gregandsarina

Pumpkin Patch Pictures

2011-11-04T16:57:00.000-07:00

The cute little pumpkin patch about 1/2 hour from our house... it has a little train to ride on!

Luke loved this tracter.

John kept choosing pumpkins that were three times his size - and trying to pick them up :)

Out of order picture... here is our family band... they get quite loud!

I think Luke and John thought it was their job to collect as many pumpkins as possible in their wagon.

the happiest place on earth :)

2011-09-12T21:28:00.000-07:00

backpack strap broke while we were walking (quickly) to make it to the Aladdin show at california adventure... apparently it was funny to document my carrying of a broken backpack while pushing the double stroller and power walking :)

on main street, usa on our way to watch fantasmic and the fireworks

we decided to join the parade :)

john clapping after seeing nemo for the first time on the submarine ride!

i was apparently super-excited to be on the first submarine of the day!

it was an awesome trip... makes you want to live in anaheim... except for the whole: southern california/traffic/pollution/population/craziness aspect!

my boys

2011-08-31T10:14:00.000-07:00

all matchy for church :)
cracking himself up

growing up too fast

rattlesnake

2011-08-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

every night we pray: St. Patrick, protect us from rattlesnakes

on Saturday, after a way-too-close encounter with a rattlesnake in our front yard, my dear husband brought our little family onto our knees to praise God and say a prayer of thanks for protecting us (especially Luke) from this creature. Greg and Luke were playing out front while John napped and I was hanging clothes on the line. It was time to come in and Luke ran ahead to the house. Greg, following behind, yelled out at me to keep Luke in the house because there was a snake that Luke had just ran past! The snake was stretched out and still, but once i started bringing things to Greg (snake boots, jeans, shovel, pole, camera, etc.) it started to sense the movement and coiled up, started rattleing and aggressively sticking its nasty forked tongue out! Luke and i watched safely from inside as Greg did battle with it - we couldn't shoot at this one because it was up against our house: didn't want to do damage or be faced with a richocheting (sp?) bullet! We couldn't feed the meat to our pig or the neighbors because at one point the snake got so mad and bit itself!

i am so thankful that my dear husband was home and incredibly brave and that Luke was protected from the snake. we have lots to be thankful for.

thank you again, St. Patrick, for protecting us from rattlesnakes!

a post... finally

2011-08-03T21:21:00.000-07:00

ok, after at least three months - here are some updated pics :) (no good excuse for not posting recently... we've just been busy having a fun summer!)

here's Luke fishing at odell lake

he did what many people haven't been able to do - catch a fish at odell lake!

Here is John at the tennis court at Nana and Nonno's condo :)

matching shirts

2011-04-19T15:14:00.000-07:00

not really a great picture of the boys, but their matching shirts are super-cute!! (thanks nana!!)

sooo much energy these days....

2011-04-06T22:39:00.000-07:00

my three-year-old is quite the hand-full lately! -- playing musical instruments -eating the frosting while i try to frost brother's birthday cupcakes (ignore my funny face!)

- trying to go home with nana in her suitcase

-running into everything and everyone with his plane

he's a year old!!

2011-04-04T22:26:00.000-07:00

Happy First Birthday John!

working on his laptop

ready for church on John's birthday (last Sunday) fun presents from Nana and Nonno

"party" with neighbors

my cutie - he can make quite a mess in a hurry, but he's a keeper :)

i can't believe he's a year old... i love him so much!! Happy Birthday John! God has richly blessed me with the gift of being his mama!!

we have his 1-year doctor visit on wednesday, so i will know his stats then... but for now:

- has 7 teeth

- says "hi"

- waves hello and goodbye

- HATES diaper changes

- loves his brother

- almost walking on his own, 'cruises' around

- eczema is still around, but way better

- doesn't really like to be held by anyone except mama, daddy, and nana

- eats all foods we have given him (except bananas) but would pretty much just prefer to nurse :)

azure standard

2011-03-28T16:23:00.000-07:00

i love me some azure standard :) they've got an awesome giveaway going right now! check it out!

more birthday fun

2011-03-21T15:22:00.000-07:00

action shot of cake decorating

still hanging out in sink

happy third birthday to Luke!

