Art without the Mess

Not that I am opposed to messes, but I don't have paints laying around the house.  While searching for a game for Salvatore to play on my computer, I came across www.jacksonpollock.org and if you just click on the website above the streaming video (where it says enter jackson pollock), it will give you a blank canvas.  My blonde hair and I stared at the blank canvas for quite awhile before I angrily touched the mouse and realized that the canvas was waiting for us to touch the mouse.  It gives you black paint first and as you move your mouse around, it paints.  To change the paint color, click your mouse and continue on.

Salvatore loved it!! Here is his first masterpiece!!

Also check out www.babygamer.com for more great games for infants and toddlers!

  

Goodnight Moon

Funeral for a Friend

Salvatore attended his first funeral yesterday.  He was wonderfully behaved.  I carried him with me to say our final good-byes to the open casket.  As if he knew to be quiet and caring, he held tightly to me and stroked my cheek as I cried.  The funeral was for one of my dad's closest friends, Allan Gantt. He and his lovely wife Diane were our first friends when we moved to Fullerton in 1985.  They owned the Century 21 Accent and Superstars Realty that my dad worked for for over 20 years!  We have many fond memories and funny stories about this great couple.  Baseball was another bond my dad shared with them.  We often shared our Angels season tickets with his Dodgers season tickets.  Salvatore's only Dodgers game was in Allan's seat.  For over 15 years, they would travel to see the Angels and Dodgers in Spring Training.  One story that my dad shared at his service was most memorable and describes Allan perfectly.  One night, after the baseball games, they all went bowling. Allan was very good.  My dad said that Allan had entered himself into a "Lights Out" bowling competition where they lined up each bowler and gave them one chance to knock down as many pins as possible. The catch was that they turned all of the lights off, except for the end where the pins stood.  Slowly, bowlers with low scores were eliminated, leaving Allan the victorious winner.  My dad said afterwards that he asked Allan how he pulled off such an amazing feat.  Allan's reply?  " I am a spot bowler. I choose and focused on one spot that I could still see and aimed for that spot."  That easily describes how he was in life...always able to see a bright spot when all else was dark.  He treated his family, friends, and business associates this way.  We all knew how he felt about us.  We all knew he had no enemies and no bad feelings for anyone.  We will all miss him very much.

This Is How We Do It

We have a tradition for birthdays...when we sing in restaurants, we give it our ALL!

All Smiles

Salvatore was all smiles last night for Tio Brian's birthday dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory!

Bunk bed

We bought Salvatore and Little Licona a bunk bed and put it together yesterday.  Salvatore will sleep on the bottom bunk for a while, and eventually he can take the top bunk when the baby moves into the bottom, or they can share.  The kids will share a room, regardless of whether we have a boy or girl.  

Molly Will Understand

Salvatore, like his girlfriend Molly, likes to wear non-hat items on his head like a hat!  He hoped that she would like this picture!

Singing in the Bathtub

He was singing "The Wheels on the Bus" song, but got a bit shy when the camera turned on!

We...took a bath....with THIS?!?!?!?

What is my biggest fear?  SPIDERS! Since I was a kid and got bit at school and went to the hospital for an allergic reaction (I will show the scar anytime), I have been afraid.  Not the "screaming girl who is trying to get attention" afraid.  Really, really afraid.  I always scream in my specific "get this ^%$#@ spider out of here" scream and most people come to my rescue.  At school, I have a specific Spider Killer job for my students where he or she must do the triple death sequence-squoosh in lots of tissue, put in sink with hot water to burn it, then flush it down the sink for drowning.  What if no one is around?  I have convinced myself a few times to kill it myself if it is really small.  Otherwise, I have been known to vacate rooms for days at a time until there is a solution.  Oh, and I get really mad at you if you come in to save me, and the spider gets away.  So usually I have my "spidey senses" on at all times and can sense them if they are near.  Seriously, sometimes I see them in the dark.  Yesterday morning, this was not the case.  I was taking a bath with Salvatore and we must have been in there for 20 MINUTES before I noticed this monster floating between us!  I screamed for David, who was sleeping, so I was on my own.  It was already dead, but I freaked out all day when I wondered how many times it must have touched me, my sweet baby, or floated around either one of us!!! UGH!!!  It hurts me to even post this pic, but you must see how gigantic it was-like the size of a quarter!!

To Answer Your Question Ana....

After reading my friend Ana's post asking, "What do your toddlers do while you are in the shower," I found out!  Salvatore was sitting so nicely on the carpet playing with his musical toy.  I was just thinking how sweet he was as I was recording him.  When I put the camera down, I went over to him to give him a big hug.  As I walked over to the other couch,  I saw what he REALLY did while I was in the shower.  First, he emptied his diaper bag completely (Cheerios and all), and then he pulled out and opened our whole pack of Trident gum.  He unwrapped each piece.  Some pieces are still unaccounted for. THEN he played nicely with his toy.  Ana, I understand completely!!!

Latest Tricks All Rolled Into One

The people in my life who don't get to see Salvatore on a regular basis always ask me what he is up to or what can he do now.  At 23 months old, he likes to hit, say sorry, kiss, make lots of faces and do many things in slow motion.  This video happens to capture him literally doing it all!

I Have a Disease

It's called "I can't leave Target without spending $200 Disease".  It is serious and there is no cure at this present time.  I went with my dad tonight and all I needed was a new ironing board cover. I walked out with two new maternity dresses, socks, makeup, a book for Salvatore, Christmas decorations, and lots more!!  I almost forgot the dumb ironing board cover but remembered at the very end.  Sigh!!!

Breakfast for Dinner

Breathless

That is how I feel when I see this photo and look into David and Salvatore's eyes!

Cowboy and Pirate take Naples Island

For Halloween, David and I picked up our godson, Fernando, and took the boys down to Naples, Long Beach for trick or treating.  It was a beautiful night and Naples Island was packed with people.
   The boys loved the boats, lights and decorations as much as they loved the candy!  It was kind of like walking through one big party because most people were outside on their porches and decks, passing out candy and commenting on all of the kids and costumes.
 Salvatore's costume was a big hit.  People said he looked so "authentic".  Well, thanks to Boot Barn, Sita's homemade vest, Patty's chaps, Rosie and Megan's spurs, and David's patience to put it all together.   Salvatore could walk in his boots fairly well, but climbing steps was challenging with his chaps, holster, gun, and lasso on him.  So while he held his pistol and lasso, I held his candy bag.  The bags were full, but I must say I was disappointed to get so many Starburst and Tootsie Rolls.  Those are my two least favorites and made up 60% of the loot this year!

   After an hour and a half of walking the streets, we returned to Fernando's house and played Beatles Rockband til almost midnight.  I sang the lyrics to my favorite song, "I'm Looking Through You" while Salvatore played the drums.  It was strange to wake up to the sunlight this morning after changing our clocks back, but we enjoyed that extra hour of sleep!  Now begins the countdown to Thanksgiving!