Memorial Day Weekend

Have you noticed, Ginger has four teeth now! Three of them came overnight. That was fun! ;-)

We are enjoying a laid back weekend. Park trips, ice cream, making sandwiches together...just a lot of simple things.



Hope you are enjoying your Memorial Day weekend. It is pretty sunny and beautiful here, and we're taking advantage of every moment of sunshine!

We are very thankful to the military families who sacrifice every day for our country. I am good friends with two women whose husbands are currently deployed (Hi Jen and Kim!)...and every day I think of them and the sacrifices they make for our country. I am so grateful and thankful to all the men and women, and their families, who serve our country.

Love,
E

The Purple Dress

Paprika is still on her purple kick! She made this "dress" out of wrapping material from Mother's Day. As you can tell, it's the right color, so she ran with it. It helps that we have purple roses in our yard - not that they stand much of a chance with Paprika picking them all the time! ;-)



Yesterday we hung out around the house and in the backyard for the first part of the day. I am on a mission to grow some lush green grass in our backyard...and it's proving to be one of my most daunting tasks to date! Haha. Not really (oh, if life's most challenging task were growing green grass)...but it is hard.

So, Mr. Mustard and I were in the backyard digging and raking, and planting...and the girls were having fun in the sun with their toys.



Half-way through the day, we packed it up and went to a playdate at a little park near us (with the same people who came to the house last week). Turns out there are TWO parks named the same thing (what?!)- so we ended up at the wrong park for awhile, and I ended up calling Devon so she could check my email on her Iphone to find out if we were in the wrong place. What would I do without Devon and her trusty Iphone?! ;-)



We ended up figuring it all out, and Paprika had a few hours to play before we had to go home...since I had a girl's night out planned! Yup, that's right! Now that Mr. Mustard is home in the evenings, I am getting out. Last night was dinner in Burbank with some old friends, and it was really so good.

I almost ran out of gas on the way to dinner (on the 5 North, in rush hour traffic, on the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend), but thankfully, I lurched and sputtered all the way to the restaurant and made it there just in time! Ginger did great with Mr. Mustard at home and she was asleep by the time I got back. As I said, I could really get used to having Mr. Mustard around! Haha!

Lazy Days of Vay-K!

Tuesday night was the season finale of DWTS, meaning the end of a long, intense season for us. I was all set to meet Mr. Mustard over at the Lot for the Finale taping then skip off to the Wrap Party, but our babysitter had a scheduling conflict...so...we stayed home. It's the first wrap party I've missed in four seasons. C'est La Vie!

It's probably for the best- after Mr. Mustard logging 100 hour weeks this season, I was ready to just have him home...and I was bursting at the seams to watch the Lost Series Finale (I promised I'd wait so we could watch it together)...

Ah, the end of an era...I'm going to miss Jack, Kate, Hurley, and Sawyer. We're talking about watching the whole series from start to finish again on DVD...but I'm guessing we probably won't have time for that! ;-)

Yesterday we had a park day, and a trip to our fave little family lunch spot. Today we kicked back in our backyard...and had a quick trip to the doctor for Ginger. She has been really upset- could it have something to do with her five new teeth popping through? Perhaps! But we wanted to make sure it wasn't an ear infection. Better safe than sorry, right? Turns out, she's all in the clear. (They also weighed her and she is 20 lbs. 12 oz...woah!)

Anyway, it was a fab-oosh day, and so wonderful having Mr. Mustard around. I really could get used to seeing him this often! :-)

The Zoo!

We spent all day today at the Los Angeles Zoo with our friends Devon and her two girls: Miss Belle (who is seven days older than Paprika) and Sweet P (who is three months younger than Ginger)!

We were going to get a picture of all the kids together...but you know how that goes! Devon and I met at our grief support group, and so she's just one of those people who really gets me (and even my sometimes backwards sense of humor). As we were walking into the Zoo, a guy came up to me and started admiring my stroller and said it would be perfect for him because he has "two sets of twins. Guess I won the lottery, huh?" That's what he said.

I kinda chuckled to myself and thought, "Is it going to be THAT kind of a day?"- you know, the kind of day when you feel like you're the nail instead of the hammer...but it ended up being a great day, after all. Whenever Devon and I are together, we are able to talk about the four kids (my girls and her boys) who are missing from the group...and it's really nice. I'm really lucky to have her as a friend, I know that!



I've taken Paprika to the Zoo many times before, and it's always kinda hit or miss. I know when you go to the LA Zoo, you never really know what's going to happen! Here are some links from back in the day when we used to go...

