CIA agents are impersonating king george of great britain and stealing his fortune. help.

This is a very long post without a lot of LS, but I know there are people out there with Lottie Sue withdrawal. Let me ease your pain...

yahoo serious, lottie sue style

Matt and I just flew back from Los Angeles the other day and boy, are our arms tired! Hahahahahaha. No? Fine. We took the red-eye back late Sunday night and arrived home around 9am on Monday. It wasn't that bad because we were both upgraded to first class (sometimes Matt's travel gives us a positive), where we belong. I know it made a huge difference but I still woke up about every hour. But after we got home we then drove up to the get Lottie Sue at the lake. So now we are all home again and trying to get back into things.

First let, me tell you about our trip to see Cera. IT WAS AWESOME! Matt and I had a wonderful time, we did so much out there and really explored the area. Plus we got to see CERA, that was the best thing fo sho.

Cera lives in Studio City, it's a super neat neighborhood. They have a big palm tree right outside the front door and a park a block over. There are so many places to eat and shop via foot. They are at the base of the Santa Monica Mountains, so you can drive around the hills to see the super expensive homes or take one of the hiking trails. There is also a Pinkberry right down the street. Hi, my name is Jen and I am a Pinkberry addict. There. I said it.

I think I'll just detail our trip for your entertainment. Please note that I am posting a few photos of an exhibit that Matt and I went to see. They are graphic I suppose so when you get to the Body World section you may want to scroll down if you want to skip it. And now that I think of it I am posting a photo of lunch one day, it's not for the faint of heart either.

OK, back to the trip...Matt was in San Fran for work and flew down to LA, we arrived right around the same time. Cera picked us up from the airport and went to a neighborhood restaurant named Mexicali and enjoyed a late dinner.

On Friday Cera had to work so we dropped her off and went out exploring. We first went to The Grove for shopping (saw our first celebrity at Anthropologie, Kim Coles - although she's not particularly big, we both knew her). We then visited a few more shops in Hollywood and walked over to the Mann Chinese Theatre. We saw Kirk Cameron on the street, our second celebrity sighting.

mr. growing pains himself behind me in the blue jacket with striped on the arms

this is mann's chinese theater, lots of characters hang out here

For lunch we ate at Pink's, a famous local hot dog joint. The line was crazy long but it went fast.

the lines are always long here

this is what we ordered, we took the top two "most ordered" dogs (we recommend just getting the normal type dog, these were ok but not great)

That afternoon we decided to go down to the USC area to see the "Body World' exhibit at the California Science Center. This exhibit opened in Chicago when we lived there but it was right after we moved. And then last year we were in Miami and it was going to open the week after we were gone. It alluded us for many years...but timing worked out and we were able to go.

matt at the california science center

Here is an overview from the website:

The exhibit is organized according to the major systems of the body including the locomotive system, nervous system, reproductive system, digestive system and cardiovascular system. Debuting at the Science Center, the exhibit also includes a special presentation on the heart, revealing through the lens of anatomy, cardiology, psychology and culture how this four-chambered muscle nourishes, regulates and sustains life.

Through the life-like and dramatic poses of full-body specimens and detailed presentation of organs and body parts, guests gain profound insights into the structure and function of healthy and unhealthy bodies. BODY WORLDS 3 is a moving and unique experience that not only inspires science learning, but instills wonder and appreciation for the elegance and complexity of the human body.

• See how the muscles, bones and other systems work through body specimens poised in the rigorous activities of soccer, gymnastics, archery, cycling, dancing and power walking.
• View elegantly posed pairs of bodies and 3D slices to gain insights otherwise impossible to see.
• Gain a unique view of the circulatory system through organs and full-body specimens of the veins and arteries.
• Get close-up views of organs and body parts, including into the four chambers of the human heart, and learn how they function to keep the body healthy.

And I have a few photos , it's truly fascinating.

blood vessel system of the head

woman kneeling

After we saw the exhibit it was time to drive back to pick Cera up from work. She took us on a tour of the studio lot. It's old news for her but we really liked seeing everything. At the Fox lot they tape a few shows you might watch; How I Met Your Mother, Bones, House, Prisonbreak, and voicing for The Simpsons and Family Guy. We are big fans of Bones, House, The Simpsons and Family Guy so it was super neat. Plus, Bones, House and Prisonbreak were taping that afternoon. Here are some photos, and please note these are not that great. They were taken from my iphone, you aren't supposed to take photos but we did anyway. Renegades.

