Here come Holidays!!!

I'm so excited about the holidays coming. We have been talking about all the fun days and events coming up, all the way to Easter which Adessa remembers for the bunnies and chocolate. We kicked off the seasons with a family trip to the Pumpkin Patch.

And we're doing good! The dark cloud of tantrums has lifted, at least for the moment. 8) Adessa potty trained relatively easily, whe-heeeweee! So now, even when I'm irritated with her attitude, I get so happy with her when she does her business in the potty. Yay! We see her differently now, she seems older with big-girl undies and diaper free. Eliana is doing great, too-- yay for a time of being juuuuust fine.

Click on this one so you can see it enlarged. Eliana's in there!






See HERE for Adessa's Pumpkin picture.

And here is Eliana's:

Strawberries 'n Cheese

Lesson learned: Don't leave burrito fixings out on the counter.


Our first big storm blew through, and those with boots had a great time splashing.

At the time of this photo, Adessa's boots were both filled to the brim with water.


Auntie Lolo and Grandma Ruth gazing across the couch at Eliana and Adessa. I thought they were all going to look at me, but there was a bit of a stare down.

This Two Shall Pass

A family friend was trying to help me out the other day and comforted me with the age-old wisdom: This, too, shall pass. But I heard it with new ears, like the post title, and it was very comforting, indeed. Adessa is two, yes, and three might be bad, too, as it is for some kids. However, I must keep the faith that it will pass. She will one day possibly listen to and follow my directions without a knee-jerk "no". She will stop throwing things on the ground when she's mad, like food, silverware, or even imaginary balls (those don't bother me so much.) I am comforting myself with the following: It will pass.

Thus far, her head hasn't spun and we are free of brimstone. 8)


Adessa loves to dance and sing, and is on a months long "beautiful gown" streak. Some mornings it looks like we live with a teenager, there are dresses strewn across all surfaces as she tries on gown after gown. It might help if I knew what it was she was looking for on a particular day, but there seems to be no pattern governing her dress selection process. It's almost worth it when she finds the right one, though, as she is instantly happy. She spreads her arms out Julie Andrews' style to sing and dance, benevolent once more.

There's that smile, with freshly brushed teeth.


Eliana turned five months old on October 5th. She has found her hands, and her hands find... everything. She has started "bothering" Adessa in the double stroller, trying to reach and grab whatever she can of Adessa. She likes toys, gnawing on toys, flapping her arms to the Bach from her crib mobile, has rolled over a few times, sits up in the Bumbo and Boppy, enjoys peek-a-boo, and is soft, chubby, and sweet. She startles easliy, we scare her all the time just coming into the room or coughing suddenly when holding her. She doesn't like to be held by many other people, but she does like other people to smile at her when she's in mom or dad's arms. People keep asking if Eliana has a distinctly different personality than Adessa at this age, and... it doesn't seem much different. I can't really call up much of Adessa at this age when I try, my impression of her was she was soft, chubby, and sweet, too.

Five Months Old!


Hey, Look! Toys!


Awwwwww.