She's SEVEN!

Our big girl turned seven recently. SEVEN.

Wow.

I have no idea where those seven years went.

Gabby's 7 Year Growth Stats:
Height: 4' 2" (75%ile)
Weight: 49lbs (50%ile)
BMI: 14-23 (10-25%ile)

Before I go to bed, I'll often tiptoe into her room to check on her and give her a gentle kiss on her forehead. Sometimes I'll just stare at her and get nostalgic... thinking I can still visualize her face as a baby. And, I'll think about how time just flies and she keeps growing. I'll think about the things that Gabby is worried or concerned about... and I'll wish all those things away for her. A parent's love for their child(ren) is an amazing thing.

I couldn't be more proud of the little lady Gabby is becoming. She is smart, confident, caring, thoughtful, loving, funny, and beautiful. She is sensitive. She's girly. She's an amazing big sister. She makes us laugh. Fashionista, drama-queen, dreamer and silly also come to mind. She's a happy girl... and she has such a big heart. We love her more than words. 

Gabby's seven year old favorites:
Food: pasta & meatballs with marinara sauce
Book: Sad Isn't Bad
Color: Pink
Movie: The Rise of the Guardians
Toy: L.EGO Friends Mia's Horsefarm
Song: any song by Taylor Swift or Katy Perry
Treat: mint chocolate chip ice cream
Day: Wednesday
Sport: gymnastics
Vacation spot: Hawaii

She is in first grade and doing so great at school. We're told she is one of the top students in her class, and she is reading at second grade level. Her teacher said she does well in both reading and math, and that Gabby is one of the kids in the class who is both helpful and she can really "count on" in certain situations. She loves reading chapter books. She loves learning math, and even spent an hour one night trying to do three digit addition, making me teach her how to do it over and over again [gee... THAT wasn't frustrating at all! ha!]. Gabby loves school. I think she likes both the challenge of school and the social aspect equally.

She is in gymnastics and swimming and has asked to be re-enrolled in dance class (ballet & tap) in January. She decided to quit soccer in September, saying she's just not interested in soccer anymore.

She is VERY into fashion these days. So much in fact that for her birthday, she asked us for specific shoe and clothing items. All having sparkles, of course (this child LOVES sequins and glitter!). Also, she has started designing her own dress and handbag line, and neatly cuts and tapes each new design into a journal/book for safe keeping. Then, for her birthday, a friend got her a very cool fashion design tracing light box... and she has since designed shoes and complete outfits. I have no idea where she got this gene from... not me! I'm pretty certain my mother only has photos of me wearing jeans and sweatshirts from kindergarten to age 20.

 I guess I shouldn't be surprised, as she has always been very opinionated in what she wears every days since she was 18 months old. Dressing up in heels and fancy dresses started shortly after 18 months. And, multiple outfit changes per day started happening at age 2. Now, adding to the interest in fashion is an interest in face glitter. This is a very new interest. It's cute and she uses it sparingly... never to school, just for fun. So I let her. It's harmless. And, I'll admit - it does look kind of fun! I think it's somewhat a result of having au pairs live with us who often put makeup on.

In addition to fashion, she also really loves L.EGOS Friends, and arts and crafts type activities where she can trace stuff, draw, and color, or just be creative in general in some way/shape/form. She is becoming quite good at drawing (copying) things that she's looking at - I've been impressed. And while she loves the L.EGOS... I think Rocco is better/more patient when it comes to building the sets. But, I do love that the kids all play SO great together with them. It's really cool. I had no idea how awesome the L.EGOS sets were until recently.

She knows how to S.kype, F.acetime, text message and email friends from her i.Touch. Crazy, I know. But, it is pretty funny to watch 6 and 7 year olds on F.acetime... just giggling at each other, asking over and over what the other one is doing and then informing us later that "so and so" is staying overnight on Friday. Too funny, because I remember having to call my friends on a rotary dial phone with the cord attached to the wall when I was a kid. I remember it being a very big deal/privilege to use the telephone, and I would have never imagined in a million years being able to call my friend on a tiny hand-held device where I could actually see AND talk to them at the same time.

She also listens to a lot of music on her iTouch, and I'll sometimes walk in on her singing at the top of her lungs to whatever song. I love walking in on those moments!

She's getting to the age where she is becoming more private. Enjoying more time content just by herself, whether it's reading, coloring/drawing, or just playing. She's also had moments of "I'm going to get dressed in my closet so nobody sees me." Then, the next day... she'll be running from the tub through the house with bare buns.

