CHRISTMAS BEHIND US - ON TO 2010

Beep, Beep
Caroline holding a bunny on Christmas Day

Help me - who is this guy?!

Gabby's new car from Aunt Amy & Uncle Brian

Caroline and her new bike from Santa (Papa)

Caroline and her cousin Kylie - always giggling

Gabriella and Abuela

Nonnie & Gabriella - great picture

The Silverios Christmas Eve

We had a wonderful Christmas - Caroline was really into the Santa thing this year. We put out cookies and milk for Santa before she went to bed on Christmas Eve and she was so excited to see in the morning that he ate almost all of his cookies and drank all but a drop of his milk (just what I needed, more cookies). We all feel very blessed this Christmas and of course the girls got way too many gifts - I swear no more gifts for birthdays or holidays. They don't need anything, I have nowhere to put all this stuff and some of it I haven't even opened yet until they get bored with some of the other new things. It is just so hard to say no when buying for them. SPOILED!

We are having some friends over for New Years Eve - Kelleen, Adam and their twin boys. They will spend the night - hopefully we can get all the kids to bed early and we plan to play some cards / games and enjoy a night with friends. Junior and laugh that we have no desire to go out on New Years Eve - we want to be home with the kiddos and it is fun just to hang out with good friends.

We are having a great time with Carmen here and it is such a big help - especially with the girls out of day care these past two weeks. Wow, I don't know that I could do it all day every day - it is nonstop. Of course I love the time with them but I miss some quiet time and my days working. Work is very slow right now as is typical during the holidays. I'm looking forward to a busy and successful 2010. Junior is out of town for a few days for work and hopefully their business will continue to be busy in 2010. We look to 2010 as the year to get back on track after both of us being laid off for several months.

Caroline is talking nonstop and is so close on the potty training - we have about 5 diapers left and I have told her that I am not buying anymore. She got a new bike for Christmas from Santa (Papa) and we will be spending a lot of time riding that. She starts soccer on Jan 17th. I think she is a natural - she is so good with a soccer ball - I can't wait to see her in action. It is hard to believe that she will be 3 in 4 months. She is such a big girl. She is still having some Terrible Two tendencies but I have been warned that these often last through the 3's - GREAT! We will make it through - I have to remember to be patient - she is a VERY strong willed little girl and wants all things her way - kinda like her mother :).

Gabriella is so close to walking - she walks around furniture, and can walk behind a walker. I would guess in the next month or so. She is still the sweetest baby in the world and is so funny. She makes the funniest faces and she has such an amazing personality. She loves to copy anything that you do - it is so cute. Of course she is most interested in her big sister and they crack eachother up - it is the best sound, hearing them giggle. Gabriella has such a great laugh and she laughs so often - she is such a happy baby.

We look forward to 2010 with our girls and I of course can't wait to spend another year with my wonderful husband.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Enjoying a wagon ride on a warm AZ winter day
Gabriella and daddy sharing a candy cane

Oh Gabriella

Caroline helping mommy mash bananas for banana bread

She is so fast on the bike

The girls with Nana & Papa at the train park

Mommy and her girls at the train park

A night out at a holiday party - no kiddos :)

We are gearing up towards Christmas and very excited. Shopping is done and 95% of the wrapping is done. We will spend Christmas Eve at dad's with the whole family, including Junior's mom. Amy and Brian will of course be there too along with Brian's brother Steve, his wife and 2 of their 3 children. It will be a great night with family. Junior's mom has been making some traditional Puerto Rican food that we will all enjoy along with some Italian from Kathy - it will be a good mix of holiday traditions. Christmas day we plan to wake up with the girls and open Santa presents and spend most of the day relaxing at home.

Carmen has almost been here a week and it has been great. It worked out great because we have had several holiday parties to attend (the last of them tonight) and Carmen has been here with the girls. Caroline is warming up to her and Gabriella LOVES her Abuela. I wonder if she remembers her voice and touch from when she was first born - she sure acts like it.

Here are a few pics from the last several weeks. More to come of course after Christmas.

Merry Christmas to all if I don't have time to post before then.

