last weekend in the city

We are saying goodbye to Los Angeles tomorrow and mostly we are ready to be returning to our little home in Tucson. We have been away for three months and it feels like even longer. Harper will finally get to try out that beautiful crib of hers, we won't have to tip-toe around on creaky wood floors, and as far as we know, our yelling neighbors are staying here. But we have had a great time, had many weekend adventures and let's be honest, it's been great to be away from the Tucson heat.

We spent our last Saturday here exploring the Fashion District. How did I not know about this place until our last weekend? Apparently it is known to be one of the best places to shop for clothing, accessories, cosmetics and shoes, as well as textiles and flowers. There are more than 1,000 stores and although the majority of shops are dedicated to wholesale business, there is still plenty to buy at 30% to 70% off of retail prices.

It was crowded and hot, but we are really glad we went. Brady and I both got watches and Brady bought a new suit - they threw in a shirt, tie, belt, and socks. We even went down Santee Alley, a famous "back alley" shopping path where I bought a new diaper bag. It was a very successful, enjoyable trip. Harper and I decided we'd better go back on Tuesday and we found two pairs of jeans, a shirt and a pair of red Converse for Harper when she starts walking. I wanted her to have a little something from our time here.

Santee Alley

On Sunday we met Susanna and her family at her in-laws in Santa Clarita. It was a treat to spend the afternoon with them. I couldn't believe how much our girls had changed in the six weeks since we last saw each other! Susanna is such a fantastic mom and I am grateful for all her help and advice. I have looked forward to us having babies and them growing up together and I still can't quite believe that it's happening. We snapped a few pictures of all the girls. I kind of think Josie stole the show.

Harper, Josie and Delia with their moms

a very new trick

Soon after Harper woke up this morning, she did this (see below). I couldn't believe it. The way she did it seemed so effortless, like she had been considering it for a while and worked it out how to do it in her head. It shows what a good night's sleep can do for you.

Thanks for watching. Mainly I posted this video for her adoring grandparents, but any Harper fan is welcome.

celebrate!

Friday was Brady's birthday so Harper and I decided to ride the metro in to the city and meet him to celebrate. We were supposed to meet for lunch, but Harper slept right through that so we met for dinner instead. We went to this little Greek restaurant we found our first weekend in L.A.

On our way there we saw a little strip of street vendors and I asked Brady if he wanted to take a look. It turned out it was actually a movie set made to look like New York city--complete with cars with NY plates, guys in NYPD garb and smoke machines to mimic the subway. It was fun to watch for a while and see the people in the background walk back and forth or "recycle" as they say. I actually thought they were just regular people at first and snuck in to take a picture, but quickly realized my mistake when a woman called out "Ma'am, ma'am back up please." and motioned for me to get out of the shot. Sorry lady. We ended up talking to one 'extra', a woman who was doting over Harper, who told us that it was a commercial for the new 2012 Fiat 500.

the street vendors I was excited about

the new Fiat (not in NYC)

As we made our way home from our metro stop, Brady picked Harper up out of the stroller for the last few blocks. I'm not sure if that's why she was so excited, or if she thought she'd better let everyone know it was her dad's birthday and she was celebrating, but I'm glad I had a camera. Watch for Harper's "happy eyes." The crescent shape her eyes get when she especially happy are our absolute favorite.

the happiest little lady

let's celebrate!

Happy Birthday Brady! We love you and clearly, Harper is thrilled to have you as her dad. She is one lucky girl.

four months!

Our sweet Harper girl is four months old and I cannot believe it. I am completely in love with this little girl and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't thank my lucky stars that we have her. She is joyful and sweet and seems to be changing every day. I have tried to make sure Harper gets some tummy time every day even though it's not her favorite thing. Then from one day to the next, she could push up on her arms and look at me! I was so excited.

Harper loves her hands and is always sucking on them. Oh how I love those tiny, delicate hands and holding and kissing them!

Her newest sound is the letter B and she seems to love the way it sounds and feels (and the resulting bubbles she can make). I love that I've even caught her making the sound as she's trying to fall asleep.


She loves kicking her legs and usually squeals as she does. I absolutely adore the moon shape her eyes get when she is really happy. There is something mischievous about that smile.

And she seems to love to show us her tiny tummy which we readily tickle and kiss. Oh how we love and adore you sweet Harper!

a view of hollywood

This past Saturday we went to Griffith Park. It turns out it's the largest municipal park with urban wilderness area in the United States. I guess we will have to go back to see more of the park because we ended up taking the hike to see the Hollywood Sign. We figured this was a must while we are here. The drive to get there was beautiful and the neighborhood we drove through was incredible. I didn't get any shots of them; maybe next time.

On our way up the trail, we saw a group of misfits filming something and we are pretty sure we were in quite a few of their shots. Later on, the guy in the plaid shorts (see below) walked past us and mumbled something about how he wasn't supposed to be in this shot because he died in the last scene. Sounds like this will be a real hit.


We had read the hike was only about a mile and a half to the top and though reviews talked about it being hot, we Tusconan hikers figured it would be no big deal. Well it was longer and hotter than expected. It's a dusty hike up wide dirt paths and paved road, but I'm glad we did it. You can see Hollywood, Downtown Los Angeles, Griffith Observatory, Burbank, Forest Lawn cemetery, Walt Disney Studios, and NBC Studios from the hike. We didn't actually see all of these (or take note of them rather), but we did come face to face with someone pretty special.

