The Mandrola Family

Christmas 2011

2011-12-26T17:27:00.000-08:00

This year Vinny was certainly more aware of the spirit of Christmas, with all it's preparation and anticipation. He learned about Baby Jesus and the manger in preschool, he decorated the tree so that Santa would know to deliver presents to our house (or Boppo's house in this case), he baked cookies, and tried to cut down on his crying so Santa would keep him on the nice list.

James took charge of the traditional reading of Santa Mouse after Christmas Eve dinner at Tom and Weez's house. With just a few pages left to go, we were all startled by the jingle of bells and Ho Ho Ho from a rushed Santa.

We never did catch a glimpse of him, but he did leave a pile of presents for the kiddos!
Vinny only wanted two things for Christmas: Thomas and Cars. Well, upon opening his new Thomas Pillow Pet, he complained, "But I want Cars, too." Little did Vinny know that Santa wasn't done yet. Here he is wrestling with James. These two have a special bond.

Santa went a little overboard this year. Doesn't he know we have to get all this stuff back to California? Good thing we don't have to ship it this year. Hopefully it all fits in the back of the Edge!

Wow! I knew Anthony was a fan, but had no idea he had this kind of status! (a pair of male Uggs in case you were wondering)

Vinny opened presents all morning long, and took lots of breaks in between. He wanted to play with each one as soon as he opened it. He loves the Cars 2 Geotrax set Santa left for him.

And more Thomas trains!
Whoa! Just some of the aftermath...
This must have been the year of puzzles. "I want to beeld a tuzzle mom." "Let's beeld."
Loving the Patriots gear from his cousin Blaise!
Who brought you these presents Vinny? "Santaaaaaa!"
Christmas will never be the same without Mommo, but we all made it through the day. Even Bill. It was hard, but he did Joan proud with all the gifts he bought for everyone. I felt her presence, and I know she was smiling, knowing how happy Vinny is playing with all his new toys.

Reagan Library with Boppo

2011-12-20T17:05:00.000-08:00

President Mandrola?
Overlooking Simi Valley at sunset.
Some of the shots that eventually became our Christmas Card this year.

There's Ronald Reagan's gravesite surrounded by red poinsettias.

Christmas in California

2011-12-10T16:24:00.000-08:00

This year we picked out a live tree at a local lot. Vinny got into the spirit and helped decorate, too.

When Joan first visited our new house, she fell in love with the magnolia trees that line the neighborhood and said they'd make a great wreath. So Mommo, this is for you! I used the trimmings from the Christmas tree, along with some silk flowers and berries. The sleigh, too, is in remembrance of her, since she used to decorate her front door on Center Street with it.

The wind storm and power outage postponed Monrovia's annual Christmas parade, and since the wind uprooted our town's Christmas tree, the festivities were a bit low key compared to years past. But we didn't know any differently! We met up with our neighbors and enjoyed a long, chilly, but colorful parade.
Chillin' with Ella.
Anthony would love to have clients that preferred to go to sporting events, instead he has Broadway musical fans. I certainly didn't mind tagging along on this night...a fancy dinner at Lawry's Steakhouse and onto a show at the beautiful and historic Pantages Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. Wicked was wonderful! I loved every minute of it!

Here and There

2011-12-10T14:08:00.000-08:00

Just a week after Thanksgiving, a terrible windstorm swept through Monrovia and surrounding towns. We lost power for a few days, and we had to find ways to suffer through the boredom. Unlike our friends and family back home, we did have it easy...since we are powered by gas, we had access to our stove and hot water for the shower...still we found a way to pity ourselves. We are such wimps. Here we are one afternoon killing some time at the mall riding the choo choo train a couple dozen times. Vinny loves the caboose most of all.

This is a picture of the cozy quilt I sewed one weekend for Vinny's bed. I had been planning to make this for some time, and just never got around to it. My inspiration was one of those overpriced sets from the Pottery Barn catalog, though I did splurge on the embroidered pillow sham. Vinny loves to snuggle up with his "queelt."
Here we are out at the park.
He loves to swing from the monkey bars in between sprinting around the playground.
This Mickey cart has revolutionized my grocery shopping excursions. There is a TV down there with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episodes programmed. This little distraction helps me get up and down the aisles within a half hour!

Broken Hearts, Beautiful Memories

2011-12-01T14:27:00.000-08:00

Dear Vinny,

She was your grandmother. You called her Mommo. Your time with her was brief, but so so special. Mommo loved you very much. She loved all of us, and we loved her. Everyone called Daddy "the baby" because of the way she came to his defense, except for the time he criticized her knowledge of a TV show, Felicity.

Mommo became very sick, and we rushed back to Arizona to be by her side. Not minutes after coming home from the hospital, you jumped up on her lap and tickled her. You made her smile big. She loved having you climb all over her. She slept much of the day Wednesday and Thursday so you weren't able to play with her like you wanted. But I know she wished to be able to play with you. You had been kind of grumpy that morning of November 24th, but not long after you perked up and came racing into her room, Mommo went to heaven. We were all with her, and I am so glad you were, too. I think she heard you laugh, and I'd like to believe it's what she needed to let go. I tell you this so that you understand just how happy you made Mommo.

Vinny, if God has angels here on Earth, your grandmother was surely one of them. She used to watch you every Thursday when Mommy went back to work. Now, she'll take care of you from Heaven. Call upon her when you are feeling down or lonely. I know she will place her tender hands on your shoulders and lift your spirits. She'll bring you strength when you are feeling weak. She'll remind you to be a good person and treat others with kindness.

We spent the day after Thanksgiving at Uncle Tom's and Aunt Weez's house. We wrote messages on balloons so our words would reach Mommo in heaven. You drew her beautiful triangles and said, "Balloons go up and Mommo catch it." Well, Mommo is no longer sick, no longer in pain, no longer tired, and I am pretty sure she caught your balloon. Once again, you made her smile big. So while our broken hearts learn to mend themselves, thank you for making us all smile a little bigger these days.

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Later that night you went skinny dipping in the hot tub!

There you are playing on the iPad with Justin.

Thanksgiving Projects

2011-11-11T14:19:00.000-08:00

Vinny loves projects, so this year we used Vinny's handprints to make some turkeys.

We also turned a gigantic pine cone from our Big Bear trip in October into a big turkey. Vinny loved how tracing his fingers tickled, and as you can see, he was so proud of his final product.

Mom and Dad's 1st Visit to California

2011-11-02T12:35:00.000-07:00

Mom and Dad made their first flight from sea to shining sea this past October, and we kept them busy every day of their trip. We celebrated my mom's birthday, took the light rail and subway into Hollywood to see the stars on the Walk of Fame and Kodak Theater, toured the Santa Anita Race Track (just a couple miles down the street from our house), and drove up the Pacific Coast Highway to the Santa Monica Pier and Malibu.

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We spent the last two days of Mom and Dad's visit in Disneyland. This was the first time our family went to Disney, and Vinny was so excited about the rides and meeting his heroes, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto. Well, things didn't go quite as expected...Vinny was as shy as ever, and surprising not thrilled about the rides. Strange, after how much he loved Lego Land earlier this summer. Anyway, it took a while but he eventually warmed up a bit, and once we were back home, he couldn't stop talking about it. So another trip is in the works, and hopefully next time Vinny will show as much enthusiasm for all things Mickey there as he does at home!

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Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T14:08:00.000-07:00

Vinny had been hesitant about dressing up like anything for Halloween, though he liked the idea of Lightning McQueen. Well, given that my creativity comes to a screeching halt when it comes to costumes, I was bound and determined to warm Vinny up to the hand me down monkey suit hanging in his closet. So after a month of brainwashing him with the pomp and circumstance of all things Halloween, one afternoon, out the blue, he said, "I dress up like a monkey and get candy!" So we practiced, and boy am I glad I took pictures when I had the chance....as you will soon see, the monkey hood would not be part of the equation on the actual night.

I am pretty sure this is the cutest monkey I've ever seen!

I channeled my inner Martha and lit the walkway with luminaries.
See no hood. In fairness, it was really hot that afternoon, and Vinny had been running a fever earlier in the day. He complained it was too hot for the hood, and we were just happy he dressed up at all. He couldn't wait to get candy...even running out the door without shoes on. Good thing we only had 4 houses on our route. Oh and there's my jack o'lantern...I thought I'd carve something a little more creative for Vinny, but when I ever looked up some templates on line, I knew I'd have to simplify. And Vinny still reminds me, "Lightning too hard Mommy." He's so understanding.
First stop, Dotty's across the street.
Waiting to say Trick or Treat!
Let's go! More candy Daddy!

I got this Daddy, totally know what I'm doing now...

All done, time to go check out the loot.
Yummy candy!
Sadly, all through the night, I couldn't help but think of our friends and family back home in the cold and in the dark. Power is out all over Connecticut, including our entire hometown, after an early nor'easter that tore through this past weekend. And there doesn't seem to be any light (literally) at the end of the tunnel. Since the leaves were still on the trees, heavy branches snapped everywhere and took all the power lines down with them. My parents say it's so depressing. My brother says it's just awful. I feel so terrible for them all. But in the middle of it all, the world welcomed a new baby boy, Connor John Claffey! Congratulations to Sean, Kristy, and big sister Emma! They certainly have a story of their own to tell!

Go PATS!

2011-10-30T14:38:00.000-07:00

Oh sure, they've had a few tough losses this season, but who cares when you're this cute? Ok, well, Anthony cares...

And how 'bout those slippers? A surprise from Gramma, Vinny wants to wear no other shoes. It can be a battle when we have to leave the house in real shoes. Vinny has rekindled his love affair with his trains, and we've been spending a lot of time building the tracks and tripping over the rails in the living room.

It's Official!

2011-10-29T14:53:00.000-07:00

Fall is in the Air!

