Le Top Darling of the Day: William

In classic black and white, this handsom devil has all the looks and charm of favorite Hollywood legends like Clark Gable, Cary Grant, and Gary Cooper. Watch out for this little heartbreaker! Congratulations to William on being our Le Top Darling of the Day.

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Birthday near the holidays?

The holidays are hectic enough without adding birthdays into the mix. Many in my circle of loved ones have birthdays during this season. My husband has always told me that he felt slighted because everyone was out of town or just too tired to do something for his birthday which falls between Christmas and the New Year (plus he often received a combined gift). I threw him a surprise party almost two months in advance of his birthday when he turned 40 since it was clear that between the holidays and a new baby that he would get left out once again.

So how do you make their birthday special?
One of my extended family members has her birthday on Christmas day. What a special Christmas gift she was! When she was young we used to celebrate her birthday on the half year. That way, everyone was around on her birthday, but it didn’t just get rolled up in with Christmas. The added benefit was that the weather was generally nice and therefore gave better options for parties.

My daughter was born on New Year’s Eve. That’s right. She was my little tax break. Though I think this birth date will be fabulous when she is a teenager, at this age it’s kind of a pain. Both she and I were sick two years in a row for her birthday due to stress and overdoing it. Last year I got smart and celebrated it at the end of January. Everyone made it to the party since they had all recovered from the holidays and were back on track. This year I opted to have her class celebrate her birthday when they return from holiday break instead of the last day before winter break.

Of course, I want my daughter to feel incredibly special on her birthday so I’ve been checking in with people on what they do to make their child feel like a superstar.

• Celebrate on a different day or even month
• Let them choose what they want to do: Have friends over or go out?
• Let them choose all the meals for the day
• If their birthday is mid-December, hold off on getting the tree until after you celebrate their day
• If you must celebrate at the same time, make sure their gifts are wrapped in Happy Birthday paper not Christmas paper
• Have your child make a separate Christmas list and Birthday list
• No holiday décor up while celebrating – At minimum have a separate room in their chosen theme to have the festivities
• Don’t just slap a candle on that holiday pie – Make a special dessert of their choosing with Happy Birthday written on it.

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It’s a holiday baby bonanza!

The holidays are a time for all of us to be thankful but for the following celebrities there were additional reasons to rejoice.

Ali Larter – John Shearer/WireImage

Early Monday, December 20^th actress Ali Larter and her writer/actor husband Hayes MacArthur welcomed their first child, son Theodore Hayes.  

During Larter’s pregnancy she told PEOPLE that impending motherhood put things in a new light.

“To feel this life growing inside of me grounds me every day and really puts things into perspective about what’s important in life,” she said. “It really is your health and your family.”

Congratulations Ali on your new little bundle of joy!

 

 
Former Friends star, David Schwimmer has announced that he’s going to be a dad!

The actor and his new bride photographer Zoe Buckman will become first-time parents and they “couldn’t be more thrilled.” said Schwimmer’s rep.

David, 44, and Zoe, 26, met in 2007 in London while he was directing the film “Run, Fat Boy, Run.” They announced their engagement in March.

In 2006 while speaking to PEOPLE about starting his own family he said, “It will happen when it feels right. Maybe part of me is waiting for myself to slow down a little and be ready to stay put. I’m confident it’s gonna happen.”

He was right! Congrats to the happy couple.

Courtesy of Kate Dillion

 
 
 
Stunning plus size model Kate Dillon and husband Gabe Levin welcomed their first child, baby boy Lucas Dillon Levin, on Tuesday, Dec. 21 in New York City. Little Lucas weighed in at 8 lbs. Dillon, 36, and Levin, a real estate investor, met during a flight in 2007 and were married Dec. 28, 2008.

Enjoy that baby!

And finally…

Tasos Katopodis/Getty

Wedding Crashers star, Vince Vaughn and wife Kyla Weber welcomed a healthy baby girl into their lives on Saturday morning, Dec. 18 in a hospital in Vaughn’s hometown of Chicago. Locklyn Kyla Vaughn, weighed in at 7 lbs. and was 20 inches long.

Locklyn is the first child for both Vince and Kyla. 2010 has been a banner year for the couple who wed in January and have finished off the year off with a new baby. “Both of them couldn’t be happier to welcome their sweet little girl into their family!” says a friend of the couple.

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Happy Birthday to twins Dolly & Charlie O’Connell

Twin sisters Dolly Rebecca Rose (left) and Charlie Tamara Tulip (right) turn 2-years-old today! These cuties are sure to have matching smiles this birthday season! We think matching Pocket-Full-of-Posies Collection outfits would be the perfect party dresses to rock in the New Year.

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Morissette Welcomes Son Ever

Singer/Songwriter Alanis Morissette and her new hubby rapper Mario Treadway (married May 22^nd) received the best gift of all for Christmas: a baby boy.

“Alanis Morissette and Mario ‘Souleye’ Treadway welcomed a baby boy, Ever Imre Morissette-Treadway, on Dec. 25th,” says a rep for Morisette. “All are healthy and happy.”

