Time flies...

and next thing you know, you have a one and a half year old! And looking at the blog entry from this time last year, the weekend was almost exactly the same; going to the Canyon Theatre Guilds Cabaret fundraiser, Street Arts Festival in downtown Newhall, etc., all except for one addition...

WELCOME LUCAS WOLFE MOLLOY!

This past weekend not only did we shake our heads at the fact that Isabelle is now a year and a half years old, celebrated my 29th birthday (again) but we also we welcomed a new friend to the pack. Our friend's in Philadelphia, Marty, Meredith and their daughter (aka: Big Sister) Elise Molloy, welcomed a baby boy into their family yesterday-Lucas Wolfe Molloy. Mom and baby are doing fantastic (as well as Dad and sister). We are so happy and excited for them all! Congratulations again guys!

Isabelle at the Street Arts Festival

Back to the weekend. So as I mentioned in the intro, CTG had their Cabaret fundraiser once again over Isabelle's "half a year birthday" and my, this is the last year we are celebrating, birthday :) It was a nice adult evening with all of our friends and family from both theatres. Mike and Caryn (Mia's Mom and Dad) watched Isabelle for us that night so the girls got to hang out for awhile and get into their own kinds of trouble at their house.

Isabelle's favorite drawing at the Street Arts Festival

On Saturday while Michael was at work during the Street Arts Festival that is held in front of our theatre, Mom, Isabelle and I went and picked up Tia Tara from the airport. We made a quick pit stop at Toys R Us on the way home for Isabelle's 18 month/one and a half year birthday gift...my Mom has been told that she is not allowed to make a habit of this :) I convinced her to get Isabelle something practical, something she will use and not grow out of too quickly and what better gift to fit that description than a potty seat! Yup, we have officially started working, OK that is a little strong so how about, introducing Isabelle to potty training. We figured at 18 months and since she will say, although not all the time, when she has poo-poo or pee-pee, we went ahead and got two Elmo potty seats (the ones that sit on top of the toilet seat); one for our house and one for Grandmama and Poppy's. So far nothing has happened but she doesn't mind hanging out in the bathroom having a story or two read to her or song sung with her. She finds it very amusing especially when she is "done". Isabelle will get up and flush the toilet then take the potty seat off and thanks to Tia Tara, she will put it on her head like a hat or a necklace. Although it was pretty funny when Tara did it, that part of the potty routine will soon be forgotten, as I reminded Tara how nasty that is going to be once Isabelle actually starts using the potty.

"It wasn't me"
That night we went to dinner at a local restaurant with the family and friends that were visiting from England and then to my folks house for birthday cake and gifts. After we were done there, Mom took Isabelle back to our house to babysit her while Tara and I went to our theatre to see Of Mice and Men...what a phenomenal production (and that is not said just because I am sleeping with the director; Michael that is-hehe). Anyone who is reading this blog that are from SCV or close too or who may be coming in for a visit, go see it! It really is a wonderful production.

Sunday morning, a group of my bestest girlfriends, which includes Mom and Tara (April had to work otherwise I would have had all of them there), and I headed out to LA for the Soroptomist Fashion Show/Bras for a Cause fundraiser...yes, our town if full of non-profit groups and fundraisers. We shopped, laughed, drank, gossiped and laughed some more. The morning flew by so when we got back into town, and knowing the Dad's had the kids, we headed over to the Elephant Bar for a few more birthday cocktails and munchies.

(Back) Courtney, Amy (aka: the floating head), Me, Diane, Tara, (front) Stephanie and Caryn.

After the birthday shenanigans with the girls, I went home to wait for Isabelle to get up from her nap so we could go and hang out with Michael at the Street Arts Festival. Well that little one was tuckered out from her morning and afternoon at the festival and theatre with her Dad that we didn't get out of the house until around 5:30 and the festival ended at 6. We were still able to see all of the chalk drawings completed (which were amazing) and checked out a few of the vendors that still had their booths up. Isabelle saw a bunch of dogs, got 2 balloons from friends who work for the City and best of all, all the ice she could eat. She was in heaven!

Dad and Isabelle hanging out in Down Town NewhallIt was a pretty long weekend and we have an even busier week and weekend ahead of us (the Loose Goose Wine Festival is this coming weekend) so we went out for a quick birthday dinner and then home for the night. Phewww!

