Moving our blog

We are moving our blog site, since as of late, Google is charging people for using their domain sites.  Our new blog is (drum roll please):  http://jacobtheoraphael.wordpress.com/

 

I hope to have it up and running soon. 

So much to be thankful for

This year we have once again continued with the tradition of the thankful years. Before dinner the boys write (or write with assistance) on a paper leaf what they are thankful for.  What was written so far includes:

Dad

Mom

Jacob

Raphael
Theodore

Tift Nature Preserve

Family

Tom's Restaurant

Priests

Gifts

Nathan (a friend)
Being good

Thanksgiving

On Friday I was able to attend daily mass with a friend, while another friend watched my kiddos. Father Dave reminded us to "pick our head out of the sand" and look around at our blessings.  How easy it is to go through our daily grind and forget to really look at the beauty that is before us.  This year I am thankful for:

1.) A man of faith, courage and dedication who is my best friend and husband.

2.) Three healthy, handsome, inquisitive and active little men.

3.) Our families and all the encouragement, support and example that they give.

4.) The Catholic faith and the light that it brings in a sometimes dark world.  We're thankful for this year of faith and the spiritual fruits that will come from it.

5.) The gift of learning. Homeschooling has been such a blessing this year. Jay and I are learning so much and have found that this has reshaped our family dynamic and culture.  We aren't sure how much longer we are going to continue homeschooling, but for right now it is a good fit. And being in the "now" is a good place to be!

6.) The gift of laughter. Everyday our boys give us something to laugh and smile about!

7.) "God bless America!" How blessed we are to grow up in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

8.) We are thankful to live in a vibrant, loving and supportive community. We are surrounded by caring neighbors, church members, teachers and friends.  Buffalo is a wonderful city and for that we are grateful.

9.) Books and the ability to read.  20% of people living on the planet are unable to read. Everyday we are exposed to a plethora of reading materials. We just can't read enough and each book that we discover is like unearthing a treasure.

10.) We are grateful to YOU for reading our blog and loving our family. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

"You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink.” G.K. Chesterton

Another fun weekend

Grandma and Poppy Albanese spent the weekend visiting with us! We had a fun weekend of crafting, Christmas shopping and cooking.  In the picture above Theo is playing hide-and-go seek with Poppy.

 Grandma and Raphael are spending some time crafting. Mom and I made our own version of a Martha Stewart inspired wreath from this month's edition.  

We used white sage, rose of sharon pods, lavender and leaves from a tree in the backyard (painted white) to create this wreath. Isn't it lovely?

Our inspiration.

 Jay working on his model car while Poppy and Jacob draw some fishing pictures.

 Listening to some tunes on Pandora.

 Listening to a bedtime story. Raphael really enjoyed playing with Poppy. 

On Sunday we enjoyed lunch outside. It was almost 70 degrees! It was a beautiful day! Thanks for spending the weekend with us Grandma and Poppy. We will see you very soon!

Halloween!

 We had a very busy Halloween. In the morning we drove to Rochester to meet up with Uncle Chad, Aunt Laura and cousin Gianna. It was a fun day at the museum since all of the Fairy Tale characters were there handing out treats. This tied in perfectly with our fairy tale themed week we'd been having at home.

 Gianna had a great time! She soaked it all in and played really well.

 Riding a truck full of Wegmans food.

 Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz" was visiting. This picture is for Grandma A.!

 Theo walked everywhere! He didn't want to leave. Here he is riding a car.

 Later in the night the boys were super exited to go trick-or-treating.

 Here are their scary faces.

 Our little lion stealing some candy.

Here is an attempt at a group picture.

Roar says Theo the lion!

A visit from the grandparents

Grandma and Poppa came up to visit! We had a wonderful weekend. Mom and I went to see Matthew Kelly, a speaker for DyanmicCatholic.com., on Saturday morning. He was awesome. He has some great ideas that he is helping to implement in the Catholic Church.  It was a wonderful morning and a great reminder of how imporant it is for us to spread and promote our Catholic faith!

 Theo attempting to squeeze into a pot.

 Hanging out with Poppa. The boys all enjoyed a trip to the hobby shop and spent some quality time with the "guys."

 The boys can never have enough books read to them. Thanks for visiting, the time just zipped by! We love you!

 A glimpse of what homeschooling has looked like lately since Jay has been home.

 A fun idea for a rainy/windy day, crazy crayons that we made in muffin tins.

Playing outside right before Hurricane Sandy, we had days of rain even before the storm.

The Pumpkin Patch

 We made the annual family trip to the pumpkin patch this past weekend. We once again went to Kelkenberg Farms, but to a different site.  The picture above is Jacob telling us that the turkey pen is stinky. He seems to have a sensitive nose.

 Raphael is standing next to a giant rabbit (it is sitting on top of the garbage can). He is also carrying his "information book" (a book about animals), that we can't seem to leave home without.

 Boy in a basket....

Unforunately, Raphael has a shiner near his eye that he received when he tripped on the stairs the other day. He's also feeling a bit under the weather so it was difficult to get a smile out of him.

 An attempt at a group shot.

 I just love these boys!

 Here are the boys weighing their pumpkins.

 My little snuggle bug.

 Here are the boys cracking some corn to be fed to the animals.

It was a beautiful afternoon and we are now officially ready for Halloween in a couple of weeks!

Another week

 Pretending to be a bean burrito.

 Somebody got a hair cut!

 We headed to the Explore and More museum in East Aurora to spend a morning with some friends. It was such a perfect fall morning to drive out there and all the children played well together.  In the craft room, the theme of the day was sweaters.

 Theo playing with play dough.

 The rice table was a hit.

 Mexican masks!

 John and Theo playing in the toddler area.

 Daddy and Theo have a nighttime ritual that includes looking at family photos, viewing the sky, saying a simple prayer and blowing out the light.

 I love when I see this, even if it only lasts a few minutes.

 On the homeschooling front, everything has been going well.  It really has been a fun challenge. I have been reading up on lots of different homeschooling techniques and methods.  In the picture above Jacob is making his own "story machine" (idea courtsey of "Alphabet Glue).  I love when I see the boys take to an idea and run off with it.

Here is Jacob's completed story machine. He wrote a story about mice getting bread at the store.   

Daddy and Raphael looking at bugs under the rocks.  Raphael is interested in anything related to nature and animals.
p.s. The themes of the week are birds and Africa.