Bzzzz-y!

This fall has been a whirlwind of great things! I'll try to hit the main points:

We enjoyed a fantastic visit from G&G Oldfield, which included a couple nights out in Newport. Beach time a-plenty, sunshine, aquarium visit and sea lion watching. AND, this year we didn't get into any car accidents! Hooray! In no particular order, here are pics from that week (the first shot is Sof in her lobster costume showing off her guns):





Next up, Halloween! Since Sof was actually cognizant of the holiday this year, I spent a little time making her a custom bumblebee costume. Frankly, I'm not sure who had more fun with that. Buzzzzz! Tonight, two weeks after Halloween, Sof decided that it's again Halloween. We dressed up in full bumblebee regalia and proceeded to tromp up and down the street to see if there were any trick-or-treaters out. Um, there weren't. Anyway, it was sweetly heartbreaking to see my little earnest, hopeful bumblebee set straight on a course for disappointment. Sigh. We remedied that with the big treat of watching the Bumblebee Movie whilst still in costume.


We also managed to find a window of nice weather to get in a little hiking. Too bad I can't remember where we went! Somewhere in the Columbia Gorge...



That brings us to this weekend, I believe. We dug up all the snow gear yesterday and trekked up to Mt. Hood in search of snow. Just like last year, our hopes of snowshoeing down glorious white trails were dashed, but we did find piles of snow at Timberline Lodge to play in. We built a snowfort, a snowman and pulled Sof around in a sled. Of course, now she asks to go sledding all the time!

In the midst of all that and much more that I'm forgetting, I performed again at Bellydance Uncorked and have started taking weekly classes, something that's been a long time coming. Some highlights of things to look forward to? A date night with Hanna at Le Serpent Rouge (a show I've hoped to see for years and a friend with whom I don't spend nearly enough time), working with troupe Nagamani to prepare for our show in VEGAS, a Thanksgiving trip to Vegas and a Christmas trip to Alaska. Phew.

Until next time!

Battery woes

This was it. Today was the day. Clear blue skies, warm temps and the leaves turning color but not yet dropping (much). I had my directions, lunch and snacks packed, toddler and self dressed -- I was ready to go hike some new trails and take some stinkin' cute fall pictures of Sofia.

We navigate to Tryon Creek State Park, hit the trails and arrive at a bridge. She peers over the edge, sunlight lighting up her hair while she wonders aloud where the water is going. I'm all ready with the camera, she strikes a smashing pose -- and the battery is dead. I should've known.

Camera aside, we had a delightful outing, the first of hopefully many hikes wherein she actually hikes more than she rides in the backpack. And, of course, since being out of the backpack puts her much closer to the ground, this hike resulted in...

Slug Watch 2010!

First there was the squeal of delight when she realized this long slimy thing was moving. THEN, she spotted the antennae and it was love.

"Hi slug. I'm Sofia. He's so CUUUUUUTE!"

This was followed by a long conversation in which she determined the slug was hungry and wanted apples and green beans, and then a discussion regarding where the slug's mommy was.

Give me this ANY day over...well, just about anything.

From the foot of Mt. Tabor

And here I am, writing a blog post from yet another new house, this one positioned beautifully at the foot of Mt. Tabor.

Most of the boxes are gone (just don't look in our garage) and we feel incredibly comfortable in our new home. Sof has taken like gangbusters to the space and carpet and works diligently on her somersaults and, uh, kung-fu, apparently.

It seems she's grown up by leaps and bounds since moving into this house. She loves to hang out in her fort or her room, paging through her books. She totally digs our daily jaunts to Tabor, either hiking through the dog park or riding in the stroller to the top. She has established a number of "dance floors" on the path around the lower water reservoir, which she performs on during our evening strolls. She likes to tell us that the view is amazing and the sunshine is beautiful. I'm glad she can appreciate the simple things in life!

Sof also likes to tell us that our food is "delectable," and she is talking more and more like a mini adult every day. When we sit down at the dinner table, she says, "So. Daddy. How was your day?"

One of her current favorite books is "Skippyjon Jones: Lost in Spice," and unfortunately she REALLY loves the companion CD. We don't listen to much else these days. But I never fail to get a kick out of reciting the book back and forth with her.

