ghetto blaster

We got Emma this supposedly indestructible mps player from Fisher Price and she loves it. It even has a microphone attached to so she can sing along. She hasn't gotten the buttons down yet but she loves having something that is hers and she walks around with it playing music really loud. It really looks as if she has her own pink ghetto blaster.
This morning she came into my bedroom which is the only place in the house with a full length mirror. She plopped her little blaster on the floor and proceeded to sing into the mirror, she is such a little performer. She cracks me up!

Angelina

Emma's latest obsession is Angelina Ballerina. She loves, loves, loves her and she loves to wear her tutu and mimic her moves. She also really likes it when I wear skirts, to her all dresses and skirts are tutus.
We were at Old Navy this past Sat and I saw they had ballet slippers and I showed them to her. When she saw them she squeeled and said, "Angelina shoes". She wanted to put them on right then and there, to which I obliged and then she started spinning and dancing all over the third floor of old navy. I will try and upload the video of her later today.

Target

Yesterday at lunch I went to Target to get some household items and I swung by the toy section to see if they had any Angelina Ballerina toys. Angelina is E's latest obsession. Anyway, as I walked over to the toy aisle, I passed a woman who was with both her parents and she was looking for something in particular. I heard her dad point out one type of brand, to which she laughed and told him that she didn't need anything that fancy. This made me smile because I have had that similar conversation with my father who always wanted to give me(us) the best. If I asked for a simple CD player, he would come home with a 6 disc, fancy stereo. I guess all daddies are like that with their little girls. After the smile I was filled with a dull ache as it hit me that I would never walk the aisles of a department store with my dad and have him point out things to me. My father's health has been declining, as I have mentioned before, but now it seems to be accelerating at a speed none of us were prepared for. Granted no one ever can tell, but I am leaving tonight to be with him and provide respite care for my mom, who needs a break. So I will be absent for three weeks and hope to find some of you here when I come back. If I can find a chance to blog from home, I shall. I hope this trip is filled with as much joy as it shall heartache. My father is a silent man but a great man, who wasn't business savvy but he always worked for his family and gave what he could and to quote Colonel Potter from MASH,(one of my dad's favorite shows) "I don't care how poor a man is , if he has family, he is rich"

Windy day

I finally got around to uploading this video of E back in the fall as she struggles with the umbrella and wind. Too much. She is quit perseverant.

I know you

I was able to record E singing one of her jams, "I Know You" from Sleeping Beauty. You can see just how into it she gets, though I wish she wasn't tired or onto me. She can be so elusive when the camera starts rolling.

4 years and counting

Today four years ago Ant and I got married. About 18 months later da ninj would come into our lives, but back then we had no clue as to what the future held or we here we would be. To be honest I never thought I would be married, let alone have a little ninja, but life is funny. Back then we were living in our one bedroom railroad apartment in Brooklyn. It was the size of a shoebox and had THE worst layout possible-I mean a bathroom in kitchen?! But it did have a spectacular view of the Manhattan skyline and we would have our own little private display of fireworks on the 4th of July. Plus we lived in Greenpoint which was, and more so now, a very hip part of Brooklyn. Today we live in a not so picturesque neighborhood, but our apartment is larger and we still have two cats, though they are two completely different cats that we never would have picked out, but like I said, life is funny. Momo and Camy you are loved and still in our hearts. I wonder where the next four years will take us, hopefully onto bigger and greater adventures.

I have to put this one up because Ive been feeling very shlubby lately and it's nice to know at one point I was a looker.

Book of the Week-Red Wagon

Yes, I know I am two days behind. I tell ya lack of sleep will really make a gal uber crabby. Anyway, this week's book might look a little familiar to you, as I have already spoken about how much I love the illustrations that Renata Liwska did for the Quiet Book. Liwska just came out with her her first written and illustrated book, The Red Wagon and it really is a dream of a book. The same adorable characters I so loved from the Quiet Book come back in the Red Wagon and I cannot express how much I adore her illustrations. They are just so divine, so soft and warm, that I want to hug all of her the little woodland creatures.
In the Red Wagon we follow Lucy the fox who wants to play with her new wagon but as life goes, she must do her chores first. Her mother sends her off on an errand to the market and on her way their she meets some friends and little by little her red wagon transforms itself into new worlds of adventure. This story is so sweet and true, as we have all watched our children play for hours on end with the box that the 50 dollar toy came in. Children have a huge capacity to imagine and entertain themselves that I wonder at what point did we as adults lose sight of the such possibilities. This book will remind us that the best toys are often those that require nothing more than imagination.
Side note, Emma has not given this her approval as she is currently not allowed to read picture books, only board books as I am trying to teach her a lesson about not destroying books. She does however love the Quiet Book and I cannot wait until the companion book, The Loud Book comes out later this month!!
Please check out Renata's blog, Pandas and Such, to see more of her work.

Yarn pom poms/chandeliers

found here

via Juicy Bits

I have seen these popping up every where and they are just lovely and super easy to make. You can use yarn,twine or even doilies. You just need some balloons, glue or fabric hardener and some patience. Check out these great examples and visit the sites to learn step by step how tos. I think I will be trying these out this weekend. You could shape them into ovals and use as Easter decorations or as decorations at a party.

via Your Dream Day

great step by step guide at Crafted-love

Da ninj

Emma is still giving us little sleep but there have been some improvements. I guess its all about finding the right fight. Oh E. She really is a sweetheart and is working hard at controlling her rage! She is starting to say "no quieres" in a non shouting manner when she doesn't want to hear a particular song. She still likes to bolt but I see her trying to learn to stop when I'm chasing her down the street. She has a good heart and makes us laugh. I really need to record her singing, because she sings with such passion, eyebrows all furrowed. She looks like a young Edith Piaf!