Kelly's shower

Saturday marked the start of Kelly's wedding festivities. Dozens of her closest friends gathered to shower her with love and gifts as she prepares to marry Brad in less than two months' time. We bridesmaids, pictured above, organized the shower (mainly using Facebook messages - how modern).

 Here are two of Kelly's three flower girls, Abby (daughter of Adrianna, above in purple top) and Cora. Violet also will be a flower girl, but I left her at home so she wouldn't miss her nap.

Abby and Cora got along famously, as if they'd known each other for years. When our day was done, Cora wanted Abby to sleep over. I explained that she lived a long way away (about 75 miles) so that wouldn't work.
Cora was very sad and said, "Why do they live so far away? They should move here!"

 Here are Aunt Patty, Linda, Melanie and me, enjoying the brunch. I planned out some of the menu and planned to make three big dishes and muffins. I bought all the ingredients, and then had an endoscopy Friday morning, the day I needed to cook.

Thankfully, Aunt Patty came to the rescue, coming in from Ventura to help with the girls while I rested, and then do nearly all of the cooking.

 The shower was a lot of fun, and for the bridesmaids and flower girls, the fun wasn't over.

Kelly took us out to tea at the Tea Gardens as a "thank you" for supporting her. It was nice to sit together and chat, and my girls enjoyed the afternoon and their tea, sandwiches and scones. Since we had the room to ourselves, the girls also danced when they were finished eating.

At first I helped Violet with her tea...

...and then she took the reins...mug...into her own capable hands. She loved the sugar and milk best, and she polished off at least two cups.

Silly mum, I didn't look to see if any of our varieties were herbal/caffeine-free! She woke up and spent about an hour in the night chatting to herself, but she never asked for our help, so all was good.

Such fun Saturday was! And for such a great reason.

Violet update

Here's Violet, with what she called her "bum bracelet." It was a pretty bit of silver curling ribbon, tied around her waist.

She is such a chatterbox, and her comprehension is remarkable. She asks good questions and gives solid answers.
For example, I was planning to get gas but the station's credit card connection was down. When I got back in the car and we started pulling away, Violet said, "It not working, Mummy?"
She realized I hadn't filled up and wondered why.

When we got home, Spencer's tail was straight up in the air. Violet pointed and laughed, saying, "A flag! Spencer's tail is a flag!"

The other night, she told Stace something (I can't remember what) and Stace told her not to tell him what to do, and then asked, "Who's in charge?"

Her answer: "Cora."

Silly girl. She likes playing with the kitties, with her sister, with fairies, little dolls, bigger dollies and trains.

Unlike a lot of toddlers, I normally don't need to worry if Violet is "too quiet" in another part of the house.

When she's tired or maybe a bit overwhelmed, she's usually to be found in her room, door shut, reading books or lying down on the rocking footrest to  her glider, with her pacifier. We limit it to her bed, but she can usually seem to find one when she needs to chill out in her room.

Of course, Violet can get into things. I left her in the car for a minute while I brought in groceries, and when I went to get her, I found she had pulled out my Listerine breath-freshening strips, one by one. Kind of like the day she pulled out yards and yards of dental floss.

She's not above throwing the occasional kicking-while-lying-down tantrum, either.
But generally, Violet is still an easy-going girl who loves to smile and laugh.

In other news, we're making a push on the potty-training front. I've started giving her one M&M or similar "sweetie" when she uses the toilet for No. 2, and for staying dry when we're out and about. We also have the little potty out in the front of the house, so she can use that while she's playing.

So far, I'm going back and forth with her wearing her training panties or a diaper while we're out of the house. I did training panties for a few days straight, and she would use the toilet fine while we were out, but she also would pee in her panties. So she's been in a diaper the last few days, and wouldn't you know it, she stayed dry while we were out.

We'll see; it would be nice to be done with the process in a month or so, by the time she's 2 1/2.

Anniversary Day Out

I was lucky enough to spend my entire Sunday on a date with this gorgeous guy!

We started out with breakfast in SClarita (which I suffered through since I'd waited too many hours to eat, after taking my medicine, which SAID to take on an empty stomach...).

Thankfully I felt much better later, and we drove out to Malibu on a stunning day. It was fun (and a bit surreal) to visit the Pepperdine campus again, 15 years after I started my freshman year. What a beautiful school. Here, we are having a smoothie on the terrace overlooking the Pacific. Panoramic views of the ocean surround Pepperdine.

 We then went down to the beach for a few hours: a long walk, body surfing for both of us, some paddle ball.

