The Mommarazzi

New Year, New Blog!

2011-01-01T19:03:00.001-05:00

Well, I've finally done it! I have officially filled this blog with awesome incredible pictures of my Laina and have documented her every move since 2008. I love blogging about Laina and remembering all the wonderful things we do. I wish I had started this blog in 2005 when she was first born. Each year I print my blog out in a hard cover book and we enjoy looking through everything we've done throughout the year. Since I've filled this site to the gills with our fun adventures, its time to create a new blog. Please continue to follow the fun at this web site:

http://themommarazzichaptertwo.blogspot.com/

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T23:59:00.001-05:00

We rang in the new year at home, like we always do. Laina got dress up in a fancy dress and we celebrated with champagne (for mommy & daddy) and sparkling grape juice (for Laina) which Laina did not care for at all! It's hard to believe another year has come and gone and that next year our baby will turn 6 and enter the 1st grade. Amazing! Happy New Year everyone!

Christmas Day

2010-12-26T22:01:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas! We had a fun filled and very relaxing Christmas day. Grampy spent the weekend with us. It was our first Christmas without Grammy which strange and sad for me, but Laina had a wonderful day filled with lots of fun gifts from people who love her a lot!

Christmas Eve

2010-12-25T23:33:00.000-05:00

I love our Christmas Eve traditions. We attend 4pm church, we always light luminaria so that Santa and the reindeer can find our house, we leave cookies and milk out for Santa, we spread reindeer food outside, this year we adopted a new tradition from the Arvisais' which is to watch the Grinch, we read Twas the Night and we track Santa on Norad. I hope when Laina is grown up she looks back on these days as fun, loving family days. I love the memories we are creating.

Principal Award

2010-12-20T21:36:00.001-05:00

So proud of this gal! Laina earned a button from her principal for her great behavior at school.

Christmas Dance Show

2010-12-19T20:02:00.003-05:00

Laina performed in her first dance Christmas show this year. Although she's been dancing since age 2, the Christmas show is only open to dancers age 5 and up so she's never been able to participate until this year. This performance was bittersweet. Laina lost her very best friend Ellie to a courageous battle with cancer in October. Laina and Ellie have danced together since age 2 and losing Ellie was very very hard for Laina. This year's Christmas show was dedicated to Ellie and Laina's class (which was also Ellie's class) did a beautiful dance for their friend Ellie. Ellie's family was there and it was a very emotional day for all of us. My girl did a beautiful job up on stage, as always. We miss and love you little Eleanor Clare. You will never be forgotten.

Laina Globetrotter!

2010-12-18T19:10:00.004-05:00

Basketball season has begun! Laina still likes to shoot underhand but she's making lots of baskets and having a great time.

Dinner With Steph!

2010-12-14T14:02:00.000-05:00

Steph came over for dinner which was so wonderful. We haven't been able to get together for a while and it was such a treat to spend some time with her. I love watching she and Laina together.

Oh Christmas Tree!

2010-12-12T10:41:00.005-05:00

Our biggest, most beautiful tree ever! Oh how we love him! Just beautiful. And we had a wonderful time decorating him. Sweet family memories.

Saturday Christmas Fun!

2010-12-11T16:37:00.003-05:00

What a busy busy Saturday we had this week! First we started with Breakfast with Santa. When we got up to Santa, he knew Laina's name! He said "Wait a minute...I remember your name...its L..L...L...Laina!" She was all wide eyed at that! So sweet. She whispered in Santa's ear and told him she wanted him to bring her a Tangled cartridge for her Leapster. He said he would do that! After breakfast we went off to Starbucks for lattes and hot chocolate which is always a fun time. Then it was off to the Christmas tree lot to pick out the perfect tree. And boy did we ever pick the perfect one. It's huge! Our biggest most beautiful tree ever. Our ceiling is about 9 feet tall and our tree JUST fits! After we picked out our tree it was home for a quick lunch and then off to basketball! Laina scored a basket on the first day which made her a very happy little camper. Then it was home for a short break and then she and I went to the holiday festival in our town where Laina decorated a gingerbread man which she entered in a contest and then we took a really sweet horse & buggy ride through town. Then home to eat some dinner and decorate our beautiful tree which Laina and Joe have jointly named....Sammy Arthur. Joe wanted to call him Arthur and Laina wanted to call him Sammy...so they compromised!

Lunch Box Notes

2010-12-09T21:49:00.002-05:00

Joe and I both left notes in Laina's lunch box this week...and so today Laina left this note in Joe's lunchbox. I think that is just the sweetest thing.

Seashore Trolley Museum

2010-12-06T19:21:00.003-05:00

We went to the Seashore Trolley Museum this last weekend for a Christmastime trolley ride. They gave out hot chocolate before the ride and I'm pretty sure that was Laina's most favorite part of the trip!

Reading To Cooper

2010-12-05T08:31:00.002-05:00

Little Laina is becoming such a great reader. Here she is reading to Coop who seems to be thoroughly enjoying Pinocchio!

