Group Shot

Sylvie and I were so very pleased to be hosting this week's playgroup. It is so fun to see these babies grow and develop new skills each week. Here is a group shot (very hard to accomplish!). From left to right - Sylvie, Dylan and Koa.

The Pumpkin Farm

Thomas, Sylvie and I went to a real pumpkin farm yesterday with our friends Sarah, Julie, and Julie's almost 2 year old son, Logan. Logan had a great time rolling around in the pumpkins. And he was most impressed that we could ride on a wagon hitched to a real tractor. We saw a pumpkin launched out of a cannon and we ate some snacks from the produce stand. It was an excellent day at the pumpkin farm.

A Place to Play

Sylvie is becoming more and more interested in toys and she likes to do what her daddy calls "playing her pants off." But she didn't really have a good spot just for playing, so a trip to Ikea was in order. Witness above Sylvie's new play spot. In the top photo, Sylvie shows her great pleasure with her new play space. In the middle photo, Sylvie and Daddy check out her new Ikea bead rollercoaster. And in the bottom photo, Sylvie shares her new place space with her friend Mattie, because "playing your pants off" is best done with a good friend.

Pucker Up

Sylvie believes that when you love someone you should show them your love with big slobbery kisses. In the photo above, she is just seconds away from laying a big wet one on her good friend Dylan.

Sing & Sign

Sylvie and I had our first "Sing & Sign" class this morning. Sylvie's friends Dylan and Koa are both in the class and we all had a really great time. Sylvie especially liked playing the bells and watching our teacher blow bubbles. Here she is holding her bells while our teacher, Gabby, shows us the sign for "music."

Picnic in the Park

Our friend Blythe celebrated her birthday today with a picnic in Griffith Park. Sylvie's friends Koa, Dylan and Zoe were all in attendance and each brought something special to share. Sylvie brought her new soft blocks, Koa brought a big, soft butterfly, and Dylan brought her stacking boxes. Zoe brought her spray bottle and misted everyone to keep us all cool. Koa's mom, Brooke, made a great gazpacho. It was a perfect day in the park.

At the Aquarium

Our friends Sarah and Jeff had the fantastic idea to take a week off from work and just do fun stuff together. Today Sylvie and I tagged along with them on their trip to the Long Beach Aquarium. Sylvie seemed to really enjoy the movement and bright colors of the fish. It was so mesmerizing that it made her drowsy, so then she enjoyed a nap. Here we are in the Shark Lagoon.

Party Time

Last night Sylvie's friend Mattie celebrated a very special occasion - her dad Sadri's 30th birthday. The party was held at a delicious Italian restaurant. Neither Sylvie nor Mattie can eat food yet, but they didn't let that stop them from joining in the fun. Both put on their good party dresses and had an excellent time. I think Sadri was very pleased to have such lovely ladies at his party. Here is Sylvie with our friend Mike, enjoying the celebration.

More Sun and Sand

Thomas and I are enjoying this summer with our little one so much. Today was another fantastic day of fun with friends in the sand, sun and water at the Woodbridge Lagoon. And tomorrow we leave on our first family camping trip!

Girl Talk

This past Saturday Thomas and I got together with some of our friends for a softball game. Sylvie chose to sit out the softball and stay in the shade with the ladies for some girl talk. Here she is chatting with our friend Denise. According to Denise, it was something about how there are really no decent candidates in the '08 election.


Sylvie also spent some quality time with her good friend Mattie.