Springtime in LA

Spring is my favorite season in LA. Not only is it the season of Kate's birthday, but it's the time when beautiful flowers burst into bloom all over the city and fill the smoggy air with a sweet fragrance. Believe it or not, LA smells good. Unfortunately, it's also the time when the last (hopefully) virus sneaks in and knocks us out. Kate picked up a nice bug at school, then kindly passed it on to Chris, who couldn't resist sharing it with me. It seems that my illness was the worst of the three, though it could just be that I'm a horrible patient. We took Kate to the park for some fresh, fragrant air on Saturday. I thought a little Vitamin D would be good for my cold. I was wrong. While Chris and Kate played, I shuffled around, moaning and searching for a place to sit down. Since Kate wasn't feeling too great either, we stopped briefly at the farmer's market next door for some fresh fruit and vegetables and headed home for a nice, long nap. Ahh...naps. Glorious. On Monday, Kate's school was closed, and I was feeling a little less dead, so Kate and I went to the Arboretum to feed the ducks and say hello to the peacocks. Even though Kate has heard a peacock "caw" hundreds of times, it never ceases to amaze her. "Did you hear that??" Recently, Kate has been coordinating her outfits herself. It's all about the skirt these days. Accessories are an added bonus. Kate's camera-ready face. ...and again. We fed the ducks and geese some crackers (they don't like rice cakes, as it turned out), and Kate fed herself some string cheese. "Envious" is Kate's latest vocabulary word, and she likes to use it whenever she can. "Momma, these geese are envious of my cheese." Afterwards, Kate and I headed to the mall for a sunhat (Kate's head has actually grown) and lunch. Kate asked me to take a picture of her doing an arabesque. ...and a one-shoe semi-tree pose. I discovered that going to the mall with Kate is now a completely new experience. She used to complain whenever I walked into a clothing store ("Can we go, Mom??"), but now she eagerly looks at all the dresses and shoes and covets. "Can we buy this one?? Can I try it on in the dressing room? Please??" She tried on a couple of things in the dressing room, and then we left. Kate was disappointed that we left without a dress, but she handled it very well. A few days earlier, while I was sick as a dog, Kate said, "Momma, I want to give you a present," and then ran off somewhere. She came back empty-handed and said, "I don't really have a present, but I want to say that I love you, forever." Awwww. I told her that was the best present she could ever give me.

Jewelry-Making

Chris noticed that Kate's interest in threading, beading, and all things fine-motor-control related has recently picked up speed and thought Kate might enjoy making her own beaded jewelry, like her cousin Kes in Tucson. We have a bead store near our house, and when I asked Kate if she would be interested in going there, the answer was, "YES! YES! YES!" as she ran screaming towards the door. The first thing Kate wanted to make was a bracelet for her cousins, but then decided it was more prudent to practice on a few creations for herself first. I was impressed by how long Kate sat still and concentrated on getting the small beads onto the thread. By the third piece of jewelry an hour or so later, Kate was wasted. She sighed, "This is hard." Kate's creations: a necklace and a bracelet.

Kate modeling her wares. This is her demure, "princess" face. "Take another one, Momma!" This is Kate's demonic face. "One more, Momma!" This is Kate's fugu face. A great way to blow off steam is modern dance. The video of the day -- Kate cracking herself (and me) up: And finally, Kate and Appa: Kate "helping" Chris meet his crushing deadline.

Fancy Dancing

Recently, Kate has been all about ballet dancing, hip-hop dancing, and go-crazy-and-make-it-up dancing. Her new favorite video is "Swan Lake." After watching it, she likes to mimic the moves. Kate "en pointe." "Jete!" Kate likes to quote "Alex" from "Madagascar 2": "Don't think, just feel!"

Once a day, Kate does the "Dance of the Baby Swans" and, ham that she is, requests that I take a movie of her performance:

And this is a video of Kate free form dancing and rapping, combining the works of "Tikki Tikki Tembo" and "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom." It's also her way of stalling before bedtime:

