The Party's Over :(

Tomorrow is a day I've been dreading since early May. Tuesday, August 28th: the first day of my (thankfully) last semester at Northeastern. Although the end is definitely in sight, who wants to do homework when they could be spending that time playing and hanging out with this love bug?! ;) 

Oooh this going to be so hard!

 

Sunday Morning Visitors

Yesterday morning, the Garoppolos came to visit Kyle! He was so happy to meet Uncle Tony, Auntie Dee, Tony, and Billy, and can't wait to meet Mikey and Jimmy in the near future. Kyle is so thankful for all the cute outfits, and is glad to hear everyone is doing well with sports, school, and work. GO EASTERN! GO NILES NORTH! GO ROLLING MEADOWS! GO ARCHITECTURE! ;)

One Small Ball = Balls of Fun!

My Aunt Jan has two grown boys of her own, so she knew that the key to Kyle's heart would be to get him a little red, rubber ball of his own. I've been rolling the ball to him since he was only a few weeks old, and around 1 month he really started kicking it around in his swing and in his bouncy chair, but lately he's really been into scooping it up with his fingers and gripping it tightly with his fists. It really amazes me every time I see him pick up a new skill. You wouldn't think something so simple like picking up and holding a ball could make you feel so proud. Yet it does. SO PROUD.

E is Three!

This past weekend, Kyle's pal Elin turned the BIG 3 (point) 0! He was very excited to get out of the house and celebrate with her, JD, Ellie, Ryan, Will, Matt, Augie, and Trixie at Skinner Park in Chicago's West Loop. Oh man ... Kyle can NOT WAIT to be able to chase after this crowd. He was eying all the fun Will was having in that sand pit from a good 100 feet away! And Ryan and her big girl solids ... WOW, was Kyle jealous. That cereal picnic she was enjoying with her mommy looked pretty tasty to our drooling boy who was busy gnawing on his fist while trying to keep cool in the shade. Even though Kyle was more of a spectator for most of the Elympic events, he managed to score a red glittery medal with his name on it. We're so proud of our little Ky Guy :)

After hanging out downtown, we headed north to spend time with the Alps at Chris' Auntie Lou's block party. Kyle got a kick out of cousin Benny. He's so big! Walking around and talking a ton. Kyle also liked spending some time with Great Grandma Alp. They shared some laughs on the back porch before we decided to call it a night. Kyle was so wiped out by our many adventures that he fell into a deep sleep around 9:40 pm and didn't wake up until about 8:30 in the morning!

Chris's 30th Birthday!

Chris turned the BIG 3-0 yesterday (8-20-12)! To celebrate, we invited friends and family to join us at Moretti's in Edison Park this past Saturday. Pizza + Cake + Drinks + Great People = SO MUCH FUN! Thanks to everyone who showed up. Chris enjoyed every minute and was all smiles until the next morning when he realized he had unfortunately "misplaced" his (actually mine ... actually my brother's) precious Bears hat, which he rarely leaves home without, sometime throughout the evening. We called all around, and sadly it is nowhere to be found :(

Early Monday morning (we're talking 2 a.m.), I woke up and decorated Chris' bathroom with an idea I stole from Pinterest. I took post-it notes and wrote one thing I love about Chris on each one. Then I placed them all into a giant 30 on his bathroom mirror, and another giant 30 on his bathroom wall. He seemed to really enjoy reading all the loving/funny things I had to say about him, especially since he's always looking for something new to read while in the bathroom :) Once I heard Chris jump in the shower, I got up again and started making him pancakes for breakfast. Monday is usually oatmeal day in our house, so this was definitely a special treat for the birthday boy. I put a 30 candle in the stack of pancakes and sang happy birthday. I also played "Call Me Maybe" for him (one of his latest favs!) and sent him on his merry way to work, where another surprise was waiting for him. Kyle and I ordered Daddy 6 cupcakes from one of our favorite bakeries downtown (Magnolia Bakery New York). Thankfully he only ate one at work and brought the rest home for both of us to enjoy! Later on we went to Pasta D'Arte for dinner while Grandma and Grandpa A watched our Ky Guy. A great day all in all!