Seasons of Change

I love this time of year even though Spring is my favorite. I love the changing of the seasons, the pumpkin and fall themes, the leaves falling, and the moving into the holidays. But my favorite part of this season is celebrating my first baby boy!

 

 

 

On November 20th Aiden turned 8 and as always it was a long celebration (the bonus of having a birthday close to Thanksgiving)

 

We started his celebration with a "surprise" trip to Hershey. We took the boys there overnight and did a package deal at the Hershey Lodge.  It was the kids first time in Hershey and our first stay at the Lodge. It was a great 24 hours. We lucked out because the weather that weekend was sunny and 60 degrees. 

 

We started our trip going to the new indoor water park at the lodge and right there we got our money's worth and could have been done. The kids had such a blast! The facility was so nice and had something for all ages.

 

 

 

And Aiden came out of his shell that night and did and enclosed waters slide. This was huge as it was just a mere suggestion for him to try it and he did it without convincing or anyone going with him, which is just amazing for this kid who is so reserve.

After dinner, we went to check out the "Sweet Lights" which was about a 30 min ride through the grounds with beautiful Christmas lights. The kids loved it and were so excited to see the different scenes.

 

The next day started with Breakfast with Santa and I'm not sure if the kids loved Santa or the Hershey characters more! Either way they were excited to see Santa and counldn't wait to tell him what was on their list! I personally enjoyed the breakfast as it was nicely done and very festive.

 

 

 

 

Then we were off to the park. The kids had so much fun on the rides and it was so nice to do it in warmer then expected weather. We all really enjoyed ourselves and we loved seeing the kids have so much fun.

 

 

 

Then it was time to come and get ready for the real birthday. Keith had to work, but not before we had pancake breakfast and gift opening.

 

 

 

 

 We spent the rest of the day celebrating Aiden's day with my parents and sister and her baby girl....and another cupcake/ birthday song

 

Then Thanksgiving came and we had a great dinner with our family followed up by yet one last celebration for this kid. He was so excited to share his "day" with both set of grandparents, his Giosa aunt and uncle and cousins. Plus, we always have a great time when we get together!!

 

 

 

But someone needs to tell these kids to stop growing!!

Well with the end of  Thanksgiving came the end of Aiden's birthday celebration. (Phew) He said it was awesome and the best, so I will take that as he had a good one. Now we are ready to get into the Christmas spirit.

 

 

Full swing of fall

We are all now well into the fall and the boys are into the routine again

 

Aiden is now in 2nd grade and again doing so well. He loves his homework, enjoys his new teacher, and happy to see all his friends. He once again has an amazing teacher, who was a first grader teacher last year. She moved up with the kids, so I already knew she was pretty cool.

 

He's also been doing fall ball and kept up with swiming. He decided this year to skip soccer (the first time since he was 3)  so he could he could get better at baseball. We are so proud that this kid tries his best and gives it his all, no matter what he does. He's loving fall ball and the "clinics". Aiden is also doing amazing in swimming. He's a different person in the water from last year. Now he now goes under water like a fish and is gliding, kicking and now learning to use his arms. We couldn't be prouder!

 

Jonathan is now in his last year of preschool. We registered him for the 3 day prekindergarten class. He also has wonderful teachers (which we already knew because Aiden had them)! JP is definitely different then Aiden, he's more about playing then learning, but smart too. If it is something he's interested in, he's all over it- like Dinosaurs. He can name almost every kind! We're amazed at what he knows/learns, but doesn't show us until he is ready.
 
Jonathan has also had an active fall. He's done a gym class, which he loved and was so good at! He too is doing swimming and getting better- he moved up a level. He's also doing soccer through his school.
 
JP recently had a follow up Ortho appt that went very well too. His 2 8plates that he got in June are doing what they should be. His doctor was happy with the way his leg looked, so for the time being we are free from procedure and  go back in January for our next follow up!

 

And lastly, we are getting into the spirit of fall and Halloween. The boys got their costumes (they're gonna be Ninjas from the lego show Ninjago). We also went to the pumpkin patch with their cousin (Alison's sisters daughter) this past weekend and have painted pumpkins. Only thing left is to carve our big pumpkin.

 
 

 

 

 

 

An Outer Banks wrap on summer

So summer is ending in the Giosa household. Aiden starts school tomorrow, Monday, August 29th and Jonathan starts the following Wednesday.

We had a great summer and we wrapped it up this past week with our annual trip to the Outer Banks with our beloved friends. Once again it was another week with perfect (albeit hot) weather.

It's always a great vacation filled with lots of pool time, some beach time sprinkled in, lots of laughs, and overall a great (family) time.

This year we had a fish in the pool named Aiden. He has always loved the pool, but was never a fan of getting his face yet. Over the last year, he has been taking swim lessons at Kids First and he has really come a long way. Aiden no longer needs floaties, he was constantly jumping in (with out being caught), and half the time we couldn't  find him because he was swimming under water- lol. We are so proud of Aiden and happy he's so comfortable in the water.

Jonathan also has gotten better with the pool. The early years he was constantly in and out, but this year (again thanks to swim lessons), JP was in the pool a lot and swimming around and even getting his face wet! As they are getting older, it's definitely a lot easier and more relaxing for Mom and Dad. Overall this year pool time was a blast and the swim lessons are paying off!

The beach was hot this year (it's always a gamble in August- we have had some cool weeks and some hot ones), but that didn't stop the boys from having fun. They had a blast digging and playing in the sand, much to their mother's dismay. My beach time is sitting in a chair and watching the ocean and not getting sandy, but for my kids I bite the bullet and just try to enjoy their fun. 

The ocean was a little rough, but Aiden got to enjoy it at the shoreline. He was jumping waves and splashing in it. He's still not comfortable going past his knees, but still seems to love it.

Jonathan claimed he was afraid of the ocean this year. I think he was just mad because he went to fill up his bucket with water the first day and a wave caught it and the bucket washed away. Luckily we did recover the bucket, but JP didn't forget. He also doesn't have great balance when his feet start to sink into the sand and a wave comes,  so he's not comfortable due to the lack of control he has standing. So he just enjoyed watching his brother and the other kids splashing around from the beach.

It was a great family time as always and we treasure our time with our friends who still want to go with us year after year. We all are looking forward to next year!