Sleepy Baby

When it comes to sleep, thankfully Stella takes after big brother Tommy who slept 23 out of 24 hours for the first 6 weeks.  Sam on the other hand was awake for 6 to 8 hours a day from the first day home and I hardly knew what to do with him!   HAPPY 1 MONTH STELLA!!  (on Oct 17)

Dress Up!

I cannot get over how adorable all of the girl clothing is.  Thanks to everyone who has helped to cloth Stella in these first few months.  She has been looking so beautiful! 

Proud big brothers, cherished little sister.

The boys have been great with Stella.  She is always greeted with such joy and perhaps a few too many kisses if that's possible.  Sam held her 20 times a day for her first 4 days home, and Tommy loves to hold Stella too, though his turns are brief and usually performed without actually "holding" her. 

It's a GIRL!!!

We are absolutely thrilled to introduce Stella Catherine Conte! She arrived at 5:55pm on Saturday, September 17th, weighing 7 lbs, 13 oz and measuring 21 inches. She is brand spanking new, totally sweet, and receiving so much love from her adoring big brothers and proud parents.

Happy Birthday Sammy!

I can't believe my baby boy is 4!! He is so full of joy, excitement, and energy. It is a true pleasure and blessing to be his mother, share his beautiful childhood with him, and watch him grow, learn, and develop daily. The words that come out of his mouth surprise me daily, as his vocabulary grows to include "suddenly", "meanwhile", and "apparently". He cracks me up and I am reminded of just how lucky I am. He really is an amazing little boy! And, as he says, "this is a big day!".

Loves to read.............

We started reading to the boys in infancy, and it quickly became a part of their bedtime routine. It is beautiful to see how naturally the boys have a love for reading.

Easter part 2

We spent Easter morning at church, and then the afternoon at Grandma and Grandpa's. The boys had a great time with the Easter egg hunt and, as always, the cousins loved being together. We even had a "kiddie table" for the first time. The boys are getting big! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for a delicious meal and wonderful time!

Easter part 1

My handsome guys dressed for church.

Me and my boys.

Each year I color eggs with the boys. Sam really loves it and Tommy enjoyed it this year too. Sam and Tommy had a couple of egg hunts, and Sammy is more than willing to help out his lil bro Tommy. Not really sure Tommy really knows what its all about, or maybe doesn't really care......but it is briefly fun for Sam and the rest of us. Here we are in our church duds, I was sure to get a couple of pictures before we became disheveled and it got really hot! More pictures to come....

Cousin BJ

We were able to spend some quality time with my sister and her family before the Easter holiday. It was so great to see my nephew BJ! I don't get to see him nearly as often as I like and he is getting so big. My boys had a wonderful time playing with BJ. He is only 9 days younger than Tommy and they were very cute together. Sam was sure to spend his fare share of time playing with BJ and roughing him up as he does his younger brother, we had to help him try to keep the play gentle. We love you BJ! Hope to see you soon.

Springtime!!!

The weather is warming up and we are heading outdoors! Sammy is really into digging for worms lately. I took the boys to a playground so that he wouldn't tear the yard up.....and well, he eventually dug for worms at the playground. He is such a boy. And Tommy is following right in his footsteps. Here are a couple of moments at the playground when they were playing and snacking together.

The best Daddy in the World.....

Dear Daddy,

Happy Birthday!! We love you so very much!

Love Sammy and Tommy

March

Sammy and Tommy have been having a great time together. Tommy has to crawl into and sit in everything "box-shaped", big or small, and Sam is more than willing to pull him around the house. Hold on Tommy! Both boys are getting more independent by the day, Sam is really good playing on his own and is great out of my sight for 20 or so minutes (not saying that he doesn't sometimes get into mischief, but most times he is playing nicely). Tommy is so ready to be a "big boy" like his brother and go down the steps himself, walk on the sidewalk himself, cross the road himself, feed himself. Tommy absolutely loves to watch the dogs around the neighborhood, and just like when his brother was this age, he loves to see any type of truck on the road. We are ready for some warm spring weather! We had a 70 degree tease last week, but it looks like we are in for more snow/sleet before we can look forward the warmth~

Winter

The boys in their Santa PJs, still preserving the Christmas spirit after the holiday.

Stuck inside (probably a snow storm), but we have a box and some books.

Sam and Tommy are becoming very "chummy". Such a good big brother to propel his lil bro and himself around the house over and over again. Beep, beep!

So.......it's been some time since I've posted any pics, and honestly downloading the pictures onto the computer has become a big production. But, I will make an effort to try harder, for those family and friends that want to keep tabs on our growing little guys! The holidays are over, though Sammy still enjoys belting out some Christmas songs now and then. Enjoy this winter and don't go too stir crazy!!