mouse, with a light saber. Yes, that was a bit of foreshadowing for her birthday gift!











At lunchtime, I picked up Cora from school and took her to In-N-Out for a burger, fries AND a shake, a very special treat for the birthday girl.

This was the first time I've ever taken her out of school for lunch, and it was lovely to spend time with her like this.

Our after-school period was busy, with Violet's tennis lesson and Cora's softball practice. Cora passed out doughnut holes to her teammates, and then we headed over to Stone Fire for a birthday meal.

Auntie Mel and Grandma and Grandpa met us there, and we all ate well. Auntie Mel gave Cora this Star Wars T-shirt and the tiny Marie Tsum-Tsum stuffed animal you see on the table.

111

Grandpa and Grandma gave Cora this hardcover "ultimate" guide to Star Wars, a big hit, as you can see.

And there you have it.

Cora has entered her final year of single-digits, a big girl in every way. She is becoming more independent and more grownup, and we are so proud of the young lady she is.

Magical Sunday

The last part of Cora's Big Birthday Weekend was a trip to Magic Mountain with her friend Emily. She specifically requested to go to this theme park, because she loves the big thrill rides.

Since we don't have season passes, we were very grateful to Grandpa for giving us tickets he acquired through all his photographic services during Fright Fest and the Christmas season.

Making the family deal even sweeter, Grandma came with us, so we got free parking and a member of our party in for free as her buddy. Emily has a season pass, so it was easy to bring her along.

We started our day with me, the big girls and Grandma taking on Twisted Colossus. Grandma thought it was a bit much, but Cora, Emily and I loved it. Meanwhile, Stace took Violet to the kiddie area.

Then, the big girls and got in line for Goliath. We were hoping that since it was Super Bowl Sunday, the park would be empty, but the long line for Goliath proved otherwise.

But, Goliath, shown here, is well worth waiting for.

Notice I'm by myself? My dear darling husband was going to ride with us, but changed his mind.

Then we met up with Stace, Violet and Grandma, and had a bite to eat. The girls all wanted to ride Scrambler (above), and Violet needed an adult to ride with.

I can do loops and drops, but I don't normally like twisty rides. BUT, Violet wanted to ride it, and Stacey didn't want to, so I made the sacrifice.

The picture with Violet alone here are in Bugs Bunny World. She had a good time, too.

Spending the afternoon with these girls was so much fun!

After a forgettable experience on the wooden coaster Apocolypse (too jarring), we ended our day on Goldrusher. Then, we went home for a simple pizza dinner with Emily before her parents picked her up.

Whew! Now THAT was a birthday weekend!

Watching for Wildlife

Continuing the fun of Cora's Big Birthday Weekend, we met up with my parents and Bill and Patty in Oxnard on Saturday for a boat trip off the coast to try to spot whales.

The whale watch was a Christmas gift from Grandma and Grandpa, who've taken the girls the last couple of years. It was the first such trip for Stace, and my first in decades.

Not long into our four-hour voyage, we spotted a pod of dolphins surfing the wake of our boat.

Sadly, it was darn near impossible to get decent photos of their antics. Suffice to say, they were adorable.

We also saw a sea lion and an otter.

Eventually, some people spotted a humpback whale, and a grey whale. It's pretty incredible to see such large creatures in their natural habitat, on their seasonal migration from the frozen north, to Mexico, and back again.

It was also nice to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Bill and Aunt Patty. Getting an up-close look at the Channel Islands was pretty cool, too.

The girls took breaks inside, where Grandpa bought them snacks.

Back at the harbor, the Tall Ships were in town for a couple of weeks, replicas of 18th century ships. If we'd arrived early for our whale watch, we might have gotten on board for a look around. Next time!

Birthday Disney Fun

Cora turns 9 next week, and if that doesn't warrant a trip to the Happiest Place on Earth, I don't know what does.

On Friday, we left for Anaheim from the school parking lot, with Grandma and Sophia along for the ride.

When we arrived, we met up with Elaine and Vivi, Sue and Paul, and Jen, Jack and Trent.

Aren't the girls cute in their Minnie ears? I love how Cora's interest in all things Disney has improved in recent months. She even wore her Minnie shirt without a fight.

We met at California Adventure, where our friends had arranged dinner reservations.

We then got fast passes for Tower of Terror, one of the top rides on Cora's Birthday Trip Wish List. (Others included California Screaming, and the Matterhorn and Space Mountain at Disneyland.)

After Tower of Terror, the girls couldn't resist the water attraction in Bug's Land

A cute photo of Sophia and Violet, photobombed by Trent.

The bunny ears were from an extended preview our friends saw from an upcoming Disney movie. Violet said she plans to wear them as her costume to the next school dance.

Our Disney gang - these kids had so much fun together!

Here was the "kid table" for our fancy dinner at the Wine Country Trattoria.

Violet was disappointed to be stuck with the moms (and Grandma), but we convinced her that she'd have a much better view of the parade from a seat at our table.

We were right. It was so fun to watch the parade while we dined, a nice treat suggested by Disney experts Sue and Jen.

Cora was not the only one celebrating a birthday: she and Trent were born a few hours apart on Feb. 9, 2007. They met as Skippers when they were 2 1/2, and it's great fun to see them growing up together.

They got birthday buttons to wear, and each received a birthday dessert complete with a candle. So, even though Cora isn't having an official party this year, she still had friends singing, and a candle to blow out.

After dinner, we went to the Toy Story ride, where you get 3-D glasses to wear while you shoot targets to rack up points.

The birthday duo rode together.

Then, it was time for California Screaming. Sue took this shot while I had Violet on the carousel. Then, I took Cora on Screaming, with a fast pass that Violet wasn't tall enough to use.

We thought about then going to Disneyland for the Matterhorn, but a quick check of the Disney app showed that the ride was closed at that time. Instead, we went over to the Redwood Creek area to run around.

We ended our night with Sue and Sophia buying Cora a Disney pin as a birthday present.

On this trip, it really struck me how Cora is growing up. She definitely has entered the phase of her friends mattering more and more. 

When we were considering leaving our group and heading to Disneyland, Cora was truly upset at the thought of saying goodbye and being "alone" with me, Violet and Grandma.

It's natural and normal, I know, a developmental milestone like learning to walk or ride a bicycle. Still, it's strange and a bit sad, nonetheless. Nine years old! Our Cora Rose is growing up.

Fun with Friends

Our friends Sara and Tony had an event planned with their big girls Friday evening, and we enjoyed spending time with Alli while they were gone.

Violet was very excited bout her long playdate, especially during Cora's practice, when they entertained themselves with a puzzle book.
When Sara and Tony picked up Alli at bedtime, they ended up taking Violet with them for a sleepover! Such fun for our little one!

A week later, Cora's class had its turn to walk to COC for a show at the Performing Arts Center.

Sorry, Cora, but standing by the bus stop won't get you a ride to the show!

I was reminded of how blessed we are to live in such a beautiful valley, with gorgeous scenery and weather for a walking field trip.

After the field trip fun, Elaine picked up pizzas and we had a fun lunch at the park. Here, Vivi and Cami make Cora into a mermaid.

I will miss these lazy Friday afternoons at the park, when my girls are too old to enjoy them properly.

We all have fun when Chris and David are visiting Toni next door. The Legos have been out for the past week or two, and it's great listening in on their creativity.