O

This is H's brother, O. Isn't he delicious!?

While H and Eliza entertained one another and had tons of fun, O was the perfect child of the day. He was our "go along guy." He rode in the stroller, took a nap, ate a little bit. He was pure delight.

Girlfriends

Eliza's friend, H, is visiting from the States. We all went to Neuschwanstein together. The girls had an absolute blast together. Here is the evidence:

Playing with the iphone on the train

At the castle signs

Eliza thinks she's ready for Vogue

Sorry for the bad pic, but I had to shoot quickly. The owner was having a fit, but the girls were LOVING it!

Sitting on the bulldog outside of Taco Libre in Munich

Boys

This is Noah. He is Eliza's best friend. They are like peas and carrots.

This is CJ, Noah's older brother. (Note: He is making a face. He doesn't always look like this.)

He makes Eliza laugh like this.

Guess which one we think she will eventually marry.

Planning a Garden Party

My friend, Whit, is having TWINS! Exciting, huh? Well, if anyone can do it, she can. I am planning her shower. We are having at a really, really beautiful house in one of the nicest neighborhoods in Santa Barbara. I was really wracking my brain as to what to do. So... I came up with a garden party. Everyone wants to go to a Santa Barbara Garden Party, don't they?

Here are the invites:

The Wedding Dancer

Last week we were able to attend a lovely reception for Mr. & Mrs. Sam Shipley.

Eliza had the best time. She danced with everyone. Here she is dancing with Katrina:

Dancing with Luke, the brother of the groom:

Dancing with the Sam, the groom:



And of course, dancing with Kaisey, the bride:

This isn't the best pic of her, but check out the dress. I love this dress.

She loved it so much that she didn't want to leave. We had to bribe her with Skittles.

And the award goes to...

My friend, Linny, wrote an excellent rant on toddler pageants. My mom has asked a few times to enter Eliza into beautiful baby contests and my answer was always a firm NO! So, why do I hate pageants... Besides the obvious, pageants don't teach kids anything useful, nor do they really judge any merit worthy aspect of the child. Everyone thinks that their baby is the most beautiful, and they are all right! Who is so stupid pageant judge to tell them their kid isn't the most gorgeous child ever?

So, I got to thinking... what kind of contest should parents have. Well, it should definitely measurable and entertaining. Each kid I know has some awesome talent. Here are the awards:

• Most messy blueberry eater: Stellan
• Greatest knowledge of sporting equipment: Levi
• Most numerous blowouts: Violet
• Most "blue steel" looks: Asher
• Best stereo stuffer: Taryn
• Most daring in the pool/biggest splash: Renny
• Most trips to the ER: McKay

Here is an award for you to post on your blog:

If I forgot you, let me know and I'll make you an award.

And the award for Eliza... Well, I don't think it is fair for a mother to decide. I lose on lack of impartiality. So, leave me a comment. What is Eliza's award?

Petit Fours

I made Petit Fours with Bryanna and Erin (who are both chemists). It was so much fun, but definitely a lot of work.

Here is what I learned:

• It is best to use a very FIRM cake. Your cake should not have any crumbs.
• Gum paste is FUN! I loved making gum paste flowers. In fact, I made the two big flowers in the picture. Bryanna made the hearts. Gum paste does dry fast though.
• Heat the glaze. Glaze is already difficult to spread but if not heated, it is impossible.
• Many hands make light work. Petit fours take a lot of effort; so, invite a lot of friends.

Thanks to Erin for hosting and being so gracious and Bryanna for piping and the good laughs.

Followers

Sooooo.... I am always hearing, "Oh yeah. I saw that on your blog." So, if you follow my blog, let me know by clicking the "Follow" on the left sidebar. I'd love to know who reads.

We have the best friends

Our super sweet friend, Liz, put up this post about Eliza.

http://lizandmikecrites.blogspot.com/2009/05/my-sb-fave.html

In other not-so-good news, Eliza broke her clavicle (collar bone) trying to escape her crib. I'll post more (hopefully with x-rays) tomorrow.

I'm baaaack! (oh and Easter too)

So, some of you, I'm sure, have been wondering where I have been. I have had technical difficulties. It actually involved making decisions on storage, hardware necessities, etc. Claron and I were at an impasse for quite some time. BUT our friend Jerry came to the rescue.

Thanks to Jerry, here are the Easter pictures:

Photoshop and I are becoming friends

From Eliza's 2nd Birthday

Santa Barbara Christmas Parade

Our friends Chris & Jen own a business that will design, decorate, hang, remove and store your Christmas lights. It is called Santa Barbara Holiday Lights. This year was the first year that they had a float in the Santa Barbara Christmas Parade and they asked us to join in! Chris made an amazing float in only THREE DAYS!!! It was really amazing. The theme of their float was the shoemakers workshop. Chris was the shoemakers and his friends were elves. Eliza was a Christmas tree. It was so much fun!