A visit from Nana, Papa, and Great Nana

We were lucky enough to have had a visit from Nana, Papa, and Great Nana this past weekend. Claudia loved their company and Amelia was quite the ham for them smiling it up the whole weekend. My suggestion for when Amelia's going through teething hell? Ship her on up to Archbald because she sure is happy when her Nana and Papa are around.

Great Nana stayed behind and put the girls to bed Friday night so we could spend a night out with my parents. And not just any night. Light up Night! It's the night that Pittsburgh lights up their Christmas decorations for the season and also holds a fireworks extravaganza that we always enjoy from our dinner table at The Georgetowne Inn up on Mt Washington. The best view in town!

Today we had holiday family pics. If you ask what I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving season? Among many things, of course? That we don't have to do professional pictures for a very long time.

We've graduated up to the big tubby!

Her new favorite thing to do. Chew on the hearth. Yum!

The Mach 10 belly slide down the stairs.

Self portrait before the professional ones.

A visit from Aunt Tim and Josh

As the title says, we had a nice visit this past weekend from 'Tim' (what Claudia calls Kim) and cousin Josh. Claudia got brand new bunk beds so she was very excited that she was going to have a sleep over with Josh. Claudia wanted to chat, but Josh just wanted her to stop talking and go to bed. Needless to say, the sleepover didn't last very long. And didn't resume the next night. Oh well.

In other news, Amelia's finally gotten 2 teeth! She was/is a long and painful teether so you can see the relief in her face after those puppies popped through. She's also able to stand up and play at her LeapFrog table and play by herself. She's getting so big.

And obvisouly as stated before, Claudia got bunk beds and so is sleeping in a real, actual bed. We were ready for her to have a real bed and so we thought to the future and what we wanted permanently in that room so bunk beds it was! Claudia and Amelia will end up sharing that bedroom someday and the bunks will also help out when we have company. Obviously we do not even have the ladder up so she can't even think about getting up on the top bunk. But she adores her new bed. She even begged to go up for a nap the one day. Color me shocked!!!

Yes, I realize they are not twins. ;)



Trying to show off those toofers.

Claudia feeds her dolly while I feed Amelia.


Trying on some of her Gymboree order.. I also got this outfit for Amelia. They'll wear it for Santa pics. Cute, right?

Big girl.





Claudia played board games for the 1st time in her young little life. She asks to play games all the time now.

Watching the 1st snowfall, which you can't even see in the pic. :(

Eating Cheerios for the 1st time.

Cute little butt and tootsies.

Best buds

Sometimes it's hard to believe that we've gotten past those tricky newborn days with Amelia and are now into the good ole easier days. It's surprising that given how sensitive a baby Amelia was, she's now turned into a real trooper. Claudia loves to play peek-a-boo with the baby and Amelia loves it, too. But Claudia's idea of 'hiding' the baby is piling things on top of her and then walking around the house pretending she doesn't know where the baby went. And then helps Amelia emerge from underneath the pile of whatever. I was putting away laundry the other day and heard very muffled cries coming from my room. Amelia was underneath a pile of pillows, poor thing.

We saw one of our library storytime friends at the park yesterday and she has a daughter Claudia's age and a 6 week old. She was venting how nobody told her how hard it is going from 1 to 2 kids. At the same time Claudia was sitting behind Amelia in the grass with her arms wrapped around her. And there it was. I told the girl *that's* what makes it so worth it. When you see them just love each other. Claudia and Amelia just adore each other and are turning into the best of little buds. You'll see in the following pics...

The Marino girls came over to play after school on Monday. The babies are now old enough to actually sit up and play instead of snoozing away in their carriers. They really are growing up!



Claudia putting on Gia's shoes for her when she was leaving. Gia is Claudia's BFF.



Amelia met up with her girlfriends at the park yesterday. This weather is incredible!

To eat some leaves...


She LOVES the baby swing at the park, much to my delight. Claudia wouldn't go within 20 feet of one til she was 2.

The older kiddos playing their 'drawbridge game'. A creation of my friend Chris. The kids line up against the fence and when the tennis net, aka the drawbridge, goes up they run to get through it before it goes back down. Yeah. Us stay-at-home Moms have way too much time on our hands. Hee hee.