Decorating Our Gingerbread House

2010-12-04T16:55:00.000-05:00

We had a really fun time decorating our gingerbread house through our local Parks & Rec Department this weekend. Because they were putting together supplies for so many houses they were able to get lots of fun supplies to make the houses extra unique instead of just the regular things that come in the gingerbread kits you buy in the store. It was fun to set everything aside during this super busy time of year and just get creative and have fun together. I think we did a great job!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-27T09:49:00.001-05:00

We all spent Thanksgiving in Rhode Island together. This was our first family holiday without Grammy Liza and that was hard to get used to. It was nice to be together as a family. We watched the parade in the morning which will always be my favorite part of the holiday and then we had a yummy dinner together. Laina made the adorable place cards for everyone. Lots to be thankful for in life. But we love and miss you Mom.

Gingerbread Project

2010-11-22T21:33:00.002-05:00

Laina's school sent home this gingerbread man for us to decorate as a family. The completed gingerbread men will be used to decorate the kindergarten hallway. We had a great time decorating our little gingerbread fella and I think he just came out adorable!

Florida Vacation: Around The Ranch!

2010-11-13T21:51:00.011-05:00

One of the things we love most about our time in Florida is staying at Dan & Luke's Ranch. It's so great to relax and unwind after lots of crazy days at the parks going non-stop!

Florida Vacation: Downtown Disney!

2010-11-12T23:38:00.001-05:00

We spent a really fun afternoon at Downtown Disney. We waited to do all our shopping until we hit the big Disney store. No need to lug your stuff all through the parks right! We had a fun meal at Rainforest Cafe and totally loved posing with all the character statues!

Florida Vacation: 1900 Park Fare!

2010-11-11T23:15:00.001-05:00

It was a meal fit for a Princess! We had such a lovely time at our special dinner with Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine and the Step Sisters. The step sisters were a riot! I particularly loved Lady Tremaine. Laina was a bit fearful of her. The special part is that Uncle Dan and Uncle Luke could join us for this meal which was really nice for all of us!

Florida Vacation: EPCOT!

2010-11-10T23:27:00.007-05:00

We had loads of fun at Epcot. This is my favorite park but I wasn't sure how Laina would like it. WDW was introducing the new DisneyBear and they had a fun activity where the kids could go from country to country to get their bear stamped with a neat stamp from each country and also stop at a coloring station to color a little bit of their bear at each stop. Laina loved this activity. There were also plenty of characters to be seen at Epcot. We had a really really fun dinner with the Princesses in Norway. Laina just couldn't wait to get her Cinderella gown on. I made her wait a while because it was so hot out that day and I knew she'd get hot and itchy fast. When I finally let her put on the dress she came out of the restroom ready to put on a show for Daddy and he was right there to catch her doing all her princess twirls! We also had a yummy lunch at the new pizza place in Italy and we of course LOVED Illuminations at night!

Florida Vacation: Magic Kingdom!

2010-11-09T23:19:00.008-05:00

We had such a great time at Magic Kingdom. I think it's by far my favorite park. Unfortunately the day we planned to go, the park closed early at 6pm so our day felt somewhat rushed and there were a few things we didn't get to do that we'd hoped we'd fit in - - like the train ride. But we did ride It's a Small World twice which was lovely. This is Laina's most favorite ride and I so enjoy watching her ride it. She marvels at every little decoration and sings the song at the top of her lungs no matter what the language. It's fabulous. I'm so glad we rode it twice because the first time through I photographed the ride and Joe videotaped the ride and then the second time we got to sit back and enjoy and take it all in. Other highlights of this trip include meeting Princess Tiana, Meeting Rapunzel & Flynn Rider, lunch at Crystal Palace with Pooh and friends and the amazing firework show to end the day. I had my fabulous camera with us and was able to capture some really neat fireworks pictures. Great day all around - wish we could have had one more day there!

Florida Vacation: Sea World!

2010-11-08T22:24:00.001-05:00

We had a nice time at Sea World. We didn't enjoy it quite as much as Joe and I remember enjoying it when we went in 2001 but we definitely had a nice day. I've been wanting to take Laina to the aquarium and just haven't gotten there so this was one step better. The shows were really wonderful. The highlight of the day for me, by far was when Laina and I got to feed a dolphin. Neither of us have ever been that close to this beautiful creature and it was quite a treat! Laina developed a new fear of amusement rides which is interesting so she and Joe didn't do as many of them as we thought they wood. She did enjoy the couple she went on though. The nicest thing is that the park was not crowded in the least!

Florida Vacation: Hollywood Studios!

2010-11-05T23:37:00.004-04:00

Day 1 of vacation was a blast! It was chilly in Florida though but we had a great time anyway. We've never been to Hollywood Studios before and we had a great time. The highlight of the day was the new Toy Story ride which Laina and Joe stood in line for over an hour to ride. It was also a blast seeing Joe meet Mr. Incredible. So funny!

First Tooth Fairy Visit!

2010-11-02T22:17:00.005-04:00

Well the big day came upon us! Laina lost her first tooth. Her pediatrician found it very slightly loose at her 5 year check up and it took a while but it kept getting more and more wiggly. Finally, at school it came out! Her teacher gave her this adorable little treasure box to keep the tooth in until she got home. She put it under her pillow in her tooth fairy box which was a gift from my Aunt Berta and the next morning woke up to a letter and some gifts from the tooth fairy! So exciting. Such a big girl.

a "SUPER" halloween!