2011-03-18T13:56:00.000-07:00

pancakes for breakfast - with a candle how to occupy your 11 month old while making your 3 year old's cake -- put him in the sink

Adorable suit from Aunt Angel & Uncle Bob

New shirt from Nana & Nonno - Luke asked for blue & red frosting and starburst to decorate his cake - so that's what he got :)

happy happy birthday big boy - we love you so much!

pics from Christmas..not sure if these were ever posted

2011-03-16T11:06:00.000-07:00

mom commissioned me to cook a bit for them over Christmas

my parents' three grandsons

fun in santa clara

2011-03-11T14:12:00.000-08:00

you just never know what he's up to... Luke is about to be three!! - in this picture he is just pretty excited to have mac & cheese for dinner (he had it for lunch, too that day!)
Visiting Amanda :) ... I've got baby John on my lap & Mandy has her daughter

the whole fam-damily :)

long time, no post ... here are some pics

2011-03-09T14:05:00.000-08:00

he's 11 months!!

sometimes we like to hide in the playpen - upside down - we're fun like that

farm show

2011-02-11T09:14:00.000-08:00

sorry about the cell-phone quality of the picture, but here is us at the farm show... yes, Greg was wearing wranglers and Luke was wearing cowboy boots - we love dressing the part!

Some Christmas

2011-01-16T11:02:00.000-08:00

my parents' three grandsons!

baking baby Jesus' birthday cake

more from New Year's

2011-01-09T21:08:00.000-08:00

i'll post about Christmas at some point... but here is more from New Year's:

Luke being packed up in the travel crib~

sporting the red new year's hat ~

gotta love ringing in the new year with my best friend! ~ ignore the fact that the clock says 9pm - we were on east coast time :)

i can't even think of a caption to sum this one up :)

i love my boys!

happy new year!

2011-01-05T15:57:00.000-08:00

attempting to take a Christmas card picture...

2010-11-27T11:01:00.000-08:00

interesting observations:
1 - its freezing and i have a short-sleeve shirt and no socks on the baby
2 - not quite sure what dear hubby's vision was for the background... but that is the view from the front of our property
3 - at least we are laughing and having fun

ps - happy anniversary mom and dad, (nana and nonno), we love you!!

recent pics

2010-11-25T10:54:00.000-08:00

just hanging out :)

2010-11-22T11:06:00.000-08:00

2 cute pictures

2010-11-10T10:19:00.000-08:00

rice cereal for John! he doesn't quite love solid foods yet... luckily he loves nursing!

they are both getting so big... Luke loves holding his little brother!

John had his six-month check-up ... he's doing awesome developmentally and is in the 50th percentile for height and weight!

more pumpkin fun

2010-11-08T10:16:00.000-08:00

the pumpkin patch train

2010-11-03T15:02:00.000-07:00

LOVE the ergo!

he was so excited!

drawing to enter

2010-10-24T19:49:00.000-07:00

if you're in the eugene area, check out this photo shoot giveaway!

from august...

2010-10-16T10:23:00.000-07:00

at the cabin in oregon - gotta love s'mores

little drummer boy

2010-10-14T19:21:00.000-07:00

2010-10-12T10:26:00.000-07:00

my helper!

Brothers! both getting too big, too fast!!

creativity...

2010-10-10T07:44:00.000-07:00

How do you encourage a creative, artistic spirit in your baby, toddler or young child?

- we have what my husband affectionately calls "the creativity zone": basically a coffee table that is always available for our sons' creative juices to flow... its usually coloring, or drawing, but currently there are three lincoln log houses on the table :)
check out the new artistic designs for bumGenius and cottonbabies!

bugle

2010-10-06T11:13:00.000-07:00

have i mentioned that Greg got a bugle?... its loud.

the many faces of baby John in his exersaucer

2010-10-04T11:09:00.000-07:00

yo ho yo ho...

2010-10-02T11:08:00.000-07:00

a pirate's life for me...

he's a crack-up

baby loves the Disneyland railroad!

2010-09-30T11:10:00.000-07:00

happiest place on earth :)

2010-09-30T11:06:00.000-07:00

bakersfield

2010-09-20T14:52:00.000-07:00

fun family visit last weekend..
luke & cousin at her soccer game

he was the water-boy!

