Happy Third Birthday Dylan Oswald Vitale

We had birthday month extraveganza! Gavin kicked it off on his birthday. This was followed by a trip to Splash Lagoon. This was our family weekend get-away for bithdays. Much more fun that kids' party options.

Dylan's birthday was Friday and Grandma, Grandpa, Gammie and Papa came to town for a visit. The guys and boys-night-out. They all went to Monster Jam. Good time...male bonding..you get it, right? Hmm

We celebrated with a pizza dinner and cupcakes (blue cake (vanilla) with chocolate icing). Dinner choice per Dylan's request of course.

"I'm three ('fe-we')!" Dylan says. "Look at me Gammie."

So, Dylan can't hold up the first three fingers in a row - like Gammie. His picky pops up so he holds down his finger instead. He can even count on his fingers this way. Index - 1, Index+Middle -2, Index+Middle+Pinky - 3, and then all four fingers - 4. We are working on 5 and 6...

Cool - Monster Truck Mater - One, Two, Three - The Winner!

Don't ask Dylan to smile for you...this is what you get.

Splash Lagoon

A Vitale 5 family weekend at Splash Lagoon in Erie, PA. Good times and as the sign says, "Get Set to Get Wet." Pools, family friendly hot tubs, water slides. Awesome.

Slide and repeat - approximately 300 times. Follow with water logged 'hot tub' to wrinkle extremities beyond recongition and float until you need to sleep. Take breaks for potty, snacks and sort-of-food from the Island grill. Follow with arcade time and a snack in the car.

Beware of oreo cookie vampires on the way home (I regret not taking Dylan's picture in car, snoozing away, drooling oreo cookie drool).

Did I mention the Kid's Suite? Aka room with alcove with a bunkbed, TV and table. Apparently all I had to do was give Gavin the opportunity to sleep in a bunkbed to be happy.

Happy 7th Birthday Gavin Tucker Vitale

Seven G! Sounds good? Seven! 7! Seven!

Lucky number 7 maybe? Even more luck if you loose a tooth on your birthday? Maybe - or just bonus? Either way, chocolate frosting all over the vanilla cake will do. Keep the cake comin' and when that is over, keep the presents flowin'. Beyblades, Nijago Legos and a new Wii remote. Good times.

Happy Birthday Gavin! Love from a little sister and a little brother.

(Side note, Nora dressed herself today despite a lovely outfit hanging on her closet door. This is lovely too! :D)

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It wouldn't be complete without a memory lane stroll for all those that wish to take it.

Gavin-6

Gavin-5

Gavin-4 (former email, end of post)

Gavin-3

Gavin-2

Gavin-1

Happy Birthday Gavin, 6!

Happy Birthday Handsome!!

We celebrated Gavin's birthday at home on his birthday, a fine Wednesday! We had a wonderful pizza dinner followed by M&M Brownies. A fan favorite. Gavin opened some presents and we had a really nice evening. Gavin's birthday cake hat (crown?) was from school. He took brownies to school to share - Mommy mini-brownies. He also set a new record for pencils. His teacher sent him out to hand out brownies that were left over to other teachers and in return, you collect a pencil. He came back with 12 pencils. New class record. He also travelled the furthest, to a third grade teacher, second floor, opposite end of building, never been there before. What a kid.

A week or so after his birthday, we hosted an indoor miniature golf friends bday party for Gavin. Very cool place - Monster Mini-Golf - Halloween, spooky theme - glow in the dark deal. Way cool! We lost our mind and invited all of kindergarten class plus other good friends.

[Of course the party was in the middle of my INSANE work schedule for emergency work. I was near the edge. So grateful for Papa visiting for the weekend to help Pete while I worked. Thank you Papa.]

The party was a blast. The Bakugan cupcake/cake was a big hit too. The kids enjoyed the music and the black light.

The party room was upstairs and there was a lookout through the fence. There was much dancing and running. Nora was making quite a move here...and go Dilly!

