We're Sorry!

We have not forgotten our loyal followers!!!! It has been a whirlwind of excitement and we haven't a minute to spare these days. Since the last post we celebrated Halloween, went to New York, dealt with a broken arm, met up with old friends, enjoyed a Thanksgiving sing, hosted Thanksgiving for 20, had a first birthday party, had a 34th birthday party and went on a three day vacation to Disneyland. In among all of that we battled colds, went to work, went to school, went to daycare, did laundry, cleaned house, decorated for Christmas, and who knows what else! If that isn't enough we are gearing up for a 4th birthday (to include numerous treats at school, daycare, and a party at home), a Christmas performance, Christmas parties, 3 separate Christmas celebrations, a trip to Tahoe over New Year's, and finally a 35th birthday. Soooo, keep checking back with us and you will soon see some pictures of all our adventures!

Pumpkin Picking Time!

Today (Sunday, 10/22) we went up to Valley Center to visit Bates Nut Farm. Jacob and Olivia had a great time picking out pumpkins and going on a wagon ride. We had a picnic lunch and even saw the Gates and Lofgren families. It was hotter than ever but we certainly had a fun time trekking through the field looking for just the right pumpkins.

Jacob thought this sign was hilarious. He wanted his picture taken in every single pumpkin.

Olivia and Jacob going for a wheelbarrow ride.

Jacob looking for his pick.

Olivia was fascinated by the hay.

Jacob found his perfect pumpkin!

We found just the right size pumpkin for Olivia.

Here's what we ended up with! Every time we turned around Jacob was putting a pumpkin in the wheelbarrow. He kept picking up pumpkins that were away from the pile and saying they were all alone and needed friends. We didn't have the heart to say no, thank goodness they are pretty cheap!

Nothing New Around Here

Time seems to fly and nothing seems to get done. The laundry piles never seem to shrink, the dishes are always dirty, and the floor could use a good sweeping but none of that gets done when you are keeping up with two kids and working full time! In the past month life has been busy as usual. We went to the zoo, celebrated birthdays, visited with pirates on the Star of India, went to visit Grandpa and Grandma Vickie and see her broken leg, put up Halloween decorations, bought costumes, went to the spa, did some gambling, and of course worked and played. I guess I was wrong when I said nothing seems to get done. We've been having a lot of fun and that is all that matters when your kids grow so fast! Sadly a lot of our fun wasn't captured this month as we forgot the camera several times. Here are just a few new pictures to keep you updated.

Jacob and Jack on our special zoo safari day.

Dad and Livie at the Eastlake 20th Anniversary party.

Olivia at 9 months old.

Jacob and Olivia

They're getting big!

It is amazing how fast time seems to go by! Jacob is almost four and has started preschool for the year. It was good that we sent him in the summer because he was so excited to go back. He is in Mrs. Silva's class and it is a class for kids that are four or will soon be four. We are looking forward to all the wonderful projects and presentations that they have planned.

Olivia is now 9 months and growing like a weed. She has decided that she prefers table food and baby food is no longer her favorite. She loves mangos, peaches, avocados, bread, bagels, bananas, and the list just keeps growing. She is using a sippy cup and crawling all over the place. She can also pull up on the furniture but hasn't quite figured out what to do after that.

Olivia and Jacob, best friends (most of the time)!

A sippy cup and Cheerios....I'm all grown up now!

Check Olivia out in her own big girl chair.

What a trooper!

I finally found some time to send an update on Olivia. Many of you know the details of Olivia's surgery but for those who we don't see often here she is. Olivia had her hemangioma removed on July 31st. She was absolutely amazing. She never cried once in the long hours at the hospital and after the surgery was completed she didn't have a bit of pain medication and acted like her usual happy self! It has now been three weeks and her stitches are gone and the scar is already fading. The swelling is still there and after a year the doctor will determine if she needs any follow up surgery to minimize the scar or shape of her nose. We will just wait and see but for now Olivia is doing great and showing off a lot of new hats to shade her face from sun!

Here is Olivia at the beginning of July before the surgery.

Here is our happy girl the morning after her surgery!

Not the best picture but you can see how well she is doing. The scar is much lighter but the swelling is still there.

Before, After, and NOW!

With one child in the hospital Monday for a cosmetic procedure and the other one at the dentist on Friday for a cosmetic procedure I'm beginning to think we should be living in Beverly Hills! Actually Jacob's partial plate was put in so he didn't have future orthodontic issues and so that his speech would develop properly. Take a look at him now!

July 7th - Before the visit to the dentist!

July 10th - After the trip to the dentist!

August 4th - Looking good! You can't even tell his teeth aren't real.

Preschool

Now that Jacob is 3 1/2 we decided it was time to start preschool. Due to the fact that we both work full time we were having a hard time deciding how preschool was going to work out. Thanks to our good friends, Christina and Sharon, our problem was solved. Jacob will be taken to school and then dropped off at daycare three days a week and we are so grateful because now he can go to school with all his friends. Not wanting to miss out on the preschool experience we decided to enroll him in the summer program so that Jessica could take him to school and pick him up during the month of July. When school starts back up in September he will be comfortable going there and won't mind that Mom and Dad can't pick up or drop off. Jacob loves his new school and teacher and is very sad that he is now on a break.

