lions, tigers...and alligators oh my!

we pretended we had absolutely nothing else to do last saturday than to spend the day at the zoo. the kids had a blast, and it was great to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather...a cool front came through while we were there...a rare occurence!

jude was all about the alligators on this zoo excursion...we were able to attend an alligator wrestling show (see pics below) which left a lasting impression on this little monkey!

NO FEAR....sure he will hold a baby alligator, but sleeping in his bed all night....as if! really though, jude was really brave and took the whole alligator show very seriously. he was the youngest one to hold the alligator by himself, and he was all business, all work and no play for this crocodile dundee.

alligator wrestling did not impress emilia in the least!

the lone ranger, or middle child, wanted to sit independently from the rest of us to watch the alligator show...

...she became leary of the whole situation very quickly...

molli could hardly stand to watch....or listen? not sure why she is clutching her ears...it was intense, but not loud! hysterical!

...molli giving jude a reassuring pat on the head. easy for her to say...she is the one being held by daddy!

this is what happens when you deprive your children of their afternoon nap to spend the day at the zoo...and then have a thirty minute drive home. but of course, jude and molli were down but not out. the minute we got home they got their second wind...gotta love those power naps!

Spring at the LaSala's

molli put her tu-tu aside (see loveseat in background) to play 'light sabers' with jude...
me and the girls...
molli beans...or as uncle b likes to call her, beansie butt! whatever name you want to call her she is a hoot! she is still not a fan of wearing pants...and her favorite things to do are not suitable for all the pretty dresses that she insists on wearing! but we pick and choose our battles when we can...
she loves to wear her dress up clothes...and she just can't figure out why she can't wear them to go shopping. but like i said, she is dressed like a princess and digging holes in the backyard! she can't decide if she is going to be a diva or a tom-boy!
emilia enjoying a few moments of alone time...
...with her 'dada'...always calling for her 'da'! she is VERY spoiled for him...and don't let the blue eyes fool you, she looks exactly like him!
the boys...and charlotte! it is hard for those two to get away from all the females in this house!

It is a rare moment when I can capture all 3 of them sitting still...yet i managed to do it quite a few times over the last few weeks. They are really a lot of fun...and a lot to keep up with.
A day at the park with Nana...we met her there for a picnic and the kids got to run around and burn off some of their energy...although there was still plenty to go around. They love the park...jude never goes too far and molli is always very busy introducing herself to EVERYONE and ANYONE..."hi, I molli...what your name?"

emilia loves to swing...cause that is all i will let her do for now!

...okay, so i will also let her sit on the "turtle" for a few fleeting moments...but she wasn't nearly as interested in that. man, has she got pablo's stare down or what?
and here is batman...this was his reward for sleeping all night in his own bed. his very own batman costume...yes, it is march and we are buying halloween costumes, but hey...we are going to get our money out of this one! Jude takes being batman very seriously...our breakfast conversations usually involve a very in-depth discussion about what he and pablo would do if 'bad guys' ever tried to get into our house...not sure where this fascination comes from but he sure gets fired up talking about beating up the bad guys...oh the testosterone!
but don't let the costume and tough talk fool you...jude is the most considerate and kind big brother who adores his baby sisters. He is begging to go to school so he can learn
how 'to climb mountains'....he is our little man!

KITCHEN REMODEL

before....















...after











new countertops! no more yellow formica!

THE DUDER MAN!

our BOY...and he is ALL boy!
























....on uncle cardo's vespa




































...he has a big heart!

EMMY

getting to be such a big girl! kind of canaille too....we love it!




















....always (almost) laughing!





















our babies...best friends...they share everything, even dog bones!











HAPPY MARDI GRAS!

BEANS!!!!!

Molli Kathryn is a trip...the estrogen is definitely kicking into high gear. she loves to go shopping...and adores her new puppy charlotte! We sat down a few weeks ago...put on some makeup and took these glamour shots...














this is her 'pretty smile'






















'lost' in translation...








Love this one! This captures her personality perfectly!

portraits

we are super excited to 'show off' our new art work done by clay! emilia's isn't done yet...but i couldn't resist posting jude and molli's!

up to no good!

THE WHOLE GANG!





emilia has started on cereal...and it shows! she is pretty easy-going...as long as mom or dad are within sight! she is getting better with 'strangers' aka anyone who doesn't live in our house! she loves to laugh, eat, and sleep...and that's all right with us, too!








miss molli is a bit of a "chatty kathy" these days...although many times I am the only one who can interpret her enthusiastic monologues. she is so much fun, and she is even in the beginning stages of potty training! yay....








Jude is definitely "ALL BOY"...he 'goes to work' every morning around the same time his daddy does. He is a hard worker....the more work there is to do, the better his day is! He is really sweet with his baby sisters--and he is eager to be mom's little helper...as long as dad is not needing him for yardwork!

growing up

emilia's first big girl photo shoot. while the big kids were napping we snuck in a few moments to get some glamour shots of the little princess by her lonesome....with no camera hogs to jump in and try to steal the spotlight. as the third child, its rare to get a picture of her solo. her cousin myrtle is coming for the weekend, so stay tuned for more baby pics to come.

monkey business

the kids are getting comfortable in the new house...while there is still LOTS of work to be done...we make sure we find the time to PLAY...Jude no longer needs his "T" to play baseball, an accomplishment his daddy is really proud of... molli is always a character, usually sneaking out of her bed too early during naptime. we are starting to learn more about miss emilia every day, and she is definitely the shy one of the bunch...she gets startled easily and does not enjoy large gatherings...which is pretty much every time the families get together. but she is full of personality and has a really sweet disposition.