2011-10-13T00:36:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful day to head to the pumpkin patch! Ant found a place in Oak Glen that sounded good so off we went. It was a bit over an hour away but well worth the drive.

Much to our surprise, this is what we pulled up to: a real working New England replica farm. It was gorgeous. No frills or gimmicks, just a classic fall experience, and the views were amazing. We ate our lunch under a shady tree, boarded the hay ride to the fields, and picked our own pumpkins. We would have pressed our own cider, but we ran out of arms to carry any more!
The house was buzzing with activity because a production company was there promoting their movie, Courage, New Hampshire which they filmed on this property. I took these photos on my phone, so they don't exactly capture the scenery, but suffice it to say, this beat any pumpkin patch we stumbled upon in Arizona. Dare I say it was way better than Brown's Harvest? That might get me in trouble...but seriously, who can argue with this....
...or this? Lots of people walked away with fresh cut bouquets of brightly colored zinnias from this field.
Vinny looked carefully for Spookley the Square Pumpkin from his new favorite story. "Is this 'pookey? Nooooo, it not 'pookey." This went on and on and on. But oh boy was he happy to find this one!

"oooh, it too heabeeeee"
This cow mooed right at Vinny, and he just didn't know what to think of that. No cow had ever mooed at him. Vinny was caught off guard. It was quite the City Slickers moment.
A view from the top of the patch.
We ventured up the canyon to find more apple orchards and little shops. The guys in this roadside apple stand allowed us to come behind the counter to watch them polish and sort the apples.
I should probably mention that our neighbors came with us! They are great people and we think we may have found ourselves some pretty good friends. Thank goodness. The next day was Sunday, so we invited them over for football and chili. Vinny had so much fun playing with his new friend Ella, he was asleep well before 8! That's unheard of! What a fun filled weekend!

It Closed!

2011-10-01T00:21:00.000-07:00

Not two days after we got home from Connecticut, Vinny and I headed back to the desert to visit Mommo and Boppo. Joan had not been feeling well, so we thought Vinny might be just the spoonful of sugar she needed. And who should call while we were about to cross the state line but our realtor. The house closed and there were papers to sign at the title company! What timing! So we bid a final goodbye to the old house. Sad that the market left us with no investment, but we are glad to be able to put this to bed and be done with it.

Vinny can not get enough of playing "soop-ball." This makes his Daddy very happy. So he was eager to help James break in his new football along with Uncle Tom and Justin.
Vinny had a blast. Between running up and down the court at Justin's basketball game to putting together puzzles over and over and over again with Mommo, I think Vinny accomplished his mission of spreading a little sunshine. But after being away from home for nearly a month, it was nice to get back into our own beds!

From Sea to Shining Sea.........Connecticut 2011

2011-09-12T15:46:00.000-07:00

Vinny and I headed back home a couple days earlier than Ant's schedule would allow, and per his usual, Vinny flew like a seasoned pro. Armed with a bag full of snacks, crayons, stickers, and a brand new iPad, Vinny kept busy the whole time. He was happy, quiet, and still talks about the "super bumpy" flight in the purple airplane. It was just a short episode, but when the sippy cup goes flying off the tray table and into the aisle, your tend to remember it.

Are You Ready Some Football?

Thanks to Mike and Mary Lou, we went to the Patriots Season Opener. It was a perfectly clear day, almost too warm for New England football. But when the sun went down, and we zipped up our sweatshirts, it felt like fall! And the Pats won!

Silly Blaise

My brother and sister in law ought to have a grand time getting Blaise to sit for Christmas portraits this year. I predict some major bribery will be in Blaise's future...Not sure what's more amusing, the silly faces or the shirt.

I love when kids get a hold of a camera...you can really see life from their point of view. Here are a couple shots Blaise took while playing with Vinny in Gramma and Papa's back yard after nursery school. Notice his finger in each shot :)

Playing at Babci's

Babci has lots of cool toys, but Vinny wasn't too keen about this motorized truck, not even with its cool tricks. So he just held his ground around the corner while Babci ran defense.

Now we're talking Babci! Vinny could sit and color and paint for hours, and so he really enjoyed this new painting book Babci had for him. So serious about his work.
One of the funniest moments of the visit came while Vinny was playing with the myriad of magnets my grandmother has covering her fridge. I think some are older than me! Anyway, Babci asked Vinny if he had found the duck. Vinny looked annoyed with her ignorance of water fowl and replied emphatically, "No, it not a duck. Dis a goose!" He didn't seem nearly as amused by this exchange as we did.

Molly the Dog

Much like Gabby gets top billing in Arizona, when asked who we were going to visit, Vinny would say, "Gramma, Papa, Molly Dog." So when Aunte Gail brought Molly over for a playdate with Vinny, he was all smiles. What fun he had playing fetch with her in the big back yard and keeping her company during water breaks.

The BIG E

It's been at least a dozen years since Ant and I have been able to get to the Eastern States Fair, a celebration of all things New England, and deep fried of course...though Dr. John M will be happy to hear we ate none of it. Well, that's not true. Ant and Vinny were able to sneak away to the Rhode Island building for a bag of clam fritters, which Vinny loved. But who doesn't?

Our very first stop though was the Big Yellow Slide. Vinny was too scared, so I went up with Blaise. There we are way up there on top ready to fly down.
On to the petting zoo. Vinny loved feeding this donkey.
Blaise loved milking the cow in the agriculture building.
When it came to rides, Vinny preferred the safe, slow, and steady rides like the choo choo. His face doesn't show it, but he talked about that choo choo all week...along with the dragon roller coaster that he liked not so much.

Last ride. Still not warming up to anything that looks unlike a choo choo.
Wedding Bells

The whole reason for holding off on our yearly summer trip back home was to be able to attend two family weddings. Congratulations to Donny and Anna on my side, and David and Corin on Anthony's side! While it is wonderful to have your children invited to a wedding, easy it is not. there was lots of wrangling to be done. But Gramma came prepared-she loaded two Woody and Buzz lunch boxes with all kinds of goodies to keep the boys busy until it was time to booty shake. And oh boy, did they ever, especially Blaise. Sure the bride and groom were the star attraction, but these two hooligans stole the show a few times. No one will forget Blaise asking the DJ if she had any Lady Gaga. And then he proceeded to bust a move like nobody's business. You can't buy that kind of entertainment.
During the special family dances.
Table camera shots...

On our way to David and Corin's Wedding
Wrestling with Uncle Brian

Best Buddies

After a microburst of energy let loose all over the living room, I asked if they'd sit for a picture. To my surprise they ran to the couch, flashed cheesy smiles, and posed away.

We had been in the living room chatting away, so Mom decided to check on the boys in the den (it seemed oddly quiet) and this is what she walked into.
Look familiar?

This was after another night of playing hard. Not two minutes after I snapped this shot, Vinny fell asleep on Blaise's shoulder.
A Few Random Favorites

Vinny loves watching home video clips, especially if he is the star.
Stealing Papa's Chair

Heading Home

All set with a backpack of goodies.

"Purple Pwee-Pwane Mommy!"

Vinny loved watching all of the airplanes coming and going. My grandfather figured Vinny had traveled across the country 14 times by this point. But this trip was the first time Vinny was vividly aware and expressive about his excitement. Now, everytime he sees an airplane in the sky, even the little prop planes that fly near our house, he says they are going to "Connec-cut."
The magic sidewalks were great fun, too.
Looking out the window. Such a big boy now that he gets to sit in his own seat.
All that excitement makes a boy sleepy.

What a whirlwind of a trip, though it always is. The older Vinny gets, the busier he keeps us, and so the number of photos in the camera are significantly fewer than in years past. Got to make the moments count! It'll be a while before we get back home, but thankfully Gramma and Papa will be making their first trip to California in October. Looking forward to that!

Family Tradition

2011-09-11T00:32:00.000-07:00

Anthony found fresh shell beans at the farmers' market, just like the ones Non used in her famous Pasta Fagiole. She called it bean soup. Anthony remembers shelling the beans in her back yard, and invited Vinny to do the same. Expecting this chore to last no more than a couple minutes, Vinny surprised Anthony by helping shell the whole box! "One more Daddy?" he'd ask.

No, we haven't made the soup yet, but the beans are waiting in the freezer for the next chilly day. Then, soup's on! That is once I decode the measurements...Louise asked Non long ago to give her the recipe, and as only an Italian grandmother might say, a little of this, a pinch of that.

Untitled

2011-09-10T00:18:00.000-07:00

For some time now, I have thought about snapping pictures of the sights and frights we've seen here in California. The people watching is unmatched. Even the limos make fashion statements! I caught this one on the freeway leaving Hollywood.
Just makes me appreciate the shirt a little bit more!

Always on the Go

2011-09-02T23:53:00.000-07:00

Vinny and I found this really cool little indoor play space through my new Mom's Group. It's a pretty clever concept actually: a bounce house, playhouse, ride along cars, a giant mousetrap like climber, and plenty of little toys to make believe with. All under one roof, in a room big enough to allow for enough space, but not big enough to lose your kid. It was a great way to spend our morning.

On this particular day, Vinny and I took a spontaneous trip to the zoo. Since we bought a season pass, we can go whenever we want, and since it's only 20 minutes away (ok ok, that's without traffic...coming home usually takes an hour), and since I am doing the stay at home thing for a while, we took off on a whim. Here we are having lunch in front of the giraffes. They live right next to the lions, which roared. Loudly. Vinny wasn't crazy about that. He'll probably feel differently now that he's seen The Lion King. Just look at those eyes!

"Look Mommy, I Color!"

2011-08-31T23:40:00.000-07:00

Such a peaceful morning. Cleaned up the breakfast dishes uninterrupted. Took a shower uninterrupted. Did my hair, and might have even been able to put on some make-up, all uninterrupted. Shouldn't it have occurred to me that it was WAY too quiet in the house? I mean, seriously! I should have known he was up to no good. But who could be mad at a face like this?

