I have added a new page, called Photos, to our blog. Currently this new page allows you to see the 20 most recent photos I have uploaded to our SmugMug page. SmugMug is the photo sharing site I use to store and share some of our photos. Since most of those photos do not get published here on our blog, I decided to create a new page for you to easily view the most recent here on The Vittetoe Times. The new Photo page will automatically update itself when I upload new photos. All you have to do is visit the page once in a while to see the new photos.
If you would like to view the new page you can get there by clicking the Photos link in the menu bar at the top of The Vittetoe Times page, as shown in the image above. You can also go directly to the page by using the link http://vittetoetimes.com/photos/.
I hope you enjoy this part of our site. Please leave some comments if you have any suggestions on how I can improve the new page or any part of The Vittetoe Times.
Tags: Photos
It’s hard to believe that Isabella has been alive for seven years. I still so vividly remember the day she was born, the day she smiled for the first time, the day she pulled up and took her first steps, the day she put a shrimp in her mouth and sucked on it for half an hour, toothless as she was. How could that be the same child who can read and write and says things like, “It is not OK for you to treat me this way” when I raise my voice?
She can do so many things for us now–get Riona dressed in her pajamas, fill everyone’s water cup, empty the trashes and recycle bins, clean up her room, dust the shelves, put away the lower dishes. And so many things for herself–ride a two-wheeler, roller skate, in-line skate, ice skate, read the Magic Treehouse books, write letters to and about her boyfriends, read the instructions to and complete her homework… it’s almost too much to take in! Is she still a little girl? Am I still allowed to refer to her as a little girl? I think by the time she’s eight she might be as tall as me!
She decided on an all-girl tea party for her seventh birthday celebration, and when I told her that it would be three hours long, twice the length of most of the parties she attends, she replied, “Three hours is not long enough for me.” And after three hours of tea, sandwiches, cake, eight games, two crafts, and nine screaming girls, she put on a pouty face when it was over and asked, “What now?” Limitless energy! She is the last to go to sleep and the first to awaken.
Isabella, my oldest daughter, still relishes in being the center of attention, just like when she was the baby and was not only the first child, but the first grandchild. She will always be a social butterfly, always fight for her rights, and always know just how to manipulate every situation to her liking. Gee, I wonder where she gets it?? 
As sad as I was when she began first grade this year, I have come to accept this new age. Seven. Wow. Soon I will have a tween, a teen, a college student, a bride. And I know I will enjoy all of her ages, as screaming and wild as they may be. Happy birthday, little (big) girl!
Tags: bike, birthday, daughter, love, oldest child, seven years old, two wheels
Yes, another girl has entered our family… our extended family. After a long first labor, Elizabeth gave birth to Lucy Elizabeth Danks at 11:25 p.m. on January 29, weighing in at 8 pounds 11 ounces! I guess she and I were destined to have a few giant girls! Of course our girls are thrilled and can’t wait to meet her. From the pictures we’ve seen, she looks just like Elizabeth did as a baby but with a tad less hair, though it’s just as dark. Lucy has adjusted well and Elizabeth is lucky enough to not only have Zak home this week, but also her mother-in-law.
We will not get to meet Lucy until the summer, but then we’re really going to get to know her. Picture this: a green minivan with a topper on the luggage rack, a bike rack on the back bumper loaded down with three bikes and a trailer, several suitcases, toy boxes, pillows, blankets, food boxes, a cooler, and electronic devices piled up inside, oh, and a family of five, a dog, and a cat. That’s us driving to Kentucky the day after school gets out. We’ll be spending the entire summer there so that Lucy doesn’t have to go to daycare! It’s going to be one crowded house, as Elizabeth and Zak already have a dog and two cats–oh, and did I mention just one bathroom? But we’ll make it work. Family is what it’s all about!
Anyone need a place to stay in Aurora this summer? LOL…
We have been busy! Isabella has attended two birthday parties this past month–one at Skate City to fuel the fire of her new obsession: roller skating. She absolutely loves it, and last weekend she and Mythili had their first of six lessons. Mythili learned how to march with her group, and Isabella learned how to stop and skate on one foot. The girls are happy and so are we: in addition to the affordable price of lessons (just $30 for the six-week session), the girls get to skate afterward at the first open skate of the day. AND it’s just over a mile from our house. Can’t be beat!
In addition to the excitement of roller skating and bike riding, Riona has reached her own milestone this past month: potty training. We hunkered down and stuck with it at the very end of Christmas break, and by the end of the first week back to school, she’d mastered the bathroom. After nearly seven NONSTOP years of changing diapers, we are officially beyond the baby stage! Exciting times in the Vittetoe home.
I have been busy working, baking the brownies and a new recipe: flourless chocolate cake (sure to be gone in an hour or less), and keeping up with my new blog. Bruce has been busy coming up with amazing new recipes and creative ideas for our dinner every night–everything from homemade hoagies w/meatballs to pepper lime chicken and latkes. It’s all about the food.
Another exciting event: as I write this post, my sister is in labor with her baby! More news to come when s/he arrives!
February is sure to be as busy. How the time flies when you’re having fun.
Tags: baking, cooking, potty training, rollerskating, Skate City, writing
