A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do

When Golden Spoon isn't nearby, sometimes you have to resort to the lesser competition for your frozen yogurt fix. I'm not proud, but I'm full. And mostly happy. At least they have dark chocolate crunchies. I like dark chocolate crunchies.

Hooray for USC!

Mommy is going to USC President Nikias's inauguration as the 11th President of the University and to the Trojan-filled luncheon that follows! She's been looking forward to this important event for months. It's a happy day in Trojanland.

What she didn't expect was that she would be so darned busy that she had to work both days of the weekend *and* stay up late this entire week getting enough done to justify taking a few hours off during the day for the inauguration and lunch! But busy is a good thing. Busy mommy means a well-funded 529 account. It also ensures mommy and daddy aren't going to move in with me when they retire.

Congratulations, President Nikias!

Early Halloween Eskimo Kissies!

Daddy is a parrot. I'm awesome.

I decided to clean the table, too, for good measure

So many rose petals!

Don't you people have a gardener?!

Why are there rose petals all over Amma and Baba's patio? Their gardener doesn't do a very good job.

I've discovered doors in a big way

Now I open and close doors at will! I love hiding in the bathroom. I poke my head out from time to time and shriek "PEEK-A-BOO!" as mommy and daddy claim to find me. But I'm crafty -- I go right back to hiding!

There's a new movie coming out about a teenage paparazzo

I totally beat him to the punch. I'm only TWO and I'm snapping up a storm. Except that I don't care about so-called celebrities. I take pictures of Amma, Baba and my animals!

Figs anyone?

I helped Amma and Baba pick figs from their tree in the back yard. Then I put them in a little bowl and took them to mommy so she could wash them for me. I always make sure to wash figs before I eat them (even if they've already been washed).

A woowoo CAKE?! Oh boy!

My verdict: DELICIOUS.

Goats can't open doors

The past few nights, I have demanded to sleep in mommy's bed with her. I crawl under the covers and demand to hold mommy's hand. Then I realize that the bedroom door is still open and I ask her to close it. I have good reason for this request, too: goats can't open doors. Just as I was very concerned about cows coming in the house, I am now concerned that goats will come in. Here's how the conversation goes:

"Mama, goat come?"
"No baby, the door is closed."
"Goat open door no."
"That's right baby, goats can't open doors."
"Dada open door."
"Yes. Dada can open the door."
"Okay. Dada come. Night-night!"

Of course, this conversation repeats itself about 50 times each night, but it's just like this each time.

Aquadoodling is a passion

And I'm *so* good at it!

For those of you not familiar with Aquadoodle, the Aquadoodle board is a white-faced soft surface that you can write on with a special water-filled Aquadoodle pen. If I write on the Aquadoodle board, the images I draw show up! If I draw on the walls, all that shows up on the wall is a little bit of water!

Mommy likes this toy for two reasons. First, it's no-mess. Second, it reinforces the idea that you write or draw on paper, not on walls or on mommy's clothes! I've already gotten this idea. Mommy's clothes aren't for pens; they're for cleaning and drying my grubby little hands! HA HA!

A new hiding spot!

Mommy surely won't find me here!

Curious George and I prove that PJs are fashionable

We wear them to make our good-night calls.

And excuse you too, Anisette Brasserie!

I told mommy I wanted a croissant. She told me Anisette Brasserie, where I got that fabulous chocolate croissant I was muching on a few days ago, closed. What the heck?! Where am I supposed to get my croissants now?!

Thank goodness Belwood Bakery is nearby. We went there. Not quite as good as Anisette, but still very, very good.

You know what my new interest is?

Pygmy goats. They're the same goats I find so darned fascinating, but they're the size of the little doggies I love so much. And their faces look a little like ponies. How is it that I don't have a pygmy goat yet?! Maybe if we find the right house soon and we have a grassy back yard, we can get a pgymy goat to mow the lawn. Imagine the savings on gardening!

Excuse you

I sense there is some confusion. Yesterday's post was that CAROLINE was not here. That doesn't mean that YOU get to be gone. First Amma left on vacation to visit her mommy (Amma's mommy is not doing very well), and now Dada left on some stupid work trip again.

No. ALL OF YOU PEOPLE COME BACK. Now.

Caroline's not here!

Would you like to leave a message?

