Moments in time...

Update in a flash!

2010-06-12T14:44:00.000-04:00

Spring has sprung . . . blue jays are born . . . and I'm updating the blog!

Our poor upside down swimming goldfish, Rocky, has moved on to the big pond in the sky . . .

Ava & Sofia wanted to move in to a submarine . . .

Or move out onto an island of rocks on the ocean.

We also went down to DC to participate in cousin Elisabeth's wedding where we saw butterflies & moths,

Rode the Metro,

Laughed,

And danced.

And then, we came home and several teeth were lost!

At the dinner table...

2010-04-12T18:55:00.000-04:00

Me: Can you girls believe that in a month we'll be in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States of America, where President Barack Obama lives?!

Ava: Can we meet him?

Me: No, not this time. You have to do something extraordinary to meet him.

Sofia: What's extraordinary mean?

Me: Something extra special like helping a lot of people, saving a lot of people, becoming a Senator or Representative representing the people of your state...or be a movie star or a really great sports person...

Sofia: Well, I think Daddy could meet him, then.

Me: Why?

Sofia: Well, because he's a great Chef & a great baseball player.

Me: Oh, yeah, maybe he could...Could I meet the President?

Sofia: No, mommy, you can't...

Me: Why?

Sofia: Because you don't do anything extraordinary.

Ava: Well, she did get a JOB...

Sofia: Getting a regular job isn't really extraordinary, Ava...

Me: In this economy, it's not too shabby...There are a lot of people who...

Ava & Sofia: Can we go outside & play now??

Ya think it's time to update the blog?

2010-04-04T12:20:00.000-04:00

Well, our little Rhody has been through quite a lot over the last week. We escaped any catastrophes on our personal property and I feel so fortunate that we were okay through this flooding. Some friends were not and our hearts bleed for them and for all the others in our region who lost a lot. Traffic was an absolute mess with all the closed roads (especially Route 95...Route 95!! Closed because the river ran over it. The major highway. Flooded and closed...Unbelievable...) but in the grand scheme of things, traffic is nothing...And we were so glad that the National Guard was here to help with the traffic fiasco...

So, what have the girls been up to lately, you ask?

More activities than I have pictures of...but here are some of the things we did:

Newport sunsets

Chinatown New Year's Celebration

Ice skating

Father-Daughter dance

And of course, trying on flower girl dresses for Abey's wedding & looking girly!!!

But still remembering they really love their "boy" toys...

Bella and her Beau

2010-02-20T12:24:00.002-05:00

Bella, our boxer, is going to be 12 years old really soon. We've had her for 11 years & it was such a blessing when the animal shelter (where we had put our names on a list in case a boxer mix came in) called us to say that they had a young purebred boxer that someone dropped off "because she had too much energy." We hustled over there and grabbed her & our lives have never been the same! She has been such a wonderful dog & has seen us through everything. In the beginning we would rollerblade, run, bike with her, play on the beach... Now we can only walk together for a block, but she still enjoys sniffing everything in her path! She has had her share of health problems recently, but she is still going strong. Boxer life spans are 10-12 years, so we're prepared for what will inevitably come, but we're enjoying her company while she's still here. She has recently taken a strong liking to Ava & Sofia's big soft doggy...

Was Christmas really almost 2 months ago? Oops...

2010-02-18T19:33:00.001-05:00

Time flies when you're really busy...

So, Christmas:
Sofia didn't mind putting on a dress & showing me her favorite ornament:

Ava did not want to put on a dress & insisted on wearing her pants:

She did take the pants off for Christmas Eve dinner. And she even had some fun with her sister.

Transformers & Bakugan - what more could little girls dream of?!

Mining for gemstones, of course!

We also took walks on the beaches & collected seaglass...and we did more stuff I just didn't take pictures. I'll work on that these next few months! In fact - I'll take pictures this weekend & perhaps I'll even post some!

Picture Day at school seems to be Sofia's enemy...

2009-12-17T17:48:00.000-05:00

Well, the first picture day in October, Sofia was sick on the couch with a fever and looked very much like she had earlier in the month:

But luckily Ava looked like this:

We just had makeup picture day yesterday. Little did I know Sofia would wake up with her right eye looking even worse than this:

Conjunctivitis.

No school for her on the make-up picture day.

I guess candids & non-professional portraits will have to do for her First Grade year...

Gratitude

2009-12-12T13:34:00.000-05:00

Both of my girls have now officially lost 2 bottom teeth. The picture of Ava below was taken after her first one was lost and the second one was SUPER wiggly & crooked!!

I was just going through their schoolwork that I had put aside & I want to share what they wrote for Thanksgiving. I wish I knew their thought process as they wrote these gratitude essays...The cuteness is just overwhelming!

Ava:

"I am thankful for God and pets. I like puppies the best. My cusins and my dog and terkey. Cus all uve tham are cute! And I love tham. And I am thankful for frands and I am thankful for animals."

Sofia:
"I am thankful for turkeys and corn and cows and God and my family and my ster [sister] and trees for my oxygen. I just love trees and spyders and Amarica because I lieev in Amarca and I love pumpkins and crayons and my flowers and food and Purell and Mrs. Morrocco and my dog and my fish and chick."

Veterans Day Hike

2009-11-17T16:46:00.001-05:00

Last week we wanted to do something special on Wednesday since we were all off on the same day!

It was a gorgeous blustery fall day...

We bundled up and walked through the woods and

we found a hollow tree,

a yellow tree,

and finally, the water.

Excellent day. The only thing missing was Xavier. But now that's an excuse for another hike on another day!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T19:54:00.000-04:00

Apple Pie

2009-10-22T10:23:00.000-04:00

The Apple Pie was made!

But I'll give you 3 guesses who made it...

-
-
-

Yes, the Chef made the pie.

But I don't think of myself as a coward who chickened out.

I think of myself as a very intelligent woman who knew that her Chef would make an amazing apple pie. And I'm always right ;o)

Plus, he truly enjoys to cook and bake so I didn't have to do much arm twisting.

Yum yum.

Autumn activities

2009-10-09T09:57:00.001-04:00

We go apple picking almost every year. And almost every year, out of all the apples we pick (usually 2 bags...) we eat maybe 3 apples, tops. And I feel terrible about it! But this is because almost every year I declare that I am going to make an apple pie. So we pick a lot of apples. But every year, I do not make the apple pie and the apples sit on the counter, then in the frig, then in the garbage. It is wasteful, it is sad, but it is what I have done in the past.

Well, this year is different! This year I am going to make an apple pie. Yes, sir. Apple pie.

You see, while I don't believe I suffer from full blown Mageirocophobia (fear of cooking...), I do fear cooking in a BIG way. I don't cook. I am seriously afraid of it for some ridiculous reason. Maybe this is why the only things my girls will eat are mac and cheese (from a box, duh), chicken nuggets or raviolis...Hmmmm...
BUT, I am actually a good baker. I know, it doesn't make sense that I could fear cooking but would be okay with baking. Maybe it has to do with food being a necessity and dessert being fun and so I don't worry so much about wrecking it. Maybe it's because I am deathly afraid of undercooking meat. Maybe it's because I'm not very good at it and screw something up EVERY time. Maybe it's because I married a chef who is SO good at cooking that it makes me look really bad... I don't know, but I fear cooking.

Anyway, despite the cooking fear, I can bake. I've made amaretto chocolate dessert tarts, I make a mean banana bread and I have created really cool and yummy cakes over the years (cake that looks like a hamburger, Backyardigans, tennis ball, pool ball...the list goes on). I enjoy baking chocolate chip cookies (probably because I enjoy eating them) and I really like baking sugar cookies to decorate with my girls. So, this year I am making an apple pie. With my friend Amy. She's going to help. Because in my world, I see bread, cookies and cakes in a different category than an apple pie. Apple pie falls into cooking and it scares me. Maybe it's because it's unknown, maybe not. I don't know. My fear of cooking is irrational, so why not add another irrational factor to it! So Amy's going to hold my hand and cheer me on while I make an apple pie.

And hopefully she'll peel some apples.

Here are some pictures of our apple picking adventure and the corn maze:

The corn maze... For the last 2 years (and once in 2002 with X) we have brought the kids to get lost in a corn maze. They have so much fun running through the corn and meeting each other in circles and hitting dead ends and it truly is fun to watch them do this! It is absolute torture for me to be lost, especially in a maze, and I tend to feel a lot of anxiety but they enjoy it and a lot of times being a mom means doing things your kids like even if it might feel like a circle of hell for you...I just try to keep remembering to breathe & know that it's just a stinking maze of corn! They even have "corn cops" to help you if you need to get out. So I do it.

Sick days & a rainy day

2009-10-03T17:19:00.000-04:00

We've had two sick little girls in our house over the last few days and to say it's been trying is an understatement. There's nothing more frustrating than seeing your children sick and suffering and not being able to do much to ease their pain. They've been writhing in pain with fevers, stomach aches and joint aches. I'm not one to rush to the doctor's office but I was tempted this time around - and I did call twice...

Not sure what they had/have, but I think/hope/pray it's on its way out! Just in time for a rainy day...sigh.

BUT I bought this puppet activity a while ago and had saved it specifically for a day just like today!

And boy did the girls love it. It was worth each dollar. Thank you Martha Stewart (and Big Lots). This entertained us for over 3 hours today!!

This is entitled: Froggy, Rabbit and Piggy having fun until Lion wants a tasty dinner...and then his tail falls off...

While we were creating and playing with puppets, this is what Bella did:

Found the camera! . . . Lost the tooth . . . literally.

2009-09-07T16:33:00.000-04:00

So we found the camera & here is how excited Sofia is:

But . . . The night she lost her tooth she was so excited about finally losing her tooth & wanting to show it to Daddy the next morning that she took it out of the plastic bag and jumped around with it and it flew out of her hands & came to rest somewhere on this carpet:

I never realized that the carpet looks like a bunch of little teeth until I had to search (in vain) for a tooth on this carpet...

Sooooo...I'm not sure how to handle the tooth fairy. How can she come if there's no tooth to exchange for money? But how can the tooth fairy not come when a first tooth is lost?! What do we put in place of the tooth? I thought maybe a nice picture for the tooth fairy to find...Or a fake tooth made out of playdoh...We've got to figure something out because that tooth is L-O-S-T.

Guess What!?!?

2009-09-04T18:39:00.000-04:00

Sofia lost her first tooth! It was on the bottom! And I can't find my camera! Anywhere! ACK!!!

She's very excited so I drew a picture of her, but it won't scan in! The computer can't talk to the printer/scanner for some reason! So...you'll just have to settle with the knowledge that the first tooth has been lost by our little girls! Ava got her 6 year molars first, but Sofia lost a tooth first!

It's an exciting night here in our household. I'm trying to get her to delay putting her tooth under her pillow for the tooth fairy b/c I really want to take a picture of it before the tooth fairy takes it! I hope I find my camera before her permanent tooth grows in...She's got a cute smile :o)

Interlude

2009-09-03T14:21:00.000-04:00

I know, I know...I said I'd continue with summer BUT . . . I haven't set aside enough time to get a summertime post together SO . . . Here is a picture of my girls with their favorite blankets in the whole wide world! They started first grade with their new transformer & batman backpacks & lunch bags. They love this stuff. And I love them.

And here's our new pet. We keep him outside. On the deck. We actually never invited him to come live with us. He invited himself. And built his own house. We avoid him at all costs. The dude is SCARY. He can stay with us as long as he likes. I'm not kicking him out. He might bite me. Or wrap me up and eat me over a few days. The dude is BIG.

Summertime! (part 1)

2009-08-26T11:48:00.004-04:00

So I'm having issues with blogger & posting pictures. It's not showing my pictures when I create a new post so I have no idea what the post will look like. So, here's one short post & I will try to figure out what's going on & create another post soon. (I know, promises, promises...)

Our summer was full of swimming & fun. We did a lot this summer, but I don't have a whole lot of photographic evidence because when I wasn't forgetting my camera at home, I was forgetting to get it out of the bag to take pictures! I did take some pictures with my phone, but there are 2 issues with that. 1) I'm not sure how good the quality will be when I upload them, and 2) I have no idea how to upload them.

So, until then, here are some pictures of our summer.
Tree climbing, fudgesicles and the beach...What can be better than all that?
Oh yeah, a pose with the pine man in there, too!

More pool, beach, local food fest and wave pictures to come...Once I figure out how to fix this picture upload issue...

Parades

2009-07-09T11:35:00.004-04:00

Nothing special this post - just some parade pictures!
But first here are Ava & Sofia on a climbing wall! They made it all the way up several times!!

Above was 4th of July, below is Gaspee . . .

P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)

2009-06-27T20:43:00.014-04:00

When I first heard that Michael Jackson had died suddenly, I was shocked like everyone else. He was so young. I remembered one of my favorite pictures of me when I was young & so I wanted to post a blog about how much I loved him when I was 10 and share the picture with you.

I had begged my cousin to let me take a picture with her album cover photo. I only had the cassette, and the album had such a huge, beautiful picture of him that I just HAD to be in a photo with him.

(Note the Cabbage Patch Doll behind me? Beggars couldn't be choosers back in the 80's Cabbage Patch craze so the only place I could get one was through a mail-order catalog that sent you whatever the packing clerk picked off the shelf. I prayed every night for a girl with brown hair. Sadly, my brown-haired girl did not come to me in the way that I imagined. I was sent a boy named "Brian Ross" with a small tuft of poo-colored hair. So, I did what anyone else would do in that situation, right? I made a wig for him with my grandma's brown yarn (I braided it) & sent away for a new adoption certificate in the name of "Katie Ross" (I thought Ross was his last name). This picture is pre-yarn wig...but I digress...).

I mean, Michael Jackson was to me then what the Jonas Brothers are to young girls today. Seriously. I had posters of him all over my room & I even did my 5th grade report on him and his family. I was a serious fan.

But the media has just been inundating us with images of him, history of him & to be honest, the images of him post-Thriller just scare me. The more plastic surgery he had, the less of a fan I became. For pre-teen girls, it's not about the music, it's about the look. (No offense, Jonas Brothers...).

So I decided not to blog about my adoration of Michael 25 (!) years ago.

But then, fate stepped in (as it always does).

The girls chose an old book of mine from the attic to read for bedtime tonight . . . And this is what I found inside the front cover:

Holy crap. I was not just a fan. I think I was out of my ever-loving mind.

So of course, I had to humiliate myself and share this with everyone.

Is this what my girls are going to do in 4 years?! Who will they love in that pre-teen girl way? I hope they don't embarrass themselves the way I did!

Rest in peace, Michael Jackson.

We love rainbows

2009-06-18T09:51:00.004-04:00

We've had rain on 14 of the last 18 days and the news just showed rain for the next 5 days coming up. So I thought I'd post this picture to remind the girls and me that there have been rainbows in the past & more rainbows will come again!!

(And I reminded them that weathermen aren't always right & that just because it's cloudy doesn't mean we won't be able to ride bikes!!)

Biking like big girls

2009-06-17T14:05:00.000-04:00

When Sofia & Ava first got their bikes as birthday gifts in August 2007, they looked like this:

We called them their "big girl bikes" but they still preferred their super-fast tricycles. So a year later, they were still riding on training wheels when we went to City Park:

Now . . . they are cruising without training wheels in our neighborhood (and at City Park in the first picture --- I took a big digger trying to get good pictures of them from the front, so you've got to settle for the one from the back. Ever try to turn around while riding on a bike to take a picture behind you? I don't recommend it...On the plus side, the girls were super-impressed with how I skidded into the woods & threw down my bike as I propelled myself into the air to avoid getting my leg crushed by the pedal...Sure, sure, I could have ridden way ahead, stopped my bike & then waited for them to come around a corner, but where's the fun in that?).

Yes we've had the bikes for over a year and a half, but they picked up 2 wheels so fast that I was just floored. Neither one of them fell down. I could not believe it. They're only 5 years old!
It is all happening so fast . . . But now they're asking for Batman & Transformer bikes b/c Barbie doesn't cut it for them..."Barbie's grosssss..." (BUT if it's a choice between riding the Barbie bike or not riding at all, they choose Barbie every single time!) Those are my girls!

Last soccer game & low flying airplanes

2009-06-15T08:00:00.004-04:00

The girls had their last soccer game of the season this weekend and I had my last assistant coaching gig of the season...Well, actually I had a killer migraine so I sat on the sidelines wearing dark sunglasses while Chefdaddy Garry ran on the field with the kids. I can't even put into words how grateful I am to him for always being there to help & doing so much for us (well, that is when he's home...but seriously, when he's home, he's truly present & I can't ask for more than that).

Sofia scored a couple goals . . . (Ava has in the past, too, but this game she was a little out of it . . . but said she had fun - she was just sleepy)

Ava did do an awesome job getting the ball away from the other team several times!

The field is just south of the airport so we constantly get noise from low-flying airplanes.

They fly crazy low, but it's cool to see them that close. I hope that we haven't been affected (effected? I sometimes get that wrong...I know to affect is a verb and the effect is what happens, but when the tense changes I'm confused...okay, moving on....) by any jet fuel or other pollution...

Rock climbing at the lighthouse

2009-06-08T13:50:00.001-04:00

The girls and I went down to the Beavertail Lighthouse a week (or 2?) ago & we had an awesome time. I'm pretty sure their favorite thing in life is climbing rocks so this was the perfect place to go for them to climb and for my heart to get a work out with mini heart attacks for a few hours. It's scary to see your babies so independent & climbing on slightly dangerous rocks.

