Ferrara's in Florida

Thirty-two weeks and the countdown to Baby #3's arrival has begun! Less than 8 weeks to go (hopefully) and our family of four will officially become a family of 5. I think our daughters see our soon-to-be family of five as 1 Daddy, 3 Mommies and a Baby. The only area of the home that may lack attention is our orphanage (aka the toy box that houses 17 baby dolls along with doll clothes, pacifiers, bottles, you name it). As for the photo above, it was taken on Friday night at our church's worship team Christmas party. Both girls picked out their own clothes--penguin pajamas--and they looked so cute and festive that we made an exception to the rule of wearing pj's outside of the house.

Naptime smiles An outfit we both agree on A fringe benefit of being children of an a/c contractor Family date to Starbucks (Ruby got tired of riding her tricycle) "Pingu" PJs Sunday stroll with Daddy Sable & Mia Two young children = lots of home time. We venture out a few times a week for gymnastics, Publix and church. Other than that we ride our bikes to various neighborhood destinations like the playground, Town Center, and friends' homes. I took our girls to Target yesterday so they could shop with their allowance money. Ruby purchased two headbands and Sable bought her first Christmas present. Guess who it was for? ME! I was actually tickled and touched. I asked her if she had picked out anything for her dad and she said, "Oh let me do that" and ran to the dollar bins. Ruby followed closely behind and they both picked out puppy toys. After I stopped laughing, I informed them that we should find something else for Daddy.

And a new kind of nativity set And how wonderful to have a new nativity arrangement at least once a day hence the reason our Italian-made heirloom Nativity set has been put far, far away from little hands

Our neighborhood has drive-in movies once a month as well as monthly concerts. Last month we attended Jessie J, a jazz saxophonist, who captured our aspiring performers' attention for a whole hour! Daddy went on a weekend fishing trip and me and my girls attended the movie night. We pulled up in our double stroller and while I sat on the perimeter, they enjoyed viewing Tom & Jerry in the comfy grass.

Ruby Simone can easily be defined in one word: TWO. She's two years old and fits the mold exceptionally well. For example, she commands me to "Wipe your kisses off, Mom" while grabbing MY hand and rubbing it on her little face. Or she will grab my arm and rub it on her belly and when I stop she says, "Scratch my belly." The newest personality coming out of this petite sweetheart is her demand to dress herself. In the words of Pops Gibbs, she's excellent at creating "wardrobe malfunctions." Some are impractical while others are just plain dangerous like the rubberband as an anklet. See for yourself. Jammies Multi-layered look: front shot Multi-layered look: rear view The Costume/outer layer that seems to go with everything according to Ruby Combo: lip gloss, blush, eye shadow Pops & Mimi are to blame (er, thank) for this mess (er, make-up) Our girl loves her leopard print Fave color is purple Her perfect shirt: purple leopard blouse An ...

"I've never met any children that love babies more than Sable" is the second most common impression I receive from people. My girls really love babies--Sable more nurturing than Ruby but to her advantage Sable's had 18 months more to practice.

David Lee, Hannah Larremore Ruby Simone & Sabes with Alex Lee Rebecca & David Ashley Padilla Burke with her two female fans (she's the mom of two boys) Breakfast at the Lee Residence

J'adore Paris! There's no other way to put it. We could go on and on about how much we love the City of Light but until I take up an hour to create a Ferrara Chronicles, this will serve as our abbreviated yet illustrated journal of our trip. Great food, great fun, great friends, great shopping...if only Paris were closer! Cafe au lait outdoors (under a heat lamp) An authentically decorated Parisian hotel room A unique room at that: one with a view! New Orleans, New York City, and... Paris--Some of the best food in the world! Sacre Coeur, the height of Montmartre Night view of Sacre Coeur practically from our hotel window The bakery we fell in love with six years ago (PF enjoying country bread with dried apricots & nuts) The steps we walked down & then up every day -- at least 1,000 steps a day! Relaxing on a park bench near le Tour d'Eiffel Ooh La La - the macaroons at Laduree At-home vacation with Nana & Aunt Barbie

My cousin, Bonnie, needed stories of funny things kids say. Ruby, our comedienne, never lets us down. To see her sweet face on iVillage.com and to read her quote, click on the title of this post. Ruby is the eighth slide in the slide show.

Having fun in the Paris Metro 25 weeks / 3rd pregnancy Comparison pic 24 weeks / 1st pregnancy

How advanced technology has become in only the last 4 years. We can email pics from Paris from our hotel while enjoying breakfast in bed overlooking the City of Light. Our room is fabulous, we're staying in the 18e of Montemartre. While breath-taking views abound as this is the highest point in the city, it is quite a steep workout for an expectant mother. To give you an idea of the height, there's a tram you can take up the hill if you prefer to forego the 1000 step march. Hoping Nana and Aunt Barbie are enjoying our daughters! And we hope the girls are blessing their socks off. We are having a blast, thanks to Nana and Aunt Barbie who helped make this trip possible. :) xoxo

Fall is a fun season in North Central Florida. We drove down to the corn maze where the girls fed the cows, went on a hayride, played in dry corn and engaged in other fun country activities. Picked up some homemade cherry preserves for Pops Ferrara while we were down there. Commentary on the photo: There's no wondering to be had about Ruby's personality yesterday. She's been quite the two-year-old lately.

This is our third year at the pumpkin patch. The first year Ruby was a month old, last year I had two little pumpkins I chased around the patch, and this year I'm too pregnant to pick up a big fat pumpkin for the front porch. I did manage to let the girls pick out their own pumpkins--each picked 5 palm-sized pumpkins while I purchased a pumpkin cookbook and two red gourds. The pumpkin patch is really fun and the large field of pumpkins makes for an ideal place for my girls to spend their endless energy. Hayride PA & Sabes Rewarded witha lollipop for good manners When asked to smile for the camera, she shook her head no with her lips pursed Good Buddies Ella (2.5) Aiden (4) Sable (3.5) Ruby (2)

In case of the video link not working, cut and paste this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiHTCcmcG00 Who needs ESPN Game Day when we have our own live one at home? After breakfast we read Twas the Night Before Kick Off, featuring Albert and Alberta the UF mascots. Then we do our cheers--in the playroom, in the courtyard, and every now and then you'll see Ruby spontaneously throwing up a Gator Chomp in public places...hilarious.

We took our family Christmas photos today, so much easier in October than cramming it in between Thanksgiving and Christmas parties. Our daughters just LOVE each other. This pic is so Sable & Ruby; that is, Sable mothering and Ruby consenting to it. This pic is one of my faves! The dresses are courtesy of Aunt Ginger, straight from France. Les soeurs ont tres belle!

There's this beautiful town 20 minutes north of Gainesville called High Springs. It's not Paris but it's become oen of my favorite local destinations. From a Sunday drive & dinner with my husband to a summer visit at the Springs with my in-laws, a weekend ladies' church retreat, and today a "field trip" to a friend's farm, High Springs offers a quiet reprieve from the (not-so) bustling life in the GNV (lol to my NYC friends).