Celebrate Good Times

All three at one time.......Nonna, Aunt Shan, and Auntie Kay!! What a wonderful way to start out the month of November. My mom came out first and two days later Shanna and Kayla arrived together. The weather might be getting colder and darker but inside the Cerniglia household it is warm and bright. And it gets better........Clarke is coming the beginning of January. I think I need to plan a monthly visitor rotation calendar because having my dad here and then my mom and sisters was just what the doctor ordered. Gage adored the attention and was quick to bond with each of them. Family time included the non-negotiables --- shopping, eating out, games, movies, and lots of chillin' and talkin' time. I can't wait until we get to move out there and be closer to family. Countdown begins in June 2012!!

Eating a Tootsie Roll with Nonna

Surprising Aunt Shan and Auntie Kay at the airport

Gage LOVES to shares his food with other people.....with that comes his expectation though that people also share with him :)

What does a little guy do to stay entertained while shopping???? Gage has several suggestions for the man in need of ideas..........

1.Push around the stroller

2.Talk to your "peeps"

3.Check yourself out in the mirror (apparently Gage thinks he's looking pretty good because he is smiling right back at himself!) Shout out to Aunt Shan in the background :)

4.Dance, yes that's right fellas, dance! It doesn't matter the moves.....just shake it! Gage got lots of attention with his dance moves and once he realized the ladies were watching he kept on boogin'!

5.After all that there will be a line waiting to give you attention and the girls will forget about their shopping and focus on you!

We took the family to one of Gage's favorites --Organ Piper (or shall we say one of the few public restaurants we can take Gage to and enjoy a quiet meal at). Gage loves to listen to the music and watch the other kids dance. Since Gage got such a great reaction from grandma and the aunts dancing at the mall, he decided to keep the entertainment going by letting loose on the dance floor at the flashy Organ Piper! :)

The kid has major confidence.....hitting on an older girl

Dancing on the ceiling...No.....Dancing on the table....Heck Ya!!

Vacation Pictures Part 2

ZOO DAY!

It worked out perfectly that Milwaukee County Zoo had a free public zoo day while the fam was visiting. Fun was had by all ages at the zoo!

Shan and Kayla loved the penguins

Gage was so mesmorized by the fish that he couldn't take a break from looking at them (I probably looked like a zoo animal moving around and desperatley trying to make any noise I could to get him to turn around for a picture:)

Pushing--Of course Gage CAN'T let an opportunity go by without pushing anything with wheels

The Polar Bear stole the show and was a unanamous favorite. Gage even said "bear" while we were there.

Baby lion cubs were recently born so this area was packed! Gage and Shan are getting a peek as best as they can

Nonna really wanted to ride the train so Shan and Kayla went to get the car while Gage, Nonna, and I rode the train. Standing in line (or at least trying to stand in line) with Gage was tedious but well worth it as he loved the train ride!! When it came time to get off he cowered in the back corner of the train making it difficulty for me to get him out. Gage's removal was followed with Gage's best public meltdown thus far :(

The Bullet and her accomplice! Gage loves to clean, Aunt Shan loves to clean........I love a clean house! It works for us all :)

Winding down after a day of activities with Auntie Kay

Of Course there's a Part 3!

Monkey Joe's

Three reasons Gage hated Monkey Joe's

1.The Wristband

2. The Unstable Ground (which I thought he would love bouncing on)

3. Not being able to balance A.k.a.- unstable ground!

Three reasons he loved Monkey Joe's

1.Going down the slide

2.Crawling up the slide

3.The push car

* Note to self - Just save time and money by going to the park :)

Precious moment caught on camera

Every morning Shan would exercise and Gage would always watch her put on her tennis shoes. So when Shan brought down her suitcase and was getting ready to zip it up, Gage saw Shan's shoes and thought he would help her with her morning routine---he didn't understand that the suitcase downstairs meant she was leaving :(

This was Gage's face as they got out of the car without him at the airport! So sad!!! He started crying and then I started crying so we had a tearful drive home

Thankfully Nonna stayed a little longer so our spirits could be lifted back up

Gage and Nonna playing their version of "basketball"

We went to Fudducker's (the 2nd of 2 places we can go safely with Gage) the night before my mom left to go home. I left the table to go get a to-go box and came back to these two laughing hysterically.....I think over a falling cup?? :)

I shouldn't smile....or laugh

I shouldn't smile or laugh when I see Gage making a bad choice because then he thinks it's funny too and he can do it again. But can you blame me when he gives the reaction he did below?? Doesn't it make you smile too?!!!

I went to switch the laundry and when I came back I saw that Gage had found one of the coveted possessions Grandpa left behind.......a carpenters pencil!

I quickly said, "Gage! What are you doing?" Now at this point I was sporting the "serious mom face" look

But........when he did the unexpected and swiftly covered up his "art work," a little smile began to break out and my "serious mom face" began to dissipate

Seeing me smile he knew if he was going to make a break for it, now was his chance.......

 

And as he did, I couldn't control the laughter...... and neither could he because he knew he had accomplished a feat......getting to draw on the wall AND getting mom to laugh about it :)

 After he ran away I brought him back for a little photo op so the artist could pose by his masterpiece

Yes -- I haven't erased it yet, I just don't have the heart because it makes me smile when I walk by.

No -- he hasn't been able to keep getting away with things just because he has a clever reaction. Gage is now starting to understand "time out." But it's hard not to let a few slip through the cracks...:)