Where's Carina?

Can you find the baby in this picture? We rearranged the playroom and put everything up in a cabinet, which has made a HUGE improvement to the room - but for awhile there, it was quite a mess!

Mean Old Coffee Table...

Anyone want a mean old mission style coffee table circa 1997? It's really just a plank of wood on 6 legs, but it beats up our children and enough is enough! Mia has a grey tooth thanks to this mean old guy and in the last 10 days Laney has given herself an unintentional frenulectomy and a black eye - sheesh!

Nevermind that we removed it for awhile and the TV console started to pick up where the coffee table left off, it's time for Mr Meanie to go. That, or we really really need a playroom where the kiddos can gallop, dance, and spin their princess dresses.

Potty Training

...is underway! Laney is very successfully potty training with the help of her big Sissy. However, we still need to work on how much potty paper to use.

One for the Books

Just so you know, the red stuff is Axe Body Wash. And this was during Laney's nap, or so I thought...




And I guess I should also mention that this is our upstairs bath, which has NOT been even slightly remodeled yet. Note the duct tape on the floor. Yes, duct tape is still our friend, this time being used as waterproof floor covering.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

This is what Mia got in the mail today...




And for my friend, Julie - here's the finished gingerbread house. We had a great time making it. Me, the architect (it's cardboard), Patrick the contractor, and the girls the decorators. :) Merry Merry!

Since I don't have photos today, instead I will share with you the funniest thing I read today. This is from an old friend on facebook:

"(My friend)'s son believes that 'baby cheez-its' was born in the manger. Maybe we should cut back on the snacks... "

Too cute!

A Visit From Cousin Jacque!

My niece, Jacque, visited her Aunt Heather in Virginia this past weekend and the girls played at the Reston Zoo together! What fun! The girls fed the lambs and goats, and we went on a "safari ride" where we were inundated with giant camels! We had a fun time and were sad to only have a short time to spend with Jacque, but we were so glad for the visit!

Laney Goes Green

'nuff said.

Sick Weekend

Well, Laney came down with the Coxsackie virus blisters Friday. No wonder she was so cranky last week. Mia was disappointed because that meant we would be missing a Halloween party on Saturday that she had really been looking forward to.

No worries - Mom to the rescue! I happened to have a few things in my bag to make our own party. First Mia made cookies.


Then, we hung decorations we had made earlier in the week and donned Halloween Costumes. (Thank you to Travis for lending his hat.)

Then, we made Halloween cards, ate spooky snacks and the cookies, applied creepy tattoos, and had orange milk.

Then, we got to play in the dark with glow sticks - Mia bit into one and we worried a bit about poison. (So far, she's still normal, aside from HER Coxsackie blisters that showed up yesterday afternoon.)

We had an uninvited visitor or two, asking for treats (almost like real Halloween!)
and then we went to bed.

Phew! Crisis (and disappointed 2 and 4 year old meltdowns) averted.

Puda and Roddy - A Story by Mia

by Mia Volpe

This is a mama and baby pumpkin, Roddy and Puda. They are going on a walk and got their umbrella.

Apple friend said "You're not bigger than ME!"

"Yes I AM!" said Pumpkin, and she was off on a magic carpet ride. The End.

There's more.

Puda said "Apple, I am bigger but You're small."

"Aw! I am NOT down low! I want to be big so I am big! So I am going to invite you to lunch!" (said Apple). So she always wanted to, always wanted to, ALWAYS wanted to. And she did.

They ate peanut butter sandwiches with peanut butter and jelly. And then they went on a walk.

She wanted to have a surprise cake and she did and she had a big bite. She ate it and had a tummy ache. So she had to go to the hospital and then she got all better and turned 4 on her birthday. And the baby said "I wish I was 4 and I'd love to be 6."

And then this is a very long story.

At the end of the day, they went to sleep and in the morning Apple was gone!

"Where did Apple go?"

"Oh Oh! Where's Apple?"

She went jogging. They didn't know where she was. The End.

Not the end.

She was off on a magic carpet ride again and she was tiny and she growed up really really big! Puda and Roddy and Tita (the Apple) got pooped on by a camel cricket. Yick! Blech! And Roddy got bit by a mosquito.

Tita got bit by a bird. Then they ran away and one got stung by a bee (Puda).

The End.

G is for Great Time at the Fair!

What a great time we had at the fair this morning! And, yes, we did get to see some goats, so we fit that into our G Day theme. I'm sure Mia will say her favorite part was getting to ride a Pony for the VERY FIRST TIME, and Laney will probably say that seeing the baby ducks was her favorite. Laney also kept telling us "I a Moo!" meaning that she was pretending to be a cow. :) How darling. I, of course, was nostalgic for my 'tween years when I participated in our local county fair with 4H in the cooking, crafts, and rabbit showmanship areas. I was really tempted to purchase one of the pet rabbits they had for sale this morning. Wouldn't Patrick be enchanted if he came home to a new pet he had no idea about?!?

