Yellow Balloon

Leon's first salon hair cut was a total success!  I expected it to be a total bust and was so delighted that it turned out to be fun for both of us.  The Yellow Balloon and their wonderful staff helped so much.  They put Leon at ease by giving him all the time he needed to play with tons of their awesome toys.  He had such a great time it took me forever to get him out of the salon.  

Playtime in the yard has been very essential now that Leon is a full pledged toddler.  Mario- our gardener who is the sweetest guy- created a safe space for Leon to play.  I described to him what I envisioned for an open space and he really came through.  He even built a large sand box where Leon spends lots of time pouring sand and water in and out of his dump truck.  I'm still on the lookout for used items such as a slide and a trampoline.  I'm so excited for the space to come together!

We enjoyed a nice healthy dinner at Tender Greens in West Hollywood

Leon's grandma- Joanie or "Mimi" as her grandkids lovingly call her, is in town visiting and we are all smiles.  So happy to spend time with her and so wonderful to see Leon love her.  Grandma comes out to LA every 3-4 months to spend time with us and we video chat on Skype as much as we can.  We could all tell that Leon recognizes Joanie and it took very little time for him to warm up to her.  We have Mimi all the way until Monday- yay!

the boy who brings us so much joy

Two weeks shy of 18 months full of laughter and curiosity.  In just 6 months he will be turning two- WOW.  

Wearing his adorable Ugg boots to keep his footsies warm in the mornings

He has been enjoying being read to more than ever and we are both having a great time.  He is naked in the picture because we were trying to get him in the tubby before bed time.

These are cupcakes we served from our catered event the past Saturday.  

Some other items on the menu were:  penne with shrimp & roasted veggies, greens with currants, pecans, roasted corn and jicama in a green goddess dressing, chicken meatballs garnished with melted mozzarella and cherry tomatoes and mac and cheese mini muffins topped with garlic crumbs and crumbled turkey bacon.  

Our classic red velvets with chocolate covered sunflower seeds as garnish

double vanilla cupcake with a strawberry balsamic reduction sauce and a strawberry slice as garnish

a flower arrangement made by my dear friend Monica.  Thank you!

 

Leon the swimmer

Leon's first ever swimming class was A LOT of fun.  He had the biggest smile as soon as he and I got in the pool.  I thought he would be a bit scared being in a huge pool for the first time but he did great.  He showed total confidence until the instructor used him as an example and submerged his head in the water unexpectedly.  Of course he got frightened and from then on- he was stuck on mama like glue and expectedly so- he began to get scared of the instructor.  Lucky for us- the instructor was only subbing that day.  I'm hoping the gal who teaches the class regularly will be gentler.
I love our local YMCA.  There are so many activities for young kids and a lot of workout options that I find so appealing.  The other day I took a Zumba class- my first ever.  I shook my 'lil booty like it was no ones business and I had a blast.  So much fun while working out!
The photo above was taken by Chris before we left home for the class.