2010-10-31T22:38:00.000-04:00

My little super stars had a super duper Halloween this year! Laina chose Super Girl as her costume so of course that meant I had to find a Super Man costume for Mr. Cooper. I think they look awfully adorable together!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T09:21:00.000-04:00

Laina carved her own pumpkin on Halloween morning. She drew the face by herself and did a bit of the carving too - Joe helped a little! I think it looks so adorable! It's Laina's first official pumpkin!

Pumpkin Fun!

2010-10-30T21:07:00.003-04:00

We got good and messy this year carving our pumpkins! Laina had a great time and the final product was adorable! We are getting very excited for Halloween!

Happy Birthday Daddy Incredible!

2010-10-22T23:10:00.004-04:00

A few weeks before Joe's birthday Laina said to him "Daddy you need to decide what kind of birthday you want...you know, I had a Tiana party...what kind of party do you want?" Very very cute! So Joe chose The Incredibles which was a little bit difficult because there isn't a lot available for decorations since its a pretty old movie. But Laina and I came up with some fun decorations and had a great party for him. He loved it - especially his face in Mr. Incredible's body!

Getting Excited!

2010-10-18T22:05:00.002-04:00

We're getting excited for our upcoming vacation...can you tell where we're going!

Halloween Fun!

2010-10-17T19:12:00.002-04:00

My super duo had a great time at the Halloween celebration held in our Town. Our favorite activities included the doggie costume contest and the hayride. Fun afternoon - but super chilly!!

Grampy Comes to Soccer!

2010-10-16T16:29:00.001-04:00

Laina's last soccer game was held indoors because of the weather. Grampy was in town visiting and Laina was really happy that he came to watch her play. So happy, that she didn't pay as much attention to the game as she did watching to see if Grampy was watching her. Oh well! Laina also got her soccer medal and she was very proud to show it off!

Hanging In The Hood!

2010-10-13T15:17:00.007-04:00

Laina and I spent an overnight at Grampy's which was tons of fun. Grampy even graced us with some heat! That's a big step. Auntie Di, Uncle Tom and Cuzzie Nik came up to visit too. Laina adores her family and is blessed by so many people who love her.

Double Trouble

2010-10-12T14:59:00.000-04:00

On our way to Grampy's we stopped off for a quick visit with Auntie Renee, Uncle Mike, Emily and Archie. Laina and Emily have a great time together but Laina quickly gets comfortable with Em and starts treating her like a little sister. We must work on this.

Max's 5th Birthday Party

2010-10-10T10:16:00.000-04:00

Laina had a great time at Max's birthday party. It took place at Ft. Williams which is a beautiful spot. The kids had a great time flying paper airplanes, jumping on the stomp rockets and eating the fabulous tug boat cake! Happy 5th Birthday Max!

Fabulous Fall!

2010-10-10T09:50:00.000-04:00

I took Laina to the forts and old mansion at Fort Williams after Max's party and got some great shots of her. Joe and I used to come here so often when we lived in Portland but its just a bit too out of the way now. There are other beautiful spots we like closer to home so we never seem to make it up this way. But since I was here anyway...I decided to snap a few fun pictures of Laina.

Apple Picking

2010-10-09T21:04:00.000-04:00

I'm so happy that we were able to squeeze in apple picking this year. It's been a busy fall and I wasn't sure we would make it but we were able to do it and we had such a lovely time. The orchard we've been to the past couple of years still ranks as our favorite. Good apples, fun straw maze, live music, yummie pumpkin whoopie pies. We just love Fall.

Laina's Gymnastics Party

2010-09-26T22:15:00.000-04:00

Laina celebrated her 5th birthday with her friends having a gymnastics party at the place she takes gymnastics. Laina has been going here for a couple of years and she really enjoys herself. Having her party there was wonderful. She had the whole gym to herself for just her and her little group of friends. The instructors were incredible and did such a wonderful job with the kids. Everyone had a wonderful time and I truly felt like this was the most fun birthday party Laina has had yet. It did my heart a world of good to see the constant smile on Laina's face at her party.

We Love You Grammy Liza

2010-09-25T22:04:00.000-04:00

Today was a sad day. We said goodbye to Grammy Liza today. Grammy just loved Laina to pieces. She used to watch Laina's every move and just ate up every second with her. Grammy loved her grandchildren more than anything. We will miss your smiling face and rosy cheeks. We know that you are watching over us now and we feel protected and safe. We are relieved to know that you are at peace now but we will miss you terribly. We love you Grammy. We love you very, very much.

Scooter!

2010-09-23T21:40:00.001-04:00

One of Laina's favorite birthday gifts was her new scooter from Grampy. She's been having a great time mastering the two wheel scooter and she flies down the driveway and down the street!

Happy 5th Birthday Laina!

