AKA The Pizzlets

Archive for March, 2011

Splashy Fun

03.30.11

While Amelia was sleeping I thought it would be a good idea to get the pool out that we got at the end of last year.  I have lung power and so I got to blowing it up…a few head rushes later and it was finished.  Amelia had woken up halfway through and was just staring in amazement at her new toy.  I wedged it through the patio door and got to boiling the kettle.  Half freezing hose water and half hot water and boiling kettle water, we made it so it was tepid.  Amelia was making me laugh because each time I added hot water and swirled it around, she tested it too.  I called Sara and invited her and Archer over for some pool fun…Amelia hopped into her new bathing suit and we headed out to play in the pool.  She loved it right from the start.  Archer jumped in too and they were off splashing each other in the glorious sunshine.  I think it was almost 80 degrees…quite where that weather has gone I don’t know.  We’re in the low 60′s with the most ridiculous amount of rain today!!

I am so glad  got the next set of shots…the next day the weather turned and it’s been horrible ever since.  There’s a fine line here and an extremely small slot between spring and summer, going outside for a while with baby skin in the summer would be cruel.  I had lotion on for the 30 minutes I was outside and I still burned!!  Amelia has my skin tone so she also has to be more careful.  Imagine it twenty degrees warmer…so spring will be the optimum time for her to play in her pool.

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  1. McKenna says: i really like these! they are really good and she is the cutest thing ever!! on 03.30.11 @ 2:12 pm

  2. Sara says: These made me laugh out loud, for real! Those are some cute kids. Thanks Kate!! on 03.30.11 @ 2:41 pm

  3. Auntie Lallah says: Jolly great fun for you and Archer. Love your suit! on 03.30.11 @ 3:19 pm

  4. Baz says: Everyone appears to be having a great deal of fun. In a few years Amelia will be swimming like a fish Love Baz xx on 03.31.11 @ 2:58 am

  5. Betty says: What great fun they are having, they are so cute together. on 03.31.11 @ 10:36 am

In Between

03.28.11

courses of antibiotics (albeit only two days in between) and a week after her birthday we headed to Fripp for what would be the last weekend we would spend with Betty before she flew home.

It was a pretty day on Saturday with almost clear skies.  It was good to be together again and as usual we laughed at each other and had lots of tasty food – courtesey of Betty!!  Saturday turned out to be a sad day as we found out that Mum’s Uncle Pat (my Great Uncle) died suddenly with a huge heart attack.  He was the last of her Dad’s brothers and sisters.  The only good that came from this was that we heard he didn’t suffer.

Amelia spent the day playing outside and mastering the outside stairs until she wore herself out.  We got a peek at her in a fairly good mood.  She was relaxing and watching Bambi (a new favorite that Grandma Pizzo had bought for her 2nd birthday) by the time dinner was ready.  She was miserable again though and I had the feeling all was not well with her - it was that or she was hungry and tired!  It’s unfair of me to talk about her being miserable, I would be miserable if I had been ill for as long as she has…the first Friday in February was the day she started antibiotics and it’s been going on ever since. 

Sunday seemed OK, she was just quieter.  Another sign that she wasn’t feeling well.  She has learnt to become quite the trooper though and other than being quieter, she was still the angel we know her to be.

There was a crazy storm on the way back into town and the hail was so large (the size of a quarter/10p piece) I thought it was going to crack the windshield.  It’s amazing really that the power didn’t go out.  The sky got so dark and low…it was surreal.  Most kids would have been scared but Amelia just sat and looked out of the window.  Rosie made up for it by wimpering all the way home…

Monday, today, we were at the doctor getting a new set of anti’s for a brand new ear infection in the other ear!  Can someone tell me the day and month that I will be able to wake up with all three of us feeling good and well??? 

But, enough of the moaning!

Of course I got some happy pictures of Amelia playing on Saturday…you wouldn’t know there was a thing wrong.