July 5th - Jacob's very first day of preschool.

What a fun place, there are bikes to ride....

....painting with Jack....

....and Playdough with Kai!

This is Jacob's teacher Mrs. Jurish with her new baby! We went on a field trip to Coronado. We got to take the ferry over and back.

Mom and Jacob on the ferry.

Fun in the sand!

Pool time!

Well summer is well underway and as you can see we've been spending a lot of time in the water! Jacob had two weeks of swim lessons and we probably should have signed him up for more because he loves the water. He can jump off the side and swim to us and he's diving for pool toys. Olivia must think she's a fish too because she loves to float around and tries to put her face under the water. She's quite the princess when she floats around in her little boat and everybody fights over who gets to push her. Many friends have joined us in the pool but unfortunately I'm finding that taking pictures is not as easy to do when you've got your hands full with two children. The camera is ever present but doesn't always make it out of the bag!

Jacob with his swim teacher.

This is the life!

Bathing beauty

All warmed up to go home.

My brother is the best!

The lap of luxury!

Mom goes in the pool too!

Now you see them.....now you don't!

Here is Jacob on Friday at SeaWorld......

....and here is Jacob on Monday!

The Christmas that Jacob turned one he was already walking but often unsteady if he picked up too much speed. Unfortunately he fell on Christmas and knocked his teeth on Great Grandma Moon's glass coffee table. Other than a small chip he seemed fine and there seemed to be no problem. Fast forward two years and he's now three. He had his first dentist visit back in March and received a clean bill of health until they looked at the x-rays. Seems that the fall from years before had actually damaged the roots and one of them was fractured. We were told to keep an eye on the teeth and be careful. We've been doing pretty good until this past Friday when he bit into an apple while at SeaWorld. Hours later he shows us his wiggly tooth that has been wiggling all day! We called the emergency after hours dentist and they wanted to have the tooth x-rayed first thing Monday morning. Turns out that the trauma to the roots caused them to die and both front teeth had no root left at all. Even though only one was loose the dentist thought it would be best to remove them both at the same time. Jacob was amazing, he didn't cry or even act scared or nervous. He wanted to know where he could buy all the dentist tools so he could be a dentist!

In a couple of weeks we will go back and the dentist will be making a pediatric partial to replace his teeth since it will be about 3 years before his adult teeth grow in. This will help keep the teeth aligned for the future and it will help him with his speech. Despite the stress on his parents Jacob is doing great and was very excited to wake up this morning with a letter and money from the Tooth Fairy!

Fourth of July

We celebrated the Fourth of July with our annual trip to the Eastlake fireworks! Every year the family gathers here and we pack up drinks, snacks, and dessert and head to the Olympic Training Center for the Eastlake sponsored firework show. We stake out our spot at about 5:30 and then play around until the fireworks start at about 9:00. We buy our main dinner from the onsite Hunter Steakhouse BBQ wagon and then break open our cooler of extras. Jacob has discovered his love of spray on tattoos and balloon art. This year he got patriotic flames on his leg and was sporting a pirate hat, sword, and belt! After eating we lounged around on the grass listening to music and watching Jacob tackle Michael and Uncle Sean in their football game. As it got dark we purchased the annual glow necklace and then watched the fireworks. They were better this year than last and everybody, even Olivia, loved them! It was another great Fourth of July celebration!

Happy Father's Day!

We celebrated Father's Day at the Moon house this year. Great Grandma Moon, Great Grandma Arnold and Great Uncle Mike drove down from LA to join us for a barbeque. It was a nice relaxing day. The kids were sporting their new DAD attire and Michael was happy showing off his new Jetta. We are considering it his Father's Day gift even though it was purchased out of necessity.

Smiling as usual Livie is showing off how she feels about dad!

Dad can have Jacob all to himself on grouchy days and in the middle of temper tantrums!

My three monkeys! The matching jammies were a nice touch but 47 photos later this was the best shot we could come up with. (At least Michael was cooperative)

Great Grandpa Gus

Michael's Grandpa and Jacob and Olivia's Great Grandpa, August Catanzaro, passed away on May 16th, 2006. He died peacefully at the convalescent hospital with his daughter Judy and son-in-law Lewie with him. We will miss him a lot. He didn't get to meet Olivia but he sure did love to see Jacob.

Grandpa Gus and his first wife Faye

Great Grandpa and Jacob (6 months) on Father's Day 2003.

Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day was a very busy and fun-filled twelve hour day. We got up and celebrated Mother's Day at home and then we headed up to LA around 9:00. We made a quick stop to visit Sharon, Tony, and Baby Aidan at the hospital (pictures coming soon) grabbed a Starbucks and were on our way. We made it to LA around 11:30 and had a quiet lunch with the family. Around 2:00 the aunts and uncles arrived to enjoy some yummy desserts. We had a nice visit and made it back home by 9:00!

Jessica's new lounge chair and basket of goodies!

Jacob modeled how the chair should be used and showed Mom how to relax with a magazine!

Olivia and Great Grandma Arnold

Jacob decorated frames using buttons and sparkles and gave them to all the Grandmas.

Happy Livie!

Auntie made us a wall hanging using Olivia's birth announcement and picture!