Grandma and Grandpa Fiorelli Come to Town

While Mommy and the girls went to Philadelphia during Daddy's birthday weekend, Daddy drove to Binghamton (well, Endwell) with Reilly to pick up his grandparents and bring them back to our house for a week so Grandma could see a couple of doctors at Dana-Farber. The girls weren't quite sure about having other people staying in our house all week and were definitely off their game but they sure did have fun acting like characters and showing off.

First we had to make as much of a mess as possible eating Carvel cake - and Dunkaroos...

Then we had to play with bowls and colanders while Mommy was cooking...

And of course no week would be complete without funny faces and some creativity...

The girls are also perfecting their speaking skills. Belle is stringing saying and sentences together and learning about the English language. It's funny viewing our mannerisms through little ones. Case in point from the other day. "Mommy, Raoul's name is "Raoul D." Mommy asks what the "D" stands for. "Nothing, Mommy. Raoul doesn't have legs or feet." Touche, my friend!

Claire, for her part, has discovered "eyes," which she says all day as she tries to poke everyone. It's very cute though...

SteveSongs and Maple Glen

This week, we witnessed the girls' personalities starting to come out in full force. Claire likes to hold court at the table and Belle likes to make funny faces and try on hats - but don't ask her to wear them outside!

The highlights of the week included a trip to the Cape for Mommy, the girls and Elyse to see SteveSongs at the Cape Cod Playhouse. We weren't sure what traffic would be like (figured there was none on Thursday!) so we were an hour early for the show. We walked around the beautiful grounds, admiring the flowers, fence posts, etc. and then it was time for the show.

Annabelle sat in her own seat most of the time, smiling and dancing in her seat. Claire, on the other hand, did not have a good time so we all left after 45 minutes. It was a bummer but overall a good experience since it was their first time at a concert. Mommy will plan to take Belle to see SteveSongs again in November when he's in the area, just the two of us!

On Friday, the girls and Mommy took our second long car ride in as many weeks, this time to Maple Glen, PA to see Gaga, Grandma Janice, Ben, Cathy and lots of Mommy's friends. It was a pretty good drive but we were happy to arrive. Belle was a little frightened by Wally, the 1 year old puppy mix and by the cat (she told me on the way down, "Mommy, I really don't like cats" but both girls had a lot of fun. It was hard to believe that we hadn't been down to visit since Belle was five months old and that this was Claire's first time in Pennsylvania.

On Saturday, we had brunch with the Freedmans, with Belle having fun in the playroom with Claire. Both loved playing in the sandbox and Claire was a big fan of the swings. While Mommy was at her friend, Christine's, bridal shower, Claire napped and Belle played. Then, it was time to meet Kim, Payal and Stef (plus Stef's son, Daniel) for gelato. It was delicious! Belle loved the cafe so much that she took her shoes off and ran around like she owned the place!

While at Gaga and Grandma's, we had a lot of fun playing with some of Mommy's old toys, including a car that Gaga had made for Mommy when she was little. Gaga offered to repaint it and clean it up so Belle requested purple, of course!

Belle, at least, is also starting to get into Mommy's 1/2 marathon training, saying, "Mommy, you go run now?" everytime I pull out my sneakers. She's great motivation!!!

Sina Family Picnic 2010

The Griffith Girls had another busy week. After Mommy's first trip to Slater Park in Pawtucket, RI, where the girls showed me all their favorite animals and toys from their visits with Elyse, we were off to Sodus Point, NY on Friday, our first long car-ride (Daddy stayed home since his "wound" made it too uncomfortable to sit for long periods of time). It was a long drive but pretty uneventful, despite three rest area stops and three unscheduled stops on the side of the road - Claire's not the best traveler for long rides.

After arriving home from the Outlets (our last stop, where we met the family), we enjoyed a fun dinner at Gram's and afterwards played with the fire hats from the Sodus Point Fire Department celebration. The girls also decided they'd rather use their Dora tray table from Gram as a see-saw :-)

We had a great time on Saturday, taking our first trip to the beach (Belle loved the sand but thought the water was "too fast" while Claire hated the beach part but loved the swings!). We then had a surprise party for Gaga in honor of his 60th birthday (January 6). Belle became buddies with Grandma Janice and with Cathy, Uncle Ben's girlfriend.

Saturday also saw Uncle Jeremy teach Belle how to hold the bubble wand correctly so she could really make the most of the solution - she was so proud!

On Sunday, we made a last-minute decision to head home after the family picnic as Claire hadn't been feeling well (it appears her virus has resulted in a temporary lactose-intolerance issue, plus she's teething). It didn't stop us from having a great time, though. Between snacking on chocolate treats to chasing and carrying playground balls, it was so wonderful to see family and spend time together.

We sure missed Reilly though, Belle's buddy she loves to read to and hug.

Annabelle clearly had a hard time adjusting to being back home, though, taking her frustrations out on Mommy and Claire, who got the brunt of it with a markered forehead. Poor Claire was so exhausted by it all that she fell asleep on the couch at 4:15 yesterday afternoon - so sweet, though!

Wish us luck on Trip #2 to Maple Glen on Friday (Daddy's heading with Reilly to Binghamton to get Grandma and Grandpa Fiorelli who will be staying with us for a week while Grandma is evaluated at Dana-Farber).

Hooray for Water!!!

What a crazy - and big - week for the Griffith Girls! Here's a recap:

Tuesday - Belle's assessment with Early Intervention. She qualifies for occupational therapy for receptive language and will begin weekly sessions until she turns 3. We're hopeful this will help her overcome the sensory issues and challenges she's been facing.

Wednesday - to the doctor to make sure Belle doesn't have diabetes because she can't stop peeing through her diapers. She was so brave and did a great job - she's fine, by the way. She didn't like the "tape paper pee pee" but was a trooper, with both girls enjoying stickers and lollipops while we waited for the nurses. As a reward for being so good, Mommy and the girls went to Ward's Berry Farm to see the animals and to have a berry smoothie. Of course Claire figured out how to use a straw for the first time - had to find a way to drink ice cream. Claire also pooped on the potty for the first time and then clapped her hands!

Friday - Trip to Southwick Zoo to see the giraffes before meeting Christine for lunch at Uno's - what fun!

When we got home, neither girl wanted to nap so we played outside and to my surprise, Belle stepped into the pool, something she has been terrified of all summer. After going in with her clothes, she and Claire switched to bathing suits and then moved onto the slide, another first for Belle! Boy was I the proudest mommy around!!!

Saturday - Claire has a stomach bug but a call to the doctor only results in a recommendation of Culturelle in her drink and a wait-and-see-approach for the week! More pool time! :-)

Sunday - Belle decided she'd like to try to use the potty so she could wear her Disney Princess underwear. She went TWO times!!! We were so proud but are now working to assure her it's okay if she doesn't have to go. Her new concern, "Mommy no pee come out!" and then she wants to be put back into her diaper. It's a learning process but we're making great strides. The girls also got to see cows with Elyse coming over while Mommy took Daddy to the ER to have a cyst taken care of - poor guy!

I couldn't have been more proud of the girls this week - what troopers...Patrick too!

Last night the girls decided that after tubbies it was time to try on their raincoats from Bubbe - what a fashion trend!

And here's a picture of Belle's artwork on our garage wall - she says it's "Mommy, Belle and Claire." How could I be mad at chalk on the wall after that?