Magical Mystery Tour

So now that my little girl is a BIG girl, we are doing all kinds of grown up things... Last night, I went by myself to see a dear old friend, Chris, performing in Naples with his group "Classical Mystery Tour".  They perform the music of the Beatles, backed up by the local Philharmonic Orchestra!  It's a fantastic show & Chris & his band mates do a wonderful job! We had a nice time catching up after the show, and Chris offered me 2 more tickets for the next night!  Since Rachel LOVES the Beatles so much (yeah, she is definitely MY kid! LOL) I decided to take her to her first concert!  She had a TERRIFIC time and was SUCH a good girl! People sitting around us stopped me to say how much they enjoyed watching her having such fun.  She sang along with the songs she knew, she danced in her seat, and of course got REALLY excited when "Uncle Chris" sang Yellow Submarine! (Which has now become our "Lullabye" before bed every SINGLE NIGHT since the show!)
Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take any pictures during the show, but I DID get some good shots of her in the lobby

The first couple of pictures are from the lobby of the Naples Philharmonic.

These are from the Naples Hilton, where Uncle Chris & the rest of the band were staying... They had a Christmas Village around the tree and one of the bellmen came over and turned on the train for Rachel.  She loved it since trains are her latest obsession.

Then I asked her if I could take a picture of her without her making a funny face.. this is what I got! LOL...

And here was our little Princess with her Uncle Chris.  She LOVES the fact that he plays drums!  And what a good Uncle!  Despite how obviously ExHAUSTed he was, he still played "TAG" with her (just for a little while) and laughed at her knock-knock joke!
All in all, her first grown up concert was a complete success!  Thank you Uncle Chris & the Classical Mystery Tour gang!  Can't wait till you come back down for another show!

Happy 4th Birthday to my beautiful Hunan Princess!

This year, we decided to just keep the birthday really simple.  She wanted to make cupcakes to bring into school, so on Thursday evening, that's what we did!  We made enough for the whole class (with a few left over for daddy, of course!)

 Friday morning, she brought in all the cupcakes & they celebrated her birthday in her classroom!  She had a great time.
After school, I picked her up and we headed out to the theater to see her very first "big girl" movie!  We went to see the new Muppets movie, and she was terrific in the theater!  She was a little scared of all the loud previews (I now know NOT to stay in the seats for so long before the show begins.. next time, we can hang out by the games)

After the movie was over, I asked her what her favorite part was.... her answer?

THE POPCORN!!!

I shoulda known!  LOL.  All in all, her birthday was a success!

The day AFTER her birthday wasn't too shabby either!!!  We went out for dinner with Nana & Papa, and Aunt Margie & Uncle Charlie... she got some really cool presents, (Can't believe Margie found her a Sit & Spin!!! how COOL).

Then when we got home from dinner, there was yet ANOTHER present waiting outside the door!  She got a package from cousins Mary & Sue, with something she has been asking for for the longest time!  A Thomas the Train set, including a fire truck & water tank!!!  She was SO excited!

She also got an adorable Dora nightgown with slippers that she insisted on putting on IMMEDIATELY!

My Thanksgiving

Another year, another wonderful Thanksgiving Dinner!  As always, Tommy cooked up a scrumptious bird.  We shared the day with friends & family, and it was wonderful as ever.

 It was also a good day for Rachel to become addicted to another of the video games on Mamma's computer!  Poor thing does have a major disadvantage.  My mouse is set for a right handed person, and she is a lefty!  Oh well!

 Even Penny wanted in on the act!

 Uncle Dick & Penny looking on as Rachel plays "The Frog Game" - aka ZUMA!

The table is set for a night of yumminess!  

 Just about everyone sitting around the table!  It's time for Pumpkin Soup!

 Nana did her hair in her hi pony tails, but they didn't want to stay up that well.  I stuck her flower in her hair to try and hold it up!

Happy Thanksgiving 2011 Everyone!

Endless Vacation

Ok,  this will be the first of several posts about our trip... After all the insanity of trying to get ready, making repairs to things we didn't expect to repair so soon, & just the typical panic of going on a vacation, we finally headed out for what would later be known as the RV trip from Hell

trying to get our two "kids" to buckle into the club chair... eventually, Penny pushed Rach right out of the seat.  So they both ended up on the couch instead!  Glad the rules of the road are different in an RV... 

 Rachel finally got what she has been asking for forever... She got to sleep with Penny.  Of course now, I don't think she'll ask again. Penny has a habit of squishing her when they share the bed!

Penny wasn't terribly thrilled with the RV.  Thank goodness Zulema gave us some really good advice.  We found that if we give Penny a couple of Benydryl, she is MUCH happier about riding on the "Big Bus".  We didn't give her enough to knock her out or anything like that, but just enough to settle her down.  But once we stopped & got out of the RV, Penny would immediately claim her rightful post... Mounted on the dashboard, waiting for us to return!

