Books, books, and more books

Today was our day to steam clean the carpets.  We put it off until today because this was the first rainy weekend we've had in what seems like forever.  I moved all the family room furniture into the kitchen and crammed as much of the dining room into the hall as I could.  Then I cleared out the play room.  I wondered in the back of my mind what the girls would do while they were not allowed in the wet areas, and no TV all morning.  Once again, we don't give children the credit they deserve.  Here's how I found them, curled up together on our lounge chair which was shoved under the kitchen table.  Reading!

They thought this was like a grand new adventure.  They both thought it was hilarious that our furniture was in the kitchen.  They certainly weren't bothered by it one bit. 
This gave me the opportunity to go through the book box.  Our family loves to read.  We have countless books.  A couple years ago I decided that the books needed to be kept in one place, so we came up with the "book box".

Not usually this neat

These are just our 'family room books'.  We have more in the play room, and each of the girls has their own book shelf upstairs.  Tia prefers to keep her special Princess collection up in her own room where she can keep them away from her baby sister.
Anyway, I thought I could make a dent in the book box and bring some to the Good Will.  Not such an easy task after all.  It's not just that the kids don't want to part with any of the books, but I too have my favorites that I won't give up.
In most areas I'm the exact opposite of those "Hoarders" you see on that new TV show.  I get rid of just about everything!  I have at least one Good Will bag ready each week, and I often give hefty amounts of clothes to other friends who have little girls.  But for some reason I can't do that with books.  I'm a book hoarder! 
Since I was going through the box, I thought I'd share with you some of my most favorites.

I consider these to be the classics.  I can remember hearing "Harold and the Purple Crayon" when I was a little girls and I thought it was fantastic.  It's the first book I ever bought Tia as a gift.  "Where the Wild Things Are" is another one of my own childhood favorites.  I didn't become a Dr. Seuss fan until I became a mother.  Now I can't get enough.
So, after all that I only pulled one book out to give away.  The rest are with us for a while longer.  I'll live with the occasional book clutter because it means I have kids who love to read.  That's good enough for me.

Sweetest Day Dance

D.R. and the girls went to the annual Sweetest Day Father-Daughter Dance.  This is a big event in our house, the girls look forward to it every year.  In fact, they've been talking about it for weeks.  They like to get all dressed up and pick out what Daddy will wear.  This year was the most fun because they had a few friends who were also there.  It's a special treat for them to stay up late.  Then after the dance D.R. drives them around to see the Halloween decorations in the neighborhood.  Good, clean fun!

All dressed up and ready to go!

Daddy's Girls

Tia's Birthday (for real this time!)

1st birthday

2nd birthday

3rd birthday

4th birthday

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know everyone says "Oh, they grow so fast" and "Time really flies", but I'm here to tell you it's true.  Just look at these pictures of Tia over the past few years.  I truly cannot believe how fast she has grown.

5th birthday

Five years ago today I was 41 weeks pregnant and VERY uncomfortable.  I wanted that baby out, and I can remember how badly I wanted to kiss her little toes!  Five years later, I'm still kissing those toes, and loving every minute.  She sure took her time getting here but was certainly worth the wait.  Having her in our lives has been a blessing, every day.  

So, to our big 5 year old, we say...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WE LOVE YOU!

Summer Weather in October

We've been having a heat wave here in the mid west, which means lots of outdoor activities for the kiddos.  On Friday we met some of our friends at our favorite park in the area and had a blast.  All the kids get along so well, it's refreshing. 
Here they are.

They all thought it was great fun to try to climb this tree.

Then yesterday the forecast was 85 degrees and sunny.  The girls wanted to go to the mall.  We managed to talk them out of that and took them to the zoo!  What a gorgeous day we had.  We packed a picnic lunch and spent more than 3 hours there.

The girls were both so good all day.  I think they were glad they didn't go to the mall!  They even got a sun tan on their cute little faces.  You gotta' love a little Summer weather in the middle of October!

Fall Family Fun!

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year.  I love the crisp, clean feeling in the air.  I love the bright, changing colors.  Since we've lived in the mid west, I've loved Fall even more.  There's just so much for the kids to do around here, mostly because of the great number of farms in the area.  Today we ventured out, deeper into farm country and went to Royal Oaks Farm.  We were not disappointed.
Photo overload coming up!

