Yellow Jackets

This morning Sophie was concerned about Gabby swimming in a pool with jellyfish. Not sure where that came from... anyways, this started a conversation about things that sting. So we were listing things that sting. She said jellyfish, I said stingray. She said bumblebees, I said yellow jackets.

She thought for a moment and then gave me her serious look and said, "no mommy they have zippers."

Thank you Sophie, you made me day.

Breaking Daddy's Rules...

Gary had one rule... "don't let him eat sand".

Oops!

Ours

Tonight as we were eating dinner I was holding Jack. As he usually is, he was smiling and laughing at me. I was playfully asking him "Are you sure you are mine? Are you really mine?" And he would respond with a belly laugh.

After a few minutes of this Sophie stopped me and said "No, mommy he is ours."


Yes, Sophie you are right. He is ours. And we are so blessed.

Princess Pancakes and Prince Peach

Today on Sesame Street the letter of the day was P. So the girls and I decided to make pancakes and princess bananas for breakfast. We then decided to make peaches for Jack. He loved making a mess while the girls and I made up silly ryhmes with P words. This was their favorite.

"Panda Bear Panda Bear what do you see? I see Prince Peach looking at me."

Jack thought it was quite funny and the girls loved how he dressed the part of Prince all covered in peaches...

Meet Oz

Is this not the cutest baby quail you have ever seen? On June 20th our family took off for an adventure to Starbucks. The girls and I were lagging behind when we noticed Gary had stopped and seemed to have something to show us. We assumed it was a bug since we are bug obsessed lately- so we were very surprised when he handed us Sophie's bug collector and this little face looked up at us.

The baby chick was alone in the middle of the street and Gary watched to see if the family was nearby- he did not see the family so he decided to take action and swooped the chick up and placed it in Sophie's bug house.

The girl's were giddy and quickly started planning how we would keep our newest pet. We told them that the quail belongs in nature and that they needed to place it back in the desert. After a few good-byes Gabby found a safe place for the chick and she and Sophie tried unsuccesfully to leave the quail. Each time Gabby would leave the baby it would follow Sophie back to the sidewalk. It was adorable seeing this tiny baby follow our little Soph. So after a few attempts Gary and I decided to put her back in the bug house and take it home with us.

Of course we had to give the chick a name. Gabby named her Oz and Sophie called her Peanut. Oz Peanut Venezia came to Starbucks with us and then tagged along with us as we returned home. Once home Gabby and I googled "lost baby quail Arizona" and we found this article. We were relieved to discover that taking the baby was the correct thing to do and then we followed the advise from the site. Gabby LOVED helping me find a box and a warm towel... she was so concerned with every detail.

I called the emergency number and they told us to bring Oz Peanut to the clinic and they would take care of it. So at 9:30 on a Saturday night we loaded up the family and drove to Scottsdale (a 45 minute trek one way). Gabby was sad to say good-bye but we were so proud of her.

Who knew there was actually a place for rescued quail- apparently the woman that eventually took Oz has some 900 quails that she is rehabilitating and then placing back into the wild.

Although we had a few tears and two very tired little girls, it really was a wonderful lesson to teach our girls.

Seven Months...

First Crush

Meet Mr. Craig, Gabby and Sophie's swim instructor. Gabby is absolutely smitten by this young man. Gary and I really could not have asked for a better swim coach. He is wonderful with our girls and they truly adore him. Miss Gabby shows off whenever he is near... it really is cute to watch.

A Message for Pop Pop

Pop Pop loves to play golf and the girls will tell you if Pop Pop is not home then he is probably out on the golf course!

We found this hat to honor Pop Pop and his second once in a lifetime shot! Way to go Pop Pop.We love you to the moon and back and we are so proud of you!!

Beauty and the Beast

Grammie and I took the girls and Jack to see Beauty and the Beast on Friday. The girls loved dressing up as Belle and they really enjoyed their experience at the theater.

Not only were they able to have some special time with Belle after the show but they also saw many familiar faces among the audience! Gabby was tickled to see school friends and Anthem friends but she was overjoyed when she met her new pen pal, Miss Gracie.

Gracie and Gabby spent play dates together when they were babies but have not seen each other since Gary and I left Estrella Mountain in December of 2004. Gabby and Gracie are pen pals and the mommies were planning a reunion before the new school year, but thanks to some Disney magic, we were sitting in the same row at the show. Gabby was so excited to meet Gracie and she cannot wait to have a play date! It really was a wonderful surprise.

My Beantown Boys

Back in the day Gary had a B hat that he wore almost daily. I can still picture him walking the halls of Cal High... he made my heart flutter. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I would be taking a picture of my high school sweetheart and our son wearing matching B hats. He still makes my heart flutter and that little boy is magical.

I am one lucky girl.

Soph Soph

Sophie informed us today that she no longer wants us to call her Soph. Her name is Sophie.

I love this little girl. She grew up too fast, sometimes I forget she is alreay 3, a preschooler and no longer my baby girl. I hate how fast she is growing up but I cannot wait to see who this little angel will become.

Sometimes I feel like she is getting lost in the shuffle of being the middle child. I hate that. But she seems to love being in the middle of our silly family. She adores her big sister and her baby brother is one of her favorite things.

My favorite things about my Sophie (aka Soph Soph):

1. Her serious face (daddy and mommy see right through it)

2. Her ability to pop out of bed with a song in her heart and a smile on her face

3. Her daily cuddles

4. Her constant request for special juice (chocolate milk)

5. Her latest obsession with wardrobe changes

6. Her gentle nature

7. Her love for her sister and brother (and for Pop Pop too)

8. Her obsession with Critters

9. Her silly new dance

10. Her little hand in my own

Crowned Crane

We took the family to the Phoenix Zoo over the Memorial Day weekend and Gabby discovered a new favorite, the Crowned Crane. She loved looking at them and she continued to talk about them after we came home.

