Happy 6th Birthday Little Eleanor

Today is E's 6th birthday. We started the day with presents and pancakes in the courtyard.






Then we went to the Huntington for E to try out her new paint set.











While Matt and E painted, C and I played mostly in the rose garden.








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The Huntington Library

It's (finally) Eleanor's summer break.  Her first year of school went rather well, but was a little hard on her.  She is relishing the more relaxed days and the time at home.  Today we went to the Huntington Library.  This is an amazing place.  The girls and I stayed in the gardens, as I'm not brave enough to wander through galleries with a toddler in tow (at least without Matt).  We got there a little before it opened, which was not a problem.  Eleanor had a blast with these little flowers that had fallen from nearby trees.



The outside is almost as nice as the inside.  We found a bench, had a snack and applied sunscreen.  Lots of sunscreen.



Eleanor and Charlotte took the opportunity to draw some pictures.  Eleanor is seldom without paper and pen/markers/pencil.  She's like Matt in that respect.  She's also developing into quite the little artist.



Eleanor is quick to help Charlotte.  She even got her dressed this morning.  Eleanor had put on the brown skirt, but it was really short on her.  I told her she needed leggings or shorts under it.  She decided to go with a different shirt option and Charlotte should wear the brown skirt.



They wandered through the bamboo forest.  Eleanor said that the bamboo felt like metal.  I think because it was cool and smooth.



The girls' favorite part was the lilly pond.  This fish kept coming over to say hi to us (and beg for food).  Every time Charlotte saw a fish, which was about every two seconds, she would get excited and sign "fish."







There were ducks, geese, fish and some friendly turtles.  Both girls loved it.  I did too.







This baby duck walked right up to Eleanor's feet.  Charlotte kept signing and saying "duck, mommy, baby."




The other favorite part of the gardens is wide open grassy spaces.  In the middle of the giant field, Eleanor and Charlotte found a pile of dirt.  They played in it until it was time to go and they were both filthy and happy.


Other highlights of the day include sword fighting with sticks with leaves as shields, Charlotte trying to eat something she picked from the desert plants and the sheer joy the girls experienced by running barefoot through the grass (they had both stepped in goose poop).







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Happy Easter

We had a great Easter here. The girls had matching pink dresses that delighted both of them. As soon as I put Charlotte's on her, she began to twirl. I hope to get the better pictures uploaded soon (these are phone pics).


Charlotte had fun looking at the eggs. Eleanor made sure that Charlotte's basket was filled. Eleanor put every other egg she found in Charlotte's basket. She often takes care of her sister in such kind ways.








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A Day at the Beach

Matt was off work today for Good Friday and Eleanor was still on spring break, so we decided to have a beach day. It turned out to be a beautiful day. Both girls loved playing in the sand. Eleanor played and played in the water.











We ate lunch at Bubba Gump's. This is not my favorite place. It's very loud (our server was yelling when taking our order to be heard). Eleanor loves shrimp (why we went here), so she ordered the kid's meal with shrimp. It said it came with fruit. Eleanor was disappointed to learn that "fruit" was one orange slice.


Since we were on the Santa Monica Pier, I talked Eleanor into riding the little roller coaster there. She didn't like it very much.


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Yard Sale Finds

We went to a few yard sales this morning. Here are our best finds:
Roller skates


A swivel rocker



And a sewing cabinet.



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Chopsticks

Charlotte in the Rain

It's been rainy lately.  Charlotte was enjoying her rain gear one afternoon in the courtyard.

 Time to go in.  Sad Charlotte.

Beauty Shop

Yesterday while one of our neighbors cut my hair, her daughter and Eleanor played beauty shop, sans scissors. Eleanor liked the way her hair felt "crispy" afterward.