No Child Left Behind

It's been a trial week of sorts for all of us.  As mentioned in our last post, Katie has been away at her new school every morning for a combination of assessments and getting-to-know-you activities.  Although the week has been a very positive experience for her, you can tell she still has trepidation about the real deal coming up in September.  She keeps asking us whether she will be in the "same exact classroom with the same exact teacher and the same exact kids."  Of course, we can't answer in the affirmative, which scares her a bit.  But, we think she'll get over the hump quickly and blend right in at Belvedere.

As for the rest of us, we've taken this week to see how life would be without our fearless five-year-old leader!  Traci has taken the two younger kids on different adventures each day, and we've had a blast!  On Monday we went to a favorite old playground designed for younger kids (Katie calls it "babyish") and then picnicked near a quiet lake.  On Tuesday, we tried to visit an open gym at a rec center but opted for more outdoor play instead.  After some exploration, we found a secluded, shaded playground nestled back by a river which provided quite the respite for everybody.  On Wednesday, we decided to just stay home and build Lego towers!  (See picture above.)  But, the best was yet to come for today!!  We decided to visit our local farmer's market to stock up on some yummy veggies, breads, and cookies.  While at the market, we were told that a police helicopter would be landing nearby for an at-risk youth camp.  We hung around long enough to see it land, pose for some pictures inside, and watch it take off again.  Michael was in HEAVEN!!!  We'll see what is in store for tomorrow.  (And, can we possibly keep this up once school really begins?  Mommy is getting exhausted....)

One final thing...  Michael came up with an adorable idea on Monday to bring Katie a gift every day.  We have managed to come up with something to do with each adventure this week.  Monday:  a feather Michael found near our picnic spot.  Tuesday:  an oversized leaf from the wooded playground.  Wednesday:  a new free app for the Kindle (we did stay home that day!).  Thursday:  an eggplant.  (Strangely, Katie has become obsessed with the veggie since it is in one of her stickerbooks.) 

Changes Are Afoot...

Wow, it sure seems like the season of change in our household right now.  For some reason, each of our kids are blossoming through new developmental phases left and right, and we are enjoying every minute of it.  Katie is in the midst of a week-long kindergarten orientation/assessment at her new school, so her changes are obvious.  She was pretty scared walking away from us this morning at drop-off, but she emerged with some confidence gained that she will be fine this year.  We think she just needs to make a new buddy or two and she will absolutely take off.  She has been walking around our house non-stop with her new backpack on, just so that she can really feel like a "big kid."  The look certainly suits her!

As for Michael, we are just flabbergasted at how much he has come out of his shell lately.  It's almost as if he knows that he will now be the big man on campus (with Katie at school).  Whereas he was always so cautious in his play before, he is now willing to try everything at the playground:  ladders, big-boy swings, slides, you name it.  Even though the video above may not convey much to you, it is an astonishing turn of events for us.  Basically, just a month ago, he would have done nothing that he does in the video.  He is also really trying to engage in more imaginative play, sometimes coming up with the scenarios that he and his sister role-play.  We know that some of this probably has to do with his breakthroughs in language, so we hope the good surprises keep on coming.

And, finally, we are really starting to have fun with Neve.  She is starting to be downright giddy and giggly with us.  (She was totally cracking up on the baby swing today...will have to video that!)  She is starting to nap better during the day, which leaves her so much happier post-nap-and-feed.  She's trying her hardest to roll (which is so different from Big Sis), so we know that will come soon enough.  And, she's actually able to entertain herself for stretches at a time (today's toy?  a baby spoon), which helps free Mom up a bit.

We don't know how long this will all last, but we'll take it!! 

Diving In

Meant to post this over a week ago, but congratulations goes out to Mike's nephew, Tom, whose Montini Catholic team came in 5th in the state in summer league baseball for Illinois high schools. Tom has had a busy summer between baseball, basketball camps, and getting ready to try his hand at varsity soccer come this fall. Good luck, Tom! Don't let all the fame that comes with making our blog go straight to your head...

Boston Babe

Mike had a short trip to Boston for some interviews on Tue and Wed, which provided the perfect opportunity to finally catch up with our good friends, Brent and Lisa...and to meet their adorable 6-mo. old daughter, Grace!  Brent and Lisa are among the few our age that have held strong in living downtown in a major metropolitan area, so it was very easy to visit their gorgeous condo.  So easy, in fact, that Mike never left all night despite Fenway Park being within easy walking distance.  Comfortable couch, good conversation, the Olympics on TV, delicious take-out food...what more does one need for a nice evening?

Or perhaps it was that Mike couldn't leave this adorable little girl with beautiful eyes, who didn't fuss all night despite the doctor giving her three shots earlier in the day.  I miss you already, Gracie!

Dumbo Meets Dopey

No, we are not calling Michael a dope.  His wave and grin in this video just reminds us of a certain mute dwarf from a certain Disney cartoon.  After he fiiiiiiinally warmed up to trying some of the rides at the amusement park mentioned in yesterday's blog, his obvious elation was infectious.  We hope you get a smile on  your face as well.

And, as we promised yesterday, please feel free to check out more pictures from our fun trip to the right.

Talking 'Bout My Generation

What a fabulous weekend we just shared with so many family members in Pennsylvania!!  We headed up on Friday to get to Papa's house in time for his family's reunion.  Papa comes from a rather large Italian family (on his mom's side) that throws elaborate parties to get the bajillions of relatives all together.  We jumped at the chance to attend this year so that we could finally show off our kids to Traci's countless aunts, uncles, and cousins close and removed. 

As always, the Reunion was a grand affair, with well over 100 people crashing in on the home of Papa's only remaining uncle (90 years young!).  The wonderful planners thought of everything:  yummy homemade food, lots of cool games and prizes for the kids, and good weather.  (Well, perhaps all of our beloved deceased relatives helped out on that last score!)  As a matter of fact, Katie had so much fun that she opted to stay with some extended relatives a good two hours after the rest of us left the party!  You know you are in trouble when you are already pacing the floor, waiting for your 5-year-old to get home after 10PM!!

The fun certainly wasn't over then!  We surprised the kids by stopping at a small, wonderful amusement park (DelGrosso's!) in Central PA on the way home.  Katie was beside herself with excitement, and Michael eventually warmed up to all the rides as well.  It was great fun to watch Little Bro follow Big Sis around, knowing that he could feel safe and secure with her.  She showed him all the ropes with the kiddie rides and even went on her first roller coaster with Daddy!  After a bit of a rest at the hotel and some dinner, we rounded out the evening with a fun swim in the hotel pool.  What a fun way to end the weekend!  (The kids were so bummed that we were heading home that they have complained ever since...)

We did take some great pictures from the events and will post them in the next day or two.  Above is one of Traci with all of her first cousins.  Two bad her two older brothers couldn't have been there as well!

Mustard or Cheese with That?

Don't you just love that point in infant-hood when they can bend and stretch in the most pretzel-tastic ways?  When they can basically bend in half and get their toes to their mouths?  And, then they roll back and forth happily just staring at their feet?  Yeah, we're there one last time.