Ruggiero Family Dinner

My grandparents (on my dad’s side) are snow birds.  I really wanted to see them before they headed back to California.  So I may have sent my dad a text my dad and suggest he pick a date to invite us all over to his house.  He was kind enough to take the obvious hint (with no complaining) and find a date that worked for everyone and had Alyse,  Jill, Joe, Aunt Carol, Andrew, the kids and I over.  Brad was busy in the field so he couldn't make it.  

Andrew giving my kids gifts while my dad rolls out the dough.

Nanno talking to Vincent.

Before we went to my dad’s though we stopped at Jill and Joe’s new house for a quick tour.  It was really easy to find.  It is really cute and pretty much all decorated.  I was impressed.  The kids, including Joel, made themselves right at home and had a lot of fun checking out Uncle Joel and Aunt Jill’s house. 

Nanno loving on Vincent

My dad  making the kid pizza

After the tour we went to my dad’s house.   We had a fun night of making homemade pizza.  My dad makes the best pizza dough!  There was music, visiting, joking around and just a really great stress free night.  The kids loved seeing their aunts, uncle, cousin, Nanno and great grandparents (G.G. and Nanno Nick).  Joel was very social, talked to people, gave hugs (unsolicited) and was great.  They were all very surprised by how well he did.  Normally he just steals my phone and ignores everyone.  Jill even commented that he is like a new kid!  It is so nice when other people notice the progress he is making.

The adult pizza before it was cooked.

Nanno, Joel and Vincent with the pepperoni pizza

While we were there Andrew and I were talking to my grandma about something.  She was telling us a story about someone that said something that offended her.  The story started with "Oh so and so, God rest her soul" and ended with "And then she got sick and died! (followed by laughter)."  Andrew and I were practically rolling on the floor.  Who ends a story like that, who says that and then laughs.  It was hilarious!   I don't think we were supposed to find it funny but we did.  Later my grandma was talking about not wanting a big birthday party and said "You know what happened after my dad had a big birthday party?....he got sick and died!"  Again Andrew and I lost it.  It wasn't funny, our great grandfather dying is not funny, but the way my grandma said it in such a matter of fact way and the tone in her voice just made us laugh.  My grandma has a lot of great phrases she says, but this one is quickly moving up my list as a favorite.  My current favorite is "uh huh, ok fine."  It means do or believe what you want, I think you are wrong and I am to polite to tell you so, so I will continue to do it my way.

Nanno, Joel, Cecilia, me and Vincent.

We also got to see a video that my Nanno, with the help of my uncle, had converted to DVD.  It is of my aunt’s baptism 50 years ago!  There is footage of my great grandparents and even my great great grandmother.  To see my great grandparents joking around and to see everyone’s mannerisms and movements was amazing.  It was such a blessing to be able to see that!  I only wish there was more than one video.  Here is the link to the YouTube video of the baptism.

Aunt Carol and Nanno

Everyone watching the movie.

The night ended with Alyse and Joe taking turns wrestling my children before I loaded them up in the car in their pjs for the drive home.  It was so much fun seeing my grandparents!  I am hoping I can get away some weekend this winter and go visit them.

Cecilia, Me and Grandma!

CE Time!

CE stands for continuing education.  As a veterinarian in the state of Illinois you need to have 40 hours of continuing education every 2 years.  Plus every 3 years I need 6 hours of special USDA classes to be USDA accredited. All it means is that I am certified by the USDA to perform certain tests, or collect and submit blood and fill out paper work for certain tests.  The only thing I really need it for is to submit coggins tests for horses and to fill out health certificates. 

This year the AVMA Conference was in Chicago so I figured I would go.  The location rotates all over the country each year and I enjoy going to the big conferences.  Over the course of the 3 days I spent there I ran into a handful of people I knew and learned a ton of information.  Some of it was things I had learned at one point and forgot about and other things were brand new to me.

Me, Mom, and Kasi

The weekend I was in Chicago for the conference my mom and Kasi were spending the weekend at Alyse’s apartment while she was in Africa on a mission trip.  After a Cheap Trick concert at the conference I met up with my mom and Kasi at Navy Pier.  In the process of driving my car there I was reminded why I let Brad drive in Chicago and why I never want to live in a big city.  We had a great time visiting, taking pictures and enjoying the sights.  The plan was I would just stay at Alyse’s and save some driving time in the morning.  It turns out that it is impossible to find a parking spot by her apartment at 11pm on a Saturday night.  After circling the block several times I gave up and left my mom and Kasi and drove to my dad’s to spend the night.

Kasi and Me!

It ended up being fun because Jill and Joe were getting back from a friend’s house and arrived at my dad’s around the same time I did.  We ended up debating Jill and Joe getting a dog for about 30 minutes.  From what I gather Joe wants a big dog with a dominant personality and Jill wants a lazy, perfectly behaved, non shedding dog that can let itself out to go to the bathroom and feed itself, so maybe a robot.  I tried to infuse some of my veterinary and sisterly knowledge.  I am confident they will be able to find a compromise! 

