Christmas has passed.. time to get ready for a New Year!

We ended up staying home for Christmas this year. Since I had so much on my plate with work, Christmas & Phoebe's upcoming party, and was recently diagnosed with high blood pressure, my hubby is trying to help me lessen my stress factors. Whenever we have vacation time, we use it to travel to see family. We planned to go in for Christmas this year, but we decided it was best to stay home and get some of the clutter in the house cleaned up, so I don't stress as much over it. It was nice to have Phoebe wake up at home on Christmas morning again, but it would be perfect if we could share it with more family members. Phoebe seemed to be happy with all she received. Her favorite gift was a 4ft tall sock monkey, which we named JoJo. She is extremely attached to this monkey! We even put a shirt and pants on him today because she said he was cold. We didn't have any boy clothes, so JoJo got a pink shirt and purple pants. Here they are inside the tent that Nanny & Uncle Ruby got her for her birthday:

Santa brought Phoebe a Bop It XT game, a telescope, microscope and JoJo (the 4ft sock monkey mentioned above). Santa paid a visit to Phoebe, Aidan & Evan while we were at Nanny's on Christmas Eve. He gave her the Bop It game and she was oh so thrilled. Mom & Dad got her a Spongebob hangman game, a motorized train with lights that goes around the tree, a travel kit for her DSi, Hello Kitty puzzle, remote race car, create your own jigsaw puzzle, and a few other things. Here are the before and after pictures: Before

 

After:
 

She did have a birthday 5 days earlier, where she got a Dsi, Super Mario game, Bumble Chase set with motion and music and an animated Abominable snowman (named him Bumble). We made a point to talk about the meaning of Christmas and how it was Jesus' birthday.

Happy Birthday Phoebe!

I can't believe our girl is 6 years old!!! Phoebe has been asking for a Nintendo DS for about 2 years now. She had a Mobigo and Kinect so we let her wait a while and enjoy / make use of the stuff she already had. Well we finally decided to get her one, we got the Metallic Rose DSi XL and the Super Mario game. We recorded her opening it and the excitement is oh so cute. Enjoy! The best part is that before she opened any gifts, I asked her how her birthday went and she said she had a great birthday. So this was just the icing on the cake. :)

Visit from Maddi, Britt, Chris & MawMaw

They all came in on December 15th. We went to the Woodlands Mall on Saturday to eat dinner in honor of Phoe's upcoming birthday. Then we rode the boat to see Christmas lights, but ended up getting off the boat to hang out by the Marriott. There was live Christmas music, lights, a huge Christmas tree and Santa was there! We took pictures of each kid with Santa. They gave each kid a spin light (free!) and we all enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate (again, free!). It was beautiful, relaxing and fun for all of us. Here are the pictures of the kids with Santa and a few from dinner. "silly" family pic:
Phoebe
 
Aidan
 
Evan
 
Maddi
 


Maddi & Phoebe were excited to see each other :)


From left - Aidan, Maddi, Phoebe, Evan
 


She was so surprised when we all began singing Happy Birthday to her. I love her expression in this picture!
 

Visit from the Grashoff's

The Grashoff's came to Picayune for a visit. Dane played well with Phoebe & Gage. We all had such a good time. Here's a video of Dane chasing them around the house. Thanks Erin & Steve for making the drive, it was sooo great to see you all. Gage & Dane are still amazing kids. We love you all!

Skating & Tea... in Picayune

MawMaw wanted to take Phoebe to the skating rink while we were in for a visit. It was a good time. :) Although Mommy couldn't get comfortable skating! It's like all of my weight was on the back of my feet, so it was tough keeping my balance. I decided to put the skates away and just take a few pictures and a video of them skating. Too bad PawPaw was at work, we sure did miss him being there. But we had a good time.


