Christmas 2008

Oh the joy of seeing Christmas through Giana's eyes...what a wonderful gift!

We're Home!

The movers came last Friday and loaded the truck! Giana wasn't quite sure what to think and kept telling them that they were making a mess. Dominic's sister flew to Atlanta Friday evening to help me keep Giana occupied on the car ride to Ohio. We stopped in Tennessee and spent the night and finished the drive on Saturday. We picked Dominic up in Columbus, saw his beautiful hotel and hopped back in the car to finish the 2 hour ride to Cleveland to drop his sister off. We spent Saturday night in Cleveland with his parents and then Dominic and I drove back to Columbus on Sunday morning so that we could meet the movers at our storage unit to unload our belongings. It was a crazy 2 days and needless to say I was pretty sick of being in the car! The plan was to leave Giana with Grandma and Grandpa for a few days so that I could get us settled in Columbus. I was going to pick her up on Wednesday but the weather was bad (snow and ice - I love Ohio!) and Thursday wasn't much better so we are going to pick her up on Saturday evening now. With all of that being said, I have NEVER been away from Giana a day in her life and I am missing her terribly. The first couple days were nice but it's been hard since yesterday and I really want to go get her. We are going house hunting on Saturday otherwise I would be going to pick her up today! We've been staying in the Presidential Suite at Dominic's hotel and it is nice! I could get used to this life really easily! Dominic is enjoying his new job and I am thrilled to be home. Although we are missing Giana, it has been a nice week to spend with Dominic, Christmas shop, catch up with my best friend Erin and look for a house. All of these things are easier to do without a 2 year old but we can't wait to get Giana back tomorrow! It looks like it's going to be a white Christmas for us and I am so happy about that! Snow at Christmas time is one of the things I've missed.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Thanksgiving Week 2008

Our last Thanksgiving in Georgia was a fun holiday! We had family in town and managed to squeeze in several fun activities. On Wednesday we went to the Aquarium and Giana loved it! She wanted to reach through the glass and touch all of the fish. It was so cute to see her and she kept talking about all of the "Nemo's and Dorothy's." Too cute. Thursday was Thanksgiving day and the weather was beautiful. My sister and her family came from South Carolina and the kids enjoyed playing outside. My father in law cooked the turkey, well, he actually cooked everything and it was all so good. Maybe one of these years I will learn how to cook a turkey...or maybe not. Friday was a fun day of shopping and we topped it off with dinner at Nikko's Restaurant to celebrate my father in laws retirement. This was Giana's first experience with a hibachi grill. Initially, the noise and smoke bothered her but she adjusted quickly and had a good time.

We took the Vitale's to the airport on Saturday and quickly turned our focus to our move to Ohio. There is a lot to do between now and December 13th. Fortunately, Dominic's company is packing us...I'm thankful for that and so many others things. God has been good to us.

This time of year is so much fun. Enjoy the upcoming holidays!

Santa Claus - Attempt #2

Our second Santa visit was much like the first. The pictures speak for themselves. We went to the mall today with the MOMS Club and rode the Pink Pig and attempted to see Santa Claus. He still isn't a favorite of Giana's. I'll try again. :) The Pink Pig is a Christmas tradition in Atlanta. We ran into Dominic on his lunch hour in pursuit of new shoes so we grabbed him for a photo opportunity. I think Giana was more excited to see Dominic then she was to ride the Pink Pig! After grabbing lunch with the group, Giana and I stopped at Dominic's hotel to surprise him. Again, the highlight of her day...she'll take Daddy any day over Santa or a silly train ride. If only these moments would last...

A few of the other pictures are from our visit to the Center for Puppetry Arts a few days ago where we saw "Sam the Lovesick Snowman." We had a great time.

Now were getting ready for Grandma, Pa-Pa and Aunt Dee-Dee to arrive in a little bit. Looking forward to a nice Thanksgiving with our families. Happy Thanksgiving!

