Pulcini's

Violet Elizabeth is here!!!

2011-10-20T11:43:00.002-05:00

Introducing Violet Elizabeth Pulcini

Born: 10/20/11 at ~8:17 am, wt: 7 - 1 oz, length: 20 1/4 inches

First family picture

Violet Elizabeth

Mommy and Baby

Big Brother Isaac - unsure about Violet - hestitantly touching

Watermelon Boy

2011-08-25T19:43:00.002-05:00

John loves to have watermelon in the warm summer months. Isaac decided that he would "help" his Papa. While John was scooping up already cut pieces of watermelon and putting them in a bowl, this is what Isaac was doing. I had to laugh when I saw Isaac taking a huge bite out of the rind of the watermelon . . .

so we turned the piece around and let him try it again. This little boy loves food!

If anyone ever needs to advertise for watermelon, we know just the kid. So CUTE, I could eat him up!

Hot Dog Days at the Zoo

2011-07-16T19:15:00.000-05:00

The days have definitely been "dog hot." But this particular Saturday in July, the weather was beautiful and the zoo was sponsoring a Hot Dog Day with cheap hot dogs, chips, sodas and ice cream. While the zoo was packed and it was hard to enjoy the animals, the food was cheap and good. As you can tell from the pictures, Hot Dog Day was a huge hit with the Pulcini boys (I think that they each ate three)!One of Isaac's favorite foods is hot dogs. He often can't eat the bun but the hot dog inside always brings a grin! This is number two of three for this one and a half year old.

Papa ate his share of hot dogs too!

Even our pickiest eater enjoyed a huge meal of hot dogs today.

Pointing out the giraffes to Mom

Boys enjoying some bonding time:)

Children's Museum with Friends

2011-06-16T18:58:00.001-05:00

John's best friend from high school came to visit us in SC with his wife and youngest daughter. We had a great time showing them the town and catching up.Isaac playing at the water table.

Grantham and Ruthy trying to redirect the flow of water.

Discovering and getting wet!

Playing in the sprinklers - Grantham had a blast, Isaac was very hesitant but enjoyed watching other kids get soaked

Random happenings in May

2011-05-30T19:16:00.006-05:00

Just some random pictures of the Pulcini's activities in May:

Brotherly Love
Grantham enjoys helping in the yard, especially when demolition is involved.

This is more Isaac's idea of helping

Every morning the boys watch their Daddy (Papa) leave for work: two honks and a wave "goodbye"

I have no clue what caught their eye while they waited to wave goodbye to their dad - must have been interesting to catch both their attentions.

A favorite game of Grantham's that he has now introduced to Isaac - being pulled around in a blanket by John - thank goodness for hardwood floors, when this game was first introduced John had to pull Grantham around on the carpet (Don't think that would be happening with two)

Grantham's K4 Graduation

2011-05-25T19:31:00.002-05:00

Grantham had a great experience in K4. His teacher said that he loved to help her in the classroom, was super smart and was always ready with an answer. From home we watched Grantham grow and learn how to be a friend, especially to children who needed extra help, develop impressive math skills and begin sounding out words. Watching Grantham "graduate" was bitter sweet. Next year he will go to Kindergarten and be gone five days a week. He is ready academically but Mommy is not ready to see him go! Waiting his turn to receive his "diploma."
Showing off his diploma to one of his classmates.

Singing a song about being ready to go off to Kindergarten. Grantham singing and doing motions was a huge improvement over the beginning of the year when he would hardly make eye contact during the assemblies.

Two wonderful teachers who helped Grantham to shine!

We are having a . . .

2011-05-23T20:28:00.002-05:00

After a roller coaster of a first trimester, we found out today that we are having a GIRL! Grantham has been wanting a sister, so we were so excited to share the news with him and now all of you! I will add a few pictures to this post at a later date. But we couldn't wait to share the fun and exciting news.

Strawberries Everywhere

2011-05-14T19:12:00.003-05:00

I really enjoy picking strawberries with the boys each year. This year the kids were a great help both eating and picking:) The following are just a few fun pictures we took:

Grantham showing off how big the strawberries are that he is picking.

Isaac helping out.

Daddy was even able to come and help.

Eating OR Picking???

Isaac showing off the "left-overs" of his strawberry

From the mess on Isaac's face you can probably tell that he ate as many as he picked. We actually caught him taking the strawberries out of our containers, eating a bite and then throwing them back into the strawberry plants (hiding the evidence).

Misc. April

2011-04-30T18:05:00.000-05:00

Having fun and hanging out in April.As John would say, "Harvard, here we come." We can't seem to help Isaac understand that he keeps putting this space hat on backwards. So he bumps around the house trying to see out of the bottom of the hat instead of looking through the clear visor that should be in the front. Funny Boy! Maybe he can get into college with his adorable smile? (Peek)

Grantham continues to excel in sports of all kinds. This was a class field trip to a TaeKwonDo clinic. John was able to get off work and go with him. Other parents were commenting about how impressive he was and that he must have taken lessons before (no one knew John was his dad - it was a proud day for John)! While this was Grantham's first experience, we will probably try out some classes in the Spring. He had a great time!

This Spring we tried out baseball (tball). We had a wonderful Christian coach who taught Grantham A TON. Grantham continues to dominate with his left hand when it comes to sports, even though he is righty when he writes. The sport was less active than we had hoped but Grantham had a great time and made a lot of new friends.

Easter

2011-04-24T18:30:00.001-05:00

Easter Morning Doing my own thing?
Posing for Nana's camera

Dying Easter eggs - a fun tradition at Nana's house

Isaac's first time to get in on the fun

The "pro" showing us how it is done

The beginning of a VERY big mess - Isaac created beautiful eggs and . . .

HANDS

- it took soaking his hands in bleach and a bath to get most of the color off

- I know my mom never let us have "this much fun" :)

Isaac caught on really fast to the game of hiding and finding eggs. He had no clue there was anything inside the eggs but he loved hunting for them and collecting them in his basket!

Grantham had a blast hunting for eggs. After he was done finding his, he helped some other younger children. It warms my heart to see him caring and helping others.

Reaching deep behind a tree to retrieve an egg (we hide them really well).

A hot but successful afternoon of Easter egg hunting

Starting a new tradition - making reserection rolls the night before Easter

Hard at work in the kitchen Making a yummy mess - they were a huge success for breakfast the next morning

Grantham's 5th Pirate Party

2011-04-02T18:49:00.005-05:00

Grantham decided to have a "boy" birthday party. He invited 8 of his friends that were boys. Nana, Pawpaw and Auntie Kara came to help with the party. Grantham designed his own cake. Drawing a picture for me to copy for his birthday cake - I was pretty impressed with his ideas (the orange is an octopus leg coming out of the ocean to grab the treasure).

As guests arrived, they created flags and decorated treasure chests.

Isaac and Pawpaw even created a flag:)

Time for cake and ice cream - Grantham blowing out his candles.

Let the treasure hunt begin - Daddy lead his band of pirates to attack the boat with water balloon cannons.

After boarding the boat, they attacked the "bad guys" (balloons) with swords (bambam sticks). They cornered them and put them in the holding cell.

A loose cannon was found (hot potatoe), the losers had to walk the plank. The winner discovered a treasure map!

Grantham walking the plank!

Down the stairs as they followed the treasure map.

Finding the missing piece of the map proved to be a challenge . . .

on they searched through a tunnel, over the river and around the cannons

Until they found the X that marked the spot. Hidden under some pillows was a treasure chest full of "goodies." The loot was divided up for each guest/pirate and they took them home in their treasure chests.

Enjoying a pirate game that Grantham received at his party.

Florida with Grandma and Pepaw

2011-03-12T20:02:00.005-06:00

Enjoying the spoils of a meal cooked together
Waiting to get into Disney Epcot

So excited to meet Mickey again

Isaac was not so sure about Goofy but Grantham loved meeting all the characters - we had NO line and were lucky enough to be the second people in line for the day

Isaac dancing with Grandma - when you stepped on the musical instruments pictures on the floor they played a song - Isaac and Grantham could have stayed here all day

One of the things Grantham was most looking forward to on this trip was a visit to the Lego store - he could have spent our life savings in the store!

Checking out the Lego wall

Creating a Lego man - SO FOCUSED

Too cute picture of Isaac waiting for Grantham while he was in the Lego store

Enjoying the pool

Meeting an astronaut at the Kennedy Space Center

Trying out a rover on the moon

Talking with a retired astronaunt

Past rocket ships

Putt-putting with Pepaw for the first time

Pepaw teaching Isaac how to putt

Cute picture with Grandparents at the end of the trip

Atlanta and Auntie Melanie

2011-02-19T19:54:00.003-06:00

One of John's sisters, Melanie, lives in Germany. We don't get to see her much but she had a free weekend in Atlanta so we decided to join her for a day. We had a great time discovering the aquarium! All of us at the start of the adventure
Enjoying the beautiful weather

the penguins loved following Grantham's hand motions - not sure why, but it was fun to watch him direct the birds around the tank

Brotherly love?!?

The boys watching the manatees

A quick snack outside the aquarium - long but fun day in Atlanta

Drums

2011-02-08T19:50:00.002-06:00

Isaac like his big brother loves music and the kid drum set is a BIG hit:)

It is so fun when Isaac comes to get me, pulls me into the playroom, points to a chair and "puts" on a show. He loves to sing at the top of his lungs while he BANGS on the drums.

Monster Trucks

2011-01-29T19:40:00.002-06:00

John and Grantham had a father/son night out on the town. They took on the monster trucks at the BI-LO center. Grantham has become facinated by smashing and crashing and John loved going with one of his childhood friends as kids. We bought front and center tickets; we thought this would be a huge success . . .The arena This is the face says it all - John put ear plugs and ear muffs on Grantham to try to block out the noise but nothing made him happy
Grantham's favorite part was sitting in the concessions outside the arena eating popcorn, watching the trucks on the TV and purchasing this Lego monster truck (which he used to re-enact the show over and over again as if he loved it). Note to parents: NOT something we will be wasting our money on again - definately not Grantham's "thing"

Snow in SC - really???

