Lydia's obsession with piano books cracks me up. She spreads them around the living room, then chooses 1 of 3 activities to do with them:

1. Lay down and read them, (ALWAYS upside down, even if I turn it right side up for her.) while mumbling, laughing, and pointing.

2. Rearrange them in a more orderly fashion

3. Or put them up at the piano and then alternately look at the book and her hands while she plays the piano. (Don't have a picture of that, but it's hilarious.)

She loves to look at the notes and wants me to describe them to her. We talk a lot about quarter notes, rests, measures, time signatures, and more. I won't be surprised if music theory starts entering her dialogue!

I know these pictures are blurry. They were taken in rapid succession as Lydia ran back and forth from the basket of piano books to the piano bench, transporting my carefully arranged and organized books to wherever she wanted.

This is her own invented daily ritual. She isn't content to look at one or two piano books at a time. She MUST pull them ALL out and spread them around the room to her liking.

My Little Climber

If climbing is such a long and difficult process for a little toddler...

...then WHY is climbing the only thing my baby wants to do anymore????

California Trip Part 3

Our last day in California, we went to a park in the foothills of Morgan Hill called Uvas. It was like we stepped into a rainforest. So gorgeous. I had no idea this place even existed.

Contrast that to our trip home across the Nevada desert the next day. Poor Lydia had had enough in the car, so we drove around a little Nevada town, looking for a fun place for her to play. We had to settle on a dried up cemetery. She was ecstatic. The poor thing.

Monterey

We went to Monterey with Ryan's family. It was a perfect day for Monterey- overcast and windy. That's the only way to do a historic coastal town, in my opinion. I loved it.





Lydia's cousin Luci did great, but Lydia had the first ear infection of her life, unbeknownst to us at that time. She had a miserable day- the only times she was happy was when she was eating in the stroller or playing in the sand.



Being with Ryan's family always brings out the goofiness in Ryan. I love it. Here, he's dancing in the streets. What a nerd.



We picked up shells and rocks in this cute little nook.



Lydia loved playing in the sand, and had absolutely no fear when the tide came in.



On our way home, we took the scenic 17 mile drive, which ends at Pebble Beach. I was a little disappointed to find that Pebble Beach is not actually made of pebbles, but the rest of the drive more than made up for that misleading name. =)




I don't remember what this spot is called, but the waves all come in from different directions and violently crash into each other. I've never seen anything like it. The pictures don't capture what I'm talking about. Just take my word for it. It's cool.

San Francisco

Where, oh where have we been lately? We have most definitely NOT been just sitting around.



We got to take a week off and go visit family in California. We first stayed with my parents in Tracy. My dad took a day off work and went with us to San Francisco on Tuesday for a pre-birthday celebration for moi. I haven't been to San Francisco in probably 6 or 7 years. So sad. It was a perfect, sunny, blue sky day- the kind you never get in San Francisco!

We did all the touristy things. Pier 39 and a trip to see the walruses.

I thought Lydia would go nuts over the walruses, but she had more fun watching the pigeons. Why did we bother?

This picture is somewhere along the wharf.

And, of course, we went to Ghiradelli Square. Lydia loved the fountain and tried to run in. Ryan had to speed-racer it up the steps to catch her just in time!

Ryan's brother Dave happened to be in the city that day, so we met up with him for a few minutes. He dropped his dog, Max, into the fountain, and made a lady really angry. She got all huffy, and walked her daughter away, practically shielding her daughter's eyes. Some people...

My mom took some great pictures, but lost them all. We are so sad because I didn't have my camera out very much.

Stay tuned for more posts about our fabulous trip to California.

I need a baby sitter! Teaching piano is starting to feel like running a circus.


Case in Point: Lydia dumped a whole box of Chex during a lesson I was teaching. At least it all landed in one nice pile.






Then, while I was cleaning it up, she learned how fun it is to crunch Chex under feet.

Combine that curiosity with her continuing obsessive need (and noisy demands) to wear whatever she finds...

Whether it's her pajamas half-on over her clothes...

Or Daddy's suit coat...

...and I am one busy momma/piano teacher! Oh, and don't forget her fast little legs that won't let her stay in one place at one time. (Hence the blurry pictures)

She sure is a cutie, though!