11 years....

Not a day goes by without thinking of you...

Love you daddy!

Guess who has a cold.....

I noticed she was "whistling" when she was breathing this morning. Then just before lunch, I saw her little nose running. It's always something!!!!!! Please don't let us all end up with this cold!!!!

Merry Christmas!

We had a wonderful Christmas. The kids slept until 8am!!! That was such a treat for David and me. However, once their eyes popped open - they only had one thing on their mind....
Here are a few pics of the kids opening their presents Christmas morning....

It's hard to tell from the photo, but Gianna was very excited about her little purse from Santa. Moments after I took this photo, she started playing with her "old" toys. Oh well, "he" tried!

I tried getting a pic of the three kids together...this is the best I could do!

The kids played with their toys for a little while and then we went over to Bamma's house. Not only did Bamma get the children gifts, Santa left a few over their too!

After opening presents, my mom made us brunch. Gianna couldn't wait for the rest of us, so she climbed up on this chair all by herself and enjoyed pancakes.

We had a wonderful Christmas and are so thankful for the family and great friends in our lives!

Christmas Eve

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve at Gino and Linda's (David's brother and wife). The food was amazing (I neglected to take a pic since I had my hands full with Gianna.) The appetizers were many and dinner was delicious. Not to mention, spending time with family is always fun!

Gemma and Spencer had a blast playing with their cousins and Gianna and I spent most of our time walking up and down the stairs. David and I forgot to bring a gate so when Gianna saw the stairs, I knew what I'd be doing for the remainder of our visit.

(a self portrait on one of the many trips on the stairs!)

Gianna made some friends....

Gemma, Spencer and Joshua (cousin) played music....

We decided to hit the road around 7:30 - Gianna was ready for bed and Gemma and Spencer were anxious to get ready for Santa's arrival! Those two have never gotten ready for bed so quickly! I told them we could check Santa's location on the computer - we were safe, he was still in Canada! They chose a snack for Santa, each wrote a note and then they were off to bed!

Gemma felt Santa should have something a little healthier than milk and cookies - we went with a honeycrisp apple and apple juice!

A Message From Gemma & Spencer....

Gemma says...
I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a very, very, very happy new year!


Spencer says...

To my friends and family, I wish you a Merry Christmas!

Good News!

Gianna is feeling much better! Her fever finally broke! Yeah!!

Poor Gianna is sick...

Poor Gianna has been running a fever since Friday morning. She's had a few other symptoms - not serious. David took her to urgent care this morning and we were told it's just viral and it has to run it's course. I hope it's out of her system soon - I miss my happy baby!

A Great Day!

Thursday was a great day for us. David took the afternoon off of work so we could go to school and see Gemma perform with the rest of the 2nd graders. Since we attend public school - they don't have a Christmas Concert. So instead, the school has a Winter Concert. The school band played a few pieces - which reminds me - I need to apologize to my mother for listening to my 3 years of "delightful" clarinet playing! The band did a great job, but the highlight was the 2nd graders. They signed the song "Somewhere Over The Rainbow". All the children wore black clothing and white gloves - the lights were off in the gym and only a black light was on to illuminate the children's hands. I'm not sure who was singing this version of the song, but it was just perfect. Gemma was one of 3 children asked to introduce the piece. They each had a paragraph to read - and she did a great job! I don't think I'd be able to talk in front of 500 + people! You Go Gemma!

After the wonderful performance, we loaded up the kids and headed to The North Pole, (Macy's in Minneapolis) for the annual Christmas display and visit with Santa. This years theme was Santa's Workshop. It was adorable. The kids really enjoyed it. I then insisted on getting our cookies to eat while we waited in line for Santa. (I love the gingerbread men. I don't know if they are really that tasty, or if it's just nostalgic for me.) We waited 20 minutes in line and made friends with those in front of us and behind. Gianna was really patient considering we couldn't let her out of her stroller to run around.

Once it was our turn to visit Santa, the photographer snapped this picture at the perfect moment. I was shocked when Gemma so willingly hugged Santa! It was such a sweet moment. Spencer on the other hand was fine not getting to close. As you can see, I ended up in one of the photo's too. After this pic was snapped, Gianna broke out into a very loud cry/scream. Oh well, she won't remember!

