K A L I

Kali's School Christmas Performance

2010-12-17T10:46:00.006-05:00

Kali School Thanksgiving Program

2010-11-18T14:45:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

2009-10-06T20:40:00.000-04:00

Interior Panorama Photos

2009-07-30T14:51:00.001-04:00

Living Room

Living Room view 2

Dining Room

Dining Room view 2

Kitchen

Kitchen view 2

Bonus Room (off dining room/living room)

Master Bedroom (and bath)

Kali's Room

Basement Bonus Room

Basement Bonus Room view 2

New Venable Knoxville Home

2009-07-29T17:59:00.000-04:00

Last Days, First Cone

2009-06-27T20:03:00.000-04:00

On our last Sunday living in Los Angeles, some friends came over to wish us well. And Kali got her very first ice cream cone.

Griffith Park Observatory

2009-05-31T23:33:00.000-04:00

Griffith Park

2009-05-31T20:17:00.000-04:00

We took Kali on a hike in Griffith Park today.

Driving Miss Kali

2009-05-31T13:52:00.000-04:00

We ate breakfast down the street at the cafe that's inside the bowling alley. Kali drove.

Happy Hour in Culver City

2009-05-30T20:54:00.000-04:00

We attended the annual gallery Art Walk down in Culver City today. Kali really enjoyed looking at all the art on the walls, but was especially excited when at the galleries that let dogs come in and those that had DJs spinning some good dancing tunes!

After we saw all the galleries we stopped by Fraishe for a drink and appetizers. Kali and Baby seemed to enjoy the relaxing time in the lounge area. We sat next to two famous actors, whose names we still can't come up with, and a couple who complimented Kali's restaurant behavior. She really had fun being a "big girl" at the table with us.

Where's Kali?!?

2009-05-30T13:44:00.000-04:00

Fashion Show

2009-05-23T20:53:00.000-04:00

One of Kali's new outfits...

Kali Plays With The Ladies

2009-05-21T19:52:00.000-04:00

Kali and Nona ("Naahnahh") having fun in the front yard with neighbor Virgie.

Just Another Day Around The House

2009-05-20T12:03:00.000-04:00

Dada's "Pone"

2009-05-17T19:42:00.000-04:00

She likes talking on any real telephone, but my BlackBerry smartphone has all those extra buttons to push!!

The Aquarium Lorikeet Forest Exhibit

2009-05-17T17:59:00.000-04:00

Aquarium of the Pacific

2009-05-17T17:32:00.000-04:00

Kali enjoyed looking at all the fish, but especially liked the seals.

Aquarium Road Trip!

2009-05-17T13:01:00.000-04:00

We took Nona on a road trip to meet up with Sara's Aunt and Uncle... at the Aquarium of the Pacific. While we were there, we also ran into their old Hawaii friend, Cole Slater!

Fashion Show

2009-05-17T12:16:00.000-04:00

One of Kali's new outfits...

Just Like Dada

2009-05-04T09:50:00.000-04:00

Kali is more and more like her dad every day...

Here she is fixing the stereo. Once she saw the camera she came up with this hand behind the back pose all on her own. Are we in trouble or what??

She's analyzing our music selection.

Wearing dad's shoes around the house is super fun. She's surprisingly pretty good at walking in men's size 10!!

Sesame Street Body Exhibit

2009-04-25T17:52:00.000-04:00

We caught the Sesame Street "Body" exhibit on one of the last days it was still running here in LA.

Turn the wheel to see how the stomach digests food.

The Body television game show.

Every body needs to run around and play for exercise!

Shopping for foods good for the body.

Elmo looked so cute and cool from afar!!

But Kali was a little freaked out when she got up close.

Putting together a good meal from Mr. Hooper's deli counter.

Just hanging out on the steps, waiting for Big Bird.

This Elmo seems a lot safer.

Outside the exhibit, at the Hollywood and Highland complex.

Running in the fountain!

On the street next to Mann's Chinese Theatre and the Hollywood walk of fame.

Baby Stacking

2009-04-20T19:55:00.000-04:00

Let's see... how can I get all my baby dolls in this stroller so I can take them all on a walk together?!?