On the following Tuesday she decided to create her own. She asked if we could google Crowned Crane, she needed a picture, and then she went through the house collecting and requesting her supplies. An hour later, here is Ella, the Crowned Crane.

Ouch, he stung me!

Gabby's middle name is Grace. Gary and I love the name Grace... Gabriella Grace Venezia, a beautiful name. Unfortunately, our Gabby girl is anything BUT graceful. We have lost count how many times she has literally walked into a door or a wall. Bruises cover her little shins and knees. Thankfully, she is tough as nails. Tears will only come if she is in real pain.

This morning the tears came. She found a bee in her pool and decided she needed to collect it for her bug house. She scooped it up and received her first bee sting. The tears came from the shock that bees do indeed sting... once she saw the stinger sticking out of her hand she forgot about the pain and was more interested in how we would get it out.

Thanks to some tweezers and Boo Boo juice, the stinger came out quickly and was placed in a container for Gabby's viewing pleasure. Of course, the stinger was not enough so we had to go outside and see if we could find the bee. We did and Gabby wanted to place him in her bug house.

We came inside and did some research to see what kind of bee it was. Gabby was fascinated.

This is what she learned:

She was stung by a honey bee. Yes, bees do sting but only if they are stepped on or are roughly handled. You should take the stinger out immediately. Urinate or apply toothpaste on the area (she, thankfully chose toothpaste). She is not allergic to bees.



Unfortunately her bee did not survive in the bug house. But the bee is still with us. Gabby placed it in the container with the stinger and she carried it around all day. That's my girl!

Teeth!!

The gummy toothless smile is gone... here is my little boy showing off new additions.

It is all just stuff...

It all started after an episode of Neat. Gary and I watched Helen help a family declutter their home in order for their boys to play in their playroom. It struck a chord. So for my birthday Gary hired a professional organizer.

I fired her after one session. Okay, so I didn't really fire her. But I did not invite her back. I know I have a problem. But having someone come into your domain and "toss, keep or donate" her way through your stuff was, for me, kind of like having the flu. I was literally sick to my stomach.

So the organizer and her label maker will not be coming back, but I do have do to something about the clutter.

clut·ter
n.
1. A confused or disordered state or collection; a jumble: sorted through the clutter in the attic.
2. A confused noise; a clatter.
v. clut·tered, clut·ter·ing, clut·ters
v.tr.
1. To fill or spread over in a disorderly manner: Boxes cluttered the garage.
2. To make disorderly or hard to use by filling or covering with objects: I cluttered up my desk with old memos.
v.intr.
1. To run or move with bustle and confusion.
2. To make a clatter.


I am a packrat. I admit it. Always have been, always will be. Hopefully this is not a trait that my kiddos will inherit. I try, I really do, to get rid of the "stuff". The problem is there is a memory attached to EVERYTHING. And now that I am a mommy, I cherish memories more than ever before.

For example, I found these shoes in a box. They are not Gabby's first pair of shoes. They were not purchased for a special event. So why would I keep them? Who knows. But I did. And now I can't seem to let go of them. When I get a chance, I will dig up a picture of Gabby wearing them... but then Gary will remind me that I have a picture of her in them, so I don't need to keep them. I really do have a problem...

Here is a craft that Gabby made one afternoon with her Daddy. Gary took her on a Daddy/Daughter date to Lilliput. The store, which is now closed, was exploding with every craft supply that one could dream of. I was so excited to see what she would come home with... Oh the smile she had when she walked through the door with her creation draped over her shoulder. She was so proud. It hung outside our back door for months. I still can't tell you what it is.

But Gabby will discover it every now and then and will throw it over her shoulder and carry it around with the same smile she had the day she came home with it. How can I throw it away? Never.

This weekend I decided to tackle the third garage. Here is all the "stuff" that was holding the walls up. And after two days of blood, sweat and tears here is what Gary drove to goodwill... It really is just stuff... isn't it?!?!

Even though the truck was full to capacity, I still have all of my treasures... they will continue to fill my home and the memories will forever fill my heart...

Two girls and a boy...

(wardrobe by Gabby)

Gabby found a new mommy bird in our yard this morning!

Gabby adores her teachers. Yesterday she asked if she could write them a note. She dictated her note to Daddy and he printed it out for her. Today she sat down on her own and wrote this letter. I took a picture of it before she delivered it to them.

Another Day... Another Bug

Meet Cowliska, Gabby's newest insect. She find this friend on our stairs... Grammie and Pop Pop's bug house has been a HUGE hit around the Venezia house.

Growing up too fast.

Sophie just started showing interest in writing her name. Today Gabby was working on Mother's Day cards and Sophie decided that she wanted to write her own name. I am so proud! I just wish she could stay little forever.

Gymnastics!

The girls started gymnastics last week. Sophie is a Tumble Bug and Gabby is an Acro Tot. They absolutely love going! Here they are sporting their new outfits from Grammie.

Meet Antala

My bug obsessed daughter, Gabby has been desperately seeking a new friend to place in her bug house. She discovered this interesting insect by her sandbox today.

Why we love our desert abode...

Last week Gabby discovered this mommy bird and her nest in our backyard tree.

The next day we noticed babies.

On Friday Gary and the girls found a mommy quail and her babies feeding in our yard.

Then on Sunday Daddy found quail eggs in our yard.

We will keep you updated on the babies!

Jack Jack is 5 months!

Jack Jack is 4 Months