As you can see, we had a fantastic time.
I love Fall!

Family Date Night

 D.R. and I rarely go out on 'date nights' these days.  It's just not that practical with two little ones at home, and of course I don't like to spend the money because as most of you know, I'm CHEAP  When we do go out, it's usually with all 4 of us.  Our favorite place to go as a family is Benihana.
Did you know if you go to their website and become a member of "The Chef's Table", they will send you a $30 gift for your birthday?  I think that's a pretty cool deal, especially since we love Benihana, and would be going there anyway!  The deal was supposed to be 'up to' $30 off the birthday persons meal, however I ordered 3 things a la carte and our awesome server just took the entire amount off of our total bill.  That's my kind of deal.  We just ordered a whole bunch of stuff and shared. 
The girls got to try out training chopsticks, and had a blast.  They did very well, even with the little grains of rice.  It was fun to watch.

 

Gia is our adventurous eater.  She got her own sushi and a bowl of rice.  She ate my soup and some of her Dad's sushi too!  She loves trying new things and seems to really enjoy the whole culinary experience.  Tia on the other hand was happy with her bowl of rice and nothing more.  I'm surprised she didn't ask for peanut butter and jelly!  Not exactly a foodie.

It was a great experience to go to a nice restaurant as a family.  The girls call it "family date night" and we think that's cute.  We do these sorts of things with them for many reasons.  Of course we want them to grow up with fond memories of the time we spend together.  But we also think it's important that they experience different cultures and foods, as well as learning how to behave in a restaurant.  These are things that we didn't get to experience much as children, and now we can offer the experience to our kids.
Fun stuff!

Talk about savings!

I blogged a while back about how my Canon D-SLR camera died on us.  I loved that camera and used it almost every day.  D.R. wanted to replace it for my birthday with an $800 Nikon.  I talked him out of it.  I convinced him to just get me a convenient pocked-sized camera and wait until Christmas to get the big expensive one.  Well, we're both glad that he listened to me!
Today while preparing to list our 'broken' Canon on Craigslist, D.R. noticed that the internal lens was slightly off kilter.  He pushed it in with his thumb, and voila!  The camera now works again.  Can you imagine the lucky person who would have bought that camera from us and discovered that it really worked after all?!
I'm tickled pink and can't wait to start shootin' again!
Ahhh, it feels good to save $800.

Tia's Birthday...sort of.

Tia's birthday isn't until October, but we had her birthday this past weekend.  Why?  Well, the grandparents were in town and we wouldn't dream of doing a birthday party without them.  When her actual birthday rolls around, we'll do something special with her, just our little family.

I decided I really didn't want 10 kids running around my house for the occasion, so we had the party at McDonald's.  Talk about irony!  Tia wouldn't eat a burger, nugget, or french fry if it was the last meal available.  I had to laugh while I was making her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to bring to the party.  She did drink the milk and eat the apple dippers (minus the dip), so she wasn't totally left out of the 'happy meal' fun.

The party was a big hit.  All the kids had a great time, but the best part was that I didn't have to clean up!  This is definitely something we'll do again.  Good times!

My Birthday

I woke up yesterday morning and something really strange had happened. Without much warning, I some how turned 39! I'm not sure how this happened. I certainly don't feel 39 (most days anyway). I think I'm still in shock. Or is it denial.
At any rate, my family didn't let me forget this historical moment. In the morning the girls gave me the gifts they picked out from the Dollar Store. They were SO excited. It was just adorable. They had actually slipped and told me about the secret gifts numerous times before my birthday, but I acted surprised anyway!
My dear husband gave me a camera. Phew, I can take pictures again! I had been feeling like I lost a limb, and now it's been put back on. I told him I wanted a small camera that I could just toss in my purse and take along to museums, parks, etc. That's just what he got me. He's a good husband!
Later in the day D.R.'s folks arrived in town. They usually come for a visit around this time of year, and this time it happened to fall right on my birthday. What a nice gift. We REALLY enjoy our visits from Nonna and PaPa. They got here just in time to join us on Tia's school field trip to a local farm. It definitely wasn't my favorite field trip, but Tia enjoyed it.

Here's the big girl getting her pumpkin. She was so proud.

After the field trip we all went out for a nice birthday dinner. I picked a family friendly place not far from home and we were not disappointed. It was very nice and they treated the birthday girl well!