We went to lunch at the Sweet Serenity Tea Room after skating and it was delicious! We all cleared our plates. Then we tried on some hats and boas. :)

Phoebe's 6th Birthday -Party

Phoebe turns 6 on Dec 20th, and her party will be on Saturday, January 7, 2012. It looks like we'll have it at Stacey's Dance Studio from 11:30-1:00. The theme will be Hello Kitty. We'll have a hula hoop contest, relay race, tumbling, playtime with the parachute and some dancing. The kids will also be able to choose between having their faces painted like a kitty or pirate and if they don't want face paint, they can choose a tattoo. Should be fun! MawMaw Tessie will be in charge of favors, and she always gets the good stuff! :)

Kinleigh's First Birthday

We came in town to attend Kinleigh's first birthday party in Picayune, which happened to be on Aggie's 30th birthday. We decided to stay the whole week since it was Thanksgiving. Kinleigh's party was so beautiful, they had a candy buffet, a beautiful cake, space walk for the kids and great food for everyone. Kinleigh wore the cutest outfit ever. They had minnie mouse ears for the guests to wear. It was a wonderful party, and we were glad that we could make it.

After the party we were heading to a dinner to celebrate Aggie's birthday, but we didn't make it in time. So we went and hung out with Scott & DJ Todd until Aggie got back to St Bernard. I ended up going out with them and left Mikey and Phoebe by Aggie's to hang out and sleep. We had a wonderful time and it was great to hang out with the family. It was me, Tammy, Aggie, Brian, Mom, Destiny, Brittanie, Max, Chris, Faud & Shan. Such a great night with no drama. Britt, Des, Max & Chris left around 10:30 or so. Great, great night.

Phoebe won 1st place for Red Ribbon Week

She brought home a certificate, but I thought they had just handed them out to everyone, lol. Then I saw this week's Bulldog Bulletin and she was listed as the 1st place winner for Kindergarten. :) YAY! Go Phoebe! (Click on the image to view it larger)

Our Mommy/Daughter Day Out

came after we went to soccer, lunch at Chelsea's, then the pumpkin patch! I had to work alot last week, so I told Phoebe that we could go off today and do something with just us two (dadda didn't mind). We got dressed in the same outfits (yellow shirts, white skirts and headbands).


First we went to the Mudpie Company and painted a Halloween piece. It was a pumpkin and you can take the top of it off and keep things inside. After that I surprised her with a trip 2 doors down from Mudpie, Gigi's cupcakes! They were huge! We sat outside on a bench and ate "some" of our cupcakes. After that we headed home. Phoebe & Dadda started carving the big pumpkin, then me & Phoe played outside for a bit, then came inside and carved Phoe's little pumpkin. It was a fun filled day! On Sunday, I took Phoe to the dollar store and let her spend the $10 that TeTe & Uncle Brian sent in her halloween card. She was so excited. I explained how much she had, how much each item costs and told her it was entirely up to her what she buys. She bought items she already had (well similar), but I didn't want to step in at all, and she was so happy with her choices. Then we headed to Target and she was amazing, as she usually is in the store, so we got an icee and popcorn on the way out. Another fun filled day with my girl! Aidan came over to hang out with Phoebe & Mikey while me & Tammy went to Macy's. Evan stayed home with his dad because he ran into the wall and hurt his nose pretty bad.

Phoebe lost her second tooth!

Phoebe (aka Toothless) lost her 2nd tooth at school today, while she was eating lunch. I'll post the story later. :) Here's what she left the toothfairy under her pillow:
And here's what the toothfairy left her:

Surprise Pizza Delivery (actually grandparent delivery!)

MawMaw & PawPaw came in this past weekend for a surprise visit. They didn't just surprise Phoebe this time, they got Mikey too! :) MawMaw called me on Friday around 11am saying PawPaw just called her saying he wanted to come to Texas and MawMaw headed straight home from the store to pack. They left around 1pm and got in around 8. They rang the doorbell and said "Pizza delivery" but this time they actually had a pizza! :) We had a wonderful weekend. MawMaw & PawPaw got to see Phoebe play a soccer game on Saturday, then we headed to Chelsea's deli for a victory lunch. We came home and rested for a while and hung out, then headed to Carrabba's for dinner, which was sooo good! I'll write more on the weekend and post pictures soon!

