Christmas 2007

Hailey and Joey must have been very good children this year because Santa Claus brought them many toys. Among them was a junior quad for Joey and a princess lap top for Hailey. The kids spent the morning opening their gifts and than playing with them.
At about 12:00 we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's for what seemed to be endless hours of opening even more presents. 1st, Hailey opened a roller skates set from Aunt Kristine and Uncle Abel. Needless to say she wanted me to open it right away and spent the majority of the day wearing them and rolling all around the house. Joey received trucks and an animal train set which he loves to play with. The big present came at the end where Hailey and Andrew both received big kid bikes with training wheels. They were both so excited! We took them outside so that they could ride up and down the sidewalk on them and Hailey picked it up right away. We were later joined by Great Grandma Molly who brought even more presents and than The Woolfson's of Soifer Avenue. The food was great and so was the company. The kids had a great Christmas and I can't believe its over already. Till next year!

A Very Baccaray Christmas Eve

Our Christmas holiday began in New Jersey at Lolo & Lola's for Christmas Eve. We started with a nice lunch and than mass at 6:00. Both Hailey and Joey did great in Church. No screaming or crying which is really all a parent can ask for. Following mass we headed back to the house for a great feast and the opening of presents.
Among the many gifts she received, Hailey got a "my twin" doll from Lolo & Lola. The doll was specially ordered for her using pictures of Hailey and as you can see the doll "baby Hailey" looks a lot like her. They even have a matching outfit. Hailey spent the rest of the night playing with "baby Hailey" and now the doll even has a place in Hailey's bed at night.
Joey received many toys too. We were excited because Lolo & Lola bought Joey his first official tricycle. We can't wait to get him outside and teach him how to ride it. Of course we took the opportunity to capture the "new" Baccaray Boys jamming on the piano. I think the next generation is going to have the music gene just like their Dads.

Is this a day care?

With the holidays just a few days away it's a time for out of town relatives to come home for a visit. Cousins Tommy and Danielle along with twins Jacob & Sophia came home to NY from Virginia and we planned to get together with all the babies. By all I mean 8 babies in total..Thats right, 8 of them all under the age of 3. Eric and Stephanie also joined us with Baby Brooke. So if you are keeping tabs here is the baby count:
Hailey and Andrew age 3
Joey, Adelina, Kaitlyn, Jacob, Sophia and Brooke all age 1
It was quit a day taking turns holding all the children and playing with them. It was like we had our very own day care going on. All the kids were great until we decided to try and get them to all sit still on the couch for a group photo. Needless to say it was not a successful task but we were able to get some pictures.

We tried our best!

This should be fun!

Every year we do our best to try and get the kids to pose together for our family Christmas card. Well, this year the kids had their own idea! Who could blame them really? At almost 3 and 1 years old, did I honestly think they were going to seat still and not only that but give me a great big smile. Oh Well! So after several minutes of torturing them and trying to make this an enjoyable event we opted to not get a good picture of the two of them together. I guess plan B will have to do, you'll have to wait to receive your card to see what plan B is. Maybe next year and a year older we will be able to get these two to pose for a picture together. At least they look really cute in their Christmas outfits!

One Crazy Weekend!

Like most weekends for us things are a little crazy. However this past weekend took the cake. We had not 1, not 2, not even 3 but 4 parties to attend. 2 on Saturday and 2 on Sunday. Here is how it played out:

Brayden's 1st Birthday - We first attended Brayden's party with Grandma along with us. Joey slept for the first 2 hours which gave me time to eat some food and catch up with some old friends. Hailey had a lot of fun and was very excited that John was there to play with. The entertainment was great. First there were 2 girls dressed up as clowns and they sang songs and danced with the kids. They even did face painting and tatoos which Hailey loved and showed off her butterfly tatoo all day. Joey finally woke up and just in time to see Mickey Mouse. Hailey was so excited! She went right over to him and gave him a high five. Then Mickey sat in a chair and each kid took turns sitting on his lap for a picture. Hailey was first and waited patiently while I threw Joey on Mickey's lap. Joey flipped out and the picture is so funny! He'll hate it and me when he gets older but it still makes me giggle. We waved goodbye and Hailey told Mickey we would see him very soon. (Joey's picture to follow once it is scanned)

Erica's Birthday - Next we went over to Uncle Mark and Aunt Tracy's for Erica's birthday cake. The theme was tinker bell and Erica and Dana came outside to help the kids into the house the second I pulled up. The kids had a great time playing and we ended the night not too late to rest for another busy day tomorrow.

