Chugga Chugga Choo Choo!

Vincent is still pushing everything in sight, including toys, kitchen stools, his highchair, even diaper boxes! I'm hoping to upload a video of that later...it's impressive to see how fast he moves things around, and with such gusto. I love how he figured out how to turn his train and pushy thing, so he really navigates the living room and kitchen quite easily these days! He huffs and puffs to let you know how hard he is working to get around.

See those little blocks in the caboose? There's 26 of them. One for each letter of the alphabet. We know this because they came individually wrapped. That and we find them all over the living room. But let me tell you....Vincent knows exactly where they go. He will crawl clear across the room to grab an alphablock to bring back to the train and stick down the chute. He's smart, that one!



You think he's proud of himself?

Friday Night with the Neighbors!

This past weekend we had Dave, Carole, Brycie, Lisa, and Andre over for dinner and freshly squeezed margaritas. Yum! It had been forever since we had all been together. It was really a great night for catching up.

He may be in his jammies, but that's no excuse for not wearing his favorite ballcap-especially when the Royals' coach is over!

We were serving some really yummy carne asada for supper, and Vinny didn't want to be left out. So I tore up a tortilla into little bite size pieces for him...Well that just wouldn't do. While I turned my head, Vinny had stolen my tortilla right off my plate! Dave says he a true Arizona baby!

Bryce brought over his cars to play after Vinny went to bed. But Vinny didn't want to leave the party, so we convinced Bryce to share, and we would do our best to keep the cars out of Vinny's mouth. Bryce has a thing about toys in baby mouths. :) Bryce was such a good friend that night.

I couldn't help but think of my brother...he loved Matchbox cars when he was little, too. We used to tease my dad about holloring at Brian to pick them up since he'd leave them everywhere. Memories.

Hap-py Easter! Boing, Boing, Boing...

That would be the noise we've been hearing over and over again these days. You see, the Easter Bunny brought all kinds of fun little trinkets, but methinks the Bunny didn't realize how annoying this particular toy would be. And given Vinny's fascination with all things shakable, we hear this little toy often....

I find myself looking back these days, saying to myself, a year ago this time we were...Well a year ago this time we had such an easy time of getting through Mass. It occurred to us on Easter Sunday that Mass has become significantly more challenging week after week. Last year, we held a sleeping Vinny all through Mass. Now we find ourselves shoveling Cheerios into his mouth because eating makes for a happy baby boy, passing him back and forth because this little sack of potatoes gets heavy fast, and walking with him across the back of the church because sitting still is not one of Vinny favorite things to do. Whew-it can be down right exhausting!

Vincent looked so handsome in his new Easter outfit from Mommo and Boppo. Another holiday, another tie.

Anthony's brother John and our nephew Will came out for a visit this weekend. It was so nice to catch up with them, since we don't get to see them all that often. We spent the afternoon at Tom and Weez's house, and here we have a beautiful shot of all the Mandrola Men: Anthony, Vincent, John, James, Justin, Tom, Will, and Boppo. This is one we will forever treasure.

Here is John posing with James and Justin:

The boys:

Cruising the patio and playing with Will:

Below is a great shot from a couple days earlier when John and Will came by the house for a visit. Vinny was trying out his new snack trap, but it was pretty frustrating for him to get his hand out. Uncle John said it was down right torture for the little guy, so he took the lid right off!

Splish Splash! And the "Sad Face"

Ummmmm, I think Daddy went a little overboard with the bubble bath. Bath time pictures never get old, probably because bath time never seems to get old for Vincent. He loves his bath, no matter tub or kitchen sink.

And here it is...the sad face.

We sat down to eat shortly after bath time, and while we were otherwise engaged in conversation, and dare I say not gawking at Vinny for this one given second, he caught his hand in between the spokes of the chair. Mommo rescued him from the trap, but not in time to stop the tears. We weren't able to catch the pout, but here you can see the devastation. It took a few minutes for him to recover, and of course the camera is never out of reach, so we could capture the aftermath. You never wish harm or sadness upon your baby, but I tell you, there is something special about your baby reaching out for you for comfort, and then collapsing over your shoulder with a hug. It only took about two seconds after this shot for the sweet release from the booster chair to Daddy's arms. sigh.

Walking the Block

On our last day with Gramma and Papa, we took a little stroll up and down the street with the little walker. It's really hard to come to grips with how quickly this past year has flown by. The only saving grace is how fun Vincent has become. Every day seems to bring a new trick, giggle, and facial expression...the latest being the sad pouty face when you say no, which Boppo has removed from his vocabulary ever since making Vinny cry...we first saw this face as Vinny was about to eat another handful of sand from his new sand table. Our frantic warnings of "no" scared him and ever since that word seems to beckon the pouty face. Not that I wish for it, but catching it on camera would be priceless...stay tuned. For now, a few shots of our stroll...

Bath Time

No more baby bath tub, it's time for the big boy bath tub! With all the crawling, cruising, sunblock, and sand table play, ending each day with a bath has become part of our routine. I love this time. Vincent is learning how to blow bubbles, put his face in the water, and explore with new toys. He's always loved bath time, and now that he is more interactive, it's becoming more fun for us, too.

Eating Out, Looking Adorable

It's only taken us 11 years, but we finally made it to Los Dos Molinos in South Central Phoenix. Totally worth the drive, delicious food. Vinny enjoyed a home made tortilla and chicken taco. He wants nothing to do with baby food anymore-bring on the real food! No wonder he feels like a sack of potatoes. He is such a good eater, and it shows on the scale-he's up to 23 pounds!

Vincent was the main attraction with the lunch crowd at Lis Doon Verna, and Irish pub in Arrowhead. It's always a good feeling to receive compliments from strangers that catch a glimpse of the little ham, and boy oh boy does Vinny love the attention. He just cracks us up!

I love that Vincent plays to the camera. He grins ear to ear showing all 6 of his teeth as soon as we say cheese! Too cute.