Just the two of us. Part 1.

A couple weeks ago, in passing, I mentioned to Eugene that maybe on one of his quick trips to L.A. he should consider taking Mia with him, so that she could spend some quality time with his parents. Seconds after uttering those words he had his calendar out ready to plan it. So this morning, we bid farewell to Eugene and Mia as they took off on their 48 hour adventure cross country.

Last night before I tucked Bella into bed we talked about our plans for the next few days. Bless her heart, she was so excited she didn't have to share my attention with her sister. In fact, she asked if her and I could play with "the fruitty smelling clay." She asked this because she has not seen the stuff since Mia was born because all Mia wants to do is eat it, so how cute that she'd think to seize the moment with her sister being gone. Anyway, as I thought about the "fruitty smelling clay" I realized several things:

1. I am way too anal about Play-doh/clay. I start twitching every time two colors get joined together, which undoubtedly leaves the clay (in this case) smelling less like grapes and looking more like dog food.

2. This "fruitty smelling clay" that Bella speaks of was purchased over TWO years ago at an artsy store in California. TWO YEARS AGO! EEWWWWWWWWW. THINK OF THE GERMS!!!

3. It was time for new Play-Doh.

I watched as her eyes lit up when I told her that we could go to Toys-R-Us and pick out some brand new play dough. Based on her reaction you'd think she just won the lottery.

After Eugene and Mia walked out the door, Bella and I headed out for our Wednesday morning ritual: first the yoga class for me and then the library for her. My yoga class was going perfectly. I found myself in the moment, had great balance and had a surprising amount of focus. Until...the woman in front of me let out a tiny little toot, which sent me spiraling down into a deep dark vortex of laughter--of which I could not control.

What am I twelve?

After yoga we headed to the library and I was thrilled not to watch after a certain 17 month old as she usually pulls every book from the shelf or dumps every crayon on the floor or any # of things that I have to prevent Mia from doing. Nope, not today.

Walking through the isles of Toys-R-Us I was reminded how easy it is with just one child. So, so so easy. A 3.5 year old makes the perfect sidekick. Since we were on no schedule we explored every nook and cranny of that store. Like the glittery hula hoops that were so big she could barely hold them in her hands.

Or the stationary bike that almost made her sweat.

Or the princess shoes that come six to a pack. SIX. What child needs six pairs of dress up shoes?????

Or the freaky baby dolls that kept crying in unison as their motion sensors were triggered every time we walked past them, leaving Bella and I in stitches.



Or the GODFORSAKEN BARBIE HOT PINK CADILLAC ESCALADE HYBRID EXT that kept her attention for almost twenty minutes.



Are those plastic sub-woofers in the back? Are you kidding me?

What ever happened to the Big Wheels of the good ol' days? Those were the best! We headed over to the Play-Doh isle and she debated back and forth before settling on the Play-Doh Magic Swirl Ice Cream Shoppe. Wise choice, my dear.



I never knew you could do so many fun things with Play-Doh (remember I'm a dough Nazi). All I ever supplied my kids with was a few shape cutters and the dough--there's a whole world of Play-Doh contraptions out there. Who would have thought you could make soft serve ice cream, with strawberry toppings and sprinkles out of Play-Doh!



We played with the ice cream shoppe for hours! Day 1 was perfect!

Anybody got a baby I can breastfeed?

Because no matter what I do these days, I can't seem to lose any weight. I don't understand. Since joining a gym, in which I work out a minimum of 3 times a week, I haven't lost anything. Nope. In fact, it's creeping in the opposite direction. What gives?

No, I'm not pregnant.

No, I'm not eating any more than normal.

Actually, it occurred to me that this plateau began right around the time that I gave up breastfeeding. Crapper. My metabolism has completely shut down sinse that teary-eyed night two months ago. I knew that breastfeeding burned a ton of calories, but I guess I never really factored it in to my daily regime. I factored it as an "extra" bonus.

Anybody got any recommendations on how to kick start my metabolism again?

I purchased the Biggest Loser Wii game--which looked really awesome when I saw the previews on the show. If anyone can kick anything into gear it's Jillian Michaels.

Doesn't your heart go out for her thigh muscles? Poor things.



I haven's stepped onto the Wii fit board since my hilariously, tragic fall last January. Why is it that my falls are ALWAYS hilarious? And why is it that my falls are always seen by PEOPLE I KNOW?

