The Giacomino Family

Millennium Park

2011-07-31T11:07:00.004-05:00

One Friday in June we spent the day in Millennium park...Tyler loved every special moment of it. His favorite part was splashing in the fountains. He could have done it for hours. It was a day I will remember forever!

Wauconda Fest

2011-07-31T10:56:00.005-05:00

This was T.J.'s first time at a carnival...it took him a little to warm up to the idea of rides but fifteen minutes later and he was loving every minute of it!

June Fun!

2011-07-31T10:47:00.002-05:00

Tyler loves swimming in his pool and playing with his friends! And another favorite summer activity is throwing rocks in water...it can be a lake or just a small puddle...as soon as he spots some water and a few rocks off he goes to play! Funny thing is the activity never gets old!

Its A Girl

2011-07-31T10:45:00.002-05:00

Puddle Splashing

2011-07-31T09:50:00.003-05:00

This is one of Tyler's favorite activities after it rains! It's truly the little things in life that are the very best!

Ring Bearer

2011-07-31T09:24:00.003-05:00

In May Tyler was a ring bearer in our good friends wedding. He did a great job and walked down the isle perfectly. He also looked so handsome in his tux!

Easter Day

2011-07-30T21:55:00.004-05:00

Easter

2011-07-30T21:38:00.006-05:00

Way behind of the blog since I mostly just upload to facebook now...so going to try to do a quick update on whats happened since Easter! Here are pictures of coloring eggs and Easter egg hunt!

Going to the Zoo Zoo Zoo!

2011-04-16T21:30:00.007-05:00

Tyler and Owen sharing a goldfish snack and below they are chasing Uncle Boo around the zoo!

Already getting very tired and Tyler's cousins haven't even gotten there yet...maybe next time we go we can meet up again and spend more time together!

Our little Monkey in the tree!

Baby chicks!

Above: can't go to the zoo without feeding the goats
Below: Tyler loves his new shades...even inside while watching the dolphins!

Tyler loves to go to the zoo which is great since we got a membership again this year! It's amazing how much Tyler has grown since the last time we went which was just last September. Not only did Tyler enjoy seeing all the animals he was thrilled when we got to spend sometime with Uncle Boo, Aunt Katie, Owen and Nathan before it was time for Tyler's much needed nap in the car ride home.

Bird Feeder

2011-04-16T21:25:00.002-05:00

Almost everyday Tyler and his Daddy go out and put more food into the bird feeder (since they are eating it like crazy)! It's one of Tyler's favorite things to do when we all get home from work! He has become such a little bird watcher and can even identify a robin from the rest of the birds. So we thought it would be nice for Tyler to decorate his very own bird feeder to put food in everyday for the birdies! Here is Tyler hard at work...by the way he painted the whole thing except for the one side where Daddy put T.J. on it!

Spring Time Fun!

2011-04-16T21:01:00.009-05:00

Tyler and Molly just running around...Molly is loving the nice weather too!

Home run hitter!

Above: Tyler's football stance!

The many looks of Tyler!

Tyler loves being outside...he just run around all day and be so happy. He has even taken to some outdoor sports..basketball or as Tyler calls it "hoops" is his favorite. T-ball is a close second! I am so excited for this summer as I know Tyler will be learning and doing so much more in the outdoors. It is just precious to see his face light up while he playing with his neighbor friends, running around with Molly, coloring with chalk and sometimes just sitting back watching the birdies! We hope for some more warm weather to come very very soon!

BIG BROTHER TYLER

2011-04-16T20:56:00.004-05:00

Tyler wearing his big brother t-shirt very proudly! Currently I am almost 14weeks along...finally feeling much better now that the nausea and tiredness have worn off! This is an ultrasound picture taken when I was a little over 9 weeks along. I won't have another ultrasound until 20weeks when we find out if Tyler will be having a baby sister or baby brother!

Sweet Molly!

2011-03-26T11:13:00.002-05:00

Just a cute picture of Molly! Its hard to believe that just one year ago Molly was so sick and we almost lost her! We are happy to report that she is doing great and is very healthy! She is such a sweet girl and we love her so much!

Tyler's 2nd Birthday Party

2011-03-26T10:46:00.005-05:00

Tyler blowing out his candle!

Abigail lifting weights!

Above: Tyler and Owen exercising!
Below: Jaden the construction man!

Ryan hanging out in the tree house!

Tyler and Olivia also enjoyed cooking and playing kitchen!

Above: Olivia and Tyler playing store Below: Grandpa and Tyler making pizzas!

To celebrate Tyler's 2nd birthday and his cousin Ryan's 7th birthday we had a party at the Childrens neighborhood museum! The kids all had a great time running around playing together. Of course we didn't capture one smile out of our "Mr. Serious" 2 year old but we could still tell he was having so much fun!

Tyler's 2nd Birthday!!!

2011-03-06T20:24:00.008-06:00

Tyler and his new Garbage truck from Grammie and Pop-pop...Tyler refused to put this toy down for days!

Digging in for the blue frosting! His mouth was blue forever!

Grandpa and Tyler by his new train table that Grandpa built!

Tyler also enjoyed the boats!

We spent A LOT of time in the choo choo train area!

Tyler laying bricks on a house at the Kolhs Childrens Museum!

