DaisyGirls

telly ride, part 1

2009-11-28T11:56:00.003-07:00

oh heaven on earth.

like a thomas kincade painting, but better.

we have had quite a bit of change happening in our family and thought it would be a great time to do thanksgiving a little differently this year. nonni, papa, tio, megan, the daisies and i, nini, jj, auntie and uncle jerry came to "telly ride" for 5 days of nirvana. it all came to an end much too soon. while we still have one more day, i am already mourning our departure. i hope we can make this a family tradition. the easiest, stress-free, most family-oriented and purest holiday we have ever had. what is left of our family is the strongest most beautiful, unbreakable, steadfast bond.

i never want to leave.

on the way up, we stopped in ouray at a great little chocolatier. i bought two turkeys for my little turkeys.

this was the windiest road i have ever experienced in my LIFE. i always thought i had an iron stomach, but the altitide and twisty turns really got to me. i actually had to have papa pull over so i could hurl...not fun :(
titter was scared and had little "protect" her. little said, "titter, i'm not scared...should i be?"

we stopped in durango and in the front of someone's yard were 8 DEER! just hanging out. beautiful.

just life

2009-05-21T13:52:00.004-06:00

eeh, gads, it's been too long since i've posted.
no excuses, just life.
happening at warp speed.
nothing new, and nothing no one else experiences. just life.
titter finished preschool and is off to kindergarten, little is potty-trained. completely on her own schedule, practically over night. no thanks to me. she simply enjoyed contributing to my mass of wrinkles and gray hair.

this big girl is gunning for my job. she (FINALLY, MOM!!) got a camera and will rarely be seen without it.

and little would prefer to be pampered than to actually have to work at something.

a couple daisy girl anecdotes:

when the girls are in the middle (or beginning, or end. it's hard to tell when one ends and the other is just beginning) of an argument, i do not want to hear tattletaling and am often found saying, "work it out between the two of you, or else i will throw xyz away!" titter responds, "it's all little's fault. she needs to work it out between the ONE of her. i'm serious!"

our new word is antagonize/antagonizing. every chance they get, i believe they do it just so they can use the word/act out the word. in the car the other day:
titter: moo-oooommmm, little's antagonizing me!
little: i am NOT. only i am antagonizing mySELF. let me DO it.

interview with little

2009-03-18T13:31:00.001-06:00

1. What is something Mommy always says to you?
ummm, i love you

2. What makes Mommy happy?
um, being happy. but what makes elli really happy?

3. What makes Mommy sad?
ummm, when we hit somebody

4. How does your Mommy make you laugh?
ummm, when we laugh together

5. What was your Mommy like as a child?
i babysitted you when you were a baby.

6. What is Mommy’s favorite thing to do?
you like to work doing the computer.

7. What does your Mommy do when you're not around?
you just walk from school.

8. What is your Mommy really good at?
teaching us how to jump.

9. What is your Mommy not very good at?
not very good at teaching us how to snip stuff.

10. What does your Mommy do for her job?
go to work to make money for us to go to the mall. weeeeeee!!!!!!!

11. What is your Mommy's favorite food?
worms and bugs!

12. What makes you proud of your Mommy?
when i go to the big girl class and then i go potty in the toilet. oh and poopy, too.

13. If your Mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?
a mean lady (ooh, that's not good)

14. What do you and your Mommy do together?
go to the mall

15. How are you and your Mommy the same?
when we have, like, we have, like i don't know. (that's my valley girl!)

16. How are you and your Mommy different?
we change clothes

17. How do you know your Mommy loves you?
you just be yourself

18. Where is your Mommy's favorite place to go?
you like to go with us

19. What does Mommy like about Daddy?
he goes to work

20. Who is Mommy's best friend?
US!

interview with titter

2009-03-16T11:14:00.002-06:00

1. What is something Mommy always says to you?
i love you

2. What makes Mommy happy?
being nice and being good to your sister

3. What makes Mommy sad?
when we hit and bite and do mean things

4. How does your Mommy make you laugh?
by doing silly things like making funny faces, ok?

5. What was your Mommy like as a child?
you liked ballet

6. What is Mommy’s favorite thing to do?
to hug and kiss and one more thing...and spank (ooh, that needs some work)

7. What does your Mommy do when you're not around?
she goes to costco, does peeatees (pilates), and you go to stamp club

8. What is your Mommy really good at?
ooh ooh i know! stamping. OH! and helping your children!

9. What is your Mommy not very good at?
i know! she's not very good at, well, playing baseball, or golf. and she's not very good at listening (ouch)

10. What does your Mommy do for her job?
money. she makes money and then spends it on her girls.

11. What is your Mommy's favorite food?
enchiladas (ooh yummy!)

12. What makes you proud of your Mommy?
when she hugs me and kisses me.

13. If your Mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?
you would still be mommy.

14. What do you and your Mommy do together?
we stamp.

15. How are you and your Mommy the same?
when we do things that one of us is doing. like when i'm pretending to be you and you're still you, then we are both the same.

16. How are you and your Mommy different?
when we don't do things that the other is doing.

17. How do you know your Mommy loves you?
when she says, "i love you."

18. Where is your Mommy's favorite place to go?
home!

19. What does Mommy like about Daddy?
when he brushes his teeth. yup.

20. Who is Mommy's best friend?
just me!

(stay tuned for little's interview tomorrow)

you don't know how much i love my little girls

2009-03-01T08:05:00.006-07:00

especially today.

on any other normal day, i abhor pop-ups. we have a good pop-up blocker, but this particular one...popped up. titter was right next to me and she said,

mommy! that looks just like you!
what?! how?
...and then she pointed. to her chi chis and giggled.

what i love even more is, in a previous post, this was daddy!
i think i win :)

you are not my mudder

2009-02-24T20:51:00.003-07:00

this morning, one funny and one beautiful thing came out of little's mouth:

she sleeps with me, so the first thing this morning, she opens her eyes, smiles and says, "thank you for being my mama, mama."
i wanted to cry.
she says the sweetest things all of the time. i've always said she has an old soul. she is such a diplomat. she does not like inequality. she wants everyone around her to be happy, and has a keen sense when someone is down or emitting sad/mad/blah vibes - she just comes up to give a big hug. my god i love that little girl!

now the funny thing:
mama, how come we don't have a mudder in our house?
what? aren't i the mother?
(laughing) you silly mama! you're the mama, the mommy, not the MUDDER!
(and she walks off laughing!)

what's a ho?

