Curly Sue

In my never-ending battle against Matilda's morning tangles, I've introduced a new (cute!) weapon of war, and am happy to report that I may be finally gaining ground!

The curlers didn't all stay in her hair all night long, but she was relatively tangle-free when she woke up with adorable little ringlets! And she seemed to actually sit still and have fun while I put the rollers in before bed. :)

Three

Three years ago, today, at 5:58pm I held Matilda for the first time. Labor started on July 3, 2008 while at a movie (Wanted) with Ed after dinner at Red Robin. I refused to believe it was real labor. I was up pacing and laboring at home all night. Ed knew it was the real deal. He got a little sleep and we checked into the hospital the next morning. 10 hours later, just in time for dinner and after nearly 2 hours of pushing, my first daughter came into this world, face up, and we instantly fell in love.

For her first birthday, we celebrated with Grandma and Grandpa in Door County with presents and a pink lady strawberry cake with a pink strawberry coolwhip frosting. I couldn't make a traditional buttercream because she couldn't eat dairy yet. She wasn't even walking. She barely tasted the cake, mostly just rubbed it in her hair and enjoyed all the extra attention.

For her second birthday, we went up to Door County again and celebrated with Grandma, Grandpa and Grandpa Mike. She was not old enough to understand that her birthday was approaching or what that meant, but when we came into her room singing "Happy Birthday" that morning, she knew it was going to be a special day. She had a little party with tons of presents and I made her a yellow confetti cake with chocolate fudge frosting, which she couldn't wait to get her hands on. She tried both the cake and the frosting that year and had left overs the next day. That was also the first time Evelyn ever had cake. She didn't hesitate at all.

Today, she turned 3. She's been talking about her birthday for a month. We had a party at home with Grandma, Grandpa, Grandpa Mike, Uncle Chase, Aunt Natalie and Boston. She was excited to see the decorations I made. She was delighted with her presents wrapped in princess paper. I think her favorite present was the Princess Tiana Barbie doll Evelyn gave her. She knew today was special for her from the moment she woke up and she can tell you how old she is.

She had a chocolate fudge cake with ganache and raspberry filling and raspberry cream cheese frosting with a few gold sprinkles. She LOVED blowing out her candles and demanded that we put another candle on her slice of cake before she would try to eat it. She had a blast being surrounded by family and playing with her cousin and little sister. She told us this was her "best birthday ever!" I'm so excited about how much she has learned in just three years and delighted by the little girl she is growing into. We are more in love with her every day.

My darling girl, I hope all your wishes come true!

Happy July

We're busy getting ready for someone's birthday party, but Evelyn is already having a blast!

Breakfast in our Suite

Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa, we love our table!

I've been having more sick days than well days lately with my pregnancy complications, so it's getting harder for me to get around. This morning, we brought the girls' little table upstairs for them to have breakfast and snack on so I don't have to carry Evelyn up and down the stairs so many times. They absolutely love their little table and I'm so glad we thought of this so they could get even more use out of it. They sat so nicely and enjoyed their cinnamon toast and milk and chatted with eachother this morning. It was so cute. I didn't even have to tell them to sit, they were so excited to see their table up here that they just climbed right up onto their chairs before I even set their plates down! I can't wait to see all three of our little girls having "tea" at that table!

Fashion Plate

Matilda found something in my closet that she likes.

Those are my favorite party shoes, and they're great and all, but look at her legs! They're a million miles long!!!

Here's a peek at her runway walk:

Father's Day

I made a mistake this year and thought Father's Day was the week before it really was. I sent Ed and Evelyn out with instructions "Stay away for at least 4 hours while I try to potty train Matilda." I'm so generous. Anyway, they were determined to have a good day. He and Evelyn went on a long bike ride along the river and then stopped at a park for a picnic of sandwiches, cookies and watermelon before heading home to find a frazzled mommy and a wet Matilda. It was not the most successful attempt at Father's Day or at potty training, so I was glad when my own dad informed me that I was a week early, so I had a chance to do it better.

Evelyn enjoying her pre-Father's Day picnic after a nice bike ride,

wearing an adorable dress from Great Aunt Mona

that was Matilda's last year--they're growing so fast!

For REAL Father's Day, we started celebrating on Saturday. We went out for a family breakfast downtown and then walked to Island Park to enjoy the nice weather and play with the girls. They were really excited to walk on the long bridge all the way across the river and they had a great time playing at the park.