My Farewell Dinner

Last night was so much fun. Sad, but fun! A few of my friends surprised me and took me out to a farewell dinner. We had a great time and it meant so much to me. They are the reason why this move was such a difficult decision. They are very special and I love them all. On a happy note, I think there are about 5 of them from Ohio and they visit often. And many of the others are Delta flight attendants so I'll make sure they come see me or grab dinner with them during a layover. You gotta love that! While I'm going to miss them all so much, I will especially miss my friend Kristi. She has been my partner in crime for the last couple of years. We've had so much fun together and I'll miss her dearly. I'll make sure we stay in touch often...and don't worry...we're already talking about taking a trip to NYC! Goodbye for now my friends and we'll meet again soon! :)

Home Sweet Home

For many of you reading this post, the following news will come as a surprise. For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to move back home. (Ohio.) I grew up there and have family and friends in the area. It’s familiar and it is a great place to live and raise a family. I love the weather. I’ve missed the long fall season and snow at Christmas. I love the shopping, restaurants, neighborhoods, parks and just being home.

Well, I don’t have to miss it any longer. We’re heading north to Ohio in December. Dominic accepted a promotion with his company and it’s in Columbus, Ohio!

I’m very excited for what lies ahead for my family. But life is bittersweet. I’m incredibly sad at what I’m leaving behind. We’ve planted roots, made friends and have built a sense of community. This is the only life that Giana has ever known. I’m just plain sad at the thought of leaving this “home” behind.

As Dominic and I have moved through this process over the last few weeks we’ve really not told anyone. We decided to wait until we had a final decision. We’ve had time to think things through. While I love my life in Georgia, “home” is where Dominic and Giana are. And it looks like we’ll be in Ohio.

Dominic will be leaving in early December and Giana and I will follow shortly thereafter once we get all of the move details taken care of.

To all my dear friends…I will miss you all so much. Thank you for your friendship and support. I love you all! Never goodbye. God bless you and I promise to keep in touch. xoxo

Christmas Gift Suggestions

To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.

--Oren Arnold

Santa Claus - Attempt #1

Santa came to the local Hallmark store on Saturday. Yes, I said Santa. He's starting early this year! When I saw the notice hanging on the door last week, I thought to myself "this will be a great photo opportunity for our Christmas cards." So I dressed Giana in the cutest little outfit and off we went. (We being Dominic, Giana and myself.) It's a good thing Dominic was there to take pictures because Giana was glued to my hip and refused to get near the man. He was so kind and asked her what she wanted for Christmas. She mumbled "a horsey." The look on her face said it all..."if you think I'm going to sit on HIS lap, you are wrong but I still need to make sure he knows what I want for Christmas!"

So, no Christmas card picture this time. It's early in the season and you can bet that I'll TRY the Santa picture again. In the meantime, can anyone recommend a place to get a rocking horse for a 2 year old...one that she can grow into?

A Sad Day for our Country

It’s no secret that I voted for the McCain/Palin ticket. With that being said, I’m not surprised at the outcome of the election. Before my freedom of speech is taken away, I thought I would share this with you. There are not many issues that Barack Obama and I agree on. He does not represent my views. He is not MY president. I’m not a sore loser. I’m a concerned United States citizen. I could list many, many reasons as to why I’m concerned but I’ll share with you just one. Her name is Giana. Her future and all of our futures are in jeopardy. We live in a crazy world and our national security is at risk while under the watch of Barack Obama.

May God bless our country in this serious time of need.

I've Been Tagged!

I've been tagged to do the following:

1. Choose the 4th picture folder on my computer.

2. Choose the 4th picture.

3. Explain the picture.

4. Tag 4 other people.

This is a picture of me and my sister, Julie in July 2005 at our cousins wedding in Ohio. It was a fun day...weddings are always fun!

Now I choose:

Gina

Jessica

Kristi

Jennifer

Our Little Spider

Oh what joy a little candy will bring! Giana had a great time trick or treating with her friend Nathan last night. They covered the entire neighborhood and she really enjoyed herself. It's so fun to see life through her eyes! Daddy and Uncle David had no problem "checking" her candy!

Earlier in the day, we carved her very first pumpkin. She enjoyed the entire experience except when she decided to take bite. I warned her but she didn't listen. I suppose that's the first of many hard lessons that she'll experience in her life. And I'm certain in about 20 years or so she'll realize that Mom is always right! :)

READ MY LIPSTICK!

Pumpkin Patch Fun!

We went to a local farm on Saturday evening for some pumpkin fun! We had a great time so I thought I would share some of my favorite pictures!

Giana and I are off to Maryland on Wednesday and I'm looking forward to the cool, fall weather...and maybe another pumpkin patch!

The past couple of weeks...

