What a Weekend!

Clarita had a very busy weekend! I took the day off work on Friday and Clara and I went to breakfast with Kate who Clara just adores. We had a fun time and Clarita even took a nap at the restaurant! Later that afternoon, Kevin, Clara, and I headed down to LA to see Tia Biffy. Biffy was our site mate in Peace Corps and became like a sister to us. We're lucky that we live so close now that we're back in the U.S.! Clara had not met Biffy yet and we had not met Biffy's boyfriend (who got a gold star by the way) so it was an exciting trip!

Tia Biffy

We got to Santa Monica in record time for a Friday afternoon and Clara slept most of the way. We took Clarita to the beach while we waited for Biffy to get off work. Clara really liked the sand and immediately reached down and grabbed a handful. She would not stop staring at it if she was standing in it which made taking pictures of her hard! Clara also liked the sound of the waves and kept looking to see what was happening. We didn't put her in the water as it was cold and there were a lot of waves, but I'm sure she'll like that too someday! The three of us walked along the beach and on the pier and Clara just watched everything and eventually fell asleep.

Needless to say, Biffy and her boyfriend Kevin (that's right, there were two Kevins which was a little confusing) loved Clara! Clara also loved them and was full of smiles, laughs, and squeals! Biffy has a niece who is three weeks younger than Clara and we had planned to have the babies meet and play together. Poor little Audrey got sick and was unable to come visit, but Biffy's 18-month-old niece came over for a visit. Clara was fascinated with Jace and smiled and talked away. It was fun watching them play together!

Clara and Jace

She loved Kevin's chicken

We had such a great time with Tia Biffy eating lots of great food, going for walks, and even a trip to an awesome farmer's market. Clara also decided to give us the amazing gift of sleep. She slept until 7:15 and 7:30 while we were there which meant that we actually got close to eight hours of sleep!

My old roommate Beth and her husband Ken also live in L.A. so we got in a visit with them too. Beth was pregnant and was actually due the Monday before our visit. Her little girl decided that she wasn't ready to come out yet (she was born September 14) so we got to go to breakfast with them and Clara was finally able to meet them! She was fussier than usual at breakfast but still managed lots of smiles and laughs. I can't wait for our next visit when there will be a new friend for Clara to play with!

Come out and play baby!

On Sunday we headed to Santa Barbara for Cam and Bri's wedding and Clarita slept the entire way there! Cam has been one of my best friends since high school and their wedding was beautiful. It was on the beach and the weather could not have been better. Clara was very well behaved (although not as well behaved as Cam's nephew who is five weeks younger) and made it through the ceremony quietly. Our friend Megan entertained her with the string from the bubbles passed out at the wedding (much like a kitten would be entertained) and Clara thought it was awesome! She took a nap during dinner and then slept most of the way home (after a little crying when she didn't want to go to sleep).

Ewok sitter!

Ewok gets around!

It was a really long weekend and we didn't get home until after 11:00 PM on Sunday, but Clara did beautifully. It really made me appreciate what a good baby we have. I know that she got tired of being in her car seat in the car instead of rolling around, but she took it all in stride!