2009-02-16T22:03:00.003-07:00

one day, titter and little were at my parents and my mom was getting ready for some fancy shindig. titter was "helping" nonni get ready and nonni asked her:
hita, can you hand me my hose?
ok nonni. but, what's a ho?

from this point on, we refer to them as nylons. not hose. it's all a matter of semantics.

my bestie from the westie

2009-02-11T13:24:00.004-07:00

was here over christmas, i think? it seems like yesterday, and when i look back, i can't believe we're already in the middle of february! anyhoo, she was here for three weeks and because i was sick, i didn't get to see her but a small handful of times (like twice). the one day we had, we had a blast: massages, steams, and saunas at la bella; followed by a great soup and salad lunch at...somewhere, i can't remember; and whirlwind shopping at white house/black market, and somewhere else, maybe. i suppose the massage got the best of me, i still can't remember the day!

here is a quick click. it looks like we were nekky and in bed, but we were dressed in our massagey towels relaxing and ridding our bodies of toxins.

we three king day

2009-01-19T06:56:00.003-07:00

the daisies do not have school today because it's a celebration of an amazing man: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His "I have a dream" speech literally sends chills down my spine and makes me teary. i cannot fathom the change and excitement the crowd felt while listening to this beautiful man.

i asked titter if she knew why she was off today. she factually responded, "yes, it's we three king day". i tried explaining that it was a celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and attempted to
explain, the way a 4-year old might understand, who he was: he was a man who did not accept fighting; did not believe in being mean and stinky with each other; believed in taking care of each other, and being kind and sweet to everyone, but especially those who are smaller and weaker than us. he believed that everyone should be able to have nice things and that no one should be left out of having fun.

"i know, mama. it's 'we three king day'. " i tried.

Stand up for freedom together. Make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time!

i don't even know how to entitle this post...

2009-01-17T17:17:00.005-07:00

i subscribe to a blog called "sunday stealing" in which they "steal" different memes from around the world. i was reading through it, answering the questions in my head when the daisies walked by. little said, "hey, that's my daddy!". titter responds, "silly little, daddy doesn't have a hat like that!"
here is a picture of the gentlemen to whom they were referring...and you know what? daddy doesn't have a hat like that!

by the way, below is the meme:
Is there someone you like to be kissing right now?

2. When you're being extremely quiet what does it mean?

3. What are you listening to?

4. Are you a big fan of thunderstorms?

5. Do you believe in perfect?

6. Are you a jealous person?

7. What was the first thing you thought this morning?

8. What do you think about when you are falling asleep?

9. Are you satisfied with what you currently have in life?

10. Do people ever think you're older/younger than you actually are?

11. Do you think men truly understand women?

12. Do you usually tell people when they hurt your feelings?

13. Did anybody ever call you handsome or beautiful?

14. What is one fact about the last person that called you?

15. Other than your current one, what’s the longest relationship you have had?

from Woozie at Tome of Communism

I WANNA BE LEDO LO' JEEEESUUUUSSSS!!!!!

2009-01-05T20:47:00.004-07:00

my sweet darling daughters were in the Christmas pageant.
titter was honored with the role of Mary, and little was a sheep. let me tell you, little practiced her line as though she was up for a tony award: "baaaaa!" she baaa-ed better than any sheep i've ever heard, and with the family i married in to, i've heard a fair amount of sheep. in practicing for this momentous occasion, the girls thought a dress rehearsal was due. titter, of course, was Mary, but little decided to be the understudy for the angel, jofus, the donkey, and little Lord Jesus. the photo below is when all was calm, all was bright. round yon virgin mother, child and adoring angel were at their best:

and this is when little was denied the role of "ledo lo' Jesus". ooh, she was mad. screaming at the top of her lungs, cursing as only a 2-year old can, throwing a 10-point tantrum declaring, "YOU are not my friend. I am my ONEY friend. i am CANCELLING you from my BIR-DAAAAAAAAAAY." (and then insert an additional high-pitched screaming tantrum here):

of course, this is followed by titter being oh. so. bored...

my first band photoshoot

2008-11-28T23:49:00.002-07:00

and i was nervous as all heck!
check out www.ellemariephotography.blogspot.com
we had a blast!

warning: you'll want to gouge your eyes out after this one.

2008-11-25T20:49:00.004-07:00

today i'd like to provide you with three gabrielli-isms. the first two are versions of titter and little's spanish...quite endearing, of course. the third one, i have to warn you: if you are the type of person who gets a song stuck in your head or a site stuck behind your eyes, this post is not for you. i have tried and tried and tried to come up with another way to share this story with you that isn't as embarrassing, but it just would not translate the right way. so without further ado (or tequila), i share with you my gabrielli-isms for the day:
1
my girls love to speak spanish (or as elli says, "panish"). today, all elli would sing was, "who are we saving? la tee nessa! who are we saving? la tee nessa! who are we saving? la tee nessa" (thank you, dora). i asked titter who little was singing about and she said, "oh, that's from 'dora saves the snow princess'. la tee nessa is snow princess in spanish." now i get it: instead of "who are we saving? la princesa!" it's "la tee nessa". clearly.

2
the girls have a Christmas pageant coming up and titter's class is singing (among many others) "feliz navidad". aye de mi:
fleece navidah
fleece navidah
fleece navidah
oh se doh ana and a reesy pah

um, what's a reesy pah?

