Leila has developed a new and rather intense and definitely comical interest in my jumprope. As much as I try to engage Leila's interest in her massive collection of toys, she adamantly insists on toying with my non-toys. (Have I mentioned how she, in the short time it takes to pour a cup of coffee, had almost perfectly applied mascara to her eyes?). I can accept this jumprope obsession. Check it out...
Monday, May 24, 2010
Yosemite and Beyond (or rather, closer to home)
I'm a little behind. A couple weekends ago (the weekend of May 14-15), Nana, Popo, Leila and I headed up to Coarsegold to visit with my Aunt Selma ("Oma" to Leila). We had a lovely visit on Friday afternoon/evening, woke up to homemade cinnamon rolls (sooo great to have a German aunt) on Saturday, and then headed up to Yosemite.
Below, Popo captivates Leila with visions of hummingbirds darting in and out of the feeder at Oma's house in Coarsegold.
Popo further captivated Leila with a stellar rendition of "Goodnight Gorilla."
Everyone was impressed!
And then, on Saturday morning, we arrived at Yosemite!
The sights were gorgeous, the waterfalls were intense and the crowds of spectators were THICK (Popo's repeated quote of the day "It's a parking lot here!"). Was it worth it? If it hadn't been for Leila's carsickness, yes. And in retrospect, puke and all, definitely yes. But at the time, no. There were a lot of people! But Yosemite in the spring (or anytime for that matter, but particularly in the spring) is a sight to behold. It truly is magical and awe-inspiring. I won't pretend to look for the words to describe how breathtaking nature is when you enter that valley and catch your first glimpse of Half Dome, Bridal Falls, Yosemite Falls and El Capitan. That vision arrested the rest of the senses, that is, until a current of wind sent the stench of Leila's vomit wafting through the car. Alas, we joined the parking lot and got out to explore...
I look forward to taking Leila back to Yosemite, to camp beneath El Capitan, preferably mid-week, even earlier in the season to hopefully avoid some of the crowds.
In the meantime, we have GOGGLES! On a whim at CVS, I decided to buy Leila her first pair of goggles. We've only gotten to use them one time in the pool, and at that, it was brief. She was much more content to show them off while we shopped at Kohl's, proudly telling everyone we passed, "Leila pool oggles."
And we had our season's first visit to the pool. Leila had been asking about the pool for weeks, so we finally ventured over for a dip. The water was still pretty frigid, but we both fell victim to Leila's will and splashed, submerged and enjoyed the cold water. Leila was bold on the first step, but timid beyond that. Eventually, she warmed up to make a few jumps off the side and showed off some splashes and kicks. I'd say that we're starting out the season in about the same place we closed out the season last year. 
And then, as a random aside, I went downtown for the start of Stage 5 of the Amgen Tour. It was a pretty big deal around here. And as it turned out, it was a pretty bad day for Lance Armstrong. I'm not sure who is who below, but I took this with my iPhone as they all zoomed by making the spectators dizzy.
Below, Popo captivates Leila with visions of hummingbirds darting in and out of the feeder at Oma's house in Coarsegold.
Popo further captivated Leila with a stellar rendition of "Goodnight Gorilla."
Everyone was impressed!
And then, on Saturday morning, we arrived at Yosemite!
The sights were gorgeous, the waterfalls were intense and the crowds of spectators were THICK (Popo's repeated quote of the day "It's a parking lot here!"). Was it worth it? If it hadn't been for Leila's carsickness, yes. And in retrospect, puke and all, definitely yes. But at the time, no. There were a lot of people! But Yosemite in the spring (or anytime for that matter, but particularly in the spring) is a sight to behold. It truly is magical and awe-inspiring. I won't pretend to look for the words to describe how breathtaking nature is when you enter that valley and catch your first glimpse of Half Dome, Bridal Falls, Yosemite Falls and El Capitan. That vision arrested the rest of the senses, that is, until a current of wind sent the stench of Leila's vomit wafting through the car. Alas, we joined the parking lot and got out to explore...
I look forward to taking Leila back to Yosemite, to camp beneath El Capitan, preferably mid-week, even earlier in the season to hopefully avoid some of the crowds.In the meantime, we have GOGGLES! On a whim at CVS, I decided to buy Leila her first pair of goggles. We've only gotten to use them one time in the pool, and at that, it was brief. She was much more content to show them off while we shopped at Kohl's, proudly telling everyone we passed, "Leila pool oggles."
And we had our season's first visit to the pool. Leila had been asking about the pool for weeks, so we finally ventured over for a dip. The water was still pretty frigid, but we both fell victim to Leila's will and splashed, submerged and enjoyed the cold water. Leila was bold on the first step, but timid beyond that. Eventually, she warmed up to make a few jumps off the side and showed off some splashes and kicks. I'd say that we're starting out the season in about the same place we closed out the season last year. 