Aidan's 4th Birthday - Sunday started with a trip to the Science Museum in Queens to celebrate Aidan Jack's 4th Birthday. I can't believe he is 4 already which only makes me think about the fact that Hailey is going to be 3 in a month. Hailey was greeted immediately by Aidan who walked her all around while holding her hand. The kids had fun playing with the trains and constructing buildings with big soft blocks. Joey & Nathaniel had a great time too playing with the big train table. Hailey had the best time playing in the rocket ship and eating the chocolate covered oreos that Tito Florante & Tita Cheryl had for everyone.

Brooke's 1st Birthday - Our last party was to celebrate Baby Brooke's 1st Birthday. That is how Hailey refers to her, "Baby Brooke". The party was at an American Legion Hall in Lindenhurst with DJ entertainment. And what kids birthday party would not be complete without a puppet show and of course Elmo. (Elmo was a nice switch from all the Mickey and Minnie Mouse citings we have been having lately!) Everyone had a great time especially the kids. Hailey enjoyed getting yet another tatoo and all the goodies the DJ was handing out (ie: hats, whistles, beaded necklaces and sun glasses.) Joey loved the fact that he could run around in this huge room without anyone yelling at him. Although, I did have to refrain him from running up to the puppet show and grabbing the puppet off the performers hand. What a sight that would have been! Happy Birthday Brooke!

Who's the Boss?

So as we all have come to know at the early age of 3, Hailey definitly has a mind of her own. Yes, I know she's not 3 yet but give or take a few weeks she's basically there. For example, last Sunday we were in the car heading to my parents house for dinner when Hailey told Ron and I that she didn't want to go to Grandma's house for dinner and wanted to go to a Diner. Now, what 3 year old knows that you can go to a Diner for dinner? Granted that all throughout the summer while I was doing the summer series runs we ate at a dinner 2x's a week and on Sunday's after I run we go to a diner for breakfast, but still. So that gave us a little chuckle! Last night was no different.

In anticipcation of Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer being on TV, Ron and I had dinner with the kids early and got everything cleaned up so that we could settle into bed with the kids and watch the show. At about 7:15 we were all finished and had some time to kill before the show began. Ron was laying in bed with H&J watching The Wiggles in the meantime when Hailey turned around and said:

Hailey: Wait Daddy I have to get my puzzle, Pause it!
Ron: What?
Hailey: Pause it!
Ron: (looking at me) Ok
Me: I didn't even know she knew, "pause it"
Ron: Me neither!
Hailey: (yelling from downstairs) Dad, you didn't turn off the TV
Me: Well she told you
Me & Ron: (laughing)
Hailey: Okay, i'm back!

Now, as Hailey was climbing back into bed Ron hit play on the TV, Wellllll

Hailey: (very sternly and yelling) Daddy, I'm not ready yet!

Remember she's only 3. Wonder what she's going to be like at 15. I'm scared!

Decorating Sunday!

For the last few years I have begun my own little tradition of decorating the house and tree for Christmas the day after Tree Cutting. Today was perfect! With snow on the ground outside and the Sound of Music DVD playing on the TV, Hailey and I decorated away. With the help of Grandma who put up all my christmas china and Aunt Annemarie who cooked a great Sunday dinner we were able to get the entire inside of the house decorated. Joey tried to help too but his help was more of taking the balls off the tree after we had just put them on. Surprisingly, I only had to tell him "no" 3 times and he hasn't touched the tree since. We'll see how long that lasts.

BTW, anyone who is keeping tabs on Joey's teething process he has been doing well for the last week or so. Not sure if he has cut anymore teeth cause the boy won't let me look but he isn't grumpy and whiny anymore and he has been sleeping through the night for over a week now. Hope I didn't just jinx myself!

Its not big enough!

Today we took our annual trip up to Abel's Farm to cut down our christmas tree. We all got bundled up in our winter clothes since the weather was just about freezing. The kids got to wear their new snow suites on top of several layers of shirts, turtle necks and sweat shirts. Hailey was so excited! This was the first year she was actually able to walk up and down the mountain on her own even in all those bundles of clothes. Joey was bundled and put into Dad's "marathon back pack" as we refer to it and up the mountain we went. I found a tree right away that I liked and when I asked Hailey for her approval she told me "its not big enough". After pointing out several smaller trees she finally agreed to go with the one I had originally picked. Down the mountain we went with our tree for our hot chocolate was waiting. Tree cutting was followed by some good eating at the Daily Planet Diner. Joey slept the entire time we were there which meant that I was able to sit and enjoy my meal. Hailey had a great time sitting at the "kids table" and eating her hot dog and french fries. Home we went to put our tree in the stand and welcome it to our family, at least for the short time it will be with us.

