just tall enough

We aren't known for "tall" in our family. 

The odds are stacked against the kids for dunking a basketball or playing front row on the volleyball team.

I think I put the bakers sugar on the top shelf just so that I can prove to myself that I'm just tall enough to reach without using the step stool.

In their little world, when you can finally ride the rickety tiger coaster at the zoo, 

you've made it!

At 32 weeks pregnant, it's obvious that I was banned from this ride. 

My Auntie Mary joined us for the day, so "lucky" for her (she's not a real fan of heights), she was Anna's sidekick for her very first tiger coaster adventure.

What you don't see pictured is that Auntie Mary rode the coaster ride with Kieran right before this. He would have kept riding, except two times was her limit, and I don't blame her!

Thanks, Auntie Mary, we love you!

She's got a ways to go before she can go on her father/daughter trip to Disneyland, since you have to be 40 inches. 

For now,

she's satisfied with just tall enough.

joy of love 4: what they wear

Even though I have a totally awesome joy of love 3: then and now, I didn't ask my family friend if I could post it, so I wanted to respect his privacy. If I do ask, I'll post it later. 

In the meantime, on with joy of love 4: what they wear.

I am behind so many days that these next few posts will all be on the same day. I just got lucky and many of the pictures that I took on one day, all fit in with the prompts that are ahead. Hopefully, this will get me caught up to speed.

ISO 400 f 1.4 1/500

This is my daughter's bracelet from her baptism this past weekend, given to her by my Auntie Mary, who also happens to be my godmother. My daughter, Anna, has a bracelet just like it and I love them. It "grows with you" so as they get older, you can add the beads, so pretty! Love you, Auntie Mary :)

you say it's your birthday...

Monday was Mom's real birthday, but we had her over for a birthday celebration on Sunday that began with Dad painting (yes, my room has been in perpetual painting hell for months now and still is), and us taking a trip to our beloved zoo. 

This was the end of the night, but we forgot to take a picture at the zoo, so I started with this one :)

In addition to taking Mom to the zoo, we also got to meet up with the Bell's (our good friends and Anna's godparents). Kieran has a few idols (our next door neighbor and Cousin Catherine-who will appear shortly), but his main squeeze is Elyse. 

They had a blast together...looking at the otters,

the turtles and reptiles,

climbing the big frog,

hanging out inside the turtle shell,

and riding the tiger coaster.


These two are so sweet together. You know it's "love" when they live 300 miles apart and are two peas in a pod immediately.


Anna fully enjoyed her day as well. It's a lot of fun to take her to the zoo now, because she is taking everything in at warp speed. She wants to do everything that the "big kids" do...

like climbing the big frog...

or walking right up to the glass to get a piece of the action,

or using her zoo key.
She is keenly aware of her surroundings and it is very important to her to say hi to everyone that she sees...

even if it's through a pane of glass. And what you don't see is the people on the other side whom Anna managed to catch their attention :)

She even watched the turtle as he ever so slowly hunted for the cricket that I'm sure had to have filled him up. If it didn't, I can only imagine that it takes forever to eat lunch!

A couple of thousand steps later, dreamland had finally arrived.

Perfect timing to fall asleep, because the sky ride is 20 minutes! Sorry for the blurry picture,  I zoomed in too far with my small point and shoot. I REALLY need to get my SLR fixed!

Still, are they not the cutest?

It was finally time to hit the road so that the B's could embark on their 4 hour excursion, and we could get back to the house in time for the family to come over for Mom's birthday dinner.

Typical boy, doesn't say goodbye to Elyse. Typical girl, Elyse stomps off.

Smart girl, learns that if she pouts (and this is one good pout, I might add)...

she'll get exactly what she wants. 
Way to go Elyse!

I tell ya', it was one happy day for Kieran. The zoo, Elyse, playing Top Gun on Nonno's iphone, and relishing every minute with Cousin Catherine.
And the other items that Kieran relishes?

Opening presents even when they're not his, 

blowing out birthday candles, even when they're not his,

not once, but twice!
And of course, eating the pumpkin bundt cake with rum glaze  (which looks different than the linked one because I used rum which made the glaze turn clear), twice :).

