lulu's cyber joint

activities

2011-12-07T12:47:00.000-08:00

i've said it before and i will say it again. lulu's school is GREAT. they are currently making pinatas. lulu acted as art director and gave her teacher precise instructions as to how to build her unicorn pinata.once it was 'built' lulu got to decorate it. today i spent some time at her school decorating it with her. all of them looked soo cool..... note the location of the unicorns eyes (above the horn).

the room looked so great with all of the kids pinatas!
the picture below is one that i took while jogging behind lulu's school on 'west campus'. just a gorgeous place.....

at home, lu is into balloons. last night she decorated the balloons....

flower power

2011-12-07T12:38:00.000-08:00

yesterday lulu declared the day 'flower day'. she wore flower panties, flowered pants and a flowered dress. she also wore a flower hair clip in her 'crinkly' hair. the last few days she has requested that i braid her hair at night so that she can have crinkly hair in the day. she sits patiently while i braid her hair...and it can take me up to an hour to do! the first picture in this series is lulu with the braids...

(the earrings are stickers)

school

2011-12-05T11:53:00.000-08:00

lulu's school is the best. they take the most ordinary thing and they turn it into a toy. in the photos below lulu is using thumb tacks and a small mallet to tap thin pieces of wood (with holes in them) into cork board. it is so simple and so brilliant. sometimes they have a pile of what appears to be scraps of paper piled high and scissors...and that is a game in and of itself.

i had to be careful not to get any other kids in the photos (its against the rules) but i will try and snap a photo of the pinatas that they are making....lulu's will be a unicorn.

fashionable hair.

2011-12-05T11:50:00.000-08:00

last night lulu requested that i braid her hair so that she could have 'crinkly' hair today. i completed her request and it looked great! below, lulu mugs it up for the camera.

the weekend....

2011-12-05T11:38:00.000-08:00

this weekend lulu slept in! possibly her greatest 'sleep in' ever....she got up around 9am! below...is a photo of her asleep....

friday night we went to the christmas parade. it took place on state street, which is the main road that runs through downtown. i read that there were 50,000 people in attendance. the parade was filled with local marching bands, dance troupes and city departments. we aimed to see santa but upon lulu's request we headed home just before 9pm with out seeing him. she was just too tired and hungry. in the pictures below there is another little girl on her father's shoulders. this little girl is lulu's best buddy at school: calidora. the two little girls look like each other. sorry the photo isn't great, it was a challenge enough to catch this one!

thursday...

2011-12-02T15:25:00.000-08:00

lulu has a new schedule. she is now home on tuesdays and thursdays. in an attempt at coming up with activities to occupy us during our new schedule we got a membership at the santa barbara natural history museum. this membership includes the local marine center...which is just a short bike ride from the house...on the pier. it's a cool place where we are able to touch sharks, rays and sea stars (formerly know as 'star fish'). there is also a puppet theater located upstairs. for lulu, this play area changes from a stage to a restaurant ordering window as fluidly as the water that flows beneath the building. the shark and butterfly acted out a scene and then were served to me in exchange for some 'yummy'(also known as money).

that evening, lulu ate her dinner quickly (for a change). because she wanted to decorate the christmas tree.

this morning she was delighted to see the tree when she woke up....declaring that is was soo beautiful! she also suggested that we stick additional bulbs onto our living room ceiling. i asked how she proposed we do this...she replied with glue of course. i told her that this was not a good idea. so she suggested that when she has sticky hands, she can touch the bulbs and that would make them stick to the ceiling. she's a resourceful kid.

picking her own outfit....

2011-12-01T11:11:00.000-08:00

yesterday lulu decided that she wanted to wear all white. she also decided which pieces of clothing she would wear, and in what order. okay.....
(she is wearing white tights, white panties, a white dress and a white tank top...on top.)

rapping....freestyling.....

2011-12-01T11:07:00.000-08:00

random stuff....

