A photo recap:
it's good to be the queenSunday, December 20, 2009
Reina's Dream Day
Reina's birthday was a great day...she awoke knowing it would be. We started the day with a delicious breakfast of eggs and "breakfast toast" otherwise known as English muffins. She got to wear her fancy party outfit handmade by Gram ALL DAY. We ate potstickers at lunch by request. When Daddy woke up from his post-overnight shift sleep, we went on a mommy/daughter date to see Disney's The Princess and the Frog. It was Reina's 2nd time at a movie theater, my first time with her. We came home and opened gifts, including a pink digital camera that really works so she can leave ours alone. We hosted a pizza party for local family and friends. We had cake with pink (strawberry) and purple (black raspberry chip) ice cream. We rocked out to Guitar Hero. We covered everything with our new stickers. We (well, just Reina) got naked to try on all her new princess dress-ups from Uncles Matt and Jen. We stayed up late. What a day!
A photo recap:
it's good to be the queen
A photo recap:
it's good to be the queen
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Holiday Rush
I'm not sure I'd say I was fully humbug about Christmas this year. I just haven't really gotten into the shopping (practically none, no parking available at the mall) but am thankful for free shipping and the internet. I've never been much of a baker and the Christmas cards and letter have always been Bill's territory.
But every time I feel scrooge-like, Reina says or does something that reminds me that this Christmas, her 4th actually, is really the first she has been really aware and excited. Like today when she begged for hot chocolate before dinner because she saw one snowflake. Or when she checks the date on my watch in order to know which ornament to hang next on her Advent calender. She has gotten into the "Elf on the Shelf" who watches her behavior and reports to Santa. She's a quick one, though. "The elf doesn't see me when I go bye bye." Huh.
On Thanksgiving morning, she came down to the kitchen where activity had already begun and cried "it's Thanksgiving!" with pure glee. She gets confused about the religious aspect, asking if Jesus is a baby or a grown up. She knows about giving gifts, but has already kind of spilled the beans to Daddy about his (not really, I gave her a decoy).
I hope this season finds you and yours happy and healthy and not too humbuggy about the details. As a part of our yearly preparation for Christmas we have several family birthdays I feel I need to mention. Michael-Dad celebrated his on the 13th. We've been fortunate to have spent some time with him and Gina-Mom et al recently, including a Polar Express train ride during which Reina treated Santa as though he had cooties. Bill's Dad "Bub" was born today. We are still in the first year since losing him and his birthday is one of many dates during which we think even more about him. My two favorite boys carry on his name. Gina's dad, Popeye, was born on December 23rd and every year the family gets to together to celebrate each other and the holidays. Not to be forgotten, Little Miss Reina will be turning 3 years old on Thursday. She has asked for a pink cake with goldfish crackers. Delicioso!
Once I really figure out how to get my photos uploaded I'll be more timely, until then...
But every time I feel scrooge-like, Reina says or does something that reminds me that this Christmas, her 4th actually, is really the first she has been really aware and excited. Like today when she begged for hot chocolate before dinner because she saw one snowflake. Or when she checks the date on my watch in order to know which ornament to hang next on her Advent calender. She has gotten into the "Elf on the Shelf" who watches her behavior and reports to Santa. She's a quick one, though. "The elf doesn't see me when I go bye bye." Huh.
On Thanksgiving morning, she came down to the kitchen where activity had already begun and cried "it's Thanksgiving!" with pure glee. She gets confused about the religious aspect, asking if Jesus is a baby or a grown up. She knows about giving gifts, but has already kind of spilled the beans to Daddy about his (not really, I gave her a decoy).
I hope this season finds you and yours happy and healthy and not too humbuggy about the details. As a part of our yearly preparation for Christmas we have several family birthdays I feel I need to mention. Michael-Dad celebrated his on the 13th. We've been fortunate to have spent some time with him and Gina-Mom et al recently, including a Polar Express train ride during which Reina treated Santa as though he had cooties. Bill's Dad "Bub" was born today. We are still in the first year since losing him and his birthday is one of many dates during which we think even more about him. My two favorite boys carry on his name. Gina's dad, Popeye, was born on December 23rd and every year the family gets to together to celebrate each other and the holidays. Not to be forgotten, Little Miss Reina will be turning 3 years old on Thursday. She has asked for a pink cake with goldfish crackers. Delicioso!
