Aidan Visits!

Whenever Hailey and Joey go and visit Aidan for some playtime I'm always so jealous of how Florante manages to get the kids to take some good pictures. Last night was Tito Florante's birthday so Aidan came to spend some time with us while his parents had some grown-up time. It was then that I realized I could try and get some pictures of the kids together. So here they are and I think they are pretty cute.

Okay, so I had to bribe the kids with Oreos and initially had them making funny faces at me but hey it worked.

Kiddie Update!

Since getting back from Disney it had taken us a few days to get back into our normal routine. On her first day back at school Hailey received her "progress report" and is doing excellent in school. The report lists a bunch of things such as: says the alphabet, knows #'s from 1-10, sings God Bless America, says Pledge of Allegance, Plays nicely with other kids, Listens to teachers stories with interest etc. Then each item is rated you either get an (A) for Always, and (E) for Emerging or an (N) for Needs Help. Hailey got mostly A's. She did get some E's (I think 4 or 5) in things such as sings God Bless America which is strange to me cause she sings it at home all the time. More importantly she did get one - N in recognizes letters. Ron went out that day and bought Hailey a book that would help her with this and we've been working with her every night since then. The teacher wrote on the bottom of the report that Hailey is an excellent student who loves to do arts and crafts.

Joey is doing well also. He still isn't saying words as I would like but he is saying "Ma Ma" more and he says "ummmm" when he wants me to give him something to eat. He is also starting to understand me more when I ask him to do something. "Monkey Boy" has become his new nickname as he climbs on everything even people. His upper body is so strong that he can hold onto your arm and pull himself up.

In other news we have officially begun potty training. We started last weekend and Hailey was so excited to wear her Little Mermaid underwear. We have had several accidents but after sticking through it for a few days she has finally begun to tell me when she has to go. I have also learned that if I give her a book while she is sitting on the potty it helps her go easier. Lola bought her a "How to go on the potty" book which she loves to read while trying to go. We'll have to continue our efforts and hopefully soon she'll be officially out of diapers.

A Baccaray Birthday and a visit from the Lung's

Since we were in Florida on January 12th, which is both Nathaniel and Hailey's birthday, Uncle Bob and Aunt Debbie waited for us to come back so that we could be with them for Nate's party. The party was a circus theme which included all the trimings: hot dogs, pop corn, candy apples and of course a clown accompanied by Dorothy the Dinosaur from The Wiggles.

To top it off Tito Ric, Tita Ivy and Mateo were also able to join us in New York for the festivities. Joey proved to Tita Ivy what a little boy can truly be like as she hesitantly waits to see if Mateo is going to be "trouble" like his cousin. My guess is yes!

Hailey was a little shy at first until Aidan arrived. They enjoyed playing together and making music.

Sadly we sad goodbye to the Lung's but not before taking a last minute photo of "The Boyz"

Disney Day 6 - Hollywood Studios

Hollywood Studios formerly MGM Studios is where we spent our day today. We started off with breakfast with the characters. Last year we had breakfast with Winnie the Pooh and friends so this year we chose something different. This breakfast was with the Playhouse Disney gang which included JoJo, Goliath (JoJo's Lion Friend) along with June and Leo from the Little Einsteins. Hailey was so excited. She even got up and danced with them which of course I caught on video. Joey finally began to warm up to the characters towards the end and he would actually touch them. Especially Goliath, Joey loved to rest his head on his paw.

After breakfast we walked all around the park and took in all the attractions and shows. The one great thing about going this time of you is that the parks are somewhat empty and we don't have to wait long. Such shows we saw was Beauty and the Beast and the Little Mermaid. When we walked out of the Little Mermaid show Hailey and I walked into Handy Manny, another character from Playhouse Disney so of course we had to stop and take a picture with him:

We also took in the Muppets 3D show which Joey loved. He actually sat on my lap and kept the 3D glasses on the entire time. We stayed late at this park today as we took in the Fantasma Light show at the end. Then we headed back to the hotel to pack our bags because we were heading home the next day. Our Disney trip has come to an end. Till next year, hopefully!

Disney Day 5 - Magic Kingdom

Today we spent the day in Magic Kingdom. Aunt Danielle was sick so Grandma and Grandpa stayed behind with her so that they could get her to the doctor's and then they would meet up with us later. We headed out with Great Grandma Molly with us. First we went to Tomorrow Land. Joey fell asleep so we tucked him safely away with Great Grandma and we first hit the Buzz Light Year ride. On this ride you sit in cars and you help Buzz defeat Zurg by shooting certain things with a laser gun. Hailey and Ron teamed up together and beat me. This was Hailey's favorite ride of the day.

Hailey with Zurg who is behind bars after she helped capture him.

We hit all the major attractions at the park. We even went to Mickey's Toon Town and went inside the house of Mickey himself. Here Hailey and Joey saw Mickey in person and we were able to take a family photo with him.

