17 months

Rocco is now 17 months and I just had to post some of his accomplishments because he seems so old!

He is now running and is pretty pleased with himself. He also does a great little somersault. This started during our daily song and prayer time. I would say to the kids, "OK, lets pray. Rocco bowed his head all the way to the floor and then just went with it and flipped over. So now every morning when it's time to pray he does a somersault.

He seems to understand EVERYTHING and follows directions very well. 'Close the door, put that down, take your shoes off, give that to Maddy, sit down, get out of the toilet, stop eating dishwasher tablets'... you know! Actually, although he is still into everything, he does seem to be gaining a little common sense.

He can break past safety locks and open and close doors, so little stops him. It seems like everything that can has 4 little tooth marks in it. And I wouldn't ever want it any other way!

He said his first 'real' words this month. [to Shelva and all other mothers of early talkers, skip this paragraph] When we got home from California, Madison (of course!) had taught him the word BALL. It was clear and he would say it on command. Within days he had MAMA, NINNY, and PAPA down. He tries anything we ask him to say, but it's not so clear. DiSalvatore boys are very content to begin talking on their 2nd birthday, so I'm not worried at all.

Madison also taught him sign language. He knows more, please, thank you, all done and puts 2 together to say 'more please'. It's just the cutest darn thing! He also makes a sound for thank you (tdhih-tdhih) which he has consistently used for months now. He's very polite. And he LOVES to wave. It's so sweet!

He trucks around now like one of the big kids. He plays independently for long stretches of time. He loves anything with a ball, and naturally it usually involves whacking it around with a stick of some sort. When he doesn't get HIS way with the kids, he has this horrific monkey screech to let everybody know he's not happy.

He loves sitting up at the counter on a stool with the big kids. He loves feeding himself. The worst is yogurt! I'm sure you have a visual. When it's said and done, about 10% of the yogurt has actually been ingested.

He no longer nurses before bed. He's all done with that, so now he puts his head on my shoulder, tucks his arms in and we sway as I sing him a lullaby. It's a sweet little bedtime / naptime routine.

Generally he still takes 2 naps a day, although I'm beginning to think he's transitioning to just one. A few mornings he has not slept, but instead played and 'talked' happily for an hour in his crib. Yet many days, it is still abundantly clear that by 9:30 he is ready for a nap.

Colombo wants me to cut his hair. Even when he's dressed in head to toe blue we get the, "Oh, she's so cute!"

It's no secret that he grips our hearts tightly. And as much as I love him, I also love who he is in our family. It's so very special to watch a 11 year old brother pick him up and whisper sweet nothings in his ear. He's an unbelieveable stress break for Daddy in the middle of a hard day.

God has richly blessed us with him! He is a miracle and we're enjoying every second!

Interesting Exchanges

I have no idea how this conversation came about, but this is where I started listening in:

Madison: Lindsay Lohan is in a lot of trouble. First she was in jail and now she's in juvie.

Nathanael: No. Rehab.

Madison: Rehab. Whatever. Same thing.

Nathanael: No, juvie is for 18 years and younger. Jail is for over 18.

[now I jump in] What do you guys know about Lindsay Lohan, rehab, or juvie?!

* * * *

C4 answered the phone. By the look on his face I could tell it was yet another political call to remind me to vote. I motioned for him to just hang up. After hanging up, he breaks into this Southern drawl, "Are you tired of the government taking all your money for taxes? If you want change you need to vote." Then he switched to his announcer voiceover, "this message was paid for by Tom Foley." And in a 3rd voice he finishes, "I'm Tom Foley and I approve this message."

* * * *

I was reading Nathanael's science book about how some plants have seeds that parachute off in order to spread. I pointed to the picture of the puffy, white dandelion with spores blowing and said to Nathanael, "See. That is why I don't want you blowing those. Then we'll have dandelions everywhere."

C4 chimes in, "Who's the genius who came up with the idea--[in an Indian accent] 'All you do is make a weesh and blow the preeetty flower'?"

* * * *

Tucking Nathanael into bed I asked, "Did you brush your teeth?"

Nathanael: Yup.

Me (wanting to verify): Really? You did brush your teeth?

Nathanael: Well I brushed the ones that are still left.

(the 4 in front are all missing)

Week 43

I missed a couple days of pictures this week. As usual, we had a busy week. We had 3 straight days off from the show, but then launched into our 2nd weekend of performances.

Sunday, Oct. 17th
I missed a picture, so I grabbed one from 4 years ago. It was the eve of our 10th anniversary. We renewed our vows for our 10 year, so the night before I was up late working on the cake.Monday, Oct. 18th
Our 14th wedding anniversary. In some ways I feel like we've been together forever and at other times I just can't fathom how 14 years have slipped away so quickly. I'm so thankful for a (mostly) happy marriage.

