Our Mardi Gras

We have been very busy lately spending some much-needed family time. Jon did not have to work this past weekend, so he got to wake up and play with Will. Will and Daddy had a little jam session in the morning, and Will is really starting to take a bigger interest in music. He will dance to ANYTHING, and he is always trying to make music on his toys--even those that don't actually make music. Will made huge strides in potty training on Saturday. He went poopoo on the potty all by himself. He did not want Mommy or Daddy in the bathroom with him, so we left him alone with his book, Jonah and the Big Fish. After some personal time, we were delighted to hear, "Mommy, Daddy, my poops are in the potty!" I suppose he is just your typical male--he does his reading while he does his business! I have been very happy with one less messy bottom to clean! On Saturday evening, we decided to go check out the Krewe of Endymion down in the city, but once we got close, I decided that I did not want to have the kids around the chaos, so we went back to the Northshore (minus Daddy who stayed down with some coworkers to see the parade). We have been going to other more family friendly parades, which has been much easier to do now with our new double jogging stroller. This is stroller number four for us, but I think this one might be a keeper. It works well on the world's worst roads (which is what we have down here), and Will is able to entertain his sister when she fusses. She seems to be teething lately, which is not surprising since Will did the same thing for five months before he got his first tooth at seven months. Brighton is still a very smiley little girl, but she has had some bad nights :( We enjoyed Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday). Jon did not have to work since most of the state is shut down anyway. We went to the Krewe of Covington, which could be best described in a country song. We took walks around the neighborhood and took some pictures (please enjoy--you may need to click on older posts to see all of them.) Last night, we actually got to go to a New Orleans Hornest game. We all went--including Miss B! Jon has been going the extra mile for a guy at work, so he repaid him with four tickets in a super suite! We had great seats, free food and beverages, and it was a great game (the Hornets barely beat the Pistons). Will had a great time watching "the bee," and Brighton was mesmerized by the lights and sound. She did fall asleep by the third quarter. I was even able to nurse her since there were couches in the suite, and everyone was paying attention to the game and not the baby under the blanket. It was a great family evening, and Will said, "Mommy, I loved the basketball show." We are still working on plans to visit Eastern VA in the spring to see baby Sophia (born Feb. 18) and baby Callie (due in early April). It was hard to not be around for Sophia's birth, and I try not to even think about not being around for Callie's. I will be very ready to meet my two new neices!

Mardi Gras in Covington

Sometimes a boat is required to get next door!

It's a swampy neighborhood :)

A sign at the end of the street--we get quite a bit of boat traffic!

We walked to the end of our street with the new stroller...it dead ends at the Bogue Falaya.

Bed Head Band

New Pics

The pictures posted below are from recent days. (Pope's visit, a rainy day, and Valentine's day) You will need to go to Older Posts at the bottom to see all of the new pictures.
I just heard from Mom, and Dad's surgery went well. He is recovering in the hospital today, and I will update the blog on his progress as I hear news. Thank you to all who prayed, and thank you to the Pizzinos for treating Mom and Dad like family. It was hard to be away from them during this time, but it is so reassuring to know that their church family was there for comfort, support, and prayer.

Sweet kisses

Bucket Baby

Puddle Jumper

Aunt Wendy, Mommy, and Brighton (in the bjorn)

Daddy, Will, Uncle Geoff, Brady, and Zach catching beads

Will and Daddy got lots of beads!

Brighton and Mommy enjoying the parade

Will and Zach (Will does whatever Zach does)

Our recent events and upcoming events

We have just finished a round of visitors. We entertained Ed and Caren (Grandma and Granddad) first for a weekend in mid-January. My parents came for a week over my birthday. I like to have them around every year at that time because Jon has inventory, and they are a big help with the kids while he is working. We had a good time with them, and they got to spend some time with both kids. They also did some yard work (I can never keep them out of the dirt), and we moved Brighton's room from upstairs to downstairs. I like having her room closer to ours. She seems to enjoy it too because she is sleeping better in her crib.
On my birthday, Will knocked my morning coffee over on our ibook, so we were without a computer for about 10 days. It was completely ruined, and we our now using a new laptop. We decided not to get a mac this time around, and we are both getting used to a pc again.
Will seems to be healing ok. He has no pain, and the doctor's visit went well. He should be entirely healed in a couple more weeks.
We just finished a weekend with Jon's sister Wendy, her husband, Geoff, and their boys, Brady and Zach. We had a really good time with them despite Brady's stomach bug. The boys slept in Will's room, and he had a ball with his cousins. Wendy was anxious to meet her new little neice, and I really enjoyed spending some girl time with her. Jon and Geoff had many "work" talks, and it was really good to see Jon relaxing after a very stressful inventory.
Brighton has started rolling over. She can roll completely from her stomach to her back, and she can almost roll over from her back to her stomach. She is quite a strong little baby, and she really enjoys sitting in her bumbo. Every day she is growing more and more. She is a very happy baby, and I can't get enough of her sweet, chubby cheeks!
On Monday, my Dad will be having neck surgery. He has been diagnosed with erosive arthritis. He has quite a bit of pain in his neck and down his arm. He went to see a neurosurgeon who told him that the disc was dangerously close to his spinal cord, and he should get have surgery ASAP. Please, please pray for my Dad and Mom (for his surgery and recovery and my mom's nerves and anxiety). I will be updating the blog soon with more news on how he's doing and the rest of the goings on in Schumerica.

Bumbo Brighton

Visit with Nana and Papa