An early Christmas Present

On Thursday at about 1AM, my mommy started to have contractions (since this was my blog, I get to tell the story). I don't know what those are but, well, I was asleep and when I woke up Ms. Claudia was here and mommy and daddy were at the Dr awaiting the arrival of Giuliana! She is my baby BEAN! I have to admit, I was a little confused because I thought mommy and daddy would get her from the Post Office -- or so I asked Claudia. So, the Dr was not completely what I expected! But, she arrived at 9:34AM on Friday December 18th. She weighed in at 6LB 12OZ and 19.75 inches long (I was huge compared to her). Her full name is Giuliana Marie Greto. When she was born, she was sneezing and making all sorts of noises - or so I have been told by mommy and daddy.

So, without further adieu, the Greto three presents the Greto FOUR!

It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas!

In addition to really rocking out lately, we have also been getting ready for the Christmas holidays. You know we went on the Polar Express a couple weeks ago. And, each weekend we have been trying to do a little Christmas-y fun! Last weekend we made cookies! They were delicious and I love to bake with mommy and daddy. But, especially, I like to eat the batter! YUMMY!

Here is a little video of my first real Christmas cookie making experience!

A Tribute to Rock... drums specifically.

I think if I knew I was supposed to get gifts for Christmas and I was supposed to create a list of things I wanted, I would probably have a list filled with instruments. But, since I still don't completely grasp this whole gift with Christmas and Santa thing, I will stick with just really LOVING the DRUMS!

So, without further adieu, here are some of my best rocking out scenes over the past couple weeks. The first is the drums...

Basically, every time we go anywhere near Daddy's school I ask about the drums. This is the drum set in the T'bird band room. I love to rock out on it! Sometimes I even get to play with Julien or Pangu! They are some of the drummers in Daddy's band:

The thing about trains - it doesn't matter where they're going. What matters is deciding to get on -- Conductor

from the Polar Express! We did it! It was wonderful and incredible and made the whole Christmas season jump start for us! We had a great time and will try to do this for many years to come. Instead of writing too much about it, we just really want to share some video, some pics and a few thoughts.

Starting with this one. Watching a toddler pack is hilarious! Joseph was helping us pack up the bags on Friday morning before we left. He wanted to bring certain things but we had to put a limit on how much... here is how it went down:

So, once we arrived at the hotel, well, you can see for yourselves: and

Once checked in and tickets in hand, we had to take a little rest. Our new euphemism for taking a nap is watching football either on the couch or in this case on the hotel bed. Aren't they so cute? I think this was the Colorado game on Friday:

We had a lovely dinner at the Lodge and then got into our matching, fun, red Christmas PJs. Joseph had to wear the boots, of course! Here is where the fun begins:

Once on the train, we had hot chocolate, cookies, and had the story read. Joseph got to see the pictures and Chef Debra was very sweet and took a particular liking to our little guy: and with daddy:

we got situated and just watched!


I think this is a long and big enough post to truly capture the magnitude of the event in our little guy's memory. There are a couple more shots from the weekend but those will have to come later in the week. And, on Friday we will have an update on the Baby Bean-nette as it will be her first of the 4 weekly appointments leading up to her arrival date on or before Dec. 29th!

So much for which to be thankful!

We are so blessed! And, although we missed being with family this Thanksgiving, both those in PA and those in FL, we still felt the heart-filled love and blessings that the Lord has given us. We had a wonderful day and it started with a great walk to the park. The weather was really gorgeous, if not almost warm. I think the final temp was 82. Joseph rode his tricycle and me and Mike had the jogging stroller "just in case". We needed it! Joseph is very good at biking but certainly can get distracted.

We got to the park and Mike brought the football. So, here is the first of many of my Thanksgiving mornings that will involve my son, his dad, and really any other male in our families joining in to play one of Joseph's favorite games -- toss and catch!

And, here is a shot of Joseph throwing... notice he has thrown the ball left-handed and see how high and far it is... yes, I am worried:
And, a short video:
We had a delicious dinner with our Chilean "family"... I don't have any pictures because we were too busy stuffing our faces with Claudia's amazing turkey, all of the wonderful sides, and incredible desserts. But, it was a perfect Thanksgiving Day!

And now... I have to stop writing to prepare our many readers for the next couple of posts. We went to the Polar Express for the weekend and boy do we have a ton of pics and videos to share! Can't wait to get them all organized to share!

