Beach Party Bonanza

Last weekend, we ventured up to Point Dume in Malibu for a double birthday party on the sand. Lola's good buddy Samantha turned 5 and lots of wiggly pre-schoolers swarmed the shore for hours - at least until the rip tide drove everyone back to the tent for cake and sandwiches.

The Summer Ritual: Swim lessons

It's been three years since Lola's first swim lesson (a two-week stint at the Rose Bowl that didn't really work out, but anyway...) And now, she's on the cusp of being "pool safe," as they say out here in the Land of Swimming Pools. Today, Lola jumped in the water, pulled herself up to the surface and kept on swimming - a real milestone that prompted a lengthy victory song afterward..

Her teacher Monica was an Olympic contender back in the 1960s. Over the years, she's taught generations of kids to swim. Naturally, she has the patience of a saint.

Lola's Girl Posse

It has been an especially busy month for Lola. As kindergarten nears, her nursery school friendships are suddenly richer and more complex than ever. Or maybe that's just a girl thing. Life just wouldn't be complete without her regular cosmetics pow-wows with eyeshadow expert Emma, above, (one third of the triplets) at Beeman Park. Below, she is pictured with her morning posse, Samantha (in the cowboy hat), Maya in the purple and Colette in the pigtails. She snuggled up in bed for a photo with Neorah. And hugged it out with her new friend from church Dot as they lived it up at KidSpace. Some days it's really awesome to be 5.