San Luis Obispo for the weekend

We spent the weekend visiting with Christy, Mitch and William, meeting them in San Luis Obispo. Our friends moved to northern California a few months ago, and it was nice to reconnect. Cora and William got on well, like the old friends they are. We had lunch in our motel room, and the toddlers explored the entire room.
Cora decided it would be fun to follow William around, holding onto his shoulders. He didn't seem to mind, at least for the first few minutes.
The phone also proved to be a fascinating toy, occupying several minutes.
Is it for Cora? No, it's for William.
We then took a hike at a nearby state park and beach. Both babies enjoyed the water and the sand.

That night, we went to a great Italian place in Pismo Beach. Cora was shortchanged on her daytime sleep, and wasn't in the best of moods. She was very happy when she was walking around the restaurant, or pacing out front, but did NOT want to be in her high chair. (These photos are actually from the next day, at a more casual lunch spot in San Luis Obispo, but they illustrate the story pretty well!)

Cora has added "all done" to her repertoire of phrases, complete with the hand motion you see below. At dinner Saturday, she ate a couple of yummy rolls while we waited for our food. Then, when her meal came, she had a bite or two and decided she was finished, and ready to resume exploring the restaurant. Stace and I really preferred to eat our meals, and didn't rush to let Cora loose. She then started repeating again, and again, and again, "All Done!" "All Done!" "All Done!" with hand motions and frantic pointing to the ground. We had to look away to keep her from seeing us laugh. She just couldn't understand why we weren't responding properly, when she was so very clearly communicating her needs!
William, meanwhile, was perfectly well behaved at both meals. He is a great kid, and he'll be a great big brother come October!

On Sunday we shopped in SLO's fantastic downtown, and then had lunch at the above barbecue restaurant. Another yummy meal. Then we drove to Avila Beach, with the idea of getting out the towels and swimsuits, but both babies were asleep. So we changed plans and went our separate ways, allowing our little ones to get their needed naps. Still, a great weekend away!

17 months old

We start out today's entry with a photo for Duncan. He remarked that we don't put photos up of Cora looking anything other than sweet and nice, so here she is reacting to having her teeth brushed. (Never mind the hat, it hasn't been cold by any means but she found it and thought it was funny to wear it.)
Speaking of teeth, at 17 months old Wednesday, Cora still has six teeth in the front (three on top, three on bottom), and two molars on one side and two more coming in on the other side. I've been giving Cora homeopathic teething tablets at night to help her sleep, as she's had a few restless nights lately.
The second photo shows the result of Cora feeding herself applesauce. It was a little too runny for her to control on the spoon, and I didn't notice until she had multiple spoonfuls piling up on her chest. She continues to demand to feed herself, sometimes to her own detriment. Twice lately, she's turned down ice cream/frozen yogurt, because it was offered to her already on the spoon.
The next two photos are from a recent trip to the park. Cora loves the park. She loves playing on the slides and swings, climbing up onto play structures, and just wandering around.
She also likes trying to put on her shoes, or my shoes, or Stace's shoes. It's pretty cute watching her walk around with a big shoe on her foot. She still loves playing with Somer, and Somer really loves playing with Cora. It gets a bit rough sometimes, with Cora stepping on the cat, falling onto the cat, and hugging the cat tightly while giving her lots of kisses. I sometimes try to encourage Somer to escape to the couch, but she jumps back down to join Cora on the floor.
Cora also loves roughhousing with her daddy. They often play together on the floor while I finish making dinner, or wash the dishes. Cora will climb onto Stace's back while he's on all fours.
At night, Stace brushes Cora's teeth and reads her a story before bed. Hopefully this new nighttime routine will help when I wean Cora from nursing; for now she nurses upon waking in the morning and before bed, before Daddy does the final stories. Lately, he tells me that when he finishes reading to her, she points to her crib to show she is ready to go to bed. She had a few weeks recently where she cried after I put her to bed, but lately she is back to going to bed well.
Cora is saying more words now. I can make out "walk," "water," "dirty," "all done," and "milk," along with "more," "uh oh," "mama," "dada," "doggy," and "No." That last word has become a favorite, as every parent of a toddler comes to discover. She uses it often, and often when she doesn't mean it. Stace got Cora out of her crib this afternoon after a nap, and asked if she wanted to get out. She had her arms upraised, while answering "no." We're trying to teach her "yes" but so far, she doesn't have that one down.
The final photo is from Stroller Strides today. After class we take the toddlers out of the strollers, so they can wander around and play while we finish stretching. Today, Cora ended up wandering pretty far down the sidewalk. I called to her, and she laughed and kept going. Our instructor laughed too, and yelled out, "Bye, Cora!" Cora turned again and waved "bye bye" to us, then kept going. It was very funny, especially since Cora still isn't consistent with waving hello and good-bye at the appropriate times.

