It's Christmas, everyone's miserable

Well, not everyone, but it was close. So, what started out with Nico on Tuesday has now spread to me, Anthony, Dom, and Grandma and who knows where it may end up. As if getting the stomach flu isn't bad enough, but getting it at Christmas, well, it isn't what I asked for that is for sure. However, by some miracle no one was sick this morning for presents. Thankfully those who needed to be sick waited until after nap time. I have done more loads of sheets and laundry in the last 4 days than I care to count, cleaned up more than my share of messes on carpets and pillows, and definitely done my time in the super gross diaper department.

But to say it was a terrible Christmas wouldn't be true. The family was together, the kids laughed and smiled and are still playing with their gifts into the evening, and as of 4 or so no one has gotten sick, so things could be worse. I just feel bad that the kids weren't really feeling perfect for the day, but they soldiered through like they always do. They definitely handled it better than I did!

So, I am praying this super bug, whatever it may be, is on its way out of our home and off to terrorize some other unsuspecting family because it has overstayed its unwelcome!

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and could find the blessings amid the rubble that often clouds our lives. Christ was born, Praise the Lord!

It's CHRISTMAS!

It has been rainy here in southern CA and I LOVE IT! It makes it feel ever so slightly more like Christmases that I remember. The fire is going, the slippers are donned, and the coffee is hot all day long. Did I mention that I love Christmas? I do, even the shopping. Although I do most of my shopping online in the comfort of my own slippers. I am not even sick of Christmas music quite yet.

Speaking of Christmas music, the kids have been learning songs at school and from family and friends and singing them all the time. Of course Dom has trouble figuring out the words sometimes, especially when his cousin Gavin is the one teaching him the song, so he has been running around singing "Deck the halls with all the trollies." And Nico's favorite is "We wish you a hairy Christmas." And speaking of the kids and learning things, they are learning all kinds of things at school this time of year. Dom's teacher is jewish and so in addition to talking about Christmas traditions she has been teaching them about Hannukah and even made them latkes last week. Dom didn't care for them but he did try it so he wouldn't "make the teacher sad" he said.

Both boys will be having Christmas parties in their classes and I am going to have to perform some sort of super hero feat in order to be in two places at once, but by golly I am going to be at both parties! I think there is a 15 minute window where I can get from one to the other. Wish me luck!

I am not sure how much of this Nico gets, and to be honest I hope he stay kind of clueless for a little bit longer. He will enjoy opening gifts, but I think he will enjoy having family around even more. We are trying hard to remind the boys of what this time of year is really about. We have a box that we are filling with change and we will "open" it on Christmas and see how much we have and then decide as a family what to do with the money as a gift to someone else. It is cute, however, to hear the boys talk about Jesus and God in such matter of fact ways. For instance, yesterday Anthony was talking about something and said, "but Jesus could just do that because he is so cool". And on a slightly different note, Dom has been saying his prayers extra loud lately, I guess to make sure God hears them, but last night he started yelling in the middle of the night. I went in to see what was wrong and he was dead asleep yelling a prayer.

I hope you are all enjoying this season and can find the blessings amidst the madness. If we are going to see you this holiday season please know how much your time with us means and how much we look forward to spending time with family and friends. That is the best gift of all. If we won't see you we wish you happiness and joy.

Merry Christmas!

What the kids are saying

Just wanted to share a few more things the kids have said recently. I really need to start recording the entire day so I can capture all their words of wisdom.

Ok, so Thanksgiving we had our friends RJ and Hailey and their three kids over for the meal. Their oldest, Maddy, is 1 year younger than Dom. They really like each other and were flirting and being super cute all afternoon. Then it came time to eat and Dom asked Maddy to sit by him and she said, of course! So Maddy's daddy, in jest, said "keep your distance" to Dom. In response Dom said, "Keep your dignity!" Not sure where he got that but we all had a good laugh.

A few days later we had a big rain storm and while we were eating lunch and watching the rain and hail Dom noticed the trees blowing in the wind. His response was "the trees are cheering for us!"

There was one other funny things Dom said on the list and Anthony was reading it today and asked, "what do I have to do to get on this list, say something funny?" Needless to say, he is now on the list.

Nicolas says things all the time that are hilarious but our favorite right now is when he goes to bed instead of being tucked in he wants to be tucked up. "Mommy, tuck me up!" So cute.

Tis the season...

