Little Photos

The littles love my iphone. They have always been a fan but now they are really really into it since they have grown up enough to play some games. I find myself very often handing it over to them so they can play with it. We have to set a timer so each boy gets equal time. Im always on the look out for free kid apps to keep them busy. Once upon a time in a former life I had an ipad but thats no more. I need to try and save up some cash and maybe invest in one for christmas for the kids especially Gabriel since hes really taken to studying, learning to read and such.

One of their favorite things to do is take pictures. Yes, its true i have handed down my photogenic genes to my babies. We are always stopping and posing. Recently Gabriel took his first photo. you can see it below. He prefers to shoot photos using the hipstamatic app. Why? im not sure but he hunts the app out and take pictures around the house.

The following pictures are:
David's first iphone picture he was a little off but we loved it

Gabriel's first iphone photo which i am so in love with its one of my current favorite photos of myself I love this moment he caught we were staying up late on a Friday night watching Survivor... the littles love Survivor :)

Lastly, Gabriel's most recent iphone photo. Hes got a good eye that kid. He always seems to capture me in the right light.

Gearing Up

Gearing up and growing up on the quick! My son I am so proud of him! It really boggles my little mind that yep very very shortly I am going to have a child in elementary school! That my dear reader is a holy moly double wowza moment.

A few months back I ordered this cute lunch box for him. He loves it so much I need to keep it in hiding since I dont want him to actually get over it before he starts school. I have been reading school lunch blogs like crazy. Seeing the options that are available to children and taking a look at the lunch calendar at his school. I print it monthly and try to incorporate some of these meal into our lives ( as much as I can stomach anyhoo) like pizza boats, mac and cheese and tater tots.Well actually, I'm not going to sit here and lie. I have a fondness for tater tots always have and always will so those I dont mind much. Basically its kid food and basically there leaves lots to be desired.

In prep for school I have been going back to the root of my kid food cuteness and cutting out sandwiches with cookie cutters, re reading toddler cafe and visiting one of my favorite blogs again ... Wendy . She is such an inspiration in proper making of a bento lunch for your little. I actually dont know Wendy personally but she is a bay area momma we are friends on facebook and we twitter with each other from time to time. I follow her blog and sometimes you know reading a persons blog you kinda feel like you know them a little. I hope to meet her some day socially. She seems rad.

I picked up this cutie little cook book while out and about last week ( see picture above) Gabriel and I have a hot date to sit down together this week look at the pictures in the book and see what he would like to try. I'm including David in this activity too even though he remains picky eater numero uno in our little fab-nest (our house)


How else are we gearing up. Working hard on activity books. We do 5 pages a night!




Learning to read with our I can read too books. making trips to the library and finding every book momma can get her little paws on about my first day of school, or going to kindergarten. We have also started seeking out some friends with in our mothers club. Exchanged emails today with a gal and hoping to meet her son soon ( i think i have met her already tho... no i am positive i have) I sent an email to the school PTA looking to get more information about next year and how I can help.

Next on list for kinder prep:

fill out application for free school lunches ( yep i gotta see if we qualify, we may from what im reading so far)
I dont want him to eat lunch every day at school but i want to allow him the option from time to time so he gets the whole big kid experience

gathering money and saving it for school clothes shopping. which should be fun i love shopping right...

meeting his teacher eventually im sure. hoping she needs class room help a couple of times a month while im off on fridays I want to do as much as I can on my days off... yard supervision for recess whatever im open to it!

talking with some moms getting tips and tricks on how to run a smooth ship while juggling all of it!

buying school supplies... there is a list i need to help with for the class itself and here it is

locating and perfecting something apple-y as far as recipes go. I'm sure his teacher will be over getting an apple on the first day. I remember way back when , on my first day of kindergarten i showed up with an apple and it was a tradition i insisted on keeping up until high school for my first day of school each year. I hate to say I was a teachers pet.. but i was so the tradition will be living on... however we are showing up with something besides an apple. my little is gonna need some extra attention with his level of intensity, maybe a baked good will help her stay inspired with him. .. or maybe not as i'm reading this is sounds like a bribe of sorts ...oh well. I'm sure she or he will love us!

Gabriel always always runs over to the apples when we are at the market and starts searching for an apple that he wants to give to his teacher. I have to explain we are not ready to get one just yet but when the day comes we will be sure to pick out the prettiest apple we can find.

getting everyone up and at 'em in the AM right now i can drop off at my moms in pjs not brushing teeth and feeding breakfast.All of that comes to an end soon so i have mentally scheduled july to be the month i start getting him up and dressed and fed and out the door on time .... im giving myself plenty of bumper space to make this happen seamlessly come first week of school.