This year, we barely saw her on her actual birthday. She went to school, then sraight to gymnastics for 3 hours, and then finally home at 7:50pm. We sang her the birthday song, ate gourmet cupcakes and she ripped through her presents in less than 10 minutes. She was a happy girl and I think she had a great day.

For her birthday party this year, she asked to have it at a roller rink. She has never been roller skating before, so I figured this might be kind of interesting! As it turns out, only a few kids had ever skated before, so it was perfect because they all sort of had the chance to learn together. She invited a lot of friends from school and gymnastics. The kids skated, some played arcade games, and then they ate pizza and cake. When we got home and I realized all the presents that she had to open from her friends, I suggested we put together a pile of gifts that we would give to children who might not get any gifts for Christmas. Gabby is a lucky girl in that she does not truly need anything. I was so proud of Gabby because she agreed with me, without hesitation, and helped me set aside gifts that we could give to other children.

Love you tons, Miss Gabbers! You make me so, incredibly proud every single day of your life and I love you around the world and to the moon & back. xoxo

 

6 Month Update

Marco's 6 Month Growth Stats:
Height: 27.1 inches (75%ile)
Weight: 16lbs 6oz (50%ile)
Head: 17.8 (90%ile)

Night Sleep: Still no real schedule, but daytime nap patterns have emerged which is nice. As for night sleep, he typically goes to be between 8-9pm. He’s waking up again between 11pm-12am, so I nurse him back to sleep. He’s decided to make me his human pacifier… sucking for almost an hour. I usually fall asleep while he’s nursing at night , and then he wakes up at least 1-2 more times throughout the night to nurse and soothe himself back to sleep. 

Naps: Marco’s awake time has now stretched to 2 hours during the day, sometimes 3+ hours between his evening nap and bedtime. Every time he wakes up… he’s able to stay awake for at least 2 hours before he needs to take another nap. His first nap of the day is usually around 9am. His second is usually around 12:30pm, and the third is usually between 4-5pm. The majority of his naps are still rather short (30-40 minutes). But, he does have the occasional 1 hour nap.   

Eating: Marco still eats on demand…lucky boy! When he is hungry, I nurse him. I will also still nurse him to soothe him if he’s upset. I probably nurse him 10-12 times throughout the day and night. So far, I have tried feeding him applesauce and sweet potatoes. He has shown no interest in either and actually acts as if he’s going to throw-up with the sweet potatoes. He also looks at me like “MOM, what on earth are you putting in my mouth?!” Eating pureed baby foods is a big goal for us this month!

Marco Updates:

• Sitting all by himself!
• He’s now easily distracted when breastfeeding—he wants to check out his surroundings before he nurses if we’re not in our usual spot. It is next to impossible to nurse him if one of the other kids are around, or if there is any unusual noise.
• Reaching for and grabbing anything that I am holding. Or, if I’m holding him while writing something… he’s bending out of my arms to try and grab what I am writing with or on.
• Grabbing for everything and anything, really!
• Constantly playing with his tongue… sticking it out and wiggling it, making it look like he’s concentrating on his upcoming slam dunk
• Loves grabbing his feet and putting his big toes in his mouth
• I can hold him on my hip with ease now… his core strength is strong enough for me to simply hold him with one arm safely & securely.
• He loves to grab and pull on my hair.
• He likes to grab my arm and squeeze/pinch me, while I hold him on my hip.
• Long screams and screeches to talk with the other kids.
• LOVES watching water come out of water faucets. When I turn on the kitchen sink or pour water from the refrigerator door, he’ll squeal with delight and start flapping his arms and jumping with his legs. It’s hilarious!
• Definitely a liability on the changing table! This little guy likes to roll right over the second I put him down on the changing table.
• Everything goes in the mouth!
• He discovered his unit. Every time we change him now, his hands are like a magnet to the unit.
• Drooling constantly! We have to change his bib almost every hour when he’s sitting up because they get soaked.
• He LOVES being around his siblings! If he hears them – he wants to be with them or in the same room as them, and then he is THE most content, perfectly happy baby on the planet. While they are all running around talking and playing, he just sits there talking (screeching and screaming) away and playing with whatever baby toys are in front of him. Happy as can be! And, when the kids are all gone (maybe on an errand with Dan), he is just sort of fussy. It’s as if he LOVES the chaos of a child-busy house. So cute!
• He’s getting better about liking the car. But, can really only handle 3 trips in the car per day. If he hasn’t already “told us” he’s not happy about driving in the car, he’ll be sure to scream and cry a lot on the 4^th try. Because of this, if Dan is traveling, I try to leave him with our au pair so he doesn’t have to deal with car torture.
• He has really grown to enjoy stroller rides while I run. I love this, because then when I drop Rocco off at gymnastics, I can run with him during the class until I have to pick Rocco up again. Although… now, of course as I type this, I’m no longer able to do this with Marco because cold/rainy season has hit. Will have to wait a few months to do this again!

Halloween 2012

Why isn’t Halloween on a Friday every year? Wednesday just doesn’t work for a mom with 4 young kids. Halloween comes and goes so fast when the holiday is in the middle of the week. It’s like a mad dash of carving pumpkins, school party preparations, bringing and wearing costumes to school and after school activities, then toss Dan’s birthday into the mix, etc. I’m exhausted. I was secretly excited when November 1 arrived.

This year, Gabby and Giuliana both chose to be Batgirl and Rocco wanted to be a samurai (I think his decision was somewhat based on the fancy sword pictured with this costume). Marco was a monkey by default… I didn’t think much about his costume and threw the monkey on him as we were rushing out the door to trick or treat in town. I WISH I would have thought more about his costume, because then I would have remembered to put him in one of the twins bat costumes that they wore on their first Halloween. Bummer!!

Since Halloween was Wednesday night, and Dan’s birthday was Tuesday (along w/Rocco’s gymnastics), we decided to carve pumpkins on Monday night. And, since the rain decided to arrive a week into October (after 90 days of no rain)… Dan & I never took the kids to a pumpkin patch this year.

Pumpkin carving is a somewhat exhausting experience for a parent of 4 young, enthusiastic kids. Luckily, we have had the help of our au pairs the past few years. Gabby really loves carving pumpkins. She pulled out all the seeds and pumpkin guts herself this year. Love! I helped her just a tiny bit at the end. She also really enjoyed choosing what her pumpkin should be carved as. Giuliana also seemed to get in the spirit of pumpkin carving this year. It was probably a combination of her own excitement and energy, fueled by the excitement of her older siblings (and her wanting to do whatever they do; be just like them, etc). She used a spoon to whole-heartedly attempt scooping out pumpkin guts. However, at age 2, it was all about the interest and intent, and not much productivity. It was super cute. After she was done trying and playing, I scraped the insides out and let her pull as much of the guts out as she wanted (which wasn’t much). But, she had a grand time! Rocco was a big talker, but when it came time to clean his pumpkin out—he was not a fan. He didn’t like getting the pumpkin guts on his hands. He’d try to pull stuff out with the spoon, but didn’t quite get the concept of scraping the pumpkin walls first… so he just got frustrated and decided to enlist his mother to do the job. He also chose how his pumpkin should be carved and I had to stop him several times from trying to carve the pumpkin on his own.

We ended up carving a B.atman logo, a one-eyed pumpkin, a P.eace sign, a moon/star pumpkin (to represent Matteo), and a silly face.

 

This year, we also decided to make and decorate some caramel apples. Fun activity that lasts all of 7 minutes. MUCH more time put into melting the caramel, cleaning the pan, and cleaning all the sprinkles from the counter and floor. Now that activity is checked off the list - not sure we need to repeat it! ha!

 

On Halloween, both Rocco & Gabby had Halloween parties and costume parades at school. Then, we took them trick-or-treating through town where all the local businesses were handing out treats to the kids. I LOVE this... the kids fill up their treat bags. It's very social becuase it's from 3-6, so it's not yet dark and tons of families are participating so we see lots of school friends. And... the kids get somewhat worn out from this and don't yet feel the need to do much night trick-or- Yes... even at age 6 & 4, the concept of "work a little harder, get more reward" can be taught! ;) 

Little Boys & Tools

Never underestimate the intelligence or brains of a 4 year old boy. While dad's away, they know exactly where his tools are, which tools to use for what and how to disassemble and fix small motorized vehicles and appliances. Amazeballs!!
  
I walked outside to discover Rocco disassembling the seat on his small 4 wheeler, to get to the battery, so he could recharge it. I was shocked... he had all the right tools out (and knew where to find them... I don't even know where to find them!), and had taken the screws out, etc. 

This is not the first time I've discovered him with a tool or two of daddy's, without telling me what he was up to. 

Let's hope he works on his plumping skills next... I could use a good, reliable plumber in the house too! 

Writing skills keep improving!

Rocco is getting so great at writing his letters and numbers.

One year ago, he had little interest in saying the alphabet, much less practicing writing letters or numbers. Now, not only is he holding his pencil like a first grader...but he seems to also enjoy practicing his writing. Getting to practice on a marker board definitely helps with the motivation a little bit too.

School days also result in a few letter or number oriented worksheet activities. I always enjoy seeing the work that comes home and he's always so proud to show me... as if to say "look how hard I worked at school today, mom!".