XOXO,

The Silverio's

POST THANKSGIVING

Caroline and daddy decorating the Christmas Tree
Sweet Gabby after the ear piercing

Our Girls

Mommy, that hurt!

This looks a lot worse than it was. They did both ears at the same time.

Abuela and her grandaughters minus Marceline.

Abuela and her girls minues Caroline & Marceline.

Our Thanksgiving turkeys!

Thanksgiving Eve - out with friends.

Caroline in her big girl bed

We had a great trip to KC for Thanksgiving. It was so great to be with Junior's family and have all the girls together. With our 2 it makes for 8 girls. Poor Abuela - will she ever have a grandson.........

We felt so at home being there - our 5 year goal is to be back in KC. We miss it so much - even Junior felt a little homesick this past trip. I think having daughters makes him miss his family and friends more - he thinks about raising them all together. We will see where life takes us.

We are getting ready for Abuela to come to Arizona. She arrives on Dec 16th and will stay for several months - we can't wait to have her here. We will have a lot more fun this year since last year I was so pregnant that we couldn't do much. This year I am ready to go. I already have some things in mind - maybe a day trip to Mexico (minus the kiddos), a day trip to Flagstaff for some snow and sledding (Caroline would have a blast) and Junior and I plan to take a weekend trip to San Francisco for a much needed mini honeymoom that we never took.

We are gearing up for Christmas - tree is up and presents will soon be under the tree. I am almost done with all of my shopping - what a relief. We are really promoting the Santa thing this year - Caroline is excited to leave cookies and milk out for Santa and we will be sure to have new presents under the tree Christmas morning. I have been reading The Night Before Christmas to her each night before she goes to bed. I'm getting a little sick of it and there are still a lot of days until Christmas but she wants this book every night. The coming Friday I am taking her to Barnes and Noble for a special reading of The Polar Express. The kids are to wear their pj's for storytime. It is a Caroline and mommy date - daddy will stay home with Gabby - I think we will go out for pizza first and then to Barnes and Noble. I'm really looking forward to it - Christmas time will be more exciting each year as they get into it. Caroline loved helping decorate the tree.

Enjoy the pics.

Oh, I almost forgot - Gabriella got her ears pierced when we were home in KC for Thanksgiving. Abuela and daddy held her while mommy covered her eyes. She did great and they look SO cute. Don't worry - the pics look worse than it really was.

xoxo

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

We are heading to KC tomorrow to spend Thanksgiving with Junior's family. We are very excited - the girls can't wait to see their Abuela and play with their cousins. Everyone is excited to meet Gabriella (Abuela can't wait to get her hands on her again).

I'm very happy to be going home to KC for Thanksgiving. I miss it so much. It will really put me in the holiday spirit. We plan to spend Thanksgiving night at the Westin Crown Center hotel with the whole family - it is so festive around there. We will all go down to The Plaza for the annual lighting ceremony. It will be a very special holiday - Junior and I used to do this so long ago and now we can share it with our girls.

Happy Thanksgiving to all. We will miss my family but will love hanging with the Silverio's.

Pictures to be posted upon return.

Gretchen & Junior

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

We love you,
Caroline & Gabriella

CAROLINE SAYS SOME FUNNY STUFF

Caroline is talking so much and the stuff she says amazes me and cracks me up. Last night when I picked the girls up from Papa's house and we were driving home I took a little different route to avoid some traffic. As we were driving Caroline says "Mommy, where my house go?" I replied, "we are almost home honey". She responds "My house, where are you?".

Daddy has been working late every night this week so dinner has kinda been relaxed - when he got home last night at 8pm he threw in a pizza. I was holding Caroline and she was eyeing the pizza. I asked her if she wanted some pizza. She replied "Hmmm, my tummy not so good mommy!"

The kid cracks me up. I have to write these things down or I will never remember them all.

Scentsy

I have recently become a consultant for Scentsy wickless wax warmers. These things are GREAT. Check out my website - www.gretchens.scentsy.com (link on the left of the blog page). These are great gifts for the holidays. Anyone would love it.

My main motivation for this was that I have one of these and love it. I've bought them for mom, Amy, Kathy, and a few friends. They are really great. Also, any extra $ I make will go into the girls college fund - you can't start saving for that too soon.

Let me know if you have any questions on the Scentsy stuff.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Halloween with Aunt Amy

Little Pumpkin

Daddy & his bumblebee - she was more interested in eating her Halloween candy

Grumpy bumblebee

We had a great Halloween. Caroline was really into it this year - she actually wore her bumblebee costume most of the day. We had a birthday party to go to that afternoon and she wore her costume to the party. I was proud - I was afraid she would not want to put it on.

Nonnie, Aunt Amy & Uncle Brian came over for dinner and trick-or-treating. Our neighborhood has so many kids so it was really fun. We parked our chairs at the bottom of the driveway and just waited for kids. We walked around to about 15 houses and Caroline was very good at the trick-or-treating. She was so cute.

Trying to keep everyone healthy. We all have little colds but doing our best to stay away from the H1N1 virus. A little baby at daycare was diagnosed over the weekend so fingers crossed we are all okay. The grils have one more round of vaccines and then hopefully we will be in the clear. Gabriella's cold is much better today.

Gabriella is pulling herself up to standing on anything she can get ahold of. Yesterday I was folding laundry on the couch and she was on the other side of the living room. She crawled over to me and pulled herself right up to where I was. She is so quick. I bet she will be walking within a few months - Lord help me. Junior was an early walker, she is taking after her daddy - he was 9 months old. I was 14 months old - I know, a little slow. Caroline was also 14 months old.

We are ready for the holidays and enjoying a little cooler weather here in AZ. The Georgeson's are coming from Denver next weekend. We will celebrate Junior's bday and our 1 year wedding anniversary. Wow, what a year!

SICK GABBY

Sick baby - oh so tired
She was so restless and this is how she finally fell asleep

Yummy blueberries

Love that face

Caroline loves to do "her" makeup while I am doing mine

Oh no, we are in so much trouble with this little beauty queen

Gabriella is home sick today with mommy. She has a nasty cold and is having trouble breathing so I thought she could use some extra kisses and hugs today. Take a look at the picture of her finally falling asleep last night in her crib - she was so tired - poor little thing. She only lasted about an hour in her crib then daddy was booted to the couch and she got in bed with mommy.

We are looking forward to Halloween. Gabriella is a pumpkin and Caroline is a bumble bee. We will take lots of pictures. Nonnie, Aunt Amy and Uncle Brian will come over for trick-or-treating. Should be a fun night.

Not much else new is going on - we are getting so excited for our trip home to KC for Thanksgiving.

Happy Halloween to everyone.

OUR LITTLE PUMPKINS

OMG, she loved this teething biscuit - this is the first time I gave her one.
Enough with the pumpkins mom

Little Pumpkin - Gabriella's first Halloween

Caroline eating Kettle Korn this year

Caroline & her Kettle Korn last year (she has grown up so much)

Picking her pumpkin this year

Picking her pumpkin last year (she downsized this year because we made her carry her own pumpkin)

Our Sweet Little Pumpkins

The Silverio's

Nonnie and her girls

Mommy and her girls

Gabriella's first pumpkin patch visit - she will be back next year

Last weekend we went to Schnepf Farms in Queen Creek, Arizona. We did this last year with Caroline and it will now be a yearly tradition.

We had so much fun.

Not much else new going on except our little Gabriella pulled herself to standing - yeah, that's right, not quite 7 months old (will be this Saturday) and she wants to stand. Nonnie was babysitting so I did not see it happen though I saw her after she got to her feet. She pulled herself up on her activity cube that my friend Kelley got Caroline for her first birthday. Both the girls love this activity cube and Gabby has found that it is stable enough to pull herself up. We are in so much trouble with her - she wants to do everything.

We are good and looking forward to going home to KC for Thanksgiving and being with Junior's family - can't wait for all the girls to be together. Caroline and Gabriella will have so much fun with their 6 girls neices in KC. Abuela will love having all her granddaughters together - we plan on having family pics taken.

Love to all. BTW, I finally joined Facebook so you can look there for pics too though I will continue to update the blog because I want this for the girls someday.