Fall......ing in love!

It's FALL time and it's defiantly one of daddy's favorite times of the year so I too have learned to love it even though it means winter (my least favorite time of the year) is coming too soon! Daddy loves fall so much because its his birthday time and there's always football on and soon it'll be Thanksgiving ( food and football are both close to his heart), even despite all the tons of leaves he has to rake and blow and pick up, he still loves FALL the most, it really is his most favorite time of year!

We had so much fun this fall, we spent many warm fall days playing outside we even went hiking at Mill Creek park.

You boys love love love being outside! Michael you enjoyed the waterfall and Lanteran's Mill and you both loved Ford Nature Center... the animals and reptiles amazed you. Nicholas you loved looking at and collecting the leaves in the park

and I loved spending a beautiful Sunday afternoon outside enjoying my wonderful family, you can never have too many days like that! It has been awhile since we were at Mill Creek Park and I kinda forgot how much I love it and how lucky we are to have such a nice park so so so close to us. Being there with you boys reminded me so much of summers and falls when I was a little girl... my grandmom lived near the park so we always took the scenic way and many afternoons we too hiked and played at Lanteran's Mill and the many playgrounds throughout the park.

I also took a summer camp at Ford Nature Center ( I was surprised to see the place looked almost exactly as I remembered it from when I was 8).

And I remembered the many sunny afternoons daddy and I used to go to the park and hike, before you boys were born we also loved and enjoyed being outside.. we would hike all through the trails and go to tthe Lily Pond and Rose Garden and we would enjoy each others company while enjoying the beautiful sights of nature and it was so nice to now add another memory of Mill Creek Park.... sharing the beauty and fun with you Michael and Nicholas!

Pumpkin patch, apple cider and blueberry donuts.... yup I'm talking about White House Fruit Farm. Another one of my favorite fall memories as a child that I now can share and enjoy with my family ( I am smiling right now thinking how lucky I am ). Michael you picked out one of the

biggest pumpkins I ever saw and you even helped Nicky get a huge fat pumpkin too!

You both enjoyed the free apples as we shopped through White House and the apple cider too and we bought lots of yummy donuts and food too.

Then we went outside to enjoy the playground and petting zoo and Michael you went through a fun worm bouncy thing and you had so much fun!

Both of you loved the petting zoo (again reminding me how much you boys would enjoy a pet.....someday) and you weren't afraid to touch any of the animals... I kinda think the turtle and bunny were your favorites. Oh what a fun Fall day with my family.... enjoying the last bits of sunshine, the fresh fall air ,and lots of yummy treats ( I am starting to get what daddy loves so much about this time of year!)

Party Time... we celebrated lots of birthdays this fall too ( having such a huge family it seems like we never miss a month without a party but we have a lot of birthdays this time of the year) We celebrated daddy's 30th I mean 29th birthday ( I am still working on trying to convince him to be older than me ). I had two of the best little helpers to help me decorate for daddys birthday, you boys even made homemade wrapping paper and a card too. We had fun sigining to daddy and celebrating what a wonderful person he is, and the icecream cake wasn't so bad either! Other birthdays we celebrated were Uncle Jon's, Krista's, Uncle Eric's, and still to celebrate we have Gaga's, Uncle David's, Brendan's very first birthday, Allison's first birthday and baby Dom Dom's first birthday too plus Grandpas and Uncle Dom's birthdays are coming up in a few weeks.... I sure hope I didin't forget anyones special day! So as you can see we are always celebrating someone's birthday (you never can have enough cake, right!)

Happy Happy Halloween!!!! I just have to say I have two of the cutest little boys ever and most defiantly the cutest policeman and the sweetest little criminal!

It really is so much fun celebrating any holiday with you guys, you really know how to get into it and celebrate. Michael you wear that policeman costume like you really are a policeman ( I think you think you really are one, lol) and the hat and the built in 6 pack crack me up!

Nicholas you are such a good sport and the best little sidekick to your big brother.... you really made is costume better...hahaha! I love how excited you both get to put your costumes on! We had a few times to celebrate for Halloween which was nice since you boys aren't in school yet and we really weren't invited to any Halloween parties it was nice to get a few chances to wear the costumes and to PARTY. We wore them to Barnes & Nobles halloween storytime which was fun, we heard halloween stories and made a halloween craft and sang halloween songs and ate snacks and

saw other kids in their cute costumes, which was fun! And we wore our costumes to celebrate Krista's birthday and we had a chance to see some of your cousins in their costumes and to exchange a few tricks and treats too! Then we had fun going to Aunt Tt's school and passing ourt candy to all the little kiddos and see their parade and you boys got another chnace to dress up and yet again get more candy and treats!