Wish me luck!

Story time with a Little

Interview with a Little

At The CarWash ( in a sing songy disco voice)

Little Words

I was mindlessly staring into the computer screen trying to let my brain settle down and I happened to come back to reality in time to hear this little conversation ...

LmG: You see that picture?
BbD: Yeah Yeah!
LmG : That's me when I was a baby
BbD: You were a baby?
LmG: Yeah once upon a time I was
BbD: WOW


I just sat here staring at them standing on the couch looking at a selection of baby pictures I have hung on the wall of the littles. Kind of in awe, kind of surprised and defiantly teary eyed. I wonder what else they talk about when I am around or when they don't think I am listening.

Flippin' Story Time - Llama Llama Red Pajama

The first of the llama llama book. The littles love them all.

Happy Fourth Birthday Baby Bear

What I use to call LMG when he was a baby ... Baby Bear. In fact everyone started calling him that. Some how some way over the last four years he grew out of that. Makes me tear up a little thinking about it. SHH! Don't tell anyone but when I go in to check on him in the middle of the night and make sure he's snug as a rug... I whisper in his ear " I love you baby bear"

Table Dancers

Flippin' Story Time - Chicken Soup With Rice

Please excuse my excitement and enthusiasm and plain silliness this was my favorite book when I was a little girl who did Kindergarten twice .... thats a long story . I love this book and it will always be in my heart.

Flippin' Story Time - Where The Wild Things Are

A Little Twitter

The Littles are tweeting, well sorta. I have been cracking up and the stuff the littles have been saying lately. If you read the Dear David for April 2010 you probably laughed too at the Jesus Christ story. I was thinking I need to some how some way capture these moments and maybe one day gather them all up and create a little book I can  look back at when I am a little old lady. The simplest thing I could think of was Twitter. I have an easy little app on my iphone that I can capture the moments of little brilliance.

Want to follow the littles? You can find them here Littles_Said It

Happy Littles Not So Happy Weather

  

We have been having some really temperamental weather this year. It's really starting to feel like Spring will never show its happy face and the rain is here to stay. I have noticed the weather  and lack of sunshine is really messing with my attitude. Last  Friday we had a pretty gorgeous day. Sunshine and happy littles going wild at the park with their cousin Nicholas then two days later we were hit with a rain storm that forced us to stay in doors all day long. YUCKY!  Dear Rain please please go away your really bumming me out! 

Such a little cutit pie, Daveypooh and his rockstar look

Monday after work and picking the littles up they were dressed for wet weather with their frog boots long sleeves and beanie cap a la daddy
My grass really needs to be mowed not the best picture to demonstrate how handy I am in the yard but hey thats a guys job right?

Flip'n Story Time Fun

I got a Flip camera earlier this year and really have not used it. I was sitting around with the littles this evening and they asked me to read Pigeon Wants A Puppy for the 10 th time today when it hit me... Why don't I record myself reading the story just the way I would if I was reading it with the littles. And Yep, sure enough when I played it back to them they LOVED it and giggled at all the same places they would if they were getting the "live " mommy version. I personally think this was a genius idea and now I can just log into my blog when they want me to read it to them for the 10th time  and free myself  up some online shopping time! I am going to do this for all of their favorite stories going forward!

PS. Please excuse my "look" in this video. I thought I would experiment and really was not in full fabmama  attire this is my chillin' at home on my day off look ... I need a hair appointment and to change my polish and the reflection in the glasses is less than cute but my babies love it so thats what matters. Next time I will be totally camera ready!

Dear Gabriel -March 2010

Dear Gabriel, 

The change in the seasons has actually brought a little bit of change in you. The more I listen to you speak and articulate the more I am amazed at how fast you are growing up. I often listen to you tell me a story and hear how you sprinkle in bits of things you have picked up listening to us talk. My current favorite is  "it's a long story" . 

On Sunday you had  some type of calamity that caused you to cry and throw a fit. When I asked you "hey whats wrong my love?' You buried your head in my lap and said "it's a long story... I don't want to talk about it" Despite your obviously rough time I looked over at your daddy and we smiled at each other before we convinced you to shake it off and go back to playing. I think it's awesome that you are using new words and terms. I will admit I think its  so funny that you have picked up my knack for drama, even though I am sure this is some type of karma coming back on me for dramatics deeds of my days past. 

