Chritsmas x2!

We had Mimi, Popi, Uncle Rusty, and his girlfriend Lindsay down to celebrate Christmas with us. They were not able to come on Christmas due to Caitlynn not feeling 100%. They brought lots of gifts from "Santa". Caitlynn was super excited to see everyone and open more presents. Uncle Rusty and Lindsey bought her new princess dolls and she immediately had to have them out of the box right away! She also got a doll house, more clothes, and items for her doll house. Luke got a train table and he was excited about it! He also got more clothes and toys. There were lots of left overs from Christmas dinner so we all just ate that for dinner and dessert again. We were glad to be able to spend some time together to celebrate Christmas, a day late!

Snow Day!

We got a little snow so Laura decided to take the kids out to play. Caitlynn really liked the sled ride but Luke didn't like having snow in his face. There favorite part was trying snow balls that Laura made! To bad the snow didn't last very long and melted way by the very next day!

Christmas

We celebrated another Christmas at home. Nonna and Pop-pop came down to celebrate with us. Caitlynn wasn't feeling 100% so she was a litle slugglish. The kids got lots of presents from "Santa" and it took all morning to open them up. They got tons of toys and clothes. I think Luke's favorite part was throwing all the trash in the big bin. We even took a little ride in the bin after all the presents were open! I think Caitlynn's favorite gift was the movie Cinderella. She watched it twice already! Laura decided to make the entire Christmas dinner and dessert. There was turkey, scalloped potatoes, green beans, corn, homemade bread and muffins. For desset, she made lemon-blueberry cheesecake and apple crisp. There was a lot of food but just means there will be left overs all week.

An Early Christmas

Uncle Richie and his girlfriend Trish came to visit with her kids- Emily, Cailtin, and Owen. We celebrated Christmas early since this is the only time we will see each other for a while. We had a great time watching the kids exchange and open gifts. All the kids got matching PJ's with penguins on them. We were able to get a cute picture with all of them in the new PJ's. Caitlynn and Luke got a bounce house, which they LOVED! All the kids got a chance to play in it and it was the hit of the weekend! Trish also brought down gingerbread houses and the kids had fun making them. I think their favorite part was eating the frosting and candy! We all had a great weekend and were glad to spend some extra time with everyone before Christmas!

NJ Visit

We took a trip up to NJ to spend some time with Laura's family. Laura, Nonna, and Pop-pop took Caitlynn to walk through a light show. Caitlynn got to see Santa again and did remind him that she still wanted a kitty for Christmas. We decorated Nonna and Pop-pops tree with the kids, though they still weren't interested for very long. We had the annual Campisi Party at Laura's cousins, Jason and Jess. It was great to get all the little cousins together. All the kids got matching penguin pj's and they looked so cute in them! We were able to get a picture with them and Grandmom, which was sweet! We had breakfast at Uncle Richie's house. The kids loved playing with his coin jar and kept wanting to dump the pennies out! It was busy weekend!

Christmas Tree

We picked out of Christmas tree from a tree farm in PA. It's the same one we have gone to for the past few years. We always like to get large tress and this year was no different! Ryan ended up finding a tall, fat tree that he really liked. It was a little shorter then our previous tress but getting the angel on top was no problem this year! We spent the day decorating the tree as a family, even though the kids weren't interested in helping for very long. We're excited to start thinking about the presents that soon will be under our tree!

Santa

We went to take the kids to see Santa. Caitlynn was a little hesitant and didn't want Laura to leave her with him. She did warm up a little and eventually told him she wanted a "kitty" for Christmas. We were not surprised she asked for one this year! Luke, on the hand, hated Santa! As soon as he saw him, he started to say "no". Once he was on Santa's lap and Ryan left, he cried! He didn't want anything to do with him and only stopped crying once Ryan was holding him again. I guess Santa will have to guess what Luke wants this year! At least we were able to get some cute pictures of the kids before our Santa experience!

Family Fun!

While in PA, we were able to do a lot of extra fun things with Ryan's family. The kids continued the long standing tradition of making gingerbread houses. Caitlynn and Luke liked decorating their houses and loved sneaking bits of the candy. They had a lot of fun playing with Mimi, Popi, and Uncle Rusty. We also visited an Alpaca Farm. The alpacas were very gentle and probably the softest animals we have ever touched! Because it was a farm, there were a few kitties running around. Caitlynn had more fun holding and playing with the kitties then she did petting the alpacas! Does this mean a kitty is in our near future? We will have to see what she asks Santa to bring her for Christmas this year.

Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving in PA with Mimi and Popi. We were able to see a lot of Ryan's extended family on Thanksgiving day, including his Grandmom. The kids loved "raking" leaves in the morning. There was a lot of food and yummy desserts to enjoy. That afternoon, Ryan's Aunt Margie had a cupcake pinata for the little kids. Caitlynn loved hitting the pinata but Luke was a little crappy since he had just woken up from his nap. Caitlynn and Luke did like the candy and goody bags that got. Aunt Margie really spoiled all the kids! It was a busy, fun day!

Parks and Rec

While in NJ we were able to visit with Ryan's sister Jill and Mike and their girls: Madison, Simone, and Hannah. The weather was perfect so we headed to a nearby park. The kids loved playing together and we were able to get some really cute pictures of everyone together. It was great to be able to spend extra time with the girls!

Cookies and Pizza's

We took a trip up to NJ and stopped over Nonna and Pop-pop's house. While we were there, Laura and Nonna started their annual cookie baking for a day. Caitlynn and Luke got in on the action too this year! Caitlynn really enjoyed rolling the cookies out and Luke loved playing with the flour. That same night, Trish's came over with her kids: Emily, Caitlin, and Owen. We decided it would be fun to make pizza with all the kids. They all loved rolling out the dough and putting their own ingrediants on. Their favorite part was eating their finished products! It was so fun to get all the kids together!

Halloween

We continued our Halloween tradition of trick-or-treating with Caitlynn's buddy Evan and his family. Caitlynn wanted to be a mermaid so Nonna made her costume this year. She loved her costume because she looked so much like Ariel. Luke was supposed to be a pirate but he didn't want ANYTHING to do with it! He refused to put the costume on and kept running away from us. Ryan finally got it on him for a little bit but as you can tell, he wasn't a happy camper. Caitlynn enjoyed going door to door getting candy with Evan but her favorite part was eating it! It was a fun night with great friends!

Bone Jammies!

Apple Picking 3.0

We went to Baugher's Farm again to do out annual apple picking. Luke wasn't feeling the best that day so he wasn't to thrilled to be out and about. We decided to full two bags of apples this year and Caitlynn was really into filling the bags. She even tried to carry one but told us: "It's too heavy. Daddy will have to get it." Both kids loved the tractor ride out the apple trees and kept wanting to get back on the tractor for another ride. We were happy to have such great weather and ended up picking 45 pounds of apples! Looks like Laura will be making a lot of apple sauce this month!

Luke's Dedication

We had Luke's dedicating at the McCracken's. They are good friends of Mimi and Popi and live right around the corner. Bruce McCracken is a pastor and agreed to hold a small service in his backyard for Luke and our family. We had great weather and were able to hold the service outdoors by the McCrackens pond, which the kids loved looking for fish in! It was a beautiful service and we are thankful for those who were able to attend!

Luke is 18 months old

Luke is 18 months old already and we can't believe how much he has grown! He runs all over and tries his best to keep up with his sisiter. He attempts to climb up on everything and is constantly pushing chairs up to the counter to get to what he wants. He doesn't let the "big kid" steps at the park slow him down at all! He will try his best to climb them all by himself! We wonder if this will end up with lots of ER visits in the future for our fearless little guy!

Luke continues to have a great appetite, just like his daddy! He eats almost everything we put in front of him but he is starting to pick and choose what he wants on his plate. He LOVES dessert and will happily have one more bit of dinner for a cookie, popsicle, or lollipop! He loves to snack between meals and his favorite snack is goldfish and pretzels. He loves to drink milk and creamer, just like his sister! If you've never tried it before, give it a taste! It's really good!

Luke picks up new words almost everyday! We are always asking him to repeat words after us and he is getting pretty good! He can name all of his grandparents, some farm animals, and some body parts. He clearly says "Hello", "Bye Bye", and "Snack". We still use some sign language with him, like "more" and "hungry", though those are happening less often as he is finding the words now. We know it is only a matter of time before he is speaking in sentences!

OBX 2012

This summer, we went to Duck, NC again with Ryan's friends. We always rent a big house with a pool and hot tub. Some of Ryan's friends have little ones around the same age as ours so Caitlynn and Luke had plenty of friends to play with at the house. This year, Uncle Andrew and Aunt Kitty decided to come to the beach to celebrate Aunt Kitty's birthday and enjoy some much deserved time off. We loved being able to see them almost every day! We even went out to dinner on Aunt Kitty's birthday to celebrate with her. Even though both kids got sick for a day or so, it was a great week and we really enjoyed being with friends,.. old and new!

Sprinkler fun!

Sprinkler, sprinkler, spin around. Wet the flowers, Grandkids, and ground! Nonna's house is so much fun, on hot days out in the sun!

Cousins!!

While we were in NJ, we were able to get all of the cousins on Laura's side of the family together for a group photo!

Happy July 4th!

Arrrgggg!

