Nature is so great

I was so bad at the garden this year and nature was still so nice to us.  Just look this beautiful rose! Wow.

Tony's Birthday!

My sister and her husband's birthday are right next to each other.  So, after the feast from yesterday and since it was Tony's hard work (in the cooking).  We decided to take them out to eat this time.  We went to Leona's and it was delicious :)  Hope you had a great day!

 Leona's screw up in the singing! Alma and I were in the bathroom and we heard singing.  So, we could not capture Tony's moment, but hope the sundae was good :)

Alma's Birthday

My sister had said she wanted to do a family gathering for her birthday.  Then, she scratched the idea. Tony and I decided to do that for her.  Unfortunately was at last minute and some people could not go, but we were still enough to celebrate and enjoy a feast!  We had portabello mushrooms with a delicious pesto sauce.  We had some amazing steaks, and chicken, and guacamole, and rice... just delicious.

My brother and her bride :) funny to think that my brother is all grown up and a newlywed.  Yikes!

 How about Logan?  Nice glasses!

 All waiting for the steaks to cook.  At this point our appetite was great to just dig in!

 Mike was trying the boy's bed.  It looks comfy!

I wondered what was so funny.  I don't think my cousin knew either...

 After the meal, Tony lighted the cake in the kitchen and walked with it surprising my sister once again :)

 Everyone was singing happy birthday and waiting for Alma to make a wish and blow the candles!

 Here to a wonderful year.  We love you lots.

Happy Birthday Alma!

Paper dolls!

Arianna's cousins are getting so big :) Here we are celebrating my sister's birthday (September12), but we went that day in the morning to a craft fair.  I was expecting a lot more of the fair, but I still managed to find 2-3 things that were lovely.  One of those were these doll papers for my nieces.

I think pretty soon Arianna is going to love to play with paper dolls!

Mommy's Date!

I am so behind my posts.  So, this actually happened a few weeks ago (September 10, 2010), but here it is anyhow.  Mike was very tired and Arianna and I wanted to go somewhere.  We decided we will go to the library and then for some ice cream.  When we got to the library, we found out that they changed the hours and it was closed :( but then we went for some ice cream faster.  Arianna's favorite flavor? Chocolate!  Mom's was butter pecan.  So, we shared a two scoop ice cream of our favorite ice creams.  Arianna was so excited to see balloons and they gave her one.  She went talking and singing all the way to the house.  Nice date.

"It takes a village to raise a child..."

I had heard that phrase/ quote awhile back, well back when I did not have any children.  Now, I can really understand it after three years of wonderful and sometimes challenging parenthood.  What can we say about year number 3?
I can start by saying that her cognitive development has exploded tremendously.  She talks in full sentences and not like a parrot.  She makes her sentences according to what is going around her.  Like the other day she said to me:
 "Let's open the polka dot present." Once we opened it.
"What is this letter", she said.
 "I don't know", I said.
"It looks like me that the letter is a g, a big G", she said.
" I think you are right", I said.
She had a huge smile because she knew her letters.

Yes, she knows all the letters, numbers up to about 27, can count backwards, lots of shapes, recognizes her name and knows that her name starts with an A.  She knows lots of colors.  Loves to say stories and to be told stories.  It has exploded.  Now, with that explosion comes her realization that she has to follow some rules.  Yes, toddlers do not like to follow too many rules.  So, we got a few tantrums here and there.  Thank God it was not that bad, but I hear that "terrible 3's" are worst than "terrible 2's".  I guess God willing we will know if it is true.

So here is the list of things that Arianna liked this year: (Not in order)

1.  TAPE. TApe. TaPe. tape. TapE.  Anyway you write it.
2.  To fingerpaint.
3.  Books.  Those are still one of her favorites.  Her imagination has reached a new level.
     Dr. Suess's Books.  The crayola box (book).  Tales of Peter Rabbit and Peter Cottontail and the           Valveteen's Rabbit.
4.  Softies.  Purple Dog.  Blue squirrel.  Charly Bear.  Fisherman's Bear.
5.  Dollhouses.
6.  Gum balls.
7.  Colors.
8.  Swing.
9.  Playing with Grandma.
10.  Purple dressers, purple shirts, purple pants.
11.  Little Bear.  Wow Wow Wubbzy. Team umizoomi.
12.  Jamie's Birthday Card. (musical)
13.  Beginning to like puzzles (more pieces)
14.  Little pony.
15. Legos.

Sentences:

1.  "I can't see  it, but I know is in there"
2.  "I can't go to bed now Papa.  I need to wait for the moon"
3.  "There is no vacation for mamas"
4.  "It is ok mama".
5.  "I love my cousins".

And I will end with a Thank You to everyone that has helped us one way or other to continue to be the best family that we can be.  And I promised the next post will be about her birthday party :)

WPP #35, 36, 37 - So late...

I took the pictures but I don't have set up a good system to process them.  I ask Mike to help me out so I can streamline it and post my pictures faster :)  anyhow, here are the pictures from those weeks.
#35

I am obsessed with fat quarters!  Maybe because I love to make  Stuffies? or I have deeper psychological need to make a quilt?  ;) 
#36

Meat.  We had a great feast at my sister's birthday.  I have lots of pictures, but I have not done the blogging yet.  I am so behind in many things that had passed.  I will try to blog a few entries, even if I am late!
#37

This little cutie is a squirrel made from recyclables sweaters!  My daughter likes it a lot. I think is a great idea.  To use something that otherwise would have gone into the forgotten boxes under your stairs or sitting in a thrift store forever... The blue part is the sweater and it is soooo soft.