Happy New Year!

Some Fav's from 2010

In just a few hours a brand we will all be celebrating a brand New Year.  I really can not comprehend how quickly time marches on and as I gaze at my sweet toddler I can't help but realize how fast the past few years have gone by.

I remember how I couldn't wait for her to talk, though now I listen to her tiny voice chattering on and on and that is just within this past year.  She's so independent and refuses my help, in fact she told me to "go and sit down so I can make friends" this summer in the pool.  Gasp!  I didn't realize nosy Mom's could hinder toddler friendships this early.  She also informed me and everyone she meets that she has a "boyfriend, named B who likes dinasaurs" and proceeded to place his photo next to hers in the living room wall.  She greets people in the market by asking their name and admiring nail polish or jewelry and can easily carry on a decent phone conversation.  Yep, just couldn't wait to hear her putting words together and now she "pretend" reads and is starting to sound out words.  I have no clue if this is age appropriate for toddlers and can't take credit as I surely do not speak spanish in the house and Kira is often found counting and addressing her dolls in spanish!  Guess I owe Nick Jr. for that.  I now wonder what effect Looney Tunes had on me LOL (I shouldn't even answer that)!

Anyway, my thoughts are on the coming year as I now try not to rush through life.  This past year was my 35th High School Renunion and again I sighed, cried and laughed at the memories and wondered where did those years go.  I suppose we keep so busy, it's natural to not gage time in years.  Now I cuddle with Kira during bedtime, holding her ever so tightly and realize every day how she breathes fresh air into my world and how much I appreciate my daughter for the little girl she is becoming.

2010 has been an interesting year, in politics, world affairs and in our home!  Since I haven't written much during the past year I plan to keep this blog up to the best of my ability.

So to my Dear Family and Friends I wish you all the very best in 2011, mostly harmony, good health and the ability to continue to nurture and continue to create the happy memories we will eventually look back upon.

Have a safe and wonderful New Year!

Tiny Dancer

A few months back we were in a store and Kira was playing with a jewelry box with a little ballerina twirling atop it.  She asked me what it was and I tried to explain.  So for the coming weeks she expressed in her words, "I want to be a ballereen".  So what's a Momma to do, why of course start ballet classes! Not sure if she was enjoying this new venture, I asked if I could photograph the girls as they practiced for the upcoming Holiday show.  What impressed me was how much fun Kira was having, spinning, twirling and inter-acting with the other children.  It was so cute to watch them I couldn't help but smile the entire time.

The day of the show I made sure that Kira received official "stage pampering", you know the updew, facial makeup, sparkles, mani/pedi and matching lipstick and body sparkles.  It was fun putting on her makeup, she even enjoyed mascara.

Then the dancers were called to line up and head to the stage down the hall.  I grabbed my gear, ran to the theatre just in time to see them perform.  AND THERE SHE WAS, my little Sugar Plum, STAGE RIGHT...just standing there looking for me, the entire performance!  Well at least she didn't run off the stage (they had stage catchers just in case)!  She proudly and gracefully bowed to the audience as everyone clapped and promptly fell asleep in the car on the way home.

Ok, first, you pay careful attention to the dance teacher,

Then you think "should I eat my pb and j or get in front of a huge crowd and cry:))

Then again this is a pretty Ballereen Dress

So she carefully observes the other dancers, takes her friends hand, and then...she dances!

in perfect form, at home!

That's my girl, I so love you.

Welcome to our new blog!

Welcome to my new and improved blog makeover!

I am so happy with my new blog and want to send a huge shout out to Rita of Coffee Shop Designs for creating our new refreshing and inspiring look. I wanted something elegant yet simple and would showcase my reason for blogging, my Spicy tot, Kira Isabella.

Writing has always been an outlet of expression for many kinds of emotions and/or for teaching methods. So I am sure I will back on the road expressing what I feel is important as well as bragging with some great photographs of my daughter.

