November Happenings

Better late than never.

November brought in the beautiful Phoenix weather that allows people like me to suffer through the grueling summer months. My favorite part of November 2011 (aside from my little man turning three, which I already posted about) was my trip to Palo Alto to see my sister Lanee. Dylan and I flew up for the weekend while Ryan watched the other two kiddos. We had a wonderful time walking around Palo Alto and the Stanford campus, eating incredible food, talking, laughing, and watching Gilmore Girls.

Palo Alto is GORGEOUS, has incredible food, and smells fantastic. Seriously, the entire city is sensory bliss. Lanee and I had a great time together, even though I'm pretty sure she only invited me because Dylan is too young to fly alone. Lanee has adopted what I call Grandma's Philosophy on Dealing With Other People's Children (no doubt learned from my mother). You can give them whatever they want, let them eat whatever they want, whenever they want, in whatever manner they want, and never say no. They will love you and you will be their favorite, and you never have to suffer the consequences because they eventually go home with someone else. To date this theory has been tested on seven grandchildren and appears to be flawless.

The house in Palo Alto I want to live in when we have a gagillion dollars. When I saw it I knew that either Cinderella or Martha Stewart had to live there. And yes, that is a mango tree.

Dylan trying desperately to get at the plate of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies that Lanee made. Five seconds after I took this picture I turned around and Lanee gave her her third cookie of the night.

Her towel-bib doubles as a cape.

Stanford

So much GREEEEEEEEN!

Lanee and Dylan by the fountain. Apparently you are allowed to swim in the fountains on campus.

"Sure you can stick your hand in, Dylan. Whatever you want."

 

 

Dressed for a night on the town

In mid-November Layla had her performance for her KidzJam group, an after school dancing program that she joined with a few friends. They had rehearsed Funky Monkey, a number from the movie Rio, and  performed on stage at Copper Canyon. Dressed in monkey ears and a monkey shirt, Layla danced as well as any kid up there, which is to say she was two beats behind and missed every third step, but smiled and had fun. We are so proud of Layla for working hard at rehearsals and being brave enough to perform on stage in front of a large group. She is so strong and adventurous, and it is wonderfully terrifying to watch her growing up so fast. I love you, Lay!

Waiting to perform

KidzJam