Love!
us

Italian Lessons

Mommy Meg here. So, we have gone back and forth about many things in being parents. One of them is how much we would love to teach Joseph and our subsequent children Italian. But, since I don't speak much Italian we have shied away from it. But, with Mike being at an international business school and having his Italian citizenship, we are slowly introducing some Italian words to Joseph's vocabulary. I mean, slowly and not many words... but words that I know at least :-)

The other night was one of the funniest exchanges and I wanted to capture it here because, well, this is Joseph's virtual baby book. We were teaching him some phrases on going to bed. So, Mike tucked him in and said, "buona notte". Joseph's response was "edamame". It was too cute! He loves edamame and knows what it is, so why he thought it could also mean good night was just too funny for us. We had to hurry out of the room before we cracked up too much.

Here is a picture and video from one of our other lessons.
I was making lasagna rolls and he was helping me while we stirred all of the ingredients. I turned around and this was what I saw...
Just chomping away on the Parmigiano-Reggiano:
And, then I had to get him to practice some Italian:

My First Hair Cut!

Hi! It's been a fun Halloween week! The costume is put away and the flo was flowing. Mommy and daddy had been talking about it for a few weeks. It was all supposed to happen after my Halloween costume debut as a lion:
I also liked this pic of the mane in the wind with candy:

And a shot of the mane with me, mommy and daddy:
As you can tell from the pictures, my hair was pretty long and it had only ever been trimmed at the bangs twice by mommy. It was starting to get tangled and so they were thinking that Nov. 1 would be a good day to get it cut.

On Nov. 1st we had a nice morning. We went to church and I loved it! I am learning all about God's Creation! He created quite a lot you know?!? And I love my Giraffe Sunday School class. We get to play outside on the fun play ground too. We came home and had really good naps.

Mommy cried when she started the last round of really cutting...

She cut it really about 3 times, in three waves...
And here is another little video for good measure:
And, the finished product! See, don't I look older? About half way through the cut, mommy did tear up. Daddy said that I would still have my curl flare and that we were going to have our little girl and hopefully she will have curls that we won't need to trim. But, I digress, here is my final product:

Pumpkin Patching 2009

Let the comparisons begin!

Here I am in October 2007:
And, this was taken last year at the same Phoenix Pumpkin Patch 2008:
And this year - 2009...: And this one...
Another fun comparison is last year's tractor pics and this year's tractor pics... Here I am last year both driving the tractor and sitting in it's wheel: and . And this was this weekend: and
More pics to come since it is Halloween week! I only have one costume this year and I think mommy has turned me into quite a... Oh, don't want to spoil the surprise... I'll probably have a roaring good time wearing it!

Pictures from the shower

Mommies friends sent out the pictures and it certainly looks like they had a lot of fun. I'm not so sure about the baby food they tasted! Mommy said a couple of them were quite yummy but others were not so good. I was not ever really much of a fan of the jarred baby food so I don't know what I'd think about it!

But, here are a couple pictures from the fun they had at the sprinkle for my baby sister! Baby food tasting game: Ashley and Dinora tasting the options...
The whole group! Hoot Hooty Hoot: And a cute hat for the "winter":
Lastly, here are some of the Thundermommies:

Update for the beginning of October

It's been some time since we have had a post. Mommy is at 29.5 weeks now and she compared her measurements now to when she was pregnant with me at about the same time. So, at 28 weeks with me she was 42 inches around. She measured 36 inches around this evening at 29.5 weeks. Mommy is doing great though and I love my baby sister! I like to call her Baby Bean and tell everyone about her. She got some fun presents at a wonderful shower our friends threw for mommy yesterday too! Thanks so much to Uncle Lincoln for coming to play with me and daddy! Oh, and thanks to Kim, Claudia, Dinora, Pauli, Nicole, Julie, and Ashley for celebrating my mommy and baby sister.

Here are a couple pics of some of the "ahh cute" things she got! This is in quotes because I say it a lot!
And here is one of the really fun diaper cake that her friends made. I like to take the diapers off and put them back on like a puzzle!
Mommy said her friends took pictures at the shower so she will post those once she gets them too.

Until next time, when I have a sneaking suspicion you will see me in my annual pumpkin patch pics and then my costume!
Love to you all!