I have missed documenting so many of the good things this year, I guess I have a lot to catch up on. For now, I'll share our Holiday portrait that many of you will be receiving soon. Well though I love photographing children, my girl will do just about anything to stray away from the camera. She has grown into a little girl this past year, a very mature little girl I must say. She wears her heart on her sleeve, is about as stubborn as any tot should be and when I capture one of her "famous" funny faces as she calls them, she truly melts my heart. I simply love her surprise kisses and those tiny dimples:))

Fall is in the air, Finally!

EITHER IT WAS ONE HOT SUMMER OR I'VE BECOME VERY HEAT INTOLERANT! I'M JUST SO HAPPY TO FEEL THE COOL FALL BREEZE AND SLEEP WITH THE WINDOWS OPEN AGAIN.

THE LAST FEW DAYS WERE SO PRETTY AND WINDY, KIRA AND I MADE A FEEBLE ATTEMPT AT KITE FLYING YESTERDAY AND THEN WE BROUGHT OUT HER 12 INCH BICYCLE AND WENT FOR A LITTLE RIDE, OR I SHOULD SAY SHE WENT FOR THE RIDE. SHE'S SO LIGHT THAT THE WIND BLEW HER CLEAR DOWN THE BLOCK! GUESS I SHOULD HAVE MADE THE TOT RIDE INTO THE WIND!

WE ARE GEARING UP FOR A NEW PRE-SCHOOL PROGRAM THREE DAYS A WEEK AND SOME MAJOR SHOPPING FOR CLOTHES, FOR KIRA OF COURSE. MY LIGHT WEIGHT HAS GROWN AND I THINK HER PUDGY BABY THIGHS ARE NOW OFFICIALLY TODDLER MUSCLES. SHE'S 37 INCHES TALL NOW WEIGHING IN AT A WHOPPING 28 POUNDS! BUT DON'T LET THAT FOOL YA, SHE CAN LEAD A 100 POUND DOG AROUND LIKE A COUPLE OF POODLES.

KIRA'S WORLD:

THIS CHILD CONTINUES TO AMUSE AND AMAZE ME AS I AM PRIVILEGED ENOUGH TO WITNESS HER DAILY ANTICS. SHE HAS BECOME QUITE PROFICIENT AT STORY TELLING AND WILL BEGIN A SENTENCE WITH "REMEMBER THE OTHER DAY WHEN..."

I JUST LOVE IT AND HAVE NO IDEA WHERE SHE GOT THAT FROM. SHE UNDERSTANDS THAT I HAVE NO CLUE HOW TO GET SOMEWHERE WITHOUT A GPS, WHICH IS QUITE EMBARRASSING (ESPECIALLY WHEN SHE HAS TO TELL ME TO TURN AROUND). SHE KNOWS HER ADDRESS AND CAN WRITE HER NAME WHICH IMPRESSES ME BECAUSE ON ANY GIVEN DAY I CAN'T REMEMBER MY OWN PHONE NUMBER!

HER LOVE AND GENEROSITY CONTINUES TO BLOSSOM AND SHE UNDERSTANDS THAT "SHARING MAKES US HAPPY" on most days!

FAVORITE TOYS:

MY iMAC

THE PRINCESSES DOLLS

DINOSAURS

BINOCULARS

PAINTING AND COLORING (ALL OVER THE WALLS, CARPET, HERSELF)

JUMPING ON THE "PRAMPOLINE" AS SHE CALLS IT (I THINK TODDLER LANGUAGE IS SO CUTE).

FAVORITE TV SHOWS:

DORA AND DIEGO

OSWALD AND WEENIE

BACKYARDIGANS

ELMO

FAVORITE MOVIES:

SHREK

SHREK

SHREK

AND SHREK 2

ARIEL

NEMO

AVATAR

FAVORITE BOOKS:

ANYTHING PRINCESS OR MERMAID RELATED

BARON AND FLUFFY

DO LIKE A DUCK DOES

THE POUT POUT FISH

GOODNIGHT MOON (MY ALL TIME FAVORITE)

FAVORITE FOODS:

MAC AND CHEESE!