Here's Gia eating my birthday cake (I'm off the sugar ya' know!)

When we got back home I was once again showered with gifts. This time from Nonna and PaPa.

Here I am showing Tia the gorgeous necklace they picked out for me. It's just beautiful.

Today D.R. and I were supposed to be going to Arlington Park for the races. Neither of us have ever been so we thought it would be a fun thing to do before the end of the season. Well, it rained all morning so plans were changed. We still got to have a date, we went to the movies. That's something we rarely get to do and it was nice to have a couple hours together, just the two of us.
Now, I think we are done celebrating my birthday. Some years it goes on for days and days! But, we must move on because tomorrow we're having Tia's birthday party. It's a few weeks early but we wanted to have it while the grandparents were in town. More reason to celebrate!
So, tomorrow she can get all the attention, and be treated like a princess all day. More pictures to come!

Swimming in Bargains

You know I love a good bargain. I was on the hunt for some clearance priced swim suits for the girls since they are in swim lessons now and will probably continue throughout the winter months. I hit the jackpot at Target, finding these suits for $3.29. That's my kind of price!

The lighting at the indoor pool isn't great for picture taking but here are the girls at their lesson. They had a great time, and loved showing their teacher the new suits. So much fun!

Gia's First Day!

My baby girl started preschool today. She's in a 3 year old class, twice a week. She's been ready, more than ready, for a long time. She was so ready that she didn't know what all the fuss was about and why I was so excited.
The "school fairy" visited her last night and left a new movie under her pillow. It's an educational DVD, so it goes along with the school theme.
I brought her to school, she hung up her jacket and bag and marched right in. She found her name tag and sat on the circle time rug. No fan fare, no tears, no kiss for Mommy. That's it. Just ready to get started.

I had to ask her if I could have a kiss! I'm not sure how I should feel about this. I'm happy she was so calm, but this is my BABY! This day will never happen again for me. Oh well, I guess life goes on.
After school the three of us went to get our hair cut. When we got home I gave the girls their very special back to school treat. Now THIS she can get excited about! The kid loves food.

So, here I am with no more babies at home. I have a whole 4 1/2 hours to myself each week. Life sure is changing for me. I can now go to the dentist by myself!

Face Painting at the Festival

On Saturday we took the girls to a nearby festival. We hadn't gone in years past because we assumed that, like most festivals there would be a fee for parking, fee for admission, fee for rides, etc. We haven't had good experiences at those things because our kids are too young to fully enjoy all that there is to offer, and it ends up being a big waste of money.
We were pleasantly surprised to find out that this festival had free admission and free parking. They also had an entire tent set up specifically for younger kids. There was a clown making balloon animals, arts and crafts, sno cones, etc. Our kids loved it. We ran out of time to get the face painting done, so D.R. took them back early the next day, before the crowds, and had it done.


It really turned out great and you can see how excited they were. This was a nice little home town event and we'll definitely go back next year!

Mommy Brain

I blame a lot of stuff on "Mommy Brain" lately. You know that condition which causes most mothers of small children to forget just about everything? It's what causes me to misplace my keys, sunglasses, wallet, and countless other things.
Well, last night I had a case of Mommy Brain again. The kids started their swim lessons. I was so proud of myself that I actually remembered to put the camera in my purse hours before were were to leave the house. I really wanted a picture of them on their first day of swim lessons without Mom or Dad. They've taken swimming before, but never without us in the pool with them. This was a big moment in Mommyhood.
We arrive at the lessons, meet the teacher, in they go, and out comes the camera. It would have been perfect if I had the memory card in the camera! I left it in the computer at home. So, no picture of the swim lessons this time. I guess there's always next week.

In short, Tia did great except for a few minutes when she was mortified because she got her face wet. Gia on the other hand was miserable just about the whole time and wouldn't participate. That's just the way it goes. All in a days work I guess.

Tia's First Day

Look at that big girl! You'd never know she had been agonizing for weeks about going to a new school, and taking the bus. We read her several books about the school bus, had the "school fairy" come and leave her a prize for being a big girl, and so on. Still, with all of our efforts, she was a nervous wreck.
I told Tia that on the first day I would follow the bus and meet her at school so i could walk in with her. Well, that was a great plan, however these things never really work out as planned, do they? First of all, the bus was about 35 minutes late. I had decided they must have forgotten us and I should probably drive her. No sooner did I get everyone buckled in, the bus came rolling down the street. I told Tia she could choose the bus or Mom's car, and she chose the bus! All those books really worked!