We've had quite a bit going on the past couple of weeks so I thought I'd give you a sneak peak at what we've been up to. Gosh, I'm not sure where to start so I'll mention the "not so fun stuff" first. Giana had tear duct surgery on 9/25 and it went really well. She did great. It was me who was a ball of stress. They let me go back with her to put her to sleep and that was the hardest thing to watch. It took 4 people (yes, I said 4) to hold her down. She wasn't too happy about the whole situation at that point. Long story short, she did just fine and her eyes are better. Thank you to those who prayed and thought of her during her surgery!

Now, onto the fun stuff. Let's see. Dominic and I celebrated our wedding anniversary on 9/26. We went out to dinner with Giana. My friend Kristi wanted to babysit her and I should have taken her up on it because Giana was a nightmare at dinner! Ugh! I went to see Nights of Rodanthe with my friends in the MOM's Club. Good movie. Sad. I won't say anymore so that I don't spoil it for you. Now, that's 3 movies at the theater for me in 6 weeks. (It had been like 5 years prior to these movies! I'm serious!) Then there's Book Club. We've been reading Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin. Good book for those of you out there looking for a little romance novel. Be prepared...it might make you think back about past loves. No doubt about it though...I love the one I'm with!

The following weekend some of the girls from the MOM's Club went to The Dinner Afare and made a meal. Now...that's the way to cook! For those of you who know me, you know that I don't cook. So I'm sure you are getting a kick out of this. But really, it was a great experience. Let me clarify about the "not cooking" comment. I just don't enjoy it and I have a husband who cooks for us. Plus, I am allergic to everything and break out in a rash on my hands from latex gloves, meat, bananas...you name it. Because of this, I don't feel like rushing into the kitchen to create some fantastic meal. Poor Giana...she eats a lot of left overs throughout the day because I'm not allergic to the microwave. :)

Gosh...what else? How about the post office tour and Halloween Read and Share that we participated with. How fun! Giana wasn't quite sure what to think about the post office but Mom really enjoyed herself! It's kind of cool how they process mail! In the midst of all of this I thought it would be a good idea to flat iron Giana's hair. Not a good idea. She has very curly, fine hair. God knew what he was doing when gave her those curls. Don't mess with God. Giana will hate me for this someday but her picture is above. I hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

On Sunday, Dominic, Giana and I went to Northpoint Mall in Alpharetta and had fun day at the Cheesecake Factory and shopping. Of course we went to American Girl. That place is just so cool. It was Dominic's first experience with American Girl and he was shocked to see the hair salon and restaurant. He was a trooper but I think all the dolls freaked him out a bit! :)

I thought I would surprise Giana today so I picked her up from "school" and took her to the park for a picnic. I had it all planned in my head but when we got there she was tired and didn't really want much of her lunch. The bull dozer next door freaked her out and the boys on the playground were too rough. Needless to say, it just didn't go as I had planned. So after about 30 minutes on the swings we came home.

There's much more ahead with the pumpkin patch trip this coming weekend and then Giana and I are off to Maryland to see my sister for a few days. I love the fall up north and I'm looking forward to our trip!

HAPPY FALL!

Birthday Fun!

Giana turned two on 9/6 and we had a birthday party for her at our house on 9/13. Her party was so much fun and Giana really enjoyed herself. As a matter of fact, she never took a nap that day...too many toys and too much cake to enjoy! By 6:30 she couldn't take any more and went to bed for the night. Thank you to all who celebrated her birthday with us. We love you all!

The night before the party, we took Giana to see Sesame Street Live - Elmo Grows Up. Oh what fun! It was really cute. Dominic's Mom and sister stayed for the entire week. Needless to say, Giana was pretty spoiled. She had a fun week...how do you top fudge finger painting, bike rides and having a manicure? Well, she just had her nails painted with Aunt Dee-Dee...but really, who takes a two year old to a nail salon?...except Aunt Dee-Dee, of course! :)

Life is back to normal now and we are looking forward to the fall. We've got a lot of fun activities planned and I'll make sure to keep you all updated!

Brad Paisley..."Time Well Wasted" on Thursday Night!

Dominic and I went to see Brad Paisley on Thursday night. We had a great time! I bought our tickets at the last minute and I couldn't have planned for better seats. They were great! Chuck Wicks and Jewel opened for him. They were good but not as good as Brad! I've been a huge fan of Brad Paisley for a long time now. He reminds me of Dominic...well, minus the cowboy hat, tight tee shirt, boots, southern accent, guitar and money. LOL! OK, so maybe he doesn't remind me too much of Dominic but we'll just go with it. Dominic wouldn't be caught dead wearing any of the above! But we did have a great time and I can't wait to see him in concert again!

