March thus far

I feel like we’ve been pretty busy lately, but really I think we’re just tired! The time change and Mark’s bizarre sleeping habits have done a number on us lately. We also spent a lot of time working on a photo book of our time in Europe. It consumed most of my downtime, but now it’s done and we can’t wait to get the finished product in the mail. Come to NJ if you want to see it! J


Two weeks ago we went to VA to see all the grandparents, and perhaps more importantly, to see Uncle Nick, Aunt Elizabeth and cousins Isabella and Jack. They’ve moved from Atlanta and we are SO excited to have them closer! This means lots more playtime for the kids…and adults!

The weekend was jam-packed with other visits too. We saw a couple of my college girlfriends and their kids and then went to my aunt’s home in DC where Gianna and Mark got to meet my Aunt Bobbie and Uncle Bob who they’ve never met before. Unfortunately there are no pictures of them, but we also saw my cousin Jeanne (Gianna’s godmother) and her kids; and Gianna thinks Leah is SUPER cool! Of couse, Leah IS super cool and we are so happy she likes to play with Gianna!

Then we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day by wearing green, eating green eggs (I know, it looks gross), eating cookies with green icing, and coloring shamrocks. Gianna didn’t really get it. (I mean, how do you explain a holiday that is almost solely about drinking beer to a 2-year-old!) But she did enjoy our little ways of celebrating. And since there was a monsoon last weekend while we were away, we got to attend our town’s re-scheduled St. Patrick’s Day parade on Sunday. Again, Gianna didn’t really get it, but she liked the balloons and candy and her favorite part was the dancing cow in the pink dress. (What this had to do with St. Patrick’s Day, I’m not sure.)

Just this past weekend we attended an Easter egg hunt in our town. It would have been super fun if it weren’t for three things: 1) we forgot the camera (luckily I got one pic on my phone); 2) Mark was a cranky mess and 3) it was Fa-REEZING! Nevertheless, Gianna had a good time and has been playing with the plastic eggs and her bubble gun prize all week.

Yesterday we celebrated Gianna’s half birthday. She kind of understood the concept. She definitely understood celebrating. My mom always used to mention my half-birthday; we didn’t really celebrate, but it was fun to have a little reminder of being half way through your year. I admit I got the cake idea from my sister-in-law Elizabeth, but it was an especially awesome thing to do on a rainy day. So we all enjoyed a little half-birthday treat.

Staying home

We’ve been spending a lot of time at home lately between the snow and rain. This weekend was no exception. Being stuck at home allowed us to get some much needed cleaning done though. Both kids even helped vacuum.

Gianna helped by letting Doug vacuum her.

And Mark helped by holding all of his toys at once so they wouldn’t be on the floor.

After a long day of cleaning, Gianna needed to unwind. (Don't worry, it's empty...because she insisted that Doug chug it!)

So we managed to make a weekend in the house both fun and silly! There’s not much else to say; the evidence speaks for itself.

Fun with Grandma and Grandpa

Last weekGianna got a haircut. I don’t have any good before and after pictures, but it doesn’t really look that different, just slightly more under control. Just yesterday she started letting me give her a ponytail (like her Belle and Ariel dolls) so maybe someday we’ll be able to do that on a regular basis and keep that mop in check!

Last weekend Grandma and Grandpa came for a visit. We celebrated Grandma’s birthday on Saturday (her actual birthday) and otherwise just had a great time playing. We mostly play princesses these days, with a particular emphasis on Sleeping Beauty. So here is Gianna dressed like Sleeping Beauty to “pick berries.”

And here are some more just cute pictures.

And here’s a video of some fun game time!

Conversations with Gianna and some cute pictures

G: Mark is crying.

Me: No. He's happy right now.

G: Yeah, he likes me.

Me: Yes, he loves you.

G: But he doesn't like me too much.

You're probably right, Gianna! :)

Examining a wet spot on the floor, from water, not pee!

Doug: What's that?

G: It's a dry spot.

Doug: No it's a wet spot. How did it get wet?

G: Because it needs new batteries.

Um, what?

