a bag of chips

Eleven months and mobility.

Yes, that's right.  Nadia, Princess THREE teeth, my baby, is ELEVEN MONTHS OLD today.  A good friend of mine said recently that the days are long but the years are short.  Boy howdy, that statement is spot on when it comes to how quickly our wee ones grow up. 

Our quick-tempered, babbling, fiery baby punk is also crawling now.  Yesterday was her first big crawling day, covering about three feet in just over a minute.  Today she was even quicker.  (Note to self:  Time to put all the gates back up!!!)  Makena started crawling at exactly eleven months old also, and she could circle the coffee table in no time flat.  She's always been the athelete.  And Makena walked at about fourteen months, so I hope my baby, my last wee little baby, can put off being truly mobile and even more independent for just a little while longer.  I'm really digging watching her grow and doing new things but it breaks my heart at the same time.  It's like I'm okay watching her figuring things out on her own but I'm not about to help her, hoping that her babyhood lasts as long as possible. Like until she's 30.

And there are benefits to having her be more mobile.  (Hey, I'm trying to think positively about all this, okay?)  She will be more independent and not likely to sit on the floor for five minutes and start screaming because she's done sitting by herself or because the object of her attention is out of arm's reach.  And soon the walker/bouncer/activity centers currently taking up nearly all the floor space in our home will find new homes to make room for all the new movement.  And the Tupperware cabinet will be good for long spells of entertainment while I order make dinner.  And then maybe she'll follow me around and stand herself up using my pant leg for support, being my little shadow as I move around the house.  And at the end of the day I can check her hands and pants to see just how dirty clean my floors are.

I'm also trying so hard not to let it soak in that this new stage in Nadia's life corresponds with the next stage in Aidan and Makena's lives.  They start Pre-K at a new school next week.  They'll be gone five mornings a week, sporting back packs and big lunch boxes with loves notes from us inside.  I'm looking forward to having more one-on-one time with Nadia but it's going to be an adjustment for all of us.  (sniffle)

And I'm not EVEN thinking about the fact that on September 29 at 8:16pm, my baby turns one.  LALALALALALALA.  I'm not thinking about it.  LALALALALALALALALALA.

Hollywood Icons, part deux.

Below are some more of the photos taken on Grandpa's Big Day. The first photo is of grandpa with some old industry pals (AC Lyles is the guy on the left and I don't know the name of the other fellow). The second photo is my lovely grandmother who I'm sure is proud beyond words of her husband of sixty years. The next two photos were taken after the official ceremony during the posing for photographers. 

What a day!

Summer fun.

We've been busy!  Wooooo howdy.

Carpinteria was a blast.  We had five days of fun in the sun and a wee road to trip Cambria during our stay.  I love central coastal California with the golden rollies, sleepy cows, beaches, vineyards and wineries, sleepy towns that seem oblivious to the bustle of the big city.  I want to pack up all my loved ones and posessions and move to Cambria.  Anyway.  Carpinteria was fun and we enjoyed a sushi dinner at Sushi Teri (it's a requirement of visiting Carp to have at least one meal there), and I enjoyed cruising the antique shops for buried treasures. 

One of the projects we've had going on this summer is a remodel of our front and back yards.  We cleared away some 12' hedges and trees in our yard (so sad to see my apricot tree go) and tore down our side fence.  We live on a big corner lot and the street-side of our fence was set back about 20' from the sidewalk.  So we reclaimed that part of our yard and gained about 500 sq ft of new back yard space.  Plus we put in a new picket fence in the front.  (Who knew vinyl fencing was so freakin' expensive?)  And totally scored on a used redwood play structure for the kiddos and that will be going up in the next few weeks.

The kids are all well and fine, and I'm doing my best to keep everyone entertained until the start of school.  We've been playing dress-up, dancing and singing, running through the wiggly sprinkler thing in the front yard (and kept safe by our new picket fence), playing at some fun new spots around town, and having lots of milkshakes. 

So, seeing that I need to be somewhere in about an hour, I'll post some photos below and be on my way.  Look for another post next week as Nadia turns eleven (sniffle) months (sniffle) old.

Hollywood Icons.

On Friday, August 3rd, 2007, now officially known in Hollywood as Charles Champlin Day, my grandfather got a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.  One of Hollywood's icons received one of Hollywood's icons.  In addition to darn near our entire family, Eva Marie Saint, A.C. Lyles ("Mr. Paramount") and Arthur Hiller were among the distinguished guests and speakers at both the Star ceremony and the reception that followed.  And I got to be there, with my camera, among all the photographers and t.v. cameramen, soaking up the sun and the awesomeness of what I was witnessing: the most amazing man I know being immortalized in immortal Hollywood. 

His star is near the intersection of Hollywood and La Brea and is under the watchful eye of a BofA ATM and an Armed Forces Recruiting office.  As a jazz aficionado, my grandfather's star is in good company with the likes of Cole Porter, Etta James and Miles Davis.  And as a child of the 70s, I was happy to see that the Osmond Family and KC and the Sunshine Band are nearby as well.

So, while I haven't had the time to look through all of my photos from yesterday (I took nearly 1000 photos - thank GOD for the Digital Age), here is one of the star (taken very early in the morning) and one of the man himself being interviewed at the reception.  And since my sweet little fam and I are heading up the coast for a week-long holiday, it's going to be at least a week before I have any more to share.

I love you, grandpa. I'm so proud of you and your lifetime of accomplishments and I'm so proud to be your granddaughter.