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  1. Betty says: I can't believe those pics were from the weekend before last, it seems like an age ago. She wasn't quite her usual jolly self but she gave it a good go. Get well soon Amelia. on 04.6.11 @ 8:01 am

Happy 2nd Birthday Amelia!

03.20.11

Well we made it…until I had a child I really couldn’t understand any parent who would talk about the gift of children.  I was more interested in where we were going on the weekend and which friends we’d be meeting.  I can say this wholeheartedly, I completely understand it now.  Amelia, I tell you every day that you’re an angel sent from heaven…we really are so lucky to have you in our lives.  You’re a happy and smiley child (most of the time) and we hope you can look back on all the pictures and see how happy you are and how happy you make us!

We went out in the breezy warm weather this morning for a very quick session.  Thanks to Jayme for the most amazing dress.  It is beautiful, thank you!!  All was going well until, well scroll down and see…

You’ve had your grandparents, Auntie Lallah and your friends Sara, Ed and Archer visit you today.  You shared chocolate fudge cake with everyone and your favorite english candy too.  You’ve played with the countless toys you were given and this afternoon we’ll settle down for a movie.  What a special and loved little girl you are!

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  1. Kirsty-Abu Dhabi says: Happy Birthday Amelia - such a super cute dress, such super cute pictures - hope you're having a wonderful time xx (PS Love Lilipops!) on 03.20.11 @ 4:11 pm

  2. Jo says: Beautiful - love the dress and curly hair! Xx on 03.20.11 @ 4:13 pm

  3. Auntie Lallah says: I had a wonderful time at your 2 year party! The chocolate cake was delish! and it was fun to see you in a beautiful dress having a great time on your birthday! love, Auntie Lallah on 03.20.11 @ 4:31 pm

  4. Sara says: Thank you so much for having us today. We had a great time celebrating the birthday girl! Her pictures are beautiful, as always. on 03.20.11 @ 5:45 pm

  5. Vinita says: Happy Birthday Amelia! She looks so happy and cute in her dress! Enjoy! on 03.20.11 @ 5:51 pm

  6. Baz says: She really is becoming a little person and I wish had been in SC for her birthday. Her dress is very pretty but what has she done to her knee. Love Baz xxx on 03.21.11 @ 3:20 am

  7. Betty says: What a great party we had for your 2nd birthday Amelia, we all had such fun and you really enjoyed your Wendy House as we did colouring it in. on 03.22.11 @ 8:59 am

  8. Birthday Party For Three! « AKA The Pizzlets says: [...] last birthday girl.  And not one smile in sight…thankfully we had the opportunity to redo for her actual [...] on 03.22.11 @ 2:18 pm

  9. Lucy says: Just simply beautiful Kate! Love them all!!! Happy Birthday Amelia! xx on 03.23.11 @ 6:36 am

  10. Uncle James says: Happy 2nd birthday Amelia on 04.16.11 @ 7:21 am

A Room Fit For A Princess

03.19.11

I mentioned back here that at the beginning of February, Amelia moved to a big girl bed and that as a birthday present we decided to redo her room.  Well, it’s taken six weeks but we’re finished.  I love to get into project mode and spent just so much time on every detail.  Nothing that’s in there is accidental and there’s lots of things for her to cherish too.  Take a look…

My inspiration came from a post of a favorite blog that I read by Nathalie Bearden.  Her new blog is here though.

Space was an issue and we had to be very choosy about what we put in there but I think it all worked out in the end.  I wish it were my room!  Her walls are Benjamin Moore’s Innocence and the bedding is Pottery Barn Kids.  Etsy played a huge part in decorating together with some vintage items and family relics too.

On the book shelf are lots of things she’s too little to have or appreciate.  We have real Russian nesting dolls that my dad brought back for me from one of his numerous trips.  A few snow globes that I have collected over the years, some of my old toys and books and even a porcelain clown I was awarded for dance.  The chandelier was entirely copied (with permission) from Nathalie although the chandelier light kit for the fan was all me.  That took some looking for and some creative converting on Adam’s part.

The beautiful frames (including the one the mirror is in) are from The Organic Bloom which I am now offering through my photography company Sugar Pie.  They are all white 3×3′s and from left to right are Mary-Ann, Ricky, Ellie and June.  The hooks came from the UK…

The bookcase was built by Adam and his dad and they did an amazing job!  Yes, Pottery Barn does a very similar version.  Lots of toys and books in here.  There are also three more frames…in Bahama Blue (3×3 Fonzie), Lemonade (Gilligan 2×3) and Lavender (Lucy 2×3).

The Tom Kitten doll is still out of her reach and is a special edition, the monkey is a present from her uncle, the rainbow – painted with non-toxic paints – is from the wonderful Elizabeth on Etsy (this happens to be a favorite of Amelia’s).  The rabbit was a gift from when she was born.  The My Little Pony in the lavender compartment is an original Princess Sparkle, the blocks are mine that my dad bought back for me from Japan in the 80′a and the felt house is from the UK.

Aren’t these frames amazing?  I decided not to choose too many colors and settled on Tangy Taffy for the Cary Grant mirror and the 8×12 Meg’s.  We chose Pink Hydrangea for the 8×8 Eva’s and 8×10 Jessie’s.  The beautiful art in the 8×10′s are by another Etsy seller who has such amazing work I had a hard time just choosing two pictures.

Amelia loves her new room and enjoys playing with everything in there, even the pink storage boxes!

Do you love the dress, we LOVE it.  Another Jayme creation!!  Thanks Jayme…

As you can see, she has to work on her bed dismount (the pic I caught of her reflection in the mirror) and also realize that she has the entire bed to herself so no need to huddle up to the headboard.  She’s enjoying making camps with her bedding and, annoyingly has picked up a horrible habit along the way…the nail biting.  Any tips for this??  The kid loves the taste of anything bitter so it’s been something of a challenge!

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  1. GILL ABBOTT says: Happy birthday Amelia, and how very lucky to have such a fabulous bedroom - every l;ittle girl's dream. Dont worry about the nails, maybe ignoring it may be the way forward (what do I know, Im still not that god myself!). Hope the party went well and lots of goodies were added to the bedroom. Lots of love Gill xx on 03.21.11 @ 2:04 pm

  2. Betty says: What great pics of Amelia's new bedroom. She is a lucky little girl to have such creative, attentive and generous parents. I wish I could have had a new bedroom like this. on 03.22.11 @ 8:56 am

  3. A Room Fit for a Princess- The Organic Bloom says: [...] and create a post of it ourselves. Today we’re providing the link to Kate’s blog post, “A Room Fit for a Princess”. Her description of the room contents, the details, and her little girl’s reaction to the [...] on 03.29.13 @ 11:11 am

Birthday Party For Three!

03.18.11

On Thursday 17th, Amelia headed off to school as usual but without her lunch box.  It was party day in class for the kids that were turning two.  An unusual week as three kids were all celebrating at the same time.  Jack, Mary Marvin and Amelia.  Jack’s Mom brought large cheese pizzas from Upper Crust, Mary Marvin’s Mom brought yummy frosted cupcakes and, if that wasn’t enough I brought candy to take home.  I had high hopes that I would see Amelia playing with her friends and having a good time.  It wasn’t to be…but that didn’t stop us from jumping in and having an hour of fun with these kids.

Now for some introductions…

Mary Marvin…

isn’t she just such a cutie with her cupcake?!

Jack…

he was ALL about his cake.  I definitely can’t say that he doesn’t like cake!

Amorette…

who was far more interested in the pictures I took than the ones I was trying to get of her…let me see, let me see!!

Reese…

she warmed up immediately and really seemed to enjoy the silly noises I was making to get her to smile :)

Kennedy…

now this little girl was ALL ABOUT the camera…she was posing every which way and how!

