blossom

Our Little Artist

Audrey's 2nd Birthday!

Audrey is 2!  Saturday we celebrated her birthday with friends at Gymboree.

Most of the kids were two as well.  Here's Audrey with her friends, Anna, Isaac, Caroline, and Ruby.
We sort of got all the kids together here, Laia, Aamirah and Kamron joined us, but then I couldn't get Caroline and Ruby in the picture!
Enjoying a little cake!  Sadly I didn't take pictures, but we also made mini pizza's with faces on them, dinosaur nuggets, chicken croquettes and fruit screwers.  
Audrey REALLY enjoyed her cupcakes...Mom, Dad and Grandma made "Very Berry" cupcakes and shaped them into a fish.  Thanks Angie for the recipe!
Blowing out the candles with the help of Daddy.

Audrey mesmerized by the bubbles!




Below: Anna smiling for the camera!
Aamirah and her dad...
Audrey and Grandma Marie!
Making a little music...


Anna and her dad Eric...

Thanks to all who made Audrey's birthday a success.  I really feel blessed to have such a wonderful family and great friends.  Enrico and I always say to each other, we can't believe how great parenthood has been.  There are challenges, but even the challenges are rewarding.  We're striving to raise a responsible, capable and loving human being...and I feel good that over the last two years we've been able to learn and grow along with Audrey.  She's now talking and exploring the world around her...and through her we are gaining a new appreciation for the beauty of the world.  

Celebrating the big 2 with Aamirah

This past weekend Audrey attended our friend's daughter's birthday party.  Her name is Aamirah and she turned 2!

Aamirah's parents really laid it out for the kids...

Below, Audrey with the birthday girl Aamirah

They got to build bears...

Eat sweets...
And hang out...
I can't believe Audrey will be turning 2 Feb. 7th!  How time flies.

Lights, Camera, Action!

Don't worry, I'm not becoming a stage mom (although I think I have the propensity to be one)...we were contacted by a woman who needed baby models for her new cookbook.

Audrey really loves hamming it up for the camera, and she takes direction really well, but I was really surprised at how well she did.

At one point she didn't like what was being fed to her, but she kept right along with the shoot, grabbing a big spoonful, opening her mouth, and putting the spoon to her mouth.  She didn't take a bite though, she just looked at the camera like, "Ok, are you getting this, this is what you want right?"  

(I don't know why that above line is bold and underlined...sorry!)  
She even wanted to help clean up.  The book is scheduled to be released in May.  It's called "Alina Cucina: World Cuisine for Babies."  It focuses on tasty recipes from around the world.  The website is alinacucina.com

Ringing in the New Year...Parenthood Style!

Dylan, Anna, and Audrey 
Audrey, looking like she had too much to drink.  

None of the girls were interested in this horse until Anna decided to jump on it.  
Rico lingering around the table, thinking, "Yummy, yummy sushi!"  

We've been parents for almost two years now -- but this New Year's Eve, it really hit me; we have REALLY embraced parenthood.   We were at a New Year's Eve party at a friends house, and there about 4 of us there with children -- all of them the same age.   Throughout the night we all laughed, snapped photos and engaged each other and the kids with full gusto.   But at some point during the night, I realized all the single people without kids were off in another room laughing and drinking it up.  I thought, "That used to be me.  What happened?"  Is there a way to merge the two?  I can never go back to my single party days, nor do I want to -- but I also don't want to become THAT person who can't have a 2 minute conversation without mentioning her kid.   Maybe there is a happy medium?  Anyway, here are the photos from that night.  As you can see the girls had a blast, and we had fun snapping their pictures.