Nicolas' first birthday!!

He is 1!!! We can hardly believe it. It was a year ago today that he was born. It can't be true! It is true. But what a joy. His party was so much fun. We had a "Horton Hears a Who" party. I had a lot of fun planning what is to be my last, first birthday party. So, I went all out. But it was worth it. Nico has his own little orange Horton cake to smash up. I don't think he liked it all that much. I am not sure if it was the actual cake he didn't like or just the feeling of the frosting all over. Plus he was very tired by cake time, so it was probably a combination of things.


We had a big Horton cake for everyone else and all the kids got to take home a stuffed Horton as a prize. We had a Horton poster where the kids could stick there face and take a pic and lots of Dr. Seuss books around for kids and adults to read and enjoy! Enjoy the photos.

Easter

He is risen! He is risen indeed! I love Spring. I know I say that about every season, but each season has something special that reminds me how magnificent God's creation is. Spring, of course, means Easter, which means easter eggs and bunnies, but more importantly it is the time of Christ's death and resurrection. What a special time for children of God! He came back!! He is risen, he suffered for my sins, He is risen, and He is Lord!

Our family spent Easter with Joe's family is Bakersfield. With four boys running around (and they are all running, Nicolas is finally walking for real!) it can get pretty loud and hectic. There were a few moments of exasperation, but for the most part we had a wonderful time. All 4 boys had matching outfits for Easter (by 4 I mean cousin Gavin was there too, so he made it an even 4). The photo shoot was, well, an experience. I think the pictures will speak for themselves. Let's just say that trying to get a good picture, where everyone is at least looking at a camera, any camera, much less smiling, is almost impossible. The sun is too bright, someone doesn't want to sit still, someone is hungry, etc. So, we did our best and had some good laughs along the way. The easter egg hunt was a big hit, the little ones didn't quite get it at first. I don't think they understood why they had to put them in a basket, rather than just pick them up, open them, and eat the goodies inside. The older boys had a tougher hunt and found them all!! Then the men taught the older boys how to play bocci while the babies swam with grandma in the spa. Then everyone had baths and went to bed early. Even the adults!!! Hope you all had a blessed Easter.

New Kitchen, almost

Hi all. Just thought I would share some photos of what is going on at our house right now. As I mentioned in my last post, we are without the boys right now, so please, don't worry that the kids are going to get into the knife drawer that is stacked up on the floor. Ok, welcome to our current world.

Boys in the hood

Joe and are keeping a running list of all the funny things our boys have said since they have been able to form coherant sentences. I have shared some of these with you all and will continue to do so. We can't wait to add some Nico-isms to the list. Right now his funny sayings consist of responding "da da" when you ask him to say "ma ma" (this happens without fail), saying "GA" when he is excited or his brothers are being loud and he wants to join in, and talking to his toys while he plays.

But apart from the hilarious things they say, our boys DO some pretty hilarious stuff as well. Of course, we don't always see it as hilarious at the time, but in retrospect a life full of boys is one of the most joyful things in the world. I am currently without my 3 boys for the week so Joe and I can get some much needed work done on the house without interruption so I am missing my babies. Don't get me wrong, we are also enjoying meals at restaurants we like (since the kitchen is out of commision at the moment we are eating out a lot), no flying matchbox cars, no 5 am wake-ups to tell us he has to go potty (yes Dom, I am referring to YOU.) But I miss them, and I missed them as soon as I left them.

While boys can certainly drive you crazy and life is much messier and noisier with them around, I wouldn't want it any other way. Joe reminds me often, mostly when I am flustered to the point of pulling hair, that they are kids, and more importantly, THEY ARE BOYS! They are going to jump off the furniture simply because it is there, and as they grow the things they choose to leap from will only get bigger and taller. They are going to wrestle with each other so just try to make some rules so they are relatively safe. They are of course going to fight, so get ready for black eyes and stitches. I know all this, I do, boys are different. If they see a wet paint sign they will stick their hands in the paint, just to make sure, and even if one has seen the other prove the sign is correct, he will still check for himself. Girls don't do this, we are much more trusting of signs like that. I am learnng that while I should of course be putting money away monthly for their college funds, I should be putting as much, if not more, into a fund for bandages, hospital trips, and matchbox cars. (Those pesky things get lost so easily).