2011-11-29T11:48:00.000-08:00

toto, i don't think we are in kansas anymore! it is late november and lulu in not bundled up in winter wear or wearing a fall coat. nope. lulu is in her swim suit at the beach!

lulu is also getting much better on her scooter. i need to get a video of her riding it. but for now, here is a photo:

and yes, after all the playing and playing that she does, she sometimes passes out - because lulu is either 'on' or 'off'. there is no in-between.

now that we are back in california lulu gets to see her cousins more often. below, lulu and carmen jump off a log on a cliff overlooking the ocean. while on this hike, we saw dolphins. lots and lots of dolphins!

below: dolphins!

it is great that lulu's cousins came to visit us. they played in her bedroom...they had some kind of a tea party and in general made a huge mess....

and carmen spent the night. the next day they wanted to 'eat breakfast in a tree'. so, we walked them to the local park (shoreline park is a 2 minute walk from the house) and the girls ate in the tree.....

below is a photo of lulu and irene rollerskating!!! how cool is that.... we were in santa cruz one rainy day and this was the best way to spend an afternoon.....super fun stuff. and lulu did great. at first she had the wheels on the skates very tight (so that she could practically walk in them) and as the afternoon progressed we had them loosened. can't wait to do it again!

bed buddies

2011-11-23T13:50:00.000-08:00

nights have been rough lately. lulu doesn't want to go to sleep and she doesn't want to sleep alone. she often asks her dad (she has been calling him 'papi' lately. does she think she puerto rican?) to sleep on the floor in her room. thankfully, he always declines. she asks for more milk, and then water, and then an ice cube for her water, and then she needs her covers fixed, and then she wants to listen to music, and then she wants some books next to her bed and then as we leave the room she cries 'wait a minute! i've got to tell you something'. she looks around the room....looking for something to tell us, for something she needs...but by now the shelves are empty.

this morning, we found lulu with her head resting on her coloring book. but that is not all....check out the photo below to whom else was in her bed:

yes, we all know she is brilliant. but here is some additional proof.

2011-11-22T08:47:00.000-08:00

at dinner, we use glass rocks to count bites. we have a bag full of little round glass rocks but every now and then a 'funny' shaped rock emerges. last night lulu fished through the bag and pulled out rocks that looked like letters. she identified the letters, flipped them upside down and identified the next letter she saw (upside 'L' is a 'J' and upside down 'u' is an 'n') and then she spelled her name.

later that evening she asked her dad to spell 'irene' and 'alex' and made signs for us to hang over our bed.....

song bird

2011-11-20T17:33:00.000-08:00

misc pics

2011-11-20T17:26:00.000-08:00

above, lulu brightens up a rainy day.....
below, lulu enjoys her breakfast sitting in a tree....

below demonstrates how she 'sits' in a fallen chair....

lulu's cousin's. (scott is the tall one)

2011-11-20T17:24:00.000-08:00

dancing and more dancing

2011-11-20T17:19:00.000-08:00

sweet girl....

2011-11-18T09:15:00.000-08:00

olive fingers. just sooo funny.

2011-11-18T09:14:00.000-08:00

puppet show

2011-11-18T09:11:00.000-08:00

some misc. photos....

2011-11-08T14:28:00.000-08:00

lulu loves to get her face painted.....below, just another sunday:

lulu also loves to wear her princess outfit....

but this is the costume on halloween....

and this, well it's just our giant new tree....thanks roger! (i had to trim one pron to get it to look like it wasn't overpowering the room. i used a saw.)

lulu digs this....

2011-11-08T14:20:00.000-08:00

lulu in sand....

2011-11-08T14:19:00.000-08:00

what can i say? the kid likes to be buried in the sand.

lulu taps.

2011-11-08T14:18:00.000-08:00

crazy dancer

2011-11-02T11:19:00.000-07:00

baking biscuits with her nana

2011-11-02T09:39:00.000-07:00

halloweeeeen!

2011-11-02T09:36:00.001-07:00

below is the sea weed monster head i made:

and the beautiful princess:

car concert series

2011-10-27T14:11:00.000-07:00

lulu and helmut's adventures

2011-10-26T09:39:00.000-07:00

above, lulu and helmut play boggle.
below, they snuggle in the tent, under blankets (with a few other pals)

above, they bathe together.
and below, well, i don't know what lulu is doing. but it is one of her 'cool tricks'.

lulu visits the pumpkin

2011-10-22T15:58:00.000-07:00

pumpkin patch

2011-10-22T15:55:00.000-07:00

some misc. photos.....

