what's blooming in Long Beach?

this was just our block. california is the garden of eden.

Birthday Times, second season, episode 3

i overheard Ally explaining to her friend the other day that her mom said that not all princesses are beautiful or fancy. which prompted some googling of real-life princesses and one little mind being blown (my child's. i'm not messing with anyone else's dreams. i'm not a monster).

why do i do stuff like that? i guess for the dramatic reactions--i'm not deluding myself that i'm providing any perspective. Disney has a strangle hold on our family just as it does on every other girl-driven household (and some very sweet boy homes that i know of), and i fully admit that now. there was a little while there when i thought we could jump right over the pink-is-for-girls business and steer straight into empowering fem lit, but then the girls actually came out of my body and i surrendered my pretense of power. not all at once but, *sigh,* one pink knuckle at a time.

so you want a princess party? sure! i'll make you the sparkliest, pinkest princess dress you've ever seen, baby! and dad will provide the glass slippers that light up when you walk. you know what they say: go big or go... fall into a deep sleep for 100 years. and i am not about to miss any of these years.

we had a good time on Sunday at that princess party. i mean, it was hosted by Liv, so what do you want? it's going to be the best time. and you know, i am not against pink. i like it a whole lot and always did--even when it was cooler to be a tomboy. i just don't see why it has to belong to females. but this is about my three year-old's birthday party, so let's get on to the exhibition, and to agreeing that she's the cutest Liv ever.

not getting it.

i saw some creative valentines in circulation last year and decided to swipe the idea for the girls' class valentines this year. we found it more challenging than you might expect.

probably took 100 pictures---got three that were usable.

what i said: liv! ally! pretend you're holding a balloon!

what they heard: liv, pretend you're stabbing someone to death! ally, pretend you're dancing on their grave!

oh, but i love my girls.

(should have asked Kristy to do them for me.)

valentines are people too

from the time when Ally could first string together the words, "draw a baby," she's been rendering faces--or demanding they be rendered--over, over, over, and over again. in food, in crayon, in paint. in beads and fabric and string and clay. i guess that's just what one does, if one still has one's first set of teeth. make a bunch of people who are at your mercy. be in charge.

so i shouldn't be surprised that we can't make valentines without eyes, a mouth and a nose. even Liv gets up in my face if i leave out an important feature. EARS! NOSE! babies spend a lot of time studying faces, so i guess that makes them sort of expert on where everything goes.

as you can see, it's getting very pink and red around here. hearts are Ally's thing, so we start celebrating Valentine's Day early and take it all the way through February and beyond.

feel the love.

Liv gave me lots of encouragement as i cut the hearts for her to glue on the wall. thank you! you're a really great helper, mom.

and speaking of having all of one's first teeth...it won't be long now for my firstborn. those two middles on the bottom are clinging together with everything they've got, but they're not fooling anyone.