Our friend Vanessa was the artist chosen/asked for the Child Family Center's square...great job!

Bubbles Everywhere

Yesterday when I picked up Isabelle from daycare, and after chatting with Lisa and Barbie for about a half hour :), Isabelle wanted to play with bubbles. Remembering exactly where Lisa puts them from the time before, she asked "bubbles, pleessee". Now who could resist that? Lisa got the bubbles down and after blowing them for a little while Isabelle decided that she wanted to hold the wand so Lisa had Isabelle come sit in front of her and within 2 minutes, Isabelle was blowing bubbles! Now we just need to teach her not to lick the wand :)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK!

As an 87th birthday surprise for a dear family friend of ours, Isabelle, Poppy, Grandmama and I flew to New York last Tuesday to join in for the birthday celebration. Michael had to stay home since the show he was directing (Of Mice and Men), opened Friday night and they were in tech all week.

I will have to say, 3am came around very quickly that morning as we got the 3 of us and our half asleep little one together and onto a 6am flight out of LAX. Being in New York for only a couple of days, and with the weather being so nice there was no need for bulky clothes, wouldn't seem like it would call for a lot of things...boy were we wrong! Knowing we didn't want to check anything in, into the airport Grandmama, Isabelle and I went (Poppy was on another flight) with 2 pieces of rolling luggage, my computer bag, a diaper bag/backpack, a stroller, a "snack & entertainment bag", a car seat and of course....Isabelle! Can you get a visual on that one? Luckily we had three seats on the plane so they couldn't stop us from bringing everything on and it was a direct flight there and back so we unloaded once and when Isabelle fell asleep, it was uninterrupted :)

Alex (the birthday boy), Judy (Alex's wife) and Isabelle The dreaded 5 hour flight with a 17 month old turned out to be wonderful! Isabelle was in her car seat a majority of the flight or in Grandmama or my lap. We/she read books, played with some little toys we brought along, ate, slept and watched her Elmo and "Mamimals" (the Baby Noah DVD from Baby Einstein that features all kinds of animals) DVDs. We decided that unless she looses it and nothing else would soothe her, we would keep all of us confined to our row and not walk Isabelle up and down the aisle. Our thought was that it only takes one time for her to realize that she wants to do it the whole flight and neither of us wanted that job for 5 hours :) Thank goodness she was in good spirits the whole time. When we landed we waited for everyone else to get off the plane and then schlepped all of us off. Poppy met us with a car waiting to take us to the hotel to freshen up and get right back out for Alex's birthday dinner...the second part of the trip that I was dreading.

Isabelle "cheers"-ing Judy (Teta)Since Isabelle didn't have a nap and had been couped up on a plane for 5 hours, we were all a little unsure on how she was going to behave at dinner. I brought a few books, a magazine that has kid products and Halloween costumes in it (that she loves-I should laminate it!) and stuff to munch on in case she didn't want what we ordered her at the restaurant. Low and behold, she was awesome! This was the first time Alex and Judy got to meet her so a lot of the conversations that were had included her, literally. Judy (who we now call Tata) enjoyed chatting with Isabelle, looking through the costume magazine with her and she even shared her dessert with her! That night Poppy also taught her "cheers". She got the biggest kick out of that! With a day like that, when we got back to the hotel and got her ready for bed, she was out cold within 5 minutes and slept all through the night.

Alex, Poppy and Isabelle The following morning we were "up and at em" to head out to see the Big Apple. We had breakfast with Poppy before his flight to Orlando and then the three of us (Grandmama, Isabelle and I) started our journey through the city. We both LOVE New York (actually the whole family does) and are very familiar with where to go so we walked over to Rockefeller Center and then to Times Square to let "the monster" loose in the 3 story Toys R Us!

Grandmama and Isabelle at Rockefeller Center Mom and Izzy in Times SquareWe must have been in there for a little over an hour just walking around looking and playing with toys and books, making a mental Christmas list for Isabelle and we rode on the Ferris wheel. Isabelle was pointing and saying "I see" to pretty much everything that came into eyesight. However one of the biggest things, literally, that caught her attention was a HUGE Jurassic Park mechanical dinosaur that was breathing and moving it head around and every 10 minutes it would let out a loud ROAR! She thought it was the funniest thing. Grandmama bought her a new puzzle with pieces shaped like "New York things" (the Statue of Liberty, a taxi, a big apple, etc.), a "Melmo" (Elmo) book and her now most favorite thing of all times...a "Maow", a little orange and white stripped, stuffed cat.

