Holiday Cards

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I absolutely love getting holiday cards in the mail. I anxiously check the mailbox every day starting December 1st. After the holiday season is over I keep them in a box. I've been collecting them for about 10 years now and it's so fun to see families growing and changing. I recently saw a great idea by Jess for keeping cards organized by year. I'm totally going to do this!

p.s. if you read my blog and recognize your card and wonder why your child looks quite alien it's because I blurred out all the faces.

Enjoying this time of year...

 It's been a long time since I've visited my blog. Boo on looking at Halloween pictures. Here are a few of the pictures I took for our Christmas card this year.

 We struggled to find the perfect backdrop for the kids until I remembered the place that I go running has beautiful trees that were perfectly timed to show of their Fall beauty.

I hope everyone enjoys a special holiday season and I'll see you in the new year.

Future Cookbook

A certain brilliant mommy came up with the idea to create a cookbook with her family's favorite recipes and adorable photos to go with each. Totally brilliant right? 

 

{Bon Jovi Vinny helping with banana bread}

I promptly decided to copy the idea even though I really can't cook. I even started a board on Pinterest to try and collect some recipes to try out. We'll see how this all goes. I'm sure there will be some indigestion involved. 

Thanks Carolyn!

Preschool Day One... and many awkward moments

Wow! The day FINALLY arrived. I really, really love my kids but I needed some space. I finally got a few hours of me time. Vinny only goes two days a week but it's a start.

So here's the first awkward segue of the day. A lot of people are commenting on the Jon Bon Jovi hair that the little rascal is sporting.

Yes. There is definitely a resemblance, But I am glad that when Chef cut Vinny's hair we didn't end up with this result.

Awkward segue number two...

We are so fortunate to live in a rural setting but within close range to big city lifestyle. 

 {just down the road from the preschool. Complete with "no hunting/trespassing" signs}

I love our local preschool for so many reasons but the first is that it focuses on play based learning. On day one they had a huge water table set up, a finger painting station that looked like a paint factory exploded and a play-doh table piled so high the kids couldn't see to the other side. Most of the days are spent outdoors which is pretty awesome. There is no limit on water play (I guess they know my Vinny), if your child gets soaked that's what spare clothes are for. Actually we have two extra sets in his cubby.

So what did I do with my first day of freedom in 3 years? I contemplated going home for a nap. Seriously. What I did was almost as good... I went and got my nails done! Yay me. The last manicure/pedicure I had done was about 3 days before Vinny was born (I like clean toes for the whole birthing process). 

{Photo via Instagram}

Did you just catch segue number three? Awkward I know. I joined Instagram about 2 years ago and set my photos to private. I liked to use it as a photo filter app and my sister was my only allowed viewer. Well recently I've been looking at the great photos all you guys put out there and decided to go public! Yay me again. All in one blog post. Pats self on back with happy new nails. 

So if you are on Instagram and wish to see pictures of the Romeos in day-to-day life, my user name is sascharomeo. Wow, simple. Just like my actual name. 

p.s. Before I went public I deleted a few photos of the kids that would be inapropriate for general audience *read: in the bath full monty*. If I missed any and you notice please let me know so I can get them out of the public eye. Thnx.

Lucy Goosey

How did this little thing grow up to become...

This huge monster?

She would really prefer to live inside with us since she "imprinted" on me from such a young age.

She's beautiful, majestic and proud. She also beats up on the dogs and chickens. Insert frowny face. She recently killed my favorite chicken so we've had to build her a new special place that allows her free range of our property. This free range does not include inside our house but today we had a bit of a heat wave and had all the doors open and she just waddled in to the house. I didn't have the heart to kick her out. Until she crapped ALL over the floor.

p.s. do you see all those laundry baskets lining the hallway? I currently have 8 loads to fold. That's not too bad right. Right?

Just Zooming Along

Around here we keep the breakables up high. Everything within reach is free game.

A New Beginning

This post has more meaning than a simple first haircut...

We haven't cut Vinny's hair since he was born just about three years ago. He has the best hair of all the children and we just couldn't cut those long golden curls.

In the past few months his hair has gotten a bit unruly. As evidenced in this lovely picture. Most days he has such a tangle in the back that it looks like we are starting dread locks. This is a photo of him on the Fourth of July. I included this picture because he's wearing all mama made. Whoo hoo. 

Daddy is the resident barber around here so the first haircut took place in our living room. About halfway through the haircut Vinny decided to get up and walk around. That made things a little tricky. Luckily the look we were going for is surfer shag so straight cuts aren't important. I have yet to get a decent photo of the new do. I will try soon.

...On to the THE BIG EFFIN' ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM...