Dominic's mom and sister were in town so we had babysitters for a week. Dominic took Friday off from work and we made a good attempt to play golf but couldn't get out because there were tournaments all over the place. So we went to lunch and to the driving range instead. Later Friday night we went to see "My Best Friends Girl" and then went to the Olive Garden for dinner. It was so much fun! We don't get out alone too often these days.

Coming soon...my blog about Giana's second birthday party!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Sweet Giana!

Our sweet baby girl turned TWO today! Now that I am a parent, the phrase “where does the time go?” really holds true. Our baby girl was born 3 weeks early weighing just 5 pounds and 3 ounces and now we have a healthy, happy 25 pound toddler! God is good! Giana has brought us such joy these past two years. She is our life and continues to bring us happiness each day.

Giana,

Daddy and I love you very much! Thank you for being YOU… the sweet, smart, precious little girl that we are so blessed to have. You bring us such joy and we LOVE being your Mommy and Daddy.

Happy birthday!

We love you,
Mommy and Daddy
xoxo

First Day of "School"

Giana started her "Mother's Morning Out" program today at a local Catholic Church. I'm not sure who wanted to cry more. She had a great morning but the first 30 minutes were rough on her. She cried - A LOT! I stood outside the room and had the hardest time leaving with her crying so much but I refrained from going back inside. After her meltdown, she apparently decided she was having a great time and when I picked her up she was so happy! She will be going to her little class once or twice a week for 3 hours for the rest of the school year. Her teachers will be celebrating her 2nd birthday next Thursday with the class. So cute!

August 2008

Here I am finding myself blogging about the entire month because I haven't had time to write. So here goes...

August was another busy month - by choice... but I must say I'm totally exhausted and will NOT be traveling again for a long time. Well, maybe to my sisters house in SC this coming weekend and for a weekend getaway with Dominic in September for our anniversary...but after that, I'm done.

Giana and I were in Ohio for 10 days this month. We left on 8/13 and returned home on 8/23. We had a great visit and did a lot of fun things. We kicked off our trip with my in laws in Solon for the first few days. We celebrated my birthday on the 13th (I'm 24 if anyone is wondering - LOL!!!), went to the park, fed the ducks, celebrated Mary's birthday at the feast in Cleveland on the 15th. They had rides, a parade, games, food (you gotta love fair food!) and Giana loved every minute of it. We then went to Westerville and spent a week with my Mom. My friend Erin, baptized her little boy (Caeden) and we spent most of Sunday with them. Caeden is my Godson and he was so cute! He cried during the entire ceremony but it was still a great day! We spent the remainder of the week with my mom. More park visits and shopping. We ended the week with a trip to the Columbus Zoo. It was so much fun. We all enjoyed it. Here's a plug for the Columbus Zoo (just in case anyone is ever in Columbus, Ohio) - it was awesome!! We flew home on Saturday morning - very early. I was feeding Giana M&M's at 6:45 am so that she wouldn't scream in the airport. (What a Mom!) Dominic picked us up from the airport and we went to breakfast. He was so happy to see us. (Let me clarify "us": Giana first, then me. lol!) The poor guy has been alone this summer since we've been traveling to see family so much. Thanks baby...I promise we're done with our trips for a while!

I'm happy to be home. Giana is too. We missed Dominic and our day to day life here. September is shaping up to be a fun month for us. There is plenty of FUN in the weeks ahead...Elmo at Phillips arena, Giana's 2nd birthday party and family coming to town!

July - Family, Friends and Fun!

July was an incredibly busy month for us. Busy, but fun! It started out with our Myrtle Beach vacation from 7/5-7/12. It was the Powell family reunion. There were 21 of us and most of my family was able to come. We missed my cousin Michelle and her husband John. And of course we missed my Dad. He is spending his life in heaven with Jesus and I'm certain he enjoys beautiful oceans and white sandy beaches every day. We rented a house on the beach and enjoyed the ocean, pool and sun all week. We ate all of our meals at the house, except for one night when Dominic and I went out to dinner at California Dreamin (LOVE that place!) and then we went to Broadway on the Beach. We had plenty of babysitters so we took off for a few hours! It was so nice to spend time with my family and we had a great time!**