Riding the Rails to the Redcat

For the very first time, Kate and I took public transportation in Los Angeles last weekend. Chris was an old pro, having once ridden the bus from Hollywood all the way to LAX twelve years ago (a harrowing experience; we were new to LA and clueless -- Super Shuttle? What's that?), and having taken the Metro Red Line from Koreatown to Downtown for the Democratic National Convention in 2000. We boarded at the northern most point of the Gold Line in Pasadena, and headed south to the last stop -- beautiful Union Station. Kate was thrilled. She loves riding trains, and loves being free from the carseat-straightjacket even more. You'd never guess this child is sleep-deprived from going to bed very late and waking up at the crack of dawn. We walked from the station to the Walt Disney Concert Hall. We were meeting Lucy and her Moms at the Redcat (Roy and Edna Disney/Cal Arts Theater) to see an animated program of the International Children's Film Festival. Kate and Lucy enjoyed the animated shorts, especially the one about a little paper dog and his best buddy, his tail. Kate, getting increasingly sleepy, started to zone out towards the end. After the screening, the girls climbed all around Atelier Bow-Wow's "BBQ House" (pictured above), one of three conceptual houses the studio designed based on Southern California's climate and lifestyle (the other two are "Hammock House" and "Sunset House." They should make"Pool and Wet Bar House" and "Tanning Booth House" to round out the series). We had lunch, then walked to the roof garden to see the rose-shaped, porcelain fountain. Kate and Lucy tossed in a penny, but forgot to make a wish. They were more interested in dipping their fingers into the "clean" water. "I touched it!" "Me too!" It was time to pose like rock stars. There is a charming outdoor Children's Amptitheater where they host free children's programs. Kate and Lucy walked all around it, alternately chasing after a pigeon and examining a dead bee. "It's still there, Mom!" Goodbyes are always difficult, especially when you're having a marvelous time with your best buddy and are punch-drunk from sleepiness. After a few minutes of crazy wailing and sobbing in the street, I reminded her that we were going to take the train back home, and she suddenly stopped crying. "I'm not crying anymore, Mom!" On the ride back, Kate was so pooped that she laid down on the seats between Chris and me and dozed. The Metro in LA is fun, clean, affordable, and green. Hopefully, one day, it will be as convenient as driving.

Snow Day in L.A.

We had been promising Kate we'd drive up to the mountains and go sledding since December. Three months later, we finally made good on our promise. We drove to Angeles National Forest towards the site we went camping last summer. As we climbed higher and higher, Chris and I noticed the mountains were bone dry. "When are we gonna see the snow, Momma?" "Um... soon?" Kate was very excited. Up to this point, her only experience with real snow was touching a dirty clump outside Newark Airport two years ago. Later on, at elevation 5,000 feet, we saw a backhoe clearing the fallen rocks from the road, but no sign of snow. "This may not work out, Kate!" We tried the same thing last year, but after packing a carful of sweaters and long underwear, we discovered that the road up the mountain was closed. And our snow play day turned into a hike. Not this time....all of a sudden, 2,000 feet higher...SNOW! Whoo hoo! We parked along the side of the road, and found... ...the perfect spot for sledding! It was sweet to see how happy Kate was to be finally playing with real-life snow. "Momma, let's pretend we have to go around and collect the snow in buckets! Momma, let's pretend we're snow girls, instead of flower girls, and we're at a wedding!" "Appa, can we take some snow home??" Kate and Chris got started on a little snowwoman. Mom inserted some hair. Kate added the eyes and buttons (coffee beans). Kate's first snowperson: "Snowy," the Snowwoman.

Chris couldn't wait to try out the new sled. Kate was content just playing with the snow, but he persuaded her to make the maiden voyage with him.

Chris was really thrown by how fast they zipped down that dinky little slope.

At this point Chris thought they were headed for a big wipe-out. I was thoroughly enjoying the expression on his face.

Kate seemed completely unfazed by the speed. I think she was busy trying to catch air in her bucket.

Luckily, they stopped before reaching the highway.

"Let's do it again, Appa!"

The intrepid sledders.

Next, it was Momma and Kate's turn. Chris was able to get the last laugh. It was a lot faster than I expected:

Kate wanted to do it by herself. Dad gave her a push. Kate "Nanook of the North" Weyant on her solo ride. A brief rest under the blazing sun. Snow angels: We took a hot cocoa-marshmallow-string cheese-apple break. Then, more sledding! Chris and Kate tried out a much steeper hill. Surprisingly, the sled moved at tortoise-speed. More videos! Chris and Kate getting the hang of it: This is one of Kate solo. Chris and I both thought she was going too fast so I intervened with my foot: This one is of Chris and Kate trying out a new hill unsuccesfully. Poor Kate: She got snow up both nostrils and in her boots and cut her lip. She cried for a few minutes, then was fine again. When I showed her the video at home, she cracked up at her face plant. "Let's watch it again!" We watched it over and over, like the Zapruder film. And finally, Kate going solo and cackling all the way down: We had a wonderful snow day in sunny L.A.