PIZZA

CHICKEN FINGERS

YES IT WAS A SWEET SUMMER FOR SO MANY REASONS. I AM HAPPY THAT AUTUMN IS IN THE AIR AND BOTH KIRA AND I ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO NEW ADVENTURES.

I LOVE YOU SWEET, PRECIOUS KIRA!

A Calender like no other

MY SWEET FRIEND, MICHELLE CONTACTED ME ASKING IF I COULD SEND SOME PHOTOS OF KIRA FOR THIS AMAZING CALENDER SHE WAS HELPING TO PUT TOGETHER. ALL THE MONEY IS DONATED TO HELP CHINESE ORPHANS.

SO PLEASE GO TO HER SITE AND CHECK OUT THE AMAZING GIVEAWAY, PROBABLY THE BEST ALL YEAR IF YOU'RE A PHOTOGRAPHER!

Pre-School to Princeton

SHE MELTS MY HEART!

RECENTLY, BOTH KIRA AND I SEEM TO ENJOY EXPLORING NEW PLACES (or perhaps she just gets a kick out of the fact that I get lost with my GPS). LAST WEEK WE VISITED A NEW PRE-SCHOOL PROGRAM AND IT JUST SO HAPPENED THAT THE FOLLOWING DAY WE TOOK AN EXCURSION TO PRINCETON UNIVERSITY. I'VE NEVER BEEN THERE BUT AS SOON AS I GAZED AT THE OLD HOMES ALONG THE ROAD LEADING TO THE UNIVERSITY I FELL IN LOVE WITH THIS TOWN. QUAINTLY HISTORIC, I WONDERED HOW MANY GENIUSES WALKED THE EXACT SAME PATHS WE WERE STROLLING ALONG. I LOOKED AROUND AT ALL THE POTENTIAL STUDENTS TAKING SUMMER TOURS AND YIKES THEY ALL LOOKED SO YOUNG! IT MADE ME WANT TO GO BACK TO COLLEGE; THE YEARS OF WONDERMENT, ADVENTURE AND, YES THE ACQUISITION OF KNOWLEDGE (IF YOU COULD STAY AWAKE DURING CLASS)!

A GOOD SUGAR FIX WILL HELP DURING LONG CLASSES!

I LOOKED DOWN AT KIRA AND REALIZED SHE TOO IS STARING SOMEWHAT INQUISITIVELY TOWARDS THE BEAUTIFUL STONE AND GRANITE BUILDINGS. EXCITINGLY SHE YELLS OUT, "MOMMA LOOK AT ALL THE PRINCESS CASTLES!"

SOME OF THESE ARE ACTUALLY DORMS.

SURE ENOUGH THESE MAGNIFICENT STONE STRUCTURES DID RESEMBLE CASTLES. IN FACT, PRINCETON IS THE FOURTH OLDEST COLLEGE AND ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL UNIVERSITIES IN THE UNITED STATES. THE GOTHIC VICTORIAN ARCHITECTURE TAKES YOU BACK IN TIME, WAY BACK TO THE 12TH CENTURY, WITH SPIRES REACHING SKYWARD AND BEAUTIFULLY DETAILED ARCHES THAT BECKON YOU THROUGH PASSAGES LEADING TO EVEN MORE SPECTACULAR ARCHITECTURE.

NASSAU HALL (1756)

ONE OF MY FAVORITE MOVIES "A BEAUTIFUL MIND" WAS FILMED HERE, STARRING RUSSELL CROWE. IN FACT THE PROFESSOR HE PORTRAYED, JOHN NASH IS STILL ON FACULTY HERE.

