Interrupting this regularly scheduled program....

to learn how to use blogger with my new mac. Will learn soon.

Love,

Mama

Winter Break with Friends

We are off from school this week and the rain continued today....I had THREE friends visit....Nyla was here all day (this is actually a photo of me and Nyla from yesterday when we made Gingerbread Men from Trader Joe's).
This morning, Lyla came over with her brother and we all played together. They left at 2:00 and then Gemma came about 15 minutes later.

Nyla, Gemma and I made chocolate cupcakes. It was Nyla's Grandma's birthday so she took most of the cupcakes home with her to her Grandma's birthday party. We had so much fun together, but NannyG is very tired from the socialite that I am!

The Box and the Park (by Mama)

We had a wonderful weekend. Both this morning and yesterday morning, we had yummy challah french toast. We bought the challah (or "calah" as Gigi pronounces it) at the Friday Farmer's Market. Gigi's was made into a Mickey mold...even Jordan had some and loved it!


This morning, the french toast was made AFTER decorating the box we painted yesterday....yes, we started decorating at 5:38 am (would have been 5:30 if I didn't need coffee). This box is very special....it arrived a little less than 6 months ago from a local family Mama knows from a special place on the internet. They sent the box for Gigi to decorate, together with a gift for Jordan, after Eliza died. We haven't had the right time to spend together to decorate it, but it was a perfect project for this weekend. We laid low. Yesterday, we painted the box...

while Jordan looked on and played with Camille.

....and today, at a VERY early hour, Gigi remembered less than 20 seconds after waking up that the box was waiting for her to decorate. This was the perfect weekend for us to decorate the box...we had the time and Gigi was asking about her sister, so Eliza was definitely on Gigi's mind. Yesterday, she asked if I could put Eliza back in my tummy and today, before going to sleep, for the first time in months, she asked where Eliza was....she said she misses her....so do I. Maybe she can sense my recent sadness about Eliza. Of course, the sadness hasn't stopped but the mask was on pretty tight and only recently, did the sadness surface more than it had since right after Eliza died.

Abby suggested that if we wanted Gigi could use this as a memory box for Eliza. I don't want to suggest what she should use it for....I am waiting to see what she puts in it.

After the creative juices were flowing, it was time to get some energy out. We headed back to the new park and with great luck, the M and m family were available and joined us. It was quite wet after an overnight rain, but we still had so much fun.

Have you ever seen a more joyful family?

The park even has a way for Mom and Dad to get a workout

Melese was so sweet holding Jordan's hand. They are going to be good buddies. Though 18 months seems like a big difference in age, it is the same difference between Gigi and Zoe who play beautifully together.

And, the best part of the park for Gigi? Shamu is there!

The Feast of the Seven Fishes

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner, pretending we were Italian once again and indulging in the Feast of the Seven Fishes. Our friends, Bryon and Safia and Zoe and family, joined for the feast. We started in the late afternoon.....although I like fish, I was in a steak mood and had Daddy cook me up a yummy steak. I guess I didn't pretend to be Italian!

My giggling guy - Happy 6 month birthday

Jordan has been eating all sorts of food as of late (avocado, every fruit you can think of, veggies, egg yolk last weekend). Yesterday, he was given the green light for fish and chicken and he had chicken last night and salmon this morning.

Jordan's - 5 and 6 month Dr. appointments

Last month, Jordan weighed 14 lbs, 7 oz (20%) and was 25.5 inches long (45%). This month, at his 6 month appointment, he gained another 2 lbs to 16 lbs, 7 ounces (30%) and is 26 inches long (40%). Compared to me, he is only 8 ounces less (I was 16 lbs, 15 ounces) and one inch shorter (I was 27 inches). For a guy that was born little, he sure is catching up and keeping Mama up at night as he eats and grows!

Letter Writing

This morning, Gigi pulled out her sketch pad and started writing letters. She has known her ABCs for a long time, but isn't always great at letter recognition. Sometimes, she knows them and other times, not. First, she told me she wrote a G for Gigi...

Then, a J for Jordan...

And, finally, a "D" for Deb and Daddy

Mama is so proud.

Another rainy day...

Another rainy day today....I went with Daddy to the Farmers Market in the rain. No pony rides. We played a lot at home....I drew a picture of Jordan and it actually looks like him! I made Grandpa a birthday card (Happy Birthday, Grandpa and sorry my card is late, but Mama forgot to remind me). A fun weekend overall. (Note: the above picture is from last Sunday's boat ride (from Daddy's camera)).

Two Penguins on a Rainy Day

and a bonus picture of NannyG and Jordan

Venice Canals Boat Parade

Yesterday afternoon, we headed out just before 4 to the Venice Canals Boat Parade. We were going to meet Nyla and Merrick there since they were running late. Jordan was ready and eager to go! We saw this Santa on our walk over.

Mazzy and her Daddy were there, too!

Here are some of the boats. We were watching from Orson Bean's house!

Naughty or nice?

The annual Hanukkah entry...

Great music came from this boat

Nyla, me and Mazzy

View from the stroller on one of the bridges....the sun started to go down....pink sky

After the parade, we went to Merrick's boat and had dinner and went for a relaxing harbor cruise. Here is Jordan's in Merrick's chair on the boat

So relaxing that I fell asleep while cruising

Here is Merrick with his Mommy getting a little sleeeepy

And our captain, Michael!