Worth noting, no red marker made it on the walls or floor, though it did find its way through his shirt and into his belly button. Oh my goodness, he was so proud of himself.

Early Morning at the Zoo

2011-08-27T18:07:00.000-07:00

The LA Zoo opens its gates early only 4 times a year, and we didn't want to miss out on the morning feedings today. Our first stop was the gorilla exhibit, and they did not disappoint. I've taken Vinny a couple times now and we have never been able to see the gorillas this active or up close.

Vinny enjoyed counting all the chimpanzees. He can count up to 12 without any prompting now. My favorite is two, with an overly exaggerated ooooo sound. "Senen" is pretty adorable, too. He can't seem to master the V sound, which makes his name hard. He refers to himself as "Ninny," which we are really working hard to correct.
We were excited to see the elusive bear this morning. He, or she, we haven't figured it out yet, is always hiding.
The bear wasn't pleased with the high temps today either.
The best way to cool down is with a treat!
Whew! By 11:30, we were cooked. The thermometer read 100 degrees! We haven't seen those temps since Arizona! Besides, the zoo was hosting a Star Wars event (those poor characters all dressed up in costume had to be miserable!) and the crowds were building. I couldn't believe the line of cars waiting to get into the parking lot on our way out. But what a great way to kick off the day and the weekend! Tomorrow=Day of Rest!

Back to Arizona!

2011-08-27T16:12:00.000-07:00

Last week we drove back to visit Anthony's parents (though this trip was really prompted by Anthony's fantasy football draft). We got in late Thursday night, and Vinny handled the car ride like a champ. A sleepy champ, given we left after work Thursday night, but a champ none-the-less. And of course he was wound for sound once we arrived and got out of the car. So what does a grandfather do with his littlest grandson at 1:30 in the morning? Why, eat doughnuts and mee-mee' (m&m's), of course!

It didn't take us long to forget about how hot it is in Arizona. We sure do miss our family, but not the temps! Nothing beats the heat like Mommo and Boppo's pool!

Vinny loves his Uncle Tom!
Anthony might title this picture: "Knuckleheads" James and Justin sure do provide the family with plenty of entertainment.
James has such a patient and gentle way with Vinny, he always has. While everyone else would like to dunk Vinny underwater, James fetched Vinny's Mater, Lightning, and Guido toys which made Vinny laugh.
Meanwhile, Uncle "Antny" tormented Justin and Boppo tried his hardest to put that to a stop. Instead he got punched, accidentally of course.

Now if this doesn't melt your heart, I don't know what will. What a lucky boy, to be adored by his cousins as much as Vinny is.

Justin took good care of Vinny in the pool, too!
Silly boys!

James, someone's got his eye on your dessert...mmm, ice cream!

While waiting for breakfast the next morning, Vinny occupied himself with stickers. It wasn't too long ago, he would never stick anything on his arms (he still won't let me put a band-aid on him). Now look at him!
That is, until it was time to remove the stickers..."owwwwwwooooo!" (insert very dramatic whine here).
The weekend flew by and before we knew it, we were loading up the car again again, ready to head back to California. But as Boppo observed, not nearly as tearfully as two months ago. We had a chance to visit with some friends, stop by the old house (which SOLD by the way!), and get in some shopping. Mommo hooked Vinny up with some clothes to get him through the fall...now that we'll actually experience fall again! I wish we had more time, but thankfully we aren't too far that we can't back there again soon.

Day to Day

2011-08-27T15:55:00.000-07:00

Here's Vinny enjoying a cookie after being a good boy at a local restaurant. This just makes me laugh.

Getting pants back on this kid after nap is a challenge, so somedays, we just don't worry about it. He's starting to pose now for pictures, which is good for my shutter speed...but he still won't give up the "cheeeeeese." Who can argue when you are this cute?
It's been hot this week, so we've been playing in the little pool after nap. Vinny is still hesitant about jumping, splashing, and blowing bubbles, but he does enjoy playing with the hose and standing in the water. The same is true about the sprinkler I just bought for him. He likes to watch it and catch some water droplets, and only if it's not "too high Mommy," but he refuses to run through it. He needs his buddy, Evan or his cousin, Blaise to get him going!

Running Around the Americana

2011-08-27T15:44:00.000-07:00

There is a huge outdoor mall down the street from Anthony's office called the Americana. It's much like Kierland Commons in Scottsdale, with restaurants, stores, a movie theatre, and a huge grassy area. The fountain in the middle is real pretty, so we stopped to see the little water show after seeing the Smurfs movie.

If you happened to catch a show a while back called "Mobbed" (a reality show about flash mobs, which was most likely cancelled after it's premier) anyway, if you did see it, well, this is the place where they filmed it. The parking garage is worth the visit. There is a piano in the lobby of the parking garage...and the public restroom has an attendant!

Rooster, the Chicken

2011-08-27T15:37:00.000-07:00

We've tried reasoning with Vinny, but he insists our neighborhood friend is a "roothar." Who are we to argue, though it really is a hen, confirmed by neighbors. So, we have agreed to disagree, and though the neighbors don't know it, we have named their chicken Rooster.

We go outside every evening to check on her, and boy is she ever comfy in our yard. Please, make yourself at home bird. One night she was scratching up in the flower bed, and we were hoping for some eggs, but no dice.

Rooster, the Chicken update: She is no where to be found of late. Uh oh.

At the Carwash, Workin' at the Carwash, Yeah!

2011-08-27T15:31:00.000-07:00

Anthony updated his Facebook status with comment about Vinny spraying him with water, and you can see why...this is also a potential hazard when we ater the flowers, too.

Our Aspiring Arteest

2011-08-27T14:43:00.000-07:00

Vinny and I joined my MOMS group for a play date at the local pottery painting shop in Old Town a few weeks back. While all the other boys went crazy for the sharks, Vinny chose the "ladyBUG" with heavy emphasis on the BUG. I wish he talked when I had the video camera on...I just don't ever want to forget how darned adorable it is to listen to him put new words together. Anyway, thanks to his love of the movie "A Bug's Life" or just "Bugs" in our house, the ladybug caught his eye on the table. Though he insisted he wanted to paint a "bwoo ladybug." So off he went.

Step One: Paint the whole ladybug blue.

Step Two: Add accent color #1, Vinny chose yellow. He also decided that accent meant cover the entire thing with yellow, but we'll still call it a blue ladybug.

Step Three: Add accent color #2, green. This time, Mommy couldn't restrain herself anymore and had to intervene. I pulled the green away before he could go too far. Besides, we still had to add some red, go figure. The shopkeeper did compliment me on letting him do what he wanted as art is a free flowing process yadda yadda yadda...sure, whatever...she obviously hasn't seen what happens when Vinny doesn't get to do things HIS way (I don't know where he gets that from). Mr. Independent. His famous line: "No, I DOOOO it!"

After a few finishing touches courtesy of the shopkeeper and some dry time, we went back later that evening to pick up the final product. Vinny is so proud of his ladybug, and I am, too. It's a keeper!

Since back to school is happening all around us, Vinny and I have taken to doing some arts and crafts at home, too. He loves to color, and gets especially excited to paint. We've done finger painting, water colors, and regular old poster paints. He is very careful about not mixing the brushes and I was surprised to see him remember which cup was which. He'd rather mix the colors on the paper, that's all. It was an interesting conversation I had with him about why, when he put the yellow brush back into the yellow cup, it wasn't yellow anymore.

"I paint fast Mommy!"
For a boy, just 2 and a half years old, I am impressed with his ability to stay focused on such tasks as coloring and painting. We sit for at least 30 minutes before he starts to get ants in his pants. As long as he has a fresh sheet of paper and some company, he is content to just be. I wish I could say the same for some of my former students!
Notice the clean hands...though we have finger painted already, Vinny is not keen on messy hands. Wipes are always nearby. :)

Twas the Night Before the First Day of School

2011-08-07T17:11:00.000-07:00

Forgive me, but this is for me. For the first time in 13 years, my stomach is not in knots, my head isn't filled with student checklists, my dreams aren't of crazy classroom nightmares, my lesson plan book is empty. Tomorrow marks the first day of school for my teacher buddies in Arizona. They've spent the last week in meetings and the last month at least meticulously measuring bulletin boards and arranging little desks. Every pencil is perfectly sharp and bins of table supplies are perfectly stocked. The library corner and teacher desk are perfectly organized. The whiteboard is perfectly white and the books are perfectly stacked. It is my favorite time of year, everything is perfectly, well, perfect...and then the kids come and mess it all up!

So even though I was able to be home part time these last two years, and even though I've had the summer to soak it all in, it hasn't been until today that I feel like an official stay at home mom. I'm not going to be welcoming 30 kiddos into my classroom tomorrow, and part of me is incredibly sad about that. Another part of me is incredibly relieved about that, too. I'm thinking that maybe a break from the classroom might be a good thing. I need to find something, but for now I am going to soak in the idea that I have an opportunity to be an official stay at home mommy, even if for a little while.

But maybe Vinny and I will play school tomorrow...take a look, he's already self motivated for independent reading time! We caught him this morning like this, and he was so engrossed in his book, he didn't even notice me snapping a picture!

Last week Vinny and I did some back to school shopping of our own, only instead of buying hundreds of pocket folders, labels, notebooks, and extra pencils like I usually do, we picked out finger paints, water colors, construction paper, little blue scissors, and ONE glue stick, not 30! I see some creative artwork in our future! In the meantime, I will be thinking of my teacher friends and wishing them a smooth school year ahead.