Thank you to everyone who commented about my dad passing. It means more than I can express. I know I should write something about it soon. More for me than anything. I'm just in the denial stage right now and it's a nice place to hang out. My dad died 8 days after being diagnosed with cancer so needless to say we were all in shock.

The haircut is important because although my dad never said a thing about Vinny's hair I'm pretty sure he didn't really like how long it was getting but at the same time was so proud that he looks like such a little Dutch boy. He loved those pretty blond curls. Also, my dad is extremely proud of the blue eyes he has passed down to me and two of my children. It's like he could say that the Dutch gene is all powerful and overrides the Italian that Chef brings to the table. 

 {Hilversum, Holland 1961}

This haircut is in honor of my dad. A funny guy that loved to party.

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My Dad

10.30.1939 - 6.28.2012

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The neighbors aren't complaining. Yet.

I tried to get Vinny to stand still the other day when I was taking pictures of the shirts I just made. This was the best I could do. 

What is that he is doing you ask? Someone thought that Luca needed a full size drum kit for her 8th birthday. No, I am not shitting you. Chef somehow convinced me that it was a great idea. I understand that I married a rocker at heart, but I must have doubled up on my happy pills the day he brought up this brilliant idea because clearly I allowed this to happen so I have only myself to blame. 

It's been very loud at Casa de Romeo.

Everything is just fine (even though the photo would tell a different story)

We have had a few sleepless nights around here. It looks more serious than it is, but since there was no hospitalization involved I guess we are lucky. Two other kids from our pediatricians office were sent to the emergency room this week. Bronchitis. After this little dino/dragon/chicken looking mask went to work Vinny was up and at 'em again. We left with a handful of prescriptions. 

I just posted this because today I was seriously going to sit down and sew. Thought you could all laugh with me that the one day in a long time that I seriously said "this is it. The day I will complete a sewing task". Or at least you could all ohh and aww at my cutie patootie who seriously acted like such a big boy. I thought there would be some serious kicking and possibly some biting involved.

So next time I decided to declare a sewing day I will remember today.

Halloween 2011

Halloween was great for one simple reason...

We totally bribed Vinny into wearing his costume by calling the bat hat a "candy hat" and in order to receive candy from people he was required to wear the hat. I'm totally feeling like a rock star for making that work.

Here's the other bat and the race car driver

And I just had to share this with you. This photo shows about one third of the total pumpkins on the front lawn of this persons house. It was really hard to photograph these lovelies in the dark. There were also about 20 people milling around the sidewalk and wandering through the pumpkins so I'm happy I got one decent photo. 

They do a display like this every year, but in my opinion this was their best show yet. They are placed all over the lawn, the gate, the walkway and the roof! I asked the owner how many they had and he said he really didn't know because every time they counted they got a different number but he said it was somewhere around 160!!!

Hope you all had a wonderful Halloween

p.s. I'm so glad costume sewing is done for another year.

Halloween

Vinny doesn't do dress up. No hats, masks, wings, ears, gloves, capes. Nada. Well as it turns out Halloween is in just a few days. We have decided that since he looks up to Luca so much they should both have the same costume. Good thing she's not a princess this year. She actually chose to be a bat and requested a homemade costume (bugger). Rocco is going as a race car driver but since Vinny kind of looks at him as a rival these days I'm not sure he wants to dress like him. 

So all I've gotten finished is bat masks. A bit wonky but Luca is pleased. Hers has the cat eyes and she kindly modeled them around the house trying to get Vinny on board. He tried his on and then promptly removed it. 

Next I get to sew velvet and satin bat wings. Yes you read that correctly and yes, I have a walking foot for my machine. I'm pretty sure Vinny will have nothing to do with the mask or wings on Halloween. I'm actually going to sew his wings in the underarm and side seam of a black shirt so he can't take them off.

{Do you see poor Gerald in the background? He's still unfinished}

I was really freaking out earlier today about his total dislike of all things costume. I mean what kid doesn't love to play dress up? I was frantically texting Chef at work trying to figure out an alternative costume that he will wear. I even took him shopping today to see if something struck his fancy. There was an adorable dragon at Old Navy for 75% off but he screamed when I tried to put it on him. I went to three stores before I figured out the whole sewing bat wings into the side seams thing. On the way home I texted Chef (for the hundreth time) about my revelation. He put it quite simply.... "Remember our first trick-or-treating when Rocco was first diagnosed?" In other words SHUT IT!

Holy crap I sure do remember that night. Come back tomorrow and I'll fill you guys in on that part of the story.

This One

This past weekend we went to one of those pumpkin patches that is more like an amusement park. It was fun(ish). $85 later and zero pumpkins purchased the kids were tired and hot so we decided to leave and go to a small pumpkin patch near our house the next day to buy them. 

