"Unzipped" + BBQ = Heavenly Weekend

This weekend was wonderful. I think perhaps it takes a weekend to settle back into life in Los Angeles after you've been travelling so much, but this weekend we finally relaxed and took advantage. Saturday we hosted a bunch of good friends for a little backyard bbq. There was delicious grilled chicken, fresh summer corn, homemade cookies and gazpacho and seven naked kids running around and cramming themselves into our little plastic pool. It was so great.

Saturday post-bbq my husband went out for a bit and I was left to my own devices after Hank fell asleep. I wound up watching "Unzipped" on Showtime Women (who knew this channel existed....the movie selection on this guy is amazing!). I remember seeing this movie at a little art house theater near my house with a friend in high school and being swept away by the glamour of it all. Let me tell you this movie stands the test of time. Every single major model of the nineties is in Isaac's show that movie centers around - Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Carla Bruni, Kate Moss, Shalom Harlow, Christy Turlington, and a fresh from Oklahoma Amber Valetta. It's fascinating just to see them all and how they interact. Watching the story of his collection emerge is also amazing. Perhaps it's a sign that the nineties are indeed back that so many of the fashions didn't feel that dated - and OK others did hello bright blue fur lined coat I'm talking to you. I highly recommend revisiting this movie if you can. Yes, maybe it's a little silly but it's really fun to watch. It's fun to compare the New York of 1994 to the city of today. 


All in all it was a great weekend. 

Hank's favorite spot at the bbq was next to the bowl of peanut butter pretzels

The Little Engine

My mom had the foresight to save a few precious books from my childhood. A few months ago she brought me my old copy of "The Little Engine That Could." It still has a lovely inscription in it wishing me a Merry Christmas from 1979. I wasn't sure if Hank would like this book just yet. There's a lot going on and the passages are a bit verbose for a 20-month-old. But who knew? He actually adored it from the first time we read it. He often requests that we reread it several times in a row. My husband and I often summarize the passages or pick and choose which parts to read but he loves, loves, loves this book. The illustrations are so wonderful. I particularly remember pouring over this page, which Hank also loves.

Don't the oranges and apples look so enticing? He yells "apple, apple." I highly recommend this book for little ones. It's a classic. Plus have you ever noticed that all of the engines that say no are male but the little engine that saves the day is female! Just saying. Perhaps Watty Piper was an early feminist? 

Carriers for Big Boys

I have been using carriers forever with Hank. I love the Ergo but now that Hank is almost two and close to 30 pounds this doesn't seem like a good choice anymore. I learned so much about slings and carriers in the beginning but I know nothing about the backpack carriers that I think come next. Before Hank was born we hiked a lot around Los Angeles. I am ashamed to admit that I haven't been on one single hike since I've had Hank. Does anyone know what is the best kind of backpack carrier to get? Kelty? REI?

What Makes a Great Restaurant?

Last night my husband had an almost unheard of Tuesday night dinner date night. It felt very decadent like it was five years ago and we were childless because we never ever go out during the week these days unless Hank tags along. We went to our absolute favorite restaurant Osteria Mozza.While we were there we talked about what makes a great restaurant. Yes, there are a ton of amazing restaurants in Los Angeles - dazzling over the top places like Providence or Ink where many of the dishes are mind blowing while others fall a little flat perhaps because the are trying to reach such a high level, there are also wonderful ethnic restaurants that amaze, and even other great Italian restaurants like Angelini Osteria or Georgio Baldi but none of them are quite like Osteria.  Every single time we eat here it is just as delicious as the first time. They are so consistent and we fall in love with the dishes all over again. We have tried lots of things on the menu but we almost always get the same things. We basically never order entrees. We share a salad and the to die for grilled octopus and then we get some pastas. 

 I cannot go here and not get the orrechiette with fennel sausage. This is definitely my death row last meal request. Last night I asked my husband why don't they know us and love us at Mozza yet. We come a lot for us but this isn't an inexpensive restaurant so we aren't here every day. The truth is we are not alone in our love for this place. It's so so so good. If you live in Los Angeles and have not been here you need to go immediately. If you are planning on visiting Los Angeles do not miss this place. Last night we sat next to a family with a serious midwestern twang that warmed my heart. I am pretty sure that they too fell in love.

Capturing Moments

I struggle often with the idea of when to capture moments with Hank. I want to archive as much of this time as possible so that I can remember the bits and details. He is on the brink of really talking but so much of what he says is only understood by him. I want to make sure I have evidence of this lovely time period but at the same time I don't want to be the parent who has her head constantly in their phone or camera, capturing moments but not really being present in the moment. Between facebook and instagram  much of what I see on these sights are beautiful moments of people's kids. I often wonder how did they steal those moments and manage to be present at the same time. I think it's easier when your kids are babies. They don't notice your head in a phone. My son is obsessed with the Iphone so if he sees it when we are outside enjoying the day he immediately gets distracted. I think I am pretty good about taking photos but I often forget to take videos which are important to capture the moments and personality of every stage. This weekend I tried to take some videos. I took two, neither are all that full of action but I guess they capture the spirit of where Hank is at right now. P.s. I am not just working on when to capture moments but my skills in taking pictures and videos. It's a work in progress.

Weekend

This weekend we are going to celebrate Father's day one week late since I was away last weekend. I think the greatest gift to give a parent of a little one is sleep and lots of it. My husband is a bit of a sleep connoisseur. I will have to resist my tendency to say, "hey it's 7:00" or "hey it's 8:00." No one wants to hear that on their special day. There will probably be breakfast in bed and a delicious dinner as well. Maybe this?  I am also looking forward to enjoying fun Los Angeles stuff with Hank. We live right next to Griffith Park so we check out the trains there almost every weekend. 

Speaking of Griffith Park my husband plays tennis there every weekend with a group of guys. They have done this every weekend since they've moved to Los Angeles. The courts they plan on are sun kissed and surrounded by hills and hikers. I think it's pretty amazing that he has kept this tradition going for over eight years now. I wish I had something like that myself. Hope everyone has a lovely weekend. 

Rompers for boys?

Confession, before I knew that Hank was indeed a boy I made my Mom go to Target in Chicago and buy several Liberty of London rompers, ruffly bloomers and things of that nature. They were all the rage that summer. I couldn't quite bring myself to purchase them in LA because there may have been a stampede (people were going crazy for this stuff) and I didn't want to scare my husband (I was not that far along yet). Of course I ended up having a boy. Unfortunately rompers and bloomers are not available yet for baby boys. I suppose I could start a trend but I think my son is just old enough that this might be too much? I love having a boy more than anything in the world but if I had a girl I would be stocking up on these sorts of things for the summer. Alas, Liberty of London at Target is long gone but these versions from Rikshaw Design are pretty amazing: