News from Nooga

Dance Class!!!

2010-09-01T22:23:00.005-04:00

Sofia had her first dance class this week. I was so excited to take her to get her tap shoes, ballet shoes, tights, leotard, and little skirt. Part of my excitement was nostalgic... I used to assist teach a 3/4 year old ballet/tap combination dance class when I was in high school.

What great memories came flooding back as I went in for "showtime" at the end of the ballet portion then the tap portion. Sofia was SO excited!! I just love her to pieces. My baby girl is growing up!

Happy Easter- VERY LATE!

2010-05-21T16:08:00.003-04:00

Well, the Easter Bunny really DID come to our house and we DID participate in an Easter Egg Hunt. I just have been very bad about posting our pictures. We enjoyed a great day together. The kids did pretty well at church- Jack and Ben spent the majority of the mass outside. At least the weather was nice! Jason chased after them outside while I stayed with Sofia inside. Luck of the draw, I guess.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-15T21:17:00.002-05:00

my vow

2010-01-02T23:43:00.002-05:00

I really need to update this again. I apologize to those who check it (anybody there?) and are discouraged to see the latest post as being from the fall of '09. Hopefully this year I will be better. I vow to be! Perhaps that should be my resolution. I think it's a good one. Don't you?

Soccer Sofia!!

2009-09-12T23:36:00.003-04:00

Sofia played in her first soccer game today. Her team is called the Monkeys! She loved it.

Jack and Ben's PT

2009-08-10T23:52:00.004-04:00

Jack and Ben are in Physical Therapy to help them with crawling. Here are some recent pics and videos of them in action.

Jump, Jump, Jump

2009-08-10T23:21:00.003-04:00

It seems that Sofia's fave thing to do at gymnastics is JUMP! Here she is in action:

Dora Pirate Party

2009-08-10T23:17:00.001-04:00

For Sofia's 3rd birthday, she wanted a Dora Pirate Party. It was a hit!

All Hands on Deck!

2009-06-07T19:08:00.005-04:00

Jason and his friend, Rich, (and occasionally others)are building a deck and screened-in porch off the back of our house. We can't wait for the work to be completed. The deck is done except for staining. Here are some pictures of the work in progress.

Fun in the Sun

2009-06-07T08:37:00.006-04:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day- not too hot- and we got to spend a lot of time outside in our backyard. The newly sodded lawn was a great place to hang out. Today, Sunday, we went to the pool after a short stint at mass. Jack and Ben had their first swimming experience and loved it. Later, we took a LONG walk around town and got home nice and sweaty and thirsty! We vowed to never to leave the house on foot without water again!

JACK:

BEN:

SOFIA:>

Happy Earth Day!

2009-04-22T14:27:00.007-04:00

Grandma and Grandpa Pieton left this morning, Earth Day, after a wonderful visit. Their help around the house and with the kids was GREATLY APPRECIATED. We're looking forward to their next visit next month.

The following video is from the Pietons previous visit (in February), but I didn't get to post it before. We thought it was hilarious. As you'll see, Jack is not a big fan of baby food.

Jason and I, the tired Papa' and Mamma, just before leaving for a much-needed date night!

Swing me faster, Grandpa!

Sofia was my little gardening helper. She likes to help water (feed) the flowers.

Jack and Ben exploring the grass for the first time. Notice the newly-laid sod!

Sofia and Grandma exchanging makeup tips

Buona Pasqua (Happy Easter)

2009-04-14T08:21:00.013-04:00

The hunt is on!

Sofia had a number of Easter Egg hunts she participated in this year. We had so much fun watching her gather eggs. My family was able to come and spend Easter with us, which was so nice. We had a great visit and really enjoyed the extra help. We are convinced that we want my sister to be our nanny! She was such a wonderful help along with my mom, dad, and brother. Madison was a great help with Sofia, too. We got to help her celebrate her 10th birthday while she was here. Happy Birthday Madison! Come back again soon!

My brother, Zio Gabe, with Jack and Ben

Valentine's Day Gifts from Grandma and Grandpa

2009-04-06T11:59:00.003-04:00

This is a few months old, but I didn't get to upload it til now. Grandma and Grandpa sent gifts and Sofia was so excited!

Jump for Joy I'm Home!

2009-04-06T04:10:00.002-04:00

Home and Healthy

2009-04-05T08:40:00.003-04:00

I'm happy to report that Benjamin is home from the hospital and doing well with his bottle feedings. His feeding tube had fallen out Wednesday (for the 2nd time) and his doctor allowed him to see if he would decide to eat more from a bottle before putting the tube back in. Well, Ben did well and continues to eat more and more everyday. He's still on a high calorie, hypo-allergenic formula (Neocate) which is $139 for 4 cans! He goes through a can every 2 days. That's been a crazy adjustment.

We're so happy that he is home and I think he is, too!

Ben at the hospital- so happy even though he wasn't feeling well.

Glad to be home

Under the Weather

2009-03-25T07:57:00.005-04:00

Ben has been in the hospital since Thursday morning admitted for Failure to Thrive. This was discovered during a routine checkup with the GI doctor. He had not gained weight since his appointment in January. Prior to January, he was below the growth curve, but was showing growth. Once admitted, pneumonia was also discovered. Reasons for the pneumonia may be acid reflux or aspirating the formula he's getting from his bottle. He is so congested that he cannot get a good latch on the nipple therefore not being able to get much milk down. I think the speech pathologist noted from the swallow study that he gets about 1 swallow of formula down per 12 sucks!

Last evening, Ben's feeding tube (which was inserted nasally down to his intestines) came out! This was probably as a result of all the drainage from his nose and suctioning of boogers.

Tomorrow morning Ben is scheduled for a bronchoscope and endoscopy. The pulmonologist and GI doctor will do these all under the same sedation session so that is good! We look forward to knowing more about what is causing his aspiration and other stuff that may be going on in there. They are both excellent physicians and we have a lot of respect for them. Dr. Jeanie, Ben's pediatrician has also been in daily to check on him and we adore her! The speech pathologist has taken a genuine interest in Ben since his recent swallow study when she noticed his aversion to the nipple, disorganized swallowing, and heavy aspiration. She is working with us to help him with his aversion to the nipple and his latching on. We are so blessed to have such wonderful people all working together to help Ben get better as soon as possible.

I do feel like it is one huge cycle of poor latching=aspiration=pneumonia=poor eating, etc., etc.

Addition or Poop?

2009-02-09T16:24:00.003-05:00

WARNING: you may not want to watch this if you are eating or if you have a weak stomach. You will see poop.

I get by with a little help from Sofia

2009-02-06T12:47:00.006-05:00

Sofia ADORES her fratellini (little brothers) and is always wanting to help us care for them.

Sofia feeding Jack

Sofia feeding Benjamin

Yes we have our hands full!

2009-02-06T12:23:00.004-05:00

Everyone makes comments to us when out in public with the bambini. I must say, however, that the comment, "You sure have your hands full!" is no longer amusing. Don't get me wrong, I love talking to new people (strangers), but this comment has simply been exhausted. The Eleanor of the 80s would respond, "NO DUH!" especially if the comment was made by a certain little sister or brother.

FUTURE GOAL: Have t-shirts made for us to wear that read "Yes, we have our hands full!"

A hands full/multi-tasker in action:

Sweet Potato Sweeties

2009-02-05T09:02:00.006-05:00

Jack and Benjamin have started eating solids. They've really enjoyed peas, sweet potatoes, and carrots. They've also had green beans, but didn't seem to like them as much... YET- but, we'll work on that!

A Happy Ben loves him some sweet potatoes!

A Happy Jack loves him some sweet potatoes, too! The messier the better!

Our Two Happy Boys

Experience the way sweet potatoes make them chatty! They were telling me all about it.

New Year's Eve- Happy 2009!

2009-02-05T08:51:00.002-05:00

Our friends, Sarah and Rich invited us to their house for a lobster boil on New Year's Eve. Rich had driven through Maine 2 days earlier and picked up live lobsters for us. He rigged up a cooler and air pump to keep them alive so they would be fresh. Though we kept listening for the shells to whistle, we never heard them. I thought that's what was supposed to happen!

My dad came down and for a few days and got to celebrate New Year's with us!

Rich and Sarah

Nola, Sofia, Abi, Ben, and Jack

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

PASTA DAY!

2009-02-03T17:30:00.004-05:00

A Captive Audience

2008-12-30T07:44:00.002-05:00

Buon Natale

2008-12-28T23:19:00.004-05:00

We had a very Merry Chattanooga Christmas of our own the Sunday before we left for Ohio. Sofia was VERY EXCITED to get a play kitchen from Babbo Natale, aka Santa Clause.

href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_RFc9ftBdvY0/SVhSHhW5yeI/AAAAAAAABSE/ISRh5Ztbz7w/s1600-h/DSCF4117.JPG">

The happy chef loves making swiss cheese and steak sandwiches!