ALL

THE

TIME

AND

A FEW

MORE TIMES, TOO!

When we got to the zoo this time, it was filled with kids on field trips. I think every child in Los Angeles was there...and there were about 6 adults watching them all. Haha!

But, soon the school groups left and we had the whole place to ourselves. We got to see lots of animals up close, and the older girls had a great time playing together. It was perfect!



They even got within an inch or so of a gorilla...they thought that was pretty cool! He just sat there and they talked with him for a long time, and even offered him gifts.



The babies were snuggling in their Ergos - it was Sweet P's second trip to the LA Zoo, but Ginger's very first outside the womb.



Overall, a great day! We even beat traffic on the way home. In LA, it doesn't get any better than that! ;-)

Nothing Gets Between A Girl & Her Ballet Shoes!

Yesterday Paprika had ballet class. It's always the highlight of her week, no question about that!

Towards the end of class, she sat down and didn't want to dance anymore. She went to the corner and said she was all done, but wouldn't say why. She said she just wanted to watch everyone.

As we were leaving, she mentioned that her toe hurt. A little alarm bell went off in my head because the previous night, she had mentioned her toe hurt and that she needed a band-aid. But, usually, she just wants to use band-aids as body stickers (and because of this we are often out of band-aids)...so since she didn't bring it up again, I figured it was no big deal.

Well, when we were leaving the studio, I looked down at her foot, and she had a big chunk of flesh missing from between her toes! It was bleeding, red, raw, and looked soooo painful. If that happened to me, I most certainly would not have danced for almost an hour, let alone been climbing, jumping, and playing- like she had been doing all day!

So, we got home and I cleaned it out and put some bacitracin on it, and bandaged it up (with some band-aids, no less!), and gave her some extra snuggles...and then she went right back to dancing. I guess nothing can get between Paprika and her ballet shoes!

I have no idea what caused her injury- but I hope it doesn't happen again, and the next time she tells me she has a boo-boo, you'd better believe I'll be paying close attention! (And, until then, I'll be sure to hide a few band-aids so they don't end up as body stickers!) ;-)

A Shower & A Vacation!

On Saturday, we went to a baby shower for my friend, Amee. It was a lot of fun- a really beautiful shower. It was okay to bring kids, so I brought Paprika and Ginger (didn't have much of a choice b/c Mr. Mustard was working)- it was up in Valencia, which is a little over an hour's drive from here.

I didn't get any pictures of the shower (although I wish I had- it was beautiful!)- because I was again focusing on the party, chatting with friends, and taking care of Ginger and Paprika. The mom-to-be looked radiant. Radiant!

Both of the girls had a good time- Paprika got tired at the end and had a little fit...but she was able to calm down after a little alone time, and did great on the drive home (I got lost so it took two hours to drive home...wow...that was NOT fun). Basically, I sat in traffic for 40 minutes, then missed my exit, had to turn around, and sit in traffic again for 40 more minutes to get back to the exit. It was up in the mountains, so the pressure really hurt Ginger's ears, and so she was crying...but I was driving and she's rear-facing and there were no exits in the mountains, so there was nothing I could do.

Needless to say, when we got home, I practically kissed the ground in front of our house. Whew!

Since then we've been doing a lot of stuff around the house. I am doing a big project in our backyard, which I'll write about later. The girls have been helping me with that. :-)

Paprika, although she has a beautiful wardrobe of clothes, does not want to wear any of them. She wants to make her OWN clothes out of toilet paper, newspaper, aluminum foil...stuff like that.



She is also really into ballet. Her favorite movie to watch at the moment is a French documentary about the Russian Ballet called "Ballerina"- it's mostly all in Russian with subtitles, except for a few parts of British voiceover where the narrator uses words like sublimate.

Every night she asks me to put it on and she dances around in her self-made costume of toilet paper and aluminum foil, complete with pantyhose tied around her waist to hold it all together!

She has also been drawing a lot- she drew all these pictures this morning and then I took photos as she drew. It was fun! (In case anyone's wondering- the first picture is of Daddy, the second is a fish, and the third is a spider...)







I am counting down the hours until the DWTS finale tomorrow night. Wow, I love that show, but I miss my husband! After tomorrow, he will be on vacation for a whole month and I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to that. It has been a long, intense season of the show, and I am ready to see who wins! :-)

I don't have a favorite, I just want to see a great show...and have a whole month off to relax together before Mr. Mustard ramps up on his next show. I have to say, with his schedule as intense as it is, I am really grateful for the moments we get to spend together! Bring on Summer Vacation!

