Flashback Friday: Last Friday.

Does last Friday count as a true flashback? Hmmm. Not sure, but it's as good an excuse as any to get some photos of our awesome trip up on the ol' blog.

What better way to start the day than by having a bath with a friend? (After we got that scary frog out of there, that is.)

Then we were off to Mommy Party, where Alla got to catch up with all of her old pals. Oh, yes, and so did I, which was wonderful. Thanks, girls. Now before you say, well why did you post the photo where Wyatt is crying? Well that's because that's all I got.
As you can see, things haven't changed too much. (Can you tell who's who?) Susie, we missed you.
Alla and Mattie Sue had an impromptu tea party that lasted all of like 30 seconds. But they were into it for a bit there.
The day ended with a birthday dinner for me at Buca's, and this was one of those times where you feel so full of friendship and love and it just kind of all wells up in you. So much happiness. Unfortunately I don't have great pictures from there, such a dark place, but I know others were taking some, so Cathy, Megan...please send me some. I do have this great one of Mazie and Alla, though, Mazie making Alla giggle out of her seat practically with those crazy silly faces.

Not the same as sand.

But I love this shot of our piggies together right in front of a window full of snow.
Honestly Alla's socks are normally off, she must think we live in the tropics or something, but I've been dying to get mine out cause they look so darn pretty courtesy of Katie:)

We're back.

Could not have had a better time. Felt like we never left, like a space remains for us, and that is oh so nice to know. The number of photos taken is astronomical, so slowly and surely I will weed through and share. For now, just these two Ron took of his girls, at the ocean, Alla saying, "This way remember" while she steered me all over that walk. Surely she must remember. After so much time, so many walks, so much ocean air breathed in. Surely she remembers.

The Feel of Morning.

I spend a lot of time lamenting the lack of light here, and here in the house. That we don't have wall to wall glass and sunshine. But lately, inspired by 3191, I've been embracing the light here. Because it's very moody, and that's a nice thing to see in your shots. To know, that one was taken in morning light. So here are a few happy morning shots, and with that, I'm out. Two days til I'm thirty, and only a few hours til the plane takes us away to Redondo and friends and family and big kisses.

That's one happy whistlin' RED teapot I got there, thanks to Ronald:)

Ten on Tuesday: The Going Back to Cali Edition.

Otherwise known as things I'm super excited for.

1. Blueberry Pomegranate Tea Latte (and I hear it's supposed to be cool enough for a hot one).

2. The King Harbor sign. The things you Redondoans take for granted.

3. Strand walks.

4. Veteran's Park.

5. A manicure and pedicure (yeah KT!)

6. My thirtieth.

7. Alla's face when she sees her friends and family.

8. My face when I see my friends and family!

9. Rubbing some pregnant bellies.

10. Feeling very full of all of you very-missed-ones.

One more week.

Of 29. Then it's all thirty. Really, I'm aware that nothing exactly changes. Maybe a slight shift. Maybe just an awareness. Maybe nothing. Either way, next Saturday at precisely this time, I predict we'll still be at The Stahr's, celebrating Miss Mazie's fifth. Goodness, I remember holding that babe, one day old. How have we all aged five years?

And either way, next Saturday I'm thirty, we're in California, surrounded by friends, rain or shine, it will be warmer than it is here (not that it's been very cold here), and all of that makes me very happy today. Lots to look forward to. I love that Alla has no idea. But I do. I know just how much of a good time that one will have. Marvelous.

So what have we been doing lately?

Having breakfast with Leigha and her mommy, Michelle. Alla adores Leigha. Squeals with delight on Fridays when we see her for music class, and every other time we meet up with them. So thankful to have them in our lives.

It's January the 6th and I have finished, yes finished, an album. My second annual Christmas card album, where I take all the lovely photos you people have sent in your scrumptious holiday cards, and put them all in a fun little album so I can look back at them all year long, and especially next year, when the next batch starts rolling in, and I see how all the little ones have grown. Here are some images of it:

And lastly, today is January the 6th, and that means Ashby's birthday. We had a little photo shoot to celebrate this week. Happy ONE, little girl! We love you! (And if blogger stops giving me trouble, I will post it. Argh.)

Happy New Year!

I can't remember a better New Year's Day. Lazy, silly, bright, fun, low-key, and plenty of snow! That blanket of white is like a giant reflector out there just waiting for the sun to come out and light up our faces. Oh, yeah, and Alla likes to play in it, too. Or just eat it. Yeah, I think just eating it is her favorite.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Some firsts at the end of December.

Yup, that's right. Her first haircut. Have to say, it wasn't all that thrilling at this 'late' age. She sat on a horsey, snip snip those baby tangles out, and voila, she really still looks the same. But mama has some hair for the baby book, and a certificate, too.