3 - last chance, turn around.
ok, so i'm fresh out of the shower in my (this is the part you will want to gouge your eyes out) bra and panties (which actually match today), trying to get ready for the day while i have little glued to my thigh. i'm dragging her around the bathroom putting on all my pretty girlie stuff on while talking to my mom on the phone (i'm quite the multi-tasker). she's nuzzling my skin and rubbing her face back and forth. "mmm, yous smell good" and all of a sudden: ARGH!!! she bites me on the butt! she then says, "ooh mama, yous good enough to eat!" titter starts laughing, little starts laughing and my mom starts laughing hysterically. nice. thanks, guys.

i should get a tattoo on my butt that says "usda prime cut"

the daisy girls in the sunflower patch

2008-11-22T18:38:00.004-07:00

i have to give props to my girl bri for mentioning this patch. we missed the full-bloom flowers, but still had a great time...despite the bees.

raspberry fields forever

2008-11-22T10:24:00.007-07:00

in corrales, there is a great raspberry farm.
tons of huge and juicy raspberries.
you can pick to your heart's content (or until there are more raspberries in your tummy than there are in your pints)
raspberry jam.
red chile raspberry jam.
and honeylicious honey.
this was an excursion the entire family went on...unfortunately, a rarity. we had a BLAST!

boo-foh

2008-11-20T10:18:00.006-07:00

i actually had my blog planned for today (shocker). as i was editing photos, i realized that all was too quite on the western front. little had found my brand new lipstick. brand new. worn once. killer color. now smashed. if you know anything about me, you know about my love affair with lipstick. it started in eighth grade: one-a ponsa time, there was a beautiful little girl named leslie marie (ok, beautiful is stretching it. she had glasses which took up the majority of her face, braces attempting to straighten out the fangs poking out from every direction, and a sweet, sweet haircut) and she had a "boyfriend"named paul bruns (this name has not been changed to protect the guilty, sorry pablo). he said she had the smallest lips he had ever seen and from that point on, he called her "chicken lips". as soon as her mom gave the approval for lippy, she never left the house without lipstick. ever. when she lived in the sorority, before going down to breakfast, she would don her drumbeat red #264 by l'oreal and glide down the stairs in her robe and slippers feeling completely put together with her lippy.

ahhh, sweet lippy. the joys you bring me.

and just as chris tucker says in rush hour, "don't you EVER touch a black man's radio, boy!" you NEVER touch my lippy. EVER.

unless you're my little.

then i'll feign horror, grab my camera, and blog about it.

our quick conversation:
me: whaarghatahhhhh are you DOing?!?!?!?!
little: me see me boo-foh like you, mama
me: ohit'sokanythingyoudoisfinewithmebecauseyouaresoamazinglythoughtfulandcorrectandiloveyousomuch
little: i no me wear lissticks now?
me: no, hunny, not til you're older (or until paul bruns' son calls you chicken lips, then we'll reassess)
little: oh. when i getta be da mama, i can wear lissticks?
me: yes, honey.
little: when i getta be da mama, i drink sooooda?
me: yes, honey.
little: oh. when i getta be da mama, i open da stove?
me: yes, honey.
little: oh. when i getta be da mama, i eat pee-non?
me: oh, yes, honey.
little: oh. when i getta be da mama, i eat gum?
me: yup.
little: oh. when i getta be da mama, i go cazy, too?
me: (giggle) yup, totally totally crazy.

sleeping beauties

2008-11-19T11:07:00.005-07:00

oh to be able to sleep with such abandon.
not a care in the world (dreamland or otherwise).
after looking at these pictures, i realize why i am so "zazausted" every day.

as you can tell from the wardrobe changes, these were all taken on different nights. what beauties!

dr. yaya? paging dr. yaya

2008-10-21T16:50:00.005-06:00

this is a sour and sweet story (i'm sure you're wise enough to figure out which parts are which):

a few weeks ago, my 85-year old grandmother (maggie) passed out, hit her head, sprained her wrist, twisted her (flipping off) finger and ultimately had to get seven staples in her head. the daisies and i went to visit her and they were entranced with the fact that she had staples in her head. titter went into maggie's room, came out and announced, "boy mommy, maggie's a MESS!" and little automatically mimics and says, "yep, maggie a MESS!" we brought her some coloring books and crayons and visited for a while (that is, as long as we could without having maggie pass out again due to the um, spirited, earsplitting, and alto-esque exchanges between the two daisies).

now we're home and little is quite quiet (eerily so). i find her in her room with her favorite baby (jackson), some tape and a sharpie (not a good combination).
me: what are you doing, little?
little: oh hi mama. jackson hurt he-self. i no have staples so i use tape.

ladies and gentlemen, i proudly introduce a pain-free medical breakthrough technique discovered by dr. yaya:

nb: the sharpie marks are jackson's owies. you know what the tape is for.
yes, we have hidden all the staplers.

recipe for disaster

2008-10-17T20:53:00.004-06:00

well, not really.
yes, ok it was.
but it was a good disaster. a friend brought over a huge ol' bag of dixon apples and i got a hankerin' to make me some appley pies. the daisies and i made FOUR! and i have NEVER made a pie (thank you, Paula Deen for a superb recipe!).

don't laugh. it was my first.

end of summer

2008-10-16T18:35:00.003-06:00

the end of summer always gives me a bittersweet feeling. i love popsicles, the daisies in their suits running and screaming like little maniacs, swimming lessons, blistering days at the ranch, and oh so much more.
on the other hand, i LOVE the fall, pumpkins, changing leaves, crisp days at the zoo and biopark, fires, warm pjs and cold pillows. oh, and the daisies still running and screaming like maniacs!

i don't even say smile, this is her automatic response the the camera.

this was an unplanned pose...checking out their names: how cute are they?!?

you're like butta...literally

2008-10-06T18:20:00.003-06:00

along the way, you have been subjected to gabri-isms. well, elli is totally coming into her own and her little personality is so funny! i am now honored to bring you the first (of many i'm sure) elli-ism:

on our way to mcdonald's (shocking):
me: ok, let's stop at mickey d's for a quick bite before we go to xyz.
gabri: mickey d's?!?! mommy, you're silly that's mcDONald's
elli: titter, mick d's is donod's in PANish
gabri: oh! that makes sense, thanks.

