Little Chefs

Our daily 30 minute dose of TV is scheduled at dinner prep time, but Victoria is still not interested in television, unless it's Mary Poppins. So I usually have at least one sous-chef helping me out every evening. This particular evening, we made some yummy pizza. I feel like a third of the cheese was sprinkled on the pizza, a third was consumed by the little ones, and the last third was found all over the kitchen floor.

a cheesy one for all of the girls

a cheese-less one for the boss

Boot Scootin'

These two were ready to slip on their new boots as soon as they got up, and they didn't take them off until naptime. When we went up to wake up Isabella this morning at 7:00 am, she was already fully dressed with her boots already on. She had been stomping around in her dark room admiring the twinkling lights. Boots that light up? Yes, they are very excited to have their first pair of shoes that twinkle.

Dates with Daddy

So maybe it will become a tradition, but last February, Mark took Isabella on date to a Daddy Daughter Dance at our gym. This February, he took her to a Daddy Daughter Dinner at the church we've been attending. Come to find out, the dinner was for girls ages five on up, so she was definitely the youngest and for sure the only little one who hopped into her daddy's lap to eat her dinner. Mark said it was a priceless evening.

The next weekend, Mark took Victoria on her date. There wasn't a Daddy Daughter Dance or Dinner this Friday, so they had planned to go out to a nearby restaurant. When asked what she wanted to eat, she predictably answered "pizza". So she slipped on her dress, tights, black shiny shoes, and fancy fur coat for an evening with her daddy ALONE! She doesn't wear her emotions on her sleeve like her big sister, but we all knew she was so excited to have Daddy to herself. What a special evening.

Let's Rodeo!

We are all so excited to go to the rodeo this weekend! I've actually never been to a rodeo, so I don't know what to expect. Mark had to explain to me what a rodeo clown was. A clown at the rodeo? I thought he was pulling my leg.

So the girls are gearing up for the big afternoon. They have expressed their desire for cowgirl boots. Victoria would like red ones, while Isabella prefers "light pink" ones. So we are going boot shopping with Grandma later today. Stay tuned for photos from our first rodeo!

Ready to go boot shopping!

Will You Be Mine?

We had a delightful Valentine's Day. Isabella celebrated during the day with her classmates at her V-day class party. She was excited to get to school to show her friends the valentines bags she had stuffed herself. She counted each and every teddy graham and gummy bear that went into each baggie being very careful that they weren't at all broken (because if it was broken it meant SHE could eat it). "Nobody will want a broken one Mommy." As soon as she entered her little classroom and others were sitting down to start their first activity, she quickly pulled her valentines out of her backpack, did a quick twirl, and excitedly began passing them out. Whoa Joe! Let's wait until the party! What a downer...she had to hand them to her teacher and wait a couple of hours.

Meanwhile, Victoria wasn't able to go to her class party because, come to find out, she had a double ear infection that was accompanied by an awful cough. Poor thing. She didn't seem too heartbroken to have to stay home with Mommy though. Plus she's a fan of visiting the doctor, so it all worked out to her liking. She loves to play doctor at home, so when the doctor pulled out the stethoscope she willingly pulled up her shirt and started taking deep breaths. She was excited to be measure and weighed and was looking forward to getting her ears checked. And of course, we can't forget the smile on her face when she was handed a red lollipop! "Would you like a sticker?" "No, thank you, I don't like stickers."

The day continued with dinner at our house with Papa and Grandma. We were so thankful that they spent their Valentine's evening with us. And our celebration ended the next evening when Mark and I went on our own dinner date.

Trying on her Valentine's gift: new glass slippers.

Glass slippers can bring a big smile even on a sick day.

Opening her sweet Valentine care package from Nana and Grandpa Rami.

Chaos

So we have been trying to create some order out of the chaos that comes with moving houses, moving cities, and changing jobs. It hasn't been easy and it has been exhausting. I am so thankful for my hubby who is just as eager and motivated as I am to get our house in order and to make it feel like home. He has been working his tail off, hanging draperies, moving furniture, unpacking boxes and boxes, hanging pictures, killing weeds, and much much more. It makes for busy evenings and weekends. We only have a handful of boxes left, so we can see the light at the end of the tunnel...for the inside. Now we have to attack the outside. The girls miss the "white house" and all the securities it brought, so we have been trying to make this move as easy for them as possible. They have been amazingly flexible, especially the first three weeks when we all slept on air mattresses and used cardboard boxes as nightstands while we waiting for our "white house" to sell so we could move our furniture to our new home. They didn't even seem to notice the change in furniture style. They actually seemed to enjoy an empty house so they could ride their Plasma Cars freely without momma warning them not to hit the furniture. But I do think they were secretly relieved to sleep in their snuggly beds again once they arrived. They have also been super easy going as we visited and toured five different preschools, have attended three different churches on Sunday mornings, two different gyms, and met many new faces. During these past few weeks, we have come to learn that even though Isabella is more cautious and initially is more introverted, she has been more willing to try new places and adapt to new surroundings, whereas, Victoria is not so eager for change. Even though Victoria is more daring and initially more extroverted, she has been the more clingy and cautious one when entering new environments. So, when it comes to new surroundings, Isabella is more like her daddy while Victoria is more like her mommy. I've had to remind myself not to dwell on the past and all the things I miss, but be excited about what the future holds here for us in our new city!

Chaos!

Our eager beaver on her first day at her new preschool; she goes twice a week.

Our not so eager beaver who goes once a week. "Mommy I want to stay with you today."

Conversations with Isabella

Every night I (Daddy) try to love on my girls before they close their eyes for the night. We kiss and hug and talk. Last night's conversation with Isabella went something like this:
Daddy: I am going to take you on a date this Friday.
Isabella: Is Toria coming too?
Daddy: Not this time, it's going to be just the two of us. We're going to eat dinner at a restaurant and dance under the stars.
Isabella: We're going dancing just me and you?
Daddy: Yes, we are going on a date!
Isabella: Yes, we are married. I am so excited.
Daddy (smiling ear to ear): Yes, just like we are married. We are spending Friday night together.
Then tonight's conversation was cute and memorable:
Daddy: What was your favorite thing today?
Isabella: Being married!
Daddy: (thinking what she meant, then it dawned on me) Yes, Daddy is so excited about Friday night!
Isabella: Me too Daddy!
Being a Daddy is such a blessing, I thank our Father for two wonderful daughters and a beautiful bride who patiently loves the three of us so much day in and day out.