John and i had fun, too :) - the game was before 8am, so dear husband was still in bed :)

bumGenius

2010-09-10T14:40:00.000-07:00

i'm entering a contest at cottonbabies.com and just wanted to say again that i still love these diapers!

vacation

2010-09-10T11:55:00.000-07:00

one of my favorite places - saturday market in eugene

at odell lake

ready to run!

the boys... i like to try to match them

Twin Lakes #2

2010-09-05T23:11:00.000-07:00

very serious fishing

campfire time

me, mom, and baby enjoying fishing time in the shade with magazines

Twin Lakes, Mono Village

2010-09-05T22:51:00.000-07:00

epic road trip, stop #1 - mom's family reunion

Luke decided the watermelon was best kept in the drawer
John might have wanted something else at this moment

first fishing trip!

loving his new camp chair

busy!

2010-09-04T22:44:00.000-07:00

after 3 weeks traveling - we are finally home
(3 weeks, 4 states, 1 truck, 2 kids 2 & under - including a 4 month old who strongly dslikes his carseat)

Luke loves sports and right now its baseball (although we were definitely enjoying the first saturday of college football today and he has asked us to teach him how to tackle!) so, our trip included some minor league games

baby likes it too!!

a healthy fear of large furry mascots

august?

2010-08-02T10:40:00.000-07:00

how is it already august???

Luke & Greg in the pool

my precious babes

John is getting so big!

pool

2010-07-10T14:27:00.000-07:00

guess who learned how to jump in the pool last weekend?!?!
(i'm sitting on a chair by the pool nursing baby John)

mastering the art of "1-2-3- jump"

2010-07-09T14:39:00.000-07:00

more of the cage

happy birthday dad!

2010-07-09T14:23:00.000-07:00

the fam...

Nana, John, Nonna...such a sweet moment

another precious moment: Luke putting cousins in "the cage" :)

4th of July mini photo-shoot

2010-07-08T14:18:00.000-07:00

some more fun photos

2010-07-02T08:26:00.000-07:00

another happy baby photo :)

our "Go Ducks" mini photo shoot...

sunset at our house

mama and baby

some recent pics

2010-07-01T08:21:00.000-07:00

happy baby John
baking with Nana

Go Ducks!

Luke posing with his camera

playing baseball in our front yard

interview

2010-06-18T13:39:00.000-07:00

interview questions from Tammy

Thanks for playing, Sarina! :) Here are your 5 questions...
1. Do you hang most of your laundry to dry, or use the dryer?
-- mostly depends on the weather... today is gorgeous so i did a load of diapers, a load of colors, and a load of whites - and they are all hung up to dry! dear hubby put up an outdoor clothesline for me that makes it so nice!

2. What is one thing your husband does that really shows his love for you?
-- helps me clean the dining room floor! (and brings me flowers and works from home and....)

3. Do you like having a somewhat unusual first name? What does your name mean? :)
-- i love it! sarina means "little princess" in italian (i'm 1/2 italian)

4. Do you have any tips for dealing with postpartum hair loss? I am losing hair constantly and it seems to be all over the floor, everywhere!! :P
-- nope - i have that issue, too. i just try to brush it real well and put it up in a ponytail in the morning.. Oh and make sure i don't leave any in the shower drain for dear hubby

5. What's one of your favorite adult books? Kid books?
-- adult - the Bible, historical fiction novels (like the jack cavanaugh series)
kids - "the best loved doll", "we help mommy", "martha's house"
(or anything Luke is holding when he says "mama read")

If you want to play along:
1 - Leave a comment with your blog URL, saying you want to be interviewed.
2 - I will respond; I'll ask you five questions.
3 - You'll update your blog with my five questions, and your five answers.
4 - You'll include this explanation.
5 - You'll ask other people five questions when they want to be interviewed.

2010-06-17T14:38:00.001-07:00

Cleaning and scrubbing will wait ’till tomorrow,
but children grow up,
as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs!
Dust go to sleep!
I’m rocking my baby.
Babies don’t keep.
– Ruth Hamilton

oh, i love him, too!

2010-06-14T14:43:00.000-07:00

Luke is two, and a boy, and a new big brother - so he pretty much tests my patience daily :)
today was awesome - we were singing "old macdonald had a farm" (mainly because baby John was in the bouncer seat and we were in the kitchen rolling out homemade pretzels and the baby was starting to fuss and we were trying to entertain him) - and i asked Luke what should be the next animal on the farm (we had done dog and goat already i think) - so Luke says that there is a "Luke" on the farm - so i say ok, and we sing and i asked him what sound does a "Luke" make and he said: "loves mama" - and i melted into a little puddle right there on the kitchen floor - he got a big hug and kiss after that one! those precious moments are what make it all worth it!

2010-06-06T14:32:00.000-07:00

gotta love the swaddle!

new haircut (i'm still working on it...) and posing with the baby's bassinet that he likes to climb in :)

the four of us

2010-06-04T14:31:00.000-07:00

my two cuties

2010-06-02T21:37:00.000-07:00

Luke in our new play pen (the back of our Chevy truck)

baby John with Uncle Tom (i think there was a ceiling fan/light that John was staring at)

pat your head/rub your tummy

2010-06-01T21:07:00.000-07:00

totally unrelated to the post, but here's a cute picture from my nephew's wedding... 7 week old John & me next to 11 week old cousin Sal & my other nephew

When I was putting Luke to sleep tonight, I happened to be nursing John at the same time - i guess that's what happens when you have a toddler who needs to sleep and an infant who needs to eat [AT THE SAME TIME!] anyway... John then needed to be burped - he likes his back patted... Luke then decided that he needed me to hold his hand - he likes his hand rubbed... I quickly found out that while I may have a master's degree, I am not able to pat with my left hand at the same time as rubbing with my right!! It took some serious concentration, and still didn't really work. {They are both asleep now :)}

more Mother's Day

2010-05-11T14:45:00.000-07:00

4 generations!

the men made us breakfast!!

Mother's Day

2010-05-10T14:42:00.000-07:00

with cousin Mackenzie

so precious!

adoption

2010-05-06T21:22:00.000-07:00

adoption is awesome. i have seen it increase the quality of life of so many people - professionally, as an "adoptions specialist" for the state of california, and personally, from the experiences of friends and family who have adopted.
placing your child for adoption can be one of the most loving decisions you will ever make. if you cannot or choose not to raise your child there are plenty of people out there who can and will! if you or anyone you know has questions about adoptions, i am always willing to lend an ear and help out wherever i can (especially in california). if you or anyone you know is considering placing their child for adoption i can recommend two great families.
one of these families has an adoption blog set up here.

i wish i knew how to work our new camera...

2010-05-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

... because both boys are asleep right now, at the same time, without me holding either one of them!! i have no idea how long it will last (i'm thinking not too long), but the quiet is nice! i feel like i should get some chores done, or cook something, or actually get some sleep myself!!

... since i don't have a clue on how to even turn on the new camera, here's a visual for you:
Luke is asleep on the couch with a queen size fitted sheet that he wouldn't let me fold from the laundry this morning, and 4 little toys he found from the garage toy box this morning, and his pacifier
John is alseep in the bouncy seat in front of the couch, with his pacifier, too (i'm not sure how i will ever get rid of the pacifiers)
and I am sitting on the couch... within viewing distance of both my precious boys, my blessings from the Lord that I am sooooo unworthy to have, but yet love with all my heart. what an awesome gift it is to be these little boys' mama!

ok, i better end this post before one of them wakes up and the cycle of crying, nursing, diaper change, etc.. begins again and i feel a little less thankful and a little more exhausted!! :)

some fun and random photos

2010-04-20T21:36:00.000-07:00

my godmother with me and John at his baptism

more family at the baptism

Luke outside the church - he was holding the candles from the baptism/communion/confirmation and took that job very seriously, he wouldn't let anyone help him and was explaining that he was the big brother! he made me so proud!

- side note: Greg built that wooden gazebo in the background for his eagle project (boy scouts) back in the day

one of the new favorite pictures!

so, I was giving my 2 year old ice cream with whipped cream on it for breakfast. (I'm a good mom like that! and I (unintentionally) sprayed whipped cream all over him - he proceeded to go "skating" in it around my kitchen floor... which then led to him eating ice cream while I mopped the floor

more baptism photos

2010-04-19T21:31:00.000-07:00

John's Baptism

2010-04-19T20:00:00.000-07:00

Getting dressed in his baptismal outfit... my dad (and all his siblings), me (and my brother and all my cousins and all their kids) and Luke have all worn this same gown!!

In the car on the way there (notice how much room there is for me in the back!) My mom was riding in the front seat.