On Sunday, we let Daddy sleep in while the girls and I went out to get some special treats for Daddy. When we got home, we made a special breakfast of poached eggs and smoked salmon on toasted english muffins with home made hollandaise sauce to start the day off right. Later, after nap, the girls signed a card for their daddy and thought up a list of their favorite things to do with Daddy that they wanted to thank him for. Then, we gave Daddy the cards and.....

ICE CREAM CAKE!!!!

Really digging into that ice cream cake--you can see why it was served outside

The girls really enjoyed that ice cream cake, too, and Matilda actually picked out the design all by herself--it was a rectangular white cake with a bright red border and 2 mini ice cream cones on top.

After the girls went to bed, Ed and I watched a movie together while enjoying grilled lobster tails, grilled steak and home made tarragon butter using fresh tarragon from our own garden. We even opened a bottle of champagne. It was a nice day for the best dad I could ever pick for my beautiful girls.

And, since Matilda didn't make it into this post yet, here's a random clip of another Daddy-Daugther's day out:

What have the girls been up to?

It's officially summer and the blog is way over-due for an update about the family.

Matilda will be 3 in 11 days. She's SO excited about the new baby and has been spending a lot of time giving my belly hugs and kisses and asking when she can hold the baby. She's still learning tons of new words and speaks so clearly about so many things. She has a very active imagination and it's wonderful to watch her play, especially when she's sharing and playing with Evelyn. Matilda is also working on using the potty like a big girl and is making some progress there. She says she wants to go to the zoo for her birthday and have a princess party with chocolate cake. We will oblige. She spends the rest of her time being hilarious or challenging authority. She's growing up so quickly and I'm impressed that she is trying to make jokes now. She asks me "Mommy, are you happy?" and when I say yes, she asks me if I am all the other dwarfs, one by one, and she finds it hilarious. Her other favorite "joke" is when I ask her for a handshake she says, "no! I'll give you a PANTS shake!" and then wiggles her little bottom as fast as she can. She is so hungry for information too, asking about everything around her from her stuffed globe to the life-story of all her dolls to how anything she sees works. Here's a movie of her talking about her flamenco dancer doll Ed and I got for her in Spain.

Evelyn is tall and strong and athletic. She remains fearless and has learned to climb just about every piece of furniture in the house and definitely keeps me on my toes chasing her around and makes me feel a little bit like a superhero since I save her life about 10 times a day. But she's no tomboy. She loves to play dress up, adores her baby dolls, worships Matilda and even let me paint her toenails the other day. When she's not climbing, sleeping, eating or narrowly avoiding a harrowing fall, she's wandering the house in various stages of dress and undress. She's also getting more and more chatty, has learned to say "no" VERY clearly and is starting to try to sing some songs. The way she runs and kicks a ball around the yard makes it clear that we'll have several summers of youth soccer in our future.

Fleece footie pjs, a princess dress with full tulle skirt and a winter hat... in June.

A little scamp in her birthday suit

Little Pink Toes

Both of my big girls love to chase eachother around, hide under blankets, play with stickers, and do absolutely anything Disney princess related. They have occasional spats here and there, but in general they get along and are good about sharing their toys, space and parents with each other and they genuinely enjoy the other's company and ask where sister is if one is out without the other.

And both Evelyn and Matilda were extremely excited last night when we informed them that we are expecting another girl! I am halfway through the pregnancy now and the baby is growing and developing perfectly and we are so pleased to be adding another little girl to our family!

Easter, 2011

As most of you know by now, we are expecting our 3rd baby! I've been terribly ill and in bed for weeks now, which is why things have been so quiet around here. Luckily, I'm at the end of my first trimester now, starting to feel a little better, and ready to start sharing here again! The baby is doing well and is due 11/11/11.

We had a wonderful Easter weekend. Kim and Eric flew out from Providence to visit and Joanne and Jim hosted an Easter brunch. On Friday the girls spent half the day with the relatives while Ed and I went to a doctor's appointment and did some last minute Easter shopping. Saturday, Ed took the girls to a local farm to participate in the little kids' egg hunt and meet some baby animals--they saw chicks, a donkey, goats, and Matilda held a bunny!

On Sunday, the girls got dressed up in their Easter dresses (little matching sailor suits) and recieved baby dolls from Mommy and Daddy that had dresses that matched the girls' outfits. They really enjoyed those baby dolls!

Everyone met up at Jim and Joanne's house for brunch. The girls played with all the toys and showed off their little dolls.

