Beach Day!

Well with all of the rain we have been having lately, we took this brief opportunity of sunshine/clouds to go to the beach. (even though there was a downpour earlier in the morning, this didn't hamper our plans).

Below is a picture of Matteo and Daddy just wading in the water. You see clearly Daddy didn't expect to go in, hence his lack of bathing suit and rolled up pants.

And yes, if you notice, I did get matteo's haircut just in time for the arrival of our new baby.

Notice his curious george bathing suit, Matteo has become a very big fan of George, though I don't think anything will ever replace cars.

Daddy and Matteo looking out at the boats.

And lastly, per usual, Daddy found a helmet crab (i think that is what they are called) and scooped it up out of the water. Leave it to Daddy to show matteo so much fun! Needless to say this brought over other "friends" who too wanted to check out Daddy's latest discoery and with whom matteo too enjoyed visiting with for a bit (until he put a rock on a little boy's head and then we cut our visit short).



Well folks with less than 3 weeks to go my posts are becoming less and less frequent, but check back often as soon we will have some very LARGE news in the form of, i'm guess, 7 1/2 - 9 lbs! :-)

Garden of Eve

Tuesday was a bit of an adventure for Mommy & Matteo. Seems this woman, who has two young children, opens her "farm" up to a mommy and me playdate on tuesdays. Now the reason I say "farm" is because in total there are about 6-9 animals fenced in neatly, but the real fun lies in the toys up front and the people you meet. So come along and take a brief walk in our day.

Below is Matteo visiting this old goat. In the background you may notice a sheep. This sheep did pee pee right in front of us and boy that was the highlight of Matteo's visit - remember he is recently potty trained - I probably could have left right then, however we continued to stay for an additional 3+ hours. (can't beat great friends).

Also we saw Tom Turkey and told him we 1) have his cousin in our refrigerator and 2) will probably see him in another few months on our table :-) Yes folks, we eat meat.

Lastly, we saw these little piggies below which, as the picture indicates, didn't tickle matteo too much.



So that was our Tuesday morning and into the early PM. I wonder what the rest of the week will have in store for us :-)

Father's Day 2009

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY DADDY!!!!!!!!



Boy isn't Daddy lucky, breakfast in bed...then again I don't think he is the only lucky one...Mommy & Matteo are pretty lucky to have this Daddy in our lives.

And to help celebrate such a wonderful day we invited down a few of our favorites: Grandma, Gramps, Auntie, Uncle Jason and their three kids.

Of course Gramps takes his usual nap while here...this time taking Auntie along with him....boy aren't these two fun :-)

While Auntie and Gramps held down the couches sleeping, Andrew and Matteo took to the streets over and over and over again, riding scooters and bikes. But remember safety first: helmets.

And after all of that riding, who wouldn't need some ice cream to help them cool off? And what better way to eat ice cream than with your favorite cousin..and on your nose as well :-) Oh to be a child again without a care in the world.



(Yes I know Matteo has had ice cream 2x in one week...but you havne't seen all of this weeks pictures haha. No no just many reasons to celebrate and what better way than with ice cream?)

Happy Fathers Day Daddy.

W A T E R + S U N = F U N

The smile says it all folks (and the attire as well)........ POOL!!!!!!

With rain occuring the last 15 out of 20 days (i believe that is fairly accurate), Matteo and I pulled out the pool today and he enjoyed some lovely "swim" time. Don't confuse this with olympic swimming, oh no today was more about tripping into the pool, falling out of it and some belly flops, all of which were taken with a smile. Also today we enjoyed a playdate with our neighbor Patrick and our friend Caleb, both of whom are older and if you know Matteo, you know he enjoys older friends, especially boys whom he can repeat, chase, etc. Later the boys also enjoyed a bike ride, so I believe all slept well that evening. Here's to more sun shiney days.

Graduation Day!

Today at Mommy & Me, Matteo and his classmates enjoyed a special celebration as they have all successfully graduated!

Below is a picture of Matteo enjoying some munchies while Mommy proudly smiles on.

And yes our Dear Teacher Ms. Doreen pictured here with Matteo (whom I believe was more exicted about the bagel in his hand than the certificate he received).

And what better way to celebrate a graduation, or the completion of any school year, than with ice cream at Friendlys - at 11 AM.