2011-01-10T19:21:00.004-06:00

Greenville received 6 -10 inches of snow in early January. The town had NO idea how to cope with that much snow. Thankfully the Pulcinis had just gotten back from skiing and were well equiped - but BOY WAS IT COLD! Grantham trying to scrap off the driveway - after living in IN for 6 years we learned that you have to clear off the driveway the first day it snows or you will be sorry (It was funny seeing our neighbors out three days later with pick axes trying to break the ice)

Isaac ready to face the cold

Mommy and Isaac trying to walk

Building a snowman with Daddy

TA-DA the final creation - berries for hair, Ritz crackers for eyes/noses, balloon for a mouth

Isaac watching from the window - it proved to be too cold for this little boy

Just Hanging out in January

2011-01-03T19:13:00.003-06:00

Helping Mommy clean - one of my boys "fun" activities - hope they never grow out of wanting to help!

Filling Papa's Shoes

Working at the craft table -so proud of my work:)

Drawing with magnets

Just hanging out - stuffed animals have become a favorite toy at our house - great for wrestling, fighting, cooking for and sometimes just snuggling

This is what happens when Mommy turns her back for too long!

An overview of Sept- Dec 2010

2010-12-30T19:01:00.000-06:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

2010 Christmas

2010-12-05T19:07:00.001-06:00

Sweet Holly Story Christmas 5x7 folded card

Shop Shutterfly.com for elegant Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Gingerbread House with Auntie Kara

2010-11-25T20:13:00.000-06:00

Auntie Kara came down to visit and watch Grantham's school Thanksgiving program. She brought a special treat with her - a Gingerbread House!
Discovering all the goodies needed to decorate and build the gingerbread houseA Cute pose with Santa (sadly the only one we got this year)Constructing the houseDecorating the gingerbread houseBig smiles at how messy they are gettingThe End Result

Family Vacation- Myrtle Beach

2010-11-05T19:43:00.000-05:00

Our family decided to get away for a few days. Since it was November, we got a great deal on a condo that had an indoor waterpark. We all enjoyed ourselves and can't wait to go back again soon!

Pictures at the indoor waterpark:

My boys:)

On the beachCatching the birdsWater slide - Grantham must have gone down the water slides 100 times. Even though he went down the slide many times by himself, Grantham loved having his mom and dad ride down with him.

Medieval times - the boys LOVED watching the knights as they competed in this tornament show

Worn out children after a full vacation

Fall Activities

2010-10-30T19:09:00.000-05:00

October has been filled with many fun outdoor activities for our family as we enjoy the beautiful fall weather!
Grantham joined a soccer team - he learned a ton about good sportsmanship and being a tough young man. It was fun to watch him at practice as he became the team encourager - cheering on all his teammates. He played with all his heart (often in 100 degrees, red faced, and drenched in sweat); this little boy never stopped, he practiced as hard as he played the games. While he never scored a goal, he assisted many points (a huge success for a four year old). passing the ball to a teammate

Climbing trees TOGETHER - these boys love to do activities together

Grantham in a climbing tree in our backyard

A proud boy - climbing a tree all by himself - when we were fixing the backyard in our new house we wanted to cut down this tree but Grantham convinced John and I to save it so that he could enjoy it! It has proved to fill many hours for both boys.

My two BEAUTIES

Halloween - Grantham wanted us to go as characters from Peter Pan. Grantham-Peter Pan, Isaac - Lost boy, John - Captain Hook, me - Tinker bell I don't know how many more Halloweens Grantham will want to dress up together. We are enjoying his excitment!

Isaac's first birthday September

2010-10-01T18:38:00.000-05:00

I am embarrassed by how long it has been since I posted something worth while. But I am determined to get back in the habit! I love looking back and reflecting (also it is great so that I can keep up with our family albums too). Here is Isaac's birthday party - small, family party with egg/diary/nut FREE cake.
A train cakeBlowing out the candles with big brother and MommyIsaac did not love the cake but he ate every marshmallow and wanted more.trying the cake- more like smashing it between his fingers
His favorite gift (a huge box of balloons) This little boy is growing up WAY TOO FAST! He is such a delight. At one Isaac is not talking very much - he kind of says "brrrr" (brother), "baaa" for ball and balloon, "mmmm" for Mom. He enjoys playing by himself and can often be found by himself in the playroom drumming on Grantham's drum set, throwing around ballls, or playing in the pretend kitchen. He is such a content child who makes the whole world smile with him. If he is crying, you know he is hurting. He likes to "pretend" to share (handing an object to you and then reaching for it after just a few seconds have passed). He loves to eat Chickfila french fries and Tyson chicken nuggets. It is not uncommon for him to finish a large fry by himself. While Isaac is still very allergic to eggs, diary and nuts, our family has adjusted our diet and found many foods we can all enjoy together at meal times. Music continues to be enjoyed at our house - Isaac loves to dance and hum along with any music that is playing or being sung. He will point at Elmo (knowing he is related to the sesame street song) and start to wiggle his bottom. I love to watch my two boys interact whether it is sharing trains and teddy bears or wrestling Daddy on the floor.

11 months old

2010-09-19T20:26:00.002-05:00

Two beautiful pictures of the boys: Nana made these cute matching outfits for the boys. I can't believe how grown up they are!

I know this picture looks the same as the one above, but look how sweet their hands are (holding on to one another). Grantham is such a WONDERFUL big brother.

Isaac at 11 months - babbling all the time - making all kinds of sounds - we are expecting him to start talking any day now (says mummm "mama", bu bu "brother", bba "ball" or anything round, puuuu and pants heavily for "dogs") - walking/running everywhere while holding on to someone's finger (we know he can let go but are not encouraging it) - loves to do exactly what brother does (just starting to be a little annoying to brother) - eating all kinds of food but still likes baby food - trying to drink from a sippy cup - still loves to nurse, especially before rest time - crawling up steps - throws balls to people - puts everything in his mouth (seems to especially like acorns?) - has six teeth

Isaac's first Haircut

2010-09-19T20:13:00.003-05:00

When Mommy saw this picture of me, she finally gave into Daddy's request to give me a haircut.

Two days later at Nana's house, the before pictures were taken.

Another before picture

And the haircut began . . .

Oh NO Mommy just a little off the top!

Isaac did wonderfully and Mommy was so relieved.

A few sweet after shots - I do agree with John that he looks so much better with his haircut. But doesn't he look more grown up too, I am not ready for my baby to grow-up.

Aren't the flowers beautiful

Another boy who LOVES being outdoors!

walking and crawling all in one

2010-09-13T13:16:00.004-05:00

Not long after we moved . . . Isaac decided to start crawling. One day he was sitting on the floor watching everyone, the next day he was pulling himself around with his arms dragging his legs behind and then he just started crawling on all fours. I don't know if we even have any video of the funny army crawl; it all happened so fast.

Love the toe point. I think because he started crawling so quickly, he kept changing how he wanted to crawl (on all fours, a bottom scoot or this way with on foot to the side using the other three to crawl)

Oh did I forget to mention six days after he started crawling, he got up and started cruising around the house (hanging on to walls, boxes, chairs). What child goes from sitting stationary to walking in seven days? I guess it is time to look into kid gates again:)

Can you tell he is proud of himself!?! Love this little boy!

Biking with Daddy

2010-09-13T13:09:00.003-05:00

We love to go biking as a family (well before Isaac was born anyway). John decided that it was time to try Isaac in Grantham's old seat. While John said that Isaac's head kept hitting the back of the seat (thank goodness for helmets), the first bike ride was a success. Now if we can just find a new neighbor who would let me borrow their bike (thanks Mr. Kenneth)! After a long hard ride;)

My boys (always ready and posed to fight off "bad guys.")

What the Pulcini's do while moving

2010-09-12T19:55:00.005-05:00

Okay so I told John after our last move (#6 in nine years) that I would not move again unless we had professional movers. While it wasn't as great as I was hoping it did leave us more time for enjoying goofing off instead of packing! Here are some of our "extra" time pictures:) Grantham has always enjoyed being placed in the laundary basket but this was Isaac's first experience. I think he enjoyed himself!

I love the hands in the air like he is on a roller coaster.

legos consumed a lot of the three days that the packers and loaders were getting us ready to move. I didn't realize how unchild friendly movers were. Every where we were we seemed to be in the way. We found a little corner in the dinning room behind boxes that had already been packed and built many Lego creations. Also we put Isaac in the bathroom for his naps ( I wish I would have gotten a picture of that). It was the only "safe" place - your home is not your own when professional move you - they can walk into any room at any time to move a box or pack your stuff. A very strange experience that I am greatful for (in hours they packed what would have taken me months).

While waiting for our stuff to arrive, Grantham showed his artistic abilities with blue tape on the floor:)

A closer look at a "budding" artist. I wish I would have written it down but I think he told me it was an angel.

The artist and his work of art

More entertainment - can you tell what this is? Grantham found my camera. I won't show you all 200 plus pictures he took but this is one of my favorites.

Is this called a self portrait? Another of the camera pictures

Finally our stuff arrives and the boys decide to "dress up." This picture makes me smile - you can just tell how much they love each other!

Grantham was such a good sport through this whole move. He just rolled with the punches. One day while I was unpacking he "prepared" a show for me. This is a few pictures of the hour long show he performed when I took a break from packing:) Future BLACKMAIL - I think so;)

My boy loves music!

Saying Goodbye to Mississippi Friends

2010-09-12T19:40:00.001-05:00

It is so hard to say Goodbye to Friends. We hope to keep in touch with all of you! I have no clue why this picture would not turn but I tried to download it twice without any luck? Some of the kids from the allergy/immunology group that John trained with. We wouldn't have survived without them!

We had two of the GREATEST teenagers living across the street from us in MS. William and Sarah you are always welcome at our home. They made Grantham feel like a KING. He thinks everyone should want to play with him no matter what their age. It always made me smile to watch them play Grantham tried to keep up with them no matter what the activity - baseball, soccer, scootering. In fact the first few weeks we lived in SC, Grantham kept insisting that we go knock on our neighbors doors. He was convinced that EVERYONE wanted to play with him:) This picture is one that Grantham drew of William:)

Having fun with another neighbor. These two called each other brother and sister. It was great for both of them!

Enjoying one of our last nights in MS! Come visit us; we miss all of you!!!!