It's Christmas and I love this time of year! The lights, the music, the food! However, this Christmas I have been really struck by how many people are struggling this holiday season to just survive, let alone make any sort of Christmas happen for their families. It seems that this time in history is testing so many of us in ways we never imagined. While that is trying and oftentimes disheartening at the same time trials build character and show us who we truly are. While putting our Christmas letter together this year I tried to think back to some of my favorite Christmases assuming the big ones would be where I got my doll house (a great Christmas, but not my fave) or some other great gift. Instead the first Christmas that popped into mind was one where things were tight, so tight in fact that we couldn't afford a tree that year so instead we decorated a plant we had in the house. The pic of my brother and I sitting next to our Christmas plant is still one of my favorites! I remember really liking the plant because it was at my level, I could decorate the entire thing, not just the bottom. Our small smattering of presents were scattered underneath and if I remember correctly I am gazing fondly at our improvised tree with a huge smile. I can only imagine the dismay my parents must have felt that year when they realized that we couldn't afford to buy a real tree and probably sat down once my brother and I were in bed to try and figure out if there was any way at all they could make that happen for us. Little did they know that that Christmas was one of my favorites, the one that sticks in my mind more than any others. I don't remember any of the gifts I got, but I do remember loving how special our family was. It didn't matter what we put the gifts under, or if there were even gifts at all! What mattered was that we were together, that we made the best of not the best situation, and we were happy. It is easy to stress about gifts, especially if you enjoy giving like I do, but in the end the gifts and wrappings will be forgotten, but the special memories that are made will last forever. Sometimes the more we are tested the more we pull together. The Christmas plant year will forever live in my memory as a great Christmas. I hope you all can find your Christmas plant among the madness of this season. And as corny as it sounds, it isn't the presents under the tree that matter but the presence of Christ that makes Christmas special. Happy Holidays to you all!

Halloween Time!

Well, the holidays have officially started in the Spinozzi house. This year Halloween has been especially fun since all three boys get the idea of trick or treating. We have decorated the house a lot more and just had a lot of fun gearing up for the big night. On Halloween morning Anthony started asking at 7 am how many hours until we go trick or treating? There were even a few tears shed when he was told that going trick or treating at 1 pm wouldn't result in any candy, people wouldn't be ready.

So, we dressed up our Star Wars heroes and went over to our friends' house to trick or treat in their much more kid-friendly neghborhood. The boys had a blast and came away with more candy than I have ever seen! Then we came back here and Joe took them around our neighborhood for a little while while I gave out candy. We had kids coming until about 9 pm! it was a lot of fun to see all the costumes. There were some pretty great ones.

Enjoy the pics

Nothing new, just life

There are no major events to tell you about, just some everyday things I thought might make you smile.

To begin with, I have two little boys who can both read and ride two wheeler bikes now! It is so exciting. As Dominic says, I read in my head, not out loud. He just needed a little boost of confidence, and his PEP class has given him just that. He just read the word "different" with hardly a pause. We come home from getting Anthony and go straight to homework. I figure getting them in the habit of getting it done right away will be helpful in the future. So, we make a snack, pick out the books we want to read for reading time, and then head right into homework. Dom doesn't really have homework yet, aside from reading with us, but I give him little assignments and we have workbooks he can do so he feels like a big kid like Anthony. Luckily Nico is sleeping at this point so I don't have to deal with him getting into trouble, which he will do of course!

So that brings me to Nico. Oh, before I go there, let me share another Dominism with you. This weekend we were talking about the weekend, what it means, what we do, etc. Mostly, we decided, it is the time in the week when you don't have to go to school. What was Dom's response? "Oh, Sunday is the day you get to be dumb." You heard it here first, folks.

So Nico, precious Nico. He is getting more used to having his brothers gone most of the day. He no longer cries at the drop of a hat and actually thinks up games to play all by himself. Games like, put all the clean clothes in the sink, or pour all my goldfish into the couch cushions. The kid is creative, I will give him that. Today he decided to literally run in circles for about 3 minutes straight. He didn't fall or run into anything. It must be some sort of 2 year old record, right? He is definitely learning how to communicate better. In complete sentences like "I don't want that lunch", or "I don't want to get Dominic." Most of his sentiments are in the negative at the moment. We are working on that. Of course he is still a little spitfire, loves to tell jokes, and loves to laugh. I find that trying to "eat" any part of his face or tummy gets a good giggleout of him. His new favvorite is what we call a "grandpa kiss." Grandpa Bernie invented it and it just a kiss, but instead of giving a kiss, you blow raspberries. He laughs so hard!

