November 2015

With a day off from school, we headed to Crayola Factory for some fun! We went when Mark was a toddler and they've made it even better than it was then. We had a great time on this unseasonably warm day!

Taking turns in the laundry basket is always a fun time!

Both sets of grandparents were kind enough to trade off the children for a couple nights while we got away to exotic Alexandria, Virginia. Actually, it was quite nice. After a crazy few weeks of work for Doug it was just what we needed. It was a bit early for me to feel the Christmas spirit, but it was fun to see the decorations around Alexandria and National Harbor in MD. It was a lovely weekend and we are SO thankful to our parents for being such awesome grandparents and babysitters! And though I have no photo evidence, Mark lost his first tooth while we were gone...how can he be old enough to lose teeth?! I'm pretty sure he just got his teeth. 

Joe still likes to have stuff on his face a lot.

Shopping with Gianna.

We tried putting Samantha's hairdo on Gianna...it actually turned out pretty good!

Our one and only Thanksgiving picture doesn't show what a crowd we had! My parents, Doug's parents, two of Doug's work friends and their families. It was a beautiful day and the kids were even able to play outside. 

We always decorate our tree on Thanksgiving weekend. Nonna was around to help this year, so that made it even more special!

Our neighbor dabbles in photography and was kind enough to take some family photos for us. We used them for our Christmas card. They turned out quite nicely!

October 2015

Here's October. Joe's pants were too big.

Mark loved soccer.

We went to the farm with Batman. They have the best corn on the cob there!

Remember when Halloween was just one day?! The kids looked forward to it all month. Luckily Joe loves to dress up so he had lots of opportunities to "practice." Here's one of his costumes, "Red ninja" to match Mark's "Gold Ninja"

The witch and ninja ready to get candy!

Joe opted to be a dragon for trick or treating. Here we're on the way to the cousins for round 1.

The whole gang.

We went back to our own neighborhood for round 2 of trick or treating. Joe loved it. He was very polite and delighted to get a treat at every house. During round 1, he got a lollipop at the first house and then sat in the stroller and ate the lollipop for the entire event. I've never seen a 2-year-old so committed to a piece of candy...a tootsie pop no less!

These are actually Halloween prep. We grew our very own pumpkin! We carved it and I bought small ones for the kids to paint.

Gianna's 8th birthday

Gianna's 8th birthday was pretty special this year! We had simple pizza and cake with the family at home but then on a Sunday morning I took her (and her cousin, Aunt, and grandmothers) to the American Girl Store in NYC! Admittedly, this was something I had hoped to avoid, but it was very nice and actually made for a very special yet easy way to celebrate. We had a nice brunch in the store, did some browsing, got Samantha's hair did, and bought one new outfit. She loved every second of it and got to be with all her favorite people. I think I actually prefer this to a party where I do a ton of work for a party with a bunch of kids I don't even know. 

Gianna, you are a joy to have as a daughter. I am so proud of the young lady you are becoming. You are thoughtful, really thoughtful, and kind, and sweet, and smart, and funny. I can't wait to see everything you do in life. I love that you are not afraid to be yourself and not just do what everyone else is doing. You are super helpful and kind to your brothers and they adore you. My favorite thing about you right now is how we can share a good laugh together; you have a great sense of humor. Daddy and I love you so much!

September 2015

September is such a busy time! We wrapped up the summer with a trip to Hershey Park. The kids are pretty fearful of lots of rides, which can be annoying challenging...but we all still had a really good time with Nonna and Pop-pop and the cousins. It was the perfect day too, not hot at all!

Mark has really been working on his monkey bar skills!

September means the start of soccer...pics of Mark to come! I think this is the end of Gianna's soccer journey; she has found her true love and passion...Irish step dancing!

A few days of the van in the shop means all 3 packed into the back of our tiny old Civic. 

We also hit up a local festival. Great way to end the summer!

And what September blog post would be complete without first-day-of-school pictures. Gianna is in 3rd grade and Mark is in half-day kindergarten. And Joe is in...tears because his buddies are gone. He was so upset after Mark left; he kept asking when his own bus was coming. He was fine by the second day though! Here's to a great year!