Our neighbor Bob sent over this sweet bouquet. He did it HIMSELF...with things from his yard!! I was totally impressed!
Tuesday, Oct. 19th
No picture...so from the past on this day 5 years ago:

Eight-month-old Gunner!! He was so good, so tolerable, so patient, so sweet, even at 8 months! I still miss him.
Wednesday, Oct. 20th
I finally got out to see my brother's new house. It suits them perfectly. They have so much room and a great yard. The kids played outside while Beth and I chatted. Tim stopped in from work for 10 minutes which was nice of him!
Thursday, Oct. 21st
No picture...so from the past on this day 4 years ago:

Nathanael logged MANY miles on those hardwoods! Love the outfit, Fan!Friday, Oct. 22nd
Performance number 3 for us!Saturday, Oct. 23rd
We spent a family day together, which revolved around C4's hockey game and a nice lunch out.
The boys sing a song from the show:

More Buell's

I just wanted to post some more pictures from our lovely day at Buell's on Columbus Day. It was so nice to have Tim there for the first time. Hopefully he'll be a part of many more traditions. Also, Bethany was able to come for the first time. She has always had to work in the past. So, we had EVERYBODY there!

Playin' Duck-Duck-Goose with cousins

Together again...in birth order from R to L...Lisa, Amy, Tim, Bethany

Bobbi and Trevor playing 'Clunk'

Team '06

Allison, Nathanael, Aiden, Colombo, Levi, Juliet, Amanda, Rocco, Madison, Alaina, Trevor, Avery, Katie, and Trey

Talkin' with Trev

Trevor and I were just outside doing a little gardening together. He pulled out all of the petunias and 'helped' me dig up the dirt and planted a bunch of tulips. In the digging, he came across a worm. While holding it we had this conversation:

Trevor: Can I keep him?
Me: No.
Trevor: (now stroking the little fella) Ahhhh, he's so cute! Can I please keep him?
Me: No.
Trevor: Why?
Me: Because worms need to live outside.
Trevor: That's stupid!
Me: (questioning what I heard, since he's never said that) What did you say?
Trevor: That's stupid??
Me: I don't want to hear you say that word.

Team Work

Between the two of them they have a full set of teeth!!!

Week 42

Another crazy week, mostly for me. 5 out of the 7 days were spent at the church in rehearsals and then opening night for The Lost Son. Opening night was a huge success. If you haven't seen the show, tickets are still available for Friday, the 22nd at 7:00pm and Sunday, the 24th at 6:00pm.

Sunday, Oct. 10th
Nathanael played goalie in his game. Every kid has to try it once at this age to see if they like it. Nathanael reasoned that since he really doesn't want to be a goalie, "I might as well take my turn today so I can get it out of the way!"Rehearsal started at 6:00pm and ended at:Monday, Oct. 11th

Tradition! Columbus Day is spent at the Orchard...hayrides to the pumpkin patch, free cider and donuts, live music, and apples! It's also fun to bump into people you maybe haven't seen since you were 10!

Allsion, Nathanael, Aiden, Colombo, Levi, Juliet, Amanda, Rocco, Madison, Alaina, Trevor, Avery, Katie, and Trey

Tuesday, Oct. 12th

Another late night at rehearsal. (and a day so busy the camera was forgotten until now!)

Wednesday, Oct. 13th

Madison gets a kick out of Rocco's new skill of walkin' on his tip-toes. Oh, wait! And where do you suppose that little left hand is headin'?

Rocco happily toted around this bag of Cheerios for at least 1/2 an hour.
Thursday, Oct. 14th
Madison got creative when Trevor 'injured' his foot.
Friday, Oct. 15th
This is what you get when you go down for a nap with wet hair. Saturday, Oct. 16th
The first Saturday in a long time with NO rehearsal, so I got to do hockey duty. C4 scored 1 goal and had 3 assists, crushing the other team.

San Fran

We had such a great time in Cali. We were trying to remember how many times we've done it now. I think it was my 6th time out with Colombo. The nice thing is that the hosts always change it up and keep it fun! Next year's function will be in downtown San Francisco. It's a total wine and dine experience. They pull out all the stops and just make it a very nice experience. Our hotel room this year was one of the top 3 we've ever stayed in.

Before leaving our hotel in Napa, I took a few pictures.

We went and had breakfast at the same golf course we did last year and then hit the road for the 50 minute drive into the city. Although we've always done the Golden Gate, the GPS took us another way so we entered the city via the Bay Bridge. Going in you travel on the top of the bridge. Traffic leaving the city travels below.

We went to Colombo's cousin's cute apartment and chatted with her and her boyfriend. They are both lawyers and living a very fun life in the city. For lunch, Jay took us the scenic route and showed us different sections until we reached his law firm's parking garage, just a block from the Pier 39 and the hub of Fleet Week. We ate outside at a swank, little Italian restaurant.

From there the plan was to see the Blue Angels fly over the Bay. We walked literally straight up the side of a hill to our bird's eye view. It's like the stairs at Mohegan Bluffs on Block Island, only longer, and all the way up we were surrounded by flower gardens and people's front doors...just feet away from the path.

This flower was the size of a baby bottle brush.

Through some parts it feels as if you're passing through the Amazon Jungle. We even sighted a rare, unique flock of green parrots that has inhabited this hill for like 100 years or something. Jay knew EVERYTHING. He was a walking encyclopedia. Whatever we talked about he was the expert, in an interesting, informative way. (NOT the annoying kind of way.)

This guy wanted the best view. Actually there was also a guy nestled in a tree on the side of the cliff...crazy!
AlcatrazThe planes were very cool! Just crazy how close they fly to each other.

Back at Sara's we chilled and chatted for a couple more hours until it was time to head to the airport. It was so great to see them and to "do" the city with someone who knows it so well.