Memorial Weekend

2010-06-01T14:03:00.003-05:00

John was off for Memorial Day weekend and he has been wanting to visit Vicksburg before we move, so off we headed on Monday. Below are a few of the pictures we were able to take during our day. It was a great day to learn about some of our history and spend quality family time together!The boys and I infront of one of the many memorials to the men who died here!Grantham was fascinated by everything. I don't think he really understood it all but it was a start. Cute story: We live across the street from an older couple. The husband fought in Korea. He has told us a few stories about the war. Grantham kept asking "Did Mr. Kenneth carry a sword?" "no" "Did he have a gun with a sword on the end of it?" we kept trying to explain that the Civil War was a long time ago and Mr. Kenneth's great-grandfather might have fought in the Vicksburg Battle but Mr. Kenneth was not old enough. Grantham just didn't get it. Mr. Kenneth is the oldest person he knows . . . how could anyone be older? two beautiful boys in front of Cairo - a Civil War boat they have pulled out of the river and partially reconstructed

John and Grantham with one of the MANY cannons we saw on our trip Grantham posing on a cannon with his union cap on! We had a GREAT day; I am glad John got to check off one activity on his "to do" list.

Big Brother to the Rescue

2010-05-28T20:29:00.003-05:00

Help the Bad Guys are after me . . .Who will save this too cute baby (I love this face - I wish I knew what he was thinking)Big Brother to the Rescue!!! Maybe he will make a good sidekick one day

Another post is below

My Thirty-something Birthday

2010-05-28T19:27:00.002-05:00

Okay truth be told this blog will be more about Isaac than me:) For a very small few of you this will not be new news, for the rest of you sorry but sometimes we just choose to be private people about our family struggles (we love to share joys but we choose to learn through trials privately)! On with the blog . . . As you can see from the picture my birthday "cake" this year was a little disappointing. That could just be a reflection on the fact that my sweet husband is not a cook - but not this year. About five weeks ago, we found out that Isaac is allergic to diary, eggs and peanuts. How you ask? The child is only eight months old when did he eat these things? He hasn't. We had been struggling with a moderate case of eczema (dry skin) on Isaac's legs and face BUT one of the patches on his chin had developed into an open sore. John had tried all kinds of meds to help heal the sore but nothing seemed to be working. Being an allergist John thought it was probably an allergic reaction but I just thought he was reading allergies into his sons issues (if you work with people who have allergies all day, you see everything as allergies - my thoughts not John's). Anyway after a month with no luck healing Isaac's face I gave in and went to see one of the allergists John works with. She agree with John's diagnoses of allergies, prescribed some meds, and asked to skin test Isaac. I referred to John and he wanted to test him. Long story short, Isaac had a very strong reaction to diary and egg. This has required me to eliminate diary, egg and peanuts from my diet so that I could continue to nurse. So the above picture is a reflection of taking out egg, diary and nuts. Name brand Oreos are a safe food (we have since discovered a good number of recipes for making cakes, etc.) For me this is a memory I wanted to blog about, so I could remember my shock, people who were a huge support, and how far God has brought us. We do not know how severe Isaac's reaction will be once he is old enough to try these foods but for now we are not allowing him OR me to eat any of the allergic foods. We will re-evaluate as time goes on. For all you moms who are living with a food allergy - our hearts go out to you - even with all the positive changes to the food industries, life is not easy. My husband is learning first hand what his patients are going through when they are diagnosed with a food allergy. My favorite story: I had tried to buy some needed diaryfree, eggfree, nutfree products from three different grocery stores in town. Their reaction was all about the same ("what they make stuff like that" as they made a gagging face). So John had to go to a store here in town called Rainbow Grocery. It is a Vegan restaurant (that we have come to love). He came home with six different blocks of "cheese" for me to try. He was so excited that he found something I could eat; I think he bought entire store's supply of Vegan cheese. Needless to say, I cut all cheese type products out of my diet (soy/toff cheese does NOT smell nor taste anything like cheese) :) I have to warn you as you look at the pictures below - Isaac had been refusing to eat anything but breast milk. I gave him (what you are about to see) thinking he would just play with it as he has all other solid foods/baby foods. As you are about to witness, HE LOVED THE _______. Please don't look if you are in as much shock as I am that I allowed my second son sweets before his first birthday. I am afraid all my friends were telling me the truth when they smiled and said "ohh that will all change when you have your second child."

No that is not mud all over his faceThe left overs of Isaac's first experience with an Oreo cookie ;)

Happy and content . . . What do I tell people now when they ask "What have you been feeding that boy?" SHHH it is our little secret!

BROTHERS

2010-05-20T21:11:00.002-05:00

With another move close at hand and all the craziness that goes with buying and selling a home, we have been trying to find time to just hang out as a family. Enjoying time together in our rental house (for those of you who don't know we closed on our MS house April 30th but because of God's awesome grace the family who bought it from us is allowing us to rent it back from them for two months)! My boys love to play together. Today we were playing Fisher Price Little People - the old kind we use to play with when we were little;)

Watching . . .

Finally he's not looking. Now it is my turn to play!

Who wouldn't love a smile like that!?!

Matching outfits - thanks Nana - we love to match!

Today our pleasure is Legos -

Sorry this picture didn't get flipped - Grantham showing off his space ship Atlantis - we are really into space these days.

Isaac showing off how he can knock down any tower Big brother can build for me.

Every boy needs a brother to play with ;)

Catching up - Grantham's birthday Party

2010-05-20T20:53:00.004-05:00

Grantham had a sports birthday party this year. We sent out invitations that looked like sports tickets and spray painted the backyard to look like a football stadium. The kids made sports bookmarks, decorated sport spaced cookies, designed pennants, competed in sport events like throwing footballs, hitting golf balls, and shooting baskets. Every child received a metal for their "best" event. And we ended the party with hot dogs and birthday cake on the 50 yard line. Overall the party was a huge success (Grantham played his heart out - notice how sweaty he is). The sign on our front lawn -welcoming the guest to the party

designing pennants

making bookmarks

Isaac hanging out with a neighbor. He loves sitting with Mrs. Rowena (we will really miss her when we leave MS). So glad he was happy and I was thankful, it was hard to throw a party and keep up with a seven month old.

Eating hot dogs (trying to cool off in the shade) Cake Time - This picture is summarizes Grantham at FOUR!

A group shot, just for fun

Catching up - Isaac 7 months

2010-05-20T20:42:00.002-05:00

Isaac turned 7 months in April - He is the most content baby. For me, having two has been so much easier than one. My two boys adore each other (Isaac never seems to get enough of his brother and Grantham is always willing to help if it helps his little brother "bubby")It is hard to believe that seven months has already passed. Where has time gone? You are sitting up, interacting with your big brother, learning how to get peoples attention with a smile or quiet squeal, but most amazing is how content you are in whatever situation you are placed in (except your crib)! God has a special plan for you and I am so glad that He has allowed our family to be apart of your life. "You are beautiful my sweet, sweet son!"

Catching up - Memphis Trip

2010-05-20T20:24:00.003-05:00

March 20th - John's whole family met in Memphis TN for a fun get together for Spring Break. It was a little crazy with 18 of us trying to stay together, but we managed to conquer the zoo, Children's museum and hang out a little at the hotel (eating, playing and swimming). Grantham and Isaac loved spending time with their cousins! The Memphis Zoo is awesome. If you ever have a chance to visit do! You won't be sorry!

Spending special time with Cousin Kristen and Auntie Michelle.

Finding time to hang out with Bubby too!

Everyone's favorite exhibit - The Panda's I love that Grantham and the Panda bear seem to be copying each other as they eat. I forgot to add the picture of Isaac and the panda. Isaac watched the panda so closely like he was trying to figure him out.

Auntie melanie bought all the kids pandas. Isaac LOVED his.

We had another little party for Grantham's fourth birthday. The older cousins hanging out eating birthday cookie!

Isaac and his Pepaw - "Happy, Happy, Happy man" as his Daddy would say - This baby is always content and ready with a smile!

Catching Up - Birthday

2010-05-20T20:14:00.003-05:00

here is the last catch-up post . . . Grantham's 4th birthday was march 17. Because the house was on the market we did not have his party until midApril but I didn't want him to "suffer" (if you have read the other posts you know that that was not the case - but you know Mommy's love to spoil their kids!). On his birthday morning Grantham had a birthday donut - instead of cake. Grantham has really decided that good guys must fight evil at our house EVERY DAY! With some of his birthday money (thanks Auntie melissa) he went to a local children's store and bought himself a mask to keep his identity a secret like dash. Daddy had to get in on the fun too;)

New Orleans trip

2010-03-25T19:47:00.008-05:00

Okay get ready to be bombarded by pictures of our trip to New Orleans. We went with John on a business trip to New Orleans. It was my first five day trip with the boys. And while Daddy was there he was busy most of the time with meetings. I wish I could have taken some pictures of the chaos I experienced on my first big trip with the two boys. But it is really hard to take pictures when you are juggling two children in a big city. I have to admit that while I look forward to our next trip, i would never want to do our FIRST trip again (there is a major learning curve). Just to give you a glimpse and a laugh at the craziness, here are two stories: On our second day in New Orleans I headed to the aquarium about half a mile from our hotel. I loaded up the double stroller, Bjorn, snacks, diapers etc. It was a chilly morning so we also had hats, jackets etc. Isaac was fussy so I bjourned him (for those of you who don't have kids a bjourn is like a backpack that you wear on your chest and the child rides in it). Grantham was cold and didn't want to walk which surprised me (the next day we realized that his shoes were too small and bought him new ones) so he was riding in the double stroller. Okay on with the point of the story. Isaac on me Grantham in the stroller walking half a mile down the main streets in New Orleans on a Friday afternoon. Everything was going great (I was even thinking maybe I can lose that last 15 pounds of baby fat doing this) when we came to where all the trolleys cross the road. It kind of was like 15 train tracks all in one place on a street. I couldn't figure out how to get the stroller over all the huge tracks. So after a few seconds, I decided to lift up the stroller while holding Isaac on my chest. Needless to say it must have been quit a sight because a homeless man can over to try to "help" me. He kept saying to Grantham "Help your mommy out help your mommy out." Story number 2: Eating breakfast in a hotel buffet style is not easy when you have real plates, glass cups and a baby who can't really sit up without help. Every morning I tried to figure out how to juggle food and drinks for Grantham and myself while holding Isaac. needless to say it took many trips, an awesome son who stayed seated at the table and about an hour each morning. some of the "learning curve" included - Isaac almost falling out of a baby seat he really couldn't sit in, Grantham spilling a plate of food, me juggling two plates two glasses and Isaac all at the same time, Isaac sticking his hands in a lot of our breakfast:) by the end of the trip we had all learned a lot so I can honestly say I am ready for trip number two! Grantham at the aquarium in a sharks mouth

Isaac trying out the new double stroller - if you have two kids and like to travel this sit n stand stroller is a MUST HAVE. I love it and so do both the boys - it allows the younger child to sit or click his carseat into the front and the older child can stand OR sit behind!

Another picture of us before we headed out for the day - Daddy joined us this day so we were able to get a quick picture

Just love this Gerber baby face:)

we went to the insectarium (awesome place if you are ever in new Orleans don't skip it!) Isaac and Daddy in the butterfly exhibit. Not as neat as the one in Indianapolis but a great end to a fun day at the insectarium.

Unsure why the boys both look so BLAH but Daddy is trying a Chocolate chip Cricket cookie

They had an Insect cafe called Bug Appetite. Some of the items on the menu

grantham trying a chocolate covered cricket

grantham also tried a cinnamon sugar mealworm but he ate it so fast I didn't get a picture!

touching a beetle - I was surprised at how brave Grantham was (he also tried to touch a sting ray at the aquarium but he was too short to reach them)

This is what happens when I ask a very active almost four year old to pose - love the face

Just for fun - we do live in Mississippi!

A fake smile after waiting half an hour for Beignets with powdered sugar at Café du Monde. Not a place to go with kids but we wanted Grantham to try one.

Who would loved a fried doughnut with TONS of powdered sugar?

We spent a lot of time in the hotel room just hanging out! Grantham played more with his cars than I had ever seen him do before (thanks Nana for the early birthday gift).

A fun trip with two beautiful boys - oh one more shout out to the hotel we stayed at. If you are ever staying on someone elses budget homewood suites was absolutely wonderful - the staff and people staying there were very friendly, each room has two rooms and a kitchenette, they have a free breakfast and on week nights they provide an evening meal. I highly recommend this hotel if you are traveling with kids!!!

A surprise for Mommy and Grantham

2010-03-04T22:21:00.003-06:00

ANOTHER BLOG ABOUT ISAAC IS BELOW!

Grantham has turned into a huge football fan. For as long as I can remember he has always loved balls (even before he turned one). As soon as he had any cordination, he has kicked, thrown, and hit balls of all shapes and sizes. But lately he has decided that he LOVES football. He and his Papa (now known as Daddy but I can't get use to calling him that since he has been Papa to me since before Grantham was born) are always playing football, running, tackling, fumbling, scoring touchdowns and ending with a touchdown dance. But it has developed into a three year old obsession. I think it happened because of the Super Bowl (the Colts Daddy's favorite team made it this year and we threw a small party for the neighbors). Grantham was truely devistated when they lost. I have never seen a three year old so hurt by the lose of a game. It was shocking and heart wrenching all at the same time. Because of where we live, the lose was relived by our son for about a week. At first he would say he didn't like the Colts. Then he would say he never wanted to watch football again. And for a short time he didn't even want to play football with John. He was hurt by everyone else celebrating the lose of HIS team. John and I had been wondering what to get Grantham for his birthday when I came across this great football uniform that included a helmet. Hoping this would help put a positive spin on football we splurged and purchased the outfit on line. The day it arrived we also received a package from my mommy. I told Grantham "Nana sent you a package with some surprises for you like new clothes" He was so excited that he asked to bring the package inside as soon as we arrived home. Sure I said. I opened the door but as Grantham was dragging in the packages - my mom called, the noodles for lunch started boiling over and Isaac decided to cry. Needless to say it was not one of the greatest moments at our house. Grantham might have asked to open the package or maybe he just assumed that it was for him and he could open it (I am not really sure). But the next thing I know he is running into the kitchen with the biggest grin on his face yelling "It's a helmet Mommy" I must have over reacted when I said "What a helmet? You were suppose to open that package." because he start saying sorry and I don't want it ect. I felt horrible but honestly I was shocked that the outfit had arrived so quickly and that he was able to open the box so quickly/easily. When I finally hung up the phone, turned off the burner and calmed down, I apologized for over reacting and told Grantham that Daddy and I had meant the outfit/helmet to be a surprise for his birthday. Grantham graciously offered to have me put it away until his birthday, but after talking with John about the whole situation we decided to let him have an early birthday gift. That night when John came home we let Grantham open the box and try on his new football uniform. It turned out to be for the best - he loves the uniform and tells everyone he likes the colts "GO COLTS!" He could careless that they lost and proudly shows eveyone his new gift. It just reminds me that God uses everything for good!!! Our Proud Son showing off his new helmet! This is how he poised when I ask him to let me take a picture of him with his new helmet.

Showing off his muscles in his football uniform. Like father like son - I am pretty sure there are a few pictures of John like this when he was a little older than Grantham. Grantham may be a great football player but he is all heart!

I quick smile for Mommy and then back to growling and flexing his muscles. The helmet slept in his room with him for a few days before it found a place in the playroom. He really loved his surprise birthday gift.

Even though it is not quite Grantham's four year old birthday yet, I am going to write a few notes about who he has become over the past year (so I can remember for his scrapbook)

Grantham is full of energy and heart. Whether he is throwing a fit or loving on his brother or playing ball, everything he does he put every ounce of himself into it. Making one of his greatest strengths also one of his greatest challenges. He loves to ask deep questions about space, God, bad guys, or anything else that intrigues him that day. One of his favorite activities is "chasing bad guys." He can create a weapon out of anything (my favorite is an old poster that he tore and taped until he made it look like a sword). Grantham has an amazing memory. He will bring up something that John and I have completely forgotten about and ask questions about it OR talk about someone and describe them by what they wore a week ago. We are using that memory to teach him scripture (but he can learn and remember it so much faster than we can). He continues to amaze us daily with how quickly he learns and applies what he knows. He has started asking what specific words are and identifying them by their first and last letters (most of the time he is guessing but he does usually have the correct beginning and ending sounds). He can write most of his letters although some of them are hard to identify and he is frustrated by that. He enjoys watching TV (especially Super Why and Word World). He went to his first movie (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs) right before Isaac was born and loved it. We sometimes have a special movie night at home complete with popcorn, m and ms and a full length kids movie. It is a big hit with him. Grantham also started school this year and loves it. His teachers often tell me how much they "love Grantham." (I can't wait for Parent/teacher conferences to see how he is really doing) Grantham continues to be VERY social. He loves to spend time with friends and will often asks me if he can play with someone "not in our family." He enjoys kids of all ages and always searches out a "friend" wherever we are. OUr biggest surprise has been how well he interacts with his baby brother (he says he wants 6 sisters and 4 more brothers). We often have to remind him of personal space when it comes to Isaac. He wants to show him everything and love on him constantly. If I say I need to do something or get something for Isaac, it is not uncommon for Grantham to get it or do it first. It is such a blessing! Grantham has moved from being a toddler to a little boy to a big brother. WOW time really does pass too quickly! I am so proud of how he has grown.

Just Because your Beautiful - Isaac

2010-03-04T21:55:00.003-06:00

I decided to change January/February Part 2 into two blogs. One on Grantham and one about Isaac. Mostly because the second child seems to always have the first child in his space:) Also I have some beautiful pictures of our very happy go lucky child. Isaac is the child strangers stop you and say is he always so happy? Yes most of the time Isaac is a joy and if he isn't smiling you know something is wrong (usually tired or hungry). Here are some of my favorite pictures: This is Isaac's favorite seat (or mommy's favorite place to put him). The sofa where he can see all that is going on and be at eye level with most of the action. Also until a few weeks ago he would "stay put" in the space between the two sofa cushions. Lately he is wanting to sit up on his own instead of leaning back. This causes him to endup face first on the sofa. Time to find a new favorite seat!

This beautiful picture was taken so there would be a picture of Isaac along with the other pictures of our family that we have displayed. Needless to say I still have that on my "to do" list! But I do love the picture!

My mom (Nana) came to visit us for the first time since Isaac was six weeks old. I think she was surprised at how much he has changed. I love this picture we captured of the two of them.

I love this picture for two reasons. One I LOVE this hat that Katy (my sisterinlaw) made. It was originally made for Grantham but he was never able to wear it. Isaac on the other hand wears it almost daily! Also it reminds me of my brother (Katy's husband). How special to have a picture of my brother's "twin" wearing a hat his wife made:)

At five months, Isaac continues to bring joy to our family. He loves to smile and laugh. He is very ticklish especially on his right side. Isaac never misses an opportunity to interact with his big brother. His favorite time of day is dinner time. He joins us for each meal (talking, laughing and interacting with all of us as he sits in his high chair). Who would have known that a baby could bring such joy as he communicates in his own way. I can't wait to see who God has planned for this little one to grow and develop into. Each day is such a blessing!

January/February Part 1

2010-02-15T15:20:00.005-06:00

Okay I am a little behind again on my blogging. But I just can't get the hang of putting both boys down to a nap/rest time at the same time (okay maybe it is not me but them- I laugh because I seriously thing they are tag teaming me-when one goes down the other is up). So today I decided Isaac would "help" me with the blog because I can't get any further behind or I will never catch up!Grantham wanted to show everyone how much bigger he is than Isaac. We have had a lot of dinner time discussions about how Isaac will never be older than Grantham but that does not mean he will not one day be bigger. At Isaac's four month appointment he was 16 pounds- Grantham barely tips the scales at 30. It won't be long before Grantham is yelling Mom get him off of me:) But for now Grantham wants proof that he is bigger and older!Grantham loves his brother and visa versa. John says it amazes him how they are so in touch with each other at such a young age.Isaac trying rice ceral for the first time. It was not a success as you can see from the pictures.Next we tried oatmeal -still not Happymoving on to peas - do we have a picky eater already? - the faces are priceless - but I don't think they will be calling on Isaac to fill in for the gerber baby any time soon;)I am starting with the end picture first because it has a story behind it (and I want to prove after the story that John and I are NOT too horrible of parents). It snowed 5-6 inches in MS on Friday. More snow than the state has seen since 1960. John was so excited to reintroduce Grantham to snow (he has seen snow before but doesn't remember). We were a little ill-equiped (unsure how to spell that); Grantham wore rain boots and I had to "pressnseal" around a pair of knit mittens to keep the wetness out. The boys were up bright and early playing in the snow. After an hour, Grantham had his fill. They came in to warmup. A few minutes later the neighbor kids came by to ask Grantham to play. Even though he was still cold and wet Grantham did not want to miss out on the fun. 30 more minutes and all the fun was over for Grantham but we realized we had no pictures of everyone. That is when the craziness begins as we beg Gratham to stay out just longenough for us to take ONE picture. He refused and we beg until finally I grabbed him and tryed to hold him in the picture -needless to say he was escaping as the shot was taken. Below are pictures to prove he was having fun the first hour or so!Grantham has on blue rain boots that come up to his knees but you can't see them because of all the snow.Throwing the huge snow ball from the picture before. The snow was perfect for packing!The bottom of one of the snowmen John and Grantham built. They were all as tall as John! This one had the bottom snowball as tall as Grantham.John called this our Mississippi sled. It was a boogie board we rescued out of our neighbor's trash at the end of the summer. John was VERY embarrassed but hey it worked great for our sled! The second snowman John built. The first one fell over as I ran in to get the camera and help Grantham get out of his wet clothes. Needless to say Grantham would not take a picture with his dad, so I wrapped Isaac up for a quick picture. He did not play in the snow but we at least have proof he saw his first snow.

