Getting ready for Romania!

     Excitement is at very high levels in our house. In less than 4 days we are going to Romania! After a year and a half we'll revisit dear family and friends. Catalina varies from excitement to worry. SOmetimes she talks on the phone with "bunica Roman", sometimes with "bunica B'tsani". The other day she woke up all upset and she said she doesn't want to go to Romania. But mostly, she talks on the phone about her upcoming trip.

   One of her teachers from daycare made a little book for her, with snapshots with her classmates. We hope this will help her transition when we come back. It will also be nice to show grandparents what's she up to all day long in daycare.

  Meanwhile, we live our daily routines. A little farm next to out house hosted an event to introduce kids to agriculture. It is was a sunny day and Catalina was in a good mood. We got her a pretty hat that made her look like Scarlet O'Hara (minus the messy t-shirt...) and brought her lots of compliments.

There were plenty of animals around, but Catalina fell in love with the hens and the rooster. There were cute little ducklings that you were allowed to hold, there were cute little yellow chicks. But Catalina couldn't care less. She loved the hens. So we spent a good half an hour listening to the rooster and the hens. Here she is, finally saying good bye.

The best part of the day was the hayride. A big tractor carrying a very shaky trailer makes for a lot a fun for a 2 year old. She loved the hay, she loved the ride, she loved the surroundings.

The evening was reserved for a romanian party. Meaning music, food and dancing. And Catalina was again in a very good mood. This alone makes for a really good party! Here she is, my pretty little star.

A Very Happy Mother's Day!

    Sometimes I cannot believe that the word mom has anything to do with me. Not because I don't think Catalina is mine, she is more part of me, than probably my hands or my feet are. But because I always thought you have to be a serious, responsible, grown up woman to be called a mom. I still think of myself as a college student ready at every second to go clubbing and fight against every little thing her mom advises her.
    And somehow, I am a mom, and today is mother's day. Another celebration for me, and I didn't do anything to deserve. It was given to me as a package, when I got my most precious gift. Thank you dear Catalina, for brightening my life in yet another way!

So, to begin my celebration, let me show you some of the moments you get to live as mom.
You don't go clubbing anymore, not because you don't have time, a nanny or money for fancy cocktails. Who would want that, when you can do this?

We went to feed the ducks a little too often lately, and Catalina is never bored. She loves them , she thinks they are harmless (they have ducklings now, so no, they are not...). See how close is this goose? I think Catalina would go pet the bird if I let her. She is however terrified by VERY small bugs and ants.

Our last trip to the park ended in a 5 mile long walk for mommy and daddy. Catalina was very happy in her stroller. And at the end of our evening, mommy found some pretty yellow flowers. What's a princess without a crown, right?

Catalina is really not the princess type. She is not a tom boy either. She is just Catalina. She screams if a drop of water touches her at dinner table, but she has no problems digging in mud with her finger nails. She loves the screwdriver, electronics, cars and Thomas. She barely touches her dolls, maybe once a month, and that is usually to throw them away. She has no idea what is the name of any princess, but she knows most characters in Thomas the train. But you'd never see her running, climbing, unless she is 150% sure there is no danger or obstacle.

However, few weeks back she discovered her new favorite toy. A princess castle. She got it for her birthday from a good friend of mine (and hers for that matter), and because of our move she got to open it only a a month after. Instant success. It's like a light had switched inside her. She puts the princess and the prince to bed, sets them at the dinner table that always has candles and sings them happy birthday. She gives the horse carrots. Somehow she still can't put the prince on the horse and this gets her frustrated. But I never imagined that a two year old can have such imagination and desire to play house.

When she was done with her setting, mommy asked her to pose with her castle and she obeyed immediately (so NOT like her).

I am trying to encourage a lot of outdoor play, so when I came early from work on Friday, both mommy and cute girl went outside for a picnic. Catalina brought for mommy from daycare a pot with the most beautiful flower of all. She liked it a lot also, so we brought the flower (that she calls "plant") to our picnic.

And when I thought my day cannot get any better, this comes. Just listen to this cutie, she is all about love and being the best girl EVER.

Happy Mother Day to all of us who are blessed with beautiful angels. Any second we have with them is amazing, so a holiday to celebrate this might seem redundant. So, I will celebrate Mother's Day by making sure Catalina knows what precious gift she is for me.

And no, I did not forget my dear mom at all. I will celebrate and congratulate and thank her for being my mom. It is however slightly chronologically misplaced, as we, Romanians, celebrate mother's day on March 8th.

Happy Mother's Day to us, the happiest women on earth!

Adventures, adventures

Life flies fast this year, or at least it seems so. Easter, my favorite holiday of the year past. It was beautiful as expected. Catalina was wonderful, she participated in all our planned events. The tradition is to clean the house spotless and to cook humongous amounts of food. The first part was taken care of for us because of the move to the new apartment. Between work, church service both Thursday and Friday night we did not have time to cook until Saturday morning. So we were ready to be satisfied only with few of the traditional dishes. Somehow, miracles happen at Easter, as we ended with all the good food we had every year.
Part of the miracle was Catalina of course. She did help with many tasks.
She is getting the walnuts ready for the Easter bread (cozonac)

She also took several "beauty breaks", since all cooks have to wear heavy pretty make up. You have to trust me when I tell you that the picture does not do justice to the amount of make up that is here on her face. Or to the amount of time it took to wipe it off her face.

But all the preparations went well.
Easter night came and Catalina was amazing all during the midnight service, talking continuously and getting smiles and compliments from way too many people in church. She kept describing all the steps in the service, how the priest will go outside, how he sings beautifully, how everybody has candles. Yes, she is a smart observant girl, and mommy couldn't be prouder.

Easter day was the same old Easter day type. Good food, in BIG amounts. Good friends, good laughs. Anyone still wondering why Easter is my favorite holiday? Because it's just awesome!
Hristos a inviat!

Life still goes on after Easter too. And for us, luckily, not in a bad way at all. We enjoyed some really nice weather that was perfect for outdoor fun. We have a park nearby that has ducks and geese and a lot of open space. Catalina fell in love with the birds and she wanted to feed the ducks every night. And to pick dandelions.

One of our outings started with a very small fall, that ended with a pretty big boo-boo. Catalina was quite brave for a while, then she kept asking mommy to put "propolis and gabenele" (aka romanian magic vaseline that cure everything from scratches to deadly diseases).

One of the perks of living in a house, is that you have a small patch of grass called backyard. Kids love them, and parents learn to love them also. Where else could we have so much fun?

And when the weather is not friendly, we make do inside the house too. Who said you cannot fish on the carpet?

Catalina was part of nice concert in day care. Week of the youth was recognized as a big event and everybody participated. More or less.

A little nervous, dear?

Pretty girls make life very pretty. And you can just guess how amazing life is with this girl!