“The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play. So we sat in the house All that cold, cold, wet day…” *

Our sales representative in Philadelphia sent us some pictures of the recent snow storm that hit his area, closing many government and civil offices.  We hear that a big part of the country is having a snow day!  What fun! 

Here in California, we don’t get “snow days” – we mostly experience many “rainy days”.  I remember while growing up here in the Bay Area that on rainy days we would come up with great games that kept us occupied indoors while the weather was storming outside.  One of my favorite things was to take apart the couch and raid the linen cabinet to build a fort.  I loved creating tunnels and rooms.  My sister and I would play for hours on end in our forts, while my mom maintained her sanity – a challenge with two very active little girls cooped up indoors!

What indoor activities do you use to keep your little ones busy on rainy or snowy days?

*From the Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss

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Puppies that Inspire…Puppies that Delight…Puppies that Destroy – Everything in Sight!

As you may have surmised…le•top is chock full of animal lovers – with dogs leading in the popularity poll!  The big news at le•top this week is that our designers will have four new puppies to inspire them as they design the next fabulous le•top collection.

Sylvia and Brandi

One of our great summer staffers – Franklin – announced that he was looking for homes for his litter of Golden Retriever/Labrador puppies.  When his SUV full of cute furry pups pulled up you would have thought we were having a fire drill!  The result?  Four of the puppies ending up joining our extended le•top family!  They were just too cute to resist!

Sweet Brandi went home with Sylvia (our EDI specialist and chief softy.) This is the ‘second time around’ for Sylvia’s family – she had already adopted Cosmo last year!

Tiffany and Zane

Tiffany (our Accounting supervisor) is happy to have Zane at home with her three children; why not have four to monitor!

Joy (pronounced Joe-ee,) one of our Order Packers, is “papa” to a new little girl, C.K., a name inspired by our corporate identity.

I couldn’t help myself!  I am the very proud new “mom” to gorgeous puppy Cali (short for California, our beautiful home state.)

Cali

The “new puppy club” agrees that adopting a 7 week old puppy is a lot of work!  Some of the ‘new parents’ have experience with animals – while some of us have zero experience – but we are all enjoying the rewards of ‘parenthood!’  Cali is great but quite a handful (to put it mildly!)  Housebreaking is one of the more difficult obstacles so far…or maybe it’s the fact that she wants to chew on anything and everything!  In spite of the fact that she bites our fingers and whines at night while we’re trying to sleep – I love her!

C.K.

We are looking forward to a year from now…not just because they will all be trained, but because we have a celebration planned!  The “puppy club” is going to honor their first birthday with Sylvia’s homemade doggie cookies! I’m looking forward to that party!

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HEY TEX! Where are You?!!! Secret Contest Winner Stays a Secret!

Our most recent Secret Contest winner, Amber, took a bit of work to get a hold of, but she finally gave us a ring the other day from Texas…much to my surprise since her mobile phone number has a California area code! The Texas native, (who went St. Mary’s in Moraga, CA – hence the area code) had moved out here for college, met her husband, had a couple of babies and then, two years ago, decided that Texas is where they would like to raise their family.

SunnyHill Farm shirt and short set available for boys in sizes 3 months to 4 toddler. E-I-E-I OH BOY!

Amber was telling me all about her two little gentlemen and how she can’t wait to get her hands on the le•top Sunnyhill Farm shirt and short set. Her two year old loves farms and farm animals (hello! they live in Texas — what a perfect place for a boy who loves farms!), so she is sure that he is just going to go wild for the short set, and so are we! I guess he will really have mommy to thank for this one, and we thank you, too, Amber, for your delicious Chocolate Cake-in-a-Cup recipe. I tried it myself, and it was nothing short of delightful, not to mention easy!

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Moms’ Double Trouble

Miranda in Flamingo Bay (left) and Sophia in Strawberry Fields

A couple of weekends ago, we drove down to Southern California to attend a baby shower I’d been invited to. Knowing that the weather there is always much warmer than the San Francisco, I packed summer wear—mostly le•top outfits—since it’ll be awhile before we really get to wear them here in the Bay Area. We met up with my cousin and her kids at a park so that my daughter (Miranda) and her daughter (Sophia) could get some play time. They’re like sisters, these two. We call them “Double Trouble.” They’re both bossy and like to pick on the boys.

I was delighted to see Sophia in the le•top Strawberry Fields dress that I sent to her as a birthday gift. Meanwhile, Miranda was decked out in my favorite le•top collection, Flamingo Bay. What’s fabulous is, that although these outfits are from two different collections, they complement each other very well! Perfect for sisters, twins, cousins, friends — who like to dress alike but not exactly the same.

Visit our store locator to find these lovely collections near you.

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Keep Dreaming! This week: Maui!

“The tide is High and [we] are holding on…” …to our dreams of a vacation on Maui!

Would you believe that my husband and I have lived in California our ENTIRE lives and have NEVER been to Maui, let alone Hawaii?!? We are one direct flight away, and we just can’t seem to get there (for those of you readers on the East Coast, what you think of me not getting to Hawaii is probably what I think of you not getting to London!) 😉 Don’t get me wrong, I definitely want to go. I mean, what’s not to like about Hawaii?? It has everything we have ever dreamed about for a vacation. Fantastic beaches, warm, crystal clear seas, rainforests, fabulous hotels, and great food (you know we at le•top are keen on great food…even if I can’t some of us don’t cook!). At this price, I am considering ditching our plans for a vacation (no, it’s not a dream…) to Canada and scooping up this great deal instead. Oh, to laze on the beach, with a mai tai in one hand, a good book in the other, “working” on my golden tan…okay, okay…with my fair complexion I would just burn…but if I’m going to dream, I might as well go all out!

$599 — Maui 5-Night Vacation w/Rental Car & Air

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The Treehouse

Located in South Lake Tahoe and Truckee

I went to South Lake Tahoe with my family for the weekend to enjoy some fun in the snow before the arrival of our next baby. Before we left, I decided to go on Le Top’s store locator just to see if there was a le•top retailer in town. I was delighted to have found a children’s store called “The Treehouse.” I didn’t really know if I would be able to visit the store since I was there with three other families (yes, three), but I’m so glad I found time! While the kids were playing at the cabin with the dads watching over them, my sister-in-law and I were able to escape to do some shopping.

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Are we there yet? Traveling during the holidays

The lovely scenic drive of I-5

Not all can be so fortunate to stay home for the holidays and relax with our families. Some of us have to travel to far away places–either by plane, train or the dreaded car ride (Do you want me to turn this car around?!) –and cram the entire family and dog in the van, along with 12 suitcases, casseroles, pies, jackets, pillows, blankets, etc. It was so much fun this year that I can’t wait to do it again next year… Not!

This Thanksgiving, we drove down from the Oakland to San Diego. We usually fly but with the amount of gear we had to bring, driving was the better option. If my husband and I didn’t have kids, we would probably make it there in about 6 hours, maybe 7 with minimal detours. However since we have a 4-year old in tow and I’m pregnant, we had to make numerous stops: potty stops, food stops, and I’m-going-to-go-crazy-if-we-don’t-stop stops.

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