Thursday, August 20, 2015

Kiko's 8th Birthday




 


I love you sooooooooooooooooo much, I CAN'T STAND IT! :) - Ma

You are sweet, funny, cute, loving, and fun! You love the colors pink and blue. You love small things, little locks and keys, you love to draw, you like to write and illustrate books, you are a talented and funny actor. You like to cuddle. You make us laugh a lot! Your favorite season is Winter because you enjoy being inside on a cold day, wrapped up with a blanket on the couch, sipping a hot cup of tea. You are your own person. You are confident. You like yourself and other like you. You love praying the rosary before bed with the family and can't go to sleep without it. You are our little Kee-Koo. We love you. Happy birthday!

love,
Ma and Da
 
 

 

Dominic Turns 9 Months Old!



At 8 months he started crawling all over the place, and at 8 1/2 months he started standing up, and now he is starting to cruise! He's on the move! Love you, Dommy!


 

First Day of School Pictures - 2015


Favorite Book: Adventures of Chatterer the Red Squirrel
Favorite Hobby: Drawing
Looking forward to: my birthday, playing violin, and getting our saints peg dolls



Favorite Book: Ranger's Apprentice
Favorite Hobby: Taekwando
Looking forward to: Kiko's birthday 

 

 
 

Saturday, August 8, 2015

Kiko - Always Making Us Laugh


"Hey look, I'm the Statue of Liberty!"


 

Let's Pick Some Corn!




 


 

 

Garden Goodness




 


 

Monday, July 20, 2015

Dominic Turns 8 Months Old


Today Dominic turned 8 months old and learned how to crawl up the stairs for the first time! In the last week, he also learned how to go from crawl position to sitting. Next up: learning to pull himself up to standing.

So much excitement in babyland lately!


 

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Summer is almost here!



Dominic 6 months


 


 

6 Months

The cuteness continues...




 


 

 

Monday, May 25, 2015

in our garden...


Plums, grapefruit, lemons, greens, apples, almonds, figs, peaches, grapes....wow!


 

A New Stuffed Pup


Look what Kiko and I made together! His name is Carrie. Kiko named him after the baby in Little House in the Big Woods, which is the book he's reading right now. So cute! Love my little Kiko! He was so excited to make this little stuffed animal!


 

Capitol Park - Memorial Day





Daddy took us to the Vietnam Memorial at Capital Park to remember the men who died in wartime.


 

County Fair 2015




 
 


 

Monday, May 18, 2015

Berry Picking in Spring


Strawberry Picking at Davis Ranch in Sloughhouse 


 

Friday, May 15, 2015

Rolling Over and Over

He's mastered it! Front to back and back to front!  5 months






 


 
 

 
 

Thursday, April 23, 2015

When did he become a big boy??


5 months old

It's all happening too fast! What a cutie.
 

someone's been sleeping in our bed…



 

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Review: Personalized Photo Cards - tiny*prints

If you're looking for a really special invitation or announcement that can be tailored with your children's picture, then look no further than tiny*prints. I had the opportunity to review their invitations as part of the Parent Bloggers Network recently and my biggest problem was trying to figure out which invitation to choose for my son's third birthday party. There are soooo many cool looking birthday invites to choose from. I was literally on the site for 30 minutes going, "I like this one! Oh wait, no I like this one better! Or should I do this one? " I really liked them all.

They also have a great selection of birth announcements. Almost made me want to have another baby just to use their announcements. And considering that after having two children in two years, I recently vowed myself to celibacy, that is really saying something.

I also liked tiny*prints because it was very easy to use their site. Uploading pictures and trying out different cards was easy. I was even able to crop photos and adjust them easily to fit the card.

After I ordered them, they came very quickly, which is great if you're a master procrastinator like myself. For a few dollars, they'll send you a printed sample prior to ordering so you can check it out before committing to purchase.

All in all, I highly recommend them if you are looking for a personalized photo card.

*******

This review was written for The Parent Bloggers Network.