Joanne got fancy dresses for the girls and Evelyn decided she needed to get a little more dolled up for this special occasion.

After breakfast, the girls spent some time playing outside.

By noon it was time for everyone to go--and the girls and I needed a nap! After nap, we let the girls sample a little Easter candy and gave them the rest of their gifts--some bubbles, a plush doll for Evelyn and a princess Belle barbie for Matilda. They were thrilled!

Pretty Pretty Princess

I've mentioned Matilda's princess obsession before, and Kim and Eric sent Matilda and Evelyn 2 adorable princess dresses for playing dress up with. Here's a clip of Matilda examining and playing with her dress the night she got it.

She slept in the dress that night, she just refused to take it off!

And the song she is singing at the end of the video is Tale as old as Time from Beauty and the Beast.

Queen of the Mountain

What is easy to see here? Evelyn being naughty and standing on an upturned laundry basket like it's no big deal.

What's not so easy to see? She has Matilda pinned under there!

Don't worry, they thought it was as funny as I did.

Potpourri

Just some random snapshots and updates today:

Matilda is absolutely crazed about princess movies now. Here she is, riding "Samson" (Prince Philip's horse from Sleeping Beauty) and carrying her magic wand. The princesses are never far from her mind. Her teachers at preschool say that she sings all the time. She is singing at least 50% of the time she's awake at home too. She can read double digit numbers now, and joyfully read all the aisle numbers to me at the grocery this week.

They are so cute wrapped up in their towels after bath. They also like to give each other hugs and kisses while we get ready for bed. They share stories now before bed and they both sleep through the night. Mostly. Evelyn had all 4 incisors come in last week, so that was a little rough.

Matilda likes to watch movies in a laundry basket now. Under that blanket, the basket is full of little balls. She thinks this is awesome. Evelyn thinks it's awesome too. Matilda does not think it's awesome when Evelyn tries to climb into the basket with her. She shouts for help and yells about being crowded and "Evelyn is in MY basket!" The words "my" and "mine" are appearing with more regularity around here now.

Evelyn loves to pose for pictures now. She brings me the camera and says "CHEESE!" and then gives me happy shots like this. She had her 15 month check up last week and she's just over the 90th percentile for height and weight, coming in at 27 pounds and 33 inches. She's sturdy and healthy and took her shots like a champ. She's also a little daredevil now, giving me heart attacks as she stands on her rocking horse or tries to climb on top of furniture or into windowsills. She has taken a fair number of bumps and spills recently, but it has done nothing to deter her adventurous spirit. She has also been channeling her viking heritage and loves to rampage through the house pillaging every shelf, bin or basket she can get her hands on with pure glee. Luckily, she's also showing interest in learning to put things away!

Also, this:

Culinary Adventure

Ed has begun to make sausage! He has a grinder attachment for the mixer and has been studying two treatises on sausage making and charcuterie and has made a batch of Danish sausage and a batch of spicy Sicilian sausage. Next up, he plans to branch out from the world of fresh sausage making and try some dried, cured, smoked and fermented recipies including pancetta!

Sausage making is actually a much more complicated endeavor than I would have imagined, but he's studying and learning and so far having nothing but success!

A Very Happy Birthday

Turning 30

Ed took me to Madrid to celebrate my 30th birthday! It was, by far, the best birthday I've ever had. Jim and Joanne watched the girls and we were able to spend 5 days in Spain.

We arrived in Madrid early on Sunday morning. We checked into our beautiful hotel, The Hotel Ritz Madrid, and discovered that no one else in Madrid seemed to be awake yet, so we took a nap until it was time for brunch! The Ritz Madrid was celebrating their centenial celebration this year featuring some special events and a centenial dining menu highlighting particularly successful dishes served for special occasions since opening in 1910. We had a beautiful room decorated in olive, ruby and sapphire, with high celings, mirrors and a huge window. There was a cornice above the bed that resembled a crown and held decorative drapes that surrounded the plush headboard. Fleur de lis were stenciled in pannels on the walls and the room was lit by a chandelier and sconces. It was exceedingly comfortable and we loved the old world elegance, as well as the extraordinarily attentive service. After brunch we took part in a centuries old Spanish tradition--the siesta--and ended up sleeping through the afternoon. We woke up just in time to walk through El Bario de las Letras and try out a handful of tapas bars around the Plaza Santa Ana before heading back to the hotel for a little more sleep.