Rocco is also improving so much with his letter sounds, and number and letter recognition. So often, I'll find him watching and listening as Gabby reads books. And at times, he'll pretend to read books to himself. If Gabby says "Rocco, you're not REALLY reading.", it will start a little spat between the two of them. Regardless, he is realizing the connection between writing and reading and that is what I love.

Sitting!

My sweet hunk, little Marco, is now sitting all by himself, without help from anyone or anything!

So bittersweet.

The little guy is growing up.

Matteo's Dream Fund Donates Money to Seattle Children's "The Journey Program"

On October 5, 2012, Matteo's Dream Fund sent a $1,000.00 check to Seattle Children’s Hospital's “Journey Program”, a service that assists any family who has experienced the death of a child by providing support to help parents, siblings and extended family members cope with death, loss, and the grieving process.

The Journey Program assists approximately 200 patient families every year at Seattle Children’s Hospital through support groups, individual and family counseling, providing reading materials and referrals to community resources. They also provide grief support to schools and communities, assist employers with how to help a parent go back to work after losing a child, and provide constant phone support to anyone and everyone who contacts them.

This is such an amazing program, and it truly benefits the entire community, as they will not turn anyone away. So, yes, even non-patient families who experienced the death of a child benefit from this program.

This donation was made possible by a number of donations received at a private event hosted on July 4th by the Dunkin family. HUGE thanks again to the Dunkin family, and everyone who donated money to Matteo’s Dream Fund!

 

If you or anyone you know are in need of support after losing a child, please take a moment to contact your local children's hospital and find out if they have a grief support service.

 

And, just a friendly reminder since we are approaching the season of thanks and giving... remember to set aside some money or time to donate goods or services to those who are in need. There are so many people who need help in so many ways, and we all have the ability and power to make the world a better place.     

September visit from Gammy & Papa

My parents visited us in September. We didn't do anything too exciting when they were here, as life was pretty busy with getting used to the new school year and activity schedule, Marco was still so young and breastfeeding, and a new au pair had arrived at our home just 6 days before my parents arrived. It was perfectly fine though, because were able to simply spend time together enjoying each others company, amidst the chaos of 4 young kiddos and their busy schedules!

My dad was able to meet Marco for the first time, and my mom was very excited to see him again since she was here when he was born.

We cooked a few good homemade meals, and Rocco was even my assistant chef one day, chopping up a storm! He chopped peppers, potatoes and green beans for a vegetable curry soup I make (my mom loves it - so I usually make it when she's here). We also picked a LOT of blackberries from the blackberry bushes that surround our yard. We went on a few walks. My parents enjoyed taking Rocco to school, Gabby to her bus stop, to Target to pick out a little toy, and they even took the kids out for ice cream once or twice. 

My mom loved spending more time with Marco--he will probably be her last grand-baby. She would rock him to sleep and spent most afternoons holding him as he napped in her arms. Marco soaked it all up and napped for a few hours each time (long naps were NOT normal for him at that time!). So - it was great!

Gammy also spent lots of time reading to the kids, playing on the swing set with them, and doing learning activity books with Rocco and Gabby. She also gifted us with babysitting the 3 older kids one night so Dan and I could escape (with Marco, of course) for a sushi date night. No easy task, as my kids can keep a person VERY busy!

Papa spent LOTS of time with Miss Giuliana and Rocco. Giuliana thought Papa was so very interesting and fun, and she loved that she could get his complete, undivided attention. She took full advantage of every opportunity to play with him, sit by him, and get him to tease her. She would even perform little song/dances for him just to make him (and us!) laugh.

Rocco, if given the opportunity, would glue, staple or tie himself to his Papa. He LOVES his Papa. He thinks his car is the car from "The In.credibles", that he knows everything, and can do anything. Papa is basically on superhero status to Rocco. So, the entire time Papa is here, Rocco is right beside him. If Papa takes a nap - this is devastating to Rocco and he is asking the entire time where Papa is and when he'll wake up, and then he proceeds to mope around until Papa is ready for more action. It's hilarious! The day Papa and Gammy left, Papa drove Rocco to school in the morning. When Rocco got home, he asked where Papa was and we reminded him that Papa had left. Rocco got so upset and gave us his angry face while yelling "HE DIDN'T EVEN PLAY WITH ME TODAY!" It was SO sad!