Hostess With The Mostess!

The past few days have been really busy. On Friday, I hosted my very first big playdate/party ever. I have had other people over to our house, sure...but this was my first time when I had more than one person over at a time...and the first time I've invited people who weren't already close friends. Does that make sense?

I've always been pretty in awe of people who can throw a great party- my Aunt Laura and Uncle Kevin are my big heroes in that department. They throw the best parties EVER, and make their guests feel welcomed, and it's just always such a fun and enjoyable time at Laura and Kevin's house. They hosted my wedding reception, and Paprika's first and second birthday parties- very important and special events for us- so you know I really look up to them. I was channeling them in my party planning- I figured if I could do 1/10th the job they do, then that would be good enough!



Anyhoo, this was a party/playdate I was putting on for our local Mom's Club chapter (it's a group of stay-at-home moms in our neighborhood), and most of the people I had only met once or twice. I spent most of Thursday getting ready for it. Mr. Mustard was working (usually his day off), so that put a little more pressure on me. I took Paprika and Ginger to Target and we did a huge run and bought all kinds of refreshments and snacks for kids and adults alike, plus some fun games to play in the backyard.

I spent all Friday morning cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. Paprika and Ginger are like little tornadoes, so it's something to get the house looking really picked up. I was like, "Okay, don't breathe. It will only look this way for about five minutes." So, I walked around and took pictures. The pictures got a little fuzzy because Ginger kept grabbing the camera.



The party went off without a hitch. It was GREAT! I threw the party so that Paprika could make some friends here, and she got along so well with the other kids. We're going to get together with them again next week (at a park- whew)!

My favorite part about our house is the yard. I know it doesn't look like much, but for the area we live (right by the beach in Los Angeles), it is considered a colossal yard. Huge. Our house is very tiny (and a swift wind might knock it over), but I wanted the big yard for the kids to play in...so that was definitely our priority when we were looking for places to live. Most of the houses in our area take up the whole lot and don't have a yard at all (or just a tiny patio), so I definitely wanted the kids to play outside and just enjoy the outdoors (and you know, I had JUST cleaned our entire house top to bottom, so I really didn't want a herd of kids tearing it apart!)



Now, if you're wondering why I didn't take any pictures of the actual party it's because I was just too overwhelmed to do it. I was taking care of Ginger, Paprika, getting people drinks, food, showing people to the bathroom, making sure certain kids (who may never be asked back) didn't slam other kids' fingers in doors...stuff like that. ;-)

It's kind of crazy to think that the kids at this party will likely be ones that Paprika and Ginger grow up with...one of our big reasons moving to our new neighborhood was the great public schools, and so it's possible that some of these kids could be their classmates all the way through high school. Woah.

I know I put a lot of pressure on myself for this party, and I guess it's because I really want to have the type of home where my kids can feel comfortable bringing people over, hanging out, and just having fun. It's really important to me, so I didn't want to mess it up. I'm really glad we had the party, and kinda glad it's over, too! ;-) Hopefully this will be the first of many to come! :-)

11 Months!

On Tuesday, Ginger turned 11 months old. This past month has been filled with little and big milestones for her, and it is amazing to watch her grow right before our eyes.

She now has two teeth (the second one came in about a week ago), with many more starting to crop out. Just a few minutes ago, I saw that her two top teeth, as well as a third tooth on the bottom, are starting to poke through!

This past month has been pretty rough as far as sleeping goes. I finally decided to stop worrying about laying her down for a nap or getting her to take one, even, since it was such a struggle and was just ending in tears for us both.

I've never been one who could let my child cry...I just don't have it in me. Earlier this month, I would try to lay her down for her nap, and instantly, she would wake up and start crying. A few times (two or three?), I soothed her and then left the room, hoping she would fall asleep on her own...but that never happened. Her cries would escalate over the few minutes I was gone, and all I was hearing in her cries were, "Why did you leave me? Why won't you pick me up? Where are you? What did I do wrong to make you leave?"...so obviously, that was distressing to me, as well.

I'm not judging anyone who does let their child "cry it out," by the way. The number one thing I've learned as a parent is that everyone has their own way of doing things, and you just can never understand why a parent does this or that unless you've walked a mile in their shoes.

Anyhoo- now Ginger takes her naps in the Ergo during the day when I'm holding/nursing her. She used to fall asleep in the Ergo, and then I would lay her down- but that ended last month, as whenever I lay her down now after her falling asleep in the Ergo, she wakes right back up and is mad, crying, and generally upset.