And then, as a random aside, I went downtown for the start of Stage 5 of the Amgen Tour. It was a pretty big deal around here. And as it turned out, it was a pretty bad day for Lance Armstrong. I'm not sure who is who below, but I took this with my iPhone as they all zoomed by making the spectators dizzy.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Mother's Day Weekend
It was a great weekend. Leila made her big move to her big girl bed on Friday night. So far, we're three nights and three naps into the move and it's been a seamless transition. She was positively giddy as we put the sheets on the bed, and then joyously "practiced falling out of bed" according to Nana's instructions (a wise trick I never would have considered). Now, falling out of bed is actually a sport to Leila... she loves it. On night 2, she did actually fall out of bed, cried for help and then quickly settled down as soon as I picked her up and returned her back to bed and back to sleep.
Below are some pics of the new dresser and bed, thanks to her Daddy and Grandma and Grandpa Vaina. The furniture looks great! And it's really made Leila happy... funny how furniture has the power to make a two-year-old so happy.
On Saturday morning, Leila and I went to the ImagineU Children's Museum for a veritable tea party. We got dressed up in pink and sipped on pink lemonade out of real china and tried to be polite as we could possibly be (ha, not very).
After tea, Leila was riveted by a mom who brought in some abandoned infant sparrows that she was caring for and showed us how she feeds the hungry orphans.
Leila loves any chance to play with water. She keeps asking about the pool, and I keep telling her it's still too cold. I'm so curious to see how she'll actually react to BEING in the pool this year.
We started out our Mother's Day Sunday by watching the first 40 minutes of "Where the Wild Things Are"... it's fabulous. Leila was pretty keen on Max ("rrrrrrr") and actually asked to wear her "Max hat." So, she put on the whole Max Halloween costume for a little while.
Then, we strapped on our bike helmets and went on a 17 mile ride, braving the pre-storm gusty winds. It was a great ride along the river.
And we finished off the weekend with a wonderful Mother's Day dinner at Nana and Popo's house. Leila (via Nana/Popo) made me my second annual Mother's Day handprint plate. Adorable!
And Happy Mother's Day to my very patient, very creative mommy. I love you so much and appreciate all the life lessons you continue to teach me (even if I continue to seem resistant)!
Oh, and here's a glimpse of Leila's latest and greatest art projects -- bathtub magic marker art. How Jackson Pollack, right?
Below are some pics of the new dresser and bed, thanks to her Daddy and Grandma and Grandpa Vaina. The furniture looks great! And it's really made Leila happy... funny how furniture has the power to make a two-year-old so happy.
On Saturday morning, Leila and I went to the ImagineU Children's Museum for a veritable tea party. We got dressed up in pink and sipped on pink lemonade out of real china and tried to be polite as we could possibly be (ha, not very).
After tea, Leila was riveted by a mom who brought in some abandoned infant sparrows that she was caring for and showed us how she feeds the hungry orphans.
Leila loves any chance to play with water. She keeps asking about the pool, and I keep telling her it's still too cold. I'm so curious to see how she'll actually react to BEING in the pool this year.
We started out our Mother's Day Sunday by watching the first 40 minutes of "Where the Wild Things Are"... it's fabulous. Leila was pretty keen on Max ("rrrrrrr") and actually asked to wear her "Max hat." So, she put on the whole Max Halloween costume for a little while.Then, we strapped on our bike helmets and went on a 17 mile ride, braving the pre-storm gusty winds. It was a great ride along the river.
And we finished off the weekend with a wonderful Mother's Day dinner at Nana and Popo's house. Leila (via Nana/Popo) made me my second annual Mother's Day handprint plate. Adorable!And Happy Mother's Day to my very patient, very creative mommy. I love you so much and appreciate all the life lessons you continue to teach me (even if I continue to seem resistant)!
Oh, and here's a glimpse of Leila's latest and greatest art projects -- bathtub magic marker art. How Jackson Pollack, right?
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Public Nudity
Leila proved quite the exhibitionist at the park today. A little foreshadowing of the warm months to come? It all started innocently enough...
Then she asked to take her wet shirt and skirt off.
And the next thing I knew, she'd ripped off her diaper...
Then she asked to take her wet shirt and skirt off.
And the next thing I knew, she'd ripped off her diaper...
Local Camping
On Friday, Leila and I made a trip up to River Ridge Ranch, just north of Springville for a work "retreat" of sorts. It was absolutely beautiful. We slowly drove through Yokohl Valley (stopping a few times along the way to let Leila's tummy settle down and keep her carsickness contained, literally), soaking up what could be our last glimpses of beautiful verdant Valley spring until next year.
Leila found a great buddy in Lilly. They were inseparable and full of giggles.
Peek-a-boo with mommy's straw hat...
Leila loved her new "ha ha" chair (monkeys are known as "ha ha's"), and even more, loved the apple pie doused in "Snickers salad" (whipped cream, Snickers and apple slices). Yea, rules kinda go out the window when we're camping.
This whipped cream smile was definitely worth breaking the rules for.
Our tent.
The ranch picnic area. It was a magical place. We'll definitely be back.
Leila found a great buddy in Lilly. They were inseparable and full of giggles.
Peek-a-boo with mommy's straw hat...
Leila loved her new "ha ha" chair (monkeys are known as "ha ha's"), and even more, loved the apple pie doused in "Snickers salad" (whipped cream, Snickers and apple slices). Yea, rules kinda go out the window when we're camping.
This whipped cream smile was definitely worth breaking the rules for.
Our tent.
The ranch picnic area. It was a magical place. We'll definitely be back.
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