Fun At The Fair

We finally made it to the fair! Despite the crowds and the horrendous parking, we had to partake in the food. Fried and greasy food, that is. Actually, it wasn't that bad. The first thing that Gail ordered was grilled corn and fried zucchini. Yum! Farley was indecisive for awhile and finally went with the BBQ turkey leg. That sucker was HUGE! I was craving a gyro with tzatziki sauce and pizza. Bor-ing! I just didn't feel like getting anything fried. I don't know what was wrong with me. I should've gotten something that was out of the ordinary just to sample. There were fried avocados, twinkies, and even frog legs. There were rows and rows of fried everything! For goodness sakes, I was at the fair! But the smell of grill, smoke, and fried oil in the air made me feel full and kind of queasy. Like I inhaled all of the smells at once. Plus, there were too many choices. Too many! I was feeling a bit overwhelmed.

But Fiona had a ball. Ninang Gail spoiled her with snow cones, corn dogs, french fries, ice cream , and who knows what else. She was especially social that day. Fiona waved to almost every vendor. She was plum-tuckered out by the time we left. As it should be. She knocked out before we even got to the car.

And the last and best purchase of the day was this automatic bubble gun. Fiona will have loads of fun with that.

Summertime, and the Livin' is Easy

Fiona crawled through the window to get into this itty-bitty house

Isaiah was mesmorized by the enormous magnets
Fiona loved the xylophones

Oh, how I love Summer. Everyday is a play-it-by-ear day, things are flexible, and play dates can be planned. Everything just feels so spontaneous in the summertime.

But what I enjoy most is spending time with Fiona. I get to see her reaction to things, witness her quirky behaviors throughout the day, hear her train of thought, and listen to her vocabulary develop right before my very eyes. It's amazing how fast she's growing.

On Wednesday, Margie and I decided to take the kids out somewhere other than a nearby park or our same meeting spot at the Kids Clubhouse in Bonita . We wanted to change it up a bit. So, we ended up taking the kids to the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center. Good choice.

They had a blast. Isaiah and Fiona loved the market place and different interactive play areas. It was fun watching Fiona interact with other kids but still keeping an eye on me. I like to keep a little bit of distance so she can play independently. She's just so clingy right now. She'll play and wander off. But she'll always come right back to make sure I'm there. But she sneaked up on me and said, "I found you Mommy! There you are. I love you ." My heart just melted. That's what Summers are for...capturing moments like this.

Mad Love for Mini Cupcakes

This is definitely a "go-to" recipe by Giada. Those Mini Mascarpone Cupcakes are oh-so-yummy! I've made them so many times that I don't even have to look at the list of ingredients. I didn't have strawberries to make the glaze so instead we used chocolate (even better!). Fiona can definitely vouch for them being tasty. She ate about five of them. And kept asking, "More mommy!" Ruby, being allergic to eggs, however, took part in licking the ganauche frosting. These are addicting! Don't let the mini cupcakes fool you. Mini really means...more please!

Kindred Spirit

on my bedside

Tess loved Anne of Green Gables and so do I. We used to watch it every summer. I haven't seen it in almost 11 years. I think I'm ready to watch it.

Thanks A for sharing this note from Tess. I remember writing it
in the hospital. Her thoughts but my writing. It makes me think of
how thoughtful she was. Not just to me but everyone she cared for and loved.

...

Happy 31st Birthday Tess!

I found a box full of surprises in my old room, which is now our room, since all our stuff is mixed together. Fiona loves that room! There's so much great junk to discover or in my case, revisit. Dad always let's Fiona play with your Beanie Babies that are in mint condition. Some of them even have tag protectors. Remember that?

Anyhow, as I thumbed through the top drawer of your vanity dresser, I found this old checkbook box that you decoupaged wedding bells on. You were so ahead of your time dear sister. And on it, it read (with your own handwriting): Anne of Green Gables. I knew there would have to be something neat inside. And I was right. You were such a hardcore fanatic when it came to Anne paraphernalia. I remember you ordered these stamps from that Avonlea catalog from Canada. One day, I plan to visit P.E.I.(Prince Edward Island) before I die. One day. As for the the box of goodies, I decided to take it home with me. I promise to take good care of it and use it with a creative purpose. I miss you a lot. I miss those simple things that we used to do like watching old movies on the A&E channel.