But as long as I'm carrying her in the Ergo, she takes her little nap...and we are both happy. It is working for us at the moment. Of course, just when you figure something out with motherhood, it all changes...but it's working for now, and offers us a lot of closeness.

During the nighttime, Ginger goes to bed around midnight and sleeps for a few hours (three or sometimes four) until she wakes up and then I go in and hold her/nurse her until the morning (between 7 and 9am). Because of her position when she sleeps (on the Boppy), I sleep sitting up- which I know sounds difficult, but I have to say that after 11 months of sleeping sitting up, I actually have grown quite used to it and know that while it won't last forever, there will be days when I'll miss sleeping sitting up because it will mean she'll be growing up.

Ginger's personality is really starting to emerge, and she is very clear about what she wants and doesn't want- what she likes and what she dislikes. She loves being outside. She loves "people food" (not babyfood). She wants to do whatever Paprika is doing. She loves other babies. She loves smiling and then being shy and looking away. She claps when she's excited, and loves to wave hi and bye. She is into everything!

She can say "mama", "dada", "duck"- and probably a lot of other words that I'm not quite hearing yet. She babbles constantly and squeals with fervor. She is very happy as long as she is close to me. It's a big bonus if Paprika or Daddy are closeby.

She doesn't like being separated from me, or sitting in the carseat (because she can't see me). She does not like teething - and it has been much more painful for her than it was for Paprika, whose teeth came relatively easily. I have always thought that Paprika had a really high pain threshold because she falls and never acts hurt, and she teethed and never batted an eyelash. So, watching a child in pain from teething (while normal) is a relatively new phenomenon for me.

Ginger is almost to the point of standing unassisted. She can crawl really fast, and can cruise really fast...and will probably walk in a month or two. She can climb up the stairs, but I'm not sure if she can climb down them yet (as I haven't given her that opportunity). She puts everything in her mouth- and so I have to watch her constantly (I do anyway)- because she does not discern between food and playdoh, for example...

I can't believe that in a few weeks we'll be celebrating her first birthday. What a wild ride this past year has been. The biggest thing I've learned is that as much as I love Ginger...she also loves me. As much as I need her, she needs me. I hoped and wished and waited and wanted her for so long, and she is a dream come true for us. I love her so much, and each day that love somehow magically expands. She is a treasure and I'm so grateful for this 11 months (20 months including in utero time) with her. Love her so. Happy 11 Months, Ginger-Bear!

Painting Is My Therapy

Yesterday was one of those days that...ah...could make a person want to be committed. Seriously.

The day had so much promise. It was Mr. Mustard's one day off this week (yea!). He worked a 30ish hour shift from Monday to Tuesday, so it was a well-deserved break. We started out the day going to Home Depot to pick up a few things, and then we were planning on going up to the condo in Pasadena to put the finishing touches on our condo to do the final walk-through for our fickle buyer.

Long story short, a few weeks ago the buyer's financing fell through because of his soon-to-be ex-wife. Well, he decided he still wanted the condo, so he worked with a different bank to get financing. Everything was going great, he was approved (even with the ex-wife situation), and we were set to close in a week (after over two months in escrow).

Then, yesterday morning, our agent called to tell us that our buyer was having some new issues with his loan and he might need to re-negoitate. I was thinking about how frugal I am and how I never buy myself anything...and yet how someone can do something that ends up costing you thousands of dollars anyway...just like that.

The day was nasty and gray (these pics were taken the day before- I was not in the mood to take pics yesterday). I was trying to be in a good mood- but I am transparent. I was upset.

So, Mr. Mustard played with the kids and I tried not to talk to anybody. I told Mr. Mustard I had to do something. Something.

So, I painted our fence. Our nasty, fence that really really needs painting. The same fence I told Ann that I would NOT paint. But, nope, I painted it. I didn't take before/after pics because I just was NOT in the mood.

But I painted. I got one whole side of the fence painted, and then it started to rain. I am serious! It started to rain! (Even after I had checked weather.com and they had forecasted 0% chance of rain for the next five days).

So, then I went inside and checked my email. And I had just received another email from our agent. She said that the buyer "was too stressed out to proceed" and was walking away from the deal. Walking away after stringing us along for OVER two months.