So now what to do with Matteo has become the big question for Mommy. Too young for preschool I feel, too rambuncious for Mommy and Me anymore, so I think we will sit this summer out and enjoy our backyard and come Fall.....well tune in (or email me a hint). :-)

Needed a diaper today.......

not for Matteo's toosh, but for his FACE!!!!!! Oh yes dear readers, THAT is how many tears he cried and cried and cried cried today. And i'm writing this from my SUBJECTIVE point of view, but if you are a stay at home mom, do you EVER have to "deprogram" your child after the weekend...when you know who is home? (wink wink YOUUUUUUUUU know).

Case in point: Matteo is in the tub but has to use the potty. So I ask Jules to sit with him so I can use a different toilet. When I come back, not only is Matteo OFF the potty, but he is PLAYING! Well of course Mommy got him back in the tub to finish bath, after 35 minutes and countless tears. (no joke).

Case in point II: Dinner on the table in 2 minutes. Jules goes outside to put something away, Matteo goes out too and tells Daddy he will drive his FAVORITE green truck into the garage and put it away...Matteo is 2 3/4. Daddy thinks "great". A few seconds later, when Matteo wants to play in his truck, tears ensue.

Sometimes I just have to shake my head and smile at Daddy.....ohhhhhhhhhhh the innocence.

PS - Amy you will understand this in another 12-14 months! BEWARE!!!!!

Clean up Isle 1!!!

After one half day of success (Thurs) and one full day of success (Friday) Matteo had two spills today (ever so minor) - though one I believe was perspiration (Daddy disagrees). And today no rewards, just praise which in my opinion he enjoys much more.

On a different note, in between raindrops today, Matteo helped Daddy mow the lawn........though I believe about 75% of the time they fought. Mommy wasn't sure whether to be sad or laugh.



And have I mentioned how scary the number 5 has become to me? Why you ask. Well simply because I'm due in FIVE(!!!!) weeks. Though Matteo came 12 days late, I'm really not expecting such a result this time around........yes Dears, 5 is becoming a very scary reality.

P-Day 2

Well for those of you following our blog, today was Potty Day No. 2. However all did not start out well as I finallY FINALLY spoke to Amy last night (she has been located---apparently she lost her cell phone and is lost without it as she doesn't know anyone's number...does that include email Amy....hmmmmmmmm), anyway, Amy & I spoke on the phone for 1/2 hour last evening, however that 1/2 hour was from 10:30-11 PM!!!! So needless to say today I started tired.

Waking up around 6ish, Matteo rolled around in bed talking to me and I thought (sorry Sarah) "he has on a pull-up, he'll be okay", however after 10 min I asked him if he had to go potty to which he responded "Yes." and SURPRISE: he stayed dry all-night-long!!!! Way to go Matteo!!!!

Below is Daddy rewarding Matteo with Green Ramone for doing not only such a great job yesterday, but also staying dry all night long.

And for fun later in the day when the sun came out, Matteo and Walter rolled and rolled and rolled around in the grass.

And notice Matteo picked out his own shirt today (no shorts). This is his lightening shirt (I guess the "95")..however as I keep informing him, Mommy got him this shirt for JULY 4TH!!~! Hence we were supposed to save it...however he is doing so so well with the potty how could I resist?

And as a treat though to a much lesser degree, Matteo got some TV time today (15 min approximately). However if you look closely at this pic you can smell his brain cells rotting .... :-) and why the lollypop...simply because he did more than pee in the toilet and that was a BIG accomplishment :-)

Well sorry for all the potty talk, however it is likely to continue over the weekend, so stay tuned.

P-DAY!!!!!

HUGE NEWS TODAY!!!!!!!!!!

Today Mommy woke up and decided TODAY IS THE DAY! No no not "the" day, but "THE" day! With the soon to be arrival of our newest addition, I decided we simply cannot afford 2 boxes of diapers (one per child)...hence one of them has to go! So, as is always the case, Matteo being the oldest got the boot! Yes folks today was POTTY DAY!

Daddy was good enough to indulge a very pregnant Mommy and went out to purchase Matteo a potty seat that I was more comfortable with. Needless to say it is green :-) (if you are asking why.....perhaps you are at the wrong blog.) I kid you not this child LOVES green to no end.

