Right Now

Riding the C train home. We played in the city for 10 hours today! It
was so much fun. But we are all ready for bed now. yawn....

Happy Birthday Isabella!!!

5 days old

1st birthday

October 2008

Last week

Things my vivacious birthday girl is into:
**Huli & Co.--Huli is her imaginary friend, but frequently new ones are introduced. Yesterday I think it was Keytow and Keyta.
**Her imagination, in general, is fun and amazing. I just had to go get a pen out of the closet for her because we couldn't find the pen Grandma gave her. When I told her there aren't any pens in the closet, she gave me a "duh!" look and said, "A pretend pen, mom!" She smiled as I handed her the pretend pen. The other day she was drinking milk and said it was coffee. "But we don't drink coffee." "Mom, it's pretend coffee." Right...
**"That's my favorite ______ !" Everything seems to be her favorite! Especially billboards, "That's my favorite movie!" She'll exclaim while pointing to the ad for Cloudy with the Chance of Meatballs on the side of a city bus. Funny thing is she is really only referring to the preview...those are movies to her...and we'll keep it that way as long as possible. She frequently requests the "movie" UP. But I love that so many things are excitedly her favorites.
**She admires and adores the many women in her life. Yes, she loves her friends, but she really loves her friends' mothers more. If I say, "Let's go play with Chase at the playground." She'll reply, "And Minde too?!" Maybe it's the fantastic snacks or the sparkly shoes. But I'm already learning that my little girl looks up to the many women in her life.
**She's 3 going on 13! Recently she took my phone while talking to Daddy at work, went in her room, shut the door. She LOVES the phone, nail polish, high heels, makeup, etc.
**Running! She can run, run, run. Recently Brian took her one evening and she ran around the entire Reservoir in Central Park which is just over 1.5 miles. And she's fast.
**Singing! There is always a song coming from her sweet lips while playing, reading, going potty, bathing. It is so, so sweet.
**Independent! She knows what she wants and she will make sure we know it too!

Oh, Isabella, we love you so!!!!

Right Now

Celebrating the birthday girl by creating at the Children's Museum of
the Arts. She's so into it!

Right Now

Sharing snacks with friends at the playground.

Over the weekend...

We stopped by St. John the Divine for the "Blessing of the Animals". I didn't have as much info about it as I should and if we do it again we'll do it differently. I recommend going to the cathedral around 12:30pm and wait outside to see all the animals come out (I had heard there was a yak and a donkey); that way you can see all the animals but don't have to sit through a service. Then afterward go out on the lawn and greet all the dogs, cats, turtles, and guinea pigs people bring to be blessed. This is THE event for all dog lovers...which we are not. (I like dogs, but I'm not a "dog lover".) But I did get to hold a macaw; which was cool.


We also went to the reading festival held at Columbia University. I had heard great things about that event last year and I'm glad we went this year. We got there pretty early (maybe around 10:30am) but within 20 min the place was uncomfortably packed with pushy parents and kids. It was great before then. So, if we go again next year, we will get there promptly at 10am!




This is where we enjoyed out nice picnic lunch (I actually remembered to make/pack one!) until a VERY aggressive squirrel decided he wanted to join us. Despite Isabella's terrified screams, me whacking it with a tupperware lid, and yelling at it, it would not leave us alone until it got Isabella's sandwich. A security guard (who was much louder than me) finally scared it a few feet away.

It reminded me of the last time we were in CT where two squirrels were chasing each other and ran right into Isabella's legs. Which, of course, freaked her out (me too)!

If Isabella develops an intense fear of squirrels, now you know why!

Isabella's 3rd Birthday Party

I really can't believe my baby girl is turning 3 years old!!! on Wednesday. We celebrated her birthday last Friday evening by inviting friends over for a glorified play date. It was awesome!

This is the look she gave Elliott when he attempted to help blow out her candles. (I don't know where she got her "if looks could kill..." stares from...j/k. Mom, you know ;) )

Right Now

Hanging out in Times Square.

Today at the Met

We went with some friends on a spontaneous adventure to the Met. It was crazy-fun! Okay, mostly crazy!

This one is for the Grandmas...

One afternoon I was in my room feeding/changing/burping Oliver and I heard an unfamiliar sound. After a minute or two I thought I better check it out, just to make sure... (A few weeks ago the kitchen flooded because someone left the water running and didn't instantly check out, "what's that noise?" We are learning!) This is what I found:

My first instinct was to say "no" but then I realized, she's really sewing. I had been working on some birthday crowns for friends and I guess she was watching more closely than I thought.
As I watched her closely I was amazed. She did every step in the right order: put fabric under foot, put food down on fabric, press on the pedal, stop at the edge of the fabric, make sure the needle is up, lift foot, pull out fabric, and snip with scissors. It was impressively odd.