Just before leaving, we ran into Mrs. Claus and were able to get a quick picture with her!

After our visit to Minneapolis, we were in rush-hour traffic and decided to grab a bite at Perkins. Nothing fancy, but better than McDonald's!
It was such a nice afternoon/evening. The kids were great and had a lot of fun. I can't wait to go back next year!

A Night Out With Daddy

The SPCO was giving a free concert to military families and we thought it would be a wonderful way for the kids to experience an orchestra. So last night David attended the concert with Gemma and Spencer. We decided it would be best for me to stay home with Gianna since her attention span is about 30 seconds long at this point!

Here is the family before they left for the show...Gianna refused to look at me!


The kids insisted on a silly face picture. (Gemma is suppose to be a reindeer.)

Here are the kids at the concert. It started 30 minutes late because the conductor was stuck in traffic due to the snow last night. Overall, David said the kids enjoyed it. They were bored at times, but said they would really like to go again!

On a side note, this photo would be great for our Christmas card....if only Gianna were in it!!!

What David Thinks of Winter.....

You can't tell in the photo, but David is giving "The Bird".

Enough said.

Our Weekend

We had a rather eventful weekend despite the fact that David had reserves. On Saturday the kids and I went to a friends (Mishka) art Co-op and watched a glass blowing demonstration. While we waited for the demo (which I neglected to photo), we visited with Mishka in her work space. Gemma and Spencer got a little restless, so they asked Mishka if they could use her sidewalk chalk and draw on the floor. (that's the beauty of a warehouse!)

She was more than willing to oblige the request and even gave the kids an impromptu art lesson. They had a lot of fun with that! After a 2 hour visit, Gianna decided it was time to go. We bought a few Christmas presents and then went home.

Saturday night we went to IHOP to celebrate our friend Chris's birthday. (I neglected to take any photos). I was just happy to have chocolate chip pancakes! The kids were great and the company was fun. We were home by 8pm and kids were all tucked in and asleep by 8:30!

Sunday we went to visit Bamma and Titi Evelyn. Gemma decided to go to church with Evelyn and Gianna and Spencer had a snack while watching cartoons. I think Gianna wanted to eat Spencer's snack too!

I don't think Spencer moved from the bed the whole time we were there. If he needed something he just asked Bamma! What a lucky boy!

After our visit, we came home and Gianna took a short nap. Boy, did she need it!!! David came home early from reserves and we just had a quick and easy dinner. After a much needed bath for Gianna, Gemma dressed up in her fairy costume. She decided Gianna should get into the act too. It was so cute seeing them play together.

However, Spencer got involved and the quiet playing quickly turned loud and wild. I think this photo says it all! I'm just thankful that the three of them get along so nicely. I hope it continues!!!

I See Me!

Gianna finally figured out to step-up onto her stool to look out the window. But if you look closely, you can see her reflection. I think that is what she's looking at!

She's admiring her own cute, little face!! What a ham!

And yes - the stool has been removed from the room.

Fun Saturday!

On Saturday, we went the the Jackson Street Roundhouse. During the month of December they decorate it for Christmas and have various activities for children. We visited here a few years ago and decided we needed to bring Gianna this time! This is actually a museum with old trains that the kids can play in. Spencer is 6 1/2 and still loves trains. Here he is ringing the bell...over and over and over again!

One of the really cool things to see here is the Lego train display. There is a group of guys that have a huge train track made out of nothing but Legos. The display is approximately 17 feet by 34 feet!!!! I didn't know that Lego even had electric trains. The display is pretty amazing - the photos don't do it justice. We probably spent 30 minutes just walking around and looking at all the details. I kept reminding the kids to keep there hands away from the display, but the guys were really cool. They told me not to worry - it's made of Legos and pretty easy to put back together!

After enjoying the display the kids went to listen to Mrs. Claus tell a few stories. Gianna even listened for a few minutes, but then she wanted to move! Just after this photo was taken, Mrs. Claus was reading another book and Spencer noticed she skipped a line in the story. He quickly, but politely told her. He then told her that he was such a good reader because he is a first-grader. She didn't skip anymore lines after that. Thanks, Spencer!

Here she is having a snuggle with daddy. Gianna didn't sleep at all - but was in a great mood. After 2 1/2 hours at the museum, we decided to call it a day. It was a great day.