*****

i was setting up the ingredients for rice crispie treats the other day. when i went looking for the butter, i couldn't find it, so i got another stick out. now i feel comfortable in saying that b.c. (before children) anyone knows that starting and completing a recipe is not normally a huge deal that takes all day. however, a.c. (you got it, after children), there is no such thing as going directly from point a to point b without taking a detour to f, g, e, t, z, back to a, throwing in a 3, then eventually finding your way back to a, starting all over again...which ultimately brings you back to f, g, e, t...you get the picture. ok, so i get back to the butter part, swear to myself that i am losing it because i really think i got it out already (mind you this is now TWO sticks i've gotten out). the third stick is now out and my darling little one comes around the kitchen and says, "oh tank you mama," and tries to grab it while she has two sticks of butter in her hands...munching away.
what are you DOING?
oh, i jus eat da butta. ees good. make me stronga.

(please note the teeth marks)

great photoshoot today!

2008-09-13T23:55:00.002-06:00

check out ElleMarie Photography

email and let me know when i can shoot YOU!!

spanish lessons

2008-09-12T18:41:00.003-06:00

titter has a spiral notebook in which she does her homework. today, she forgot it and this is the conversation that took place between little and titter:
little: titter! titter! you notebook!
titter: little, it's my homework. notebook is how you say it in spanish.

and later, getting little ready for a nap, here is the conversation that took place between the two of us:
me: baby, please close your eyes and we'll go mimi together
little: mine eyes closed mama
me: no. they. are. not. please close them.
little: (smiles and says) they closed in spanish.
i had to leave before i wet my pants from laughing so hard!

it is so wrong that i am not correcting their "spanish"?

baby brudda's on his way!

2008-09-12T17:45:00.003-06:00

little: i cook baby brudda in ma pansa
(translation: i have baby brother in my tummy)
me: you do?
little: yup. he's name jackson
me: really?
little: i teach him be quiet. titter get mad if too loud. i teach him run fast be strong too.
me: (suppressing a giggle) is that what you have to do when you get too loud for titter?
little: yoooooou bet! (and a smile)

baby brudder in my pansa

i love these nalgas!

they be some fu-unky people at the fair

2008-09-11T19:12:00.007-06:00

none of course who read this blog, or who are related (we think/hope).
i won't describe anything/one because you have all seen them and to even attempt a description wouldn't do justice. i just have one word to say: dude!?!?!

on another note, grandma, granddaddy, auntie rebekah, the daisies and i spent an entire day and had the greatest face paintin', apple pickin', funnel cakin', turkey leg gobblin, princess hair wearin', pony lookin', giganzo bubble blowin' and deep...fried...OREO...devourin' great time!

a chick after my own heart: loving the spotlight!

these next two were taken at the end. not like you needed to be clued in.

top of the world!

2008-09-08T19:00:00.003-06:00

we went to the sandia crest to scope out the digs for the 2nd annual american cancer society's climb to conquer cancer. while we were up there, we went to the top and gabri exclaimed: mommy! i can see the whooooole world!

my very beautiful, amazingly talented and passionate friend Torio. if there was a volunteer of the universe award, she would totally win it. l.o.v.e. her!

it's 8:00 am, 63 degrees...do you know where your children are?

2008-07-12T20:13:00.009-06:00

in the pool, of course.

g: mommy, can we go swimming?
me: are you kidding? it just finished raining and it's freezing outside!
g: ok
(30 seconds later)
g: mommy, can we go swimming?
me: are you kidding? it's freezing outside. i bet it's not even 70 degrees.
g: i don't know what that means...can't you just call that mother and tell her to change the weather to make it warmer?
me: what mother?
g: that mother lady who changes the weather.
me: mother nature?
g: YES! that's the one! call her. please.
(calling time and temp and it's 63 degrees, 8:12am)
me: hita, it's freezing outside and mother nature is busy moving the rain somewhere else
g: ok
(30 seconds later, she comes out in her swimsuit and one for her sister, along with a swim diaper. sister thought of everything)
me: fine. you two are going to freeze to pieces. go outside and swim and i'll see you in 5 minutes.
g&e: yea mommy! you're the best! this is the best day of our lives!!!!!!!!!

should i? i shouldn't. shouldn't i?

i did!

"titter. need. see. me. now."
(translation: my sister needs to see me now.)

"baby. no. see. me. titter"
(translation: i can't see my sister)

an hour and a half! an hour and a half they were out there!

gabri with her blue veins painting her body and elli with purple lips finally decide to come in. a while later, it's nap time for little. i put on a show for gabri and tell her i'll be out in a bit. then the following takes place:

mommy, can i swim while you're putting little away?

no hita. you can't go swimming alone, only when i'm with you.

but God is always with me. can't i just go swimming with God?

tears sprang to my eyes.

overheard while walking by my bedroom last night

2008-07-01T15:09:00.002-06:00

gabri, do NOT make your sister's head into a helmet.

stop making fanny sandwiches.

yaya, don't bite your sister's chi-chis.

take the pillow off your faces.

stop sitting on your sister.

gabri, you may not ride on your sister's back.

yaya, get your finger out of gabri's mouth.

get your finger out of her nose.

and her ear.

(and this was all well under 30 seconds)

mary poppins' carpet bag ain't got nuthin' on my dooney

2008-06-30T10:16:00.004-06:00

i decided it was time to clean out my purse when i reached in to get my wallet and my fingernails came out with some smooth gooey brown substance underneath them (please goddess, let this be chocolate and not the diaper i haven't been able to find). below is the inventory (i kid you not):

wallet
coupon wallet
lipstick
lippy (yes, they are different)
lotion. full-sized william sonoma lemon basil lotion. the full-size
13 sharpies (i love me some sharpies)
3 mechanical pencils
croquet ball
gold hoop earrings
3 pairs of MATCHING socks
1 pair of underwear (not mine...that era was over a looong time ago!)
a stamp set
stamp pad
keys
jellybeans
nailclippers
6 month old overdue bill (is that why i can't buy anything at children's place anymore? oops)
sippy cup
trader joe's deflated balloon (and i'm keeping this, why?)
diaper (unused)
paperclip (just one)
pulverized dion's crackers (some in the package, some out)
hair glitter (again, not mine. i turned that in with my crimper in the early 90's)
scissors
washable markers
princess camera
mouthwash
tooties
post-its
aquaphor
neosporin
germ fighter stuff
tweezers
fruit snacks
bubbles
2 books (1 child, 1 mine)
comp notebook
popcicle stick (used)

i wish i had the foresight to have had my camera to photograph this mess. oh well, you just have to take my word for it.

spanish 101 & other interesting lessons

2008-06-26T07:32:00.004-06:00

our wonderful friend and cleaning lady was over the other day. when i first met her six years ago, the only english word she knew was seven. i kid you not. i asked her for her phone number and she said: cuatro zero uno, seven cinco seven dos. ok. now it's six years later and i am attempting to raise the next generation of trilingual speakers. currently gabri speaks english and spanish (about as well as palma does) and yaya speaks um, "english", is starting to lose her grasp on madarin, and is attempting to master spanish. she's just having a hard time with subject/verb agreement. so palma comes over the other day and yaya says, "hi palma!" and gabri rushes over to her and says in a hushed voice, "yaya, palma doesn't speak english, she's spanish. you can tell her, 'uno, dos, tres,' but that's all. oh, and she knows what adios and besos mean, too. please don't fluserate her."

more fun in the bathroom
we now have a ritual in the bathroom where we make lists of healthy foods that make your poo-poo softer because "everyone knows that hard poop can ruin your day" (exact words of my gabri):
blueberries? check.
strawberries? check.
broccoli? check.
edamame? check.
cookies? (sly smile) no!!! but we can have them every once in a while, right, mommy?
then we start singing and tapping on her knees (because that's another "secret" to elimination) and suddenly this bright light comes on behind her eyes and she yells,
mommy! do princesses poop?
of course they do...why do you think they're smiling & singing all the time?
hey just like us!

yes, my dear. just. like. us.

you might also want to check out:

2008-06-12T08:51:00.002-06:00

ellemariephotography.blogspot.com

i have been fortunate enough to photograph some amazing people (which is why i haven't done much here...well, that and several other reasons!). their sessions are on the above site.
check it out!

now entering the land of the $?@! knock-knock joke

2008-06-11T12:55:00.004-06:00

(me & gabri)
knock-knock.
who's there?
banana.
banana who?
don't cry it's just a joke!
(insert hysterical laughter)

knock-knock.
who's there?
gorilla.
gorilla who?
gorilla's sitting on your head!
(more hysterical laughter)

knock-knock.
who's there?
um, pillow.
pillow who?
um, pillow table!
(lauuuuughing!!!)

knock-knock.
who's there?
boo hoo.
boo hoo who?
boo hoo with a flower in her panties.
(haaaaaa haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...literal tears coming out of her little eyes because she is laughing so hard)

(gabri & elli)
g: knock-knock.
e: hysterical laughter
g: no! say "who's there?"
knock-knock.
e: who? (plus hysterical laughter)
g: NO! say "who's there", it's not funny yet.
knock-knock.
e: bana! (banana)
g: NO!!!! mooooo-oooooooooommmmm! elli's not playing right!!!! this is the worst day of my life (runs to her room and slams the door).

(now elli & me)
e: yok yok
me: who's there
e: nonni who
(laughter)

e: yok yok
me: who's there?
e: mommy who? (and then does her stevie wonder impersonation while laughing hysterically)

e: yok yok
me: daddy who?
e: noooooooooooooooooooooo (and throws herself on the floor in a rabid fit)

i'm not hiding anything

2008-03-03T16:34:00.006-07:00

gabri: mommy, may i please have some candy?
me: no, hita. it's 5:30 in the morning (although major points for politeness).
gabri: oh, ok mommy.

~approx 20 minutes later~

me: (waking up to the sweet smell of...cherry sucker(?)...in my face) are you eating candy?
gabri: yes
me: why are you hiding it from me?
gabri: i'm not hiding it, it's under yaya's bed. just don't look there. i put it there because you told me i can't have any. if i put it under yaya's bed, you won't know where it is and i can have it.

~much later in the day~

we are in the process of cleaning out yaya's closet and purging all the beautiful little clothes that don't fit her but horrifically enough still have the price tags on them! ugh, so upset that all the while i was sad that my perfect second daughter has no new clothes, only hand-me-downs, there were wonderfully good, new, stylish outfits begging to be worn. oh well, there's a therapy session and perfectly good meds wasted for no real reason.

anyway, i digress. so we decide to organize yaya's room and as we're entering it, gabri reminds me, "remember not to look under her crib." shortly after, yaya found the stash and gabri freaked out because, this is supposed to be all hers. but since it's yaya's room (possession is 9/10 of the law right?), she claimed it as hers, so a who-can-eat-the-candy-the-fastest competition ensued (no pics of that) and neither of my girls have come down from the ceiling (no pics of that, either)...and this was a week ago.

(i had to take the discovery pic with my phone, hence the awesome quality.)

i never thought i would say something this ____ (fill in the blank)

2008-02-27T14:58:00.006-07:00

wow.

i never.
ever.
ever.
thought i would think this, let alone actually say it.
let me show you some pictures, then i'll tell the brief story.

yaya in her hamper.
why?
because she can.
(or because her sister can make her get in it.)

devising a plan of action.
(or advising her on how to cover up the blood and bruises)

pay no attention to what is growing on the carpet.
instead, would you look at that face? this child is always smiling!
no matter what her sister does to her.
and believe me, if she cried constantly for the rest of her life, it would not make up for what she goes through on a daily basis.

ok. so i'm working on the computer at the kitchen table. gabri coaxes yaya into the hamper with a bowl of kix (kid tested, mother approved)...much like the hunter traps the fox i would think. as soon as yaya is in the hamper, this crazy laughter comes from deep within the belly of my sweet, ahem, three year old. all of a sudden, she is running around the house (on hardwood floors) dragging her sister in the hamper. all the while not exactly in the upright position. after quite a few minutes of this, someone who has possessed my body and who sounds an awful lot like me says, "gabri can you please drag your sister on the carpet instead of the hard floor?" and she kindly responds, "good idea mommy."

what the blank kind of mother is that?

a super cool one if you ask me!

wanted: one tootie maker

2008-02-24T20:23:00.006-07:00

i had some down time (meaning there was a mountain of folding to be done, piles of dirty dishes that were starting to talk and grumbling tummies that were dying to be fed), yaya was sleeping and so gabri and i decided to make "tooties". what is a tootie, you ask? duh-a tootie is a hair-tie, rubberband, hairband (no, not poison, the other type of hairband), barrette, whatever...our family calls them tooties. after making a gazillion of these (one of which she MAY wear), gabri decided she wants to be a tootie maker when she grows up. that's of course if the whole mermaid occupation, chocolate taster, ballerina, or princess thing doesn't work out. according to her, it takes a lot of work and a lot of things to be a princess...don't i know that!

