Happy 2nd Birthday, Nico!

In such cliché fashion, I'm going to make this statement............. I can't believe that Nico is already 2!!!!!!

Even though we just moved in a few days ago, I was determined to have the house halfway ready for his party so that his birthday could be special. My parents and brother, David's parents, and the Myers' family came with their 2 kids Braxton and Ainsley, and we had a really fun day!

Nico is really into the movie Cars 2 (and loves cars in general), so that was the obvious choice for the theme.

I wanted him to wake up and be surprised instantly, so we decorated some the night before.

He looooved the balloons. He frequently would grab them and run all over the house as he cracked himself up!

Papa and Grandma Biagini played with him all morning and took him on a walk, and the party began around noon! We set up his new pool and slide that my parents got him for his birthday, and the 3 kids played out there for a while. Nico loves playing in the water.

 

 

We finally convinced them to come inside, and we had burgers and hotdogs before opening gifts.

 

 

 

 

 

He got so many other great gifts including a Thomas the train set of tracks to build, a Cars laucher that shoots cars across the floor, a magnetic fishing puzzle, a latch board, a cars rug that he can drive cars on, baseball pajamas, a card matching game, and some money. I was most excited to see his reaction when we unveiled our main gift to him... a Jeep Powerwheels!

 

 

 

 

 

 

He ran right over to it with a big smile on his face! It took him a while to understand the concept of pressing the pedal, but after some more practice, he pressed it in short bouts throughout the house. It quickly became an outside toy as he ran into the furniture and walls. I'm sure he will be driving all over the neighborhood in no time!

 

After a little playing with his toys, it was time for cake! Nico was scared of the flame and wouldn't blow out the candle. That didn't stop him from pigging out on his cake and ice cream though.

 

My dad decorated the cake. Isn't it so cute?! He used to decorate Ryan and my birthday cakes, so I was hoping he would want to start the tradition of doing Nico's too.

 

 

 



 

The party winded down and after everyone left, our little birthday boy wanted to take the Jeep outside...

 

 

 

 

It wasn't too long before he passed out on the couch. (This may have actually been MY highlight of the day since he never sleeps in my arms anymore.)

 

 

 

Happy 2nd Birthday, Nico. You have given your daddy and me the BEST 2 years we could ever imagine!!! Love you so much.

 

 

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

When Nico was born on the day after his birthday, my dad joked that his birthday would go unnoticed every year. We put the unpacking on hold for a big birthday celebration weekend for both of them!

My mom, Nico, and I went up to my dad's work for a little surprise for my dad on Friday. His coworkers organized a fake meeting and were all in a room to sing happy birthday with cake and ice cream. My dad was so surprised and his face was SO red. We laughed that we usually don't get to see that sorta reaction out of him. Right he walked into the room, Nico went running up to him with his arms out. Priceless.

Nico stole the show. I felt like he was a celebrity up there. Pretty funny.

On Saturday, we went up to Bee Cave to hang out for the afternoon. It's a nice area about 20 minutes north of us that has plenty of restaurants and things to do. We landed in a little dive bar for a drink before spending a majority of our afternoon at Waterloo Ice House.

So many of the restaurants here have playgrounds attached. Score for us.

We were pumped that Ryan was able to come down to join the party. He was clutch in winning Nico this little stuffed animal out of the machine. I'm not sure Nico was going to let us leave without winning something. The pressure was on.

Here's the birthday boy and the soon-to-be birthday boy.

After Waterloo, we wandered down to Iron Cactus and found a splash pad.

About that time, Dave, Cindy, and David were coming back into town and we met up with them at Trudy's for dinner near the house. It made for a really fun day, and hopefully my dad enjoyed his birthday!

The time has come...

It's moving day!!!

It really hasn't hit me that I'm leaving the area that I grew up in and also spent much of my adult life! I thought I would be a little emotional driving away, but my excitement about this new chapter has been the predominant feeling. Austin, here we come!

I drove down with Miley and Nico to spend the night with my parents on Monday, while David finished up with the movers on Tuesday.

Apparently Morgan was anxious to go, as she hopped right in the car while we were trying to pack.

A final shot in the garage just before we left. Bittersweet.

Miley was my copilot.

It was a smooth drive and a relaxing Monday night, just hanging out at my parents! I spent Tuesday signing off on all of our paperwork for the new house, running a few errands, and awaiting the moving truck arrival.

So I freaked out at the sight of our entire lives' possessions all thrown and crammed into a truck. Look at that! Don't ask me how the only 2 damages were a cheese tray and a wine glass. It's a miracle! The movers did great and put boxes into the corresponding room. David and I spent the night in our new house for the first time (and Nico stayed with my parents to make things easier). It was hard to know where to start with the unpacking. There were boxes everywhere! It will be a loooong week of unpacking!

Can't wait to make this house a home.

Mimi!

We have been beyond fortunate to know Misty, or as the kids call her, Mimi. I met her 3 years ago when she was a PT patient of mine. She had been teaching preschool for 18 years and was looking to start an in-home daycare around the time that Nico would be born. It was the perfect option for us, as we only needed additional childcare for 1-2 days per week, and I was not on board with the idea of a public daycare. She is such an amazing person and friend, and I had no doubts or concerns with leaving my tiny baby boy with her!

 

Misty has loved Nico as if he were her own, and he always looked forward to the days of going to visit her. It was hard to get him to leave to come home most of the time! She was more than accommodating to us with her flexibility of letting us switch days or being able to watch him with short notice. Misty's daughters also became built in babysitters that we felt comfortable with.

 

He played really well with the other kids, as most of them were around his age. She would have activities for them to do, and there was always a holiday craft that he brought home. We couldn't have asked for a better childcare experience.

 

Here he is with his lunchbox, so excited to see Mimi on his last day!

 

 

And here are some pics throughout the past few months of Nico and his friends!...

 

It's too bad that Nico is too young to have the fond memories of his experience with her! He loves her and her family so much! And so do we.

Chuck E Cheese!

I wanted to make a point to see Coach Zea, my high school softball coach, before we got outta town. She's a really important person to me, and I cherish our continued friendship. When she found out that Nico had never been to Chuck E Cheese, she said that that's where we had to go!

As expected, he had an absolute blast playing games and riding the rides.