Latin American Idol . . . Dorian Style!
Posted on October 16, 2008 - Filed Under Kids | 3 Comments
Dorian really loves watching American Idol. He just loves listening to music and has since he was tiny. He was a very fussy baby and never let me get anything done until I discovered that turning on music calmed him right down. Any music would do, but he particularly liked hip hop as a baby. These days, he`s into salsa and rock and he can sing along to the songs in most of his movies.
The other night, I was treated to a concert where he grabbed a toy screwdriver handle as a mic and began to dance and perform in front of me, making up his own song. It was so cute, I had to take pictures!
Dante did some backup dancing and stunts to add to the show.
And the whole concert finished up with a very flashy finale, as you can see!
With something like five generations of musicians on Irving`s side of the family and my dad being a musician and record producer, I think the boys have music in their genes! It would be cool if they turned out to be singers, though, since that`s the one thing no one in our families has ever done!
Giveaway Extended
Posted on October 15, 2008 - Filed Under Contest | Leave a Comment
I was supposed to choose a winner for the ornament giveaway today, but to tell you the truth, I`ve been SO busy this past week with work that I didn`t have a chance to get anything more done. So, this is good news for my readers since I`m extending the deadline for another week and I`m upping the winners to two. 
If you haven`t entered yet, just go to THIS POST and leave a comment letting me know that you want to win. Next Wednesday, I`ll pick two readers to receive three ornaments of their choice.
Thanks for your patience!
Delicious Thanksgiving Food
Posted on October 14, 2008 - Filed Under Food | 6 Comments
It all started early in the morning with this . . .
And this:
Which yielded a lot of this:
To be cleaned
and soaked for roasting tomorrow.
I sent Irving for these:
The bread came out of the oven.
Odds and ends were sauteed in butter . . .
And were added to the bread to get this:
While working on the pie crust . . .
A friendly neighbor stopped in for a visit.
I found this a couple weeks ago in the store, so we had to have some . . . I haven`t eaten cranberry sauce in 7 years!
The chicken was carefully rubbed with garlic herb butter under the skin and roasted. This was the end result:
Potatoes were mashed, salad was tossed and Tadah!
It was enjoyed by everyone except Dorian who ate only a couple of olives and a bite of mashed potatoes. Dante made up for him though.
We all had pie (except Dorian).
It was a good day.
Worms Have Bums
Posted on October 14, 2008 - Filed Under Kids | 4 Comments
Today, while hiking back from the bathroom, I came across a rather long earthworm that was creeping across the path. So, I called Dorian over to check it out. He crouched down and examined it for a second. Then he told me he would get his construction machine to run it over with, demonstrating with his hand and noises that he would squish the poor critter flat. I suggested we let the worm live and explained that it doesn`t bite and isn`t yucky, it`s interesting.
We watched the earthworm for a while and I passed out little tidbits of wisdom. “Worms eat dirt. See the blood vein there in his back? Earthworms live under the dirt and they make little tunnels. He looks like he`s having trouble moving his bum, doesn`t he?”
After a bit, Dorian yelled for Irving and Dante to come see his worm. Irving took one look and said, “Ew, yucky!” Dorian whirled around and yelled, “NO! NOT YUCKY! INTERESTING.”
He eagerly pointed it out to his papa. “Look, Papa. It has NO legs. And NO eyes. It does have a bum.” I think we covered worm biology quite nicely.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted on October 13, 2008 - Filed Under Food, Guatemala, Personal | 4 Comments
It`s the Canadian Thanksgiving today. In an effort to instill a few Canadian traits in my kids, we`re celebrating it in high style! It`s been nearly 8 years since my last Thanksgiving . . . but I`m totally enjoying filling the house with yummy smells and delicious food!
There will be photos galore later today or tomorrow, depending on how stuffed I am after dinner. I do have to work (TONS of work!) today, but that`s just another thing to be grateful for, isn`t it? 
Any Canadians read my blog? How are you celebrating?
The Joys of Being Second-Born
Posted on October 11, 2008 - Filed Under Kids | 6 Comments
It seems that kids who are born second are just behind from the beginning. As hard as they try, they`ll never catch up to older siblings and they seem to be constantly convinced that the world is against them. I have no idea why this is, but it sure is true. Every second born child I know is like this, resentful and angry that they didn`t get a better deal in life. I`m terrified Dante will turn out like this.
Dante is my little hellion on wheels. He was unexpected and I was stressed out from the beginning about being mom of two. But once he arrived, man, did I love that little guy!
Most people still look at my baby boy as just that, the baby. He`s not. I see the hurt look in his eyes when Dorian is given something that he`s not. When Irving takes Dorian with him to Antigua, Dante cries his eyes out because he doesn`t understand why he doesn`t get to go, too. Dante prefers his papa over me, but that doesn`t stop him from claiming my attention when he thinks I`m looking or kissing Dorian more than him. The boys actually, physically fight over my affection at times! I have to remind them that I have two arms and two legs and there`s more than enough room for two on my lap (thanks to failed weight loss resolves!).