Yum! And finally on Halloween night we went trick or treating in our neighborhood.... my little police man and criminal in their awesome real police car crusing up and down the street collecting candy and treats... oh what fun!

And while tick or treating we saw a real policeman passing out candy and Michael he let you sit in the car with the flashing lights on...wow..... that beats candy any day! You loved it!

Everday I seem to fall more and more in love with you Michael and Nicholas, it seems impossible to think I could even love you more but I do. Some days you'll say someting so cute or smart or funny and I love that about you other days you'll be such a good brother or friend or cousin and I think wow how sweet you are and I love you more for it. I love watching you grow and watching you change and mature and I love seeing you learning new things, I love making new memories with you and seeing your face when you see new things! Fall time is a time of change and preparation and everyday I am reminded how much you boys are growing and changing and learning and I am the one who is preparing you for the rest of your life.... for school,for church and religion, for sports, for fun, for a job someday, for college, for a wife, for a family, I am preparing you for life! I love how we are enjoying each new day together and we are taking the time to stop and enjoy each new change not only in ourselves but also in the world around us! Fall time is a time for fun, family and football and I love that it's daddy's favorite time of year because those are 3 wonderful things to celebrate and enjoy!!!


HAPPY FALL TIME!

ABC's and 123's

Michael when you turned 3 I figured I should start figuring out when was a good time to work on your letter and number recognition and writing and how to go about teaching you how to write your abc's and how to recognize them and how to teach you to write your numbers and add and which is more or less and count and know the number of objects in a group and which group is biggger... etc etc... it seemed so overwhelming at first ( I didn't want to mess up, to teach you the wrong way) I knew I'd need a plan, and time and patience so I thought we'll wait until you're 3 1/2, maybe do it in the winter when it's cold out and we are forced to be inside..... well you got a few Pre K and K math books from gaga for your birthday and you wanted to do your "homework" and you wanted to learn and you wanted me to teach you.

So a few days after your 3rd birthday early one morning when Nicholas was still asleep after you ate breakfast you asked " Mom can we work on my Math homework now, please please please???" So I said ok ( a little nervous) so at about 7:30 am we started with page one... I read the directions and you listened ever so closely and then you didi it, and you did it right so on to page two and you didi it... you knew which number was which and you knew which group had 3 apples then you drew a line to the number 3 you and I counted the objects and we matched pairs and we colored the correct number of things like the directions asked and we compared which was more or less, bigger or smaller, what number was the 5 and color in the 5 objects ( You amazed me... how did you know all of that! I knew you could count to, I don't know a lot, but I thought I was going to have to teach you the numbers and what they looked like... but you knew them and it amazed me. I know you're smart and I know you have an awesome memory and I know you love to learn but you still AMAZED me that morning!) After about a half hour or so I heard Nicholas getting up so we had to stop and put the math book away ( because it is not a scribble book, it is a learning book you do with mommy) and I looked down, we were on page 24!!!! WOW! I couldn't believe that you sat and did 24 pages that morning and you did them right and you did almost all of them by yourself and you enjoyed it and you were learning and having fun and you were doing MATH... math that is for pre K and K.... wow! That whole week we would do 10 or 12 pages here or there, in the mornings when Nicky was still sleeping or after nap when Nicky was eating his snack or before bed when daddy could play with Nicky. You and I worked for about 2 or 3 weeks here and there a few days a week and before we knew it we finished both of the Math books!