Anyway, after the kids wake up from their naps/"quiet time" we will attempt to Grow some seeds. Well, we will plant them at the very least. The corn that Grandaddy got the girls for planting a few months ago is doing quite well, though so far no corn to eat. But the plants are tall and great fun to see!

Happy G Day! If you are following along, some interesting G things include: giraffes, goats, granola, growing, golf, gold, growl, grizzly bear, garlic, go, giggle, ganache, gyroscope, grasshopper, goldfish, gingerbread, grandparents, Germany, and gelato* (YUMMY!).

*brought to you by Julie, who just returned from Italy.














Mia Quote of the Day -
"Mommy! HELP! I dropped my tiara in the potty and I already pooped!" (Some days you just LOVE being a mom...)



Books we read today: Grandma and Me, Goodnight Moon, Guess How Much I Love You

B is for Backyard Bicycling!

Today we are focusing on the letter B. There are so many options today, from food choices (bananas, broccoli, beans, barbecue, brats, berries...) to activities (bubbles, bicycling, bouncing, basketball, ballet...) to animals (birds, bears, bees, butterflies...) that I know it will be a really fun day!

Happy B Day!





Mia's Question of the Day:

"Mommy, Why do we have floors?"





Books we read today - Bee Frog, Corduroy's Birthday, Dr Seuss ABCs, Eloise Takes a Bawth

Just a Photo

Ok, maybe a wee comment - Man we really need to get that pacifier out of her mouth! I think it's time for the Binky Fairy. Laney turns 2 on Friday, so it's now or never, huh?

A Boring Boring Day

Last night as the kiddos were winding down, reading books and putting puzzles away, Mia started semi-chanting "Another Boring, Boring Day. It's a Boring Boring day."

WELL.

Let me just clue you in on her "Boring, Boring" day. We started the day with a trip to the park where Mia got to ride her new bike, meet a new friend, play on the swings, the slides, the merry-go-round, and pet a friendly puppy.

Then, we went home for lunch, which was followed by playing in the sprinklers with a neighbor friend, she got to "paint" the fence with her sidewalk chalk, and jump on the trampoline.

After nap "quiet time", she got a popsicle, and played outside at Catie's house until dinner time.

After dinner, we made animal masks in honor of this week's theme, Pets.

How is that a Boring Day? I'd hate to hear what she has to say about the days we do nothing but run errands. Sheesh.

Dancing in the Shower

For a little laugh, here are the Volpe girls dancing in the shower...

Charlie Bucket Hair and Worms

I saw this picture after I took it and all I could think of was Charlie Bucket, of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Do you see the resemblance?








Aside from that, Spring has finally arrived! Today's high was 73 degrees, the first really nice day we've had all year. Mia has taken to spring by obsessivly digging up worms in the yard. If not for my secretly dumping them back into our garden, we'd probably be without ANY in our yard at all. She has literally caught over a hundred in one sitting, and might have made a killing if we had a bait shop. :)

Click on the March and April photo albums for more cute pics of the girls.

Red Light Green Light

So, Mia and I play a little game at stoplights that I used to play with my mom when I was a little girl. When a light is red, I ask Mia to use her magic nose to turn the light green. Most of the time, thanks to my careful timing, it works!

Yesterday, while on the way to preschool, Mia took it upon herself to try to wiggle her nose to get the light to turn green.

Here is the dialogue:

"Mommy, I'm going to turn the light green with my magic!"
"Ok honey, thank you."
(After a few tries) "Mommy? I'm out of batteries!"

Fountains

Webster's Dictionary:

FOUNTAIN
Pronunciation: \ˈfaun-tən\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French funtaine, fontaine, from Late Latin fontana, from Latin, feminine of fontanus of a spring, from font-, fons
Date: 14th century
1: the source from which something proceeds or is supplied
2: a spring of water issuing from the earth
3: an artificially produced jet of water; also : the structure from which it rises
4: a reservoir containing a liquid that can be drawn off as needed

My mom always called top-of-the-head ponytails fountains. Well, we gave Laney her first fountain today, and Mia joined in the fun, too.

I'm Sneaky!

Mia will tell you she's been sneaky lately. And she means it, and she loves it. (Help!?!) Today she got the cocoa mix down from the pantry shelf and proceeded to hide with it, a big spoon, and her sister under the dining table. I was so furious she did this, but also happy she finally willingly shared something with Laney. Good thing I grabbed my camera - I was ready to throw both of them out in the yard and pray for rain. Of course, it's been in the 30s here, so you would think that would be out of the question. Mia didn't think so two days ago. She and Laney were splashing around out in the puddles in 40 degree weather. Patrick got a video clip of it, but I need to shrink it down a few minutes before I can put it out here.

Happy last minute shopping!

Mia's Still Funny

This video is from June, but as I was out looking for photos for her preschool collage, I found it and thought you all would enjoy it. (Plus, I want to try out Blogger's new Video function.)


Well, so far I'm not impressed. Here's the video on YouTube.