And after his first time using the potty, I asked Matteo to smile for a picture. Lately this means...make a frown . So below is Matteo posing for the camera. What a ham..makes me laugh.

When Daddy came home around noonish he has some "rewards" for Matteo.......


however Mommy discovered that after one reward it was ..... not distracting...but distracting. (I know, I'm very pregnant humor me). Anyway, instead of using toys, Mommy used M&M's (one each...very cheap I am) as a reward also watching "TV" on the computer (clifford) and of course freeze pops.

Below is a picture of Matteo enjoying viewing his reward. Notice of half empty cup by him....we were always drinking today I kid you not. Betrween the hours of 12:30 and 4:30, this child used the potty every 10-15 min. Excessive? Perhaps but I really think he got the hang of it. And in between he got to watch CLIFFORD or roll cars with mommy or just read books.

At the end of the day Mommy has much much success to report. No accidents past 12/12:30 PM and only 3 to speak of this AM (2 were my fault as I was not paying attention). Matteo initiated many potty trips, even once running across the house at one point all on his own to sit on potty! Mommy is very proud. However I cannot take all the credit, I owe many thanks to our dear friend Sarah, who spoke to Mommy on the phone, gave helpful tips and even followed up in emails. Thanks Sarah, as said before, it's great to have a friend in you.

And in case you are wondering I believe I made the right choice, this child is MUCH easier to potty train than the one coming......which has me thinking....i think this baby is REALLY coming..........stay tuned :-)

Happy Birthday AMY!

Love the below picture. Matteo's smile is probably 1000x brighter than the flashlight he has taken to playing with at night.

Daddy keeps saying in case of a tornado we will use Matteo's cars to help us see (since he is killing the battery on our flashlight and hence it probably won't work haha). Daddy IS a good sport. Take the above photo for instance. Despite having a hard time this month workwise, Daddy still took over an hour to sit at the table and figure out Mommy's camera and just how I cchanged the settings and he restored my original settings. Thanks Daddy.

And have you met our saber tooth Walter lately? See pic below.

Lastly, but never least
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR BIRTHDAY MOMMY AMY!!!!!!

WISH I could be there to give you hugs and kisses in person Dear, but this will have to do in the meantime. :-)

Best wishes for another year of health and happiness. Remember it's the simple things that make life worth living.

Busy little beaver

Why the big old grin on Matteo's face (besides the fact that he just "jumped" over that white tube in the background like Walter)?

Well Matteo and Daddy have just finished constructing a dam of course! Please notice the hose that is leading into the tube by the flags hence spraying water into the driveway (because today's monsoon did not make enough water), hence Matteo and DAddy put down "sticks, rocks and mud."



Why the dam? Well simply because Daddy is the coolest.....no seriously MOMMY was reading Matteo a book that Grandma had given him about Beavers and Matteo decided he too wanted to build a dam :-) Matteo is a busy little beaver.

Nieces BBQ

Sunday was the 3rd(?) or 4th(?) annual Niece's BBQ at Aunt Lois' house. However this year the scope was much larger to include nephews (none of which showed up) and also Ellissa's surprise Baby Shower (love it) and Congrats on your new job Gramps (didn't enjoy sharing the spotlight).

Below is a pic of (from L to R) myself (34 weeks pregnant), Aunt Lois and Matteo (notice the green shirt) rocking on Aunt Lois' hammock.

Matteo enjoyed his first smore with Daddy. This really only last for one bite as Matteo had many other treats courtesy of Aunt Lois and Uncle Frank.

A nice shot of Grandma and two of her three daughters. Notice Andrew in the lower left corner as well :-)

And yes the smore sugar kicked in as you will notice DAddy and Andrew sitting nicely on the hammock and Matteo is -of course- upside down :-)

Mmmm the joys of living on an Island :-)

Below when the day was more than 1/2 way over Mommy decided to take Matteo to the beach for a little fun in the sun (with the proper sunscreen and umbrella of course). Below is a picture of Matteo and Mommy. (Please note: Mommy is in her 34th week of pregnancy....how scary is that?).

And guess who tagged along....DADDY OF COURSE :-)

Matteo wasn't one for the water today (very chilly), but Mommy kept having him put his feet in the water. Also, didn't like getting sand in his water shoes......well I really can't help you there kiddo......that's life on the beach.

PS - If anyone has seen our friend Amy, can you please tell her we miss her and hope she gets in touch with us soon. Life just isn't the same without her.

