Riding Hi

There's nothing better than seeing the top of the world from daddy's shoulders - except catching the shadows of us all down below.

Terry Tot!

Wrapping Jemma's wet hair with a towel was a surprise hit - she screamed with laughter and we soaked it up!

Hot to Trot!

This weekend, Jemma dusted off her chaps and donned her spurs and saddled up Ole Paint. They rode the range (okay the Shetland pony track) for at least four laps, and would have gone all day, but she had to catch a train. Woo-Woo!

Eastover II

We got our pictures from Dave and Sophie, the fabulous hosts of our second night of Passover. Jemma was rapt while Frankie read the four questions in English, but oddly, had no answer for her other than dipping matzoh in saltwater tastes good! And what better way to end a seder than to cleanse (or have a mikvah) with a gal pal? Perhaps this is the fifth question of Passover.

Baby's Got Bath

Jemma has always been keen on taking baths, and for a long time now, she's been alternating between taking showers, too. It doesn't matter if it's a bath or a shower, as long as she gets completely, sopping wet. The challenge is getting her to finish up and dry off. Her new trick is to wrap herself in her towel and pretend to go to sleep in the tub. If she had it her way, she would probably stay there all night!

California Girl!

Today we went to the Children's Court and had our hearing for Jemma's readopt. This process enabled us to secure a California birth certificate for Jemma in addition to her Chinese birth certificate, which will be easier in the long run. The judge, Judge Henning (pictured), couldn't have been nicer - in fact everyone in the court was so upbeat and sweet. Upon her arrival, Jemma was given a plush orange bear which she loved instantly because orange is her favorite color. She exclaimed, "Orange, so soft!" and we named him Henning on the spot. The judge loved it when Jemma referred to the bear as "Henning" and then he commented on how verbal she was, at which point, she chatted up a storm with him. He invited her to come up behind his desk and she said, "I use the rail, I climb up myself!" This whole process was a victory for us because up until January 2007, famiies choosing to do a readopt had to pay the adoption agency for this service, but now, due to a change in language championed by many determined parents, we are able to facilitate this process ourselves, saving us lots of money. As a result, we are the second family in LA county to complete this process on our own. Yay determined parents, we thank you! Rua was also thrilled to meet Henning and tries to angle her way to snag the little stuffy. We can't decide who is softer, Henning or the newly groomed Labradoodle!

Comin' Round the Mountain

We zipped down to Palomar Mountain (outside of San Diego) and enjoyed a few days of hiking, fresh air and total relaxation. Jemma's a great traveler - probably because she gets full attention from both of us at once, and the dogs always love to get out into the wilderness. Palomar Mountain is know for its amazing observatory, which we fully enjoyed. Jemma couldn't believe how many stars there were.

Eastover!

Jemma celebrated Passover this year attending two seders. We don't have the pictures from them yet, but we do have a few great photos of the Easter egg hunt Jemma enjoyed with her buddy Anna. Looks like they found the biggest egg of all on Adam's head!

Jewelry of the Nile

We are lucky to have some great neighbors and Jemma is very keen on them, often asking where they are at any given moment, (and then usually answering her own question, "At home.") One neighbor, Ferne, has captured Jemma's imagination with her yarns and strings she uses to create her art. Together they make necklaces, bracelets and rings, sometimes sitting together for an hour or more. Ferne has taught Jemma how to tie knots and use a pair of scissors - oooh, scissors, scary. But what we like best is that we won't have to spend a lot on bling when it's made from string!

Our Little Spritzer

Sometimes we use a spray bottle to spritz the dogs when they bark too much and the other day, Jemma got a hold of it. She went to town spraying the trees, the plants, the dogs - even herself. When she gets into something, she explores it to it's fullest. It's pretty compelling to watch her little fingers twist and untwist and her unwavering focus. A little over a year ago she was just starting to walk and talk. Now, at 27 months, she chatters about in 5-6 word sentences, runs at full-speed, does somersaults, climbs up and down anything, strings beads, eats soup with a spoon, sings songs, dresses herself (she can even put on her own tights) reads books, (well, she's memorized them but insists on reading to us) - it feels like she's turning five any day. Her communication is so clear - like the other day Mommy and Daddy were having a serious conversation and Jemma held Mommy's cheeks with both hands and said, "Look at me, Mommy, look at me."

Another thing that's changed is Jemma is fully potty trained - hurray! Two weeks ago she decided she was ready and that was that. She loves wearing her underpants and everyday she goes to the potty all by herself - she goes at school, at other people's houses, in public bathrooms... and poop is not excluded, oh no, equal time for all. It took us almost 4 months to house break Rua when she was a puppy - this is final proof that canines are not as intelligent as toddlers!

Whale Watching

It was a glorious day for the beach - 77 degrees, low winds - and we had hoped to see some whales since this is the time of year they migrate up from Mexico, but alas, just seaweed and sand and crashing waves. Jemma loves the beach and would have stayed there all day if it were up to her. The water was freezing, but that didn't stop Rua from endlessly chasing the ball in the water. She was one wet, sandy dog, and completely ecstatic. We practically had the whole place to ourselves and Ollie acted like the big man on the beach. But it was most fun to watch Jemma soak up nature at it's finest.

It's the Great Lantern Festival!

The 15th day of the 1st lunar month is the Chinese Lantern Festival because the 15th day is the first night in the new year to see a full moon. Owoooooooo! It's a chance for bright, fresh beginnings and a time for families to unite in a joyful atmosphere. So we celebrated by joining our friends Adam, Tina and Anna (aka ShaSha) and went to an exhibit at the Chinese Museum. The streets outside were bustling, and because the museum is located just off Olvera Street (the birthplace of the City of Los Angeles with historic buildings in a traditional Mexican style) there were more Hispanic families than Chinese. Jemma and Anna had a wonderful time together running around the museum and environs. They managed to climb up on a bench and they were having so much fun... they promptly fell off at the exact same time. Too cute. It wasn't suprising to us that three different people stopped us to ask if the girls were twins. They really do resemble each other. We saw a dragon dance made with lanterns and topped off the multi-culti evening with hearty Mexican meal, of course!