Astrid with her Godmother Jill

Peekaboo Playland is still a lot of fun for Astrid

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Playing dress up in a cowgirl costume.

Eagle Rock Concerts in the Park - Part II

We went last week to Eagle Rock Park for their Concerts in the Park series, and we're back again today. Today's concert is the last one for this summer. They featured a Cajun band. Astrid enjoyed the music, but the little boy Jacob wasn't here today and he was missed.

Eagle Rock Concerts in the Park

During the summer, Eagle Rock puts on concerts in the park on Sundays. Every year at this time we see the banners on Eagle Rock Blvd. announcing the event. This year was our first time attending.

The event is held in Eagle Rock Park, (Astrid calls it "No Shoes" park because we let her run around barefoot on the grass) which is a bit of a trek from Eagle Rock Blvd., but it has a large grassy area in front of the stage with lots of shade. Perfect for a summer picnic!

We brought our hand-made Fijian mat to sit on, and wine, cheeses, home-made guacamole, and goodies from Trader Joe's to munch on.The opening acts were performed by children. Above - Hawaiian dancing.Kids performing with these balls attached to a rope.They also had a food court and a bouncy house behind it for kids.She loves to watch what's going on.
(These jean shorts are great - you don't have to worry about stains!)

The venue was perfect for letting Astrid run around. We could keep an eye on her and there were families there with kids as well. So U. and I could enjoy our food and wine while the little one had fun.

Eating a cracker.

There was a little boy, Jacob, who befriended Astrid. I posted some pics of him with Astrid below. U. and I watched as the little boy offered Astrid some Cheetos (those cheese puff snacks) and were happy to see Astrid shake her head "no" and not take it. Her dad and I are both afraid that when she goes to school she'll be influenced by other kids into wanting to eat junk food. But there is hope yet! Later Astrid offered the little boy a whole wheat, low sodium cracker, but he refused as well.

Astrid and I went down to the front of the stage to watch the jazz band play up close.

She was fascinated. She has a toy horn that she plays with and so when she saw this band she immediately pointed and said to me "horn!". Also, on a side note, the other day we were riding in the car when Astrid kept repeating "horn! horn!", and it took me awhile to realize that the music we were listening to on the radio had a horn in the background that she was referring to. That took me aback because it was the first time she identified a musical instrument in music all by herself (we hadn't listened to that song before). Here's Jacob, a 3 year old boy, and Astrid (newly friends) dancing to the music. Their antics had us parents smiling and laughing. Too cute. Even though he's a year older than Astrid, they both had a great time playing together.

Jacob dancing to the "Tequila" song while Astrid smiles and eats her cracker.

Little cutie.So much fun!

Jacob took Astrid's hand and started walking away, and then asked if he could take her to the playground (located behind the stage). From that point on his parents referred to Astrid as Jacob's "girlfriend". His dad was telling us about how last Sunday Jacob had another girlfriend. Quite the Casanova at 3.

Running to the playground. I'm chasing after them with Astrid's shoes. The playground in the back has slides and swings in sand. With sand her Crocs come in handy. Those shoes were a great buy.

We'll be back next Sunday for the final event that will wrap up the Eagle Rock Concerts in the Park series. Next week Cajun music.

Peekaboo Playland Toddler Waterpark

On Fridays, Peekaboo Playland has an outdoor toddler waterpark; $10 for adults (kids are free). Astrid had so much fun and it was a great way to spend a hot summer day.Astrid exclaimed, "Cold water!"

When we got there in the morning the water was cold, but it got warmer as the day got hotter.

I like that there are canopies for some shade.She loved going down the slide into the pool.Fun!She had to have all the little floaties. The pool is deep enough for swimming, but still toddler size so that Astrid could get in and out on her own.She loves this Little Tykes playhouse with its play kitchen sink.The other little girl is the owner's daughter. Astrid tried to get a conversation started with her by saying, "Washing dishes." Alluding to the fact that it's what you do at the kitchen sink.Showing Mommy the shark.

There's also a yellow submarine toy in there that we have at home as a bath toy. Astrid was holding and tapping it on top of the water in the bathtub one day repeating over and over again, "smarine". It took me awhile but I realized she was referring to the "Yellow Submarine" and she wanted me to sing her the Beatles song that her Papa always sings to her in the bath. So that was my cue, "We all live in a yellow submarine...a yellow submarine...a yellow submarine."Playing here while she waits for her turn on the swing.Astrid was the only kid wearing a bathing suit. All the other kids just had their swim diapers on. One dad commented that Astrid had a wet suit on. Not quite - no latex - but it does have built in SPF protection. I'd much rather be on the safe side and cover her up, then let her be exposed to the sun's harmful rays.

Astrid tried speaking to a couple of the kids. Unfortunately the kids she tried speaking to didn't have the same language skills to reciprocate. There was a little boy sitting on the slide who Astrid was trying to strike up a conversation with. First she commented on the water, "Water cold?" She wasn't discouraged when she didn't get any response, but just kept trying. When she saw that he wasn't going down the slide she asked, "Help? Hand? Hand?" to see if he needed assistance and offered to hold his hand if he needed it. She also introduced herself, "Astrid" she said a few times, as she pointed to herself. Then she continued to tell him, "Grapes. Mouth." as she opened her mouth and pointed inside it to illustrate what she was eating. It was really great to see her trying to communicate with other kids and not being shy about it.We got there in the morning when there was a lot of shade, but by the time afternoon rolled around, it was time to put on a hat.Checking out the chairs on top of the water spray mat.These Friday outdoor water events are a treat! It's definitely worth the $10.

More fun at Peekaboo Playland

Today we went back again to Peekaboo Playland. Astrid loves this place and so do I. The owner (who has a toddler of her own) allows customers to come back the same day after their child's nap, without having to pay again. I just wish they were open on the weekends. (They're closed on the weekends for private parties.) As you can see, adults like playing there too.We ran into Ava (from gymnastics class) and her daddy there too. We recently found out that we're practically neighbors (they live a few blocks away). Ava and her dad walked by the house one day when U. and Astrid were outside, and the girls immediately recognized each other. (Ava's mommy Olivia just had another baby. We're going to plan a play date soon.)