I CAN ONLY SAY THAT I FELT SO INSPIRED AS I WALKED BY THE HUNDREDS OF CLASSROOMS. WHILE THERE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN "PRINCESSES" HOUSED IN THE CASTLE LIKE BUILDINGS, THE FUTURE OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY, SCIENCE, GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS WILL LIKELY TAKE PLACE BY ALL THE BEAUTIFUL MINDS THAT ATTEND STUDYING TO MAKE THEIR MARK IN THIS WORLD!

Toddler Logic

A FEW WEEKS AGO, I PACKED THE CAR AND HEADED OFF TO THE GARDENS. OH YES, 5 CUTE OUTFITS A FEW BALLOONS, LOT'S OF BOWS AND RIBBONS AND CANDY FOR BRIBE TACTICS. THAT'S JUST A BIT OF WHAT I HAVE TO DO TO GET SOME FUN PHOTOS OF HER. I FIGURED BY NOT TAKING PHOTOS OF HER EVERY DAY SHE WILL EVENTUALLY LET ME TAKE JUST A FEW. WHAT WAS I THINKING?

WE CHASED SOME BUTTERFLIES AND I WATCHED KIRA PLAY, ROMPING AS USUAL AND EVEN STOPPING TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH ANOTHER LITTLE GIRL. NOW I MANAGED TO GET JUST A FEW PHOTOS BEFORE WE HEADED BACK HOME.

NOW THESE ROCKS LOOK FUN TO WALK ON!

MAKING SURE MOMMA IS NOT FAR BEHIND.

THERE WERE SO MANY PRETTY FLOWERS AND AWESOME INTERESTING PROPS FOR ME TO USE, SUCH AS THIS BEAUTIFUL BRIDGE.

I FIGURE THAT I'LL GET THE TOT ON THE BRIDGE, RUN AHEAD AND SNAP THE PIC.

ONLY I FORGET HOW FAST THIS CHILD RUNS AND RUNS AND RUNS!

WHAT I DIDN'T REALIZE WAS JUST AS I RAN AHEAD OF HER TO COMPOSE THIS PHOTO, SHE TOOK HER SKIRT OFF AND THREW IT, PRACTICALLY OVER THE BRIDGE...AND AS I TRIED TO STEADY THE CAMERA WHILE I WAS LAUGHING, I HEARD HER SAY "NO MORE PICTURES MOMMY"!

INDEED SHE WAS DETERMINED TO NOT HAVE HER PICTURE TAKEN AND FIGURED IF SHE LOOSES THE SKIRT, THE CAMERA WILL ALSO GET LOST! HOW I LOVE TODDLER LOGIC. SO WE BOTH GOT WHAT WE WANTED AND I'M GOING TO SAVE THIS PHOTO TO SHOW HER WHEN SHE'S UH HMMM, 20 SOMETHING!

Summer is Here!

YES, summer has arrived and so have the heat waves! The 90 degree humid weather is certainly a challenge when my little tot wants to run outdoors and prefers to water the plants rather than play in her pool. However, we manage to find weeds to pick, butterflies to chase and a few cloudy days where we take advantage of some cute photos in the woods.

Yes I know you love to get your Mommy soaked! Actually this is Kira's way of getting the camera out of her face!

Recently I found a really fun place to chase bunnies and take some photos. I grab the camera and try to get Kira to "work it" for me as I bribe her with a lollipop or cookie. She's so funny after a bit of suger and will put her hands on her hip and say "work it, work it" as I snap away. Here's some of the cutest photos I've seen:))

HOW I LOVE THIS FACE AND THOSE DIMPLES!

I sort of wonder how a child instinctively knows that a rain puddle was made so that he/she can jump in it. I still can't figure this out because I haven't seen it on Dora or Kai Lan, but then again I did the same thing and there were no TV shows to mimic, well a few perhaps. So what does a Momma do when her tot comes upon a puddle of water? I SAY JUMP AND HAVE SOME FUN!!! The smallest puddle allows for some great big smiles and adventures.

Before puddle
jumping

AND after, ah how good this feels!