Race car ramp (a true favorite!!!)

T-ball

Golf Clubs

Tyler was so excited to see his presents and his Toy story balloons when he woke up on his Birthday!

I know I always mention how I can't believe how time flies and how quickly Tyler is growing up...but seriously when did two years go by?! Tyler is the cutest two year old ever! He brightens up our life so very much! Here are a few of T.J.'s favorite things right now:

~"caga" means garbage trucks (he can say both of these words but when he puts them together its always caga). Lets just say Thursday is his favorite day of the week in our neighborhood since the garbage truck comes!!! You have no idea how many hours we have logged watching garbage trucks on you tube!!!
~Trains! He loves playing with choo choo trains which was perfect since Grandpa built his a train table for his birthday!
~Meatballs: my baby is a true Italian eater just like his mommy and daddy...he loves his pasta and meatballs!
~His Pop-pop and Grandpa...sure he loves Grammie and Grandma too but he can't get enough of his Grandpas!
~Candy (thanks to Grandpa...mostly chocolate desserts and Pop-pop...Pez!)
~Swings: Tyler got a swing put up in our basement his very first xmas...over a year later he is still in love with it!
~Mickey Mouse and Toy Story 1 are still his favorite things to watch

The list can go on forever just like the memories we have had over the past two years! We love you so much Tyler! Happy Birthday!
P.S: This video is of Tyler getting so super excited as Pop-pop would hide and then jump out and surprise Tyler! Everyone would laugh...We played this game for a very longtime. Tyler had us all wrapped around his finger...he would say who he wanted to be the one hiding from him and we would do it...hey its the kids birthday, he gets what he wants!

2011-03-06T20:10:00.002-06:00

The first picture is such a sweet picture to me: its more than just Tyler and his Pop-pop eating...Its the moment they are sharing together. Tyler and his Pop-pop share the same passion for delicious homemade chicken soup! They seriously sat their together eating soup for what seemed like forever! The reason we were visiting Pop-pop was because the newest member of the family: Nathan and his big brother Owen were there! Nathan is adorable and Owen as always is just too sweet!

Valentines Day

2011-03-06T10:20:00.003-06:00

First time Sledding

2011-03-06T10:10:00.003-06:00

Just a few days after the big blizzard we took Tyler Sledding for the very first time! He loved it so much! At one point I was taking a video of them and they ran me over: Yes I tried to move out of the way but the snow was way too deep I could barely move at all!

Tyler learning his letters!

2011-02-07T20:26:00.002-06:00

Blizzard 2011

2011-02-05T09:14:00.006-06:00

Christmas Day

2010-12-28T22:17:00.008-06:00

The lamp in the window looks really nice!

And it was filled with BOOZE! Christmas Day is always a blast...actually anytime we are with the Bartnick Family you never know whats going to happen and its so much fun!

Yes we even had a pinata!

Okay Kyle is riding a Oscar Meyer hotdog and who knows what Tyler is doing!

Above: Cari and Joanne have fun rolling dice (poor cari kept rolling a 3 or 9...which meant take a shot!)
Below: Jill and Cari looking stylish!

"the Mexican Wrestler"

Above: our group shot (poor Cari was being tormented by Vince in every picture)
Below: Kyle and Tyler playing together

Vince's cousins thought it was a great idea to give their mom this gift for Christmas!

Christmas Day we celebrate at Vince's Aunts home! And every year all Vince's cousins and the little kids dress up in a theme to surprise all Vince's Aunts and Uncles! The theme this year was so much fun (unfortunately we knew that this years theme was an idea but we never heard for sure if it was happening so we didn't dress up...so we too were surprised this year)...MEXICAN CHRISTMAS 2010 (past years: bad sweater, xmas pj's and white trash xmas)! Here are some of the fun moments we had Christmas Day!

Christmas Morning w/ Grandma and Grandpa

2010-12-28T22:04:00.004-06:00

Tyler loads up his shopping cart! Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for a very Merry Christmas!

Tyler got a talking Woody doll! We were surprised that he didn't show much interest in his new toy on xmas morning but a few days later and Woody (along with his garbage truck) are his ABSOLUTE favorite presents!

Pizza Party!

Above: Tyler checks out whats in the BIG bag!
Below: TJ is happy to find a mickey mouse ornament in his stocking!

Christmas morning Grandma and Grandpa came over for breakfast and surprised Tyler with presents galore!!! He was so happy and excited all morning long!

Christmas Morning

2010-12-28T21:49:00.005-06:00

"fixing" his truck!

Tyler's tool bench!

This kid can vacuum!

YEAH! MICKEY!

Stocking Stuffers are the Best!

Christmas morning was magical this year! Tyler was even more thrilled and more excited with every present he opened! The pure joy that he was having was so touching...I will remember his smile on Christmas morning forever!

Christmas Eve 2010

2010-12-28T21:19:00.006-06:00

Our house Christmas Eve!

Above: the usual "wind down" in Grandmas bedroom! Look how tired the boys look!
Below: Aunt Amy pile!

How many boys does it take to turn on a tv? Tyler and Jaden were watching Mickey but Owen kept turning it off on them! It was so funny watching them try to turn in back on!

Tyler had the best expression when he got his kitchen set from Grammie, Pop-pop and Grandma! It was simply priceless! I wish I could have captured it from the front!