Luca found a nice not too big not too small pumpkin

Rocco needs to feel every damn pumpkin they have (even when there are 100's), but we're totally o.k. with that. 

What to say about this child of mine? I am not kidding when I say that out of an entire field of pumpkins he finds this. There was no changing his mind that this was his choice. 

As I was taking pictures I was mildly embarrassed, but clearly not too embarrassed to post them to Le Internets for the world to see.

Crossbreeding

In Vinny's world the zebra and lemur 

are 

a perfect match 

as demonstrated by their intense kiss

He carefully explained that if there are such beings as a ...

zorse

zonkey

and a

zony...

surely a zemur could exist

Seriously though, for some reason I found myself Googling hybrid animals. Clearly I have too much time on my hands.

Where's My Mojo? Can Someone Please Find It?

I am in such a sewing funk. I've been buying patterns like a fool (two dresses, one skirt, one blouse and underwear pattern for the tot!) and fabric too for that matter. I just haven't been sewing. Well, that's not totally accurate. I did make another pair of p.j.'s. I know, Yawn.

I did get my creative on this past week while my sister visited. It just didn't include the sewing machine.

I got out the camera to take some more pictures of my sister. I really love taking her picture. She is fun to photograph mostly because she is just herself. She's never awkward.

 She loves to add drama to just about everything

Plus, looks like this just come natural to her.

 She knows how to own it. Man, I wish I could look like this in front of the camera.

Hoarding...not fabric, just junk

You know that show Hoarders? I've watched a few episodes. It's actually a little disturbing. Have you ever wondered what those people were like as children? What made them into the adult that lives amongst garbage?

 I introduce you to a future hoarder. I'm a little disturbed. 

When school ended this year I just put the kids backpacks in the closet and didn't feel like going through them. Today I decided to empty out Luca's backpack. This photo doesn't really show how massive the pile of shit really is. What is not shown in this photo is one shoe, a shirt, a bandana, a mitten, and oh yes, a small tupperware container with a dead moth. Really. 

Chicks

Today we went and bought a few more chickens. Six to be exact.

Someone had a hard time not squeezing too tight.

For now they are living in a bird cage in our living room. Soon they will join the older girls in the yard. 

 

Uh Oh...

So I thought I'd just check in and let you all know that absolutely no sewing/crafting has occurred in this house for quite a while, but I am more freaked out about Blogger right now. I couldn't even find where to start a new post. Is this the twilight zone? Are you all experiencing the changes? Well, those of you using Blogger.

My sister and her man took a road trip to visit us this past week. They are gone now and headed for Solvang. Next stop L.A. and then back to Vegas. Like how I included their entire itinerary? 

About 30 minutes after she left I already had two pants cut out for Vinny and a shirt. No sewing yet, but I was kind of jonesing to get something done. 

4th of July around these parts...

So Chef had planned a backpacking trip with the big kids for this weekend. It involved great preparation including bear vaults (yes, I'm serious), rental equipment, mapping, planning, packing, organization...

 {crappy photo via phone camera at 4:30 a.m. prior to departure}

They were all prepared. I was to stay at home with the young one. It was all planned I tell you. Until...

The Forest ranger failed to inform Chef that the Sierra snow pack had not yet melted and basically the trail was impassable. Yes, the same Ranger that kindly gave the kids Smokey the Bear pins and wildlife coloring books before waving buh-bye.

14 hours into the trip my phone has a text saying they are on their way home. Uh oh. Not according to schedule people. I'm not panicked because when there is a real emergency Chef would not leave cryptic text. He's slightly smarter than that.

So they left home at 5 a.m. and returned at midnight. I won't get into detail about the treacherous few miles that these little munchkins hiked. They were pretty discouraged.

To make things a little better we took them to Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz for the Fourth of July! There were only about a gazillion other people at the beach, but we still had a great time.

Rocco tried to dig a hole to China

 I wish I could say I made this adorable bathing suit but Lands End made it

Vinny ate lot's and lot's of watermelon

It was a lovely day

Little Thoughts

So the other day when I picked up Rocco from Summer school Vinny screamed "pee pee" (one of his few words) really loud. At first I got real excited, like helloooooo, this is certainly a good sign for the potty training. The excitement ended when I saw he was pointing at this sign.

Uh, yes that kind of looks like someone sitting on the potty. Sort of. This story actually reminds me about the time Rocco embarrassed the shit out of me. Read it and we can all collectively go hide under a rock together because I know you will feel for me on this one.

p.s. I do have myself a fancy schmancy handicap placard for my car thankyouverymuch since I am the proud owner of one badass blind child.