Just Another Day

2011-08-02T18:57:00.000-07:00

Anthony and I discovered this park after going to the Pasadena farmer's market a few weeks back. It's perfect for Vinny, and the views aren't too bad either.

Our First California Theme Park!

2011-08-02T18:51:00.000-07:00

My friend and teaching partner Ana came to visit last weekend with her daughter, Gabriella, or "Gah-i-ella" as Vinny calls her. We set sail for a longer than expected drive to Carlsbad, outside of San Diego. IT took us nearly 3 hours, but it was worth it. Legoland was perfect for Vinny, and he could go on almost all the rides...at least all the ones we had time for.

Our first ride was the Safari ride, and while it was much anticipated, it was a let down. 45 minutes of waiting, 30 seconds of riding. Boo.
But check out that Lego giraffe! And there he is waiting patiently for his very first amusement park ride!
He wasted no time driving the jeep. Good thing, too, because the ride was short!
Here we are at the frog pond, trying to shoot water into the crocodile's mouth.
I turned around to see him copying the crocodiles...too cute.
OK, this is brilliant. Every ride had Lego stations to occupy the kiddos while waiting in the long lines! So Ana and Gabriella held our places in line while we built some towers.
There go Ana and Gabriella, pedal powering their way around the track. Cute little car, right?
It occurred to me this was Vinny's first roller coaster! Sorta...
About to go down an ever so slight hill...must put our arms up...Wheeeeee!
This was a really cute ride, worth the wait.
We can't escape Arizona!
Waiting for the airplane ride. Does this kid ever give up his snack trap???
Little boat ride.
My self portrait skills are not good.
We tricked Vinny into going on the pirate ship ride. He wasn't thrilled about it at the time, but it was the first thing he recapped to Anthony the next morning. He no sooner woke up than he said "piree ship Daddy."
While Gabriella and Ana went on the log flume ride, I thought I'd take Vinny to another kiddy ride, but he was sidetracked by the splash pad. This surprised me because normally he wants nothing to do with sprinklers. But not today! He ran around this thing for 45 minutes. Little did I know that Vinny was the star attraction...a family walking by with smiles ear to ear had been watching Vinny and commented that they enjoyed watching him giggle his way through the fountains. The dad was laughing, saying he would have run out of room on his camera taking pictures if he were me! Everyone thinks their kid is cute, so when a complete stranger compliments your kid, it feels good.

After a change into warm clothes, off we were to take in the last of the attractions before the park closed. Legoland was amazing. So much to do. We didn't see everything, so we will just have to go back. Oh darn.

Vinny loved chumming around around with Gabriella, and I wish the picture above captures them running together through the enchanted forest.
We zoomed through MiniLand, trying to take in as many of the Lego landmarks as we could before it got too dark. Here it looks as through Vinny is pointing out the castle (Excaliber in Las Vegas), one of his new favorite words, but actually his is pointing up to a helicopter flying overhead.
Miniland had all kinds of scenes displayed, including a New England village. Here is what I can only assume is a train station in New Haven??
Though long, the park was well worth the drive. And really, it's not horrible that we didn't get everything in, since Anthony wasn't able to come along with us. Next time!

Nope! Still Not Sick of the Beach!

2011-08-02T18:33:00.000-07:00

Girls Day Out

2011-08-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

Ana, Gabriella, and I ventured into Hollywood on the metro lite rail on Sunday, making a pit stop in Chinatown along the way.

This was Gabriella very first time riding a subway, so we had to stop for a photo of her sitting in Union Station, a truly beautiful train station.
Mickey Mouse's Star on the Walk of Fame. I feel bad that poor Mickey is stuck there on the Boulevard amidst the freak show that is Hollywood!
Well, you're just going to have to trust me when I tell you that the Hollywood sign is right there under the thin radio tower on the mountain. I promise, it's there.
What a whirlwind of a weekend! So much fun! And we're ready whenever you are for some more!

Mommo, Boppo, and Gabby Come for a Visit!

2011-07-31T15:48:00.000-07:00

We had been anxiously awaiting the arrival of Ant's mom and dad last weekend. No sooner did Bill bring in the dog crate than Vinny was luring Gabby into it. When she wouldn't go for that idea, he decide he'd go in. Silly boy.

Tom and Weez arrived to a feast of steak and wine...Mommo and Boppo arrived to cold cut sandwiches. Good thing they are easy to please.

Bill really wanted to go to Malibu, as he had been there years ago on a business trip and he wanted Joan to see it. So our first stop was the campus of Pepperdine. Upon passing through the gate, the guard asked if anyone in our group was interested in attending Pepperdine, and after catching a glimpse of this view, we said, yes...in about 16 years!

Not a bad view, I'd say. Whew! Pepperdine University sits high atop the cliffs overlooking the Pacific. The buildings weren't much to look at, but I am pretty sure you don't go to Pepperdine to look at the buildings.

Then we continued along the Pacific Coast Highway (or as we super hip Californians refer to as the PCH, brah) hee hee...couldn't help myself...anyway, we stopped to put our feet in the sand at a crowded beach. Apparently some famous movies have been shot here...Can you name them?

So then we made our way back to a little shack for some fish and chips. Very yummy, very local, and very beautiful. While we didn't spot any celebrities or find the Two an a Half Men house for my dad :) we did see some amazing gates. Yes, gates. Gates that looked more expensive than most houses. Of course we couldn't see the houses themselves because they are hidden and face the ocean anyway, so all we can see are...the gates. Oh well. After all, they were nice gates. I'm sure some very beautiful and very famous people lived in thoses houses, we'll just never know...

Anyway, here we are at the fish and chips shack. YUM!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Vinny helped make Anthony's favorite Italian Creme birthday cake and as soon as we got home from Malibu we had to frost it. It was hot that day, so we opted to not bother frosting the sides of the cake. Vinny made sure to taste test...quality control of course.
He is such a good helper, and hopefully one of these days he'll know his way around the kitchen pretty well. He even put the candles in the cake all by himself. I love how crooked they all are.
"Bye Gabby, Mommo, Boppo"

Boppo took one last walk with Vinny before heading back to Arizona. Vinny hasn't really understood the big goodbye up to this point, until that day. As I held him under the "tunnel" and we watched Bill and Joan drive away, he slowly lifted his arm and pointed his finger up (it's their little thing they do, the #1 sign), and quietly whispered "Boppo" as if confused about why he was driving away. He looked so sad. It's not easy living far away from family, and that's more apparent now than ever. Thankfully this fall will be busy with travel and we will get our fill of family in the next couple months. It's a good thing time flies!

Out and About in Monrovia

2011-07-26T15:20:00.000-07:00

Movie Day

The movie theatre here in Old Town shows older movies for a buck every Tuesday morning, so I took Vinny to see Marmaduke. He loved it, and it was pretty cute. The voice of the dog is Owen Wilson, which Vinny recognized as Lightning McQueen right away. So do you think he likes going to the movies, or what? He looks like a pro.

Later, we ran around the fountain across the street at the library and had some fun snapping some pictures.
These days he's laughing and running, no-stop. He's hit or miss with naps, but when he does crash, it's hard, and he sleeps for at least 3 hours!

A new favorite thing to do is drive the car, so getting in and out of the car has become an even longer process.
Street Fair

The main street in Old Town shuts down every Friday Night for the street fair. Local restaurants serve up burgers and bbq, venders pedal their crafts and jewelry, and a farmers market opens to the public with the freshest fruits and veggies we've tasted our days of stopping at roadside fruit stands back home. Vinny warmed up to the bouncehouse the second time through and he really loved petting the bunnies and chasing the chickens in the petting zoo.
21st Century Child

Yes, he's figured out the iPhone. He can access my iPod and play his Mickey Mouse shows (a Godsend while he rides in the cart during grocery shopping) all by himself. In fact, he insists with an emphatic "I do it." I have a few toddler apps for him, too, so he can tap on shapes and read along with interactive books. He calls it the Mickey phone, which cracks me up.
Mean Jean Junior

Shoe shopping is not a favorite activity for Vinny. It must run in the family. I, too, so I'm told, hated it. My grandfather dubbed me Mean Jean (my middle name) for kicking the poor sales guy. Anyway, Vinny was in desperate need for some new sneaks, and with lots of bribery, we found success. A bagful of Disney Store toys, new Lightning McQueen jammies, and a ride on the big carousel later, we had "cool shoes." With laces. Joy. With feet as wide as Vinny's, I think our days of velcro are over.

Our "New House"

2011-07-21T16:42:00.000-07:00

Finally some pictures! I'm not even going to lie...the house is never this tidy...but Bill and Joan were on their way to visit for the weekend, and with Vinny actually napping, I could really clean it up! So I snapped some pictures while I had the chance!

This is it!

It's little, but it meets all our needs, and we are really enjoying it.

We are right at the top of the cul-de-sac, and here is a view of our little neighborhood. Dotty lives in that little grey house obstructed by the post, and she is the last standing original resident...she's been in that house for 56 years! We were glad to finally meet her the other day. She got a kick out the fact that she has never seen Vinny walk anywhere. Nope. He'd rather run!
There's our little "tunnel" as Vinny calls it. What's nice is that all the traffic goes the opposite way of the cul-de-sac so it's pretty quiet...although, cars race around that corner pretty fast. Even though they're going the other way, it's still pretty annoying.
Going through the "tunnel." Watch out...don't want to hit your head. I'm telling you, he cracks me up.
The Inside

That's pretty much all of it. Told you it was small.
But we were able to fit most of our things that we took with us, and actually think it looks better here than in the big house. Cozy is what we're calling it. We really do love it.
Through the kitchen is the laundry room and powder room, just like my mom and dad's house. Then off that is our bedroom with another door that leads out to the backyard.
The guest room awaits you...
The main bathroom:

Look who's up...

