The latest obsessions

We have a serious My Little Pony fan in our house, or two.  I won't say who the second is..

Meanwhile, here's a sneak peak at this year's Halloween costume:

Another obsession, READING!  I have a stack of books at her level in the playroom and it's the first thing she does when she awakens and the last thing at night.  

"Cawly" aka "curly" hair.  She asks for french braids after every bath and then enjoys taking them out the next day, begging me not to brush or comb her hair for fear her lovely waves will disappear!

The tooth fairy paid her second visit last night

Another shark tooth erupted shortly after the first baby tooth was lost, so I've been hoping the one in front of it would loosen up.  It was noticeably looser the past week or so and yesterday when I picked Bea up at dance she couldn't stop playing with it.  It was hanging by a thread and I knew it would distract her until it was gone, so out it came before dinner! It was great that it happened when Lolo and Lola were in town too.  You can see that new tooth way far back behind the hole, and you can notice how beautifully the other shark tooth next to it has come forward and taken its proper place.  Hopefully this one will do the same. There's a brand new 6-year molar coming out on the bottom too, so her mouth sure has been busy. No others are loose at this moment, so I assume we'll have a break on the wiggly tooth watch.  When those top front ones go she'll really look like a big girl!

 

 

 

When those top  ones go she'll really look like a big girl! Maybe she'll be able to sing "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth" this December.

Fall is here!

The air was crisp and clean yesterday, Lolo and Lola are in town for a fall visit, and it was the perfect night for a campfire:

We had s'mores,

blankets to help keep us warm,

and a hose nearby just in case. (yes, we used it) 

One little girl came home from school yesterday with tired eyes and a drippy nose.

The first cold of the season has arrived, both in temperature and in virus.  Welcome fall!

Cousins' Weekend

We had a countdown all week to not only the Tet Trung Thu party, but the campout with Truman and Hank.  The plan was, after soccer,  to go out to dinner, attend The Circle of Fun at St. Mary's church, then have a campfire with s'mores at Louise's house and tent in her yard.  Well, rain altered some of the plans and delayed still more, but a great time was had by all.  After dinner the kids came back to our house to play, starting with some card games, 

then some wrestling,

and then, a spontaneous fashion show that we'll be talking about for years to come:

                                         Uber-jock Truman showed his "other side:"

and Hank enjoyed the leotards and lipstick tremendously!

The models were so proud after walking the runway!

                           The "campfire" consisted of marshmallows on chopsticks roasted over Yankee candles, but luckily the rain slowed in time for a wonderful night in the tent.  No camera handy, but the three little kiddos were snug as bugs in a rug all night long and it was a wonderful time, completely worth the reduced sleep for me.  The next morning it was beautiful but chilly!

We all attended an anniversary mass for my mom, then headed to lunch and some rides/games at the Circle of Fun.  What a wonderful, last-of-the summer weekend.

Tet Trung Thu

Tet Trung Thu has been a favorite of our Vietnamese holidays, mostly because of its simplicity and fun legends which accompany it.  This year we tried two new things:  going to a TTT festival in Worcester, and bringing along a (non-Vietnamese) friend.  Both decisions were great.  Bea replied "Oh yes, please!!!!" when I asked her if she'd like to invite a friend along to our already-planned evening. I was so happy that she was excited to share this piece of her heritage with someone knew, and not surprised one bit that she chose her best buddy Samantha.  We joined a few hundred folks at the Boys & Girls Club in Worcester, where we tasted candy and moon cakes, got lanterns, watched games and a lion dance, viewed a martial arts demonstration, got faces painted and, oh yeah, ran a whole lot around a gym!

We capped the night off with dinner at Pho Dakao and the girls were ravished! At the end of the night, sweet Samm said "I hope I can come to your Vietnamese party again some time!"

First game of the season

It was far too exciting a game to be photographing, so we didn't get Bea's U8 soccer debut on film except for these post-game shots.  It was about 90 degrees and humid today, and we headed right to the lake for a swim after getting changed,  but here's #6 fully tuckered out after a 4-1 season opener against Woodstock.

Labor Day Weekend

It was a wonderful long weekend, with Friday off to get chores done so that Saturday we were free to head up to the Berkshires to get a couple hours of time with dear Teta who was at Kripalu for a conference.  It was a beautiful day for a ride to a gorgeous, peaceful setting with a wonderful friend:

We raced home in time to host the Fulco family who were in town for the fair.  Beatrice was the hostess with the mostest sharing her toys, getting out a blanket and dishes and music, all her favorites from when she was a baby.  It was a great night and brought back incredible memories of having an 11-month old in the house:

On Sunday we headed to the fair.  I had decided against a raised donut this year, but when my nephew Nathan enticed me with this photo of him eating one the day before, I canceled my plans and went for it.  No regret, it was more incredible than ever!

We ended up meeting up with my cousin Marie and her girls, so Bea had fun riding rides with Angela and Katia, looking at the animals, checking our various curiosities, 

sticking her head in various cutouts, 

and being painted up like a leopard. Ever since our sighting of a  cheetah at the National Zoo back in July, this girl "loves big cats!"

The main event of Sunday was the Diaper Dash competition, in which Annalena "raced" to second place !

Saturday's dinner got her carbo-loaded up for her big event.  There are few sweeter faces on this planet than this one right here:

On Monday, we chilled out. heading for a quick swim in the lake and tidying up the house and running errands before the week ensues.  Back to school, soccer practices, piano, dance....the craziness is just about in full swing around here.  I miss summer already! I was more than a little sad riding that ferris wheel before we left the fair, knowing that summer is pretty officially kaput once the fair is done. And, btw, here's the ribbon winner with hers and my loot.  The photo I took of her looking between the wooden slats of her playhouse was in the "Best of Show" category with a special Judge's Award ribbon.  The subject of the photo is taking all the credit of course......