Wordless Wednesday...Sorta

Stinks!

For some reason that is his "pet" name. Francesco's was Bubbies and Nicolo is Stinks. It's not that he smells or anything, but Stinks just fits him.

He is the cutest stinking thing you will ever meet!

Just in on the fun over at Wordless Wednesday!

He Ain't Heavy,

He's My Brother!
~The Hollies, 1969



I do not know why this picture made me think of that song since it is way before my time but it did.

Best Shot Monday

My baby started Soccer this weekend, I think I was more excited than he was. So, we get there and he refused to put on the shin guards and did not want to participate. My heart was breaking. He talked about playing Soccer for weeks before this day. Now here we are and he wanted nothing to do with it.

I sat with him on the outskirts of the group as the other kids listen to the coach. They were all sitting on their balls and the coach started to play a Simon Says game. He turned to me and said, "I want to go next to him," so I let him go and backed away.

He then participated with enthusiasm, listened to the coaches and seemed to really enjoy it after the initial warm up (he still refused the shin guards, but I will take what I can get.

Here he is after finally deciding to go sit next to the other kids on his ball. Now that is all he talks about, getting to sit on the soccer ball.


Bending it like Becham!


I love the pictures of Francesco playing soccer but I think the best shot is Nicolo working on his chin up, look at that little tongue.


For more Best Shots swing by Tracey's over at Mother May I.

A sweet memory

When Francesco was a baby we lived in 3 different homes, ours, my parents and my in-laws. We were bad at letting him cry it out at bed time, especially while living with the "rents". Once we were back into our own home we basically had to teach him to self sooth and go to sleep without us laying there with him or sitting in the room. It was a long road that we have finally turned off and he is really good at going to sleep and staying asleep on his own.

Occasionally I will walk past his room and see him still awake staring at the ceiling fan. He has that look like he is just about to fall into a slummer. I find it hard not to go in and talk to him, ask what he is thinking. Some days I do.

The other day I found him in the stare and went it to give him a hug. I laid on his bed to hug him and his face lit right up. I told him I would lay with him for a few minutes, and he was beaming. He didn't say a word, his face said it all. I could tell that I had totally made his day by taking the time to come into his room and laying down next to him for a moment.

I had a "MOM" moment. I almost wanted to cry. To know that the joy on his face came from the fact that I was there just overwhelmed me. *sniff, sniff*

As I went to leave the room I told him to have sweet dreams as I kissed him on the forehead, I told him to dream of Popsicles and ice cream. He turned to me and said, "Pizza too!"

Yes, baby...Pizza too!

Can some one please tell where my baby went?




I am so glad to be recording these little moments. I also hope that they bring that little flutter to your heart the way they do mine.

Best Shot Monday

Other than a dimple in a cute little chin,
What's more adorable than a toothless grin?
~Azu "Betty" Espezia



For more Best Shots visit Tracey over at Mother May I.

Best Shot Monday

"Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air..."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson





For more Best Shot Mondays head on over to Tracey's.

Finger Painting

Francesco got a finger paint set for his Birthday that he asked to use the other day. We got it all out, put the plastic apron on him, open all the colors and set him at the kitchen table. He then insisted on using the little foam roller, that came with the set, to paint with. I could not convince him to use his fingers as hard as I tried. He managed to get a small smudge on his thumb that he immediately asked me to wipe off. It kills me that he does not like to get his hands dirty.

This is his idea of finger painting.

This is the extent of pain he got on his fingers.


I tried to show him it was fun by finger painting myself. Nicolo on the other hand wanted to dive right in. I really should have put the little plastic apron on him, Francesco did not get a drop on it. It continues to amaze me that one child is so freakishly neat and the other is so not.

This is what Nicolo thought of the finger paints.


This is just a tad bit more than Francesco got on his hands (LOL).


The next day he asked to get the set out again, this time he told me not to stick my finger in the paint.

According to Francesco....

...he needs Popsicle's.
Every night before bed I get this statement. I say no you want a Popsicle, he assure me that he NEEDS it.

...he's going to drive.
When we get in the car at the end of the day he jumps into the drives seat and tells me he is going to drive. He says, "I drive, you sit." There are times he gets very upset that I don't comply with this initiative.

...he did it all by himself.
Currently we are working on getting dressed and undressed. Socks and shirts seem to be the most difficult so he still require some assistance. It cracks me up when I give him a hand and then he declares to me and his father, "I did it all myself."

... he's fine.
The other day he fell as he ran towards the door at daycare. When he was getting up he stated, "don't worry, I fine." I told him to shake it off, then he proceeded to stand there and do a whole body shake. I almost died laughing.

...he needs a hug.
This is the request I get anytime I reprimand him. If I tell him to do something and he does not comply (after me saying it 15 times) he gets reprimanded. He then turns to me and say, "I need a hug." Gets me every time!

...I did a good job.
His favorite book right now is Go. Dog. Go! When we get to part about liking the hat, he is the boy dog and I am the girl. I say "Do you like my hat?", he says, " I do not like that hat. Goodbye, again." Then I say "Goodbye." He then lets me know, "good job Mommy, good job!" I never get tired of hearing that.

...I'm awesome!
We were playing with Playdoh, in the kitchen, the other day. I decided to get creative and make multicolored flowers in the molds. The first one I pulled out his eyes lit up and he turned to me and said, "Wow Mommy, you're awesome!" This is new and I like it, who doesn't like being "awesome" in the eyes of a 3 year old.

...he's never tired.
I have proof that he does occasionally sleep.

There was never a child so lovely but his mother was glad to get him to sleep. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wordless Wednesday

We are building a patio and had 4 yards of sand dumped in our drive way. As you can see Nicolo was in heaven.






Just in on the fun over at Wordless Wednesday.