Here they are waiting patiently for our very late bus

When the bus doors opened, she ran up and got right on! No teary goodbye, no kiss, NOTHING! What happened to my shy little girl?


When I got to the school, I had to stop at the office to drop off some paperwork. By the time I got down to Tia's class, she was already in there, and playing nicely with the other kids. So much for the picture of her getting off the bus and walking into her classroom! Oh well, the important thing is that she went in, she was brave, and she had a great day!

The scene was the same when she got off the bus. She bounded off, happily as ever. She couldn't wait to tell me all about her day.
I can't believe my sweet baby girl is old enough to be going to school 5 days a week, and taking the bus! Time flies.

The Fruits of My Labor

What's better than the smell and taste of fresh veggies? Fresh veggies that you've grown in your own back yard! Every day I go out to my teeny tiny garden and pull 4 or 5 ripe tomaotes, today I even found a pepper. The basil is out of control. You really don't need a lot of space to have a garden that provides enough vegetables for the whole family, all summer. This year I planted 3 tomato plants, 2 pepper plants, and 2 basil plants. That's it!

The girls and I have had fun watching the garden grow. It's been very little work, and a lot of reward.

School Days

I can't believe how fast this summer flew by. I feel like we did a lot, but it's never enough. It's been unbearably hot so we spent more time indoors than I'd like. Now it's time to get ready for the school year.

Tia starts at her new preschool this week and is a bundle of anxiety. She'd love to go back to her old school where everything is familiar, and where her baby sister will be attending this year. I understand her thought process, but it's not going to happen. Also a big, scary issue for her is that she will be riding the bus. I have told her that I'll follow the bus to school on the first day, and go in with her. Now she wants me to do that every day, assuring me that she will be nervous on ALL the days, not just the first day! Also, not going to happen.

Gia, on the other hand, who is 18 months younger than Tia, is ready to march into school today. She can't wait. We gathered up the things on her school supply list last night and put them in a tote bag. She very proudly carried that bag around the house, announcing that she was going to school. She got right in Tia's face and said "I'm not scared Tia, I'm excited. I love school!". She definitely has a different personality than her sister, but it also helps that she's going to a school she has dropped her sister off at and is familiar with. She knows the building and the teachers. No anxiety there! Unfortunately she starts a week after Tia and will probably be mad that she can't go yet.

So, we'll see how this week goes. I'm willing to bet that Mommy sheds more tears than Tia, and she'll be just fine. I just can't imagine my little Muffin getting on a big school bus, without me. Oh, we're growing up!

Gia's Wise Words

My husband and I joke that living with Gia is like living with a grown up in a kid sized body. She talks like a much older and wiser person, not a 3 year old. Here are some of the things she has said lately that have sort of freaked me out a little...

On our way home from Michigan Gia was asking what each of the water towers say. Each town has their own water tower and she likes to know what the names printed on them are. When we told her that the tower said "Schaumburg" her response was "Oh yeah, that's where I used to live when I was older". D.R. explained that she has never lived anywhere but the house we live in now. She adamantly said "NO, I mean when I was a grown up lady. I lived in Schaumburg. I had a cat and a dog. Then I went to heaven. That was before I came to live with you!". D.R. and I just looked at each other in a bit of shock, not sure what to say to that. I never really thought much about past lives, but this kid sure has me thinking about it now!

Gia has recently informed us that when she grows up she will have a husband and two babies. She says she will have a boy and a girl. She's been such a tom boy up to this point that it's so cute to hear her talk about life as a mommy. Then the other day she came to me with such a serious look on her face and said "Mommy, will you come live with me at my house when I get older?". I asked "Why do you want Mommy to come live with you?". Her response was a sincere "Well, when I have my two babies, I think you should come stay with me at my house and help me take care of them". I told her that nothing would make me happier than to help her with her babies, then I had to hold back about a million giggles because SHE IS ONLY THREE! What the heck is going on in this kids head? I just had to document that conversation because in 25 years I may be looking back at this and saying "Wow, she was right".

