Hula Hooping

Today Jess figured out how to hula hoop. Love it! I've always enjoyed hula hooping. I think it is a thrill as a parent to watch your child learn how to do something that they once couldn't do. It was just fun to watch her practice and to be so determined about it. We've had hula hoops for a long time but this was going to be the day. I think she saw herself getting close to "getting it" and she just didn't want to stop until she got it. I heard "mom, come watch, I think I got it.", "mom, I did it for 10 seconds", "mom, look at me, this is my best yet". She was on the patio and I was in the kitchen trying to get dinner ready. I was lucky I got anything made - she wanted me to watch and all I really wanted to do was watch her too. I just loved seeing the excitement in her face and just the pure joy of the moment. Her eyes would just light up. So simple, so honest. After dinner she wanted to go back out again just to hula hoop.




I think this is what I hope this summer will bring - the simple stuff. Learning how to do something that maybe you couldn't do before.

So proud of you Jess!

First Day of Kindergarten 2010

Our little girl is now in Kindergarten! Today was Jessica's big day. Jess was excited and couldn't wait for us to leave. I don't have to drop her off until 12:05 for afternoon Kindergarten. It was a really hot day so we didn't put on any new fall clothes. Jess chose one of her favorite sundresses and asked for her hair to be braided. She looked lovely.

We started the day with a pancake breakfast. The girls played and relaxed for a bit. I had Jessica fill out this little page I put together of just a few things to remember this day. Lauren wanted to do a page too. She knew today was Jess' day for school but she wanted to carry her new tote bag around too...and carry a snack in it.

I told Jess how proud of her we are and that I hope she had a wonderful day. I gave off a few little reminders about being kind, respectful and to remember her manners. I told her that some children may be a little shy and not have a friend in the class and just to include them when she can and think about how they might be feeling.

Lauren was by Jess' side the whole time...including picture time. When Jess went into school, Lauren cried. She kept calling for her in the car. I didn't cry but seeing how Lauren felt about Jessica made my heart melt. Love sisters!

And of course we had to follow up the big day with some Rita's Italian Ice. Lauren was very happy to have her sister with her again.

Lemonade Stand

This past weekend Jessica really wanted to have her own lemonade stand. She was so excited about the whole thing. I was a little hesitant. It was super hot out, we live on a street with absolutely no traffic and many neighbors weren't around. Who was going to buy anything?? But I wanted to support her lemonade enthusiasm so...She made her sign. We put together our lemonade supplies and set up shop at the foot of the driveway.

The night before she was so excited she said: "I have to figure out what I am going to wear for the lemonade stand...yellow, yellow, yellow...I need to look like a LEMON!!" So funny!! (By the way, she wore pink anyway.)

Scott and I bought some lemonade. I took a few pictures of the girls in action...waiting to sell lemonade. And that was pretty much it until.....the man who saved the day showed up....our mailman! He got out of the truck, bought a cup of lemonade (which Jess was selling for 5 cents) and gave her a quarter. She was so happy!

After he left, I decided to bring the girls in for a little bit to cool off. 10 minutes later the doorbell rang and it was....the mailman...wanting seconds!! We all scrambled out the door and I had to get a pic of our mailman with the girls. He was so kind to both of them.

The lemonade stand was a success!

The Last Snow???

The last time it snowed we didn't go out in it. It just takes so long to get the girls dressed to go out and they only last about 15 minutes. However, this last snow, which may be our last, we decided to venture out. Scott was home due to the storm so we made it a family event.....which lasted about 15 minutes (excluding the time it took for Scott to shovel our driveway) :-)

In that 15 minutes, we attemped to ride in our sleds, swung on our swings, decorated a mound of snow that was our snowman and had a snowball fight. We made some special memories...in 15 minutes. :-)

One dressed and ready to go:


Some sledding (sort of):
Let's not think poorly of the mom photographing her crying child. Lauren really didn't like being pulled in the sled. But she did like sitting in our yellow one.


Now for some swinging:



Snowball fight:

I tried to start to make a snowman but nobody wanted to do it. I figured I would do it myself but then Jess stepped in while I was still trying to build up the bottom to do what she loves....DECORATE!

A First Haircut & A Stylish Trim

Lauren had her first haircut on February 22, 2010. I took the girls to get their haircut at Atelier Salon in Basking Ridge. They just both needed a good trim. Lauren's hair is short but it was getting a little knotty in the back and I knew a trim would help. Jess' hair was cut first as Lauren watched. I had a feeling Lauren wouldn't sit in the chair for her cut so she just sat on mommy's lap. It is tough to take photos that way but I just tried to capture our reflection in the mirror. They both did great. And I've got a little lock of hair as a keepsake.

Jess' shampoo:

Getting her cut & style:


Lauren's Turn:


Drumroll please......


I think their hair turned out great. Forget going to a kids salon. I wish I could've taken better pics. Jess' hair looked so good. I have to learn how to blow dry her hair. And Lauren's hair was exactly what she needed and it looks so cute on her.