Some pics and videos of our September

I can't really believe it is October tomorrow. Where does the time go? I have been very busy. I am adding all sorts of words to my vocabulary, so many mommy and daddy have stopped counting and usually just sit in wonder at my words. Last night, while mommy was making my dinner, I asked for the quinoa and peppers and chicken. And, not only did I ask for it but I loved it! I really like quinoa - it's yummy in the tummy (another one of my latest phrases. Singing phrases is another specialty. I enjoy singing up a storm and making up words and songs... I love to tell people I am in a band and that I play instruments, like guitar, violin, piano, saxophone. He is in a band...

The other thing we did this September is head back to visit our buddy at the zoo, our friend Giraffe. We do love us some tweezas!

and this one...
Here is a still shot of our giraffe time:

We had been doing a lot of playing inside... having friends over and going over to our friends' homes. Here is me dressing up with my toys and costumes at home:

And, finally... the grand finale of our September! It was ONLY 95 degrees today! Which means we were able to go to the park for the first time in like 4 months!!! And, here is what I did at the park...
Yes... that is me rolling in the sand. And, yes, my mom is so cool that she just sat there and watched me. She just kept saying to my teachers at school today that I am all boy and if I eat dirt then it won't kill me (she picked me up and I had some sand in my mouth). So, nope, mom is not concerned with me rolling around in the sand.

A random Friday evening thought... from mommy about me...

So, J is sound asleep in his big boy bed. It has taken him almost 2 weeks but last night he finally stayed in the bed and didn't cry. Now this makes it sound worse than it was. Here's how things happened:

On Friday, Sept. 4th we had our dear friends the Gooches and the Days over for a Big Boy Bed party! We took the crib apart, we brought the tot bed out of the closet (where it was in storage), and we put the new airplane sheets, pillow, and wall decals in place! The kids had a great time putting the stickers on the wall. Mike will have to get the video off of my phone and onto this site. And we had pizza, brownies, and just a ton of fun! The goal was, of course, to stay up a little later and party a little harder so he would fall asleep well.





And, in that manner things went fairly well. He didn't stay in the bed. He came to the door, which he couldn't open because of a door knob guard, and he cried so hard for less than 5 minutes. Then, all was quiet.


Next morning was a bit tough at 6:20... Saturday night similarly cried and then was out. Sunday morning up by 7. Sunday night more crying... well, then Tuesday, he got up at 5:45! Yes. Insane. We were thinking the tot bed might not actually work for us.

But, we persevered and he would cry a little every night until last night! Last night, he got into his bed... stayed there... and was silent! And tonight the same thing. And, he has been getting up exactly at 7:15. I feel pretty confident that he has made the transition.

Another random thought this evening... food and eating. We were at a little Italian place. Joseph ate shrimp, grilled veggies, mushroom chicken, and roasted red peppers. The table next to us had another little guy about Joseph's age and he had fried chicken fingers. So, why is it that Joseph eats all this stuff? It's not the first time I have really wondered this little gift of Jman. We have several friends who have picky eaters and I posted something on Facebook tonight that showed that we have buddies back east with similar finicky natures.

Here's my theory... I ate all manner of things when I was pregnant. I also made Joseph's baby food from our food when he was little. His first favs were avocados, sweet potato, peas, and butternut squash. I remember when he was about 9 months old I bought some Earth's Best organic baby food in jars because we were going to be traveling. I opened it up and it smelled so odd... and I tasted it! YUCK! I wouldn't eat it! He wouldn't eat it! Why is it that baby food doesn't actually taste like real food. I mean, the fruits seem to hold more of a natural flavor. But the veggies and the meats are just way off. Have you ever eaten them?

Oh well, as I sit here and write this post Mike is laughing and we are watching my tummy bounce all around. Baby Girl Greto (G-G) is growing and just being so fun... and Mike was just saying that we better watch what we write because she will probably be picky...

We will see. Ok. It's getting late. Next time.

CarTunes

This past week I went with Mommy & Daddy to VA to see my Pop-Pop & Mom-Mom. One of the many fun things we did was to visit Pop-Pop's airplane at Dulles. I was so excited on the way to the airport that I was singing the whole way. Check it out!

August 2009 and a year in AZ

It's hard for us to believe that we have been here a year and 3 weeks! The time really has flown by even though the heat doesn't. Although, we are very, very thankful that it has only been in the LOW 100s the past few days, we pray it continues!