(why is my text hyperlink-y?!?!? i used to think i was smart until the age of computers...)displaying her tooties

"make sure you get a picture of all the tooties, mama."

you're never fully dressed without a smile...and ain't this a smile!

he sees you when you're peeing

2008-02-17T17:44:00.005-07:00

we have mastered zen and the art of potty training. while we still have the quiet (or not so quiet, depending on your definition) look of a deer in the headlights when the movement comes on too quickly, we have yet to have an accident (day or night) in a very very very very long time (knock on wood, please God, let me not wake up to pee pee sheets).
we still don't like to go potty by ourselves (especially in the middle of the night when there are creepy crawlies hanging out in the toilet and mommy finally falls asleep despite the fact there is a foot in her mouth and a knee in her kidney and all the sheets are removed from her frozen body). so we're in the bathroom. waiting. waiting. waiting (because it's common knowledge that the colder it is, the longer it takes for the potty to come). as dawn starts to break and the birds begin to sing and the coffee begins to brew...ok, i'm totally getting carried away here...the following conversation takes place:

gabri: is santa still watching us even though it's not christmas?
me: (thinking this is a great time to instill the fear, i mean stress the importance of being kind and gentle throughout the year, not just at christmas time) oh of course he is, he never stops watching us.
gabri: (fear stricken) he is?!?!? but i need privacy in the bathroom!!!
me: (trying not to laugh) oh, he gives us time to go potty in private.
gabri: how about poo-poo?
me: we poop in private, too.
gabri: ok, how about Jesus? since He is everywhere, can He see me in the bathroom?
me: no, He gives us privacy too.
gabri: oh, ok.

there is not a day that goes by where i am not blown away by her view of life!

Jesus and Chuck E. Cheese's - one in the same?

2008-02-16T17:20:00.007-07:00

as you will remember a while back, gabri is learning the sounds letters make and the sounds words start with. a few weeks ago, we went to chuck e. cheese's for a birthday party (my kind of party where the kiddos get jacked up on coke, cake, ice cream, and "pizza" made from totally organic and fda approved processed artificial partially hydrogenated animal by-products; come crashing down off the high and go through withdrawal not too different from that of opiates; sleep for 3 hours after the party is over, and wake up in a sweat-stained tizzy wanting more and then screaming hysterically that it's not fair and it is the worst day of their life. oh, and the no mommy clean-up part is good, too. but i digress...).
a few days after the withdrawal process was complete, gabri reaches an epiphany:
gabri: mommy! jesus knows chuck e. cheese's!
me: wh-, huh?
gabri: yeah, listen! ja-ja-jesus...chuck e. jesus!

another example of preschool at work? daddy was talking about having to keep a "diary" for work to help him with his end of month reports. in the background, yaya is teaching gabri her version of mandarin (if you've ever heard her talk, you know exactly what i'm referring to), so they are in their own little world (or so we think). daddy keeps talking about his diary and gabri then asks, "mommy, is diary like diarrhea?"

tell me you wouldn't have died laughing!

forty years

2008-02-04T17:03:00.000-07:00

my parents recently celebrated their 40th anniversary (yep, 40 years. together. wow.). we had a surprise party for them a few weeks ago and one of the guests at the party said, "sh!t...i've been married twice and i don't have 40 years between the two of them!" while preparing for the party, i was looking through some old photos for a slide show. here are some of the gems i found ( i tried to load them in order, but they didn't...bear with me while i try to figure this blog-thing out):

nice dress, mom...and check out the crocheted pillow
(and who dresses your kids?!?!?)

us: surprise!!!
daddy: surprise what?!?!
mom: uh, our anniversary, dear
daddy: but it's not for a few weeks
mom: right. that's the surprise

love after 40 years.
(i get teary when i see this photo)

i am so cute in this picture!

and this one, too. i swear yaya makes this same face. this is my mammaw and pappaw (my dad's parents...cool hair, bertie!)

first and last time you'll ever see me in a bikini

what...is ...on your...head...?

2008-02-03T08:49:00.000-07:00

these photos speak for themselves. note: these are taken on separate days, separate months even. anything goes. leave no unmentionables where the daisies can find them!

orale!
(burque slang for 'what's up?')

my other homegirl

tights are a fantastic way to keep one's noggin toasty in the winter

gabri: i wonder why my piggy toes are turning blue?

yaya's automatic response to the camera

un poco de todo (a little bit of everything)

2008-02-03T07:59:00.000-07:00

4 generations of feet (great grandmother, grandmother, the daisies, and i'm taking the picture. i thought about taking off my shoe, but it might have lost something!)

striking a pose with the tri-tops (note the popped hip!)

enjoying a crisp fall day in the park

at the ranch, making a birthday cake for daddy
(happy forty -gulp- three!)

the only photo we have from thanksgiving...not good! i'll have to photoshop some smiling people together to show what a great time we had (even if we don't know them).