It was about 5:00 when I got that message. I then realized that this is the final week of DWTS, and so Mr. Mustard is basically going to be gone from now until next Tuesday night working. So, if we needed to put the house back on the market, I was going to have to go up to Pasadena right then to get it ready to show since that would be my only opportunity for the next week to have Mr. Mustard watch the kids.

So, I got in the car (at 5:30pm, rush hour, no less) and went up to Pasadena. I felt like Humpty Dumpty putting everything back together again. Re-hanging the pictures. Re-staging the house. Cleaning the floors, and scrubbing the spots where the inspectors had tracked in mud and dirt. An endless list of things that had to be done. I was there working until 1am, at which point I called it a night.

So, now we're back to square one. Only kinda worse. Square negative one?

The important thing is that we have our health, we are together, and we have a roof over our heads. But as far as our condo goes, I don't know what will happen now. Welcome to Los Angeles real estate circa 2010. Fun, fun, fun!

The good news is that the next time you see a picture from this angle, the fence will look worlds better. It's pretty and painted white now...which is something. ;-)

Skinny Tuesday

(Photo: Yerba Mate plant)


Well, you know how I am addicted to Coke? I have been trying for years to release my dependency on it. I found an old day planner from 2001 and what do you know...one of my goals back then was "quit drinking Coke."

Ay yay yay!

So, here I am almost 10 years later and still fighting that battle.

I used to have a major Diet Coke addiction, but about 5 years ago I quit drinking it for good (after 5 years of struggling to stop). I was having a lot of problems with aspartame (and all artificial sweetners, in general), so I cut that out of my life, and it helped me so much. So much.

But, of course, I just eventually replaced Diet Coke with regular Coke...and now I find I am really just not normal without my Coke every day.

I was drinking Mexican Coke for awhile (it has real sugar instead of HFCS)...but that hasn't lasted because it's hard to find and it's pricey...and I just can't stand the fact that I NEED to have it.

Anyhoo- I have been trying to find a way to stop my need for so much Coke. I have been telling myself for so long that I "need" it- for energy, for sanity...so often I am by myself with the kids for days and nights on end while Mr. Mustard is working, and I really get so little sleep. It would actually probably shock some of y'all how little the people in this house sleep...

I am not complaining about that at all...I just sometimes feel like in order to operate on the deficit of sleep that I have, and be fully present for my kids during the day, I need caffeine.

So, a few weeks ago, the guy at Trader Joe's talked me into buying some Yerba Mate (pic of the plant is above), and of course, I have been resisting it. But yesterday, I was chatting on the phone with my BFF, Ann, while she was waiting in the airport, and I decided..."why not make myself a cup now?" Like right now...and drink it...right now.

So, even though I am so resistant to trying any new foods (hello, I am just like Paprika!)...I did it anyway.

It tasted disgusting.

But then I put it in a glass with ice, and it was actually pretty good.

I know that part of my addiction to Coke is how cold it is when it comes out of the fridge. I love that icy cold feeling...how it chills your whole mouth when you drink it. (I know water would have the same effect, but it's not caffeinated)!

So, yesterday I tried Yerba Mate...finally...and I think I might be making a break-through in my Coke addiction.

I realize that it's just jumping from one caffeinated beverage to the next...but at least Yerba Mate boasts some pretty great antioxidants, and is not chock-full of HFCS...not to mention the approximately 500 calories/day I will be saving by not drinking Coke.

So, we'll see if I can stick to it. Yesterday I had one Coke (instead of my usual 3.5)...so, an improvement. The last time I tried to quit Coke, it was a disaster and I ended up pulling into a gas station while Paprika and Ginger were both crying in the backseat of the car (Ginger was tired, and Ginger crying makes Paprika cry...and both of them crying at the same time makes me stressed). Anyway, that day I ended up buying NINE liters of Coke at the gas station because I was feeling crazy and decided I could NEVER be without Coke again. Never ever. But all that's behind me now...hopefully!

So, I made it through yesterday with just one Coke and today I'm hoping to do the same. Then maybe I can cut down to 1/2 Coke/day...and then to none at all...

Assuming I don't replace my Cokes with any other calories, that would work out to 500 calories/day, or 3500 calories/week...which means I would be losing 1 pound/week...or 52 pounds/year just by not drinking Coke. So, this is exciting...not that I need to lose 52 pounds, but it would be nice to be FREE from having to drink Coke all day long for energy.

Because, really, at the end of the day, that's what my Skinny Tuesday mission is all about. Feeling healthy, good, vibrant, energetic, and at my best physically!

Yummy Yummy Food!

