Beach Babe(s) in Santa Cruz

Leila and I took a trip up to Santa Cruz for a glorious 24 hours to visit with some of my great college swimming buddies.

Leila discovered sand, and LOVED it!

Uncle Kris was on Day 1 of his voyage across country, back to Raleigh, and paused to help teach Leila the joys of the beach.
Leila enjoyed meeting Amy's daughter, Madeleine, who is just two months older than Leila.
Brooke, Amy and I soaked up the lovely Santa Cruz afternoon sun, while enjoying time with the most beautiful "babes" on the beach. And Leila also relished in her post-sand afternoon snack.

Ah, a stunning sunset...

Leila agreed to share the backseat with Madeleine. They went from gazing into each other's eyes, to reading books, to leading a symphony of cries that rose to quite a crescendo as we parked the car in front of Brooke's house.

Leila's First Thanksgiving

We (as in David, Leila, Uncle Kris, Nana and Popo) all drove down to Temecula, CA for Thanksgiving with my Aunt Vickie, Uncle John, and cousins Abby and Zach. It was a festive event, full of laughter, games and especially calories. Since it was the first time that the Richardsons (some of Small Hands' most devout followers) had met Leila, it was a special treat for all.

There is so much to be thankful for and so much to be hopeful for as 2009 approaches. Cheers to all!

Below, Leila tries turkey for the first time. My interpretation of this shot is, "Mmm, this bird is lip-lickin' gooood. More turkey, less green beans, thanks."
The group shot...
Leila tried her hand at the black and white keys... a pianist in the making?

Upon our return on Sunday, we picked up the newest addition to our growing family (and David's growing inner circle of good-looking ladies) -- "Dolce." As you can tell, she's a beautiful little kitty (about 6 months), but what's more, she's a special little kitty. Dolce has about 22 toes (6 more than the average feline). These fine creatures are known as polydactyls and were highly coveted by Ernest Hemingway who had scores of them frolicking around his Key West home.

Dolce instantly warmed to David and me (though tries to keep her distance when Leila approaches). She cuddles and coos and even head-butts for closer cuddling. Because she's so extraordinarily sweet, we decided to name her Dolce.

Bonding with Uncle Kris

Uncle Kris came up for a visit this weekend. Leila, quite unfortunately, had a very strange and very strong reaction to Kris. Not unlike her dramatic response to all things spherically shaped, Leila cried at the mere and near sight of her loving uncle. Everyone was utterly baffled, especially David's mom who had quite the opposite reaction to Kris. But since his departure, Leila has been feeling some remorse and would like to apologize by asking her uncle to please forgive her and to remember that bit of cuddling that they shared. She looks forward to seeing him again in a couple of weeks.

Life is a Vacation?

Leila's new gig is throwing her feet straight up in the air and planting her toes on the musical bar that runs across her beloved blue chair. See the toes behind the green guitar?

Splish splash, Leila loves her bath! She's graduated from the newborn sling in the tub and is free to kick up as much water as she pleases, smiling all the while.

My dear friend Brooke came out to visit from Santa Cruz, CA. We had a fantastic visit and Leila was all smiles.

David, Leila and I went up to Lake Follette in Tennessee to visit with the Trotters -- Aunt Candy, Uncle Ron and Ali. My brother Kris and Heather were there also before heading west to California. It was a great visit and a great vacation. But now we need a vacation from our hectic vacation schedule.
David enjoyed some time on the floor with his furry friends Hula and Chloe. If Hula weren't on her way to the West Coast, I might have reason to be jealous of their relationship.

Leila checks out her new clothes, a gift from Nana and Popo. Rumor is, Popo picked out these pretty dresses himself.

A Family Vacation in North Carolina

May 11 was a big day... not only was it my first Mother's Day, but my little brother graduated from UNC Chapel Hill. Leila is very proud of her Uncle Kris (and so are the rest of us).

Leila has been developing her hand-mouth coordination quite a lot lately and drowns in drool just about anything she can get her hands on.

Lindsay got to meet Leila and we all enjoyed a brief but lovely visit. Leila says thanks for the new threads.

After three fun-filled family days with the Woodards in Raleigh (sorry, somehow the camera escaped a full photo shoot with Nana and Popo, but Popo was thrilled to meet his granddaughter for the first time, Nana was impressed by how much Leila had changed in the past 8 weeks since they last met, and Leila had plenty of smiles for everyone), David, Leila and I went Wrightsville Beach to soak up some sun, sand and salt water. Ahhh.

An evening stroll on the shore.

On the first day at the beach, Leila was overwhelmed by the sun and gusty wind. We purchased an umbrella, but it quickly took flight and sent us back to the hotel for shady poolside lounging. On day two, we got clever and brought out the Pack 'n' Play and she promptly settled into an afternoon nap.

She was a great traveler and continued to sleep well on the road despite the disruption of her comforts and schedule. But we are all happy to be back home.

Leila and Uncle Kris Rap

Uncle Kris tries to wake up the sleeping beauty by teaching her to rap.