2011-10-20T12:08:00.000-07:00

lulu is little jokester. this is a picture of lulu preparing to go to bed. she likes to cover her head with a blanket and walk too her bedroom. she pretends to bump into walls and furniture and says 'oops! ow!' as she moves through the house. and, she identifies which room she is in as the floor changes beneath her feet. funny kid.

the other day we walked to the wharf. lulu went and played in the sand.....she just plopped on down and did her thing.....playing with sticks and rocks.

the picture below is a rare 'family portrait'. you can see alex and irene's shadow as lulu runs toward the water.

below, lulu sleeps in her bed. well, mostly in her bed. this is why we put cushions on the floor beneath her bed at night....just to be sure she doesn't get hurt in the night.

lulu and calidora at the beach

2011-10-14T11:37:00.000-07:00

after school on thursday i picked lulu up from school a little early. along with her new pal calidora (and her mom) we walked pass the horses and headed to the beach. it only took a few minutes to get there. the girls ate a snack and then proceeded to play in the sand. they dug holes and went back and forth to the water to bring back water and wet sand. they did this about 100 times. then, hand in hand they went into the water to play.

the beach was packed as it was extra warm (mid 80s). the girls had a blast and lulu ate and slept well afterward. this was our first 'play date' since arriving in santa barbara. it was a success!

come into my home...

2011-10-13T14:39:00.000-07:00

face painting at local somerville events

2011-07-17T07:29:00.000-07:00

when it comes to face painting lulu can be patient. and still. for the butterfly we waited in line nearly 2 hours. but she was patient (and she took breaks. alex and i took turns waiting.) and when it is her turn, she sits very still. she turns her head as instructed and she doesn't itch her face. and after it is all done, she admires herself endlessly. the first pics are from family fun day and the second is from art beat.

crazy see-sawing with melody

2011-07-17T07:25:00.000-07:00

after the girls were done playing in the yard we went inside for dinner. they didn't change their outfits. dave (melody's dad) sat them on pillows so they could reach the table. but they kept slipping. so he used two pants belts to strap them to their chairs so they wouldn't slide off their pillows. yes, we are 'formal' like that.

making strawberry sweet music

2011-07-17T07:21:00.000-07:00

the big girl swing

2011-07-17T07:13:00.000-07:00

alex's artistic action shots: art beat 11

2011-07-17T07:10:00.000-07:00

art beat 2011

2011-07-17T07:02:00.000-07:00

art beat is a arts and music festival in davis square. it is a two day event. we went both days. needless to say, lulu enjoyed the music. and as always, face painting is VERY high on her list of
'fabulous things in life'.

where is she?

2011-07-16T07:05:00.000-07:00

lulu at the chihuly exhibit at the mfa

2011-07-16T07:01:00.001-07:00

lulu and friends

2011-07-16T06:51:00.000-07:00

we went out to western mass to visit one of lulu's 'old' friends. sara, lulu, molly and melody have been friends since they were weeks old. and they absolutely love each other....

misc. images from june

2011-07-05T06:15:00.000-07:00

lulu loves her face paint. above a 'gem-flower' for school.
below, lulu's hand at work:

just some random shots...

misc. images from may

2011-07-05T06:07:00.000-07:00

lulu and her new scooter: learning to ride!

2011-06-24T18:21:00.001-07:00

more nyc

2011-06-24T18:00:00.001-07:00

playing in central park:

getting her nails done:

lulu's professional paint job

diane, lulu and rebecca mugging it up in front of adam's house

some random nyc pictures

2011-06-24T17:49:00.000-07:00

lulu eats taffy
lulu rocks out, casual style at adam's house

lulu enjoys being tossed around by adam in his back yard:

lulu, spencer and ruby are delighted by casey's bag of instruments:

at a candy shop on canal street:

shoe shopping in soho:

riding the subway:

taking in the sights in astoria, queens

swingin' in nyc

2011-06-24T17:47:00.000-07:00

with di di and da da as her support system, lulu swings through astoria.

getting ready to party

2011-06-24T17:37:00.000-07:00

t

images as we prepared to party 3.5 style at albion playground! top: the cake; bottom: the pinata and other loot we transported via wagon!

racing through astoria

2011-06-24T17:35:00.000-07:00

lulu and rebecca

2011-06-12T07:46:00.000-07:00

some misc. photos

2011-06-12T07:37:00.000-07:00

new york city: some of lulu's adventures

2011-06-12T07:25:00.000-07:00

lulu, spencer, jasper and ruby (and jay) rock out hard in new york city:

lulu gets her nails done at the local salon:

riverfest 2011: dancing with her dad

2011-06-06T11:06:00.000-07:00

face painting.

2011-06-06T11:04:00.000-07:00

nice play shoes kid.

