Update in a flash!

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...

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?

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

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...

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...

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

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."