Blog Books!

The 2011 Blog books have arrived!!! Each book is a whopping 310 pages long :) They turned out great!! I can't wait for the day that I package up all of the books and give them to the kids so they can read all about their childhood. But, for now, I will add them to the drawer where I keep them...all three volumes...three copies each (one for Char, one for Nate, one for me).

Riding Bikes in February

It was so nice on Sunday..we headed outside to ride bikes and enjoy the afternoon..it was a great time!

Giving her brother a push

Nate had a great time throwing rocks in the pond with his daddy

Fat Tuesday

The kids and I went to Grandma and Grandpa Cannata's house on Fat Tuesday for some paczki's. It was the kids first experience with the super yummy treat!!

He loves to pose for the camera...such a dream for me!

Picking out his paczki

Giving it a try!

Delicious!

Charlotte wasn't as excited about them!

Grandpa helping Nate

A Boy and his Blankie

This afternoon, I was gathering up Nate's sheets to wash them. As I was walking to the laundry chute, Nate freaked out, started crying and grabbed his beloved blanket from my grasp. I said, "Nate, I'm just going to wash it for you...I'm going to make it cozy." He said, "NO!" and ran away. I threw the rest of the stuff down the chute, turned around and saw him clutching his blanket..he then looked at it and said, "Don't worry, blankie...I won't let mommy wash you."

Iowa

Here is Charlotte combining one of her favorite things (Hello Kitty) with one of my favorite things (Hawkeyes)!

Improved!

A year ago this month, was the infamous Chicago blizzard..it was also the Nate's diagnosis of tibial torsion. I recently brought him back for his annual checkup with the orthopedic specialist to check on his progress. Kevin and I were both convinced that his legs hadn't improved at all. Everyone else thought he was improved...but we both felt he had simply adapted to his legs better. We felt that he wasn't falling as much because he had figured out how to balance and walk on his legs better....he was used to it. After a 45 minute wait past our appointment time...the doctor finally called us back and measured his legs. Much to my surprise, his legs measured at an 18% rotation. Compared to the 25% rotation that he was measured at last year, that is an improvement!!! She said that his legs might never be totally straight..and he will most likely be faster and more agile then his peers. So, not a total loss!

Charlotte playing with the iPad in the waiting room

Taking pics with the iPad to pass time

Using the photobooth app to take pics!

Holy crap...two Nates, it's like a nightmare!

Waiting some more in the exam room

Still waiting

Charlotte waiting

Waiting some more

More photobooth app

Taking an "x ray" at the orthopedic's office...with the iPad!

A Toddler's Perspective

Charlotte is learning to count at school...and learning to count by tens. She can count by tens all the way to 100. 100 is the highest number in her little mind...that is it, the end of the line. Every night when I put Charlotte to bed, she says, "Mommy....I love you 100...how much do you love me?" and I will say, "I love you to the moon and back...I love you a trillion, billion, million..." And...she frowns. She has no concept that that is higher than 100. So, then I say, "I love you hundreds and hundreds and hundreds." and she smiles from ear to ear and says, "Wow...you love me a lot!" Yes, yes I do.

Charlotte's School "Ballantine" Party

Today was Charlotte's Valentine's Day party for her school. She will actually be at school tomorrow, but the majority of the kids do not participate in the Enrichment Program on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They exchanged Valentines with each other and had a special snack, complete with strawberry milk, a personal fav of Char. I made a special treat for the kids for the holiday. I passed them out to the parents in the pick up line since the school tends to frown on too many sugary treats.

Charlotte was very excited about her treats for her friends

Char "Digs her friends"

Cheeser!

Dad's Sledding Party

Today, was Charlotte's preschool's Annual Dad's Sledding Party. Charlotte has been looking forward to this for weeks! Her and her class have been busy preparing songs and drawing pictures for the party. So, after one of the warmest winters in Chicago's history...with every weekend being in the 40's, the weather Gods intervened and provided a dusting of snow just enough so the kids could go sailing down the hill with their dads. It was the coldest day we have had in a while.so, Charlotte donned her long underwear (did you know they made toddler long underwear?) and got into her snow pants for the big day. It was nice that they planned it for a Saturday so that all of the Dad's could make it. I, of course, was the volunteer photographer for the day.

Right when we arrived at her school, we headed out back to their hill so they could get some sledding in. Charlotte had a great time! Kevin was running her down the hill and she was all smiles. I was snapping away and decided it would be better with my telephoto lens...so, I headed back to Charlotte's cubby to grab my lens...and while I was gone...Kevin apparently bit it on the hill and overextended his knee. He was a total guy about it and walked it off so no one would know. He was running her down a little slower after that! I of course missed it!!! He's limping now, though!

Let's go dad!!! (She made me go back inside and get her glasses before we left, she really wanted them..she was the coolest girl out there!)

Kevin's pants and jacket after his graceful fall

Charlotte and her dad

Climbing back up

Waiting to go

Getting back up for another run

Charlotte and Maddie

After a while, we headed back into the school where the kids sang songs for their Dads, they read a book and then we had snacks and hot chocolate. The kids also got to show their dads their pictures and stories that they had prepared for their dads. Char's was pretty funny! Apparently, she drew one picture that was...well, a tad feminine....Kevin had, what appeared to be, a green dress, red tights, earrings and very flattering eyelashes. So, she was encouraged to draw another one. But, they saved the first one for us!

Her first draft

The updated picture (notice the goatee attempt on both)

Char's thoughts on her Dad

We got to talk to her teachers for a bit while we were there and they had some very nice things to say about Charlotte. They said that she has really helped two of the quieter girls come out of their shells. I guess she has recently become very good friends with a girl, Maddie...and it has really helped Maddie become more outgoing. The teacher was so proud of Charlotte and thrilled with her generosity. She said, sometimes, the outgoing kids don't really want to hang around with the quiet ones...but Charlotte has really helped them both this year. I can't wait to hear more about how she is doing at her parent/teacher conference in a few weeks.

Stylin' Kids

Here are the kids trying on their new hats that I got them...because, who doesn't love a cute kid in a hat? No one...that's right.