We were only home for a few days before Dominic's family arrived (Mom, Dad and sister.) They were in town from 7/17-7/22 and we had a nice visit with them. Their visit revolved around Giana (she is the only grand child on Dominic's side of the family...need I say more?) so we had a great time doing baby friendly activities all week! Giana was attached to Aunt Dee-Dee's hip all week and loved it and I think Aunt Dee-Dee loved it, too! Dominic's brother lives in Atlanta and he was over visiting, too. We see him often now...it's nice to have family in town!**

After the Vitale's left, Giana and I drove to Greenville, SC. We went to see my sister, Julie and her family. My mom was visiting, too. Julie has Sophia (7) and Luke (22 months - 10 days younger then G.) Giana LOVES to visit Aunt Julie. There is no shortage of toys, noise and fun...what could be better?- except for the popsicles and lollipops that Aunt Julie gives to her! Giana would not sleep the first night we were there so we were up all night. It took me back to her newborn days, although she was 16 months old before she was sleeping through the night. I'm not sure how we did that for 16 months!! I've been giving my sister a hard time about living in Greenville, SC. It's not a place I would want to live. We went downtown to sight see and let the kids run around. I must say I saw a different side to Greenville. It was a nice, urban, cute place with a lot to offer. Julie, I stand corrected...but it's still not a place I would want to live! :-)**

We returned home to Atlanta and had a few days to clean my house and write the MOM'S Club summer newsletter before my other sister, Wendy and my niece, Kathleen arrived. They came on 7/29 and left on 8/2. We had a fun visit with them. They came with lots of toys (my poor house - lol!) Katie gave Giana her doll house and chalk board and she LOVES them. And then she bought her a mini trampoline as an early birthday gift. This takes up most of my family room! We had an action packed few days with plenty of shopping, eating out, swimming and Jumping Jelly Beans!! Wendy and I went to see Mamma Mia and we ended the week by going to a Taylor Swift/Rascal Flats concert on Friday night. Let me back up talk about Mamma Mia for a minute. I have two words for you...STAY HOME! I hate to admit this, but I haven't been to a movie theater in years. While the movie wasn't that good, I still enjoyed the whole movie experience. There's just something about a movie theater, the smell of popcorn and having a night out without a 22 month old (lol!) BTW, the only thing I did was smell the popcorn because it was $10.00 for a coke and popcorn. Now, I'm not a cheap person (Dominic can verify this :-) but OMG! $10.00??? It was still a fun evening out with my sister! Now, the Rascal Flats concert - AWESOME! Taylor Swift opened for them. I wasn't too excited about her but she came through for me. She played for 40 minutes and was really good! My niece (almost 14 years old) loves her. Love is a strong word. I LOVED Rascal Flats. We had a blast! On the same note, Dominic and I are going to see Brad Paisley in September at the Lakewood Amphitheater. Be still my heart. He is my husband in my next life. Well, I guess it would be a toss up between Brad Paisley and Nick Lachey. Don't laugh! Dominic makes fun of me all the time. :-)**

We can't let any grass grow under our feet so Giana and I are flying to Ohio on 8/13. We'll be visiting Dominic's family in Solon for a few days then we're going to see my mom in Westerville. My friend, Erin is baptizing her little boy and I'm his Godmother. It will be a fun week!**

Enjoy the rest of the summer!

Calgon, Take Me Away!

This is what I know for sure: It doesn't matter how many life experiences you have had or your level of education...when it comes to raising children...there is no text book. And right now I wish I had a text book!

I'm currently watching "Are you Smarter than a Fifth Grader." Actually, I just have it on as background noise while I write, as I really cannot stand Jeff Foxworthy...but LOVE Nancy Grace and Glenn Beck! I'll save them for another blog. Anyway, these past few days I've been asking myself if I'm smarter than a 21 month old baby. I think the answer is no. She has been keeping Dominic and I hopping and we're exhausted. I hate to use this term, but the terrible two's have begun EARLY and I'm not ready. But I have to be ready. I'm learning as I go and I will win the war of the wills! Giana will be a loving, healthy, well adjusted, ambitious and caring person. I will win.

My sister, Wendy, told me that this is the easy stage. Is she joking? But she is older and therefore probably wiser (although I would never admit that to her - lol!) and she does have a 13 year old daughter who has just discovered "boys." My niece, Kathleen, will be starting high school in August. I just realized...my sister is right...this is the easy stage. I'm not ready for boys and I can speak for Dominic on this and tell you that he isn't ready either!