In true Joey fashion he wouldn't take his eyes off Mickey. It was also here that Hailey said goodbye to her "binky" (pacifier). We had prepared for this leading up to our trip and so we asked Hailey to give Mickey her binky so that he could give it to another little girl who needed it. I think I was more nervous than Hailey as she happily handed the binky over to Mickey. Till this day she is doing great and we are still binky free.

Here are some other great photo's of our day:

Of course Grandpa had to buy Hailey her Minnie ears

Joey trying to pull the sword from the stone

Hailey trying to pull the sword from the stone

Hailey and Grandma on the Dumbo ride

That night we took the boat from Magic Kingdom over to Fort Wilderness where we had a reservation for the Hoopty Doo Dinner Review. We had great ribs, fried chicken, mashed potoates etc along with a great dinner show. It was here that Hailey was also sung Happy Birthday to once again. Great show, good food a definite recommendation for anyone who is in Disney.

Hailey's 3rd Birthday

Our little girl is 3 years old. I can't even believe it. And what better way to celebrate than in Mickey's House. Hailey's birthday was the day of the 1/2 marathon. She was given a pin from the hotel which she wore all day this way everyone knew it was her birthday. That night we ran out and bought some hostess cup cakes and some candles and we all sang happy birthday to her in the hotel food court. She was very excited. It seemed that her birthday was more like a week long rather than just the day. Hailey even received a gift from Aunt Kathy and Uncle John. It was a sweat shirt with all the Disney Princesses on it. (See the picture below) Fitting since Hailey herself is our princess.

Disney Marathons

The next 3 days of our trip were all about the marathons. Firstly, we attended the Marathon Expo which is held at the Wide World of Sports complex. This is where all the runners check in for the race and pick up our race numbers. Filled with many booths of discounted items we walked around for a bit. When Hailey and Joey began to get a little ansy we took them outside so that they could run around the fields for a bit and get rid of some of that pent up energy.

Following the expo we headed over to Epcot for the Pasta Party which was held by Team in Training for all their chapters. Lots of food, good inspirational speakers and great company as the entire Team JSR was together for this event. Off to bed early we went as we had to get up at 3:00 AM for the 1/2 Marathon was the next day.

We woke up Saturday morning at 3:00 AM for the 1/2 Marathon. I was very nervous and excited all at the same time. Luckily, Hailey and Joey were great and didn't put up too much of a fuss having to get up so early. We headed on over to the parking lot at Epcot where the start of the race was to take off. I said goodbye to my babies and headed over to the start. We were told that 16,000 people participated in this 1/2 marathon event.

During the race as I was running through Magic Kingdom such characters were out to cheer us on as Alice from Alice in Wonderland with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb and I also saw Woody and Jessie from Toy Story. The fans along with the characters definitly helped me get through this race. The 13.1 miles was difficult but MOMMY DID IT!!!!!!!!! Coming towards the finish line, I glanced over at the bleechers and there was Hailey being held by my Dad waving to me and screaming Mommy. My eyes filled with tears as this was the end of the line for me and I was so happy to have finished this race.

Sunday was the full marathon day. I let the kids sleep in until about 6:00 am and we headed out in the car to try and watch Grandpa, Uncle David, cousin Jason and Phil run the grueling 26.2 miles. It was a lot more humid today and the men looked great. We made it to the Polynesian hotel which was right between the 12 and 13 mile marker. Dad was not with us yet as he got up at 3:00 am and went to the start with Grandma, Aunt Trudy, Aunt Danielle and company. Grandpa passed us at the Polynesian and looked great. We then got back in the car and drove over to the 20.5 mile marker where we waited with rice krispie treats and a peach snapple to hand to Granpa and Uncle David as they passed us. They passed us strong and off to the finish line we headed to cheer them on. Grandpa, Uncle David, cousin Jason and Phil all finished their 26.2 miles, Yeahhhhhhh! (pictures to follow)

Following the marathon and a much needed nap we headed over to Benihana Restaurant for our celebration dinner and then to Beaches and Cream at the Yacht Club for some much needed ice cream. The night was filled with lots of eating, chatting and laughter. Congrats to all!

Day 2 - Sea World!

We took our time this morning and we met up with cousins Eric, Stephanie and Baby Brooke. The plan was to have a good breakfast and then head over to Sea World to see Shamu and friends. Sea World was awesome! When we arrived the first thing we did was go on over to the sting ray tank. The sting ray's were swimming all around and we were able to put our hands in and touch them. They were very slimy. Hailey was very hesitant and didn't want to put her hands in the water. She did however like it when they would pass us and splash a little water our way. Joey on the other hand would have dove right in if we would have let him. He loved to put his hands in the water and splash the sting rays. As if they would have noticed.

Next we headed over to the dolphin tank. We were late in getting into the entry to feed them but we stayed over to the side for a bit and watched. The dolphins were amazing. We went to the under-ground viewing section which gave us a better view of them swimming around. Hailey loved this. She went right up to the glass and loved watching them swim over to her.