Archer…

knows me too well and other than appearing to think that I am insanely strict, he takes some warming up to the camera…but, although he wasn’t looking (because he was too busy eating three slices of pizza), I think my fave is the very first pic at the top where he is dreamily looking at Reese.  I have it on good authority that he has something for Reese.  My question is, where does that leave Amelia?  He had a bath with her a couple of weeks ago…c’mon Archer, make up your mind :)

Winston…

also took some warming up but ended up getting so excited with the attention tactics I was playing that I had a hard time getting him to allow me to move on to Kennedy!  Sigh…those eyes…

Amelia…

the last birthday girl.  And not one smile in sight…thankfully we had the opportunity to redo for her actual birthday.

What a great class this is, I can only hope all the kids are going to end up in the same class next year so they can grow some more together.  Miss Tracy and Miss Kendra are just great and it never ceases to amaze me at their patience and love for each child.  How lucky these kids are.  I hope Mary Marvin and Jack had as fabulous of a day as Amelia.  Thanks to all the parents for agreeing that I could post about your kids on here, they’re all such a hoot.  I hope I get the chance to spend more time with them!

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  1. Betty says: You're lucky to have such great classmates Amelia. It looks like you were all having fun at your school birthday party. on 03.26.11 @ 5:52 pm

TV and Movies

03.11.11

Now it’s no secret that Amelia is a Little Miss Square Eyes!  She loves her movie of the morning and, if Mum needs a break, she’ll sometimes get one (or finish off the morning one) in the afternoon.  Here’s how I caught her watching TV the other day…made me laugh, it just seemed so sophisticated and so un-ladylike all in one go!

 

She really does have the stamina to do a movie day…it’s amazing really.  It all started back in October 2009 when I decided to put in Finding Nemo (for it’s vibrant colors) while she was in her jumperoo.  What did I do?  Adam and I have had some of our favorite Saturday morning movies ruined by introducing them to Amelia.  Shrek 1-4, Ice 1-3 (soon to be 4), Finding Nemo…we’re going to try with Toy Story soon too and also some Disney classics.

And then there’s her new love, Scrat from Ice Age (far right pic and whom I think has a striking resemblence to Mojo…our Chihuahua).  She just loves to watch the TV…just a little bit too close for my liking though!

She loves Scrat so much that she tries to copy him at the end of Ice Age 3…

 

She has such a sweet giggle and hops from foot to foot as she knows what’s about to happen.  I so hope when I look back over these later down the line that I remember just how adorable it is.  I must get some video of this little girl before I forget…it’s been months and months since I’ve done a thing.

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  1. Betty says: I'll turn around one day Amelia and you will have square eyes! You certainly love your telly on 03.26.11 @ 5:53 pm

  2. Uncle James says: Don't listen to Grandma, I've always loved the telly and I haven't got square eyes on 04.16.11 @ 7:24 am

Almost A Year Ago

03.10.11

I love to find little gems when I go back through pictures.  Almost a year ago, 11 months actually, I took these.  It’s taken me 11 months to get somewhere with them but I love them.

Oh how I wish it would be this easy to get that kind of a picture now!

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  1. Lisa says: I just love her! Too cute! She is a little model ;) on 03.10.11 @ 2:11 pm

  2. Auntie Lallah says: She is as beautiful now as she was then! Just now she has more teeth! on 03.10.11 @ 4:07 pm

  3. Betty says: Wow! how you've changed Miss Amelia. I wonder what you will be looking like next birthday on 03.26.11 @ 5:54 pm

Betrothed…

03.07.11

I am convinced that these two are meant to be and nothing short of a divorce will make me change my mind!  Archer may talk about Reese (a classmate) over and over but they have never had a bath together!  LOL

We were caught out and needed to get the kids ready for bed so we sent them for their nightly bath together.  Amelia needs to work on being just a little bit more chaste and not showing off ALL of herself!  Thankfully the picture doesn’t tell the real tale…

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  1. Sara says: Love it!! on 03.22.11 @ 8:37 pm

  2. Betty says: OMG what a beautiful picture. I just love it. on 03.22.11 @ 9:45 pm

  3. Auntie Lallah says: I agree with Grandma Betty on 03.22.11 @ 9:47 pm

  4. Danea says: So precious!! on 03.22.11 @ 10:23 pm

All Dressed Up

03.05.11

and into the yard we went.  She sure was in the mood for some pictures today and I am so glad.  It’s rarity here.

