Paisley's Past Pumpkin Days...

 

2006: Baby Calf...current update: still milking the Mama Heffer for all she's worth...literally.
2007: Princessy, Witchlike Baby Jaguar..."Meow, Meow, Meow!"
2008: Paisley the Pink Poodle

Ella's Halloween Flashback

 

Crabby Little Fabbi Girl!
2004

 

Our Little Marsh-Mella
2005

 

Nurse Ella
2006

 

Ruby The Rabbit
2007

One of my hopes for this trip back to Las Vegas was getting right back to nature, playing in the backyard naked and of course picking these apples from Papa Kent's and Grandma Sue's apple tree...Uncle Jason brought it on! The whole Little Red Wagon was just about full of Apples!



They had quite the system going...she took the full bags, put em in the wagon and then brought back the bag to fill up again! The girls ate them up. They would take 6 bites and then put it down....then 15 minutes later go and get a "new" one...hey, as long as they get their fiber is what I say.



I'm in love with this photo. So much happiness.



Tippy-Toe with Uncle Joe



How do you like dem apples? (Did I just type that? Oh well. Cheesy.

Ella's first cotton picking in Papa Don's garden...


A very confused Ella walks over to me and whispers,
"Mom, cotton candy is a growing food?"
She knew that couldn't be right...


...so she tested it out herself. Oh well...but seriously, who wouldn't plant cotton candy seeds?! Yummy.


Caleb + Mariella = A WHOLE LOT OF JOY whenever they're together.

Green For Good...

Yup...it's late, but it's time for this post...it may need to be a two part deal b/c of all of the footage I've got. I've been meaning to post about our FAVORITE Broadway Musical and finally all of the stars are aligned tonight (not really), for it is Halloween Eve, we've got a cute video of Mariella and Paisley singing and I only got to meet the AMAZING man that wrote the lyrics and music to...



Steven Schwartz!
www.stephenschwartz.com



He was at Borders tonight for the 5th Anniversary of Wicked and promoting his new book. He has written music and lyrics to some of my favorite Disney movies, I wasn't even aware of most of them. We had to take the girls, since Ella's life has been known to revolve around Defying Gravity and all of the other songs... not to mention... she's going trick or treating as Elphaba tomorrow. Paisley is quite set on "Popular" if you ask her.

Anyways, it was mostly a question and answer deal, with some piano and song singing in between. We sat out in the hallway and watched/heard him through the glass wall and doors. We were a bit late so the room was full, but the girls where able to move freely...they were the only children there :) But then after...Scott was a DOLL like he almost always is and let me wait in line for a photo and autograph. I really was surprised at how few people were there. Probably around 150. I only had to wait 30 minutes or so, and he was so nice and started a conversation with everyone that he met. I told him we had 3 generations of Wicked fans and that my 2 and 4 year old daughters sing his songs everywhere we go....he said, "That's how you do it, start 'em young." I'm sure he hears moms saying that a lot, but it was nice of him to talk with everyone.





Thanks to Mimi and Grandma Sue, our little addiction to Wicked happened over a year ago. Mimi was accompanying a wicked song for a girl in our ward and then Ella saw a very small clip from the play....and she was hooked. She kept singing, "just you and I defying gravity..." over and over again, so we got her the soundtrack to let her further her knowledge and curiosity on the subject. ;) Then, when Grandma Sue came to visit in July, she took Ella and I to the play! (We are so thankful for Grandmas.) Ella was in awe the whole play.

This is the part of The City that I love!

Here is a sneak peek of Halloween...we happened to pass this sign while trick or treating.



PS: Sorry about all of the "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" versions...Ella loves that song and I was showing her all of the different versions...which is your favorite?!

Two of my favorite girls...came to visit us!

We are thrilled that Karisa came to visit us...last month, already?! Oh well, just means we are closer to the next time she will be climbing up our stairs to see us again! :) It was a breath of fresh air that I needed and Scott was so-so kind to help with Ella and Paisley so Karisa and I could have some much needed girl time. We took a lot of pictures...pretty much everything that we did while she was here can be found on her NEW BLOG!! kurlz9282@blogspot.com



It was so fun to be a tourist and become more familiar with the different trains and buses and such...I don't think I got us lost once...did I Karisa? I feel so bad...when my parents came to visit in July, I still had no idea how to use the buses and we walked a lot...next time you guys come, it will be easier ;)
Ella and Paisley really love Karisa and I love her too, b/c she has got so many tricks up her sleeve to make little girls behave. It was fun to see her interact with our girls, it means so much to me. She's going to make a great mom someday. Oh, oh! And I am very happy to say that I grew up while she was here....she showed me how to put on black eyeliner! I'm alive again! All of these years I've been trying to handle anemia..."Eat more red meat and green vegetables"....If I were my doctor, I would have thrown a stick of black eyeliner at me 10 years ago and said, "Here ya go, problem solved." ;)



I was very sad when she had to leave, but it made it a tiny bit easier for me b/c my sister Jen and Jason stopped by for 24 hours on their way back from Greece!! (I know) I am so excited that they stayed with us! We went to Little Italy for dinner, made breakfast in the morning, Jen and Jason did some sightseeing, and we met for lunch before they flew back to Vegas! It was a quick trip, but it was so nice to see my sister! She is such a doting Aunt. She loves my kids as much as I love hers. She always brings back awesome souvenirs from all of her different ventures....so thoughtful. So this trip she brought back worry beads (many rub them over there in Greece...it's their way of stimming.... "stimming rocks!" lol. I seriously needed them. And also some Tzatziki mix, cute clay necklaces for the girls and an apron for me! Love it!

So of course we were very sad to see Jen and Jason go as well, but I always manage to have our next gatherings planned, to look forward to...the girls and I flew to Vegas 3 days later...

Pictures of our apartment...

I've needed to post these pix for someone....and thought, "well most people haven't seen our apartment anyway", so they are for you too...I will post more detailed pictures of the girl's room sometime... :)

Quotes, Shoe Lace Advice, Random Thoughts, Our Favorite Things...

1. Here is some very valuable mommy knowledge my sister-in-law Kalyn taught me a few years ago...I would love for you to know it too! And sorry if you have already been introduced to the wonder!

THE BEST WAY TO TIE SHOES...after folding the loop under and into the hole, continue to do it once more...making it two times that the bunny ears goes through the hole before making the final pull into a knot. It will be a very tight knot that can be easily undone by a tug. It is much easier than getting a double knot out! It has saved me since moving to a city where laced shoes are a must sometimes.

2. We have a favorite new pasta by Barrilla. It is so stinkin' cute, I'm going to HAVE to make Christmas Angels out of noodles just so I can use my tiny Farfalle as the wings! And then I'm going to tape one on my neck and do a tap dance. So Excited.

3. Ella and Scott met Paisley and I at the grocery store. They had been downtown, and Paisley and I uptown. We got home and Scott pulls out a heart slinky.
"Look what Ella found."
I say, "Oh did she get that out of my bag?"
"Ella found this on the way to the grocery store in the street....she said it was hers and was so confused that it was in the street! She insisted that we bring it home even though, who knows where it's been" says Scott.
I say,"That IS hers. Paisley must have dropped it in the street when she fell asleep in the ergopack and I forgot she had it!"

That little girls intuition scares me sometimes.

We should always be an hour between each other and then maybe that way I wouldn't lose anything, b/c someone would be following my tracks, picking up what I unknowingly dropped!

4. So excited for Karisa's visit next week!! HOORAY! We are going to go WILD! Ok, maybe only as wild as I get/we're going to see the LION KING! Told you we were gonna go wild.

5. Move over Red Mango, Orange Pearl, Pink Grapefruit, Golden Spoon or any other frozen yogurt chain that I thought was the bomb...move over for YOLATO! If you come to visit we will take you out for Yolato, the yummiest frozen yogurt I have EVER had. I got Pistachio and Tiramisu...OH my goodness! And of course, Paisley got cake batter with Sprinkles.

"I want my river back..."

I've got 2 bags of unused items and not a place to put them.

NY friends, I am giving kids clothes away at the garden on 171st and Haven at our next Garden Gathering...12-24 months girls clothes....sizes 5-7 in shoes.