I couldn't resisted adding this close-up. Isaac in Grantham's hat and gloves too beautiful. GOD IS GOOD! (By the way John is laughing because his second attempt at a snowman just took a nose dive in the snow)

Part 2 of january February will be added tonight. Isaac is DONE helping me with this blog WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Christmas Card

2009-12-27T21:21:00.003-06:00

In order to save a little money so we could donate it to a local charity for the holidays, we decided to cut back and send out ecards for Christmas. Since we do not have everyone's email address we decided to post our pictures and letter on our blog and facebook too. I know it is a little cheesy but with a new baby it has worked out for the best! Hope you enjoy our Christmas ecard.Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2010. The Pulcinis have had a busy year. Our biggest news of 2009 was the birth of our second child – Isaac John Pulcini on September 24th. He has been a blessing from God, laid back and full of smiles. Grantham, who is now three, is growing and discovering new things each day. He started pre-school two days a week and is thriving as he learns to write his letters and numbers – though being 100% boy, he mostly enjoys “racing the other racers” in the gym. In addition, he is taking his role as ‘big brother’ very seriously and loves dancing, singing and playing with his little brother. John is enjoying his Allergy-Immunology Fellowship which is rapidly coming to an end in June 2010. His growing interest and research in pediatric food allergy has become recognized by many of his colleges in the allergy world. He is looking forward to a career treating allergic diseases in children and adults. Tabitha is busy being a “stay-at-home” mom of two young boys (which as anyone who has children knows – does not involve staying at home much). She is active in our church Sunday school, the spouses of medical residents/fellows group, along with fitting in a little time once in a while for her favorite past-time: scrapbooking. If you would like to keep up with our family, we have a blog at pulcinifamily.blogspot.com. We would love to hear from you and hope you enjoy celebrating the birth of our King, Jesus Christ.
Merry Christmas
Love, John, Tabitha, Grantham and Isaac

Santa

2009-12-18T15:58:00.003-06:00

I hate to admit it but I am seriously slacking when it comes to taking pictures. We have been planning on getting professional pictures done but still have not found the time, maybe after Christmas. Here are a few pictures from when we went to see Santa.
Santa was wonderful! He ask Grantham what he wanted to which Grantham replied Swords. They talked a little bit about Christmas magic and a book Grantham has about Santa. Then before we left Santa reminded Grantham to obey his mom and dad the first time. What a great reminder for a little boy who is easily distracted by all the "gimmes" that this time of year encourages! I also realized how little we have talked about Santa until this year. Grantham was kind of in the dark. It has been fun for him to discover a few facts about Santa and the naughty and nice list! While all these new discoveries have been fun, I hope we still continue to emphasize the importance of Jesus' birth over the holiday that has been taken over with by Santa. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas as you celebrate this wonderful time of year with family and friends!

October - Halloween festivities

2009-11-17T20:56:00.004-06:00

Pumpkin Carving - This was our first year to carve a pumpkin. Usually we go to a pumpkin patch and pick out a "special" pumpkin that we then have to carry around the rest of the day. So typically we encourage Grantham to pick out a small pumpkin. This year with Isaac being so young and the weather being VERY rainy we just went to Walmart to pick out our pumpkin. We decided since the picking of the pumpkin was uneventful we would try our hand at carving one.

The picture below is Grantham cleaning off the pumpkin, preparing it to be carved.Daddy did the honors of cutting off the top of the pumpkin and cleaning it.At first Grantham was hesitant to put his hands in to help clean out all the goop.Caution did not last long and he dung in shoulder deep.Grantham found a "carving" knife in our kitchen draw (it was actually a decorative cheese knife -much like a butter knife- we received as a gift from a neighbor for Christmas last year, but he called it his carving knife). He talked about how he was going to carve the pumpkin with it for a week. We thought "What is the harm? He can't really cut a pumpkin with a butter knife" Boy were we wrong. Grantham stabbed that knife so hard it went completely through the pumpkin, leaving a pretty large cut that we then had to use as a part of our pumpkins face:) Never underestimate a determined young boy! Mommy got to do the honors of carving the face on the pumpkin.Our finished product - not too bad for our first carving experienceI am apart of a medical alliance here in MS and each year they throw a few parties for resident and fellows kids. This was a really fun part of this year's Halloween party. Instead of the kids "trick or treating" they dumped about 30 bags of candy on the floor and let the kids dig in. Most of the children are younger than Grantham and this turned out to be the highlight of the whole party. The picture below is of the candy being dumped as the kids waited and watched. yGrantham wasted NO time diving in. He filled his treat bag to the top!John and I started a family tradition of dressing up each Halloween. We have been Cowboys, Doctors, and Pirates. This year Grantham choice the costumes. Can you guess who we are?The Incredibles of course! Grantham loved telling everyone that we were going to be a whole family of "Supers" for Halloween. We even recruited a neighbor girl to be Violet (the older sister Grantham (I mean Dash) doesn't have. If you haven't seen the show the Incredibles you should rent it and have a good laugh at our expense - we hardly look like the characters - although I am proud of how the costumes turned out. One more quick story, Grantham on the morning of Halloween told John he needed to "muscle up." (You see Mr. Incredible is a very strong/large man) We were going to "stuff" John's arms and legs but decided at the last minute against it.A really cute picture of Grantham fighting a "bad guy."Even Isaac dressed up as Baby Jack Jack We had so much fun as a family of Supers. Grantham did a great job of choosing our costumes. I don't know if we will be able to continue the family tradition, but this year was a big success!

Below is another blog I added today. I am trying to catch up.

October - Isaac is one month

2009-11-17T20:28:00.004-06:00

Isaac is officially one month. My mom made some adorable matching outfits for the boys. You have to look closely at Grantham's shirt to see the cute sailboats that are just like his brother's. Grantham is getting a little to old for the typical smocked outfits that my mom makes so we are "expanding" our horizons. These new shirts are Polo's with one small smocked image placed where the pocket would typically be. I love them. The boys can have matching outfits for a few years:) These pictures were so much fun to take. After church one day the weather was beautiful so we went in our backyard and used the side of our house for the backdrop. Grantham was in a great mood and kept asking us to take more and more pictures of Isaac and him. Grantham loved having Isaac pose next to him.

Isaac at one monthCould anything be sweeter than this?The best picture we have taken of Grantham (since he started wrinkling his nose and squinting when we try to get him to smile)

Hanging out together

2009-10-29T14:53:00.003-05:00

One of the greatest blessing of having two children is watching them discover each other. Grantham has proved to be a wonderful big brother and although during the first two weeks he did ask if we could send Isaac back (I explained that God wanted him to have a brother), now when I ask him to do something to help me with the baby he says "of course anything for my baby brother." In the following pictures the boys are just hanging out being boys (melting their mother's heart)! Talking in Mommy and Daddy's bed. Waiting for their parents to get them dressed for the day!

This picture looks a little scary but it was very endearing in person (snuggle time).

We had many people come visit, bring meals and just offer to rock the baby during the first month of Isaac's life. It was such a blessing! Here is a picture of my sister and brotherinlaw reading to the boys one evening.

Bath Time

2009-10-29T14:42:00.002-05:00

For those of you with more than one child this will not be a surprise. But for me with previously only one, who loves his baths, bath time has become a little stressful. This was Isaac's first real bath. I don't know if you can tell from the pictures (I tried to chose internet appropriate ones) but Grantham sat in our large master bath without water while I reached over into the "baby" tub to clean Isaac. I thought having big brother in the tub with us would be a great distraction HA. This turned into the shortest bath time ever! Grantham had a great time splashing Isaac and helping Mommy with the baby. The baby endured:) Hopefully future baths will include Papa and a happier baby! Grantham helping wash his baby brother. I am constantly amazed at how helpful and grown up Grantham is (of course he still likes to jump over his little brother when he is laying on the ground but for the most part he has been a huge help and blessing).

Two Brothers Meet

2009-10-28T15:26:00.003-05:00

Sorry I am a little behind with pictures. But I know that everyone understands. I am going to try to catch up over the next day or two:) Here are some cute pictures of when the boys met for the first time. Grantham stayed with his grandparents in Georgia while I was in the hospital. Sunday evening Grantham returned home. In order that he could be the first to welcome his brother home, John, Isaac and I drove around the neighborhood so Grantham and Nana could "beat us home from the hospital." When I walked in with Isaac in my hands, the first thing Grantham said was "what is that?" (with an ever so sarcastic tone) Needless to say he warmed up to Isaac quite quickly. For the first week, behavior was questionable as we went through a million be carefuls and don't do that to OR with the baby. But as you can see from the pictures it was love at first sight. our favorite "shshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"

Sorry I didn't turn this picture.

Isaac John Pulcini

2009-09-24T12:12:00.002-05:00

He's Here!

Isaac John Pulcini - born September 24th 2009 at 7:35am.

Weight 7lbs 10oz and length 20.5 inches.