Phoebe lost her first tooth!

Phoebe's tooth fell out at school today. She had to go to the nurse who gave her a treasure box to put it in (although I sent her "first tooth" treasure box from home, lol. I think she just wanted to go see the nurse & tell her that she lost a tooth!).  Here's toothless =)

 

Phoebe's First Soccer Game

We received a flyer from Phoebe's school regarding a community soccer league. We considered signing her up for it, but wasn't sure if she'd be interested. So we took her to see the boys play and she said that she wanted to play. They were still registering for the church league they were on, so we signed her up with them. She's on Team Norway and Mr. Barrett (whom she already knows) is the coach. Yesterday, Oct 1st, was her first game. She didn't have team practice yet because the practice day after she signed up, was reserved for team pictures. At least we signed her up in time for those! We bought her some cleats and a soccer ball and she practiced during the week in our backyard. During her first game yesterday, she kept going after the ball and she did a great job! One kid that was on her team started kicking the ball towards the other goal and Phoebe said, "hey, our goal is on this side, ya know?!". We were cracking up. But she had a great time and really surprised us. She fell a few times, but got right back up and kept playing without saying a word. We are so proud of her!

Go Team Norway! #4

Phoebe's first loose tooth!

Phoebe has her first loose tooth! Ever since Aidan lost his two front teeth, Phoebe kept asking when she'd lose one. The other day she said "Mommy, I told Mrs. Beckham at lunch today that my teef was hurting" :), she told me that I have a loose tooth!" She was so excited, then me & daddy told her that when it does fall out, the tooth fairy is going to come in her room and leave money under her pillow. She was really scared and tucked her head under my arm. We asked her what was wrong, was she scared of the tooth fairy and she said "yes, I've never seen the toof fairy before". So daddy looked up a picture of the tooth fairy online and showed it to her. Once she saw that the tooth fairy was tiny like Tinker Bell, she was excited again! Now we're just waiting for it to fall out. :)

Update on Phoebe's loose TEETH! It's not just one loose tooth, it's two! On the bottom in the front. One is wiggling alot, so we're thinking it will fall out soon. The other should fall out shortly after.

Fun Day at the Children's Museum

Brittanie, Chris & Maddi drove in last night and they're staying by Tammy's until Tuesday. Phoebe was so excited that Maddi was coming to Texas (she loves her some Maddi!). We went by Tammy's this morning to see them and they made plans to go to the Children's Museum. Mikey had his fantasy football draft today so he stayed behind. Aidan rode with us out there, which was great for Phoebe to have some company for the ride. All of the kiddos had a great time. Phoebe got to make an air balloon out of a tiny cup, 4 straws and a coffee filter, then she put it in the wind tunnel and watched it fly out of the top, which she loved! She got to do a little rock climbing with Evan too. We all had a really good time. Aidan rode back with us and came to hang out for a while. Mikey took out the bounce house for them to play in. Then around 6:00 Tammy & Maddi showed up for a visit (Phoebe was so excited that Maddi was coming to her house). The wind was kicking -I think we were getting some outer bands from Tropical Storm Lee that was hitting New Orleans because the wind was crazy. Then, after a while, it began to rain! Not pour, but rain enough to get our hair a little wet, but we'll take whatever we can get! We're under water restrictions and cannot wash our cars and can only water the lawn twice a week. So Mikey is going crazy since Big Red is all dirty. He keeps getting tempted to wash it, but we could face up to a $2,000 fine. So yeah, not gonna happen! Anyway, the night ended with Tammy taking Phoebe, Aidan & Maddi home with her. At least the kids should be worn out and fall asleep rather quickly, cause I'm sure Tammy is worn out herself. I know I sure am, but I got up at 4:30 this morning, just tossed and turned and finally gave in and got out of bed. So I think it's nite nite time for Mommy. :)

Thank you Lord for giving me another day to enjoy the blessings you have showered me with.

