The Stomp

It's official. Stella had her first art show.

Here's the proud artist, showing everyone the piece she calls "Stegosaurus and Her Babies."

Little did we know, our little neighborhood has turned into a happening place. Last night, our hood hosted the second annual Sunnyland Stomp, an event that proved to be super cool. There are several prominent artists in our neighborhood, and The Stomp showcases these folks and their work. We heard about it last year and thought, "Cool." And this year, our lovely neighbors and friends hosted several artists and were thoughtful enough to encourage the kids from our block to submit their work. Again, we thought, "Cool." A brief little showing for kids; no big deal.

We had no idea how cool this would be.

Here's Stella chillin' as she watches a constant stream of 'hamsters flow through our neighbors' yard. Several people paid special attention to Stella's drawing, marveling at her accuracy, cleverness and the fact that she's not yet three. She seemed pretty psyched. There was live music from our other beloved neighbor and tasty food and beer from dear friends. It was a total hoot.

And to cap it all off, Stella had her face painted. She was very thoughtful about what she wanted. After taking a long to time to decide, she finally said "Color. I want lots of color. And circles. Fun, spotty circles." And she got it. (I think this is the coolest face painting I've ever seen.)

And Stella was of course over the moon the whole night because she got to hang with her favorite big kid, Sarah. (She's obsessed with Sarah, asking to see her morning, noon and night.)

And while Stella and I made the rounds, Papa and Phoebe relaxed in the shade. Phoebe was totally transfixed by the viola (Bach, thank you very much) and happily charmed everyone in attendance.

For those of you in town, we'll be sure to invite you next year since we've realized this is one of the coolest events in town. And who knows, maybe we'll host next year....