Mangia!

Joey embraced his Italian roots on Sunday with a birthday party at a local pizzeria (we'll have to compensate by having a dynamite corned beef and cabbage feast this year on St. Patrick's Day!).

He and his little friends and cousins made their own creations, which ranged from "no cheese, just olives and marinara suace" to true works of pepperoni-themed art. While the pizzas were baking, they also colored and experimented with their own "dough" -- Play-Doh -- and then decorated their own cupcakes for dessert. I think everyone had fun, except maybe the clean-up crew at Giorgio's once our own crew departed ;)























Thanks to everyone who joined us and helped Joey celebrate his big day!

Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

With the holidays behind us, we were back to our regular activities this week... here's a glimpse into our routine.

We always try to squeeze in trips to the dog park, and Shawna kindly gave Clara a very appropriate top for these outings.



Shawna also outfitted both kids for another near-daily excursion... trips to the playground. Here, they're both sporting new vests.







We live on the edge here every day, but they both seem to enjoy it!



We try to balance out the frigid outdoor excursions with some calmer indoor activities, like storytime every Thursday at the Daly City library. Here's Joey cuddling a baby (um, I think it was Annie?), and both kids at their favorite perch... watching the fish in the huge aquarium.





This week, we also squeezed in a trip to the Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito with cousins Tommy and Lucy. Lots of fun for everyone, especially in the art room, where the kids got to cover the walls -- and themselves -- in paint. Clara was almost unrecognizable after she retired her paintbrush, at least according to Joey, who asked, "Is that Clara?" after I cleaned her up and relocated her messy self to the sand table.









Stay tuned for next week's escapades!

King for a Day

Joey's birthday happened to coincide with his first day back to preschool after the Christmas break, and he started off 2010 with a bang! After charging into his classroom and announcing to teachers and kids alike that he was four, he got to decorate a birthday crown, share birthday cupcakes and a snack with the class, and distribute goody bags. Best of all, Clara got to stay for his party, which they both loved!

Here's the birthday boy and his baby sister putting the finishing touches on the crown... the last time you'll see him not wearing it.







Clara shimmied into a Snow White ensemble and played "tea" with one of the girls in Joey's class for at least 45 minutes. I overheard the girl ask Clara, "Are you a big girl or a baby?" Clara answered, "Baby!" and took a sip of tea.



As king, Joey got to sit next to Bridget, his long-standing crush.



And finally, the birthday boy, his candle and his cupcake.



The festivities continued at home, when Joey and his assistant Clara helped frost and decorate a chocolate cake for dessert. Luckily, the guest list was short and consisted only of people (Mommy and Daddy) who didn't mind that the frosting was repeatedly swiped at by little frosting fans.





We asked Joey what he wanted to eat for his birthday dinner, and served it up... a concoction we call taco salad, but is basically a taco scrambled up. I took a picture just to make all of our foodie readers shudder :) Despite its looks, it's always a surefire hit that has Joey, Clara and Daddy coming back for seconds and thirds.



We capped off the night with cake, presents, and board game fun. It's our sacred responsibility to train these little ones to love and obsess over board games, and we're starting off with Candyland, Chutes and Ladders, Hi-Ho Cherry-O, and The Ladybug Game :) Next up, Junior Scrabble!!

Four Years of Silliness... Happy Birthday Joey!

We can't believe it, but our little man has actually been around for four years! We took a trip down memory lane and put together a short video with pictures from his newborn days to now. I won't lie... I definitely had to break out the Kleenex, and I urge grandparents to do the same. Why don't people warn you how fast this time goes? Well, they do, but it's impossible to comprehend until you've been there!

Lots of these pictures predate our blog, so prepare yourself for an absurdly large, bald head and ridiculous chub. He has a lot more hair now, and he's slimmed down in ways that seemed impossible when we were shoving his thunder thighs and monster forearms into tiny sleepers. He's still our Moose, though, and speaking of chub, see below for our latest "baby book" entry.

Happy Birthday, Joey! You make us laugh each and every day!

The Stats: Joey at 4

Our record-keeping is becoming increasingly digital... here's Joey's vital stats at 4 years old. Can I get away with printing this and pasting it in the baby book?

