Very Proper Child

I have been working very hard at teaching Nicholas some table manners. I think it's going pretty well....

FYI - Shampooing alone does not remove Rice Krispies from hair.

Jonas Brothers Mania

Thursday night, Nick and I volunteered to drive Taylor and her two friends to the Jonas Brothers concert. Last year, I accompanied the girls to the concert, but the tickets were only $25, so I didn't mind sitting through the concert. This year, they were playing at the Q, downtown, and Taylor and her friends wanted to be as close as they could possibly get, so I opted not to attend. One Monday morning in March, I sat at the computer with my ticketmaster account ready, and my Jonas Brothers Fan Club account ready. Isn't everyone a Jonas Brothers fan club member? At exactly 10:00 AM, me and about another 5,000 mothers, tried to purchase tickets. I was immediately kicked out of the website, and my computer froze. I had to get out of all the windows and try again, all the while sweating bullets. (Not because I was afraid of disappointing my daughter, but because I was caught up in the race of getting the best tickets.) Crazy, I know. Once I logged back in, I entered my fan club code number, and wallah - I got 3 tickets on the floor. I was jumping up and down. It was really ridiculous. I had just charged $315 on my credit card trusting that three 15 year olds would pay me back. They did, with my own child taking the longest at about 60 days.

Much to Nick's dismay, I bought window paint so the kids could decorate our car. We dropped the girls off at the door of the Q with explicit instructions to walk straight into the building, and not leave the building until we arrive to pick them up. We stayed downtown just in case anything happened so that we would be right there and able to get there quickly. We had a very nice dinner at the Chop House, then went for a nice walk around the Warehouse District. From there we went to Mallorca and had dessert and a cup of coffee. It was wonderful to have 4 1/2 hours to spend talking and relaxing together.

We picked the kids up right outside the entrance, and they had an awesome time. They were in the fifth row and Taylor took some great pictures. One of the girls must have thanked Nick and me 100 times, and told us that we made her life. Not bad for a Thursday night.

Nick wants me to leave this one on the car, of course...

Isabella Turned 3!

Our little princess Isabella Grace turned 3 on August 9th. (yes I know I am behind) We celebrated her party with the family on the 8th. She has been looking forward to her birthday since January. Every month from January to May one of the 6 of us has had a birthday. Every birthday that came up, Isabella would ask if her birthday was next. I had to keep telling her "not yet, but soon." The day finally came, and she was the star. She loved every bit of it until we started singing. She did not NOT like everyone all staring at her and singing "Happy Birthday", and I got an earful about it the next day. She was so excited to open all her presents, and was really appreciative to everyone. I was so proud of her.

This poor little crazy haired, big blue-eyed kid who demands my attention, probably the most in our family, had to wait 2 weeks for me to post her birthday! This is without question no reflection on what I feel for this little girly. We waited so long for this child, and feared that she would never come. Once she did - we couldn't imagine life without her. From the moment she was born, she made her presence known. She cried almost all day with the most ear piercing cry I have ever heard. I had a route around our house and would do the walk and bounce combo around the house all day. She slept for 20-30 minutes at a time during the day. The moment Nick walked through the door, I practically threw her at him. Thankfully, she slept pretty well at night, or I don't think I would have survived.

She began talking very early and could carry on a pretty good conversation at about 18 months. Today, at 3, she never stops talking from the moment she wakes up to the moment she goes to bed. She says some of the funniest things I had ever heard. It's no wonder Nicholas doesn't talk - Isabella tells me everything I need to know about him and his needs.

Isabella is the biggest girly girl in our family. I think she has Taylor beat, which I never thought was possible. Her favorite color is pink and it must be incorporated in every activity/outfit/ food or beverage item of our day. Nick keeps telling her she is going to be a soccer player, but she insists that she will be a cheerleader like Taylor.

One thing I am certain of, is this clever, funny, affectionate, sassy-pants is going to give me a run for my money. And I look forward to every moment. Happy Birthday, again, little Bellsers. I love you!!

Below are some pictures from the party. Disney Princesses, of course!

Taylor's artistic cake creation

Topper Night

Wednesday night was a "meet the fall sports teams" night at the High School. The school introduced every player of every team, every cheerleader, and every band member. Both the band and the cheerleaders performed.

Taylor is on the J.V. Football squad, basketball squad, and Chardon also has a competition team that she also made. (This also means that I have been driving her to and from practice everyday for the entire summer) - I'm not complaining; I'm just stating facts.


Here is Taylor performing her public debut back hand spring. She nailed it from what I heard, but of course I didn't actually see it because I was looking at the darn camera screen. She has been taking private tumbling lessons for a few months specifically to learn this back handspring. It's good to know that $40 per hour has not been for naught. Good job Tay, you looked fantastic out there, and I will be in the bleachers every Saturday morning to watch you cheer with your brother strapped tightly in the stroller so that I don't have to chase him around rather than watch you!

7 More Days Until School Starts

I am not ready for the school year to begin. This summer has been the shortest 9 weeks of my life. For weeks, I have been avoiding the school supply section at Target like the plague. This Monday, the kids came home from their trip to New York City with their dad, and we headed to Target for the big shop.

There was a time when I loved school supply shopping. Picking out princess folders and notebooks. Cute little ladybug lunchboxes, and Disney bookbags. Now, folders are plain, lunch boxes are brown paper bags, and we have officially outgrown Target in exchange for Staples and OfficeMax. And, instead of helping with the selection of pencils and markers, I chased an 18 month old maniac around the store for 1 hour, while my 3 year followed me and talked on my cell phone giving my parents a blow by blow of our shopping experience. As we were getting ready to check out, Isabella saw a girl in one of the isles with pink hair, and started screaming over and over "Mommy, that girl has pink hair, that girl has pink hair!" What do you say to that? "Oh, yes honey - isn't that pretty? And if you ever do that to your hair, I will shave your head while you sleep!"

$150 later, I was completely stressed, and Nicholas was P.O'd that I wouldn't let him pick any more gum off the floor, but I had happy teenagers, and everything they needed to start the year.

The Circus Comes to Town

My old school hosted a circus this week, and we thought the little kids would enjoy going. The tickets were cheap, and for 2 bucks more, we could sit ringside. It was, surprisingly, very entertaining. Isabella even let a man - gasp!- paint her face. We did, however, learn that she does not like clowns. Is there anyone out there that really likes clowns? Nicholas had his first taste of cotton candy and wondered where it had been all his life.

So Cute

Every summer, we hang a basket on our side deck, and for 3 years in a row, we have had a bird take up residence in my plant. I usually find her when I spray the plant with the hose and she flies out in a frenzy to the nearest tree, squawking at me violently like I'm a crazed egg killer. Last year and the year before, I chose to not water the plant and let it die because I was afraid I would drown the eggs. This year, I resolved to not let a dried up dead plant hang on our porch for a month until the eggs hatched and the birds flew away so that I could throw the thing away. Instead, I filled a small pitcher and gingerly watered the plant every other day ever so carefully so as not to disturb the eggs/babies. All the while profusely apologizing to the angry bird screaming at me from the nearby tree.

Taylor and I checked on the nest every day and after about 3 weeks the eggs hatched. Within 2 weeks, the mother was across the yard urging the babies out of the nest to fly to her and eventually leave for good. It was so cool to watch, and I got some really cute pictures of the babies. The last picture was the day before they left the nest.

Catching up with Party #2

After Anthony's party, we headed over to my parents house to celebrate my mom's birthday. We swam, played in the yard, fed the fish in the pond and ate a lot of food. And, of course, we chased Nicholas around and around the pool.

Trying to Catch Up (Party #1)

We just got back from Hilton Head, so I am way behind on my blog. Hilton Head was so much fun, and I will post some pictures soon.

The weekend before we left, we celebrated our nephew, Anthony's 5th birthday, and my mom's birthday on the same day so we split the day and made it to both parties. A very crazy day with naps taken in the car, but well worth it.

Anthony had a huge smile on his face the entire day. He was so proud that it was his day and that he was 5! He reminded me a few times that he was 5 just in case I forgot.

Happy Birthday Mom

Today is my mom's 65th birthday. Doesn't she look awesome? This little chickie poo-poo is a pretty cool mom. I have run this one through the ringer through the years, and she never shook her head in despair or tisk-tisked me. (At least not to my face) What ever mess I had gotten myself into, she did what she could to get me out of it and never judged. She is a plethora of knowledge that ranges from cooking, baking, sewing, knitting, scrapbooking, and photography to any trivia question you ever wanted to know. She is the lady you want to call if you climb into the Cash Cab. (A very fun game show on the Discovery Channel) She loves to use words like "titmouse" (it's a bird you sickos) and "Lake Titicaca." (pronounced just as it's spelled) She says these words with a completely straight, innocent face, and when we all laugh she looks at us blankly and says "what's so funny?" I know inside she is giggling hysterically and thinks no one is on to her. Well I am sister!

When I was divorced 11 years ago, the kids and I moved from Austin, Texas to Cleveland. My mom quit her job in order to stay home with my kids so that I could go to school during the day and work at night. The girls were thrown into a very traumatic situation. Their parents were no longer together, they moved away from their home and their friends, and I was no longer able to stay home all day to take care of them. My mom and dad created a sense of normalcy for all of us that most definitely attributed to the kids sense of well-being and confidence that they have today. Once I graduated from school and had a 40 hour per week job, my mom continued to watch the kids after school everyday, and all day during the summer. She picked them up from school everyday and made sure their homework was always done by the time I came home. She drove them to practices and in the summer had tons of activities planned for them. And many days, in return for this selfless act, she was rewarded with disrespectful and badly behaved kids. She punished them like they were hers and continued on. For that I am ever grateful.

3 years ago, when Isabella was born, I quit my job and have stayed home with the kids since then. I was finally able to relieve her from her "Nanny" responsibilities so that she could go back to being just "Nana". I am sure she likes that much better.

I love my mom - she truly is the greatest. Happy Birthday, Mom - Enjoy your day!

The Botanical Gardens

Yesterday the kids and I spent the day at the Botanical Gardens in University Circle with my parents, my sister and her kids. I have never been there before because I was always at work when my mom and sister would take all the kids. It was so cool! I never knew what was there and I can't believe that such a thing exists so close to Cleveland. The older girls loved trying to "catch" butterflies in the Glass House. There were thousands of beautiful, colorful butterflies flying all over the place. From there we went to the Children's Garden were the kids could fill up their watering cans and water all the flowers. Isabella loved that. There was a wooden playhouse, a tree fort and a fish pond. Nicholas got out of his stroller and ran down every trail as fast as his little body could go. The hazards were plentiful, so I also ran as fast as I could after him.