The Graziano Family Loop

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Friday, June 19, 2009

Dean Douglas turns 10 months old today!

This past month has been a month of mobility. He is really gettin' around these days. Not only has he become a fast crawler, but he is now a stair climber, too. He mastered the stairs on his first try. Yikes. He is also cruising along the sofa and passing from one stationary object to another. He's climbing and pulling up on anything that he can. He's dabbling in the standing solo department, without holding on to anything.

For now, it seems like the teeth grinding has subsided, much to my relief. His new oral fixation is tongue clicking. He clicks his tongue for joy. He loves to have people join in and have a tongue clicking chorus. He's still enjoying his pretend conversations with his big sissy, they are a very entertaining duo.

Dean is saying "Hi" when he waves, and "Kitty" when he sees Leo.

He played in his first bouncy bounce this month, at a friends 1st bday party. He seemed to get a kick out of it. He loves watching other kids.

Dean's favorite game is "SO BIG!" ("How big is Dean?" "SO BIG!") Ya know the game where he raises his arms in the air just as high as they will go. So fun.

This little guy is all boy. He's rough and tumble, and strong and determined. He's a funny little fella. Seems like his head works like a little engineer, always trying to figure something out. "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." He's got a little temper on him too, getting frustrated if he doesn't get what he wants. Overall though, he's such a good baby and such a little lover. Can't wait to see what new adventures his 10th month will bring.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

CSA Share #1

We received our first delivery of fruits/veggies today!
Believe it or not, this picture was taken after we split the share in half.(Thank goodness we split the share in half. Really.)

Here's what's at its peek this week:
Arugula ~ Basil ~ Beets ~ Bok Choi ~ Garlic Scapes ~ Hakurei Turnip ~ Kahlrabi ~ Lettuce ~ Mint ~ Mustard Greens ~ Scallions ~ Strawberries

We finished the lettuce and strawberries at dinner tonight. No, that's not all we had. =) Since I didn't pick up the share until close to dinner time, I didn't have time to concoct something new. However, I have plans for a stir-fry, caprese salad, a few mojitos, and a few "experimental" roasting sessions.

It's definitely different. Spontaneous. And fun.

Ava seems into it, she wants to know what everything is and smell it all. So far she is eager to learn about all these new "plants." This little girl is completely obsessed with Food Network and cooking. Who know, we may have a little chef on our hands. At the very least, maybe I can get her to try some new goodies.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

A Day in the Life

Friday was a very big day in the life of Miss Ava Grace.

The morning began like any other. Although, it wasn't just any other day. It was a special day. A much anticipated day. A day of excitement. A day to willingly watch a year of memories wrap up in a nutshell. In fact, it was a double special day.

It was Graduation day and Recital day!

It was Ava's last day of nursery school for the year. As you know, that can only mean one thing. Graduation Day. Ava wore her special dress and selected her favorite bow.

It was a year of tremendous learning. A year filled with fun. A year where Ava got a taste of what it's like to run with the older kids. Almost all of her classmates are going on to kindergarten next year.

It's amazing the difference a year makes. She is able to write all of her letters, uppercase and lowercase. She knows how to write her numbers and count to 100. She has started reading. Congratulations Ava, we are so proud of you!

Every Saturday morning at 9:00am, off we go. To where, you ask?
Miss Ava has ballet. Well, she has since the beginning of September, anyway.

Yup, just a few short weeks after her baby brother was born, Ava began her journey into the land of ballet. We made the commitment to sign up for the entire year. I figured it would be good to have something special that was just for 'mommy & me' with the new arrival and all.

Well, we stuck with it and she has been dutifully practicing for the big recital. The number was "Pretty Baby." It was a tap number actually, the girls wore their tap shoes with their frilly outfits.

The girls did great! It was so cute to watch them scurry out onto the great big stage and perform their little dance that they've been working so hard on.

GREAT JOB, MISS AVA! We love you! xo

p.s. Do you think you can try to stop growing up so fast, pretty please?

(see slideshow of pics below)

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Weather

My mom just sent me their 7-day forecast for Houston, TX.

Here's a peek at our forecast in NY.

Sorry Ma, this is the time of year where I'll take our forecast any day!
Feel free to remind me of that in mid-Dec, K?

Farm Find

Ava, Dean & I stopped at a local farm stand today and snatched up these beautiful strawberries. Wow, the aroma and flavor are D-lish!

I'm getting super excited for our first CSA delivery next week! I plan to document what we get each week, so I'll be sure to share all the goodness with you, too.

If you're near a farm stand at all- go get some strawberries!
You'll thank me! =)