That's it--I'm going to face my fear, stand on my wii fit and get yelled at for about 30 minutes from a digital avatar that looks like me. Wish me luck.

It's been a hard-knocked life ALL WEEK!

I've always loved Halloween. It goes back to my mom and her excitement and dedication to this particular holiday. She always made the coolest most creative costumes for us. Like the time I was a martian beauty pageant winner, Miss Mars, in which my mom Elmer-school-glued-green Cheerios all over my face and slapped a bald cap on my head. Total project runway. The point is, she put a lot of thought into it.

My mom's enthusiasm has rubbed off on me. I now realize why my mom was such a nutcase over the years--it's without a doubt the most exciting day of the year. Costume choice in our family is a topic of conversation that usually starts in August. Ridiculous, I know. In Bella's case, her mind was made up back in May when she took one look at the new locket necklace my sister purchased. Oops, I'm sorry-- it's not a necklace, it's a Juicy Couture necklace. Which is exactly what Bella says to anyone who dares to call it a necklace. Thanks, Gabe.

So yeah, she saw the "Annie-esque" locket necklace and decided right then and there that she wanted to be Annie for Halloween. Which was fine by me, since she loved the movie and the music anyway. My sister, god bless her, even put teeny, tiny pictures of our family inside the locket necklace--how awesome is that? You rock Gabey, thank you. You're going to be an awesome mom one day.



Of course, no Annie would be complete without a loyal dog!



Mia, on the other hand, had much less of a choice in the matter--seeing as she barely talks and all. Although, to my credit, I honorably chose something on her behalf--a cute little black cat. Dude, Mia goes BONKERS over cats. Every time she sees one she squeals, claps, and does a stomp yer' feet kinda dance. How could I not? Unlike my mom, I cannot sew at all, so I left it up to the geniuses over at Halloween Headquarters to help me find the purrfect feline attire.



I remember a time in college when I was so poor I handed out my canned goods to the kids who dared knock on our white trash door. Seriously, green beans? You betcha. I must have been drunk. I've come a long way since that Halloween. This year, Eugene thought he would be sensible and buy the candy from Costco. LIKE A 10 LB. BAG. The worst part about it, he bought the bag three weeks ago. Which means we had about 2lbs. left over to hand out. Damn Halloween. I keep justifying it because the portions are so small. C'mon Gina....line all those teeny tiny Snickers bites up and whatta ya get? A freakin' chocolate footlong!

As much as I love Halloween, I've found the week prior tends to be the busiest week of the year. We played dress-up 3 times before the actual day arrived. Between the library story time, Mia's sing-along class, my gym, Bella's pre-school and the local nursing home I was exhausted. Knowing that Mia would tire of her costume long before Halloween arrived, she donned a pirate dress and a penguin at the above mentioned events. Bella wouldn't budge though. She insisted on being Annie for each event. My sister, fashion genius and hair stylist extraordinaire, put Bella's hair in curlers THREE times this week. Believe me, I tried to get her to wear a red curly clown wig- but man, the girl's got some standards.

Looking back on the week I think we've had about 27 "hard knock life" dance parties. Here's #17:

I love how Mia HAD to have a couple curlers in her hair just like Bella.



I remember what it's like to sleep in sponge curlers and it's not easy. But she did it like a champ. I even peeked in on Bella while she was sleeping and found her face buried into her pillow, butt up in the air, sleeping on her hands. Hah. Beauty is pain.

So, yeah, this week? Super busy. Oh and how can I forget the 1AM trip to the emergency room with Mia. She had a nastly fall off of a chair onto our brick floor. Lovely. After carefully watching her, my mom and I both assessed that she was fine. About two hours after she fell asleep she woke up in a screaming fit. Which could have easily been a nightmare but also could have been a concussion. Not wanting to chance it, my sister and I took her in (Eugene was out of town for work, so you could imagine how he felt). We were seen fairly quickly and after a catscan and a check-up they concluded that she was fine. Pfew. Here she is in a teeny-tiny hospital gown that made me thankful this was the only time I was seeing it. I've always had a soft spot for kids in hospitals.



But no ounce of sleep deprivation could keep us from enjoying our Halloween. After a spooky brunch at our house, Eugene set up a make-shift studio and took some pics of Bella, Mia and my seriously handsome nephew Erik.