Snowed In!!

Well it started snowing last night and it's 8:30 pm right now and its still snowing. I hear it is still supposed to snow most of the night. I am not sure how many inches we have right now but it is over a foot but certainly seems like more. I'll have to go out and measure with a ruler tomorrow. Schools are closed again tomorrow for the second day in a row. Scott didn't even go into work today. But he worked all day in his office. It was nice to have him around for a nice breakfast and to help with bedtime. I thought we would make it out to play in the snow but it never happened. We'll definitely go out tomorrow.

We were supposed to have our valentines party today but we had to cancel which was disappointing. Today I let Jess make valentines with the supplies I had bought for the party and she made valentines ALL day. Give this girl some scissors, glue, stickers and crayons and she is one happy camper. It was nice just hanging home together. We practiced some reading, saw a cooking show together, made pasta fagioli and just played. I am thankful for days like today.

The only bummer is that we are supposed to get our house appraised tomorrow and I need to do some straightening up tonight. :-O

I am off to straighten up and figure out some activities that we can do tomorrow on our 2nd SNOW DAY!

Good Night!

Jessica ~ 4 years and 8 months

My Dear Jessica,


I had to be very clear when I wrote your age in the title. If I ever say that you are 4, you always like to correct and say you are 4 1/2. Now 4 1/2 doesn't seem as accurate. In a couple of months you will be 5 years old. This is a very big milestone for you! It's a very special birthday. I can't believe you will be 5 and starting kindergarten next year. The new school year is still a ways off and I still can't help but think how quickly it is approaching. It feels like just yesterday that we brought you home to our apartment in West New York. Here you are now, a big sister now and you are growing so beautifully.

You recently started taking gymnastics classes and you love it. You love to dance too. Those are your favorite things in the whole world to do right now. I recently bought a cd of classical ballet music for children and you always want me to play it so you can dance in the living room. You've even told me that you want to have a ballet birthday party. We'll see. :-)

I want you to know how much I love our special moments together. You might think those moments revolve around big events. But some of the special moments I never want to forget are when we cuddle up for our stories at bedtime, enjoying watching a cooking show together, baking together, playing board games together and when you come in our room in the middle of the night to snuggle. My heart melts when I see you and Lauren playing so nicely together. I hope that you always remain best of friends. Lauren always like to copy everything you do. I know that is a big responsibility sometimes. You always look out for her and try to protect her. It makes us (mommy and daddy) so happy to see the love you have for her.

Since the day you were born, your smile lights up a room. You are so happy. You certainly have your moments of poutiness but you have grown so much in this area. You are very sensitive but still very strong.

You bring us so much joy and we can't imagine our life without you. We don't know what plans God has for you in your future but we feel so privileged and honored to be able to guide you, watch you grow and just enjoy who you are each day. We love you so much cuddles.

Questions to Jessica:

1) What is your favorite color? Pink and Purple

2) What do you want to be when you grow up? A ballerina

3) What is your favorite thing to do? Ballet and gymnastics

4) What is your favorite book? Fancy Nancy Bonjour Butterfly and Fancy Nancy Splendiferous Christmas

5) What do you love most about Lauren? I love that we like to play together.

6) What is your favorite thing to do with your family? Love going to the gym together and when we all cuddle together

7) What is your favorite food? Pancakes, yogurt...and a little candy :-)

8) What is your favorite toy? Daddy Lulu (Wuwu)

Way Overdue Post: Jessica's 4th Birthday Party

It seems I never posted about Jessica's 4th birthday party. I've got to make sure I cover such a special event. We had a My Little Pony party at Watchung Stables. Jess invited all her friends to come see the horses. They were supposed to do pony rides but it rained so the kids received a tour of the barn which was very informational and fun. I was really surprised by how much they covered. The kids had a lot of fun. I was so thankful that Auntie Jenny was able to fly in for the event and help me. They only give you 1/2 hour to set everything up so timing was pretty tight. The room they gave us was a little smelly but I kept reminding myself that it was a stable. We did a little picture frame craft, toured the barn, ate snacks / treats and cupcakes / cake and had a pinata. Jess had a great time. I made my first birthday cake and it wasn't easy. It's tough finding icing / frosting that works well and is allergy free. I did my best. She really wanted a my little pony cake. She was really happy with it and I was so thankful.

First Day of School 2009

Jessica started her 4 year preschool class at the Wesley Center last week. She was so excited. It was a fairly warm day so she couldn't wear some of her new fall clothes but she still had a special outfit to wear, with new sparkle sneakers and a new school bag. I went to school with her the first two days. I love getting to go to school. She has about 13 or 14 children in her class and her teachers are Ms. DeJohn and Mrs. I. They really create a wonderful learning environment for the kids.

I picked up some flowers the night before to have on the table for Jessica's favorite pancake breakfast. She loved the pink gerber daisies. She always appreciates lovely flowers.

Here are some pics from the first two days: