The Boys

Anyone else want to blow this up to poster size?

Just me?

Seriously, how cute are they?

Split Personality

When a photo shoot starts out like this...

...it's hard to hold out too much hope for a productive session.

After lots of foot stomping, scowls, and shrieks, we were strongly encouraged to take a 20-minute break by two fed-up staff members. After breaking loose from The Picture People, setting off on a sprint down the mall, and stopping to loudly admire and say hello and goodbye to every mannequin on the way, Molly found The Sweet Factory. We immediately bought a pound of jelly beans. Half the spoils were consumed by a stressed-out Mommy, while the other half was used to lure a willful toddler back inside the photo studio.

Whether inspired by the mannequins, or on a sugar high from the jelly beans, we'll never know... but she finally came to the party!

Primping

The things we girls do... Molly got her first taste of primping tonight, on the eve of her two year-old (sob!) photo shoot tomorrow.

Shampoo? Check.




Teeth brushed? Check.




First curlers?? Check!

Stay tuned for the winning shots of our big girl!

P.S. It's always more fun to get ready in a new, pretty bathroom, right? Molly agrees!

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Big Boy Milestones

First, it was the little things.

Our big guy started legitimately reading to his little sister.







Then, he went and got his own library card...





Then, even more alarmingly, he graduated from being the most annoying back-seat driver of all time ("Mommy, you forgot your blinker AGAIN!") to scooting around the neighborhood on this, borrowed from The Boys Up the Street, the altar at which he worships. Note the bare feet and the lack of helmet... Yikes!




We also suddenly have a new fan of "product" in our house... hair product, that is. Our poor guy has never had a legitimate hairstyle in his life. Instead, we've let his cowlicks take over and given in to the shaggy look of a grown-out buzz cut for way too long. Joey has finally decided to take matters into his own hands, and is experimenting with hairspray. Here's one of many cringe-worthy 'do's he's concocted in front of the bathroom mirror.




But today, he may have officially left babyhood behind. Suddenly, we have a 6 year-old with a lisp. He lost one of his top teeth tonight -- with a little help from Uncle Kyle and some dental floss -- after letting it hang by a thread all day long, through breakfast, school, a playdate, and even swim practice!




What's next, deodorant and a razor??

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Baseball Fever

It's hard to avoid baseball at our house, and even Molly is catching the fever!

She toddled up to me yesterday, in just a diaper, dragging Tim's mitt behind her, and uttered a rare sentence:

"Wan pay cash!!"




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A Vintage Look

Apparently I'm feeling sentimental and nostalgic this week, because after dressing Molly this morning in one of her many hand-me-down outfits from Clara, I had the urge to find a picture of Clara wearing the same get-up, at the same age.

Here's Molly today at Joey's baseball practice...

And here's long-ago Clara at just a month over two, lounging outside our old neighborhood taqueria. I love that they're both sporting pigtails...but not really surprised. Those curls in Clara's hair used to be awesome, especially in her signature "piggies"! I can't believe how fast time flies.

Eggstra! Eggstra! Read All About it!

This Easter we woke to a gorgeous spring day and excited little people clamoring to go outside and hunt for eggs before Mass.

After Mass with Hop and Mop, we met up with all of our Stecher cousins at the Lafayette Park Hotel for a brunch, and a visit with the Bunny himself!

The best family photo we could get...

The Raley girls

Even more Raley girls!

Hop and Mop

The manly men of the Stecher-Cecchin-Raley tribe

We ended the day in swimsuits and trunks, lounging poolside at the hotel, relaxing in the hot tub, and watching Joey perform his hybrid dive/ somersault maneuver that will be debuting this swim season!

Then and Now

Ready for a heartbreaker?

Joey, pre-dating this blog, at 21 months.

Joey at 6, at the Lafayette Reservoir over the weekend.

When I snapped this latest picture, I flashed to that earlier time, recalling our chubby little toddler during a Stern Grove outing with his new baby sister, only a month old. Can four years really have passed between then and now?

Luckily, some things never change, like those pink, ruddy cheeks, that sweet smile, and his predisposition to be happiest when he's outside, playing hard.

Now if we could only recapture that awesome blonde hair!

Snippets

These days, Clara is our most exasperating child, but also our most entertaining child. Here's some snippets of dialogue from her over the past couple of months.

On Jesus:
During one of our recent, frequent trips to Lowe's, a voice came over the loudspeaker to say, "Charlie, to lighting. Charlie, to lighting." Clara, awestruck, looked up at the ceiling and loudly exclaimed, "Was that Jesus talking to us??!!"

On Runners (from Aunt Sarah)

When I was driving Marco and Clara home on Sunday, I told them that there was a marathon going on near our house so they might see a lot of runners! Clara seemed pretty excited, which I thought was funny, and then she said, “Did you say otters?”

On Shakers

"Did you feel the BOLCANO last night???!!"

 

 

 

On Workers

Watching me dress for a (rare) office meeting last month, Clara was curious about what event had me donning non-workout attire. When I told her I was going to work, she looked at me, aghast and slack-jawed, and said, "Girls work, too????!!!"


And finally, On (Italian) Grooming
On a recent ride home from school, Joey mused from the back seat: "Why do boys have hair on their face when they get bigger?"

I replied, "That's just what happens when boys get older and start turning into men. Then you get to decide if you want to grow a beard or mustache, or shave your face like Daddy."

"I think I'll shave my face," he said, and I thought the conversation was over, until Clara piped in.

"Actually, don't you have to decide if you want Mommy to shave your back, too?!"

On the Brink of Two

Unbelievably, our baby is about to turn two next month! She's both stubborn and sweet, as inclined to shriek as to bestow kisses and hugs, and she's developing a personality that belies her petite size!

 

Our little mama's girl knows what she wants and when she wants it, and can often be heard screaming "Mom!!" like a demanding teenager. Whether she's loudly requesting a "boll-le" or a "juice," giving strangers her suspicious stink-eye, or pointing her finger imperially in the direction she wants to be carried, she has no shortage of volume or presence.

She's still in love with her brother and sister, and is happiest when she's a part of their fun, mischief and silliness. She's clearly adrift whenever "Jof" and "Ca-Ca" are not in the house, lights up when we pick them up from school, and loves being their baby at home or abroad... whether holding one of their hands in the car, or being entertained by their antics in the grocery store. She loves books fiercely ("'ook!!" is a frequent, urgent request), is obsessed with Elmo and all of his friends on Sesame Street, and is becoming more and more interested in pretend play, especially with dollhouses and our horse barn.  

While she's still growing into 12-18 clothes, she's rapidly outgrowing other vestiges of babyhood, including her highchair. This picture sums up her personality these days -- this particular morning, she had shed her clothes, leaving a trail of pint-size garments in her toddler wake, did some coloring at the art desk, managing to color the bottom of her foot while she was at it, and finally clambered up on a chair in the dining room to have breakfast: cereal and juice out of a big girl cup!

While family, friends and strangers constantly remark on her uber-blonde hair and big blue eyes, it was her teeth that drew the biggest gasp from her pediatrician at her latest check-up. While she's still pint-size for her age, she said she rarely sees such a mouthful of chompers at 22 months. Here she is showing them off! 

And finally, her latest laugh!