I was even demoted! He was so excited that Catherine read his bedtime story!
A good time was had by all,

all including Mom and Auntie Mary, and for some reason the big fat ZERO pictures I took of Dad, Erik, Johnny and Gina. Not sure what happened with that?

Yes, you already saw this picture, but this picture deserves to be posted a second time. My mom is the most selfless, giving, kind, caring, cool, FUNNY person I know. This woman lives life to the fullest, more than anyone I've ever known. She gets it. She knows that life is too short to carry guilt, hold grudges, sweat the small stuff. She knows that life is so precious, wonderful, that if you can't laugh at yourself, you aren't really living. She knows that life is all about family and friends. She knows that life is helping others, even if they are perfect strangers. She knows that God listens and she listens in return. My mom, my idol, my friend.


You say it's your birthday
It's my birthday too--yeah
They say it's your birthday
We're gonna have a good time
I'm glad it's your birthday
Happy birthday to you.

Yes we're going to a party party
Yes we're going to a party party
Yes we're going to a party party.

I would like you to dance--Birthday
Take a cha-cha-cha-chance-Birthday
I would like you to dance--Birthday
Dance
I love you mommy!

these boots are made for walkin'...

It's the end of the week, thank God! Friday's are always especially fun for Kieran and Anna because most, if not all, of the "big kids" as we call them are over at Weezie's. The big kids, oh how Kieran loves the big kids! He rarely naps at Weezie's anymore, we call it resting. He lays on the couch for an hour or so, his little body wrestling back and forth, back and forth, questioning when everyone will be home. Very similar to when he wakes up in the morning and asks me if he's 4 yet. I patiently tell him no, and that I like it just fine that he's 3, and he later agrees. Just about anything goes on Friday's at Weezie's so when I walked in the door, she told me to go find my son outside because he was in a dress and wouldn't my husband like that one?! Being that my mom is a preschool teacher, I know that it is a function of imaginative play for a boy to play dress up, so really, none of this phases me, other than the fact that I think it's extremely funny! Erik hasn't seen these and would probably not approve, but as Auntie Mary always says, "Too bad, so sad!". I think this is becoming my new favorite quote.  Here he is, a back scratcher for his wand, a witch's dress, and pink boots on the wrong feet:

Trick or Treat!

I'll get you my pretty!

Kieran was upset when I told him he had to take off his dress and boots because it was time to go. Once I told him he could wear them again on Monday, all was right with the world. Kieran can dress up like this any time he wants, indoors, at Weezie's and not on October 31st. Are you ready boots? 
Start walkin'!

like father, like son, like mother, like daughter

Erik arrived home well after Kieran and Anna had gone to bed on Friday night. Well aware of what would pull into the garage, and well aware that Kieran loves cars just like his daddy, I gave Erik the pleasure of showing his son his new ride, a 2009 Mazda RX-8 sport edition. Kieran reacted the way that I thought he would...like a kid in a candy store! If you know Kieran well, you know that he LOVES candy (he never gets any from me, just Weezie ;) ) and he LOVES dessert (that he gets from both of us, I can't pass up ice cream!), so you can imagine he thought seeing daddy's new car was cool. In fact, that's exactly what he said!

Excited to drive the car:

The pure joy:

Followed by the world's most detail oriented man, detailing his car for 5 hours because the dealership did the world's worst job (really they did, it's not just Erik being picky, I'll vouch for him on this one)! He did not want me to post these pictures and was quite irritated, but I told him that it's already enough that this blog is protected, I wasn't going to let him go Wilson on me (Home Improvement reference for all those that remember)!

No, this is not a rented buffer:

Here's a rear view...I'll post a picture of Erik and his new ride later!

Meanwhile, Anna has been busy with her favorite ride, her baby doll stroller and her special Madame Alexander doll from Great Auntie Mary. I keep trying to hide it from her, because it's supposed to be a look don't touch until you're older doll, but she doesn't understand and she's obsessed with this doll!

She pushes the doll:                                                                   

She gives the doll her binky:

She hugs the doll:

So there you have it, like father like son, like mother like daughter. We love our "mini me's"!

We will be selling my car and my new ride will be the Jeep. If you want to buy an '02 GMC Envoy, let me know!