The lighthouse was being renovated so you've got to look through the scaffolding to see the beauty.

The foghorn was working very well & we hurried past that fast!

The rocks are all around the lighthouse & the formations are just so beautiful. They are layered rocks & I wish I knew more about rocks to describe them. I did take a geology course in college but ummmm...that was a while ago. My brain can only retain so much. So just trust me - they're very cool & very beautiful.

A lot of people were just hanging out on the rocks & there was even one family who brought a table, gas grill & lots of chairs onto the rocks (behind the girls). I don't know how they kept the table stable!

Sofia was hilarious on this trip because every time I went to take her picture she'd put her hands on her hips. I guess that's her new cheese pose. Here she is teaching the "hands on hips cheese pose" to Ava.

I told you! Every single time!!

Here's the shot showing that now they have both mastered the pose.

All in all it was a great day & a lot of fun. We took a picnic lunch down and after seeing the lighthouse & the mini aquarium they had we went to get ice cream & go to a nearby (awesome) playground -- complete with a boat, a car, a tower, bridges, slides, obstacle course things . . . So I told the girls to choose their favorite part & I would take their pictures.

Guess what their favorite part of this incredible playground was. Think you know? The car? The boat? The quick slides?

Nope.

The tree outside the playground. I love my girls so much...

(See picture in post below -picture posting problems.)

Favorite part of the playground

2009-06-08T13:44:00.002-04:00

Veggies? No. Dog with opinion? Yes.

2009-06-01T15:41:00.008-04:00

I know you've probably all been wondering how our vegetable garden is coming along. I mean, it's almost been one whole month since we planted the seeds. Surely SOMETHING must be growing by now, right??

Yes, some things are growing.

These:

I must be doing something wrong. This is just pathetic.

I'm going to try some Miracle Gro this week because Lord knows these veggies need a miracle.

On another subject, Bella has been extraordinarily vocal lately & despite having known her for almost 11 years, I still haven't figured out her language. When I let her out after this vocal episode she just walked out the door, turned around & stared at me for a little while & then came back to the door. So what did she say to me before she went out?

My best guess?

"Your vegetable garden sucks. Lemme go see it again so I can laugh at you."

Unless it had something to do with the way the light looks like a spaceship beaming down. Maybe she thinks martians are beaming down to take me away & she's trying to protect the family.

Nah, I think the first guess was right.

Out of the mouths . . .

2009-05-28T18:05:00.004-04:00

-----
Yesterday, Sofia called me a young lady.

Ava: Mommy can't be a young lady.

Sofia: Why?

Ava: Because mommy isn't young.

Mommy: What do you mean, Ava?

Ava: Well, you're not young. Your halfway old.

Mommy: Halfway old?

Ava: Yes, Nonni [Grandma] is old & you're halfway old.

Mommy: Oh, I see. Thank you, Ava.

~~ giggles & laughter ~~
------
Last night I was sitting next to Sofia & Ava reading stories before bedtime.

Sofia: Mommy, you smell like one of Daddy's toots.

Mommy: Well, I know his toots don't smell like roses, so does that mean I smell bad?

Sofia: Yes.

Mommy: Thank you for being so honest, Sofia.

~~ giggles & laughter ~~
-----
These are the moments it's really fun to be a mommy of 5 year olds. The giggles and laughter make listening to all the whining well, well, worth it.

Global warming or seasonal confusion?

2009-05-11T14:15:00.003-04:00

We had summer in April:

And now we have Christmas in May:

Is this global warming or just seasonal confusion?

Sowing the seeds of love...

2009-05-04T16:36:00.006-04:00

We did it. We planted seeds for the first time ever. Truly, I have never planted a garden before. No, really. I never have. Yes, I'm in my 30s. No, I've never planted seeds. Call the garden police.

These are the vegetables the girls & I decided to plant (& one flower chosen by Sofia):

These are the vegetables the girls will eat:

---0---

Ergo, I will probably be eating all the veggies by myself (due to Chef Garry's maddening schedule since they are taking his sous chef away (I know, WTF budget cuts suck and this better not last too long because he certainly won't if this does) . . . On the up side, I should be pretty healthy in body by summer's end . . . in mind, I'm not so sure!

I think we were a little nutty with the choices we made . . . The girls chose the veggies based on the look of them. They usually don't eat any of those & to be honest, I'm not a big fan of green beans myself. I'm hoping they will decide to eat them when they pick the veggies out of the dirt themselves.

So it was fun to plant them in those cute little pods . . . But this brings me to the problem I didn't think of before we planted in these sprout houses . . . I'm going to have to transplant them & we don't have a garden! We have a little flower spot from the previous owners (they had planted bulbs so every year we have some lovely flowers come up), but there's no room for cucumbers & such (and we had a slight fungus problem last year).

Has anyone ever seen anything like that before?

Anyway, so we added the water, planted the seeds . . .

And we already have sprouts . . .

So . . . I better come up with a transplanting plan soon . . .

Big Trucks & Soccer

2009-05-01T18:00:00.006-04:00

Sometimes I'm not sure if I'm raising twin girls or twin boys...

Most girls like princesses, fairies, dresses & tea parties.

My girls like big trucks, Batman, Transformers & roughhousing.

Not that I'm complaining. I think it's pretty cool to buck the stereotypes & be your own person.

So one of the things we did last month was go to a Touch a Truck event.

Here's one they liked b/c of the "pokey" rims. I personally find them scary!

Again, they always love the tractors, too.

(And yes, that is a garbage truck behind Sofia. The driver was disappointed that the event was on a dirt lot because he had really wanted to turn the truck on & show how the truck worked -- My girls were disappointed about that, too! They always want to know how things work which is very cool).

There was also a Mickey Mouse Mobile which they thought was awesome, too.

Here are the pictures of one of their soccer games, too. They really love it...I just wish the games were a little later than 8am...

Flat Stanley & an Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-11T11:14:00.008-04:00

Today was the girls' first soccer game! Woo hoooo! They had a great time & scored many goals. U-6 soccer is pretty funny & there are no goalies. They pretty much just chase & kick the ball all over & in & out of the field. In the beginning of the "game" we dropped the ball & everyone just stared at it. But then they all got into it & had a great time. As you can see, I have no pictures b/c I volunteered to be assistant coach (!) and was pretty much running up & down the field with the ball & the kids the whole time. Chef Garry was there, but he was in a 4-hours-of-sleep-induced fog & so we were pretty fortunate that he was there & standing!! He is absolutely an awesome, dedicated & supportive dad.

Soooo...since I don't have pictures of that, I will bring you back to last weekend when we went to an Easter Egg Hunt & brought Flat Stanley to the beach.

Have you heard of Flat Stanley? He was in the news in 2008 b/c a child sent him to President (well, then presidential candidate) Obama & Obama took some time to have fun with Flat Stanley! Anyway, if someone sends you one, you have to dress him up, take him places & write about where he went. Cousin Jack sent us a Flat Stanley & it was quite a homework project! Of course, the first thing we had to do was photocopy Flat Stanley & make him a twin! Then the girls drew clothes on him (including underwear...) & we brought him to the beach (where else would we bring him?!).

We took him (well, them) to one of the beach areas made entirely of shells & Ava & Sofia totally enjoyed that.

They didn't think they were very comfortable lying on shells...so they tried.

They found it uncomfortable, too.

This beach also has huge rocks you can climb on & someone left a very cool rock sculpture on one big rock. (At this point mommy was in charge of holding Flat Stanley & his twin b/c Sofia & Ava wanted to take their favorites up on the high rock).

That weekend we also participated in an Easter Egg Hunt...I let the girls find as many chocolate eggs as they could...BUT...I traded out the chocolate eggs for mnm's...I think it's gross to eat chocolate eggs that people stepped on & dogs might have peed on! But then, sometimes I do lean towards the germaphobe end of the spectrum...

So that was last weekend's adventure...Let's see what this one has in store for us!

Ribbit.

2009-03-22T15:17:00.003-04:00

How big brother & little sisters have fun around here . . . That was supposed to be a container for stuffed animals. The girls decided that they fit better in there. This was Sofia's turn but both girls were pretty funny!

A first step towards fame and fortune...

2009-03-19T12:00:00.013-04:00

Well, my girls have taken their first step towards fame & fortune & supporting the 'rents...

What?

It could happen...Some talent scout could see the cute little girls in the second row who look just like each other & think they're perfect for a new tv show...Or they could see that beautiful lady in the chairs wearing the blue shirt & jeans with her legs crossed & think, "She's a star! Look at the way she's holding those coats on her lap. We must get her for our blockbuster movie!"

I was already a star in the newspaper 10 years ago...

Well, more precisely, my gorgeous but very hot dog, Bella & my hideous sneakers were.

Those beauties might have deterred the talent scouts. I never got a call from a modeling agency, either.

And 12 years ago Garry was in the paper -- not for his chefly duties but for shooting pool...

We didnt get any calls for that either. But no worries - our time will come...

Is it lame that we've saved these hometown newspaper pictures of ourselves and still think it's super cool?

That picture of Bella in the newspaper made me think of how different she is now 10 years later... Her favorite thing to do is sleep in the sun...

The girls put some stuffed animals with her to keep her company.

A few months to catch up on...

2009-02-05T10:03:00.017-05:00

My apologies for a lack of posts...No excuses. We sure have had a busy few months, so let's just get right to it. It's all about the kids, of course!

In November, Aunt Mary, Uncle Gregg, Jack & Kate flew out to have a 2nd TG & it was so beautiful to see the cousins together! Wish we lived closer...

In December, we went Christmas Tree shopping (we went looking for a farm, but it was really just someone's backyard...weird, but it worked for us) and decorated the tree. Notice that Xavier took the tree "farm" picture b/c the girls are almost (haha, not really almost, but they're getting there) as tall as I am, so I do not tower over them like he does now!

And of course we had to get the required picture with Santa...No offense is intended here, but . . . dude - he was scary.

They had a train ride there so the girls recovered from the trauma of sitting on "Santa's" lap.

I promise I won't ever make them do that again.

On another note, Ava & Sofia decided that they wanted to sleep in the same bed for a little while. I had to take pictures because they look like such beautiful angels when they are sleeping. I think Sofia sensed the flash or something b/c her brow became a little furrowed...

December also brought us our first snowstorm,

But then, as usual with Southern New England weather, the snow melted so of course the girls had to get on their trikes & ride because they were born to be wild.

And then it got even warmer so we went to our favorite big beach that we don't swim at.

And then, this being Southern New England - you guessed it - it snowed again & this time A LOT more than last time. I shoveled the end of the driveway at 10pm that night so Chef Daddy could drive in the driveway (we have a truck, but I don't know if it could have made it over the 4 foot piles the snowplow made - although I know he would have had a lot of fun trying...). I didn't take a picture of what I was shoveling, but I thought our front door looked really pretty, so there it is.

The next day Chef Daddy (using his ingenious creativity) made our little hill bigger with the slide so the girls could sled & they had a blast!

In other news, unfortunately Bella started showing even worse side effects of prednisone & her skin started calcifying...We are now walking a fine line between lowering the dose to get her skin better, but keeping it high enough so her body can still make platelets. She is definitely showing her age with the "walk & plop" but other than that she is still an angel and still seems to be enjoying life.

Christmas was a lot of fun and the girls enjoyed Christmas morning at home & the day at Nonni's. I have not been taking many pictures, though, so don't have much!

The best gifts from Christmas (besides the Leapsters, of course) were the decorate your own mugs. Those mugs got a lot of use in January - mmmmm hot chocolate!

Finally, February! We went up to Chinatown for the Chinese New Year Parade & it was awesome! The girls loved seeing the Dragons dance & the Lions take the offerings from the stores.

(there's Grandma in the red pants having a blast, too :o) )

And the best part, Chef Daddy caught the lucky orange from the Lion's mouth...One handed...With Ava in his arms!! He is my hero :o) It is sitting on our back door step (the door we use most often) & is bringing us good luck for the year.

Truth be told, I think Ava & Sofia's favorite part was going to choose some Chinese pastries to bring home...

One last picture - they were playing outside after another snowfall & they are getting so independent that instead of coming running to me when Sofia's boot fell off, Ava tried to help her sister get it back on. They are so adorable together & I am loving watching them grow.

Another birthday message...

2008-11-21T11:13:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthdays Grandma & (not really a baby anymore) Jack!!

Happy Birthday Uncle Gregg!!!!

2008-11-14T18:43:00.004-05:00

Take One:

Take Two:

Take Three:

Okay...so I've learned a couple things filming these videos...First, Ava & Sofia really like to sing in front of the camera & then see what they look like! Second, and perhaps most important, it's really important not to be a perfectionist when you've got two crazy & fun 5 year olds...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCLE GREGG!!

Halloween, leaves & a snake...yes, a snake.

2008-11-06T14:40:00.011-05:00

Let's see . . . lots of pictures to post for you all. First, I will show you what Ava & Sofia were for Halloween. In an attempt to save money this year, we pulled out their old costumes - the elephants, Uniqua & Pablo from the Backyardigans & puppy dogs...They both wanted to be puppy dogs & no one wanted to be the elephants b/c they had fat bellies!

(Bella was a wizard. This is the costume I made back in 2000 when I had a lot of time on my hands . . . She only wore it for about 5 minutes - long enough for the picture. She's elderly & shouldn't have to put up with costumes anymore - even though she is really cute.)

So, as you can see, the puppy costume is a tiny bit small. I did all I could to try to convince both of them not to be the puppy. Ava finally agreed not to be a puppy dog, but Sofia would not budge!! She insisted the costume was fine & fit perfectly!!

So here's a picture of how they looked from behind.
Perfect fit? At least they were both happy!

P.S. Weird house we went to. The sign tells the trick or treaters to go to the house in the back after they get candy "her"

They got a lot of candy & wanted to eat it all that night, but we put aside a few pieces for them to eat over the next few days & Chef G took the rest to work (okay, okay, not all of the rest - we put aside some for us, too) & luckily the girls haven't asked for more!

We did some raking last weekend, too, but that was a fruitless endeavor. It was a lot of fun for the girls . . .

. . . and it looked all nice & clean after we were done.

BUT - the big but came the next morning & we looked outside & saw the yard carpeted in leaves again!

We do love our old trees but boy do we have to rake a lot when autumn comes.

One other thing we did this October - We went to a local corn maze & got pretty lost! And the girls & I got to go on a hayride. The boys stayed back b/c it was too costly for all of us to get jostled around in a wagon!

Oh - and of course we all went to vote on November 4th. Sofia & Ava are celebrating our right to vote with white chocolate dinosaur pops.

Whoa! I almost forgot the best thing we found on our walk the other day -- NOT!! Thank heavens that Chef Daddy was with us because I would have freaked the frick out if I were alone with the girls & we saw this.

I did my best to restrain myself when they said they wanted to touch it. Then when they said they wanted to hold it I almost lost it. I did hold it together long enough to take this picture. They loved the picture & brought it to school to show their teacher & all their friends. I'm glad I have brave daughters!!

Of pumpkins . . . and squirrels.

2008-10-15T18:17:00.004-04:00

Ava & Sofia had so much fun scooping the guts out of their pumpkins this past weekend.

I grabbed the camera & got some pictures of them scooping. After they scooped they drew pictures of how they wanted their pumpkin faces carved.

Then it was my turn & I carved out the faces they had drawn...Well, in a perfect world I carved out the faces they had drawn. In our world I tried really hard to follow their lines & the pumpkins came out looking like jack o'lanterns so the girls were happy.

By then it was snack time so we brought the pumpkins inside so Daddy could see them that night when he got home. I totally forgot to take pictures. I lived to regret that memory lapse because a few days later I had to put them outside on the deck.

I had no idea what bold & pesky *#%! squirrels we have. He knocked Ava's right off the railing & went to town. He wouldn't even leave it when I was less than 3 feet away from him!! I had to make that ridiculous "scat" noise to get him to run away! And then he went into his tree & stared me down as I cleaned it up.

Ava & Sofia thought it was hilarious so luckily we didn't have any tears. They decided that the squirrel who ate Ava's pumpkin was just like those mean squirrels in Miss Suzy who kicked the nice squirrel named Miss Suzy out of her beautiful treehouse & trashed her place. For those of you who have never read Miss Suzy, she ends up befriending some brave toy soldiers & they all go back & kick those mean squirrels out of Miss Suzy's house & she lives happily ever after back in her beautiful treehouse. The end.

Speaking of outfits . . .

2008-10-13T19:10:00.002-04:00

Ava & Sofia's latest & greatest . . .

Hair today . . . gone tomorrow!

2008-10-08T16:34:00.003-04:00

Hair today . . .

Gone tomorrow!!

I didn't think they could get cuter, but they did! And, the bonus is that there was not one scream this morning when I brushed their hair!! We love the new haircuts!! (Ava in yellow, Sofia in blue)

P.S. They still love their Lenny & Joe's shirts but since it's cold they have to wear long sleeve shirts under them. Ava wanted to take it a step further, though. She still wants to wear shorts & thinks it will be okay b/c she can put pants under her shorts just like long sleeves under a short sleeve shirt. I really am quite lenient when it comes to choosing clothes - BUT - there are lines even I cannot let them cross!!!!

September events

2008-10-01T14:02:00.005-04:00

So the month of September has really been dominated by school - which Ava & Sofia absolutely love. They also enjoy riding the bus, which we haven't missed once - yippee! - although there have been a few scares :o) They have gym & music & library and are also learning to read. They even enjoy the homework they get twice a week! Sadly, the joy of homework hasn't rubbed off on Xavier...

One of their days off from school we finally got to go sailing. We rented a Rhodes 19, which I have always lovingly referred to as a bathtub. It's a slow boat, but it was more comfortable for the girls.

Sofia & Ava loved sailing & I am so happy & am hoping to get them into lessons next summer.

Xavier also loves to sail & had an awesome time.

Yesterday they had another day off so we headed up to a zoo where you can ride on their elephant, Dondi. Apparently, Dondi was adopted by the handler in 1975 when she was a baby & he and his wife have raised her since then. She does a bunch of tricks & is definitely well loved.

The zoo also had a petting zoo where pygmy goats ran around a pen. Garry tried to buy some food so the girls could feed the goats...BUT...take a look at that bigger black goat just to Garry's left...

That goat actually ended up butting Garry out of the way - hard - and stuck his mouth up in the machine & stole all the food.

Sofia & Ava are pretty flexible so they were happy just petting the other goats.

Of course we also were able to go to City Park to ride bikes, we played outside a lot, they played friends A LOT and we had a really nice month.

Brief interlude

2008-09-12T19:42:00.002-04:00

I wanted to take a quick moment to highlight our Boxer, Bella. She is ten and a half years old and

has the most beautiful spirit I've ever seen in a dog.

She has been battling some kind of immune disorder where her immune system won't allow her body to make platelets. She went for another blood check today & she is finally back up to 240,000 platelets! This is absolutely awesome since at one point she was down to 30,000. She is such a great dog & doesn't have one nasty bone in her body. She is a rescued dog & maybe that is one reason that she is such an amazing dog.

While her gas can send you running from the room gasping for fresh air, our lives wouldn't have been the same without her. We love you Bella!

Speedy update

2008-09-09T17:31:00.006-04:00

Okay, here's my speedy update...

Ava & Sofia started Kindergarten....Big step for all of us!

We didn't think they'd need their backpacks the first day so I didn't send them in. Of course they came home with plastic bags full of papers I had to fill out. They also came home with a sad story about having to watch all their new friends eat snacks because their mommies sent in a snack & I didn't...I put myself on the bad mommy list for that day. At least we didn't miss the bus...

Luckily they had each other or I don't think they would have gotten on the bus!!

Doesn't the bus look too big for them?!

The next day they wore their "Handy Manny" backpacks & went equipped with snacks & bottles of water.

One morning before school while I was working on the budget & thought they were playing nicely they created this beautiful masterpiece in the living room...

I helped them clean that up & asked them very kindly to remember the rules about putting away one game before they take out another game! And anyway, how can I be too angry when they are so darned cute!

One day after school we went to a nearby park that they love so much because they can climb big rocks & I caught Ava telling Sofia a secret. I'm so grateful that I got it on camera.

Labor Day weekend we got to go to Nonni's & Aunt Sandy & Uncle Andy's beach & they absolutely loved playing in the water.

And poor Ava...This picture just makes us laugh so much that I had to include it in my speedy update. This was in August after a long day of swimming in Nonni's pool. You can see Sofia off to the left on her way to try to fix Ava's hair. There was no fixing Ava's hair...

From this . . . to 5 years old in a split second!

2008-08-19T13:14:00.008-04:00

August 2003 . . .

August 2008 . . .

I swear all I did was blink! I remember when Xavier was 5 (no digital camera back then...how did we ever survive?). Now he's 15 & going to get his learner's permit in February. What the heck happened? You can't slow time down.

Anyway, we had a really great birthday for the girls and Chef G switched his day off so that he could celebrate with us.

First, they sat together & opened a few presents . . . and let me just mention that those are their favorite pjs and they just happen to be size 2T. They are skinny minis...

Here are Sofia & Ava wearing those same pjs when they really were 2 years old:

Next, we had a delicious Portuguese Sweet Bread French Toast with Strawberries & Whipped Cream breakfast

Then we went to a County Fair which was a lot of fun for the girls. They went all by themselves up a huge slide with their own burlap sacks

They played a lot of fun games and won some really cheap...err, I mean really cool stuff.

Then we got stuck in a ridiculous downpour! It was hot & humid and all of a sudden the skies just opened up! The girls jumped up on my lap & we waited it out for a little while on a little covered porch. We then realized it wasn't moving as quickly as we were hoping so Chivalrous Chef Garry ran to the car so he could come back & pick us up.

And finally, we went out for a fun dinner at a family friendly chain restaurant. Sofia enjoyed feeding Ava a worm from her dirt dessert!

Not much activity lately

2008-08-11T14:38:00.006-04:00

This post won't have many pictures because we've had a quiet couple of weeks just rock painting, reading, drawing, playing with play-doh & board games and playing in the yard, but we haven't wandered very far from home lately. I started coughing over 3 weeks ago but I thought it was just some little thing that would go away. I ignored it and I really tried to make it go away without seeing a doctor - I even gave up dairy & wheat/white flour because I heard that dairy's not good when you have a cold & wheat flour isn't necessarily good for my blood type...I don't think it's helping with my sickness, but I have lost 8 pounds!

I finally went to see the doctor & she thinks I have some random lung infection so I'm on antibiotics & Prednisone...Prednisone, which my beautiful boxer, Bella, is on for a platelet problem...It makes Bella ravenous - so hungry that she will lick grated Parmesan cheese or any miniscule crumb that falls on the floor until there is not a trace of whatever fell. I was afraid I was going to be down on the floor competing with her to lick all the crumbs up, but I haven't gotten there...yet.

I'm extremely grateful that Ava & Sofia (and of course the Chef) have not caught whatever it is that I have. It's been really hard getting throught this b/c Chef Garry has been working in Boston for 3 weeks & he still has 3 to go. He's rarely home & when he is he's pretty exhausted. But we're all troopers and we are getting through it & I think I'm getting better...My mother has been extremely helpful and has come a couple times to play with the girls and help me out. I am also very grateful to have her help. Thanks, Mom.

But how can I possibly post without at least one picture of Ava & Sofia?! Here's a picnic they had with their elephants.

And just for fun, here's a video of them jumping off the diving board in July with only 2 tubes each! I wish I could bottle up some of this joy & fun to save for a rainy day...

Farm & Swimming. Lots of swimming.

2008-08-01T12:46:00.005-04:00

Okay, so it's only been 2 weeks since I've updated & that's actually pretty good for me...BUT...I just noticed that I'm now on Desperate Chefs' Wives (http://www.desperatechefswives.com/) Blogs Worth Reading list!! Woah, the pressure! ;o) Just kidding...it's pretty cool though - thanks dcw! She writes a great blog for pretty much anyone with a chef in their life & it's nice to know you're not alone in the world being with a spouse who works very hard and is rarely home. This relationship often requires celebrating holidays, birthdays, etc., on different days and truth be told it requires sacrifice & compromise. On the other hand, I have someone who, when he's home, can find a few very random items in the pantry and create a masterpiece to eat in the evening!

Anyway, on with Ava & Sofia...We spent a lot of July swimming in Nonni's pool. They are like fish...Fish who still need swim bubbles or rings to swim with, but fish nonetheless!

They even jump off the diving board now...with 3 tubes, but look at them jump!!

Sofia in the first 2 pics, Ava in the 3rd...

We also happened to run into a farmer at the greatest picture framing gallery in CT (The Wall Street Gallery, of course...no bias here...) and he invited us to meet the chickens & horses & tractors & pick up some eggs while we were there.

First Sofia met the chicken...

Then Ava met the horse...really close-up...

Then they both had the opportunity to sit on an antique tractor & hear its engine roar!!

It was a really cool experience for Ava & Sofia. And it was awesome to eat an egg fresh from the chicken's nest!

Storyland Vacation

2008-07-14T12:02:00.006-04:00

Chef G took an unprecedented 2 weeks off!!

We spent a lot of time together & even went on an awesome child-oriented family vacation!

The drive was a little over 4 hours, but totally worth it & with coloring books, stories & dvds Ava & Sofia handled the drive quite well.

We went to Storyland which is a little amusement park geared towards kids under 11. It has everything a kid would want: rides, games, food & characters.

The swan boat ride was really fun. It has its own little engine & the kids get to steer...we did a lot of bumping into other swans!

It also had a lot of "flying" rides - the whale is below, but there were also shoes & fish to fly on!

Chef G & Ava & Sofia were put in jail at the end of the day because they had WAY too much fun!

And oh yeah, the piece de resistance...Bamboo Chutes! They have the camera perfectly situated so that they get everyone when the little panda boat first starts down the steep, fast hill (even the panda is scared)!

We also ended up staying overnight at a really beautiful grand old hotel (no a/c! but it was a beautiful night with NH breezes). Here's Sofia in our room singing her graduation song "Proud to be an American."

Swimming & Backyardigans

2008-07-12T10:13:00.003-04:00

I just noticed that the Backyardigan & bedtime story pictures aren't working so I'll repost them & here are some swimming pictures from around the 4th of July!

Oh yeah! And here's the zoo picture when we went to see Flutterby. Fun on a caterpillar.

Preschool Graduation among other things...

2008-06-24T13:30:00.002-04:00

Waaaaaa...my little babies have graduated from Nursery School!!! I know, it's part of life but they really are growing into little girls, not toddlers or preschoolers anymore. They were really cute at graduation. They had the kids sing songs & receive diplomas. Then we had a nice little reception & Chef Garry zipped back to work and the girls and I came home & played outside.

We went to the beach a few days later with Amy, too, & had a blast. Huge waves! Sofia loved it! Ava was a bit more hesitant, but began to enjoy it as she got more comfortable.

Before we went to see the Backyardigans, Ava drew a picture of what she thought the show might look like. She is an amazing artist, if I do say so myself! I love the way she drew the audience facing the stage. I also love the way the legs of each Backyardigan appear to be dancing!

Your Backyard Friends . . .

2008-06-24T13:28:00.005-04:00

Last week Chef Garry took a Friday night off & we went to see The Backyardigans (see the picture Ava drew in the post above)! The girls were ridiculously excited & Nonni made them the coolest shirts. Sofia is wearing Austin (the Kangaroo) and Ava is wearing Pablo (the Penguin). We had a great time & it was really nice to see how much they loved this live stage show. (I'm not so sure they liked the lady who took the picture of all of us below, though...)

Sofia was still dancing after the show...

Sofia & Ava love to spend time with their big brother & stories just before bed is no exception. They have a great time together and they are really lucky to have such an awesome big brother who will always play with them & look out for them.

Long time coming...

2008-06-23T09:24:00.005-04:00

Well, we're finally back online! Truth be told, we've been online for about a month, but I'm only just now getting to update. Chef is working all the time & softball season has begun so home is just a place to rest his head for now. But not to worry because he will soon be taking a vacation -- long time coming.

Ava, Sofia & I have been pretty busy since last post & pictures. Below is April. I will post May and June very soon (maybe later today, even...)! They are playing very well together right now so I'm taking fully advantage of that. They really do play well together about 93% of the time, which is a pretty good percentage. But they like it when I join in on the imaginary fun, so I rarely get free moments beyond cleaning...

Here's what we were up to in April:

We went bowling

We walked Bella to the beach several times (Bella is off sniffing something somewhere...lots of good smells at the beach you know)

We took pictures of favorite shirts so that we can retire them...

We danced in the rain

We played with friends Sarah & Zack

and Ava & Sofia took swimming lessons.

May & June to come...

Trouble posting...

2008-05-03T13:10:00.003-04:00

I'm having posting issues so I'm shocked that this post might actually work. It keeps saying something about cookies (mmmm...cookies...) and hasn't been letting me sign in or post.
So, we're doing fine - just busy as usual - and as soon as I find a little more time to deal with this I'll post more pictures.

Quick update:
Ava & Sofia are taking swimming lessons & loving every minute of it! They'll also be graduating from preschool in one month.
Xavier just got back from a trip to Florida & is happy to be finishing up his freshman year in high school.
Garry's going down to New Jersey to help re-open a restaurant for the company and I've just finished teaching my last class for the season.
We're good, we're healthy . . . and just a little tired :o)

2008-03-31T19:15:00.001-04:00

The latest and the greatest! They're just too cute for words. They still insist on choosing their own clothes...which usually work out...but I've got to hide Ava's 18-24 month "just peachy" shirt! As you can see it's a bit small on her!

I also need to buy them new corduroys for next year!! Holy holey knees, Batman!!

The latest...

2008-03-25T14:59:00.004-04:00

My apologies for not updating in a long, long time...Here are some of the most recent pics :o)

Not much is new, which sometimes is a good thing. Sofia & Ava are just very fun and normal 4 1/2 year olds. They love going to preschool & we are also working on speech & articulation with a different teacher and that is actually going pretty well. They have some kind of "twin twang" going on and it's very cute, but it makes it difficult to understand them sometimes. The sound we're working on now is saying "clown" instead of "claayyowwn" or "ow" instead of "aaayyowch." The next thing we'll work on is saying "f" instead of "epp." Fun fun fun!

Cloppers...

Fun inside the tent...

Fun at the beach with Bella and on the swings...

New dining room corner...

Fun at Hammonassett...

Fun coloring Easter eggs with Ethan...

And that's all folks!

And now back to our regularly scheduled subjects...

2008-02-29T15:18:00.003-05:00

Ava & Sofia received a belated Christmas gift from their Aunt Mary & Uncle Gregg & Cousin Jack. They absolutely LOVE it. They love it so much that they used it non-stop for days & I finally had to give it a time-out on top of the refrigerator. They are usually very good at taking turns and sharing (it's a necessity when you're a twin) but their patience started wearing thin with this present...

So what is this wonderful out-0f-sight present?! Drumroll please...A digital camera!!! Most of the pictures they took were of their "friends" (stuffed animals) and of each other (well, most of each other...note the foot in the picture above...) and for some unknown reason I found many pictures of our dog's derriere (which I have kindly left out of this montage...).

On another note, having a Chef as the "Patriarch" of the family usually means celebrating holidays & occasions on a day other than the actual day - It took some getting used to at first, but now it's old hat. The girls & I had fun making Daddy a Valentine's Day cake after Valentine's Day and here is the masterpiece! That's the Chef's arm...

A flashback of a moment in time...

2008-02-20T15:38:00.006-05:00

So here's a moment in time from the 1980's...How many of you can find me?!

And tell me what I'm thinking...
And what the girl on the bottom left is thinking...

Hey - don't make too much fun of me. I bet you all have pictures like this.

And, by the way...when you play right field in elementary school girls' softball you don't get much action way out there, so corduroys & a sweater are perfectly acceptable attire.

Now, what can I get my girls involved in now so that they can be hideously embarrassed by photographs in 20 years just like me...?

2008-02-14T10:57:00.004-05:00

Last week, out of the blue, the girls asked if we could go bowling! We had been bowling before with Zack and Sarah, but that was a while ago. They asked so nicely that I decided to bring them. So, we went over to the local bowling alley & had a really fun time! They really like to bowl...And they like the shoes, too.

Even though Sofia won't eat bananas right out of the peel, she will eat bananas if they're baked in bread with chocolate chips...So...I pulled out our favorite Banana Bread recipe (written on Jennifer's 1996 atm receipt...holy smokes, that was 12 years ago...POW...sometimes the passage of times just socks me in the face...)

and I pulled out the secret ingredient...

And we got all the other ingredients and started baking!

And after a little fun and a big mess:

YUMM - O - LICIOUS!!

And then, less than 24 hours later:

I think we need to start doing double or triple batches...

Quick update...

2008-02-08T10:02:00.001-05:00

We did a lot last month! We still take Bella for walks to the park & playground....unless is less than 30 degrees out. Sorry Bella, but that's just too cold for the girls...
We also got to go the the children's museum which was a lot of fun. They love being veterinarians & they love playing on the pirate ship (Ava is hoisting the sail & Sofia is making a sharp turn on the wheel...)

And of course there was another snowstorm. One of our neighbors came over to play & once again, Sofia worked so hard she had to take a rest in the snow...

As promised...

2008-01-24T18:41:00.000-05:00

Pictures of Christmas Tree Removal (& our conversation as we got the tree out of the house...)

Let's just push the tree out the window so we don't track needles all the way through the house! Great idea!

Mo-mmmmy... I knocked over the watering can..

That's okay -

Xavier will help clean it up...

But the tree appears to be stuck...Daddy's not going to liiiike this...

That's okay, we'll push it out!!

In the end, we did get the tree out of the house...and that's really all that matters!

One month later...

2008-01-06T16:29:00.000-05:00

What a December. First, we did have another real snowstorm & I had a sore back & arms to prove it. The girls loved the snow & we made snow mountains out front from all the snow dumped in front of our driveway for them to slide down.

They both rolled snowballs to make snowmen, but then Sofia was too pooped to add their arms & eyes! My four year olds make me laugh more than any people I know.

Their diet pretty much consists of macaroni & cheese, chicken tenders, peanut butter & jelly and soynut butter & jelly and yogurt, BUT, the one thing I found that they love is HUMMUS! If they only knew what it was made of! But here they are showing a little Patriot pride & some product placement for Tribe Hummus:

Now on to Christmas . . . Here is our beautiful tree - It was the best one we've gotten ... EVER, in my opinion - plump & perfect. I say 'was' because we disposed of it yesterday. That's a whole other story I'll share next time I post - what a ridiculous comedy of errors and a big mess, too.

For this picture, I wasn't in a very good position to get the star, too, but it's up there. It is just very difficult to get everyone to sit still & smile for a lot of pictures, so I take what I can get!

We went to Nonni's for Christmas & then to Aunt Sandy's & Uncle Andy's. Here are some pics of the girls in actual dresses!! They looked so adorable I couldn't stand it! I just wanted to eat them up. I took a lot of pictures, but I won't overwhelm the blog with all the pictures! (fyi - Sofia's on the left & Ava's on the right)

Most of the pictures I have of them look something like this one on the right. One is making a strange face, the other one is talking...which is funny because bring them around anyone else & they don't talk much at all. At home, however, I find it hard to get them to stay quiet...

So it's hard enough to get my girls to stand beautifully together, add in their cousin Jack & then it becomes one tough assignment. The trick? Mmmmmm...COOKIES!!!

All in all we had a great holiday & it's always fun to get to see Christmas through the eyes of children. It was awesome to see everyone and I am very grateful for all the love in our lives.

Oh yeah, I'm sure I'll catch grief from someone if I don't include a picture of me & Garry, too . . . So here you go!

Aaaannnddd, here's an even better one with all of us:

Now we're all famous on the blog!

Oh wait, I need the one of the godparents, too!

Phew. I think I'm done now...Until the next post.

First Snowstorm!! . . . sort of . . . who said there's no global warming?!

2007-12-08T18:31:00.000-05:00

This morning, Ava & Sofia looked out the window & were absolutely thrilled to see snow on the ground! They immediately wanted to run outside & play. They got their boots, hats, mittens & coats on & rushed outside. It was funny & cute & a little sad all at the same time. Ava was pretty funny saying that it wasn't a very big snowstorm and that they could only play in one corner of the yard.
They asked me to help them make snowballs . . . It didn't work out that well . . . But they had fun & that's what matters!

After playing in the "snow" we ate lunch & went to see Santa at the imPossible Dream playground. They had crafts set up & they had pony rides & "fishing for toys" where the girls put a fishing pole with a hook over a wall & then magically there was a toy attached to the end of their fishing pole. It was a pretty cool Christmas party & something different to do on a Saturday. Ava & Sofia had the most fun with the crafts, but they didn't smile much at Santa or when I went to take their pictures on the ponies...They did smile the whole time they were riding the ponies, though!

Christmas Tree Farm

2007-12-03T14:30:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we went out to the Christmas Tree Farm & bought this year's tree. It always feels a little bad choosing a tree to cut down & essentially kill just to bring a little beauty & sweet smell into your home, but I think the Christmas tree likes to be used for a wonderful purpose bringing joy & happiness into a home...but that's only a guess.

There were a lot of trees to choose from & Xavier, Sofia & Ava had tons of fun running through the fields. It was pretty cold but the girls were bundled up. Xavier is 14...I think that's enough said about why he didn't have a hat on. I guess they're just not cool enough for him...Alas, I tried...Hopefully I won't be blogging next about the pneumonia or flu that he got...

We got it home... Ummm... in the car next to Xavier. Tight squeeze, but on the plus side he said it smelled really, really good.

When we got home the girls really wanted to start decorating, but I told them that the lights have to go on first . . . So they put the lights on...

Bella got into the Christmas spirit, too...She doesn't like getting dressed up. I can't imagine why - she's so darned cute!

Thanksgiving

2007-12-03T13:47:00.000-05:00

TG pictures...

We had a really yummy & fun Thanksgiving this year. Holidays are definitely yummy with a Chef in the family. The past 11 years of my life have definitely been filled with delicious food. Good thing I exercise!

Here are some pictures from TG this year. We ate & then we all went outside to throw the football around & Garry got tackled by 3 defensive backs...I think they were defensive backs. I don't know. I don't talk sports, I just watch football by default. However, my father-in-law did say I have a good arm & I put quite a nice spiral on the ball. How do you like them apples, Gregg?!

November

2007-12-03T13:33:00.000-05:00

We had a ridiculous amount of leaves in our yard & on our driveway this year. We raked over 30 (close to 40) bags of leaves. Unbelievable!! But - the girls & Xavier had a lot of fun playing in the leaves. What is it about leaves that kids love so much? Who needs toys? You just need a lot of leaves . . . and . . . a cardboard box . . . (see below)

Ava & Sofia love cardboard boxes. Ever since they were toddlers, they've loved playing with boxes - putting things in them, drawing on them and of course getting in them themselves! The girls haven't seen Nonni for a while and so they found this box & asked if I could send them to Nonni's in this box. I told them that they probably wouldn't fit . . . Of course they had to prove me wrong. I then jostled the box around quite a bit & although they said it was fun at the beginning, they decided it wouldn't be a very comfortable 3 day trip, so we'll travel by car.

Halloween

2007-12-03T13:22:00.000-05:00

I am determined to catch up to "real time"...

But first...here's a few from Halloween! Sofia & Ava got to wear their elephant costumes to school for a Halloween party. Then after dinner we went out on a long trick-or-treating trip. I say long because there is a very bright purple house that we drive by on the way to school. This purple house has a yellow car & if you remember, when they were babies if there was a purple piece of clothing, Sofia would be in it & if there was a yellow piece of clothing, Ava would be in it. Now those are their favorite colors, so that house is their absolute favorite house. Anyway, it's about a mile away, which is pretty far for 4 year olds in the evening. They made it there & halfway back, but their "legs were tired" when we were halfway home, so mommy & daddy were lucky enough to give piggy back rides the rest of the way! Fun fun fun! Their bags were so heavy that the handles were stretched to the limit! Despite 2 sore backs the next day, we all had a really good time.

From today...I couldn't resist...

2007-11-20T19:16:00.000-05:00

I know I still need to put Halloween pictures up & some November pictures, but I just took this video today (sorry for the bad color quality...it's the camera...). I hope this works! They're singing "What's the Weather" in their perfectly goofball way!!

Still September & October...

2007-11-20T15:29:00.000-05:00

Hello! I think I have about 30 minutes so hopefully I can get some pictures up! Here are some we took that we like to refer to as "Gap Ads" :o)

Next we have some pictures of our fun times at the imPossible Dream playground - It's a great playground with a lot of fun stuff to play on. I tried to tell the girls they were probably too big for these swings, but really, how can a 4 year old say no to flying dolphins?!

Then in the beginning of October we went to visit Great Grandma McCann :o) 96 years old & still going strong!! As you can tell, I am the photographer of the family & so very rarely in any pictures...

After we visited Great Grandma we went apple picking & had a ball! In fact, we had such a ball that I forgot to take a lot of pictures until it was time to go...

Then we went visit twin friends Zack & Sarah & it was so much fun!! They played really well together so the mommies had time to themselves to talk.

We did manage to quiet them down for just enough time to take a picture of them on the couch...

September & October -- Nope, just September for now.

2007-11-02T14:56:00.000-04:00

So, what have we been up to the last 2 months, you ask? Well, we went to the Zoo back in September (here's Daddy & the girls).

And you'll just have to wait to find out what else we've been doing because I'm having problems uploading more pictures. This will have to do until I can figure this thing out...when I get more time. Ha ha!

Belated Birthday Pictures!

2007-09-22T15:40:00.000-04:00

Well here are some birthday pictures I promised you a while ago! Nonni made the awesome, custom birthday shirts (Pablo the Penguin & Tyrone the Moose of the Backyardigans) & Sofia wanted Pablo & Ava wanted Tyrone, but at the last minute Ava decided not to wear her Tyrone shirt but instead wear her London shirt (brought back byAuntie Abey (aka Elisabeth!).
I made the Pablo cake (took me a few hours & I might not make another cake for a while, well, Daddy would probably prefer that I not make a cake for a while...). There was no Tyrone cake pan unfortunately, but they both loved the Pablo cake.
After the cake was gone & most guests had left, Ava, Sofia & Xavier had a ball popping all the ballons with Zack & Sarah (twin friends born on same day, remember?!). Sorry I missed your head when I took the picture X...I'll do better next time. You're just getting so dang tall!!
Then after that Daddy & Xavier set up a race & obstacle course for the 4 year olds! Nothing better for releasing sugar cake energy than running around the yard kicking balls :o)
Finally, Sofia & Ava just HAD to try out their new big girl bikes. I know, I know...BARBIE?!?!?! Yuck-0! But, hey, when you've got to buy two of almost everything you have to look for the deals & sales & of course only Barbie was on sale. What can ya do? They love them :o)

Beach with Big Brother Xavier

2007-09-05T19:42:00.000-04:00

Finally we ALL got to go to the beach! Even Chef Daddy who rarely gets to go to Nonni's! Of course, being his usual giving self, he did do some things around the house while he was there, too...But we had time to go have fun at the beach & in the pool!

