tiny dancer

Last Saturday was a big day for our little girl. It was her very first open house at her dance studio. There are two times a year where parents and grandparents are welcome to come and see the progress their little ones are making. Little Miss L. started tap and ballet classes in September, we had a bit of a rough start, but in the last month, she has taken a complete 180.

Saturday morning arrived and Little Miss L. jumped out of bed to prepare for her big day. Once her hair was pulled back and her tutu on, it was time to go. Little Miss L. was so excited to welcome us all into her classroom.

We all watched as she twirled, hopped and skipped from one movement to the next. We did however discover our daughter likes to dance with her tongue hanging out to one side. Let's just hope this habit dies fast.

We are all so proud of you baby girl!

Getting ready to tap her little heart out.

I can't believe how grown up she looks here.

Notice the tongue sticking out! She did this the whole time.

Proud grandparents. Baby D didn't take his eyes off those girls.

More proud grandparents. Nona took some pretty great videos. 

Girl talk.

Waiting patiently for her turn.

Working hard.

Melts my heart.

Our little ballerina.

first trip to the dentist

Last week brought about another first for our little girl. It was finally time to make her first appearance in front of a dentist. We were not sure how this whole situation would unfold. Would she be scared? Would she run screaming as soon as she saw the big chair she would have to place her little bottom on? Would she think the crazy machines would eat her alive? Would she wonder why another human being is shoving their hands in her mouth? I have been working on this day for years. I started by talking about the dentist and why it is so important to clean her teeth. The week leading up to the big day, she must have thought I was nuts because all I could talk about was the upcoming visit to the dentist.

The big day finally arrived bright and early last Thursday morning. It was a family event as daddy and mommy were both lucky to have the day off from work. Daddy and Baby D decided to take a walk as mommy and Little Miss L. walked hand-in-hand down the long hallway to enter the dreaded room.

Much to my surprise, my little girl's face lit up as she noticed the television hanging above the big scary chair. She hopped on and went for a ride. Her eyes were glued to the television. After a few minutes in a daze, she was happy to tell the dentist her age, what she has been up to, and all about her little brother. Everything was going splendidly - what was I worrying about? They counted her teeth and talked about the importance of caring for our teeth. Just like that, we were finished! I was happy and so was my little girl . I then heard "Please, make another appointment to see the hygienist to have her teeth cleaned." We have to come back? We got away with it once but in coming again, we would be taking our chances. After talking to the hubby, we decided our best bet was to come back the very next day as she had a good experience the first time and wanted to continue riding the wave.

Friday morning arrived and we were off the the dentist office again. This time, we were met by a very friendly hygienist who chatted away to Little Miss L. explaining everything that was about to take place. Little Miss L. loved picking out the orange flavour paste (she is still going around asking people to smell her orange breath) and wearing her funky glasses as the hygienist worked her magic. All and all, it was a good experience and one I did not expect.

Well, until the next cleaning...

Eyes glued to the television. Wish they had these back in the day when I was young.

Mom, seriously, they are going to put that in my mouth!?!

Knock it - I did it!

Celebrating with her little brother. Peek-a-boo!

See everyone? Look at my pearly whites!

firsts

The last couple of weeks have brought about a lot of firsts in our household, one being Baby D's first haircut. I love love loved Baby D's flowing blonde hair that would wrap at the end in a tight little curl. The hubby and I knew it was time to finally take the plunge when our poor boy couldn't see without having strands of hair dangling in front of him. There was something about his hair that made me feel like he was still a little baby, I wasn't sure I wanted to let that go quite yet.

Well, last Thursday night arrived and off went the hair. Baby D wasn't too sure about this whole hair-cutting process but we all managed to get through it. After a few minutes, the new do was starting to grow on me. I must say my little baby is no more, he instantly looks older now. Long luscious blonde curls, it was fun while it lasted and we will miss you dearly.

Thanks Tia!

