Gram Turns 90

my dear grandma dellas turned 90 last friday. all of her children gathered to throw her a birthday party. the turn out was great. many of her nieces and nephews traveled from wisconsin to come and see her. my cousin nick and his family also made the haul. it was great to see everyone and i know gram was so happy. 90 years? can you imagine? i swear.. she has a better memory than i do. happy birthday gram! we love you!

the birthday girl.. della mae

gram and her 6 kids

the charlebois family

the bottolene bunch

auntie and i take a self portrait

the boss...

so, i am still figuring out exactly what parts of our lives our blogworthy. the truth is, probably not much. however.... if you are choosing to read, i presume you are choosing to be entertained, and care about the little things.

yesterday, ava and scott were about to leave the house. here is how the conversation went..

A- "mommy, daddy says i have to go potty. i don't want to go potty."
Me- "ava, we always go potty before we leave the house, so you don't have to go in the car."
A- (to scott) "mommy will help me. she is the boss."
scott proceeds to follow her into the bathroom to help her, as i am feeding vinnie and florie.
A- "no daddy... moooommmy will do it. she is the boss."
Scott- "ava, mommy might be the boss, but i am the king."
A- "no daddy. mom is the boss and you are the dad."

today the sunshine is out. this morning my mom's family is gathering to celebrate gram's 90th birthday. it is a good day to smile.

ready for spring

every year about this time, it seems as though we get a little spring teaser.
last weekend scott pulled all of the plastic, i mean toys, out of the garage. ava was loving being outside.. and we even took florie out there for a minute. this house is ready for spring. it seems like that 60 degree weekend was an eternity ago. 5 days in a row of grey and rain is too many. even a little sunshine with the 30s would be appreciated. until then... i will continue to hibernate and enjoy my night time lineup.

vincent and florence

we made it to 9 months! hooray! honestly.. i have said this nearly 100 times. "it has never been as hard as people told me it would be." for certain.. .every month and milestone that passes, life gets easier. i don't think any of us could imagine our lives without them. yesterday i was in a conversation at work, describing how it is so interesting that two kids could come out of the same womb. florie is independent, busy, and curious. she is constantly smiling, but wants to be on the go. vinnie, is also a smilier. however, he is also way more sensitive, and cares none about moving. as he sits, he likes to see how things work, and i often observe him moving the "parts" of a toy. i would say she is like me, and he like his dad. they are only 9 months though, so much could change. twice the love, laughter and life is more than twice as nice. love to my babies.

in the hospital

5 months

7 months

now!

as we approach three years

nearly three years ago we were blessed with a beautiful baby girl. although she is no longer a baby, she is still beautiful.. on the inside and outside. i can't believe she is almost three. it seems like forever ago we only had one bundle of joy in our arms. ava has a profound imigination, a sensitive heart, a warm smile, and laughter that is contagious. i pray god continues to nurture her spirit and heart. preschool awaits her in the fall... which is so bitter sweet for me. here are some pictures from the last three years. i love you miss ava.

coming home from the hospital

5 months

10 months

18 months

2.5 years

here we go...

our friends and family mean the world to us. there is not one friend or family member who i didn't wish we saw more. although it is often through a blog or facebook, i feel lucky that i can sit down at night and catch up on the nuances of their lives. it helps me to feel connected. during both pregnancies, and the first year of ava's life i was much better than i am now at sending updates via email. my hope is that this blog will motivate me to write more, even if it is short and sweet. and let's face it.. most of you just want the pictures. and i don't blame you. in my opinion, my kids are adorable.

Ava Nicole

Vincent King

Florence James


thanks for reading. i'll be in touch.
xx. lisa