Once I really figure out how to get my photos uploaded I'll be more timely, until then...
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Trade Offs
We've had to deal with some trade offs lately. Heck, I guess it is true you can't get something for nothing these days. The most significant and worthwhile of theses trade offs has been Reina giving up her daily nap...in exchange for wearing underpants.
She's a little on the old side, but still within normal range I guess for potty training, especially for one so inderpendently minded. We just had to wait for her to be ready. Her "aha" moment? Halloween candy as reward. Brilliant. She's down to 1 pair of pull ups a day, for overnight only. I think she's only had 3 accidents in over two weeks, and two were in one day. I had nothing to do with this. She trained herself. A sign of things to come I'm sure.
The lack of photos on this blog has been tragic and I do feel guilty. However, you asked for it, so now you're getting about 385. The trade off will be lack of much commentary since my nap time blogging time has disappeared. Also, last week we all had colds, Bill was out of town and then I had a rather dramatic reaction to my first wasp sting which prevented me from wanting to use my arm for a few days.
Ok. Time's a wasting. Picture time...out of order, no captions. But lots. A glut.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Bummed
I am sorry for the delay...I actually have 3 blog posts written and waiting for photos. However, since I have a fabulous new camera, my computer doesn't recognize the hardware and I have just discovered I cannot yet download the photos.
Have no fear, Bill has already downloaded 600, yes 600, of our nearly 1000 pictures from vacation, Halloween, kids, etc. It is only a matter of time to get my non-Mac wonder up to speed as well.
Until then...do you actually WANT to just read posts without pictures?!? Happy to oblige.
Have no fear, Bill has already downloaded 600, yes 600, of our nearly 1000 pictures from vacation, Halloween, kids, etc. It is only a matter of time to get my non-Mac wonder up to speed as well.
Until then...do you actually WANT to just read posts without pictures?!? Happy to oblige.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Halloween
Upon our return from Cali, we had one week to get our Halloween together. This year was the first time Reina was really aware and excited, I imagine Thanksgiving, birthday and Christmas will be much the same. Costumes had already been decided. Pumpkins were acquired thanks to Gina-mom's spontaneously growing ones and Nana and PGa's trip to the pumpkin patch in our absence. Due to the busy road we live on, this was the first year I haven't bought candy. We made plans to trick or treat in a friends' neighborhood and were good to go.
The evenings leading up to Halloween included a portion of "The Great Pumpkin" and another cartoon with some very gremlin-like alien pumpkins. Reina didn't seemed phased by any scariness, just liked to say Halloween is pretend a lot. Cool. Not interested in nightmares here.
We got out our pumpkins to carve, Daddy with his sharp knife, Reina with hers. Liam with his little pumpkin gourd in his mouth.
We got dressed in our costumes, me in my old standby Snow White (don't tell me I'm too old to dress up). Reina was a ballerina butterfly, her own concoction. Liam was a hand-me-down pumpkin, but a cute one. All the squash he's been eating lately has made him a little orange anyway. Bill was a game-time decision. A mohawk and old football jersey transformed him into: Bill with a mohawk and old football jersey. At least he was festive.
We joined friends Libby and Logan along with little Jonah and hit up some pretty nice homes with some pretty big candy bars. Reina alternated between ecstatic and worn out but stuck it out with the other kids...there was some carrying involved.
The best part about her haul is not that Mommy and Daddy now can steal her candy. The best part is that she thinks she can ONLY get candy if she uses the toilet instead of a diaper. I have now seen the true meaning of motivation. She can muster up even a few drops if it means two more M&Ms.
I admit I don't relish the idea of bribing with candy, however I was also starting to get a little anxious we'd be changing diapers well past her 3rd birthday. Keep fingers crossed, she's doing great over the past 4-5 days. Mental note to self, start Liam's potty training around Halloween.
The evenings leading up to Halloween included a portion of "The Great Pumpkin" and another cartoon with some very gremlin-like alien pumpkins. Reina didn't seemed phased by any scariness, just liked to say Halloween is pretend a lot. Cool. Not interested in nightmares here.