This time its the real deal!

On our way to the babysitters this morning Hailey asked me when we were going to "Mickey's House", a question that she asks several times a day in anticipation of our trip. The conversation went something like this:

Hailey: Mommy we go to Mickey's House Soon
Me: Yes, in a few weeks
Hailey: Its my birthday
Me: Yes, when we are in Mickey's house it will be your birthday, but today is Adelina's actual birthday so we are going to sing to her tonight.
Hailey (in a serious and stern voice) But Mommy we already sang to her!

Well who could argue with that. Someday she will learn that birthdays and holidays in Mommy's family tend to last a long time rather than just one day. HEE HEE!

Oh How Fun, Teething!

Poor little man is all I can think when I look at Joey. After being really moody for about 3 days I finally took him to the doctor's to see what was wrong and to make sure it wasn't anything serious. The doctor informed me that his ears, chest and throat are all good but it looks like he is cutting his 1 year molars on the top and the bottom. For a little boy who didn't have any teeth until after he turned 1 years old his teeth are on the war path and are coming in in full force. We are trying to help him through this ordeal with baby orajel and tylenol but he still is not his happy self. Yesturday Hailey and I were talking to Joey and the conversation went something like this:

Me: Oh Joey, when Hailey was teething she wasn't so moody she was tough, be tough
Hailey: Grrrrrrrrrrr
Joey: (smiling) Laughs!!
Me: This is why girls are tougher cause we aren't wimpy
Hailey: Grrrrrrrrrr
Me & Hailey: (singing) Wimpy Wimpy Wimpy
Joey: Laughing Hysterically

Last night I even said that if his teeth don't cut through soon I was going to cut into his gums and take them out myself. I know that doesn't sound pleasant but that goes to show how unhappy my usual happy little man is.

We'll See you soon Minnie!

Kaitlyn and Adelina celebrated their 1st birthdays together with a big party at the Firehouse in Bellmore.

Knowing who was going to make a surprise visit I payed close attention to Hailey's face when the "special guest" finally arrived. She walked in and Hailey hadn't noticed and finally it happened. Hailey looked over and there she was Minnie Mouse standing there in her purple and pink dress. Hailey's eyes went as wide as can be and she had a smile from ear to ear. Not being shy at all she went straight over to Minnie and she gave her a big hug.

How far we've come in only a year when Hailey would shy away from the characters in Disney. This time around she even sat on Minnie's lap. When Minnie was leaving we waved goodbye and said "See you soon in Mickey's house" Disney 2008 will be here soon. We can't wait!

Thanksgiving 07

Thanksgiving is the official start of my favorite holiday season. As our annual tradition goes we had lunch with the entire Baccaray clan including Tita Baby and Veronica in Westbury. We had great crab cake appetizers thanks to Uncle Rodney and a Turducken Roll bought by Lolo & Lola. The main course which included the turkey with all the trimings was enjoyed by all. Then came the dessert. Not one, not two but 5 different kinds of cakes/pies. Lunch came to an end around 5:30 ish and after cleaning up, changing into comfy clothes and resting for an hour the kids and I headed over to the Mammina house to catch up with them. You would think that at 7:00 they would be on the dessert course but not this family. When we got there they were just finishing cleaning up their antipasto course and sitting down to their main meal, turkey with all the trimings. Sooooo what did we do, we sat and ate dinner, AGAIN!. Only on Thanksgiving is it okay to eat the same stuff for lunch and dinner. Till next year!

Pigs in a blanket on Thanksgiving?!?!?!?

Thanksgiving Eve has become its own little holiday. We all gather at Aunt Trudy's to help her prepare what becomes more of a 7 course meal to be enjoyed on Thanksgiving Day. The "Eve" is so important that I have even begun to prepare The Baccaray Thanksgiving feast on the Eve of Thanksgiving Eve just so I can still partake in the festivities at Aunt Trudy's. Such things prepared are stuffing, mashed and sweat pototoes, stuffed mushrooms, baked clams and so much more. The highlight of the evening is the preparation of our annual antipasto contest. The teams are Laura & David Jr, Nicole & Annemarie, and finally Sarah & Danielle. This year David and I made a black pilgrims hat using black olives as our main ingredient. Sarah & Danielle won the gold medal this year making "Guitar Hero" out of their antipasto. It was very creative. Hailey, Andrew and Blake also helped out this year preparing pigs in blankets for all to enjoy which raises the question, Did the Pilgrims & Indians eat pigs in a blanket on the 1st Thanksgiving? I don't think so!