We're looking forward to some upcoming photo ops so hopefully I'll get my butt in gear for some more thorough posting here. Next up -- pumpkin patch on Sauvie Island and Halloween parties!

Turkey basters, magic wands, etc.

It was just a few minutes after we put Sofia to bed last night when we heard an outburst coming from her bedroom. And then again. We stopped what we were doing and started listening. For some reason, Sof was yelling out "Banano!" at the top of her lungs. Repeatedly. She wasn't upset, just exuberantly yelling. And it was simply hilarious.

This is a good example of life with Sofia recently - she's just funny to be around. The last few days she's been carrying around a turkey baster and occasionally singing into her "microphone" about whatever she's playing with. Or maybe about Lucy, or maybe a song about bahti (her blankie). And then, of course, she gives herself a round of applause after every song. If it's not the turkey baster, it's her magic wand and she's turning things into animals, yelling "Pot!" Which I have deduced is supposed to be "Poof!"

I suppose what I really need to do is videotape her more, because the thing I love most these days is her sweet little voice. I think about how quickly she's going to be a girl, a teen, a woman, and it almost breaks my heart to think I won't get to hear that innocent voice every morning. I wake up every day excited to hear what she has to say and how she's going to figure out how to say it.

To actually keep up with other news, it's been a most eventful and summer, and all highly unexpected events. We've experienced joy, loss and grief and in the midst of all of that, sold our lovely house. It's not easy to leave this house that I'm still head over heels in love with, but the decision to sell came after lots of prayer, thought and discussion. And for the house to sell in this economony after only 20 days on the market...well, I suppose this was meant to be.

I've also spent the summer dedicating hours to my new dance troupe, Nagamani, created by the amazing Lorraine, whom I met in Alaska about five years ago. I think we're on our way to some good things! Debut performances in Portland coming up Aug. 17 & 28!

My first little vegetable garden is producing beautifully. We've been happily scarfing up the sweet Walla Walla onions as they mature one by one. I'm biting my nails and watching my tomatoes, hoping that we'll be able to harvest some before we have to leave the house. We're also enjoying the absolute bounty, and I do mean bounty, of fresh berries. Sofia and I recently went berry picking on Sauvie Island, and she's been pooping blue for days. This trip also included an inadvertent jaunt on a nude beach, but that's a story for another day.

So from here...I'm not really sure where we're going to end up. We're set to re-enter the world of home rentals, and though I'm not particularly excited about it, it's rather liberating in some ways. And I know it'll lead to us finding the home that is right for all of us, wherever that might be.

But in the immediate and predictable future, a visit from Jess and Aidan! Can't wait to see them and get some good cousin pictures.

I've been slacking on taking pics lately, but here's Sof on Sauvie Island and a Nagamani promo shot:

Note to self - don't forget!

Sometimes I feel like that's all I ever tell myself. A million times I tell myself "don't forget (fill in the blank)," only to end up saying "I forgot." I wish I could say this was Mommy Memory, but unfortunately I've always had this problem.

This is one of the reasons I started this blog, so as not to forget so many things. And during my absence from the internet, I've forgotten quite a bit already. But here's one morning I really don't ever, EVER want to forget.

It was early enough that Sof and I were still in our PJs. We were having our daily dance party in the sunroom, when it began to evolve into something even better -- Sofia began teaching me how to dance.

She would position us in the mirror, begin a movement, and direct me -- "Do dis, Mama, do dis." I'd follow along until she began a different movement -- "Do dis, Mama, do dis." And was she ever impressive! Each move was entirely different and totally her own unique creation. And on a personal note, it was for some reason heartbreakingly sweet to hear her call me "Mama" instead of the usual "Mommy."

We spent the sweetest half an hour full of giggles and crazy dance moves. To be able to connect with my daughter in such a way is an amazing blessing, and one of those parenting rewards that makes up for days of tantrums. Not that, cough, Sof would EVER throw a tantrum or anything. Obviously. Cough.

Here's Sofia, Dance Teacher Extraordinaire:



Another dance party morning:



And here's Genius Child getting herself stuck in her stroller:

The party

If you're looking for an elaborate birthday party complete with theme, party favors, clowns, etc., don't come looking here. A BBQ with lots of beer, wine and hot dogs? That's a little more our speed, and that's exactly what we did this weekend to mark Sofia's second birthday.

