It Was All About The Food

My mom and I took the girls to a Lebanese festival this past weekend. I brought my camera expecting there to be colorful outfits with dancers and live music. I was very excited, but there was none of that....at least not in the afternoon when we went. The band was just setting up around 5pm when we were leaving, so I think we should have gone a little later in the day rather than earlier. It was in the parking lot of a church and was put on by the parishioners. There was Arabic music played over the speakers...which I totally loved. There was also a silent auction, a big bouncy house/slide for the kids to play in and fabulous food.

My great, great Grandfather on my Mom's side came to America from Lebanon. While growing up I always had a sense of my heritage, but never became interested in it until my late 20's. My Mom and I often go to a Lebanese deli to enjoy raw kibbi, tabouli, stuffed grape leaves and stuffed kusa. It is a nice treat for us to go there because neither my Dad nor Keith like to eat our "funny food", as they call it.

So even though there was not much excitement while we were at the festival, at least we got to enjoy the music and the food!

Trying to get Ella to just smile like a normal little girl in front of the camera is another story! :0)

SMILE ELLA!


NO REALLY, JUST A REGULAR SMILE....


COME ON.....


JUST ONE SMILE FOR ME PLEASE.....


CAN YOU ACT NORMAL?
THANK YOU!

What We Do For Fun....

Bored as hell? check
Mall? check
Vivacious 5 year old? check
iPhone? check

This is what happens when my child says, "Mommy, Look!"




Now, I debated posting this one, only because.....well, I'm sure you know......But the thing is, this one was actually the funniest of them all. Ella HAD to pose with these mannequins because she wanted to be bare foot like they were. So that's fine and all, but there was little to no room in between those mannequins and all I could do is hold my breathe and pray that she did not knock them all over as she made her escape! I mean really....Couldnt you just see them tumbling over as they scatter left and right and how freaking embarrassed I would have been? OMG.


Ah, Good times.....Good times.

How Big Is Olivia? Soooo Big!!

Although my life is starting to look something close to normal now, this whole newborn stage really flew by way too quickly....especially when you know this one is the last. Out goes the sleepy and squishy newborn face and in comes the beautiful characteristics and personality.

Yesterday, Olivia was officially 3 months. She coos at us, her actions are as deliberate as they can be, she is sleeping at least 3 hours at a time and I am only getting up 2 times a night. Ella has even started watching cartoons for a bit before she wakes me up. Most mornings, that means I get to sleep in until 8am. I'm giddy about that one!

Yup, both my girls are pretty much growing up way too fast.

Note to self: Stop. Take it all in. Smile. Repeat.

Amazing, Doesnt Even Cover It

Amazing.....doesn't even cover who you are.
You are kind, generous, thoughtful and loving.
You are innocent and trusting. Intelligent and inspiring.
You are caring and beautiful, inside and out.



You look at me with love and admiration, yet look to me for guidance and support.
You're strong. Independent. Yet vulnerable and weak.
You make my heart feel warm and full.
Yet, amazing, doesn't even cover it.



You are playful and imaginative.
You sparkle. I'm mean, you absolutely sparkle when you smile.
You are optimistic. Hopeful.
Amazing, doesn't even cover it.


You're only 5 years old, yet communicate with such wisdom.
You are welcoming, accepting and helpful to no end.
You are unique. Perfection, to a degree I could have never imagined.
You are in every sense of the word, a miracle.



So believe me when I say.....
Amazing, doesn't even cover it.

A Tiny Bit of 4th of July

I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe 4th of July! We went up to the cabin over the weekend. It was wicked warm and humid so I didn't spend much time outside with Olivia. Her and I actually stayed only one night while Keith and Ella stayed 2 nights. I gave Olivia to my mom for the night and got to sleep my little heart out! Fireworks? Who cares when you can sleep?!! :0) Ella came home completely covered in bug bites and exhausted, but had a wonderful time. I'm hoping she sleeps in tomorrow....*Fingers crossed*....but not so likely. These are the few pictures I got of Olivia outside and one of Ella and her cousin Jack.





Its so wonderful the relationship Ella has with Jack. She has a little "boy"friend in the neighborhood that she plays with (remember the kiss?!), but when he doesn't want to do something or gets bored, he will roll his eyes and just go home. With Jack, they both accept each others eccentricities and help each other out. They have been together since babies (they are only 10 weeks apart) and they just accept each other for who they are. I absolutely love to see them together.

My Free Spirit

My Girls....

When I was pregnant, there were so many things I pictured about Ella and Olivia. I couldn't wait to have my two little girls at home playing together and having fun. Ella would be able to teach Olivia so many different things as she grew up. But I realize now that what I need to do is stop jumping ahead of myself so quickly because even these quiet little moments that they have together right now are just as dreamy.

Although I know in a way the birth of Olivia has affected Ella more than I probably realize, she sure does love her little sister. Her favorite thing to do is hold her in the rocking chair and watch cartoons. What could be better in life? A new baby sister and a little Wow Wow Wubzy!

Have I Told You.....

....that my 4 year old daughter had her first kiss? I KNOW! I'm as shocked as you are! She plays with a 6 year old boy down the street a couple of times a week. Always at our house, I might mention, and always under our supervision. Well apparently, they were on the side of the house out of our view for 5 minutes, and he asked her for a kiss.

After Billy left that day, Ella whispers to me, "Billy and I kissed, but don't tell Daddy."(The name of the little boy has been changed to protect his identity). First of all, DON'T TELL DADDY? What does she think Daddy is going to do and where did she get the idea that Daddy shouldn't know?! I choked, but quickly tried to compose myself as to not look shocked and want to grab my child and ask her what she was thinking....or chase Billy down the street with a broom. Many things were running through my head like...

Isn't she too young for this?
Did I really hear what I thought I just heard?
Oh crap, how does my face look right now?
Breathe...Breathe again...Keep breathing.
Stay calm!

As she came in the house, I was able to not look at her face to face for a second and compose myself. As I was getting her something to drink I said, "So tell me what happened."

Ella: "He asked me if I wanted to kiss and so we did."

Me: "Where did he kiss you?"

Ella: She pointed to her lips.

Me: "Where did this happen?"

Ella: "On the side of the house while we were playing by the tree."

Me: "Well I have to let you know that you are too young to be letting boys kiss you and I don't want it to happen again. If Billy asks you again, you will need to tell him you are too young and should not be kissing, ok?

Ella: "Ok."



Talking to Ella was the easy part. Deciding how to tell Keith....A whole different story. I did tell him later that night and after seeing his reaction, I felt like I was the one who had kissed a boy! Awkward.....

Keith ended up talking to Ella and Billy about it together and then he spoke to Billy's Mom. She didn't seem that shocked as she told Keith that Billy just asked a 14 year old girl at a soccer game to come over after the game. She said, "What would we do at your house?" He said, "Watch movies and roll around on the floor."

Again, I KNOW! Ya see, Billy has an older brother and sister, both whom are teenagers. You wonder where he gets this stuff. I guess its all part of growing up, but my sweet and innocent little Ella.....probably not as innocent as I think because some of the things that come out of a 4 years old mouth shock me anyways....But she's not even 5 years old yet!!She IS innocent!!

We've all gotten past the incident and Ella has continued to play with Billy, at our house only, and no more kissing has ensued. I'm so not ready for my child to grow up anymore past this point. And now I am going to have another daughter to worry about? Eeek. God save me now!!

BSM - My Easter Girl

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WW - Birdwatching

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