The best pictures

 

Cooking with Mia

 

Oh, Jameson, This wind is ruining my hair do!

 

A BEAUTIFUL day in the Lou'

 

We are expecting 6 inches of snow tomorrow. Yesterday was an amazingly beautiful day that made you want to go home throw the windows up and get out the Pinesol and bleach (well, maybe not everyone)but it is my way of celebrating!

Mia and Dennis hit the park with Mia's uncle Pat, aunt Kathy and cousin Jameson. Mia and Jameson play so well together. He was such a little gentleman--he gave her his hat to keep her hair out of her eyes.

Mazlin and I took a little nap. I didn't want her to feel bad so I was compelled to join in :)

I was tired after all that cleaning.

A perfect evening

Tonight was one of those nights where the stars aligned. The house is clean, the checkbook balanced, the wine is poured, Radiohead is piping through the walls and both kiddies are sleeping soundly. I’m making a concerted effort to be more present with the girls and with life in general. It seems the hours turn into days and the days turn into weeks and…well, you know the story. Mia asked me before she went to bed if I liked my bones. Hmmm. Never really thought about that one but now that I think about it, I love my bones. They’ve done a great job so far. No breaks or fractures and they get me where I’m going every day.

Thanks, Mia. For showing me how I’ve been taking my bones for granted. Did I tell you how much I also love pinot noir? Next time. Here is to staying fully present.

The Hous of Mia + Maz

LuLu + Mia

 

We had such a great visit with Elizabeth and LuLu. The weekend was filled with great conversation and hours of just watching the girls play together knowing this will be a life long relationship. It meant so much for them to make a special trip to see us. Elizabeth and I both promise to do this at LEAST once a year.

Two peas in a pod

 

 

The pod that takes you to the top of the arch

 

The top of the arch

 

Yes, the window is that small

 

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree

Mommy did the exact same thing last weekend in Chicago with every sip of my apple martini.

Mia does public television

 

Today Mia's cousin in-law (Kathy) invited us to the studios of Channel 9 for a Kids Club commercial. Mia was hilarious. The producer started to introduce herself to the room full of people and Mia yelled out, "Hi, I'm Mia and this is my mommy."

That's my girl always looking out for her momma.

To share (or not)

This is Mia's way of sharing. Notice how Maz just gets a quick skim of the cupcake. Poor Mazlin.

 

Mia hearts Ed-may

 

Mia LOVES edamame. We thought it was just a fluke the first time we introduced her to this fun food. She literally eats almost the whole box. Now if we could just get her this excited for sesame tofu.

Our girls

 

I'm not sure how it happened but every night after dinner we move into the living room and start playing and dancing (you should see Dennis do a mean soft shoe to 'Do You Know The Muffin Man?')with the girls. It is becoming my favorite part of the day. I've learned that expanding your family is an adjustment that takes time and I was more prone to think of all the harder parts at first. Dennis, being the old man in the shoe, didn't seem to have the same struggles. That is why I love him. I was away last weekend and it was the first time I've been away since Mazlin arrived for more than one night and I missed them very much. This is our little family and we all found our place and our routines and I can honestly say it is perfect to me. It just took a little time...

Mia brings it home

Mazlin Liliana McGrath

Dear Mazlin

You are such a little joy. Your daddy and I were just talking about how much you've brought to our family. You were such a quiet little soul upon your arrival(understandable)but lately you have come into your own. You are so funny and full of life. Nothing makes me happier than to watch you and Mia laugh together. Well, saying ma ma instead of da da makes me pretty happy.

We are very very lucky to have you!

Mommy+Daddy+Mia+ZeZe

Where's Mazzie?

 

Mazlin turned into a Macaw while I was in Chicago this weekend.

A little mommy time in Chicago

 

Mi Amigos-

Thanks for a great weekend! It was perfect and I look forward to next year. Maybe we should switch to a warmer destination next time around.

 

Our 1st St. Louis snowperson

 

Mia, Kaitlyn and Dennis had so much fun playing in the snow. Mazlin and I watched from the window since it was a little too cold for her. We were very resourceful with snowperson's facial features.

 

 

Mia's dance class

 

 

 

Mia loves her dance class. Nothing is cuter than a bunch of tiny 3ish year olds dancing around the place in their little pink outfits.

Thanks so much to everyone who celebrated Mia's birthday with us. We are very fortunate to have such thoughtful friends and family. And I think we can all agree that we are super fortunate to have such a bright little star enter our lives.

Yummy!

 

Mia officially turns 3!

 





















Mia celebrated her birthday with Blue's Clues this time around. Dora is so 2 weeks ago...

Mazlin's new one leg dance step

We've started this little after dinner tradition in our house. We move into the living room and dance to kiddie CDs for about an hour. We realized it is a sure way for the girls to sleep through the night because they are so worn out. And to be honest it wouldn't hurt Dennis and me to add a little activity to our aging skeletons. Dennis taught Mazlin how to dance on one foot. She loves doing it but falls about 98% of the time. It makes us laugh so hard because she just keeps getting up and trying it over and over and...

Mia's Puppet Show

What's in a name?

Anyone who followed the process of our 2nd adoption knows we did a little name switcharoo at the end of the process. The adoption of Mazlin was initiated through a dream I had one night. I woke up the next morning and told Dennis I had the strangest dream. We adopted our 2nd daughter but we were troubled by the fact her name was Pearl and we didn't know if we wanted to go through with it. We both laughed it off and that afternoon Dennis started in on his relentless pursuit of a bigger family. When we first started the paperwork Mazlin's name was Pearl McGrath. It had so much meaning to us based on the dream and it was set as far as we knew. It was hard for me to come to terms with the fact I just wasn't feeling the name Pearl but how could we change it when it has so much meaning to us? Then I read an article and saw the name Mazlin and fell in love immediately. I called Dennis and he loved it just as much. So, Pearl was gone and Mazlin was born! I later found out not many people were into the name Pearl and happy we were considering a name change. Not to mention the fact she is every bit a Maz Mataz as we affectionately call her.

A pregnant friend of mine looking through baby books called and asked, "Did you know that Mazie is Greek for Pearl?"

It all makes sense now and will be much easier to explain when she wants to know why we changed her name. The English version just wasn't good enough for our little princess. :)