Sofia did decide about half an hour before guests started arriving that she had to have a birthday hat. I still am not really sure where this idea came from, and I certainly didn't have a birthday hat. But with a little construction paper, puffy paint and ribbon -- voila! A birthday hat:


No birthday in this family can pass without a little chocolate, and it seems Sofia is already aware of that. She got just a little upset when we delayed cupcake consumption to sing "Happy Birthday":


Ah, finally!



The party was a blast. All the kiddos left wet and dirty from playing with Sofia's new water table, and totally pooped from the impromptu dance party in the gravel. The adults went home properly wined and dined, and we even got to sit down for a few minutes at the end of everything. Success!

Two years and 7,247 diaper changes later

OK, maybe not that many.

I woke up to the sound of Sofia singing to herself in her crib this morning. We've since eaten French toast, watched the garbage truck, and drawn on the newspaper with crayons all with Raffi playing in the background. I think we will build a fort soon. Is there any better way to begin your second year of life? I think not.

As any mom would probably say, birthdays are a little bittersweet. I'm so proud of our Sof-a-lof, but wow, is it all flying by so fast. Today I'm also kicking myself for not staying on top of this blog a little better. All these precious little memories are so fleeting, and I know I will truly value being able to read about them ten years from now.

Sofia's latest joys include playdough, bugs and tunnels. Everything is a tunnel now. We drive under a bridge - "Tunnel!" She puts her head under the bottom of my shirt - "Tunnel!" We get on the bed and pull the covers over our head - "Tunnel!" You can only imagine her joy when we actually drive through a real tunnel.

And speaking of bugs, we had a little incident with a tiny mouse in the dining room the other night. You would've thought this was the funniest thing in the world, according to Sofia - "Big bug! Big bug!" I'm sure seeing Mommy running around squealing and Daddy flailing around with the broom added to the amusement factor.

Music, singing and dancing are also clearly becoming more and more fun for Sofia. Every day she requests "Boom Boom" by Raffi. We have lots of sessions on the piano, either solo work or duets, and the child just adores to dance. See for yourself:



But the best things about Sofia are the sweet, quiet moments. She has taken to holding my face in her hands, stroking my cheek and saying "Love you." If she finds that I'm paying inappropriate attention to her, she'll gently turn my face towards her own, give me a big smile and a bright cheerful "Hi!"

She is also learning how to work situations to her advantage. The other day she came inside with a bunch of teeny tiny prickers in her hand. I went to work with the tweezers, which apparently fascinated her. Now whenever I need to distract her, I hand her the tweezers and tell her to take the prickers out of her hands, my hands, and Daddy's hands. However, she also now knows that she can come up to me waving her hand and whining about prickers, and it will generally get my attention, regardless of whether or not the prickers actually exist. A real trickster, this one.

Even through the worst ear infections, tantrums, and little spurts of mischief, this little child never ceases to warm my heart and make me smile. Remind me of that when she comes home with real tattoos...



Happy second birthday, my sweet Sofia!

Springtime in March? Seriously?

I'd heard that such things happen, and as it turns out, the rumors are true! Spring does arrive earlier than June in places outside of Alaska.

We've been thoroughly enjoying the unusually warm and sunny spring here in Portland. Trees are blooming, daffodils are dazzling, birds are singing...it's pretty darn nice. Although I don't have any fabulous adventures to report, we've been making tons of progress in the yard. Most of my herb garden is in, pots out front are planted and Johnny even got the raised beds built yesterday. Cruising right along.

The sunshine totally agrees with Sofia, who gets pretty ticked off when it's time to go inside. She's an outdoor girl already, and is totally content with nothing but a few sticks, rocks and a pile of dirt.

Her vocabulary continues to grow by leaps and bounds. She's now stringing words together and is even counting a little bit. She's also figuring out emotions, and gets very concerned if she hears a baby crying. "Nying?" she says. Then, "Bahti?" (translation: she thinks the baby needs a blankie to feel better.)

