Big Giant Screen Day

Lucy, at age 3, is already a huge classical music fan. It started when we moved into our new house in the fall and she would hear the wind blowing through the old walls and floorboards and would be scared. We came up with the idea of letting her listen to music as she went to sleep and we thought that the classical station would be the way to go. The station is now on in her room pretty much 24 hours a day. We keep it on all night because she has woken up at times to find we have turned it off and she gets really upset. I have no idea what they play at 3am, which is probably a testament to what a good sleeper Lucy is because we never find ourselves in her room at the wee hours of the morning.

A few weeks ago, the station (90.9, WCRB) started running ads for their Classical Cartoon Festival at Symphony Hall. Lucy heard this, including the part about the cartoons being played on a giant screen, and decided that she needed to go to this event. For weeks, we talked about "Big Giant Screen Day" as if it were Christmas...every day, she wanted to know if today was the day. Finally, on Saturday, the big day arrived. I took her for a just-Mommy-and-Lucy date (ah, the luxury -- for both of us -- of no little sister to ruin our, er, to share the day with). And boy was it worth the wait! Bugs Bunny cartoons right there in the hall on, yes, a BIG GIANT SCREEN! Clowns/Sylvester/Bug/Tweety walking around! Manicures! Cookies and juice boxes! Trying out instruments! Drawing with THE Sidewalk Sam!

It was a very magical day....for both of us.

Matchies

I can hardly believe these are the same two girls as this matchies photo taken just over a year ago:

Time flies!

Help!

{phoebe, year 2029}

I am going nuts with Phoebe...absolutely nuts. She climbs on EVERYTHING! And there is nothing i can do about it, it seems. If I try to scold her, she either laughs at me or she gets mad that I remove her from her current mission. I am seriously considering taking everything she can possibly climb out of the house, carpeting as many areas as possible, and, yes, getting her a helmet. I am not kidding about the helmet! (The whole Natasha Richardson thing has me freaked out a bit.) Does anyone have experience with a crazy climbing baby, or do you know anyone who does that you could hook me up with? H-E-L-P!!!

Dear Lucy

Unlike a lot of mom bloggers out there, I don't give a lot of status updates on my kids. It's probably born more out of my own laziness than anything else. I started to do it with Phoebe, dutifully taking a photo of her every month and writing an update...but that fell by the wayside in the fall when we were recovering from our Italy adventure and moving to a new house. I thought that now would be as good a time as any to write a nice update on both of my girls (Lucy first...I'll write Phoebe's in a few days). Maybe this is more for myself, and for posterity, than for anything else. Still, if you care to read, please do! So, without further ado...

Dear Lucy,

You are 38 months old (almost). That is 3 years and 2 months! And here is "who you are" right now:

You talk and talk and talk and talk (hmmm, I wonder where you got that from?). Your language is VERY well-developed. You don't just speak in full sentences; you speak in full paragraphs. Your only language stumbling blocks have been with pronouncing some sounds -- specifically, l and th (as in, My name is Woo-cy, sank you very much!). But not too long ago, I told you that you needed to start pronouncing the l sound because I knew you could do it. Lo and behold, you caught right on. I think it was just a matter of you being ready to do it...or, I should say, for you to want to do it. Because you learned a lot of words when you were very young, they are very ingrained and you need to re-learn how to say all of them (so many l's in the English language!). Of course, the biggest accomplishment is how clearly you now say Lucy. How nice to finally hear you say the name we gave you! Not that Woo-cy isn't a nice name and all. Next we will work on the th sound, though I think your little "sank yous" are so cute that I may just hold off a bit :)

Your attitude can best be described as smart and sassy. You imitate my phrases and intonations and you shock me at how you use them in the correct settings...though not always the correct behavior for a 3-year-old! The other day, I was trying to show you how to ride your tricycle correctly but you were more engaged in playing with the bell. I guess you were annoyed with me, because you told me to "go sit down and drink your coffee" and then "go sit down and breathe." Whoa, ok! Perhaps I need to teach you more about respecting your mommy, but it's hard to do when I am laughing hysterically at your wit. Respect can come later! You do show the same tendency that I did as a child not to want instruction but to insist instead that you can do something yourself. That is why I insist that you listen to me and learn how to take instruction...I know that it is not in your nature to do so and I am trying to help you learn to be taught a bit. Of course, when left to your own devices, you often shock me at how easily you actually do learn on your own. Like mother, like daughter.

You are a really, really good sleeper. I mean, nothing can wake you up once you are asleep. Sometimes it is tough to get you to bed at night, though. You have a list of "must haves" before going to sleep. You insist on having the classical music station on your radio, which we think it great -- we hope you have a lifelong appreciation of classical music from it. You have to have your big flower night light on (the world's brightest light light...it's actually not a night light at all, it's a regular light) and you have to wear socks (unless you are wearing footie jam-jams). You have to have a sippy cup of water. We read you a book and then you always ask for a snuggle. You usually try to get one or both of us to stay in bed with you and I joke Daddy that you are "very accommodating" to me, offering a pillow, blanket, etc. in an effort to get me to spend the night in your bed. Sometimes it even works! You used to love to sleep in our bed, but lately you've really grown to love your own bed and you ask to go there even if we let you stay up late in our bed watching something on tv. Your bed is a full size...what a lucky girl! I'd want your bed, too, if I were 3.