Vinny's playroom! We got so lucky finding a house, first of all (we would have never made it in an apartment), and a house with 4 bedrooms! Vinny loves to play in here and watch the "little TB" as opposed to the "big TB" in the living room. But he does his fair share of TB watching in there, too.
That door leads to the back yard...the best part of this house!
The Backyard

And this would be how we spend every night. While the days are warm, in the mid 80's, the nights are cool and beautiful! Coming from Phoenix, they are down right chilly for summer! We still pinch ourselves-it's been 12 years since we could actually open the windows and truly enjoy real summer weather during real summer months!

So this is the upper level, right off Vinny's playroom:This is the lower level with the patio and grill:
Those shrubby things are geraniums. Geraniums? Can you believe it? In the ground, not in a pot for a brief stint around memorial day! And the pictures didn't really give justice to the numerous white rose bushes that burst with color, and especially pop at night under the moonlight. It's like a secret midnight garden that can truly be enjoyed round the clock.

Vinny loves to run across the grass non-stop. He says, "ready, set, go" every time he takes off for another sprint. And when in a rush, it's just "set-go!"
And here is the best part. Sure, renting has it's drawbacks, maybe even stigma (though coming from the abysmal real estate market in AZ, what's the difference, really?) But I tell you, when Antonio and his brother show up with their mowers and trimmers and take care of business every Wednesday, I sit back and think, "Hmmm, 'gardeners included?' Renting is highly underrated...this is a treat!" I still need to get out there and give the beds some TLC with weeding and thinning, but oh my goodness, having someone else do all the heavy lifting every week is so great.

Gotta sneak in this cutie!

So, I posted this a while back on Facebook...we often hear a rooster cockadoodle-doing throughout the day, and funny enough not at the crack of dawn, more like dusk...anyway...turns out his owner had a termite problem, and while their house was under wraps for fumigation, this guy escaped backyard and explored the neighborhood for a few days. Vinny thought it was great fun. He went up to the rooster and said, "Hi roosey, I Ninny." We need to work on that V sound...
I thought I heard a putty cat...and yup, right there in our back yard shrubs, this guy appeared. He scooted quickly through the fence...not sure who he belongs to yet.

And thankfully we still have lizards to keep Vinny interested, too. One night, while we were sitting out back, we looked up to find a spider weaving her web across two fan palms. It was the coolest thing to watch! We tried to get a picture, but it just didn't capture the beauty of her web, nor her skill. I'm still on a mission to capture the elusive parrots that fly all over Monrovia and roost right in the tall trees behind our house...I'll save that for another post...

Company's Coming!

2011-07-13T16:36:00.001-07:00

Tom, Weez, James, and Justin came to visit this past weekend! Though we didn't get as early of a start as we had intended (sometimes opening up that extra bottle of wine just isn't the best idea), anyway, we set off for Hermosa Beach Saturday morning. Vinny had a blast digging in the sand and playing ball with his big cousins. Once again, he was uncertain about the water, and I couldn't blame him-the waves were huge!

Getting ready to bury Justin (Vinny says "Jus-see").
That's about as much as he'd let Louise bury him.
James' (Vinny calls him "Jam") turn. He actually got him the closest to the water.
Whew! That was a close one!
Vinny loved throwing the ball and making the boys fetch it out of the "o-see."
After trekking to every grocery store in the San Gabriel Valley, Tom and Weez returned to the house with steaks, lobster tail, and crab legs. It was the perfect post beach feast! And, yes, that is indeed a sunburn under Vinny's eye. In an attempt to keep the sunblock out of his eye, it clearly burned. Rubbing sand all over his sticky face didn't help either. But after just a couple days, it's peeling and looking much better.
Don't let this crabby face fool you...Vinny loved seeing his Aunt Weez and when asked who's coming, his only unprompted reply was "ahn wee."
Here is a little glimpse of the lower level of our back yard. One of these days I will get pictures of the rest of the yard.
Under some protest from Tom, we headed to Hollywood for some touristy fun on Sunday. We walked along the Walk of Fame a bit, had some fun with the movie characters soliciting photos, and took a peek inside the Wax Museum and Guiness World Record Museum. Justin even got his own star on the Boulevard!
Groovy Baby!
King of the World?
This guy was the best look alike we came across. He enjoyed hamming it up just as much as Justin.
So Casa Mandrola is open for business! Who's next???

Mayflower Village 4th of July Parade

2011-07-06T17:21:00.000-07:00

Off we go to what we learned was our neighborhood's favorite holiday of the year. Our little town is actually called Mayflower Village and it's nestled in between Arcadia and Monrovia, which is all east of Pasadena. Anyway, the people here take great pride in the neighborhood. The houses are adorable and well kept. The people are friendly and festive. Flags and bunting on almost every house! So when our next door neighbor invited us to participate, off to the party store I went to find all kinds of decorations for the wagon. Here we are walking down our street to catch the parade.

No police escorts here...just kids on bikes and scooters to lead the way! Right on our very own little road!
Vinny loved catching all the candy being thrown his way.
So this little neighborhood bicycle parade turned out to be bigger than we had anticipated...these folks don't mess around!
This lemonade stand will come to you!
Towards the back of the parade, we joined in...well sort of.
Here we are walking up our street back to our new house.
Picture time! Cheese!
Happy boy with the balloons. You know what happens next, don't you?
Yup. Bye bye balloons.
Later that night we headed down to our local library park to watch Monrovia's fireworks display. They shot them off from the rooftop of the library right over the town square. People staked out their spots all day, packed picnic suppers, and danced to music provided by a local band. Our view was a bit obscured by tall trees, but that's a welcome sight for us coming from the desert for 12 years now. Vinny liked it all, in fact during any breaks, he turned to us and made his "more" sign. The fireworks display was impressive and equally thrilling was the show we came home to. They weren't kidding when they said Mayflower Village loves Independence Day. Every house was shooting off fireworks...it sounded as though we were under fire! Though amateur, these were no rinky dink firecrackers. They were big and loud! I can't believe Vinny slept through it! But really all I could think about was how much Uncle Mike would have loved this. Made me miss him.

Post CARS 2 Snack Coma

2011-07-06T16:43:00.000-07:00

We took Vinny to his first big movie in the movie theatre and this is what he looked like on the ride home. He was an absolute sticky mess. But he loved it, and the movie was pretty cute. We all really enjoyed it actually.

Surf's Up Dudes!

2011-07-02T16:49:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, now this is what I have been waiting for! We kicked off the 4th of July Weekend with a trip to the Manhattan Beach. The waves were huge and the water was pretty chilly. I will be the first to admit that while I love the ocean, I am afraid of the big waves. Vinny wasn't crazy about them either, but by the end of the day, he dipped his feet into the Pacific.He'd much rather build "big castles" and "little castles" in the sand. And oh boy, did he ever love the sand!
Have I mentioned yet how great the weather is here? Um, yeah, I get it now. Sunny Southern California? Pretty sweet. Now we live about 45 minutes inland, so it's about 10 degrees hotter than the Los Angeles weather forecast you may be keeping tabs on...that reminds me...I have to change that temperature tracker on the side over there...back to sand castles...

Manhattan Beach is very close to LAX, so there were airplanes everywhere. Vinny loved it, especially the little airplanes and helicopters that flew along the shore. There he is pointing one out to us.
This next sequence of pictures captures Vinny venturing a little further away from us and back up through the sand. He had some trouble with his balance, but loved falling in the sand just as much as digging in it.
His latest: "Vrooooooom, room-rooooooom"
I am not sure there wasn't a wrinkle, roll, or crevice that he didn't get sand into.
And just about all that sand came home with us. We looked like such rookies. You'd think we'd never been to the beach before the way we were trying to get packed up and cleaned off before getting back into the car. We somehow missed the showers, so we had to use wipes to get some of the sand off of poor sticky Vinny. In fairness, this was our first day trip to the beach. Last year we stayed at a motel across the street from the beach so it was easier. But driving? That's another story. We'll have another opportunity to improve our technique this weekend when Tom and Weez bring the boys out to visit. We can't wait!

Kidspace

2011-06-22T16:18:00.000-07:00

Our second outing of the week was to a children's museum in Pasadena called Kidspace. It's right across the street from the Rose Bowl. Smaller than Kid City in CT, and teeny tiny compared to the Phoenix Children's Museum, but fun all the same. However, Vinny fell asleep on the way there while reading is book. How cute is this?

But once we got inside, and Vinny warmed up to the place a bit, he ventured all the way up the leafy climbing structure. I was so proud of him for branching out (pardon the pun) on his own.
Vinny loved the water play area, but wasn't crazy about the splashpad sprinklers. He can be such a chicken!

On my to-do list among so many things is to find a nursery school program for Vinny. He does so well with other kids and he benefits from the structure of organized play. Vinny is talking up a blue streak these days, too. A couple of my favorite Vinny-isms:

joop (juice)
capple (apple)
o-see (ocean)

He loves to play with cars these days, especially his Lightning and Mater toys. We took him to see Cars 2 at our local movie theatre, which was Vinny's first "big movie." We were sure he'd sit through given that he's 2, and that he's not crazy about watching the first Cars movie at home anymore. But he sat through the whole thing and took in all the action. He loved seeing "big Lightning" and "big Mater" on the big screen...and snacking on the popcorn and mi-mi's (m & m's) didn't hurt the cause either.