2011-06-06T10:59:00.000-07:00

lulu's a big girl now

2011-06-06T10:56:00.000-07:00

all of a sudden, lulu no longer fit into her clothes. and, being the gal that she is, has to select clothing she approves of. but, when she is allowed to select her clothes she loves them. below she is showing off her new skirt and tank top.

also, being a big girl....lulu navigates her way around the computer like a pro.

summer is finally here. and it's hot.

2011-05-30T10:44:00.000-07:00

memorial day parade 2011

2011-05-30T10:39:00.000-07:00

what goes through her head...

2011-05-26T07:07:00.000-07:00

easy like sunday morning

2011-05-26T07:05:00.000-07:00

lulu, sits both inside and out, covered in a blanket and blows bubbles....
life is good.

lulu at porchfest

2011-05-26T07:04:00.000-07:00

porchfest 2011

2011-05-26T07:01:00.000-07:00

somerville is a great city. the arts council really does great things. the newest event to the city is 'porchfest'. porchfest is an 'open studios' for musicians. basically, musicians all over town set up on their front porch and us, the lucky residents, cruise about town listening to great music. it was a gorgeous day and we a fab time was had by all.....above, lulu plays with a friend she made at this particular house....

toby's birthday party

2011-05-26T06:57:00.000-07:00

lulu and friends play at the park in arlington at toby's 2nd birthday party.

some misc. images

2011-05-20T04:50:00.000-07:00

lulu and mommy show off their freshly polished nails:

lulu sets up the boat to protect her from the alligators:

lulu eats anchovies pizza witha side of broccoli:

in her fabulous outfit...lulu jumps on the porch on a rainy day:

lulu gets historical on prospect hill

2011-05-20T04:43:00.000-07:00

lulu's cousin carmen sent her a 'flat carmen'. lulu was supposed to take flat carmen some where 'distinctly' boston. we didn't have to travel far....we ended up at prospect hill - half a mile from the house..........turned out to be a great spot!

cool things that my phone can do....

2011-05-20T04:39:00.000-07:00

all of this new fangled technology. but check out some of the cool things it can do:

lulu's sweet kicks.

2011-05-07T07:28:00.000-07:00

aiming to please the ramirez family lulu wears tommy trojan sneakers.

a tale about her doctors visit

2011-05-07T07:16:00.000-07:00

at lulu's 3 year wellness appointment the doctor came into the room and asked lulu a series of questions....
doctor: are you a boy or a girl?
lulu: a girl.
doctor: what is your name?
lulu: lulu
me: your full name?
lulu: giada luz ramirez-moretto!

then the doctor asked if she could draw a circle.
and lulu did it.
then she asked if lulu could draw a plus sign.
and she did.
then, lulu proceeded to write her name (perfectly) on the page....

when the doctor asked me about lulu's food allergies, lulu interrupted to tell her that she had a peanut allergy.

lulu has been suffering from allergies this spring. she often experiences itchy skin, eyes, and throat. alex had told her to tell the doctor about her itchy throat. the day after her appointment lulu woke up and her throat was still itchy. she said 'daddy, my throat is still itchy. i guess the doctor didn't do a very good job'.

lulu takes flight

2011-05-07T07:13:00.000-07:00

hamming it up

2011-05-07T07:08:00.000-07:00

from the window....

2011-05-07T06:56:00.000-07:00

playdate at the home of 'mel-a-me' (aka: melody)

2011-05-07T06:49:00.000-07:00

the strange mess they make...

2011-05-07T06:39:00.000-07:00

easter 2011....

2011-05-07T06:32:00.000-07:00

asleep

2011-04-30T13:05:00.001-07:00

an interesting photo

2011-04-30T12:58:00.000-07:00

this is a photo that alex took on his phone. he modified it using an app. it came out so nice that he had it printed onto canvas. my friend maria stretched and framed it.

another dance....to strawberry shortcake

2011-04-26T06:17:00.000-07:00

some misc. photos

2011-04-26T05:51:00.000-07:00

lulu and i are trying to learn how to hula hoop. we practice everyday.... these photos are of lulu not practicing the hula hoop and instead laying down on the job:

below, lulu poses with her friend katya. this is the pose that lulu strikes with her friends whenever she is asked to take a photo. when lulu takes our photo, we are expected to assume the same pose too:
lulu put jellycat to sleep in the living room:

above: lulu enjoys a redbones picnic of garlic mashed potatoes, catfish, dirty rice, coleslaw and mac and cheese.

