Old Mother Hubbard Lived in A Cupboard

I came home from conference this morning to find Daddy asleep on the chair and the kids playing in the living room together. Apparently they were having so much fun playing that Tony thought it was the perfect time to catch up on some shut eye. How come I don't ever seem to get those opportunities. Naps don't exist for me, unless it's a very rare occasion.
Anyway, Acacia has recently discovered what Luca discovered years ago. . .the fish tank cabinets. She loves to crawl inside the cabinets, shut the door and hide. This morning, both Acacia and Luca were hiding in the cabinet when I got home. They were having the time of their lives just crawling in and out, opening and shutting the doors. Although, Luca is only 4 1/2, he is rediscovering his early childhood by playing with Acacia. I secretly think he loves the opportunity to be one all over again. This lucky little boy loves his baby sister so much. It is so much fun to see the interaction between the two of them. It makes this mommy very happy!

Can you tell they were having fun? Look at the mess. . . and by this time it was 12:30 in the afternoon and they were still in their PJ's. What the heck Daddy??

Riding Around In My Automobile

Luca and Acacia took a ride

in the hummer the other

day.It has been a while

since they got to drive

around together and

they had a blast.

Acacia is a great

passenger because she

just smiles ear to ear as

Luca drives her around the

neighborhood. Luca got this

as a Christmas present

a few years ago from

Grandma Jo & Grandpa Gary

and it has been

a big hit for both of the kids.

They are so lucky.

I never got to have anything like this

when I was a child. Boo Hoo!

Halloween Hoopla

Fancy little jack-o-lanterns,
happy little children, fun
and cooky costumes, smiles,
giggles and lots of candy.
What a marvelous holiday.
Luca and Acacia had a
lot of fun. We started
our night off by going
to the church
for an evening of chili,
cornbread and
trick -or-treating.
We hurried home
so that I could take
the kids out around
the neighborhood,
while Mr. handicap
Daddy stayed home
and passed out candy.
Although it's
an awesome holiday,
I'm grateful it comes
around only once a year!

Holy Sweetness

How in the world could I have ever thought I'd only want boys. Girls are such drama, and they have such attitudes. Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong. Of course there will always be drama and attitudes, but I have never seen anything as sweet, precious and cute as my baby girl. Her sweet spirit amazes me. This little darling has completely changed my life, in many ways. I love you my precious darlin'.

Acacia has sticky fingers and likes to get into everything she shouldn't. She loves to get into the recycle bin (you could include trash cans, toilets, drawers, cupboards, laundry, etc.) and pull out the pop cans and pretend she's drinking them. How little does she know that she won't be trying pop for a really long time. Luca is four and a half and we've never given him a pop. We'll hold off as long as we can. I might as well control what goes into their mouths while I can, because I know I won't have control forever. I'm such a mean mom huh?
This little miss loves to hang out at Luca's school. She can play with so many toys.

Acacia lights up when she sees the camera. She's definitely a photogenic baby.

I tried to put a bow in her hair, but it lasted a matter of about 10 seconds. This is the only half way decent picture I could get. I wish she'd wear bows more often because then she would be mistaken for a boy all the time.

Howdy darling. She loves this hat, but we have to be careful because she gets the strings wrapped all around her neck. She loves hats and puts them all on her head.

Poor Poor Baby

Poor Tony, he's in dire need of some sympathy. According to him he doesn't get any at home, so maybe some of you out there will feel sorry for him! He's still recovering and it appears it is going to be an extremely LOOOOONG recovery. It's already been a dreadful two and a half weeks, but I'm hopeful he'll get to feeling a bit better soon. He feels pretty useless, which I have to admit--he kind of is, but what's to be expected after the second reconstructive surgery on in the same joint. He's pretty proud of his war wound and would like all to see it--if you can stomach it. We don't have squeamish stomachs at this house, so we all think Dad's pretty cool. The picture of Tony passed out in the chair is is usual position for the past few weeks. He really does just pass out in the chair--all the time! Hopefully he'll get some energy and motivation back soon.

Halloween, Preschool Style

You can't help but smile when you see so many adorable little children singing "5 Little Jack-O-Lanterns". Luca's preschool party was today and boy did he have fun. Everyone dressed up and went trick or treating at Redlands Adult School. The kids got a ton of candy, which Luca will never get to eat (mean mommy). He already knows it's going to be given away and he seems to be a-okay with it. The nurses at the school gave the kids a bunch of little toys and Luca is having a blast playing with them.
Acacia got to participate in the costume parade at the school. She's a little lamb, but the kids all thought she was a bunny. Either way, she's the cutest little thing EVER!!

Luca is Buzz Lightyear--Again. He wanted to be Buzz again and I was more than happy not to have to buy him another costume. So, the pants and sleeves are a bit short, but he pulls it off well and loves his costume.

Can you believe she actually kept the little paws on? She chewed on them a lot, but she never pulled them off. I never thought I'd have a little lamb, but I wouldn't trade her for anything in the world.

I love my two fabulous children. Thanks for such a fun day!

. . .AND, SHE'S OFF!

She's doing it! She's starting to walk. She's wobbly and likes to dive forward a lot, but she's finally getting the hang of it. YEAH!! Unlike most, I'm grateful for the walking stage. It means a little bit more freedom for the both of us. She's been trying for a while now to walk, but it has definitely been a slow process. Luca took off running when he learned, but she' taking her time. I'm hoping that means she'll be in less of a hurry to grow up.