First Day of Kindergarten

Phoebe did great this morning! And when I picked her up this afternoon, while she's getting in the car she says "Mommy, I LOVED Kindergarten! And I can't wait to go back to Kindergarten again tomorrow!" Her friend Hallie from preschool came over this morning and we drove them to school together, then I picked them up and they both proceeded to tell me what a great day they had. Here are their pictures from this morning:

Kindergarten on Monday, oh my!

I think we're all excited and nervous about Phoebe starting Kindergarten on Monday. We took her yesterday evening to Meet the Teacher. She was so comfortable in the classroom and the teacher remembered her name from the Kindergarten screening she did on 8/11, which was great for Phoebe. She seems really excited, at times. :) But there are days that she holds on to my leg when I drop her off at Preschool. I'm not sure if it's due to them mixing the kids up (younger and older) for the summer camp, but hopefully she gets over it soon. If not, we'll have to consider other options for after care and see if that makes a difference.

Mommy earned a surprise, from Phoebe!

Phoebe gave me an "A" sticker today for not drinking diet coke this week. She said "you're not going to drink it ever again, right?". I said that's right, I don't plan to drink it again. She said "ok, you get a surprise when we get home". Once we got home, she said "no peeking mommy, I'm getting your surprise". She then walked over to me, told me to keep my eyes closed and placed this sticker on my hand. I live for little moments like these. I love this kid!

Hurricane Katrina 8/2005 - images during flood

I found these pictures on my computer and I figured I would share them since we're coming up on the 6th anniversary of the storm. You'll have an idea of what our community looked like during the flood. The people that you see in the pictures are deputies of St Bernard Parish. They found refuge on the 2nd floor of the courthouse, watching the water rise and not knowing it they would be high enough. They were unable to communicate with their families, since there was no source of power for at least 2 weeks. It was a horrid experience that I wouldn't wish on anyone. Not knowing if your brother was safe, just so so scary.

Visit from MawMaw & PawPaw :)

MawMaw & PawPaw (Mikey's parents) were coming in on Friday, August 5th. Then they had decided to come in on Thursday, but we chose not to tell Phoebe. Well the doorbell rings and we tell Phoebe it must be a pizza delivery, we told her to come and give the money to the pizza guy and when we opened the door, MawMaw & PawPaw were standing there. Phoebe was so excited, she began screaming, it was an unforgettable moment. We are so thankful to have such loving, caring, thoughtful, fun people in her life. We went to eat at Red Curry, then came home and Phoebe showed them how to play the Kinect. They all played Kinect Adventures and had a great time.

Mom & Dad had to go to work on Friday, but Phoebe stayed home from preschool and spent the day with MawMaw & PawPaw. This time they wore her out, when I got home from work, I was expecting Phoebe to come running to the door, but nope, she was passed out on the sofa. :) After she got up, we ate dinner (MawMaw & Phoebe made a taco train) and hung out.

On Saturday, MawMaw & PawPaw stayed at the house while me, Mikey & Phoebe went to Raegan's 9th birthday party. We came back home and they took Phoebe to Baskin Robbins to pick out an ice cream cake while Mikey grilled some chicken and veggies. Such a wonderful weekend! Thanks MawMaw & PawPaw, for loving our girl so very much. It means the world to us.

Oh and Phoebe learned "Sike ya out girlfriend!" from MawMaw, she had us cracking up!

Kindergarten, Gymnastics & Jazz!

So our girl is starting Kindergarten this month! I still can't believe it. We registered for her after school care today and chose her classes. She'll be taking Gymnastics again and this time she chose Jazz over Ballet. We'll see how she likes it!

Mikey's new "baby"

"Big Red" joined the Gioia family on July 23, 2011. This is Mikey's new baby. :)

2012 Ford Mustang 5.0 - V8

Stock photos - the real ones are below.