Grandmama...I want that Barbie elephant, please.Mom....is that for real? The huge Jurassic Park dinosaur at Toys R UsMom and Izzy on the Ferris wheel at Toys R Us

We headed back to the hotel so Isabelle could have a nap, stopping in at McDonald's to get her a Happy Meal for the walk back. When we got back to the room, she was wired! It took her almost 40 minutes to finally fall asleep and she only slept for an hour...guess she didn't want to miss a thing.

Dining out on the corner of 54th Street

Isabelle and her "Maow" going Nah Night after a very busy day

Thursday morning we were up and out of the hotel by 10am, knowing we had to be ready to go to JFK by 4pm and that we had a day of fun ahead of us! After a quick breakfast we took a walk to Central Park to see the horse carriages, people watch and most of all, go to the Central Park Zoo. On our way to the zoo and being that it's Central Park, there were a few transients asleep on benches and as we walked by each one Isabelle would say, "Nah Night". It was pretty funny.

Entrance to the Central Park Zoo

Once we got through the gate, and knowing we have a 5 hour flight and probably an hour drive to the airport in rush hour traffic, we let Isabelle out of her stroller to wander around. The very first "mamimal" we saw was a seal. Isabelle was fascinated by him and kept wanting to follow him as he swam around the tank. She would giggle as he popped his head out of the water when he went passed us.

Her favorite animal at the zoo-the seal

Isabelle looking at the seal through the tank Besides the seals and although the zoo is not that large, we saw a good variety of animals. Everything from birds and reptiles to penguins and polar bears and, the zoo was very well kept and clean. A lot of folks had the same idea as we did on such a beautiful day. There were lots of other families and a ton of nannies with kids there but it wasn't crowded by any means.

Heading into the Penguin and Puffin exhibitPenguin denIsabelle wanting to check out the polar bearsSee the one in the corner?After about 2 hours at the zoo and on the way back to the hotel for Isabelle's afternoon nap, we stopped and checked out the horse and carriages and also popped into a little restaurant called Serendipity. Mom had read about this place in either OK or People (one of the gossip magazines) and how stars bring their kids there to celebrate their birthdays and such so she thought it would be fun to stop in and hopefully bump into someone famous or if anything enjoy one of their famous treats...ice cream sundaes! YUM! They actually have a HUGE sundae that you have to order 48 hours in advance AND it costs a measly $1,000! All I have to say is that there had better be some gold treasure buried in that sundae!

The horse and carriage rides at Central Park We got back to the hotel and Isabelle did not want to sleep (imagine that) so she watched cartoons while we packed everything up. We arrived at the airport with her wide awake and ready to go and as we were standing in line at security, Mom took Isabelle out of the stroller and held her so we could get everything up onto the belt and within a minute of her being in Grandmama's arms, she passed out cold. Thank goodness we had an hour before our flight left so she was able to get in a little nap which will prevent her from turning into a grouchy butt :)

One pooped-out kid waiting for her flight home from JFK All in all, the trip was wonderful and although I was dreading it, I am sooo glad we went. Another one for her scrapbook!

The BIG Table

Have you really stopped to think about just how great the highchairs at restaurants are? Seriously...those highchairs teach your child to sit and eat from the "big table" yet they still keep them from being free to roam, sort of speak, like they could in a booster seat.

So for the last week we decided to ditch the tray on Isabelle's highchair (hers is not an actual highchair but a highchair seat with a removable tray on it, that locks onto a chair-perfect for smaller spaces like ours) and scoot her into the table like she does when we are out to eat. Meal time is a whole new fun experience for her. I have also noticed that she seems to eat more which is what we, and Dr. Diab, want. Then there is the GREATEST "must have" for all parents who are teaching their kids to eat on their own...suction cup bottom bowls and plates (Gerber and Munchkin brands make them)! They truly do help in building your little ones self confidence as they are learning to feed themselves plus make your life a whole lot easier. Since the bowls and plates aren't sliding around the table having to be held in place, you can actually sit and enjoy your dinner with your child. Imagine that! Just a suggestion...these make a great 1st Birthday gift :)

Isabelle eating at the BIG table at home

"Was Dat?"