Weight: 44 pounds (97th percentile)

Height: 42.5 inches (87th percentile)

Clothing size: 5T

Shoe size: 12

How/where is your child sleeping? Joey sleeps in his "big boy" bed, from about 8pm to 7 am, but not without some antics both at night and in the morning.

Is your child still napping? Thank the Lord, he is still napping... and Mommy is determined that he keeps it up until he's at least 8 years old ;) He normally takes a two hour nap after lunch.

Health: Aside from semi-frequent colds, Joey is a pretty healthy little boy who has not had to deal with any serious illnesses, thankfully!

What is your child learning? (numbers, letters, etc) He's a pro at writing his letters, and we're now moving on to numbers!

Organized activities (classes, sports, etc)? Joey loved his soccer class this fall.

Favorite saying? "Aw, maaaan!" and "Mommy, how are you doing today?"

Favorite activities: Drawing, rough-housing, eating, riding his bike, and kicking or throwing balls

Favorite toy: His new Christmas toys, especially his firetruck and his Buzz and Woody dolls (from Toy Story)

Favorite food: Apparently taco salad, since he requested it for his birthday dinner! But in general, he can be counted on to clean his plate!

Favorite TV show / movie: "Wow, Wow, Wubbzy" and "Go, Diego, Go!"

Favorite book: My Big Boy Bed is still the reigning champion, but he also loves various silly books like any and all Curious George tales, The Lady with the Alligator Purse and Goodnight Gorilla.

Best friend? He has yet to become super friends with anyone outside of his family and friends circle... he especially loves all of his cousins!

Preschool plans? He goes to preschool three mornings a week. He's ambivalent about the rush to get out the door in the morning, but for the most part, he likes all he's learning there, loves his teachers, and loves the opportunity to painting, gluing and other messy art projects!

Christmas, Take Two

Our Raley family Christmas this year involved six children under the age of three... it was complete bedlam, especially when it came time to open presents. You can see for yourself if you tip your head to the right.

Christmas, Take One

We spread Christmas out this year, and got to enjoy three separate family celebrations, three days in a row! It was the perfect way to savor a wonderful holiday... we didn't have to experience the "letdown" after Christmas until Monday morning!

On Christmas, we invited Grandma and Grandpa Cecchin over for brunch, along with Mike, and opened presents and relaxed in our jammies! Later on in the afternoon, we headed to Gilroy to see Tim's extended family, and had an amazing Italian feast, complete with pesto ravioli, delicious breads, and a huge array of cookies! Thanks to the Stimac clan for hosting us once again, and thanks to our awesome helpers, Kami and Haleigh, for entertaining our troop of toddlers!

Mike kicked off the festivities in Gilroy by giving Joey a whoopie cushion... genius!




Clara scored with her first "dress-up" dress (and Barbie, no less!) from Sarah and Jeff. She wanted to do a costume change immediately.

Tommy apparently loves to squire around ladies in pink tulle.

The whole Cecchin family captured near the end of the night...

...and the cousins, all in jammies and ready to hit the road!

Thanks again to Tim's aunt Mary for hosting, and cousin Brian for cooking!

Major Tactical Error

It turns out that the firetruck pictured below actually has a water tank that carries water through the firehose, enabling little firefighters to both put out fires and ambush unsuspecting mothers.

Santa really did not think that through.

Some Assembly Required

Our Christmas miracle this season was being lucky enough to have Tim's brother Mike spend the night with us Christmas Eve... he was on hand for the three and a half hour assembly of Joey and Clara's big present from Santa, a play kitchen. Yes, I said three and a half hours. They were well stocked with beers, but still, by the time the last burner was in place, and the last screw had found a home, it was past midnight.

The bleary-eyed elves:





The final product, apparently none the worse for being exposed to mild swearing and threats against its manufacturer.



The irony? On Christmas morning, it took the kids at least 5 full minutes to realize it was even in the room. Here they are, oblivious to the hulking culinary toy directly to their right, enjoying their tea set and fire truck.







At last, Joey saw it, and shouted, "Clara, there's your kitchen! I think Santa said we can share it!"





While Clara set to work on pancakes, Joey tried out some ninja moves sporting his new watch, also from Santa.

We may not have gotten much rest this Christmas, but it gets more and more fun -- and magical -- to witness Christmas through our kids' eyes! Hope everyone else's holiday was as fun! Merry Christmas!