Little Boys Blue

2008-12-14T10:51:00.005-05:00

My parents' neighbor, Mena, crocheted bonnets for Jack and Ben when they were born. They are so sweet! These really show that the boys have been growing because they barely fit them now!

The first 2 pics are of Ben.

The last 2 pics are of Jack.

COOKIES!!!!!!!

2008-12-14T10:41:00.003-05:00

We've been baking cookies like mad at our house. It's been a fun mother-daughter activity for Sofia and I to do together. Grandpa Pieton got to join in the fun while he was here visiting. Sofia had so much fun decorating cut-outs.

Go Buckeyes!

2008-11-22T12:25:00.004-05:00

Jack, Ben, and Sofia were so excited about the OSU/Michigan game. They got all dressed up in their gear to watch the game.

We even had OSU pasta salad!

Busy Busy!

2008-11-19T10:52:00.005-05:00

Creative Discovery Museum Monster Bash

My favorite kitchen helpers!

at the zoo with friends

Sofia and Jason went to the Creative Discovery Museum a couple Saturdays ago and had a great time.

Tummy Time!

Ohio Road Trip Highlights

2008-11-13T21:37:00.010-05:00

OU Tough Guys become Softies

Sofia, Jill, and a prego Shan!

Hanging out with Natalie

Julie with her hands full

Maddie and Sofia

JIB JAB!

Open gym at Dominic's gym

Amy's backflip!

Heather meets the boys!

Maddie and Zia Jeanette meet the boys

The Dugan Family at the State Cross Country Meet- Go Jerry!

"Tina" and Sofia

Stacey (pre-Mallory) and Evan

Dylan Billock and Sofia at Trick or Treat

Sofia and Jackie's daughter, Chloe'

Uncle Rick changes his first diaper! Jack was his guinea pig. Sofia is cheering him on!

Zio Andrea gets to meet the boys. He is holding Jack here.

I nonni con i nipotini!

Zio Looch and Sofia

McDonald Trick or Treat!

Scarlet, Sofia, and Alexis; Sofia and Alexis are wearing ponchos that I made for them!

Aunt Denise and Cousin Jerry meet the boys

Uncle Corvette Kevie meets his new nephews

Great Grandma Lorraine meets Jack and Ben

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-07T15:58:00.002-05:00

Ready for Trick or Treat

2008-10-15T10:03:00.004-04:00

Happy Halloween! The Pietons getting ready!!

Thanks Aunt Denise!

2008-10-15T08:46:00.002-04:00

Sofia just got a package of books from Aunt Denise that she was so excited to receive.

Autumn Children's Festival

2008-10-04T16:13:00.013-04:00

Today we went to a festival to benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chattanooga. Jason and I had so much fun watching Sofia have fun. Since going through Jack and Ben's whole hospital ordeal, we have come to really appreciate and understand what wonderful things the Ronald McDonald House does for families who have children staying in the hospital. They have the Ronald McDonald House where families from outside Chattanooga can stay. We were able to stay in the hospital room with the boys and had such a nice "escape" in the Ronald McDonald Family Room (RMFR) just down the hall. There was always a hot meal, friendly faces, reading material, hot showers in a nice bathroom, quiet napping room, and a comfortable living room. It was really a home away from home since the hospital room was such a cold, stale environment. We spent so much time cooped up in a hospital room that it was nice to feel like we were leaving the hospital every time we went down to the RMFR for a break. For more information on Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chattanooga here is the website: http://www.rmhchattanooga.com/www

The petting zoo was a huge success. Sofia LOVED it. I thought it was pretty cool, too.

We got free ice cream sandwiches from Mayfield Dairy. Yum!

Though she wasn't interested at first, Sofia soon decided that she wanted a cat face at the face painting table. She did such a good job and sat so still.

Meow!

Strike a cat pose!

Sofia climbed through an inflatable obstacle course.

Jumping in the inflatables was also a highlight since Sofia has recently developed her gross motor skills enough to jump.

At last, my favorite part (it seemed to be Sofia's fave, too) was the horse rides. Sofia was so brave! I couldn't believe that she wanted to get up on that big horse and didn't think twice about being up there by herself. The horse was so big and muscular! We were so proud of her.

Even though Jack and Ben slept the entire 2.5 hours we were at the festival, Ben was pooped out after we got home.

Not Jack, though!

Papa' Jason was pooped out, too.