You were so proud of yourself and I was so so so proud of you too! You did the best with knowing which group had more or less and you counted the objects perfectly, you followed directions great and circled or drew lines exactly where you were supposed to.... you truley are so smart, I know you're going to be a great student ( I hope you always try your best and put school work first). Some places where you still need improvement and work are drawing / knowing a pattern, like what comes next in the sequence, money and the clock pages were hard for you too..... so we will defiantly work on those! Now that we have a good start on our 123's its on to our ABC's. I know you have the A perfected! So we started working with letter tracing book and going over what the letters look like and how to write them, we are on letter L in our ABC book... you are doing good... you love your homework books and you really want to learn, I can see that writing the letters takes more patience from you and me both and more work from you. So we will continue on with the alphabet and go over each letter and then this winter we will take each letter and explore it more with a Letter of the Day. Then we will really practice writing the letter, tracing the letter and learning words and objects that start with the letter.... the letter of the day will include a fun art project and snacks that include that letter too! I know you will love this and we'll have so much fun together learning! I hope this year we continue to learn.. we continue to teach each other important things.... I hope to have you prepared for preschool next year. And I hope I am teaching you important life lessons... not only your 123's and ABC's but I hope I am showing you through example how important family is and love and I hope I am teaching you values and morals, patience and understanding, I hope I am teaching you to share and to be compassionate and I really hope I am teaching you to be a good person, a kind and caring and loving person.... if I can teach you that then I have succeeded!

This and That

Nicholas you are growing smarter every day, you are learning what you like and dislike, you are playing and figuring out toys and blocks and you are trying to learn to talk to but it seems lately that the only words you know are " THIS" and "THAT"! and it is hilarious! You point to everything and you say "THISSSSSSSSS" and you usually get what you want, if we can't figure it out we'd pick up an object and say "this?" (no) so we'd try another thing and say "this?" (no) ok so we look around oh it must be "that!" and then you are happy... we figured it out! This, thissssss, that! Everyone thinks it's so funny that you say "THISSSSSSSSS" So it makes complete sense that you say "this and that"! Hahahaaha! I just realized the other day that we always ask this or that to you or Michael says no mommy he wants_________ (fill in the blank) and we never make you say what it is that you actually want, so from now on that is exactly what we are doing. Nicholas you point and I say oh you want your sippy cup... say cup... Nicky say cup and you usually whine point ughhhhhh point, thissssss, point and Michael says "cup"...... (sigh). I guess having a BIG brother has helped you not need to learn to talk and you take every advantage of it! I'm sure sooner or later you will say real words and say exactly what you want and what you need... sometimes you try really hard... it usually sounds like this..." ahhhuuuggghhhhh ugh ohh ahhh baababaabababab" with a few points and pulling me to what you want, you defiantly get your point across. I know if you're hurt or hungry or if Michael took your toy or won't share or if you want to go outside or play with my phone, it's funny how with out saying a word, I almost always know what you are saying! And you completly understand and know what we are saying. Every morning after we get dressed and we're ready to go I say ok boys get your shoes and coats and sit on the rug and wait for me ... and Michael and you run over to where the shoes are and you get your shoes and your coat and it amazes me..... after dinner and its time for bath you know and you run around naked and right into the bathroom pointing and trying to climb into the tub, and I call you back in your room and say Michael, Nicholas put your dirty clothes in the hamper and you do it! If it's time for a snack you are usually the first one to run in the kitchen, you open your drawer and pull out a plate and sippy cup... you truly know everything... you know our routines and where we keep stuff... you know what toy or what snack you want... you know when Michael is able to do something that you can't but you want to..... you know and understand directions and your knowledge and ability at the age of one amazes me! You know that I love you and that I will always protect you, you know that you can find comfort and love from your mommy and daddy. You know when we are being silly and you love to laugh. You know when your feelings are hurt and you know when you are hungry or sleepy too. And you defiantly know what you want.... and we are doing a pretty good job figuring it out too.... with the help of a few points and a "THIS" and a "THAT"!



THIS might be the two cutest boys I know......

And THAT is why I love you both so much!
I have the best little boys.... lucky me!

READY, SET, GO!

Ohio State, ohio, buckeyes, ohio state,buckeyes, buckeyes go! ( Insert a cute little run and a "mean" football face and a great tackle) For weeks now I have heard this and watched you both tackle daddy down. You guys are so fun to watch! My little football players... it is so cute how Michael has mastered this and Nicholas you have copied his every move :) I enjoy seeing you both interact together and playing football with daddy (even though it's in the living room and makes me a little nervous how he flips you up and down and around). I love how excited you both get about football and Ohio State Buckeyes.... Michael you always want to wear your ohio state gear and you love the Buckeyes and Nicholas you "Oohhhh ooohhh and ahhhh" and point to the TV whenever we say football... I think I defiantly have some future football players! It's nice to know that in the future I will have alot of funfilled Sunday afternoons watching football and many many Friday nights under lights cheering on my boys... mommy will alwyas be your #1 fan!