Tomorrow Ginger turns 11 months old. Where has this year gone? It really has flown by so very quickly. I find myself wanting to savor every second, every milestone...every breath...every bite!



From the very start, Ginger has been so different from Paprika. Even though they look so much alike, they are different in so many ways- and they are similar in other ways, too. It's been so fun watching Ginger grow and show me her personality this past year. She is such a joy and brings so much light and happiness to our home. Truly, she is a gift!



Ginger loves to eat food now. LOVES it. She will eat pretty much anything I put in front of her, and even some things I don't put in front of her! Haha. She's still nursing a lot, but she definitely loves to try new tastes.

Paprika, on the other hand, never has cared for food. She got by on nursing until she was almost two, and after that, she switched to chocolate milk. She would NOT drink plain milk and I was done with nursing after we lost Vivian and Annemarie (my stay in the hospital ended my nursing relationship with Paprika)...so we tried chocolate milk and it worked. It's organic milk with organic dark chocolate, in case anyone's interested! ;-)

It's been so hard to get Paprika to try any new food...really hard. One time I tried to bribe her by telling her that I'd take her to meet everyone at DWTS if she'd eat a turkey sandwich (she's never had one). She said "No" - even though it's her favorite show! (Okay, it's the only tv show she gets to watch- but she still loves it!)

I've been really careful not to turn food into a power struggle, and I love that Paprika knows when she's full and eats only when she's hungry. So, I haven't wanted to mess with her eating too much.

But it's just funny. I never got to feed Paprika baby food because she would not eat it. Period. But Ginger's like..."Okay, let's have some baby food. Let's have some hummus. Let's have a cold piece of bread. Let's have...you name it!"



I see so much of myself in Paprika's food choices. I would not eat ice cream until I was 13 years old...hated it (even though I'd never tried it). I didn't eat mayonnaise or mustard or ketchup or pickles for the longest time. Just stuff like that. So, I get her.

But sometimes she just cracks me up. Earlier today I got her to eat some mini blueberry muffins from TJ's. But she will ONLY eat the tops of the muffins. I asked her why and she said, "I don't know. I just like the tops."

So, that's why we have a tray of muffin bottoms sitting in our pantry at the moment! Of course, if I showed them to Ginger, they'd be gone! Haha! But I wouldn't do that to Ginger - she can have her very own muffins with tops! :-)

This And That!

We've been super busy these past few days! On Thursday, Mr. Mustard had another day off work (two days off in a row!), so we just spent time together and enjoyed eachother's company.

On Thursday for lunch, we went to our favorite hamburger restaurant. It's kind of our "weekend" ritual (since Mr. Mustard usually has Wed/Thursday off from DWTS, that is our "weekend"). Paprika especially loves their chocolate shakes, and Ginger just likes to people watch!



We spent a few hours at the park...



and had fun with Play-Doh when we got home!



On Friday, I did a bunch of stuff around the house (the girls "helped" me), and then we went to a big party put on by our local Mom's Club. It was at My Gym, and was a ton of fun. Paprika had the best time on this "airplane" zip line. She's still talking about it! (That's not me pushing Paprika in the airplane- it's the girl who works at My Gym!)



Saturday we played in the backyard pretty much all day. Our swingset is really feeling a lot of love from both girls. I got out our musical instrument box and we played that for a long time. I bet the neighbors were loving that! Haha!

Ginger was in a grumpy mood yesterday- her teeth are hurting her soooo badly! I knew I had to find a way to make her feel better...or at least distract her from her pain.



When all the remedies in the old bag of tricks weren't working, I rigged up something that I knew would work. She has been walking along the bottom of our digital keyboard trying to play it for the past week. I went out to the garage and dug out Paprika's old high chair, and rigged that up for Ginger in front of the piano.



She had the BEST time with it and banged away for over an hour. She loves music so much! Paprika even played some duets with her! ;-)

Today we spent at the park. I had been installing some new seats on our double stroller, and when Paprika saw what I had done, she just had to take a ride. So, I loaded them up and we jogged up to the park.

Paprika had been covered with a blanket the whole trip, and when she jumped out of the stroller when we got to the park, I realized she was only wearing her underwear and princess shoes. Somehow she had slipped off her clothes while I was getting Ginger ready to go!

So, there we were at the park and she only had her underwear on and some plastic princess shoes. But, no one else was at the park (it's a semi-private neighborhood park and we happened to be the only ones there)...so I just let her play and enjoy herself. They both had a great time on the swings, and you know, que sera sera!