Ryan with a cute smile!

Umm...who told everyone that Tyler likes trucks and trains? A big Thank You to all Tyler's Aunts and Uncles for all his wonderful presents!

My sisters!

Some cute shots of the boys!

Owen looking sweet as can be!

Tyler, Owen and Pop-pop play with blocks!

Above: Tyler and Jaden playing with the aquarium music box in the crib in the nursery!
Below: Ryan, Jaden and Tyler counting to ten while playing hide and seek with Pop-pop!

Christmas Eve was celebrated at Grammie and Pop-pops house! Here are just a few (haha) of my favorite moments from the evening!

Christmas with the Girls!

2010-12-28T21:13:00.005-06:00

Tyler, Abigial and Olivia had a great time opening up their Christmas gifts with each other! I just love all their cute expressions with each gift they open...(especially the girls who are all excited about getting baby stuff)!

Baking Xmas Cookies

2010-12-28T21:05:00.003-06:00

Tyler truly enjoyed making Christmas cookies! He spent only about five minutes cutting out his cookies from the dough but it took him at least 45minutes to decorate them! Tyler taught himself the technique of drizzling the frosting (a true baker)...we showed him many times how to spread it all around but he refused. And the sprinkles were a HUGE hit too!

A Visit with Santa

2010-12-17T13:28:00.002-06:00

My scanner is broke but I just took a picture with our camera of the wonderful picture that we got last night at the mall! I just had to share T.J.'s excitement with all of you this holiday season! I knew he wasn't going to be thrilled with Santa this year but we were still going to try! And actually I love the shot....every kids needs to have a "I'm scared of Santa" picture at one point in their life!

Gingerbread Village

2010-12-17T12:52:00.004-06:00

A big thank you to Ms. Yvonne, Stella and Dylan (even Dave too!) for having us over for a wonderful art/snack project! Only Ms. Yvonne can make a crazy messy project so seamlessly easy and really not messy at all (I say it all went so perfectly well because of all her preparation and thought that went into it before we even got there)! The kids were really excited to make their own gingerbread house. Abigial and Dylan by far took the most time to truly decorate their house. It was adorable to see the time and deep thought that went into creating their very own masterpieces. Olivia was into it for a little while but was much happier eating the snacks and playing! And Tyler was half and half...he loved spreading the icing all over and then wanted to eat and play and then later came back to work on his project some more! All in all the activity was enjoyed by everyone and it turned out so cute! The kids also had their own little "Christmas party" present exchange which of course they were super thrilled with! So a big thank you to Ms. Yvonne for hosting a wonderful playdate full of Christmas surprises! And thank you for the wonderful presents...the kids just loved them ALL!

Sweet And Silly Kids

2010-12-17T12:48:00.004-06:00

Here are some pictures of the kids from this week: One moment I had to just capture was when the kids all settled in to watch a show on t.v. and Abby asked if the babies wanted to sit on her lap...of course without hesitation both babies snuggled either on or as close to her as they could! It was precious. Then a few days later they were in a very silly mood and wanted to just climb and roll all over each other while playing on the floor. They were having a blast!!!

The first of many times Shoveling

2010-12-12T20:28:00.006-06:00

Above: Tyler loves playing with his Little people Christmas train set handed down from his cousin Ryan!
Below: peek-a-boo!

Vince is working really hard on teaching Tyler to shovel...the sooner he learns the sooner Vince can pay him a dollar to do it! But in all seriousness Tyler had a blast using his first shovel. After breakfast with Santa it was finally pleasant enough for Tyler to head outside and try it out! He loved it...and since I had already shoveled the snow off the driveway Friday morning Tyler just shoveled the snow on the grass! Poor guy didn't want to stop and go in for lunch! But at least we finally convinced him to wear gloves (I have been trying for a few weeks now with no success)!

Breakfast w/ Santa

2010-12-12T20:12:00.004-06:00

Above: the boys with Santa
Below: Most people at the event were asking Santa to take pictures with them...in Ryne's case Santa asked him for a picture!

Owen looking so adorable and sweet!

Ummmmm: Pancakes!
Above: Grammie shares pancakes with Owen, Tyler and Jaden
Below: Tyler is learning how to cut his pancakes!

Above: T.J. loves the animals around the nativity scene
Below: Jaden tells Santa what he wants for Christmas

Tyler's second annual breakfast with Santa at St. Marys. This is something I went to when I was a little girl at St. Mary and my Dad was one of the volunteer pancake makers! So its a lot of fun and brings back many memories from when I was young! This year Owen was too big to play the part as baby Jesus in the play but he still joined us for some yummy pancakes. We even had Owen's Mimi and Pappi join us too! And Jaden was there for the first time...he was so cute talking to Santa and telling him everything he loves about toy story 3! Tyler was still not that interested in Santa...I am guessing that when we go to the mall later this week to officially try to sit on Santa's lap it's not going to go over to well!

Milk and Cookies w/ Santa

2010-12-12T18:38:00.008-06:00

This first picture is a little out of order but its Jaden hard at work on his project!

