Just Because: Yoga with babies = brilliant

Ruby and I got to yoga together. It's lovely. She runs around the studio, stands on blocks, and does the occasional downward dog. I get a workout.

Family Outing: Afternoon at the beach

You know...living in California and all, you might assume beach days would be a regular occurrence. Hardly! To plan a whole day of it often seems like a production. We are more of the last-minute (semi-accidental) beach-goers. This was a Sunday afternoon in which we happened to be on the West side and were headed home when we had the sudden urge to stop at the beach. And by "sudden urge," I mean we literally made a split-second decision and pulled into a parking lot off the PCH and headed out to the sand. Ocean and beach=always lovely. 

We keep our kite in our trunk, exactly because of days like this! Daddy has gotten so good at flying the kite that he doesn't even need to hold it with his hands anymore!

 Ruby LOVES to throw rocks into water.

 Ruby's first self-portrait! Little bugger grabbed my camera.

Wake up, Daddy! Time to go! Note the kite is still flying from his belt loop during his nap!

Family Outing: Oh, Ojai...How do I love thee?

We are lucky to have this amazing mountain retreat (my in-laws' place) only 1.5 hours away. We don't take advantage of it often enough. But we're working on it...

She had a swimsuit on originally...then there was an incident.

We took my parents when they were in town. My dad loves to fly kites.

Ruby looking fly with her samurai hair and movie star sunglasses.

Taking a nap with Daddy next to the river.

 Goofy face.

Peaceful.

Fun Stuff: Fireworks!

Last night, Ruby was introduced to her first-ever fireworks. It was pretty much the BEST. THING. EVER. She keeps begging us to "make fireworks again" and keeps recounting the excitement: "They went up in the sky and went boom!boom!boom!boom!"

We sat in the picnic area outside the Hollywood Bowl for free. Heard the Hall and Oates concert and got a great view of the fireworks.

 Daddy trying to explain to Ruby why he couldn't "make more fireworks." She was so sad.

 But then she forgave us.

 "Yay! Fourth of July!"

Family Outing: Let's go fly a kite!

On the Fourth of July, we took a family outing with Nanu and Apoppy (what Ruby calls Jude's parents) to the meadow. Kite-flying = exciting and awe-inspiring to a two-year-old!

 We even let her hold the kite herself...which she really concentrated hard on at first...

 Until she decided it was more fun to throw it down on the ground. She may or may not have thought the point was to make the kite fall.

 Pretty exciting stuff, this kite flying business...

 Great weather, family, kites in the sky...no wonder she got the giggles and couldn't stop!