attractions

This week Ella, Jane and I got to hold down the fort with our canine companions, Charlie and Lucy, while Dad was working North of LA, and Nana and Granddad are on their two week trip to London visiting Auntie Jenny (who actually comes home in 15 days! She left us in September, and Jane still knows her voice - we're all excited for her homecoming!)

In the meantime though, we've been perfecting the artful skill of Pee-Wee soccer. Ella has a purple team jersey now which she finally wore once I brought her purple shorts to match and when her 3 year old friend Ruby reluctantly put on her shirt too. On Tuesday, we had a whole entourage on the field encouraging Ella to participate and listen in all the drills and line waiting and scrimmage play. Auntie Emily and Richard and Daddy all came for field support and left just as exhausted as Ella. On Thursday Ella really got more into it with her purple ensemble on and actually kept her shoes on the whole time (the cooler overcast weather probably was a factor too, oppose to the hot sunny weather on Tues.)

Tuesday we also said goodbye to Emily and Richard, they just settled up in their new apt. in Berkeley,CA where Richard will continue his undergraduate degree. Go Bears! We're so excited to have family up there; it really makes our frequent visits more special.

After our hot soccer practice, the girls and I went to an empty yet cool Chuck E. Cheese lunch. Yes, I went there to let the girls play while I get a soda and cool down. We had lunch there, salad bar ain't bad and we all played and played. Don't think I stopped to get any pictures...The three of us were at the Ski Ball for a while racking up our ticket count for a couple of sparkley costume rings Ella picked out for her and Jane as we left. Both the girls get so excited to see Chuck in the flesh walking around. Ella runs over for a big hug and is smiling ear to ear. Chuck gives Jane who's a little further away a friendly wave, and Jane waves back. He slowly comes up to her for a hand five from Jane and gets down with arms open for a hug which Jane cannot deny and gives him a big smiling bear hug. She is not afraid of him at all, she so loved being there. It's nice to take the girls somewhere where Jane can play too (unlike soccer where she wants to participate in all of it). The other day, Jane carried around a paper picture of her and Chuck E. Cheese statue on a ride where it spits out a picture to take home. She carried that picture everywhere, took it with her when we went out to the grocery store too. Periodically she stops to tell me with delight that it's Jane and CEC in the picture.

Tonight we might try to go to Sea World to redeem our passes we got online and get our actual cards. We'll probably bring a picnic dinner - the park is great about letting you bring in food/drinks and there's lots of grass to sit on an picnic while enjoying the music around everywhere and sometimes seeing a concert on the center stage. Not many other park goers picnic like this, mostly tourists walking around thinking why didn't we do that? Or look at that silly family sitting on the grass no one else dares to walk on? well whatever, we have fun.