My Newest Diaper Bag Accessory

Tim surprised me last night with the most exciting gift any reader could ask for, the latest-generation Kindle!

I have been lusting after this device ever since it first came out, and I can't believe that Tim (the same man who cruelly added a "Books" line item to our budget when we were first married) willingly placed in my hands an object that allows books to magically fly through space and land in your hands in about 10 seconds. It's definitely dangerous. I already bought two books while laying on our family room couch last night, and surfed for more while waiting for the car to get washed this morning (a woman with a fancy-schmancy iPhone was clearly jealous). It fits neatly in my diaper bag between coloring books and Joey's Thomas the Train catalog (his favorite reading material), and hopefully will prove impervious to sippy cup spills!

Fruit Fiend

We keep meaning to pull out the videocamera to capture on film exactly how quickly Clara can polish off an entire carton of raspberries (about 60 seconds flat). The same holds true for bananas, pineapple, apples, strawberries, grapes, and melons. We call her our "little bear" or "angry bear" when she runs into the kitchen, points to the fruit bowl on the countertop, and then vigorously shakes the legs of her highchair. Here's that wild look on her face, captured while she was eating raisins today. She was on cloud nine... until she realized I wasn't going to let her eat the entire carton.

And finally, one more photo to round out the bunch... here's Clara sporting a mismatched outfit (Daddy dressed her) and crossing her ankles while eating (she has always done this, even when nursing).

Meeting Mela

Our friends Thomas and Sabrina had their second baby girl last week, and we went over last night with dinner to meet baby Mela, an adorable little chubster who put up with being held by both Joey and Clara. She's had lots of practice with her big sister Gitte, who has been mothering baby dolls for months in preparation!

Clara loved every moment of her turn to hold Mela, and really didn't want to relinquish her! Note that she's also sporting a borrowed Tinker Bell costume from Gitte... their house was baby girl heaven last night!

Gitte told Joey to put his arm around her, but he looks like he definitely doesn't mind ;)



and finally, proud big sister!

So Many Ladies, So Little Time

Joey has far too many little girlfriends to choose just one Valentine this year, so he opted to send a super-suave Lightening McQueen card and cherry lollipop to all of his lady friends. Cousins Marco and Tommy got one for good measure, too :) Here he is showing off the cards before they were stuffed into envelopes.

The Great Facial Hair Debate

On a lark -- or out of laziness -- Tim grew a beard a week and a half ago during our "staycation," and it went unchecked during the following four days of relaxing, carousing and gambling in Tahoe with friends at a bachelor party. For better or worse, it's now pretty grown in, thanks to his Italian genes, and he's debating whether his first foray into facial hair should become semi-permanent of not. Weigh in with the poll at the top right of the page! :)

Budding Artist

If scrawling on every available surface with crayons and pens makes a three year-old a gifted artist, then Joey definitely qualifies! His most frequent request these days is for crayons and paper -- his favorite canvas is a yellow Post-It, and he blankets it edge to edge with illegible scrawls that would make a conspiracy theorist proud. Other canvases have (regrettably) included walls, books, tables, and himself.

But all his hard work is paying off! He had one very unbiased critic (Mop, the original artist in our family) convinced that he was a genius when he drew this self-portrait on Sunday. Judge for yourself!

Staycation 2009

Tim and I decided to be really hip this winter and take a staycation. We were all set to go to Tahoe for some rest and relaxation last week, but at the last minute, the packing, the prospect of dealing with out-of-sorts babies in Pack n' Plays, and the lack of snow made us decide to stay put and do some sightseeing in the city!

On Wednesday, we visited the California Academy of Sciences for the first time, and Joey and Clara enjoyed the fish, the "early explorers" area designed just for tots, and the alligator!

When we pointed out the "fishies" to Clara, a lightbulb went off in her head, and she tried to feed the fish one of her goldfish snacks!

Joey makes his ferocious pirate face while manning the ship in the "young explorers" area.

Joey saw the pendulum from afar and was very intrigued:



On Thursday, with the help of Kyle, who was in town through the weekend, and accompanied by Shawna and the girls, we hit the Bay Area Discovery Museum. Aside from a traumatic hair-pulling incident that caused the loss of way too much of Megan's hair, and a bathroom accident that forced us to clear part of the shipwreck area for kids (Joey), we had a lot of fun, and couldn't believe we hadn't been before! At the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge in Sausalito, the museum has a gorgeous view of the City and the bay, and has a lot of activities for toddlers themed around water, bridge-building, and waves.







Unfortunately, Clara slept through most of the outing!