Today we stayed in, ditched the Christmas tree and other holiday paraphrenalia. So nice to have the house back to normal, clutter gone, and carpet free of those pesky green needles. And while I made the grocery list (for some other day), Alla passed the time drawing. Sorry she got such nice Christmas gifts, cause all she needed was a pen, sans cap, and a scratch piece of paper.

Another first? Chuck E. Cheese. That's right, we visited that place of childhood joy as parents this time, and after 20 years, the pizza is just as filthy but the childhood joy intact. Alla might have realized that she's too little for lots of stuff (she doesn't really know that putting a token in the toy ride makes it actually go), she sure tried almost everything, the big winner being the frog game where you try and get the balls in his mouth to win tickets. Her 22 tickets scored her a nifty little purple dress up ring.

Happy New Year, everyone...how are you spending the last days of 2006?

Lots of little Christmas photographs.

Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas! We sure did. Our poor miniature Frosty could have fared better, but what are you gonna do? Alla took 24 hours to really finish opening everything, and we stopped after most gifts to open the packaging so she could fully appreciate what it was. In their original boxes, the gifts were just frustrating, but once she realized she could play with them, she really got excited! Know what would really make her excited? Some of that snow you Coloradoans are getting right now.

Last Christmas.

All the family arrived today and there is a joyous though measley inch of snow on the ground for Alla to play with and to give the air a bit of a true holiday feel. Hoping we won't be spending this Christmas fishing wrapping paper out of her mouth!

Not much going on around here.

I mean, unless you count getting ready for all the family to roll in on Friday, right when we hope we also get our first snow. Let's just stop there. Nope, that teeny bit we got before didn't count, we are still waiting on something substantial. Feet. Not inches, not flurries or "wintry mix," I want FEET at this point. Honestly, this is Minnesota, right? So while we wait for that, we are counting down the days 'til Nana comes, talking about all the things to show her, and naming all the people that will be here: Nana, Pappi, Uncle John, Aunt Jenn. She really can't wait. I know she loves me and all, but I am thinking she won't even notice I'm here she'll be so absorbed in all the new attention. Well she deserves it, cause we all know she gets absolutely no attention from me all day long.

Catie, if you're reading this, I bet you didn't know that you can wear a Hawaiian dress with a long sleeve top and tights underneath in the middle of December. Well now you do. Don't you just love that she's holding her skirt?

And seriously the best thing going on, not around here, but anywhere, is the birth of Lauren Elisabeth to my dear friend Susie, who I think now has herself a gaggle of girls. Love you, friend.

Ten on Tuesday.

1. I am eagerly awaiting the birth of Miss Susie's baby, aren't you?

2. Alla has a cold.

3. The favorite song in our house at the moment is 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing,' but it has to the Charlie Brown version. You should hear Alla go, 'Hoooooooooo' like those Peanuts do. You all know how the song goes, right?

4. It rained today. Seriously. Don't we live in Minnesota? Isn't there supposed to be snow this time of year? Won't there be a white Christmas forheavensake?

5. If we don't get a bright-as-sun light hung in our living room ASAP I'm going to go mad.

6. Exactly one month from today I get to reunite with some of my mommy friends...and soak up some sun, maybe walk on the strand. Oh, I'm giddy. Need some salt in my hair.

7. Exactly one month from tomorrow I will be thirty.

8. I need a new roasting pan to make my Christmas turkey. Anyone recommend a good one?

9. Did you see this on Martha yesterday? Too cool. Must carve out some time for Al & I to take a stab at that.

10. Ron and I are obsessed with Grey's Anatomy. I think we watched like 5 episodes last night. Unfortunately, we're coming to the end of the stockpile and will soon be sitting around waiting for new ones like everyone else.

How is tomorrow December 13th? What is left of your to-do list?

Little anniversary.

Today marks one year of six thirty-seven! So in honor of one year blogging, we have a new banner! Really, it takes something significant to get me to make a new banner, cause I liked the old one just fine and it's plenty of work. So get comfy with this one. I imagine you'll be seeing it for awhile.

We went to the Children's Museum this morning, and wowee, did that ever outrank even the zoo. I mean, I have never seen her just go go go nonstop for two hours here to there and everywhere in between and really she could have just stayed all day with the face paint or just the water room she was so entranced. The museum takes up two floors of kid heaven, and we spent two hours on the first, finally made it up to the second where there's a special tot area. Climbing sliding hiding around every corner. I had to feign a necessary diaper change just to give the girl a break and cram some calories down her throat so she wouldn't just melt. Hours and hours of fun. Next time we will find a restaurant with some good french fries and take a dedicated break in between floors, then come back and further explore. And we may have to become members.
This is just what she looks like after several hours at the museum, nursing in the car before heading home, munching on the core of my apple in the car on the way home, and after at least two dozen nosey wipes. Like she had fun, like she's just realizing she's hungry, like she'll have to be convinced that she absolutely needs a nap.

