Latest zoo visit...

Riley and a few friends visited the zoo this week. Fun by all... of course! Riley displayed some super-duper big-girl behaviour. That crazy lady was out of the stroller, without the doggy, walking around ALL DAY at the zoo, and she stayed right by me the entire time. No tantrums, no crazy running off... she was being such a big girl! I could not believe it. Won’t expect it to happen again anytime soon, but would be pleased if it did.

Ramona, Anthony, and Juliet were also super-well-behaved. Oh, and by the way, Riley and Anthony are officially in love. Well, at least this week. Check it out:




Here's the crew:

Robin and Ramona:


Kathy and Anthony:


Lisa and Addy, and Juliet:



And here is a video of Riley's new zoo discoveries. Love it!



And Riley finally got some new curtains. The old ones ripped (apparently you have to wash curtains or else they dry-rot... who knew besides my mom??), and my makeshift replacements were "too dark, mommy!!". These are much nicer... and I think everyone likes them.



Oh! But wait, there's more... I finally edited the birthday video and I posted it on the birthday page. Enjoy, cause I think it's my favorite video so far! xo

Beautiful weather in the bay area

Yesterday was so hot, we spent a good part of the day in the yard. But before that, we did two new things... first, we went to Riley's first art class in the New 2's Studio, at the Purple Crayon. I was glad they give a free trial (each class is $25, unless you sign up for 8 classes, then it drops to $20 each), because I was pretty sure she wouldn't sit through it, and it would end up being an art class for me, which we all know I don't really need. BUT... it was awesome, and she LOVED it. She actually sat still through most of it, and when she did get up, it was to go add to her wall painting. Check out her focus while putting the beads on the pipe cleaner!








She ended up with a really beautiful project (and I'm not just saying that cause I'm her mom). We'll definitely go back next week, and possibly sign up for more after our trip to PA in September.




Then after art class we went to visit Tanner Kai Warne, the new baby in the gang! Steph and Jason had their little boy 2 weeks early. And thank goodness for me, cause I will be away on the due date. He's very healthy, and so is mom. Yay! Riley stared and stared at him when they took him out of the blanket to be burped. I forgot how small and fragile newborns are. He was just so snuggly, and Jason and Steph are totally new people because of him. I love it. Welcome to parenthood, guys! You're gonna love it. But not nearly as much as he's gonna love you.





Oh, and another breakthrough of the day... Riley kept her ponytails in ALL DAY!! This girl has never left anything in her hair (or on her head) for more than 3 minutes.

Last nite I said that if we woke up to a sunny day today, I would take Riley swimming. And that we did. We had a blast! She was so good, and she swam like a big girl! When we were in the big pool, she kept telling me to let go of her. She actually kept herself afloat a little bit! We swam for 3 hours. And only lost 3 out of 6 toys we brought. This is why I don't usually bring toys. But, she was the hit of the pool today, before the toys started disappearing.... And she fell asleep practically before we left the parking lot.

Right now, we're going through another no-daddy phase. I really hate this, because I love to see them snuggle (even though 98% of their time together is hardcore play time). I don't get it. Hopefully it won't last too long. It makes bath/bed time pretty difficult, when we usually take turns, and she won't let him near her! He claims it doesn't really bother him, but I can't imagine it doesn't. Anyone else have this problem with toddlers now and then? We'd love to hear about it, and how you deal with it.

Unfortunately, I have no photos of today's awesome swim adventure, since it's impossible to swim with a toddler and hold a camera. But I do have some photos from the super-duper dual birthday party a couple of weeks ago! Check out this blog.

Mmmm, Chinese food...

We took Riley for her first experience at a Chinese restaurant tonite for dinner. She didn't know what to make of it, but I think she enjoyed it in the end. She ate a lot of noodles and rice and dumplings.




Not much else to say about today, except for the fact that she and daddy had an awesome afternoon while I went to Jenny Craig and ran some errands. Oh, yes, I lost another 1/2 pound. Slow going at this point, but I've lost 22 pounds so far. And 27 inches. That's the real goal, and where I really see the results!