Just a few more... I think I need a bigger stroller!

Baby's all in stroller, check. Purse, check. I think I'm ready to go!

Oh, wait, I'm not wearing any clothes!!

Disneyland - Afternoon

2009-04-20T02:19:00.000-04:00

After Kali had a brief nap, we went back into the park.

-Hungry Bear Restaurant (Kali loved looking at the ducks during the meal and watching the Mark Twain Riverboat and the Sailing Ship Columbia float by)

-King Arthur Carrousel

-We rode the Disneyland Railroad all the way around the park

Kali wasn't too thrilled getting close to the costumed characters (see 4/12 Easter post about the big bunny), but did go up to "dog-dog" (Pluto) for a photo op.

In Toontown Kali enjoyed exploring:

-Mikey's House (Kali loved running around and the cool AC was a welcome treat from the hot afternoon sun)

-Chip N Dale Treehouse

-Donald's Boat

-Goofy's Playhouse

Thanks to Julie for sharing all the Neiberding Disney tips!

Disneyland - Morning

2009-04-19T14:19:00.000-04:00

We spent Sunday in Disneyland, walking around and riding. Here's what we did...

-Dumbo the Flying Elephant (after a while Kali asked "get down" - it made Sara dizzy, too!)

-Peter Pan's Flight

-Storybook Land Canal Boats

-It's A Small World

-Casey Jr. Circus Train

-Pirates of the Caribbean (Kali got a little scared of the downhill drops and the spooky characters and surprises, but never cried)

-Jungle Cruise

-The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Disneyland - Hotel

2009-04-18T14:19:00.000-04:00

We went on a quick trip down to Disneyland this weekend. Wanted to cross that theme park off the "To Do Before Leaving CA" list. Drove down on Saturday and just walked around Downtown Disney and hung out at the hotel pool, which Kali loved.

Eater Part 3 - The Party

2009-04-12T23:55:00.000-04:00

We had invited friends over for a dinner party for Easter night, so we re-hid the eggs in the back yard so Kali and her friend Bertie Cruickshank could find them.

Easter Part 2 - The Hunt Continues

2009-04-12T23:00:00.000-04:00

After Kali's nap there was an Easter package to open from the Lairds, then more eggs to find outside!

Happy Easter 2009

2009-04-12T22:15:00.000-04:00

Much like Christmas, Kali's Easter celebration was spread out over an extended range of dates. First she had some Easter Bunny arts-n-crafts and an egg hunt at her daycare. Then Sara took her to a Easter party on Friday where a large Easter Bunny scared Kali (last year she sat on his lap for a photo - this year - no way!) and they had an egg hunt. Then on Sunday morning she hunted for eggs inside the house and got her Easter Basket.

-- and there's more -- but let's get to the pictures and video. See part two and three of Easter in the separate blog posts.

Once she bit into the chocolate duck, she didn't like the taste - then got sad that she cracked open the duck's skull.

Santa Monica Pier Aquarium

2009-03-08T19:30:00.000-04:00

Under the Santa Monica Pier is a small Aquarium. Kali went nuts for all the fish. We'll be planning a trip back to the big aquarium soon.

Santa Monica Pier

2009-03-08T18:29:00.000-04:00

Even though it's only ten minutes away from our house, we hadn't taken Kali to visit the Santa Monica Pier, so we went down there this weekend.

Kali V, Artist II

2009-03-07T20:08:00.000-05:00

New medium. New messes.

Kali-In-The-Box

2009-03-07T19:03:00.000-05:00

Facing Forward

2009-03-07T18:08:00.000-05:00

We switched Kali's car seat around and now she faces forward and can see what we're seeing out the front windshield. Good for spotting a bus or a dog walker.

Toddle Tunes #2

2009-03-07T17:55:00.000-05:00

Today was Kali's last music class. She got to play a guitar and bongos and conga drums.

Olde Tyme Photo

2009-03-07T16:11:00.000-05:00

Our neighbor Jeff was outside with his old Polaroid Land Camera and he took a photo of Kali. I can't believe how good that old camera still works.

Choo-Choo Book

2009-03-06T19:11:00.000-05:00

K - A - L - I spells...

