Monday, April 13, 2009

Best Friend

Your best friend is Danica Otten. You call her Kica. You and Kica go to Little Gym together and as of this weekend, she lives across the street from you. Of course, the two of you are having some difficulty sharing, but are getting better each time you visit. Kica is a 6 months younger than you. You have a competitive nature, so when I tell you Kica is doing something better, like potty training or eating something in particular, you immediately change course. You always want to see her and ask for her each day. It’s great to know that you have such a great friend and it’s exciting to think of the two of you growing up together. Best friends are so important, and the longer you have them, the more special they are. I am blessed to have such wonderful friends. Samanta, Danica’s 5 month old sister, will make things even more interesting as you girls get older and go to school together. You are all such cuties, so I’m sure James and Daddy will have fun “cleaning the shotguns on the porch.” Stay tuned for more exciting adventures between Riley and Kica (and Sammie, too).



Bye Bye Binky

Well you have gone a full week without your Green (or pink) Binky. I never thought we’d see the day. How did we do it? You are going to give the Binky to the baby Elephants at the zoo. I had heard from another mother that it’s easier to let go of it if you think you are helping someone else. So, I told you the babies at the zoo are in need of a binky and really want yours. So I kept asking over and again if we could give your binky to them, and eventually you were ready to part with it at bed time. You have not had it all week! What a big girl. And each night you say we need to give it to the baby elephants (you decided that was the baby you wanted to give it to) as soon as we can (which will be when it warms up).

Oh my little girl is getting so big. You are also doing quite well with your potty training. You hardly ever wet your panties and for the first time, you went #2 on the potty last night before bed. You even told me you needed to go! (Date: 4/12/2009). We hope to be out of diapers by the end of the month. Keep up the good work Baby Girl!

Easter Prayer

Here’s the prayer I gave for dinner on Saturday. Please always remember that Easter is not about the chocolate Easter Bunnies and bright colors. Easter reminds us that God loved us so much he gave us his son so that we may live. Others will make sacrifices for you; you need to always remember to honor those who have by living a faithful and good life.
You and I celebrated Mass together (you could have been a little better, but overall you were darling). Daddy, unfortunately, was on another trip to Hawaii. I know he didn’t want to go, but duty calls. We ate lunch at the club with the Ottens and then spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing. You and I went on a walk holding hands (the best part of my weekend). We also played with the boys outside and you enjoyed more of your candy. After dinner we watched Peter Pan and then off to bed. You were so tired, and were ready to get on that pillow. Thank you for being such an angel. All I have to do is look at you and be grateful to the Lord for blessing me with such a perfect child. I love you, Baby Girl.

Heavenly Father, thank you for bringing these three families together to celebrate the life, death and resurrection of your son, Jesus Christ. May each of us today feel the blessings you have bestowed upon our families. We ask you, Lord, to bless this meal and help us remember the last meal of Jesus Christ.

As it is written in the Gospel according to Mark:
While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, and said “Take it; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them and they all drank from it. He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many. Amen, I say to you, I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” (Mk 14, 22-25)

Lord, let us all remember our family and friends who are not here with us today. Let them be at peace and know the love of Jesus Christ. We also pray for all the men and women serving in the military, especially those fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Finally Lord, please hear our prayers for the most vulnerable without the voice to fight for themselves – the souls of the unborn babies and victims of animal cruelty.

Lord, let us all hear and believe in your word and the love you gave to us by giving your only son, Jesus Christ.

As it is written in the Gospel according to Mark:
Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. (Mk 16, 19)

In your name we pray. Amen

Easter Brunch, Hunt and Dinner 2009

Happy Easter Baby Girl. We began the morning with brunch. Rosie, James, Danica, Samanta, Sam and Julia joined you, Daddy and me for a fun-filled day. The Ottens brought prosciutto and melon wraps and smoked salmon and olives. Sam and Julia brought deviled eggs (for later) and two kinds of strada – bacon and cheese and strawberry. We served coffee (with Bailey’s and Jameson), mimosas (of course), bagels and cream cheese. Brunch was delicious! After giving out the
Easter baskets (you received a Dora ball cap, bubbles, frog hair clips and lots of chocolate in your basket and Ms. Julia gave you the Faberge eggs from William Sonoma) we headed to the club for the annual Easter egg hunt. It was a bit chilly outside, so we were able to get another year out of the beautiful pink dress coat from Grandma. We arrived just in time (and I mean about 1 minute before it began) for the egg hunt. The Easter Bunny (played by Tina, the beer cart lady) was also present. You took one look at her and instantly displayed a look of terror. The hunt began, but you were not at all interested – you just wanted to stay as far away from the scary bunny as possible. “Bye Bye Scary Easter Bunny” “No bunny mommy” “Want to go home” – yes we heard them all at the top of your lungs. Daddy carried you to the other side to try to avert your attention and I let the Easter Bunny know that she wasn’t to come near you but to no avail. You took off running and screaming in the opposite direction towards the golf cart. If I wasn’t so upset that you were missing out on the hunt I would have turned on the video camera. Sorry baby girl, but that was hilarious! Luckily Danica shared her eggs with you.





So now it is relaxation time – girls are taking a nap, Mom is finally enjoying some magazines, and the men are watching golf (yawn). About 3:00pm we served a veggie tray and Sam’s famous deviled eggs. Dinner was served at 4:00ish. The menu included ensalada caprezza (tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil and balsamic vinaigrette), lamb, new potatoes, steamed asparagus, and dinner rolls. Yummy. I gave the blessing and prayer. For dessert Rosie brought Tiaramisu and I served a Mud Pie (no not really, I won it during a silent auction at work). My table turned out great! Rosie brought a nice Italian red wine and a Pinot Grigio. Perfecto!

My entire point for going into this in such detail is that you try to always make holidays extra special. It’s such a great opportunity to bring families and friends together. Plus, you get to use your China! Never settle for paper plates for dinner on the holidays and always dress up. You feel a little better just for going the extra mile to make it special for your guests. When you do this, remember to have extra Tupperware on hand to send guests home with the leftovers (we had a ton).

Well you may not know this, but I’m not that creative or crafty. I know, please contain your surprise. I preparation for our Easter dinner, I need some eggs decorated. I also need cookies to give to your teachers to go in their gift bags. I bought an egg decorating kit at William-Sonoma (on recommendation by Julia Vandergrift) and hoped to make some gorgeous eggs to serve as the name cards for my seating arrangements. I had already created my miniature baskets and was amazed at what a glue gun can create.

I had Rosie and Danica join us for the decorating adventures thinking it would be a great craft experience, plus the men were out golfing. They were coming over after Little Gym, so I boiled the eggs and made the cookie dough (shortbread recipe from the cookie cutter box) that morning. Admittedly, I was feeling good that morning – I got the kitchen cleaned, the eggs boiled, and the dough made all before we headed out the door for LG. By the time we got back, all was ready. I pulled out the cookie dough but my hopes were immediately thwarted. It was glob of goo that stuck to my fingers. With Danica on one side and you on the other, we were determined to get it right. So out came the olive oil and flour. By the end, you had a mound of flour out, Danica was putting flour in your hair, and the cookies were hard enough to break a tooth. Okay, let’s not get discouraged.

Lets move on to the eggs. After seeing the mess from the cookies, I quickly decided to only use the egg dye and not the rest of the kit ideas. Having never colored eggs before, I realized it may not be prudent to have higher ambitions on the first go. You girls had a great time, but did not fully grasp the whole concept and with both fighting for the same step ladder, we needed to get it done quickly. They turned out great, though. We gave you letter stickers after they were dyed and you all went to town. So all in all, they turned out well – with a few minor tweaks. I ended up going to the store to get pre-made cookie dough and after only 12 cookies decided I hate decorating them. The eggs went into the spare fridge, where they promptly froze and cracked. Oh well, you only improve by making mistakes and learning from them, right!?! Can’t wait until the next holiday!

Let's go fly a kite


Kite Day began out of pure and simple motherly guilt. At school they had Kite Day. I missed that note that said we needed to bring a kite for you. I thought you were making them or something. So I arrived with no kite and you were none too pleased with me. Your little friend, Isabella, was more than happy to share her kite, but you really wanted your own. So after a duly noted meltdown, I promised you a kite for the weekend which Daddy promptly supplied. We flew a Lady bug and Tinkerbell kite that you picked out. Yet another lovely spring day and I can’t wait for the next Kite Day.

Happy St. Patrick's Day 2009


Hello my little Irish girl. Today is St. Patrick’s Day. You will come to find that this holiday ranks right up there next to Christmas and Easter on days of importance in this family. Daddy took today off, of course, and I believe tomorrow as well. You and I were off to school/work this morning sporting our green. I have to say that your dark hair, blue eyes, and creamy skin make for one gorgeous little Mic. You sported your “Kiss Me I’m Irish” t-shirt and 4-leaf clover socks. You were very excited to wear this! When we arrived home, Daddy met us with green colored juice – Mommy’s and Riley’s! It was beautiful sunny day, and in good Irish spirit you ended the outdoor time by stripping down to your undies. Your Daddy has been known to do the same in past years!
Erin Go Braugh!


Snow Day



On March 1, 2009 we got our first snow in the new house. You, having been born in Florida, were not at all apprehensive to the cold. I woke us up that Sunday morning to very white day. We bundled up in our many layers and headed outside. You were screeching with excitement! We attempted to build a snowman, and did quite honorably with it, I do say. You also chased Sully around a bit, and of course Spike was not at all interested in getting his paws or belly cold. After launching some snowballs your way, you decided it was time to go in. The snow didn’t last long, which was good because we had Kica’s birthday party to attend that afternoon. Overall, good day!

P.S. Daddy wasn’t with us that day because he was in Hawaii enjoying the sun during a business trip…