Sofia has gotten pretty good at stalling when it's time for her nap or bedtime. Hopefully she hasn't inherited her mother's procrastination tactics. Without further adieu, here is Sofia during a stalling session after we got home from the festival way past her normal naptime.

Happy Birthday Will!

2008-10-04T16:06:00.004-04:00

September 28 was Sofia's friend Will's 2nd birthday. He was born exactly 3 months after Sofia and was her first friend in Chattanooga. I met his mom, Kate, at a Strollerstrides mom and baby fitness class.

The boys were all dressed up and ready to party!

Sofia and Will had fun playing on the back porch.

AAAAAGH!

2008-09-29T22:49:00.004-04:00

Watch this video in its entirety and you'll fully understand the title of this post.

Silly Siblings

2008-09-29T16:46:00.002-04:00

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Benjamin

Jack

A blurry, but smiley Ben

Artist at Work

2008-09-24T11:01:00.002-04:00

Sofia loves painting on her easel, a birthday gift from her madrina (Godmother), Heather!
See the artist in action below!

Grandma Cindy and Grandpa Jim's Visit

2008-09-24T10:55:00.003-04:00

Playing in the water outside the aquarium

Follow the leader: Sofia, of course!

I jump in the pool!

2008-09-23T10:23:00.003-04:00

Sofia loved hanging out with Leah and Ike in the pool. They had a great time even though the pool was deflating!

First Day of School

2008-09-23T08:43:00.001-04:00

Sofia posing with her teachers, Ms. Linda and Ms. Sally

Happy Birthday Papa'!

2008-09-21T01:53:00.005-04:00

Sofia has recently gotten a kick out of singing Happy Birthday to everyone (thanks to her cousin Alexis), so she was so excited to sing to her papa' on his actual birthday.

SEMI-TRUCK STROLLER HITS THE ROAD RUNNING!

2008-09-21T01:44:00.002-04:00

Jason's coworkers gifted us a most remarkable stroller that seats ALL the Pieton kiddos. The "semi-truck", as Jason and I call it, has come quite in handy for moving the brood from place to place. I must say that I am quite a sight to be seen when I'm strolling this contraption. As you can see, there is a bench seat for Sofia to sit on (for approx. 3 mins. at a time), which also rolls in to make room for her legs to stand on a platform (she lasts slightly longer at 4-5 mins.), until she decides that she wants to help me PUSH the stroller and I have to walk duck-footed so that I don't trip up on her feet while pushing. Are you trying to picture that? Maybe someday I'll get someone to video that so you can witness this spectacle. Finally, Sofia quite often decides to just run along beside the stroller until she tires and starts the cycle all over again. I guess that's life in the constantly changing mind of a 2 year old.

Healthy, Happy, & Home!

2008-09-21T01:15:00.003-04:00

Sofia is happy to have her brothers home and really fill her big sister role. Hooray! We're all under the same roof. Everytime Friday rolls around we hold our breath. We've had to go to the ER for so many past Fridays, it was becoming quite monotonous. We're now looking forward to lots of healthy home time now!!

Grandma and Grandpa Pieton are Here!

2008-08-19T20:54:00.001-04:00

Recent Hospital Photos

2008-08-18T07:49:00.003-04:00

Nonno and Jack

Nonno and Ben

The whole gang

Kangaroo Care with the boys

Sofia greeting Jack

Nonno & Nonna's Last Day

2008-08-16T12:00:00.004-04:00

My parents left Saturday morning, so Friday night I left the hospital with them and spent the night at home (first time in a week!). We got some Clumpies Ice Cream- yum!- and went to Coolidge Park to hang out for a bit before heading home. We had a great time!

In the Hospital

2008-08-14T16:02:00.003-04:00

Hanging out with Jack and Ben in our hospital room today

Jack has been sleeping all day!

Nonna and Ben

Hanging Out with the Boys

2008-07-20T15:23:00.014-04:00

Jack was just chilling out when we got to the nursery this morning. He had just gotten a bath and was getting ready to eat. We had never before seen him this alert!

Jack, cozy as a cucumber

Jack holding Papa's hand

Jack

Papa' Jason holding Jack

This is Benjamin. He is always fighting these poor nurses who are trying to take care of him.

Benjamin

Benjamin

Ben getting some skin-to-skin time with Mom

Benjamin certainly loves his pacifier- as does his brother.

Bathtime for Ben

Mom, Dad, and Madison's Recent Visit

2008-07-19T02:06:00.005-04:00

Happy 4th of July! We went to Coolidge Park to hear live music and watch fireworks. It was a lot of fun, but so crowded! Next year we're going to have to get there a lot earlier to secure a good spot! We luckily stumbled upon one this year, but it was pretty crowded as you can see from the pics.