Mia did not like us adding whiskars and a black nose to her face at all, but I'll never forget her smile when she saw herself in the mirror. She was so excited. She kept looking at herself then looking at me almost as if to say, "woah, I'm a cat." Looking back, it was my favorite moment of the day. In fact, she kept the cat costume on all day long! I had to pry it off of her for naptime. While Mia recharged her batteries, Bella and I headed over to a birthday party at our neighbor's house.





Like my make shift Gryffindor Harry Potter costume? I really wanted Eugene and I to dress up as John and Kate (ya know, work the asian/caucasian combo) but Eugene was a party pooper and didn't dress up. Once Mia woke up, she was ready for more candy.

We headed out to Trick-or-Treat



The girls had so much fun. Mia didn't understand the meaning of just "one." She literally raided several neighbors' candy bowls. It was pretty cute. While we walked along I thought about all the Halloweens growing up here in Illinois. The leaves all over the ground, pumpkins everywhere, beautiful fall flowers, the smell of burning wood, this was Halloween. I've missed it and I'm glad that my girls got the chance to experience it.

After inhaling M&M's, tootsie rolls, licorice and hershey kisses (and that was just me) the girls found the energy for one more Halloween Hard Knock Life dance party.



Three minutes after this video was taken, we ALL passed out. Happy Halloween!

I heart Paula

In honor of National Dessert Month (October) I thought I'd share a great recipe. It's no secret, I love Paula Deen. I love how every single recipe starts and ends with a stick of butter. I've never seen a chef so BLATANTLY disregard health, calories and nutrition for taste. It's fantastic! I'm not joking--my mouth waters every time I watch her show.

On a side note, would it be inappropriate for me to invite Paula to stay with us for a weekend? Just a weekend. That's it. Ya know, time enough for 2 of her breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners and a shit load of snacks and desserts. We're great company. We'll make her laugh. She can call it "work" and bring her camera crew--I'm cool with that. Please? Pretty please? Pretty, pretty please with pecans, orange zest, shaved chocolate and powdered sugar on top?

Since that'll NEVER happen, I'll just have to settle for making her meals three, maybe four times a year. Honestly, could anyone even handle more than that? Think about her husband and his poor, defenseless cholesterol levels......lucky bastard!

Here we go ya'll.....Slow Berry Cobbler. Super easy (unless putting things in a bowl and walking away is difficult for some of you) and SUPER YUMMY but you must have a slow cooker.



FILLING:
1 10 oz. bag frozen strawberries
1 10 oz. bag frozen blueberries
1 10 oz. bag frozen raspberries
1/3-2/3 cup sugar, depending on your sweetness level (GO WITH 2/3 CUP, OTHERWISE IT'LL BE TOO TART)
1/2 cup baking mix

TOPPING:
2 1/4 cups baking mix
1/4 cup of sugar , plus another 1/4 cup of sugar
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:
Spray the insert of a slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, stir together 2 1/4 cups baking mix, 1/4 cup sugar, melted butter and milk with a wooden spoon. With your hands, drop bits of dough on top of the fruit in the slow cooker. In a small mixing bowl, stir together the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and ground cinnamon. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top of the dough and place the lid on the slow cooker. Turn the power onto high and slow cook for 3 to 4 hours until the topping has puffed and the fruit is bubbling.

Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream or both.

Click here if you want to watch Paula make this dish:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tb4Z57fsawM

Leaves, Pumpkins and Scarecrows--Oh my!

I love fall! I mean, if I could bundle fall up and keep it in my pocket all year long, I would. It's so beautiful around here. So beautiful, that I find myself driving around a little bit longer just so that we can witness this beauty as much as possible. To celebrate this season we got together with some great friends and headed off to the Children's Farm down the street.

Bella and Lili smilin' pretty for the camera



And then there's Mia, who's still trying to understand the concept of smiling. In the meantime, this frown is Mia's "go-to" look whenever a camera is on her.



The girls spent the afternoon watching, brushing and laughing at various farm animals. They had a ball whereas I felt the need to shower in antibacterial lotion the entire time.











After having fun with the barn animals we hopped on a hayride bound for the pumpkin patch. Sometime between the hayride and the pumpkin patch the temperature dropped like ten degrees. So, the first pumpkin we spotted was the one we took home. Okay I lied. It was the second pumpkin we chose. The first pumpkin rolled down the hill and ran over Mia. She didn't like that one.

