There is a paper art show under part of the walls of Lucca. Some cool stuff! (I have to track down the website for this exhibit...)
There were three ostriches:
Stack of balls:
Giant guy in hoodie:
It was odd and cool and I want more.
Our new old house makes us happy. Our new old house is still full of boxes as we await installation of about 3 more major closets/cupboards - therefore - the house can become confining so going out is key! This last weekend we had some adventures.
Harper and I started on Saturday at the Dead Zoo aka The Dinosaur Library (Harper's name for it) aka The Natural History Museum. We are members and go there so often I've learned to bring a change of clothes so Harper can splash and throw rocks in the little fountain pond outside. Most of the other kids are bummed because they see Harper getting soaked but their parents tell them no. Sorry kids! But do I have a picture of that? No, because we go so often, I didn't take one this time...but here's one from the other side of that pond fountain:
The last time we went, this little boy came up to me and said, "Can I go in there?" I said, "Sorry sweetie, you have to ask your mom." He walked away, glum. I watched him play in the not so wet fountain (pictured above) and he kept watching Harper throwing rocks and splashing about. Ten minutes later he came back and said, "Can I go in there?" I laughed and gave him the same disappointing answer.
Harper likes to look at the bones and sometimes the dioramas of the animals and sometimes the rocks and gems and sometimes the nature lab downstairs. The one thing she ALWAYS likes to do is look at the toys in the gift shop.
This last trip, after all of the above, we walked outside and around to the lovely hummingbird garden and the edible garden. Then back inside to pose with the lovely statue in the rotunda. (You can always click the images for larger versions.)
NH Museum was Saturday while we let Kurt get his office somewhat put together (as the electrician had been there early in the morning to run power out there). Sunday the three of us went to LA County Museum of Art (no nicknames yet), signed up as members and had a grand day of it.
There was this fun outdoor noodly thing that Harper L O V E D.
We walked through the Ahmanson Building and looked at art. We kept asking Harper was she saw or what she thought things were. One piece she said, off handedly, "that's a popsicle" another piece (a sculpture of what looked like different colored car pieces bent and welded together) she looked at and said, "That's garbage." (as in actual trash!) Hilarious. Later in the Toba Khedoori exhibit, which is comprised of rooms with giant cream colored canvases on the walls, each with a different image similar in style to this:
Harper ran through and then back out saying "They forgot to put art in here!" Sorry Ms. Khedoori! I wanted to stay and look at each one more closely. But this is the beauty of having a membership.
We opted for more "kid-friendly" art - Lamps:
Rain: (I could have stayed in there for hours. The sound alone was soothing therapy for a drought filled LA life!)
If you follow the instructions, you stay dry, minus a few errant drops. Harper got pretty damp.
Giant indoor sculpture:
Giant outdoor - er - rock:
We went to the Guillermo Del Toro exhibit - calling it "Spooky Fun Halloween" stuff for Harper (which she loves). We stayed for a little while. Harper wanted to watch the videos most, but I made her walk around. She was especially taken with the life sized reproduction of Boris Karlof having his Frankenstein monster make up put on:
I had to explain it to her. Explain how actors put on make up to make movies. "Why?" so they can look like a monster. "Why?" You know how you like to dress up for Halloween? She nods. That's what he's doing, but his mask and make up take a long time. "Why?"
OMG
We walked around a little bit more but got back to this and she stopped again and said, "Tell about this more." So we sat on the floor and I went through the whole story again about makeup and masks and playing dress up and movies and etc etc. Always amazes me what catches her eye - especially in that giant exhibit of monsters and weirdness!
We moved on to a quieter space. A space to create:
I can't wait to go back to that lovely painting room.
On Sundays they have a bunch of craft and art stations for kids. Harper made this broach:
Last thing we saw was this amazing set up! Cars cars cars!
Happy to be members of LACMA now and to know how many different things there are that Harper will love. Plus the Tar Pits just down the street that we are already a member of by being members of the Dead Zoo/Dinosaur Library!
Hooray LA!
It's been a busy fall. It's been a HOT fall. God I hate Fall in LA. TOO HOT! Temps in the 100s day after day? No thanks.
