Christmas 2008!

Christmas time was lots of fun this year!  One of the highlights was Abby's exclamation as she came out of her room on Christmas morning: "Mom, I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter!"  And James' ability to tear wrapping paper was pretty amazing.  Here are some of our favorite shots...

   

   

fun at home

We're trying to come up with lots of ideas for playing indoors these days...I ran out of good ideas yesterday so this is what we got.

James shows off his favorite thing to do in Abby's room: empty the bookshelf. He is so proud!


Abby, of course, loves to dress up, and she is getting more creative these days. Here she is a "Christmas cheerleader."

Trip to Arizona!

We got to take our first family-of-four airplane trip last week when we went to visit Great-Grandma Rizzi in Sun City West. We had a great time! Thanks for everything, Grandma!

Here are some of our favorite pics. You can see the rest here.

An update from James

Hi everyone. My mommy wanted me to update you when I turned one, but things have been pretty busy so now you are getting the 14-month update. I am growing and changing very quickly! I run pretty much everywhere these days, and I am starting to talk, too! I can say mama, daddy, hi, bye, baby, Abby, done, more, and up, among other things. Daddy also heard me say "stinky toot" the other day but mommy is not sure if he is telling the truth. (I really did say it.) My favorite things to do are climb, run, give hugs, and throw things on the kitchen floor to hear the cool noises they make. My favorite toys are my nesting cups and wooden ring stacker, and my favorite foods are sweet potatoes, bread, yogurt and the occasional peppermint pattie. I have 9 teeth and I am a very good sleeper most of the time. I love to play with my sister but I really don't like it when she takes my toys from me (she does this alot). I can't wait until I am stronger than her so I can put up a good fight. Well, that is all for now. I'm off to play with my cups. Until next time.....James

Fall Fun

We took a little trip to North Park last Saturday to enjoy the nice weather, and the company of cousin Frankie. Here are some of our favorite shots...

Happy Halloween

We had a busy Halloween week with lots of parties and finished up with trick-or-treating on Friday night. We actually made it all the way around our circle, and to 4 houses on the street below. It was quite a workout for mom, pulling James and Frankie in the wagon. Thankfully, Abby was a very good girl, loving every minute of her candy-getting adventure.

Early in the week, Abby dressed as Abby Cadabby and James was Jimmy Clausen (it was a challenge to draw the eyeblacks on the squirmy kid's face)



And for the big night, we had a scarecrow, a chubby chicken and Snow White.

Happy Birthday Abby!

Believe it or not, Abby turned 3 last weekend.

Sharing a birthday breakfast with sleepy Daddy (pancakes with frosting, anyone?)

Opening presents from mom, dad & James

She dressed as Abby Cadabby for her party to match the decorations! And, as usual, she sampled the frosting as soon as she could get her little fingers in it.

Pumpkin Day

We took a family trip to Soergel's Orchards to pick out some pumpkins. It was a hot day in the sun, and we had a great time!

Party Time!

Here are some of our favorite shots from James' birthday bash. He was very timid with the cake--just a few bites of frosting. But his big sister was happy to pick up the slack!

James is 1!

Good Morning, Birthday Boy!  He slept until 7:30, so clearly he knew this was a special day!

Checking out a present from Mom & Dad

Mmmm.  

Happy Birthday, Baby James.  We love you!

We love football season

Especially the first ND game of the season! Here, James and Mommy relax in matching jerseys, and Abby takes a cue from the game and practices tackling her brother. She said she wants to be a linebacker.

Last day at the pool

Friday was our last day of swimming for the summer--we had a fun time! James has become quite the "swimmer", with no fear of the water (which is a little scary for mom), and Abby is still a little timid in the water but she has a good time!