Three boys. We are still trying to wrap our minds around what that will mean for a food budget in the coming years. Or how we will deal with the stinky socks and shoes. I vote for quaratining them in their own wing of the house. Don't ask don't tell will be instituted. It is so neat to have three boys, three boys who already love each other so much. Anthony is the consumate older brother, always looking out for his younger siblings, teaching them and guiding them, and sometimes getting super annoyed with them. Dom is your basic second kid. He does what he wants, bothers his older brother, gets annoyed with his younger, has mastered the art of "not listening". Nico, sweet Nico. I still haven't figured him out yet. He is hilarious and smart and curious and adorable. He wants to be just like his brothers but different, if that makes any sense. He loves Mickey Mouse and also loves Speed Racer. He is sturdy and tough and can handle anything you throw his way, except getting put to bed before everyone else, that still really bugs him! He calls kids he meets "buddy" and asks if you are ok after you cough or sneeze.

I just love how different they all are and yet how much you can tell they are brothers. The years ahead will be full, I know that, and I can't wait. I mean, I can, I am trying really hard to cherish these times with all of them home most of the time and playing together. I know it is only a few short years away when one will be at soccer, one at baseball, one on a date, etc. Hard to imagine them as anything but toddlers and gradeschoolers, but that is the truth of life. I am blessed with a houseful of wonderful men and I could no be happier.

I have a seven year old! (and I am not sure how I feel about that)

Today Anthony turns seven. I am not sure you heard me, I said, SEVEN!!! So, that makes me, well, older than I feel. Now, don't get me wrong, I love having older kids. They dress and feed themselves, occasionally they will clean up after themselves, they can entertain themselves for long periods of time, and they are so much fun to talk to. It is just that, well, I can't possibly be old enough to have a seven year old. But alas, here I am, celebrating my first born's seventh year of birth. I thought I would tell some of my favorite Anthony stories in honor of this momentous day.

To begin with, I was pretty sure Anthony wasn't going to arrive at all. I was all set for him to arrive on September 7th, or there abouts, but 3 days later, nope, 5 days later, nope, a week later, NOTHING! At that point the doctor asked if I wanted to induce. Um, YES! So, on September 16th, at about 4 am I woke up, showered, packed my bag and Joe and I went off to have our first baby. He arrived after only 14 hours of labor a delivery. I pushed twice, and then just like that, Joe and I were parents, we were a family instead of just a couple. It was magical and miraculous and ever so slightly terrifying.

Anthony was the perfect baby, on a schedule right away, only cried when he was hungry or tired, slept peacefully and ate quickly. We were in heaven! He was easy to take places, slept pretty much all the time, and at 9 months even went with us to Cancun and did amazing. Well, except for one incident that involved a very messy diaper, a highchair at a restaurant, and daddy cleaning him up in the restroom. But he smiled the entire time!

As he grew we were amazed at how thoughtful and observant he was. He never went through the terrible two's, although potty training had it's moments. But as is so like him, he fought and fought and fought, and then one day just decided to do it. Things have to happen on his time, whether it is apologizing to one of his brothers or coming to the dinner table. He has this uncanny ability to block out the sound of your voice if you are saying something he doesn't like.

Let's skip ahead a few years. One of the things Joe and I try really hard to do is keep track, and write down, the funny things our kids say. Anthony has had some great ones. One of my personal favorites was once, back when we had kitties, he said to me, "I am going to go ask the kitty where she is going." Then he walked over to her, got right in her face, and said "meow, meow, meow, Roxy." Of course he knew that speaking her language would make it easy for her to understand. Perhaps he will be a diplomat someday.

Anthony is such a blessing in our lives and as he grows and becomes older and more mature we are constantly amazed at how smart, thoughtful, and just awesome he is! He is the first to help Nicolas if he can't get something to work, and the first to reach him when he is getting into something naughty! He watches out for both of his brothers and is a friend to everyone he meets. Last year I heard numerous times from moms that Anthony was one of their child's "best friends" at school. He never excludes anyone and just wants to get to know you. It warmed my heart to know that he wasn't part of a clique but rather befriended everyone. His sensitive spirit is definitely one of his best qualities. While I am still in shock that he is seven I am also so excited for the future and the young man he will become. I know he will grow to be an amazing man because he is already an amazing kid! Of course, he has some of the best examples any boy could ask for. Thank you daddy and grandpas and uncles! I can't tell you much it means to this mother of three boys to know that her children have a wealth of wonderful, kind, strong, honest men to look up to in this world when men, real men, are become a rarity. I know my boys will grow up to have integrity, morals, self-esteem, and respect for themselves and others. Joe and I certainly could not do this alone, that is for sure!

Please know that as we rejoice with Anthony today for coming into our lives that we also rejoice in the fact that he came into the family that he did. Joe and I know just how lucky we are to have the families we do.