Gabby just loves when Gammy and Papa are here too. I think her favorite reasons would be because it means she gets to sneak into their guest bed at night and sleep right between them. And, she loves that they get to do fun stuff like go to the ice cream shop, and "get ready" with Gammy. They'll wash their hair, blow dry and put makeup on together (you know... the whole "getting ready" process that's excited to a 7 year old, but not to an adult). Papa will play the "what am I drawing on your back game" with her and the other kids... and they all love, and are very good, at guessing what's being drawn on their backs. (This game also is a great way for Papa to get a 6-handed back massage when his turn comes up!)

It's always fun to have my parents visit. We wish we could see them more often and that we lived closer. But, we'll take any time we can get with them! Thanks for the fun visit, Gammy & Papa!

The 1st Tooth is Out!

Gabby lost her first tooth on Friday, 9/14/12.

We visited the dentist in late August, and he told us that Gabby would probably lose her two bottom teeth before Halloween. Then, three weeks ago Gabby started saying it was hurting to bite down on food. The same day, she discovered that she could actually bend her tooth a bit. She spent countless hours wiggling that tooth back & forth. The tooth finally lost his battle to to a gummy bear… the gummy bear being stronger than whatever was still holding securing the tooth to Gabby’s gums.   

 

Gabby was so excited. She went running around the house screaming “my tooth fell out!” Rocco and Giuliana were very excited for her and intrigued by this. Rocco kept asking when his teeth were going to fall out. Giuliana told me her teeth were NOT going to fall out. Never ever.

 

Gabby then asked me to take a picture and send it to Michalina, our au pair for the past year who had just left to go back to Poland. She had really wanted to be here when Gabby lost her first tooth. And, I also sent the photo to daddy (away on a biz trip).

 

This was a VERY big deal for Gabby! To say she was eagerly anticipating the loss of her tooth is a grand understatement. You see… in  Kindergarten, there was a “tooth” bulletin board that displayed the names, pictures and dates for each child who had lost a tooth (or more). Gabby really wanted to be a part of that, and spent a good part of the year complaining about tooth pain, or telling us she thought one was starting to wiggle.

 

Monday morning came, and Gabby was quick to share her big news with the bus driver, teacher and all of her school friends. And, she even got to put her name on the first grader’s “I lost a tooth!” bulletin board. J

 

No more training wheels for Rox!

As of Sunday, 9/9/12... Rocco no longer needs training wheels on his bike! Dan worked with him for about an hour, at the request of Rocco himself... and there he went... doing another big kid thing. So, so proud of this little guy!

If only Matteo could do it too... [sigh].

Marco's 4 Month Update

Marco's 4 Month Growth Stats:
Height: 26 3/4 inches (95%ile)
Weight: 15lbs 11oz (75%ile)
Head: 17 1/8 (75%ile)

Night Sleep: He’s still not on any real schedule, but daytime nap patterns have emerged which is nice. As for night sleep, he typically goes to be between 8-9pm. And, up until about 2 weeks ago, he’d first wake up between 12-2am for a feeding and then again between 4-6am. Well, lately, he’s been waking up crying around 10:30pm, 11:30pm… and we’re able to soothe him back to sleep without me nursing him. But, at 12am or 12:30am, he’ll want to eat and that’s when I bring him into bed with me so he can nurse and I can try and get some sleep. My theory for him waking up more often in recent weeks is that he is beginning to teethe. And, I say that because he is a drooling mess during the day and wants to chew/bite my hand constantly, as well as anything that he can manage to pick up and put into his mouth. Poor little guy! Also, the past few nights he’s been waking up in the 3am hour crying. Sometimes it takes me getting out of bed and rocking him back to sleep. And, sometimes I’m able to “shhhhhhhhhhh…” him back to sleep. I love teething (not)! Then, he’s also decided to start his days earlier. So, he’s now waking up for the day between 6:30-7:30am.

Naps: Marco’s awake time has now stretched to 1.5-2 hours during the day. Every time he wakes up… he’s able to stay awake for almost 2 hours before he needs to take another nap. I love when these patterns start emerging, as it makes everything so much easier. I can always anticipate when he’ll need to go back down for a nap. His first nap of the day is usually around 8:30am. The majority of his naps are still rather short (30-40 minutes). But, he has napped as long as 1.5 hours.

Eating: Marco still eats on demand…lucky boy! When he is hungry, I nurse him. I will also still nurse him to soothe him if he’s upset. I probably still nurse him 12 times throughout the day. The doctor told us we could start to feed him rice cereal, mixed with breast milk. But, I’ve decided to pass on even trying the rice cereal, as not one of my children ever liked it… and actually, it made most of my babies gag. Instead, I’ll just start introducing him to baby pureed vegetables in a few weeks. I always really enjoy giving babies little tastes of their first baby foods. It can be so entertaining watching all the facial expressions, their look of utter disgust, and watching their little tongues try to figure out what the heck that spoon object is that you’re putting in their mouth. Not to mention, it’s always fun to see how much of the food they actually get on their tongue and figure out how to swallow.