Kids Birthday Party

The party was a success! There were 18 wild indians, I mean children (including Gavin and Dylan). All from preschool and Salem Crossroads Daycare. Nora and Thomas were happy to share their big day with a good friend. I think that the turnout was high because it was shared party which was really nice too to have so many friends. Nora and the other girls wore fairy wings for the party and wands to take home. The boys had pirate hats, hooks and eye patches. This was all in the theme of Peter Pan, Tinkerbell and Captain Hook.

Hilarious...Dylan and Nora "riding" the roller coaster ride. Arms up, Whoa!

Daredevil Dylan must have jumped in the ball pit (a.k.a. the hot tub according to Daddy) 50 times! He would jump in like a cannonball and like it was a pool. He also wore his hat ALL DAY!

Train ride!

I think that the cupcakes were a hit. Thank you Christa Stoves, Thomas' Mom, for dreaming with a little pixie dust. The girls had pink petal cakes with center green cakes. Flowers and Tinkerbell were on each one. The boys had blue and brown cakes with skulls, pirates and a ship. As you can see, the green icing was a little tenacious.

Now, don't get me wrong - we were all exhausted by the time we got home. Even me and I didn't have to cook or cleanup (only a little). The kids and I took a nice long nap. After nap, we opened Nora's presents. It was quite the take! She was thrilled. We had a really nice evening, early bath and movie night. Thought Dylan might join in for movie night too, but despite his nap he went to bed on time.

Lots of October pics!

Insane - maybe

20 kids (including mine) will gather at Seabase tomorrow to celebrate Nora's birthday. She has wanted this friends party since Gavin had his in February early this year. She is very excited. She is sharing her party with a friend from school - Thomas Stoves. It is great to share this experience and all the daycare parents get a two-for-one! With that said...insanity, chaos and craziness are eminent! Pray for us all.

We are using Peter Pan/Tinkerbell as our theme. This allows for fairies and pirates in the mixed birthday kids and birthday party attendees. I found fairy wings and wands for the girls and pirate hats and hooks (with wrist bands) for the boys. They will be way cute!

Dylan, the last days of being a baby...

The one year milestone is looming. He is walk, babbling, trying to catch older siblings, devastated when Daddy leaves the room, fussy when he is hungry, throws things on the floor when he is full, stubborn and sensitive...with all that he has only 2 more days as a baby. Toddler? That is almost a dirty word.

How did this happen? How did my youngest, my last, reach one year old? I don't feel like I saw enough, captured enough, burned enough memories into my mind or onto the pages with photos or print. I struggle with this battle all the time with Gavin and Nora but their growth (other than literally) is more stretched out these days. Sure, they still change quickly but in a matter of days rather than minutes. Dylan is doing something new too often to even count in one day. He discovered the wonderment of unloading the toy box yesterday. He isn't as intent as Nora was at the same age, at least not yet, but there is something funny about taking toys out and putting them on the floor.

Dylan had a great time in the ball pit at Seabase on Saturday. He was never happier. He could climb up and over the curb wall and threw the balls out and laughed. Isn't he too little?

Snuggle time has been reduced exponentially. He is getting into his crib at night sort of sleepy now as opposed to letting you rock him. With walking, he wants to do it himself rather than be carried to the highchair for a meal. He wants to climb up the steps before bath time or after coming home. There is less and less time in Mommy's arms. While my back and Pete's elbow thanks us for not hauling around the 27 lb bundle, my heart does not. It aches a little.

The most recent stranger anxiety/separation anxiety phase has passed allowing for a willingness to go to school to return. Now you are probably thinking - great. Most of me is too but when he is is waving bye-bye and off to search for a toy...Mommy has to let go a little more.

Things we say goodbye to for the last time...So, I say goodbye to Formula (WOOHOO, Hooray!), goodbye to baby food and cereal (woohoo, hooray), goodbye to dirty diapers that aren't too bad because now we eat big people food, goodbye to some bottles - down to four bottles a day and soon to be three, goodbye to shirts that snap (onies), goodbye to most slothes that snap...goodbye to the baby hair brush, goodbye to Puffs (doesn't want them), goodbye to baby chew toys and the Jumperoo because he wants to walk, and countless other things that slip away unnoticed. Some good - good riddins. Others, I dream of as it they occured 100 years ago and never to do again with my child.

