Santa gets a high five. That's about it!

So here it is - 2013.  Anyone else think that's such an odd year?  I feel weird about it already.  hehehe.  But I think it will be an awesome year for our family.  Here's a recap of the Cassotto happenings in 2012:

- I got pregnant and we had our beautiful baby girl in August.
-We traveled way too many time zones to vacation in Hawaii and visit my sister, Harmony!  
-Randy had his appendix out right before Thanksgiving.
-We visited Ryan and Megan for Thanksgiving in New Hampshire - it was so lovely and now a yearly tradition!
-Red had Speech Therapy for the entire year, but it is likely going to stop next week at his year-evaluation. Yay for his speech development!
-Randy's business kept growing and the highlight of his year was tuning for Tori Amos at Infinity Hall - so cool!

We feel so blessed to have all we have.  Randy and I don't take for granted that we have one another as best friends, 2 beautiful children, a great home in a neighborhood filled with loving and supportive neighbors (and cool neighbors too!), a town we love living in and look forward to sending our kids to school in, and I'll even throw the dog in there - at least Talcott is healthy.  He's moved down a few notches with each child's birth but we still love him. :)

As for 2013, we have a family trip planned to Florida in March (Gracey's first flight!), Randy's going with my brothers and dad to Glacier National Park for their annual trip in September and we are considering a move to a different home sometime in the spring.  We're not sure about that last one, there isn't much out there right now that we can afford and meets our needs, but maybe - just maybe.  We'll stay in Canton and maybe even in our little community if possible but Randy REALLY wants to move and get a 2-car-garage to work out of (he's doing a lot more piano restoration these days) and I justonly KIND of want to move so I can redecorate.  hehehehe.  Don't  you find that its usually one person pulling a little harder in these cases?  


The holidays were fun with Red this year - he still is DEATHLY afraid of Santa so I didn't get any pictures because he would only give him a high five!  He was crying and would NOT go up to sit on his lap. Can you guess who is Santa?   But here are some other pictures from the holidays and recent happenings:  

Thanksgiving in NH - all three Cassotto grandbabies

Christmas day at Grammy & Grampy's home (aka Randy's parents)

A Brisky beach walk in New Hampshire after Thanksgiving

I'm 3 months old today!

2012 Christmas Card

This is for Randy - he thinks I don't love Talcott anymore but I'm putting him into the blog to prove Randy wrong!

The headband is rediculous, I know.  I can't help myself.  :)

I love using iPhone apps to adjust pictures - so easy and fun!

Our first Christmas at home by ourselves just as a little family - it was great and I had to show Gracey's cheetah slippers.

Poor Logan - he loved Santa for a minute or two but then decided he wanted OUT!

Gracey loves her Nonni, Grace Kulinski, who she was named after.

TOTALLY RANDOM - but have any of you tried the HAC makeup method yet? (Highlight and Countour) I just started dabbeling in it and you can see in this picture my results - I think it takes a while to get used to doing it on your face but I like it!

Grammy loves clothes shopping for her grandbabes!

Red has always had a special affinity for his Auntie Meggie.  But now that he can say RyRy, he asks for his Uncle all the time now!

ha - love this Christmas Eve pajama outfit!

FOUR MONTHS OLD!!!

I love the Babies R Us Organic line of clothes - super cute and soft!

At least one of our kids liked Santa!  

Besides the fact that Red was walking around like this for an hour because he wouldn't put his pants on, notice those CASSOTTO THIGHS!  WOAH, he is strong for a tiny nugget!

I surprised Randy one Friday night before Christmas with one of his Christmas gifts - a new pair of going-out-fun shoes (something we're always fighting over because he never has any good ones so he wears his work shoes all the time - I got him Keans) and a SURPRISE DATE NIGHT!  His mom came over to put Red to bed and we left after I put G down - it was glorious.  :)

Until next time, Happy New Year!!!

Our Blog needs a new name!

So now that little Gracey has arrived, we need a new blog name!  Taking suggestions!

