Lola, Jane of all trades

This year marked a lot of firsts for Lola. She moved for the first time (that she could remember). 

She joined a Roller Derby class. 

She took a drum lesson. She helped raise some chickens at school and sold the eggs.

She got a dog (not this little guy. that's just a little orphan). She started volunteering at a dog rescue boutique. She took a basketball workshop and nailed her lay-ups. Soon, she'll start a new school, wear everyone wears uniforms. We like to keep busy around here!

A Walk in the Woods

Lola and Gina visited Roscoe, N.Y. for the first time last week, a little town right at the edge of the Catskill Mountains. Most days, Lola spent in her Aunt Helen's swimming pool with her cousin Riley. But one morning the girls ventured out behind Aunt Helen and Uncle Pete's house to walk through the woods to Beaver Kill River. It was so lush with ferns, the girls were convinced that fairies lived all around the forest. These little feet, however, belonged to Lola.

After a little journey through the trees, the girls found the water, plopped down on the rocks and wrote some poems. For the complete video, click here.

Roscoe's Finest: Sweet Tooth

Roscoe has a population of just 1,200. It also has some of the best soft-serve ice cream you will ever eat. The Sweet Tooth is a little place just off the main drag that has cheered generations of kids every summer with Texas-sized portions. Here, Lola and Riley enjoy their "junior" chocolate cones.

Live Action Lola

Just as she did two years ago at Uncle Clay's wedding, Lola proved she has stage presence, belting out "Don't Stop Believin'" for an L.A. crowd. See the whole thing here.

Striking a Pose

Here, Lola wears what she deemed "1950s" garb for her camp's "Decades Day." Her pose says it all.

Lola P. Howe. Superstar.

This summer, Lola joined the Campbell Hall Performing Arts Camp. She and forty other kids spent three weeks crafting their own production. The musical titled 'Versus vs. Verses"was a bit dystopian and more complex than one might expect from kids. But Lola had ample time to show off her talents!

Lily the dog who "changed my life."

Behold Lily the rescued Pomerian. The little dog with the big bark and the phenomenally bad breath. Lola's best friend and soul mate. We found her at a rescue organization called "Lucky Puppy" about three weeks ago and so far, she and Bunk and Omar have agreed to a temporary truce. She is a true lap dog. In. Every. Sense. Of. The. Word.

Year of the CandyCorn Witch

Fairies Are Real

Lola says, "Today I researched on fairies. Two little girls a long long time ago took some pictures that they said were real fairies. But then they admitted - 60 years later_ that all but ONE of the photos was fake. This very picture that I'm holding in my hand, they say it's real. I think it's real."

Peas in a Pod

Lola rang in her parents' 11th wedding anniversary with lots of good food and smiles.

Lola P. Howe, Second Grader

Three weeks ago, Lola entered second grade, full of vim and vigor. Her teacher Sara is young and newlywed and celebrating her first year as a full teacher. Lola adores her. So far, they've visited the L.A. Zoo, to take in the new orangutans exhibit, choreographed a dance inspired by orangutans (in this video, Lola appears at 18:15) swinging through trees. Just yesterday, Lola asked me whether her bag of potato chips had palm oil in them. "You know Mom, they're ruining the orangutans' forests by cutting down trees for the palm oil." No more palm oil for us!

Fairy Theater

After school each week, Lola and some friends wrote and choreographed their own production involving fairies and from the looks of this photo, lots of joy!

Merry Merry Little Fairies

We got a fake tree this year for the first time and Lola and her buddy Emilia helped decorate it. They stayed in character, as Tinker Bell and Periwinkle. Naturally.. 

Lola had school on her actual birthday, so naturally there were cupcakes! (And special seating with the birthday girl at a table with her specially selected friends.)

Thanksgiving, L.A. style

Lola's Papa visited for Thanksgiving this year and together, they made some homemade bread for the occasion. It was unseasonably, record-breaking hot for the holiday, so when we weren't basking in the air conditioning, we ventured outside to Huntington Gardens for an afternoon among the lush flora..

The Birthday of Birthdays

Lola turned seven in a fairy wonderland this year, in a place called "Fairies and Dragons," tucked demurely inside an Encino strip mall. Hordes of little girls swarmed the place, got their pick of floofy costumes, crafted interesting little fairy houses, sipped from a pink lemonade fountain, watched a puppet show and left Lola with a bounty of gifts. When I asked Lola what she wished for, she said, "That this party never ends."  

Lola's Falcon Study

Lola's class spent weeks studying falcons and other birds over the fall. As part of their lesson, they ventured out on a couple field trips. Here, she looks out from the top of Mulholland Drive into a canyon, keeping an eye out for the red-tailed hawks that swoop and dive in the area.

Here, Lola poses -- for two separate trick or tricking events -- with her good friends Emilia (top) and Emma.

Halloween-A Family Affair

This year, we decided to dress-up en familia. And since Lola chose to be a gypsy, Michael (not pictured, though dutifully dressed as a pirate) went along with the theme. Mercifully, this was the only photo that survived of Mom. Though, Lola sure was cute!

The Baby Front Teeth = History

Just three weeks ago, after weeks of working her teeth back and forth as vigorously as her little fingers could, Lola finally lost both her front teeth. She likes the fact that she can make "fangs" out of the remaining teeth. Just in time for Halloween!