Here's Mia, not convincingly, attempting a smile



We all had a great afternoon--which was followed by an amazing four course dinner, thanks to Eugene. Man my husband can cook! Tiffany and Chad, thanks for an awesome family outing, it was a perfect day.



So I promised the girls we would make a scarecrow for our yard. Mistake #1. Never promise a 3 year old. They ALWAYS remember.

After stuffing an old pair of pants and a stretched out Old Navy thermal shirt (I swear all of their clothes are made out of tissue paper--awful) we threw a tattered hawaiian shirt over our scarecrow and buttoned her up. I say "her" because Bella named her Stiffanie. Hubbawuzza? Stiffanie? I said to Bella "you meant to say Stephanie, right?" "Nope. Stiffanie" said Bella. I asked again, "then you must have meant to say Tiffany, right?" "Nope. STIFFANIE" argued Bella.

I chuckled under my breath cuz, really?, that's the worst name ever! But, whatev, I'll go with it. Trying my best to get this godforsaken scarecrow completed-- Bella, Mia and I drew a face on an old tshirt and stuffed it too. Voila, we had our Stiffanie. We took her outside complete with a clown wig and a homemade tutu (because that's what the 3 year old boss wanted) and made her comfortable. Please take note of how cute her face looks--the scarecrow, not Mia. But kudos to you Mia for actually smiling.



Since the girls were in such a good mood, Eugene took the liberty of snapping away. I laugh at these photos because you can tell the type of "back and forth" interaction that goes on between the two of them. It's hilarious.













Somebody please get this girl a drink--she's way too serious!!!



EPILOGUE

Mistake #2 (which if you recall followed mistake #1 which was promising to make the damn scarecrow in the first place) was using WASHABLE MARKERS to draw Stiffanie's face. WASHABLE--what kind of idiot uses WASHABLE markers to make a scarecrow? This idiot does!

And then it rained.

R.I.P. Daria

To understand the beauty of her life, you need to know where she came from. So before I begin, please take a moment to read a little bit about her from a previous post. It's what she would have wanted. Here's her story DARIA

Oh, who am I kidding. Let's cut to the chase. Daria is dead. I probably killed her. Not intentionally, mind you. But, all fingers can most likely be pointed at me. Do you know how hard it is to keep a tadpole alive for 7 months? No, wait a minute, don't blame me. Blame her. Yes, blame her. She had her chance to become a frog and hop herself out of the hell hole we provided for her--but did she? No. Daria never grew any legs. Never grew any odd little arms. Never grew anything. When we purchased her I was told that she would start morphing into a frog in the beginning of June. Perfect. A month long project where we can watch her daily growth--how educational! But June came and went. So did July, August and September. I mean I had someone feed her while we were on vacation- that's the kind of tadpole parents we were!

Feeling really guilty that Daria had been stuck in her situation for so long, I went to the pet shop and inquired about my options. When I saw the look on their face when I told her that she never showed any signs of frogness I knew the answer wasn't good. Apparently, (and it's very rare) some tadpoles just skip the changing process for a season. I should probably mention that tadpoles transform into frogs in accordance to the seasons, which is why they all change in late spring or early summer. I stared at them blankly and then desperately wimpered "you mean we have to wait 8 more months?" They both nodded their heads and added "there are some instances where they never change at all."

This wasn't good news. I started thinking the best option would be to ask the pet store if they could keep her for the next 8 months and when spring rolls around again we can take her back or buy another one. It's a win-win situation, right? We didn't even bother to provide Daria with oxygen--a fish tank with a pump would be like the lap of luxury for her. Think about it, she'd meet other tadpoles, work through her "issues." It would be perfect. Oh but wait. That would mean I'd have to explain to my child why I'm an unfit mother because I'm tired of looking at and smelling this thing in my kitchen EVERY SINGLE DAY. Trying to brush off visions of snuffing the tadpole with a little tiny pillow, I let it go and procrastinated the situation even more.

Until last week. It was like every morning, one eye opened dragging myself to the kitchen to get breakfast started while two little girls dance and flutter at my feet. Literally, they dance and flutter. After pouring a cup of coffee, toasting some waffles, filling the sippy cups, I went to feed Daria and

Daria was gone.