In regards to the rest of the week, there's something more. This week, I showed Riley something that has become her new obsession. Paint. Check it out. And enjoy!!

A big family day

Well, earlier this week, Russell informed me that he wanted to be NOWHERE near Golden Gate Park this weekend, since it is the Outside Lands festival. I agree... it's sort-of a Woodstock type of hippie concert, and it's happening mere blocks from our house. I'm sure that in my twenties, I would have had all my friends camping out at my house with a full 3-day pass, but I'm sure now, Riley wouldn't appreciate that very much... We did take a walk in the wagon yesterday afternoon, but nothing was going on except for a bunch of early-goers arriving.



So, we went south. To Half Moon Bay. And it was a great day. We started at a farmers market where I shopped around for some fresh veggies, while daddy took Riley to see the horses, pigs, chickens, bunnies, etc.... Then we had a very tasty (and expensive) lunch at Sam's Chowder House. Yes, we will be taking all our out-of-town guests here from now on. I couldn't resist the lobster roll (yes, it's a $20 sandwich, but I'll tell ya... it was worth every penny), and Russell had an assortment of raw oysters and a shrimp cocktail. Riley had a crab cake and a bowl of NE clam chowder. That was better than any NE clam chowder I've ever had, even in Boston!! Riley even chowed-down on it pretty hard, after she finished playing with the salt.



After lunch, we judged Riley's nap mood by her behaviour in the car, and she was good to go. So, we went to the Lemos pony farm. Wow, what a place!! There were at least 4 individual birthday parties going on, each with its own pony ride ring, jumpy castle and BBQ pit area, and then there was the public area. Riley rode a pony and then we all rode the train. Then she went into a daze, and we knew it was nap time. She was practically asleep before we left the parking lot. I think we might consider throwing her 3rd birthday party there next year...





And here is the video!



Oh, and here is a glamour shot of my husband. Now can you see why I married him? HOT!!! Hmmm.



This one's no surprise, since I actually looked like that. Exactly. Now you see why HE married ME!!! Hmm.



And just for fun, here is Riley circa 1990. Hmm. Guess we would have been best friends....



Oh, and here's me being my mom's best friend in 1962. Hehehe!



OK, OK, I'm done. You can do it, too. Just click here.

Riley's new favorite activity

FINGER PAINTING!! What an experience this was. We both had so much fun making a huge mess of the kitchen, I can't wait to do it again!







But wait... there is a movie!!



Here she is, waiting to go for sushi, in her new sweater and shoes from Chloe's Closet, the best consignment store EVER! They have a lot of European brands, and the prices are really good! Jen introduced me to it. Thanks, Jen! I think I have to go there every week, now... Ugh, thanks Jen?

Seven girls... what a morning!

Monday, Lisa, Juliet (AKA "Joowet") and baby Addy (Adeline) hosted a small playdate with us and Jen and Coral at her house. We all had so much fun, and the toy bomb certainly went off! The girls are starting to get used to sharing toys, but they're still always interested in what the other is playing with. Guess that even for toddlers, the grass is greener on the other side! And no matter who's house we're visiting, the crib is always the main event. Hmm.











Oh! Here is the video... I made it on time!



And the rest of the week progressed... just as busy and silly! Tuesday, I did my second photo shoot for my new client, our sushi restaurant. I'm having a lot of fun with this client, and so is Riley (and dad, and all my friends), as I get to bring home all the sushi we shoot! I'll share the site when it's up. These shots are for my daddy (but they still need some touch-ups). mmmmmmmmm!








For this shoot, Lisa, Juliet and Addy came to join us. Riley napped while they played in the living room while I shot photos at the restaurant, then we all chowed down when I got home. Then more for daddy at dinner, then more for a Wednesday playdate with Jen and Coral and Melinda and Zelda... giminy, what a busy week!







Not to mention a playdate with Ollie and some of his friends in-between. No photos of that one, though, since there was a lot of mommy interventions due to sharing issues... no worries. Riley's helping all of her friends learn how to share better! I do have to say that's true... as wild an crazy as she is, her 'sharing' and 'waiting her turn' skills are truly impeccable!