His confirmation (John's godparents are our niece and nephew)

John's First Communion

John's baptism!

What a special day for our whole family! Praise God for a happy, healthy baby!

daddy was "babysitting"

2010-04-17T22:11:00.000-07:00

Easter Eggs!!

2010-04-16T22:09:00.000-07:00

my (second) peanut

2010-04-15T22:02:00.000-07:00

i love my boys!

2010-04-11T20:55:00.000-07:00

Luke likes to get as close to John as possible!
When we got home from the hospital...

here is an early one of John - hanging out with me in the hospital

he found his thumb! too bad i can't get him to find it more often!

baby John - pictures

2010-04-05T20:21:00.000-07:00

in the hospital
at home (yippee!!) notice Luke wearing John's hospital cap :)

- before we left the hospital, the boys with Nana

Luke got to meet baby John on Easter morning!

welcome baby John

2010-04-05T19:05:00.000-07:00

we are very blessed!
baby John joined our family on Holy Saturday at 11:20pm
8 pounds, 4 ounces ... 20 inches
mom & baby are happy and healthy

(and for all who were specifically praying - YES we were successful at having a VBAC!)

pig and carseat

2010-03-30T20:47:00.000-07:00

playing outside... often involves feeding our pig and picking weeds :)

sooo excited about his new "big brother" car seat

with TWO cup holders! :)

2010-03-29T20:53:00.000-07:00

my laundry helper :)

more random recent pictures

2010-03-28T20:41:00.000-07:00

we got a potty seat!!

random recent pics

2010-03-26T20:54:00.000-07:00

opening birthday present from Auntie Claire!

Playing with daddy's zoo!

kiddo #2 update: I am officially 40 weeks tomorrow. I feel great (I love being pregnant). Doctor says that baby and I both are doing very well, so we are just praying and enjoying our last few days before Luke is joined by a sibling!

Luke is Two!! - Train birthday

2010-03-18T16:19:00.000-07:00

we took Luke (in his conductor hat and choo-choo train shirt) to a little steam train railroad in Reedley for his birthday this weekend (he was born at the hospital in Reedley two years ago, so it was kind of neat to go there again!)
I don't even need to tell you how much he loved it... he's two, there were trains his size, we got to ride them... he was in heaven!

he had overalls on, just like the conductors and he thought he was pretty cool... we agree... he's awesome ... we just can't believe its already been two years...

Disneyland!!

2010-03-16T16:05:00.000-07:00

ok, we admit it, we love going to Disneyland... pregnant, with a baby, with a toddler, whatever.... it is lots of fun! (the happiest place on earth)
Here are pictures (which are evidence to the continued fact that I should NEVER be the photographer!)

The Tiki Room (sometimes Luke wont take off his hat - that's a good thing!)

With Mickey - Luke was willing to get much closer than he did three months ago!

And this trip he loved the "horsie ride" - its so fun to see how he changes in just a couple months

the Luge

2010-03-10T08:26:00.000-08:00

even though we didn't watch very much of the Olympics... Greg and Luke did watch a little Luge - and now they like to "luge" around the house... Last weekend Nonno provided Luke with a great luging (don't know if that's a word) track!!

special visit with Nonna

2010-03-06T21:44:00.000-08:00

Nonna (means Grandmother in Italian) is my dad's mom, so Luke's only living great-grandparent. We got to visit her this weekend and they enjoyed each other quite a bit. Here she is telling him what is in the oven and not to touch it :)

two people that i really don't mind touching my baby belly :)

I think Nonna enjoyed feeling her newest little great-grand baby moving around in my belly :)

PS - we are 37 weeks... let the fun begin!

just cute

2010-02-28T23:39:00.000-08:00

just being cute

because two are better than one...

2010-02-27T23:40:00.000-08:00

fun in our sacramento hotel room

2010-02-26T23:43:00.000-08:00

Greg often takes Luke and me with him on business trips out of town and we really enjoy it! Here we are doing one of our favorite hotel room activities... making a fort (or in this case what turned out to be a train tunnel for his "new" train that we got at a garage sale recently... so much fun and so many memories made - I am definitely trying to enjoy my time having just one little one around :)

a couple weeks ago

2010-02-25T23:37:00.000-08:00

we are nearly 36 weeks now... this was a couple weeks ago and I can assure you I am MUCH bigger now :)
I love being pregnant!