2009-03-06T18:03:00.000-05:00

Berry Berry Good

2009-03-02T21:20:00.000-05:00

Easy Rider

2009-02-28T19:45:00.000-05:00

Toddle Tunes

2009-02-28T17:45:00.000-05:00

Kali's been attending music class on Saturdays, where she gets to sing and dance and clap and play real musical instruments. Today she got to play a Guiro (Latin percussion instrument), a Bandurria (small mandolin-guitar from Spain that has 14 strings) and a recorder. And she likes the bubbles at the end!

Kali V, Artist

2009-02-27T15:24:00.000-05:00

Where Is Thumbkin??

2009-02-27T14:08:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T16:38:00.000-05:00

Kali brought this valentine artwork home from school today.

My first interpretation was "stomp on your heart" but I'm hoping that wasn't her true sentiment.

Bouncy Room

2009-01-25T18:47:00.000-05:00

The Children's Museum has a padded room, which Kali enjoyed bouncing around in.

Hope 2009

2009-01-20T09:48:00.000-05:00

Suuuu-wiiinnnngg!

2009-01-18T18:26:00.000-05:00

Kali Goes For A Spin

2009-01-18T07:22:00.000-05:00

...around and around...

Strike A Pose

2009-01-17T19:36:00.000-05:00

Kali vs. Sprinkler

2009-01-17T16:23:00.000-05:00

Kali can't stand it when the sprinkler heads get stuck up above ground. She won't rest until she can stomp 'em down!

Peekaboo

2009-01-16T20:27:00.000-05:00

Christmas Card Recap

2009-01-15T20:26:00.000-05:00

Conversations With Kali

2009-01-13T21:16:00.000-05:00

Kali really has a lot on her mind and likes to speak it.

Kali Rocks Out

2009-01-07T20:23:00.000-05:00

Kali enjoys the rocking chair that Captain and Nona sent her, but she's just getting the hang of the rocking motion.

This Is The Way The Lady Rides

2009-01-03T16:24:00.000-05:00

Kali has really loved horses for a while now. The clickety-clop of horse hooves was the first "animal sound" she was able to recreate. Since then, she makes that sound whenever she sees a horse in one of her books. When she came to visit her dad at the Rose Parade, one of or friends gave her a stuffed horse ("Rosey"), which she carries around at home, despite how big it is. So after months of loving horses, we decided to take her to ride a real horse in Griffith Park. The photos aren't great, but she was so, so excited!

Kali holds her ticket to the horsey ride!

Mounted up!

And awayyy they go!

She liked looking around at the other horses

Just Like Christmas Morning

2009-01-03T14:25:00.000-05:00

Kali's Christmas started the day we arrived in Bend, OR. There was a present waiting for her that said "open now" - it was a cozy sweater and hat to help her stay comfortable in the cold temps. Then came real Christmas presents, then more were waiting for her when we got back home. She had so many new things, she wanted to play with them all at the same time - including some that weren't so new.

Kali Stirs Up the Christmas Pot

2009-01-02T14:27:00.000-05:00

Kali quickly knew what to do with the Christmas gifts from Uncle Brian. Stir, taste, repeat.

Thanks Uncle Brian!

MORE Christmas Gifts?!?!

2009-01-01T16:43:00.000-05:00

Back at home in Los Angeles, there are more Christmas presents to open...

She won't eat REAL tomatoes!

Thank you, everybody!!

Posing for Christmas Photos

2008-12-26T01:07:00.000-05:00

White Christmas 2008

2008-12-26T00:32:00.000-05:00

Kali's first snow!

We are in Bend, OR to spend the holiday week with the Laird side of the family. Thad and Jessica and their beautiful three-week-old son, Jackson live here and have been wonderful hosts. Kali's grandparents are staying with us and as usual are keeping us happy and well-fed!

Kali wasn't so sure about walking on this cold, white, crunchy stuff at first!

No, we're not poking fun at mother nature, we're trying to catch snowflakes on our tongues!

Bend for Christmas

2008-12-24T15:21:00.000-05:00

"My First Purse" - thanks Nona!

Opening gifts

TWO grandkids!

