Supergirl sings the ABCs

Pink Toes

I can't believe what a patient little customer Scarlett is.  She sat perfectly still while I painted her sweet, toddler toenails.  And she was so good about not touching them until they were dry.  I've caught her checking them out on more than one occasion.  "I have pink toes!"  She knows a good pedicure when she sees it.

By the way - aren't you glad you don't have to look at zucchini anymore?

Bounty

Check out my zucchini! 

I have never liked gardening.  I wanted to like gardening, but - I don't know.  Maybe it's because we don't have much of a yard here.  Or maybe because I seem to kill every potted plant I own.  I'm not sure what sparked my interest, but when my mom was here in June she bought me some plants, soil and tools to help me plant a garden.  We were able to find a pretty significant area to cultivate and my plants are actually doing really well!  I have loved watering my garden every night, taking care of the plants, watching them grow.  It still baffles me whenever I find a ripe zucchini to pick.  Nature is cool.  I also have tomatoes and herbs.  I'm already planning on a much bigger garden next year with peppers and cucumbers and yellow squash and more herbs.  Still no potted plants, though.  Those things hate me.

Fanned

These days Scarlett's biggest fan might be...Scarlett.  I've found her checking herself out in the mirror on more than a few occasions.  She even likes to look at herself while she's throwing a fit.  She makes the 'monster' face, which kind of looks like a silent angry cry.  It's so bizarre.  In the photo above she and Brandy are watching a riveting video I took of her playing with play dough.  

San Diego

Last weekend we drove down to San Diego for a much-needed mini vacation.  We wanted to get out of LA and we thought a few hours at SeaWorld would be fun.  It was really fun...for Brandon and me.  I think Scarlett was too little.  She would fall in love with one animal or attraction and pitch a colossal fit when we told her it was time to move on and see something else.  She LOVED the penguins, she LOVED the dolphins, she LOVED running around the Elmo park - and she HATED leaving each of them.  Oh, well.  We tried.  We had a nice dinner on Pacific Beach that night and spent some time in La Jolla the next morning. All in all it was a pretty sweet trip!

Scarlett loved the seals.  She did not, however, love when they opened their mouths and barked.  It was my fault - I bought a tray of fish to feed them.  I felt bad for the boohead, but I gotta say, feeding those seals was awesome!  Sorry Scarley!

              Check out the little barista making delicious cups of invisible coffee.

At the beach in La Jolla - brave girl!

                                                              Breakfast... with a fork!

Water Table

This is the normal way to play with a water table:

This is not:

Blocks

Scarlett has few distinct personality traits - she loves hats or anything that can go on her head (like a wash cloth or a bucket), she lays down on her stomach everywhere (including her sandbox and the post office) and she is a pro at block towers.  When she's completed her masterpiece she says "Yay!" and claps and looks at us all proud.  This tower was so high - eighteen blocks! - that I had to take a picture.

Birthday

I turned old a couple weeks ago.  It seemed like I aged a whole year overnight.  It's all very tragic, but in my old age I have gained the wisdom to realize that my life is pretty kick ass.  My mom was in town a few days before my birthday, so she took me out to lunch at one of my favorite restaurants. For dessert I had key lime pie and it was divine.  It's a good thing because I have since become a vegan.  Not totally because I eat fish and honey on occasion, but I don't eat meat or dairy.  It's a thing I'm trying out.  But, I digress.  The point is that I love my life, my family, my friends and sometimes my cats.  Amen.

Travel Town

If you live in Los Angeles and you have a toddler or a little kid, you must go to Travel Town.  I'm sure I could Google the backstory, but for now what I know is that it's a place in Griffith Park with lots of old trains on tracks.  Kids can run through the trains and down the tracks.  And for a small fee you can also ride a small train that circles the area.  My mom was in town watching my nephew so we checked it out and I pretended that I was a photographer.

Yes, we're alive...

...and well! But, I have been super lazy and unmotivated when it comes to my blog. Here are some pictures to show you what we've been up to the past couple months.  Enjoy!

Scarlett has discovered a love for stickers...

Papa came for a visit...

And we took a trip to Santa Barbara!

More pictures soon! 

Bounce Bounce

Yesterday we went to our friends' house for a playdate. Scarlett was acting kind of cranky before we left, but I thought a morning of playing with her girlfriends would perk her up. I was so very, very wrong. Poor thing clung to me the whole time and had at least two heavy sobbing episodes. She didn't want to play with the girls and only seemed comfortable when she was alone with me. It was strange. The thing that would upset her most was when one of the girls would scream or cry. It makes me so sad for her. All I want is for my little boo to be happy. I'm hoping it's just a phase that will eventually pass. Until then I've decided not to leave the house with Scarlett ever again. It's just not worth it.

Just kidding. By the way, about thirty seconds after the above picture was taken, one of the girls got a little too close to Scarlett causing her to cry. But those thirty seconds before that were great! Baby steps, people, baby steps.

Shoe?

I can't lie (very well), Scarlett put one shoe on and I put on the other. Her coordination is good, but it's not that good. The point of the picture is that she's adorable.

Scarlett Reads Us the Toys R Us Circular

Art!

A little video from last month

Since this video was taken, Scarlett can now say apple, shoe, bye-bye, key, cheese, peas, night-night and other things I can't remember at this late hour. She's also become quite willful. She says "yeah yeah yeah yeah" whenever she wants something. Sometimes it's real cute. Sometimes it's slightly exasperating because there's only so much children's music I can play in the car before I start to lose my mind. On that note (no pun intended) I have just purchased two new cds for the car - both children's music, of course. Toddlers are a tough little bunch.

Barnyard Birthday Party

The proof is in the basket

Basket Fun Times

Tonight while Jocelyn and I were doing a secret Valentine's Day project in the family room, the girls were happily playing in Scarlett's room. We heard them laughing and having a good old time when all of the sudden we heard crying. Jocelyn and I both got up and ran to Scarlett's room. It seems my completely not-weird daughter had squatted in a storage basket and gotten herself stuck. Now, tell me this - is it bad that I laughed? Or is it bad that I didn't take a picture?

Best Friends

This is Scarlett and her very best friend, Frances (as often as we hang out you would think I'd have a better picture, but I don't). Scarlett and I met Frances and her mom, Jocelyn, about a year ago at Trader Joe's. It was a brief conversation, but I instantly felt a connection with Jocelyn. In fact, I called Brandon later that day and told him that I had met my new best friend - true story. Trouble was I didn't know her phone number... or where she lived...or her name. Thankfully we saw them at the farmers market a couple weeks later. We exchanged numbers, met for coffee and the rest is history. And when I say "history" I mean that we see them almost everyday, Scarlett and Frances hold hands and have screaming contests and Jocelyn is my closest confidant and I hope we stay friends forever.

Bags

Does anybody still read this? For those who do, you might be interested to know that a couple weeks ago Scarlett was obsessed with bags. She would grab the handles or place them in the crook of her arm and walk around the house. Occasionally she would stop and put things in the bags. And occasionally she would stop to take things out of the bags. Sometimes she would switch hands. Sometimes she would only hold one bag at a time. It was a complex process. She also rediscovered the Paris bag my mom made for her, which is freaking adorable because it's like the bag shrunk to be the perfect size for her.

Happy Birthday, husband!

December in Photos