We've stuck close to home, focusing on writing and getting used to the preschool routine. Harper seemed to adjust pretty quickly, but I've been waiting for a crash of sorts. I think it has come last week and this. She hasn't been napping as regularly at preschool and comes home TIRED. Makes sense. Last night she came home and didn't want dinner. Then we turned around and there she was. So sleepy.
To beat the aforementioned heat, luckily there is the beach. We went early on Saturday and our little Beach Bunny enjoyed it very much.
I think Harper is now a STAR in China. A tour group came through and they were crazy for her. They saw her on the beach and wanted to talk to her and take pictures with her. They weren't weird or creepy, honestly, just very enthusiastic. We saw them again in the parking lot and they took more pics! Yes, I stood close and made sure Harper was fine, she seemed to enjoy it though also seemed a bit confused. "Who are these people again?" A funny LA moment. If you go to China and see her picture anywhere, let me know...
Harper has mad Hide N Seek skills. I love hearing her at home "Papa, you go hide. I count. ONE! TWO! SEBEN! NATEY!" She would also let Kurt count and then "hide" by laying face down on the bed. "Papa, you count. I hide right here." Here you can see her outdoor H&S style. Where's Harper?
The artwork collection has started. I know it will pile up as time goes on, but these first ones are soooo fun to put up. She was quite pleased to put the wreath up in her room. Her Self Portrait is still on display at Happyland.
Speaking of artwork.
Ahem.
One day, Harper didn't really seem too interested in napping. She usually plays in her room, chills out, whathaveyou if she doesn't sleep. I didn't hear anything too alarming on this day. But when it was time to get up...oh boy. You can't see the walls in this picture.
Thankfully those pens are true to their word: "Washable". Notice the arm though. Mmm hmmm.
Well at least if you were wondering, this was a good exercise to confirm that Harper is mostly right handed...
And as for the youngest in the family...Willoughby is enjoying having Harper be at Preschool. She now has many more places to nap.
She's also keeping the changing table warm, as Harper barely uses it anymore.
But the "kids" get along great.
This is one of my all time favorite pictures ever in the whole history of the world.
She went to town with new markers from her Big Papi.
When I started this project "366/2012" (which if you haven't figured it out yet is a photo-a-day during 2012 = 366 photos because it's a leap year...) I wasn't sure if I would be able to keep it going. But I did. I did miss a few days here and there, but hey, not bad for having a newborn in the house, then a full time job and newborn! Couldn't have done it without Kurt's photos from time to time as well.
Tonight's photo is this:
Harper was asleep and we toasted our first full year of parenthood. Hooray for us, we made it this far!
Let's look back on the sweet Bubela Boo: here is Day 1 of the project, January 1, 2012:
Oooooohhhh, she was only 3 weeks old and so little! Darling girl.
Time didn't fly for the first three months, though I will be honest and say we got a sleeper and we appreciate it every. single. day. But what a great year of parenthood.
Big thanks to Elise for suggesting the project, it's been a great time! Of course I'll be posting pics of Harper along the way in the coming year, but less often of course. Stay tuned!
Can't wait for Lucky '13!
As Kurt said, "Harper as photographed by John Singer Sargent".
As the crew has been prepping, they also painted a swatch for us to get a visual.
Here are a bunch of different colors. We have decided that we love the dark green wall (Dried Chive), we like the left side red accent (Deep Crimson) and we like the right side trim color (Distant Mountain). The trim is very pale green, hard to see in this very blown out picture, but you'll see it all done soon...
Exciting!
The is the front window that needed the most work done. (Click for bigger if you are so inclined.) See the crack in the lower corner of the pane second from the top? Our guy is going to replace that whole pane. For no extra charge.
Here's the underneath of the front porch. It was so awful and peeling and sad, soon it will be so happy and refreshed!
I took this photo on a riverbed while we were in Oregon last week. I thought it was kind of arty.
Then I realized it was more like a picture you'd see on a 1000 piece puzzle.
Oh well.
I saw this oil painting of our favorite Dramatic Chipmunk (who we all know by now is a prairie dog) on Boing Boing today and it just made me smile in that happy sunflower, soft clouds, favorite candy kind of way.
The website by artist Jeremiah Palecek with even more images from your favorite viral videos is right here. Give them all a look: there is grape stomping lady (Damon!), angry german boy and diet coke with mentos. Some of the images are not safe for work...
I would have bought this painting but it is sold out. Alas.