Kali checking in on mom and Jackson

Checking on the snow in her PJs

Unlce Thad and Kali

Cindy Lou Who explores the "winter" outside

Aunt Jessica and Kali

Kali wonders why somebody would want to be outside in 20-degree temperatures in a pool of water

Cousins Jackson and Kali

Kali at Christmastime

2008-12-14T16:39:00.000-05:00

Another holiday season, another trip to The Grove to see the decorations.

Riding the trolley

Kali wears her fancy holiday dress.

Happy Macarena!?!

2008-11-23T14:01:00.000-05:00

Kali loves the musical card her mom received for her birthday. It makes her want to DANCE!

Special Shoes

2008-11-15T21:58:00.000-05:00

Kali runs around wearing the squeaky shoes her cousins Gretchen and Garrick sent her! Oh, and she wears a couple "interesting" hats near the end!

RAIN?!? In Southern California???

2008-11-01T19:05:00.000-04:00

Halloween 2008

2008-10-31T20:51:00.000-04:00

Kali got dressed up in her witch costume and we went to meet some friends at The Grove where they were having a Halloween party for kids with trick-or-treating at all the shops.

Birdie wore a bee costume, but neither of them wanted to keep the headwear on. Most people thought Kali was princess - her dress had sparkles and glitter, but it was black, so maybe they thought she was an evil princess.

There were tons of kids there, many around the center park area where a Frankenstein DJ spun tunes and emceed contests.

Kali's friend, Simone, who is friends with our next door neighbor, sported a cute chicken costume.

The evening was a fun time, but we had a very tired witch when we got home.

We passed out candy at home and had lots of visitors. We went through our big bag of candy, plus a big bag from our neighbor (he went to a party and left us holding his bag) and more candy from the guy across the street (who also left during prime t-o-t'ing time).

Kali 30 Yard Dash

2008-10-29T20:54:00.000-04:00

Kali Walking Around the Grove

2008-10-19T16:37:00.000-04:00

Quite the walker...

Kali's First Steps!

2008-10-01T21:07:00.000-04:00

Kali took her first couple steps, without help or holding on, yesterday evening. Mom and Dad were both there! We had been walking down the sidewalk to the corner with her and she walked from Dad to Mom for a few steps. And we had the camera with us.

Of course, we weren't recording when she took her first real steps, but in this video you can see how well she can walk, just barely holding on to dad's shorts.

And here's Kali walking with her new toy that Bertie gave her at her birthday party this past weekend.

Kali's One-Handed Walk

2008-09-20T11:19:00.001-04:00

Kali can walk while only holding on to us with one hand. It won't be long now before she's walking on her own and probably won't want to hold our hands at all.

Kali Is Getting SOOOO Big

2008-09-18T21:23:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Grandma and Aunt Julie's lessons, when they were visiting us this summer, Kali finally has learned this trick.

Peek-A-Boo Kali

2008-09-18T20:32:00.000-04:00

One of Kali's new favorite games is peek-a-boo. We're just waiting for the day she rips the living room curtains down on top of her.

Birthday Balloon Fun

2008-08-23T15:29:00.000-04:00

We got a couple helium balloons for Kali for her Hawaiian Birthday Luau. Turns out she really liked playing with them.

Look, Kali, We're On the Beach in Hawaii!

2008-08-21T15:54:00.000-04:00

Day Two of our vacation... Beach time at Kailua Bay - Oahu, Hawaii.

Kali Clapping and Dancing to Music

2008-08-03T00:10:00.000-04:00

Okay, so we admit it. When we first posted about Kali dancing, back in March, we stretched the truth a little. Sure, Kali already liked listening to music, but we had to use some special effects to put together that dancing video.

This time, though, all the moves and claps and even some lip-syncing - are all Kali's. This time Kali really does like to dance to the music.

Kali's Motor's Running

2008-07-12T17:38:00.000-04:00

Kali's new trick. Half crawl, half walk. And nothing can stop her.

Kali The Destructor

2008-07-09T19:53:00.000-04:00

Kali likes her blocks. But she doesn't like them to be stacked on top of each other.

Kali's Teeth Showing

2008-07-08T18:33:00.000-04:00

Kali On The Move

2008-07-07T19:22:00.000-04:00

Kali Crawls!