Abigail and Jaden listening to Santa read a story

Art Projects

Pin the nose on the snowman

Abby and Jaden enjoy reindeer bowling

Tyler and Olivia playing their own version of bozo buckets

This past Friday I took all the kids to a park district childrens museum near our house where they were having the cutest event for kids. Aunt Amy and Jaden were also able to join us for the fun! On top of the kids just playing in the museum there were also fun games, adorable crafts and Santa was there. And at the very end Santa read a story to the children while they enjoyed milk and cookies! The kids had a wonderful time experiencing it all!

Snow Globe

2010-12-12T13:13:00.002-06:00

Tyler got this Mickey snow globe last Christmas and he still loves it this year...here is just a sweet video of him enjoying it!

Popcorn and Toy Story

2010-12-12T13:09:00.003-06:00

How cute is this: Tyler enjoying a tin of popcorn while he watches toy story! Its amazing how much he is growing up!

St..Nick From Grandma and Grandpa

2010-12-12T13:02:00.002-06:00

While we were at the Jenks house on Sunday Grandma and Grandpa left St. Nick gifts for Tyler at our house. He was fast asleep when we got home so he had to wait until the next day to open his gifts! He was so thrilled with his Thomas boat and wanted to take a bath right away so he could play with it! He also loved his Tickle Monster book! It's one of T.J. mommy's favorite books too! He loves the to be tickled with the tickle gloves...and Molly does too! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

St. Nicks Day and Xmas with the Jenks Family!

2010-12-12T12:50:00.006-06:00

Tyler and Evan both love the same show: The Fresh Beat Band!

"Bucket Heads"

Look what Tyler found in his shoe! He was thrilled to wake up on Dec 5th to see that St. Nick left him a few goodies...of course his favorite: Woody and Buzz! Later that afternoon we celebrated Christmas with our good friends Krissy and Kyle and Evan (who is just a little younger than Tyler)! The food was delicious, they kids had a blast and it was so wonderful visiting with such great friends!

X-mas Tree

2010-12-12T12:40:00.003-06:00

Here are some shots from when we went to pick out our second christmas tree (our other one is our big one that we put up in our family room decorated with colored lights and all our fun ornaments) but I always like to have a small 2nd tree in the living room with beautiful white lights. Tyler had fun coming with even though he could care less about the selection of our tree, especially once he found out that they had a little inside area set up with sheep and goats to pet and feed!

Dessert

2010-12-12T12:38:00.001-06:00

Just a few cute pictures of Tyler enjoying dessert with his Grandma!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-12T12:21:00.003-06:00

Jaden and Tyler were running from room to room chasing each other all night long...this picture looks like they just got caught doing something! I love how they both have their "lovies" with them while playing!

Tyler and Grandma (and Wrigley) watching the parade...all the boys love hanging out in Grandma's room! It is seriously the first place they run to when they get to Grammie and Pop-pops. That is why you will always notice many pictures taken at Grammie and Pop-pop's house are in this room!

The group shot
(I have no idea where I was looking in the picture but at least I am smiling)!

Tyler, Mia and Cole (Mia is so adorable holding Tyler's hand!)

Our Thanksgiving always begins with our annual turkey bowl on Buckthorn Ter. And this year was no different than any other: it was so wonderful to see all our old neighbors and close friends! We always enjoy the hot cocoa and yummy food and it seems every year we have a few new members (My sister-in-law Jenni as well as Jason and Debbie's new baby boy)! I think next year Tyler will actually be able to play somewhat!!! It's hard to believe we have been doing this for over twenty five years (no one knows the true number of years but we figured out its more then 25 but less than 30)! After the tail gate party (tyler and I didn't go to the football field) we walked back to grammie and pop-pops where Tyler enjoyed watching the parade with Grandma! The rest of the day was so wonderful and relaxing as we simply just hung out with the family...played cards, ate tons of food, watched football and had a blast watching Tyler and Jaden run around playing together! Thank you mom for yet another wonderful Thanksgiving!

Fresh Beat Band!

2010-12-12T09:53:00.002-06:00

Tyler loves the show the Fresh Beat Band...Here Tyler is singing and dancing along to their music. He even tries to copy some of the bands dance moves!

Just hanging out!

2010-12-12T09:40:00.002-06:00

Abigial's 4th Birthday Party

2010-12-12T09:25:00.004-06:00

Bubble Painting!

The whole group waiting to start their next art activity

Abigail and her friend Ava painting! I just love Abigail's rainbow!

Tyler loves to paint! This was his first painting on canvas!

It's hard to believe that Abigail is already four years old! She grew up so fast and has become the most adorable and lovable young girl! We had so much fun at her birthday party! It was at a place designed for kids to get messy and have fun with all different kinds of art! Tyler loved it all so much! Happy Birthday Abigail!

Shutterfly Rocks!

2010-12-03T21:18:00.001-06:00

Gotta Love Shutterfly!

I love shutterfly! We have been using shutterfly for many years now. It is so easy and simple to upload your pictures and then I can print them or share them right away. I also use shutterfly for our Christmas cards that we send out to our family and friends! On top of all that we have ordered numerous prints in all sizes and some really adorable photobooks for ourselves and Tyler's grandparents! They also offer some really fun gift ideas like the photo key chain I bought my husband as a present! Shutterfly really has something for everyone and everyones own style.

