My beach burrito

Yesterday, we went to the beach with Aunt Lala and her kids, and her sister in law Andrea, and her kids. Leeza was in HEAVEN. She LOVES Aunt Lala and her family...and they were her family when Mommy took of for Kazakhstan to build the playground. She was playing in the water with Mary and Madeline and then came up to me and said "I wanna be a burrito Mommy!" Every night after her bath, I wrap her up in her towel and we call it her a "Leeza burrito". It was the sweetest thing. I LOVE how my lil girl LOVES the beach SO MUCH. It's just such cheap entertainment, and it WEARS HER OUT!! I still can't get to her to wear sunglasses, except for MAYBE 2 minutes. However, she will now keep her hat on. I worry about her blond lil scalp and her beautiful lil face. Yesterday, she came up to me cuz the wind kept blowing it off and asked me "Mommy, can i please take my hat off?" I about FELL OUT. You are actually ASKING me instead of throwing it off? Who are you and what have you done to my daughter? :) I said, oh, no, honey, this is prime sun time and you need to keep it on, see, Mommy has hers on. "Ok, she says" and off she goes to play some more.





On Wednesday of this week, our regular Kindermusik class is over for the summer, so I gave her a choice of open gym (she LOVES gymnastics) OR the beach. She chose the beach. We had so much fun. She befriended a lil boy who was visiting from Maryland. He was 4. She walked up to him and asked him "Will you play with me?" MELT MY HEART! Then, that night, Joe and Sean went to go see the Rays/Red Sox game so I asked Leeza what SHE wanted to do. Her choice...BEACH! So, we went back for the sunset. :) We are REALLY blessed that the beach is only a mile away from our house.







I have a feeling we'll be at the beach a lot this summer. I am feeling less guilty about the ten suits that I couldn't resist buying Ms. Leeza, and better about my decision to join weight watchers so I don't continue to frighten any other beach goers with my "winter weight body". :)

Although, not a beach picture, here is a cute picture or two of my pigtailed princess dressed for preschool. We only have TODAY and NEXT week and SCHOOL IS OUT FOR THE SUMMER! Sean's last day was yesterday. Then, we have a couple week break and she starts SUMMER CAMP, at her same preschool from 9-12 EVERYDAY for four weeks! This will be new for both of us, but she is SO social I just know this is the right thing for her. Plus, it will give mommy some time to spend with Seanie, if he wants to. :)

Disney on Ice!!

Oh, I love Disney on Ice shows. I took Sean to a couple when he was little. He didn't want to come with us, though!! Oh well, the tickets aren't cheap, so we just had a fun "girls time" at the show. I even got half price tickets, thanks a friend who gave me the info on facebook. :) I LOVE FACEBOOK!!

Leeza got all 'dolled up' in one of her 6 Minnie outfits. :) Yeah, so I'm excessive..shoot me. :) She looked ADORABLE!! She LOVED the show. Her favorite was when the Toy Story gang came out. When we got home, she was running around the house yelling 'YEE HAW"!!! She also got a kick out of seeing the witch from Snow White, during a Halloween scene, and seeing Snow White during the princess scene.





I popped our own popcorn and put it in a baggy, and took some granola bars and a sippy cup for her, so we were not spending $$ on $15 popcorn and Disney CRAP. I was so proud of myself that I wasn't even tempted. :)

We had a really good time. Today, at Target, she has been wanting a kite. I let her pick it out...the choices were Elmo, Buzz Lightyear, Mickey Mouse, and Spiderman. Guess who she chose??? MICKEY MOUSE WON!! Poor Elmo. :(

Leeza's first Broadway debut..MARY POPPINS!

I have a new favorite to add to my list of broadway shoes that I LOVE..MARY POPPINS! wow! It was right up there with Wicked and Mama Mia! The special effects were incredible...the bank scene was 3d, and Mary Poppins flew out with her umbrella and spread stars all over the audience. In the chimney sweeper song, this chimney sweeper climbed up the wall, and onto the ceiling, and back down the wall. The singing was fantastic...I was enthralled, and FORTUNATELY, SO WAS LEEZA! :)

We even dressed alike...in white dresses, but as you can see from the photo, Leeza was in no mood for photo's.