Pumpkin & Spider Heads

Making Cute Faces Even Cuter

Fun preschool projects make for happy, giddy and excited children!

Even Boys Play Dress Up

We went to a special birthday/Halloween party for our friend Mike. We had a lot of fun and we even dressed up. Unfortunately Acacia was sick and stayed home with Grandma Tina, but the rest of us had a blast. Aren't my boys cute?

The First Birthday, for the Second Time

Grandma Tina came to town, giving us a reason to celebrate Acacia's first birthday all over again. Yea!

This little girl really knows how to tear through the wrapping paper. She absolutely loves her new xylophone--and so does Luca. We hear it playing at least a few hours a day. Thanks Grandma!

Acacia had her own cupcake with a single candle in it. I taught her how to blow a few weeks ago, and she even blew out her own candle. That's impressive for a one year old. It was super cute.

Luca was happy to watch Acacia dig into her own cupcake. This is her first cupcake ever. She loved it and begs for it now every time she sees one.

It's All Done! There's cake everywhere and Acacia sure is a happy girl. Yippee for birthdays and Hallelujah for cake!

An Apple A Day. . .

Field Trips are SO MUCH FUN!

Luca's preschool class went on a field trip to a local apple orchard in Oak Glen. It was an amazing experience for the children. I remember going to the apple orchards when I was a little girl, so I was excited for Luca to experience where apples come from. We learned about a lot of things.

The children were told not to pick anything up off the ground because wild animals come onto the apple farm and eat the fruit and poop on it. Sneaky Luca found an apple and wanted to have it, so after he picked it up, he hid it behind his back so nobody could see it.

Luca learned the difference between apple cider and apple juice (juice from cooked apples). He actually got to help make apple cider (juice from whole raw apples) by grinding the apples into little chunks using this archaic apparatus and his big strong muscles.

A few of the children were lucky enough to get to hold a "bushel and a peck". Did you ever know how big a bushel and a peck are? We do--now!!

Acacia had a fabulous time putting the apple on her head. What a cutie pa-tootie!

Acacia couldn't get to the apple fast enough. She would have climbed right in the box if I would have let her.

It Belongs On My Head

Acacia thinks she is ever so cute when she puts things on her head.

Sometimes she's a beauty.

Sometimes she's an all star.

Sometimes she's just silly.

Sometimes she's even got a hard head.

Sometimes she's simply adorable.

And sometimes she's "all that".

Rough Around The Edges

He's the MAN! He's Tony. He's the Dad. And, he's

my husband--Lucky man:) or not!

Poor guy is recovering from his second shoulder surgery in 18 months, but I guess that's what you get when you ride motorcycles (crotch rockets) on SoCal freeways in rush hour traffic!

He's doing great, but it's going to be a long and painful recovery. Luca and Acacia miss their fun daddy because now all he does is sit in his recliner. He adores his children and his children adore him, but we are all anxious for him to recover and get back to being a little rough around the edges!

Sleepless Nights. . .and Days

It's 3am, I must be TEETHING!

Yup, that's right. As much as we adore our sweet darling, she is THE WORST TEETHER IN THE WORLD!! We cuddle with her, feed her, rock her, soothe her, we even get her dressed for 3am strolls around the neighborhood--and nothing helps! Any ideas? She only has six teeth--there are a lot more to go. I'm thinkin' she can do without the rest of her teeth and chew with the few she's got. This happens every time she teethes and it takes a week to cut a single tooth. At this rate, it is going to be a very LOOOOOOONG year.

STINKER BUG

Yes, it's true this cute little boy is just that. . .a STINKER BUG! He's amazing, crazy, rambunctious, energetic, loving, aggressive, fun and even loves to cuddle. Luca is 4 years old, but often thinks of himself as a sufficient adult. He tries to negotiate and argue about everything he hears. If you tell him the sky is blue, he'll argue about how it's yellow, purple or green. He's a quick learner and is very coordinated. He learned to ride his two-wheeled bike just after his fourth birthday and even learned how to tie his own shoes a few months ago. His favorite thing in the world is his dad, but his baby sister comes in a very close second. Luca definitely keeps us on our toes and has already taught us a great deal about patience, love and perseverance. What a joy it is to have him in our family.

Acacia's Big Day

. . .AND THEN SHE WAS ONE. . .
(October 9, 2008)

Our precious darling celebrated her first birthday with lots of fun presents, good food and a great barn cake thanks to our dear friend Cheryl. It's hard to believe that a year has passed since she began blessing our lives. She has six teeth (4 on top, 2 on bottom), weighs about 18 pounds and says a lot of cute little words like: poo poo, bye-bye, night night, more, fish, cat, mamma, dad, Luca (sounds like dada), banana and this. She even signs "more", "thank-you" and "all done". She absolutely loves to dance and we often find her kicking her feet and moving her body when she hears a fun song. If she's not wearing pink most people call her a "him" due to her lack of hair. She loves to eat eat eat--thank goodness for the Varga metabolism that keeps her tiny. She is her brother's biggest fan and lights up whenever he walks into the room. She is so fortunate to have such a loving brother who takes care of her and teaches her how to be very "tough". She is an absolute angel and we are blessed every moment we are with her.