This month has also brought a change in your appetite. Much more now than before you are willing to try something new or come close to finishing a meal with out lots of waste. Which makes me very happy.  Here are some things you are really digging right now

Burritos- ha so funny to see you attempt to gobble one down

Astro Boy - your new favorite movie

Money- you have become obsessed with money. Collecting a penny if you find it on the street and sticking it in your pocket and your piggy bank

The Zoo- yep its that time of year again to be zoo bound as often as possible

Alligators- I heard on a recent trip to the zoo you and David held your Titi hostage at the alligator tank for 45 minutes just checking out what they were doing.

The ocean- Cause  fish and sharks and  alligators live there.. umm no but you refuse to let me correct you so we are going with it

Feelings- You are always reminding me and David that we have hurt your feelings when you don't get your way... thanks for the guilt trip

Milk Shakes- cause who wouldn't digg a milk shake all the time?

You are getting really really close to getting your training wheels on your bicycle taken off which I think will officially make you a big boy. I am not sure about that I will need to check the how to parent a big boy manual but I can say it will be a pretty big deal once those wheels are popped off. As always this month you have been a bright spot in my day as you always will be. I miss you so much when I am at work or away from home and can not wait to get home and listen to you fill my head with almost four year old gibberish. Your sing songy voice fills my heart. I love you so much.

Love, 

Mommy

Dear David March 2010

Dear David, 

What a month what a month. You are doing so very good at potty training! We have now reached a point where we can leave you in your super hero underwear all day and you will come and go out of the potty as you please. Yes, its true that there have been some accidents but that's normal and once we have this hurdle of caca in the toilet and  not in the pants taken care of I am proud to say you will be potty trained and ready for preschool.I am hoping you will get past this next step soon and in time for my birthday in June since that will make the best birthday present a little DaveyPooh can give. 

Besides the toilet training a lot has been happening with you too this month. You seem to be very happy when its time to play alone. I think sometimes you get overwhelmed by your brother and all of his large motor skills that causes him to thrash about and causing mayhem that makes you eventually burst into tears. You my little fellow are a  quiet little guy. There is a sweetness and a sensitivity to you that your brother does not seem to posses and for that reason I find myself taking my time with you a little more.  I won't speak as loud  when I am asking you questions about your day, I don't seem to mind as much when you waste your food  and refuse to eat whats on your plate. I don't even get irritated  when you will single handily eat an entire weeks worth of bananas by yourself. That is right , when shopping for groceries we are now up to 3 bunches of bananas a trip a majority of which you eat alone.  

IF YOU EAT ANY MORE BANANAS YOU WILL SURELY SPROUT A TAIL AND CLIMB UP A TREE YOU ARE SUCH A MONKEY! 

Many a day you will ask for a banana. You will inhale it in seconds stuffing the whole thing in your mouth and  when its in your tummy you will then walk up to me and ask for another banana.  AYE!  Your banana issues have caused me to move the bananas to a "safer" area in the kitchen where you will not climb on top the table looking for a banana fix. 

This month you seem to have taken a bigger interest in reading books and spending time alone. Many an afternoon I will walk through the house and find you on the couch looking through a childrens encyclopedia  calling out the names of things you recognize  and asking what's that to things you are curious about. Something else that has started happening with you this month is you started doing a lot of climbing. Last week I walked into your room to see you standing on your dresser ( you used the drawers as stairs) with one hand on your hip and one fist in the air. You then announced to me " I superhero, I Batman I go!" Luckily I caught you before you jumped and we quickly put an end to you climbing on top the dresser. SIGH

Things you are digging in March

Reptiles- You want to watch all sorts of TV programs about reptiles. Should I thank Bindi the Jungle Girl for this?

Batman- My favorite superhero too, you love him and you are only happy these days when you have your cape and mask on

Waffles topped with bananas- YUM

Restaurants- shameful, but we finally mastered the trick to eating out with littles heres the recipe for restaurant success

      - Order  your mac and cheese  meal first  

        ask if they have black beans cause your love them  

        order two cups of chocolate milk 

      * these tips make for make for very happy busy little boys.

       But you  love eating out and making time with the waitress perfecting your flirting skills. Something I obviously              passed along. 

"I do it"-  your new favorite thing to say.. cause you want to do everything by yourself!

