Happy Birthday Luis!!!

It may seem kind of random to post Wedding shots on a birthday post but for Luis and I it all blends into one big celebration (our birthdays and anniversary fall within 2 weeks).
So today we are on our way to 4 Line Rd. to kick off with a birthday celebration for Luis. There may be some surprises in store for him and I'll post pictures later about that...
To my husband and best friend- Happy Birthday Luis!
I really am the lucky one in the relationship.

One more wish

I forgot to add to our wishlist:
For Sharon Isabella (or "Isabayyya" as the boys would say) to have a perfectly smooth surgery and a miraculously easy recovery for Christmas.
It sounds like the first part of the wish was already granted- thanks be to God.

All we want for Christmas 2008

For Grandad Pierce to be home from the hospital and no more bacteria in his blood.
For the sniffles my children have to clear up before we head out to Philadelphia on Tuesday.
For Luis' birthday celebration on December 23rd at 4 Line Rd. to be a smashing success.
For all of us to enjoy good sleep over the next 2 weeks despite the fact that we're dealing with 8 young cousins off schedule under the same roof.
For Alexandra Marie, the youngest cousin, to stay healthy especially for her baptism on December 26th.
For there to be no stress, tension or unexpected hospitalizations over the next 2 weeks.
For us all to take nothing for granted and appreciate every moment we have together.

Quote of the week

Sunday night is trash night during which Luis dutifully collects all the trash from the house and places it on the curb.
As he was passing me tonight with a huge bag from the upstairs diaper pail he said, "This smells like the elephant cage at the zoo."
I thought it was an appropriate quote of the week.

Advent flies by

December is the fastest month of all if you ask me. Here I'm posting a picture of our Advent wreath two weeks ago with one candle and it's already Gaudete Sunday today. Jen & Matt have really good news but I'm waiting for them to give me the okay to blog about it:)
The boys have really enjoyed the wooden blocks that Grandma and Grandpa Brown brought for Thanksgiving. They're constantly constructing various structures from imaginary castles to train tunnels.
And here are some goofy pictures of them playing around with the butterfly nets of the Elefun game.

Litany of Humility

I've been praying for humility lately. The Litany of Humility. Don't ask for it and don't look for it anywhere. Because when you do, your husband or someone really close to you may take a horrible picture of you. And you may feel compelled to post it...for humility...or a good LAUGH.

December in Old Town

We are very resolved to spend the rest of our lives in Old Town Alexandria, VA. We probably won't be a suburban or country family. We're okay with this. (Well, Luis is relieved that I'm finally okay with this and am no longer blaming my motherly problems on that fact that I can't let my kids run out freely in a beautiful safe meadow for hours on end).
Anyhow, part of our family culture here includes parades. Several times a year some impressive parades walk the blocks surrounding our house. It is thrilling. The December parade is the Scottish walk. The boys literally shake with excitement as we set up our chairs and stroller and bundle up for the event. Luis and I always prepare ourselves an extra sweet mocha cappuccino (does that not reveal how "cityish" we've become or what?!).
We love this part of American culture.
What you cannot see in one of the pictures is that there was a party going on in the town home. The guests at the party were viewing the parade from the many floors and windows- so cool!
The kids especially love that every so often one of the parade characters throws candy in their direction. We get to cheer on different military branches walking in uniform and enjoy the solemn sound of bagpipes.
Gabe is really in love with bagpipes. But somehow I don't think that instrument will find it's way into our home.
Well, maybe if we do move to the country some day we will construct a wonderful sound proof room...

When a girl doesn't get her chocolate

She spotted some chocolate chips on our counter but it was too late and too close to bedtime to afford her the luxury of a chocolate fix. So we said "no" and let her pout. But she looked so cute we had to take a picture.

I couldn't resist

The new header picture is probably going to be our 2008 Christmas card. I couldn't resist posting it. We had a fun time trying to get this shot. Gabe was originally going to be an angel. He would not hear of it though. He looked at the wings and the halo and gave us a 3 yr old "I will not OBEY" attitude. But when offered the shepherd's stick he relented. In fact, he was pretty enthralled with his shepherd staff...as evidenced by this shot.
John Paul made a good St. Joseph we think. And Monica surprisingly took to her Marian role quite easily. She willingly kept her hand on the baby Jesus during the whole shoot.

Fall Moments

Gabe loves his shovel. The fallen leaves provided plenty of material to dig and throw around. John Paul squeezing Gabe's face a little too hard but very cute. It must be all that excitement from riding the Gator. Luis gets his tractor fix at Mom and Dad's house. The boys enjoy riding it with Daddy. Somehow John Paul has me convinced that it's safe to ride down the slide with Monica on his lap and then practically crush her at the bottom inches from our brick patio. And I think it's so cute that I actually take a picture of it.

Thanksgiving 2008

Overload

I've been wanting to post so much over the past month it's become an overwhelming nagging feeling. I've suffered a classic case of overload. Our lives really picked up in September and there have been so many bloggable moments. With Thanksgiving behind us and Christmas ahead, I'm going to attempt to get back into the habit of posting.