a nice walk...

this was a really nice walk... one day last week I was so glad to have some warm weather that I just had to get outside... I could not wait for the girls to wake from their naps... when they did... off we went! I do of course love being outside when it's chilly but a Florida girl at heart calls for some sun to warm my soul from the inside to my toes! ahhhh!



lately Isabelle loves to push her "baby sister" .. yes, baby Cecilia will always be baby... even though she's quite big... I love that! Isabelle loves to care for her... washes her hair in the tub, feeds her bananas, puts her shoesies on, finds paci... such a sweet bond they have! I love it when Isabelle holds her arms so wide and smiles at baby and says, "huggg... do you want a hug!??" and baby Cecilia toddles over and they hug so hard that they topple over... just precious!



sweetest little garage sale find... peace!



neighbor's beautiful herb display... so tempting... mmmm...



so nice how our neighborhood has several different "community gardens!" really close to the curb and while we take walks often we bring a basket to help ourselves with... so nice! Now with spring around the corner... the neighbors are beginning to plant some crops... we're thinking of starting one in our garden...



I get lots of flowers on walks...



and I have to keep them "safe" in my pocket... I usually find dried up weeds in my pockets...



some crunchie winter leaves make such a fun sound as we stroll...



spring has sprung!

"a good day"

seriously... nothing like a circus! Takes us back to being kids and helps us hang on to that childhood innocence I feel we all need to keep in place in our pockets.. if not for every day but just for when you don't want to be a grown-up and want to fly away with Peter Pan... sometimes I wish Peter Pan would just come to my window and sprinkle some pixie dust on all of us and we can fly to Neverland for a few days.



so I brought us some treats... some animal cookies.. so circus! I always try to distract and not fall into that line of cotton candy or over priced bright yellow popcorn... eek... makes me shiver. so bad for the little one's bellies... but of course the cotton candy dealers start pacing by and Isabelle starts to whine and whine... but I stand my ground and praise the animal cookies brought from home.



me and the girls at intermission... already such fun! The oooohs and ahhhs of the circus... the crowd singing and swaying and eeeking in distress... the smell of horse poop, the sparkly costumes... this is the life!



a shot Mattias took from his hip... a hip shot! fun to do here and there because it's always a surprise at what you will get... and this for sure was a good one! look how happy she is... even without the cotton candy!

as I squeezed my little babies tighter and tighter and Mattias had his arm all cozy around us girls... Isabelle would say... "Mamma, this is a good day.." "Thank you for taking us to the circus!" I love her!



and the best of all... the Walendez family!!! The TIGHT ROPE!!! this was unbelievable! Seriously... they did the famous pyramid which no one has ever done before... my heart pretty much stopped while they balanced above our hearts and lifted us all up to a roooaring cheer when they reached the other side! I had goosebumps and tears dripping from my cheeks! I looked at Mattias and his eyes were full as well! It was amazing and something we will always remember!

Hooray for the circus! and thanks for "a good day!"

Happy Heart Day!!!

a sweet little Valentine's Day morning was such a treat...



whipped up some fresh cream to top our beautiful heart shaped pancakes!





mmmmm.... some delicious homemade blackberry jam... the best toppings! so fresh, so sweet, and so fun!



our little Valentines... sweethearts indeed! It was nice waking to our girls... we always start the day with snuggles in our bed... lots of hugs, warm blankies, and the sound of coffee brewing in the background. We must have said over and over "Happy Valentine's Day... I love you... I love you... I love you" it can never get old....



to Isabelle's request... some BLUE slippers made by Uma!!! a nice Valentine's Day treat... a warm treat for sure! and Cecilia got a matching pink pair! so sweet!

one beautiful sky... =beautiful evening...

the other evening I was home making dinner while Pappa and the girls were running an errand... then... this light... this incredible.. amazing... breathtaking light filled our garden... a soft pinky peach.. I could see it from all of our windows... I knew I had to see it... I set aside dinner and peeked into the sky... then I knew I had to grab my camera and run outside! It was raining all day and finally the day had cleared.. our yard has a lot of trees so to see the entire sky you have to step into the street a bit... I was all alone... just me and my camera... and there was this sky. a sky that took my breath away... I got goosebumps and tears and then I picked up my cam and began to take it in... and here is what I got!



it even followed me to this puddle...



so the girls and Pappa returned to a fun Friday dinner night followed by the Olympic Opening Ceremony! such funnn!

dinner begins with roasted garlic... a LOT of roasted garlic... then



aioli time!!