Touristing

The next morning, I woke up feeling 50 IQ points smarter and well rested for the first time in 3 years. It was exhiliarating, and we were ready to really see what Madrid had to offer. And thus, began our daily routine in Madrid--enjoy the luxury of sleeping in, folowed by consulting the guide books before heading out to walk, shop, eat tapas, drink beers and people watch as we wandered all over the city.

Of course we didn't sleep and drink our entire trip away (although, that doesn't sound like a terrible plan!) We spent hours at El Museo del Prado viewing sculptures, paintings and sketches in the world's largest collection of Valazquez, Goya and El Greco works, as well as a stunning hall full of Rubins. We also took time to visit El Museo del Jamon where we enjoyed cervezas, jamon iberico and lomo and debated whether or not we should attempt to smuggle a whole Iberican ham back in our luggage. We decided not to. But I still sort of wish we had...

Jamon in it's stand, waiting to be sliced thin and devoured.

On the morning of my birthday, we got going earlier than usual. We walked to the Plaza Mayor and arrived while it was still mostly empty. We looked around before the shops opened, checked out the scupture and architecture, shivered a little in the cool morning (temperatures peaked between 45 and 55 every day, and it was pleasant in the sun, but cooler of course in the morning and evening) and moved on to visit the Palacio Real de Madrid. We didn't plan for it, but we arrived just in time for a very special changing of the guard ceremony. This solemn changing of the guard only happens 10 times a year (first Wednesday of the month except August and September.) The ceremony lasts 40 minutes, involves 450 people, 105 horses and a 5 song mini concert presented by the Royal Guard's Music Unit. We arrived just in time to watch the ceremony through the gates, get a fantastic view of the recessional parade, recieved the official program for the concert and enjoyed the music while having drinks and sharing a tasty grilled calamari lunch across the Plaza Oriente, soaking in the early afternoon sun, before touring the palace.

El Oso y El Madrono (The Bear and The Strawberry Tree, the symbol of Madrid)

After the palace tour, we ambled back towards the Plaza Mayor. We made a stop at the Mercado de San Miguel to look around. The market is beautiful. The high celings and glass walls give it a feel of an outdoor market although it is inside, and each small booth offers something unique and delicious--from fruits and fresh fish to cheeses and pastries. There is also a bar inside and most stalls have a tapas offering made from things they sell. Madrilenos stroll around the market sampling dishes and drinking beers or wines in the eveining, while earlier in the morning you'll find people doing proper shopping. We looked, but didn't stop to eat, there was only an hour or two of sun left in the day and we wanted to sit outside in it. So, we returned to the Plaza Mayor, which was now full of tourists and locals packing the sidewalk tables the bars and cafes had set up, enjoying lunch, tapas, wines and beers while watching street performers. We saw everything from Mickey Mouse and fat Spiderman to people dressed as statues and a beautiful flamenco dancer before we finished our drinks and continued our walk back to the hotel.

Marcado de San Miguel

On the way to the hotel we shopped or stopped whenever something caught our fancy. We took some pictures in Puerto del Sol including the statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree, which is the city's symbol, and the Tio Pepe bilboard--that cheery little bottle of sherry is everywhere, and is actually sold wearing a little red plastic matador jacket and a tiny hat. Ed tried a glass and didn't find the drink nearly and pleasant as the packaging, but it was everywhere!

Ed at Plaza Mayor

It was getting dark as we returned to the hotel. We had time to rest our feet a little and get cleaned up before our 9:30 dinner reservation at the Ritz. Ed was dashing in his suit and I enjoyed having a reason to wear my new evening gown. We began our dinner in the opulently appointed, candlelit dining room by opening a bottle of cava. For a starter, we shared a plate of semi wild jamon iberico. For dinner, I enjoyed one of the hotel's centenial specialties--a steak tartare that was delicately seasoned, perfectly balanced and delicious, and made to order--they even brought me a taste to check the seasoning before serving it! Ed ordered from the special seasonal wild game menu and enjoyed hare in an apple braise with a piece of seared foie gras on top. The braise was amazing. It was so rich and velvety, the hare was exceptionally tender, and you could still taste the apple in the braise--it was hearty and warm, but not at all muddled or dull. For dessert, Ed had an apple dish with thyme ice cream and a glass of jerez muy viejo while I indluged in a dark chocolate mousse--presented with a candle for my birthday! The whole meal was perfection, start to finish. Afterwards, we strolled across the hotel lobby to the fancy Ritz bar where we had a couple drinks before calling it a night. It was a perfect birthday. I can't imagine a better way to turn 30.

