Touristing

Part of the fun of having friends over from out of town is getting to play tourist with them.

On Thursday, Andy and Marisa took a tour of Hollywood, and we took them to the L.A. Farmer's Market in the evening. Cora and Violet enjoyed doughnuts for dinner, before we walked around the Grove shopping area.

On Friday, Stace got off work early and we headed toward the coast  - Marisa needed to see Malibu and Santa Monica.

The girls took a moment to play on a playground at a Malibu shopping area.

Then we went down to the beach, where we spotted several dolphins frolicking as the sun sank into the sea.

















We dined at Duke's, Hawaiian-styled restaurant right on the water.

After dinner, we headed down to Santa Monica, first to the pier and then to the Third Street Promenade area.

On Saturday, after Cora's game, we drove the other direction north, to the wineries of Santa Ynez. We first stopped at Bridlewood, a fancy winery with a pond and horses.

















We then met up with my parents at Kalyra winery, a very enjoyable experience. We then had dinner in Solvang before making the drive back home.

What fun!

On Sunday we had a calm day, as Andy and Marisa had an early morning trip to Vegas to make on Monday.

Week In Review

Over the weekend, Stace worked hard on a headboard project he's making for Melanie and Nick.
Photos coming, when it's finished.

We rewarded ourselves with a fun Saturday night bowling, with our Mom2Mom friends, while the girls played with their Mom2Mom friends at the church with free childcare (!).

On  Sunday evening, we picked up our friends Andy and Marisa from LAX. Andy was Stace's golfing mate in England, and we've stayed in touch since Stace moved here.

Andy wanted to take Marisa, his daughter, on a special daddy-daughter trip to the SoCal area, and we were more than happy to see them and have them stay with us.

We took them to Menchie's on Monday night, after dinner at Lazy Dog with our favorite waitress.

On Tuesday, Cora had softball practice. She warmed up and started practicing pitching with Coach Cory. After a few balls, Cora got the hang of it and put most of the balls in Coach Cory's glove








After that, They started batting practice. Cora hit almost every ball and missed a few. They tried a wiffle bat.

(Cora wrote the above two paragraphs...! The wiffle bat is very thin, like a stick, which is harder to hit with. It's a great practice, paired with the wiffle balls, which don't go so far and are therefore easier to gather.)

Cora's team has had a bit of a rough start in terms of their end results, losing their first several games.

But on Saturday morning, down 3-0, they battled back in their final at-bat and tied the score. The game ended with a tie, a huge accomplishment for the Ducks.

Cora played well, pitching two scoreless innings and (finally!) getting her first two base hits of the season. She even got an RBI (run batted in) in the big three-run inning. We were all so proud of her, and pleased that she went home happy and encouraged.

School Days

At the girls' school, first grade has its Wizard of Oz production, second grade an in-class play, and third grade features a Wax Museum project, with dozens of intriguing characters brought to life.

Here's Cora's class in costume, for the living biography presentation we enjoyed Thursday morning. From Martin Luther King, Jr., to Abe Lincoln, Harry Houdini to George Lucas, Walt Disney to Mary Lou Retton, the kids did an outstanding job presenting the famous person they chose.

Cora, as pilot Amelia Earhart, is framed here by Pocahontas, track great Jesse Owens, U.S. Flag creator Betsy Ross, and soccer star Mia Hamm. Behind them, you can see Michael Jordan and Teddy Roosevelt.

Each student had a prop with some sort of "button" to activate, to bring them to life and tell their brief biography.

Stace and I loved listening to them all, and we only wished we'd had enough time to hear more of the students. (And, we do wish we could have heard them better. With so many talking at once, the MPR got very loud!)

We were so proud of Cora, who did a great job. Her teacher awarded her an A, 95 points out of 100, and she did especially well on the presenting side, with volume, expression, posture and eye contact.














Violet, meanwhile, is loving school, too, and I'm so pleased to be able to volunteer every week for over two hours.

Here, she and her classmate were chosen to touch the smartboard, to bring up different shapes for the class to name.









 Violet is never lonely at school, not with ALL of those Beanie Boo clips to keep her company!

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.

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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!