2010-09-19T23:17:00.001-04:00

What a BIG day! Happy 5th Birthday Laina. We took our traditional trip to the beach for your birthday. This year Daddy made a cool "5" sign to bring with us. You loved digging in the sand and playing at the beach and didn't want to leave. But we had a fun day ahead of us. We all headed down to Grammy and Grampy's house and had a fun celebration with everyone who loves you to pieces. You had a Princess Tiana party and we had a wonderful fun day celebrating YOU!

Good Night Sweet Four Year Old

2010-09-18T21:07:00.001-04:00

Laina,

Tonight I put you to bed for the last time as a four year old. I gave you 5 kisses because we always give one kiss for each year plus one for good luck. Tomorrow you will wake up a five year old which just feels so grown up to me. You're a school kid now. You're not my baby, you're not my toddler, you're not my pre-schooler, you're my school kid. But you know what - even when you're my 18 year old school kid - - - you'll still be my baby. I love you sweet four year old. Tomorrow's a big day!

Mommy

Soccer Girl

2010-09-12T18:56:00.001-04:00

Laina is really enjoying soccer. She plays in an all girl league and her team name is The Sandpipers. She's figuring out how to get in there and be aggressive to get the ball. Joe is coaching her team which Laina just loves. I'm having a blast watching her on the side lines. I love how much my girl loves sports and I hope she never loses that love. I also love how she likes to come home and get dressed up in her girlie little dresses. She's just the best of both worlds that Laina.

First Day of Dance

2010-09-10T18:45:00.000-04:00

With fall comes dance! Laina started dance class this week and this year she is taking both ballet and tap (one class that teaches both). This year's class is one hour long and she gets to wear two different types of shoes. This is her first time taking tap and let me just say, she is beside herself with joy over those shiny white tap shoes. She doesn't ever want to take them off.

We have ourselves a kindergartener!

2010-09-07T16:44:00.000-04:00

The big day finally arrived and Miss Laina started Kindergarten! Such an exciting day. Still cannot believe she's almost 5 years old and officially a school kid now. Where has the time gone? They aren't kidding when they tell you it goes fast....because it really really does. We started the morning off with some fun decorations in the living room to celebrate the big day. Laina and Joe had Wheaties for breakfast - - - breakfast of champions! Ok well Laina only ate 1 bite and didn't care for it. We walked her down to school and waited outside while the kids lined up and then were brought inside by their teachers. Day 1 was just a 2 hour visit and the next day is her first full day. She loved it!

Playground A Palooza!

2010-09-06T21:36:00.003-04:00

We hit 4 playgrounds in our town today and boy did Miss Laina has a great time playing. We also enjoyed a picnic lunch and ended the day with an ice cream! Ahhhh, summer! (And yes, that is Joe and Laina coming out of the tunnel slide together on the last picture!)

Hanging With Slugger

2010-09-06T21:14:00.000-04:00

We spent a fun afternoon at the Seadogs game. We bought tickets the day of the game and we weren't sure how the seats would be but boy did we luck out. We were a couple rows back right above the Seadogs dugout. Laina even got to take home one of the game balls. At the end of the game, Laina got to run the bases. Such a fun family outing!

Ahoy!

2010-09-02T20:57:00.000-04:00

Another fun vacation adventure was taking a boat ride out on Casco Bay. It was a super hot day and it finally cooled off a bit out on the open ocean. We saw lots of different lighthouses and we saw a seal out on Seal Rock. Laina had a lot of fun and got to help the Captain steer the boat.

Story Land

2010-09-02T19:57:00.004-04:00

We finally made it to Story Land! And it was well worth the wait. We had such a fun day. Laina and Joe rode every ride possible and because there was barely anyone there, they could ride over and over and over again. They rode the Polar Coaster seven times! What a long fun exhausting day we had.

Fun*Town

2010-08-30T23:37:00.000-04:00

For our summer vacation we stayed local and enjoyed things that are close by our house. We had a great time at Fun*Town and I think my most favorite part was definitely Joe cramming himself into the kiddie helicopter so that Laina wouldn't be scared. Oh but more then that I love that Laina finally rode a merry go round for the first time. She used to never go on them at all, then she progressed to sitting on a bench only. Finally this week she sat on a non moving horse and then finally went for the gusto and rode the pink and white striped zebra. Seriously awesome.

Soccer Star

2010-08-28T23:22:00.000-04:00

Soccer season has started! Here is Laina on the very first day which was just a day to meet the teams and then have fun at the different skills station. They hadn't gotten their soccer shirts yet. Laina's shirt is navy blue and she's on the Sandpipers! I love love love the pink striped soccer socks. So adorable. The last picture is of Laina with Coach Corey who Laina has just loved during basketball, t-ball, summer camp and now soccer. He is so good with the kids.

Playdate!

2010-08-23T11:05:00.002-04:00

Laina had a grand old time getting together with her buddies Max & Colby for a late summer play date. The kids had so much fun playing with these balloon rockets. The three of them do so great together - we stayed for hours! The funniest thing was that we were letting the kids play independently and they kept bringing toys into Max's room and then when they finally told us to come in the room, they had literally torn apart his room - toys everywhere, sheets ripped off the bed, mattress tossed on top of the toy pile - - - couldn't even see the floor. The kids were proud of themselves and the mom's just stood there mouth open wide not even sure where to begin. The kids didn't think it was as much fun to clean up the mess as it was to make it.

