Milena Marie

Baby Milena Marie Labriola was born to proud parents Camille & Papa Bear John on 9/22/10. She came early, like a little trail mix peanut, but is healthy and is simply perfect. Mom, Dad and baby are very busy falling in love with each other and it's a beautiful thing to see. I look at pictures of her and feel like she's been with Meal all along. Can't wait to meet my new niece and to see my cousin, sister, best friend do her thing as a Mama Bear. So proud of you Big Girl!

This was the sunset on Milena's first day of life. Welcome to the world little angel!

First Bus Ride

I would say "Lily's First Kinder Field Trip," but really, it was all about the bus ride. Thanks to the lack of any sanity within LAUSD, we found out on a Tuesday night that they would be doing inspections at our school for 3 days.....and kids needed to be out of the building. Our amazing staff planned field trips and had everything set in the morning. It was a little scary sending our 5 year olds on buses through Los Angeles (with no seat belts), but everything turned out fine. I happened to be off work for the first one, so Ben and I went with to help. No, we did not follow the bus. We got our own little group and had a blast at the Natural History Museum. These girls are hilarious! They know words like MIGRATE and HIBERNATE and BOOTY BUTT and they never stop giggling!

These moose aren't real are they?

Yes

Silly, silly ladies who aren't at all afraid of any big dinosaurs because they totally know that they aren't even like, real, well, they are like, real bones and stuff, but can't, like, get them or anything.

More of Papa & Grandma

I don't have a lot of pictures from their trip because I was gone the whole time! I took advantage of the free babysitting and filled up the days with appointments and errands & stuff that is hard to do with two monkeys in tow. Papa had a birthday while they were here, so we got to celebrate with him.

They were so concerned about his wish :)

They also had to take Ben to school on his first day because I was working. Grandma was really worried because Uncle Jimmy Pizza was a wreck and had to be pried from around her neck on his first day of preschool. (Jimmy, you traumatized your mother!!.....in so so many ways:) Ben was great though and had a great first day of school! Grandma's redemption!

Lily slept in braids and loved having "slirly hair"

Papa & Grandma's Visit

Papa had some time before he could go back to work post surgery, so he and Grandma came to visit! We're so lucky that Papa is healthy and recovering from his aneurism so well. It's been a miraculous recovery & I'm convinced that all the years of hockey head wounds have hardened his head so much that nothing can stop him!

Is that Rod Blagojevich?

I love this picture! Sassy Miss Lily LOVES being 5!

We have earrings!

Lily REALLY wanted her ears pierced. She had been working on a chore chart and filled it up. Emma had been to get her ears pierced 3 times and chickened out each time. We knew she would do it if she went with Lil. So, Lisa and I took the girls to the mall to try it out. Emma went first and put on SUCH a brave face. We could tell she wanted to cry, but didn't. She told Lily, "it only hurts a little."

Emma & Bubba make everything better

OWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!

Over it! They kept saying, "I can't believe we have our ears pierced!!" Or, "Our Daddy's are gonna freak!"

One day down, years and years to go!

I have never been so excited to see someone in my entire life.

Lily, Ms. Snider & Ben (unable to hide his disdain for "Lily teacher")

First day of school ice cream!!

Lily's First Day of Kindergarten

Sweet Lily & Daddy on her first day

She's so grown up!

Ben had trouble letting go :)

Mama too

Ben was NOT happy! "I go too! I go too! I brought my backpack! I five mama, I five! I no like Lily teacher, she take my Lily away!"

Lily was so brave and excited to go to school. Only boys were crying and Lily was like, "bye guys, pick me up later!" Ben and I went to the auditorium for the first day tea. I held it together until I saw my friend Sara. Then, I did the full on ugly cry in front of everyone and set off a Lardass style chain reaction. We realized that we had spent the whole summer preparing Lily for Kindergarten and should have prepped ourselves!

Taco truck night

We got a babysitter and went to First Friday on our own. Date night!! On the first Friday of the month, a bunch of food trucks park on Abbott Kinney in Venice. These are not your average roach coaches. Some are equipped with gourmet chefs that wanted a change of scenery. People wait in line for 2 hours for a grilled cheese. (Not me, I can't imagine a grilled cheese would ever be worth waiting in line for, or better than the ones I make, for that matter). Oh, and then there are the ice cream sandwiches. You choose your cookies, then your ice cream........then you die because they're so good. You can get pistachio ice cream with candied truffles in it. Seriously?! Mushrooms in ice cream?

Matt is trying to replicate the "Ben green face" photo. :)

So this story continues. We decided to get a beer. The bar near the taco trucks had one beer on tap. Being the beer snobs we are, we walked out and went to Tompkins, in our neighborhood. We get there & there are cops everywhere and a Rav4 is on it's side. I was so distracted and interested in the silly cops trying to right the car with their super cop strength. Then we watched the tow truck turn it over. We finally go inside, have our beer and return to find our car (precious swagger wagon) is gone. Damn Rav4, Damn silly cops! Didn't realize Matt was parking in the (not combination) Taco Bell parking lot! Towed! It should be illegal to tow a minivan with car seats in it. It's just wrong. Luckily, we were in walking distance from home, our babysitter lives near the tow yard and dropped Matt on her way home. That night got expensive in a hurry.

Wish grand opening

These are from the grand opening of Lily's school:

Giant scissors are key for ribbon cutting. Where can I get some of those?!?!

Lily & Ben helping Miss S (Lily's teacher)

We were in charge of the tattoo table (imagine that!). Here's Lily putting a tatt on her friend Ashley (such a sweetie!)

After the party, we went to .......another party at Laurie's house. Joan (Laurie's mom) brought out her 80's jewelry and let the girls go to town. Then we all put them on and did the running man.

Lobster Fest '10

Lobster Fest was amazing again this year! Giant lobster tails, pirates, the works!

Lily & Grace

Captain ARRRGGGHH!!

Lily & a friend watching Captain Argh's show from the safety of Gracie's room

Matt & Ben thought it was hilarious!

Ben & Logan working on a masterpiece

Into the abyss....

.......of school (4 different school schedules), work, carpool, potty training......life :)

I'll be playing catch up for quite a while.

Lily's self-portraits that I finally got framed and hung up in her room. She made them at yoga camp (we know, that's so LA).

Gracie and Sophie, her BFF. Really, Sophie just looks at Gracie and rolls her eyes. We think this means, "Girlfriend, I'm old, I am over it, I'll just be over here hogging your bed, call me when one of those kids drops food on the floor."

No idea where we were going or coming home from, but pictures of the kids asleep in the car just never get old to me.