Fourth of July

Here is Cora, crashing after Santa Clarita's annual Fourth of July parade. Although she looks miserable in the photo, I think she kind of enjoyed the parade; it was just very, very hot. After Cora napped, we went up to a barbecue/pool party at the home of one of Stace's coworkers. Cora amazed me again with her fearlessness. We were at a new house, with all new people, and Cora walked - well, stomped - like she owned the place. The terrier puppy kept barking at Cora (playfully) when we first arrived, excited to have a young friend closer to his size, and even that didn't faze Cora. When she spotted the pool, her tantrum-throwing twin appeared. She wanted to swim right then, and kept pointing out the door and yelling (and then crying). Eventually, we did do some swimming.
We got back to Santa Clarita in the evening just in time to take in the fireworks show at the mall. The noise woke Cora up, so she watched too, and kept saying, "Whoa."
On Saturday, we celebrated with our dear friend Kelly, who had a party to celebrate her earning her master's degree. It was a great time.

Cora clips

For your viewing pleasure. Cora dancing (she was doing it without us asking - Stace and I were working on something at the kitchen table, and I glanced up and caught Cora enjoying the music) and loving her brand-new shoes.

Summer fun

Another week in. It was a nice week. The temperatures cooled down to a more reasonable warmth - we could do things outside during the day! On Wednesday, the highlight for Cora was a trip to the Santa Clarita Aquatic Center with some friends, including Kelsie and Lylia. Kelsie, you might remember, is the daughter of my college friends Mark and Lylia. She is three weeks older than Cora, and about two inches and at least 5 pounds bigger. They had a great time splashing together. Cora kept going underwater, a result of her daddy's influence. When they're in the pool together, he encourages her to put her head under, while he holds her.
On Thursday, the highlight of Cora's day was a trip to Valencia Glen Park. Stace rode his bike from work to the park, which is one we'd love to live very close to. Cora wandered all over, slid and swung, and had a ton of fun on a bridge that connected two sides of a jungle gym. A little boy about three years old kept running across the bridge, making Cora bounce up and and down. She laughed so loud and long, each and every time he made the bridge bounce.
On Friday evening, after dinner we went to the mall area, because across the street at the Hyatt there was free music. It's a very popular event in Santa Clarita on summer Friday nights.
The third photo here is when Cora found Stace's bike helmet and decided it was her new favorite toy. She wore it around for quite a few minutes. And lastly, we have photos from Cora's first trip to Chuck E. Cheese's, the kiddie pizza place. Though Cora was wide-eyed and enjoying all the different arcade games, she seemed equally happy walking back and forth up and down a slope between the play area and the restaurant section. That slope was fantastic.

Bob & Stace- Live at The Greek

For my birthday present Lisa got me two tickets
to see Robert Plant and Alison Krauss at The Greek theatre in Hollywood.

I asked around at work to see if someone would like to come with me but everyone was busy, so I took Lisa along.

It was a fantastic gig. Plant, again, was on top form and Alison Krauss was amazing. She has an incredible voice. The band they played with were all excellent musicians.

The highlight of the night for me was the three Led Zep songs they did, all with a Bluegrass sound.

We took along sandwiches and a bottle Blackthorn Cider which we had before we went in.

While we were eating we saw Vince Vaughn (Wedding Crashers) turn up and queue to get in. He's a big bloke. I also saw Minnie Driver (Good Will Hunting) going to the toilet (I was waiting for Lis to come out, not just hanging around outside). A good night for star spotting!

It was a lovely warm night under the stars and a fantastic evening of music. Check out the album Raising Sand to hear something different from the rock legend, Robert Plant.

Happy Birthday, Stace!

My wonderful husband had his 35th birthday on Saturday! We spent a very relaxing day as a family, and he said he really enjoyed it. Stace and Cora headed to the pool in the morning while I made a cake. Stace watched Euro Cup football while Cora had her nap, and afterwards we went to Black Angus where Stace had a free steak dinner (and dessert, see photo!). Also at dinner, Stace and Cora did "cheers" with their drinks, and Cora really liked the bread (two-fisted!). We then drove down to Northridge to check out the cycling gear at REI. Stace is trying to decide how to spend his birthday money.
On Monday, Stace and I will go see Robert Plant and Alison Krauss play at the Greek
Theatre - that's my present to him, and he was properly shocked and thrilled.
The last two photos are of Cora playing at the mall Thursday and Friday. We're having another heat wave (110 degrees, uggh) so we've been playing there, and in the pool and at Hurricane Harbor.
Also this week, we visited with my friend JT. She's in town from England to visit with her newborn nephew and celebrate a family reunion. We had a really nice afternoon together, and Cora was amazingly well-behaved considering she was missing her nap.
Lastly, we have a short video of Cora speaking (listen for the "more" at the end). She has been jabbering a lot lately, saying things like "dibbydibbydoo wittiwittiwoo." She also is starting to imitate us a lot more: she will try to say "flower," "chicken," "cheese," "Somer," "please," and "walk," along with the words she's already been saying: "more," "mama," "Daddy," and "ta ta" (for thank you).

The Wedding

Congrats to Elizabeth and Jerry, my cousin and her new husband!
It's incredible to think she is a married woman; I remember playing with her when she was a tiny girl (we're nearly a decade apart). She's a fantastic young woman and was a gorgeous bride; Jerry is a lucky man. From what we can tell, he seems like a great guy and we look forward to getting to know him better.
Cora was their flower girl, and she did an awesome job, as good a job as we could have hoped for.
When it was her turn to go down the aisle, I led her forward and put her basket in her hands. At first she tripped on the grass, and her foot came out of her shoe, and then she dropped her basket, and the flowers fell out. We got the shoe back on and the flowers back in the basket, and I led her by the hand the first few steps. Then I pointed up the aisle to Stace, who was near the front in the third row, and she took off for him. She is a slow walker, and seemed happy to look around at everyone, who all were smiling at her. When she reached the front, she froze in place. We joked later that I had told her to go up to the front, but I didn't say what to do next. Stace ended up picking her up and sitting her down next to him.
The ceremony was simple and sweet, and the reception was lovely. Great food, a good DJ, and a near food fight after the cake cutting. Typical Elizabeth! She and her new husband had fun pushing the cake into each other's faces (and hair!).
Here are a few photos from the day; the last one was a young guest who was Cora's favorite dance partner.

Spokane trip

Stacey, Cora and I spent the weekend in Spokane, Washington, for my cousin Elizabeth's wedding. It was a short turnaround (we left Saturday morning and returned Monday night), with the wedding rehearsal and dinner on Saturday evening, the wedding on Sunday afternoon and Monday morning left for exploring the woods near the lodge where the wedding took place. These photos are from the area right outside Bear Creek Lodge, the rustic and homey place we wedding guests took over for Sunday and Monday. It's the sort of place that is very busy in the winter with snow sports, and you can easily imagine deer hunters propping up the bar, which had a great selection of beers.
We took a hike Monday morning with Grandma, Grandpa, Melanie and cousin William, and then played in the (cold!) creek before packing up and heading back to the airport.
The scenery was gorgeous, and it would have been great to spend more time in the area.
Cora did pretty well with her two plane trips, but traveling with her is still a lot of work. We had two flights each time, a one-hour trip between Burbank and Oakland, and a two-hour flight between Oakland and Spokane. Cora did much better Saturday, since our flights were in the morning and she was well rested. She enjoyed feeding Stace pretzels. On Saturday night, Cora went to sleep easily since she only had a very short nap on the plane, but she woke up at 11 and slept poorly the rest of the night. She likes her own bed, her own room. She slept better Sunday night, probably because she was so exhausted, but didn't get much of a nap before we were back on the plane Monday late afternoon. She did her share of screaming. She slept well back home Monday, thankfully, and had a long nap Tuesday and went to bed early.
Oh well, we do realize that some day she'll have outgrown all this, and will be a great little traveler who sleeps fine on the road (or at least doesn't cry when she wakes up), and we'll miss our fun-loving toddler.

Friday Night Out

No, we didn't go to dinner and a movie, or to a hot club.
We are parents, after all!
We helped Hot Dog on a Stick celebrate its 60th anniversary. The chain was giving out free hot dogs (on sticks of course) on Friday night at the mall, so we went and got our three freebies (along with lots of other people - see the line). Cora liked hers OK, and ate maybe half of it.
We then played at the mall playground. It was the first time we'd been back since she started walking well (though she did take her first steps in this very playground). She loved it! She was having fun on the little slide, see video.
In the final photo, see Cora enjoying her lunch. She and I were sharing leftover macaroni-with-hamburger, and at the end she wanted to eat out of my dish, with my spoon. I thought she looked really cute.
In other Cora news, she is starting to say more words. She says "more," and today I heard her saying "water." She also is meowing at Somer.

Cora's First Haircut

Adorable, yes. But ready for her turn to walk down the aisle at cousin Elizabeth's wedding Sunday? Not so much, especially since we can't count on Cora to keep a clip in her hair.
So, we decided it was time for Cora's first haircut today. We went to Gumball Alley, a local place that specializes in kids' hair cuts. Lots of toys and entertainment. She was a very good girl and enjoyed sitting in the car-chair, holding the steering wheel and watching the cartoon on the TV in front of her.

All done!

And a shot of the back. The lady trimmed Cora's bangs and evened out the back a bit, to take away her little mullet. She then gave Cora a little pony tail on top and put in some flowers. So, when we take out the pony tail, her bangs will look a bit thicker. Doesn't she look more like a little girl and less like a baby?
The salon took a photo, printed it and put it in a little "My First Haircut" card with a taped-in bit of her clipped hair.