Phoebe's Haircut

Jennifer cut Phoebe's hair today. She cut off 8 inches so we could donate it to a program with Pantene Pro-v. For Locks of Love we would've had to go more and Phoebe was hesitant to go 8, so I knew more than that wasn't going to work.

Phoebe's making progress with swim lessons

We took her swimming by Tammy's on Saturday (July 2nd) and she was very cooperative with learning things in the pool. Well today was the real test, she had a lesson with her swim instructor. She's usually exhausted by the time we get to the lesson and doesn't want to cooperate. Today she floated on her back, by herself. It is so true that consistency is key. Now that she's getting in the pool every few days, you can really see the difference. She's like a little fish now. Mom & Dad are oh so proud!

Below is a video from July 2nd. This was when Phoebe learned to do canonballs, lol.

Happy 4th of July!

We went swimming by Tammy's today, per Phoebe's request! She did great in the pool again, she's certainly becoming more comfortable with the water. Mommy swam a bit today too, and I learned how to float on my back, only took 34 years! (Thanks Mikey & Tammy for the lesson) =)

Mikey & I took Phoebe to see the firework show in Kingwood tonight and it was great. Phoebe kept saying "I really like my surprise, thank you for my surprise, I really like the fireworks". One happy kid = two happy parents!

Happy 4th everyone!

Purse Stolen =(

Today my purse was stolen at work, and emptied out in the men's bathroom. I canceled all of the credit cards immediately, but I did forget about one. They were able to charge $1700 at Macy's.

7/1/11 - I had to go to the DMV and order a duplicate license, which took almost 3 hours. Thanks to the worthless low life people that did this... you suck.

Phoebe's 1st Vacation

We're going on vacation to San Antonio. This will be Phoebe's first "official" vacation. We normally spend all of our vacation time on trips to Louisiana, but we're taking a few days off this year to take Phoebe to SeaWorld. Aggie, Brian, Blake & Bradley are going, as well as Tammy, Rudy, Aidan & Evan. They're all leaving before us and hitting the waterparks, which is okay since Phoebe and I aren't huge fans of the water. Neither of us can swim, but we're hoping Phoebe learns this summer. I'll be sure to post pics of the vacay! I told Phoebe we get to feed the Dolphins and she told me this morning to make sure we pack food for them. :)

Phoebe singing "Baby" by Justin Bieber

The first video is Phoebe telling me how to use the Flip video camera, the second video is her singing Baby, by Justin Bieber. Love this kid!

Phoebe's 2nd Ballet Recital

Phoebe had her 2nd ballet recital today. It was held at Atascocita High. Below is a slideshow of pictures, you can click on the slideshow to view the pictures in the album.



Here's the video that we took. It's not the greatest because I was trying to watch it while filming! :) And trying to be sneaky with the camera since they asked us not to video it.

Video of Phoebe's Recital

Aidan & Evan made it through Kindergarten!

Aidan and Evan made it through Kindergarten! Not that we had any doubts, but it's still such an exciting time. Just another sign that they're growing up, and so so fast. Tammy & Rudy had decided to place them in separate classes, so they make their own friends and aren't together 24/7. It seemed to be a great move because they did great and they're such happy kids. I can't believe they'll be in the 1st grade in August!

Congrats on making it through Kindergarten! We took them out to Olive Garden tonight to celebrate. They had a great time, and Aidan ate like 4 breadsticks, then took one out of the basket when we were about to leave, lol! It was too funny. Tammy & Rudy stopped and picked up Congrats Grad balloons for them and we brought little Hallmark Grad puppies that held a card with money for them, they loved everything.

Me & Phoebe attended their Kindergarten performance yesterday and they did so great! They both participated and sang every song. I remember in Mother's Day Out how they were both so shy, they've really come a long way and we are so proud of them! Pictures and videos coming soon! Congrats boys!

Phoebe Graduates Pre-K!

Phoebe graduated PreK from Little Friends. The graduation ceremony was held on Friday, May 27, 2011.

Kinleigh's Baptism

Kinleigh Reese was baptized today at Our Lady of Prompt Succor. She looked so beautiful in her gown. They chose Mike as the Godfather, which meant the world to him, and to the rest of us. We were really glad we could be there today. Below is a slideshow of pictures we took, you can click on the slideshow to view the album. Enjoy!

Congratulations Destiny!

Congratulations on graduating Destiny! I'm glad I was able to be there. I have a good feeling that you will continue to make good choices in life and I can't tell you just how proud I am of you. Your mom and JoJo have done a wonderful job raising you kids and I hope that Phoebe grows up to be respectful, well mannered and considerate as all of you are. And I LOVE the fact that you enjoy your life. You don't want to look back and regret that you let these years pass you by because you wanted something more. I love you Des! Congrats again... YOU DID IT! Woohoo!!

2011 Ballet Recital Costume

Phoebe in her ballet recital costume. They have a cute white cowgirl hat to go with it. She took her recital pictures today and they came out adorable. Can't wait to share them!

From May 2011

Almost time for Kindergarten!

Wow, I know this probably gets old, but man, where does the time go?! I took Phoebe to Kindergarten Roundup last week, on May 3rd, and she seemed to love the classrooms, especially the computers. :) Ms. Pat at her preschool told me she recently said she was scared of Kindergarten. I talked to her about it and she said she just wants to keep going to her school. I explained that some of her friends that are in her class now may be in her Kindergarten class, and that seemed to make her feel better. I also explained how she'll go to different schools and it's part of becoming a big girl. She seems okay now, so hopefully it stays that way. I can't stand the thought of her being scared of anything, but I remember how it felt going to a new school when I was a kid, having kids that she knows there will make all the difference. I still can't believe she's about to start Kindergarten.

I have an appointment to submit all of the registration documents on Monday.

Mother's Day Tea Party

I received an invitation from Phoebe to attend a tea party at her preschool in honor of Mother's Day. Mary Catherine found me the perfect hat, which Phoebe fell in love with, so we ended up with the same hats. It was fun to decorate them together, she was so excited about the tea party and the big pink hats! Below are pictures from the tea party, which turned out so perfect and elegant. Mrs. West & Ms. Wise really outdid themselves with this. All I expected was to be sitting with Phoebe, all dressed up and sipping tea with our big fancy hats. We walked into a beautiful, elegant setting, it was all set up in the ballet room. Phoebe served me food and drink. And the table had a framed picture of Phoebe on it, which was my Mother's Day gift. A lot of thought went into this and I felt so honored to be there. It was perfect.

She had fun trying on the outfits while deciding what to wear, so we have some silly pics too! If you click on the slideshow, it will open the album so you can view larger pics. Enjoy!



Mrs. West asked them why they love their moms, Phoebe said "I love my mom because... I love her very much". I just asked her why does she love me and she said "because you help me pick up and because you're nice to me". :) This kid warms my heart. I love you Phoebe Jean!

Did you know?!?! If not, you should!

Oh my word... I cannot believe this, how disgusting! I'm glad I don't eat these items, but for people that do, you think you're going healthy and eating tuna and bam! 98grams of fat!

Quizno’s Large Tuna Melt
1,450 calories
98 g fat (20 g saturated, 1 g trans)
1,910 mg sodium

McDonald’s Big Breakfast with Large Biscuit, Hotcakes, and syrup
1,330 calories
60 g fat (20 g saturated)
2,280 mg sodium
49 g sugars

Hardee’s 2/3 lb. Monster Thickburger
1,320 calories
95 g fat (36 g saturated)
3,020 mg sodium

Dairy Queen Double Fudge Cookie Dough Blizzard (Large)
1,350 calories
58 g fat (28 g saturated, 1.5 g trans)
133 g sugars

Read this on yahoo health.. http://health.yahoo.net/experts/eatthis/5-worst-drive-thru-foods

2011 Easter Pictures

Phoebe's Easter Pictures with live bunnies!

Happy Easter!

The Philiberts hosted a crawfish boil today. We had a great family day. Mikey's parents were there with us, Mom & Aggie were there and Meme (Ms Jane) was also there. Tammy's neighbors came by, we had a spacewalk and an Easter egg hunt, the kids had a great time, so did all of us adults!

Mr Mike & Mikey cut down the tree in the back yard today that we didn't care for (and have talked about cutting down for about 2 years!). Thanks guys for your hard work!

Mikey's parents will stay a while tomorrow to celebrate Easter with Phoebe! Aggie & Mom are heading home Monday, so they can spend Easter out here too! This is the best Easter ever! :)

Another trip to the dentist

Phoebe went back to the dentist today, they had to fill her cavity again. Dr Butler was great of course, Phoebe didn't cry or freak out, at all. And on the way out, she says "Dr Butler is sooo nice, I really like him". Just feels good to know that your child really likes a doctor after all that she went through with that first dentist experience. I highly recommend Dr Butler, a pediatric and adult dentist. I couldn't have asked for a better dentist for Phoebe, so thanks so much Jennifer for recommending him!

See the post regarding her first trip to the "mean" dentist as she calls her. Everytime we're going to the dentist, she says "we're going to the nice dentist, right mommy? we're not going to the mean one anymore, right?". Breaks my heart.

http://allaboutthegioias.blogspot.com/2009/05/first-trip-to-dentist.html

Community Support - Family Attacked by Own Dog

This is from my sister Tammy, I wanted to pass it along in case anyone wanted to help in any way, even if for prayers alone.
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March 29, 2011
My neighbor and his kids were attacked by their pit bull this weekend. They have twin boys (age 10) and one twin (Jake) was severely injured. A huge chunk of leg was taken out and his hand was also badly injured. Jake has a long and painful road ahead of him. Jake’s dad also received several injuries to his wrists, elbow and numerous bites from holding the pit bull down. Finally in an effort to stop the dog from attacking anyone else, they had no other choice but to shoot it. According to doctors, Jake will be in the hospital for a minimum of two weeks that will include intense surgeries and healing and that is not including any infection in the wounds that may occur.

This family has two other kids at home and one in school. The parents are trying to keep things normal as possible for the kids but given the circumstances, this will be a very long recovery process for this family.

I thought it would be a good idea to get some Restaurant Gift Cards in an effort to aid this family in their time of need. With everything going on and the hospital charges, the least we can do is possible help provide  food for the family at home.

Prayers are also very much appreciated. 


Thank you,
Tammy
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If you are interested in helping, please send me an email at algioia@gmail.com and I will send you additional information.

Pinnochio

I'm watching Pinnochio for the first time, another first that Mommy & Phoebe get to experience together. :)

Supermoon Weekend!

Me and the hubby took Phoebe bowling today, we had a great time. Then we hung out at the house waiting for Aidan to come over. He's sleeping over tonight and we're all heading to church in the morning. They're now in bed relaxing and watching Space Jam.

Tonight was the night of the "Supermoon". Mikey and I were able to see it for a couple minutes, but the clouds kept covering it, so the kiddos didn't get to see it. It was pretty darn bright!

Open Gym with Cousins

Aidan & Evan went to Open Gym with Phoebe tonight. Nanny took them there and me n the hubby went out to dinner. Phoebe is sleeping by Nanny's tonight and they are going to the zoo tomorrow. How I wish I could go, I know the kids will have a blast and I really hate to miss it. But I am swamped at work and I'd rather her go have fun instead of having Mommy catch up on work while she's with me.

Oh and cousins brought her a flower, which you can see in her hand, in the pictures below. :) She was so happy to receive that flower!! Cousins are so thoughtful.