Comb over?

Ironically Daddy had the audacity to ask me if I combed Matteo's hair today. (See pic below).

Surely this Daddy does not realize that I spend (KID YOU NOT) about 2-3 minutes in the morning combing Matteo's hair as I constant over obsess about the part. I must say Matteo is a very patient boy during this time.....and that is the only time during the day in which he practices his patience ;-)

Not a fun goodbye

Today was Matteo's last day going to the farm program with Daddy and sadly Matteo did not enjoy himself one bit.

As a matter of fact, as class was about to start, Daddy decided it best for them to leave as Matteo had already had two "breaks" ,and was crying for Mommy. However Daddy did get some last photos in.

Below is Matteo saying goodbye to his farm friends.

And perhaps the animals are saying goodbye back :-)

Not sure why Matteo has become so overly attached to Mommy this past week. Honestly not an hour goes by where I don't here "pick me up pick me up." Now mind you I am 100+ lbs (not really) overweight, so add another 30 (Matteo) and you have a really large woman :-) Either way I try to indulge him as much as possible and do pick him up in the hopes I am giving him the extra comfort and security he needs. However can he "detect" the pending arrival of our little one? I certainly never make a fuss about him/her, nor do I really mention him/her............ can anyone shed light on this?

coupon cravings?

Have you ever heard of www.couponcravings.com

a friend of mine turned me onto the site, a great site to learn where you can get free stuff (hey why not?). I've gotten loads of stuff from there, although presently our printer is out of ink (sucks) so I can't print anything.

Anway, they also offer websites where you click on it, give your name and address and get free samples..and let me tell you for a stay at home mom who loves the mailman (Hello Danny!), i love getting "gifts" in the mail.

try it out, Amy they usually offer Walmart coupons, etc. Check back daily as I believe it is updated much. Also they have target, but Amy I don't think you shop target much.

Do comment only after you have given it a try. :-)

Just a tip from one Mommy to the next :-)

Llams and giraffes and trains-----oh my!

Having received reduced tickets to a local "zoo" (3 for the price of 1!!), we headed out east today to get back in touch with nature. Having little money on us these days, Daddy improvised with respect to buying food for the animals..he found some hay!

Below is a picture of Matteo and Daddy feeding the Llamas.

Mommy finally did give in and we purchased some carrots for the giraffe.

The train ride below for $ F R E E, so we rode it three times, two of which were in "percy" (just a green car).




Man look at the thrill on matteo's face...as if Percy actually came alive from our Thomas book. Perhaps we was so thrilled because James was there as well..as the caboose.

However, I did note the sign said "no pregnant woman"---so I'm wondering "surely she doesn't think I let myself go.....does she?" (referring to the train operator). But none of that matter, as long as Mommy rode the train with Matteo. Daddy too of course, but Mommy was the necessary ingredient, as all three times we rode that train, Matteo was touching me in some way (i.e. lap or sitting next to me).

And finally, in the end I decided reduced price still was not worth it as below really where Matteo had his fun:
SPLASHING IN PUDDLES!

I said to Daddy on the way out, "Next time we'll stay home and i'll make puddles in the driveway", to which Daddy agreed. Cost: $.75, fun factor: priceless.

Hope you all enjoyed your Tuesday.

He's the one!

HAPPY "14 YEARS AGO WE STARTED DATING" ANNIVERSARY DADDY!

Wow that was some mouthful, and yet so true, time really does fly.

In case your wondering what is going on in the above-picture (notice the purple walls), we were at a birthday party previously that day and ohhhhhh the cupcakes looked so so delicious, but mommy refused to indulge in one since it was a kiddie party (Daddy was scolded for accepting ice cream), and really i'm pregnant, I can just hear the "oh she doesn't need that" whispers (kidding...sorta!). So on the way home I could not for the life of me get those squashy cupcakes out of my head, well Daddy took me to a bakery and bought me my own personal small cake (truly small..not a regular size cake). Hence, rather than get Matteo all dirty, I took off his shirt and shorts and we all indulged. FYI: oreo outside and squashy chocolate cake inside....now aren't YOU hungry.

14 years later, he still cares :-) (pitter patter pitter patter---my heart).

PS - a picture of my mini cake below, with my cupcake boy. ;-)