Ultimate Frisbee

2010-08-15T10:54:00.001-04:00

Another fun trip Belmont and this visit included a fun game of basketball, an exciting game of ultimate frisbee and a fun session of scootering down the driveway. And yes, Grampy is wearing his slippers. Oh Grampy.

Happy 2nd Birthday!

2010-08-09T10:12:00.011-04:00

Wow, Ms. Em has turned two! Amazing. We had a fabulous time at her birthday party this weekend. Laina adores Emily. Adores, adores, adores. All she wants to do is follow her around and hold her hand and be her buddy. So sweet.

First Mani/Pedi!

2010-08-06T22:01:00.000-04:00

I've been painting Laina's nails since she was probably 18 months old. When she was very little I only painted her toes because her fingers would go in her mouth too much. Last summer when she was 3 I told her I would try painting her fingers but...she continued to bite her nails so she lost that privilege. This summer I told her I would try it again and she handled it much better. She's past the nail biting phase. But this summer she's in camp which means lots of hard outdoor play and time in the water. Not a good combination for nail on the fingers so I've been limiting that. I went to get myself a pedicure a few weeks ago and she was very curious about this whole thing and wanted to give it a try. I told her I would eventually take her. Well this was the week and boy did we have a great time. It was so cute sitting next to Laina in the pedicure chairs. She held my hand and she just giggled with her feet soaking in the blue water and as they clipped her toe nails and massaged her feet and put on blue nail polish. She was over the top when they asked if she wanted a flower painted on her nails. Oh yes she did want a flower! She was just adorable. She also got a manicure and had matching blue fingers with pretty white flowers. This is definitely something we will do again soon!

My Big Grown Up Girl With Her New Big Girl Haircut

2010-08-02T22:45:00.005-04:00

The time has come to cut my baby's hair. She's never really had a "real" haircut. Just bang trims and cuts to clean up the bottom here and there. It's taken us almost five years to get Lana's hair this long so the thought of cutting it was well, rather emotional for me. But at the same time, mornings spent struggling to brush through the snarled knotty hair were getting less and less appealing. So we decided that the August before starting school we would cut Laina's hair and give her the "I'm a big girl, ready for kindergarten" hair cut. And so today was the day and I think she looks beautiful. And grown up. And not really my baby anymore...

X Gamer

2010-07-31T22:02:00.000-04:00

This roller coaster was purchased for my niece Nicole, years ago. It then became ours and Laina started riding it when she was about 2 years old. We had to hold on to her and ease her down the track and the track had to be on a very flat part of our garage. This year the track came out and it goes down our driveway now to add to the zoom factor. Then a couple weeks ago she decided she was going to start standing and riding on it. That's when I decided that we needed to pull out the helmet. She's so cute.

Camp Talent Show

2010-07-29T22:39:00.000-04:00

Laina's summer camp held their annual talent show and I headed on over to watch her performance. It was adorable. Laina my little performer was of course very comfortable up on the stage. Her group did an awesome job and I had so much fun being there watching her.

Camp Talent Show Video

2010-07-29T22:30:00.000-04:00

Chasing Rainbows

2010-07-28T22:11:00.000-04:00

Laina and Joe have been chasing rainbows lately. With a class of water, a mirror and a flashlight they are successfully finding rainbows all over the place. Then they discovered that by shining the flashlight on Grammy's prisms they can find lots of rainbows. I love that Joe takes the time to do these types of things with Laina. She was SO excited when the first rainbow popped up. She came running out to me shouting "Mommy, come quick and bring the camera!!!" ha ha ha.

Cooper!

2010-07-27T21:05:00.000-04:00

Just a cute shot of the cutest puppy, ever!

Lunch on the Land

2010-07-25T22:32:00.000-04:00

What a fun afternoon we spent at Harris Farm. We enjoyed a hay ride out to the farm, which included a tour. Then when we got to our destination we had a delicious lunch complete with farm fresh cheeseburgers, fresh corn on the cob, watermelon, side salads and of course their famous chocolate milk. What a fun family outing!

Chillin' In The Pool

2010-07-18T22:04:00.001-04:00

We picked up this sweet new pool a couple of weeks ago and Laina is having a great time with it. It's big enough for all of us actually. Good fun for these hot summer days! Laina has fun playing with all her bath toys. She no longer takes baths, she does showers now so its nice for her to get to play with her water toys.

Dinner at Two Lights

2010-07-17T21:24:00.001-04:00

We dined at the Shack at Two Lights! This is a special place for Joe and I. We used to go here all the time when we lived up in Portland. After Joe took the Maine Bar exam, he decided that when he received the results in the mail, he wanted to open the envelope over at Two Lights. Joe doubted his abilities and was concerned he wouldn't pass the test. I think he wanted to soften the blow a bit by learning his fate while the waves crashed against the rocks. I however, knew he would pass but said 'sure, let's head over to two lights'! We haven't been to two lights with Laina since she was a baby - maybe 9 months old. So we headed on back there this summer and had a delicious dinner of fried scallops. Laina of course enjoyed herself a cheeseburger! Yummy food, stellar view, good day for us.