Ava & Sofia love spending time with their big brother Xavier & he has just as much fun playing with them! He's 10 years older than they are, but he really gets back to being a carefree child when he's with them. It's awesome to see. They built (and destroyed) many sandcastles, but really enjoyed building a dam that kept getting hit by "big" waves! It was a lot of fun & a day I am truly grateful for. I mean, I'm grateful for all these days, but this was one that will live in the memory banks for a really, really long time.

Oh - I forgot - they did turn 4 in August & I haven't posted birthday pictures yet, but I will next post.

What a difference a month makes!

2007-08-29T14:07:00.000-04:00

It's official. Ava now loves the beach as much as Sofia! She did start out wearing those beach shoes, but then she wanted to take them off like Sofia :o) Unfortunately this was the one & only time in August that we've gone to the beach, but I might try again this weekend if it's not too chilly.

They liked bringing water back to add to the moat that I built around our sandcastles. They actually liked acting like monsters & destroying the sandcastles even more than that, though!

We've been having a great summer walking Bella to the "beach" at the end of our street (the unnamed beach with the rusty pipe that we do not swim at!), reading at the library, playing every and any type of game - already established or made up by my very creative and imaginative girls - and baking banana bread and cookies.

My Little Mermaids!

2007-08-24T10:43:00.000-04:00

July...

2007-08-16T15:59:00.000-04:00

July picture! Now I'm only one month behind!!
Ava doesn't like sand between her toes & spent most of the time on the beach towel...but I managed to convince her it would be loads of fun to bury her feet in the sand. She actually didn't mind that, but as soon as she was unburied she asked me to carry her to the water so she could rinse her feet! She definitely prefers Nonni's pool! I'll get more pictures up when I've got a little more time...

Pictures from June

2007-08-14T11:28:00.000-04:00

Activities in June with friends

2007-08-14T11:18:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I'm a little behind in the blogging...This is a tough gig! Here are a couple pictures with friends from June. Since then, we've mostly been swimming in Nonni's pool! I'll choose some of those pictures I took & put them up soon. I'm telling you, I have 2 little mermaids who LOVE to swim! You'll see :o) But first, a trip to the zoo with Zack & Sarah & a trip to Mystic Aquarium with Ethan, Tristan & Xavier...but the only picture was taken when Ava, Sofia & Tristan enjoyed their ice cream!!
I'm having trouble uploading pictures, though, so you'll have to wait for pictures...

2007-06-07T16:25:00.000-04:00

A couple weeks later in May we got ready to go to see Nonni & Brigitte! They wore their special "Little Lady" t-shirts brought back especially for them from Japan :o) Again, when they say "Cheese" they really put A LOT of effort into it!! And of course we had to go to the "better beach" at Nonni's!! They love the water just like their mommy.

2007-06-07T16:19:00.000-04:00

So as you can see, rusty pipes don't exactly invite bathing suits & swimming, but we still have fun throwing rocks in the water & exploring & looking out at the boats. This "beach that we never ever swim at" is at the end of our street & is fun to walk to.

2007-06-07T16:13:00.000-04:00

In the beginning of May I had them pose outside in their "Future Skipper" t-shirts (my personal favorite shirts of theirs :o) - I'm sure you all have no idea why...). Well, they got a little tired of posing, so we walked to the "beach that we never ever swim at" . . .

2007-06-07T16:09:00.000-04:00

A week later we went to kid's night at a local mall with twin friends Zack & Sarah! They had a blast & let me tell you, trying to get four 3 and 1/2 year olds to sit still & smile all at the same time is close to impossible!!

2007-06-07T15:31:00.000-04:00

In mid-April they had their first dentist appointment! They were absolute angels while the dentist checked out their teeth & they didn't even make a peep when the hygenist did a little scraping! They were given an A+ check-up soI asked them to smile really, really big for the camera that night with their new toothbrushes. Ava really had to concentrate on smiling. Sofia thought she could give a bigger smile with her eyes closed... :o)

2007-06-07T15:15:00.000-04:00

It's Easter & they're wearing winter coats & hats!! Ava's in the pink jacket & Sofia's in green.

2007-06-07T15:08:00.000-04:00

Okay, I know I'm not very good at updating the blog, but I do know that 3 months is pushing it. The girls are very into choosing their own clothes & these were some of their masterpieces chosen at the end of March! Hey, at least they're creative!

Utah!

2007-03-11T19:55:00.000-04:00

Just a quick entry today! We went to Utah last week & had a BLAST! We got to see Uncle Gregg, Auntie Mary and Baby Jack! Nonni & Aunt Mary took the the kids to the Brand New Childrens Museum! Ava's being chauffered by Jack & Sofia...Is she wearing her seatbelt?! I'll try to post more & write more when I get more time...

Snow!

2007-02-26T10:06:00.000-05:00

Look at our beautiful snowman!! We finally got enough snow (and the right kind of snow) to build a snowman and I was . . . uh, I mean Sofia & Ava were . . . so excited to build a snowman. So we . . . well, I . . . rolled the balls for the snowman & Sofia & Ava gathered rocks & sticks for eyes, a nose, a mouth & hair & arms! We made our snowman & he was awesome & we were all so excited...

...But then I turned around and the next thing I knew he was on the ground in pieces & 2 very guilty-looking little girls were standing next to the pile of snow that used to be our snowman!!

Artwork

2007-02-19T17:58:00.000-05:00

One other note: They can write their names ALL BY THEMSELVES!!!
How cool is that?!
Ava likes to draw "her man" and a whole lot of 'A's.
Sofia decided not to make any drawing on her piece of paper. She wanted her name to stand alone as the piece of artwork that it is!!

2007-02-19T17:55:00.000-05:00

After our friends went home, Ava & Sofia bundled up & went outside to have fun on the ice on our driveway!

Quadruplets!

2007-02-19T17:47:00.000-05:00

Our friends Sarah & Zack came over to play on Saturday!
Everyone had a lot of fun - even the mommies!

For those of you who don't remember, Zack & Sarah are the twins who were born on the same day & in the same hospital as Sofia & Ava, but we didn't all meet until many, many months later...

2007-01-21T17:37:00.000-05:00

These girls are very fortunate to have learned such a valuable lesson. They are very lucky...

2007-01-21T17:33:00.000-05:00

...because they have learned to be very good at trading and sharing!

2007-01-21T17:30:00.000-05:00

I've noticed that Ava is saying "Hey" a lot now.

I ask her to use her "Big Girl Polite Voice," but the other day it occurred to me that she learned it from me! Boy do we have to be careful what we say...

2007-01-21T17:26:00.000-05:00

Bet you can't tell they got haircuts yesterday...

Just a trim...They got to watch a movie while they were getting their haircut! Kids are so spoiled nowadays :o)

2006-12-27T18:22:00.000-05:00

Christmas day fun with Elisabeth & Christian!

2006-12-27T18:16:00.000-05:00

On Christmas Eve I tried to get them to stand together & smile at the camera...but they preferred to turn away and play with toys on the windowsill...

2006-12-27T17:45:00.000-05:00

Christmas morning was very serious! :o)

2006-11-30T21:58:00.000-05:00

It's official. Greg Page (the Wiggle in yellow shirt) has retired. Here are some non-digital photos of our November 2005 trip to see them. How young the girls were!

2006-11-29T19:31:00.000-05:00

Happy girls in their Wiggles pj's! We just heard that Greg Wiggle might be retiring...We'll miss you Greg!

2006-11-29T19:22:00.000-05:00

We went apple picking in September & Ava felt that the bag was REALLY heavy!

2006-11-29T18:50:00.000-05:00

Okay, so this blogging & uploading
thing takes FOREVER! As much as I didn't want to do it I figured you might want to see pictures of the rest of us too & how well we're aging ;o)
So here you go.
I'll try to post more pictures as they're taken, but it sure does take a while to do...

Bella being "hugged" by Ava & Sofia

2006-11-29T18:28:00.000-05:00

The girls were Uniqua and Pablo from the Backyardigans for Halloween

And they're tree huggers almost everyday!

2006-11-29T18:22:00.000-05:00

This is our first blog. We really just wanted a spot where we can post pictures for friends & family to see. I don't write much so this will probably be about as much as I write for a long time!

Ava, Sofia & I went to the beach in Madison this weekend. They had a lot of fun playing in the sand, with the water & running on the jetty/pier.

I'm going to try to add more pictures without a lot of comments! Enjoy :0)