You started pre-school in February and have done great. Not that I had any concerns -- you've gone to daycare part-time since you were a baby, so I knew you'd adjust well to being away from me. Your teachers tell us all sorts of wonderful things about you and how you spend your day and we couldn't be happier! You also started Sunday School at church this week. You went right into the room and sat for the lesson and made some new friends. We're so proud of our little school girl.

You're a pretty good eater and you're really not picky, though you do express what you do and don't want at any given meal. Often we hear a request for "no sauce" on things like pasta, though you change your tune when you see us with sauce on ours. You have never had a piece of meat in your life...just fish (I don't count that). I am proud of my little veggie girl, who eats tons of tofu, beans, rice, vegetables, and fruit. You do also love the sweets so we need to watch out for that and make sure you get them in moderation...not always easy, because there always seems to be a cause for celebration around here. Daddy and I joke that you seem to get "a special" every day of the week.

You LOVE to dress up in princess costumes...you must have nearly 10 of them! You can most often be seen running around the house dressed up as Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Cinderella, Pocahontas or Tinkerbell, complete with plastic high heels and a crown. You know the words to all the princess songs and we think it is so precious when we hear you singing along to them in the back of the car when we play the CD. You really inhabit your roles, especially when you are playing Sleeping Beauty and "fall asleep." We have to kiss you to wake you up, and then you need a kiss on your finger where you were pricked by the spinning wheel. You really are a natural little actress! You also love to dance and even have a few ballet moves -- a plie, arabesque, and pirouette. You've been taking gymnastics for a few months but the session ended recently and I think you'll try ballet class next. I think you'll really love it, and I will love seeing you dance around in your little leotard with your hair in a bun.

You and your little sister have a funny relationship. I know you love her, but she is one active little monkey these days and she doesn't let you do anything without getting in your face, pulling your hair, or taking your puzzle pieces. Overall, you are pretty tolerant of her and other than a few shoves here and there, you are very gentle with her...probably more so than we give you credit for. You always want to kiss her goodnight, and though I know that it is about 80% stall tactic so that you don't have to go to bed, I see a lot of tenderness in the way you kiss her and pat her head. I look forward to the coming year because I know that as Phoebe gets older, she will be able to be more of a playmate and less of an annoyance to you. I hope so anyway!

I could go on an on all day, but I think this is enough for now. I hope to write more regular updates so that you and I can someday look back and know who you were and what you were doing when you were at such a precious age.

Lots and lots (and LOTS!) of love,
Mommy
xo

Late winter, New England style

Here is the scene in our backyard last Wednesday:



Fast-forward four whole days, and here was the scene yesterday:

{dirty pants = good times!}

{ta-da...there is a pool under all that snow & ice!}

And today? Backyard covered in snow. Again. L.A. anyone??

Separated at birth?

PAIR ONE:

{phoebe and...}

{...carol brady!}

PAIR TWO:

{lucy and...}

{...wallace!}

Colors of the Wind

Some lucky little girl I know got a Pocahontas dress hand-made by her Nonni...

{she's off to run the hidden pine trails of the forest, to taste the sun-sweet berries of the earth...}

How do you like the new haircut? We are loving it!

Random photos for a Tuesday

{phoebe next to baby sonia...pheebers looks like a big huge giant baby in comparison. they happen to own the same outfit. cutie-pies!}

{love my lulu's smile!}

Happy Tuesday!

The ONE and only Phoebe Grace

Our baby girl turned one on Thursday, February 12 and we celebrated with four days of family, friends...and baked goods! We love you, our Phoeber-Deeber-Doobers, and although we can't believe how quickly you are growing up, we are so excited to see the person that you are becoming before our eyes.

Happy Birthday to the one and only YOU!

{birthday waffle}

{birthday chair, hand painted by mommy}

{are you feeling the sisterly love?}

{not quite how i envisioned it, but it tasted good & that's what matters...right?}

{precious angel baby}

{crazy cake-eating baby}

{looking at her first (only?) edition friendly phoebe book, circa 1953}

{cake from auntie lisa}

{wow, same smile!}

{"auntie lisa, i am this many!"}

{cupcakes from nonni}

{lulu with the very glamorous angelina nanarina}

{goofing around with poppa}

{love for nonni}

Snow sisters

The punk & the diva

Peppermint tea

When I ask Lucy if she drinks coffee, she just giggles and says "no, I drink peppermint tea!" And what could be better after playing in the snow?