Stephanie Comes For Dinner

2010-07-14T22:15:00.000-04:00

We had a great visit with our good friend, Stephanie tonight! Laina loves her time with Steph so it was a real treat for her to spend time with her.

Happy 5th Birthday Kittyhugs!

2010-07-11T18:29:00.003-04:00

Laina informed us this morning that kittyhugs is FIVE years old today! She had a very elaborate plan. Daddy had to dress up in a tie (which he did at 7am) and we were going to make a cake and it would be chocolate cake with brownies and ice cream. Wow wishful early morning thinking huh! Well as it turns out we went out to dinner today. We brought the birthday girl with us and celebrated with a brownie sundae for us all to share.

Kittyhugs is Laina's best buddy. I bought kittyhugs when I was about 5 months pregnant and had found out we were having a girl. Kittyhugs (or KH) was the very first thing I ever bought for my baby and so she holds a very special place in my heart.

When Laina was little I always presented her with kittyhugs in an effort to insure a special bond between the two. Joe says I was brainwashing our baby. I think I was just making sure Laina had a security blanket to make her days just a little big brighter ;)

When Laina began talking she couldn't pronounce kittyhugs. She called her Qui~Gong and Joe and I joked that she was a jedi kitty. We couldn't imagine a day when kittyhugs would ever be called kittyhugs because she had become Qui~Gong to us. Then one day it happened. Laina started calling her kittyhugs.

Laina can't go to sleep without her and I love that she is her best buddy ever. Maybe I had a hand in making that happen but hey, is that so wrong?

Happy 5th Birthday Qui~Gong!

Little Lady

2010-07-11T12:45:00.002-04:00

Gardening

2010-07-11T12:39:00.002-04:00

We have fallen behind on the planting this year! A busy June combined with window flower boxes that are falling apart and need to be replaced has resulted in delayed planting. We don't plant a whole lot but we enjoy the things we do plant. Here is Laina helping Joe finally get our watermelon plant in the ground. Now lets hope we get some yummy watermelon out of it!

4th of July Parade

2010-07-06T10:05:00.004-04:00

We attended the local 4th of July parade that we attend every year. It's a little community parade and people can just show up and be a part of it, or show up and watch it. This parade results in more candy for Laina then she gets at Halloween. We have learned to bring a bag for her to gather her goodies. By no means does she keep or eat all of the candy but she sure has a great time snatching it all up and seeing how much she can get. A lot of the parade participants use local humor to make their floats - like the OP beach chair drill team and the folks who dress up as pier fries - both make perfect sense if you live nearby. I love the first two pictures with Laina checking out to see if they parade has made its way toward us yet. Happy Birthday America!

Good Clean Fun

2010-07-05T09:58:00.002-04:00

Backyard sprinkler on a hot 4th of July weekend...need I say more?

Auntie Renee's House

2010-07-03T22:43:00.000-04:00

We went to Auntie Renee's house for a 4th of July cookout. Look at these cutie pies in their matching dresses! Seriously, does it get ANY cuter then that? Me thinks not.

I love Laina's chalk art. The cat she drew came out so great!

Thanks Auntie Renee & Uncle Mike for having us over.

First Day of Summer Camp!

2010-06-30T21:35:00.001-04:00

Laina started summer camp this week! We're very excited about camp. She will be going 5 days a week except for those weeks where I decide to keep her home for a Mommy/Laina day. They program has so many fun activities and field trips that are scheduled and Laina is just so excited about every last one of them. Her camp is for children who are entering kindergarten, first and second grade in our town. We have 2 elementary schools so half the kids at camp will end up at one school and half will end up at the other school. The camp itself takes place right at Laina's elementary school. She will become so familiar with the building that by the time kindergarten starts, there should be no problems with the transition. A lot of her daycare friends have also transitioned over to camp so she already knows a handful of kids there. They were these bright yellow t-shirts on field trip days to make the group easily identifiable. So far she is just loving camp and all that it has to offer. What a great program. We feel so fortunate to have this opportunity for Laina.

Strawberry Pickin'

2010-06-25T21:13:00.000-04:00

Strawberry picking is something Laina and I had never done before. When Laina was little she was allergic to berries so of course we weren't going to pick them. Then last year when she was finally able to eat them, I didn't realize it was berry picking season until it has come and went. So this year I was on top of things and we had our first berry picking experience. Wow were those berries good. We love strawberries from the store - but once you've had a fresh picked berry its hard to imagine eating ones from the grocery store again! Laina loved being able to just pick a strawberry or two, or three, or four, or five....and just eat them there in the fields. We had a great time and we all enjoyed the 'fruits of our labor' so to speak!

Sprinkler Fun

2010-06-23T07:38:00.000-04:00

After a fun outing to the zoo, we spent the afternoon running through the sprinkler at Auntie Di's house. Laina has never been a big fan of water splashing in her face. Baths, showers, the pool, you name it - she has not ever liked it when water has gotten in her face. So after a good half hour avoiding the sprinkler, she finally started running through the water to cool off.

A Day At The Zoo

2010-06-22T21:57:00.000-04:00

During our visit to Auntie Di's house we went to the zoo and had an awesome visit. Laina wore her giraffe ensemble and fit in perfectly at the zoo. She got so many compliments on her outfit - it was very cute. We had a nice time walking around and looking at all the different animals. It was a pretty hot day and the zoo has various misting stations which Laina really enjoyed and even Auntie Di got in on the action!

Nicole Graduates from High School

2010-06-19T22:51:00.000-04:00

My little niece has graduated from high school! How can this be? It seems like just yesterday she was that adorable little 2 year old that I lived with and loved playing with and buying clothes and things at the dollar store for her (since that's all I could afford at the time!). Now she's a beautiful young woman who is all grown up and getting ready to head off to college.

Dianne and I always commented after Laina was born that Nik would be heading off to college the same year that Laina heads off to kindergarten and sure enough, here we are.

Congratulations Nicole! I'm so proud of you!!!

Cooking Up China

2010-06-10T19:27:00.000-04:00

At school Laina takes a cooking class and the session they are currently in is called cooking around the world. The teacher picks a different part of the world each week, teaches the kids about it and they cook one dish from that country. They generally have a sample to take home and share with their family at dinner time. It's a great class and Laina loves it so much. We have sampled pizza and tomato & mozzarella salad from Italy, desserts from Australia and other fun goodies.

I thought it would be a neat idea to try this at home with something I've been wanting to make here for a while anyway - egg rolls! So I found a great web site and printed off lots of fun, kid friendly activities about China. We learned lots of great things about the Chinese New Year and the zodiac. Laina loved learning who was the year of the rat, pig, bunny, etc. She asked me every possible persons birth year and charted out who was what animal and then figured out which animal had the most. We really had a great time.

Then it was on to cooking egg rolls. Laina helped me cook the filling and then scoop it into the egg roll wrappers and roll the egg rolls. We decided to bake the egg rolls to make them a little bit healthier for us. They came out really good. Not quite as good as a good old fried egg roll but...we still enjoyed them. Well Joe and I enjoyed them. Laina did not care for them. But she sure did have fun making them!

Full Dress Rehearsal

2010-06-04T22:41:00.000-04:00

It's the day before the big dance recital and Laina and her class have their full dress rehearsal. This is the performance that I like best. I like it the best because I get to actually watch it. On the day of the recital, everything is just way too hectic and I don't feel comfortable leaving the backstage area to go out and watch Laina dance so instead I just watch from the big screen TV during the real recital.

For the dress rehearsal, everything is just a big calmer. There aren't as much people because you only have to be there for your child's portion of the rehearsal. You can get a front row seat and take as many pictures as you want. You can video the whole performance. At the real recital, no cameras are allowed.

Here are a few cute pictures of Laina and her friends getting ready, out on stage, giving big kisses and then afterward one of Laina and her buddy Elle with their teacher, Ms. Nicole.

In Bloom

2010-06-04T18:18:00.000-04:00

I love these pictures of Laina. I know I'm her Mommy but I just think she's such a beautiful little girl. And she certainly loves posing for the camera.

And our rose bush, also known as Bonnie, is blooming! Hooray! Joe and Laina planted Bonnie last year and we weren't sure if she would come back this year with the harsh winter but sure enough she did!

Memorial Day

2010-05-31T08:56:00.003-04:00

For Mother's Day, one of the gifts from Joe and Laina was this fire pit which I have wanted for a long time now. We pulled it out for Memorial Day weekend and it really is awesome. We made fun yummie s'mores which of course my chocolate and marshmallow loving little one loved and I must say Joe and I did as well!

In the morning we all headed to the Memorial Day parade in our town. It's so nice to be able to walk to a community event like that. Laina loves parades because she knows they generally toss candy out to the crowd. We all love the music and seeing all the Veteran's and families marching is what helps us remember what the holiday is all about. Not just those tasty s'mores!

I love the picture below of Laina and Cooper all dressed and ready to go to the parade in their red white and blue...and Laina making Cooper do tricks for treats. I love that he listens to her just as he would us -- as long as a treat is involved of course!

Backyard Antics

2010-05-30T10:04:00.004-04:00

I love these two. I love how much they play in the backyard. I love watching them and listening to them. I love when Laina giggles. I love when Joe does whatever Laina instructs him to do, like climbing up into the fort of the swing set even though he's too big for it. I love that Laina has a Daddy who is so hands on. She's a lucky little girl and I'm a lucky mama.

Oh, and I also love how Cooper just tries so hard to get in on the action!

In Studio

2010-05-29T21:36:00.003-04:00

Rehearsals for the dance recital are in full swing! Here's a cute little picture of Laina and a few of her friends taken during one of the in studio rehearsals to get ready for the big day!

Preschool Graduation

2010-05-28T20:37:00.001-04:00

Well my baby has graduated from pre-school. What a completely overwhelming experience it was...for mommy. It's just incredible to think that Laina is almost 5 years old and will be heading off to Kindergarten in a few short months. Where did the time go?

