My heart.

My sweet Lucca,

I've so appropriately called you a little gem since you were a wee babe and today this nickname could not have been more fitting. You melted my heart about a billion times today. Two years old is a crazy age -- some days are amazing, some days test every bit of patience that exists in my body. Your personality is larger than life and most days the sky is your limit.

Today you wore a pretty little white dress, sweet as could be. Daddy woke you up and made you breakfast and let me stay in bed. I woke up to you climbing into my bed asking me to read you a Curious George book. "Mommy wakes up," you said. We watched your favorite show, Super Why, which you dance and sing the intro to every single time. We walked to the park and went straight to the swings of course. On the swings you like to sing Doe-a-Deer, play the Rhyme game, and count, both in English and Spanish. Then you made a birthday cake in the sand, used sticks for candles and sang happy birthday to Muno. You ran in the grass, chased a butterfly until it flew away, and then you came running back to me saying "Excuse me mommy, do you know where that butterfly went?" ... I died.

You ate three bean salad and a mini Cibo muffin for lunch. We had lunch with Daddy, so that was a treat. You touched the flamingos and crocodiles (people in Sausalito have wacko yard ornaments..) on the way back to our house the way you always do. We galloped. We hopped. We jumped.

After nap, you didn't want to go anywhere - you just wanted to play at the house. You love to use your imagination. You played with your animals, lined them all up on your surfboard so they could surf. Then they had a tea party. The gorilla stayed in the bag like he always does...you play with all the animals but him.

We went to the grocery store and you got two balloons from the nice old guy that loves when we come in. You also took a bath with those balloons tonight. We watched Gabba and got ready for bed. Jackson was having a rough time settling down and was crying which sometimes makes you cry, you sweet little thing. I got him to sleep and then read your Mickey Mouse story that you waited so, so patiently for. Sometimes it's rough being the big sister and being second in line to the newborn baby, but you do it so well - you really are the best big sis.

You sang your way to sleep to the song of choice lately, This Old Man. I hope you have the sweetest dreams tonight my little lady Lucca-Lu.

You. Are. A. Gem.

July 4

We had a hometown holiday on July 4. Started the day with a pancake breakfast down the street, followed by the Sausalito parade, live music in the park, and then home for red, white and blue cake. Although the parade left much to be desired, Lucca loved it. She sat on top of Daddy's shoulders to see the floats pass by (if you could call them floats) and then danced the day away to the live music across the street at the park by the water. The Cal Alumni band found their biggest fan. She is 2 years old, 3 feet tall and full of good moves.

Perfect weather, perfect company, perfect weekend and perfect not-pictured baby brother who slept in his stroller most of the time. Proud to be an American family.

Creative Genius

Lucca Elizabeth: Age 2

Counting the bricks on our steps.

May I remember days like these forever.

And that voice!

100 Things To Do

Came across this list recently, and although some of the things are a part of our daily routine, some sparked new ideas. Maybe it will be helpful to you too? Toddler days can be long.

1. Color
2. Blow Bubbles
3. Play Hide-and-Seek
4. Peek-a-Boo
5. Play Chase
6. Do Finger-plays
7. Sing a song
8. Collect rocks in a basket
9. Make an obstacle course out of cushions and/or furniture
10. Make a fort out of cushions and sheets
11. Go for a Walk
12. Make a Car out of a Box
13. Read a book
14. Go to the park
15. Finger-paint
16. Play with Play-Dough
17. Toss Bean bags into a Bucket
18. Play the shell and pea game
19. Dance to music
20. Download games for toddlers from the Internet
21. Practice putting things in and taking things out of boxes and bags
22. Make a temporary slide out of a table leaf and your couch
23. Roll a ball back and forth on the floor
24. Scoop dirt or sand into a child's bucket (or use a serving spoon and bowl)
25. Practice climbing by stacking boxes on top of each other (only with adult supervision)
26. Put on a puppet show
27. Go fishing with a yard stick and yarn
28. Make a Horseshoe game
29. Make a Shape Puzzle
30. Play paper basketball
31. Run through a Sprinkler
32. Play with a bucket of water and a sponge (PLEASE WATCH CHILD AT ALL TIMES!)
33. Make a Drum out of an oatmeal box
34. Play with a kazoo
35. Wash windows together
36. Bang on Pots and Pans with a spoon
37. Brush each other's teeth
38. Play dress-up with stuffed animals and your child's clothes
39. Stack canned or boxed food on top of each other
40. Let child stack mixing bowls inside each other
41. Make a playhouse out of a large box
42. Let child play with a sticker sheet (make sure your child doesn't eat them!)
43. Put stickers on fingers for finger puppets
44. Play a musical instrument together- i.e.recorder, piano, etc.
45. Go on a Smelling Hunt
46. Frost Cookies
47. Plant a flower or vegetable plant together
48. Roll a tennis ball into an empty trash can or bucket
49. Draw on a mirror with dry-erase markers
50. Play hide and seek together- trying to find a stuffed animal or other object
51. Have a splash party together in the bathtub
52. Put a leash on a stuffed animal and walk around the house
53. Record each other on a tape recorder (great for scrapbooks or journals!)
54. Make and try on paper hats
55. Give a piggy-back ride
56. Play "Horsey"
57. Talk into an electric fan (it distorts your voice)
58. Play tug-of-war with a blanket
59. Collect flowers (felt, artificial, real...)
60. Make a camera and go on a Safari
61. Play games with frozen juice lids
62. Disconnect your phone and pretend to make phone calls to relatives
63. Leave your phone connected and really make phone calls to relatives- let your child talk too
64. String large beads onto or along a shoelace
65. Squirt each other with squirt bottles
66. Glue shapes onto paper
67. Make sock puppets
68. Make paper puppets
69. Fill an old purse with toys
70. Use a paper towel tube as a megaphone
71. Make binoculars and go "Bird Watching" or "Stuffed Animal Watching"
72. Put snacks in different fun containers (paper sacks, empty canisters, etc.)
73. Act out a story from a book
74. Walk on a balance beam- use a 2x4 placed on the ground
75. Draw with chalk on the sidewalk
76. Sketch an outline of your child on the sidewalk or paper with chalk
77. Paint child's palms with tempura paint and blot on paper. Makes a great card for loved ones!
78. Put lipstick on child and kiss a mirror
79. Make a puddle on cement and splash barefoot in it
80. Let child decorate and eat an open peanut butter sandwich
81. Make a toilet paper barricade for child to go under, over, or through
82. Do the Hokey Pokey
83. Make a super-hero costume out of household items
84. Do Knee-Bouncing Rhymes
85. Play "Red Light, Green Light" saying "Go" and "Stop"
86. Make a shoe-box train for stuffed animals
87. Make a pillow pile to jump on (keep it clear from any hard surfaces, including walls!)
88. Make an easy puzzle with felt and Velcro
89. Make bracelets or collars for stuffed animals out of pipe cleaners and jingle bells
90. Learn numbers from a deck of cards
91. Play the matching game with a deck of cards
92. Make a domino chain
93. Have a picnic in the park, backyard, or living room!
94. Play dress up in Mommy or Daddy's clothes
95. Make a tin cup telephone and talk to each other in it
96. Make a nature collage
97. Mirror each other
98. Make a "Mummy Mommy" with toilet paper
99. Make a tape recording of short music selections and instructions to move in different ways
100. Make and walk along a toilet paper trail

Ladies who Lunch

2 going on 20. Can't believe my own eyes sometimes when I stare at this little lady, becoming exactly that -- a little lady! Today she asked to go to the coffee shop, with her sunglasses and purse in tow. Why did she want to go there? To eat a pastry, of course. Such a chick!