michal's birtday party

2011-04-26T05:47:00.000-07:00

lulu attended the 4th birthday party of her classmate michal. it was at this indoor gym/play-space called 'my gym'. the kids had a blast playing games, playing in the ball pit, jumping on trampolines and zip-lining across the room.

another nyc video: riding the subway

2011-04-17T06:46:00.000-07:00

lulu runs the race

2011-04-17T06:42:00.000-07:00

love me do...in 3 parts

2011-04-16T08:42:00.000-07:00

a few random shots

2011-04-16T08:19:00.000-07:00

lulu admires adam as he plays the mandolin:

adam and lulu enjoy a slice of pizza in soho:

lulu gets her teeth cleaned for the first time and learns how to floss:

lulu and her pal molly ride home from school in the red wagon:

lulu at adam's house

2011-04-16T08:17:00.000-07:00

lulu and the iphone

2011-04-16T08:16:00.000-07:00

lulu enjoys watching strawberry shortcake music videos on the iphone.

new york city

2011-04-11T09:27:00.000-07:00

this weekend we went to nyc. cat, eric, carmen and omar were in town so we got to spend a day together....we visited the statue of liberty, ellis island and ate in little italy. we had a blast!

here is lulu with her cousin's on the ferry to liberty island:

running around little italy:

riding the train to brooklyn with adam:

cruising around china town with carmen:

jumping around on liberty island:

the ferry ride to liberty island followed by a hot dog for lunch and some play:

checking out some look books at a fancy tile gallery/shop in soho:

lulu in soho:

lulu's princesses dance

2011-04-03T07:27:00.000-07:00

misc images.....

2011-04-03T07:20:00.000-07:00

lulu stands proud next to her sculpture. from bottom to top: box of books, dry erase board, tin or marbles and a water bottle.

below: april 1, 2011. snow again!!

below: alex and lulu each play with a smart phone. i sat on the other side of the sofa taking this photo with....you guessed it - my smart phone!

crazy pants

2011-04-03T07:13:00.000-07:00

lulu's bedroom - ready for open house

2011-03-30T10:52:00.000-07:00

some misc. images

2011-03-30T10:45:00.000-07:00

lulu's little kitchen inside our kitchen:

we got a new duvet cover. so lulu needed to test it out:

one morning lulu got up a little too early. and proceeded to fall asleep on the living room floor:

a picnic with her friday playgroup friends....

a need for speed?

2011-03-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

lulu really knows how to party. at a recent party she had the need for speed. she took a train and a motorcycle out for a ride. hold on to your hats....and brace yourself. lulu goes soooo quickly that if you blink you may miss it!

ballet class

2011-03-30T10:36:00.000-07:00

boston children's museum

2011-03-30T10:29:00.000-07:00

as keturah kindly hosted our open house we needed to get out. we went to the children's museum. the coolest thing there was this structure for climbing. it was very, very cool. when i made the video below, i was on the third floor of the building. the photo quality isn't very good because i took the pics on my phone.

lets do lunch.

2011-03-30T10:25:00.000-07:00

lulu, katya and alexander enjoy a quesadilla, tomatoes and grapes before heading to the park.

musical genius

2011-03-30T10:12:00.000-07:00

earrings

2011-03-30T09:59:00.000-07:00

below is a photo of lulu wearing 'earrings'. ( they are actually stickers!)

some recent pics....

2011-03-18T18:39:00.000-07:00

lulu wanted her hair done like her teacher katrina. katrina wears tight corn rows close to her scalp. the above photo is the best i could do with extremely fine hair on a 3 year old....

lulu's pal katya gave her these hair ties. they provided activity for at least 24 hours. we put them all in, and took them all out. then repeat. then, she put them in a bowl and organized them by color. then she made 'soup' with them. above is one of the many hair dos produced that evening.

the snow is finally melting (well, most of it has melted this past week actually). this photo, taken just over a week ago is from albion park on one of the first nice days. lulu and her pal molly played around the half frozen park. the melting snow was a welcomed new adventure.

during the winter months lulu and irene sought out many an indoor activity. below, at lunch with some pals - lulu behaved like an angel at a local restaurant. i can't say the same for the (very) many kids in the place. (below: luca, katya and lulu at blue moon in cambridge)

some ballet class pictures.....

2011-03-18T17:07:00.000-07:00

the performer: part II (the acting portion)

2011-02-26T07:02:00.000-08:00