She’s growing so quickly and in a matter of a couple of weeks she’ll be two.  Where has the time gone?

We’ve been on Fripp this weekend enjoying the breezy views.  Adam was doing some work and Miss Amelia was enjoying watching him…she dotes on her daddy.  She’s finally in a big girl bed over here too and seems to be loving it.  Well, once she’s asleep that is.  She was crying the first night we laid her down and when I went to see what all the fuss was about I found her on the floor looking under the door for signs that someone was on their way!  Annoying?  Yes (it happened for about an hour).  Cute?  Absolutely.  But now she’s used to it she even plays in it now.

Despite the breathing issues still playing their part, Amelia is just a happy smily child and now that her ears are on the mend we can honestly say that we’re lucky she has such a cheery disposition.  Well, apart from the toddler tantrums interlaced in the cheeriness.  We have found the trigger (hahaha)…saying NO!  No, you can’t have it or no, you can’t go in there.  That usually does it!!

So, on this extremely rare day, we got the little love laughing and interacting…

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  1. Peter and Jan says: Great pictures again time passes all too quickly so it's great to catch them when you can on 03.25.11 @ 4:45 am

  2. Auntie Lallah says: Dear Amelia, You have a beautiful smile. I enjoy getting such great pictures. You look stunning in these photos. Hope to see you soon. Love and kisses! on 03.25.11 @ 8:25 am

  3. Betty says: I love that Amelia is so smiley, she is such a jolly person. I wonder what was making her laugh. on 03.26.11 @ 5:46 pm

Smile!

03.04.11

I just wanted a pretty smiling picture out in the garden.  Something to put in the album.  Here’s how the attempt went (or at least what I imagined her saying):

Me: Amelia, do you want to go outside and get some pictures?

Amelia: Um, well what about Bunny?

Me: You can take her…

Amelia: M’kay.

Amelia: Why did you take my paci away?  I hate it out here…

Amelia: I’m off, this wasn’t the deal at all!

Me: Just one smile sweetie and then you can have the paci back…you’re so pretty when you smile!

Amelia: Well right now I am busy but I’ll think about it.

 

Amelia: OK, one smile – one pic and then I get to go back inside with my bunny and paci.

Me: OK.

Me: not quite…it looks a little forced.  A deal’s a deal.

Amelia: Ok…try this.

Me: Much better…you’re so pretty Miss Amelia!

Amelia: Tell me something I don’t know!!  Here’s one for the road…

Me: Gorgeous

Amelia:  Yeah yeah yeah…now give me my paci.  A deal’s a deal.  I’m off!

So, I got the picture(s)…on her terms!

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  1. Auntie Lallah says: What great spring Pics. Glad u got yr Paci and bunny back! on 03.4.11 @ 1:10 pm

  2. Rebecca Timberlake says: So sweet!! I love those moments when they are exerting their independence.... on 03.4.11 @ 1:16 pm

  3. Tamara says: OMG! That is so cute! I love the commentary! Its sad how our little divas dictate everything these days. Our Paci is our bribe too :) on 03.4.11 @ 3:33 pm

  4. Betty says: Amelia's smile just brightens up my day, such a pretty little girl. on 03.5.11 @ 4:06 am

  5. GILL ABBOTT says: Wow what a little stunner, and already learning all the tricks - well done mummy for the gorgeous pics. Lol xx on 03.6.11 @ 2:56 pm

  6. Lauren says: Hi Kate! I don't know if you remember me from Gift the Bambino, but its March for Babies time again and I was just thinking of you! These pictures are gorgeous, even the grumpy ones! She's a beautiful little girl. I won't be walking this year because my own Bambino on the way is giving me a run for my money but I wish I could. Hope the three of you are well! on 03.13.11 @ 8:49 am