Holiday Memories

Some of our Turkey Decorations

I was thrilled on Thanksgiving when my aunt and uncle, with their family in tow, joined our small family at my parent’s house.  My husband and I were hoping for the ‘big family’ feeling for the holiday – knowing that Lilah is at an age when memories might become permanent.  I am not the ‘chief cook’ in these holiday scenarios – so I focused on the handmade decorations.  In preparation for the event Lilah and I made the hand/foot turkeys and a couple of other Thanksgiving crafts for the table – it’s amazing how long these craft projects sometimes take but she really enjoyed the process! 

Kelly and Lilah

Our small family (I’m an only child and so is Lilah) relishes the holidays because we see more of our family.  I had the opportunity to visit with my cousin and her children – Kelly (2yrs) and Erin (newborn). They are the only other part of our family with babies in the Bay Area. Lilah and Kelly took an hour or so to warm up to each other but midway through the party they 

Baby Erin

were jumping on beds and feeding the pond fish together – so cute!  I loved seeing them interact as they ran, jumped, giggled and demanded to be tickled. I can’t wait until all three of the cousins are able to play together. It’s not too far away!  What better holiday memory than realizing that you have cousins to share turkey and fun! 

  

Read Full Post »

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!

Read Full Post »

Dragon Boat Races???

If someone had told me five months ago that I would be racing dragon boats in China, I would have said they were crazy! It’s hard to imagine that only a short time ago I didn’t have a clue about this incredible sport.  Dragon boat racing started thousands of years ago in China. It’s a team paddling sport where a canoe-style boat is used.  Now, not only can I hold my own paddling the boat, but I can proudly say that I was a member of the only American team to compete in the 2009 Dragon Boat races in China!

Dragon Boating Competitors

The interest in this exciting sport is catching – at least in our design department! Surprisingly, I wasn’t the only le•top designer racing in China. Gail – our extraordinary graphic designer – was the person who first introduced me to the sport. Thanks to her, I am not only part of the team, but I’ve become part of a fun and adventurous “family”.

We competed in races in a couple of different cities, one of which was Milu, the birthplace of dragon boating. It was amazing to be able to participate in the sport that originated there over 2000 years ago! The fun part is, as in any sport that each team has a name – we call ourselves the Absolute Dragons!  We are a mixed crew, meaning that we are made up of women and men. In China there is no such thing as a “mixed” team, which meant we had to race against all men’s teams. Even though we didn’t place in the standings, we did manage to beat nine teams! Wow, were they mad when they got beat by a boat full of women!

Beautiful Sights

China was such an unbelievable experience. One thing I will always remember is how popular my platinum blonde hair was with the locals. I was chased down at every corner by people asking for my picture! I now know what it must feel like to be famous. Man, do I feel bad for Brad Pitt!

Whether it was holding up peace signs for pictures with the locals, racing in the dragon boat, hiking the Great Wall, or just celebrating the Chinese culture – China was the trip of a lifetime, one I will never forget!

…this post was written by Sarah, le•top designer

Read Full Post »

A Weekend of…Sleep and Appreciation

Looks like Grandma also took a little nap!

Every year my uncle throws a start-of-summer party in Paso Robles, CA, and it’s always a good time. The week leading up to it, my husband was very sick and just didn’t have the energy to make the three hour trip. Instead of us completely canceling, my parents offered to take Lilah with them. It’s always hard for me to be away from her, but she was so excited to see her grandparents, great grandparents, and other extended family that I couldn’t say no, so I dressed her up in le•top’s Butterfly Wishes top and striped capri pants (party festive!), packed her up and met up with my parents.

Once I dropped her off I realized that my husband and I had the weekend to ourselves. We immediately made plans to go see the new Star Trek movie since we’ve only seen about two in an actual movie theater since her birth (2 ½ yrs ago). On Saturday we did the regular chores but they went so much quicker without our little one around that I had a chance to mop the entire house! I know, the exciting life of a mom, huh? We got in some cat naps, worked in the garden, saw a great movie, and zzzzz slept in zzzzz Sunday morning until 9am. I don’t think we’ve gotten so much sleep since the last time she went out of town which was close to a year ago. Sunday was pretty similar except we managed to watch two videos too. It was heavenly.

Lilah gets doggie kisses

Don’t get me wrong, I thought about her the entire time and every time we did something that she would have normally made a funny comment about or done something crazy, we talked about it and her. Sometimes, though, it’s nice to have the time to appreciate her instead of just being in the thick of it.

I was soooooo happy for Lilah to come home on Monday. I heard all about her adventures with her grandparents, and I’m still hearing about how her grandma painted her toenails and put flowers on them. I guess she partied so hard that she slept in the middle of the party for five hours. Part of me wishes that I had been there for those fun times, but most of me is happy to have caught up on some sleep.

The five hour beauty nap, painted toenails and all!

Read Full Post »

Le Top Takes: Out of the Mouths of Babes!

No, I did NOT say that!

Sneaky Spellings

My sister-in-law and nephew, Noah, were over for lunch the other day, and before serving him juice, I asked his mother first.

Me: Is it okay if I give him a J-U-I-C-E box?

Mom: Yes, that’s fine.

Noah: What’s J-U-I-C-E?

Mom: That’s “juice.”

Yes, I’d like to have some J-U-I-C-E then.”

– Noah, Age 5

Editor’s Note:
Please spread the giggles by sharing your funny quotes with us!

Read Full Post »