the entrance to the studio lot

this is the bones wardrobe trailer, all of the outfits were hanging outside

this is agent booth's car in bones, a shot taken on the fly

this is the diner from bones, everything is fake inside - a shell basically

and we were just walking along and wentworth miller went driving by, he's the main guy from prisionbreak

The lot has a "New York" area built, you literally turn a corner and you're in a NYC city street.

we went from los angeles to nyc, jet set

This is the House stage, they were taping that day as well.

lots of very expensive cars parked outside

an exterior set for house, it's actually outside fox's accounting building

After the tour we went out to eat dinner on Sunset. We are a cute French restaurant.

matt and cera at dinner

The next day we went up to the Griffith Park Observatory. They skies were clear that day and we could really far out. Here are a few photos...

the hollywood sign is right over a ridge from the observatory

my head hides most of the hollywood sign, oops

two adorable sisters

After lunch that day we acted like the tourists we were and took photos at the Beverly Hills sign.

land of the rich and famous

i had no idea!

That night we had tickets to see Wicked. We enjoyed a delicious Italian dinner before with Hayley.

three tennessee girlz

And then we went to see Wicked - I LOVED it! I mean, it is my favorite musical and I want to see it again. I have the book and it's been on the bookshelf for a few years now. Matt and I really enjoyed ourselves, it was Cera's second time seeing the musical.

the untold story of the witches of oz

another renegade shot, taken at intermission

The next morning we drove to Malibu to enjoy brunch on the beach. The food was great, lots of seafood items and I ate my weight in seviche.

the view from our table

here we are on the beach in malibu

cutie pie matt in front of some very expensive homes

cera dips her tootsies in the cold pacific

another sister shot

After brunch we drove back to Hollywood, we had tickets to see Indiana Jones at the Arclight Hollywood. We were hanging out in the front and Mr. American Idol, David Cook, walked right by us. Very nice young man, very polite to the people that were in total awe of seeing him. We was walking with a tall blonde and people were stopping in the their tracks and pointing at him. It was sort of funny.

doo be doo be doo...the most poplular guy in america (this week at least)

OK, that's all I have from the trip. We went to Pinkberry every day, sometimes twice a day. We saw the actor Dax Shepard there and he spoke to Matt. He was getting a yogurt "to go" and I can only assume that it was for Veronica Mars (they are dating and she lives in Cera's neighborhood). And now that we are home Matt, being the thoughtful husband he is, found a Pinkberry recipe online and has made it for me every night this week. Now that's love.

Lottie Sue spent a few days with Gramma and Grandpa and then a few days with BB and GranDaddy. All reports back stated she was an angel.

lottie sue up at the lake eating lunch

passed out in the car on the way home

Lottie Sue turns 1 in a few days, I get emotional just thinking about it. Whoa.

Hope life is treating everyone well - peace out.

tupperware (yay!), anchovies (ew!) & kevin makes friendly contact (for once)

This past weekend the Apples came down for a visit and I have a few photos to share. Harlan found our Tupperware lid drawer and introduced it to Lottie Sue. These were taken in the AM after breakfast, both kids still in their pajamas.

LS loves the shiny dishwasher while Harlan investigates the lids

tug-of-war

LS is on the lookout, not wanting to get caught

it doesn't take a lot to entertain these two

One of the neatest things about LS is feeding her new foods to see what she does. Here is Lottie Sue enjoying her favorite meal, pesto tortellini. She loves it and will gobble it down.

oh boy, pesto is the best-o

Matt was making an appetizer for us that had anchovies in it, he wanted to broaden Lottie's food horizon. She hated it.

upon first taste - ew

and she then asks Matt how a daddy could do that to his little girl
- not cool

And here we have Lottie Sue playing with her activity cube, she really likes that thing.

our busy bee

And it amazed me to walk into the room and see Kevin this close to Lottie Sue. Kevin and Ernie basically detest her. They avoid her like the plague. She is loud and likes to pull their ears/tail and I'm not sure I blame them. But I see that after a year almost, Kevin might be warming up to her. She's a little unsure of his proximity I can tell...

um, mommy...i'm scared

OK, and even MORE photos of Lottie Sue playing. Here are her two (currently) favorite friends, Mr. Horsey and Pink Bear.


Here are a few more of her playing with some toys. And you may ask yourself how many toys one little girl needs, Lottie Sue would answer "A LOT."

I leave you with this photo I took of the two other kids. Both of them are in the one room in the house we don't allow them to go into. Any trying on our end is futile.

yang and yang

More to come late this week, I will try to take more photos of this little girl. She turns ONE in a few weeks, I can't believe it! And Matt and I are going to Los Angeles to see Cera in a few days, I am SO excited! I can't wait!