Papa and Fi make dinner

A sweet moment in our crazy lives...

Fi and Luca for the first time.

Me with Fi and my best friend from childhood, J, and her mom and son. We had our kids two weeks apart, which is amazing to me since we haven't lived on the same coast in many, many years.

Her son L is good looking!

Here are a couple shots of Fi and L:



These two were so cute together - it's a shame that we don't live closer so they could pal around just like their moms used to... I have secret plans in motion to get them to move to the PNW...

Christmas 2010

For Christmas we traveled to California to visit family. We gathered at Nana's house for presents and a delicious meal. We've grown to such a big family!

Here's Fi being entertained by her Nana and Grandma...
Fi and Grandma reading a book:
Me with my sister and aunt (love love love these ladies!):
Fi in her new outfit (thanks auntie K!):

The tree:
Sitting down to eat:
The other side of the table:
My Nana:

Tia's secret Italian soup

Small pasta shells, chickpeas, leeks, shallots, chard (or kale) simmered in chicken broth. Holy to all that is glorious, this soup was delicious!

Proof that my sister can frost a cake...

Yum!!

Thanksgiving 2010

Table is set, ready for a feast! We managed five courses this year, and made everything on the list. Appetizers, soup, small plates, salad, turkey dinner, dessert. Yum.



The happy revelers enjoying the meal.


I love me some good eats!

Bread making

Papa and Fi making some bread while a pregnant mama supervises.

Supervising is done best while snacking.

Halloween

We met up with our PEPS group so the kids could get some Halloween pics together... Fi went as a ladybug. Well, if you count wearing ladybug pajamas with a ladybug dress over them "going as a ladybug", then we're golden!

She's darn cute though:


And here's the group shot:

Pumpkin Patch Time

We visited the pumpkin patch and had to walk the corn maze and enjoy the hay ride.

Here is mama chasing the family through the corn maze...


And getting ahead of everyone...


Fi found a new friend in the petting zoo...


And with her favorite friend A, getting a ride through the pumpkins in the patch.

Sorely missing Hawaii beaches...

Need I say more?

HAWAII!!

We went on a Hawaiian adventure with some friends of ours. We got to stay on the magical island of Maui. Here are some pics...



Obligatory sunset photo:
We took a helicopter tour and Fi slept through the whole thing...
Catamaran tour brought a dolphin sighting:
Fi was in love with the chickens.
Fi and her papa going into the ocean:
Oh, and there's a baby on the way! Here's the baby bump...
G molesting the baby bump at the luau...
And our friends just a little too happy at the luau...

All in all, a fantastic trip.

San Juan Island visit

We went up to the San Juans Islands to visit my friend R and his boys. It was a misty rainy sort of trip.

Discovery Park

We went on a hike at Discovery Park with D & G - Here's Fi and G at the main lookout, checking out the sound and the Olympics:


We made it down to the beach, and Fi took off with D:

Here's the cutie at the water's edge...


And a jellyfish we found:

Hurray for summer beach days!

Park with Grandpa

We went to the Chittenden locks to view the fish ladder. We also walked through the adjacent botanical gardens.




I like these guys!!

Anniversary Celebration

G and I went to dinner at Purple
and then met up with some friends at the Triple Door (specifically the Musicquarium Lounge)

We were joined by our sweet friend J:


and our good friends D & G:


And here's us, looking almost as fashionable as we did on our wedding day:

It was a great time, and being able to leave Fi with my dad for the night was awfully fantastic. Thanks dad!