Kids Video's

Alyssa doing her cannonball!




Alyssa trying out Nanny's new exercise video!

Cousins, cousins and more cousins

Jaden and Abby playing

Today we had a great day playing in the pool with Andy's cousin Jill from Boston. Alyssa and Jaden had such a good time playing with cousins Andrew and Abby. We were only able to see them for one day so we decided to take the kids and spend the day at the pool! Alyssa spent the almost the whole 5 hours doing cannonballs while Jaden spent his time playing with Abby.

Alyssa worn out from cannonballing ~ taking a short nap, poolside

Alyssa and Andrew

Water Park Fun

More water park fun! Now that Jaden can walk, he has a blast running through the water park near our house. There's a covered park and within the same play area, there is a big water area! Great place to cool off and have a good time!

Hmmmm.......I wonder if water will come up out of the drain??

Maddie & Sophia

Master Walker

Jaden is 10 months old!

All I have to say for this week is 'Jaden's Walking!' I can't believe my baby boy is walking at 10 months! I'm excited that he is able to get around better and play with Alyssa, but it's quite sad to see my baby walking so early! Why do they have to grow up so soon?

He loves to take everything out of the kitchen cabinets, turn the volume up and down on the TV, chase Alyssa around, bang things on the tile to make noise, pull Alyssa's hair and go up the stairs repeatedly!

He now has 4 teeth! 2 on top, 2 on bottom! Boy was it difficult to get that last top one to come in! Many sleepless nights with that one! I remember with Alyssa, too, the first 4 were the hardest for her, too! Hopefully the rest will be a breeze!

Jaden eats all table food now! He starts spitting and blowing bubbles the minute he sees a container of baby food! He loves fruit (bananas, pears, blueberries), veggies (peas, green beans, squash), waffles, sausage, turkey, rice cakes, yogurt, yogurt drops, crackers and cheese. Just to name a few of his favorites! He pretty much likes to eat anything we eat, also! He's pretty much mastered the sippy cup now, so that's a major improvement!

He is babbling a bunch the only real word we can make out is "mamamamamamama!" I love it!

Outside play day

Jaden driving his car

Today, I was on call again for work! We haven't been very busy and we are a bit overstaffed, so it was my turn to not work again! Instead of sitting around the house all day waiting for the phone to ring, I decided to make the most of a sunny day with the kiddos. First, we met Andy near his work for lunch. We went to In and Out burger, or as Alyssa says "The milkshake store." We had a great lunch with Andy, then it was off to Nanny's house for the afternoon. The kids played at her house for a while and Alyssa had a blast trying out Nanny's new exercise stepper. She was so cute following the videos and doing the routines! She's never 'exercised' before, but she was a pro! After that playing around, we went down the street to Karen & Ed's house to swim in their pool for a while. The whole 3 hours we were there, Alyssa was in and out doing cannonballs. Her goal was to do 1 million cannonballs! By her terms, she met that goal when it was time to go home! Jaden spent a little while in the pool, but mainly he was content to play in his pack n play the whole time. After an exhausting few hours in the 100 degree heat, we went back to Nanny & Opa's house for dinner. I don't know how, but the kids rode bikes/cars and played outside until dinner was ready. All in all, my goal of a busy outside play day went well! Everyone had such a great time!

Alyssa "cannonball"

Alyssa exercising

So funny! Jaden, "what are you doing?"

Alyssa riding her bike

Cookie Time

Had fun today baking chocolate chip, cherry, walnut cookies with Alyssa! She's such a big help in the kitchen now and absolutely loves it!

The finished project!

Mmmmm yummy!

Picture Time

Today I braced myself for what I thought would be an exhausting day getting professional pictures taken! We haven't taken any studio pictures since Jaden was born and he pretty much just laid there for those! At that time Alyssa wasn't very cooperative or keen on the idea of posing for pictures. She literally started crying or having a tantrum the minute she saw the camera. Because I wasn't sure how they would be, I decided to have my mother in law come with for reinforcements. I got the kids bathed, dressed and ready to go and we headed out to JCPenney. This is also the first time I've used their studio, so I wasn't sure how they would be with kids, either.

I was so proud and actually in shock at how well Alyssa listened to the photographer. She smiled and posed and was such a good girl! Jaden, who is an extremely active 9 month old wanted to explore. He wasn't too interested in sitting still for pictures, but we were still able to catch a few good shots. He would be smiling and laughing and the minute she brought the camera out, he just froze. I think he was just so fascinated with the big black camera!

After we were done with pictures, we headed to lunch with Nanny and then back to the studio to view our pictures. They turned out so good! Of course it takes 2 weeks for them to come in, and I'm so excited to see them printed out. Here are few small prints, but I'll be sure to post more when they come in.

Love this!

Alyssa's 3 year old collage

Jaden's 9 month old collage

Mama's Solo Weekend

This weekend Andy decided to take the 2 kids down to California for 1 overnight. My parents were going to my sister's house to bring the girls home, and at the same time they decided to stay and celebrate Brayden's 4th birthday. Because it's only a 2 hour drive, Andy thought it would be fun for Alyssa to go down, see the new house and have a fun birthday party with the cousins.