Our First Outing in Los Angeles

2011-06-21T15:50:00.000-07:00

While Anthony was traveling back east, Vinny and I embarked on a few adventures during our first week in California. Fieldtrip #1 was to the Los Angeles Zoo. We had a great time and Vinny was really well behaved, staying in his stroller the whole time...almost. He enjoyed munching on popcorn while watching all the animals, the giraffes being his favorite!
The giraffe exhibit was fun, and we got to see them up close. One startled Vinny a bit when she got a little to close for comfort. Talk about eye contact!
The LA Zoo boasts a 6 acre elephant habitat, so one would think we'd see a bunch of elephants. But no. Not this time. After backtracking through the orangutans, we were able to watch one lone elephant. By this point it was getting pretty hot...not Phoenix hot, but hot none the less.
So we sought shelter under the monkey habitat. We could hear them a mile away, and as you can see in the photo below, Vinny was a bit hesitant about these noisy monkeys.
Hi hippo.
Bye zoo! The best part of this fieldtrip, and everywhere we visit these days actually, is that Vinny greets each animal or object with a HI ____! And leaves with BYE _____, See you Later! Sometimes he even reassures them I'll be back. I tried to get a picture of him with the flamingoes on our way out, but that was a no go. But what cracked me up is that Vinny kept instructing them to say cheese!

Let the Un-Packing Begin...

2011-06-21T10:33:00.000-07:00

Sunday was a LONG day and night to say the least. We left around 8:30, and with a few stops along the way, arrived at our new house around 3:30. After a brief walk-through, the movers arrived to help us unload the truck. Thank goodness! By sunset we had everything moved in, and then the unpacking had to begin. Ant painstakingly put Vinny's bed together and I began to sort through the essentials. Seriously exhausting.

In perfect timing, Ant had to travel back east that week, so this is pretty much how I tended to Vinny while I tried putting things in order. Mother of the Year Award? Probably not.

The BIG Move-California Here We Come!

2011-06-20T10:00:00.000-07:00

With Anthony working and traveling so much in the weeks leading up to the big move, Bill and Joan (and Vinny) helped me pack up the hardest room...the kitchen. And here I though I thought I had a good start with clearing things out for the tag sale! I would be remiss if I didn;t say they were a Godsend, heping me wrap and box everything...if only they could've been there to help me un-wrap everything!

UGH! MOVING STINKS!

Justin and Weez worked their butts off helping us pack up the big U-Haul. I don't know what we would have done without them. The packing seemed to be never ending...just when I thought we had put a good dent in things, more boxes seemed to appear. Poor Justin thought we'd be done by early afternoon and he'd be able to keep his plans in tact. But when that didn't happen, he found other ways of entertaining himself while Weez and Anthony tried reconfiguring the arrangement in the truck...turns out we have a LOT of stuff. Anyway, we are super proud of this goofball...and here's just one of the many self portraits I found on my camera later that night...
Bye Bye Arizona...California, here we come! Here we are just before saying our tearful good-byes to Mommo and Boppo. By the way, Anthony did a great job driving the big rig and everything got to California in one piece.
Vinny did great, too. I had an arsenal of fruit "snackies" and noisy books to keep him occupied for our 6 hour drive. He took a pretty good nap midway through, and only got a bit cranky around Palm Springs just before we stopped for lunch.
Once we got to "our new house" as Vinny calls it every time we pull in the driveway, he enjoyed running around the beautiful yard. We are just about done with putting some final touches on everything, and so I will be sure to post those pictures as soon as I can! But so far, so good. Vinny is adjusting really well.

OK, All Caught Up!

2011-06-16T11:27:00.000-07:00

Finally! I had fallen so far behind on this blog, but finally got all caught up. Keep in mind that I had to go all the way back to St. Patrick's Day, so once you get all the way down to the bottom, you'll need to click on "older posts" and keep going because I had to go back that far!

Since the last time I had written, Vinny seemed to go into a developmental hyper-growth. This has been an amazing time to observe monumental and amazing changes. In the past 3 months, he's gone from being non-verbal (ok, not really non-verbal) to speaking in 3 and sometimes 4 word sentences! We were actually so concerned we met with the specialist at the doctor's office. How sweet she was to not laugh at us first time parents. I don't remember his exact stats, but his 93 percentile head size sticks out. His height and weight were somewhere in the middle, but you'd never know when you pick him up...he feels like a ton of bricks! Good thing he'd prefer to run that be carried!

Gone is my name Mama. He began calling me Ma for a short bit, and then all of the sudden, it became Mommy. And every word or phrase is punctuated with "Mommy" or "Daddy." He parrots everything we say, and one of my favorites might be let's see whenever we are making a choice. Or in between singing a few favorite songs like Itsy Bitsy Spider, Twinkle Twinkle, or Pattycake, he throws out a long and drawn out "how 'bout" much like I would say while killin' time in the bath tub. Speaking of names, he finally figured out Gramma and Babci's names, so we can add them to the list. He can also squeak out Uncle Tom for both Ant's brother and my Godfather. He's almost got Dziadiu, and who can blame him for taking a little bit longer on that one! But just like walking, he went from zero to 100 overnight! It's so fun to carry on a conversation with this little guy these days!

Move over Mickey Mouse, make room for Lightnin' McQueen and Woody! But fret not Mickey, you'll always be numero uno. He still requests episode after episode of "Gickey" but it's nice to wind down at the end of the day with a movie. We're hoping he gets as excited as we are about going to see Cars 2 in the movie theatre this summer.

Well, I sure hope I got everything up to date. I know how much our family loves to keep tabs on Vinny, but really I hope one day to print out this blog like a journal. There are so many things I want to remember forever and everyone says "write it down." It's true, if you don't do it right away, the moments slip right by you. The next time I write, we'll be in California, starting yet another adventure to document!

Splish Splashin'

2011-06-16T11:18:00.000-07:00

We had the pleasure to meet up one last time with my friend, Jen, at her gym. That's right, this fancy pants gym has a few gigantic pools outside and in, and Vinny especially loved the beach entry for some splishin' and some splashin'!

Check out those cool Crocs, all turned blue from the sunshine!

Ha, Vinny is sitting with me as I type away and he just pointed to his picture and said, "I kwimmin' Mommy." Oh, he is just so so sweet!

Finally Got The Shot...Sorta

2011-06-11T21:58:00.000-07:00

This is Vinny's buddy Evan. Isn't he a cutie pie? He is my friend Kelly's little guy and he's 3 months older than Vinny. They became really good pals in daycare. Vinny calls him "Evy." We went over to play one last time before we move and getting these two to stand still was nearly impossible. Since that visit, Vinny is now venturing up and down the stairs all by himself, just like Evan, and while that would have made me nervous a week ago, it's been so great during this packing frenzy! Take today for instance. While Joan and Bill helped me pack up the kitchen, Vinny kept himself entertained traveling between the family room and the playroom up in the loft. Until we heard a crash...no it wasn't Vinny...it was his little fire truck ride-along toy. We didn't know this until we saw him pushing the fire truck...downstairs. Little $h!t. He sent it flying down the stairs! So emergency room visit averted, and a prayer of thanks that we are moving to a single story home in California!

Helping Boppo with Jobs

2011-06-09T21:43:00.000-07:00

It's really pretty neat to watch this special relationship develop between Vinny and Boppo. Boppo has a lot of jobs to do throughout the day, and many have to be done in a particular order and always in a particular way. There is no varying from the sequence. And whenver he can enlist the help of Vinny, he does. And Vinny loves it. He really is a good little helper. So there he is up there watering the plants and looking for lizards in the courtyard in front of Mommo and Boppo's house.

Vinny's new favorite treat is whipped cream, right out of the can onto his finger. He's only recently taken to licking his fingers, so this has been pretty funny to watch. Boppo's working on allowing him to squirt it right into his mouth, but so far, no luck. Justin is the pro, so I bet one of these days, he'll teach his little cousin that little trick.
YUM!
Time to rest...in front of a "Gickey" episode I am sure...

Check Out That Arm! Yup, He's a Lefty!

2011-06-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

Play Date at the Phoenix Zoo with our East Valley Friends

2011-06-01T21:05:00.000-07:00

Two of our very dear friends live way back in the east Valley of Phoenix closer to where we used to live in Mesa. Both are teachers and with school out for summer, it was the perfect opportunity to take our kiddos to the Phoenix Zoo. Normally June is approaching unbearable, but this early summer has been mild, so we could roam the zoo in comfort all morning. Here is Vinny with his buddy Elliot, Erica and Jason's little guy. He'll be two this August!

The whole gang, taking a little snack break. There's little Jocelyn, about to turn one whole year old this August! She belongs to the Prathers, John and Debra.
Vinny wasn't quite as courageous through the splashpad as Elliot, but he did enjoy running through the little stream of water around the sprinklers. Notice his super cool Crocs? Daddy bought them special for Vinny, as he loves Crocs, and they are about the only shoes that fit Vinny's chubby feet. Anyway, they turn from white to blue in sunlight!
Petting the goats with Elliot
So, the playground didn't go so well. As he walked across to the "bwide" he had his eyes on, some sand got caught up in his Crocs, and Vinny didn't like it one bit as you will see. He literally didn't move from this spot, he just remained planted firmly until I came to the rescue...but not before I snapped some priceless photos!

The horribly mismatched outfit by the way was not planned...I couldn't get him changed fast enough before he got wet in the splashpad...so we did things a little backwards and put him in a dry swimsuit afterwards!

Memorial Day Swim at Uncle Tom's and Aunt Weez's

2011-05-31T15:48:00.000-07:00

Vinny warmed up to the pool with a quick dip in the hot tub with Uncle Tom. He likes to walk laps around the seats and play with the waterfall. Uncle Tom and Aunt Weez have a pretty sweet back yard!

Swimmin' with Daddy and James!

Big Cousin, Little Cousin! Yep. That guy was our ring bearer 12 years ago. He is an awesome kid.

James, nearly 16, ditched the family party to go get into some trouble with his friends. So Justin, yet another really awesome kid, was left all alone among a bunch of boring adults. We felt kinda bad for him, so we put him to work.