For Dante, the relationship with his big brother is a love/hate one. He longs to be JUST LIKE Dorian, but when they do the same things, he`s jealous. I can understand this, even though I`m the oldest in my family. Irving and I both are the oldest kids and I`m afraid that makes us tune in to Dorian easier. Dante is the mysterious element, someone we don`t always get. The fact that he basically didn`t talk until a couple of weeks ago doesn`t help, either . . . Dorian was babbling from a very early age. They each have their strengths. At 16 months younger, Dante is already almost more adept physically in some areas than his brother, while Dorian dominates the verbal side of things.
Today, Dante took a break from destroying, tearing and generally trashing the joint and the people in it. He got to go out on his own with Irving to eat while Dorian and I were napping. They went for a walk. They had some food. They talked . . . well, Irving did, I don`t know how much talking Dante did. And Dante came back just glowing. He so needed that time with his papa.
Dorian got up after a long nap and Dante was all smiles and bubbles with him, leading him to the couch saying, “here, here.” When Dorian obligingly lay down on the couch (despite having crawled out of bed ten seconds before), Dante gasped and said, “Wheresdapacha?” (he does this thing where he speaks his sentences so quickly you miss them if you don`t listen carefully, but they are definitely sentences) and when he didn`t see Dorian`s bottle, he graciously offered up his own! This is big because Dante is always grabbing BOTH bottles to hog for himself. So giving his own to Dorian was a huge gesture. Dorian got that, thanked him, took a couple of pulls on the bottle and gave it back (Dante drinks real milk while Dorian drinks soy).
Since then, Dante has been happily playing on his own instead of whining around the house, pulling things down and throwing stuff. I can see that this could well be the effect of getting that longed for one on one time with his papa and I`m determined to ensure that it happens more often. I really, really don`t want my adorable little boy to grow up angry and resentful!
Scrapbooking Article Published!
Posted on October 9, 2008 - Filed Under Personal | 5 Comments
So, I`ve put my scrapbooking skills to good use and got myself a job out of it. How`s that for slick?!
You can read my first (3 more in October, published each Thursday) article on the My Baby Photos blog. I really like how it came out and I have to say that I`m thrilled it wasn`t ghostwritten. If you`ll remember, one of my goals was to get more work with bylines and this one has my name right on it! 
So, please, head over and take a look. There are new, useful articles on taking pictures of your kids every day!
Beds, New Words And Other Odds and Ends
Posted on October 9, 2008 - Filed Under Kids, Mom Stuff, Simple Life | 8 Comments
Dorian`s new bed arrived a few days ago! It`s custom made which sounds all snobby and stuff, but the truth is, having the bed custom built costs about a third of the price of a storebought bed here . . . plus I get to design it to fit into MY house.
Dorian is in love with this sucker. It has two huge drawers underneath for storing toys and things. The idea is to get another one for Dante once he moves into a bed . . . but truthfully, I don`t know how on earth we`re going to fit two huge beds in that tiny room!
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New words abound around here. This morning, Dorian called me into his room and said, “Oh, no! I`m SOAKING wet!” Not just wet, mind you, but “soaking” wet.
Dante`s latest is saying “whadayadoin?” which actually means “What are you doing?” It`s not only his first sentence (sort of), it`s also the most he`s said yet in English!
Dorian has been saying a lot in English lately and he`s really amping up his vocabulary and how he puts it together. Now when he wants something he`ll say, “Mama, I need my pacha.” Then he`ll look around and say, “Oh, no! It`s GONE! My pacha is gone! It`s LOST!” And of course Mama is the only person who can find the missing item.
Dorian has also been getting into scolding his brother more. Particularly for the terrible transgressions of sitting on Dorian`s chair at the dinner table or standing in front of the television and blocking Dorian`s view. The usual lines? “Dante, I`ve had it with you! Sleepies, NOW!” However, he`s equally effusive when his brother does something good like use his spoon to eat with instead of his hands, “Oh, excellent, Dante. Good job! Using your spoon, very good!” He even extends this to me . . . I picked up some spilled strawberries the other day and he told me, “Excellent, good job, Mama.”
Another Dante word is “isty” which we THOUGHT was the word “este” or “this” in Spanish. But no. Turns out he`s saying “itchy”. Poor kid. His allergies to bug bites just don`t quit and he frequently ends up with huge welts on his legs and arms and tummy from flea or mosquito bites. We`re talking HUGE. I feel so bad for him. He has to take an antihistamine every morning and evening just to keep them to a bearable level. I`m so hoping this doesn`t mean he`s going to be allergic to other things in life!
Christmas Ornaments Already! (and a giveaway)
Posted on October 8, 2008 - Filed Under Contest, Crafty | 8 Comments
Ok, I know I promised these pics ages ago, but I`ve been really busy with work. Good, right?
Well, here are two of the ornaments I made. Ok, they`re actually the only two I made. Like I said, I`ve been busy!
Now, I`m going to give away three of these (there are going to be a bunch more designs) so if you would like a set of embroidered Christmas ornaments for free (non-winner feel free to buy some ) just leave a comment on this post. The winner will be able to pick any three out of the ones I have finished by next Wednesday which is when I`ll choose a winner at random.
Wordless Wednesday: Wet, Wet Days
Posted on October 8, 2008 - Filed Under Wordless Wednesday | 12 Comments