Punks in the Punkin Patch

2008-02-02T16:20:00.000-07:00

gabri's school had a pumpkin patch in the back with hay that was begging to be jumped in. we left quite a mess but left before they told us to clean up (or maybe they didn't ask us to clean up because we bought $75 worth of pumpkins...did you say "seventy-five DOLLARS"? yes, don't tell daddy.).

how could i say "no" to this face and have it come crashing down, shattering into a thousand gazillion pieces...is $75 really too high a price to pay?

don't answer that. i'm a sucker for a smile

hay!

what?

proof (this was just the 1st trip of many. finally, the pumpkin-watcher lady lent us her wagon.)

gabri: ready? on the count of three.
yaya: ok titter...wait, what's a three?

not really enjoying the piercing points of the hay, but as always, an unfaltering smile on her face.

ps-this was in october (duh)...don't let the feb date fool you :)

village pizza field trip

2007-09-29T22:07:00.000-06:00

while village pizza is arguably the bestest pizza this side of the rio grande, the field trip we went on was a mess (according to the adults-the kiddos, on the other hand, had a blast. maybe there's something to be said about our expectations and those of the children. if we have no expectations, then we can't expect to be disappointed. food for thought). the kiddos got to make their own slices and they had a blast and i got some pretty good pics while we were there. they have the best teachers, very patient, kind and creative. love them!

23,649.5

2007-09-27T21:03:00.000-06:00

this is the number of calories (on average) a mom consumes on a daily basis. how do i know this? because i have over three years experience under my belt. i woke up this morning and found a 1/4 full capri sun next to my bed. i was thirsty, so i drank it. on my way to get yaya from her crib (at 530 this morning), i found some cheerios. i was hungry, so i ate them. then a piece of breakfast cookie (it was oatmeal raisin. very healthy). fixed the girls oatmeal with blueberries. they ate what they could, then i ate the rest (because there are starving children in ethiopia). milk. juice. winnie the pooh cookies. kix. crackers. turkey slices. banana. more blueberries. cheese. a sucker. tea. cheese its. (a bite of) tuna casserole. juice. winnie the pooh crackers. chocolate milk. winnie the pooh crackers. i can say, however, that i did not eat breakfast, lunch or dinner, so that cancels out all the other calories, right?

let's see...what's the gabri-ism for today? oh i got it. i got upset at her for one reason or another and she stopped me in mid-getting-mad-at-her-mode and said, "mommy, how do you make your face go like that?" talk about a reality check. i think that's her way of saying i need to chill out (or i need botox). she is only three. i am the adult. most of the time.

dog poop con papas

2007-09-16T21:13:00.000-06:00

last night i practically twisted my arm patting myself on the back because i made real red chile (from pods), carnitas and beans and alex made his awesome mashed potatoes (mine always come out like glue...not even good glue). i absolutely have to say that this chile was awesome (alex even said it was good, and his mom is a chile making machine, so that must mean something, right?). ok, but that's not the point and anyway, it was pretty short-lived. i put some carnitas aside for the girls(for those of you who don't know what carnitas are, they are little pieces of pork, preferably fried-but i use olive oil, so they're good for you)...ok, i put carnitas in the bowl first and then a big spoonful of potatoes (not thinking that i was "covering anything up"). we're all merrily eating and chatting about our day and all of a sudden gabri's face is panic-stricken and yells, "oh gross guys: dog poop!"...she got to the bottom of the bowl and "found" the carnitas. now this is wrong on so many levels:
we don't have a dog
i've never fixed dog poop before (and don't even know of a good recipe)
and i've never made my children eat dog poop.
i couldn't stop laughing because she was so adamant that i had fixed and was making her eat dog poop.
alex didn't think it was funny. where's his sense of humor?!?!?

uh as in monkey

2007-09-13T22:56:00.000-06:00

gabri is learning letters and sounds in school and they just finished learning the letter "p". pa-pa-pizza. pa-pa-parrot. pa-pa-panda. pa-pa-purple. on and on and on. yesterday they started on with the letter "u" (don't ask me where q, r, s, and t went). you-you-unicorn. uh-uh-uncle. uh-uh-monkey. wait, huh? "no, hita, it's ma-ma-monkey. m for monkey". "no, mommy, listen uh-uh-monkey." although i tried putting my teaching hat on and 'splaining it to the best of my (in)ability, there are some things three year olds know that no one else does.

this is her, "duh, mom" face. i'd say she has the look down pat.

in my dreams

2007-09-13T22:39:00.001-06:00

this was the dress my flower girls wore in our wedding 4 1/2 years ago. in my dreams, i never thought i would see my little girl twirling around in it.
if there was ever a twirling contest, this little princess would win.

this one just warms my heart. those are my wedding shoes!

this is what happens when you blog

2007-09-13T22:21:00.000-06:00

ok, so i'm really getting into blogging again and was messing around on the computer. in silence. which, as i should totally know by now, silence does not equal a good thing. "someone" left the "country" (pantry) door open and yaya decided she needed a little snackie.

note the frenzied attempt to clean up after her sister-i couldn't even get a clear picture...what exactly are the child labor laws in nm?thank goodness this happened right before palma came. speaking of which, i have another funny gabri story:
we were in walmart next to a family who was speaking spanish. gabri gets so excited and yells, "mommy! they must know palma!"

a plethora of pictures

2007-09-12T22:22:00.001-06:00

the daisies, mom and i went to the lavender festival in july...mmm we smelled so good after leaving there:)

can you believe that gabri did not want to do the jumper? not according to this face. three hours later and promises of as many lavender popsicles she could eat and we still had quite a time trying to get her out of there.

my beautiful yaya first thing in the morning...love that bed head!

gabri's first day of school...sniffle sniffle

ooooh you can just feel the love here. well, at least you know yaya can!

jack nicholson's baby picture
(ok, not really. it's yaya...not nice, mommy!)

you've heard of "where's waldo?" this is "where's gabri?" she has never done this in her life (fall asleep while playing...she sure was tuckered out!). oh, and by the way, this is a clean room.

jefe would you say i had a plethora of (pictures)?

2007-09-12T22:22:00.000-06:00

the girls , mom and i went to the lavender festival in july...mmm we smelled so good after leaving there:)

can you believe that gabri did not want to do the jumper? not according to this face. three hours later and promises of as many lavender popsicles she could eat and we still had quite a time trying to get her out of there.

my beautiful yaya first thing in the morning...love that bed head!

gabri's first day of school...sniffle sniffle

ooooh you can just feel the love here. well, at least you know yaya can!

jack nicholson's baby picture
(ok, not really. it's yaya...not nice, mommy!)

you've heard of "where's waldo?" this is "where's gabri?" she has never done this in her life (fall asleep while playing...she sure was tuckered out!)

i miss blogging!

