Merry Christmas 2012

We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas this year!  We were so excited to be picking up my mother at the airport December 19th, who came to spend the Christmas Holidays with us, and will be sticking around for Luca's much anticipated 1st birthday celebration!!  

There's been lots of hair brushing

 lots of love and hugs for Grandma

 I made sure to get matching Christmas outfits for the kids, while they still don't know enough to fight against matching with their siblings, haha! There's lots of pictures with them in the same outfits throughout the whole month of December.... that's what happens when mom buys expensive outfits that can only be used once!

out to dinner

Christmas Eve we all went to the Kids Matinee of the Holiday Pops! So fun!

The kids getting excited for the show

Vince tried to help make Luca look at the camera

best attempt at family photo

Santa had to coax Zoë onto his lap, with some promises of a barbie doll and the giving out of some candy canes... but in the end we got what I feel is a pretty decent photo, and Vince certainly looks as hip as ever!  In the words of Mike and several others, I do think he is looking as if he just needs his skinny jeans and a guitar and would make it into any Brit Rock Band! 

We were able to celebrate a second Christmas Eve at Nonna and Pop Pop's house with everyone!

Cousin Melina has been writing to Luca for some time asking him when he's coming to have a sleep over at her house.  He's received some of the cutest letters we've ever received in the mail!  So our trip to New York was her chance to have Luca over for the night.  

She's the best mommy ever, and I hear they had a great night(minus his coughing-sorry!), but I must say that when Mike started packing Luca's things up to take him for his sleep over in the evening, we were all suddenly realizing "No! We want him here, we'd miss him too much!"  It was the first time he's been away from us since he came home from the NICU last March.  It was a bit sad for a few minutes, but sleeping through the night was a much appreciated break!  I think next time however, we'll have the girls sleep over at our house ;)

 Erica got a snuggle from Luca too!  

Managed to get one picture of the Christmas morning aftermath, with Luca smack in the middle of it all!

This year our Elf Gordon made his appearance after Thanksgiving, and he stuck around for the next month watching the kids and reporting back to Santa.  I'll save the stories, but we just hope that Gordon has better things to report back to Santa next year!

A Warm So. Cal. Halloween

As if traveling to Florida wasn't enough for the month of October, on the Saturday before Halloween we gathered the troops once again and headed back to Logan Airport (thanks Peggi!) to board our 6 hr flight to California.  Oh man was that a looooong 6hrs.  I didn't know how easily a little 2 year old girl could slip through airline seat belts! ;).  This time I armed myself with more 'surprise' toys than ever before, keeping them busy and somewhat happy while we headed to the West Coast.  We couldn't wait to get there and see Grandma, and run around in the warm sunny weather.

Unfortunately, we got 'warm' in more ways than one.  Vince came down with a fever about 2 days into the trip... and had one for about 1/2 the total trip!  I don't think there has been one time that all 5 of us has been well at the same time.  He didn't let being sick slow him down too much though, he definitely enjoyed his time being spoiled by Grandma, and we still got out and trick or treated with friends, got to go to Disneyland, and got to visit Descanso Gardens and Griffith Park.

Halloween is Always Better at Disneyland!

Vince's Dream Come True

Ok, I'm still trying to get through October.... and Vince reminded me that I better write about 'Day Out with Thomas'.  In case you're wondering, he's still crazy about trains....  so we decided to squeeze in yet another activity in October, somewhere between flying to Florida and flying to California.  I know, crazy month-but fun!  At least we had good luck this time at the Thomas event, as this year it wasn't unbearably hot, and Sir Topham Hat didn't pass out like he did last time we went.  We bought tickets for the 9:50am train, thinking we'd get there in plenty of time and be able to catch a few rides before getting on our scheduled ride.  I'm realizing that it's a bit harder these days to keep up with my track record of being able to get places relatively on time even with multiple children in tow.  Between the kids slowing us up, and Mike missing the correct exit, we ended up practically running onto the train in order to make it!  

We met our friends, jumped on the train and off we traveled through the cranberry bogs of Edaville.      