I was busy taking some pictures of Harper and Brady said to me "Well look who it is." I turned around and was face to face with Tami Taylor (Connie Britton) from Friday Night Lights. She smiled and looked at Harper and said "Aaww..." And that was that. Cross two things off the list: see the Hollywood Sign and see a celebrity.

The view of Los Angeles on the way up was a little disappointing because of so much smog. We got a little better view on our way down as the sun hit the buildings. Many people we past were amazed we had a baby with us. I guess we were supposed to leave her home while we took the hike. Maybe that's the L.A. way, who knows. I, for one, am glad she was with us. And I'm pretty sure she looks forward to time with daddy on the weekends.

sleepy little duck

three at the top

what I was doing right before I met Tami Taylor

hanging out at the top

not sure what Harper is pointing at, but I hope she always points with her pinkie

little hollywood lady

saturday in the city

I am behind on my posts of our weekend adventures in Los Angeles. The weekend before last, we decided to spend time exploring downtown and avoid getting in the car. Some of you may have heard about Los Angeles' 'Carmageddon'. The 405 was closed for two days (Saturday and Sunday) in order for an overpass to be demolished and people were kind of beside themselves about it. Many companies had employees working from home on Friday in preparation for the epic traffic jam. (By the way, reports from Brady's co-workers the week after who ventured onto the freeways said that everything was smooth, I guess all the hype worked). On the way to the metro station we met this woman. Or rather, appreciated her well-chosen ensemble.

Our first stop was Grand Central Market, Los Angeles' oldest and largest open air market. We mostly walked around and explored the stands and shops. I had fun with my camera capturing the food for sale.

I liked this guy's look. And that he was reading Esquire.

As we left the market Brady asked me, "Do you think we could look more like tourists?" And I said, "Probably. We could be those guys," pointing out this couple.

We then headed to the Toy District where we planned on exploring and getting a toy for our baby girl to remember her time in Los Angeles of course.

It wasn't quite what I thought it would be. I think I had pictured store after store resembling something like FAO Schwarz. Instead there were a lot of street vendors and tiny shops selling anything from baby shower supplies to first communion paraphernalia. We didn't end up finding anything appropriate for Harper. The vast majority of the toys for sale were in bulk, we could have bought 6 dozen plastic princess wands for $20, but decided against it because of the extra weight in the car ride back to Tucson. We were more intrigued with all the little vendors set up under umbrellas and on fold up card tables.

After the toy district it was time to hunt for food, so back we went to the Grand Central Market, where we happened upon some public restrooms (yes!!!) and a little restaurant with some harper-friendly items on the menu. We dined with the pigeons at the foot of Angel's Flight, a 100-year-old trolley that takes its passengers up Bunker Hill.

With full tummies and smiles on our faces, we got some good family photos to remember our adventure.



As dusk came upon us we began for home, but we hit a small roadblock on the way. Or maybe I should say that it hit me. Some pigeons flew overhead and it hit me, you can't describe how it feels, but when it happens to you, you know exactly what it is. Pigeon Poo. Fortunately for me, Harper lent me a wipe so I didn't have to walk home with 100% of it in my hair.

It was a good adventure.

conquering los angeles

We are in Los Angeles and are adjusting to a very new place. At 14 1/2 weeks old, Harper has lived more of her life out of a suitcase and on the road than at home. For that reason and others we are excited to get back to Arizona, but we are making the most of our time here. We spent a month in Utah with our families, which was great. Harper loved spending time with her adoring grandparents and cousins. At the end of our adventure with family, we were ready for a change of scenery.

Brady was inspired to buy a plane ticket for me to fly with Harper to Los Angeles while he drove our car and all the stuff we've needed for four months on the road. We were only in L.A. for a couple of days and then headed to the beach in Ventura. I stayed there while Brady went to a training in Scottsdale, AZ of all places. He is enjoying his internship and is asking a lot of questions and meeting a lot of people. We hope by the end of the summer to have a better idea if California is the right place for us and Deloitte the right fit for Brady.


Neither of us feels very at home here in L.A., although I think partly that is due to the fact that we haven't been here long. We have decided to spend our weekends exploring and considering areas of California we would enjoying living in. On Sunday we drove down to Irvine. We fell in love with it immediately. We basically drove right in to the most gorgeous park where we had a picnic and both said "I could live here." We'll see what happens. We ended a wonderful sabbath with a quick walk on Huntington Beach.

I didn't even know my little camera had an accent color option. Weird.

Harper is growing so much and makes us smile all the time. Thanks to a her very perceptive Grammy, we figured out that Harper has reflux. Thanks to an uncle who can write prescriptions, she is a much happier, more comfortable little duck. I can't believe I didn't put it together. She hasn't been the greatest sleeper so I just thought that was the reason she would generally wake up ten minutes after laying her down. Because I have never done this before, I figured she was spitting up as much any baby. The thing that got me though was that she cried like she was so uncomfortable and at times in great pain. She was trying to tell me "Hey Mama, I hurt." Finally, with some help, I got it.





Our little ducky Harper smiles and coos her way through the day and loves having conversations with us. She is sleeping anywhere from five to eight hour stretches during the night. Now if she would only master the art of napping... One thing at a time I guess.

Finally, here is a little peek at Harper's morning calisthenics routine. I'm still working to be at her level. (Onesie compliments of Aunt Susanna).