Sofia and Madison waited patiently for the fireworks.

Coolidge Park Fountain: Nonna, Sofia, and Madison in center

Fingerpainting! It was Sofia's first experience with fingerpaint and we all had so much fun.

Nonna making homemade pasta for Pasta Sunday. My favorite: cavatelli- yum!

Welcome Boys!

2008-07-19T01:28:00.006-04:00

Sofia's little brothers (fratellini) are here!
They gave their big sister a gift: Dora with her twin siblings dolls. She was so excited since she loves Dora the Explorer!

Big sis Sofia wanted to help her mommy eat her lunch.

Both boys are in the Special Care Nursery where they are getting lots of attention and great care. The nurses are so nice and helpful in answering questions and explaining what's going on to us. Here is Benjamin James. He was born weighing 5 pounds, 1 ounce and loves pulling on all his wires and tubes. He seems to be a scrappy little fighter!

Here is Jack Anthony. He weighed 6 pounds, 5 ounces at birth and went directly to Special Care since he had some fluid in his lungs and had difficulty breathing. He's quite rambunctious as well- arching his back, pulling on his tubes and wires, and removing his electrodes; but he may be slightly calmer than his little brother. I plan to get more pictures where you can see his face and body better. Stay tuned...

When Sofia came to the hospital today to visit her brothers and mom and dad she brought us some of the homemade bread she made with nonna. She is quite the little chef. I didn't get to taste it yet since she wouldn't put it down!

This is a picture of me right outside the hospital early Wednesday morning... my last pregnancy profile shot! My waist measured about 46 inches at its widest part. Whew! That's a big belly!

Jack Anthony's first photo. Is that a butt wrinkle?!

Benjamin James getting weighed. Doesn't he look like he's waving to us?!

The proud new parents with Baby Ben since he got to come to our room with us at first. Hopefully we'll get to take a picture of our whole family together as soon as the boys aren't hooked up to so many wires.

Sofia, Nonna, and Benjamin. Sofia just adores him. Such a loving big sis!

Big Day!

2008-07-11T15:45:00.001-04:00

We found out today that the big baby day will be July 16. That's right, next Wednesday we'll get to meet the boogers in my belly!! Ready or not here they come!

The Dugan Family's Visit

2008-07-10T15:20:00.002-04:00

Aunt Denise, Uncle John, Jerry, David, and Andy came to visit at the beginning of June. What a fun time Sofia had with them! We did, too, of course. :)

Father's Day

2008-07-10T15:15:00.001-04:00

We had a fun Father's Day at the Creative Discovery Museum.

Sunday=Pasta

2008-07-10T14:51:00.004-04:00

Pasta on Sundays has long been a tradition in my family, though nowadays Jason & Sofia do most of the pasta cooking (as my mother can attest to since Jason calls her up every Sunday to "tattle" on me that I'm not making pasta for him). Sofia loves to help us in whatever we're up to and frequently exclaims "I cook!" whenever she observes cooking or mixing or chopping being done.

Relaxing with a book after a yummy pasta pranzo
We often find Sofia here in her room on her chair reading when she is seeking a little alone time.

Happy 2nd Birthday Sofia!

2008-07-02T16:04:00.005-04:00

It's so hard to believe that our little girl is 2 already. We had such a great time at the Creative Discovery Museum celebrating her big day.

Comparing 2006 Belly to 2008 Belly

2008-06-30T00:19:00.003-04:00

Current pic of belly (34 weeks); Yikes!:

Pic of belly when pregnant with Sofia (35 weeks):

33 1/2 Weeks!

2008-06-26T07:50:00.001-04:00

Construction Days 9-12

2008-06-03T20:49:00.004-04:00

The framing and roofing are done! Windows and doors are supposed to be in this week.

rear view

side view

looking out to backyard from kitchen

looking into kitchen from back stairwell

downstairs living area

First Day of School

2008-06-03T20:14:00.003-04:00

Sofia started school today! The teachers said she had a great day and she seemed very happy!

Grandma and Grandpa Pieton's Visit

2008-06-02T13:54:00.002-04:00

Sofia took Grandma P to one of her favorite Chattanooga hangouts: The Creative Discovery Museum.

Day 9 of Construction

2008-05-16T07:31:00.004-04:00

The framing has started despite some showers. We were still surprised at how much got done in what little dry time the framers had. Day 2 of Framing (Friday) is supposed to be a clearer day so hopefully even more can get done!