We got out our pumpkins to carve, Daddy with his sharp knife, Reina with hers. Liam with his little pumpkin gourd in his mouth.
We got dressed in our costumes, me in my old standby Snow White (don't tell me I'm too old to dress up). Reina was a ballerina butterfly, her own concoction. Liam was a hand-me-down pumpkin, but a cute one. All the squash he's been eating lately has made him a little orange anyway. Bill was a game-time decision. A mohawk and old football jersey transformed him into: Bill with a mohawk and old football jersey. At least he was festive.
We joined friends Libby and Logan along with little Jonah and hit up some pretty nice homes with some pretty big candy bars. Reina alternated between ecstatic and worn out but stuck it out with the other kids...there was some carrying involved.
The best part about her haul is not that Mommy and Daddy now can steal her candy. The best part is that she thinks she can ONLY get candy if she uses the toilet instead of a diaper. I have now seen the true meaning of motivation. She can muster up even a few drops if it means two more M&Ms.
I admit I don't relish the idea of bribing with candy, however I was also starting to get a little anxious we'd be changing diapers well past her 3rd birthday. Keep fingers crossed, she's doing great over the past 4-5 days. Mental note to self, start Liam's potty training around Halloween.
Mr. Beets
Bill had a very busy week in the ICU after our return and wasn't always able to get home before the kids went to bed. The nights he was home for dinner, however, proved to be entertaining.
After a summer of delicious local vegetables procured by our farm subscription, Reina has become "The World's Only Beet Eating Kid." We call them "princess pink" beets just for extra motivation. Never having grown up eating them, I had no preconceived dislike. Bill and I both get a little proud when we tell people what Reina is willing to eat. Having gone from a poorly feeding newborn to a picky baby, this open mindedness to food makes us burst with pride. Some highlights: sushi, pot stickers, sausage of any kind, shrimp and noodles, and spinach salad. Please no applesauce. Liam on the other hand, has not met a food he won't eat, leading me to merely mash up our dinners for him to have his own share.
Liam is actually pretty much the best baby ever. Smiles all the time, still stays where I left him (but now can spin in circles). He has no teeth yet but can sit for a long time. His newest tricks are clapping and clicking his tongue to get attention. He has the greatest giggle. But I digress.
The past few weeks have actually been rather beet-free, since the farm is now closed for the season. A new friend has appeared in the guise of Mr. Beets. Described by Reina as tall with big purple hair? Daddy isn't Mr. Beets (or Mista Beeties said with an English accent??). He's Dr. Beets, if you please. I am now Mrs. Beets. When asked who exactly Mr. Beets is, she gets quiet and then says, "Logan." Logan is the son of our friends and Reina's age. I'm pretty sure he isn't aware of being Mr. Beets.
One night at dinner we were discussing the various Beets' and we got on the subject of geography, as in, where IS Mr. Beets now? Reina has a fairly good grasp of our address and town and so Bill started quizzing her on where other family members live.
Bill: Nana and PGa?
Reina, with prompting from me: Columbus
Bill: Uncle Ryan?
Reina: Texas
Bill: Uncle Andrew?
Reina: ?
She looks at me for help so I give a clue: The same place President Obama lives...
Reina: Oh, the White House.
?!? How does she know that?
After a summer of delicious local vegetables procured by our farm subscription, Reina has become "The World's Only Beet Eating Kid." We call them "princess pink" beets just for extra motivation. Never having grown up eating them, I had no preconceived dislike. Bill and I both get a little proud when we tell people what Reina is willing to eat. Having gone from a poorly feeding newborn to a picky baby, this open mindedness to food makes us burst with pride. Some highlights: sushi, pot stickers, sausage of any kind, shrimp and noodles, and spinach salad. Please no applesauce. Liam on the other hand, has not met a food he won't eat, leading me to merely mash up our dinners for him to have his own share.
Liam is actually pretty much the best baby ever. Smiles all the time, still stays where I left him (but now can spin in circles). He has no teeth yet but can sit for a long time. His newest tricks are clapping and clicking his tongue to get attention. He has the greatest giggle. But I digress.