See you in my dreams.

ps. Fiona is approaching her "terrible-terrific two's"! She's a handful. She is hilarious, that niece of yours.

pss. Mom's taking the entire day off to celebrate your day. We'll be hanging out eating mint chocolate chip ice cream and cupcakes!

psss. I really want to watch My Sister's Keeper. I know I'll be a wreck. But I do need a good cry.

Love your sissy,
Jeanette

Uplifting

Fiona's very first movie in the theater was Up. We were so proud of her. She "behaved" the entire time. We were afraid she would get antsy and want to leave. Of course, she was snuggled up on mama's lap like a kitten on a comfy couch. I kept checking in on her during the movie. At times she would just stare into the rows of seats and just people watch. Other times she was wide eyed with excitement. Fiona was so amazed at the size of the movie screen and the fact that it was dark not just dim. Maybe now, movies won't be so far and few!

Fishy Fishy

A Vintage Find

I found this 1940's Royal Portable Quiet De Luxe typewriter on Craigslist. Yeah, baby! I was just browsing as I usually do in the wee hours of the morning, and stumbled across this vintage find. The listing described it as being in mint condition, all keys working, original case intact, all manuals and tags are still with it and it was barely used. How could I pass this up? And it was pretty reasonably priced too. All the better.

Free Family Fun

Did you know that The New Children's Museum offers free admission every second Sunday of the month? Well, we took advantage of this opportunity this past weekend. The last time Fiona was here, she could barely walk, let alone stand securely without holding on to something. She and I were on a play date with Jenn and Cayden. We were pretty limited to what the babies could do. But this time around Fiona had more things to dabble in.

At the VW Bug painting station, Fiona was not that into it. She was more interested in watching the other kids paint. And once her hands got dirty, she said, "Wash hands, Dirty!" I think we need a little more practice with paint at home. She's only ever used crayons, markers, and colored pencils. Not paint. That's something new. I need to let her get messy once in awhile. We're always so germ-a-phobic about everything. And that's probably rubbing off on her. I don't know if it's a good or bad thing?


But Fiona Tess did enjoy the bubble station! She loved getting her hands wet, blowing bubbles, and popping them. She didn't want to leave.

We'll be back there next month!

Chula Vista Nature Center...A Hidden Gem

Hmm...a sea turtle souvenir. But which one?

A bunch of birdies sitting in a nest

Bebe and Fifi

A close-up view of a shark

Petting the bat rays and sting rays...oooh, so slimy!

our favorite, the green sea turtle

A trip to the Nature Center is just a hop, skip, and away from our house. Not literally, but close enough. It's inexpensive fun for the whole family. I've only been there twice. But I forget it's even there. Visitors have to wait for a shuttle to get in. Then, once you hop on the bus, the driver gives you a brief history of the area, kind of like a guided tour before you actually step into the building. The bus driver slowly, and I mean slowly, drives through this marsh or tall grassy area and starts telling stories about the animals that are there. Very, very cool to see the birds in their natural habitat. Anyhow, it's practically been open for about 20 years or so. To think that the city might be closing this hidden gem down is heartbreaking. The budget cuts are everywhere! I hope it doesn't close down. It would be a shame to let it go.

twenty marvelous months

She's full of life

Smiles

Short-tempered

Chatterbox

Hums and sing songs of nonsense

Sponge

Dances and twirls to be dizzy

Sweet tooth

Nuts about Noggin

Carb crazy

Says her please and thank you's

Takes turns

Listens to birds chirping

Curious

Cuddles with mama

She's my Sweet Girl

Happy June!

Things to look forward to...

June gloom--I know. Some may think I'm crazy but I love when it's cold and overcast. It's rare in San Diego, our city of sunshine. Just reminds me of Bay Area weather. Makes me want to snuggle up under a warm cozy blanket. Read a good book. Drink hot chocolate or Earl Grey tea. And it's perfect weather for taking pictures. It seriously it puts me in this pensive mood where I just feel nostalgic. And it triggers a melancholy nerve. I especially think of my sister this month.

June 12th--Kindergarten Barbecue! Water balloons, Publishing Party, and Grilled up grub!

June 16th-- the last day of school and then I'm on vacay until September.

June 23rd-- Tess' birthday! Cake and mint chocolate chip ice cream, our favorite.

June 30th-- Grandma Emeliana's 87th birthday. I'm sure we'll be having a little celebration with pancit for longer life! Grandma has an elephant's memory. I hope I take after her when I'm that age.

Fill in dates (ongoing)--Field trips and play dates with Fiona, creating art, scrapping, baking, exercising, reading, organizing, and cleaning.