One Mile Family Fun Run

2009-09-22T09:52:00.002-05:00

Grantham and his daddy ran in a one mile race two weeks ago. Grantham was so excited and told everyone HE was going to win. John said that Grantham did great the first half mile but then got distracted at the water break area (saying hi to everyone and checking out the police cars). On the way back to the finish line (3/4 mile), Grantham realized that he didn't have his water cup and made daddy go back to get it. Needless to say Grantham did not come in first. In fact, he even took a few stops to wave the police car behind him to "pass." Daddy tried to explain the police were there to keep other cars from hurting him but Grantham just kept insisting that the car pass him:) We are very proud though because our three year old was the youngest participate to complete the race! After the race was over we asked Grantham would he want to do this again and he said NO. I guess it is back to sprinting for this family:)

Before the race
At the starting line, Grantham did not like the loud gun shot that started the race

A great picture someone from our church took of Grantham

What a great stride:)

Right before he crossed the finish line (there were two people who finished behind him-one was his daddy)

Crossing the finish line!

Finished the baby's room, NOW Counting Down

2009-09-19T13:31:00.002-05:00

With the baby' s room finally done, we are in count down mode T minus 5 days!!!! Keep an eye here for pictures of the new baby. John will probably post them for me.

Grantham has been so excited about his new baby brother, Isaac. We decided to make a chain to help him understand how much longer he had until the baby arrived - this is the chain when we first started it about a month ago.The baby bed and view when you first enter the room.To the right of the bed is this chair. Beside the chair is a little bookcase that has been used over and over - I am pretty sure it was used in my room when I was a baby.

as you leave the room, the changing table. Hope you enjoyed the tour of the baby's room - we had a blast creating it!

School Days

2009-08-30T20:00:00.004-05:00

If you are connected to my Facebook, you already know this. Grantham had a wonderful first day of "school." We decided that it was time for Grantham to be in a structured environment besides home. With the baby on the way, I knew I could use some down time and Grantham could use some special attention. Convincing Grantham that school was going to be fun was a challenge at first. he kept saying that he just wanted to stay home with Mommy and snuggle. Such a sweet thought but so far from reality of what would really happen:) Anyway, he goes two days a week for about 3 hours. With two days under our belts, the first day being wonderful and the second day a little of a struggle, we are hopeful that "school" is the right fit for our family. Below are a few first day of school pictures. Showing off his new backpack that he picked out.I love the pictures of the kids walking away (either to the bus or into the school). Since Grantham and I walked into school together the first two days, I took this picture to mimic the walking away pictures:) Still adorable even though it was staged!Grantham went straight into class and began working/playing. Even though there were other kids crying around him, he seemed unaffected. He even asked another little boy who was crying if he wanted to play with him. He gave me a kiss goodbye, waved once and went right back to work. I am such a proud Mommy!!!! I hope everday is that easy. When I picked him up, he ran right to me and said " I had fun." (code words for I will try this school thing out again)

A few pictures just because:

Grantham's first person drawing. While we waited to see the OB, we pulled out the crayons to write on the paper covering the exam table. Usually we draw letters or I draw balloons but today Grantham decided to draw someone with a big belly (wonder who that could be:) ). I was quite surprised. This is totally his creation without any direction from me. I had never seen him draw a person before.

Grantham loves helping his dad mow the lawn. Thanks to the man across the street they were able to have a special treat and use a riding lawn mower. If you look closely Grantham is mowing by himself (there are circles all over the lawn)!

Preparing for the new baby

2009-08-18T16:33:00.005-05:00

It seems like this baby has snuck up on us. We are less than five weeks away from our due date. The last few weeks we have really focused on getting ready for our new little boy!

Everyone has been asking for belly shots. We usually only take bare belly shots- I hope no one is offended. This is from the end of June. Grantham is helping his daddy out by taking a really close shot:)Painting the baby's room was a family affair.So proud of his G (that Mommy helped him paint)You can't really tell but Grantham is painting the walls white. He had so much more fun than John and I expected.A tradition we started with Grantham's first room. Painting the baby's name on the wall (of course when you see the final results the name will be painted over) STAY TUNED for the final results of the baby's room. We were very happy and surprised with the end results!

Grantham took a siblings class at the hospital. We were quite impressed with all he learned and saw. He learned how to change a diaper, hold a baby and bottle, and even saw a newborn baby get its first bath!
Not too trilled with us photographing while he practiced feeding the babySuch a good big brother already:)
Getting his award for completing the classHis completion certificate= they told him that it meant he was ready to be a big brother now

We ARE Potty Trained

2009-08-18T15:53:00.004-05:00

I feel about Potty training Grantham the same way I feel about being pregnant. The whole family is in it together:) I was hoping we would have an easy time because Grantham is so verbal and he has been showing "signs" of being ready for about 2 years. God definitely had to be smirking in heaven. This has been the hardest stage so far. We tried every suggestion ANYONE made from M&Ms to going naked all day. To make a miserable story short, we had to turn to major disciplining and removal of all things fun (sometimes I felt more punished than Grantham seemed to be). But after a week we were able to return many of his toys and privileges; we even started a reward sticker chart. Two months later you would never guess the child had any problems potty training at all. He is totally self sufficient and has not had an accident in weeks (even at night). I am including some fun pictures of Grantham and some of the rewards he earned for going to the bathroom and days without any accidents. We invested quite a bit of money BUT are thrilled with the results!!!!

The first time we peed in the potty we went for a huge reward: build a bear- anything he wanted there!Washing our new puppy friendAnother reward- the bungy jumpers at the mall - this made me nervous at first but HEY when you are bribing it needs to be something the child wants;)He had so much fun; he used this three times for his reward. If you have never tried it and are nervous like me don't be. It was great fun and very safe.Total exhaustion after about 10 minutes of funGattitown (similar to Chucky cheese for those of you who don't have kids)- another one of those rides only a boy would love. Later we saw three preteens screaming on this ride. Grantham laughed and waved the whole time.Bowling with his best bud in MississippiAlready to be a big brother- look at that bossiness

John and I really enjoyed all the rewards don't get me wrong but with our next child we will start training a little earlier and not "wait until they are ready." A phrase many people used to tell us potty training is easy HAHA.

Beach Life

2009-07-02T14:20:00.005-05:00

We had so much fun at the beach in Gulf Shores, AL. We honestly didn't know what to expect, but the beach was beautiful! Grantham was a great age to go. He loved the ocean but still had a healthy respect for the danger of the waves. Each morning we got up and went straight to the beach, headed in around 10:30am (it was VERY hot), and returned to the beach each evening from 6pm to 9pm. The temperature was wonderful both on the beach and in the water. Grantham could have stayed there for weeks and never been tired of the huge sandbox and cool waves. The one thing he kept telling people is that if they don't close their mouths when a wave comes that they will get salty water all in their month (he speaks from experience:) ). This was an exciting and yet restful weekend. I wish we would have had more time!

Grantham and John waiting for the waves to get their feet.

Burying Grantham in the sand

Playing in the waves with Papa (I don't know if you can see in this picture but the waves were huge)
Every time when arrived at the beach this is what Grantham did. Why? Who know that is the question I ask about guys all the time. Grantham being goofy with Papa. They both had to have goggles for the swimming poolNo reason for this picture but boy does it show Grantham's personality. Silly, silly boy

You can't really tell from this picture but we rode a car ferry on our way back from the beach trip.

John and Grantham checking our the captain of our ship (car ferry).

A Weekend at Nana and Pawpaw's

2009-06-30T20:05:00.002-05:00

Where to begin? Grantham and I had decided to visit my parents in Georgia one last time before Grantham's new baby brother is born (an 8 hour drive with a three year old is not very fun when you are more than 6 months pregnant). We had a blast! The night we arrived Auntie Kara and Uncle Josh's church had a fall festival that we got to participate in. Auntie Kara and I got to have a scrapbooking night at Archiver's (my favorite scrapbooking store) while Nana and Pawpaw watched Grantham. Then the next day Mom and I went shopping in Atlanta for maternity clothes, since this baby and Grantham will be exactly 3 1/2 years apart everything I own is winter and with the 100 average temp in Mississippi already in June I knew I would need new maternity clothes (not that I am complaining I love to shop:) ). Sunday we went to church and hung around the house with Uncle Josh and Auntie Kara. Then on Tuesday we decided to go Strawberry picking. A past time that Grantham and I both love but have had no luck finding a patch in Mississippi, so we were thrilled to go with Nana and Pawpaw. Needless to say we REALLY enjoyed our time in Georgia and are so glad we made the long trip!

Strawberry picking:

Nana and Grantham enjoying the fruits of their labor
Grantham, me and Pawpaw searching for red strawberries

Grantham eating more than he is picking A fun and successful day :)

Learning about cars from Uncle Josh

An inflatable baseball game at the church fall festival (Grantham is proving to be a lefty both in his batting and kicking)

Talking Auntie Kara's ear off (always the center of attention)

Once again the center of attention

I don't know if you can see this picture very well but this is Grantham beating his Uncle Josh in an inflatable obstacle course (they were both flying through the course)

A lot of special time with Pawpaw

The Kendrick/Cruiz Wedding

2009-06-18T15:54:00.005-05:00

The main reason for our visit to Chicago was for Grantham to be in Melinda's wedding (John's cousin). There were many mishaps along the way including a four hour plane delay making us arrive in Chicago around midnight instead of seven, a four hour drive to the wedding rehersal (30 minutes away)because traffic and the weather was so bad in downtown Chicago, never getting to bed before 11pm ect. But overall Grantham did a wonderful job during the wedding and had a blast dancing at the reception that night. Also John's whole family was able to make it, which is a huge treat since they live all over the world:)Getting ready for the wedding All the Pulcini grandchildrenThe entire crew

The reception afterwards:

Dancing the night away with Papa (who has now become Daddy for some unknown reason)Trying to lead Cousin KristenPepaw and Grantham laughing about a fan?pooped after a very long weekend and night of dancing!!!!!!!!!!

A visit to Chicago (Auntie Katy and Uncle Chip's)

2009-06-18T15:31:00.003-05:00

We had a fast and furious trip to Chicago so that Grantham could be in John's cousin's wedding. We were so excited because we were going to get to stay with my brother and his wife (Auntie Katy and Uncle Chip). They have a little puppy Callbe who was the highlight of Grantham's trip. We wish we could have spent more time with them but thoroughly enjoyed the time we had and hope to visit again! Here are a few pictures:

Grantham would have spent all day everyday chasing Callbe. A boy and his dog (okay borrowed dog but I think John likes this arrangement best:) )

A trip to the museum with Auntie Katy. Grantham's favorite part was a high school band that was playing in the lobby when you entered.