For those who have kids, have hung around kids or have overheard kids, you will notice that "What is that" is one of the most common phrases a 1-2 year old will say. So curious of everything going on around them seems to trigger that question. Of course it has nothing to do with the child hearing Mom and Dad say that to them over and over again when they point to something and then, the parent tries to get their child to tell them "What is that?". Well, Isabelle has officially started the "Was Dat" stage in her life, pointing at and questioning things she knows but again, we ask her to tell us what something is that we know she knows what it is. What a vicious cycle but it is so much fun at the same time :)
"
Was Dat?"...with her frozen yogurt mustache

The past few weeks have flown by and the Owston household has been flying around with them. Weekends, even the 3 day holiday weekend, came and went and we still feel like there is not enough time in the day. What is next? Blink and Isabelle will be going into Kindergarten? OK, I won't get too ahead of myself :)

Tia Tara and Isabelle

Speaking of holiday weekends, lets back things up a bit and recall Labor Day weekend. First and foremost, Tia Tara came out that Saturday morning to spend the weekend with all of us. Mom and Dad picked her up from the airport while Isabelle and I headed out to Cavanaugh's 1st Birthday party! It's always a fun time to get all the rugrats together and run amok! Isabelle wanted to be outside as much as she could in the 90+ degree heat, running around in the grass and playing in the little bounce house. Thank goodness Grandmama stopped by to give hers and Poppy's birthday wishes to Cav. She and I traded off with the "backyard duty" :) Unfortunately, we had to cut the party short since we had to pick up Tara, to dinner and do the Izzy swap with Michael at the theatre so Tara and I could see Suburbia; the AWESOME show that was running at our theatre when Tara was visiting which just closed this past weekend.

Sunday morning came and Mom was feeling a bit under the weather so we scratched our plans to go to the Santa Barbara Zoo and instead, Michael went to work and Tara and I took Isabelle "malling" at the Northridge Mall (one of the bigger malls in the valley next door). We were there for probably about 2 hours and had a blast...who would have thought you could have as much fun as we did in a mall? I think it may have had to do with the whole, "seeing it through a child's eyes" thing. That really does turn ordinary, run of the mill things into something pretty cool.

Isabelle playing at Northridge Mall As we were walking around the mall, we would stop at the play centers (the "cesspool of germs" as Michael calls it) and let Isabelle play. She and Tia had a blast but we were sure to wipe both of them down with Wet Ones after they finished playing...never leave home without them cuz you never know when you will need them! That goes for both children and adults :)

The next stop was the Pet Store. As some of you may know, Northridge Mall is about one of the only places that I know of that actually have various pets there besides the typical, "available at every Petco and Pet Smart", birds, snakes and fish. Isabelle's face lit up and she squealed with delight when she saw the puppies in all of the windows. She didn't know which one to go to first but we made sure she saw each and every one of them before leaving the store. While she was perusing all of the windows, she spotted a pair of puppies asleep on one another and as Isabelle walked up to their window you heard her say, "Nah Nigh". It was too cute!

I want that one, Mom
While we were at the pet store, Isabelle got to see her share of fishies that she just stared at, birds that she "tweeted" at, cats that she "mauw-ed" at and snakes that I had her quickly walked past and she even got to pet one of the bunnies but, the puppies were the ones she wanted to go back to. A true dog lover!

Isabelle pointing at the "TEET TEET"

That night the family headed to Spumoni once again where Isabelle feasts on their garlic bread twists, penne and carrots meanwhile, entertaining us and a few of the servers. Up until now, Isabelle loved taking Michael's and my phones and opening them or turning them on to see a picture of her smiling face but this night, Isabelle came to realize that her picture was in almost all of our family's cell phones when she flipped them open or turned them on. Here is a little clip we caught of her reaction, after licking the garlic schmotz off her hands, turning on Michael's cell phone and then "shush'ing" me:

OK, is she Michael's daughter or what? That is pretty much the reaction she gave each time she opened or turned on any of our phones at the restaurant or otherwise. All I have to say is, look out Papa! Because as much as you don't want her to, I think your little angel may be on stage instead of backstage!