Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Old Man Luke Smiles

Here's a photo of Luke smiling. Not a full-on grin, but a smile still. It is fun to watch him interact with us!

Old Man Luke

Luke looks so much like an old man in this photo! I think that he will someday be horribly embarrassed that I posted this, but he is just so cute!

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Overheard

1) Norah has two little vehicles, one is a steamroller, the other is a back hoe. They are about 1 inch long. She has been taking them everywhere with her lately. This morning, she took them into the car as we were dropping James off at work. As we were driving, we heard from the back seat (in her high-pitched voice, not her normal voice):

"I want to go with you."
"You can't go."
"But I want to come, too."
"I said you can't. Your mommy said 'No'."
"Oh, I am so sad."

James glanced back at Norah and saw she was speaking for her two vehicles. She is a strange girl.

2) This morning, Norah brought her mermaid doll (Ariel, she named it...) into my room and Ariel sang the entire "Part of your World" song from "The Little Mermaid" including the reprise. I am slowly piecing together Norah's version of the lyrics--will post soon.

3) As we were having lunch today, Norah asked what I was drinking. "Ginger Ale," I said. She must have been thinking about princesses because she replied, "Gingerella?" That made me smile!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Luca vs Lucia


Luca vs Lucia_1, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

What a difference 2 months makes! Either that, or we have a huge baby!

Luca is 2 months, 1week old. Lucia is 1 week old.

The five children + family

Here we are with our spouses, significant others, and children (but Luke and Lucia were sleeping so they are not present...).

The five children

We're not really children anymore, but my mom always likes to get a photo of all of us when we are together, which is increasingly rare! So, we obliged her....
From L to R: Alessia, Chiara, Francesca, Mark, Nicholas

Here's the Norah photo from 2007


2 months old025, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Norah actually smiled for her photo. It was harder to get Luke to smile. I think he was still traumatized by the whole deal.

2.5 months old

Luke went to his 2 month doctor's visit. I think this photo sums up what we found out at this checkup. My sweet baby weighs a whopping 15 lbs, 13 oz.!!!! He probably weighs even more at the time I am writing this....

He had some immunizations done, and was NOT pleased. I tried to get a photo of the bandaids, but he wouldn't straighten his legs...I had a photo of Norah after her 2 month visit (check blog archives if you want to see it...) that I was trying to replicate.

And to think the doctors were worried that he wasn't gaining weight--he showed them!

Oma time


IMG_3386, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Oma stole Luke away whenever she had a chance! He loves snuggling with her!

James and Luke


IMG_3501, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Just hanging out at the party...

The cake


IMG_3580, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

We put a 1970's photo of my dad on the cake; he laughed when he saw it. My sister Francesca just kept asking, "WHY was it a good idea to wear flesh-colored turtlenecks back then?"

Surprise!


IMG_3577, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

My siblings and I planned a 60th surprise birthday party for my dad. He was absolutely surprised when he found out; we were sure he suspected something, but he didn't!

The biggest surprise of all was that my dad's friend from age 5, Peter Stack and his wife Ginny came all the way from Rhode Island to be there! My dad was speechless when they walked up, and he is RARELY speechless!

Bike Ride

Uncle Jim took Norah and Ethan for a bike ride. The minute they both were in the trailer, one of the straps holding them up broke, so poor Ethan had to ride lopsided the whole way. No matter, they still had a blast!

Attitude

Luke looks like he is saying, "What are you looking at?"

Nonna and Luca

Nonna and Luca chilling out in the shade.

Lake Michigan again...

I like this photo because Norah's in the sun, while Nonna and Luca are in the shade. You can see how windy it is from Norah's hair! Luca doesn't look too happy, though!

More sand time

Lake Michigan again!

Nonna, Norah, Luke, and I went to Lake Michigan again one evening. It was absolutely beautiful at the lake. Norah and I went swimming for a long time.

Lunch time! 2

Norah and Ethan got on the sofa too! You don't see the fight that preceded this photo, but Ethan and Norah tend to bicker like an old married couple, then make up and hug about 50 times a day!

Lunch time!

For Luke and Lucia, that is!

Hoffmaster State Park 6

Aunt Sunny and Norah worked on some more sandcastles while Nicholas and the girls went swimming. Just as we were leaving, it started to rain, so we timed it just right.

Hoffmaster State Park 5

Here's Norah after her long journey up the sand dune.

Hoffmaster State Park 4

Uncle Nicholas took the girls all the way up the sand dune behind the beach. I warned him that Norah might poop out halfway up, but he reported that she made it most of the way by herself! I guess she got a little scared on the way down, because once you start running, it is difficult to stop!

Hoffmaster State Park 3

Here's how Luke enjoyed the beach: in his carseat, under a beach umbrella. He slept most of the time.

Hoffmaster State Park 2

It turned out to be a windy, cloudy day at the beach. The weathermen predicted hot, sunny and humid. Oh, well. Norah still had fun, and the water was WARM!

Hoffmaster State Park

We went to Hoffmaster State Park with Nicholas, Sunny, and their nieces. Norah had a blast (again) playing in the sand. Here's Uncle Nick, Lolo, and Norah building a big sand castle.

Reed's Lake 3

Getting Norah and Ethan to look in the same direction for a photo is still about as easy as herding cats...

Reed's Lake 2

Norah loves this shirt she is wearing from Grandma Patti. When asked what it says, she says, "Grandma loves (yoves) me in Nevada!"

Reed's Lake

While Alessia and Jim and baby Lucia were in the hospital, Oma and I took Norah and her cousin Ethan to Reed's Lake in East Grand Rapids.
It was a beautiful day, and many people were enjoying the lake. We watched boats get launched for a while, and then Ethan and Norah smelled the flowers for a bit. Ah, the joys of summer!

Future Rugby Player

Luke is dreaming about one day becoming a rugby player. He loves to sleep with his hands up, like Norah and James!

Sunday, August 15, 2010

A new niece

Our niece, Lucia Margaret, was born on July 30th. She is beautiful!