Here's to the next great blogging year, and fun little anniversaries, too.

It warmed up and we went out.

You would not believe how warm 40 feels after weeks of 10. Like, shed your jackets and mittens warm. Almost lay in the sun (with lots of clothes on) and soak up the vitamin D.

We headed to the zoo today to enjoy the monkeys who were snuggling, silly swimming puffins, and lazy lions. The zoo also has a conservatory which is where a kind stranger took this lovely shot of my daughter and I, and where they have a sunken garden full of poinsettias and a koi pond. Sunken meaning Alla could really have taken one step down into said koi pond and ended up one wet girl. It didn't help that the strange mother next to me was allowing her children (boys!) to get their faces within an inch of the water and practically kiss the fish. Alla was sure that the fish needed Cheerios.

It really is strange to be editing a photo of a lion.

Finally.

We certainly have been waiting a long time for this teensy bit of snow. Seeing as how it's not been more than twenty degrees in a week and a half, we are very much hoping that there is more snow on the way, to sort of make up for all this frigid air.

Let the voting begin!

Puh-leeze go VOTE for Miss Sarah Cobb!
Isn't she the cutest babyGAP model??

19 months.

Somehow we've arrived at nineteen months. Eighteen was kinda big. I mean, it's halfway in between one and two, which allows you to breathe a little, since it's only halfway. But now suddenly it's more than halfway and I feel some rumblings of a countdown again, although unlike last year, when I knew that from seven months to one would be huge, this has me feeling more like, this Alla will be two in five months. Does that make sense? This same Alla that I have right now, who won't look that different in five months. Last year it was, of course my six-month-old will be one in six months, and by then she'll be talking and signing and maybe even walking, but this year it's this Alla, this very one who right now is blissfully sleeping upstairs on my bed. She will be two eventually. So maybe that's why it feels a bit heavy. So what do I do? Take pictures. Lots of pictures. Maybe one day I'll find the attempt to freeze time has actually worked, and when she's nineteen (Will I ever be old enough to have a nineteen-year-old? I think not.), I'll be able to reach inside these snapshots and feel just what I'm feeling today. Love. Pride. Joy. Full. Very, very full.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Has anyone ever watched the entire parade? I don't think I had, in all my twenty-nine years of life, until today. Every minute. Alla loved it.

More balloons!
More dance!
More Elmo!
More march!
More Santa!

The Rockettes were Nanny's favorite, so I made a special point of showing her that performance, and she treated us to a little performance of her own. I think she's an aspiring high-kicker.

Ten on Tuesday.

Well been reading friends' happy thankful blogs today and decided on a thankful Ten on Tuesday of my own.

I am thankful for (in no particular order):

1. Jambalaya. When Alla realizes she likes something she just cannot get enough. And this is real far away from turkey, so that makes me happy, too.

2. Pomegranates. They have such a short season, and this is it, folks! And having found a no-mess approach to eating them, I am buying at least one each time I hit the store. Even Target has 'em.

3. Ron. Simple as that. He just is. Amazing.

4. Plane tickets to California for my 30th!

5. Gramma & Grampa's visit this past weekend.

6. Falling asleep next to Alla this afternoon.

7. Dark chocolate from Trader Joe's. Pound plus. Nothing like it, believe me I've tried.

8. Running. Even now, even when it's in the twenties. Thankful I can do it, thankful I crave it.

9. Coffee.

10. A holiday weekend. 4 days of family fun.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and don't burn your turkey!

Little Leopard, Gramma & Grampa, and the First Fire.

Miss Alla was lucky enough to get this coat sent to her last winter from the wonderful Tara, whose blog I am too lazy to link at the moment. It finally fits her and it gets worn everyday. Literally. It's her favorite. "That one" is what she says to me as we're getting dressed for the cold. And she means this very one. She's also into dressing herself, as you can see, so if that means capris with pink striped tights and three ponies, then so be it. Little girls, gotta love 'em.
Lucky for us, Gramma and Grampa came to visit this weekend and Alla had herself a grand old time reading every last book she owns with them, decorating their cheeks with paper stars, and kicking down towers of blocks, which resulted in fits and fits of giggles.Our weekend was topped off by our first fire in our first fireplace. So lovely. I thought it might be a weekend thing, but I'm really aching for Ron to get home and start another one. Isn't it pretty?