pig tails!

reminiscent of pippi långstrump, jade wears her first set of pig tails! here is a view from every angle. calle and i agree this hairdo is so cute we could die!

bug in a box

we discovered jade's love of pickles a few months ago while eating lunch at our favorite local deli. calle initially gave her the saltgurka as a last resort to distract our bug so we could finish our meal. it was at that moment we realized a stinky old pickle might just be our saving grace.

enter the box.

working from home has become more difficult in recent weeks, as jade has started clinging to my legs, crying to be held, and begging to go outside. when we received our new counter stools last night [which were on my wish list since day one in this home!], we let jade give the box a try.

it was magical!

jade brought toys into her box, followed ingemar into the box, sat in the box looking out, and found great joy in this cave like space.

today jade spent a good amount of time playing on her own in her box, and after lunch i gave her a pickle. she crawled straight over to the box with pickle in hand and sat down inside screeching with delight.

who knew a pickle & a box could be such a success?

a weekend in schnoodletown

while calle & jade enjoyed baby swim on saturday morning followed by a stroll on the beach and an afternoon of playing with animals at the fashion island pet store, i spent 6+ hours in the car, driving to and from a baby shower in lancaster, sweating it out in 105 degree weather. something is wrong with this picture!

here bugsy gets ready after swim class.

pappa, do i need deodorant too?

or is that only for stinky boys?

the happiest baby at the pet shop

treats in the tray!

chillin' at the view point in corona del mar

meanwhile, up in lancaster,

mamma enjoys beautiful views...

and wonderful weather!

on sunday we spent the day as a family, and jade was very excited!

we had lunch at asada, a new restaurant in laguna beach

jade loved it here, and spent most of the time dancing at the table.

she's got some serious moves!

after lunch it was time to burn off some of the calories so we went for a long walk on the beach. jade, of course, managed to get a handful of sand for dessert.

it was a beautiful sunday in southern california!

bug's first bike ride

we've been waiting a long time for the day bugsy was finally big enough to go on a bike ride.

we started off at our favorite store, rei, where we tried a few different baby seat options. as a minor distraction, jade took a little tour on a cute pink mini bike:

once we found all the right equipment, we left rei and headed to newport beach to install the bug seat on pappa's bike. as with all things requiring buckles or restraints, jade was not fond of the helmet at first. she whimpered a bit as we put it on but once we got moving she was happy as a clam.

we spent the early afternoon with friends on 36th street and then made our way to the wedge after a nice lunch with uncle dusty. jade sat on pappa's lap while dusty went body surfing in the cold water.

jade also made time to play in the sand with mamma. together they found shells, candy wrappers, plastic gadgets, and a tiny little crab.

although the wedge is known for it's shore breaking waves, jade found a greater fascination in the "hexing" of pappa's tom's. basically, she has started casting spells on everything. her hand gestures are hysterical, and really do appear to be the makings of a true häxa.

in the midst of riding up and down the board walk, visiting with friends, hanging out at the wedge, and casting spells, jade somehow missed her afternoon nap. as we made our way back to the smith residence, our own little miguel indurain had fallen asleep in her bug seat, forcing her dad to stabilize the wobbling head with a gentle hand on the mushroom-like helmet .

we must say our first bike ride with bug was a great success and that she seems to share our love of the good old bicycle!

bug bath!

we've kept bug in her mini bug bath for long enough! to jade's delight we decided to let her splash and play in the big tub. so much fun for mamma, pappa, and baby girl!