What the hell? How could a rather large tadpole, be gone? I looked everywhere--no signs of Daria. Bella realized that something was wrong and started asking me where Daria was. Now if anyone really knows me, they know that I'm a horrible multi-tasker, so this insistent questioning from Bella while I'm knee deep in search for Daria was more than I could handle. I had no idea what to say to her because I had no idea where she was! Eugene was out of town, so I knew that he wouldn't have any answers. My dad. Yes, call my dad. The loyal family petkeeper will have some answers. I frantically called my dad and simultaneously checked the utensil drawer. Really, Gina, you thought Daria was going to swim to the forks-you idiot.

And my dad told me the news--he found Daria dead the night before and didn't want to tell me around the girls. I watched as Bella stared right at me, intently listening and decoding our conversation. I didn't know what to say. I totally panicked. There was no way I was going to have a half asleep discussion about death with Bella, now. Like a deer in the headlights I spouted out the first idiotic thing that came to my head, "oh, so she got up and walked out the door." Instinctively I slapped my forehead the moment I heard those words come out of my mouth. Yes, I'm a jackass.

I hung up the phone and knew that I couldn't run with this story. I knew I had to tell the truth. Well, not the whole truth. I looked at Bella and said to her, "Daria is gone Bella."

Because Bella needs personal verification for everything these days, she ran to the bathroom to get her step so that she could see for herself. She stared into the terrareum and after awhile said, "Yep. She's gone."

Pfew. That was easier than I thought it would be. And then she looked at me and said, "maybe Daria grew her legs, became Danny and walked to the house of a different family."

I thought that observation deserved a hug.

RIP
Daria
March 30, 2009-October 4, 2009

Comfort Zone

I finally feel like I have a grasp on our new routine these days. Summer is long gone and our new fall schedule has found its comfort zone. Bella loves her preschool. So far she has milked a goat, cut some wool from a sheep, rode a pony, made some friends and took the cutest school pictures ever! While Bella is off playing junior farmer, Mia is getting SHOWERED in personal attention. We call it Mommy-Mia time and she loves it. Every Tuesday and Thursday we do something a little different. Here's some highlights:

One good thing about school reopening--the park is ALWAYS empty. Score for us.



Enjoying some quiet time, coloring, at our local library.



Learning about pumpkins.



Singing her ABC's.



I recently joined a gym and I love it. About 4 times a week me and the girls head out to the "safari playground." You see, the gym that I joined has a really great kids program accompanied by a really cute kids room, which I'm sure is chalk full of really adorable germs. It looks like a big jungle. My kids actually think I'm doing them a favor by bringing them there. Hah! I love reverse psychology.



I haven't gone crazy with the workouts because I don't want to burn out too fast and give up, so 45 minutes on the eliptical is perfect. I end up burning about 450 calories--and that suits me just fine. Although, yesterday I wasn't too pleased with the provided entertainment. Just as I started my workout I looked up at the TV monitors overhead. On my left was Hannah Montana, lip syncing her misery and to my right was Paula Deen deep frying a stick of butter. TOTAL TORTURE!

While I'm very proud of my new exercise regime I find that I'm thoroughly wiped at about 7:30PM, which means we're continually trying new ways to get the girls just as tired as we are.

Like letting them tap themselves silly until they're legs are too wobbly to even walk.



Or nights when we're really desperate we let them run around the virtual block. Wii think it's a great idea! Hee. Hee.



And when all else fails, we put em' on our shoulders and bounce. Works like a charm.

Sweet 16

For the past month I've been prepping everyone in our family (mainly myself) for the conclusion of my 16 month run with breastfeeding. I can't believe it's been 16 months already. And while I am so proud of myself, I am so sad to see this phase end. It has been such an amazing experience with Mia. I'm not sure who cherished it more, me or her. Twice a day, we were taken to a place where nothing else mattered, just mother and child, in the purest of forms.

And while her body has been changing and growing everyday, her eyes have been as big and brown as they were the day I first met her.



The worst part? People treat breastfeeding a 16 month old so very, very different than breastfeeding a 1 month old. That irks me. It's just the same--okay give or take a 10 lb. and 13 inch difference, but the intent is still the same.

No matter how I try to defend it, I do know in my heart that it's time to stop. And I also know that my sadness is not because I want to breastfeed until she's 3--no way---my sadness is because Mia is no longer a baby. A fact that I've tried hard to ignore. I've held on to her infancy as tight as I possibly could. And as much as I don't want to, the time has come to let go.

