Full Friday.

Alla and I hosted playdate today. Look at all the little babes!

Then lucky Alla had her Nana in town for the afternoon! So she got to spend a lovely afternoon with her, playing and laughing and giving lots of sloppy kisses and hugs.

To top it all off, her first shoes came in the mail today. First shoes. Sigh. Aren't they cute, though? But, really, all she wanted was the cute little plastic "purse" they came in.

My little helper.

I cannot possibly understand why there isn't more laundry getting done and more house getting cleaned when I have this kind of help on a regular basis.

Making mischief of one kind or another.

You think she's trying to read the books, but that's because you aren't tearing book jackets out of her hands fifty times a day.

I'm sure she's making some sort of mischief here too, but I have forgotten now that I see this adorable look with those three bottom teeth and the pretty green clip that Kelsea gave her and those pretty girl curls. Ah.

Howdy.

I know it's already Wednesday, but I'm letting you all know what a lovely weekend we had.

Started off with a postcard from Nana & Pappi on Friday. Boy you'd have thought Mickey Mouse himself brought it to her the way her eyes lit up when we took it out of the mailbox. Or that she can read and therefore knew it was addressed to her. You take your pick.

On Saturday Gramma & Grampa came down to visit and we took Miss Alla to the park. Wasn't too warm, but Alla didn't mind.

Sunday Alla turned 11 months. Sigh. Double sigh. We took her to the beach for her photo session, and those will be posted later - so so gorgeous this month. We let her play in the sand afterward. So much fun.

Me and my girl.

Happy HOF, Elizabeth!!

My friend Elizabeth was recently inducted into the Creating Keepsakes Magazine Hall of Fame, which, for my non-scrapbooking friends, is a HUGE deal! So a few of us are celebrating her big accomplishment in cyber space. Congrats, friend!!

Scrapbook stuff.

Some stuff I've been working on:

1. Cactus Pink
2. Birth Story Album

No story.

Just her.

And after the park...

She sleeps.

Why are you kissing another baby?

I think this says it all. Alla got to catch up with her friends Sarah and Ashleigh today. Of course Alla just loved all of Sarah's attention, but I'm not sure Ash was as excited about sharing her big sis. Don't worry, Ash, it was just one little kiss.

She loves her some Aretha.

What can I say? The girl loves to dance.

Flashback Friday: Sixteen Months

The writing on the bottom of the photograph is Nanny's.

It reads, "Jennifer Jo - 16 months. May '78."

I asked Mom last night to look up my 16-month weight in my baby book:

22 pounds, 15.5 ounces. 31 1/4" tall.

At last measure, Alla was 23 pounds 8 ounces and 29 inches tall. At ten months.

Happy Friday, all.

Thanks for the hangers.

An unexpected parcel (Now I realize we don't really say parcel these days, but it really was a brown paper parcel that the postman had kindly left at the top of my steps instead of at the bottom where our mailbox is. I digress.) arrived today from Aunt Loey for Miss Alla. Inside? Lovely clothes, a cute plate to use when she won't think it's cuter to throw it on the floor, and an adorable hat that matches one of the outfits. I did get the hat on her, which made for fun peekaboo, Alla's favorite game right now, but the real excitement came from the hangers. The girl must've played with them for no less than thirty minutes straight.

A new view.

The saucer isn't usually in the living room. It's permanent bathroom furniture now, a safe place for a mobile baby when Mommy has to take a shower and Daddy's at work, or Daddy has to take a shower and Mommy is getting a few more winks.

But today it was, to keep Alla a safe distance from Baby Kelsea during her two month photo shoot.

Alla thought it would be way more fun to climb under it than it is to sit in it like usual.

What a great view under here!

I would love to be in her head, to know exactly what she was thinking here, why she finally decided it would be okay to let go of her cup.

All my teeth.

I've been asked to update. It's been suggested that some people's Alla fixes may not be getting met. So without further ado, here is The Lovely showing off her four teeth.


And Erin, I am so proud of your banner!

Flashback Friday: Songleader 1991-92

I went to Pomona Catholic High School, an all-girls school. So pep rallies on Fridays weren't done in front of a thousand kids, girls and boys, in honor of the big football game that night. I think they were just done so we could have a Cheer and Song team, and to try to keep up morale in those dreary halls.

Here I am on stage one Friday I presume, in my sophomore year, gettin' down with my bad self.

How about the yearbook staff taking good ol' black and whites back then? Good on them. So classic.

Weekend Update.

Had a lovely weekend...let's recap.


Friday was rainy. Since we get so little of the wet stuff here in SoCal, it was cozy. Too bad Alla doesn't yet realize the joy of staying in your pj's in bed on rainy days.

She adores looking out the window...
And why she loves playing on the couch...she loves to eat the doorknob. Weirdo.Took her to the swings on the beach...I mean is there any more perfect swingset than one ON THE BEACH? Lucky baby.


Nana & Pappi were visiting for the weekend, so she got to demonstrate her mad love of Peekaboo in all shapes and forms. Here, behind a good ol' TJ's bag.

Where's your tongue? She loves that she knows the answer.
And lately she loves books. Well you have to in this family, but lately she really likes to sit down and be read to. She must be my daughter.

Hope all this gives you your Alla fix!

Flashback Friday: Seaport Village 1995

Heather and I met in 1994, the summer after high school graduation. I was teaching dance for Rancho Cucamonga Parks & Rec, and she was a site supervisor, so she was always around when I was teaching, and often I'd have an hour in between classes, so we got to know each other.

Then she went to Cal State Fullerton, and I went to the University of San Diego. (To become a marine biologist.)

This photo was taken at Seaport Village in San Diego on April 1, 1995, when she came down to visit one weekend.

The following year I left USD (after getting a D in biology and realizing that might not be my calling), and headed up to good ol' Cal State Fullerton. I was only going to stay for a year til I could go to a UC school (I guess Cal State sounded like downgrading from private big bucks university). Heather said, "You might like it."

Sure enough, three years later, I graduated from CSUF with a BA in Dance and headed off to follow my dancing dreams.

Fast forward to today. Heather has a newborn, and I have little Alla.

Lots of time elapsed in there...maybe I will have to catch you all up on the little details of my life via these Flashback Fridays. Ah, but that will require more digging through photos.

Ballerina in Training.

I couldn't help seeing a little into the future here with her hair like that it looks like a bun and her onesie could be a leotard and there she is balancing with her right foot en retire. She just may be a dancer like her mama.

I Do Take Suggestions.

Thank you Susie!

New photo album.

I used a different photo service this month in the hopes that I could stack coupons and the order would come out essentially free, but fat chance, right? Nothing is free in this world. But after all that uploading and ordering I was not going to switch back. So for one month, and probably one month only, you can view Alla's latest photographs by using this link. Once again, I'm pretty sure you will have to sign up for a Photoworks account to view them.

Ponytail.

After a particularly impressive poop blowout this morning, Miss Alla was promptly hoisted into the bathtub, jammies and all, resulting in wet hair. I took the opportunity afterward to sit her on my lap and comb her hair into her first ponytail (she amused herself by playing with various things from my nightstand - hey, whatever works). All that hair went into it, except for the few wispies on the side...those lovely little ringlets.


It actually lasted most of the day, through nap and windy weather.

What a cutie. I'm in love.