Dinner with Friend

We spent a few days in Cambria with Jemma's buddy, Anna, and her parents, Adam and Tina. I shot this little video of the girls while they were eating their alphabet pasta and cheese for dinner...

Light Up The Sky!

At Griffith Park every year, the Dept. of Water and Power sponsors a wonderful light show and usually, we drive through it at 5 miles an hour. Well, for the last two years they've had a "green" week where you can walk the road to see the lights so this year we did just that. It was such a treat to do it by foot - Jemma was enthralled - mostly with her own little light stick!

Winter Dance Recital 2008!

This year, our little dancer was a snowflake and a "cookie made of dough" (as per the song they sang with the tap dancing). TOO CUTE doesn't begin to describe Jemma and her best friends, Zoela and Maddie. Not only did these girls wow the crowd with their dancing but they performed into the microphone after the show! About a week later, Maddie's daddy was at a kid's party and overheard one parent telling another parent about these three girls at a dance show who took over the microphone and entertained the crowd. They're already famous! Only in LA...

NYC Fall 2008

We went back to NY for Andrea and Maxime's wedding and basically took zero photos on this trip - even though there were numerous moments to capture - oh well... Here's just a couple of the cutie...

Curtain Up!

Little Miss Jem is obsessed with hiding these days, but sheer curtains are such a giveaway!

The Sand Witch! Halloween 2008

We're a little behind in our posts here... sorry for the delay. Here are a few shots of Miss Jemma as a Sand-Witch. That's right, a witch with sand. Much like her parents, our daughter really enjoys her play on words. We thought of putting numbers all over her and making her someone "you can count on" but we opted for the Sand Witch instead... there's always next year.

Leaves!

We went to NYC for a quickie weekend getaway, and during that, our dear friends, the McCooe family, whisked us away for a perfect fall day in Jersey. Jemma and Clare played for almost an hour in the leaves - raking them up and then jumping right in them!

Betty Crackpot!

Jemma loves to bake with mom, and when mom is not baking, she loves to pretend...

Annual Reunion 2008

This year our travel group reunited in beautiful San Luis Obispo. It was the perfect spot as it is right in the middle for the Northern and Southern Californians. We took over the Embassy Suites (sweet!), went nuts at the free happy hour and free hot breakfast, indulged in a Chinese buffet dinner, went to an animal farm, hung out at the beach - whew! It was a memorable weekend for the girls, who referred to themselves as the "Chinese Sisters".

Gone to Oregon!

This summer we took a family trip up to Oregon (to see a state that actually gets some rain) and then drove back down to California to participate in the 3rd annual reunion of the families we traveled to China with. On the way down we stopped at an amusement park in Salem then in California, the Monterey Bay Acquarium, Big Sur and Hearst Castle.

Portrait of an Artist

Painting is a visceral act for Ms. Jemma - it involves the whole mind and body. This latest creation is proudly hanging in Ellen's office - she has not had any offers on it yet, but folks think it's a really good piece of art, which of course, it is!

It's the Great Campout!

Jemma's nursery school, Oak Glen, hosts a campout every year - it was truly something we've been looking forward to since last July, and it lived up to the lore and legend and left us exhausted after three days. Big Sycamore Canyon gave us plenty trees to climb plus a beautiful beach across the way. We had a family of quail outside of our tent, we found lots of bugs, and a baby elephant seal paid us a visit for two days on the beach. The food was abundant and at times, super gourmet, the company was warm, loving and adventurous and the children had the times of their lives.

A Dog's Life

Our loyal, happy hounds. Their joy gives us paws...

Step Sisters

Our neighbor, Ferne, lives across the steps from us. Despite the gap in age, Ferne is a wonderful friend to Jemma, and they often meet on the steps and discuss the subtle changes in life, and throw the ball for Rua. This time, Jemma threw Ferne for a loop when she jumped over not one, not two but three steps!

Rail Against the Right!

We have a long set of steps outside of our house that spans from one street to another. These have given Jemma hours of fun since the day we brought her home. She thinks of them as her steps, even though they are public, but she is a gregarious greeter to those who are passing by, usually on their way to or from a hike in nearby Elysian Park. These photos reflect her latest accomplishment, mastering the railings - climbing, swinging, sliding and balancing on them, and then getting loved up by her daddy afterwards.

MeeMa & PopPop Visit Again!

Jemma loves spending time with her MeeMa and PopPop. They spoil her with gifts and paint her nails and teach her how to play cards and give her gummy bears... It's really hard to only see them twice a year. Jemma's emotions have really blossomed and it's quite touching to witness - she genuinely exudes deep love for her grandparents and gives them big hugs and kisses. And they, of course, are crazy about her. How could you not be?