Behind the scenes...

We were able to treat Ethan to a day with Mommy & Daddy to himself thanks to Gramzie Ladybug and Leepa watching Daphne...we headed to the Philly Zoo for a behind the scenes tour...What an exciting adventure...not only did we get to go places where only the zoo staff are allowed to go we learned some interesting factoids as well. It was wonderful to be one of the few at the zoo, despite the cold weather Ethan's favorite part of the day when asked "holding hands (with) Mommy & Daddy", he just melts my heart!! We stopped at Panera Bread on the way home for lunch! Ethan even got away with drinking some of Daddy's Coke with lemon!!

Gram...Mee Mee...

A women of many endearing terms...there are not enough adjectives to describe all of Grams good qualities but, here are just a few off the top of my head: witty, intelligent, kind, patient , friendly, positive, optimistic, thoughtful and gracious. A very positive role model. Living to the age of 93, after 2+ years of steady decline, Gram has passed on to be with Poppy. She had experienced quite the magnificent journey, with many tales to be told from her life experiences. Her wisdom was remarkable. To hear of the many moments in history first hand was amazing! She should have written a book!

Family was always a top priority. She leaves behind a growing family; 3 children, 9 grandchildren; 19 great grandchildren; and 4 great-great grandchildren. My cousins Gary & Donna gave her exceptional care in her last 3 years here on Earth. Donna is a true living angel. I have been blessed with many good memories to cherish. Gram had a major impact on my life and I hope to strive to make as good as an impression on the world as she did. Daphne's middle name "Evelyn" is in honor of both my Grandmothers. We'll miss you Gram; you will forever be in our hearts...

January...

I am not sure where this past month has gone... so here is a summary of what we have been up to...

Ethan...is talking like a champ...he repeats EVERYTHING we say and has a memory like a sponge...he is up to 5 word sentences!! I just happened to check on a tooth count...he has all 20...not quite sure when those molars came in...but they are fully up...Ethan is successfully sleeping in his big boy room...Daddy ends up sleeping there a lot too as I am not able to wake him up!

Daphne...yes we do have another child...I have to remind myself of this repeatidly as she is such a laid back little girl who is NOT demanding at all...what a pleasant surprise! She is cooing up a storm, wakes up pleasant, SLEEPS through the night--way to go girlie...and if she does wake up has no problem singing herself back to sleep. She is busy watching her big brother at all times--- hopefully just picking up his good skills and not watching his antics! She is smiling, taking weight on her legs, rolling from her tummy to back and grasping her toys (probably learning fast to hold on to them for dear life so her brother doesn't take them away!) Tummy time is a breeze...she holds her head up completely and can go what seems like forever in this position without a squawk. Teething is also in full swing...her hand almost fits completely in her mouth... learning party tricks already;-)

Jimmy...is busy being a wonderful daddy, working hard at work, and dreaming up what his next home improvement project will be!

Josie...has returned to working 2 evenings a week and an occassional Saturday, trying to stay ahead of all the housework/chores, tackling my ever growing "to do" list...I think I still have things on there from 2007!!

Christmas Eve & Day...

This year SANTA, grandparents, aunts & uncles spoiled the kiddos rotten...we are still trying to get to play with everything! Ethan loved that Santa came to our house on top of a fire engine and also visited Grandpop and Grandmom's house. Aunt Lisa continued her tradition of a book reading...this year was the Legend of the Candy Cane. Of course Ethan needed the front row seat...Harrison is VERY good at sharing his Mommy with his cousin!