Keeping Busy w/ Daddy gone

This is what the kids are doing to help pass the time until their Daddy gets home. Arianna has so enjoyed having some friends come over to play, they sure get silly! Wish I had taken more photos! But thanks for all the fun to ALL those that have come to play! Arianna is ever on a high after a day with fellow princes or princesses! They enjoyed tea parties, painting, barbies, dress up, games and babies. She is already busy planning some 'do-overs.'

Enzo feels closer to his Daddy when he can get in the tool box. It isn't enough just to have the tool box down, he needs it sprawled open and he also needs the drill and as you can see, he needs something to fix...even if it isn't really broken.

When he talked to Marco on the phone today he said, "Daddy, come home. Daddy, tackle. Daddy, come home." I guess he's ready to have a man around again...he's certainly not the only one!! We're almost there!

Let it snow! Let it Snow! Let it SNOW!

When I woke up at 4:30 am (this pregnant state doesn't allow me to sleep too long, but at least I can get to sleep, right?!) I was amazed at how much snow had fallen. The road looked formidable, but I was sure it wasn't as bad as it looked. When the kids awoke at 7 the snow was even thicker and it was coming down fast! No one on the street moved for their shovels because it wasn't letting up any time soon. A call came...church was cancelled. What?? It is just a block away! They couldn't even get the plows into the church lot to clear it off, and there was NO way anyone should be making an attempt at driving...or walking, for that matter. Spent hours on my sunday school lesson for naught, except that I really enjoyed what I learned, so that is all good.
Then around 10:30 I heard snow blowers out. My neighbors have shoveled my walks too many times while Marco has been gone and I feel a bit guilty. I thought I'd try to beat them all to it; the kids LOVE to help shovel, so they were on board. The wind caused drifts that were too high to measure w/ the yard stick, but the snow on the walks measured 17 inches. Good thing our neighbors were kind enough to come help us, despite my pride. I hadn't realized how much snow had actually accumulated!I tackled the front entrance and stairs since the snow blowers can't, and then cleaned up after them. That was about all I could do. We were out there for about 2 hours, Enzo's little cheeks could take no more. Arianna loved playing out in the snow w/ the neighbor kids as they built snow forts and did some sledding. I don't think she even knew it was cold. Not exactly Sunday activities, I know, but hard to pass up with snow like this. I hope the Lord will forgive us since He sent all that tempting white stuff to us AND cancelled church. What else were we to do? ;)
Well, happy February! Is spring coming any time soon?? As long as there is snow like this, I suppose I can handle the winter. Sure is fun!

Where has January gone?

I wasn't such a good blogger this month, but I am ok with that. Suddenly I feel this crunch to get things done before I have THREE little ones and not enough of time, energy or hands to be able to do so. Marco's time in London has been ALL too long, but I am finally out of the 'depressive' slump that his first week away left me with; now we're on the home stretch!! I must say I am grateful that the snow (and sicknesses) have kept us largely home bound. I consider it a blessing, in disguise, which has given me more time to just enjoy my 2 babies. They'll start to seem so big here in a few weeks when a tiny morsel from heaven gets delivered into our arms! Here are some photos of what keeps me going, and ever laughing each day! Stormy weather... Kitchen concotions (boiled apple and lemon juice, I guess)
Bedtime sillies



Oh, and Enzo has worked his way into a big bed and a new room. Way to go bud! He took on the challenge like a champ! I have had a few more waking moments in the night, but w/ a Daddy gone and 2 year molars coming in on top of it all, we think it has been a success. Naps were a no brainer, he loves his new place for nap time! Looks so peaceful!

Hard to see my baby grow up! His favorite phrase is still, "hold me" though, so he isn't ALL big yet.

Sweet dreams yourself! Here's to February!

January Fun!

Enzo loves anything his Daddy has. He headed to the mudroom on the 9th and pulled out these. Nice fit, huh?! Of course Arianna thought that was a good idea so she grabbed a pair of 'her own.'
Anything for a photo op.

On Sunday's the kids are no longer able to have naps (nor are we) :( since church is at 1. So we had all sorts of time to fill, it seemed. The kids kept themselves busy w/ all sorts of projects. This was one we captured on camera (note Marco's sculpture of the first vision, such an artist)!

Marco took off work on Friday for a long weekend and it worked out perfectly because it was such a nice snowy day. A little bit fell all day long so we headed to the slope at the bottom of our hill. The kids both LOVED it! My size made it rather difficult to get UP out of the sled once we got to the bottom of the hill, but it was all worth it in the end! Daddy is home Monday as well for Martin Luther King, Jr. day, and that may be another snowy winter land if the forecast is right. Hooray! We will be busy working on a room for Enzo though, he gets a big boy bed and room, and we need to get that done before Marco heads to London!

On Saturday we took the kids to the planetarium. Haven't been since it moved to the Gateway. Here are the kids on the moon! Arianna was elated, Enzo, inquisitive!The Fluckigers were able to join us which was the hightlight of the trip, I think. Enzo was thrilled to have all this 'space' to run and run and run in. He kept Marco and I on our toes (which were very sore and swollen by the end of the night). Arianna loved learning all about meteors and astronauts and the planets and rockets and and and.... She didn't stop to take a breath the whole drive home, she was too busy telling us all about her plans to go to space (and that's quite a long drive home). I think that means she liked it.

These guys will love that I included this photo, I am sure, but I couldn't resist. Hee hee! Enzo really enjoyed exploring the surface of Mars, we had one tired Martian to take home!

Arianna was in love with the weather station. She gets inside 'TV' cardboard boxes at home that have a square cut out so she can deliver the forecast to Marco and I w/ her pretend microphone. This big map and cameras were much more up to par.

Well, there you have it. Hope that you are all well and look forward to hearing about what you are up to too!

Happy New Year!

This will be brief, just had to let you know that Enzo is learning to say 'dinosaur.' The only problem is that it comes out as 'Dino-whore' as hard as he tries. He may not want you to remind him of that years down the road, but I thought I'd let you in on it just the same. I crack up every time he says it and am cracking up about it as I write. He is hilarious!

For New Year's two of my sisters came over (Heide, where are you??!) and before we put the kids down we threw them in the tub. These boys are just so goofy, I love it!

As for Arianna, she told me tonight as I was singing her to sleep, "When I go to church I always feel the Spirit." She did that right after reading the majority of "The Giving Tree" to Marco and I. She never ceases to amaze us.

She sure loved being her Grandpa Max's helper as he worked on our computer desk (which is now officially in the kitchen area-hooray!) Enzo just couldn't get enough of his tools! He's a tool man through and through. Thanks Grandpa and Grandma for all the help! It was such a treat to have the Poggio's here for all the work time.