Hailey and Grandpa with the Dolphins

We even took in a Dolphin show which was so much fun as we watched the dolphins do flips and spins.

Can you spot the Dolphin above flying in the air?

We took our time walking through the park and enjoying the day. We also saw a Sea Lion and Otter show and Grandpa's favorite was the Shark excursion. Our final show was of course the Shamu show. Now, I know I said the dolphin show was amazing but this show was GREAT! Unfortunatley, Hailey slept through the whole thing after being up all day. With Hailey tucked away in the stroller and safely with her Grandpa, Ron, Aunt Danielle, Stephanie and myself took Joey over to the "soak zone" to watch the show. The title of the show was Believe and it was magnificient. How they get these animals to do the things they do I have no idea. Joey loved it. He was glued and would not take his eyes off of the whales. In anticipation of getting wet since we had positioned ourselves in the "soak zone", I put Joey between Ron and myself in an effort to try and shield him somehow. Lucky for us, we were the only section in the soak zone that didn't get wet. I guess someone was looking out for us. Sea World was great and definitly an experience we would do again. (Sorry, no pictures of Shamu as the camera battery died, booh!)

Disney, Here we come!

Today is the day, we are finally on our way. The plane ride was great as was getting through security, getting our rent a car and checking into our hotel. Hailey and Joey were champs going with the flow and not creating too much of a fuss. This year we stayed at the Coronado Springs Resort in Disney. I was more than ecstatic as the entire menu at the food court was mexican and I could and did have quesidillas everyday while we were there. We arrived late Wednesday night so after settling into the hotel we went straight to bed to rest for the next day which would be spent at Sea World. Yeahhhhh!

Hailey's Almost 3

Since we are leaving for Florida in a few days we had some friends and family over to celebrate Hailey's 3rd birthday. It was a quite gathering as many people were unable to attend due to out of town trips that were planned and others who felt sickly. Hailey had a great time anyways. She and Aidan made up for the quitness while creating enough noise that you would have thought there were 20 kids there. Uncle David spent most of the night chasing them around and they loved it. The theme of the party was "Princess" and Hailey chose to have a castle cake (picture to follow). All in all a good start to her birthday. Happy Birthday Baby!

The End of 2007

As this year comes to an end we are reminded of all the things that took place this year. Both Hailey and Joey have grown up so much over this last year. Hailey started her first year of school as Joey continued his first year of life. Learning colors, numbers, walking, talking and so much more were the highlights of the year for these two. The year ended with a quiet evening at home where we were joined by Uncle Steve, Aunt Annemarie and Kaitlyn. New Year's Day was spent out at Uncle Richie's with the entire Woolfson clan. We had lots to eat and some good family bonding.

Is it Wonton or TonTon Soup?

Whenever we order chinese take out Hailey's favorite thing to eat is wonton soup. However, she always pronounces it as tonton soup. Of course we would correct her and teach her to say the "w" so that she would soon learn to pronounce it correctly. However, we were mistaken. On Christmas Eve while over at Lolo & Lola's, Hailey was playing on the couch with her Tito TonTon. Ron and I were sitting next to her and we heard Hailey ask her Tito where his soup was? Puzzled I looked at Hailey and said, "what did you ask for". Seriously, Hailey turned to me and said "his soup, the tonton soup, the one the man brings". By "the man" she was referring to the delivery man who always delivers our chinese take-out. With this we all giggled when we finally realized that the reason Hailey called it tonton soup was because she thought her Tito TonTon always made the soup. Now thats funny!

Tantrums!

Oh "trouble" Joe, how lucky you are your so cute! A typical little boy, Joey loves to be tossed around, thrown in the air and flipped over. Of course those things take place when he's not climbing over couches or climbing onto chairs. Then we'll find him standing in the middle of our dining room table all while having the biggest, and if I must say cutest, smile on his face.

All of this is great and fun and then there are the tantrums. Joey has become infamous for throwing a fit whenever things don't go his way. The tantrums, at least to me, are funny. (Does this make me a bad Mom?) If you haven't seen it in person it is truly a sight. Joey gets "mad" and throws himself to the floor. (Tito Florante got to witness this first hand the other day while we were outside with the kids) Now originally it did not matter where he was. He would throw himself down so hard that he would even slam his head on the ceramic tile in the kitchen. It got to the point where we would just pick him up and toss him into the living room so that his head would land on the carpet and not the tile. Well, the boy, like his sister has proved that he is no dummy. Now after finally realizing that banging your head on tile hurts, Joey will fling his body to the floor and than slowly lower his head until it is placed nicely on the ground. All of this while screaming and crying. As the good parents we try to be this action is definitly not encouraged as we continue to walk over him until he has finished pitching his fit. It reminds us of when Hailey was a baby and she used to do the same thing. Eventually he'll figure out that Mom and Dad don't give in to the tantrums. Just how long will it take him?