At the end they let you take pictures with Thomas at the front of the train. 

 Vince didn't want to leave

Only piloting a plane like the Red Baron could get him to leave Thomas!

And this time we got a picture with Sir Topham Hat, sans face on the floor

Mike the Knight!

Luca had fun with his first ball pit experience.   

"Mom! What am I supposed to do in here!?"

Vince and Zoë on the other hand, new exactly what to do

(guess who got in trouble for throwing the plastic balls!)

At one point Zoë completely disappeared and went submerged for a few minutes.

Silvestro Family Reunion

Over Columbus Day Weekend, we gathered ourselves and the kids and headed down to Florida for a fun filled 5 days at Disney's Vero Beach Resort, along with 50 other Silvestro family members!

It was a blast being able to hang out with everyone, and have the kids get to know their cousins/aunts/uncles... and everyone in between; while running from the beach to the pool all day!  I for one LOVED the warm weather and sun, couldn't get enough of it.

To highlight the most memorable moments:
-being able to see so many family members all at once, and play all day together!
-Some of Mike's siblings organized a photographer so we could get lots of family photos together and with everyone
-Can't forget what a pain the A$* Zoë was while trying to take all the photos!  We're lucky we got any good ones
-the pool, beach, and water slide
-the mini golf course right near the pool (awesome!)
-the TONS of kid friendly activities that we could sign the kids up for, such as "pirate sword crafts", and what became all our favorite, the "unbirthday party".  Following the theme of Alice In Wonderland, there was an unbirthday party that the kids could go to where they spend an hour at a pretend birthday... doing things like musical chairs, hitting a piñata, and decorating a cupcake.  It quickly became our favorite activity when we realized that it was a kid activity where you could DROP THEM OFF FOR THE HOUR!  Once we found that out, we dropped them off, and ran out of there straight to the poolside bar, got some drinks, and chilled for an hour while our little people were entertained ;)
-Getting Vince to finally go down the water slide, and seeing his big happy grin on the way down
-The Goofy and Donald Duck Pirate Dinner!  18 of us marched into the hotel restaurant with reservations for the pirate themed dinner, of which everyone was fitted with our own pirate bandana and eye patch (yes, even Luca), and all the cousins were able to bring their above mentioned "pirate sword craft".   Vince took it a little too far and insisted on using his sword to attack Donald and Goofy whenever they got anywhere near our table.
-Watching Nonna get escorted in to the afore mentioned pirate dinner by none other than Pirate Goofy himself, and gracefully wrapping her pirate bandana as a classy scarf around her neck.  that was cool.
- celebrating cousins Joey and Chris's 5th birthday with everyone!
-making our own cotton candy with my new wish list item the Nostalgia Electrics cotton candy maker. thanks Lori!

PIRATE DINNER PICS:

 All the cousins reciting the pirate oath

 Vince starts attacking Donald, and doesn't stop

 All the cousins giving Goofy hugs, except Vince whose ready to attack

 A pirate says what Zoë?!  Arrgghh!

Some fun at the beach!  yes, poor Zoë inherits lots of boys hats/clothes from brother Vince, but this hat looks cute on her so it's ok

                                     

Vince, with cousins Bella (left) and Noelle (right), contemplating the next build on their sand castle

 Vince would have tried to dig up the whole beach 

Luca, relaxing in the shade

Zoë took over sand castle building at some point

taking a rest 

Vince and Zoë admiring our view

This resort being Disney property, it was geared for kids...... of all ages.  I think everyone took a turn down the water slide at one point or another.  Even Mike's Dad, who everyone gasped at when he came shooting down the slide like a bullet!

Luca had fun splashing around with Pop-Pop

 My boys!

Mike's turn down the slide!

 My turn!

  Cute cousin Melina always taking care of Luca

Vince and Zoë always missing Noelle and Andrew

Mike's nephew Brian, his wife Lori, and Nicholas, Bella, Chris and Joey.  We never get to see them enough!  

 Mike and all his siblings

 family photo with Nonna and Pop-Pop