One thing I really love about shutterfly is their service...our prints are always high quality and feel that all our orders are processed fairly quickly. There was even one time when we had a slight problem with our order but customer service was amazing and went over and beyond to fix the problem at no cost to us!

Tomorrow we are going to be taking pictures of Tyler for this year's Christmas card...here are a few that I think we may use: Holly Frame, Joy and Elegant Snow Flakes! And these are just a few of our favorites! There are so many to choose from and each year Shutterfly adds more and more! Let's just hope Tyler is in a good mood for his photoshoot tomorrow because if we can get him to smile like crazy we can even pick cards that offer space for multiple pictures!

So if you haven't been using Shutterfly for your Christmas cards or other photo needs you really have to try it out! I promise you will love it too!

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Halloween 2010

2010-11-05T21:31:00.005-05:00

Just like last year...Tyler enjoyed dumping out all the candy and putt the bowl on his head!

Tyler shows off his candy!
Tyler, Abby and Brianna having fun trick or treating!

Early in the day Grandma, Grandpa, Grammie and Pop-pop came by to see Tyler all dressed up! Then Tyler went trick or treating with Abby and Brianna. He didn't really seem "into" it but we kinda expected that....however, after each house he would ask for more! It's too bad he was so shy while trick or treating because our little monkey sounds so cute when he says "trick teet"! His favorite part of Halloween was playing with his new truck that Jenn, Shane, Abigial and Olivia got him and handing out the candy to the trick or treaters that came to our door!

Baby Nerd, Grammie and Monkey, Corn Maze!

2010-11-05T21:28:00.002-05:00

This day began with Tyler asking to wear props from his daddy's Halloween costume. Then Grammie came over to babysit and Tyler tried on his Monkey costume for her and Mommy and Daddy enjoyed an evening out at the largest corn maze in Illinois with Jamie and Rick! We actually completed the maze in two and a half hours and we were able to hit every check point! We had so much fun we are going to make it a tradition to go every year!

Neighborhood Halloween Party and Baby Shower!

2010-11-05T21:15:00.004-05:00

It's not everyday you see grown men dressed as cowboys, nerds and scarecrows drinking from a baby bottle!

The expecting parents!

Mckenzie and Kerrigan!

You can tell Tyler is very used to playing with girl toys from being at Abby and Olivia's house...as soon as he gets to Mckenzie and Kerrigans home he plays with barbies and has Ms. Kali straighten his hair!

The Friday before Halloween we had a neighborhood Halloween party! All the kids looked so cute dressed up...and the adults had fun dressing up too! A big thank you to Kali and Jeremy opening up their home to all of us (they were very brave considering 12 kids on a sugar high were running through their home)! We also had a mini surprise baby shower for the Tekampe's we are expecting their third baby but their first little boy...who by the way was due today (Nov 5th) but still hasn't arrived! We had so much fun making a Halloween themed diaper cake, dessert cake and even games like drink the blood from a baby bottle with spiders and fingers floating inside! And Tyler loves playing at the Latham's house...barbies and playing beauty salon are his favorite!

Pumpkin Painting

2010-11-05T21:08:00.004-05:00

In both of these pictures you can clearly tell that TJ is saying "cheeeeesssse"!

So the idea was to carve pumpkins...However, Tyler is still a little young and he honestly could have cared less about doing the project (he did momentarily help scoop the goop out of the pumpkin). So painting pumpkins is what he got to do instead and this he loved!!!

Hitman

2010-11-05T21:05:00.002-05:00

Tyler has very much enjoyed going to watch his daddy play football on Sunday mornings! Okay honestly I don't even think Tyler knows there is a game going on because he is too busy playing and running around the track with Abby and Brianna! But they look so cute in their matching t-shirts!

Halloween Party

2010-11-05T20:56:00.004-05:00

This year for the annual Halloween party that our friends from college throw I dressed up as a cowgirl, Vince was a nerd and Tyler was the cutest monkey ever! Tyler had fun playing with his best buddy Evan the hamburger (his mommy and daddy were Dave and Wendy)! Like always we had so much fun and it was great getting the old college gang together once again!

Pumpkin Picking

2010-11-05T20:34:00.005-05:00

Tyler in deep thought about which pumpkin to choose!

In the shot above Tyler was saying "I don't know" because we kept asking him where the animal that was behind the fence was!

We had a blast taking a trip to Stade's farm for pumpkin picking! Tyler loved the pony rides, slide and petting farm. He even enjoyed taking his first tractor ride out to the pumpkin patch. It was so adorable watching him select him very own pumpkin! He always seemed to go for the pumpkin covered in bumps or the one that was not really orange! And after we picked our pumpkin Tyler got to play in the corn box! This was his favorite part out of everything! After playing in there for a very long time we literally had to go in ourselves and pull him out while he was kicking and crying to play more! We really had a great time and can't wait to go back next year!

Wild Horses

2010-10-17T13:55:00.003-05:00

Right near our home someone owns lots of beautiful wild horses that you can see when you drive down the road...they happened to be out on our way home from the forest preserve...Tyler loved getting out of the car for a closer look!

Fall 2010

2010-10-17T13:43:00.005-05:00

Every year we go to the Lakewood Forest Preserve near our home to take some fall pictures. This was Molly's fifth year and Tyler's second! We are really happy with how the pictures turned out!!!

Jaroscak 2nd Annual Fall Fest

2010-10-17T13:06:00.004-05:00

Oct 10th we all went to Didier Farms for some fall fun (only it was over 80 degrees out)! Tyler was kind of in a cranky mood but we had fun anyway and once he began to go on the rides he was much happier! This day was big for our little baby as he rode a pony for the very first time and went on his very first ride ever...He even had his first funnel cake ever (thanks to Grandma)!!! Can't believe how quickly time goes by! By the way Tyler was pretty funny on all the rides...can we say Mr. Serious...he wouldn't even crack a smile but as soon as the ride was over he didn't want to get off and kept asking for more!

Fall Trip to the Zoo

2010-10-17T12:47:00.004-05:00

In late Sept. Grandma and Grandpa joined us for a trip to the zoo! Tyler loved showing his Grandparents all the animals that he loves so much! We had so much fun and can't wait to go again next year!

Lambs Farm

2010-10-14T20:11:00.005-05:00

So I had to put these pictures in...its capturing Tyler and Olivia not having the best time on the train (notice we haven't even left the station yet...as soon as we began to move they were much happier)!!! p.s Olivia crying doesn't stop her from eating her goldfish....in the shot above she is not only crying she is also shoving food in..haha...thats so olivia!

Dylan, Stella and Yvonne

Above: Probably the best shot I have of me and the three kids all together!
Below: Waiting for the train to come!

One recent Friday in Sept. Miss Yvonne, Dylan and Stella joined Abigail, Olivie, Tyler and myself on one of our regular outings...Of course we picked the coldest and most windy day of the fall season so far to take an adventure to Lambs Farm. On the upside we were pretty much the only ones there! The kids loved looking at all the farm animals. Tyler was most into the horses, Olivia loved the goats and Abby just adored these two kitty cats that roam free in one of the inside exhibits. And all the kids loved the choo choo ride (however, Tyler and Olivia both had a freak out moment when the train first started to move but it didn't take long before they were enjoying the ride!) Like usual our outings always end with some yummy lunch...I love the picture of all the kids at one table together...people must think we are crazy taking them all out to eat but surprisingly they are all so well behaved!

First Bears Game 2010

2010-09-20T20:50:00.002-05:00

To celebrate the start of the Bears season we had a few college friends over to watch the game. Didn't take too many pictures but we always try to snap one of Evan and Tyler when we get together! In this picture they have their game faces on!

Driveway Party

2010-09-20T20:35:00.005-05:00

Snuggling by the fire!

Making Smores!

Tyler, Brianna and Kerrigan were so adorable playing this game they made up of putting these glow bracelets on each others heads. It was really sweet and they were full of giggles and smiles!

Just a really cute picture of Brianna!

Even Molly is always out with us for all the fun!

Smoke Bombs

Above: Taken Sept 4th of 2009
Below: Taken Sept 10th of 2010
Its amazing how much they grow in one year!

Many Friday nights throughout the summer and fall you can find us hanging out either on our own driveway or one of our neighbors driveways usually eating lots of food, playing bags, watching the kids have a blast playing together: especially when the smoke bombs come out and just relaxing (well relaxing once all the kids are in bed)! Here are some pics that capture our fun!

Comino Construction

2010-09-20T20:25:00.005-05:00

In early Sept Comino Construction sells the last of their houses (at least for now)! It's a bitter sweet moment and its hard to say Goodbye! Lets hope that not too too far down the road the economy gets better and Vince can pick up where his Dad left off building not only beautiful but amazingly well contructed homes! Here are some pics of the last house they just sold:

Jaden Turns 3!

2010-09-20T20:15:00.004-05:00

Above: Owen, Jaden and Tyler playing with Jaden's new Handy Manny tool box and tools! We are training them early so they can start doing work around our houses!
Below: Tyler and Owen watch Jaden open presents!

Make a Wish Jaden!

Its hard to believe that Jaden is already 3! This year he had a Toy Story party! Seriously every single gift he got beside one or two was a toy story toy! I was lucky enough to stay late after the party and Jaden was so pooped out but he didn't want to stop playing with his new toys. He went in Grandma's room and brought all his Toy Story Characters with him. I peeked in on him and he was truly pretend playing with them just the way that Andy did in the movie. It is so adorable the way he makes his Woody doll talk to the Jessie doll and Rex talk to Lotso bear and slinky dog. It was just precious! Happy Birthday Jaden!

Daddy's Shoes

2010-09-20T20:12:00.003-05:00

Tyler loves to put Daddy and Mommy's shoes on! He also loves to say "cheeeeese" when he sees a camera!

Aug 31st

2010-09-20T20:01:00.004-05:00

Abigial playing dress up! She pretty much wore this dress the whole time we were there!

Olivia and Stella cooking some yummy food!

Ms. Yvonne and Stella

Dylan gives his puppy some water!

Tyler and Olivia going shopping...ya think they have enough shopping baskets?

Abigail of course the Mommy with her baby in the stroller!

The Camping RV: The kids loved jumping in this vehicle...check out Tyler in the background with the drill...looks like he is about to fix something?

On this day (which happened to be my birthday) I took the kids to the pretend playground with Ms. Yvonne and her two kids, Dylan and Stella! We always have so much fun with them and love all the fun outings we have had over the summer while Dylan and Abby were off of school! It is so adorable to see how all the kids interact with each other...especially Dylan and Abigial. The conversations they have together are just adorable! We are so lucky to have such great friends that live right down the street that we can play with at least a few times a week = )

Owen's 1st Birthday

2010-09-20T19:46:00.005-05:00

Grandma feeds the boys: a bottle for Owen and cake and ice cream for Tyler!

Tyler testing out Owen's new presents!

Owen take a lick of his cake!

Tyler was perplexed by all the candy. He didn't really know what it even was or why the kids were going crazy over it. We did let him keep a lollipop!

Aunt Amy (or as Tyler says "mimi") helps Tyler take a ride on the turtle!

Mr. Birthday Boy Playing Ball!

Tyler, Owen and Jaden playing at the water table!

Aug 21st Owen had his first Birthday party! It was a nice hot summer day and the kids loved playing in the pool/water table on the roof top of Owen's home! Owen wasn't too sure about splashing around on this particular day but he was still the cutest one year old boy anyway!
Happy Birthday Owen!

TheTent

2010-09-20T19:42:00.002-05:00

Tyler loves playing in his tent! We usually fill it up with balls and he will sit in there and throw them ALL out (of course leaving us to put them all back in). On this particular day Tyler asked Mommy to join him in the tent too! We kept peeking our heads out and playing peek-a-boo with Daddy!

Cell Phone Pics

2010-08-18T21:26:00.004-05:00

Mr. Handsome!

Gotta love the picture of Tyler playing with a naked doll!

Above: taken in the spring...how stylish are they?
Below: One rainy day while Abby was at camp the babies insisted on going outside, it was just a light summer drizzle at first and they loved playing in the rain in their pj's but then it started to come down hard but they still didn't want to go inside...don't they look like husband and wife watching the summer rain together?

Above: Nothing like being naked eating watermelon on a hot hot summer day!
Below: Snuggling in Olivia's crib on Tyler's 1 1/2 birthday...you can't see her but Olivia is in there with him...they love playing in their together!

So I finally got around to transferring my pics from my cell phone to the computer...mainly because I had no choice since I ran out of memory on the phone...here are a some of my favorites...These pics were taken sometime between Oct 2009-Now...

Jaden andTyler

2010-08-14T14:21:00.005-05:00

Jaden really wanted to ride in the jeep and was having fun until it did a wheelie...

Recently Jaden, Tyler, Grammie and myself had a fun field trip day....because we had so much fun going to the park that Abby and Olivia's Grandma took us too I decided we would do that too but the weather had a different plan for us...so instead we went to Chuck E Cheese's and waited until the rain stopped before heading to the park! The boys had a blast...Tyler loved riding in this school bus (over and over and over) which was fine because Jaden liked it too! Jaden loved riding in this car that had chuck e cheese as the passenger! He just loved that mouse sooo much...he kept hugging him and talking to him! At the park the boys mostly wanted to play in the sand and on the swings! By the time we got home they were pooped...and both took a great nap!

2010-08-14T13:48:00.004-05:00

I try to take a lot of pictures of the kids but since I am usually alone with them I rarely have a picture of me with them..this was an attempt to get one....not so great...the kids were having so much fun they didn't was to stop and take a picture at all!

As an end of the summer treat...Abigial and Olivia's Grandma along with Tyler and myself went to a really neat park! The kids had sooo much fun! While Abigail ran off to play on the playground with Grandma I hung out with the babies in the large sand/water area! Olivia was very busy walking around with her sand bucket and shovel. Every once in awhile she would stop (as if she found the perfect play to dig) and fill up her bucket with sand. Then she would dump it out and look for another place to dig! She did eventually join Tyler in making mud pies! He of course picked the messiest place to play of all. It was a sink/bowl like area filled with water and globs of sand. He just kept sticking his hands in and pulling out the sand! After the park we went out to lunch at the Rainforest Cafe! Abigail was of course thrilled and the babies were too, except when the rainstorms/thunder came! A big thank you to Abby and Olivia's Grandma for making such a special day for all of us!!!

Pool Party

2010-08-14T13:43:00.002-05:00

Aug 1st we went to Vince's Aunt and Uncles house for a pool party! It was a perfect summer day and we had a blast hanging out with the family and splashing in the pool. Tyler loved blowing bubbles in the pool, playing with a fish toy in the pool, jumping off the edge into our arms and by the end of the day he even allowed us to put him into a floaty ring so he could swim "by himself"! That was a big accomplishment for him since he had tried many other times with no success!

Froggy!

2010-08-14T13:34:00.003-05:00

While Vince was cutting the lawn he found a pretty large frog in the yard...Tyler was completely fascinated by it...he loved watching it hop, swim in water and he really enjoyed getting an up close look at the frog when Daddy picked it up (poor frog...he was tortured some, even by Molly who kept getting too close for comfort for us...but hey-it beats being run over by the lawn mower)!!!

Gymboree

2010-07-18T08:33:00.003-05:00

This past Sat we took Tyler to his first Gymboree class. He had so much fun...wasn't thrilled about climbing on any wooden planks that were set up but had no problem climbing on all the soft mats! He mostly loved the bubbles of course!

Vince's Birthday!

