Teenage Foreshadowing

Oh, the joys of a 5-year-old. Really loving this age. Sweet, innocent, a girly girl to her core, always bedecked from head to toe in multi-shades of pink, and adorned with ruffles and bows.



I so plan to treasure this time and imprint it into my mind, because as much as I may pray it will last, those teenage years will creep up on us before we know it. And while I'm sure there will be many more amazing moments to cherish even after that time, we have been given a preview of some of the 'tude she'll inevitably adopt on occasion once her hormones kick in. I gotta warn ya, it sure doesn't look pretty.






[Mind you, none of these shots were coaxed or rehearsed, oy.]

I comfort myself with the thought that I've got another 7 or 8 years to figure out how the heck to approach dealing with the teenage version of our headstrong girl. I've no doubt we'll figure it out and have a whole lotta fun in the process. In the meantime, though, we'll just keep savoring those tutus and butterfly kisses.

That's Italian!

Last night we were invited to enjoy a family dinner out at an Italian restaurant we had never been to before. We've become friendly with Annabella's parents over the past few months (remember our venture to the snow?), and they told us we simply had to try this place.

So with kids in tow, we all headed down and met up at the water adjacent locale.





Wowzie. How could we not have known about this gem of a place? Best known for their homemade sausage, we enjoyed not one, but two, sausage platters, grilled halibut, and fall-off-the-bone osso bucco, not to mention the most enormous red pepper we had ever seen, stuffed with a mixture of sausage, risotto and cheese. Washed it all down with some good chianti, and it's a miracle we could even get up to leave.

And the kids? Angels, really, all three of them. Spent the entire time coloring, playing with little ponies Lauren brought as gifts, and laughing hysterically at jokes only they could understand.




[That's a kid's water in that cup, just so ya know ......]


[As you can see, neither Lauren or Annabella have yet to master the art of the small bite of pasta. Guess it's a privilege that goes along with being 5, so I'm going with it.]

The air temp on the outside patio was perfect, with the lights twinkling and the tables starting to fill up as we approached the 7'o clock hour. And one of the highlights of our evening? The rosy-cheeked guy sitting at the entrance with what looked like nothing more than a laptop in front of him and a microphone in his hand. From the Sinatra-esque sounds permeating the patio, I swore for most of the meal that he was playing a soundtrack and merely lip synching along. Was I wrong! He was singing, and belting out Rat Pack tunes like nobody's business.

He very quickly earned the awe and appreciation of three little girls.





Who, after overcoming their initial shyness, completely let go of any inhibitions and turned the space in front of the crooner into their own personal dance floor.


[Yes, their twirling and high kicks almost took out several members of the wait staff trying to balance heaping plates of pasta, but their ridiculous cuteness won over pretty much everyone in the place.]

When it was time to go, we let the girls get the last remaining drops of their sillies out (exhausted children on a Saturday night equals happy parents).



Then vowed to make monthly visits with our families to this magical spot. Even pinky swore on it.

Bowl Me Over

Lauren had her first bowling experience yesterday. It was a cloudy, cool day, and Uncle Brian was in town, so we turned it into a family adventure. Note: Sunday afternoon around 3 p.m. is a very good time to go bowling here. Pretty much had the entire alley to ourselves so we could whoop it up to our hearts' content. And we did.

Players' names were entered into the computerized scoring system (monikers by Daddy).



First up was our littlest bowler, who took a moment to size up the cornucopia of ball choices.



Then contemplated the daunting prospect of pushing a 6-pound ball down a very long lane.



Good thing for lane bumpers and ball ramps. Not to mention having Pop-Pop Mark there to lend a hand.



As her first ball moseyed (sp?) its way down (and I mean mosey in the slowest sense of the word), she waited with breathless anticipation.



She was equally excited to watch Uncle Brian strut his stuff.



Not to mention Pop-Pop.



Daddy.



And the master bowler herself, Nana.







Before the game was over, Lauren and Nana busted a move to the Top 40 tunes blaring through the bowling alley stereo system.





Then she strutted back up to the line with Daddy for a final turn.



Which, as fate would have it, of course, ended with a strike.



That's our girl.

Parallel Bars and Princesses

We attended not one, but two birthday parties last weekend. Different themes, but similar guest lists, and copious amounts of fun, fun, fun.

First up was the gymnastics party for twins Virginia and Finley. Having been to Ruby's gymnastics party last month, we were in the know as to the preferred dress code, so made an advance visit to the studio to pick up an official gymnastics leotard. Bonus is that now Lauren has something to wear to her class at The Little Gym other than a ballet-type outfit a size too small.

As Virginia and Lauren have been attached at the hip in school now for months, extra care was taken with signing and decorating her card. In fact, Lauren debuted a special drawing of Virginia, replete with flower hands and feet.



Upon arriving at the party, the girls did a slow-motion run towards each other, culminating in a sweet embrace.



This was another serious gymnastics facility, and the kids were encouraged to try most everything on the floor, including the trampoline. Lauren and Virginia promptly engaged in a competitive jump-off. Talk about gaining some serious air!





Hmm, think I may have to call that one a tie, don't you?

From the trampoline, they jumped directly into the foam pit, where our girl just so happened to meet up with .....



Tobeeee!!!!

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Sunday took us to Annabella's house in the treetops above a park in Laguna Beach, where 10 little girls dressed as their favorite princesses, were paid a visit by Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, and were pampered in the homemade beauty salon, where they could choose to get their makeup done, have a flower tattoo applied, and/or have their hair french braided.

With the birthday girl:


And Gigi:


Who also became Lauren's dance partner during the entertainment portion of the event when the visiting princess characters sang and played music.



Classmate and good friend Tara, who Lauren has known since they were in the transition program at the J together when they were both still 2 years old:


Lauren's favorite part of the party, of course. Girlfriend had some serious green eyeshadow applied to play up her Tiana gown.


All of that activity left our princess a little run down, and she's nursing a cold at the moment. Humidifier with eucalyptus oil is bubbling away in her room, but she's sleeping peacefully (for now). We'll be taking it easy for a few days in hopes of a full recovery by the weekend.

My Mom and My Dad

Lately, Lauren has adopted the absolutely cutest habit of referring to Norm and I as "my mom" and "my dad." Mind you, she does this when speaking with one of us about the other. We just get such a kick out of it. So, for example, when talking to Norm, instead of saying "Mom said I could stay up late tonight", she'll say "My mom said I could stay up late tonight." Of course if you know me you'd understand that would be a completely hypothetical example.

Speaking of moms and dads, my own parents spent a wonderful Mothers' Day morning with us at our favorite special occasion brunch spot, Orange Hill Restaurant. Fresh, delicious food, stunning views, flowing champagne, and a reservation at 9:00 a.m. before the masses descended.

Lots of extra hugs and kisses made me feel very special indeed.





The floral arrangements throughout the restaurant were simply stunning.



The brunch buffet had lots of child-friendly options, including fruit rollups, which kept all the kids at the table entertained.



My mom and dad make such a gorgeous couple, don't ya think?



And the boots my mom wore! They, and she, were hot. Just check out the look of approval on my dad's face. I totally admit that my mother dresses far more stylishly than I do. Hmm, think I'll have to borrow those sky-high stompers soon.



While the grownups finished their meals, Lauren headed outside through the sliding door right next to our table.



Where plenty of twirling, dancing, and posing ensued.















She then gave an encore performance for the dining room full of families.


[Note - I took this photo while sitting at our table, so she's directly in front of somebody else's celebratory meal. Bet they didn't know live entertainment was included in the price ......]

A couple of shots with all of us.





Then we headed home with full bellies and even fuller hearts.