Vita Turns Three!!

Last weekend, Vita turned THREE years old. I can hardly believe it. When Vita arrived at school on Friday, there was a big Happy Birthday banner just for her. We also brought mini cupcakes for Vita's friends to share.

Back at home, Vita spent some time reading Christmas books while waiting for Mema Joan and Grandpa Bob to arrive for a birthday visit. Vita's favorite Christmas book is The Night Before Christmas.

Once Joan and Bob arrived, the silliness began. Here's Bob, Vita and Ernie with silly hats.

Mema Joan and Grandpa Bob also got a chance to meet Anabelle for the first time.

Anabelle, as you can see, has been taking cuteness lessons from her sister Vita. The other day I said something to Vita about how beautiful Anabelle is when she smiles and Vita said "Mom, Anabelle is beautiful all the time". Awww. Anyway, we caught some of those Anabelle smiles on camera.

And smirks, too.

And pure joy!

The next morning was Vita's birthday, and she put on a cute birthday outfit and struck a sassy pose.

Vita can spell her name, and she's working on learning how to write her name, too. Vita wrote this with very little help from Ernie.

We were so excited all day waiting for the birthday party to begin.

Finally, at 2:30, a REAL fairy arrived to attend Vita's birthday party. Since most of Vita's friends arrived late, Vita had the fairy all to herself for a while, which was fun. Vita LOVED the fairy.

Here are a couple of shots of the birthday party in full swing. All the kids had fun, and they all loved the magic show, the puppets, the balloon animals and the face painting that Fairy Ember provided.

After the fairy flew off on her dragon, we sang Happy Birthday and had cupcakes. Vita blew out all the candles like a pro! (Don't let the broccoli fool you... Vita had THREE cupcakes at her party.)

All the kids were having so much fun that everyone stuck around for an after party in Vita's room and at her play kitchen. Here's Vita with her best friend Cleo.

Once everyone left, we had a quiet dinner with Mema Joan and Grandpa Bob, and then we opened presents. Here's Vita opening Joan and Bob's gifts which included a beautiful cradle for Vita's doll. The cradle was handmade by two artists that Joan knows. It's truly a one of a kind piece and will become a family heirloom. I still need to get a better picture of Vita with the cradle, but she loves it.

Here's Vita with Mema Joan and Grandpa Bob at the end of a very full day.

The next morning, Vita stumbled out of her room to watch some cartoons. She asked that we bring her cradle out to the living room so her doll could watch too.

We also played with balloons and ribbon. I love the smile in this picture. It's so authentic!

Soon, Mema Joan and Grandpa Bob stopped over for coffee on their way up north and we said our goodbyes.

Later that morning, Vita finally was able to open the gifts from her friends who attended the party, from her parents, and more. Wow, this girl sure had a lot of gifts.

The first one she wanted to open was the gift from Anabelle, and then she gave Anabelle a big hug.

Just when we thought all the birthday fun was behind us, a box arrived in the mail from Vita's Aunt Judy with all kinds of treats including a big sister book and LOTS of Disney princess play clothes. Vita was in heaven playing with all her new play clothes! Naturally, she's also wielding a sword. No princess should be without her sword.

That's it for now. I've got to go write some thank you cards! I'll do another big post after Christmas. Until then... take care and Happy Holidays!

November 2010

As November began I had just gotten home from the hospital with Anabelle. As luck would have it, Vita got a flu right away and Ernie spent the entire three weeks of his paternity leave sick... and found out he had pneumonia the day he returned to work. So most of the month of November was spent like this, with all of us crashed out and exhausted most of the day. Of course, we still managed to have some fun while resting up and recovering in our sick beds and the "nests" we built around the house. Anabelle and I both (miraculously) managed to stay healthy through it all, despite the lack of sleep. Well, I guess somebody was getting enough sleep. In those early days, I have a lot of pictures just like this. Sleeping newborns are so sweet, and I wanted to memorize every detail of her face, even the tiny baby eye boogers and chapped lips. Like I said, lots of sleeping baby pictures. In fact, I took over 1,000 pictures in November! And to think some people say that second babies are photographed less. As the weeks went on, Anabelle started to sleep a little less and stay awake a little more. She also discovered toys and this same play mat that Vita used to play on.

She loves to play on here with her sister, and she watches her sister in awe. Just look at how tiny Anabelle is next to Vita's foot! Lately I just can't believe how big Vita is getting!

Vita loves playing with Anabelle too, and she has been such a WONDERFUL big sister. Vita is so sweet and so gentle with Anabelle... and she's helpful too. Vita helps with Anabelle's baths, diaper changes, puts blankets on Anabelle, and helps out in every conceivable way. Just the other day Anabelle woke from a nap crying. Before I could even get to Anabelle, Vita was hovering over Anabelle's bassinet singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and saying "Don't worry little Anabelle, mom will be right back."

Anabelle is starting to enjoy tummy time, and has been demonstrating some impressive neck strength.

We've also had visits with Grandma Victoria.

And visits with Grandma Marianne, Grandpa Vito, and Aunt Mary.

We had a mellow Thanksgiving at home, and when Vita was asked what she was thankful for, her first answer was "pears", and her second answer was "baby Anabelle". Later that weekend, we got our Christmas tree and started getting ready for Christmas. Here's Vita helping to put a star at the top. We still can't use many of our most fragile ornaments, because Vita doesn't seem to want to leave them on the tree.

And through the whole month, there has been lots and lots and lots of wonderful snuggle time and play time with Mom and Dad!