High school...while it was several years ago it seems like yesterday. I need to go call my sister and tell her to buy a leash!

Keeping Busy!

We have been keeping busy the past couple weeks with some fun summer activities. We've really been enjoying Giana as she is now coming into her own personality and can participate in many activities. It's gives us so much joy to watch Giana grow and learn. We've been to the pool A LOT this summer and she is a little fish! We're off to Myrtle Beach in a couple of weeks and I know this vacation will be a fun one!

My sister came for a short visit yesterday with her kids. It was a nice day and Giana's new baby pool was put to good use!

These next few weeks are busy with many activities with the Mom's Club, swimming and getting ready for the beach. Dominic's parents (aka Grandma and Pa-Pa) and sister are coming for 5 days in mid July. Oh so much to look forward to!

I hope everyone is having a great summer!

Father's Day

Father's Day was quiet around our house as Dominic went golfing for most of the day. I use the word "quiet" loosely because it's never really quiet when you have a 21 month old running around the house. But we wouldn't change a thing and we are so happy to be able to celebrate "Daddy!" Happy Father's Day, Dominic! We love you!

Pictures from our trip

There's no place like home!

Well, we have returned from an 11 day trip to Ohio and Maryland. While we had a great time visiting family and friends, it is nice to be home! We (Dominic, Giana and I) flew to Cleveland the Friday before Memorial Day and visited with his family until the following Tuesday. We went to a local carnival along with some other activities. Giana had a great time on the kiddie rides and eating icecream! She was too little to ride alone so I rode with her. I have a HUGE bruise on my left leg. They should consider making the openings a little larger for adults with small children. Or perhaps I should just lose a little weight?? lol! We went to Dominic's aunt's house for Memorial Day and had a great time catching up with his family. The weather was perfect! Now, let me quickly review an Italian family tree. OK, so Dominic doesn't really have an aunt. His parents are both only children. However, as I quickly learned after meeting Dominic's Italian family about 14 years ago, that EVERYONE is considered an aunt or uncle...or "family" in some way. It's nice that everyone is so close but it can get a little confusing at times...especially when my father in law starts talking about the family! To be specific, Dominic's second cousin (aka Aunt Sandra) hosted Memorial Day.

Dominic flew home on Tuesday and then Giana and I went to Columbus to spend some time with my Mom. We were only there for a day and then we (my Mom, Giana and I) flew to Maryland for two days to see my sister and attend my niece (and God Daughter's) 8th grade graduation. She attended an all girls Catholic school and had 10 girls in her class. She looked beautiful in her white gown. She was the prettiest one in her class! Unfortunetly, I missed the entire ceremony because Giana decided it was time to have a meltdown. We sat in the principal's office and ate goldfish for an hour. I'm quite certain that's the longest time I have spent in a principal's office!After a quick two days in Maryland (and a horrible plane ride!), we flew back to Columbus and stayed with my Mom for a few more days before flying home this past Tuesday.

The horrible plane ride...Giana was exhausted and teething. She screamed for the first 30 minutes and I could not get her to settle down. These two ladies sitting in front of us had the NERVE to complain to the flight attendent about her (us). As if I wanted her to be screaming and where exactly would like for me to go? The flight attendent handled it so well and just asked me if there was anything that she could get for Giana and then when the ladies wern't paying attention she rolled her eyes at them and leaned in and told me not to worry about it. I was ready to tell the women off but I refrained and prayed for them instead!

We had a fun time with my Mom. We went shopping, out to eat, church and to the park. My mom watched Giana for me while I went out to dinner with my friend, Erin. We went to this great Mexican place called Abuelo's. We had fun catching up as I haven't seen her for several months. She has a little boy that is one year younger then Giana. He is a cutie and weighs more then Giana...big boy! I wasn't quite sure what to do with myself during dinner when I didn't have a 21 month old to look after. :-)

Sunday was just loads of fun. I spent 7 hours cleaning my Mom's garage. She is not a pack rat...just a little unorganized and I couldn't stand it any longer so I had to clean for her. It looks good and I pray it stays that way!

While we were away, my brother in law (Dominic's little brother) took a job in Atlanta and moved here. He's staying with us until his apartment is ready. Giana loves having him stay across the hall from her...and is obsessed with his golf clubs in the garage. We love the fact that we finally have family living near us...and a babysitter! lol!