What a good sport! The water wasn't exactly warm, and Vinny had no tolerance for putting on his wet suit. Besides, he'd rather skinny dip anyway. Justin was such a trooper, playing fetch with Vinny. I say fetch, because Vinny had his cousin chasing deep into the chilly water to retrieve the ball.

Silly Uncle Tom!

Zoo!

2011-05-31T15:41:00.000-07:00

We thought we'd take one last trip to our local zoo down the road on Memorial Day. Vinny wasn't too crazy about the very vocal monkeys this morning.

This was our view most of the morning...always on the run!

BIG BOY BED TIME!

2011-05-29T15:23:00.000-07:00

It was time. Once I realized he could lift his leg over the top of the crib, I wasn't willing to risk him flinging himself out of it and breaking his neck. I know, I know. Boys will be boys. But overprotective mamas will be overprotective mamas, too. Anyway, here he is helping Daddy replace the front of the crib with the toddler rail.
Maiden voyage in the big boy bed...looking promising!

One little monkey jumping on the bed!

Now for all the animals...

By now, Vinny has been in his big boy bed for two whole weeks, and he loves it! He loves to have all his little animal buddies in there with him, especially ducky, husky, and his blankee. Vinny can open doors now, so when he wakes in the morning he walks across the loft and into our room to let me know he's up. Whereas before he'd just hang out in his crib and sing or talk to himself for a good long time, completely content. But now, once he is up, he is well, up, and it's early. But I've been able to sneak in a few more winks by pulling him up into our bed and he just snuggles right up with me. Not going to lie, I love it. Turns out, once a cuddler, always a cuddler.

Odds and Ends

2011-05-25T14:51:00.000-07:00

Making Scrambled Eggs with Daddy

It's really quite sweet...he says "help-ee" and off he goes to grab the chair from the dining room and he pushes it over to the counter. He climbs up and patiently waits for the tools and ingredients. Judging by the pose, he's saying cheese...

Playing with blocks at Mommo and Boppo's
Resting with his Best Buddy, BOPPO...and the Ba-Ba

Vinny's helped Boppo break in that spot on the couch even deeper. This is about how every night at Mommo an Boppo's has ended for the last two years. Same spot, same position, same pacifier...which by the way we tried to break. But we think Boppo likes it just as much as Vinny. I saw in Babies R Us one day that they were discontinuing his paci, so I bought the last one and figured that would be it. Well soon after he spent a weekend at Aunt Weez's and Uncle Tom's and he went with out it the whole time. Then, 3 or 4 days in a row at our house. Really thought we were on a roll. And then he found it, and actually called it by a name, "Ba-Ba." And we are right back at square one. But only at nap and bedtime, so little by little and it'll be gone. And that last replacement ba-ba? Forget about it. Won't take it. He only wants his old grubby one. The ring has completely broken off and it looks disgusting. But like Boppo says, it's not like he'll be taking it to kindergarten, so just stop worrying about it. We'll see...
Hangin' Out with Pals

Does this bring back memories of Forrest Gump, or what? Here he is with our neighbor's kiddos, Elijiah and Abygale. Vinny loves Abby in particular, and she's so sweet on him. Now the videos down below are dark, but oh, so funny. Vinny doesn't have much in the way of dance moves, but Abby got him going this one night, and if you look carefully you can see him really shakin' what his mama gave him!

Weekend Getaway...

2011-05-15T16:11:00.000-07:00

I met Anthony in Los Angeles for one final attempt at house hunting. We then drove north to Santa Barbara to catch a Zac Brown Band concert, which was the best show I've ever seen. The next day we celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary by taking wine tour, and then on our way back to the airport and one last house to check out, we made a pit stop in Simi Valley to tour the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. It's a good thing we will have visitors so we have a good reason to go back...we ran out of time and left many of the exhibits unseen. Some of my favorites, other than the amazing views, were the love letters he wrote to Nancy and his collection of hand written quotes, all on index cards and carefully cataloged in of all things, a plain old photo album. We also toured his Air Force One, which was decommissioned after Reagan's presidency and replaced by a Boeing 747 to better accommodate the needs of the Presidential entourage. All told, it was one of those experiences that makes you so very proud of our country.

Finger Painting and Packing

2011-05-07T15:39:00.000-07:00

Check out the tongue...Vinny's trademark face while doing anything that requires any amount of concentration! So stinkin' cute!

Can you guess what he is saying? Yep, "Cheeezth!"

It turns out Vinny takes his finger painting quite literally, only using his one (left, of course) pointer finger. It took some doing, but I finally got him to smear his whole hand around in the paint.

First Box Packed and Ready to Go!

Well, maybe not. I finally got motivated to start packing and as soon as I got going, this is what happened! He is adorable...and he knows it!

At the time of my post, and I am trying desperately to catch up, there are only a few days left till we pack up the truck and head west for California. Thankfully, we have a lot packed, and Vinny has actually gotten involved, helping me pack up shoes, books, and some clothes. He says, "help-ee, help-ee?" I think he gets that from my saying "Vinny do you want to help me?" he hasn't figured out the word "you" yet. Anyway, no toys have been packed yet, as his books didn't exactly go wonderfully. For every book I packed, he unpacked three! But it's been cute to have him hold the tape gun and marker as I label each box.

Happy Easter 2011!

2011-04-24T15:02:00.000-07:00

After helping Mommo color "eather ayths" the day before, Vinny was a pro at it. Needless to say, we needed a lot of soap in the bathtub this night. By the way, all eggs, cooked all ways, are now known as Easter Eggs. Kinda cute.

Check Out what the Easter Bunny Brought!
Gramma and Papa sent a special package from Connecticut, and Vinny was intrigued by the plastic grass. We, on the other hand, were annoyed by it, as I imagine most parents are. you can see him above confused that his little cheesy crackers looked like bunnies instead of fishies. Gramma finds the cutest things!
Ooooooh! Bubbles! While Mommy and Daddy were so exited that the Easter Bunny brought Vinny a bubble gun that could potentially save us from passing out from blowing our hot air, we made a note to the Bunny to spend a little more money on the next one, as the cheapy didn't make it till the end of the day.
More loot from Gramma and Papa! Here he is clapping with excitement!
And here he is posing with his trademark cheese face...
Off to Hunt for Easter Eggs!
He counts, but every number is "twooo," and after each deposit into the basket, he signed "more."

Sometimes Pictures Speak Louder Than Words...

2011-04-24T14:56:00.000-07:00

Popsicles and Lizard Hunting

2011-04-01T14:38:00.000-07:00

"Cheeeeeeeesth" is what you will hear if you take out a camera in front of Vinny-but you better take the picture fast, because he won't pose for very long!The weather this spring was so mild that we could take advantage of sitting out on the patio at night and just relax...something that doesn't happen very often when you have a toddler. Here is Vinny enjoying his very first popsicle of the summer. Later he would play in his water table and dig in the sand a bit.
Before long, the lizards would join the party and Vinny was on the hunt to spy them. He would call "yizah, where are de?" And then he would hold his finger to his lip and "soosh" much like he does when we read about the little old lady in Goodnight Moon, as not to disturb his little desert friends. You can see the little guy on the wall down in the right hand corner of the picture below.

Vinny Turns TWO!!

2011-03-30T08:08:00.000-07:00

This was the very first picture out of the shoot. Vinny sat down on the mat and immediately said "cheese." It was down hill after that. Sure the pictures all look adorable, thanks to the genius of a clever and quick photographer. We were absolutely exhausted trying to wrangle this busy boy!

I love this one...it pretty much sums up our happy boy. Always running, jumping (well trying to anyways), and clapping!
And so the party planning begins...

OK, I will admit, we went overboard. We went nuts, we completely lost our minds. No denying it. Once I got started, I couldn't stop. If Vinny has only child syndrome, it will completely be our fault, and I know this. It all began with his little choo-choo arm chug that drives me crazy with love. It's just so cute and I have yet to catch it on video. It's one of those things that had better burn into my white matter, as John would say. And then, his obsession with Mickey Mouse, or "Gickey" as he says, spurred a google search which lead me to....
Cute right? So then when we learned we couldn't have his party at the train park, another google search lead us to find that we could bring the train to us. But what would our little party guests do while waiting for the train to arrive? Jump in a bounce house I suppose! Here is Vinny and Daddy getting a sneak preview since the guy delivered it the night before.
The Cake...

Here is the cake that I made for the big day. While I did enjoy the end results, I do look forward to the day when Vinny puts in his own request for just a plain old chocolate cake with regular ole' frosting...or better yet a carvel ice cream cake.
Birthday donut! We practiced singing Happy Birthday and Stolat, as we were worried he get a little stage fright like last year. After a hundred times and burning the candles down to nearly nothing, we thought we would have a show-off on our hands for the main event, but as you will see below, he got shy.
First presents of the day from Mommy and Daddy: a scooter (Vinny calls it his scooty) and a basketball hoop. He took to it really fast!
Let the Games Begin!

Here is Vinny with his little buddy Evan.
Anthony proudly grilling his burgers. He insisted on using the charcoal grill so they took a bit longer, but everyone thought it was worth it.
Vinny with Aunt Weez.
Who needs a dog when you have a two year old that can beg for bites just as well? Aww, I don't think Boppo minds one bit!
Gramma is taking Vinny out front to see his special surprise...
And here it is! We loaded the kids in the train and the conductor took them around the neighborhood and then down to the basketball court behind our house. Despite Vinny's expression, he must of liked it because he showed no hesitation and stayed on the whole time. Here he is in between his two girlfriends, Lia and Ellie.
What the heck is going on here Mommy? Have you lost your marbles?
But see, it was irresistible.
Time to sing...and cling to Mommy. He did like blowing out his candles though.
His haul of presents was ridiculous! What a lucky and loved little boy.

