They are just too smart for me!

I have no good excuse for not posting, so I'm not going to make one. I just want to share a funny story.
This morning Andro is taking the boys out to the car to go to daycare. As he is putting Aidan in, Luka tries to get himself in the car. It has been raining pretty much the past 4 days straight, and everything is quite wet. He goes to the car door and pulls the handle. It slips out of his hand and he falls backward. Andro goes over to him and goes, "Luka, are you ok??!" Luka stands up and says, "Well, that wasn't supposed to happen!" In true Luka fashion he tries again, gets the door open this time. He's so proud and yells, "I did it all by myself!!!" I can't believe how big he is. Wow! It happens so fast! :)

Christmas 2008 & New Years 2009

Making a list and checking it twice...

Well, things have been exciting around here! Although we didn't quite make it into the new house for Christmas as I had hoped, we finally spend our first night there the Sunday after Christmas. I would like to say that after everything that we have gone through with this house, that moving day went smoothly, but alas, I can not.

Let me rewind a bit though and quickly go through Christmas, which was really nice. Since we were not in the house yet we went as a family to mass on Christmas Eve. Luka slept through most of it and Aidan ran around through most of it. We then went up to Aunt Barbara's for dinner which was delicious and fun. We went home, put the boys to bed and awaited Santa's arrival! Christmas was nice and the boys got so many presents from family, friends and Santa.

Ok...back to moving day...we spent all day packing and moving on Sunday, December 28th. When we finally sat down to eat dinner with the boys, Allie and Rebecca and Joe (who came up to help us out) we were all exhausted and a little stinky! :) So, Andro and I go upstairs to give Aidan a bath, Luka is downstairs in the new playroom watching Max and Ruby and Rebecca comes upstairs asking for towels...lots of them. Long story short, every inch of plumbing in the entire house was removed throughout the renovation except for the pipe running out to the street. At some point that pipe cracked and roots grew in...so the sewer backed up...into our new playroom... Thank God Joe and Rebecca were there and knew what to do! I didn't take any pictures. I should have, but I didn't. The vision is forever burned into our brains...photos didn't seem necessary. It was a messy and stinky way to christen our new house but God's got a funny sense of humor sometimes!

I think I will stop here and update New Year's Eve in Boston at a later date...

Slacker!

So...it is a full week after THANKSGIVING already and I haven't even posted Halloween yet! I would love to say that it is because we have been sitting around, staring at each other and that nothing exciting has happend but that is simply not the case. In fact things are moving along at break-neck speed! For those of you following the house extravaganza the painters are painting as we speak and claim to be finished by Friday evening! Our granite counter tops have been ordered and are scheduled to be installed on Monday. If the guys are really done painting on Friday we may actually start moving some stuff in over this weekend. My mom wants to get her tree up and it would be helpful if we could get some of the couches out of the way that have been living in her living room for more than 2 1/2 years!! I can't believe we are really going to be in for Christmas. I am dying to decorate!!!

Here's a picture of the outside with the trees taken down and the sod. Isn't it just beckoning for Chrismas lights...

Now, to rewind a bit...Halloween this year was fun because we trick-or-treated in our new neighborhood. Uncle Phil, Aunt Shari, Matthew, Pop Pop, Aunt Baba and Meema all met us there where we had a little dinner and got dressed to get the night started. Luka actually asked to be a pirate this year so poor Aidan was stuck being a Parrot. Of course, he wouldn't wear the head piece so he kind of looked more like a flower than a parrot and I got a lot of, "she's so pretty!" comments. Nice. Funny story, when Luka's costume came in he was disappointed to see that it wasn't a cow cosutme. Not sure why, all of a sudden he wanted to be a cow, but I was somehow able to convince him that he was a cow...dressed up as a pirate. Another one of those "little white lies" that I defintely won't get away with next year! It was cute to ask him, "What does the pirate say?" to which he'd reply, "Yo, ho, ho! Aargh, matey!" Here are a few pics...

Thanksgiving was great this year too. We went up to Fishkill on Wednesday night, stayed over and then went to my uncle's house in Middletown on Thursday. I won't bore you with the details...just the pictures.


This is Pop giving Aidan ice cream cake. We celebrate lots of birthdays this time of year. I think this was Aunt Katherine's second birthday celbration. Luka can't see cake anymore without expecting candles and a full rendition of Happy Birthday.


This is what pretty much every picture with my boys look like. Aidan eating. Luka struggling to get down.

Thanks to Aunt Donna who set up a play room for the boys which totally kept them occupied...most of the time. Here are Luka and Matthew playing with the castle and pirate ship.




I think I am pretty much caught up now...except for the story of one Saturday morning...
Luka: drops something says, "Oh, crap!"
Me: Gasping, "We don't say that, we say, Uh-oh."
Luka: "No, uh-oh. Oh, CRAP!"
Me: "How about, Oh, no!"
Luka: "No, Oh, no. Oh, CRAP!"
Me: "UGH!"

Aaahhhh Fall....

I have always loved Fall. I love the colors and the smell...when you walk outside and think "Yum...it smells like Fall." I love that it starts getting chilly and you have to grab a coat. I love pumpkin picking and apple picking and playing in the leaves. And I realized this year, something I could have never known before...I love Fall about a million times more with two little boys who love it too!

Pasta and Parks

Saturday night we had pasta for dinner. Aidan who tends to "double-fist" pasta also tends to wind up with it from head to toe. This evening was especially messy and necessitated a photo op. Needless to say, he was taken from his highchair directly to the tub. Sunday afternoon the boys and I went to the park for a while. Luka was up and down every ladder and slide along the way. They grow up so fast...and he is becoming such a big boy.

Go, BABY, GO!!!

They call him...Aidan-stein... :)

A Busy Weekend

Well, didn't we have a very busy weekend?!

Andro and I went to New Hampshire for Heather and Mike's wedding. I would love to post a picture or two of the happy couple but, although my camera made the journey, a memory card did not. I was therefore only able to take 4 pictures and decided it better just to leave the camera in the room. For any of you reading this who DID take pics, I would love to see some!! Thanks to Heather and Mike for a really fun weekend; we had a great time!!!

In the meantime, back in NJ, Luka and Aidan had the pleasure of keeping Meema and Pop busy! Yesterday they all went to see the "Big Trucks." Firetrucks, ambulances, construction vehicles and the like. Luka was even allowed to climb in the trucks, sit in the front seat and even honk the horn! I do wish I could have been there...he LOVES trucks!!! Thankfully, Meema was able to take a few pictures with her phone.

There was also a petting zoo!! When we called in from the car he was hanging out with the animals. I asked him what he was doing and he goes, "Mama, mama!! COW!!! MMMMOOOOOOOOO!!!" He was so excited! There were rabbits and goats and "Mmamas" (which to you and me are llamas but to Luka are "Mmamas"). I said, "Oh, Llamas?" and he goes, "NO! Mmamas!" So cute!

Here he is gently petting a baby goat!

At the end of the conversation I said, "I'll see you soon, buddy. I love you!" And he goes, "I You, Mommy. I You, Daddy." I just about cried. :)

Then, just in case all that isn't enough fun for one weekend, when I got home Aidan walked across the floor to see me.
Unassisted.
On his own.
Completely.
Walking.
By himself.
Oh.
Crap.

Video of Aidan walking to follow soon!