Football Season 2011

Football Season 2010

Not a baby anymore

Michael Jr you are almost 3... a BIG boy, not a baby anymore.... where did my little baby boy go? I am trying to enjoy these last few days with you as a 2 year old before your "real" birthday ( you were a bit confused after your party that you weren't really 3 yet, we could have probably pretended that you were but I didn't want you to grow up too fast, to miss out on still being 2). So everynight since the Carnival party when we say our prayers and our goodnights and our I love you's we count down how many days until you are THREE... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1! And I hug and I kiss you and I tell you how I want to enjoy still having a two year old because you will never ever ever be two again and for some reason 3 just seems so big to me, it's defiantly not a baby, maybe not even a toddler.... 3 is a "little" BIG boy! And there are times I look at you and in a quick glance or when you are doing a certain activity or making a little Michael Jr face it's like I can see into the future and you look like a big kid, like a 10 or 12 year old and those are the moments I wonder where did my baby Michael go? and why does time have to move so fast? But there are other times I look at you and I can see exactly where my baby is, he's here, right here.. just a little taller and bigger but he's here! It's in the moments that you call for me, or when you are hurt or crying or when you climb in my lap to hear a story and it's especially when you are fast asleep and I go in your room one last time before I go to bed (just to check on you and kiss you) and I look down at you and you look so little, so peaceful and then that's when I see my baby Michael, I can so clearly remeber you as a baby too.

Since you are almost 3 (2 more days if your counting down) I started thinking about this past year and I can't believe how much you have learned and accomplished and done and how much you have grown as a 2 year old. You can look at the wall in your room and see clearly from the markings that you have physically grown over a few inches this year or you can see it when you try to squeeze in last years jeans and you say ,yay mom look they fit ( but really they look like ridiculous floods on you) but I am talking about your personal growth. For starters, this past year you became a big brother and that instantly made you look so big to me but I'd have to say that just recently you really started embracing that role and you are becoming the best big brother to your little Nicholas... playing with him and helping him and showing him how to do things and holding his hand and kissing him and including him and I am so proud of that and I know as a 3 year old you will continue to be the best big brother! You also became potty trained last fall and that was a huge accomplishment and you continue to do so well with it, you are like a little man who needs his privacy and his time in the bathroom, you also get so excited about your character underwear ( so you will be getting about 8 pairs of those for your birthday!). As a two year old you learned to count, really high and sing your abc's too and sing lots of other songs... you seem to have a little passion for signing and dancing and laughing too! I am planning on starting to work on the alphabet a lot more with you once you turn 3 ( in 2 more days in case you were still coutning), learn to recognize the letters and write the letters and to do a letter of the day. As a two year old you learned to play games and follow instructions, you became a really good painter and colorer and your love for books continues ( we read 2 or 3 everynight and you listen so closley to each and ask questions and you remember everything about the books and it amazes me). As a two year old you traveled to the ocean and the Columbus zoo and wagon trails and the fair and lots of parades and parties and events and you enjoyed every moment of fun! You especially liked the animals, any animal and all animals ( you will love a pet someday, maybe when you're 8... maybe sooner) you loved the pigs at the fair and the cows too and you loved feeding the deer at wagon trails and the polar bears were our most favorite at the zoo and at the beach you loved the fish and the birds.... you remind me of myself when I was little I loved all animals too ( I always said I was going to be a vet when I grew up). We had a lot of fun this past year playing games, coloring, taking walks down to feed the ducks, going to storytime, you especially enjoyed all the holidays and got so excited to decorate for each, it made it so much fun for me too... you loved looking at Christmas lights and decorating the tree and you loved carving pumpkins and going trick or treating ( you were the cutest little fireman) and you loved decorating and coloring Easter eggs and in the summer we went to every parade and party to celebrate Fourth of July and Memorial Day too.... you really made every holiday worth celebrating!

