weekend pics

these pictures are from this great new park we discovered. it was so awesome that we went back the very next day with our bikes. the weather was absolutely perfect this past weekend. in the 60's gorgeous and sunny. of course beautiful weather like that doesn't last long these days. the temps dropped drastically and we were thrown right back into our miserably cold winter. i can't say that i am looking forward to the heat of the summer, but i sure can't wait for spring!

natalie asked me to take pics of her on top of the "rock" that she climbed because she felt like Princess Ariel (disney mermaid)

i swear this boy is going to be a future chef. every time i'm in the kitchen, he's right there beside me--or behind me, with his stool, insisting and ready to help. as frustrating as that can be for someone like myself, a self-proclaimed Miss Independent in the kitchen, i do my best to show him patience. not only is it great bonding time for us, i also find that i enjoy explaining things to him about what we're doing -- it makes me feel like i'm on a cook show :)

so currently we (with the exception of little russell) are fighting off nasty colds. it must be the radical and numerous weather changes here in jacksonville because so many people i know are sick as well, including my poor friend heather who has can't seem to shake off a month long cold. it's hard getting rid of germs when you have kids who bring them home and then you end up passing them back and forth, etc. etc... SO ANNOYING.

i really need to get back into the habit of updating this blog more often. there has been a lot going on that is almost too involved so i didn't feel like mentioning in on here but i do miss making my updates. and i hope you have missed them too :)

well, i'm off to watch some olympics and then to try and get some rest -- this cold is really doing a number on me.

love to all!

valentine's day...

-- after enjoying our romantic homemade chinese rice/beef broccoli valentine's dinner, we devoured this red velvet cake with cream cheese icing valentine's desert

...here's hoping your valentine's day was just as simple and sweet as ours :)

tooth #2

random photos

saturday was a rainy day. instead of staying couped up at the house, we took a trip to the mall. both natalie and daddy needed haircuts so we got that out of the way...

before:

after:
(3 inches cut off, making it SO much easier to brush now!)

she was happy to get her hair cut, by the way

sunday was a cold day. after church that morning, we wanted to take the kids to the park but thought it might be too cold to enjoy it. instead we decided to start a fire and make some hot chocolate. the kids love drinking a cup of hot chocolate and they sit in the black chair right next to the fireplace to really enjoy the moment.

watching the fire:

russell using his new yankees towel tonight:

(thanks grandma & grandpa!)

and here he is wanting to take it off LOL

HAPPY MONDAY EVERYONE!

friday, january 29th

also known as, my better half's birthday :)

that day natalie's class was bringing their Letter "P" week to a close by celebrating with a Pajama Party and making Pancakes. she was beyond excited and was looking forward to this day all week. here are some pics i took before i dropped her off at school...

while natalie was in school, i met up with russ at church downtown and then we grabbed lunch at one of our favorite sandwich shops. little russell was excited to see his daddy for lunch and enjoyed having his mommy and daddy all to himself.

waiting for lunch:

that night my family came over for some cake and to celebrate russ's birthday.

russell attacking titi celena:

singing happy birthday:

the birthday boy--err--old man

little russell is an expert at fixing his daddy's cup of coffee: natalie enjoying her cake:

the greatest show on earth!

...Is none other than the Ringling Brother's Barnum and Bailey Circus!

As a birthday gift to both of the kids, we took them to see the circus for the very first time last weekend.

During the "pre-show" they got to watch various circus acts and even participate in one! Our favorite part of the show -- which was entirely enjoyable -- was when the seven motorcycles zoomed around in this tiny steel cage. it was incredible and adrenaline pumping. the motorcycle performers consisted of an entire family -- there was even a girl in there. most of the acts were family-based that way and it was really neat to see.

meeting one of the clowns. i love russell's face here:

natalie trying on some circus clothes:

i *SO* should have pursued my hula hoop talents...

classic circus elephant moment:

little russell really enjoyed the trampoline jumpers!

as the circus date was approaching, russ reminded me of how his grandfather used to be a circus performer himself. when he was 16 years old he joined the largest circus in Poland. he was a trapeze artist and was the one who [triple] somersaulted from one trapeze into the arms of another team member on the trapeze. he also did an acrobatic act involving a chair placed on 4 stacked tables and he would back flip off the top, and was a skilled juggler as well.


that night after the circus russ and i pulled out his mom's old photo album and went through it to see the pictures. there is so much history in the old black and white photos, most of them dating from the 1930's to 1940's, some even from the 1920's. they even saved a clipped newspaper article about how his father performed for Hitler (before the war). Russell's grandfather stated "the next time he sees Hitler, the fuehrer himself will be swinging from a rope, but not by his hands." at that time, he was serving in the United States Army. sounds like he was an incredible man and i only wish i could hear some of the things he witnessed in his lifetime.

Russell turns 4!

***

last friday, january 22, russell turned 4.

it's so hard to believe that my "BABY" is already 4. i was watching some old videos of the kids last night and some of them felt like they happened just yesterday. it's crazy how quickly time passes by. i think you realize it more when you have kids and every year they keep growing -- older, bigger, smarter, etc.

little russell has always been my cuddle bug. he knows when i need comfort, and does not like to see me sad. as sweet as he can be sometimes, he is also a force to be reckoned with. he is definitely the stubborn kid of the two. wants things done his way and isn't afraid to tell you. putting up a fight until the both of us are emotionally exhausted, but i hold my ground and he spends his fair share of the week in time out...yet his apologies always melt my heart.

full of life, full of energy (i wish i had HALF the amount that he has!) and full of HEART. he definitely has mine, that's for sure :)

***

we went to the march for life in downtown jax on friday. daddy met up with us there and we had a quick lunch before heading home to pick up natalie. that night we went to eat dinner at buca di beppo, where grandpa and grandpa tagged along :) here are some pics from that night:

happy about his mini batman cake

blowing out buca's birthday candles with grandma's help:

enjoying his cake:

***

on saturday, we celebrated russell's birthday with the family. here are the pics from that day:

wearing his new batman/lego t-shirt:

with cousin Cheryl:

russell with his "woody" cake:

***

here's a video of everyone singing to him at the restaurant: