Thanksgiving

This post is a little delayed! We celebrated a family Thanksgiving on the Sunday before the real Thanksgiving since Jay was on-call and unable to make the trip home to Ithaca.  We made Poppy's stuffing (or at least attempted to), a 20 lb turkey with Barefoot Contessa's awesome rub, mashed potatoes, rolls, green beans and homemade cranberry sauce (the best kind if you ask me). 

 Maria flew in from NYC to help me drive to Ithaca.  We had a wonderful next couple of days with Rebecca, Jim, Maria, Mom and Dad and the Ford/O'Connell families.  Omi and Opa came up from Delhi a day early to bring Uncle Greg's 30 lb turkey! Fresh is always the best!

 Jacob is chilling in Aunt Kristen's chair. He's wearing a turkey hat he made at school.  Before we left, Aunt Kristen gave us this same chair, only in blue. The kids have been loving it!

 The three sisters home again together! We had some wonderful evenings together playing games, talking, arguing and laughing! Thanks for putting up with us Jim.

 Opa once again followed our Thanksgiving meal with his wine and cheese course. I love this new tradition.  It was during this time that some spirited debate ensued.

 Uncle Greg teaching Jacob the old "slap me high, slap me low, you're too slow."  Aunt Vicky and Sean could not make it this year, we missed them. At one point Jacob said "I miss Vicky!"

 For some reason I didn't take any good Thanksgiving pictures of Raphael! Here is a blurry picture of Poppy and Raphael at one of the Immaculate Conception basketball games.   He actually stayed still in his arms for a good 15 minutes and watched the game.

Jacob sat on the bench next to Poppy the entire time.  He even wore an ICS jersey.  A future basketball player in the making.

We missed having Jay back home with us in Ithaca, but we're excited that he's off for Christmas for an entire week!

Thankful

This has truly been a beautiful fall here in Western New York. We have been blest with many warm and sunny days and the fall foliage is gorgeous. I've especially been enjoying the views out of our living and dining room windows, they are awesome big windows which bring in lots of sun.

Our family has a lot to be thankful for. We have two beautiful, active, healthy and curious little boys.  These boys keep me on my toes constantly and are active, active active.  At times Jacob's incessant questioning might make me loss my mind, but in reality I know that he's thinking and wondering.  He's learning about Jesus, nature, how to color, dinosaurs, cooking and family (to name a few).  I'm thankful for Raphael's beautiful smile and joy of climbing! He is a very happy and (at times) easy going little man.

I'm thankful for the gifts of our minds.  On a daily basis we're reading childrens' books, medical books (Jay not me), novels, books on prayer/faith, cookbooks, magazines, newspapers, blogs, the Internet, etc.  The amount of information that we can find on a daily basis is truly overwhelming at times.  However, I am grateful for the ability to read, educate myself and create my own opinions and point of view.  Reading is a gift that I cannot imagine my life without!

 I'm thankful for a hardworking and dedicated spouse.  We have been married for over 6 years and have known each other for 16 years! Jay is truly my best friend and I cannot believe the journey that we've embarked upon.  If you would have told me that the kid with the mustache, guitar and macho attitude in 7th grade would become my husband and a future oral surgeon I would have told you that you were crazy!

I'm thankful for family! At times I wish we lived closer so we could just pop over for a Sunday dinner or for some conversation and play, but considering where we could have ended up I'm grateful we're only a couple hours away! Our family supports us endlessly and is extremely caring and loving.  I have two wonderful sisters who I can rely on for anything.  Whenever I need a pick-me-up, I can call one of them for words of advice or just to chat! Love you Maria and Rebecca.  Jacob and Raphael have wonderful grandparents, aunts and uncles, great-grandparents, the list goes on and on.

I'm thankful for friendships! Since moving to Buffalo I have met some wonderful people! I also have great friends from Oneonta, ICS, Lansing, John Carroll, Summit and dental school.  I cherish all of my friendships and try my hardest to keep in touch with those who are near and far.  A girls' night out, every once in a while, keeps me rejuvenated. It is also reassuring to share stories, conversation and food with fellow moms.  Thank you all for being my friend, I hope I've been equally as great a friend to you! 

Sorry that this isn't the greatest picture girls!

Finally, I'm thankful to be Catholic.  This year I have been involved in our MOMS group and recently started attending a weekly prayer group with a bunch of wonderful and inspirational mothers.  Our parish is a vibrant and active community full of dedicatedl people.  Our faith is truly a gift which I pray each and every day that our children will appreciate and learn to love.  Without faith our world can be a dark and empty place.  Prayer is something that I have also really come to appreciate and delve into deeper on a daily basis.  Wonderful prayers such as the rosary are beautiful intercessions to our Holy Mother Mary and Jesus. I hope that more people will come to discover the beauty that these prayers hold and the inner peace that they can foster on a daily basis in a chaotic world.