Bye, Bye my hair!

Baby D wasn't too sure what to think.

Daddy may have been regretting the decision. All done.

happy hump day

It's the middle of the week folks, happy hump day! This little man keeps me smiling. Baby D loves his new hat and walks around for hours in it (no joke!) 

weekend catch-up

This weekend proved to be another busy one. Saturday, daddy had the joy of taking Little Miss L. to dance class and mommy went off to snap a few pictures of some awesome families. After a long cold day, I was looking forward to my girls' night out. It was a great evening filled with lots of laughter (I am talking pee-in-your-pants kind of laughter) and some amazingly delicious food. I was so busy laughing and filling my belly I only captured this one picture of our feast before we dug in.

My belly loved this spread.

Saturday night, it felt like I laid my head down to sleep and with in minutes I was waking to tiny little foot steps coming to our room and a voice saying "it's not dark out anymore, let's get up." I love Sunday because that usually means the hubby has breakfast covered. Sunday breakfast gathered around the table is where I hear some the best stories from my three year old. After a scrumptious meal, it was time for Little Miss L. and mommy to get a little dolled up and head to our cousin Melissa's baby shower. Melissa will be welcoming her little bundle of joy in February and we could not be more excited for her and Josh. Little Miss L. had a wonderful time chatting with all the ladies, sampling the tasty treats and helping unwrap gifts. The rest of the day was spent doing the fun stuff like laundry and bath time etc. I am one tired momma these days, I hope to catch up on some sleep soon!

All ready for the party. Thanks Auntie Liz and Uncle Claudio for my pretty purple handband. I love love love it!

My little side kick.

All smiles.

We can't wait to meet him or her.

I know someone who loves to eat.

Our little helper. She made sure she helped open each and every gift.

The parents-to-be have decided to keep the gender a surprise. This is my guess.

 

happy friday!

It's Friday, hence the happy dance I am doing right now! Even though our weekend will be jam-packed, I am looking forward to what lies ahead. Ladies, get ready as I am super excited for our ladies night out. I absolutely adore my children and hubby but I also like a good night out with my girls. Photo shoots, ladies night, and baby showers... bring it on! Enjoy your weekend everyone!

I had to share this pic of my not-so-little girl. She brightens my rainy afternoon. I am in love with her hat from TuTuChicBoutique. Check out the awesome selection of their handcrafted goodies.

getting into the holiday spirit

I don't know what has come over me this year, but I am beyond excited for the holidays. I love love love the way our home feels when it is decorated with glitter and lights. The Christmas tree is up! Yes, you heard right. I don't usually look forward to pulling out the tree, dragging it upstairs and then spending hours decorating it, but this year I had one amazing little girl who was beyond thrilled to help her momma. How could I not be excited to spend such quality time with the little girl I absolutely adore. Once finished, she was beaming from ear-to-ear and kept saying how beautiful it looked. Moments like these, I will cherish forever.

This past weekend was a busy one. We started the weekend off early by celebrating my father-in-law's birthday. Taking two children to a restaurant can be quite the experience - let me just leave it at that. Saturday morning, the kiddos got to hang out with daddy as this momma headed to a workshop for the day. Little Miss L. attended dance class in the morning, she has finally taken a liking to class and I hear she was the first one lined up at the door to get in. The rest of the day was spent with family celebrating Festa De S. Martinho, the Chestnut Festival celebrated in the north of Portugal.

Sunday was a bright and early morning. I decided it was about time for me to step out from behind the camera and let someone else snap a few of our family. Let's just say it wasn't easy trying to get two children to cooperate on a cold morning with one child teething and the other falling down mere minutes before the shoot took place and scraping her hands and knees. In the end, we got it done and can only cross our fingers at least one good photo came out of the bunch. It didn't last long before I was behind the camera again as I had the opportunity to capture a few memories for two awesome families. I love love love holiday photos!

I must say I am kind of looking forward to Monday.