It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

I am trying to make sure that Vinny gets exposed to Christmas as much as I can before the day is finally here. I am not doing a very good job....

We went to the Christmas party up at our cabin on Saturday. Vinny wasn't interested in anything that was going on inside... We went on a train ride, and then he just wanted to play out in the rain... So rather than doing crafts and decorating cookies, he played in the mud puddles... That's my boy!

So after he was soaking wet, and miserable, and hearing that they were still going to sing carols for a 1/2 hour before Santa came, we decided to cut our day short. Doesn't Santa know better than to plan a visit during Vinny's naptime?

Our second attempt was to do Christmas crafts with Vinny. On Sunday, I found a great recipe online. I wanted him to make Cinnamon ornaments for the family members. They were really cute and smelled great, and he did his handprint perfect!!! Then mom tried to flip them so that they could dry on the other side... and they started crumbling... Not sure if I messed up the recipe wrong, or if it just isn't a good recipe, but I am not giving the family a crumbling handprint for Christmas.

I did get some pictures though, of him modeling the new PJs he got from his Secret Santa in my online Mommy's Group. (Thanks again, Benswife!) That counts as Christmas right??? (Check out the toe nails... I have tried to take the polish off, but he freaks out!!!)


Attempt # 3 was to go and see Christmas lights last night. We drove to a nice neighborhood in South Everett so that he could oohhh and aahhh over all the pretty decorations... Nope... he slept through the whole thing... I couldn't have woken him, if I tried...

Finally... We do some paper cutting and glueing of Christmas trees. They were a hit, for a few minutes, but it was enough to satisfy me for yesterday :)




To end our day yesterday, I just took some pictures of Vinny being goofy, while playing around... and realized, that I need to quit worrying about him learning about Christmas, and just make sure that he keeps that smile on his face!!!





Bath time with bubbles!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a wonderful day. Here are some pictures from dinner at Dan and Linda's house.

Feeding the dogs some snacks. Getting ready to eat!

Grandma made Vinny his own "Turkey"
Dad carving Vinny's "Turkey" Vinny being a viking during dinner...He took the hat and kept telling everyone at the table to put it on, and then he would crack up.
Dad being a Viking.

Vinny cracking up!

"Quit watching, I'm not doing anything!"
Posing for the camera

Vinny's chin after his face plant into the couch.

Quiet time, reading a book.
Grandpa, Bailey and Grandma.

Someone's getting silly and sleepy...

Saturday Night Out

It was my work holiday party tonight. We had a great time... Good food, Good drinks, Tons of dancing... All around a great time. Here are a couple of pictures from before we went. And yes, I was wearing a dress and heals :)

Finger painting...

I have been trying to do different craft projects with Vinny several times a week.... Here is our latest. Vinny loved finger painting tonight... He went through several pieces of paper and a ton of paint, but enjoyed every second of it....

Doing hand prints.

Playdate with Eli

We went to our favorite place to play again this weekend, but this time we brought Dawn, Eli and Kai with us. The boys had a blast running around together. Dawn bought a membership, so I think they'll be seeing a lot more of all of us!

Peek a Boo, Mom!!!

Playing Music with Eli
Hopefully this isn't a sign of his future job choice!!!
On stage
Vinny's favorite part is the ball vacuum tube!!!

My attempt at being creative....

Vinny and I did some crafts this weekend. This is my attempt at being creative and getting Vinny involved. He loves Elmo, so I thought that would be fun for him. He loved them!!! He loved to use the glue stick.

Vinny's School Picture

Apparently they had a hard time taking his picture this year. I think he would have much rather been in his class playing!

Thoughts for Thursday....

I am not one of those that thinks TV is a bad thing for children, in fact, I think that Vinny has learned a lot, and will let him continue to watch it. I think that the Sprout channel (Yeah PBS!) has wonderful shows, and that Vinny learns quite a bit from Nina and Star and the good night show. She has picked up different signs, and dances, and does his stretches with Nina. He sometimes sings a long with them, and seems very intrigued. I often think that there are some shows that there is no way that he could understand the concept, like the Berenstain Bears, but for some reason he is so glued to them, I have a hard time tearing him away. I actually wonder if he is taking in while watching some of the lessons that they are teaching.

What shows do your kids watch that you think that they are actually learning from? Are there ones that you consider completely off limits?