New tricks:
· Rolling from back to tummy, constantly. Sometimes doing this the very second you put him down.
· Gripping objects… he’ll eye something, and then it’s so fun to watch him move his hands towards it and try to grasp it and bring it to his mouth.
· Chewing on mommy’s hand, constantly.
· Chewing on anything that he can grasp and bring to his mouth.
· He has shown interest in watching us eat. I’ll sit him in the high chair with us while we’re eating dinner, or whatever, and he seems very busy watching everyone put food in their mouths.
· His neck strength has improved drastically, and he is now constantly turning his head to look around towards the sounds he hears, or when people enter a room, or at the various objects and lights that surround him
· Enjoys tummy time now. He’s able to lift his head and neck high by pushing up with his hands.

· More talking. He is very interested in talking, or telling stories as we say. He’s also sort of doing this muffled screaming sound that goes on, and on (which we refer to as him telling us a story). He’s very happy when he’s talking and the kids love it!

· His core strength is developing to the point where I can sort of hold him on my hip and not have to be super concerned about holding his neck or head. I love it when you can start holding your baby on your hip and they just hold on to you!

· Marco still isn’t a HUGE fan of the car… but he’s getting better. Or, maybe the kids are just getting better at distracting him instead? All I know is the blood curdling crying in the car which I will go to great lengths to avoid is becoming more rare.
· Marco has started to enjoy stroller rides. I love this, as it gives me a little more freedom to take him on walks and runs and bring him outside with the kids.

Heartbreaking Goodbye

It is always SO truly, incredibly difficult to say goodbye to our favorite au pairs who have lived with us for a year. They truly become an extension of our family. The kids look up to them and almost treat our au pairs as if they were their older siblings.

We had to say goodbye to Michalina yesterday. She was definitely one of our favorites.

Gabby and Rocco had to say goodbye in the morning, because they both had school.

As Rocco hugged Michalina, he said "I'll see you again someday in Heaven! And, you can meet Matteo there too!"

And well... that just tore me up inside...for so many reasons.

It's fascinating and heartbreaking to me that such a young little man (4 yrs old) understands the concept of a big goodbye and has such solid beliefs. The fact that he connects *the end of time* with seeing and being with his brother in Heaven... and that he is sure everyone who is important to him will get to meet his brother up in Heaven too, when we're all reunited... bone chilling to me. Love this kid.

Gabby started 1st grade!

Gabby was SO EXCITED for school to start. She truly loves learning and she also really enjoys the social aspect.

Two weeks before school started, we received a letter telling us which teacher and classroom she would have. She was thrilled to learn she would have Mrs C... the same teacher that two of her very best friends from kindergarten were assigned. The letter also came with a school supply list, so I invited her to join me to pick out her new school supplies.

While a lot of the schol supplies were pretty standard, Gabby enjoyed picking out a wide-ruled notebook decorated with hearts, 2 folders decorated with the "peace" signs, and a pink pencil pouch (vs. a pencil box). I talked her into keeping her same backpack from last year since it was still in great condition.

Coincidentally, we had also purged Gabby's closet the week before... so it gave us a great excuse to also do a little back-to-school clothes shopping. She needed new jeans, a few new long sleeve shirts, and a few new t-shirts.

Her school held a "meet the teacher" event the Friday before school started. It was nice for Gabby to be able to see her new classroom, meet and talk with her new teacher, see where her desk and locker areas were. When we got home, Michalina asked her what she thought of "meet the teacher", and Gabby's response was "my new teacher has brown and gray hair".

Glad she got something out of it! ha!

The night before the first day of school, I think she fell asleep close to 10pm... maybe even a little later. Crazy little girl... so excited she couldn't sleep. Granted, I remember that always happening to me too!

I hope it will be a great year ahead for her!

Rocco started pre-Kindergarten!

Rocco started pre-Kindergarten!

He's at the same school, but a different classroom with a lot of the friends from his old classroom. preK means he gets to do more big-kid stuff... practice writing his full name, practice writing letters and numbers, and classroom projects and experiments.

He's very excited about preK and is quick to boast that he's now preK, in the big kid classroom that Gabby was also once in when we first moved here.

Rolling over!

Marco rolled over for the first time today!

