Artists

It turned out to be a beautiful day this afternoon, so the kids painted outside after their naps.

Peter painted several red pictures. We'll call them "The Ketchup Series" after his desire to use ketchup paint.

Please let me know if you are interested in hanging any of these masterpieces in your home.

Lunch Date

Peter and I had a special lunch date today at Le Pain Quotidien in Beverly Hills. 

Lunch with this guy -- lucky me! 

Thanks, Le Pain, for having a kids menu with something other than macaroni & cheese and chicken fingers. 

Our lunch date was followed by a stop at the dentist. Peter chose chocolate flavored toothpaste. Sick. 

Later, we picked up Clara from school. 

These guys are serious umbrella addicts. It wasn't even raining. 

Point Dume

Yesterday, we took a trip to this beautiful spot -- Point Dume in Malibu. 

As expected, Peter couldn't wait to run right into the water (which was COLD, by the way). 

He and Ben jumped in the waves over and over again. They were both soaked. I can't imagine what it would have felt like wading into the Pacific Ocean in January. 

This is the pic I posted to Instagram. They did this for an hour.  

Meanwhile, Clara and I had a much more civilized afternoon building sand castles.

Smart girl. No cold ocean water for her (or her mom). 

When they came back, Peter was yelling, "Mom, mom! Our feet are like icicles!" 

Sounds like a pretty fun day, don't you think? 

Happy Birthday, Ben!

Yesterday was Ben's birthday and we kicked off the day by opening presents. Peter and Myshka were both great helpers. 

"Hey, what's this stuff?" 

Before bed, we sang "Happy Birthday" and enjoyed some cake. 

"More, please..." 

And the evening culminated in what else... a dance party! 

When it Gets Cold in LA

It has been the coldest winter in LA! Nothing like Iowa or Nebraska of course, but cold enough that I had to go out and buy Clara a new jacket. And cold enough that poor Peter got sick.

Here are some pics of both...

Instagram vs. the Blog

Sorry for the blogging break, friends. I know I am late to the game in discovering Instagram, but now that I have I am tempted to forgo blogging entirely. It is so fun! My blog posts are really photo heavy anyway, so Instagram fits my style. Quick pic. Caption. Done.

Don't worry, though. I am not ready to give up blogging, yet. I have too many devoted fans. :-)

Here are some of my latest Instagram posts. If you want more, follow me! My username is annabelleapley.

Donuts! Hooray! 

Flat tire on a Monday morning. So annoying. 

Post-nap snuggle with my Goose. 

They wanted to hold hands. Seriously. 

Matching Christmas jams. How cute? 

Apparently roses like cold weather. 

This picture makes me smile every day. Ben and I found a Bruegger's bagel shop only 30 minutes from our house. I want to go right now!

Apparently, this duck mask is a helmet and turns Peter into Buzz Lightyear. Who knew? 

Happy New Year, everyone!