Tangled with MY Princess

Grace and I had such a fun mommy/daughter afternoon at the newest Disney princess movie... Tangled! This was Grace's first 3D experience. She hasn't been to a movie theater since our "Princess Day in NYC" last winter when we went to see The Princess and the Frog. We both liked this movie much better. It's such a great story, and Grace was glued to the screen. She informed me during the car ride home that "we'll see that again next week." Hopefully, it will be on DVD shortly.

Grace was so cute in her 3D glasses.

Grace and I made a memory today:-)

Sound the Alarm

Grace and Andrew were named "Junior Firefighters" at Joey Jr.'s 3rd birthday party this morning! A pumper fire truck arrived in Joey's driveway and everyone got to go inside to check it out. Firefighter Gary taught the children all about fire prevention and gave them the opportunity to try on all of his gear. Grace and Joey met at Tumbles before their first birthdays, and now, they're in the same class at Lollipop School. He's such a little sweetheart and, we had so much fun celebrating his special day!

Firefighter Gary's boots were a little too big for Andrew.

Grace and Julianna aboard the Pumper Firetruck

Grace was sure to get right next to Joey for the Happy Birthday Song:-)

Grace's Bedtime Prayers

Prayers are an important part of Grace's nighttime routine, and she recently added the "Thanksgiving Prayer" to her repertoire. If I didn't cut this video short at the end, you would have heard Grace list all of her grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins (including Chief), teachers, friends, and Luciana (for some reason, Grace used to always say our cleaning women's name first). I love bedtime in our house, and it's not because the kids are going to sleep. I love reading to them, singing them songs, dancing with Grace to Barney's "I Love You," doing cheers (Grace always requests the Cow Bell's dance... "Bum, Bum, Bump"), singing and dancing with the Disney princesses, and running back in for one last "hug and a kiss."

Thanksgiving Prayer ~ I still remember learning this prayer as a student at Our Lady of Mercy. As a child, I used to say this every night before dinner.

Hail Mary and Our Father ~ I cut out the God Bless part (which tends to last a very long time).

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is one of our favorite days of the year. Dan and I count our blessings every single day. We thank God for our happy and healthy babies, loving marriage, amazing family and friends, health, and good fortune. We feel privileged to be Americans and to have the opportunity to observe this special holiday, which celebrates family, friends, food, and football. We kicked off the day by watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, playing with the kids, and listening to non-stop Christmas carols on 106.7 (Grace has already determined that her favorite song is Santa Baby). Grace couldn't wait to celebrate at Uncle Denis and Aunt Mary's house! We had such a wonderful afternoon/evening with the entire Klein family, and we were fortunate to have shared this special day with our dear family friends... the Chiarelli's. Grace and Andrew had so much fun playing with all of their cousins, and they enjoyed listening to LuLu read them The Elf on the Shelf. We had such a great time catching up with the family, eating delicious food, and watching the Jet's win!

"Sweet Lou" and Mrs. C carving the bird

"The girl's table"

LuLu read all of her grandchildren The Elf on the Shelf:-)

The men enjoyed watching football in the "Man Cave!"

A Visit With Santa

We went to Picture People bright and early this morning for our annual Christmas family photo. Grace was on her best behavior this year. We informed her that we were taking these photos for Santa, and we would visit him as soon as we finished our photo session. The Christmas card came out really well, and Grace and Andrew were so excited to see Santa. Grace's eyes were dancing while she was sitting on his lap. She was quick to tell him that she would like Jasmine, Mulan, and Pocahontas for Christmas this year. Andrew liked seeing Santa from afar, and we were lucky that the photographer was able to snap a very quick photo! Christmas is going to be very special this year. I can't wait for Grace and Andrew to enjoy this exciting Season.

TWO cute!

Grace and Andrew's friend, Anna, celebrated her second birthday today at the Wyckoff YMCA, and all of the children had such a wonderful time at her "Fairytale Friends" themed party. They enjoyed crafting their very own wallets, jumping in the Sponge Bob bounce house, singing the birthday song, and eating cake!

Grace was very proud of the wallet she designed!

I love how Grace runs to Andrew's aid at the end of this video... rubbing his back and asking, "Are you okay?" She is such a sweet big sister!

ELF

Dan and I decided to kick off the Christmas Season a bit early this year! We "passed through the seven levels of the Candy Cane forest, through the sea of swirly twirly gum drops, and took the Lincoln Tunnel" to see Elf on Broadway!" The evening began at Le Relais de Venise, which is one of our favorite restaurants. We had been looking forward to steak frites and chocolate profiteroles at this NY hotspot since it opened (we used to love the sister restaurant in London). We've also been to the Paris location a couple of times and the one in Geneva. Our meal was delicious! As we walked to the theater, we realized that "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" in NYC (especially in front of the Al Hirschfeld Theater). Elf was fabulous! We had lots of laughs, and it put us in the Christmas spirit! Afterwards, we took a walk through Times Square, picked up cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery, and caught a glimpse of the "under construction" tree in Rockefeller Center. It was such a memorable date night!