Just the other day, Lucy had some of that gunk that dogs get in the corner of her eye (yes, this is pertinent to the story). Sofia saw it and thought it was a tear. She said "Ee-cy nying? Bahti?" and proceeded to give her blankie to Lucy. So sweet!

Just for fun, here are a few springtime illustrations. This is my little wine barrel herb garden:



Front planters -- there are even two blueberry plants in there! Can't wait to see how well they yield fruit.



Johnny building the raised beds:



Sofia randomly found my swimming goggles, and was running wildly around the house and screaming while wearing them. Awesome.



Annnnnd, we finally got some furniture for our living room. Rug, table and other odds and ends to come soon. We will probably also move the giraffe, although it does really help pull the room together...

Bellydance in Portland!

Any Portlanders following this blog? Come take bellydance classes from me at the Hollywood 24 Hour Fitness on Thursday evenings from 7:30-8:30, beginning tomorrow!

We'll isolate and build core muscle, improve balance and overall grace, and get a good sweat on. Dance on!

Well, hello there!

Hey, blog world! Long time no see. Frankly, I just haven't had much I wanted to say on the interwebs lately. Chalk it up to a little winter blues, and yet more adjusting to a new home.

But I have to say I think my feet are now firmly planted here in Portland, and we've established a nice daily rhythm. I can even boldly say that if I had the chance to go back in time, I wouldn't change anything.

I've been musing a lot, as one might expect, about Sofia's childhood and the world she's growing up in. What kind of country will this be? How will her social world function? What is she going to see and learn in the classroom? And seriously, how weird is it that Michael Jackson will be considered before her time? When I watch her expertly scroll through the album covers on my iPod Touch, I'm truly flabbergasted at how quickly things have changed. All I have to say is that in this house, Casa da Caselli, all of our books will have real paper pages. That you have to turn. One by one. And they never, ever have to be charged. Harrumph.

Anyhoo, Sof is, as usual, a laugh a minute these days. I can't possibly express what a joy it is watching her grow up. She has a sense of humor, bravery, confidence, creativity, trust, sensitivity, compassion...things I never expected to recognize in a 21-month-old! But I can see them, and I'm so proud of her.

Two of my current favorite Sofia antics are when she reads her books out loud, and when she has phone "conversations." She speaks her language so purposefully, so expressively it's just irresistible.

The absolute kicker was this morning. Sof found her handy dandy pocket German phrasebook, and wanted me to read it to her, which I did. Then she took it from me, and opened it up to begin reading it herself. And (*holding hand up to indicate complete honesty*), the child began to "read" the German book with a German accent. I can't recall the last time I've laughed that hard. Oh, um, wait yes I can...that would be the previous night when Johnny and I were having a Michael-Jackson-style dance off.

Ahem.

In other news, we took a little trip yesterday out to Mt. Hood to do some snowshoeing. In true Joanna style, I researched a lovely sounding trail, we packed everything up, drove an hour, and found the trail...sans snow. After a little asking around, we located another spot and finally managed to get in some snowplay!

Here's Sof, eating her first snowball:



And here's our masterpiece of a snowman:



See ya later! (*moonwalks out*)

Here's to Twenty Ten

For this crazy bunch of Casellis, the new decade began with us...asleep. Yes, we were in Vegas over New Year's, and we were in bed by 11. No need to tell me how awesome we are.

But lest you judge, we really were pooped. New Year's marked the end of a wonderful visit to family and friends in Vegas, and a side trip up to Utah for some fun in the snow. I'm happy to report that after a few winters off, I got right back into the boarding groove, and wasn't too far behind Johnny coming down the mountain!

Sof and cousin Gianna picked up right where they left off, and I think I didn't even see Sof for about two days. The child was in seventh heaven -- surrounded by cousins, puppies and reptiles.





G taught Sof how to do somersaults:


We went to see the Christmas display at the Bellagio, and also caught the fountain show:



Sofia discovered the lazy susan at the cabin. Of course, now she thinks a wild ride awaits her on every table.


Sof wasn't entirely sure how much she liked the snow, but there was no question that the puppies did:



So now we're back at home and working hard at recovering from the bugs we picked up along the way. Regardless, it's SO GOOD to sleep in our own beds again.

And now we look forward to everything 2010 might hold for us. I've got a feeling it's going to be pretty good.