"no no no" in landslide victory over "yeah"

here's violet all dolled up for oscar night this past sunday. she went with a little frill and a little edge, just like her mama likes the fashion. obviously i was happy to have an occasion to trot out the goonies onesie that lisa gave to me when violet was still in the womb. i tried to get violet to actually pose for a picture, but the title of this post should tell you how that request was met.

given violet's vehement opinions these days, i sought her input as we "watched" the red carpet arrivals, but she was much more interested in chasing the dogs around and trying to get them to chew on their own chew toys, which they wanted to play with about as much as she wanted to play with her own toys. she'd had enough of the hollywood scene long before angelina's leg made its now legendary appearance. "seacrest out!"



we took a family walk, although "walk" implies a certain level of velocity that is difficult to meet these days. rudy the lazy approves of the pace.



catching up from the prior weekend, we were excited to attend jack's first birthday party in san diego. here's the happy family.



and here is violet playing peek-a-boo on the slide with the object of her greatest adoration, nana.







i loved watching her trying to figure out how the wind works. it's a nice lesson for a toddler, that unpredictability.







this past weekend, after enduring our accountant's annual flogging in order to get our taxes done, we took violet to the noah's ark exhibit at the skirball. everyone i've talked to who's gone has been impressed, and it's easy to see why. there are literally hundreds of animals crafted out of recycled materials. there are wheels you spin to make lightning, to make leaves rise in a windstorm, to make rain flood the ark, to make the giant giraffe head move from side to side, and to make the animals climb two by two onto the ship.





i think the scale of the ark was actually a little overwhelming for violet, who mostly enjoyed things she also enjoys at home, like practicing her animal sounds



and hurling pieces of fruit at the ground and squealing in delight. (one of our crisper drawers is now reserved for "play fruit" like past-prime lemons and any apples with bite marks.)



even more enjoyable, of course, is the game of chase whenever it's time to go. you know how your first instinct is often to say "no no no" in fast succession upon any surprise accident? you spill wine on your shirt, you can't find your wallet, your toddler plucks something out of the gutter to eat - "no no no!" this is what violet says now, ALL THE TIME, and i honestly don't know where she picked up the finger wag that accompanies it. there are a lot of hard things about parenting, but chief among them is trying not to laugh when you've got a face like this sassing "no no no" at you.