"church"

2010-02-24T23:36:00.000-08:00

so, at our church the women wear veils (head coverings/mantillas/chapel veils/whatever your word of choice is) during Mass and anytime we are in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament... my usual veil is white. Luke came up to me the other day and said, "Look mama, church!" he thought he was pretty cute and creative with his veil... i have to agree :) (although we did then have a little talk about only the ladies and girls wearing veils!)

happy birthday

2010-02-12T21:02:00.000-08:00

my birthday is about a week away, but mom was visiting, so we turned our breakfast coffeecake into "birthday" cake... i look really pregnant in this one, but i think its because it was pretty much first thing in the morning and i was still in my jammies. - yes, Luke helped blow out the candle and open my present :)

cooking together

2010-02-10T20:58:00.000-08:00

bummer, it's sideways... anyway, here is Luke "helping" me cook, if you look closely you will see spoons in each of our apron pockets :) he loves being in the kitchen with me (which is good, because I enjoy it too!)

Taco Bell

2010-02-08T20:56:00.000-08:00

Luke had his first taste of Taco Bell this weekend! We don't really ever have fast food, but Nana was in town and she loves Taco Bell and we were running around doing lots of errands, so... a bean burrito it was :) He definitely enjoyed it!! Here he is, mid-chewing, while we were having our "picnic" in the Costco parking lot :)

Walk for Life - West Coast

2010-01-25T22:40:00.000-08:00

we went to the Walk for Life - West Coast this past Saturday in San Francisco... I have been going since 2005 (the first year) and have only missed one year - I have enjoyed going while pregnant, while nursing, and now with two kiddos :) Mom and Dad surprised us and joined in the walk!! What a treat! There was a major rain down-pour right at the beginning of the walk, but then the skies cleared and it was a gorgeous day in the city. Here we are in the midst of the walk - right after the rain cleared up - I am holding the blanket and poncho that I had rigged up around Luke to keep him warm and dry!

You can sort-of see the amount of people from this picture... upwards of 30,000 +
(Luke was singing)

Mom and Dad treated us to an anniversary dinner of chippino ... awesome!

Three generations getting pizza bread at Liguria bakery :)

Luke being cute

2010-01-14T21:42:00.000-08:00

we were on the look-out for a booster seat/big boy seat for Luke (since the baby will be occupying the high chair in the near future) ... we found this awesome (and very clean) seat at a yard sale for $1
(obviously it will usually be used at the table, not quite sure why he was on the floor facing the kitchen cupboards) ... anyway, Luke has been as cute as ever lately - during his time reading stories before bed with daddy tonight he requested his milk cup ... when I asked why (this isn't normal) Greg said that Luke had "Santa envy" because they were reading a Christmas book and in it Santa got milk and cookies... apparently he needed his milk to read through the story as well - cute kid (and hey, at least he wasn't asking for cookies right before bed, too!)

update on baby #2 - we are about 30 weeks along and getting very excited/nervous :) baby moves a lot, which I LOVE!!! and I am getting big, but not too huge yet... I am measuring right on and we are really pleased with our doctor. we are planning on a VBAC, while at the same time putting all of our labor and delivery concerns in the Lord's very capable hands! I have been on a crazy nesting spree lately - organizing nearly every room in the house top to bottom - although I don't believe that means I am going into labor anytime soon... with Luke I wanted to clean (not organize) - and I have definitely put off cleaning the last couple days ...

happy birthday Jesus

2010-01-07T10:52:00.000-08:00

our Happy Birthday Jesus party

Christmas Morning

2010-01-06T10:46:00.000-08:00

This is the second year in a row we have been blessed with waking up at our house on Christmas morning, just the three of us (well, the four of us - counting baby inside me this year!!) ... what a wonderful morning :)

(the pictures are in reverse order - sorry)

opening presents (thanks uncle Francis and aunt Gail!)

our little tree

he was more excited to see the tree - he didn't even notice the presents

catching up...

2010-01-06T10:45:00.000-08:00

here's a picture from when Luke and I were getting out Christmas decorations and it started snowing outside!!

how it all came to be...

2009-12-23T21:49:00.000-08:00

The Gospel, according to St. Luke, Chapter 1, verses 26 - 38

And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. Who having heard, was troubled at his saying, and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God.

Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end. And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man? And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren: Because no word shall be impossible with God. And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

**Merry Christmas to all! We are so thankful for all that the Lord has blessed us with this year, but especially for the gift of our new baby growing inside me! We are truly grateful to have a happy and healthy little family. We will be home for Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning, just the three (well - technically four!) of us... and we are so excited to spend that time together - anticipating and celebrating the birth of our Savior! Luke has been singing "Happy Birthday to Jesus" and the birthday cake is ready to be frosted.

visit to Pleasanton

2009-12-21T22:09:00.000-08:00

we got to visit family this last weekend - it was busy, but so much fun! here we are after Sarah's play - Luke really enjoyed "Cinderella" (it helped that it was nap time and he was pretty tired and just content to sit there watching the show!)
We made it to Luke's (and we think Greg's) first high school basketball game that night to watch cousin Jessica play great (and win!)

yummy dinner afterwards at my Aunt and Uncle's house

Luke's Hat

2009-12-12T21:56:00.000-08:00

so, while we were at Disneyland Luke decided that his hat didn't need to be on his head when it was cold - I had a different opinion... so, we went to the Disney store and tried on hats while strolling him around the store, the hat in the picture is the one that he didn't try to take off - it has a strap around the chin and is super-cute, so it works out well for all of us! the funny thing was, I wanted to keep him warm and he didn't want to take it off, so when we were in the check-out line at the store the cashier just scanned it on his head and he even wore it through dinner ... the funnier thing is that the hat comes with matching mittens which were also attached all through dinner ... at a crowded fancy restaurant in downtown disney :) here we are waiting for the monorail right before I finally got the mittens off (of course the hat was still on while i did that!!) oh - and the reason why his sweatshirt is so big is because it was a hand-me-down and says disneyland on it, so he wore it for the trip - it was great for layering though, cause the evenings were pretty chilly...

on a side note - if you ever need tips on how to change a toddler's diaper and pants in a crowded disney store (without using the bathroom or a changing table) i may have some experience :)

Thanksgiving

2009-12-10T21:53:00.000-08:00

photos from actual thanksgiving day...
check out the hand position on the guitar - I think he is actually playing a chord :)
Luke with his "favorite" cousin Shaun

Daddy, Mama, Nana, Luke, Aunt Naomi, Nonna, Uncle Dom, and Nonno
(wow, I look huge-pregnant in this one... I think its cause I am leaning at a strange angle)
Luke was definitely ready for bed by the time this picture was taken - he's got his pajamas on and blue elephant in hand

snow

2009-12-08T22:05:00.000-08:00

we had snow at our house all day yesterday and it even stuck overnight!!
enough for snow-balls but not enough to mess up the roads - i love the sierra foothills!!

...happiest place on earth...

2009-12-08T21:47:00.000-08:00

we spent the four days after Thanksgiving at Disneyland!!
here is our little family on Dumbo - Luke had a great time!

here is Luke on my shoulders watching a parade - I love how he points at all the floats!

On the Jungle Cruise with Daddy - clearly watching a somewhat-scary creature I am sure

the boys - notice how Luke needed to hold his sippy-cup too, as his Daddy and Nonno had their cups

Riding on Autopia with Daddy and Nana - holding the steering wheel with one hand and clutching his "driver's licsence" with the other!

cooking and cleaning with Luke

2009-11-23T21:35:00.000-08:00

sweeping outside

yep, i am cooking dinner with two kiddos between me and the counter! (notice his need to stand on my feet as well)

riding the vacuum - pretty much one of his favorite activities

outsite with clothes line

2009-11-21T21:32:00.000-08:00

apparently I forgot about the time change and now its dark much earlier - hence the pictures of me taking clothes and diapers off the clothesline when its already dark!! Luke obviously doesn't mind!

at the table

2009-11-19T21:30:00.000-08:00

not quite sure what he's thinking about, but he sure is cute... thanks to the Olivia's birthday party he has a neat crayon he won't let go of!! (it was brought in bed with us, to the table, in the car, etc... you get the idea)

playing in the laundry room

2009-11-12T22:30:00.000-08:00

where is Luke?

2009-11-10T22:33:00.000-08:00

Hume Lake

2009-11-09T22:34:00.000-08:00