Newport Beach, CA

I don't know what they were watching, but Cyra was asleep after 10 minutes.









Balboa beach--notice Cyra's new bag. We all went to the mall and I purchased a few things and Cyra got a shopping bag (she's easy to please) and for a few days, it was her new Baig.



The contents:








And Lulu was just a big snot ball the whole time. She would rub her face and the snot would get everywhere and her face was always crusty.











A little Kung Fu on the grass.



The girls just chit-chatting.



And trying to get a family picture before the sun set.








(Just doing a little poo check on that last one. Maybe we'll use it for our Christmas card this year.)

I love the Olympics! I love the over-dramatic music. I love the sappy stories about the athletes overcoming against all odds. I love the national pride and the drive to win. I love the cheesy commercials and the Visa one with Morgan Freeman saying "when they succeed, we succeed" chokes me up every time. I love the stars--the winners--like Michael Phelps and Sean Johnson (no surprises, just effortless success). But I also love the underdogs and the small countries that send their one athlete who will probably not even come close to getting a single medal.

Cyra and I have been watching all the events at night and when I need to take a bathroom break, I have an urge to do flips on the way to the bathroom. And when I work out in the morning, I hear the olympics music and I try to go faster on my elliptical as if I am training for something.

And did you see the opening ceremonies? My goodness! Is it me or was China just showing off about their unlimited resources and talent? Regardless, I was totally impressed.

Belmar Beach, Jersey

Trust me, they were asleep the whole time and not trying to take in the landscape on the NJ Turnpike.

AND, they were really glad we brought the pool.











Lucia played so hard. She was just non-stop energy all day. The second I put her in her car seat to go home, before the second buckle was on, she was out! AND...the next day, I saw a seashell in her poop...and it was not little.











And my other child would rather sit on her chair and enjoy some lunch under the shade.

The pool

The kids wanted to carry it home all by themselves.





But then Kian decided he didn't want to do that anymore and Cyra carried it the rest of the way...





I think she had more fun carrying it home than she did playing inside it.

This picture was not staged. They are just sad little city children that need to get out more.

Was I wrong or am I just weak?

At one point, sometime before I had kids, I mentally (and unfortunately, verbally) made some pronouncements about how I would NEVER allow my child to _____. I have been strong on some parts of my list (no tattoos, no Bratz dolls, no boyfriends)....for now. But as for the high fructose corn syrup, tv, and her many non-educational plastic toys, I have to say that my list was short-sighted (or I am weaker than a two year old with above average intelligence(let's at least give her that)). I underestimated the power of turning on a dvd when you need to get things done, or a lollipop to persuade or soothe and that any sane little girl would rather play with a talking pink baby than wood blocks with letters on them.

But the one that breaks my heart. I said that my child would never play with a gun...





What worries me about the above picture is not that Cyra is pointing an orange revolver at her sister, but that her sister seems to be bored with the educational toy beside her and that she will soon follow in her sister's path of violence...

Cyra's Baig

For the last month or so, Cyra carries her pink bag (an ugly cloth bag she found in some give-away pile) everywhere. To be honest, I think it's because mommy has a bag. She calls it a Baig, which is some sort of cross between a Utah and a Brooklyn accent. She stuffs her belongings in the bag and carries it everywhere. She won't even let me hold it for her while she plays...





Note her favorite T-shirt is also on. She also found that in a give-away pile and has to wear it every time she remembers it. Glitters and butterflies set on a fuschia background...I really hope her taste changes soon and she comes to appreciate the gender-neutral earth tones that mommy picked out for her.



As for the contents of the Baig, they vary, but there are a few constants:





The gun is for protection....? (more on that later)