we woke up BRIGHT and EARLY this morning... 5:45 to be exact. Bella came bounding down the stairs completely dressed and raring to go. She had even made her bed and kept asking me, "Mom, do I look alright? How much longer till we leave?" Just a bit excited. So we were ready and out the door earlier than we normally would be, and wouldn't you know it, the school parking lot was already completely packed and the halls were crazy. the usual first day of school mayhem. i have to admit, that the smell of fresh school supplies, first day outfits, new backpacks, and the smiles on all the children's faces makes me a little nostalgic for teaching. I love all the creativity that the teachers have used to make the children want to go into the classroom and learn. Belle's class is so cute. her new teacher was her student teacher last year, and almost her entire class looped to this new class. this, as you can imagine, made the transition so much easier. I wasn't as apprehensive about leaving my little one as I was last year. last year i didn't want to go anywhere for about the first week for fear that they would call me and I would have to run back to get her. this time, she went straight in and actually started hugging some of her friends, and got right back into the groove. Quite an interesting dynamic. So at the end of the day, when asked how her day went, she said, "First grade is the best." I'm sure her teacher will be glad to hear that. She came home and wanted to help me with things around the house, and has been in such a good mood ever since. She is growing up quickly. Where has the time gone?

Needless to say my little ones hit the hay pretty early tonight. Looks like we all need to get back on a schedule. Mommy needs some sleep too.

Have a great evening.
*ciao*

so we have been preparing for school for a few weeks now. shopping for lunchboxes, backpacks, clothes, etc. So my Belle is so ready and excited for school tomorrow. Can you tell???



Anywhoo, in other news, Alex was Handy Manny this weekend. He got the pin taken out of his finger on Friday, and I am happy to announce that he is doing awesome. So he decided to take down the fence and enclose the driveway, since he had been planning on doing it at the beginning of the summer. And he had a lot of help. Bella was his little helper. Our backyard is fabulous. It is twice the size it was before and now the girls can ride their bikes, skate, or ride their scooters and I don't have to worry about them wanting to be in the front yard. Take a look.



And the final results...

What do you think??? We love it. The girls are so excited. Okay, I am off to make some food. Have a great day.

*ciao*


NOTE: I didn't get to post this until Monday morning due to computer issues.

the last few days of summer vacation. the girls had a blast today playing with my friend Pippin's girls on the water slide. the weather was perfect for it. cloudy, mild, comfortable. they were definitely tired by the time we were done. then it was off for marathon grocery shopping and then home to prepare dinner and watch High School Musical 2. Rather hokie in my opinion. It reminds me of a cross between Grease, and Dirty Dancing without all the sexual undertones. Clean t.v. though, which is good. Unfortunately, like most sequels, it doesn't quite live up to the first one. The girls enjoyed it though. Anyway, here are my favorite shots from today's water fun. Enjoy!

Have a good weekend.
*ciao*

wow two posts in one day... anyway, I am totally excited because I finished and PUT UP the new curtains for our powder bathroom. I LOOOOVVVVEEE this fabric. So glad my friend suggested it for the bathroom. And of course, every room needs a little bit of animal print somewhere. What do you think???

*ciao*

We are in serious count down mode in our house. Everyday, Belle asks me, "Mama, how many more days till school starts?" i just can't believe that we are less than two weeks away already. i know that she is secretly dying to wear her new school clothes and spiffy silver ballet flats that we got her. she has asked several times if she can wear them, and gets a "not yet" each time. I couldn't believe the style flashback that we had when we went shopping. the shapeless, long shirt style is back. high school revisited. luckily, the tight fitting, short skirt phase was washed away with our torrential rains, and we are covering up our youth quite nicely again. Bella has already chosen her first day of school outfit, and actually tried to lay it out on her bed for the first day. I had to explain to her that we could hang it together but that that the first day was still three weeks away at the time. Tori also got some way cute outfits for school. I love the brown and pink dress. and her tennis shoes are perfect for school since that is all they can wear. functional but stylish.



speaking of countdown mode, we are also counting down to the High School Musical 2 premiere on Friday. I swear this whole phenomenon reminds me of how crazy we were for GREASE when we were young. musicals are making a comeback. I am really wanting to go see Hairspray once the girls are back in school. That is definitely a movie i have to see without Alex. no musicals for him.

okay i am off. i have a little one who says i am taking "for longer" (tori talk for too long) to get her some "chita" milk.

Oh before I forget, HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALE!!!!! We love you and are so glad you are our cousin/niece. Enjoy your day.

have a good day.
*ciao*

so as i said i have been busy with some projects lately... some for me, and some for others. anyway i FINALLY finished painting our bedroom. this took me forever. it was a major A__ beating. Now i just need to put up some decorations, with Alex's help, and i am getting this awesome leather chair from my friend Pippin, which will go next to the bed, and we should be good to go. then i have been sewing some window treatments for my kitchen and powder bath. Here is a photo of the kitchen valance. I got the fabric for super cheap and it cost me about $30 to do the treatment including the rod. I will post pics of the powder bath once that treatment is complete and up. Then Pippin and I painted the island in my kitchen black. This picture doesn't look right, but at least you get the idea. I love it, but I wasn't so sure what Alex would think since he was out of town when we did it... well, he loved it too. I think he was surprised at how nice it looked. Now I am painting a bookshelf which will find a new home in the girls' room, and then doing some other random projects. more updates to follow.

on the "finger" front, things are healing well, but slowly. alex will be getting the pin removed in about 3 weeks, and then hopefully things will be a little easier for him. it is amazing how a finger injury can really slow you down. he has lots of projects in the works. the major thing right now is to move the fence in our backyard (don't know if i've mentioned that before.) this will make the yard much larger. he also is planning on making some shelves and cabinets for the garage. it will be nice to finally have that organized.

we are in the countdown phase as far as school goes. it seems like just yesterday we were in the end of the year countdown phase... wow!!! how time flies. the girls are super excited about going back, although tori is a little apprehensive about having a new teacher. i am already saying my prayers that things go well. now i need to start getting them back on their school schedules so that they aren't shocked when bed time is moved up by about two hours. wow that may actually mean some me and us time again. we have had a great summer though. lots of play, lots of movies, lots of projects... bella's latest thing is, "mom, lets have a girlie day of scrapbooking, projects, and togetherness." whose footsteps is she following in?

okay, i am off to paint some more. stay cool and indoors. boy is it getting hot out there.

have a great day.
*ciao*