Yes this does bring back some fond memories as I will admit I did this too! The cool puddles felt so good on my feet as I would splash and entertain myself so effortlessly. So watching this child of mine have so much fun this day made me glad I brought my camera to capture her childish enthusiasm for simple and real fun.

June Ramblings

Yes I know, blogging has taken a back seat these days, mostly because I don't have the time, but so want to keep archiving because I love writing, it's so soothing to me and very important that I continue to journal this special child that I absolutely adore!

Of course the reason for my posts are hopefully filled with the musing of childhood as I continue to watch my baby girl do and say the silliest things. While it's been a most difficult and emotional year for me personally, I remain focused on my family and child, the passions of my life.

So here's a bit of Kira's personality at the sweet age of three.

Kira remains an incredibly sweet and affectionate child. She loves giving and receiving hugs and kisses. Most recently she is fascinated by newborns and adores peeking in a stroller and asking me to look at the baby with her. At her pre-school she adores the younger children and will even share Elmo with them. That's a huge step considering in the fall, she wanted to bite anyone that came between her and the little guy. Thank goodness she grew out of that!

She's very much a sweet and pleasant little girl who interacts with adults as much as her peers.

She has become very vocal and is quite able to make her issues known. Yes there are those "meltdown" moments, which now I know are related to hunger or exhaustion (now that I think about it, I have them too) or just wanting my attention

Her most recent interests are dressing up in her various princess outfits and playing with her little people toy house. No she hasn't forgotten about her buddy Elmo, she usually puts him to bed early, neatly tucking him under some blanket that I find behind the couch or under a table. We tried to get a cute baby carriage for her to wheel her little buddy around in, however the cat proceeded to pee in it and hence it ended in the trash. In fact the cat and the dog have been just a tad jealous, but I do try and spread my affections:))

I did catch Kira yelling at the cat (as if that cat really cared) a few weeks back. These were her words "Cat, no more peeing on my toys! You're going to go to time out, you hear me?" So on went the conversation as she shook her finger at cat. Then I couldn't help but scratch my head and say to myself "is that how I really sound"? I think so which is very funny because it doesn't take a child behavior specialist to tell me that making ideal threats of going to time out is just that!

Kira loves her new big girl bed, but I don't! Yep, I'm very co-dependent on her. On nights that I can't sleep I gently scoop her up and bring her into my bed with me. Although lately, the kick boxing to my head are getting more severe when she wants to wake me. The evenings are precious as she loves me to read to her. So I must grab at least 10 long books and we proceed to read and read and read...."momma, you're snoring" and then I awaken and read some more, till the tot drifts off into dreamland.

WHY Momma, WHY? The question that starts every sentence these days! Inquisitive child, then again I ask the same questions too when I want answers! In fact I believe that children ask why because they want more than just a simple explanation. Perhaps adults believe tots are limited in comprehension skills therefore we keep answers "short" and "simple", but the persistent "why" leaves me to believe they're fully capable of longer and simple answers. So the persistent "why is Ariel in the ocean" question was met with several different answers that kept her entertained and fascinated. I am confident that's how a good child's story gets written.

Now to my amazement Kira can manuever the computer mousepad, pick and choose her own games, trouble shoot and probably re-boot it if necessary! No longer can I hide the fact that I'm editing on the computer, she'll yell "no more puter Mommy", I just love it. After all she is right.

So that's a quick summary of my little Spicy Girl for now. It's difficult getting her on camera these days, but some of her photos are just precious.

I so adore you baby girl, you make my heart sing!

"Faces and Flowers" Photo Challenge

It's no big surprise that I LOVE FLOWERS! In fact over 25 years ago I realized just how much I loved photography while photographing the wildflowers around the glacier lakes in Colorado. I am glad I got a kick start in the art of photography while living out there!

