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.

A boy who doesn't sleep, A girl's new toy, and Harry Potter comes to Carle Place

Another busy weekend for the Baccaray's. Friday night was not a good one for Ron and I. Joey has entered another "phase" of not wanting to sleep. After fighting with him from 1 am - 1:30 am Ron turned the boy over to me. Within 15 minutes I finally got him to sleep only to be up again with him from 3 am - 5:15 am where he proceeded to stare at me for those two hours. Not sure whats wrong with him, but I can honestly say that if he wasn't so cute he would have went out the window at about 4 am. (just kidding grandparents, I wouldn't really do that) :)

Saturday we celebrated David Jr's 15th birthday at the Mammina Residence. The picture above is of the cake that Aunt Trudy made. Thats right, that is a cake. And for those of you who may not know Harry Potter that is the sorting hat. The cake was awesome, the best Aunt Trudy has ever made. I think after seeing how good her cake came out, I will never be able to make one of my character cakes again. The cake tasted just as good as it looked.

Sunday we had another family event which was followed by the delivery of some "big girl" toys for Hailey. Her cousins Erica and Dana were generous enough to pass down to Hailey an entire kitchen set, a vanity with pretend makeup and more. Hailey was so excited. She sat at the vanity pretending to put on make up and blow drying her hair. I think we may have a girly girl on our hands.

So it was a busy weekend, surprise surprise but its over and now we go back to work.

Dancing Queen

The best part of our trip out to White Post Farms to pick pumpkins was the show at the end. The farm has many shows that you can watch and one of them takes place on a stage where two men invite the children to come up to dance and sing with them. In usual Hailey fashion she was eager to join in on the fun. Hailey and Andrew were up on stage for about 20 minutes dancing and singing to The Chicken Dance, Hands Up, etc. It was so fun to watch them do there thing especially to capture the smile that Hailey had on her face the entire time. Unlike her parents Hailey loves to put on a show, and she does look very cute in that cowboy hat that her Dad bought for her. Maybe someday she'll be a famous singer/dancer. Only time will tell!
Joey also took part in the festivites dancing on the bench with me while we watched Hailey and Andrew on stage.

Pumpkin Picking 07

Today we took our annual pumpking picking trip with the Alves', Federleins' & the Woolfson's of Soifer Avenue. Instead of going to our usual place we decided to try White Post Farms because there were more stuff for the kids to enjoy. Well let me tell you, they definitly enjoyed themselves.
H&J had a great time petting and feeding the animals and going for a train ride. As the day came to an end we headed over to the pumpkin patch where the two of them went all around until they found the perfect pumpkin for our house. Hailey was in her "moody" mood so she wouldn't cooperate when Mom asked her to take a picture with Joey which is why we have 2 seperate pictures. Joey had a great time running around. I think he was happy that there were things there smaller than him that he could touch and that I wouldn't say "no" to.
Another good year and another great pumpkin!

The Nighttime Crawler!

Hailey has begun to realize that she can get out of her bed on her own. For over a month now Hailey has been waking up in the morning and walking into our room only to get into bed with me. She is all proud of herself too which makes it rather cute. Last night however, I fought so hard not to smile at her cause she just melts my heart. As our normal routine goes I put her down to sleep first than I proceeded to go lay in my bed with Joey so he can have his bottle and fall asleep. Well about 15 minutes later, Joey was about passed out, and I heard a door open. A few seconds later there she was standing at the side of my bed with all her accessories in her arms. You see, Hailey can't just bring herself when she comes to our bed. She brings her blanket, her binkie, her pillow, and of course her cup of juice which she must have next to her bed every night. Oh, and don't forget her teddy bear. This is how the conversation went:

Me: (whispering) "What are you doing out of bed"?
H: "I want to sleep in your bed" (she has the cutest little smile on her face at this point)
Me: (fighting so hard not to smile cause her face is so priceless) "But its sleepy time and you have school tomorrow"
H: "Please" (still smiling)
Me: (still fighting the smile, but she looks so cute and so proud of herself) "Okay, but when I put Joey to bed, I am putting you back in bed"
H: (still smiling) "Okay"

Yes I know, SHE WON temporarily, but she did go back into her bed and spent the entire night there only to wake me up the next morning when she once again walked back into our room. What can I say, she's cute!

The Big 1

Can it really be a year already? I really cannot believe that our little man has turned 1 years old. And what a great year it has been! Joey turned 1 on Thurs and when he woke up he seemed more like a little boy to me than our baby boy. We celebrated with a cone cake with just a few family members, but on Saturday it was a different story. Joey celebrated his first year with a bang and a pony. The party was a cowboy theme and Ron and I had a pony come to the house to give the kids pony rides. They were so excited to see this horse walking into the backyard.
The party was a great success and Joey got so many gifts. The food was amazing thanks to Joey's grandmother, aunts & great aunts. Lolo & Lola helped out too with an amazing chocolate cake to go along with the cowboy cake that I made for Joey. All in all it has been a great year, can't wait for the many many more to come.