It’s seems like a natural fit for this musical couple to dress Ever in a pieced long sleeve shirt from the Rabbitmoon Guitar collection. Enjoy your new baby!

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Natalie Portman Expecting!

Photo: Andrew Medichini, AP

New engaged Natalie Portman and choreographer Benjamin Millepied confirmed with PEOPLE that they are expecting their first child.

The 29 year old actress who met Millepied while filming Black Swan has been nominated for a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild award for her performance. The romantic comedy, No Strings Attached, who she costars in with Ashton Kutcher is coming out January 21, 2011.

Congrats! This will be an exciting and busy year! If there is a girl in Natalie’s future we think our ballerina tutu dress and tights from the Le Top Pirouette collection would be simply darling.

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Paper Plate Angels for the Christmas Dinner Table – kids craft!

Merry Christmas Eve! It can be tough entertaining the children on Christmas Eve while you are frantically trying to (secretly) wrap gifts, prep the food for Christmas Day dinner, make beds for family members coming into town to stay with you and somehow clean up the house before Christmas Day madness.  To keep the kids busy, have them sit down with this fun activity that will not only be good for your time, but also will decorate your table for Christmas dinner. The kids will be so proud of their craft and the table is sure to look festive with 6-inch plain white paper plates (cheap too)!

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Holiday Entertaining: Zucchini & Carrot Fritters – kids & parents will HEART them!

The holidays are all about family, food and entertaining…the only problem is picking out items that the whole family – including the kids will enjoy. Here is how to get those veggies into your kiddos tummies while pleasing your adult guests during the holidays.  PLUS – it only takes about an hour of your time and is perfect to prep ahead of time and doesn’t have to be served hot.

Ps – it’s the holidays, so give in and love these little fried fritters. 🙂 You can always start healthy come the New Year!

Zucchini and Carrot Fritters With Ranch Dip

Servings: 3 dozen
Time: 1 hour total (prep and cook time)

• 1 cup all-purpose flour, more as needed
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more for serving
• 1 cup milk, more as needed
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 large carrots, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 large zucchini, grated (about 2 cups)
• 2 scallions, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup ranch dressing
• Olive oil, for frying.

 

1. To make the batter for the fritters: in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, coriander and 1/2 teaspoon salt. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, lemon zest and pepper.

2. Pour dry ingredients into wet; whisk until just blended (do not over mix). Batter should be slightly thicker than cream. If it’s too thick, add some milk; if it’s too thin, sprinkle with additional flour. Stir in the carrots, zucchini and scallions. Allow to rest for 30 minutes.

3. To make the dip: pour ½ cup of ranch dressing in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

4. Fill a wide saucepan with 1 inch of olive oil; heat until the temperature registers 375 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer (or until a small drip of batter browns immediately). Line a cookie sheet with paper towels. Working in batches, drop battered vegetables by the tablespoon into the oil, being sure not to overcrowd the pan. Fry, turning occasionally, until golden all over, about 3 to 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer fritters to the cookie sheet to drain. Transfer fritters to a platter or plate; sprinkle with salt and serve with dip.

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Le Top Darling of the Day: Alastriona

Beauty and brains! Candid or smiling for the camera, bright eyed, blue eyed baby girl Alastriona always looks sharp and smart. What a gorgeous little girl! Congrats to Alastriona on being Le Top’s Darling of the Day!

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Ruru the Le Top dog

One of the most rewarding aspects of working for Le Top is the stories you hear from parents and customers. From yearly traditions of wearing Le Top during the holidays to kid tantrums that their ‘favorite Le Top tights are snagged and need new ones’ to their favorite stuffed animals from Le Top.  Le Top is known for making whimsical clothing for kids and it is so true – there is something very magical about knowing how integral Le Top’s clothing can play a part in a family’s life.

I’m not sure how many of you readers know, but Le Top is a family owned business and my Aunt works for the family as well.  She told me a story about a little girl and her love of one of our ‘old favorites,’ LuLu the 2-in-1 stuffed animal and purse. LuLu is similar to our Fall 2010 Haute Dog girls Collection.  We had the Lulu Collection many years ago and it included a really cute Dachshund purse named ‘LuLu.’ 

Here is the story – enjoy and I hope it makes you smile as it did for us here at Le Top:

The storeowner gave a Lulu to her granddaughter, Meg. She fell in love with this little doggie purse and even though she was barely old enough she carried it everywhere.  Her grandmother, Lynn, had told my Aunt Kathy how she loved this purse and called in ‘RuRu.’ It had become so ‘loved’ and tattered that she asked if there was any chance we could find her a new one. We did a land search and found one and sent it off to her. Now, a couple of years later the ‘RuRu’ was starting to look worn again. They told Jerry Gibson, one of Le Top’s sales representatives at market week (where the various children’s clothing brands show their clothes for stores to buy each season) that the dog purse was once again – becoming worn and she still wouldn’t part with it. Jerry had made a store visit to one of our accounts that is famous for holding onto her old merchandise for quite a while…and low and behold there was a ‘LuLu’ purse.  He purchased it and sent it to Lynn’s store for Meg.

These photos & letter were sent to Jerry and we thought you might enjoy it too.

Letter to Jerry

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