I wanted to confess these thoughts in preparation for the big week and milestone on Wednesday, February 18 - Dylan Oswald Vitale will be one year. Only joy and pride for the remainder of the week to enjoy every moment.

Birthday boy will celebrate at home with family on Wednesday, party with family and friends at our house on Saturday and then Dylan will be baptized on Sunday. Big week ahead!

Happy Birthday Gavin Tucker Vitale

Well, he's five...5...five.

Gavin has been very excited to turn five. His closest friends are all fall birthdays and February is an eternity from November for a 4, now 5 year old. There is also prestige with age for these little people. He was happy to join the crowd so to say. His birthday celebrations are threefold:

1. At home with his family for pizza dinner (per his request) followed by ice cream and brownies for dessert. Presents and playtime to follow. He requested a movie night per as well. We'll see if he makes it that long.

Note: He didn't make it...no movie although normal evening...slept until 7:30 - normal 6:00 kid...

2. On February 14, he is hosting a friends party at Seabase. It is an indoor playground of sorts with a video arcade and pizza party, etc. Very exciting...

3. On February 21, family birthday party - this is combination party and celebration for Gavin's birthday as well as Dylan's first birthday and baptism (more on that later of course).

Some memories that I am thinking about today...

...baby Gavin...Binky almost always...marathon nurser...lullabies...

...first smile...tears for Gammie...

...first rollover...ever quest from the remote control...first steps before Christmas in his gray sweats...

...Florida with Gammie and Aunt Jen...bad milk...Dinner with his ladies...a good hard French roll...rolling under the table...

...Cabo...Floatie...sun hat...naps at the pool...dinner in Marina...

...taking two days to open all the Christmas presents...

...first Birthday...cake and icing in his nose and ears...it was red...

..."more neogot" = more yogurt...

...waking Mommy on the couch on a Thursday morning during cartoons as she sleeps - "Mama, want to play?" (Gavin went through a phase getting up at 4:30 am - I was in my first trimester with Nora)...

...4th of July red, white, and blue Speedo...beach time, ocean...

...meeting Nora at 20 months..."baby hair"...pretty, smack...

...Second Christmas, opened EVERYONE's gifts...

...Second birthday...first Monster Jam with Daddy and Papa...

...super fast on a push firetruck in the driveway...trucks...Monster trucks...tractors...bubbles too!...

...cabo in the fall...jumping into Uncle Jarrett's arms in the "deep water"...

..."Hello, baby "rora" - Aurora (Forte)...singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star...tears in my eyes...tears in Aunt Jen's eyes...

..."Mama, I'm free" = I'm three...

...first real snow sled riding...faster!

...riding a tricycle, running in the yard...doing the big blue sliding board at the park...hitting a t-ball...

...Telling Gavin he would be a big brother...excitement, fulfilling his wish for a little brother because he already has a little sister...

...Hershey Park...Bessie...waterpark magic...swings..rides until you drop...literally at 6:00pm...willingness to ride in stroller second day...

...Zoo time...Pittsburgh...Akron...Detriot...lions/Simba... tigers/Raja...bears/Rocky...

...Sitting on the arm of the big chair for books in his room since their was no room on my lap (Dylan belly)...

...I'm the big brother...Dylan can't come before my birthday...I need to be 4...

...Dylan, maybe I can give him a Hot Wheel...I can't believe he's here...Twinkle Twinkle worked the last time I met a baby...more silent sliding tears of joy for a new baby but for pride for my first...

...Tolerance and teaching a little sister how to manage being the older sibling....

...Amusement parks, festivals, county fair...first roller coaster...mastering the water park...

...Water park skills put to use at Kalahari for his sister's third birthday...

...joy, smiles, ticklish, funny, sincere, sensitive, near by, loving, schmoozer...

...Countdown to Christmas...an ornament a day...Santa - He rocks although lots of questions...toys that parents don't understand...

...still needing a Bunny...a lovey and a comfortable pillow..."Will you sit with me?"

...Desperate to be five, Mommy holding on to the above desperately to remember, enjoy, cherish...