Sisi is 22 Months!

Someone told me to write down all the funny baby talk while it lasts, so here goes: 

bopple boss= apple sauce

bopps= grapes, and also blocks

zil= basil (our boston terrier)

watz= rocks

mimmon= lemon

memmon= watermelon

fwetz= farts 

soon= spoon

wa-wuff= olive

Da= Dora, also draw

Ba= Bella (my brother's dog)

un= moon

eem= cream

baba= bottle

usoom= mushroom

chee chees= berries 

pop pop= popsicle

nuss= nose

 "money money money money" she sings 

 Look of concentration:  nostrils flare and lips pucker (she gets that from Joe!) 

Siena at a glance:

-from what I can tell, she's a great singer!  She only knows a few simple melodies, but she sings them right on pitch.  She's starting to sing along with hymns at church and sings herself lullabies in the car.
-she's putting together phrases like "Bye bye Nana", "mommy's shoes" and "all done vegetables".  I can hardly believe it!
-when it's time to leave the house, she frantically grabs a bunch of random items to take with her. One time it was a tambourine, beach ball, scarf, truck, and of course her ducky all clutched in her arms and stuffed into her armpits.
-still very into cars, trains, trucks and balls (my little tomboy).
-but she cheerfully lets me paint her toenails! :)
-is very concerned about moles.  she says "mole!" (in a fascinated voice) and then rubs and kisses them.  it's about the only time she ever gives us kisses :(  not a very affectionate child!
-can put her socks on all by herself.  she's very excited about socks lately, probably because she's a barefooted hippie most of the time, and socks are a novelty.
-loves to rough house with daddy!  she just beams when he comes home and immediately makes him throw her around.
-will sometimes hold our hands and wait quietly while we pray before meals.
-she got her first passport, and let me say, her picture is pretty shady looking!  she's looking to the side and seems quite suspicious. and that was the best out of 3 pictures they took.

Just around the corner:  

-we'll attempt to wean off the bottle soon (she only has about 11 ounces of raw goat's milk per day, but we're hoping to really reduce her milk intake around the 2 year mark and here's why)
-we'll try potty training again (but this time I'm trying not to rush. Toddlers have to be ready physically, intellectually, and emotionally to use the potty.  Last time, Sisi clearly was not ready emotionally since she broke down into guilty tears when she had accidents.)
-we'll be taking our first international trip as a family of 3 when we go to Costa Rica in January!  I am so pumped!  I hope we see sloths and monkeys, and I hope we don't see snakes and crazy insects :/

Sisi, you make me one proud and grateful mama.  You are becoming such a curious, creative, and independent little girl.  I wake up every morning (very tired) but also very excited to see your smiling face peering out from your crib.  And now I'm starting to hear in your very own words your opinions and views on the world.  Keep sharing them with me- the good, the bad, and the grumpy- because I'm your mama and I'll always be here to listen.

Love you!

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Thankfulness!

“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess. 5:18).

All circumstances.  Good, bad, hard, easy, happy, mournful.  I'm certainly no stranger to sorrow, but I'm learning to rest in the peace and contentment God gives so freely in His Son Jesus Christ.  Sometimes I flail my arms and throw tantrums for awhile (because life is hard!), but He always leads me back to that sweet spot of thankfulness.

HAPPY (belated) THANKSGIVING!!!

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My Life in Cell Phone Pics!!! 11/16/12

umm I'm getting old.  look at those wrinkles!  

A friend of mine invited us over for a "Fall play date". Isn't a "play date" where you throw some toys and babies in a pile and chat as you watch them hash it out?  But this was far more that that!  It was a full-on Fall-themed party with 3 kinds of homemade soup, freshly baked bread, crafts, goody bags, and more.  Be inspired.

sensory box with corn, apples, and other Fall treasures!

sidewalk chalk, painting, acorn cookies

I brought some rustic Fall flowers, balloons filled with treats (cool alternative to a pinata, just watch out for those pins!) and snack mix station (Sisi tried her first M&M and then looked at me betrayed, like "mom, why haven't I ever had this before?"