Terrible two's????They say 2's are terrible and I'd have to say that we had our moments this year but as I look back and think about the year I seem to remember so much good and so many happy times... it really dosen't seem so terrible to me! I see change and growth and accomplishments and happiness and love... for every hard moment or disappointing action or "bad' day we had this past year, I can remember 100 more wonderfully fun and exciting and happy moments :)
I can't believe my baby is turning THREE! We have such a fun "real" birthday planned! Of course I will secretly decorate your room with streamers and balloons and signs when you are sleeping (this is one of my most favorite memories as a child, birthdays were always so special, always a celebration!) and you will wake up to a birthday surprise! Then we will have a delicious birthday breakfast of your choice, that I am sure will include most of the following eggs, bacon, sausage, french toast, pancakes and hashbrowns (breakfast is your favorite meal) then we will go to Toys R Us to let you pick out a special birthday toy and we will go the movies ( cars 2 or winnie the Pooh) and out to lunch or dinner at Applebee's and home for DQ Icecream cake (which your father talked you into asking for, bc that's his favorite, lol) and PRESENTS!!! Sounds like a fun day to me... a Micahel Jr day.... a day all about you... a day celebrating you!

Happy Birthday to my Michael Jr... mommy loves you so much! Three years ago I was given the most wonderful and perfect present ever... YOU!
Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Micahel Jr.... Happy Birthday to you!
Don't forget to make a wish!

Party Time!

Cotton candy, candy apples, clowns, pinatas games and prizes...oh my! To celebrate your third birthday Michael Jr and your very first birthday Nicholas we had the most fun party ever... A Carnival Party!

Our backyard was transformed into a carnival filled with games like bean bag toss, knock down the cans, sack races, find the treasure in the sand and pick a duck and then you got prizes for playing, everyone was a winner too! We also had so much food (mostly sugar) hot dogs and pizza and pasta and dips to name a few but what you boys really enjoyed was the homemade cotton candy!!!! and we had popcorn bags and candy and carmel apples too! And to top it off we had a pinata filled with candy ( Michael you were so funny during the pinata, you wanted to hit it and break it to get to the candy but you didn't want anyone else to break YOUR pinata, lol) needless to say most of the kids were on a major sugar high!!!

Uncle David and Krista were the cutestest clowns ever for your party too! They passed out balloons and even made a few balloon animals and they helped with the games and made silly faces too... but mostly they just scared all the little babies!! hahah, I guess I didn't realize how scary clowns seem to little kids...oh well! :) And Aunt Kristen painted your faces and the other kids faces too, you guys seriously had everything, spoiled! And thanks to Uncle Jon for pulling through with the cotton candy machine.... it might have been the best part about the party! And in case you boys didn't realize (someday when you are all grown up, you will) your mom and dad worked really really hard on this party too! I spent many days running here and there looking for prizes and games and the perfect carnival decorations. I was up a few nights pretty late dipping carmel and candy apples too. And daddy helped clean the house and backyard in preparation for the celebration and he also ran places to pick up tables, a tent and chairs and pizza and cake..... what a help that was to me too! All in all I think the party turned out awesome... all the kiddos had fun and the food was good and the weather thankfully held out ( it was calling for scattered thunderstorms, I was watching the weather channel for hours that day and hoping for it not to rain!).

It looked like Christmas morning here... you boys got SO many presents!!!! Aunt Stephanie, Melissa and Deanna and their famalies got you both an awesome police car, a real police car... what a great gift! Thanks!!!!!!

And you got a remote control car, a fire truck, a bus, fireman, blocks, toy snake, cars games and toys, toy story toys, a cars lunch box, clothes, shoes, a coat, piggy banks, puzzles, a tent and so much more! You both also got a little bit of money so Monday morning we went to the bank to deposit it and you guys thought you were pretty cool with your receipts ( I hope you both learn the importance of saving and learn to spend your money wisely). And Michael and Nicholas you both got a few savings bonds too! I think you both have the most wonderful big huge family ever... they love and care about you both so much and they spoil you rotten! :) Happy Birthday to my "little" boys... it is so much fun celebrating your life! I love you! I hope you both enjoyed the party as much as I enjoyed planning it! And like you always say michael Jr " PARTY TIME!" ( dance moves and jumpimng and the chicken wing too, lol)

Nicholas walking

And we now have a walker! It's amazing what a difference one day can make... Nicky you went from a few steps yesterday to doing laps around our family and dinning room today! So proud of you!
What a BIG boy you are... I love you!