While we were enjoying ourselves in NYC, Grace and Andrew had a blast decorating and eating cupcakes with Aunt Dana! When Aunt Dana babysits there are always surprises, and this time Dana received quite a surprise from her angelic nephew! Andrew decided to jump out of his crib! Thank God he didn't get hurt! It's hard to believe that he is already strong enough to pull himself over the railings at 16 months! Grace is nearly 3, and she never jumped out of her crib. I think our little man plans to keep our lives interesting:-)

Thanksgiving Feast

Grace had a Thanksgiving Feast at Lollipop School today. The students were decked out in their turkey hats and festive Fall pasta necklaces! There have been lots of preparations for Thanksgiving at school including a Turkey Song (not to be confused with Adam Sandler's version) and lots of crafts! We're thankful that Grace is having such a wonderful experience at nursery school!

Miss Nicole, Grace, and Miss Caryn

Just Another Manic Monday...

Even though Grace doesn't have school on Mondays, it is one of our busiest days of the week:-) We enjoyed our last Autumn edition of "Stories with Sarah" at the Pearl River Library this morning. Grace and Andrew love Miss Sarah! She has taught them some of their favorite songs and rhymes including: "Open Shut Them," "Here Comes the Choo Choo Train," and "The Hokey Pokey." They also love watching Miss Sarah do "The Alphabet Train" and "Old MacDonald" on the felt board. We look forward to seeing Miss Sarah again in 2011.

Monday afternoons are always a blast! Mommy and the kiddies love meeting up with all of our friends at playgroup. Today we met at JW Tumbles, and a good time was had by all!

"Santa's Coming?"

We had such a fun afternoon at the Paramus Park Mall. We had lunch with the Baho girls, went on the Merry-go-round, and wrote letters to Santa. It was great catching up with Natalie, and we were so happy that Mary and "Shane-o" were able to join us for a bit. Grace was elated to find out that Santa will start making appearances at the mall!!! She must have asked me over one hundred times today if... "Santa's coming?" Even though Thanksgiving hasn't come yet, our little sweethearts can't wait for Christmas! This is my favorite time of the year! Grace and Andrew are going to have so much fun getting ready for the holidays this year!

Grace and Shane were happy to join Kylie on her first Carousel ride.
Everyone was sure to write Santa a little message... Grace would like some Disney "tinfesses" and Andrew asked for new trains.

Playdate at our Place

We had some of Grace's friends over this afternoon for a playdate. The children had fun playing, and the mommies had a nice time catching up. I think my little munchkins are obsessed with Munchkins these days! Grace and Andrew enjoyed snacking, and they did a nice job sharing their toys! It was such a fun afternoon!

I love the smiles on all their little faces! I hope Grace and Julianna smiled like this for their class picture today!

Andrew, "Princess Grace" (she's a bit obsessed with her Cinderella dress these days), Julianna, Bella, and Jake

Check out the playroom... I think they had fun;-) What do you think?

Andrew's Buddies

We got together with Andrew's friends, Shae and Keenan, this morning. It was so much fun to watch him play with his buddies. They listened to music, danced, and played with all of Shae's toys. Grace and Andrew especially enjoyed the ball pit:-) We have been so fortunate to meet so many wonderful families through JW Tumbles!

Poppy's 91st!!!

We were party hoppers today! After leaving Princess Madelyn's Royal Gala, we headed to Nana and Grandpa's to celebrate Poppy's 91st birthday. We feel so blessed to have Poppy in our lives. He is such a sweetheart, and Grace and Andrew have managed to get him wrapped around their little fingers:-) At Sunday dinners, Grace likes to show him her latest cheers and songs, and Andrew loves blowing kisses and high fiving Poppy.

The Colonna Men ~ 4 Generations

The infamous "Tushie Slide" with Grandpa

Royal Gala

In honor of Princess Madelyn's 3rd birthday, our little princess attended her first Royal Gala this afternoon. It was such a fabulous party complete with a Disney Princess Bounce House, an enchanting visit from Cinderella, and an educational lesson on princess etiquette.
Snow White and her friend, CinderellaThe children couldn't take their eyes off of Cinderella! They intently listened to everything she said, and they did a wonderful job following directions! Pre-school is certainly paying off:-)Cinderella gave all of the newly crowned princesses bejeweled stickers!Our little princes was dressed as Snow White, and our little man was a fierce pirate."Do I have a little chocolate icing on my upper lip?"
Grace and Madelyn had a blast running, bouncing, and tackling each other in the bounce house.

Priceless

Toy Story 2 DVD ~ $25.00, Matching Halloween Pajamas ~ $30.00, Grace cuddling with her sweet, sleeping baby brother while watching Toy Story 2 in matching "ta-jammies"... Priceless!
(In case you can't watch the video below, I've included a picture.)