Our still sort of sweet baby and cracking a coconut Harding-Wheeler style!

My sweet baby girl is still kind of struggling with her ear and lung infection. She is a cranky one moment and happy the next but still as cute as the day is long. Here are the many faces of Annie a few days ago as her Daddy and I fawned all over her trying to make her happy. I loved this outfit but with her hair down and getting longer and her little shorts on she looked way too old for this Mama's tastes!

"More, More, I want more attention, NOW!"
"Come on, look at how incredibly cute I am. You guys can't resist me!"
"EHHHHHHHH - look at me - only me - the big kids can fend for themselves for once."
"I give up! You two just don't understand the complexity of my needs today!"

Coconut Cracking!

Mr. and Mrs. Laurito brought Bob the cutest gift basket for his birthday - since it was a Luau theme it had macadamia nuts, a pineapple and a coconut. For those of you don't know the Laurito's are Joe's parents (Joe is married to my cousin Brigid). I LOVE the Laurito's - they are two of the most generous, thoughtful loving people I know. They sit through more than their share of our big family events, take a true interest in all of the kids and are thoughtful to a fault. When I had my appendix out I got phone calls and cards from Grandma Belski (Mrs. Laurito's mom) the day I got home with offers of prayers and everything else, Mrs. Laurito showed up on my doorstep with soup and goodies for the kids and even came and visited with me to ward off the boredom. When I had my gallbladder out I could think of nothing but Mrs. Laurito's soup and felt so comfortable (and desperate for something that would stay down) with her that I actually called and asked her to make me some - a few hours later it was in a bowl on my table warm and perfect for my sick tummy! The Laurito's have many responsibilities and things going on but they always find a way to make everyone else feel special and loved! End of tangent!

So the kids were SO excited about the coconut and wanted to crack it and try some milk. Bob and I - having only seen coconuts opened on Survivor with a machete - were a little unsure about how to go about it. Pete and Molly tried to bang it on the floor - and me being a fabulous mother stood by, watched and cheered them on!

Molly - bathed in pajamas and ready for some coconut milk!
Peter's face does not scream confidence in Bob as he watches him try to open the coconut with a hammer and screwdriver!
When the hammer didn't work initially Bob thought the corkscrew might be a better choice - apparently once you hit 40 you start to loose cognitive reasoning abilities! Needless to say it does not work!
Annie was SO happy to be in her highchair and away from the crazy action!
Finally the hammer and screwdriver worked - Yeah, Daddy!

Molly drinking her coconut milk - she liked the milk but not the coconut pulp!
Peter loved the pulp but was a little unsure about the milk!
Either way it made for an exciting experiement of Mom and Dad's patience and survivial skills - we won't be trying out for Survivior anytime soon but we did have fun! I didn't get a picture of it but Annie even tried some milk and liked it - and now we know she isn't allergic to coconuts!

Auntie Beth came home from CA for her college reunion and to see Molly's recital. This is her and Annie spending some time together - Beth hadn't seen Annie since New Year's but you would never know it - Annie leapt into her arms and could not have been happier to play and snuggle with Beth. Molly also commented that Auntie Beth and Annie sort of look alike in this picture!

Molly graduates from kindergarten next week - it doesn't seem possible. Yesterday the new kindergarten class for next year came to Mrs. Nelson's room to get to know the room and Mrs. Nelson. All of this year's class went up to Mrs. Carreiro's classroom and played but Molly stayed behind so she could hang out with her cousin, Julia and help her get to know the class. She felt very important but right before bed confessed that she was really sad about something. When I asked what she said that she really wanted to go play with Mrs. Carreiro because she missed her and was never going to get to go up there again. I explained to her that I understood but what a great helper she was to Mrs. Nelson and Julia and promised her a trip up to visit Mrs. Carreiro after school one day this week. I love how attached my kids get to people - we have already had 2 crying spells from Molly because she does not want to leave Mrs. Nelson. Little does she know that we will just find other excuses to see Mrs. Nelson next year and it will be even more fun!

Peter had his roughest day in a long time yesterday - a challenging day at school with 2 girls making fun of his teeth and his speech and then a rougher outing with Auntie Beth in the afternoon. After being sent to bed at 6 p.m. he awoke this morning with a great attitude - one of my favorite characteristics about my son. He came into my room, asked if I still wanted to hug him (break my heart why don't you?) and then told me that he was going to try really hard to have a good day today and that he was sorry about last night. I wish last night hadn't happened because it hurts me to see him go through such rough patches but at the same time I am so proud of Peter for recognizing the turmoil he caused and for knowing that an apology was the right thing to do and knowing that we can move on and not dwell on it anymmore! He is getting more and more mature!

I missed 2 birthdays in May - paying way too much attention to my old man husband. My cousin Shannon's birthday was on May 2nd and my cousin Kara's was May 23rd. I was eight when they were born and have very fond memories of them - as you can imagine I was a little baby crazy back then. Shannon lived with us for a few months after she was born and Kara came to visit often - we have many many many pictures of the two of them together as babies - there was at least 4 pounds difference in them - Shannon was a round, blonde, blue eyed beauty and Kara was as scrawny as Shannon was round with stunning red hair and an adorable smile. They were and still are a contrast to each other and both are beautiful, successful and wonderful!

Happy Belated Birthday to Shannon and Kara!

GNM - ILY!