The program at her school was really wonderful. The kids sung lots of great songs and then her teachers handed out diplomas to all the kids and afterward we had a fun little party back in her classroom. Laina will be leaving her pre-school soon to head to camp and we will miss her teachers very much!

Video of Our Slugger

2010-05-17T18:24:00.002-04:00

My Little Slugger!

2010-05-17T15:42:00.004-04:00

T-ball has begun and whoa can this girl hit a ball! It is so fun to watch her get out there and do her thing. She loves to hit that ball and hit it she does! Look out major leagues....here she comes!

Another Great Visit

2010-05-16T23:18:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday Grampy!

2010-05-16T12:06:00.005-04:00

Laina and I headed down to MA to celebrate Grampy's 77th birthday! We went to the nursing home Grammy is at while recovering from an infection. We were met with a nice surprise....Aunt Mae was there too! In the car ride down, Laina asked me if anyone else was going to be there and I said "nope, just you, me Grampy and Grammy" and then when we arrived and Aunt Mae was there, Laina was all over me telling me that I was WRONG! Funny kid.

Cooking Class

2010-05-12T11:59:00.000-04:00

We signed Laina up for a cooking class that takes place right at her school and she is just loving it. Each week they cook a meal from a different country. Before they begin cooking they talk a little bit about the country and learn more about their food and culture. This week they cooked food from Italy which meant it was none other then Laina's favorite P-I-Z-Z-A!!! We asked her what she learned about Italy and she told us "it's shaped like a boot!" The most fun part for us is that we get to sample her goodies every week! This pizza was delicious!

Mother's Day

2010-05-10T23:41:00.000-04:00

I had a wonderful Mother's Day thanks to my sweet husband and beautiful daughter. The day started with breakfast made by Joe. Then he bathed Laina and they got ready and headed out to run a bunch of errands while I stayed home and relaxed watching totally cheesy television which I loved every second of. Then they came home with 6 lobsters for dinner! Joe cooked a delicious dinner for us. They gave me a new bead for my bracelet, beautiful flowers and cards. In school Laina made me a ring holder (painted when the pottery painting place came to school) and a beautiful votive holder that she made in class with her teachers. Here are some pictures of Laina with the lobsters. This is the closest she's gotten to lobsters and we couldn't believe she actually held one. She also took a bite this time! Big steps! She's still not a fan but that's ok.

I gave Laina a present for Mother's Day this year - a book for us to read together. Without this precious little girl I would not have the honor of celebrating this holiday. It is truly amazing how this little being has changed my life so much. I love you Laina! Thanks for being my baby!!!

Two Sweet Little Ladies

2010-05-05T10:40:00.000-04:00

We had a great visit with Auntie Renee, Uncle Mike, Emily & Archie. Emily is a few months shy of 2 years old and so the girls can play together now which is just wonderful to watch. It was really sweet because when we first got there Laina was reading books to Emily and they were just quietly enjoying each other. By the end of their visit they were as comfy as sisters nudging each other out of the way to get to the toys they wanted to play with (see the picture of the 2 of them in front of the fridge trying to get the magnets they want). Lifelong buddies they will be!

Liv's Birthday

2010-05-02T22:51:00.000-04:00

Olivia turned FIVE and we had great fun celebrating with friends!!

Bat & Ball

2010-05-01T22:09:00.003-04:00

Laina and Daddy have been playing "bat & ball" (as Laina calls it) in the backyard for a long time now. When they play, Joe pitches balls to Laina and she hits them. She's really good. So of course we signed her up for t-ball. When she asked me why it was called t-ball I explained to her that for younger kids who don't know how to hit a ball that is pitched to them, they put the ball on a stand called a "t" and kids can just swing at the ball. I love her response....."but Mommy, I know how to play bat & ball". Our little slugger just loves t-ball and man, can she hit a ball.

Final watch week of the year

2010-04-29T21:43:00.003-04:00

I cannot believe another year of dance has come and gone. Little Laina may only be 4 years old but she has just completed her 3rd year of dance - so she's been dancing almost all her life! she loves dance and loves her teacher. Next year Laina will be in Kindergarten which means she will have to take dance as an afternoon class and that means a different teacher. So many big transitions for my little girl coming up!

Strike A Pose!

2010-04-28T17:10:00.004-04:00

Words cannot express my love for this ensemble! We had a little giraffe dress last year that we loved, and outgrew....and so this year we were very excited to find a new giraffe dress. But then it got better - hat, sunglasses, headband! Wow! Daddy thinks she looks 19.

My Monkey

2010-04-27T16:18:00.001-04:00

This is Laina's latest obsession. And I mean OBSESSION. This is all she wants to do at the playground. So much so that she has developed blisters on her hands! They have monkey bars at her school but the rule is you have to be 5 years old to use them. This is a major bummer for Laina. The silly thing about the rule is there are kids in her class that are way smaller and way less strong than she is but because they have already turned 5 they can use the monkey bars. Oh well. When life hands you lemons....you head to the playground near the ocean and have fun on the monkey bars!