Household of Geeks

I am not ashamed of the fact that our household has two desktop computers, two laptops and a 2 1/2 year old that says on a regular basis, "Mom, I forgot to do my computer," as if the world will come to an end if she doesn't have her fill of Arthur's Birthday Party. She knows all of the words by heart, unbeknownst to me, and I had to keep from kvelling outloud as I heard her speaking the parts of every character, and with such gusto! I don't doubt for a minute that Leo will be typing his name before he can even say it and taking computers apart and putting them back together way earlier than Danny ever did. I can't complain, we do have the computer to thank for this geeky family, in more ways than one.

Down Time

The last couple of weeks have been filled with running around like a crazy lady, children in tow, buying, selling, and whatever else I needed to do in an attempt get this house functioning better. I think I have been quite successful, if I do say so myself. Don't worry, Amelia did make it to the Kohl Museum in the last week, I just don't have the pictures to proove it. What I do have are a few pictures of the kiddies doing what they do best, being sweet and a pleasure to have around.

If Amelia hasn't asked for a popsicle by 7:30am, she must not be feeling well.



Leo loves doing laundry these days. He really plays nicely by himself, it is so much fun to watch him explore.




One of the new things in our office is a computer for Amelia. She loves listening to her stories and coloring.

I am the luckiest...

We laughed alot this weekend and the whole time I posed the question to everyone, "Who is the luckiest?" To be so incredibly loved or to be able to love somebody else so incredibly? To be kissed or to be able to give kisses? To laugh at someone's joke or to make someone else laugh? Luckily, we have been blessed with all of the above in this house and I was reminded of that this afternoon when Danny and Amelia came home from getting haircuts together. They were quite late, to the point that I started to worry. When they pulled up, I asked "What's wrong? What happened??". Danny rolled Amelia's window down and she explained, "we got you pink flowers, Mom." When I asked why, she answered..."cuz you are a good mommy." I am not sure who was beaming more at that moment, myself or my sweet Amelia.

Chugga Chugga

As you can see from this picture - we have a very well stocked playroom. I would say that 99% of it is hand-me-downs or garage sale finds. I have been known to be late for classes, late for naps, late for alot of things, just to drive by a garage sale. Everything from flashcards to the slide out back has come home with me. It is fun and Amelia and I have a great time shopping together. The best part is, I am usually the first one there, sometimes before they really open, so I get all the good stuff. My latest find was this *remote control* Sesame Street train. I wasnt sure who I was buying it for, Amelia or her Daddy, but they both have spent hours enjoying it together. There were some technical issues when they first put it together, but Danny came to the rescue, just as Daddies are supposed to. Not bad for $6 (which I didn't really pay cuz I bargained down the whole lot I was buying...common, you just have to).

Fruitalicious

A friend of ours made these hats for the kids when Leo was born. She had asked for pictures of the kids wearing them. Only 8 months late, not bad for my record.

My Kind of Outfit

I put all of Amelia's tops and bottoms on the lowest drawer in her closet so she could pick out her own outfits in the morning, giving me one less thing to do. She has picked out things before, but this morning was the first time she pulled together an entire ensemble - shirt, skirt, socks and shoes. And, yes, we did leave the house in the outfit - how could I be anything but proud of such a creative, big, wonderful girl?

Piano Man

Leo loves to play the piano and, who knows, I might be selling pictures these to Access Hollywood one day!

Milwaukee Zoo

What is summertime without a visit to the zoo? What is a visit to the zoo without Bubbie, Zadie, Tante, Noah and Ari? We wouldn't know what to do with ourselves. I am happy to say that everyone was on their best behavior and the only scary thing was the automatic flushing toilets. We had a great time and here's the proof.

No fun at all...really!

You would think that these four would get tired of one another, being that they spend (atleast part) of everyday together. Nope. I guess they don't know any better - or, they really do love one another. You would also think that we dressed them all in green on purpose - wrong again.



Ari did a wonderful rendition of "Bim Bam" and Amelia did the classic "Twinkle Twinkle". I was told that Noah did "A-B-C", but I (unfortunately) wasn't there, so we will never know for sure.

Dads, we love you guys, but there is something about Mommies

In the sweetest voice, Amelia told me all day today, "Mom, I need you". "I need you, too", I responded. Amelia is a bit under the weather and required alot of attention today. There was a point, in the doctor's office, where I was nursing Leo and had Amelia holding on to me for dear life. After a long day of not feeling good - her tummy, head, knee, nose, you name it - Amelia crawled onto my lap tonight and fell asleep. I hope she has sweet dreams and I don't see her until she peaks into my room (way too early) tomorrow morning, but I have a feeling I will be hearing from her long before that. As exhausted as I am, I know there is no substitute for Mommy, and I would never step aside if there were.

Getting our $$ worth

When Leo was born and Danny needed something to do with Amelia and his parents, they decided on the Kohl Museum. We decided to get the membership, but at the time, I could only hope to go with two kids enough to make it worth it. As you have seen from the blog, we have definitely made it worth it! Amelia cannot get enough of the place - she knows it like the back of her hand and I cannot get enough of watching those wheels in her head turning.
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Leo (finally) getting in on the action.

In the car, Amelia was already formulating her Dominicks shopping list.

"You like pickles, Mom?"

"Can I stand on this?"

My little beauty. She dresses herself and even does her own makeup.

Lunch afterward was so nice. I don't know anyone who enjoys spending this much time with their kids.

Evidence of a day well spent.

Super sweet

This morning, Leo slept in and I was trying to get some cleaning done. Amelia asked to go downstairs to play. After a little bit, I started hearing louder noises than I expected so I went down to check things out. She had found both lawn chairs, unfolded them, and moved the desk chair to seat all of her dollies. When I left, she began reading her favorite story to them. It is moments like this that, if you miss out on, you just can't get back. I am so fortunate to be able to see them all.

Props to the big Daddy

For reasons that are too complicated to share on this blog, I requested a *second* garbage disposal for our kitchen sink. At first, Danny was sure he could install the disposal, but didn't want to tackle the electrical, he wasnt even sure he could get the disposal to fit in such a small space. Thank goodness we couldn't get the electrician to come out when we wanted him to. With alot of hard work and brain power - my husband installed a second disposal, rerouted the piping so that it would fit, and wired it to a brand new switch. It's everything a girl could want :)

Little Friends

There is a time when your child's "friends" are just other bodies in the room who like to steal your toys and scream in unison. Now, Amelia's friends are her actual friends - she asks about them, she talks to them, and when they are over, they still steal each other's toys - but they work it out themselves. It is wonderful to see these relationships forming and the excitement in Amelia's eyes when her friends are around.