Two trips to the dentist, in 3 days

On Sunday (2/28), Phoebe complained that her teeth hurt. she opened her mouth but we didn't see anything by quick glance. Then on Monday, I received a call from Mrs. West saying Phoebe didn't eat her lunch because she said her teeth hurt. I called the dentist and they were able to see her right away, so I grabbed Phoe and headed to the dentist. On the way to the dentist, we talked about her teeth and what was hurting and all, she said it didn't hurt right now. I assumed it was because it only hurt her when she tried to eat. So we get to the dentist and they ask her what's bothering her. She said "my teef were hurting, something was in them, but I got it out before I got here and they don't hurt anymore"... do you think she could've shared that bit of info with Mommy? Apparently she had a popcorn shell stuck behind one of her teeth and she got it out right before I picked her up. :) So the dentist took a quick look and then sent us on our way. I was relieved that she didn't have any dental issues yet.. well, at least until Tuesday night!

When I was reading to her Tuesday night, she complained that her teeth hurt. I said Phoebe, the dentist just looked at them and said they looked good. She said it hurt really bad. I asked her to show me and it was one of her molars. I got the dental pick and little mirror thingy and went digging. There was a popcorn shell stuck between 2 of her back teeth. But I still saw something after I pulled the popcorn out. I started picking at it and she said "oww mommy, that hurts". Yes, it ended up being a dag-on cavity. Ugh!

On Wednesday, she woke up and began crying that her teeth hurt. I gave her some Tylenol to see if it would help. About 1/2 hour later, she said she wanted to go to school and she felt better. So I brought her to school and told the teachers what was going on and I was going to schedule the appt and pick her up. Her appt was for 2:15. I stopped in to bring her lunch and she was in Open Gym and seemed fine. I went back to work and came back and picked her up at 2 and went to her dentist appt. She sat in the chair and they took xrays of her molars. She had her 6 month checkup in January and had her teeth cleaned, but they only took xrays of the front teeth. And this dang cavity was hiding between her molars, so it wasn't easy to see. Dr Butler came in and talked to her, then showed her all of the gadgets he'd be using. She did not like the vacuum thing that sucks the water out, I think it's the noise more than anything. But she let them put the filling in (using something similar to a squirt gun) and then they used the blue light for a few seconds to dry it. Then she was done, 1st cavity filled. Let's hope it's also the last!

Phoebe reading her first Bob book

Phoebe's preschool teacher, Mrs. West, recommended this book set for Phoebe. We received the books on Friday and this was Phoebe's first shot at it, I didn't help at all, this was all her. :)
She read books 2-10 last night. 

Planting Phoebe's Flowers

Today we had to skip church because Mommy's face wouldn't stop running (still dealing with a cold), so Phoebe was disappointed. I decided to take her to Lowe's and let her pick out some flowers to plant. We just bought a few annuals. Once we got home, we ate a delicious lunch that Daddy cooked for us. He had me try Salmon for the first time, it was cooked on the grill, and let me tell you, it was yummy! I'm not sure I'd start eating it out or anything, but I'd certainly eat it if he cooked it.

So we all went outside after lunch to begin planting Phoebe's flowers. We got a few planted and then Phoebe wanted to take a break. We came in for a few hours and then she said she was ready to go back out and finish the flowers. Well after the 3rd bunch, she said "Mommy, you can finish the garden while I go play", lol! I said okay, it was getting pretty hot out there anyway. And about 2 minutes after that, she said she was going to sit inside and wait for me. Dadda was inside playing his game, so I told her to stay in the living room so I could see her through the window. She was there the first few times, then I didn't see her. I came in and she way laying in our bed. I asked if she was going to take a nap and she said yes. Let me tell you, this was certainly a first! There wasn't a tv on, no one told her she needed a nap, when I went in there, she didn't ask me to stay with her or turn the tv on, she fell asleep within 2 minutes!

Well I finished planting her little flowers and she told MawMaw & PawPaw she'd send them pictures, so here they are. :)



And here's proof that she passed out! :)