Happy Birthday, Blake

Today Blake turned 2. This is the age where he gets into things. What if he's already done that? I wonder what (trouble) we're in for - tee hee hee.

Blake had a fun birthday. He woke up and there were 2 presents to greet him. He got a Mega Blocks car track set and a toy cash register. He probably thought this was as good as it gets today because he spent most of the morning toting around the cash register. He got to take treats to his baby school friends. His teachers surprised him with 2 bags of goodies.

When we got home, we made his favorite -- hot dogs and mac & cheese (and, yes, we had to eat it, too). Andrea made his cake in the shape of Toodles from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, a Playhouse Disney TV show he watches everyday before he goes to daycare. Our favorite part is when Mickey & Friends shout "Oh, Toodles!" and we all shout with them. It's funny to hear Blake try to say it, usually chiming in a split-second late with "Oh, WooWoo!"

Blake had to hop in the bath because, although he was a lot cleaner with the food than last year, he still managed to get cake in his face and hair. Blake is the only kid I know who needs to take a break from opening Christmas or Birthday presents. So after the bath break, Blake got to open the rest of his presents. He got some Disney movies and a fridge magnet ABC toy and some cool big boy clothes from Grandma & Grandpa Conte. I hope these photos do it justice.

Thanks to you who sent presents to make our little boy's day so special. He really had fun trying to open them for the first time on his own. The look on Blake's face everytime was like "Oh, wow!"

Green Eggs & Ham

Our funny boy Blake is always prime for a photo opp. On Saturday, I had a hankering for Green Eggs & Ham. In fact, we almost went to IHOP and ordered from the Dr. Seuss-themed menu. I suddenly found Blake and I wanting lunch and decided I could make it myself. Blake had no idea where I got the green eggs & ham idea from or who Dr. Seuss is, but that didn't stop him from enjoying every bite of this otherwise "disgusting looking" concoction, as Andrea put it. Blake was having too much fun to know what we're laughing at. He was so cute with his Tigger ears and this gob of green goop he was devouring.


I DO, I DO! I DO like Green Eggs and Ham, Blake I am!

Juliana is 3 months today

Hard to believe that our sweet baby girl Juliana is 3 months old today. She still smells brand new. Kind of like that new car smell ... thankfully, babies last longer.

Last week, Juliana rolled over for the first time from her belly to back. Andrea and I had stepped out of the room after she was placed on a blanket. We both came back a few seconds later and found her completely upside-down. Andrea thought I moved her. Just to make sure it wasn't a supernatural force, we put her back on her stomach. She promptly rolled over again. We clapped and by her grin I think she got the notion that she did something good. She cooperated with us by rolling over again and again - probably 10 times altogether. While we were calling and sending videos from our phones, she was the star of the show. Here's the video that we took on her 3rd roll. What a cutie!

Time for a New Season

We've been in the winter doldrums lately. There is no greenery and the sun is still in hibernation. There's talk of baseball coming back, but my fingertips are still frozen from the last time I threw a snowball. There's endless talk on the news of rising prices of _________ (insert any life dependency here). With the constant bickering going on with the elections and since our candidate has gracefully bowed out, America is ripe for a new day... A New Season. I submit to you that it's time for Spring. Time to come together and be happy. Time to wake up and smell the flowers. Time to arise early and enjoy life. Yes, after a long Winter, Spring is here.

We've been blaming our dour mood swings lately on Punxsutawnee Phil, because these 6 more weeks of winter seem like endless torment. It doesn't help that I spent a week in Florida and thawed out before coming back to icy Illinois. Once we feel like the weather's turning for the better, we get snowed on. Josh has already had like 4 or 5 snow days (I lost track). Too bad we don't get snow days from work. People get sick at the hospital on snow days (Andrea) and the mailman never fails to deliver even on snow days Joel).

Well, last Sunday the weather creeped up in the high 60s (funny because the Sunday before we had light fluffy snowball-throwing snow). After church, Juliana got in the stroller for a Sunday walk and I somehow pulled the dog and Blake along as well. This was her first ride in the big, comfy stroller. It was still a little chilly out, so she probably doesn't remember much besides the wind and the hat over her eyes. Would you believe that after having almost 70 degrees on Sunday that it snowed the next 2 days straight? Yeah, we got 7 inches and Josh got 2 days off from school, which combined with the school holiday from the Friday before, this kid was lucky to remember what grade he was in when he finally went back to class.

We've been quite busy lately with our new dual lives as full-time working parents. We rarely get free time and when that is, it's the kids go first - but it's that time with them we cherish. This week brought the Daylight Savings Time and coincidentally today came Spring weather. To celebrate, we went back to the YMCA to exercise. We say "back" because since Andrea was progressing in the pregnancy, we all stopped going to the gym to show our moral support (ahem...laziness). We welcome the new season and the times we get to spend together doing something outdoors that doesn't involve a shovel and an icepick.