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.
-----------------
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
-----------------

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