Ski Bunnies

The girls went skiing for the 1st time ever and they had a total blast. We weren't sure how today was going to go but it went better than we imagined. I was totally nervous driving up thinking of all the horrible things that could go wrong...got in an argument with Papa over whether or not we should get a 'professional' to teach the girls instead of him and Silvano. But I should have had more faith in Papa/Silvano because they did so well teaching the girls. Their poor backs though were shot by the end of the day. The girls did not want to stop skiing. They are already asking when they can go back so that is a good sign. Papa and I love skiing but we haven't really gone in the last 5 years since the girls were born and we saw the possibility of getting back onto the ski hill once again...this time around as a family. Well for me I guess I'll have to wait until next year when I don't have a belly anymore. The girls are 'CRASHED OUT'. They fell asleep less than 5 minutes after we got into the car and are still sleeping right now at 5:20pm. Which is a good thing since it's New Year's Eve and we want them to stay up with us and watch the fireworks tonight at midnight to ring in this fabulous New Year. Happy New Year Everyone!

Christmas Day

I've become an expert plastic dis-assembler for all the toys and games that the girls got. Papa has become an expert set-er-upper. And the girls have played all afternoon long. Good times!

Our Christmas Eve

We had our good friends over for Christmas dinner last night. Although we really missed our families we really appreciate the friends that we have here that make our house feel like home. It was awesome celebrating Christmas Eve with the four kids. You could literally FEEL the excitement in the air from the kids. So the above photo is the whole gang.

We exchanged gifts and got to open it up last night which is exciting since it feels kind of like cheating (we usually only open 1 gift on Christmas Eve) but hey we were all together and it was fun.

And imagine that...all the mamas last night were preggers!!!!! Yes, so here are the three bellies in order. Lina is due in March, Angela in May and me in June. I think my belly looks bigger in this picture because I ate so much turkey and stuffing last night.

The kids were so excited opening their presents and yes, they were extremely spoiled.

And I had to add this picture because I think it is so sweet to see Silvano with kids. He is so excited about his upcoming baby and it shows when he interacts with the kids.

I hope everyone enjoyed themselves this holiday. I miss everyone out East like crazy. Miss you, miss you, miss you. I had the best Christmas that I have ever had in all my life. Hope you did too.

Yeah, it's officially Christmas Holidays now! Today was their last day of preschool and the parents were treated to a Christmas Celebration Show. The kids were absolutely adorable. Even Papa made it to the show. I was shocked to see him there. He stayed for about 1/2 of the concert and had to run back to work. He had left a patient in the chair!!!!! Yeah for living in a small town. He got to see the girls sing and more importantly they got to see their Papa in the audience.

This afternoon we are off to decorate Gingerbread cookies at our music teacher's home. I swear Christmas is a million time more enjoyable through the eyes and experiences of a 4 1/2 year old. Have a great day everyone.

What's in Your Oven?

Last week at the girls' preschool we baked Christmas cookies - complete with cream cheese icing and decorations. It was a blast. And the best part was that the girls were so excited that I was coming to help. From the evening before they kept talking about how mama was coming to school with them the next day and the first thing Rachel said when she woke up in the morning was....Mama you're coming to school today! And while I was in the kitchen with their classmates, Alex kept sneaking into the kitchen to say....I love you mama. Now that is the best feeling in the world.

I'm struggling to find a way to say something so I think I will just come out and say it. We're having a baby! Yes, it is crazy but yes it is wonderful. Crazy because I feel that this pregnancy has really thrown me for a loop. But I've come to accept that life has many unexpected twists and turns that it is really out of my control. Especially after a really emotional hard year with my dad being sick and then miraculously getting well. I feel that God is really the one orchestrating our lives. I mean I always knew this but now I really believe it. So yes, we are expecting a third baby sometime in June.

The pregnancy so far has been good. I wasn't feeling that great at first but now am feeling back to 'normal'. Except the fact that I'm really hungry (thinking that a large all dressed pizza at 9pm is a good idea), tired (caving in and giving the girls coloring books I bought them for Christmas to keep them busy so I can sneak a nap on the couch), and hormonal (oh the tears that have come flowin). So my days are filled with out of breath bouts when I run up the stairs, to excitement at the thought of a little baby joining our family to anxiety/worry about 'is everything going to be OK with the baby'. So I will keep you posted in the next months on the belly situation.