And this is her finished product...all by herself!

Bronx Zoo

Last Wednesday (pay what you want day!!!) we went to the Bronx Zoo. It was so perfect. Not too hot, not too cold, not too crowded, and lots of animals were out and about. Next time we go I think Isabella is expecting to ride on a camel with her daddy...

What We Doing Today?

Most mornings Isabella asks, "What we doing today, Mom?" We've been busy, so busy I haven't stopped to blog. Busy just hanging out, having fun, and LOVING the fall weather. Well, today is a little chilly...and that's why I'm home blogging. Here are a few photos and more posts should follow...

This girl leaves the house prepared!
She almost always has to carry something out the door. I'll tell you, a pair of flip-flops, a makeup bag of finger puppets, and sunglasses are much easier to stuff into my bag than a large baby doll (or scooter)!

Babies!!!
All born within 3 months, and we all use to live within a few blocks of each other. AND three of our husbands are named Brian. Babies are lined up in order of age: Eleanor, Riley, Oliver, & Rial.

One evening Oliver started fussing when I thought he was asleep. This is how I found him when I went to check on him. I was cracking up, and then he was too. How did he do that?! Really!

Brian has started to teach Isabella how to use the camera. Not bad, eh?! Especially considering it is half her size.

Little Bits O' Happiness

Even though I haven't been great at keeping up with the Oma's assignments. I find all her posts so inspirational! I enjoy her writing and her fun, positive outlook on life.

Friday was School of Thought Seminar: Life as an Artform

~Make a list of ten little things that improved your happiness today. (I used yesterday.)

1--The sound of giggling, squealing, crunching, popping as children running down a long hallway covered with packaging bubbles. A good friend did this for her daughter's 3rd birthday party. SO fun!
2--Amazing tap dancers at The Kitchen Block Party.
3--Two babes took great naps while we were out, so Bri and I had a peaceful lunch...of fresh lobster!!! From The Lobster Place in Chelsea Market.
4--Taking photos of little kids at a birthday party.
5--Five straight hours of sleep. Thank you Oliver!
6--Having Brian by my side all day.
7--Walking around the city. Seriously, one of my favorite things to do, but rare now with two kids.
8--Watching/supervising Isabella make birthday cards for friends.
9--Falling asleep at 9:30pm.
10--Getting all the dishes done. (We don't have a dishwasher.)

Right Now

Gorilla gazing at the Bronx Zoo. Perfect morning at the zoo, all the
animals are out.

Right Now

Happened upon the 59th Annual German American Parade on 5th Ave.

Odense, Denmark

I'm a bit behind in posting for Oma's back-to-school, but I'm really loving everything I'm doing.

Here's the prompt for last week's travel lesson:

~Where is your ancestral home? Most of us have roots in several places. Pick one city or country you'd like to visit, find it on a map, and explore some travel websites, just for practice. A few of my favorites are: multi-map, Rick Steves, Cheap Flights, Budget Travel.

photo of Odense, Denmark from here

Hi, I'm Kiasa.
It's pronounced, k-'eye'-sa.
It's one of my ancestor's names, from Denmark.
It is spelled K-I-A-S-A...K-I-A-SA.

Well, that's what I always say (always!) when I meet someone new. But come to find out, just as I was doing some research for this, my name is actually a Swedish ancestor's name. For 30 years I've been telling people it's Danish, but it is Swedish!

I've always wanted to travel to Denmark. I know I'm part Swedish, Danish, Scottish, German and English, but Denmark has always called to me the most (probably because I thought my entire name, Kiasa Keri Larsen, was Danish). My dad informed me that my Danish roots came from a city called Odense (map). (Click here for pronunciation.) One time I even went on a date with a guy who spoke Danish fluently, and I was sure he was the one, just for that reason.

It has been so fun to look up information and photos of Odense, Denmark. It was the birthplace of Hans Christian Anderson. My great-great grandfather is Christian Larsen and his father is Lars Anderson, so maybe Hans Christian Anderson is a cousin of sorts. It's a beautiful city (the 3rd largest in Denmark). The castle. And museums. Here's a nice article.

I loved this little bit of research. I've learned more of my ancestry and can't wait to visit Odense now!