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

Jacob's school Halloween party

Jacob's school had a Halloween party on the Friday before Halloween.  The parents were invited to attend for the first half hour.  I dressed Raphael up and Jacob dressed like Bob the Builder (since he wouldn't have been able to move in his robot costume). 

 A happy duck!

 The boys waiting in the foyer of Jacob's school.

 Jacob and his friend Charlotte.

 Mrs. Messina and asking Jacob about his costume.

 Someone else is ready for school.

Circle time!

What I love about summer...

Babies in diapers

Play, play and more play!

Fresh fruit from Native Offerings Farm.

Our garden. The rose of sharon bushes are in full bloom and they are glorious. I really adore flowers

Oh Jacob

Jacob will proudly tell everyone that he is 2 1/2. He is quite the little guy. On a daily basis he reminds me of how young minds are constantly being shaped and molded. He is a living sponge. He listens to conversations, remembers peoples' names and recalls events that I sometimes forget. He learns from books, conversations and observation. He's memorized some of his favorite books (okay I know it sounds like I'm bragging, but this is our family blog) and will correct me if I mispronounce a word or a book's title. Unfortunately, however, this can mean that at times he gets himself into trouble since he often interjects in conversations and reminds me when to reprimand Raphael when he is doing something wrong. Oh Jacob! I hope he is able to maintain his zest for life and his innocence for as long as possible. He is a little snuggle bug and a real people person. He loves to sing songs that he makes up, play make believe and make sure I always notice what he's doing. I can't wait to see what God has in store for him.

p.s. This Hawaiian shirt is one of his favorites. I think he looks like an old man getting ready to go to Florida for a golf tournament.

We miss Aunt Maria!

Maria spent a week with our family. It was a jam packed week full of fun! We visited the family cottage in Canada (yes we felt the earthquake), went to see the "Babies," documentary, went out for dessert at Butterwood, learned how to cook Julia Child's famous coq au vin (chicken in wine sauce) and enjoyed many laughs. I miss her already.

Jacob's new room

BEFORE:AFTER:

Jay and I tackled painting another room in the house. This time we painted Jacob's room a bright teal. Dutch boy called the color "atonement," but I'm not quite sure why.

Jacob enjoys playing in his new room!

Jacob's finger painting that we framed and put up into his room. It matches perfectly.

This was passed down through the family. It was in my grandfather's room when he was a boy. I love it.

I'm one!

ONE: Little boy who has made our family feel even more complete turned one on June 9th. We celebrated quietly at home with applesauce cupcakes, a few gifts and a family dinner. Raphael is nothing but pure joy and love. Happy birthday baby boy!

The weekend after his birthday we spent some time at Letchworth state park.

Raphael is a daredevil. He loves to climb, he's making his first steps and is uninhibited by playgrounds!

Raphael is a gentle little boy who loves his brother, three square meals and his blanket.

Kisses?

*Raphael weighed 18 lbs 3 oz at his one year check-up.

Vacation!

We swung by Ithaca for Memorial Day weekend and then we made a long over due visit to see Omi and Opa in Delhi, NY. We had a wonderful time. We swam in the pool, visited a butterfly conservatory in Oneonta, ate exceptional food, took a tour of Uncle Greg's barn (Jacob has been talking about this incessantly since we've been home) and enjoyed the wonderful views of the Catskills while sipping on wine and conversing about politics, religion and the state of our world.

Hi!

I love my grandparents! Jacob loved the butterflies at the conservatory. They were flying everywhere! It was quite amazing. There were also turtles, tropical birds, walking sticks, lizards and much, much more! It was worth the trip and made us all appreciate God's creation a little bit more. An attempt at a group shot.
The food here is GREAT Raphael is saying!
Poppa and Raphael.Tractor time for Raphael!Maria, Mom and I. After five months, Maria has returned from Malawi! We missed you girl.

Mom A. and Dad K. staying out of the sun!

Boys and their tractors! Jacob loved roaming around the lawn on his Christmas present that he was FINALLY able to enjoy outside.

Grandma A. and Raph. What a gorgeous day it was! We are so very blest.

Maria and the cutie. I REALLY miss Raphael's hair!! It'll grow...

At Mom and Dad K's house. Look at the gorgeous orchids!

Almost one!