Happy Halloween!

Halloween Eve: warming up to the idea of accessorizing ...
We made several stops in our fun-filled evening of trick or treating (or at least hanging out with those who are lucky enough to have moms who let them fill their bags with sugary treats). First stop - an event with Jane, Olivia and Maddie. It took Leila a while to adjust to the idea of being surrounded by kiddos dressed in festive costumes (you'll notice the progression of her expressions in these chronologically listed photos, from discomfort to uncertainty to acceptance to enjoyment).

Queen of the Wild Things?
OK, looking a little more regal now...





At the Visalia Montessori school's Halloween festival. Lots of fun games. Lots of good costumes.
Games...
... prizes

The night ended with a delicious cookie from Katia. Finally, Leila had her first dose of chocolate. And yes, she loved it. And then Max, the Queen of the Wild Things, showed us her true wild colors...

At the Park

We're loving this groovy fall weather! Leila and I spent a lovely morning at the park: swingin', slidin', makin' friends and rockin' out on the zebra.

We've been wearing Halloween stickers all week. I guess it's boring to wear them on your shirt, so Leila educated me today about the new, hip way to wear stickers -- on your nose.

Who's the Cat and Who's the Mouse?

I love this video, and I love this game that I get to watch almost every night. But my favorite moment in this video is when Penny (yes, I settled on Penny) looks up at me like, "Are you just gonna stand there, or do you think you might help me out?"

Almost Halloweeeeeen

Leila, Nana, Popo and I visited the pumpkin patch yesterday. This is now Leila's second time to a pumpkin patch, and well, like last year, she wasn't really a fan. But unlike last year, it wasn't for her fear of spherically-shaped objects, but rather her general suspicion of all things new and unusual--more specifically, pumpkins with faces and other "creepy" Halloween-spirited themes. She wasn't even into face-painting. However, Leila definitely enjoyed our hayride through the orange fields.

Below, Leila is recovering from a traumatic encounter with an oversized smiling pumpkin, while I smile and sun-blindingly squint at the camera in hopes of a decent picture.
Weeeee, hayrides are fun!
Nana and Popo: "I paid $9 to be surrounded by orange trees?! I've been surrounded by orange trees everyday of the last 35 years!"

Leila was enthralled by the chickens, that is, until that overzealous, little dog came along to stir up some chaos in the coop.
PS - For the local folks, we tried out Seven Sycamores this year instead of Vossler. It was decent, but Vossler is better. Although nothing tops the belated Satterstrom's.

New Member in the Family

Leila has always loved animals, and after weeks of her repeated responses, "Maauuwww" to my calls, "See the kitty?/What does a kitty say?" I finally broke down and got her a kitty. She's a beautiful, cuddly 7-month-old calico, name TBD... I'm stuck between Penny, Charlie and Reeses (and of course, if it were up to Leila, her name would be Mao. Maui? Parsnip, Paisley and Hazel are runners-up too). Please weigh in with your vote. Kitty needs a name. Please. And thanks.

Catching up, Farewell to Summer

Yes, I'm long overdue for a posting. Life has been busy. Leila and I came down with another attack of the icky sickies, but this time it was a very unpleasant stomach virus. Just as Leila got over her ickies, she passed the baton to me. At the same time, she also had to undergo a second round of antibiotics because an infection was still haunting her delicate ear canals. Alas, we're both healthy again and Leila is back to her cheery, adorable and stubborn self.

Despite illness, it's been a busy week of social activities. Last Saturday, we went up to Bass Lake for a 24-hour escapade of lake-lounging, outdoor cooking, campfire singing and tent-sleeping with some Santa Cruz friends. Then, Katy and Javier came out to visit us for a couple of days -- Leila and I both thoroughly reveled in their familiar company. (Pictures coming soon.) And rounding out the week, I enjoyed a lovely Saturday brunch with an old friend, then an indulgent martini night with my Visalia "bosom" buddies while Leila spent a quality night with her Nana and Popo.

In other news -- fall has finally descended upon our scorched Central California valley. What a refreshing relief!

Below, Leila aims her toosh at the stars while sleeping in the tent last weekend at Bass Lake. Despite her odd contortionist pose, she slept sweetly and soundly.
The next morning, Leila was eager to get in the car and back to a "normal" life... the group of 30+ strangers (kids included) proved a bit overwhelming for Leila this time.
Leila's latest fave is Legos. She LOVES them!
And she also loves to help sweep and clean floors. Here's a little montage of her sweeping efforts...