Dandelions- One of the best things about bing a kid is blowing dandelions into the wind, good for you baby! But please stop trying to eat them :(

As the month is just about over and we approach your brothers fourth birthday and your third. I feel like I am starting to mourn your babyhood. I know moms always say "he will always be my baby" but it have found myself getting teary a few times this month knowing that there are not going to be any more babies joining the family and I need to enjoy whats left of this very special happy time. So here's to whats left of babyhood and all the adventures we are still bound to have I love you very much muffin man.

Love , 

Mommy 

Preschool Art

The last of preschool art for February 2010.  Liking the colors they are pretty bright and springy.

Dear David February 2010

Hooray for my little Daveypooh! This month we made great strides in your potty training success. I am so proud of you. Each and everyday you are growing up a little bit more.  It's been a tough road to get you to go pee pee on the potty but now all I have to do is remind you and you do it ... like a little pee pee rock star.

We are still working on getting you to tell us when you have to go and working on #2 but hey it's a start. It's fun seeing you walk around the house in your big boy underwear. Sadly it reminds me that the days of having a house full of babies is soon to be over. This idea fills me with excitement for the next chapters in our lives and sadness as no mommy wants her babies to grow up so fast. 

This month you have been up to so much. We have been getting you dressed up in your Batman cape and mask everyday at your request. You run up and down the house for what seems like hours on end. You have been very interested in art projects and helping out around the house by "cleaning" the coffee table with a old dry wash cloth. At first I got it wet for you to help out but you just sucked on it to get  the water and refused to clean so we have made small changes as you love to "clean" . When I ask you to pick up your toys in your room however you refuse so really I don't think your as into cleaning as you pretend to be . But thats okay. 

Looking forward to what March will bring.

Love , 

Mommy

Dear Gabriel -February 2010

If ever there was a person that can try my patience it is you. It seems that these days we are butting heads left and right. I know this is probably what happens to little boys right before they turn four years old as you are on the brink of little boy independence. Here is a list of things I want to get accomplished with you these next couple of months before your birthday in May.

* Lessen if not cut out the whining. 

- the only person you whine to is me and it can ruin a perfectly good Saturday morning when you scream and cry for no reason. the minute you get what you want the crocodile tears dry up and smile pops up on your face

* Get you to independently clean your room.

- AH I know this is a long shot but I am hoping you will just wake up one day and put your own toys away

* Put you own laundry away.

- Again a dream but there is nothing wrong with mommy shooting for the stars

* Get you to like working in  your workbooks.

-Currently your not a fan of homework but I am hoping this will change soon as we have a lot of work to do

This month so much has been happening with you. I can sit and listen to you go on and on about your day, what you had for breakfast, why you didn't want to eat lunch, what you had a dream about. Why Daddy will not play "Beat it' when your driving in the car cause its your most favorite song ever and you love it. Why David is not allowed in your room because he's a baby and your a big boy and only big boys and Pumpkin the  cat can go in your room 

ACK!

WOW,  see  your a talker and when you don't  like something or have something to say you say it... reminds me of someone I know quite well actually.

Since you and your brother are getting older and listening to and trying out table manners we have been able to get out of the house a lot more for dinner  which I love since it means less time I have to cook and Daddy loves since we are doing more outings. The secret  to dining out success for us has been to order your dinner first and get you guys a chocolate milk.Then  you will sit quietly coloring doing your own thing or chatting with your brother.  It's made a world of difference I wish I had come up with this sooner.

 

Love, 

Mommy

Pre V-Day With Love

LmG had a big valentines day party planned at school this week. This posed a serious question for your not so crafty mami . To make or buy valentines ? Hmmm decisions decisions! I took a shot at it and decided to craft my own little hearts for his party.







Beyond simple and fast. I took a heart shaped cookie cutter, some random scrap book paper I happen to have laying around the house and an old preschool art project and made these little guys .







Cute no? It only took a minute to crafty 31 of these little hearts topped off with a cute little stamp.






Then I got super crafty and made up six of these little pieces of art for his teachers , my mom, and sister. These of course were more difficult to whip up but nothing a stencil, ribbon, tissue paper, glitter and glue gun could not handle.






Day after V-Day party and this is the loot.





The shoe box served ad lmG 's mail box











Of course I have to feature this one right ?


















And because I can not possibly keep them all here are the ones I am keeping for the baby book


-- Posted From My fabulous iPhone

CV fab mama/curlie girlie gone mobile!