So when I found out that the theme for Iheartfaces this week was "faces and flowers" I grabbed the camera, clothed the tot and when trekking off to find a good location to get a great photo. Now wildflowers are easy to photograph in comparison to my little tot! Yep, she'll do anything to avoid the camera, even throwing her favorite snack at me. So I had to be clever and tell her we were searching for bunnies and don't you know, there were bunnies where we went. So in fact I captured a few smiles, but mostly some of the most beautiful photos I think I have ever taken of my daughter.

Of all the photos where she was almost looking at me and smiling today, I just fell in love with this one. So thank you sweet daughter for allowing me to take a few photos of you today!

Go on over to Iheartfaces and see some of the most darling entries!

Back for Spring!

Yes I've been missing from blog land the past few months and have also missed blogging! Mostly because this blog is about my daughter and I know in a few months from now I'll forget the little things that make me smile ear to ear on a daily basis.

Over the past few months, this child has gone from shy to outgoing, diapers to "princess" big girl panties and can not only count to 10 in english, but spanish as well. I have to agree I was shocked that she learned spanish so quickly and recently has started to enjoy hearing her vocal ranges, which really cracks me up! I'm not talking about singing either...little miss sassy pants has a way of asserting herself around her 110lb dog (who really runs away at this point), she thinks by barking louder than him, or screaming in his ear, he'll move out of her way or stop barking. So needless to say the house gets very noisy.

My daughter delights me in every way. She is very intuitive and sensitive and seems to pay very close attention to emotions lately, often asking me why characters in a book are sad or happy. She even flushed the Little Mermaid down the toilet so that she could get to the ocean to find her prince! So no harm done, no plumber needed, I thought that was pretty smart actually, but Daddy wasn't as amused.

This must be an innate toddler question... every sentence begins with "why" and usually ends with me changing the subject after the 20th "why" question! Needless to say I think I've met my match as far as who can out talk who in this house, guess I never really knew I had a gift for gab till I see Kira imitating me.

Not a day goes by that I don't think about how fortunate I am to have this child as my daughter. She keeps me on my toes for sure and always thinking and searching for the right answers to so many of her questions. I'm happy she's easily entertained and wants to play with her Momma. I know all too well how quickly time moves on, so I'm going to cherish her milestones and love every single day!

A Trip to Longwood Gardens

OH HOW I LOVE THIS CHILD!

SUCH A BEAUTY!

AND PRETTY SMART TOO, SHE KNOWS WHERE THE MONEY IS HIDING!

ALWAYS CURIOUS AND SMILING!

AWH, THAT FAMOUS LOOK OF KIRA'S.

THE GORGEOUS ORCHIDS OF LONGWOOD GARDENS

PREPARING TO GET A LITTLE WET HERE.

ABOUT 2WKS AFTER THE BIG BLIZZARD AND THEY STILL HAD ALMOST 3FT OF SNOW ON THE GROUND OUTSIDE.

INSIDE WHERE THE AROMATHERAPY WAS OH SO DELIGHTFUL TO THE SENSES.

MAKING FUNNY FACES.

WE SURE TRY TO MAKE SEVERAL TRIP TO LONGWOOD GARDENS A YEAR AND THE ORCHID EXTRAVAGANZA IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES. IT'S LIKE STEPPING INTO A SPA WITH THE MOST DELIGHTFUL AROMAS OF SPRING FLOWERS AND MUCH NEEDED WARM HUMIDIFIED AIR AFTER A VERY COLD FEW WEEKS OF WINTER. WE HAD SO MUCH FUN WATCHING KIRA RUN AROUND AND ENJOY MOSTLY THE WATER FOUNTAINS. THE LIGHTING WAS BEAUTIFUL INSIDE AND I COULD CAPTURE HER BIG BRIGHT EYES AT ANY TIME.

WHAT A GREAT DAY FOR AN OUTING AND CAPTURING SOME AMAZING PHOTOS OF MY AMAZING CHILD.

OH HOW I LOVE YOU SWEET KIRA!