We thought we'd just bring you up to speed on a few things!
Mommy has been very busy celebrating all of the Thunderbabies that are on their way. In July she helped host the 4th Baby Shower in 4 months time! And, there are more to come. She said that people who might not be ready for kids shouldn't drink the water out here. She has learned to do some cool things, like make a cool diaper cake:

I have been very busy myself... I love my school and I am learning all about the potty and big boy beds! Mommy will have to post some new pictures about that topic.

But, I digress because I have much better news! News that I am telling everyone that will listen! BABY SISTER is my latest and greatest new phrase! Yes, it's because I am going to have a Baby Sister! So, you see folks... I am now very often found talking about my baby bean and my baby sister!

Here are the pictures of my baby bean! My Baby Sister!

And here she is sucking her fingers inside mommy's tummy:

What to do when it's so hot out?

When it's over 110 and it's summer in the desert, we do a lot of playing inside and at the pool. Here are a bunch of pics of me with my wonderful international buddies! as you can see, I have tons of friends from all over the world! Reen and Sui are from Japan. Caroline and Luke are from MA and have moved back there -- I miss them a LOT and ask mommy to see Luke and Carrine often. Sebastian, my birthday buddy, is Chilean/American. And, Jacinta (Jaci) and Vicente are also Chilean 100%. Please enjoy our wonderful images!
Me and Luke playing the BIG Tonka Dump truck -- thanks Luke for passing it on to me!
Me and Reen playing at his house! We are good buddies and he is an excellent baseball and basketball player!
Here we are after a YUMMY meal at Mari, Kenta, Reen and Sui's house. They live down the street from us.
Here is the whole kiddo gang hanging out at Sebastian's house just this week!
I am working on my chop-sticking skills! Aren't I pretty good?
Lastly, here's the three of us at dim-sum with our friends Tony, Jeanette, Mari, Kenta, Reen, and Sui.

The Retro Rocketman Blasts off!

Well, sorry I have not written in some time. Mommy has been going to bed early because she is so sleepy. You might know, she has our baby bean in her tummy. And apparently baby beans make a mommy tired.

I have also been very busy celebrating my second birthday. You saw the pictures from the party. It was a blast. I have also been getting presents in the mail for weeks from wonderful family and friends back east. How I miss you ALL!!!!

Miss Sarah, as you might recall from some of my earlier posts, was my dearest babysitter back in VA. She is very wonderful and knows how MUCH I LOVE things that fly! Well, for my birthday she sent me a Radio Flyer Retro Rocket! I just got it yesterday and daddy put it together for me so it was waiting when I woke up.

Well, if you want to see something funny... here are a couple shots that daddy took from when I got to open the box.

Thank you Sarah!
Love
Your J-Man, Rocketman

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIkl_PViHLs

At 2!

Mommy wanted me to note a few things for you all now that I am TWO!
I love to sing! I sing Happy Birthday, I sing my alphabet, I sing and count (my numbers have their own ordering so don't think you know what number comes next when I count!), I play my guitar with daddy. I like to dance and sing Ring around the Rosie -- pronouncing ASHES with much gusto! Also, I mostly love to sing at Chapel at Preschool. My favorite songs are Oh! How I love Jesus and Jesus Loves Me -- these songs have hand motion, signs and I love to do them too. What else? I love asparagus and can say it! I love broccoli and can say that too! I love to RUN! I make the announcement and then run, run, run. I also have adopted a new habit that mommy and daddy are not so fond of... screaming when told NO. I am not a fan of being told No. I was put in real time out yesterday for the first time... I hope I can stay out of time out. Hummm...

I celebrated a great birthday with all of my friends on Sunday with buddy Sebastian. Then, on Wednesday, my actual birthday Reen, Sui, and Bella came over to play, eat pizza, and eat cupcakes. What fun!

Oh, lastly, I am dare-devil with mad balancing skills. My favorite thing to do with my horsey and my motorcycle is to STAND ON THEM!!! Yep, who needs sitting when you can balance on the back. I haven't fallen yet although mommy and daddy keep telling me to be careful. I also got a soccer ball and a baseball and bat for my birthday. I pretty much all BOY!

Here's a couple pics:




Here is a cute shot of me and Bella reading my new book of things that GO! I love it... so did she: