Class of 2014 to Class of 2027

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Another big day in the Giosa household.....we no longer officially have a preschooler, just a school age big-boy, who will start Kindergarten in the fall.

His school had a nice little ceremony to honor their graduates, singing some of their classroom songs to show how well they know their colors, alphabet, numbers, and how they greet the day with each other.

They had a slide show capturing the two or three years the kids have spent at the 1st Presbyterian Bucket school; showing a picture of each kid in their cap and gown at the end.

Then each kid got to walk across the stage and get their "diploma" from their teacher (one of Aiden's teachers was really sick and couldn't make it today; such a shame)

It was a great celebration of the amazing two years he has spent at preschool. Aiden has loved school so much and his teachers have been the best. 

I couldn't have asked for a better start to school experience for him. He has made some of his first friendships, too.

 

And this year Aiden had the added benefit of his cousin Rob being in his class and his cousin Will going to the school, too. They had a lot of fun and a great year together.

I know Aiden will go transition well to kindergarten because he's always been interested in learning things, understanding how things work, and retaining the information.  

Oh, The Places You'll Go! We are so very proud of you, Aiden Edward and love you so very much!

10 years gone by....

Today Keith and I celebrate ten years of marriage and yet it seems like yesterday I was getting ready to walk down the aisle.

I still remember the day so well... Full of happiness and excitement.

Keith always likes to remark that I had a goofy grin on my face the whole day, but how could I not? I was marrying my best friend of 14 yrs!

Our wedding was a blast- live band, lots of dancing, lots of laughs, and of course lots of people watching the Flyers in the play offs (it's what happens when you marry in May).

The last ten years have been nothing like I expected or planned. Lots of laughs. Lots of love. Lots of moving, but also lots of unpredictable moments that had lots of tears, too. Keith is just an amazing husband, partner and Dad, and he's my support system and rock. We have had some hard times; some that people are luckiy enough to never encounter. I'm sure we'll have more to encounter in the future, but I know we' ll get through just fine because of our love for each other and support from all of you.

So, as we celebrate 10 years, thanks to all of you for the love and support over the last decade!

Spring is finally here!

I can't believe how long it's been since my last post....I guess it's because we are so boring and have nothing to write about.  Anyway,  first of all we hope everyone had a very blessed Easter- we spent the whole weekend with family. We celebrated our youngest nephew's, adorable Matthew, 2nd birthday on Saturday and Aunt June made it fun with an Easter egg hunt and all.

Then we spent Sunday running around- we went to church and had a wonderful lunch with the Giosas. Aiden and JP were so excited to have time with their cousins 2 days in a  row!! We then headed to Alison's mom and dad to see them and Stacey and Bob and before topping the night off, as we usually do, at Alison's aunts and uncles and all the cousins! It was a great day.

We are so excited that spring is here after a loooonnngg winter! We are in constant motion these days, but I'm sure any parent would say that. I can't believe it's been almost 10 years since Keith and I have been married or that Aiden is closing in on the end of his preschool years or that it's been a year since JPs surgery. But here's an update on our boys...

Aiden...

He continues to love school and learning. He's officially registered for Kindergarten and is growing up way to quickly. We took him to see the Easter bunny this year and his response was, "Mom there was totally a person in that bunny suit". I had no response to that - lol. He was way into Easter this year candy, finding eggs, and all. It's sad to know his years of that are numbered. And he started soccer again a few weeks ago. This year they do basic soccer drills and then at the end play scrimmages.  I'm so proud to say the first week of scrimmage and he scored two goals!! Looking ahead he will start swimming lessons (all by himself) in a few weeks and will be " graduating from PreK May 23.

Jonathan....
Is constantly coming into his own...he's so funny. He isn't like Aiden-wanting to learn, but surprises us with what he knows all the time, and is doing so well with PT. JP is the comedian, but also gives us a run for our money. He is not a great sleeper and is needy at times, but also so darn cute, so defintely a balancing act with this one

A medical update for him-JP  had an Ortho appt in late Feb and the doc was so happy with how well he healed and how well  PT  is going.  We are (or at least expect to be) surgery free this year! We  plan to start his first legthening next spring, were he'll also have an 8 plate at that time too. As far as PT, we still go 2 times per week and JP now goes back by himself, which turns out to be better as he focuses and listens to direction better. They're please with his progress- his squats are good and deep now, he navigates a variety of surfaces and we make sure to take him out on grass and all to help! His stair climbing is getting better and so is his kicking. All in all, they're happy with how far he's come since November. And we're always amazed at his running....now with or without his AFO, he's getting fast! His PTs notice his discrepancy has become greater and suggested a shoe lift, inside his sneaker, to help. It has defintely made a difference, so this just confirms we need to do his legthening surgery sooner then later.

And mom and dad, well were just trying to keep up with our boys. Dad already got a promotion (yay!) at his new job and has to go to CA for training in June.

How can this be....

Today was another big day in the Giosa household. Today was the day we signed my Aiden- "my big boy" (but in my eyes he'll always be my baby) up for Kindergarten. I thought it would be a bit easier to do because he's on the older end of the spectrum, but I still got a little teary eyed...a little sad....a little vaclempted.

The sign up process was easy in itself. But being a Mom of a kid with a peanut/tree allergy, I also had the pleasure of talking to the school nurse. The school he will be going to (Exton Elementry) is very cute and everyone there seems so nice. I feel comfortable leaving my kid in their care...although it doesn't make the thought of this any easier!

Aiden goes to the school in June for an assessment- where they see how he has progress and how well he'll do in Kindergarten. They will also decided then if he'll need some extra time (ie full day kindergarten) learning. We find out in July or August if he's in morning or afternoon kindergarten (our district does it based on where you live). While I secretly pray for morning because I think he'll do better, I hear our area is afternoon.

It so weird to know he'll "officially" start school next year, but we are thankful that he loves PreK and learning, so we know it won't be an issue. Now to start preparing him that his PreK friends won't be in his class next year, especially his cousin Rob.

All in all, I know he'll do amazing next year and the years to follow, but the thought of this kid growing up…learning more each day…being a "big boy" has this Mom feeling overwhelmed and sad that her baby is no more. A part of parenting? Sure…A part of parenting this Momma is ready for? Not just yet- this kid gets a little more independent each day.

Happy 2nd Birthday Jon Paul!

This past weekend, our sweet little baby boy turned 2 (on Feb 23rd) and this Momma is having a hard time with it. Where have the last 2 years gone? Wasn't he just born? Wasn't I just worrying about his surgery?

In a blink of an eye, this sweet face is growing up. Not only grown up, but gone through so much for a 2 year old, more then what most teens or even adults have gone through. He has turned into our little own superman.

Jon Paul had a great 2nd birthday weekend- he got to celebrate with his family (grandparents, aunts/uncles/cousins) this past Saturday. They all came to celebrate our "hero". And while JP took a while to get into the grove, he loved playing with his cousins and was all about everyone celebrating him.

After his "party", JP got to celebrate his actual birthday with his Mommy and brother, we went to the Delaware Children's Museum for a fun day, while waiting for Daddy to come from work to celebrate the end of his special day with some presents, cake and ice cream!

All in all, it's amazing for us to celebrate this little life…this life that seem so unsure a few years ago. This life that had so many complications and uncertainly. But our sweet JP has told us there is no reason to worry, he's "superman" and we just need to get thru the hard times to enjoy the milestones, the successful times, the amazing life he'll have.