2010-07-18T08:21:00.005-05:00

Jeremy and Vince with big smiles!

Above: the whole gang!
Below: Kali and me!

The waiter felt bad...so they brought him some more sparklers!

Above: Judy with her birthday surprise
Below: Vince's birthday surprise came out while he was in the bathroom!

Thanks to Brian, Vince had a very cute princess balloon attached to his chair all night!

On July 16th Vince celebrated another bday! That evening we decided to go out with all the neighbors (this time with no kids) to Doc's for some food and spirits! We had so much fun and can't wait to do it again soon! Hopefully next time Kris and Carrie and Cheryl and Mark can join us too! Here are the pics that I thought were okay to display on my "family" blog... hahaha...there were some that were just too goofy to post-neighbors, I will send them to you in an email! Thanks again for a great night! And happy birthday to Judy and Vince!

4th Annual Luau

2010-07-18T07:58:00.007-05:00

I swear its impossible to get Tyler to look at the camera let alone smile at the camera these days but I wanted a picture of us anyway!

My friend Krissy and I...and our baby boys too!

Above: Tyler has just recently learned about juice boxes and boy does he love them.
Below: Baby Evan looking so darn cute in his hat!

Vince and his Cornoitta! (on accident Vince bought mini coronas...the guys had a blast getting on his case about that mistake!)

Playing bags with Grandpa

Above: Brian and Vince looking tropical
Below: Tyler loves looking and touching all of Mommy's flowers

Above: Katie and Lacey
Below: B.R. and Owen

Tyler and all the other kids loved playing in the baby pools!

Above: Justin and Maria
Below: Carrie and Kerie (she made me the real lei that I am wearing...it was so beautiful...thank you Carrie)!

We have the best parties we even hire stunt planes for entertainment...hahaha!

On July 10th we celebrated our 4th luau! It is always so much fun having all our family and friends come out to our home...we only wish we could have had more time catching up with everyone! We hope you all had a blast! And yes, it did rain once again on us...but only for a few minutes...maybe next year will be the first year with NO rain at ALL!

Pool Time Fun

2010-07-17T22:20:00.003-05:00

Tyler really loves his baby pool....he is a complete fish! He will lay back and kick his feet, he puts his face in the water and loves to splash!

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-17T21:59:00.006-05:00

What you can't see in these pictures is Grammie making a fool of herself trying to get the boys to smile! She had them all laughing...very cute! In the below picture, Tyler is laughing so hard Jaden starts laughing at him! By the way Tyler did get a hair cut, yet again, the very next day...boy was it long and only 5weeks had past since he got it cut last!

Below: Another serious picture but I love that look he has sometimes!

Above: Grammie with all three boys
Below: Pop pop and Tyler take a walk

Tyler, Owen and Jaden

On the 4th we started the day by going to the Lake Bluff parade! We had a blast and now that my sister Amy and her family are new residents there we are encouraging them to make this an annual tradition (of course a bbq should always take place afterward back at their new home..no pressure or anything Amy and Jimmy)! Anyway, we had so much and Tyler really enjoyed the parade! He most enjoyed the music, trucks that went by and of course all the balloons!

July 3rd

2010-07-17T21:38:00.004-05:00

Not a great picture but I had to get one of Tyler playing with the glow sticks...he loved them!

There are a few other kids missing that our part of our neighborhood hang group that were either not there yet or not able to make it but because our house is close to a corner they don't actually live on our street...but these five kids are the Sweet Clover Way Kids!

July 3rd we spent the day at a graduation party but made sure we got home in time to see the fireworks in Wauconda with all our neighbors...too bad Tyler was completely scared of them! At least our car was parked right next to us so Tyler and his Daddy could watch the show from the safety of the car. However, Tyler did love hanging out with all the kids before the fireworks began! The video was taken while Tyler was eating lunch before we headed out to the party...it is totally random but cute anyway!

Friday, July 2nd

2010-07-17T21:32:00.004-05:00

Just another Friday in our neighborhood. All the kids playing and the adults sitting back relaxing and hanging out. Only two pics taken that night.... One: the kids lined up watching smoke bombs and Two: Vince and Brian enjoying their evening with a cold one!

Fun in the Sun!

2010-07-17T21:22:00.003-05:00

Above: such a serious picture but I love it...he looks so much older!
Below: Not the greatest pic...Tyler isn't smiling and Abby's eyes are kinda closed but it is still sweet anyway...she just loves the babies!!!

Abigail using all her strength to push Tyler around in the stroller!
He is clearly having a ball with his buddy Abby!

One warm day when Abigail and Olivia were over at our house we captured a few pictures...

Father's Day

2010-07-17T20:57:00.005-05:00

Tyler loved feeding the baby geese!

I love the action shot...he was running to see the elephants!

On Father's Day we went to the zoo for the second time...we had so much fun...Tyler seemed to enjoy this trip even more (if that is possible)! His favorite animal this trip was the dolphin...here are some shots of our day...
P.S....check out the videos...one is a really funny video of an ape doing some not so pretty things!

Dancing Machine!

2010-06-15T18:31:00.002-05:00

We just bought a singing palm tree we found for our luau party and Tyler loves it! He knows how to turn it on and then he becomes a dancing maniac! He loves to dance just like his Daddy!