Tuesday's trip to the Children's Museum

We bought a membership to the children's museum a few months back. I think it was one of the best investments we have made. Vinny loves it, and Tony and I have fun too. The bonus is that we can go there for an hour and Vinny takes the best naps afterwards! Here are some pictures from Tuesday.

The sheep was thirsty...


Taking after mom...


Goofy face...


On stage...


Watching the train...

An easy way to make some extra cash....

I joined this survery thing online, and have actually earned cash doing it, so I thought I would pass it on... I just got my first $20 check and am super excited, so I thought I would share.

You get reward points (which can be converted into cash) for joining, for taking surveys, and for referring new members. You can get cash, prizes or donate your earnings to different charities.

I am writing about it because I thought it might be something you guys might be interested in, If you would like to find out more, go to
http://www.mysurvey.com/index.cfm?action=Main.join&r=6396316.
This is my personal link page, so I will get credit for you joining, if you click here, rather than just going to the main page...

Have fun!!!

Happy Halloween

We had a very fun halloween. Here is a slideshow of some pictures. Vinny had a little party at his daycare, and then we came home and did some trick or treating. Enjoy the pictures!

What the daycare director has to say about Vinny.

So, this morning when I dropped Vinny off, I started to talk with the daycare director. I was telling her how he has become such a tattle tale. He is always worried about what someone else is doing naughty and drags whatever adult is there over to show them. I think it's funny. She says that it isn't very normal for a child that age.
She told me first thing, that she isn't a Dr, she is only speaking from experience, but...
She told me that she honestly feels that Vinny is intellectually about a 3 year old. He thinks like a 3 year old, and processes and concentrates and just "gets things" like a 3 year old. He notices, and connects things together, and when he processes information, he does it in a way advanced way. Yet, he talks like an 18 month old. He still isn't talking much. He says like 10 words and signs like 8, but does almost any animal sound that you ask him to.
She thinks that is why he yells, and hits, and bites so much (although he isn't biting anymore.) She said that she thinks that he thinks in sentences and paragraphs, but only can say one word at a time. She said that sometimes it takes longer for the muscles and vocal cords to develop, that allows the children to be able to talk, and she thinks that that is the case with Vinny.
I know she isn't a doctor or an expert, but she has been in childcare centers for over 25 years, so I know that she has been around children a lot!
He has been doing great since they moved him up into the toddler room. He has a hard time when I drop him off, but when I go to pick him up he doesn't want to leave.
Any thoughts? I don't know what to think about the whole thing...

Playdate today...

We had a lot of fun at the playdate today. I can't believe how big everyone is getting. The last playdate that I was able to make it to was last Christmas... they aren't babies anymore!

Crazy life...

Life has been nuts lately...
My mom got sick and was in the hospital. She is doing better now. It was a hard week or so, but she seems to be better than ever.
Our house got broken into last weekend, a few things were stolen, but have been replaced or are in the process of being replaced.
I was working in Snohomish (Our corporate office) for over a week. That was fun to get to see everyone and work in a different environment.
I threw a baby shower for Dawn... I can't believe that Kai will be here in less than 3 weeks! The shower went great... and in case you ever need a place to rent for an event... the barn at Jennings park is only $60 and perfect for a party.
Eli came and stayed the night last weekend, which was a total blast. Vinny's first slumber party was a sucess, and believe it or not, I would do it again in a heart beat. Here is a slideshow from the night...

Tony has been working more on the truck. He seems to really be enjoying it. He has the engine out now, and it is in our garage... now it's time to rebuild!
Vinny is getting so much older... he is running around like crazy... he is talking more, and repeats a lot of things that we say. In fact, this morning, he just told me that he was a "good boy." He is so much fun now.
This weekend we are going on a playdate with my Mommy's group. So he will be able to play with Eli for awhile.
On Sunday we are having brunch at Gama and Gapa's with a Jay and his family, and then we are going to Gama Karen's to take Kara's senior pictures.

The Silvertips games have started back up, which I am super excited for. We have gone to 2 so far. Vinny did great at his 1st one of the season. I am looking forward to the few next week!

We got Vinny's Halloween Costume... This isn't a very good picture, but he is going to be a dragon.


Here are a few recent pictures of Vinny that we had taken.