The other day I was vacuuming the upstairs. Like a cat upon hearing the can opener, Gia runs when she hears the vacuum. She likes to 'help'. It's not easy to vacuum when you have a tiny person holding onto the handle. In my head I'm thinking these thoughts..."I am just like my mother..I remember her not wanting me to help when I was little because it was too time consuming...now here I am going through the same thing with my daughter...now I know how my mom felt when I wanted to help...". When we were finished, I turned off the vacuum and Gia looked at me and said "You're just like your mother". Then she walked away leaving me standing there, stunned for a moment. Now she has me wondering if she can read my mind. I better be careful of what I think around her!

Wedding Weekend

Friday was our 6th wedding anniversary. We celebrated by driving 6 hours to Flint Michigan! Actually, we celebrated last month by going out to a wonderful dinner and having an overnight in a very nice hotel. We knew we would be heading out of town on our actual anniversary, so we took care of the celebrations early.
My little cousin Cassandra was getting married in Flint Michigan. We were so pleased when she asked Tia to be one of her flower girls! Tia's been so excited for months leading up to the big event. However, when we got to the rehearsal, she changed her mind and we were pretty sure her baby sister was going to have to stand in for her. Thankfully, she was just overtired and hungry because when the actual wedding day arrived, she did just fine. Here she is pre-ceremony.


The other little flower girl is Olivia. I was trying to explain to D.R. how we're related and it actually shocked me to say it. Olivia's grandfather is my second cousin! I feel old now. However, Olivia's mother is only 22 so I guess I'm not really that old.

We all had a wonderful time at the wedding. My girls both danced the night away with anyone who would join them. It was their first wedding and they sure made the most of it!
I really wish I had more pictures to post but as I've said before, I'm sort of without camera these days. I'm hoping someone else who was there will send along some good ones.

Today, we're back home and back to reality. Lots of unpacking and laundry on our schedule for the rest of the day. It's good to be home.

Sometimes Life is Like...

...a bad comedy.

Life around the Salerno house has been a little on the crazy side the past few days. Sometimes I think I'm living in a really bad comedy.
On Friday I took the girls to the mall to have their pictures taken. They turned out OK, not fantastic, but I did pick out one that was frame worthy. Then we went over to the play area where Tia immediately tripped and fell. She got a big mark on her neck and was hysterical. Security came to give her an ice pack. They asked me twice if I'd like to have a paramedic check her out! I wondered if it made me look like a bad mom because I said no. I knew she was just upset and would be fine once we got home.
Later that same day I told D.R. to take the girls out for some fresh air. It bothered me that they hadn't been outside all day since Tia had to rest her neck injury! They weren't outside for 5 minutes when I heard lots of screaming and panic. We found out the hard way that there's a bees nest in the leg of our swing set. When D.R. was pushing the girls on the swings, the bees became agitated and swarmed them. Tia got stung on the forehead, D.R. was stung on the hand. It was at this point that I considered keeping Tia locked in her room to avoid any further injuries! A round of Benadryl for everyone and we called it a night. We couldn't wait for this day to be over.
This brings us to Saturday. I'm cleaning the house, D.R. wants to mow the lawn. "be careful of the bees" I say. A half hour later, he comes back in the house, only having cut half of the lawn. Hmm, wanna' know why? Yup, the lawn mower died! That's just what we needed after our camera died! Supposedly these things happen in threes. I sure hope that's just an old wives tale.

Skip ahead to Sunday. D.R.'s hand now looks like an inflated latex balloon. Add to that, it's red and very hot. He's having some dizziness. I suggest he goes to urgent care and have it checked out. "Really?" he asks, since he never goes to doctors and thinks nothing is ever a big deal. Yes, I insist, and off he goes. Sure enough, it's cellulitis and the infection was traveling up his hand. They give him a bunch of drugs and instructions and he's on his way. That's the extent of his first doctor visit in 6 years.
Last night we decided to try to spray the nest after the kids went to bed. You would have laughed a lot if you saw us. D.R. was wrapped from head to toe in makeshift protective gear. I'm a little braver, and not at all allergic to bees, so I just went out with a jacket. D.R. gave a big spray, and then ran like a girl back to the house! It was quite comical.
We're not sure if the bees are still alive in there, and nobody really wants to check.
We're just hoping for a better week