If you give Caroline a book....

I learned from the mouse. In the book, if you give a mouse a cookie, he asks for a glass of milk. Then he asks for a straw for his milk. Then he needs a napkin to wipe his mouth. Then he needs to look in the mirror to make sure he doesn't have a milk mustache. Next, he asks for nail scissors to give his errant hairs a trim. You get the point. In my life, when I don't want to go to bed (which is to say every night), I ask for a book. Then another. Then a third. And a fourth. Then I want to start the whole process again. Because at the end of the book, the mouse was thirsty and he asked for a glass of milk. And you know what happens when he has a glass of milk!

Glasses! MINE!

Your sunglasses? Please. They're mine.


As soon as mommy gets in the car, I whip over and snap her sunglasses right off her face! Then I proclaim them to be "Caroline's" and put them on. Of course, this time I was so crafty that I was laughing too hard to be able to put the sunglasses on my face!

Of course, I managed to get them on. Eventually. It just took a little while. Victory is miiiiine!

I think Scott is mocking me

He brought a cow into the house. Despite mommy relaying my 3am lecture to him. Oh boy. At least it's a cute, cuddly and less poopy version of the cow we saw at the petting zoo!

No cows in the house, please

I woke up at 3am a few days ago and very urgently called for mommy. Repeatedly. When she woke up, I told her that cows belong OUTSIDE the house. She must have been half-asleep, because she thought it was an odd thing to say to someone at 3am. But I was imparting important information! To make my point, I lectured her for nearly an hour on where cows belong (the farm and the petting zoo) and where they do not belong (inside the house). I think she realized how critical the information was when she woke up several hours later. You can be sure of one thing -- she did not let a cow in the house!

This is how proper little girls eat

Pinky UP! While the food goes DOWN.

I emptied grandma's makeup bag!

And I helped myself to her lipstick. Among other things. I also used her nail clippers to (not quite) clip my toenails. I opened her powder and used the puff to powder my nose. Then I pulled out grandma's brush and told grandma to sit so I could brush her hair. She tried to put her makeup back in the bag while I brushed her hair, of course, but I can't be so easily fooled. I saw what she was trying to do. And I instructed her to stop.

Peek-a-boo!

I see you! And it doesn't look like you're WORKING!

Shhhhhhh...

I'm hiding!

Move over, Billy Joel

I'm the *new* Piano Man! Except for the "man" part, of course.

Oh NOOOOOOO! Elmo!!

Mommy, daddy and I went to a kids' restaurant called Giggles N Hugs. We resisted going for a long time because mommy and daddy don't like going places celebrities go, and it seems like there's always a handful there. But finally, we went. Mommy heard Elmo was going to be there and knew I'd want to see him. She also heard the food was actually good. It was -- it was delicious, even by our standards.

Well, I did want to see him. I was very excited when Elmo came out! I was even more excited to see that you could take pictures with him. But actually taking pictures was another story. When we stood next to him, I very verbally told mommy "Elmo off -- Elmo home. Elmo no hold Caroline!" He's so much bigger than I expected! I have an Elmo doll and he's much smaller than this guy. I didn't know what to make of it!

Mommy thought I might feel more comfortaable with someone more imposing. Daddy towers over Elmo. But even with imposing daddy, I wasn't keen on the idea of BIG ELMO. I did eventually give Elmo a fist bump. But that's all I was willing to do. I was ready to go home to small Elmo. So off we went. But at least we got a few pictures to remember it!

I'm sooooo cool

Way to cool to have sunglasses on my face. It's bright out, but I still insist on securing them on top of my head.

Do you know what time it is?

Harry & David o'clock! Oh how I love that time.

What's white and fluffy and has Caroline all over?

Sheets! And pillows! I like to hide in them. Squee!!

Tech support, please!

I was annoyed that mommy was working one night. So I walked over and took her laptop from her. Then I managed to figure out how to FLIP HER SCREEN so everything she was working on would appear upside down. I even went to mommy's firm's website to confirm it would apply to Microsoft Office *and* other documents! HA HA HA!! It took her a little while to figure out how to undo the damage. She had to Google the solution!

Bonjour!

