A Pony Ride with Bella

Today we met Bella at the farmer's market for some face painting and a pony ride (Lila's first!). The girls chose rainbow ladybugs for their cheeks, and Lila loved the pony!

Music and Dress Up

On Sunday we went to The Sweetwater in Mill Valley to watch Zigaboo (one of Ian's favorite drummers) perform a kid's concert. Lila was the youngest volunteer to hop up on stage - she just LOVES to sing and dance! We had a great time and when the music stopped, Lila asked me WHY the music stopped? Oh boy, just like her daddy, MORE MUSIC!

Lila has her own sense of style these days. Here she is in some recent outfits she chose. So cute!

Mill Valley Fair

Lila and Cara went to the Mill Valley Library yesterday for their end of summer Carnival. First stop, homemade ice cream:

Next up, some hula hooping and a smoothie maker powered by bicycle!







Followed by face (arm) painting! Lila asked for a blue butterfly on one arm, and then a brown barn and a blue sheep with a yellow ("Lellow") head on the other. She was very specific ("Not the light brown, the other one"), as always! 

Mommy and Lila Play Date

We've been talking a lot about play dates recently, as I have been making some for Lila before preschool starts. She said she wanted to have one with me (!), so off we went this AM to the Belvedere Playground. We packed a picnic lunch, and had a fun girls morning :)

Little Fish

We have been very busy since our return to California. Between tutoring, taking Lila swimming almost daily, and sleeping very little (!), I have not been updating with summer posts as I intended to - I will soon!

Yesterday Lila had a swim lesson with her teacher, Rebecca. She is already comfortable in the water, but now learning to dive for items on the bottom of the pool and lift her head up for breaks to swim. After her lesson, we stayed in the water for another 2 hours. She's a fish!

Lila in the Kitchen!

Lila loves playing in her mini kitchen!  She often mimics what I'm doing, whether it's washing vegetables in a colander or cutting fruit, Lila does the same over in her little kitchen.  Recently we've been using ideas from books to cook or make projects together. (As you know, Lila is ready to go by 6am sharp!) My friend Kellie sent her a book about Pinkalicious making and selling lemonade. We made the same lemonade, but turned them into popsicles. Lila was so helpful, wanting to do it all "by myself!"

In NY, Lila made eggs and pancakes with Amma so often, she again felt like she could do it "all by myself!" Here she is making her special recipe, with just a bit of guidance from Amma.

Baking is another new specialty! Grandma Debby is a pro baker, and Lila was excited to help bake (and eat!) cupcakes. Here she is with Tori, taking her mixing job very seriously. So cute!

Tea Party and Gardening with Mimmie - and a boat ride with Pops!

Lila and Mimmie had a great time gardening this summer. Mimmie's garden is beautiful, and she took Lila to a nursery to help choose flowers for her very own portion of the garden. As you can see, Lila had so much fun and did a wonderful job!

This was Lila's first boat ride! She's been on a ferry before, but not the same as a ride with Pops on his boat! She had a fantastic time. On a recent trip to Whole Foods, Lila heard that something was on sale. "Sale?" she asked. "Pops has a SAILboat!" Making connections all the time...

Happy to be in her PJs after a long and exciting day!

Mimmie and Lila went to a tea party this summer. Lila's first real tea party!  Here she is sipping her tea and exploring with her new friend, Gia.

Lila's First Summer Corn - and Ice Cream Cone!

Lila's first experience with corn on the cob was the night we arrived in Rye. She LOVED it, and continued to eat it all summer, whenever she could! 

As for sweets, Lila had her very first ice cream cone at Longford's. I ordered her strawberry, thinking , well at least it's a fruit (ha!). But just like her mommy and daddy, her favorite was "green" (mint chip).

The Bubble Show

Grandma Debby bought us tickets to the Bubble Show in NYC. Lila LOVED this show, where one woman basically blew bubbles to loud music for an hour. Lila stood the entire time, and raised her hand to be called on as a volunteer. She was too young (according to the Bubble Lady), but she sure was brave to volunteer! Check out Grandpa Jeff nearly catching a snooze during this loud and crowded show. How DOES he do it!

Lila was excited to meet the star of the show, Melanie. She waited for her to come out, then suddenly became shy and wrapped herself around my leg. Daddy still captured a great photo!

We're back!

We had a fabulous time on the east coast this summer. I'm still trying to settle back into our Corte Madera life, back to tutoring and so it may be a little while before I have all summer pictures organized and ready to post. Hopefully by next weekend, you can check back and see some new pictures!

Lila had a great time this summer -  jumping on the trampoline, meeting new friends, taking swim lessons, baking with Grandma Debbie and Tori, gardening with Amma and Mimmie, enjoying the Bubble Show with Grandpa Jeff, and relaxing on her first boat ride with Pops! 

She also loved playing chase with Nate, and hide and seek with Claudia and Phil in NY, then  Adam, Clare, and Peggy in Stonington.  It was such a treat to have early morning visits with Aunt Joan in Rye, and a sleepover with Nate, Uncle Dave and Aunt Devon in CT. She especially loved the beach!

Lila is speaking in complete sentences now, and I can't believe how quickly the time passes. I know people always tell me it happens SO fast, but I wasn't prepared for her to grow up this quickly! Cara put L's old baby bottles in a bag the other day and said "These are ready for give away", but I just stared at them, teared up, and told her I needed to hold on to them for just a little bit longer! I already know the first day of school is going to be a tough one (for me!), but Lila is ready, so September 10th will be her first day. Even as I write that, I feel the tears coming! Oh boy.

Pictures to come! Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend :)