Pumpkin's are here

One of the things I love about October is the pumpkin picking festivities. This year we went to a local farm where Giada and Dominic picked their own pumpkins and then decorated them. There was even a wagon ride included! Giada loves her pumpkin, to the point of wanting to sleep with it. Dominic just likes to launch his off of things. Next year we will be sure we steer both G&D towards smaller pumpkins! Lesson learned!

Dominic and Mommy

Dominic on the wagon ride with Daddy

Giada and her friend, Carter

Giada decorating her pumpkin

ahhh! the beach in October!

We were fortunate enough to have a little beach getaway this past weekend. It was gorgeous weather to be at the beach! Dominic and Cecelia loved playing "in" the ocean (really only up to their ankles/knees). It is always so nice to be able to go to the beach, but with both our children still being so young it does get stressful to want to be away and relax but not really be able to because you still have to stick to somewhat of a schedule and always have an eye on the little ones. And then you run into the issue of having other children on the beach wanting to come and interact with your children but then you turn into the babysitter/entertainer for those children as well! I know in 10 years when they want nothing to do with me I'll be wishing it was back to these days. But for now, it's kind of nice to look ahead and dream of a time that I am not stressed out most of the time :)

Some days!!!

It is tricky finding the balancing act of coming home from work with 2 toddlers and having to get them snacks to hold off the whining while trying to let the dog out, while trying to run to the bathroom because I didn't get a chance to all day, yadayadayada....all while trying to remain in a fairly decent mood! most nights i get everything done but the mood suffers. there is always tomorrow to try again! lol....It has been busy with me going back to work but we still get to have lots of fun with Giada and Dominic on the weeknights and weekends. Giada is enjoying swimming lessons and Little Gym. Dominic goes to swimming lessons, however I wouldn't say he enjoys it! Dominic is finally walking, and I am surprised every time I see it. We enjoyed helping my sister move into her new house, visiting family in NY and trying to make sure our priorities stay strong so family always comes first. It's easy to get off track with such a busy schedule, but in the end all I have to do is look at my children and I am instantly brought back to reality with what should really matter most. So it's crazy coming home from work and having so much to do, or having so much in our schedule but raising my children to be happy individuals is well worth it!

It's a good life!

I hate how every day I seem to hear about more and more tradegy striking. I am really trying to wake up and remember how lucky I am to have my family and friends and smile, even though it's early and I'd rather go back to sleep! We have been having a hectic, sometimes stressful, but great summer with lots of activities. We have gone to Hershey Park and Dutchwonderland lots. We started to go to our local pool. We made a trip in to Brooklyn to visit our new cousin, Abigail and other family members. Still on our list to do is a beach vacation, maybe the Philly Zoo and Long Island. Dominic turns one this weekend! ONE!!! I can't believe it....my little boy. I love how his personality is really starting to develop. He is such a charmer and for some reason loves the "down dog" position. It's hysterical. Giada is learning more and more every day. She can now put 5 words together to make a sentence. Her favorite phrase is "I do it". But it's funny to hear her say "who that?" when she hears a noise!
Here are some pics from our summer adventures!

Hershey Park Happy!

We had our first trip to Hershey Park last week! It was so much fun watching Giada and Cecelia get on rides together. For the most part Giada seemed unsure of the rides and cried at times when she was on them. Dominic even got to go on the log flume and the merry-go-round. Giada still measures as a "miniture kiss", while her cousin Cecelia is a "reeses peanut butter cup" this year, which afforded her the opportunity to go on the "Super Dooper Looper" with Aunt Roseanne for the first time!! I held on tight to her the whole way! Grandpa even got to come along and enjoyed his trip with the fam!

Easter

Giada and Dominic had fun this year hunting Easter eggs at Aunt Tara and Uncle Adam's house on Saturday and then at Aunt Denice and Uncle Bill's house on Sunday. Giada has now been asking for nothing but chocolate and her new Dora watch! Giada and Dominic knew the Easter bunny had visited the night before because he left foot prints! It certainly made it easier to find their baskets :)

Dominic's 9 month well visit

I took Dominic to his 9 month well baby visit this week....yipee! no shots! what a good, peaceful visit. And thanks to my dad, I got to spend some one on one time with just Dominic while he stayed home and watched Giada. Yes, sad that my one on one time was taking Dominic to the doctor's office, but we'll take what we can get! Here are his latest stats!

Height: 28" (40th percentile)
Weight: 20 lbs 4 oz (45th percentile)
Head: 17.72" (40th percentile)

so i would say he's almost perfectly proportioned!

We took Dominic and Giada to visit the Easter Bunny on Saturday. Giada would not sit for the picture, so instead of tourturing her and making her sit (like the family in front of us did to their children) we just had the picture snapped with Dominic. He was very curious and at one point smacked the Easter Bunny in the face!

Giada turns 2!!

I can remember my very first post, which was when Giada was just 3 months old. Now my baby girl is 2 and turning into a little girl right before my eyes! We got to celebrate her birthday this past weekend with family, friend and a visit from Tumble Wheels. Giada had a blast on tumble wheels. She loves jumping on the trampoline and going into the ball pit. She even did a few forward roles for us. What fun it is to get to watch children experience the world for the first time and love the novelty of it!

Dominic's 6 month well-baby check!

Dominic is already 6 months old! wow....sometimes the time drags as the days go by, but looking back, did I really already have him 6 months ago!?! We had his 6 month check up today. Aside from the shots he got, he did really well. Even after the shots, he cried for only a little and then was a "tough" little man and stopped crying. Even though I wasn't ready to stop cuddling him! lol... I am always questioning myself of if/how I should be treating him different than my little girl. If I am too hard on him and encouraging him to be tough, will he not be sensative enough? If I cuddle him too much will he be a wuss?!? ugh! I think it's tougher raising a boy so far! lol..
Here are his 6 month stats:
Height: 26.75" (50th percentile)
Weight: 18 lbs 10oz (61st percentile---he's dropping! at his 4 month check he was in the 75th percentile!)
Head: 17.24" (43rd percentile)

Giada loves getting in Dominic's crib with him in the morning when he first wakes up. He usually loves it too. He loves watching and smiling at her. They play for a little bit in his crib and then it's off to start the day!

Winter is here!

It has been so cold the past couple of days! and I am not particularly excited for it to snow anymore because the first snow of this season Giada was not feeling it! She hates her boots and doesn't like to be outside playing :( hopefully that will change as she gets older. I haven't attempted taking Dominic out in the snow yet....that will come next! So we try to get to the pool at our gym at least weekly for the kids....they both seem to love it! and lots of time spent with family and friends on playdates :) This past weekend Giada and Dominic got to have a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa Myers house. I am enjoying watching Dominic become more interactive with Giada. He loves to watch her and laughs at her a lot!