Construction Days 6-8

2008-05-16T07:28:00.002-04:00

The concrete slab got poured and the blocks were finished up. Now we're onto framing!

BLOCK

2008-05-06T15:11:00.002-04:00

Construction Day 5 (Monday) included laying the first round of block before the concrete slab can be poured. Concrete pouring is tomorrow!

Coolidge Park

2008-05-02T10:59:00.004-04:00

We went to get some ice cream and hung out a little at Coolidge Park after dinner last night. What a beautiful night!

Cornbread Festival

2008-05-02T10:21:00.006-04:00

Last Saturday we ventured to the National Cornbread Festival in S. Pittsburg, TN which is just about 25 minutes from Chattanooga. Unfortunately, the cornbread we had was not too tasty. Even though our friends Stacey and Andrea might disagree, we think this is Tennessee's version of The Pumpkin Show in Circleville, OH.

Sofia held on tight once the carousel started moving

Of course we HAD to pose in front of the "cornbread in the cast iron skillet man/woman"!

Lookouts Game

2008-05-02T07:36:00.002-04:00

We went to watch the Chattanooga Lookouts play last Friday night with some of Jason's coworkers. Sofia was yelling at the players to "Hit the Ball!" and "Go, Go, Go!"

Wyatt, Candy's grandson, with Sofia

Our Busy Thursday!

2008-04-24T16:39:00.025-04:00

Sofia and I started our day with our Kindermusik class. Sofia loves it! Check back for movies. I'm still trying to upload those.

Getting shakers- Sofia's favorite instrument in Kindermusik:

Time to sit for story time:

Flirting!

Then, we made a short stop at the aquarium.

Sofia was pooped and fell asleep on the way home.

Concrete is poured!

2008-04-23T12:35:00.010-04:00

Construction Day 4: Jeff (orange shirt) and Will, Jason's coworkers, came over to help pour the footer on the addition.

Sofia was very intrigued by the whole thing, but she soon preferred playing a game of peek-a-boo.

Tuesday at the Park & Visiting Papa' for Lunch

2008-04-23T08:36:00.005-04:00

Sofia and I went to Chester Frost Park yesterday to meet up with a playgroup. Only one other mom and daughter were there, but Sofia had fun playing with her. What a beautiful day! While it was about 65 while we were there it got up into the high 70s that day.

Then, we went to meet up with Jason for lunch at his job trailer. Sofia even had a poopy diaper changed on the conference table!

Construction Days 2-3

2008-04-21T22:10:00.004-04:00

Putting in a new sewage line:

The footer is dug:

Walking the Baby

2008-04-20T13:30:00.009-04:00

Sofia took her baby on a walk while the workers started on the yard Saturday. This is probably one of her favorite activities right now.

Construction Begins!

2008-04-19T17:51:00.005-04:00

Today we broke ground on our addition!

Here's what the back of the house looked like after the back deck and screened-in porch came down.

Recognize this subcontractor?

The groundbreaking begins!

Sofia with her friends

2008-04-19T12:48:00.014-04:00

Sofia goes to "Lapsit" at the library every Wednesday. Here she is picking out a book to read during reading time.

Sofia and Sophie playing in the kitchen at "Parents Day Out" (PDO) at a church up the street from us- where she goes every Friday.

alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191000141661823410" border="0">Three Musketeers at PDO- Sophie, Sofia, & Ally

There are so many toys to play with! Here is Sofia riding the horsey.

Sofia with Leah and Ike (our neighbors). Leah is 4 and a half and Ike is 2 and a half.

Sofia and Leah hugging.

Short clip of the 3 on the swingset:

Sofia and Ike:

Columbus Roadtrip!

2008-04-19T12:38:00.003-04:00

Since Jason had to be there for work, we went to Columbus early last week. We got to see lots of friends, so it was a great trip.

Sofia and "Tina" reading a story

Sofia and Dominic taking a little rest during their running around at Hound Dog's (where everyone met up for pizza Tuesday night).

Julie and Sofia dancing as Patty looks on

Girls picture (Stacey, Patty, Julie, Me & Sofia, and Shannon); Amy had already left

Cleaning Day!

2008-04-13T17:27:00.003-04:00

Sofia was such a big help to Jason today by helping him sweep the floors.

Storytime

2008-04-09T22:20:00.004-04:00

We went to storytime at the library on Tuesday. The theme was bunnies and Sofia got to make bunny ears. The kids posed for a picture for the newspaper, too!

Will and Sofia enjoyed the library books after storytime.

Sofia's Swim Class

2008-04-09T22:15:00.004-04:00

Grandma and Grandpa Pieton got Sofia swimming lessons for Easter. She loves the water! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Grandpa Pieton's Visit

2008-04-09T22:12:00.002-04:00

Grandpa Pieton came to visit and help us out around the house. He really did a lot and helped us so much! Thank you so much, Grandpa!
Sofia loved when he pushed her on the swing at the park. She has never stayed on the swing for so long!

Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus

2008-04-09T22:11:00.002-04:00

We went to the circus with Stacey, Chris, and Cora a few weeks ago. Sofia loved it! Her favorite was the trained weiner dogs!

Maddie's Visit

2008-03-30T08:53:00.022-04:00

Our niece, Madison, came to visit from Ohio over her spring break. We did a lot of fun things together and Sofia loved spending time with her.

Playing in the water at the Creative Discovery Museum

Creating spring cards at the craft station

Sofia didn't like going fast up on the rooftop

Sofia went down her first covered twisty slide all by herself!

Maddie and Sofia had a great time greeting the animals at the Chattanooga Zoo. Here they're posing by the monkey at the entrance.

Madison with a leopard

We were surprised to find this peacock wandering the pedestrian path, but then realized it was allowed!

The petting zoo was a favorite. This goat tried to eat the map I was holding!

Collision!

2008-03-27T16:35:00.002-04:00

Madison and Sofia had a minor collision with another little girl at Playworld Down Under today. Oops! Lesson Learned: Do not crawl up the slide.

Zio Gabriele's visit

2008-03-27T14:29:00.005-04:00

Sofia's zio (uncle), my brother Gabe, came down to spend almost a week with us. It was great having him here. If we could just talk him into relocating!

Sofia petted a python at the Creative Discovery Museum! I think her favorite part was cleaning her hands afterwards.

The drum show:

New Dance Moves

2008-03-26T20:53:00.003-04:00

Sofia brushed up on some new dance moves while at the Creative Discovery Museum a few weeks ago.

Newly finished knitting project!

2008-03-26T20:51:00.003-04:00

Though she is usually happy to wear it, Sofia is screaming while modeling her poncho for the camera.

Mother's Day Out

2008-02-15T10:04:00.002-05:00

I just got back from taking Sofia to her first day of Mother's/Parent's Day Out at the church up the road from us. She sat in the stroller the whole way there, which is not like her lately. I asked her if she wanted to play with the babies once we got there and she promptly said, "no." I think she's going to be ok. There are 2 other girls just about her same age she was playing with when I left: Sophie and Ally. They were in "the kitchen" cooking. Sofia even gave me a cup of tea before I left! She must know my weakness. As I walked home a sadness swept over me that Sofia is getting to be such a big girl. I'm not going to see her until around 2:30. I know this is a good thing for her and me and a great opportunity to socialize with other kids her age. The tears have stopped for now. :)

Seek cover! Babies! Hi.

2008-02-06T10:04:00.000-05:00

We awoke to a tornado warning this morning. What quickly followed was hail, then a newscaster who stated that a tornado was spotted in the downtown area (about 1-2 miles from our house!) Sofia and I got to the basement and hung out long enough for me to fold a batch of laundry. When we came back up the tornado warning was over for our area and had moved on to haunt more northeastern counties/cities of Tennessee. The news mentioned about 30 people had died in Tennessee from the tornadoes.

After a storm-crazy morning in Chattanooga, the world is quiet. All I hear is Sofia's new noise machine. We got one to replace Greta's- which we grew to love. Oh... and every once in awhile I hear Sofia talking to her dolls, her "babies". A few moments ago I heard her shout "BABIES!" Then, calmly, "Hi." All is quiet again. Except for that wonderful rushing air sound. Life is beautiful.

Our camera is on the fritz again, so I'm not able to post new pictures right now. Working on that.

We Love Johnny

2008-01-30T15:27:00.000-05:00

Father-Daughter Cash fans during a horsey-riding session

A Preference for Independence

2008-01-30T15:19:00.000-05:00

Miss Independent says "I'll Walk- Thank You". Sofia has a newfound dislike for her stroller and prefers walking and running as her means of transportation. When we need to "keep her contained" our Ergo-carrier (http://www.ergobabycarrier.com/) is still a Godsend, but I'm sure that will soon be left in the dust as well.

Buon Natale!