Dominic picked us up from the airport on Tuesday afternoon. I'm not sure who missed who more...Giana or Dominic. She started talking about Da-Da on Monday and still hasn't stopped. Dominic was going crazy because he hadn't seen her for a week. I'm such a lucky and blessed girl. Dominic is so good to us. He knows how important it is for me (and Giana) to spend time with my Mom and his family...even at the expense of missing her for a week. He takes good care of us. Thanks, baby! Maybe one of these days I'll learn to cook! lol!

I'll soon post pictures from our trip.

A busy week!

It all started last Saturday when Dominic and I took Giana to the driving range. She loved it! She wanted to use Dominic's clubs and she looked like a pro! Dominic is thrilled that Giana loves to "golf!" I better take up the sport or I may be left behind! That evening we went to Maggiano's in Buckhead to celebrate Mother's Day. I love that place! We used to live and work in Buckhead before moving to Tyrone. I miss it sometimes but it's certainly not a place to raise a family. We moved to Tyrone in December of 2005 and had Giana in September of 2006. I visit Buckhead often to see friends, dine and to shop!! On Sunday morning, Dominic and Giana gave me flowers and cards. Dominic and Giana (or Weeg, as we like to call her. lol!) took good care of me this Mother's Day. It's a long story how and why we call her that...I'll save that for another time.

This past Wednesday was Giana's last day of music class...until the summer session begins in June. She loves going to Tiny Tunes so I signed her up again. Afterwards, we ate lunch with Kristi and Nathan at this new place called the Downtown Grill. Great new place in Tyrone. The food was good and the staff was so friendly! It was the grand opening day so of course we had to try it out!

Thursday Giana had playgroup. She loves all of her little friends and I really enjoy going to socialize with all the Mom's. It's a great group of ladies! I'm so glad I've joined the Mom's Club! Giana has playgroup once a week and it's so nice for both of us to get out and socialize. Thursday afternoon, my sister and her kids came from SC to visit for a couple of days. My niece, Sophia is 7 years old and my nephew, Luke is 20 months old...only 10 days younger then Giana. We had a great time and really enjoyed watching the kids play. We took them to Jumping Jelly Beans on Friday and to the park and strawberry picking on Saturday. We'll be visiting them in June.

So much more to talk about but I'm out of typing room and I'm exhausted so I'm going to bed.
Good night!

A fun day at the zoo!

Giana and I went to the zoo today with the Mom's Club and we had a great time! The weather was PERFECT and Giana loved the animals. I wasn't quite sure if she would be old enough to fully understand and enjoy it but she did! We toured the entire zoo, ate lunch, played at the park (she loved the kiddie school bus!) and rode on the train. Oh yea, my friend Kristi took Giana in the petting zoo and she loved it and wasn't afraid of the animals at all. I'm so glad I didn't have to go in and touch those stinky animals! Thanks Kristi! Giana had a great time with her friends (Nathan, Parker, Anika and Reese)!

Dominic just called and he's on his way home from work. Work has been busy for him the past couple of months. He hurt his foot somehow last night and is having trouble walking on it. I hope we don't have to spend anytime at the emergency room this weekend. He wants to go out to dinner tonight. We always have trouble deciding on where to eat. He says it's me...but he's the one who can't make up his mind. If he wants to defend himself then he'll just have to start his own blog. lol!

I'll add some pictures later from our trip to the zoo. I'm off now to take a shower while Giana is still napping.

A quick update

I really don't have much to write about today but I want to get in a regular habit of updating my blog. I guess no news is good news! We went to the library yesterday and Giana made me a Mother's Day craft project. It's the best piece of art I have ever seen! lol!

We're off to the zoo tomorrow and it should be a lot of fun! I think Giana will enjoy the animals.

Here's hoping for nice weather!

Thought I would give blogging a try...

Hi everyone!

I thought I would give blogging a try so here goes my first posting...

It was difficult for me to find a creative name for my site but eventually I came up with September Love. Dominic and I got married on September 26, 1997 and Giana was born on September 6, 2006 so I thought it was appropriate to name it after the two most precious people in my life.

I'm looking forward to sharing our lives with all of you. But for now, I must run and clean up my house while Giana is asleep and then we're off to the library for an afternoon craft with the Mom's Club.

We're looking forward to the summer and spending time with family and friends!
Carrie