It's seems so much easier than it actually is. In fact, I've postponed this very act for the past 3 months because I wasn't ready to face it yet. But homegirl ain't gettin' any younger and not to mention her grill consists of like 13 teeth already....so clearly I have no choice. But how?

Since applying sequin nipple pasties probably isn't the best way to wean her (albeit hilarious), I figured I should probably put a little more thought into it. So we spent some quality time at a local bookstore. My hope was that if she picked out a couple books that excited her, we could replace our pre-bed nursing time with some pre-bed reading time. Sounds like a good idea, right?

We entered the kids section at Barnes and Noble in search for the perfect night-time replacement and all she wanted to do for the first twenty minutes was get chased down the aisles.



While running like a drunken fool Mia stopped in her tracks as one particular book caught her attention. Immediately she wanted to show me the book. In fact, barely even able to stand from excitement, she grabbed five more copies and stumbled towards me. Okay, I get it Mia...this is the chosen book. After having to explain to her that nobody needs six copies of Missy Kavanaugh and Sarah Gurmans's gripping novel entitled Babies she conceded and was thrilled that she got at least one copy.

After making several other purchases, like Jamie Lee Curtis's Big Words for Little People (because Bella LOVES this book, as do I), Bob Dylan's Forever Young, and a $5 Twas the Night Before Christmas we headed home.

Mia was so excited to explore her new book. She proudly showed it off to her sister and her Dad. It was adorable to watch. In fact, I remember thinking how thankful I was that this book was going to be a perfect transition tool.

We sat together and opened the book.



She loves animals, so it came as no surprise to me why she chose this book. On page 1, aloud, I read this:



Page 2.

Ahh, how sweet. Some sort of badger or squirrel or weasel I think.



Giggling, Mia fumbled to page 3 and aloud I read this:



Ahh, how sweet. Mommy Panda teaching baby Panda how to chill and grub some bamboo.

Page 4.

Page 5.



Mia laughed at this particular page because she noticed that the crocklet was sleeping. Apparently, an exhausted reptile is hilarious to a toddler. What? Okay. Whatever, I'll play along. I laugh with her, and of course my laugh makes her laugh even more. And there we are, merrily laughing along. Then I turn the page and see this:

Page 6.


In my mind I heard the sound of a car come screeching to an excrutiating halt. EEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mia stared at the picture in amazement. I, on the other hand, let out the biggest laugh. I couldn't help it. Of course! Of course! Of all the books, on all the shelves, this, this is the book that she chose! But suddenly my laughter was interrupted by the sad, piercing, pathetic look on the poor, little, itty, bitty, piggy who didn't get any milk from her mommy.



She just kept staring. Directly. At. Me.

And as funny and ironic as this moment was, it was also terribly heartbreaking. (I'm pathetic I know). Trying my best to hold back the tears and ignore the pain that's obviously welling up in my throat, I fumbled to page 7 and aloud I read this:

and we both turned to the last page:

And seeing this family of Emperor Penguins was all I needed. I started wailing right then and there. I couldn't control myself. Thoughts of devotion, sacrifice, endurance and patience filled my head. I sobbed even louder.

My dear Mia, in this moment I realized that your father and I are much like these penguins: we'd huddle together and protect you through the most terrible of storms, no matter the cost.

However, I also realized there comes a time when I need to let you go. Tonight, I nursed you for the last time and wept through it all.

Sunny and warm with a chance of fun!

We've been having a ball enjoying this warmer weather. Recently, we stopped by an art festival that also had a pretty decent carnival. Bella took advantage of the situation!





Instead of screaming bloody murder on the sidelines, we found a ride that Mia could actually participate in. She was pretty stoked to ride the "horsey-horsey" and Bella INSISTED that she ride the strung out monkey. Since when have you ever seen a monkey on a carousel?



On our way out we all shared some delicios New Orleans style beignets. Move over munchkins, these donuts are insane!
Watch as the girls (Mia) devour the beignets.

Mia could be heard babbling, "yum, yum, these donuts are yum"


"it's so warm on the tongue"


"uh-oh"


"What the hell happened? Where's my donut?"


The following day our family visited the circus that came to town.





Aren't elephants so mysterious? I love them. Everytime I see them in a zoo, I am so fascinated. Here though, it was a tad bit sad making them prance around in sequins.