The Mall.....AGAIN!

For someone like me who hates shopping we have been spending a lot of time in the mall. You would think since its holiday season and all it would be because of shopping, but it is not. This Saturday we took Kaitlyn and Adelina to get their ears pierced. While waiting for them to finish, Hailey and Andrew were able to take in some rides. Joey was off with Dad in Target.After about $5 in rides the kids were exhausted and took to resting on the masage chairs they have in the mall.
Looks like they had a rough day, doesn't it?

Oh No! Mom needs to watch what she says.

I try and pride myself on speaking nicely in front of the kids. I try to set a good example so that when they are older they will do the same. I even correct Ron when he says "sucks" instead of "stinks". Well, it has happend, Mom has had a slip and of course I was busted by non other than Hailey. On Saturday morning I was changing Hailey's diaper. When I stood her up one of the velcro tabs opened and not even thinking I said "damn it"..Well than Hailey said "damn it"..I immediately realized what I had done and told Hailey that Mommy was wrong and that that is not a nice word and that she should not repeat it again. Hailey replied "damn it". So I dropped the subject thinking that if I let it go and didn't say it again she would forget about it.

That afternoon it happened again. Ron and I were in the kitchen and we were joking about something and I turned to him and said "your so stupid". Hailey walked in the kitchen as I said it and said "your so stupid". And trying to correct MY ERROR AGAIN I said to her "oh no, mommy was bad again and we shouldn't say that". Luckily this time she just smiled and walked away.

Not sure what was worse, the fact that my own daughter caught me, or the smile on Ron's face showing that I had done the exact same thing that I ask him not to. Lesson #1 for Mom, watch what you say, Hailey is always watching.

Friday with the Hoisik's

A typical Friday consists of pizza and a movie with the kids. This Friday we were joined by the Hoisik's and I jumped at the chance to get some cute pictures of the kids. After asking serveral times I finally got Hailey to sit nicely with John and take a picture. And look how great it came!

Joey was busy playing but I was able to get him to look at me for 2 seconds. Its getting harder and harder to keep up with this boy, lucky for him he is very cute. Unfortunately I couldn't get a picture of Collin as he fell asleep too early, or maybe I just pulled the camera out too late. I'll catch him next time. This weeks movie was Shrek the Third and the kids loved it..or at least they loved the parts they actually watched.

Cousins!

Hailey has been on a "cousins" trip lately. Every now and again she will say to me "Mommy, Andrew's my cousin" which I reply "Yes he is". On Saturday we took another trip to the mall this time to try and get Kaitlyn's ears pierced. While getting ready at the house the conversation between Hailey and I went something like this:

Me: "We are going to take Kaitlyn to get pretty earings like you"
Hailey: (excited) "Kaitlyn is getting earings like me? Kaitlyn's my cousin."
Me: "Yes she is just like Andrew"
Hailey: "Andrew's my cousin too"
Me: "Yes, you have a lot of cousins. Andrew, Kaitlyn, Adelina and Nathaniel too"
Hailey: "Wow, I have lots of cousins."


Of course a trip to the mall would not be the same without taking a ride on one of the 25 cent rides. This time Hailey got to drive a big quad with Kaitlyn in the passenger seat. Joey was off to the side chomping on cotton candy which he loved. Our task at hand was not complete as we did not get Kaitlyn's ears pierced because the store was not equiped for that on that day. Till another day!

Sunday!

With the hats and gloves purchased we headed home for Sunday dinner at our house where we were joined by Aunt Annemarie and Kaitlyn. I thought it would be cute for the kids to try on their new hats and to take some pictures. Do you think it makes me a bad mom that I laugh at the site of my son crying in this picture? You would have thought I was pinching him real hard once I put the hat on his head. As you can see he truly doesn't like it. We were later joined by the Woolfson's of Soifer Ave (hi Aunt Tracy) and Sunday dinner was complete.

In previous posts I had written about the "nighttime crawler". This would be Hailey coming into our room wanting to hop into bed with us. Well let me tell you this child is no fool. She now has figured out how to climb into our bed over the footboard and she crawls in between us without us even knowing. This morning at about 6:30 am, Joey woke up. I went and got him to bring him back to bed with me when I noticed Hailey's cup on the floor. Confused as I was I bent down to pick up the cup just to make sure what it was. I then looked over to where Ron was sleeping and noticed Hailey sleeping right up against him. She is tricky this little one!

Will shopping ever be the same again?