The second night I was in Chicago I had dinner with Jill, Joe, my dad, Azra and Azra’s daughter.  It was fun to spend an evening with only adult conversation and actually be able to enjoy dinner without chasing the kids.  Plus my dad is a really great cook!

I always miss being with the kids when I am gone, but it was fun to get away and learn more about veterinary medicine!

Ms. Gayle

Since August we have been spending 1 hour each week with a wonderful lady we call Ms. Gayle.  She is a developmental therapist that has been working with Joel and thanks to her help we have made a lot of progress.  Not only did she come here once a week but she spent a lot of time texting me, calling me, and reading emails from me.  She also helped me to learn and navigate the in and outs of Early Intervention.  I am truly grateful for all she has done for Joel and our family.

Joel and Ms. Gayle

Last week was her last day with us and this week was the first week we didn't get to see her.  Joel noticed that something was different, but it was Vincent that was asking about Ms. Gayle.  Everyone loved Ms. Gayle and her bag full of "new" toys.  We were blessed to have such a wonderful person as one of Joel's first teachers.

FV 2012: Just Keep Swimming

This day of vacation was our relaxing day and after spending a day at the falls we needed it!  Everyone slept in, we had a late breakfast and then spent a few hours at the pool.  I didn’t think the kids were going to last at the pool for a few hours and to be honest we had to drag them away from the pool using promises of lunch and returning later.  

The Pool...The deep end was the middle.

Vince not wanting to get wet

Brad helping Joel

We had the pool to ourselves!  Cecilia watched us from the comfort of her stroller and Brad and I tried to convince the boys to swim.  Vince wasn’t wanting any part of it and was just walking around the edge of the pool with his life jacket on saying “I just don’t want to be that wet.”  Joel was happy to be in the water as long as someone was holding on tight to him.   

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming

Daddy and his boys...Joel was mad about something

Vince and Brad racing across the pool

After a little while I grabbed Vince and forced him to come in the pool.  After freaking out for about 5 minutes he was a little happier about it, but still wanted to get out!  I was willing to let him get out, but he had to swim holding onto a pool noodle to the ladder.  We were only 4 feet away from the edge and I knew he could easily do it.  After he did it, I took Joel from Brad and Brad convinced Vince to stay in so we could play tag.  Vince fell for the trick!  After a little while he wanted out again and I told him he had to swim to the edge (about 3 ft) by himself without a pool noodle.  He wanted out bad enough that he did it.  Brad was on top of things and said that he didn’t see Vince swim by himself and he didn’t believe Vince could do it.  Vince fell for the trick again!  Vince showed Brad how he could swim alone and then Brad kept saying “I bet you can’t swim to _____.”  Vincent loves a challenge and was soon swimming across the pool ~40 ft by himself!  I was so proud of him.  He only gets to go swimming in something bigger than a baby pool 5 times a year if that, so this was a big step.

Joel warming in the sun...5 minutes later he was back in the pool

Mommy and Vincent

Cecilia just spending some quality time in her stroller and out of the sun

Joel spent most of the time in the pool riding around on my back or Brad’s back as we swam across the pool.  He loves the water!  Then he discovered the ladder and thought he was so cool because he could climb down the ladder and reach for the side of the pool and use his hands to hold on to the edge and work his way around.

The boys both trying to use the ladder and Brad doing a handstand to impress the boys, but they weren't watching!

Joel loving the water. 

Joel getting more comfortable in the water and not wanting help

Joel thought something was hilarious!

Both kids spent the morning swimming for a while, jumping out and sitting in a lawn chair for a bit and then jumping back in the pool.  Brad and I took turns going in with them.  When we went back for another swim in the evening there were more people there and Vince told them all multiple times “I am 4 and my mommy just taught me how to swim, I can swim by myself.”  There were 6 people at the pool and they all heard it at least 10 times.  Then Vince just started saying “just keeping swimming, just keep swimming” as he swam from one end of the pool to another.  I was cracking up!  One lady stopped to talk to him and asked him if he liked to talk and he said “Yeah, I talk a lot.”

If only I knew what he was thinking

UP

and down

This may have been when I gave them a 5 minute warning before it was time to leave

The kids also got to ride their bikes around the campground.  Joel stayed by our campsite and preferred to just ride in the stroller but Vince rode his tricycle all over camp and back and forth to the pool.  We don’t ride bikes very much at home because we just don’t have anywhere to ride.  Brad decided that Vince needed to start training for the pedal tractor pull at the county fair, so he had Vince carry the firewood we bought on the back of his tricycle all the way from the little shop to our campsite.

Vince and his firewood

Brad thinking it was a great idea to make Vince haul firewood

We ended the night with a small campfire and some roasted marshmallows.  It was nice to just hang out all day and not go anywhere!

The boys crawled in bed with us at 6am and went back to sleep.  Brad and I gave up on sharing a bed with them by 7am.