We Did It!

Way to go Phils!

Richie and Gabriella Part II

We had a lovely vacation in Phoenix/Tempe to celebrate Richie and Gabriella's wedding. So much love and family, so many beautiful moments and special details. My heart is still pitter-pattering! We didn't manage to get a picture of all *five* of us at the wedding, but here we all are...


No words necessary here. Thank you Elissa for letting me borrow your dress!

Holding the bridal bouquet while watching the newlyweds have their first dance.

Another lovely couple.

With plenty of entertainment and loving arms for the children, we managed to enjoy a drink and dance together. Thank you Richie and Gabriella!

Richie and Gabriella Part I

Two lovely gals! I have to say Gabriella seemed quite at ease cuddling the kids all weekend...

Simona and Cora line dancing. Cora did not part with her new purse from Argentina all evening. Where did she learn this?

Tricia and Sam cutting a rug - so cute!

But Sam only slow-danced with Cora...someone has a crush!

We had a wonderful week in Arizona for Richie and Gabriella's wedding. Unfortunately (as usual) our camera mostly served as a paperweight, but here are a few pics we captured.


Nico, at the end of his hike, with Phoenix in the background.

King of the mountain!

Here at the zoo - such cool flora!

One of the greatest parts of the trip was spending time with family - here's a crew in the whirlpool. Ah, such lovely time spent poolside.

Skool!

Off to kindy-garden!

Getting us all off in the morning is still a small feat.

The new queen of the roost - although she mostly asks about when we will be picking him up... (Shown here in her absolutely favoritest ensemble "butterfly shirt." I have had to hide it to get her to wear anything else.)

The Beach

We have had a couple of lovely visits to the Jersey Shore this year. This one was a hot day early in May. Notice we are the only ones there - and it was wonderful! Of course the water was frigid...

Cora is Two!

I know it's been forever...but I realize it is not going to get any easier to do this once baby #3 arrives! Which of course is any moment. So here goes a little something...



We had a lovely party for Cora at Valley Forge Park, the day after cousin Lia was born.

Fortunately Cora had plenty of assistance with candle-choosing and blowing.

A family photo of sorts.

The whole group who came out to celebrate - it was so nice to have everyone visiting for a fun-filled weekend. Check out all family blogs for more details about the weekend!

Our Jaunt to North Carolina

We had a nice visit to the Triangle area of North Carolina at the end of February. The highlight for Nico was the outing to Monkey Joe's, a fun place full of inflatable climbing toys.

Here Cora appreciates the dragon's ensemble color.

Sibling smooch through mesh. Proven to prevent 75% of cootie transmission.

Enjoying a rocking chair on the porch.

Nico and I had a lovely visit to Duke Gardens.

Snow Day!

There's really only been one "big" snow this year and we made the most of it! (2/22/08)

A natural snow bunny.

Sled courtesy of Nonna and Nonno - who live in real snow country!

Nico the Snow Surfer - very silly.

Putting my brother to good use.

Lookin' Good

Sometimes I like to be a rock star...

Even rock stars need their OJ!

Nico Turns Five

We marked this milestone with a super-cool outer space party! We had black light, neon everything and a difficult mission, accomplished successfully by Commander Nico and his buddies. It was a blast! :-)

Here the astronauts watch a video of themselves flying through space in their spaceship. First they landed on the moon to collect moonrocks. Then off to Mars for the requisite Martian bird feathers demanded by the aliens who had taken over the Earth.

After the party, the girls decided space was much better when the sun was out.

And here lies the Commander at the end of his day - exhausted and content! Spacesuit courtesy of Aunt Tricia - thanks! And thanks to our extremely professional and woefully undercompensated photographer - Grandma!