Speaking of Gracey, she's 2 months old now.  At her 2-month check-up, she was just 9 lbs. 10 oz - the 14%tile!  She is amazing.  I put her to sleep by 8pm each night and she sleeps 'till 7ish, waking just once around 3 or 4 or sometimes all the way till 5am for a quick feeding.  Naps during the day are not so dependable as her night-time routine so I have just learned to let go of getting things done around the house and think of it as a pleasant surprise if she sleeps in her crib for an extended period of time while Red is napping his normal 3-hour daily afternoon nap.  Right now, Gracey is napping in her crib and has been for 3 hours; thus why I am able to sit down and blog.

So here are Gracey's recent activities at 2 months old:

-sleeps 11-12 hours each night, waking just once to nurse after a 8 or 9 hour stretch!
-much more alert and happy during the day
-smiles and gurgles at mommy and daddy
-can be put down in vibrator bouncy seat thingy for a little while or swing sometimes if mommy is doing something
-almost outgrown newborn diapers and already out of a bunch of newborn clothing!
-9 lbs 10 oz - 14% and 23 inches - 46th %tile and head is in 22nd% (MUCH smaller than her big brother's gynormous head!)

Red has made a lot of progress verbally lately.  Just today, he said YELLOW BUS!!!!  It has taken me MONTHS to get him to put those 2 words together; something his speech pathologist has been pushing for is 2-word utterances to improve upon each 1-word he says.  He's been stringing words together too, which is funny.  If I had a dollar for every time he says, "I DO!" - we'd be millionaires.  I know its because he's 2, but wow - that kid wants to do EVERYTHING.  He likes to flush the toilet for us, he likes to close all the car doors.  He likes to feed Talcott and he even learned how to unlock the sliding glass door and slide it open to let the dog out (and himself!).  He's got a full fall schedule of activities so we're out of the house EVERY morning during the week!  (am I crazy?!)  We have MOPS on Mondays (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers), CPAT on Tuesdays (Canton Parents as Teachers), Music with Miss Jean on Wednesdays, Playgroup on Thursdays and Little Blessings with Miss Tighe (pre-preschool) on Fridays!  WOAH.  And we try to fit the gym in 1ce or 2ce a week now.  I went 4 times last week because of the holiday but that will probably never happen again!

Red has been expressing some of his old sensory-seeking behaviors again lately so in addition to his speech therapy, we'll be having his old Occupational Therapist come out to reassess his sensory processing again.  I'll let you know what she says...

Red is 2 years and 3 months:

-HATES getting his hair cut - we have to bribe him with chocolate chips during the haircut and he cries the whole time
-LOVES buses and trains
-Has started playing independently, which is so cute to see!
-Loves music - Stevie Wonder's Superstition is his favorite song but not he really loves this bible cd we play in the car too.  Oh yeah, and how could I forget House of Pain's JUMP, JUMP! (think Mrs. Doubtfire house party)
-Is starting to like certain movies - he doesn't watch regular tv except Mickey Mouse ClubHouse.  His favorite movie of all time is UP, which Randy wants to permanately hide since he's SO SICK OF WATCHING IT!  He also watches the Lorax, and some Baby Einstein musical videos.

Here are some pics of recent happenings:

Red is seriously in LOVE with daddy lately.  SO CUTE.

His hair was so cute when he woke up from his nap but he didn't want to pose for a picture.  

I love my CRI-CUT -had fun making this for Randy one day.  :)

Miss Gracey - 2 months old!

Red loves to help mommy clean the table every day!

2 Month photoshoot - STRIKE A POSE!

Trying on his Halloween costume!

and then vacuuming in it....he didn't want to take it off all day!

He wanted to wear a turbie twist like mommy one morning!

hahahaha - this kid cracks me up!

Pumpkin picking and hayride with tractor pulling us to the pumpkin patch in Avon at the Pickin' Patch.  :)  Of course, Red LOVED it!

Pointing out the birds - one of his favorite things!  "TWEET TWEET!"