What Happened to Last Week?

As I sat down to write this week's blog entry, I quickly realized I have no idea what happened last week. I only took a few pictures and have no fun stories to tell, despite Belle being home all week because of School Vacation Week being celebrated at Preschool. Maybe that's because both girls had colds and allergies all week or perhaps it's because sibling rivalry has hit 100 percent full-blown so Mommy spent all of her free time trying to get Belle not to beat up on her sister - though at least Claire is starting to hit back.

Both girls are teaching Mommy about patience and about watching what she says. Belle's new word for the week was "Knucklehead," as she pointed to Claire. Claire, for her part, is growing her vocabulary at a rapid pace, adding "trash" (said in a whisper), "clock," "chair" and "sis," "sister" and "sista" for Belle. She calls for her favorite guys too - "Daddy" and "Eilly".

Winslow Farm and a Visit from Uncle Jeremy!

This week the Griffith Girls took a trip to Winslow Farm in Norton, an animal sanctuary where most of the wildlife roam free; in fact, a donkey walked right up to Claire in the stroller. We didn't see any cows but we did find sheep, goats, horses, peacock, geese and a pot-belly pig!

On Friday, Gaga came to visit after a trip to the new house in Connecticut. We enjoyed our short visit and were glad that he was able to surprise Uncle Jeremy who flew in that same evening. The girls loved having two of their favorite men in the house and can't wait for a repeat visit. Belle and Uncle Jeremy became best buds - she loved having him read to her and "chat" with Raoul D and Georgie :-)

Claire, for her part, got a new nickname from Uncle Jeremy and Daddy - "Wild Mike" from the movie, Barnyard since her hair is so wild and crazy. Way better than "Super Tanker" so we'll take it. Of course, Mommy's still partial to Clairey, CC Bear, Bear and CC-Licious :-)

The Great Outdoors!

After a week of rain, the Griffith Girls were so happy to be able to go outside to play. Whether in regular clothes or jammies, nothing can stop these gals from exploring the great outdoors.

Belle loves watching and listening to water these days so Mommy and Claire (and Reilly) picked her up from school in the stroller on Monday and walked down to the end of Cross Street to watch the road repairs and witness the water levels for ourselves.

While Belle was at school, Claire had fun exploring her slide and play gym from Bubbe - of course it's more fun to go up the slide than down. She was quite taken with the grass, too, and with making funny faces in the sun.

We also went to Lauren's 2nd birthday party, playing indoors and outside, and enjoying pizza and cupcakes. Since we had to leave early so Mommy could make it to an appointment, we took the cupcakes home and enjoyed them at the kitchen table. Boy was that fun! Belle hate the whole cupcake, for once, so clearly yellow cupcakes and chocolate frosting are her favorite - same as Mommy. Claire, for her part, went crazy with the cupcake. While she didn't want anything to do with cake at her first birthday party, she devoured Lauren's treat and enjoyed making a huge mess.

We had a busy day on Saturday. After meeting Paul, Jess, Tyler and Zach for lunch in Wrentham, Mommy's friend, Stephanie, pinch-hit for Mommy and Daddy so they could enjoy a date night. While the girls wouldn't let her change their diapers or put them in jammies, Stephanie had fun playing with the girls - after all, who doesn't like drawing with sidewalk chalk...And the parents enjoyed a fantastic (albeit slightly salty) dinner at Twenty8 at Patriot Place, followed by Hot Tub Time Machine!

We're also trying to keep potty training front of mind but Belle would still rather stand on her potty so she can reach the sink or grab the toilet paper holder than actually use it. Still, she's interested, saying, "Follow?" when anyone tries to use the bathroom. She's very sweet, sitting fully clothed on her potty and then saying, "Flush?" At least she understands the process, right? :-)

Happy Easter!