On the contrary, this meant mama would have Friday night and all day Saturday to herself! I was thrilled, but also knew I had a few things I wanted to get done while they were gone. I decided to go ahead and go grocery shopping Friday night. It was nice to do this without kids in the cart, asking for stuff, Jaden taking things of the shelf, etc. It was actually peaceful and I was able to browse, something I rarely get to do these days. I got some take out on the way home and enjoyed a quiet Friday night. Caught up on some "mom" shows ~ thanks to HGTV and Food Network!

Saturday, I slept in a bit, cooked myself a nice breakfast and headed off to Kohl's to spend a gift card that I had received for my birthday. I came back home, mopped the floors and it was time to get ready for a girl's night out. Jo Ann bought Alan Jackson concert tickets for the 3 of us to go for my birthday gift. Michelle, Jo Ann and I headed to the "M Resort & Casino" for dinner and the show. We ate at Marinelli's Italian restaurant. It was delicious, and the best part of all was enjoying a great dinner and adult girl conversation! Then we headed out to the pool, which was where the concert was set up. We had 6th row seats for Alan Jackson! It was such a great show. Towards the end of the show we boogied our way up to the stage, danced a bit and then waited for some souvenirs. Michelle was lucky enough to catch a guitar pick and then I was the luckiest to get the play list off the stage! I was so excited!

After a great night out, we headed back home. Andy and the kids were back from California by the time I got home. Kids were fast asleep and I headed off to bed!

The girls with the playlist

Jo Ann and Michelle

So close to Alan

Swim, Swim, Swim

Today we braced ourselves for yet another swimming day at Michelle's. It seems as though all the kids want to do is swim! I guess I shouldn't expect anything more when it's 100+ degrees outside! Michelle was so great to have us over again, along with Jo Ann, Maddie & Sophia. We had a little bit of a cool down the last few days with the temperature only in the 90's! Feels great outside, but the pool was a bit chilly. The kids didn't last in the water for as long as they normally due, and everyone was a bit purple after wards, but we still had fun for a while. Jo Ann brought a nice lunch for us and we sat outside, ate lunch and the kids played in the dirt, rode bikes and just enjoyed each others company!

Michelle, Jo Ann, Alyssa, Maddie & Sophia

The pool was too chilly for Jaden today, but he is always content to just be outside!

Alyssa playing in the dirt

Maddie & Sophia swinging

Playdate and First Pedi

Jaden standing all by himself - doesn't need to hold on much these days!

Alyssa & Aidan playing Hi Ho Cherry-O

Awww ~ this is relaxing!

Alyssa's first pedicure!

Today we had some of our good friends, Michelle & Aidan, over to play. I was actually supposed to work today, but due to our super low census, I was put on call. Although I was hoping to be called in for time and a half pay, I was happy to stay home. The kids had a blast! Aidan and Alyssa always play so well together! They enjoyed a few games of Hi Ho Cherry-O outside, ate popsicles and Alyssa got her first real pedicure, thanks to Michelle. She sat there so patiently and had her nails cut, filed, cleaned and polished with a pretty pink color! She was so good, I just might have to take her for her first salon pedicure! Although, it'll take me a while to justify the $35 pedicure for a 3 year old to dad!

Alyssa & Aidan almost zonked out ~ what a busy day!

Jaden's Baptism

Today we celebrated a very special day, as it was Jaden's Baptism. We decided, as we did with Alyssa to have it a little later than the normal infant Baptism. It took a little time to plan a date where all of our family would be in town for the occasion. The baptism was at St. Joseph Husband of Mary Catholic Church at 3:30pm. I spent the whole morning cleaning the house and preparing to have everyone over for dinner after the ceremony. Needless to say, it was a very busy morning! Thanks to Nanny and Opa who kept Alyssa overnight so that we would be able to clean and cook with only a few interruptions with Jaden.

We were so blessed to have Grandma and Papa, Nanny and Opa, Uncle Charlie, Uncle Jeff, Grandma and Grandpa by the Water, Miss Linda, Aunt Christina and Uncle Wayne, Hayley, Lilyanne and Brayden here to celebrate with us.

We arrived at the church with just enough time to take a few pictures, say a few hellos and take our seat. The actual ceremony was only 30 minutes. There were a total of 4 baptisms today. Jaden was so good and quiet for most of the time. He started getting antsy, as he wanted to get down and crawl around in his white tuxedo. Of course, mom wouldn't allow that! I must say, the only time he cried was when the Deacon accidently poured the water in his eyes. He didn't like that very much. I was so proud of how good Alyssa was, too. She sat quietly in the front row with Grandma and Papa and watched the whole ceremony. When one of the ladies started singing, she actually pulled out the hymnal and pretended to follow along.

After the ceremony, we posed for a few pictures. It didn't last too long, as Jaden was burning up in the 100 degree heat in his suit. It was also dinnertime, so we headed back to the house for a yummy dinner.

After much excitement and a very busy day, the kids ended the night by going to bed very early!!

Grandma and Grandpa by the Water (Jaden's great grandparents)

Nanny and Opa with Alyssa and Jaden

Grandma and Papa with Alyssa and Jaden

Jaden looking handsome in his tuxedo

Alyssa reading the hymnal

Me and the kiddos

The family