Finally I leave you with this. On the day Anabelle turned one month old, I put her in a shirt that is sized 12 months. Each month, as she grows, I will take a picture of her in this same shirt. Right now the shirt is way too big. However, once she's a year old I bet it will be too small. On her first birthday I'll put the pictures together so we can watch her grow at a glance in one month intervals. (This is a cute idea I stole from a friend.) Here's the one month picture.

Stay tuned for another post in the next few days to see pictures of Vita's 3rd Birthday and our visit with Mema Joan and Grandpa Bob!

October 2010

We spent the month of October having lots of fun getting ready... getting ready for Halloween and for a new baby. Every day at school, Vita was engaged in Halloween books, art projects, songs, and sometimes she'd come home from school painted up like a pumpkin, a ghost, or a bat. This was the first year Vita really participated in the enthusiasm leading up to the holiday, because she remembered last year and she couldn't wait to go trick or treating again. We went to a pumpkin patch. Can you find Vita in this picture? She blends right in. At the pumpkin patch Vita climbed through the straw maze. We carved pumpkins, and Vita got to enjoy pulling out the squishy goo inside the pumpkins and got to design her own jack o lantern. (Unfortunately, it rotted before we got to take a picture of the finished product.) Vita has also been performing her own one woman shows... where she sings and dances and makes up stories, etc. Here are two links to one such performance. We call it Vita's Opus, part one and two. At the end of part two, Vita looks up at Ernie and I and says "now let me see YOUR dance".

Vita's Opus Part One

Vita's Opus Part Two

Finally, on Friday October 29th at 3:52 pm Vita's little sister was born! Anabelle Lauren Hardy weighed 9 lbs and 15 oz, and was 21 inches long. She's a big, healthy girl with a full head of curly brown hair and beautiful grey blue eyes. We are so thankful that she is finally here with us! Anabelle's birth kicked off an action packed weekend for Vita. On Friday at school, Vita participated in a Halloween parade. Grandma Victoria attended the parade since I was busy going into labor... (therefore, I don't have pictures of the parade). Later that evening, Grandma Victoria took Vita to the hospital to meet her brand new baby sister. It was a stormy night, but when they arrived at the hospital, Vita said to her Grandma... "Today is a beautiful day." Awww.

Here's Vita getting a first look at her baby sister Anabelle. Vita has been so gentle and so sweet with her little sister. She always wants to give her hugs and kisses and hold her, and help cover her with blankets, etc. She's doing a really really great job. That night Ernie and I stayed in the hospital and Vita had a sleepover with Grandma Victoria. They had a blast. The next day, Vita attended a birthday party at an indoor heated swimming pool for a classmate who is turning 3. Vita and her dad had so much fun in the pool, that Vita didn't want to get out of the pool at all (even to eat pizza and cupcakes)! She was the very last one out of the pool. We've got to get her in some swimming classes! After the pool party, Vita and dad came back to the hospital and we all checked out and headed home with the baby. Here's Vita at the hospital, holding her baby sister for the first time. Also, here's a cute little video of Vita saying how Anabelle is happy because Vita is holding her. So cute! When Halloween rolled around on Sunday, Vita dressed up in two different costumes. First, she was a pirate... Then she was a scary green dragon! Here she is all ready to go trick or treating with her dad and some neighborhood friends with kids around the same age. And here's an action shot of Vita waiting her turn to say Trick or Treat. With the festivities over (for now), we're gearing up for a few quiet weeks of just hanging out at home bonding, enjoying lots of sweet moments like this one... two sisters checking each other out and getting to know each other.

August / September 2010

I know that it is inexcusable that I haven't posted in two months, but I'm still going to use the old "pregnant and tired" excuse anyway. Happily, I won't be able to use that excuse much longer. Also, I really do expect you'll get a very good post for October with Halloween pictures of Vita... and hopefully introducing you to her baby sister! Hmmm, I'll probably have to rename the blog as well. So summer has been rolling along, and I don't have nearly as many pictures as I would like. Nevertheless, here's just a little taste of our August and September. Our veggie garden has been a big success this year. Although it has been neglected and mismanaged, we have harvested lots of cucumbers, zucchini, and tons and tons of tomatoes. The basil and mint have been nice as well. Vita absolutely LOVES tomatoes and frequently requests them for snacks. We've also made lots of tomato soup. Here's Vita harvesting tomatoes in the garden. I like the idea of her having some idea of where food comes from... that fruits and veggies grow from plants and trees, and they don't come from "the store". Also, the novelty of growing and picking her own veggies makes them even more fun to eat.

We also recently went to the San Jose Children's Museum, which was a lot of fun. We hadn't been there in about a year or so, and there was so much more Vita could do. She had a blast. Here's Vita behind the wheel of a real fire truck.

Just look at the expression on Vita's face as she turns the wheel and watches an airplane fly over her head. You can actually see the wonder and excitement of learning.

Here's Vita inside a very big tire.

And naturally, Vita loved the "splash zone" and ended up getting soaked from head to toe. Good thing we brought a change of clothes. Note to self: Next time, splash zone should be the LAST thing we do on the way out of the museum.

There was even a construction related exhibit with Bob the Builder.

On Labor Day Weekend we decided to "camp" in the backyard since I wasn't really up for a real camping trip this year. We pitched a tent and filled it with pillows and blankets. We started a fire in the fire pit and roasted marshmallows and made smores. Ernie and I were surprised to learn that Vita didn't like the smores. She wanted her marshmallows "raw" and without any chocolate or graham crackers. Oh well, more for us. Here's Vita in front of the tent.

And Vita inside the tent...

And here's Vita first thing in the morning when we woke up in the tent. Looks like Vita didn't sleep very well, but we did have fun!

That's all I have to report for now. Stay tuned at the end of October for Halloween pictures and a new baby sister for Vita!