Cheerios

Kiddos eating Cheerios. I recorded this from my computer using Photo Booth and it was a 50 second recording. For some reason, it sped it up when it loaded, and used the sound from a totally different recording. Strange. But a glimpse into our busy little feeding frenzy!

Citrus Fair

Last weekend, La Habra celebrated the annual Spring Citrus Fair, and we celebrated by eating there as much as we could. They had Chik-fil-A (ohhh yes, Ana), Ruby's, tacos, pizza, root beer floats, fried Twinkies, cotton candy and so much more. Salvatore loved the rides and games. This motorcycle ride was his favorite and he would ask to ride it each morning as he awoke.

I just love his face here. And I love her cute, fat little feet.

Valentina loved watching her brother enjoy the festivities. She also loved the balloons, live music, and other babies in strollers.

Salvatore and abuela on the swings.

Salvatore and I on the racing car ride. He was tall enough to ride, but not tall enough to ride alone. Yet, they made me sit behind him. I barely fit. You can see my knees up to my chest.

Salvatore went on everything that he was tall enough to ride. He surprised me by asking to ride the dinosaur roller coaster, because he has been quite cautious of such things in the past. I was too big for this one, so he climbed in alone. We walked to the other side and I held my breath fearing that he would scream and/or cry the moment it started. He didn't. Not only did he try to strike up a conversation with the carnival worker and the kid sitting behind him, but he excitedly screamed and bravely raised his arms like a pro.

He talked about it each night as he would fall asleep and he couldn't wait to return each day. It was just enough to hold us over until August, when La Habra brings the annual Corn Festival back. Stay tuned for more horse riding photos with both kids this summer!

Karate

(Salvatore is in the top right corner of the class)

Salvatore started karate classes a few weeks ago and he loves it! He only has one more class left, but he has learned a lot. He really makes us all so proud with what he loves to do and is willing to try. His coordination came in handy for certain skills, but there were others that he has to practice. And it was obvious that he does not go to school yet because he did not know how to line up or go to the end of the line.

The karate studio is about 3/4 mile from the house, so we load up the double stroller and walk. It is a wonderful way to connect with my kids after work. We talk about the cars, trees, airplanes, and stores along the way.

All of the parents sat around silently and watched...until it was time to do jumping jacks. We all laughed so hard each time, we were wiping our eyes. I am looking forward to many more ways in which I can support and cheer for Salvatore as he pursues his interests and hobbies.

Elton, I Wasn't Ready to Explain...

I have a big collection of Elton John records in my room. David mounted them across our bedroom wall to look like art. The other day, Salvatore was paying particularly close attention to this personal favorite. He immediately focused in on the shoes and asked me, "Mommy, why is he wearing women's shoes?" Uhhhhhh.......

Sugar Carrot

We call Valentina Sugar Carrot.

My dad always calls her sugar and Salvatore repeats him. One day, David's mom was changing her and ended up dressing her in orange from head to toe. We then put a green hat on her and started calling her carrot.

Salvatore put the two together and her nickname was created.

She's our little Sugar Carrot.

To hear him say it and to see her smile at him when he does...it's just so sweet.

What do YOU do at the Park?

Salvatore likes to eat. Then play soccer.

Then run around the lines on the field. Then play on the swings. Then chase the rabbits.

Valentina likes to watch things. And eat grass. But mommy won't let her.

So we gave her the ball. She tried to eat the ball.

I love this picture of her face. Not bad for my little rinky-dink camera.

What do I like to do at the park?

I like to play catch with my husband.

I like to run soccer drills with Salvatore.

I like to nurse Valentina on a quiet bench by all of the bunnies.

I like to watch everyone around me enjoy the day.

Cocinando Con Abuela (Cooking with Grandma)

Making tortillas for dinner. He loves the tortilla press and was continuously impressed with each tortilla. But, just like any cook, he snacked too much while he cooked, so he only ate a little of his dinner. Appetite came back later when he helped me make chocolate chip cookies, though. No surprise.

P.S. Check out his funny comments (From the Mouth of a Toddler-on the left) from last night's cookie making.

A Little Push to Keep Going

Last week, in the 80+degree weather, I decided to mow the lawn. It's my dad's job, but he and Brian were busy in Italy. They traveled for two weeks, and the grass was getting high.

Salvatore wanted to help. We got out his little bubble mower, I filled mine with gas, and we started in the front.

He watched in fascination as I had to pull the rope to get my mower started.

"Why is that so hard, mommy?"

"Well, some things take a great effort to get going, but once you do, it can be smooth sailing." He smiled.

I cut the perimeter a few times before starting my rows back and forth. Then I walked across the driveway and leaned down to see if it was all even.

"Why are you doing that, mommy?"

"Sometimes you need to look at something from more than one angle, Salvatore. If I look at it just by standing up, I won't see my mistakes."

"You make any mistakes?"

"Yes, a few. You see? Now I know. Don't forget to look at things from other angles."

On to the back. Which took over an hour. A couple funky little grass patches and the swing set and my sneezing and the heat...

As I started on the perimeter of the back, I found myself behind my dad's house. I was a bit stuck with the slant, so I put my foot against the wall to push myself off.

"Why did you put your foot on Lolo's house, mommy?"

"Sometimes you need a little help. A little push. So you can keep going."

He smiled again.

He started to copy me. He was starting to mimic everything that I was doing, including wiping my face and neck.

When I was done, he wanted to take a shower. David had just started to pull weeds, so we helped him first. Then we sat on the little bench in the back and drank our water bottles. Job well done.

As I started to ask him if he liked the way the grass looked, he was already playing on his swing set. He didn't answer me. We showered and left to meet Ana and Sara for Chick-fil-A.

This morning, he was putting on his shoes and had some trouble getting up. He has just recovered from a week's fight with the stomach flu. He started to whine and pout. I was getting ready to help him, when he put up his hand, as if to stop me. He then put his foot against the wall and pushed himself off.

Then he smiled at me and ran out to greet the day.

Up Close and Personal