Friday, January 11, 2008

CleanWell Hits a Homerun with Their New Handsoap

I’ve reviewed a handful of fabulous products as part of the Parent Bloggers Network, but I have to say that that I’ve never been more excited at a review opportunity than when I was asked to try out CleanWell’s new antibacterial soap. OK, I know. Your thinking, "Hand soap? Are you serious?" Yes, I know that hand soap isn’t the most glamorous of products, but don’t run in the opposite direction yet! I have a ton of reasons why you’ll want to try it out – especially if you have little ones and you’re looking for a non-toxic, non alcohol-based alternative to the run-of-the-mill antibacterial soap on the market.

OK, so here’s the skinny on this fab product and equally fab company. First - let me tell you about the company. CleanWell was started by parents of a boy with an immune disorder who were looking for natural alternatives to toxic cleaning products. In partnership with scientists, these parents worked for eight years to develop a unique formulation of essential plant oils that kills 99.99% of germs without using any toxic or artificial chemicals.

Let me repeat that last part. CleanWell products kill germs without using any toxic or artificial chemicals. That in itself is my primary reason for loving this brand. Unlike most other anti-bacterial soaps, such as those you get at Bath and Body Works, CleanWell does not contain Triclosan or alcohol. Triclosan has been reported to form a probable human carcinogen when combined with chlorine in tap water. Yikes. That's enough to make me want to steer clear of anything with Triclosan in it. Additionally, CleanWell handsoaps are free of artificial colors, artificial fragrances and parabens. They are also certified cruelty-free and readily biodegradable.

The soaps come in three scents - Orange Vanilla, Lavender, and Ginger. My favorite was the Orange Vanilla, but they all smell nice.

From a practical standpoint, I found that using the soap with my toddler was much easier for him than other pump soaps we have tried. CleanWell's soap is a foaming handsoap, which means that the soap comes out of the pump as foam instead of liquid. This made it really easy for my two-year-old to get the soap on his hand when he pumped it out and to get a really good lather. With the liquid soaps we have, I was always afraid that he wasn't really getting his whole hand washed. Not so with the CleanWell handsoap. I can see the white foamy stuff is much easier for him to use.

Oh and a couple other things you should know. CleanWell products are easy to find because they are now selling them at Target – woo hoo! And the label on the soap is made to be easily removed so it won’t clash with your bathroom décor. Actually, the label didn’t bother me, but then again, if you saw my bathroom you would know that I’m not a stickler for making sure everything is color-coordinated.

Besides handsoap, CleanWell also sells hand-sanitizer wipes and sprays in a variety of sizes, including a really handy small size perfect for a clutch purse.

All in all, I highly recommend trying this handsoap.

This review was written for the Parent Bloggers Network.

Friday, November 16, 2007

Music You'll Want to Listen To Too!

Usually when I turn on a DVD for my toddler to watch, I want to leave the room as soon as possible. The music is generally annoying enough to get me running the other way. One of the exceptions to this is when we watch That Baby DVD.

That Baby DVD and That Baby CD were created by Rob and Lisi Wolf, parents who wanted to create music that the whole family could enjoy. They carefully selected 14 songs from their favorite artists -- Bruce Springsteen, Bob Marley, Fleetwood Mac, and Joni Mitchell to name a few. Then they worked with some Portland-based musicians to record acoustic re-mixes of the songs and created a "music video" for each one.

I've watched That Baby DVD several times with my son and I can tell you that I have not gotten tired of it yet! Aside from the great music, I love how it contains positive images for children to watch as they listen. You'll see a mix of cartoons and actual images of children engaged in fun activities, such as playing in the garden or reading a bedtime story with their parents.

I was especially impressed by the songs that were chosen. I paid particular attention to the lyrics and found them to hold wonderful messages. Messages of self-acceptance ("I don't care if you're pretty at all. And I don't care if I never get tall. I like what I look like....We don't have to change at all." -- Track 4). Messages of perseverance. ("You can do anything if you try. Don't let them tell you that you don't deserve it." --Track 10). And then there was Track 11, which featured beautiful images of families spending time together. It was so touching, it practically had me in tears.

Overall, I would highly recommend That Baby DVD and That Baby CD to anyone who is looking for some new music that they will love as much as their child does! The CD contains all of the music on the DVD, plus 3 additional tracks. To see the full playlist and hear a sampling of the music, go here.

To order a copy of That Baby DVD or That Baby CD, click here. Enter coupon code "PBN" and receive 20% off!

This review was written for The Parent Bloggers Network.