I am already seeing the progression into monosyllabic speak with Anthony. When he is trying to convince me of something he is one of the most verbose people I know, but when asked how school was the answer usually comes in one word. Luckily Dominic still likes to talk to me and cuddle with me after naps. I am hoping that will last until he leaves for college. Well, at least the talking part anyway. And Nicolas, well, he is still a bit young to really fully understand he is a boy, but believe me, he is. He is like a bull in a china shop, banging toys around, (this seems to be how he tests them out, if they make a good sound when he pounds them then they are keepers.) He doesn't know the draw of making pretty much anything into a gun, but just give him time. He will be making laser sounds and getting the bad guys soon enough.

I just thought I would share, especially with those of you in my family and friends who are already or will be soon, parents of boys. They are wonderful and they will help you see the world in a completely different way.

What fun, I'm almost 1!!!

Hey all. If you didn't already know, Nicolas Michael Spinozzi will be one on March 31st. We can hardly believe it!! Anyway, I did his 1 year photo shoot today and here are some of my favorites. Enjoy!

State of the Spinozzis

Hi all. I know it has been a while and I apologize. But I think we all know how life just catches up with you sometimes and things like blogging and showering just have to go by the wayside. Ok, the showering thing isn't totally by choice, our shower isn't working right now so we are all suffering in the bathing department. But this Sat. the plumber comes so hopefully we will all be fresh and clean for church on Sunday.

The plumbing is the least of our worries right now as we try and prepare the house for renters. We have several projects we feel will really help us get a renter quickly but in order to save money we need to do them ourselves. Now we are not opposed to the work, but with three kids running and crawling around it is a bit harder to get things done in a timely manner. So, we will do our best.

If you haven't already guessed, we are looking for a new house. We have actually settled on the area we are interested in and now we just need to rent our place and find a new one! Much easier said than done, but it is all very exciting and we will of course keep you all informed as the process continues.

One thing that has made our lives, or I should say my life, a lot easier is the addition of a new member to our family. No, no kiddo this time, just a robotic vacuum. Yes, we have a roomba now and it has revolutionized the way I go about cleaning. We have it set to go about the house in the middle of the night and when we wake up it is as if the maid has been here! Truly amazing. Then when I leave in the morning I have it do the bedrooms and the house is clean as clean can be, well, at least the floor is. So, we love our little R2D2, he is making life much cleaner around here. Which is nice considering we ourselves have been less than clean due to the shower issue.

Let's see, what else. Well, Nico is basically walking now. He still crawls when he really wants to get somewhere, but each day he gets a little more confident and shows what he can really do. It is fun and I can tell that he gets a kick out of being able to be upright like his brothers. It is almost like he finally realizes they are the same creatures and he is much more interested in them and other kids now that he can look them in the eyes better.

Anthony and Dom continue to be adorable, nerve-wracking, and, well, boys. They are into wrestling now and uncle Benjy taught them some real wrestling moves like the pretzel and half-nelson, etc. So, we have had to insitute some rules, such as no wrestling on the furniture, only the floor, no grabbing necks or faces, no kicking faces or other sensitive areas, stuff like that. So far they have been pretty good about it and seem to know their own limits most of the time. I figure it is only going to get worse so I mind as well get used to it and try to make it work. Nico loves to try and get in the midst of the mayhem and will probably be able to take them both on pretty soon. He is a might heftier than they were at his age so we assume that will continue as he grows.

That about covers our lives right now. Hope you are all well and getting ready for spring! Don't forget about daylight savings this weekend! Love you all.