Books are a favorite item!
Evan gave him a Handy Manny toolbox, which he loves to dance to when it plays its famous theme song, and it has come in quite handy with various projects around the house. Yet, he doesn't like the show. Odd.
Back to the bouncehouse. Now I understand why everyone out here gets one of these for parties-it was the perfect entertainment for the kiddos, and I didn't have to supervise one game! In retrospect...shoulda just stopped here. LOL
Happy Boy!
Vinny's pals Lia, Elliot, and Ellie
Our pals Debra, John, Teresa, Jason, and Erica
Little Miss Jocelyn playing amidst the aftermath.
March Madness! Everyone gathered to watch UCONN squeak by the AZ Wildcats!
Proud UCONN Family!

And UCONN went on to become the 2011 national Champs! Way to go Huskies!
Fun with Gramma and Papa!

First item of business...find a good Mexican restaurant for lunch! But try not to get a speeding ticket on the way. grrrrr. Not happy about that, but I digress. Anyway, Gramma and Papa got a first hand look at how eating out with Vinny is challenging these days. Especially when there are birds (tweet-tweets) and fountains, and all kinds of places to run and climb. We all took turns chasing Vinny and scarfing down our lunch!

We took a trip to the Train Park in Scottsdale and had a blast! Vinny loved riding on the train and asked to go on the Merry Go Round again and again and again! Now of course we took most of the pictures on my mom's camera, and she sent me the disk...and of course it packed.
Hi Papa!
This was Mom and Dad's last trip to Arizona! The next time they come out to visit us, it'll be in California! We had a good time reflecting on the fact that had it not been for us living here in the desert, they probably would have never come here to the Grand Canyon State. They've seen enough brown desert and red rocky mountains to last them a lifetime and I think they will enjoy visiting the Pacific Ocean, Disneyland, and Hollywood even more-especially with Vinny!

Spring Training...Not So Relaxing This Year!

2011-03-20T13:58:00.000-07:00

Three. Yup, that's all you get. Three measly pictures. Granted we seemed to be super busy this year, with Anthony traveling, and me planning the big birthday extravaganza, and who knows what else. Spring training seemed to be over began it even started, and I think we made it to two games all told. Vinny saw none of them, and neither did we come to think of it. If we weren't chasing him up and down the hill you see above inning after inning, we were stuffing his little face with snacks in hopes of keeping him still so we could catch our breath! He was the center of attention for all who strolled by center field, as you could hear him giggle and squeal a mile away. And how exciting it was for Vinny to finally figure out how to roll down a hill! Knowing how little he enjoys sticky hands, he must unhappy about the cotton candy we let him try for the first time in the picture above! Either that or he just scrubbed in for surgery...but somehow I doubt that.

Not Your Most Conventional Way to Celebrate St. Paddy's Day...!

2011-03-17T20:57:00.000-07:00

Phoenix Suns Day On the Court

Anthony had the opportunity to go play basketball with his Cigna co workers in the US Airways Arena today. So off we went to watch Daddy and Uncle Tom dominate the court. There wasn't much basketball watching though...Vinny ran around the court and up and down the steps for one hour straight!

A quick pause to cheer for Daddy...

Time out for a quick snack...This by the way was Cigna's cheering section.
Daddy, Vinny, and Uncle Tom.
Mr. Brian helped Vinny shoot some free throws.
After the game, Vinny ran around the court non-stop. This was as close as I could get to a still shot.
Yeah right Ma, you want me to stand still here on center court? No way!
We tried luring him with a ball...geesh, this kid is quick!
This is how Vinny passed much of his time...running around the rows, setting all the seats down. I'm sure US Airways staff appreciated this bit of helpfulness.
Playing ball with his pals Ben and Hannah.
Finally, Anthony was able to wrangle Vinny for a super cute picture!
Not 10 minutes into our ride home...

Mommy's Little Leprechaun

Still squirrelly, I remember how much smaller Vinny was when I took his picture in this chair last year!
After a long day, it's time to put away the camera before we melt down! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Spring Break!

2011-03-16T21:32:00.000-07:00

Warm Weather = Water Table!

Vinsanity (a nickname coined by a friend that is making more and more sense these days)

2011-03-15T22:29:00.001-07:00

Springtime doesn't seem to last long out here in the desert...I suppose I take the winter for granted. So before it heats up for good, Vinny and I are enjoying some trips to the park in town. He is so brave and quick on his feet. No need to climb on the playscape with him-he knows exactly where to go and what to do all by himself, including sprinting towards the pond to say hi to the ducks. Needless to say, I get a little workout chasing after him!

While I don't have a picture, I have to share Vinny's first traumatic experience on the slide. Ant took him to the tot lot behind our house last weekend. Being the hands on dad that he is, Ant couldn't just wait idly on the ground waiting for Vinny to come down the slides...he had to run around on the playscape with him, of course. Well, before he knew it, Vinny took off down a slide...on his tummy...and the poor kid face-planted in the sand below. Sand stuck to every sweaty inch of his head and hands. Ant did his best to brush him off and quickly loaded him back on his trike and got him home. Into the tub Vinny went, and all you could hear was the crunch of sand in his teeth. A few scrapes and "sand burn" still remain a couple days later, and the incident is now just a thing of the past, no lasting emotional damage. He was right back to running, climbing, sliding, and giggling today! Oh, and the safe stable stairs to the top...no no no. Those are apparently way too boring. Why take the easy way up when you can climb the slippery ladder rungs with nothing but air underneath? Ugh, seriously, I am going to have a heart attack one of these days!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-18T14:10:00.000-08:00

Vinny helped me roll out and cut fancy heart shaped sugar cookies after nap one day, and then he decorated them all by himself. He was an intensely serious baker, not stopping to pose even once. Although he did say "CHEE" through my snapping away.

Once he discovered that the little hearts were edible, well let's just say not too many more made it to the cookies.

I loved how each cookie was dimpled with his little fingerprints, although you can't see them well here...wish I had my camera on the right setting!

Waiting for the cookies to bake and cool was not an easy feat, so we had to pass the time with a snack-a-palooza of pretzels, raisins, and yogurt. But once they were ready, so was Vinny!

These were our special Valentine's Day cupcakes-Dark Chocolate Cake with Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache Filling and Buttercream Frosting. Who needs some fancy cupcake shoppe when you have this Mommy? Vinny tested, Vinny approved.

Adventures at the Park...and more!

2011-02-18T13:25:00.000-08:00

After reflecting about how cold and grey it is back home, how fortunate we are to live in the land of sun and warmth...I'm sure I will be singing a different tune come later this spring when we are packing boxes in triple digit temperatures. So off to the park we go these days. Vinny is so much more, dare I say, athletic, traversing the playscape. He is swift and steady on his feet, and can climb up the steps, some quite steep, all by himself.

No more baby slides for Vinny! He bypasses those and runs straight for the tallest, bumpiest slides on the playscape...and does not hesitate to zoom all the way down! It's hard to catch a shot of him in action!
And what trip to the park would be complete without feeding the ducks and geese? While reading On the Night You Were Born, I pointed out the geese on a page and said honk honk, and it's since become one of Vinny's favorite animal sounds...although it sounds more like "hawn-hawn." So off to the pond we go to talk to the water fowl in their own language and toss some bits of bread their way. Vinny must think the ducks are pretty intense birds, because his quack is half roar, and altogether hilarious!

While I am thinking of it, I should probably document all of his animal sounds to date:

moo-moo (he loves to go for walks behind our neighborhood and visit the "moo-moos" through the fence)
naaaaay
rahr (lion/bear)
quah-quah (ducks)
hawn-hawn (geese)
baa, just baa
ruh-ruh, ruh-ruh (dog)
meew (cat)
ssssssssss (snake, duh)
swee swee (mouse)
twee-twee (bird)
he does a pretty adorable elephant that I couldn't even begin to reproduce in letters...but it involves a high pitched blowing squeal with his fist curled up to his nose.

Vinny is also starting to use more and more words.

He's known just about all his colors for a while now and loves to say their names as he colors at his easel. Our favorites are "lellow" and "bwoo." He is now starting to say "go" when we see green lights and "stah" when we get to red lights, all with hand motions!
He points and counts, and it would appear he is already working on his one to one correspondence. Although, when he began all numbers were "one" just with different inflections. Now, everything is "twooooo" with the same inflections that we would count normally. We're working on holding up two fingers for his birthday next month!
Recently I caught Vinny reading his Elmo bath book in the tub, turning each page one at a time and pointing to the baby saying "dady" and then on to Elmo saying "Melmo." If he skipped a page he'd say "nooo" and shake his head much like he does when he mismatches his sorting blocks.

I have been waiting for the talking stage to get here for a long time now, and you can imagine that it makes this mommy proud!

Snowed Under

2011-02-18T13:16:00.001-08:00

Not us in Surprise, Arizona of course, but in Connecticut! My mom sent me a few pictures from home, and I couldn't help but include them here on the blog to forever document the amount of snow that has fallen this winter. We were fortunate enough to be back there for the first blizzard during the Christmas holiday, and fortunate enough to get to leave it all behind. My poor parents on the other hand became buried under an increasingly thicker blanket of snow.

Sure, a part time schedule is nice, but there is nothing like the anticipation of a snow day! Sometimes I think we teachers are worse than the kids!

Wedding Song Reflections

2011-01-27T19:46:00.000-08:00

While tooling around tying to find a new song to link up to the Vinny blog, I happened upon our wedding song by Bryan Adams. Hope you have your volume turned up so you can hear it. It seemed so perfect at the time, and we still love it...even if we forget the song title. But as I listened to it tonight, the lyrics seem to have taken on a new meaning. It used to me just Anthony and me. Now, it's Vinny that has become the center of our world and reason for everything we do.

Forever, we will be

together

a family.

The more I get to know you,

nothing will compare.

With all of my heart

you know I'll always be right there.

For you Vinny. Always and Forever.