Since mommy and daddy are such foodies, I've sampled some of the best food on the planet. In mommy's never-ending quest to find the perfect croissant in LA, we went to Anisette in Santa Monica. It is mommy's new favorite and the current front-runner to the "best croissant in LA" competition. Of course, this doesn't discourage her from trying others, all in the interest of research. She and daddy were enjoying their croissants so much that I thought I'd weigh in.

O. M. G.

Yes, please.

What a rough life

I want to go to "work" if going to "work" means attending client meetings at Splashes at the Surf & Sand in Laguna Beach. This was mommy's view from her table. Where she was conducting "business." What a rough life. And she wonders why I put on my shoes, grab my purse and keys and announce each morning that I'm going to work?! Yes, I work in Malibu. Take me there.

I was reading a book in my room, when all of a sudden, I saw a squirrel!

And then two! And then three! And four! The four of them were running up and down trees, across the sidewalk, leaping several stairs at a time, chasing one another and starting all over again! It looked like great fun. I wanted to join in! So I did - I marched over to mommy and told her I wanted to go outside and join the fun. And we did. I'm very good at chasing mommy.

How's this for a modern trend: PJs and a tutu, making carpet-based summer snow angels

Young Hollywood, you're not the only ones who can start trends!

You know how people put their little doggies in their purses?

Grandma put ME in a purse, too!


One foot at a time...


All in, and swiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

Don't be fooled

I may look sweet, polite and innocent, but I can pitch a serious fit. Even over diaper changes. Because darn it, sometimes I WANT poop on my butt!

On my walk, I saw a pinecone.

Investigating.



Closer inspection.

KICK.

And then I followed the pinecone and kicked it some more. That'll teach him.

Mommy said I look like Gretl Von Trapp in this dress

The hills fill my heart with the Sound of Muuuuuuusic!

Not now -- I'm working

Thanks to my little hippo step stool, I can climb onto the couch and get to mommy's laptop to do my very important work without parental interference. of course, they're always within arm's reach, but that's just because they're clingy.

Mommy's firm website is now LIVE!

A big THANK YOU to my Godfather, Scott, for all of his hard work! Well done!

Now you can all go to www.ninarieslaw.com to see what mommy is up to!

Aaaaaahhhhh

I love that fresh "just out of the bath" feeling. I keep my robe on as long as I can to prolong it!

I'm practicing my CEO stare

What do you think? Intimidating, aren't I?

Not only is your phone mine, but your shoes are mine, too

Have you ever tried to separate a girl from her shoes? I don't recommend you try. I confiscated grandma's shoes and almost didn't give them back to her when she wanted to leave!

Wow

I was occupied with administrative matters relating to mommy's new firm for the past few days, and I didn't get to update the blog. Today, just while mommy was at lunch with a banker, TWELVE of my fans sent her e-mails reminding her of the child labor laws and telling her that I should pay more attention to my blog and assist less with the setup of the firm.

Duly noted.

You'll notice that the blog has been updated, and I've pre-dated yesterday's entry so you don't have to feel like you missed a day in the life of Caroline. I could see how you would be upset. I have a pretty good life! I wouldn't want to miss a day, either.

Another new toy!

I sit on a round base and use the top round to play songs as I twirl myself around.



And then I get dizzy! Boom!

I put my dolly on the toy too, so she could join in on the fun!

Wanna see how I can give mommy a heart attack?

By *leaping* off of my chair, onto my stepstool and to the ground in one big, hurried motion. ::gasp!::

This is a very exciting day! Mommy has opened her own firm!

After thinking about this for a very long time, mommy has finally decided to open her own firm! The Law Offices of Nina B. Ries is open as of today.

Mommy's law office is a full-service firm providing for all of a company's needs. She has represented Fortune 500s, mid-cap companies and small shops alike in state and federal litigation involving breaches of contract, partnership disputes, business torts, real estate matters, employment, intellectual property, healthcare and class action defense. She has also drafted and negotiated various contracts and agreements, including vendor agreements, contracts between companies for services, purchase and sale agreements, distributor agreements and employment contracts. Based on her tremendous litigation and transactional experience, she has also served as general counsel for several companies that are not yet large enough to need full-time, in-house attorneys. If you know of any companies that require effective, cost-efficient legal representation, please let her know! She's really good -- they won't be disappointed.

Learn more about mommy's firm at: www.ninarieslaw.com.