I would like to know whose brilliant idea it was to put 25 cent rides in the mall. In the beginning it was nice. "Hailey, lets go shopping and you can ride the rides" which she would then reply with a big "yeah". Well, Sunday started out as a simple trip to Target to get the kids their hats and gloves for the impending winter. Of course once you start shopping you can't stop. Hats and gloves turned into dress shoes for Hailey, snow pants, clothes and pajama's for Joey. We, with Grandma along for the ride then decided to get some lunch at Johnny Rockets cause what would a trip to Broadway Mall be without some JR's. Silly us forgot that we needed to walk
through the mall to get to JR's. Well there they were, THE RIDES. Of course Hailey saw them and said "oh, look" which Ron and I than replied simultaneously "OH NO". So being the good parents we try to be we let the kids each take a turn on a ride. Of course Hailey wanted more but I quickly pulled her off the ride and ran towards JR's. This was the first time that a trip to "the rides" only cost us 50 cents. Usually its a $5 occassion.

Halloween 2007

Halloween 2007 went off without a hitch. The kids had so much fun and were so tired by the time we got back to Grandma and Grandpa's house. We began a little before 5:00 and we didn't return to the house until after 6:30. Hailey, Andrew and John were pro's..they ran from house to house, saying "trick or treat" and "thank you" to all the people who gave them candy. This was the first year where us parents got to sit on the sidelines and watch them do their thing and let me tell you it was wonderful. The only problem we had was getting the kids to stop ringing the doorbells. The three of them felt as if they each had to ring the bell at every house.

Hailey got a bit tired half way through and took to taking a rest in the stroller while munching on some candy she had just received. Then she would hop back up and hit a bunch more houses. "Batman" Joe spent the first half of the trip resting in the stroller while taking his time drinking his bottle but once he was done he was up and ready to go. He spent most of the time laughing at Hailey, Andrew and John who were pretending to fly. The weather was great too. Halloween 2007 came and went so fast, wonder what their costumes will be next year.

Pajama Sunday

A typical Sunday consists of getting up with the kids, having breakfast, cleaning, laundry, and then getting together with the entire Bencivenga clan for Sunday dinner. This past Sunday was no different as we all headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's. Dinner is usually followed by "splish splash time" or "bath time" for normal speaking people. If you have never been witness to this it is quit an event. Kristine, Annemarie and I each take a station. One helps Mom clean up, one of us bathes the kids, one of us dresses them. It usually works best on a rotating system, one kid in, one kid out, another goes in. Its very funny and the one bathing the kids usually gets soaked which is why we switch off every week. After bath time is was so nice to watch the kids play together and run all around in their pajamas. Now that they are all getting older they are actually starting to play with one another. The years to come are going to be a lot of fun.

Joey goes to Zippity Doo's

H&J have been through many firsts in their young lives. First tooth, first step, first foods and now Joey has had his very first hair cut.

Notice the curls..the question remains, Will the curls come back? Joey was a champ! We took him to Zippity Doo's in Roslyn Heights. Ron had heard about the place and how it was kid friendly and it sure was. Instead of sitting in normal barber chairs, Joey sat in Lightning McQueen and was able to watch the Wiggles on his own personal television. The woman who cut his hair was great and when asked how short I wanted her to go, I hesitantly said "cut out the curls".

In the end my fear had come true. My little baby now truly looks like a little boy, but a very handsome one at that. He now looks even more like his dad than he did before. Hailey had a good time too. I think she was just happy that it was Joey and not her getting his hair cut even though her grandmother had trimmed her bangs the night before. At $24 his first hair cut went great and it will forever be the most expensive hair cut he will ever have.

Halloween begins at Doodlebugs

Today, Doodlebugs pre-school had a Halloween party where the children were invited to come in to play and wear their costumes. Siblings were also allowed to join in on the fun. The kids had a great time and the costumes were so adorable. Hailey had fun running around and of course playing with Andrew and John.
This was Joey's 1st time in the "play room" and he didn't know what to do first. He really did have such a good time running around, jumping on the mats, and going down the slides. He wouldn't let me put the batman mask over his eyes but I was able to get him to at least keep it on top of his head.
In true supergirl spirit Hailey flew around the room. Even blowing and creating a wind sound. Superman was also at the party but he wasn't really having a good time and he seemed to need a nap more than playtime.
The costumes were so cute. Adelina was so happy, as she always is, to show off her sheep costume. Her and Joey ran around playing together and this too was her first time allowed to play in the play room. Some other costumes that should be mentioned cause they were great were twin brothers who were dressed as Buzz Light Year and Woody from Toy Story, and then there was a little girl dressed as Little Bow Peep while her baby brother was dressed as the sheep. Very creative! Next will be Halloween day.