 It was great spending some time with Brian and Debbie... and of course, ROSCOE!  This time, of course, we had Penny with us to share the fun with Roscoe.
Looking forward to watching Brian's band rehearse over the weekend!

Another fun filled day at school for the munchkin!

She loves it SO much... just wish she wouldn't look like a drowned rat after playground time! LOL... this kid sweats more than anyone I have ever met!

 Oh, and her favorite classmate is Brandon, the little boy sitting next to her... her first crush??

Ok, so this is really how they took their naps today... Tommy fell asleep with his glasses on!  I didn't want to, but had to wake them or I could just picture those specs getting squished!

Thought this was one of the cutest... This is basically what our bed looks like in the morning! Rach loves to climb into bed with us when she wakes up, and Penny likes to perch on top of Daddy's head!  Apparently our sleep number bed is rough for Penny too... she can never find a comfy spot, so she meanders all over the place.  On top of Tommy's head is a popular spot, probably because she won't get kicked!

Went out for a yummy dinner with the folks to Olive Garden.  Yeah, we really do like this place!  I know it's a chain, but I'm absolutely hooked on that Chicken & Gnochi soup!

Good Morning Little Schoolgirl

I can't believe it. Seems like just yesterday I was holding this little girl for the first time. But now, here we are 3 years later and she has actually started going to SCHOOL!  We checked a few places, but had the best feeling about one of the local Temple preschools.  Best part was my mom actually knows the Preschool director!  Turns out her mom & my mom were friends for years, until her mom passed away.  I knew her mom too.  Lovely woman. And her daughter (Morah Joanne) is just as sweet!

 Her other teachers are Morah Jonla, Morah Allison & Morah Cheyenne.

Telling Penny that she is going to school today

She's all ready for her 1st day of school!

1st day hugs for Daddy

1st day snuggle for Momma

Here's her class!  Some of the kids had already gone home for the day

These beauties have their nest just above the Preschool Building!  Yes, they ARE Bald Eagles!

 After she came home from her first day of school, I asked her how she liked it...  Her words?  It was "Awesome and Great".  Then she told her Nana & Papa that it was "Cool & Fun".  Not sure, but I THINK she liked it! LOL

 It was another dinner out with Nana & Papa... tonight, we went to Applebee's (gotta love BOGO coupons!). 
It was almost comical, but our waiter was practically flirting with Rachel all night long... ok, so it was comical and creepy at the same time..

 We all enjoyed our dinners. I always like going out to eat (not just for the obvious reason of not having to clean up the kitchen) because I get to enjoy my meal at LEAST 2 days!  And they wonder why American's suffer from obesity!  the portion sizes are nowhere NEAR the standard they should be, but I can't complain... I can never finish my meal (even sharing it with Rachel) so I get to enjoy the leftovers!

The good thing about creepy waiter guy paying so much attention to our table was, he was more than happy to take a family picture for us!  Thanks, creepy waiter guy!

Flames of Paradise

 One of the most incredible things about living down here are the amazing sunsets.  The sky seems to burn as all the different colors converge to make a beautiful canvas... I love to see what each moment brings as it changes...

 I always wished I could paint... I would love to recreate some of the beauty I see... preserve it forever...

At least I can take a picture of the things I find most beautiful!

Cat's Squirrel

 Today Aunt Margie & Uncle Charlie had a yard sale... and Rach made out like a little bandit!  Her favorite find of the day were these 2 fun friends!  Rocky & Bullwinkle!!!
"Hey Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of this hat..."  She immediately remembered watching one of "daddy's shows" with him... (he has a collection of old cartoons, and of COURSE Bullwinkle is one of them!!!)

Later on, it was off to a yummy Italian dinner in town with Nana & Papa..  Rachel made an especially good impression on the waiter, who rewarded her with a VERY BIG goblet of ice cream!  Now THAT is a Happy face!!

Happy Family

 Happy Parent's Day!
Funny how I never heard of this "holiday" until I became a Happy Parent! HaHa...  But, not to let an excuse to celebrate go by unnoticed, we decided it was a good excuse to head out to PF Chang's for dinner!  We usually stick closer to home when we eat out, but I had a coupon for a free Lettuce Wrap (which I really enjoy) & it got me in the mood. I actually think that for the most part, they are overrated, but the lettuce wraps remind me of when I was in Paris (I know, strange isn't it?),  The Chinese restaurants there serve lettuce wraps instead of egg rolls & that was when I first tried them. Yummy!

Anyway, I had gotten these adorable bows for Rachel, and she was willing to pose all over the place while wearing the beautiful pink flower bow, so I took advantage of the moment!

 Daddy's little girl (s) :-)
They both love to snuggle with Daddy... He looks pretty happy about it too, doesn't he?

 Papa was ready to eat some yummy Chinese food!

 My beautiful baby girl & I.  wish I'd thought to move the straw out of her way!

Nana, Rachel, Papa & Daddy...

Our Happy Family...

This last one is one of my favorites. She's such a beautiful little lady....