On the steps of the museum

Auntie Katy and Uncle Chip - Thanks for letting us invade your home!!!!

We are having a . . .

2009-05-18T14:12:00.003-05:00

We are excited to announce that we are expecting another BOY! As one friend said, "No prissy stuff at this house!" We found out last week at our ultrasound but wanted to wait until we could tell all our family first about the great news. Now we are so excited to be sharing it with friends:)

The week before we found out, Grantham and I were talking in the car about how he was going to be a big brother. I asked him if he wanted a baby sister or brother. At first he kept saying both but when I finally made him realize he could only have one he said that he wanted a baby sister but thought that he was going to have a baby brother. When we went in for our appointment the tech asked Grantham if he wanted a brother or sister and he said that he wanted a brother. She said well guess what you are going to have a baby brother. The baby looked healthy and active (just like Grantham)! We are tenatively planning the C-section for Thursday September 24th. Four of my sister-in-laws (John's sisters) think it is only fair that men dominate our family since he grew up with the four of them;0 John is excited because he thinks maybe I will want to have another biological child since I have only had two boys and no girls. We'll see - - I am ready to adopt (NO MORE morning sickness that last the whole day/night). Who knows what God has in store for us? Just one baby at a time:) !!!!

Thank you all for all the prayers with Grantham's health and this new baby too. Also thanks for reading my ramblings. We love keeping up with each and every one of you!

A weekend trip

2009-05-12T14:53:00.005-05:00

The weekend before Grantham got sick we had a great time exploring Memphis, TN. Here are a few fun pictures of the trip. After a while I think you will wonder like I did what was Grantham looking at? Who knows - I am lucky he stopped long enough for me to get the pictures;) Enjoy!

The Zoo

The Children's Museum The "tunnel"

Health update

2009-05-01T14:42:00.002-05:00

Grantham's fever has finally broken. We still have no answers to why he was sick but we are thankful that he is getting better. Thanks for all your prayers during this trying time! Please keep him in your prayers that he will continue to heal.

Health?

2009-04-28T21:14:00.003-05:00

We are learning not to take good health for granted. Our family just spent the last three days in the hospital trying to figure out why Grantham is sick (high temp, high white blood count, enlarged tonsils). Needless to say we were sent home with NO answers and a child who is still sick. We will post more as we know more but the doctors are stumped (including the Daddy doctor). They sent us home because they don't know what else to do to help him at this time and we felt that we could handle the "symptoms" just as well at home as the hospital (plus we get to sleep a little better without nurses constantly waking us up). We have another check-up with the pediatrican tomorrow. We will let you know as we know.

Anyway despite an exhausting and confusing long weekend, Grantham made the best of the situation. The child amazes me. He never complained and only cried in anticipation of the pain to come. Everyone was so complementary of him (a great way to make a mother proud even in a bad situation). Here are a few pictures we took of Grantham making the most of our stay at the hospital.

Announcing . . .

2009-03-24T19:24:00.003-05:00

We are so excited to announce that we are expecting again! I am a little over 12 weeks along; my due date is October 3rd. We had a 12 week ultra sound last week and were surprised at how different an 8 week ultra sound verse a 12 week ultrasound was. The baby was very active - moving, turning, kicking. We could even see the fingers on his/her hand.

Grantham has been asking for a sibling for some time now. Even to the extent of asking other kids at the park if they will be his brother or sister. The other day when we decided it was time to tell him he was going to be a big brother, he did not act excited at all. But then a few days later, he said "I want a baby sister. (long pause)" I say "we will have to talk to God about that." Grantham replies "a brother would be okay too, either one." Since then he has decided that he wants both, so we have tried to explain that Mommy only has one baby in her belly.

Kids make life so much more fun; we are so excited that God is blessing us with another child!

Turning 3

2009-03-21T17:12:00.008-05:00

We have been so blessed by Grantham. It is hard to believe how quickly time passes. How can he already be three?

We were so lucky to have both grandparents visit the week of his birthday.

Grandma and Pepaw

Nana and Pawpaw

Nana and Pawpaw were not able to stay for his "friend" party so we had a small family party. Nana and Pawpaw went way over board with the gifts but Grantham loved it!

I think I know what I am getting!

Can you tell what it is?

That's right . . . it is a drum set. Who wants to live next to us when we move back to Greenville?

Grantham has his first "friend" party. He chose who he wanted to invite and handed out the invitations. The day of the party he watched out the front window all morning waiting for his friends to come so they could have birthday cake with him. Grandma and Pepaw were able to be here for his party. Also gifts from all over the world were sent to wish him well on this special day. Thank you all for spoiling our special boy on his birthday!

My attempt at a Firetruck cake.

The "friends"

Waiting for Cake!

A few games

Opening Gifts(Above) A gift from Uncle Chip/Auntie Katy in Chicago (below) a gift from Auntie Melanie/Uncle Michael in Germany

Fire fighter Grantham

Thank you to everyone for making Grantham's birthday such a special day for him!

Lumberjack Grantham

2009-03-15T16:43:00.006-05:00

Grantham has become obsessed with Lumberjacks. Why? Who knows? We bought a DVD of Hard Hat Harry and lumberjacks. If you are not familar with Hard Hat Harry, he is a man who does videos/DVDs that are children's documentaries. On this day, I had asked John to remove a bush that sits in the middle of the yard. Grantham got in on the fun by using his shovel to "chop" down the last of the bush.

Sorry for so many pictures but I couldn't decide which to post.

Construction Workers - Hard at Work and Play

2009-01-21T15:32:00.003-06:00

Who could resist these adorable guys? Like all houses, it is a never ending fix-up job. Today John and Grantham were working on replacing parts of the sink that had a terrible odor that I could handle NO MORE:) My mom took these too cute pictures of Grantham "helping" his papa.

Family Christmas Cruise

2009-01-07T14:22:00.007-06:00

My parents decided to try something different for Christmas this year. Instead of exchanging gifts, we would all go on a family vacation together. I loved the idea but when I found out we were going on a cruise I had a lot of apprehensions. If you have never cruised, you are in VERY tight sleeping quarters and the cruise focus is not on families with children. I was pleasantly surprised. Grantham had a great time and even did well at the formal dinners in the evenings. The pictures below are just a few of from each day:

Day 1 Leaving the port of New Orleans

our boat and our room

Day 2 A day at sea

Towel animals were a big hit but the mints on the pillow made his night (notice in his hand)

A Formal Dinner

Day 3 A rainy beach day in Costa Maya

You would never guess that it was rainy and cold on this first day at the beach. Grantham had so much fun playing in the sand and wading in the cold water.
Uncle Chip had a blast burying Grantham in the sand!

Day 4 Exploring the Waterfalls in Guatamala

Grantham's first swim in a waterfall. He and his papa loved exploring the rocky terrain.

Day 5 A stop in Beize City - We took a day to relax on the boat while Papa zip lined throught the jungle.

That night after dinner we went to a "club" on the ship to enjoy the music. Grantham was so interested in the drums behind the singers that they invited him to play with them!

This became a regular event each evening!

Day 6 Another beach day in Cozumel

Swimming

Snorkling

Playing in the Sand

Strawberry Daquiries

Pina Coladas

And YES More Pina Coladas.

Grantham loved Virgin drinks!!!

Day 7 Another day at sea

Wait to see what I have in store for my Uncle Josh :)

Told you, "wait and see" now he is all wet

Two very wet boys trade hats

A water slide on the boat who could ask for more

Here come Papa and I

Day 8 Leaving the boat (how did it end so soon?)

The "watching" elevators - Since there were 13 levels on the boat we took the elevators a lot to get around. Grantham was parcel to the elevators that allowed you to see what other people were doing on the boat. Hince the "watching" elevators.

Christmas Cookies

2008-12-30T13:51:00.007-06:00

We have been enjoying Christmas so much this year. Grantham is starting to understand Christmas (Santa, giving, and even Jesus’s birth). We started by adopting a family with a group here in MS, something we love to do and would encourage everyone to try. It is always a little overwhelming buying undershirts, coats, and clothes for an unknown family. But it is such a blessing to know that they will get to experience a little of the Christmas spirit because God has blessed us with so much. This year we threw a little Christmas party for the neighborhood kids. The pictures are of us making cookies for the party. The kids enjoyed cookies and hot chocolate while making ornaments for a local nursing home. If you read our previous blog you know that we visited Santa (pretty successfully- without tears), but somewhere along the way Grantham realized that he forgot to tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas. After a few days of him being very concerned that Santa would not know what to bring him, I took him to see the Santa at the mall. Grantham was not so warm to this Santa as the one at Bass Proshop but insisted that I tell Santa for him what he wanted. I did and we began to leave Santa’s “designated” area. A tantrum began??? What is wrong we just saw Santa and now we are having a meltdown. Grantham began begging to see Santa again but there were other people behind us that I did not think would appreciate us returning to Santa’s chair. I bent down and asked him what was the problem? He started saying "I need to tell Santa I want a basketball. He didn’t know that I wanted a basketball." Then I realized that Grantham thought that Santa would give him his gift right then and there. After explaining that Santa would bring his gift in a few days on Christmas the meltdown ended and we continued our mall shopping. Oh the things we never think about as parents!
Enjoy the Christmas cookie pictures:

Notice that John is home for the baking of the cookies, even though he didn't get to participate in the icing and decorating. For those of you still in residency, life does get soooo much better:)

Grantham's cookie creation

But two of the greatest blessings have been watching Grantham understand the true meaning of Christmas (in his own two year old way). About a week before Christmas I realized that I still needed to purchase a few gifts and so we returned to the craziness of mall shoppers. At lunch we stopped at a pizza shop for a quick bit to eat and then to the cookie shop right across the mall walkway. While waiting in line for our cookie Grantham said, “I think that Santa likes to eat pizza too Mommy!” I told him that I was not sure if Santa liked pizza. And Grantham insisted “yes he does,” while pointing to the pizza shop we had just left. I laughed and said, “I guess he does.” Santa was in line for lunch at the pizza shop we had just eaten at. G said “Santa likes pizza like me, I think he would like a cookie too.” I replied, “would you like to get Santa a cookie?” And that is just what we did. Grantham took the cookie over to Santa, handed him the bag and said, “Happy Christmas!” Santa got the biggest grin on his face and said, “thanks I will eat it after I finish my lunch.” (side note I made sure that Santa realized we just bought the cookie at the shop across the way and told him about the above story) I think my son made Santa’s day:) Secondly, Grantham has begun to ask a lot of questions about Jesus. And hopes to receive a Bible for Christmas (how could any parent say no to a Bible?) Mostly he has been asking questions because of the songs we sing. Like Away in a Manger – “Why was there no crib for Jesus?” (no crib for a bed) or Crucified – “Why did the people stomp on Jesus?” (like a rose tramped on the ground, he took the fall). We have had the opportunity to explain ideas about salvation that I never thought a two year old could understand. God is so good! I am so glad that as Christmas becomes an exciting time with presents and Santa that it has also become a time that we can explain the true meaning of the season! Hope you all had a very merry Christmas.