We had a fantastic week. Sure, it began with 7.1 inches of rain and the experience of having the Canoe River kissing the back fence, when it's normally 1.4 mile away...BUT we didn't have any flooding in or around our house, like many of our neighbors, so we are so grateful.

This weekend we hosted Jim, Leslie and Josh Warner from Endicott, NY, Daddy's friends from growing up and we had such a great time!!! We went to the New England Aquarium, a first for the girls, and then walked around Fanueil Hall, ending up at Cheer's for lunch. Annabelle also taught Josh a few signs, like "more."

The girls enjoyed their Easter baskets for the first time this year, though Mommy and Daddy learned to hide the candy since Belle wouldn't stop eating it and Claire wanted to try too many pieces - foil and all - so there's chocolate drool all over the house now - yuck!

A Fresh Start...

Mommy thought that in kicking her life off to a fresh start, that it was about time she picked up the blog so you could all stay informed on the latest and greatest in our lives.

This week Daddy was in Raleigh, N.C. (or Lina as Belle calls it) so Mommy had two girls with colds to contend with. It led to little sleep (especially since her colitis is flairing up), but it was also fun to hang out - and Daddy did call us twice a day.

We can tell that preschool is helping Belle because her vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds. She's also stringing several words together. For example, upon Mommy asking her what she wanted for dinner this week and her replying "Cuckoo" (chicken), Mommy then asked if she'd like to eat now, to which she replied, "No, don't be silly!" Excuse me! I think we're in for some trouble ahead.

Claire, for her part, is walking up a storm and is getting more and more steady - which would explain why she's holding her own a bit better with her sister.

We were supposed to go to Binghamton to see Great Grandma Fiorelli who was having surgery for thyroid cancer, but Daddy decided that with all of us sick, we should just stay home. Instead, we tried out Burpee's seed greenhouse to see if it helps with the first vegetable garden we're going to attempt this year. Mommy also hard-boiled some eggs and today we decorated them. Claire and Belle didn't really like the taste of the eggs but they did feel neat.

Belle's 2nd birthday week

Annabelle Reese turned 2 on December 28. While we're still not sure how it's possible that two years has gone by so far, we sure had fun celebrating.

Gaga, Grandma Janice and Uncle Ben - with Coco the Dog - came to visit December 26 so we got to spend Belle's actual birthday with them.

Bubbe came on December 29 so that Mommy and Daddy could have their first overnight without the kids for New Year's - we had a blast in Providence - and then helped prepare for Belle's birthday party on January 2. In between, we shared many laughs, lots of good food, a little shopping and plenty of movies and books.

The whole family is looking forward to starting 2010 with a clean slate and hoping for a year that's a little smoother along the way.

A Month of Firsts

What a month of firsts:

1. First snow for Claire - first time both girls "played" in the snow together and by "play" I mean taking them both for a ride in the wagon before Claire's nose started running and her eyes watering from the cold and the wind.

2. First time Belle ate snow - she didn't immediately want to play in 16 inches of snow but asked Mommy FOUR times to fill a sippy cup with snow so she could touch and eat it.

3. First time Claire stood by herself - she's so ready to walk and boy are we in trouble...But what can we expect from the girl who's in a hurry to grow up - I mean, she's already cut TWO one-year molars and she's only 9 months old...

4. First time Belle pooped in the potty - she had to call Bubbe and Gaga, and was so excited that she couldn't settle enough to nap that day. I couldn't bring myself to take pictures but here are a few from earlier in the day when Belle and Daddy were cuddling/getting ready to go to Gymboree :-)

5. First Christmas for Claire - she wasn't too into it but we loved having her with us this year. She loved her Little Sister doll and Belle had a blast with her tricycle - and Georgie had to ride too!

It was a busy month and will get even busier as Gaga, Grandma Janice and Ben visit for Belle's 2nd birthday, followed by Bubbe visiting so Mommy and Daddy can take their first overnight away from both kids (just in Providence, RI) and then for Belle's birthday party. Stay tuned for more!