The past few weeks have actually been rather beet-free, since the farm is now closed for the season. A new friend has appeared in the guise of Mr. Beets. Described by Reina as tall with big purple hair? Daddy isn't Mr. Beets (or Mista Beeties said with an English accent??). He's Dr. Beets, if you please. I am now Mrs. Beets. When asked who exactly Mr. Beets is, she gets quiet and then says, "Logan." Logan is the son of our friends and Reina's age. I'm pretty sure he isn't aware of being Mr. Beets.
One night at dinner we were discussing the various Beets' and we got on the subject of geography, as in, where IS Mr. Beets now? Reina has a fairly good grasp of our address and town and so Bill started quizzing her on where other family members live.
Bill: Nana and PGa?
Reina, with prompting from me: Columbus
Bill: Uncle Ryan?
Reina: Texas
Bill: Uncle Andrew?
Reina: ?
She looks at me for help so I give a clue: The same place President Obama lives...
Reina: Oh, the White House.
?!? How does she know that?
So, how was California?
***Update: hooray! Bill got my pictures on this dang computer so soon they will be posted. But not tonight. After dealing with a fluey Reina all day and trying not to cross contaminate Liam, I'm packing it in. Words only for now.***
Reina regularly chats me up this way..."So, how was California?" to which I answer, "it was great!". Then, in turn I have to ask her about her and Liam's week with Nana and PGa. "It was great."
To start, Bill got me a brand new camera. A Super Duper interchangeable lens, point and shoot, or not, type camera which I am still learning to use. Much like the human brain, I may only get about 10% mastered. Downloading the photos is the skill I am working on next. We have taken nearly 1000 photos with this monster and they are really so different from my purse sized point and shoot. Bill has become quite the nature photographer, perhaps inheriting some skill from his dad? His subjects are mostly birds to date, and I'll leave them to him. Birds and I are not friends, more on that later.
So, how was California? We took a child-free trip down the California coastline starting way up at Napa Valley. Napa was beautiful, the wine was delicious, we ate way too much but enjoyed ourselves. We drove (in a convertible, which I found out REAL Californians wouldn't do in October) down through San Fransisco to Monterey, then on to tour the Hearst Castle and meet up with a friend in Santa Barbara. We ended our week visiting with Bill's 90+ year old grandmother and uncle and aunt for dinner outside of San Diego. Many apologies to all the folks we didn't get the chance to meet up with while there. We just plumb ran out of time. We're more than happy to come back, however!
Missing the kids, but no too badly yet, we came home and back to life. Oh, and a Bengals game. Since airline regulations are not very wine-souvenir friendly, not much came back with us. I'll see if the 1000 photos we've taken can make up for it...if each one is worth 1000 words does that mean I've got about 1 million words to sort through?
Reina regularly chats me up this way..."So, how was California?" to which I answer, "it was great!". Then, in turn I have to ask her about her and Liam's week with Nana and PGa. "It was great."
To start, Bill got me a brand new camera. A Super Duper interchangeable lens, point and shoot, or not, type camera which I am still learning to use. Much like the human brain, I may only get about 10% mastered. Downloading the photos is the skill I am working on next. We have taken nearly 1000 photos with this monster and they are really so different from my purse sized point and shoot. Bill has become quite the nature photographer, perhaps inheriting some skill from his dad? His subjects are mostly birds to date, and I'll leave them to him. Birds and I are not friends, more on that later.
So, how was California? We took a child-free trip down the California coastline starting way up at Napa Valley. Napa was beautiful, the wine was delicious, we ate way too much but enjoyed ourselves. We drove (in a convertible, which I found out REAL Californians wouldn't do in October) down through San Fransisco to Monterey, then on to tour the Hearst Castle and meet up with a friend in Santa Barbara. We ended our week visiting with Bill's 90+ year old grandmother and uncle and aunt for dinner outside of San Diego. Many apologies to all the folks we didn't get the chance to meet up with while there. We just plumb ran out of time. We're more than happy to come back, however!
Missing the kids, but no too badly yet, we came home and back to life. Oh, and a Bengals game. Since airline regulations are not very wine-souvenir friendly, not much came back with us. I'll see if the 1000 photos we've taken can make up for it...if each one is worth 1000 words does that mean I've got about 1 million words to sort through?
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