2008-07-01T20:27:00.000-04:00

This is video of only the third time we've seen Kali crawl!

She's still just getting the hang of it, but she already has created a game of toss and crawl fetch.

Kali's Good Grooming Habits

2008-07-01T20:04:00.000-04:00

Kali can brush her hair - and her teeth - when she's not distracted.

Butterfly Garden

2008-06-29T15:57:00.000-04:00

We went to the Butterfly exhibit at the Natural History Museum. At first Kali was so excited by all the people around her she didn't even notice the butterflies. But after a while she saw them and would just stare at these fluttering bugs all around her.

Kali & Her Eyebrows

2008-06-28T09:58:00.000-04:00

Kali Likes Raspberries!

2008-06-25T19:57:00.000-04:00

Kali's New Crib Trick

2008-06-20T09:48:00.000-04:00

Kali has a brand new trick she can perform in her crib! This video shows only the third or fourth time we've ever seen her do this, but as you can see, she's pretty good at it already. So we modified the crib.

Kali Wants That Shoe

2008-06-19T20:41:00.000-04:00

Kali really wanted daddy's shoe. But did she want it enough to crawl? Watch these 3 short videos to find out.

Kali's Got a "WORD" Stuck In Her Head

2008-06-16T21:37:00.000-04:00

Kali kept saying this over and over for about an hour. I chopped up the videos into 3 more manageable chunks.

Kali Sippy Cup, Cold!

2008-06-16T20:27:00.000-04:00

With almost every sip, Kali is startled by the coldness of the water in her sippy cup.

Sit, Kali, Sit

2008-06-10T21:16:00.000-04:00

This weekend when I went to get Kali up from her nap she was sitting up in her crib. Up unto this point, Kali has never sat up on her own. A couple days later, Sara and Kali were playing on the floor. Kali was lying on her belly, then scooted backwards and sat up to play with a toy - like it was no big deal. Like she had been doing it for weeks. Today I captured her new trick on the videocamera, for your enjoyment.

P O O L T I M E !

2008-06-08T18:00:00.000-04:00

Teeth!

2008-06-07T19:43:00.000-04:00

We noticed Kali had a tooth coming in back on 5/28. We were able to feel it with our fingers, but Kali wouldn't let us look at it. Well, we eventually got a peek and noticed it's really TWO teeth. Her bottom, center two teeth are coming in. The one on her left side is slightly bigger than the one on her right. And today we finally were able to snap a picture of her new teeth. And when we got a look in there, it actually seems like there might be a third tooth, to her right of the other two. But all we got was a peek, so it's either 2 or 3.

Kali Eats an Oh!

2008-06-07T12:33:00.000-04:00

This is video of Kali feeding herself her cereal this morning.

Kali Bee

2008-05-26T11:15:00.000-04:00

Kali plays with, and 'talks' to, her bee.

Slobbering Baby

2008-04-26T11:14:00.000-04:00

Kali and her mom were playing around on the floor. Kali pulled out her secret weapon.

Kali, DUCK!

2008-04-26T11:08:00.000-04:00

Kali and her purple duck have kind of a love/hate relationship.

Sit, Kali, Sit

2008-04-26T10:44:00.000-04:00

Kali sits up very well now. I guess it's been about two weeks now, since she 'mastered' this new trick.

C R O U P !

2008-04-21T15:13:00.000-04:00

Kali got the croup cough. Didn't slow her down too much, except she had a little more trouble sleeping than normal.

Roll, Baby, Roll

2008-04-09T15:41:00.000-04:00

Kali is now able to roll and scoot around.

(lean head down to the left for best viewing results)

Dancing Kali

2008-03-28T13:11:00.000-04:00

Though she can't crawl or walk yet, it turns out that Kali is pretty light on her feet when the music starts playing. This is one of her favorite songs.

Spring Break 2008

2008-03-28T01:34:00.000-04:00

When your mom is a teacher and you attend a daycare run by a school, you get spring break even when you're only 6 months old. And when your grandparents live in Hawaii, heck, why not take a trip to the islands!

Here Comes Kali-Cottontail

2008-03-23T16:16:00.000-04:00