Isn't this such a cool pic?!



Mia was excited to take her first pony ride.



And here is a picture of Fernando the Amazing, Mexico's most talented juggler.



However, five minutes after he wowed us with his juggling skils, he resumed his post as cotton candy/peanut seller. Which in my mind reduced him to something like Fernando the Amazing Multitasker. Upon closer examination, all of the acts had two to three other jobs in the circus. Talk about a circus sweatshop.

Bella and Mia however, thought it was the greatest show on earth!

And so it begins...

Today was Bella's first day of school. Preschool that is. But from the ridiculous tears that I shed you would have thought she was a high school valedictorian. Seriously Gina....it's PRESCHOOL. TWO DAYS A WEEK. FOR TWO MEASLY HOURS. I know, I know, get a grip. But the scene was so precious. She picked out her own dress that I proceeded to iron for her (which I rarely do) (okay, never). We filled her very pink backpack with all her school supplies and she could barely stand up it was so heavy on her little body.



She was so excited. As she should be--her preschool is fantastic. First off, it's literally two miles from our house. It's a quintessential little red schoolhouse located on a Children's Farm. Their mission is all about learning and appreciating through the natural environment. Environmental education is integrated into the curriculum, which I think is awesome! I love the idea of learning through nature.

Last week Bella and I went to the open house, so she saw firsthand what it's all about.

Brushing a bunny with a toothbrush!


Getting attacked by a pig


Petting a duckling


We know this is a perfect fit for her. But deep down, a part of me is sad. Very sad. This is the day when I let someone else teach her....someone other than me. From this day forward there will always be someone else teaching her. Which is a good thing, I know. But I'm still a little mushy anyway. We've had a good run, her and I.

Like the time when she learned about the power of helping others



Or the time when she learned all about the importance of trycycle safety



Or when she mastered my Harry Potter lesson



Or when she made new discoveries



Or the first time she played a piano



Or the time she learned all about friendship



Or when she realized our family was changing



Or when she learned the meaning of responsibility



Or when she learned where her family came from



Or when she learned about true love



When Eugene picked her up from school he took one last picture of her in her classroom.



She looks so old, huh? She's growing up faster than I want her to. As you can imagine we had so much to talk about over dinner. Of course, Bella was the recipient of the special plate which meant that she spent the whole dinner basking in her glory, too excited to even eat.



After reading through all the take-home material that was securely placed in her backpack, I was surprised to find that she already had homework!

And so it begins......

Beach Babes

While in Hawaii we hit up the beach for some fun in the sun. I was leary at first since the last time we "beached" it, all Mia wanted to do was shove every grain of sand into her mouth. Thankfully this time she decided she would rather wear the sand than eat it.





Every time we take the girls to a beach I envision the worst possible scenarios. Ya know from tsunamis to bloody shark attacks, my imagination runs wild. Trying not to be such a paranoid freak, I chillaxed and let the girls roam free.

****TOTAL NON-SEQUITUR BUT MY DOG RIZZO JUST FARTED SO FREAKIN' BAD THAT I THINK I NEED TO STAND UP RIGHT NOW AND GO FOR A WALK TO SHAKE IT OFF. I CAN'T BREATHE. IT HURTS MY NOSE....I SHOULD BREATHE THROUGH MY MOUTH....OH WAIT...THE THOUGHT OF THAT STANK ENTERING MY MOUTH IS MAKING IT WORSE... OMG..IT'S STILL HERE. LINGERING AROUND IN THIN AIR RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY NOSE.....OKAY....IT'S LETTING UP. REGAIN FOCUS. WHERE WAS I? OH YES, CUTE LITTLE BEACH BABES....





Bella loved sitting in the sand waiting for the tide to come in....it made her laugh every time the water hit her.





So, I'm fully aware that ten years from now I'm going to have to explain my justification to Mia why I posted the following pictures...but they make me laugh so hard! She's looks like a cross between an angry drunk and Sloth from Goonies.















We had so much fun--hours of it actually. And luckily, as opposed to my exaggerated thougths, no one got stung by a poisonous jellyfish! We were covered in sand from head to toe and it took about three bubble baths to get them clean, but very, very well worth it.

The Aloha State

After bidding farewell to California we found ourselves at the airport again, this time Hawaii bound. We had such a memorable time and here are way too many pictures to prove it.