Laura and Ryan picked up these shirts while in Cannon Beach, OR. We thought they were just too fun!

Portland, OR

Laura had a work conference out in Portland, OR. We decided to add a couple days to the original trip and turn it into a little vacation- almost an entire week. The kids stayed with both sets of grandparents and this was the longest we have been away from the kids ever! While Laura was at her conference, Ryan did some hiking, played poker, and explored downtown Portland. During our trip, we went to four breweries, Thursday Market, Powell Books, Voodoo Doughnuts, Pittock Mansion, the Rose Garden, Multnomah Falls, and Cannon Beach. This was the first time Ryan has been to the Pacific Coast so he really enjoyed Cannon Beach. Laura even hiked off the trail at Multnomah Falls! It was a really beautiful city and we enjoyed spending time together but we were ready to get home to the kids!

Rehoboth Beach, DE

We just returned from a week at Rehoboth Beach, DE with the Harbold Crew- Mimi and Popi, Uncle Mike, Aunt Jill, Madison, Simone, and Hannah, Rusty and Lindsay. The weather was great and we went to the beach at least once a day! Uncle Rusty and Lindsay even did a little fishing a few mornings. Luke loved playing the the sand but really wasn't a huge fan of the water. We think it was too cold for him. Caitlynn has gotten braver this year and would play in the waves. She even let Laura take her out in the ocean! A wave came close to the top of her head and that's when she decided she had had enough ocean for the day! Since the entire crew was at the beach, we were able to get a new family photo. It was much harder to make sure everyone was looking at the camera and smiling this year, though we were close! We had a great time and were glad to be able to spend so much time with everyone!

Happy Father's Day

Laura has been checking out Pinterest for Father's Day ideas and came across this one. It was fun and easy to make! Pop-pop and Ryan really enjoyed their homemade gifts this year!

Laura's Birthday

To celebrate Laura's 29th birthday, Nonna and Pop-pop, Richie, Trish, and her kids- Emily, Caitlin, and Owen came down for a visit. We all went to Centenial Park to play and have a picnic lunch. The kids had a great time running around! Then we all headed back to the house for Luke's nap. We got out Caitlynn and Luke's little pool which Caitlin and Owen loved playing in. We grilled out for dinner and had Chocholate Cake and Lemon Meringue Pie for dessert! We found some sparkles which the kids loved lighting. It was a fun weekend spent with family!

Luke's 1st Haircut

Luke's hair was getting really long and kept getting in his face so we knew it was time for a hair cut! We took him up to get his hair cut by Jo Ann. She owns Essential Studiosin Lancaster, PA and has been cutting the family's hair for a long time. She even cut Caitlynn's hair for the first time! Luke was a champ and didn't mind her trimming his hair at all. He even ended up falling asleep right in Ryan's arms! It was too funny and Jo Ann really enjoyed having such a compliant little client.

Happy Easter

We celebrated Easter in New Jersey this year. Nonna and Pop-pop hosted Easter dinner. There were many of Laura's family members there: Grandmom Campisi, Uncle Richie, Trish and her children Emily, Caitlin, and Owen, Uncle Tony and Aunt Teresa, Jason, Jess and thier daughter Adalena, Calim, Leah, and their new baby Gabriel, Uncle Jim and Aunt Patty, and Uncle Jack. Everyone brought something to eat for dinner and dessert and everything was delicious! The Easter bunny even left eggs on the front lawn for the kids. That was the biggest hit of the day! It was a great day spent with Laura's family.

Children's Garden

While we were in NJ visiting Nonna and Pop-pop, we decided to go to the Children's Garden with Nonna. It is located next to the Aquarium in Camden. It has a lot of plants and flowers incorporated into areas where children can explore and play. Caitlynn and Luke enjoyed walking around and checking everything out. They even had a train and carousel ride that both kids went on. It was a neat place to visit and spend the morning at !

Painting Pots

For Easter, Laura decided it would be fun to have the kids paint pots for their grandparents. Caitlynn and Luke loved painting the pots (and themselves!). They even put their handprints on each pot. The pots turned out really cute and Laura even picked up tulips to put in each pot. The only thing she forgot was to spray each pot with a sealent as the paints the kids used was washable! All in all, it was a fun project that made a really cute gift that both sets of grandparents loved!

Car Ride For Two?

Green Eggs and Ham

Caitlynn has always enjoyed "helping" when we cook so we decided to let her make her choose her own breakfast to make. She wanted to make "green eggs and ham". Here are the photos of her adventures with cooking breakfast on her own:

Luke Walking

Now that luke has taken his first steps, he is getting much better at walking around and is attempting to go further with each step! Here is a recent video of him crusing around the family room.