However, her behavior DURING the pretty long show was ideal. She really did enjoy it, and sat in my lap for 95% of the show. Her father thought I was ridiculous for taking a 2 1/2 year old to a Broadway show. ACTUALLY, I wouldn't have probably thought about even doing it, but THANKS TO FACEBOOK, one of my friends had tickets to sell as her sister couldn't go at the last minute with her daughter due to a soccer tournament. So...she sold me her tickets for HALF PRICE. I just couldn't pass it up. Stephanie was there with her mother, and her sister, and their daughters, and Leeza LOVED them. We sat right in front of them during the actual show, but she had fun with them during intermission and before the show started. I LOVE how Leeza's personality is emerging. She is such a lil extrovert. :)






I got the Mary Poppins DVD for her before the show, and she wanted to watch it this morning. They were singing "Chim Chimney, Chim Chimney, Chim chim cheeree" and Leeza was so EXCITED.."mommy, they sang this at the show!!!" :)

I'm SO glad I took her and didn't listen to my husband's "nay saying". He just underestimates his daughter. He also thought 2 was WAY TOO YOUNG to take her to Disney, but she LOVED it. She loves all the scary rides (Pirates of the Carribean AND the Haunted Mansion, plus Snow White), adores the big characters, and isn't bothered by loud fireworks. She's my fearless Leeza. :)

In fact, we had SO MUCH FUN at Mary Poppins, we're going to see Disney on Ice today. :) Once again, thanks to facebook, I found out about a website that offers half price discount tickets. :) GOTTA LOVE IT!! And, for the record, I used to take SEan to see every Disney on Ice show and kid stuff like this when he was little too. I think I love it as much or more than the kids do. I have invited SEan to come with us, but he declines every time. Hummph, 12 year old thinks he's too cool. However, he does have fun with his sister anyway. Here they are having fun at Nana's house with her scooter and wheelchair. :)

Sisters, Sisters, there were never such devoted sisters!!!

The "Sisters" song from the old movie White Christmas is one of my favorites. :)
I know I often talk about Leeza's awesome relationship with Sean, but I need to make sure I also share that Leeza is a lucky lil girl, she's got 2 much older siblings that she adores too, and they CLEARLY adore her. :)



Jillian came over mid week last week and told Leeza that she'd come back and they could go to the park and have ice cream. Everyday, Leeza asked me "Is Gigi coming today to take me to the park and for ice cream?" It was so adorable. And, on the VERY RARE moments when Leeza was being uncooperative (ha ha, rare indeed), I would say,oh, you're making me sad, I will have to go GIGI and tell her you're not being nice. She would immediately straighten right up. :) Leeza LOVES her sister.

Jillian and I have had our share of a rocky relationship past, having met her at a difficult age (12), but after almost 16 years (wow, really?) we have weathered the storm and come out on the other side. :) I was 28 when I started dating her dad. Figuring out the stepmom role is a tricky one to navigate. I made some mistakes, lots of mistakes. She is a beautiful girl, both inside and out, with an uncanny sense of humor and strong devotion to her family. She was an amazing addition to our team in Kazakhstan and it warmed my heart to watch her NOT ONLY adjust incredibly well, but fall in love with the people just like we did.

She has always had an awesome relationship with Sean, and I am so happy to see the same kind of warmth developing between her and Leeza. It's awesome as a parent to have a much older sibling to talk to when it's just not cool to talk to a parent. What's really funny is when Jillian gets on Sean for talking back, or his grades, or his messy rooom, when she was a virtual nightmare on all that stuff when I met her. Ahhh how maturity changes things, and HOW AWESOME as a parent to get to witness.

Pigtail CUTENESS!!

The day I've been waiting for has arrived...I can get Ms. Leeza's hair in pigtails! I, of course, find her absolutely irrestible, but Sean thinks she looks "stupid".

We picked him up from school today and he said 'oh, I DON'T LIKE THOSE PIG TAILS!' HOW RUDE IS HE. Well, I don't care Seany, we think she looks ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE.

I took 37 photo's and posted them on facebook. Yeah, I am SO that annoying mother that everyone 'hides' but I DON'T REALLY CARE. I love my girl and her piggy tail hair!!







HOW CAN SEAN SAY SHE IS NOT CUTE??? I mean, yeah, as her mother, I know I am very bias and am obsessed with my Leeza Grace and her hair. BUT TO SAY THAT HE DOESN'T LIKE HER PIGTAILS? Blame it on those tween hormones and dumb.ole.boys. :)