I'm not ashamed to admit I wore this new cozy sweater with leggings 3/7 days this week :)  But I'm ashamed to see that my mirror is so dirty.  ewww!

We biked to the grocery store to start our Thanksgiving shopping!

I went to grab the laundry, and saw this furry little guy had beat me to it.  I decided to postpone laundry one more day.

Sisi picked out her own hair accessories that day!

The sandbox is my little zen garden.  I get to sit down and unwind while I play with sand, organize leaves, and let my mind wander off.

And lastly, I learned how easy it is to make your own candied nuts!  I make a "healthier" version using a spoonful of olive oil, a spoonful of honey, and a ton of sea salt mixed with nuts.  Put it in at 350 for 10 minutes and you have a crunchy totally addicting treat.  See loves "unts" aka nuts.

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Faux Veils

Two pretty little hats for the bride who loves blusher veils, but doesn't really want to squint through one.  These are part of the brand new batch of products I'm making for the brand new website to be debuted soon.  (I love you, etsy, but I need a space to call my own.) 

Bridal hat with crystal "faux veil"

Teardrop hat with  pleated bow and 3 layer "faux veil"

Joe took these pics of me at a secluded beach nearby.  Except it wasn't secluded AT ALL that day.  Being your own model is always awkward, but even more so when you're "workin' it" in front of dozens of gawking beachgoers. 

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My Life in Cell Phone Pics 11/5/12

 Fuzzy head! (guess where we are?)

Good food.

Baby's first pomegranate.  

 Pomegranate pedicure.

Halloween head gear.

 Twins!

Brancaleone Family Circus.

BIG NEWS:Our Magic Bullet finally bit the dust, so we decided to splurge on a refurbished Vita Mix Blender!  Yes, a blender that retails for almost 500 bucks.  Call us crazy, but we think it's worth it. This thing does it all. I made fudge babies (which Sisi lovingly calls 'poo poo') and "chocolate ice cream" (really just my chocolate protein shake frozen in an ice cube tray and re-blended with chocolate chips.)  I also plan on making paleo mayonnaise soon!

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Sisi the Sushi

The day before Halloween, I saw this adorable onesie on etsy, and got sad that it was too late to order it.  We are a sushi loving family, for sure!  Then I decided to give it a whirl myself.  A perfect last minute baby costume!

Simply fabric glue and/or stitch the felt shrimp and fake grass garnish onto a onesie, wrap some black velvet trim around the belly for seaweed, and use neon green and peach felt for the ginger and wasabi.  I also made a ginger/wasabi barette, and stuck chopsticks through her hair.  After the fact, I realized I should have also decorated a Chinese takeout box for her to put her candy in! Someone else can steal that genius idea :)

Surprisingly, Sisi was delighted to wear this getup.  She kept smiling in the mirror and saying "Fishy!!"  She even kept those chopsticks in most of the evening (although I nearly poked my eyeball out carrying her in my arms.)

Joe and I threw our costumes together literally minutes before we had to walk out the door.  I put on a striped dress, made a prisoner badge ("g-dg-d2shus" = goody goody two shoes) and whipped up this crazy jailbird hat (which I secretly want to wear again some way, some how.)   I guess I'm supposed to be a glamorous prisoner? 

 Joe borrowed my wig, jacket and scarf and went as an 80's glam rock drummer.  

Trick-or-treating was a confusing experience for Sisi. A mechanical skeleton pirate with blazing eyes sent her sobbing and quivering in my arms.  She didn't like when people answered the door in scary costumes.  But after shaking off the trauma, she was excited to walk up to the doors, carefully choose one candy and put it into her bag (even though we couldn't bear to let her eat any of it). Sad thing was there were only a handful of other trick-or-treaters out.  Guess everyone was at the mall!

I told her if she gave me all her candy, she could have a piece of chocolate covered banana. She took me up on that.  My  friends were laughing at how easy the trade was.  (Next year she might put up a little more resistance once she actually knows what candy is.)

Joe and I felt sooooooo grown-up taking our child trick-or-treating.  Parenthood is still surreal.  How have us goons been entrusted with raising a toddler? 

Already looking forward to next Halloween!!! How was your's?

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