Flashback :

It has to have been at least two years since talking with the Allreds about used and antique items and passing them down to other that need them when their purpose has been served. That night we created the "Universal Flowing River of Feng Shui" It is a river where people so freely give of unwanted items by placing them back into the ever flowing waters for someone else and then to take for yourself, any items you need that someone else had placed there. Are you still with me?
Well in the parking lot of VONS on Durango and Warm Springs (Las Vegas) I FOUND MY RIVER! There were 2 small storage sheds placed in the parking lot for clothes and small household items (to be donated to people in need...it had a mail box door. I was constantly gathering bags of unused baby clothes and toys and knick knacks and sometimes DI was just too far to travel to drop them off (they would sit in our garage for months). So on my way to anywhere, I could drop items off at this location, where others did the same. It was way too often though that people would drop other items OUTSIDE of the shed "in the flowing waters" and very frequently there were items that I was in need of....(size 5 clothes (I washed them), box of polly pockets (I sanitized them), old furniture that I wasn't allowed to bring home) I didn't know if these items left was a way of tempting me or if it was a blessing...I took it as a blessing and received several items from my "Universal Flowing River of Feng Shui". ;) I hope that a family is getting good use out of our gently used things as well!

Present:
I have not found another since moving to New York...all of the streets are filled with unwanted items for people to take, but this "river" is more like... the Ganges maybe? What do you think Jen? (drinking and bathing in its waters carries a high risk of infection)....not that we have the space for anything anyway.

So, just as Tausha from the BACKYARDIGANS sings, I too am singing "I want my river back."





Ella gave this letter to Scott...LOL...it says "Bad Dad" She said that it reads, "I love you Dad." He is so the opposite of Bad Dad. :) He is like amazing, super fun, carries Ella, Paisley, Stroller and Groceries up 5 flights of stairs at once so the girls don't have to do it, kind of dad. Hey, doesn't their mom carry anything up? Lazy.





The proof. They are getting to an age where motivational tools help!! All of the links to their chains are gone so they got to go Toys R Us, in the pouring rain, and ride the ferris wheel, thanks Scotty. We have been using a chart as well for stickers. I am willing to try anything!! Any ideas?



Ella- "This is what your hands look like when you don't wash them. These are the germs and these are the bad cells." I personally love the new swirly handwriting.

Let me put some BOOM in it...

A video from a few days ago. This is for the fellow, past cheerleaders in my life...and of course everyone else too!



This morning Paisley started reaching for some very HOT bacon and I said "Hold up, wait a minute" and I was finished immediately by Paisley with "Let me put some PIG in it!" I had no idea she was aware that bacon was PIG meat. I'm not surprised, she's got Butchers on both sides of the family ;)


love,
Jubie and Paisley, Peso, Paisers, Stinky Anne or her newest...Valley Girl


and HAPPY BIRTHDAY MONA-KAY!!!

 

There's that Statue of Liberty again...her fave pose.

 

Paisley's first outing with mommy while Ella's at school... all by ourselves...happy, ya think?

 

Having her cake and eating it too...

 

Life is sweet, love my baby.

Here we go!!

Thanks to the FABULOUS Graham Family (Scott's sister and family) Ella has the opportunity to go to a great pre-kindergarten program. The school district provides a FREE program (cha-ching) in select public elementary schools and we were very lucky to get her in. Her first day was Tuesday and Ella and I approve of the program ;) It has all that I was hoping for and of course she is going to have fabulous experiences with the other children.

 

She was ready to go three hours early and so excited...we hopped on the train and took the LOOOOOONNNNGGGG way to school, went to the community garden for awhile (got several mosquito bites while there, they are kicking my you know what) and by that time, it was time to arrive!

 

Mariella
4 years 6 months

 

 

Try to remember the kind of September when life was so slow and oh so mellow...

There have been many days in the past month where we all just want to stay home! It is a treat to watch Ella and Paisley interact with one another...and then you throw daddy in the playing and it's the best! But, the fun days at home have come to an end...school is back in (2nd semester already! Woohoo!) and we will be very busy this fall and winter with Scott's, Ella's and Paisley's schooling...I am happy to say that I am the only non-student in our family!!;) The first two days were very enjoyable. I admit, having a schedule for the day works better for me/all of us. We do have a few visitors lined up and just can't wait! We really love our families and friends and miss them!

 

Super Daddy!

 

I can imagine this is what being the father of two little girls is all about...he is their hero... and will wear any cape they whip up! What an honor.

 

Our "chains" for good behavior, encouragement, medicine bribing and anything else I find it handy for when I need a behaved child at the moment....it's a miracle worker. When all of the links to the chains are gone (by obeying their parents) they get a ferris wheel ride at TOYS R US!

 

Playing "SHARK" in their "boat!"