G: Mark is crying.

Doug: Yes. Why is he crying?

G: Because he wants to go to the mall.

And now for the pictures.

Mark was propped up and then "chased" his thumb till he was laying down.

The big girl bed, she's behind that lump. I still need to get some better pictures of her in it, but she's not so cooperative when she wakes up.

We tried chocolate milk for the first time the other day...I think she liked it.

I forgot this one from Valentine's day when Gianna requested to hold Mark, a real rarity. She liked playing with his hands, it was so cute!

Valentine's Day

We celebrated Valentine's Day all weekend. On Saturday we celebrated by opening a present from Grandma and Grandpa. She loved all the little treats and surprises in the box!

Later on Saturday Nonna and Pop-pop arrived. She got an awesome princess tea set from them. She had a great time playing with them all weekend and Mark loved having new faces to smile at. Nonna and Pop-pop were kind enough to babysit so we could have an awesome dinner out and then they went out for their own dinner when we got home. Thanks guys! While we were out, Gianna made mint candy hearts with Nonna. She was so proud to share them with us when we returned! Here are a few pictures from the weekend, even if they're a little out of order.

Nonna and Pop-pop ready for their date (it's hard to get G in a picture these days)

Mark and Pop-pop playing

Making snow castles with Daddy

My three sweethearts

Conversations with Gianna

My friend's blog has entries with this title for her son and they always crack me up. So I think I will take her idea to maybe give you all a laugh and to help us remember the funny things our kids say. Thanks EG! So here are some recent conversations/quotes.

Gianna pretends that we are characters. She loves Jungle Book and we all play the roles of Mowgli, Bageira, and Balloo. One morning when I got Gianna out of bed she said, "I'm Mowgli, Mommy's Bageira, and Balloo is at work."

At church while "reading" the hymnal with a picture of Jesus on it: "Jesus is boring."

At church while a brother was playing guitar and singing, "This is kind of strange."

Worst blogger ever

It’s official, I’m the worst blogger ever. Surely I can manage more than once per month! So what have we been up to. Lots of visiting grandparents, playing in the snow, going to doctors, and being cute! Doug and I even managed a night out for his annual work party. Thanks for babysitting Grandma and Grandpa!

Gianna is every bit the two year old these days: charming one minute, in a whining puddle on the floor the next. But, to be fair, we have asked a lot of her lately by giving her a new brother and moving her back across the ocean. So she’s actually done quite well, but after some difficult moments she seems, finally, back to her old self and she’s so much fun! She has an amazing memory and imagination. Every day she is a different princess or cartoon character and Doug and I play other roles and we re-enact her favorite scenes. Too funny! Her most recent accomplishment is sleeping in her big-girl bed. She is proud of her princess sheets and her new kitchen (to replace her crib) and we are SO proud of her for making the transition so easily! Next thing to tackle: potty training! Oh how I dread it. But it is “strongly encouraged” by the preschool she will attend in the fall. She’s growing up so fast!

Mark’s growing fast too. Perhaps that is an understatement. At his 2 month appointment he was 14 lbs, 15 oz and 25 1/8 inches. From what I read this is the 93rd percentile on both counts and is the size Gianna was at 5 months. He is certainly a big boy. And he’s just as cute as can be. He has an easy smile and is starting to laugh a lot. He’ll smile at anyone who smiles at him. Nurses and doctors love him! And we’ve gotten to see quite a few of them in the last month. Mark was circumcised at the end of January as they do not do that in Germany unless there is a medical reason for it. He did great and the healing process was amazingly fast. So, all in all, this was not the traumatic experience that Mom and Dad feared! We’ve seen a couple of doctors for a terrible cough he has had and they’ve both commented on his easy-going nature. He is really a good baby and we couldn’t feel more blessed.

Gianna and Mark seem to enjoy each other as well. It’s so cute to see Gianna interact with him. She likes when we “make him talk” much like we do with her stuffed animals and figures. And Mark is often all smiles when she’s playing with him.

Well, now that the snow is melting and all of our colds are going away, perhaps I can make this a more regular thing!