Dancin' The Night Away

As close friends and family can attest, I am a real dorky dancer...but I love it so I don't really care. Lord knows, I used to care a lot but now I just find flopping around like Elaine on Seinfeld to be a great stress reliever and a lot of fun. It makes Camille laugh her head off so that is a bonus.

Thankfully, I think she inherited rhythm from the other set of genes. She loves to twirl and bop up and down.

The other day she and Carl were dancing together and I almost got misty thinking of them dancing on her wedding day...I'm a sap, what can I say?!

No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service!

We run a clothing optional restaurant.

We want to be sure that our patrons are comfortable at all times. I guess when you are 16 months old, you just never know when the urge to strip is going to hit you.

Photographers Note: How cool is this feature on our new Mama-cam?!? Love that it picked up on her lip color too!

My Funny Valentine

Okay I know this may seem a bit trite but here is my Love Day post because as I have said before, I am a very lucky girl.

My Valentine gift was the most amazing selection of torch songs ever put together. I love torch. Those gals...and guys knew how to tell it like it is. Patsy, Connie and Tammy make me feel like I am living in a different era and never have I wanted to stand by my man more than I do after listening to a few hours of those songs.

Te Amo, Mi Vida.

Mary Janes Made For Walking

I'd like to think that Camille is developing her own style. I have fantasies of her being the kid on the beach with the polka dot bathing suit, red cowboy boots and straw hat (I actually saw this in Malibu some years back. The kid turned out to be Patricia Arquette's daughter...so cute, I couldn't stop staring. At the kid, of course!) So imagine my delight when Camille chose these shoes for our walk last Sunday. Oh my god, I love this kid.

I decided to get us all out for some fresh air with a walk around the golf course at Griffith Park. I didn't realize that I was going to be racing an impending rain storm. My gentle Sunday stroll turned into a real workout. We still got to enjoy the manufactured nature of which our family is very fond.

Anyone who has cuddled up with Miss Camille for any length of time will understand this photo...she is a real hand-holding sort of gal and apparently her dolly is a suitable substitute when Mama is pushing the stroller.

There's No Place Like Home

There's nothing like leaving home for three days to make you feel so tremendously grateful for your life. I had to go to San Francisco for work last week leaving Carl and the little peach behind to fend for themselves. As we were driving to the airport at 5 am on Wednesday, I found myself fighting back tears and just wishing on all things possible that LAX would experience its first-ever, paralyzing snowstorm that would ground my flight. We arrived at the terminal with not a flake in the air. I knew I just had to get myself together and get on that plane.

The first day was a whirlwind and I barely had a moment to think about the fact that I would not see my people that night. Drink after work with my buddy, dinner with more friends and off to another bar for a second drink before heading to my hotel room. Once I finally checked in with Carley she seemed totally burned out. Pangs of guilt for having a faux single-girl-on-the-town evening while my better half raced around town to pick up the babe from daycare, home to walk dog, shovel dinner in mouth of toddler, bathe wriggling and now exhausted baby et cetera, et cetera. I wished her sweet dreams, cranked up the heat, turned on the History Channel and stretched out in my double bed. Zzzzzzzs.

Woke up the next morning at 6:30 and sprang out of bed ready to tackle the day. I was completely ready by 7:15...wow, what to do for the next hour before I had to leave for work? Sopranos on A&E, done. What did I do with all my free time before the baby was born? I don't remember ever having an extra hour before work. Work day flew by and before I knew it I was faced with the fact that I had no plans and five hours to kill. Again, why I was not constructing fabulous gowns and costumes in my pre-motherhood life escapes me.

Long story endless...Friday at 9 pm finally arrives and Carley rolls up beside me. Cam is knocked out in the back, Auggie digs his nails in my leg trying to get at my face for a lick, Carley's eyes twinkle. I'm home and I never want to leave again. Cam, Carley and coffee = Saturday morning bliss.

Welcome To The Jungle

Has it really been a month since my last post? A lot has been happening in our lives but the camera seems to be absent at all the wrong moments. The weather has been so schizophrenic lately so we decided to hit the zoo again one unseasonably warm January Sunday.

Camille finally gets it and recognizes the animals. Having just learned to identify and say "monkey", the chimps and orangs were her favorite followed closely by the elephants bathing in the new Elephants of Asia exhibit.

Now I know the zoo is a touchy subject for people and even I get a little weirded out by the petting zoo section where the tired old donkeys hang their heads in despair at the sight of a new wave of grabby kids coming at them while the poor goats seem to be meditating themselves to a higher plane. I was a kid myself many years ago and I can attest to the undeniable call of the wild. I am happy that Camille can have the chance to see that real monkeys aren't purple and elephants don't really fly.