We were up in Gabby's room, and I laid him on Gabby's rug, on his back so that I could put away some of her clothes. Two seconds later, I look over and the little guy flipped so fast from his back to his tummy. It was awesome... and I cheered so loudly for him that I got all the kids and our au pair, Michalina, super excited about it too!

So, of course I had to see him do it again... and of course, he was able to repeat his cool new trick while I was recording!

So proud of my little man. Love him so much!

ARMY GUYS… with missing heads?

In May, our home was invaded by these little green men… army guys. Rocco love them. LOVES!

Rocco attended a birthday party last April, and there in his party favor bag were his first ever 5 army guys. Gammy saw him playing with them in May when she was visiting, and proceeded to tell Rocco all about the big bag of army guys she had at home. The original owners of these army guys she was referring to were my brother’s Mark and Dave. Gammy told Rocco that she would send Rocco the big bag of army guys when she got home.

Well, the minute Gammy left, Rocco started asking about the army guys. Much to our surprise, he would even ask to call her so he could find out when she was going to send them. Finally, the army guys arrived… and they have been played with every day since. Lots of battles set up on bedrails, in princess castles, in doll houses… even fighting super heroes. He’ll also use them as targets when shooting his nerf guns. And, Rocco and one of our neighbor boys also spend hours setting up and playing army guys with their tanks and airplanes in sand dunes and dirt piles. The imagination has gone wild with what these army men can and will do.

 

The funniest moment was when Rocco discovered one of the army men with a missing head (I’m guessing the result of my brother’s pyrotechnic skills)… he came running over to me yelling “MOM, MOM!!!! This army guy’s head is missing!!” I looked and said “Oh, wow… yikes!” Then, he ran off yelling “HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT!”

I almost fell off my chair in shock and laughter! Of course, I pulled myself together rather quickly to do some proper parenting of the moment. But, it was definitely a Rocco moment I will never forget… I think he thought he shot the army guy’s head off.

Marco's Baptism

Our sweet little Marco was baptized today during a Sunday morning mass. We had asked my brother Mark and my niece, Alexa (Mark’s daughter), to be Marco’s godparents and they kindly accepted their new official titles. I think Alexa was thrilled, actually (as was I), knowing how seriously she would take this role in Marco’s life, and also understanding the greatness that a godparent designation/title incurs. We were also elated to hear that my brother and his girls would be able to join us for Marco’s baptism, as this was no easy task. 

(If you can find Giuliana in this photo - you get bonus points! Poor girl - someone should have held her for this photo. Sucks to be short, I guess!)

My brother Mark lives in China. He frequently spends a lot of time in the states during the summer months, but it can be tricky to plan around, as his travel depends upon his business commitments. He was able to plan a trip that had him fly to Texas to pick up his daughters (Alexa & Callie, who had just moved back to the states with their mom), so they could all join us for the baptism in addition to spending some extra quality time together for a few days.

Marco's baptismal day was nothing short of busy and chaotic. But, we all made it to the church in time (10am), dressed, teeth brushed, etc.... so I look at that as a major accomplishment, in and of itself. Granted, we did forget to have Marco wear the baptismal booties that my mom had sent. Oh well, you can't win 'em all, right?

For Marco’s baptismal outfit, it only seemed fitting to have him wear Matteo’s baptismal outfit which included his white shorts, shirt, vest and tie. Rocco and Matteo wore the same baptismal outfit when they were baptized in 2008. The baptismal ceremony was very nice and definitely my favorite to date. Marco was great during the entire mass, and didn’t even get fussy when the priest poured the Holy Water over his head. He even fell asleep in my arms towards the end of the service. This was ideal, as I was worried he’d start fussing so he could nurse, at some point during the mass. In addition to Mark’s family being able to witness Marco’s baptism, our wonderful au pair, Michalina, also joined us and was a huge help that morning. 

After mass, we had planned to enjoy a nice brunch. But… the Navy’s Blue Angels were in town for the weekend and everyone wanted to see and enjoy the Seattle flight show. So, after the baptism mass, we quickly had everyone change into some shorts and Mark, Dan and all the kids headed off to the air show. I stayed home with Marco so he could nurse and nap. 

We finally took some photos with Marco’s baptismal cake later that day. The cake was somewhat a flop, as I had sent Dan to order it for us with the hopes it would say “God bless Marco Matteo”, followed by the date of the baptism. Instead, Dan ordered the cake to read "MAY 5th"... which was 3 months prior! Blame it on sleep deprivation... not sure if he was thinking birth date... and even then the numerical date was incorrect. Ugh! Too funny. I guess we should be satisfied with the correct name being on the cake. :)

In addition to the baptism and Blue Angels flight show, other fun cousin weekend activities included a trip to a theme park, and a whale watching tour out of Bellingham Bay. 

