Wheels

Dylan is obsessed with anything with wheels, specifically two wheels. He has been riding a tricycle since last August and a two wheeler with training wheels since October.

He is also a terror in his power.wheels at Gammie and Papa's house. The driving has improved as long as his eyes are pointed in the direction he is driving.

He desperately wants to ride a dirt bike or motorcycle. It began very early - 2nd bday party - and this hot.wheel was a Christmas present. He has discovered, through feedback from his parents and grandparents that he must ride a bike with peddles and without training wheels in order to progress to his dream.

We have been riding rails to trails as a family since last summer. Pete has been hauling Dylan around in a kid's bike seat since then.

Dylan has been riding his two wheeler with training wheels since the driveway cleared from snow in April. Loves it. He has also been happily riding with the family on Daddy's bike in the seast on the trails but the seat has become too much. He is within a few pounds of the weight limit. So, we moved on. Trail-a-bike. Pete got it of craigs.list just before beach vacation and they broke it in good! Pete thinks that he rode, with Dylan, about ~25 miles during the week.


The only other thing that has been happening - just before vacation - was that Dylan started riding the two wheel scooter. I'm still looking for a picture - think Pete has one? But he mastered that as well.

So right after vacation - literally the next day - Dylan started riding his two wheeler with no training wheels. About 15 minutes in the driveway with Pete and here he is!

KI, OH - 2011

Oh what a vacation...swimming, biking, sand castles, sun and fun!

Kelleys Island, OH

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Vitale

In all of my sandcastle-engineer-building glory! The kids 'helped' but mostly dug trenches, transported water, poured it in the motes and stomped on castle tops. No matter what it was good. They loved the castle city.

The beach at Kelleys Island State Park is wonderful. Lots of sand, calm waters - cold this year - but calm thanks to the break wall. Swimming was fun. Dylan had a hard time early in the week since it was so cold. He was blue pretty fast. Thanks to hotter weather, less clouds and a couple degree warm up of Lake Erie water trapped in the bay - he was swimming like crazy the last day. Nothing like a good lake shark!

Just picture Gavin included in the picture and not sleeping in the back seat of the Pacifica. Gavin didn't make it the 4 miles from the house to the west point of the island. The sunset was beautiful but not nearly as beautiful as my girl. Gorgeous girl. I appreciate the beautiful peach colored light.

LOTS of Pictures!

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.

Boys Night Out

Pete took the boys to Nuclear Cowboyz for a Boys Night out to celebrate all of the Vitale boys' birthdays. Of course this was a big hit for all of them but Dylan loved the yellow quad! Who exactly lights themselves on fire and then jumps a dirt bike. Not sure but apparently that is good entertainment.

Another magic carpet ride...

Pete took the kids (solo) to Idlewild! They had a blast despite HOT, humid weather and a heat index around 97 degrees. No swimming since Daddy was solo but they must have had fun since they all napped in the car on the way home as well as were in bed by 8 pm. Pete took a few pictures with his cell phone camera. Thanks Daddy!! I love them!

Nora?!?!

So, the kids took another magic carpet ride in Story Book Forest. Can a whole year be summed up in a comparison of two pictures? Gavin hadn't visited elementary school, ridden a school bus or lost a tooth. He was still in our family-world of home, daycare and family. He was still 5. Nora still wore toddler sizes, couldn't write her name and she hadn't started to catch up to Gavin in height. She was still a toddler - 3. Dylan was still a baby - not technically - more of a toddler - but still had short baby legs, a waddly walk, pudgy cheeks, and chubby rolls at his wrists. He had never spoken a sentence and had just given up the last bottle.

They were tall to short, just in a row - boop, boop, boop.

2009

2009: Last year...Idlewild

This year, they barely fit...legs are everywhere, torsoes have stretched, arms that can reach, and the glory of the lollipop has been passed on to the younger generation. The older two most likely either did not have one or chewed it up fast to get rid of the stick.

Gavin has finished kindergarten, now has a mohawk and has more legs and arms than he knows what to do with. He can run and I mean run. He can beat me in Mario Cart. Nora is fast approaching 5 with Mommy putting on the breaks. She is growing faster than Gavin and threatens to pass him ~8 years of age, as far as I can tell. She is starting to read, writes efficiently and has learned a ton of new songs, including pop-music favorites. She has a MP3 player! Dylan speaks with sentence structure and the vocabulary of a 3 year old spoken with the linguistic ability of a 2+ year old - adorable. He is insightful yet is a mocking bird. He is following as closely behind his siblings as his now-longer legs can carry him. An amazing year of differences.

2010

Some things are the same. They still love their lovies (Bunny, Li-Li, Pink Bear, Frogger and Roary), they still snuggle down into their beds the same way: Gavin on his left side, Nora on her right with one leg up and Dylan on his belly. Gavin has already reached a beautiful shade of tan for the summer and they are all turning their summer shade of blonde. Blue, chocolate and brown eyes between them. Smiles from all. Laughter, squeals and rare tears. They love the water, Nora loves to be soaked and Gavin likes to dish it out. They are slaves to their routine and they are wonderful.

Kelleys Island, OH - Vitale Family Vacation

Post is LONG overdue, but here it is...

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Kelleys Island Ferry: You gotta wear shades...

We went to Kelleys Island this summer for a nice long weekend with Grandma and Grandpa Vitale. We had amazing weather for summer in Ohio. Blue skies, warm weather. It was great.

Prettiest Girl!

We visited to limestone Glacier Groves while were there. They are glacial markings in the island limestone that are part of the State Park. Much of the natural groves were destroyed by limestone quarries.

As you can see, Nora started out dry, with merely wet feet. That did not last...

Nora Mermaid, so pretty.