Thanksgiving and Photos with Santa

2008-11-29T17:04:00.007-06:00

Okay I know that I just posted Halloween pictures but I am trying to catch-up:) We had a wonderful Thanksgiving break. John was on call so we had to stay in the Jackson area. That meant no traveling home to see family. At first we were a little disappointed but we decided to make our own special day. I wish I would have taken pictures but the thought did not cross my mind until after the day was over. We chose to serve meals with a downtown church. But since they did not need help serving the meal, we helped prepare beforehand. I was not sure how much help a fellow with a constant buzzing pager and a mom with a two year old would be but we were determined to do something special on Thanksgiving day. We had a great time cleaning tables, tearing up turkeys into servable portions and wrapping up plastic silverware in napkins. When the crew showed up to serve lunch and the craziness began (we found ourselves more in the way than helping), we excused ourselves to have our own lunch of BLTs.

The weekend continued to be a lot of fun. John even on call as an Allergy/Immunology fellow does not have to spend the nights at the hospital so though the pager goes off John is at home with Grantham and me. After three days of rain, we decided to brave the crazy shoppers and go to Bass Pro shop Outdoor World. We had heard that you could get free Santa pictures and there were holiday activities for kids. We brought a small sack lunch and had a picnic in the back of the mini van (it was raining). Then we explored the store. They had a great set-up for Santa and we were very happy with the pictures we were able to get. If you have a Bass Pro Shop near you, this was so much better than the mall Santa's and the crazy lines that go with it. Don't forget to bring your own camera- you get what you pay for (and these pictures were free). Hope you like the pictures we took with our camera:

Waiting to see Santa

A little Santa Dance

Helping the Elves

Playing with snow

A little more dancing

Not so sure about this Santa character (Santa was so patient while we convinced Grantham to sit in his lap)

Sitting in Santa's Chair

Trying Santa's milk and cookies

Halloween- Better Late than Never :)

2008-11-29T16:15:00.006-06:00

I think that is going to be my new life moto "better late than never." I know that many of you who are stay-at-home moms feel the same way. Before I stayed at home, I could get an endless amount of "work" done. But now I am happy if Grantham and I are dressed and the kitchen table has been cleaned off from the last meal:) I have been attending a group called Mom to Mom and so far I love it. It puts a smile on my face each month when one of the moms says something about the endless pile of laundary that needs to be done or never getting "the check list" completed. Last month we talked about things we were thankful for both in the past and at that very moment: one mom said that she was thankful for someplace to be other than home so she had an excuse not to attempt the huge pile of laundary. Don't you have a smile on your face too! In this group we talk a lot about the myths and frustrations we allow the devil to plant within us. I am trying to grasp hold of the idea that each day is God's NOT mine so my check list is just that a check list and not a "I will kill myself and anyone else who gets in the way of me completing my list" list. So right now there is blue tape all over the baseboards of my kitchen (even after 2 weeks) and the face plate for the light switches in the bathroom are still not on the wall (we have lived here for over four months now) because I have not found the time to complete all the painting jobs on my check list. But I have enjoyed having a few friends over, Grantham has mostly stopped hitting, I have been to two stamping/scrapbooking activities and we have had the opportunity to serve as a family, I believe God's list is so much more fulfilling than mine. I pray that I can look back on this blog and remember on the days that I am at my wits end because the list has not been checked off that God has so much greater a plan than we could imagen for our lives.

Okay I have gotten a little off task for this blog post, but going with the theme "better late than never." Here are some fun pictures of Grantham at Halloween. It was his first year to Trick-or-Treat and although we had a terribly pathetic turnout (only fifteen pieces of candy collected) Grantham had a wonderful time. (I ended up being thankful for the lack of candy in the end-after a few days there was no more candy to beg for!) Are you seeing that God's plan is always better than ours? Why do we so easily forget that lesson? Anyway we were in Indiana for Halloween so Grantham got to Trick-or-treat with his cousins. Enjoy the photos!

Grantham loved telling everyone he was going to be a pirate "Ahrrr, Ahoy there matie!"

It wouldn't be Halloween if we didn't all dress up. "Ahrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"

Our first stop . . . we learned to take turns ringing the doorbell. Who knew it was so much fun?

How sweet; it makes me want to have a dozen;)

The whole crew

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-11T21:24:00.008-05:00

Today was a great day for discovering the fun of fall. Grantham had his first experience with a hayride and picking pumpkins. Even though the temperature was over 80 degrees, we had a fun day with some new friends at a pumpkin patch. Grantham picked out his very first pumpkin which was so big he could barely pick it up. He also ran through a "hay" maze (something he has been wanting to do since we read the book, Go Dogs Go), and proudly climbed a huge bail of hay, then jumped off. What more could a young boy want from a day?

Just Because

2008-09-30T15:17:00.006-05:00

Grantham looks like his mommy but his personality is all his papa. Here are some cute pictures just because they make me smile and realize how blessed we are!

Imaginary Play

2008-09-19T14:31:00.007-05:00

Today was the first day that I sat back and really watched Grantham create his own “game.” He has mimicked activities that John and I do (kitchen, talking to teddy bears, vacuuming, building train tracks). He has even had imaginary friends for over a year now (it use to be Bob and he would always ask us where he was; now it is the wolves who are sometimes bad and sometimes good when they visit). But I had to smile when I watched Grantham, without any interaction from me, create a track for his “inside” bike, put on a helmet and race to the end of the road. I made the mistake of being the typical adult and told him that I didn’t think his bike would fit on the track, maybe he should instead try his Thomas the train. Time to prove Mommy wrong: Grantham quickly placed his back tire on the track and looked at me like what do you mean it won’t work. These are a few quick pictures I was able to take before the destruction started (if you do not have boys just wait- there is a time for every thing BUT destruction must end all great activities).

The construction

Imaginary Play

The Destruction

Baptized by Fire, Well Fire Ants

2008-08-14T13:40:00.003-05:00

I don't know if you can tell from the picture or not but Grantham was attacked by fire ants. For those of you who are not familiar with fire ants (or people like John who are non-believers in the scene in the new Indiana Jones movie). Here is what happened: Grantham was digging in a mulch pile near our garden when he stepped in an ant's nest. We have tried to teach him to stay out of their path but it was hard to see in the dark dirt (usually ant's nest look like a small pile of sand that has been dumped on top of the grass). He started running and fell saying ANTS! ANTS! John ran over to see what the commotion was about and started knocking the ants off of Grantham. All of this happened in just a few minutes, but if you can make out the picture, Grantham has at least thirty bites. Grantham was such a trooper (I have only had two bites but they burn for a few days, then form into puss pockets and finally scab over). Even after two weeks there are still signs of the "attack." Every time Grantham notices the small bumps on his feet, he ask John or me "Why did the ants do that?" When we try to explain that the ants were scared because he stepped on their house he says "I didn't mean to," or "they (the ants)shouldn't do that." John took the bites as an all out war against all the ants in our yard. I just pray that Grantham never has to go through this again!
On a lighter note, we are settling into the area and rain has brought with it cooler weather. The people here continue to be overly gracious and friendly. Hopefully we will be on more of a schedule soon.

When HOT weather strikes

2008-08-06T20:47:00.018-05:00

What is a child to do when the weather never goes below 75 degrees and the highs are hitting 99 and 100 everyday? Grantham and his mommy started going a little crazy until we talked Papa into getting us a few items we will call the Mississippi Summer Survival Kit. I know you are dying to know what we have in our "kit." Well they say pictures can say a thousand words so here we go:

Number 1:

The all important swimming pool - since our neighborhood does not have a pool we decided to improvise with a little 10' x 10' x 2' pool in our own backyard. We don't get the fun of socializing with our neighbors but we can endure the heat outside for an hour or so.

Number 2:

Yes that is an inflatable bouncy toy in our livingroom! Hey you make exceptions when energy levels are at an all time high and you can't be outside too long.

We FINALLY Made It

2008-07-30T20:42:00.002-05:00

The Pulcinis are moving up with cable internet instead of dial-up we are ready to keep in touch with the world. With a recent move to Mississippi, our lives feel a little topsyturvy (boxes are still litering the house, there are no pictures on the walls, schedule What is THAT?). I am in a constant internal debate about if I should keep the house "clean" or unpack the boxes that are still piled up. With the high possiblity of moving again in two years, I am begining to wonder if my mother-in-law and sister-in-law are not on to something when they ask me, "Why are you unpacking? The more you leave packed up the less you will have to do in two years." Oh well, I am sure that I will laugh at this when I look back on it in a few months.
Our lives are pretty normal just with new surroundings. John is working at the hospital. He seems to like the allergy/immunology group and the hours are SOOO much better as a fellow than as a resident. I am busy chasing after Grantham who has offically entered the terrible twos (so far we have only managed to isolate ourselves from new people - everyone we meet usually gets a good knock in the head or if they are lucky a punch on the arm). I keep telling myself that other moms understand but from the looks we get I am not so sure. Hopefully this "stage" will end quickly. Grantham and I are keeping busy discovering the town (McDonalds, Chickfila, The Natural Science museum). Have you noticed a trend - everywhere we go is inside. Yes, it is HOT here. In Indianapolis, people hide out for the winter. Here people hide out in the summer. No joke you can start sweating just from walking from your house to your car in the garage. Grantham and I were determined when we first moved to play outside. Within five minutes Grantham was beat red and so sweaty that I thought he had figured out how to turn the water hose on himself. Needless to say we are learning how to stay cool (check back later to see how).
Thanks for checking in with us as we start a new chapter in our lives!