Another gastronomical highlight of our trip was visiting Botin, the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the world. The building has served as an inn since 1590 and been serving public customers since 1725 and is still using the same wood fired oven! We were seated in the cellar--the part of the building that has been serving food to paying customers the longest. The walls and arched ceilings were built of hand made bricks. It was warm, cozy and comfortable, and the white linens and waiters in white jackets lent the night a special aire. We were seated just above their ancient wine cellar. It was hard to refrain from asking to go down the tiny stair case, pull back the old iron gate and brush some dust off the aged bottles to see what treasures might be down there, but we contented ourselves with just a couple peeks. As soon as our food came, the wine cellar was all but forgotten. We ordered the house specialties--suckling pig for Ed and lamb for me. Each dish was rustic, filling and delicious! We rounded out our meal with a bottle of cava and a cream cake on the waiter's recomendation. A band arrived towards the end of the meal playing traditional Spanish tunes. We couldn't help but smile when they told the crowd they were playing to save up for law school before coming around with a hat for tips.

Botin

As the days went by, I became more confident in my meager Spanish I had managed to learn from studing the library's online program for a couple weeks and we didn't have any trouble getting around. We spent long afternoons walking through the city and enjoying plazas and the Buen Retiro Park; went out for tapas and drinks nearly every night (and savored the illicit pleasure of a Cuba Libre made with Havana Club 7 year rum, which is absolutely delicious, even if they use lemons instead of limes); and even went to Hemingway's favorite bar! It was a magical trip, a perfect birthday and a spectacular second honeymoon all in 5 days.

We had such a great time, we're already thinking about where to go next!

Stuffed

Cuter than a Yugo full of clowns, but just as crowded:

Busy Baby

Here's a clip of Evelyn in action. She does this forever, pretty much every day. As long as she doesn't get the cap off, everything is good.

My Children are Delightfully Strange

Matilda requested a mustache the first time I told her she could wear some make up.

Who is that mysterious mustachioed munchkin?

Evelyn LOVES underpants. She raids any underwear drawer she can reach. Imagine her excitement when she found Matilda's drawer full of training pants. Typically she just holds them, throws them, sling-shots them, or tries to put them on her head, but I think she looks just super like this.

to the rescue!

Unrelated: Evelyn had a quick check up at the Doctor today. She is 26 pounds (90th + percentile) and 33 3/4 inches tall (WAY off the chart!) Still a big, healthy, happy girl.

The Education of Matilda Gustafson

Matilda started Pre-School on the 11th at Kids Play World in a twice a week morning Montessori program. We packed up her backpack the night before with her change of clothes and school supplies. She was so excited about her first pair of scissors and all the different colors in her bag. I dressed her in a plaid skirt for the first day of school and it was snowing. She wore he boots, french braided pig tails and her cute little pea coat--and of course her back pack!

She wasn't nervous at all. As soon as we walked in she said, "Mommy! Look at all the cool stuff!" and got right down to playing. Like most of the kids, she had no trouble when it was time for Daddy and I to leave. Only one little boy was upset and even his mommy was able to leave eventually.

On her first day of class they learned all the pupils names (there are 13 children in the class), played games, sang songs and made drawings tracing their hands. They also talked about princesses, Matilda has a new love for Cinderella and is apparently in good company with her peers!

She has class again tomorrow and is very excited to go and see Miss Stephanie and all her friends! I hope she retains this level of excitement about school for the next 20+ years she's bound to spend in it!

Look who's talking, too!

Now that Evelyn has mastered walking, her vocabulary is growing daily it seems! In the last week she has learned to say "daddy" (instead of dada), "no," "ho ho ho," and "Laddie."

She has mastered mama for quite some time, as it seems to get her whatever she needs quickly.

She's also been trying out "Romper" and I have a reliable report that she's been working on "grandma" and "grandpa" too!

Party Girl

I know the pictures are a little fuzzy but they were too great not to share. Please be sure to notice the little purse. She loves that little purse.

(and the glass is plastic, in case anyone was worried about that. Oh, and empty.)

Farming

Evelyn got a farm for her birthday. It has little animals, a farmer and makes animal sounds.

She and Matilda love it!

We've done some "farming" of our own--that is the lone watermelon our garden produced this year.

Apparently, hers is not a watermelon farm.