Christmas in Palm Springs

I grew up in California, but for the past 6 years I've lived in places where winters are long and cold. My self-diagnosed Seasonal Affective Disorder would kick in, and I'd be cold and grumpy for months. Didz would tell me to toughen up, I'd tell him to go suck an egg. We'd bicker on and on like this. He'd try to convince me to embrace the winter - white fluffy snow! hot chocolate! bundling up! - and I'd translate that to mean: nasty, slushy, slippery sidewalks! scalding hot liquid burning my tongue! wearing a million layers to go outside, but then sweating profusely indoors where the heat was blasting to a gajillion degrees!

This year, we decided to skip the holiday travel, the snowy cityscapes, the ice storms and power outages, the flight delays and long lines... and enjoy wearing flip flops and t-shirts for Christmas. We made a spontaneous, last minute decision to drive to Palm Springs and spend a few days here:

We missed our families, and wished we could've all been together... but our little gettaway was warm and wonderful and I think Didz is coming around to understanding how magical living in California really is.

We splashed around in the pool, we ran around on the grass, we woke up all our neighbors with early morning bocce, we ate tacos and drank beer, we chased Ina around the lobby (we spent HOURS in that lobby) and we opened Christmas presents (who knew a pair of mittens could bring SO MUCH JOY) and played in our room until we were all completely exhausted.

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas! Sending lots of hugs and sunshine to you all... and BIG BIG LOVE to our good buddy TK and his darling girl, Vija, who got engaged yesterday. Love you guys! xo

Last Week + Weekend Bits

My parents came to stay with us last week. It was fun, and delicious, and wonderful, and went by too quickly, as it always does when they're here. We didn't do much, other than eat, drink, play and console a cranky teething baby (molars are the WORST). Didz and I snuck off for a couple of dates alone, but mostly we all just hung around at home. On Thursday we prepared a Thanksgiving feast, and sat and ate and wore napkins on our heads (a ridiculous tradition that we take very seriously).

Early Friday morning my parents took off back to Boston, so the three of us jumped in the car and drove up to Ojai. We spent the weekend in the country, at Mia's family's ranch. Ina met a horse and ate dirt, we breathed in fresh mountain air, and got to see the stars at night. We even got to go out with friends one evening, while Ina slept back at the house with Mia's folks. It was relaxing and rejuvenating and such a perfect escape from the city.

Here's a glimpse into our week, and our weekend gettaway:

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! This week we'll be eating salads and fruit (does apple pie count?;) and working off all that stuffing with long walks by the beach. I'm hoping to do a little holiday decorating around the house - but we'll see how that goes. My little helper will be far more keen on taking decorations down than putting them up. It'll be a minimalist Christmas for sure.

Happy December!

For you, Babs

This morning my mother complained about my lack of blog updates lately... Sorry, Babs. This one is for you:

This afternoon we went down to our favorite spot along the bluffs, overlooking the ocean, and hung out on our picnic blanket until the sun went down... The sunset was perfect, with just enough clouds in the sky to explode in pinks and purples, but not so many to hide the sunset altogether. The water was calm. The air was crisp. Ina practiced walking in the grass while Didz and I watched, refusing to believe our little baby girl can walk. We hung out until the sun went down, went out for a bite for dinner, and came home to drink a big bottle of wine...

It was a good day, Babs. When you're in town we'll duplicate it... just with more fun, and double the wine :)

Goodnight, LA. Thanks for another beautiful day.

Weekend Bits

It was hard to mourn the end of summer this Labor Day Weekend when temperatures were higher than they've been all summer. We tried to stay cool as best we could, and spent the majority of the weekend outside (since our apartment was stifling). We took a trip to the pool with Iny's boyfriend Felix, ate a million blueberries while rocking out to a fun marimba band at the Farmer's Market, ate cupcakes with Sigi, and had a picnic on Monday at our favorite park on the bluffs overlooking the ocean. 

Here's a peek...

When we first got to LA in June, we weren't sure we'd be settling in for the long haul or if we'd be moving again, so we stacked the garage full of our boxes of stuff while we waited to see how our plans would unfold. I'm very happy to say we've decided to stick around for a while. We have some plans for our place, including ripping out the dingy carpet in the bedrooms, finally hanging some art on the walls and decorating the bug's room. Of course these things take time, but I'm very excited to get started on some of these projects. 

Happy September, friends! I think I'll go buy a notebook and sharpen some pencils to prepare for all the good things ahead... 

Weekend Bits

All we did this weekend was this. 

Have a Great Weekend!

At the beginning of this week our calendar was wide open, yet somehow we managed to fill it up completely with lunch dates and dinners and spontaneous 8am beach outings. It can be hard making plans and scheduling around nap times and bed times, but all of our last minute get togethers this week aligned perfectly with our routine. I've learned that spontaneity is totally key to making this parenting thing work - big, pre-set plans cramp our style - but being ready to go at a moments notice when the baby is awake and happy works for us. We've learned to be flexible, and live moment to moment...

Looking forward to some beautiful, spontaneous moments this weekend.

* * *

Also... we'll be popping a bottle of bubbly and sending big love to my brother-in-law Paul and his beautiful bride-to-be Josie! Congratulations on your engagement! xoxo

Saturday Afternoon

On Saturday, we made our way across town to Silverlake to spend the afternoon with some friends. It was a perfect day to lounge out in the yard on big blankets and snack on veggies and cheese and dips and a beautiful loaf of bread I baked after being inspired by our bread-baking-buddy Bobbie. We caught up with old friends, made some wonderful new ones... Ina and her new friend Millie were quite the adorable duo, and we are so happy we got to spend the day together.

Here's a peek....

And then there was a dance party for Ina's entertainment....

... she was not impressed...

Thank you A+J... You guys are the best. Let's do it again soon! xo