Horse & Pony Camp... highlight of Gabby's summer!

Gabby’s third and final week-long camp of the summer was attending a horse & pony camp the last week of July. The anticipation was incredible and the camp was truly a little girl’s dream!

The first camp she went to was an all-day swim & tennis camp with two of her best friends from CA, Sofia & Giovanni, (their family moved here around the same time we did – crazy coincidence!). So, she spent the first sunny, warm week of July swimming in pools, playing tennis, and doing some Independence Day-related arts & crafts.nGabby really enjoyed the time with her friends, but also made a few new friends which is great. The second camp she attended was soccer camp.

 

The Horse & Pony Camp was the camp she anticipated most and it was everything she dreamed it would be and more. I was amazed the first time I saw the ranch… so serene and beautiful. Literally made you dream for a minute or two what it would be like to be a horse living on that ranch, under the care of the family who owned it. It was in the middle of nowhere… but honestly, the most beautiful horse ranch set-up I’ve ever seen.

 

Gabby spent the week learning about horses… everything from how to feed and handle them, to how to bathe, groom and clean up after them. She learned about the different types of horses and saddles. And, most importantly, she spent a LOT of time riding the horses and ponies. She was in HEAVEN!! So much in fact, that the first day I went to pick her up, she seemed really upset. When inquiring more about why she was so upset, it was determined that she was upset that I came to pick her up. She didn’t want to go home! This was both a relief (glad that she was having fun!) and OMG moment (seriously – you don’t want to come home?!).

 

As luck would have it, one of our neighbors was one of the assistants at the camp. And, they were kind enough to offer to bring Gabby to and from camp a few days to help me out. Gabby LOVED this, because it meant she arrived almost an hour early each day. This allowed her extra time to help with feeding the chickens and bunnies, and watching and helping with the ponies.

 

At the end of the week, the campers put on a horse show for us. Each camper rode the horse through an equestrian obstacle course (no jumps of course, all obstacles were grounded). And, then each camper was presented with a big ribbon and personalized scrapbook that included loads of photos of them riding and helping with the horses, and also pictures holding chickens and bunnies, etc. It was really cute. The campers each all received a cute t-shirt at the beginning of the week (which I think Gabby just HAD to wear 4 of the 5 days!).

 

I was SO impressed with the camp and I would highly recommend. It was the most expensive of her summer camps, but also her favorite and most memorable. Rocco and Giuliana also really enjoyed visiting the ranch on the last day with us to watch the horse show. After the show, Giuliana got to spend a lot of time sitting on a horse and petting many of them. And, both her and Rocco spent some quality time chasing and holding the chickens and bunnies.

City Boy, Meet Country. Country, meet City Boy.

Yes. This is my husband trying to rid the yard of moles...with a shop vac. I tried to explain this isn't normal, but he tells me it's brilliant. Rocco loved being involved in this thrilling mole hunt, but also seemed a little confused.

I don't recall ever seeing a shop vac in a lawn service trailer. He's going to need a whole 'lotta extension cord for 4.5 acres. Just saying'... 

Summer Soccer Camp

Gabby and Rocco both went to the Seattle Sounders Soccer camp in mid-July. It was a half day morning camp, so we’d drop them off at 9am and pick-up at 12noon. They had such a great time! Not only did Rocco tell me he loved it, but every day after camp he’d go out in the front yard and kick around the soccer ball… so cute! This was his very first camp and it was a big success. In addition to the camp, both Gabby and Rocco have been in a weekly soccer league since spring. Gabby is taking a break during the fall, but Rocco chose to continue.

Last winter, I was not planning to send Rocco to any camps this summer because his pre-school program operates year-round. But, due to the fact that I have a newborn who hates riding in the car, and his school and camp are in two different directions, not to mention I was also busy with work at the time… I needed one daily drop-off and pick-up location in order to keep my sanity. It was a VERY good decision! J

Gabby also said she had a lot of fun at soccer camp. I think she also picked up a few new skills at the camp which is great. But, even more, I think she might have enjoyed all the give-a-ways, and the fact that one of her best friends from school was also there. It was a really well run camp and I was impressed with the set-up, coaches, location… and yes, all the give-a-ways. Each child picked up a brand new soccer ball which they got to color/personalize, a camp t-shirt, a Seattle Sounders scarf, and insulated lunch bags.   

Gabby and Rocco have also been participating in a weekly soccer league since spring. With school starting, and spending 6 hours at gymnastics each week... Gabby decided to take a break from soccer for the fall. But, Rocco has chosen to continue with his soccer Saturday.