Memorial Day

Sophia enjoying her first Lemonhead.
Sophia waving at the marchers. Notice Gianna holding Sophia's arm. She kept screeching and checking to see if Sophia was watching the parade. I think she was afraid her big sister would miss something.
Gianna waving to people in the parade.


We really luck out on Memorial Day. The parade goes right by our house, so we don't have to go far to see the fun. (No loading the car, packing chairs, hoping to get a spot.)
Last year, Gianna slept through the parade -- she was only a few days old. So I was anxious to see her reaction. She loved it. She kept screeching and waving. She also kept rocking herself in her little car trying to get closer to the action. She also stood up and craned her neck to get a better look.
Sophia liked the bands and the baton twirlers. But her favorite part was the candy. She waved at everyone -- especially once she realized a wave and a smile got candy thrown her way. We walked away with a bag like on Halloween. It was crazy.
There's also a veterans' hospital in the city, so we had lot of veterans marching and being pushed in wheelchairs in the parade. We took that opportunity to tell Sophia about veterans and what they've done for us.

Gianna turns 1!

Gianna loves the baby doll Sophia got her. She gave it lots of kisses.
Gianna was all smiles, and she really wanted the egg shaker Daddy had.
Gianna's free cake from Tops. Just the right size for a lunchtime birthday party.
Gianna loved her first taste of cake.
Checking out the vultures.
On the zoo's train.
A family photo by Lilac and Genny C, the elephants.


Gianna turned 1 on May 21. It's amazing how quickly time goes by once you have kids.
George had the day off as part of the Memorial Day holiday. So, we were able to celebrate her birthday as a family.
Gianna had her first taste of cake, and she LOVED it! She ate all of it and asked for more. (And the best part -- the cake was free. Tops gives kids a free cake on their first birthday.)
After lunch, we headed to the zoo. It was hot (85 degrees) but nice. I love going to the zoo during the week because there are fewer people and you can actually see things.
Gianna liked watching the vultures, meerkats and elephants. She also liked riding the zoo train.
We had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory because we knew they'd sing to Gianna. She and Sophia loved that part. (And Sophia really liked that they brought her an ice cream sundae too.)
I love birthdays. -- a whole day dedicated to the things you like and a chance to make memories.
I know Gianna won't remember her first birthday, but her Daddy and I won't forget it.

Photos of Gianna walking

I haven't gotten around to downloading the video of her first steps, but here are a few photos.
She is adorable, if I do say so myself!

Springtime

I love springtime. After a long winter, it's finally nice enough to get outside and play. And now that Gianna is walking, it's much more enjoyable.
The girls have lots of toys to keep them busy, including the police car, firetruck (not pictured), roller skates and pink car.
Sophia loved pushing Gianna in the pink car, even though she couldn't see where she was going. And Gianna loved the ride.
Sophia is still trying to get the hang of her skates. She insists on having them on the 3 setting, which allows them to go backwards and forwards. She's a "big girl" but doesn't quite have the balance yet. Good thing she wears a helmet!

Mother's Day Part II

My mother had to work Mother's Day, so she and my grandmother came out a few days later to celebrate with me and the girls.
We had a wonderful girls' day - four generations with no boys allowed!
My grandma had taken my mother and uncles to the Lilac Festival when they were little, so we headed back there.
The weather was gorgeous -- much nicer than it had been a few days earlier. We spent four hours walking around looking at all the plants. We also visited the conservatory, which is beautiful. Sophia and Gianna loved the turtle and fish who live there.
Because I had promised Sophia, we also spent a little time in the kiddie ride area. She was allowed to pick two rides. She was great about not arguing that point. She chose the bounce house and a train. She loved them. The train went fast and her reaction was priceless!
The only disappointment was that the arts-and-crafts vendors weren't there. Apparently, they're only there on the weekends. But we know for next year.

Gianna's walking!

Gianna has started walking!
I actually caught her first steps on film, so as soon as I figure out how to get them on here I will.
We are so proud of her, but not as proud as she is of herself.

Mother's Day

Sophia and George made me chocolate-chip pancakes. They had planned to serve them to me in bed, but Gianna woke up before that could happen. It was good though, because we were able to eat breakfast together. (And Gianna got to try her first pancakes. She loved them!)
After breakfast, we bundled up and headed to the Lilac Festival. It's my favorite way to spend Mother's Day. I was so pregnant last year that I couldn't go, and I was really disappointed. So there was no way the cool temperatures were going to keep us home!
One of Sophia's favorite parts was riding on the school bus/shuttle to the festival grounds. She loved saying hello to the bus driver and choosing seats for us. Then she watched out the window and narrated everything we passed -- and asked "Is that the festival?!"
We spent the afternoon checking out the craft vendors and smelling the flowers.
We tried to get some nice photos by the lilacs, but with two kids that can be tough. :)
(When Sophia's looking at the camera, she insists on yelling "CHEESE!" And Gianna was more interested in the flowers than us. But I think the photos are great anyway. They show more of their personalities.)
When we had walked for several hours, we headed back to the bus. Gianna loved the ride back to the car. She was out of the carrier and able to flirt with a little boy on the bus with us.
Then George made me a homemade Greek dinner. Yum!
Why can't every Sunday be Mother's Day?!

The Big Top

We took the girls to see the Ringling Bros. circus.
This was Sophia's second time at the Big Top. We went about two years ago when she was around 18 months old. She liked it then, but was really fascinated this time.
She asked so many questions and was interested in the whole thing. If you ask her about it, she'll tell you about the clown that walked by our seats, the motorcycles and, the highlight of the show, the pooping elephants.
Gianna couldn't take her eyes off the action, and she loved waving to the clowns as they waved to her.
All in all, it was a good family day.

The blocks are back!

On Saturday, I decided to rotate some of the girls' toys and bring the wooden blocks up from the basement. (If you think our living room looks like a toy store now, imagine what it would be if we kept ALL of the toys out all the time.)
The girls were so excited to have the blocks.
Sophia started out making beds and potties for all her Little People, and Gianna got to work stacking. She's able to stack three blocks and is very proud of herself. She also likes to destroy anything her big sister is building -- much to the frustration of Sophia.
I end up building lots of little towers so Gianna has something she can knock over and the Little People village stays intact.

Gingersnap Juice

Gianna likes it so much that she is drinking two glasses at the same time.

Sophia samples her drink, while keeping an eye on the camera.



Sophia loves to cook in her kitchen. She makes food and drinks for all of us and all of her babies.
Yesterday, she was working away in her kitchen and asked me if I was thirsty because she had made some "delicious juice."
How could I say no?!
She poured me a glass of Gingersnap Juice. I drank it, then asked what was in it.
Here is the recipe as it was told to me:
1 egg
2 sips of milk
3 sips of water
5 sips of raisin juice
4 sips of cranberry juice
Some soda

Mix with a spoon and enjoy.