Isabelle is getting so good at cracking eggs... all by herself! she loves to help out in the kitchen!



the result... a gorgeous fabulous dinner... a lot of love, time, passion and a beautiful sunset went into this meal and it soooo showed!
(pork tenderloin, roasted garlic aioli, organic broccoli, greens and potatoes!) light the candles!



our little helper!... she LOVES doing the dishes... thank goodness someone does! :-)

pizza, legos, and a 4th birthday coming up...

we love making pizzas! we make one about once a week... always so delicious! so crispy.. the garlic, the tomatoes! Whenever we visit Italy we always cannot believe how gorgeous their pizzas are! something about them... we're not sure what it is... but we will spend our lives trying to master the art of pizzas just like in Italy... and I think we're kinda close... then what... mmmm gelato!!!





wow... legos are so fun! I remember growing up digging into boxes of lego pieces! I used to have a bakery set and would love to play make believe of having a bakery... my little people would ride bikes with a little basket and I would put the mini loaves of bread in their baskets. I wonder if our little girls will look back and remember lego nights just as I do.....?





nothing like a child's small hands... so small but so big!!!

and so it begins.... Our little girl is turning 4 soon! We are planning quite the party! I cannot wait! It's a Woodland Fairy Party!!! here's a bit of the planning... first... the invites...

Valentine Fun!!!

This was really a sweet little party we had here...



lots and lots of glitter, glue, pom poms, hearts, and giggles





such sweet little lovey moments to share this Valentine's day...



this is Isabelle's pal Grant... I asked her who her Valentine was... and giggled and said... Mamma... it's Grant! hahaha! I love her!

Winter Squeeze!

for us Floridians... winter means a lot of things... crisper air, socks, really blue skies, and freshly squeezed orange juice! This time of year gives abundance to so many citrus fruits! It's fantastic! we hardly feel any sniffles thanks to all of the vitamin C consumed is unimaginable! Our trees are covered! We have perfect sweet typical oranges and ruby red grapefruit, which really we have to combine when we make juice since our orange is so sweet... we need a little bit of tart. and of course the typical grapefruit and my favorite our lemon tree! There are 9 beauties that are ready for picking!





and the final reward of all of the squeezing... deliciously perfect and oh so healthy!



and for dinner...


organic beef... seared then baked just a bit longer
and roasted organic root veggies
and shiitake mushrooms! hooray for winter specialties!

painting with our hearts...

ahhh do you ever have one of those days which you know you'll remember forever and ever... I do ... A LOT! This was one of those kinds...



we began gathering all of our supplies... I usually try to gather the night before and then it's all set for the morning. We needed lot of paint, some brushes, crayons, colored pencils and a ton of imagination...





some of the little parts of our morning were when my oldest just looked at me and smiled with her little nose crinkling... and say, "Mamma, this is really fun!" that really is enough... in this hectic life we all get so lost in.. all we really need to do is just take the little moments in and not get so caught up in this world. Really we can slowly be taken in by the little stresses of keeping up, keeping up with this and that but really is it worth it....? I would much rather play with my kids and dance in the rain on my days off....





little pumpkin wakes from her morning nap..... I love this face of hers... her sleepy face... it's the best. She is still in her little dream but yearning to be apart of what ever her big sister is doing...



walking days are near...
she's about to take off any day now... I can feel it's near. A part of me wants her to say still for just a little longer... but I know I have to let her go... it will be really fun with another little friend holding on to my thumb... two of my thumbs will soon be occupied.... yyyyyay!



I love them so much!





such eyes of wonder... so pure to this world... where will you go little soul...