2007-09-12T21:45:00.000-06:00

i haven't been on here in centuries! i've started working more and taking fewer pictures and that is changing right this moment.
my parents, the girls and i went to the wine festival a few weeks ago. this is gabri as the ladybug princess
she had a wonderful time watching the flamenco dancers and is now in the habit of lifting up her dress around her shoulders "because that's what the 'flamencers' do"...we're trying to put that to a stop. needless to say, she is wearing shorts under all her dresses. well, in public, anyway.
yaya, on the other hand, was *so* over the wine festival. this is rare footage of her not smiling, but boy when she is mad, she doesn't hold back!

we all scream for ice cream!

2007-06-29T16:14:00.001-06:00

we had a bunch of monkeys over for a water party: shark slip and slide, pool and water balloon tossing. it was an absolutely perfect summer day!

YaYa's first experience with an ice cream sammich

gabri and her fascination with those ladybugs!

the amazingly talented photographer brianna saban and her handsome man asher

gabri thouroughly enjoying her ice cream pop

mas please!!

Gabriella Marie is three!!

2007-06-19T16:05:00.001-06:00

Happy birthday, little angel!

El Racho

2007-06-19T15:41:00.001-06:00

Gabri got to meet her horse "Sunny Day" for the first time, she got to ride a horse, feed the goats and drive her Granddaddy's truck. YaYa was very content just being held. The two other kids are my nephew and niece Shane and Amira and these kids are the most awesomest kiddos ever!Are they beautiful or what?

I think this may be one of my favorite pics.

Gabri's first experience with a bug...ladybug, that is.

Hanging out with the sheep and goats

what a bunch of crop!

2007-03-17T22:24:00.000-06:00

tee hee! now that i have your attention, here are 2 pics that i now have hanging in the foyer. i know you could just die...they are so beautiful if i do say so myself!

now for a quick gabri-ism. we were saying our night prayers and while she almost has it down pat, she still needs a little prompting. this is gabri's version of "angel of God":

angel of God my "garden" dear to whom God's love commits me here. ever this "steak" be at my side to light and guard, to rule and guide amen.

oh she makes me smile!

and yet another montage...

2007-03-04T21:56:00.000-07:00

this is just a super quick one that i put together. i can't believe how much fun this is! if only i didn't have to eat or sleep!

american idol watch out!

2007-03-04T08:11:00.000-07:00

my oldest girlfriend (i love saying that...i've known her the longest, but i'm actually older than her) had an american idol birthday party for her oldest, my goddaughter. here is a montage of the kiddies enjoying the karaoke machine. i'm currently working on a montage of the adults...it's hard to tell who had more fun!

here it is:jenny's gonna kill me!!

addiction? i want it!

2007-03-01T16:10:00.000-07:00

talk about an addictive personality! if there is something out there that is remotely cool, i gotta have it or do it. i can *never* go into something and do it half-way. it has to be all or nothing. do or die. sink or swim. flight or...ok, you get the gist. so here's (one of) my new addiction(s): photoshop. my mom is my enabler. she is teaching me some super cool things to do with pictures (and saving me the $900 i would have spent on a class) and this is my latest experiment:

this is the original photo

do you see how the color is fading from right to left? man! this is like totally cool!

and another original
this one makes me want to cry, i love it so much!

uh-kay uh-kay uh-kay (my imitation of joe pesci). last juan!

original

"night"

that's my queue to say good night gracie!
g'night gracie!

what color is my daddy?

2007-02-28T20:07:00.000-07:00

yikes she makes me laugh! throughout our time together, you will learn some "gabri-isms". these may be her specific (or pacific) word for a pacific item, or they may be short little stories. either way, i'm sure you will find them humorous.

we were in the bathroom (where we spend a lot of our time trying to earn "nem-a-nems") when gabri said, "mommy, what color are you? you're not white."
mommy: ok, am i peachy-colored?
gabri: yes, and is yaya peachy-colored?
mommy: yes
gabri: and is gabri peachy-colored?
mommy: yes
gabri: what color is daddy?
mommy: isn't he peachy-colored, too?
gabri: no, he's black

wow. i didn't know that!

lions and tigers and (polar) bears...oh my!

2007-02-27T20:52:00.000-07:00

we went to the zoo the other day. while it was a little chilly, the animals were happy and so were we.if you look closely, you can see yaya's shoes say "love" and "you"

checking out the peacocks and ducks

mommy, this sign says don't feed 'em anymore

feeding the ducks

hanging with my friend "yexi"

so this is what i've decided:

2007-02-27T20:10:00.000-07:00

i was thinking on the order of which to place my photos. i was going to start from yaya's birth and then move forward. then i thought i would start in the present and then move back, but my monkeys keep doing cute things and i would never get to where i'm going. so here's the deal: i'm starting in the present and moving back while inserting other pictures as i see fit. maybe it will make sense. maybe it will be confusing. maybe i'll even go so far as to "pretend" i'm the quentin tarantino of blogging. all in all, it should be entertaining. if not, you don't have to read it. how's that for disclosure?

inaugural blog

2007-02-26T07:55:00.000-07:00

i can't believe it...i finally succumbed and fell victim to (insert dramatic music score here)...the BLOG! i haven't quite decided the format or purpose of the BLOG, so bear with me while it is under construction. maybe this will turn into a great literary work, i will make millions of dollars and retire fabulously wealthy in a little villa in espain. or it could be a quick way for you to keep up on the growth spurts and wonderfully hilarious antics of the daisy girls...we shall soon see. in the meantime...

i have an amazingly gifted, beautiful, blessed, insightful, funny funny funny friend (brianna saban; check out her here) who invited us over for a photoshoot (amazing photog...you should hire her!). here are just 2 pics of what she caught. keep an eye out for more to come!