2007-12-17T21:07:00.000-05:00

Since we're leaving for Ohio this week, we celebrated Christmas (Natale) on Sunday. It was so fun watching Sofia get excited about her presents. She got an activity table and lots of puzzles, books, bath toys, and clothes. We were together and enjoyed the day. What a wonderful Christmas!

Sofia and Will's Wrestling Match

2007-12-13T12:22:00.001-05:00

Will came over a few Sundays ago and he and Sofia had fun playing and wrestling. I'm not sure if Sofia liked the wrestling as much as Will did, though.

Meet George

2007-12-13T11:07:00.000-05:00

George the Elephant was once Sofia's friend Dominic's. He passed him down to Sofia when he was finished playing with him. Sofia loves George!

Scrub a Dub Dub

2007-12-01T20:10:00.000-05:00

We have a blast giving Sofia a bath. She has definitely captured our hearts.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-12-01T18:18:00.000-05:00

We stayed in Chattanooga for Thanksgiving and had a wonderful, relaxing long weekend. Jenny and Will had us over for Thanksgiving dinner and on Friday we got to go to the downtown boat parade and lighting celebration. It was beautiful but awfully chilly for Chattanooga! We had to bust out our winter coats, hats, and gloves! Sofia's Great Aunt Cathy sent her a cute "Little Gobbler" t-shirt to wear.

Columbus trip highlights

2007-11-21T15:51:00.000-05:00

Here are more pictures from our recent trip to Columbus. We got to see Jason's cousin Jerry run in the state cross country meet, so that was really cool! Great job Jerry! We got to spend some time with our good friends and also some family, which was so nice. What follows are many photo ops with Sofia.

OU gang with Sofia

Ryan and Sofia

Michael and Sofia

Sofia got a massage from Amy

Cousin David and Sofia

Stacey and Sofia

Jenny and Sofia

Shannon and Sofia

Evan met us for breakfast at Panera

Susan is a good friend of mine from my Olentangy teaching days. She's a librarian at the school where I taught and we still keep in touch. She met us at the park near Kyle and Stacey's house so Sofia could get some swinging in!

Even Tatum Lowe got in on the pictures!

Cousin Andy and Sofia

Great Aunt Denise with Sofia at Buca di Beppo

Pieton Brothers and Pieton Cousins at Buca

Andrea and Alexis at Buca

Sofia and her Great Uncle John reading a story

State Cross Country Meet Pictures

Aunt Denise with 2/3 of her boys

And there's the 3rd son, Jerry. He was the 2nd freshman to cross the finish line. Way to go Jerry!

Jerry and his posse/cheering section

The girls cheered really hard

Our last night in Columbus at Shannon and Ryan's house. We celebrated my birthday with some great cake courtesy of Dan and Karla!

My parents came back to Chattanooga with us on the jet!

We were proud of them for getting on such a little plane. They did great!

Alexis and her parents come for a visit

2007-11-21T09:50:00.000-05:00

The Pietons came down to visit us in Chattanooga for the first time. What a great time. Come back soon!

Cousins, Alexis and Sofia, had a blast playing together!

We went to the park near our house to play.

The adults got to play, too!

Enchanted Maize with the Webbs

2007-11-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

Our church's moms' group organized a trip to the Enchanted Corn Maize at the end of October so we went! It was fun, though the maze was a little beat up since it was the last day for it. Chris, Stacey, and Cora went, too!

The Pietons

Chris, Stacey, and Cora

Stacey, Cora, Sofia, and Me

Trick or Treat!

2007-11-17T09:55:00.001-05:00

We went to Columbus to surprise some friends on Beggars' Night. Here we are at Jenny and Aaron's.

Sofia was a ladybug. Or, as Dominic would say it, a yadybug!

For a friend's Halloween party in Chattanooga, Sofia was an OU cheerleader. Here we are in the jumping thing they had rented for the party. It was crazy in there!

This year, I managed to make Madison's pirate costume! Hardy har har

Go Bucks!

2007-11-17T09:52:00.001-05:00

We're getting ready for the big game today. Sofia's ready!

Insulation-blowing Saturday!

2007-11-01T09:08:00.000-04:00

We spent most of last Saturday blowing insulation into our attic. I was outside unloading the bags into the machine whilst Jason was in the thick of it at the other end of the hose up in the attic. Sofia was napping! Here is a picture of what Jason looked like after we were all done.

It's raining it's pouring!

2007-10-30T15:07:00.000-04:00

It was a rainy day- er, week- in Chattanooga last week. Sofia had her raincoat and purse and was ready to go to "our" piano lesson.