Notice the lack of roof on the car behind us. The drive through Malibu Canyon, along PCH and up Topanga Canyon was greatly enhanced by the use of Uncle Bill's Mercedes. Thanks!

Then, it was on to dinner at Lala's in Studio City, thanks to a generous gift from a friend of Stacey's.

Our dinner was fantastic, as was our entire day together. Nine years later, and I'm still amazed and thankful every day for the man I'm blessed to call husband.

Cora and Violet had a fun day too - it was Grandpa's union picnic at Raging Waters, a water park an hour away. A great day all around, for all of us!

Class Mates

Colleen and I were so happy to discover that we'd signed up our daughters for the same My Buddy class!

 Both Liana and Violet had so much fun, and were excited to see each other and play together. This is the sort of class where the moms can have quite a bit of chatting time while the little ones play, so it will be great to hang out with Colleen each week for the next few months.

 I found it really interesting how Liana arranged her puffy sticky things into a straight line. Violet's were all over the paper, forming a "barn."

 Liana and Violet aren't the only friends in class together! On Saturday, Cora started her next session of Kidz Love Soccer, and who was there but Lucas (and Colleen, Rigo and Liana)?

We hadn't discussed any of this before signing up, so it was a lovely surprise. We'll enjoy seeing each other each Saturday morning, as well.

Violet's My Buddy

It's Violet's turn to take Miss Diane's class!

We had such a great experience with Miss Diane's My Buddy and Me classes when Cora was two, and later the Terrific Tots 3-year-old preschool co-op program. 

After I talked about the class a lot this week, and we peeked into the building the other day, Violet was very excited to go to her own school, with her own teacher. 

She played with Mr. Potato Head for a bit, and spent some time with the cars and ramps. 

I kept flashing back, to Cora being two and in this class. She loved playing with the trains and cars, too. My mind also kept replaying scenes of tiny baby Violet in her car seat, when I'd pick up Cora from Terrific Tots. And I blinked, and it's two years later! 

 Violet loved every bit of class, and in this picture, is starting to form what she said was a barn. She also did dot-marker art and a painting. She said her painting was of Tinker Bell and a seahorse.

 It was great catching up with Miss Diane again. She said she's been waiting for Violet to become old enough to join her class.

 

And, for nostalgia's sake, here's a photo from Cora at her first My Buddy and Me class. Sigh. Look at those cheeks!

Tinker Bell Treat

What could be better for a couple of fairy-loving girls (OK, one fairy-obsessed girl) than watching the newest Tinker Bell film in a very special theater?

A couple of months ago a friend of mine invited us to come along as part of a large group - to get the cheap group rate tickets - to see "Disney Fairies: Secret of the Wings" at Disney's El Capitan Theater on Hollywood Boulevard.

Obviously, this would be a super-exciting thing for Cora Rose, who has been really into fairies since Nan and Pop sent her a Tink movie at Easter.

We got there nice and early to meet up with our friends and collect our tickets, and to get a great seat on the balcony. While we waited to be let in, Stace found Ron Howard's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Grandma and Grandpa also came to the movie.

 

The movie was sweet, about Tinker Bell meeting the Winter Fairies, including the twin-sister-she-never-knew-she-had.

The Tink movies are released directly to DVD, but Disney shows them at El Capitan for a few weeks as a special engagement. "Secret of the Wings" comes out on DVD at the end of October.

It was nice seeing and catching up with our old friends Heather and Libi at the movie.

Before the film started, we watched an organist play Disney classics, and then saw Tinker Bell and Periwinkle (her sister) dance live on stage as "snow" began falling on the audience. Magical!

Violet did really well during the film, sitting or standing quietly the whole time.

We had a great afternoon together, and for Cora, it was a great reward for earning 20 marbles!

(Nice how that timing worked out, eh? She can earn them for good behavior and positive attitudes, and for staying on track in the morning and getting out the door on time for school. In that respect, she's been doing really well this week.)

Sick Mama

Nearly three weeks ago Wednesday, I woke up feeling terrible. Stace took the day off and played Mr. Mom for the day, while I dealt with a yucky tummy, bad guts and a sore throat.

It seemed to move into a cold over the next few days, but on the Saturday, I had a bad earache. At the doctors, I was given antibiotics for a sinus and ear infection. After a few days of not being able to hear properly, I called the doctors and got a steroid. I finished both bottles of pills, felt OK but not 100%, and then felt much worse the next day (last week).

Back to the doctors for a terrible sore throat and nausea, and this time I failed the stethoscope test. I was given a breathing treatment, chest x-ray, shots of antibiotics and steroids, and a prescription for three drugs.

Diagnosis: throat and sinus infection, Reactive Airway Disorder/bronchitis, and a bit of walking pneumonia because of some fluid in the my lungs. Yikes! My first pneumonia since I was a baby.

Thankfully, I don't feel as bad as all that sounds; I just feel more tired than normal since my lungs are working harder to get air. I'm not stopping all activities, but I am trying to rest more. I'm supposed to go back for a recheck after I finish this current round of drugs to make sure my lungs are clear. 

Violet thankfully was an angel at the doctor's office, playing with her toys and water drawing pad, and doing well with a front-office girl when I was sent out for my x-ray.

And, thanks to God, the girls haven't been sick! Amazing; Cora starts school and I'm the one who gets sick! Stace felt a bit throaty for a few days but fought it off. Here's to good health, and to my husband who's been picking up the slack!

Last days of swimming

 The end of Labor Day weekend is supposed to represent the unofficial end of the summer season in the States.
The kids are back in school, and autumn is around the corner.

On the other hand, the calendar still states it's summer until the third week of September, and our weather is definitely very summery.

So, we still are cooling off in the pool...

Violet is being a bit braver, in letting me and Stace take her off the steps. She is practicing her kicking here, as you can see.

Stace dunked her a few times, and she did not like that much at all. She liked being chased by the crocodile kick board, and would scream and say "I run away. I get out!" as she'd leave the pool.

Cora can swim the length of the pool, to the 8-foot mark, and back again, but I can't get the video to load here. Sorry! Cora also is able to swim downward to the bottom of the deep end to retrieve rings. She is now so confident in the water, it's such fun to bring her to the pool. 

 Cora's also an ever-helpful big sister to Violet.

 The children had a minimum day on Thursday, before their four-day holiday weekend. Genia and I let them burn off some energy and cool down at the same time.

They had a fun few minutes turning the baby pool into a wave pool.

Beach Fun with Alison and Tyler

My cousin Alison and her husband Tyler are visiting, so we spent Saturday on the beach in Ventura with them and Bill and Patty.

The wind was chilly when we got out of the car, but we soon warmed up and had a great day together.

 Of course, the water was a bit too cold for most of us to enjoy, other than from the relatively dry confines of the kayak. Stace and I went around the harbor, and then Stace and Cora took a ride.

Cora also took a nice walk down the shoreline with her great-aunt and great-uncle, looking for aquatic life (and death, like that deceased pelican).

Violet decided to check out the napping situation inside Auntie Patty's sit-inside kayak.

Then, she did a bit of practicing for when she gets big enough to go out in the boat.

This was an interesting game to watch - a lot of serving, not much returning, and a lot of chasing down the tennis ball.

Happy Violet enjoyed her beach trip.





















 Stace and Uncle Bill relaxed on Labor Day weekend, after Bill's first weeks of work as principal of a junior high school.

Cora had fun creating her sand castle.

Stace was inspired by the work of art behind him, to the right, and came up with this masterpiece.

After the beach, it was time for baths at Auntie Patty's (so nice to not take home sandy girls!) and homemade pizza for dinner. While the pizzas baked, Tyler provided music for a daddy-daughter dance session. Cora really likes dancing right now, especially twirling.

I'd like to find a casual, low-stress dance class for her, maybe a short session, because I know she'd love it. But I also don't want to overschedule our family, as she's in Pioneer Club on Wednesdays and soccer on Saturdays, and that feels like enough for the school year.

Alison and Tyler spent Tuesday at our house, and we had a great time together at the pool and barbecuing in the back yard. 

Alison, who is very creative, spent some time helping Cora with her fairy house. 

This fairy house is a big deal to Cora. Ave and Maya also have helped her with it, making little decorations out of sticks, leaves, buttons and rhinestones that the fairies might like, should they ever visit. 

(Speaking of which, Cora remains sad that she has yet to see a fairy. She's told me that when she loses her first tooth, she will leave a note asking the Tooth Fairy to bring her "a real live fairy" instead of money. This is because the Tooth Fairy brought Ave real pixie dust for her latest tooth. THANKS, Genia!)

Catching up with friends

After a long several months-break, we finally got to catch up with Daryl, Juliana, Maya and Natalia on Sunday.

Between our two weeks in England in June, and Juliana's six weeks visiting her parents in Brazil, we hadn't all seen each other since May!

Thankfully, we had a nice long Labor Day weekend, which was perfect for a long family dinner, with grilled chicken and kabobs a la Stace, and side dishes from Juliana.

Cora and Maya must have telepathically planned their matching outfits. The girls all had a great time playing together, and got along very well. Not bad considering we had two toddlers!