Luke's First Steps

Luke took his first steps on March 10. Mimi, Aunt Jill, and Laura all saw him! He took two steps from the couch towards Laura. It was so quick we would have missed it if we weren't watching him. Here is a video of him taking some steps a few days later:

Port Discovery

We went to Port Discovery in Baltimore today with our friends the Kangs. They have two girls, Hana and Audrey, the same ages as Caitlynn and Luke and the kids play well together. Caitlynn has been here before and loved visiting again! The kids loved touching and playing in all the different areas. I think the kids favorite area was "Water Works" where they all got wet! Luke splashed the most and was soaked from head to toe! It was a lot of fun and a great way to spend the day with friends!

Boston Fans

Ryan has always been a big Red Sox fan. When Luke was born, his Aunt Susan who lives in Boston, sent the kids Red Sox shirts. They were both big enough to fit in them, which made Ryan's day. Here they are showing off their Red Sox spirit:

Look who's 1!

Today is Luke's first birthday and we don't know where the year has gone! It really seems like yesterday we were going to the hospital for Laura's induction. Time has gone by so quickly and we always seem to be running after someone in our house! We took him to the doctor's yesterday and he weighs 22 lbs 7 ozs and is 29.5 inches long, which is only the 50% for both. We have no idea how he doesn't weigh more than this considering all that he is able to eat on a daily basis! He got two shots today and cried for less than a minute. He really is a tough little guy! Unfortunetly, the doctor discovered he had the beginnings of an ear infection and was given antibiotics to knock it out of his system. The doctor said it could be a sign that more teeth are coming in. Overall, the doctor was happy with his growth and development and thinks he will be walking sometime soon!

Luke now sleeps from 7:30pm-7:00isham. We are very excited that he has given up his 5:30am bottle! He still takes two naps a day: 9:30-10:30am and 1:30-3:30pm. He is still eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and enjoys at least two snacks a day. New fodds he has tried this month are: grapes, blueberries, oragnes, beans, strawberries, and rice. He also tried birthday cake at both of his parties and especially loved eating the icing. He kept asking for more!

This month, Luike discovered he could stand up all by himself without holding onto anything! He gets so excitied when he does this but hasn't taken any steps yet. Ryan was sure that he would be walking by now but Laura thought it would take longer. Luke can now say "dada", "mama", and "bye-bye". Laura started to teach him sign language and he knows how to ask for "more". He uses this sign all the time when he is eating!

This month's special memories were when we celebrated Luke's first birthday two times! We had a family and friend party at our house. Both parites were football themed, which fit Luke perfectly as we call him "our little linebacker". You can see pictures from boht parites in previous posts below.

Look at me!

Luke just started standing up all by himself. He is proud of himself when he does this. He hasn't taken any stpes yet but we know that is just around the corner!

Our Little Linebacker 1st Birthday,.. with Friends

Since Luke is such a big little dude, we had a football themed party for his 1st birthday with his friends. Again, Laura made invitations that looked like event tickets. She got a lot of compliments on them too! We bought food that was fitting for a tail gating party, such as chips and dips, pretzels, sandwiches, potatoe salad, fruit salad, and chicken nuggets for the kids. We also got lots of water, soda, juice boxes, yogurt drinks, and beer. We invited Luke's buddies. Grayson and Giselle, Hana and Audrey, Cori, Evan, and Claire were able to come. Some of his friends caught a stomach bug last minute. Luke had fun playing with all of his little friends! Of course, he enjoyed being able to eat birthday cake so soon after his family party. He signed "more" when he was done and got mad when we didn't give it to him! Luke got some gifts including clothes, toys, books, and a guitar! It was a very busy morning which resulted in a very long nap for almost everyone in our house!

Our Little Linebacker 1st Birthday,... with Family!

Since Luke is such a big little dude, we had a football themed party for his 1st birthday. Laura made invitations that looked like event tickets. We bought food that was fitting for a tail gating party, such as chips and dips, pretzels, hamburgers and hot dogs, potatoe salad, and fruit salad. We also got lots of water, soda, and beer. We invited the extended family and were fortunate that many were able to attend! We had Mimi and Popi, Uncle Rusty, Aunt Marybeth and Uncle Richard, Nonna and Pop-pop, Uncle Richie and Trish, Jason, Jess, and Adalena, Grandmom Campisi, Aunt Patty and Uncle Jimmy, Lynn and JL, and Elaine. Luke received lots of great gifts including a travel bag, lots of summer clothes, toys, books, diapers, and money. He wasn't very interested in opening any of his gifts but Caitlynn was happy to help him out! We think Luke's favorite part of his party was eating his birthday cake. He certainly enjoyed the icing and kept on signing "more" when his cake was all gone. We had a great time celebrating his 1st birthday with our family!

Happy Valentine's Day