Boy Math

My mind sometimes wanders toward nerdy thoughts like these...

To have three boys so far, we have rolled the dice and fallen on one side of the 50% odds to come to the following percentage--.5 x .5 x .5 = 12.5% chance of having three children all of the same gender.

As of right now, it also appears Baby J will be keeping his beautiful blue eyes just like his big brothers (how did God know I desperately longed for blue eyes as a child and, of course, would want them for my own children?) 

Both GG and I are brown-eyed and each carry a recessive allele for blue eye color from Pappy and Mimi, respectively (science teacher coming out...)  So each of our children has a 25% chance of having blue eyes (think Punnett Square)--.25 x .25 x .25 = 1.6% chance of having three blue-eyed kids.  

Thus, the chance of winding up with THREE blue-eyed baby boys goes something like this = .5  x .5  x .5  x .25  x .25  x .25 = .0019 = .19%

That means our family is a .2% Godly "coincidence."

Gosh, we feel pretty special!!

Happy Saturday!

Soccer Firsts

Today marked the beginning of an era in Gasperini-Ville: the start of organized sports!!!!

At 10:30am, "Big Blue" (our beloved minivan) pulled out of the garage with the entire family ready to take on M's first soccer practice. Inside he was clad in Umbro shorts, shin guards, and cleats and was *beyond* excited for his first go at it.

And might I mention, what a *cute* little player he was (totally biased). He listened really well to his coaches and followed instructions to a T (mom and dad were so proud!) When time came to scrimmage, M was such a hustler and stayed on the field chasing the ball the whole time as the other kids began "dropping like flies" due to the heat. We were so proud of our little soccer player! We laughed that we are now going to have to undo a lot of the lessons we've taught him in the past: "No son, you don't have to share the ball." "Yes, sweetheart, go ahead and steal the ball from that other kid." lol. ONLY on the soccer field. :) I anticipate him getting more and more aggressive as time goes on (if only his brother were on the field for him to tackle--he's quite good at that!)

GG and I couldn't be more excited for this commencement, as our entire lives we've personally clung to sports, hectic practice schedules, and athletic accomplishments.  Forgive us for already living vicariously through our children! :)  What a great morning.  As I said to GG, "I could do this every Saturday."  

Really, we're in heaven.

Hope you're staying cool (east), safe (Texas), and enjoying a beautiful Saturday.

God bless.

Loving our Daddy

Today as our GG left for work, I couldn't help but think of the calamity of our lives if he were never to return.  (Fear is a REAL area of weakness for me and I feel like I'm offering it up in prayer constantly!)  How the boys would miss him and ask for him constantly (as they already do when he's away!); how I would ache for his love, support, and companionship...

And then I remembered that today is 9/11 and I'm so saddened at how appropriate these thoughts are for this depressing anniversary.  

So rather than wallow in sadness and fear, we are going to rejoice today in our working, loving, supporting daddy and praise God for every day we have with him!  God bless America!

Back To Life

Back to Reality. Back to Life. Back to Reality...

I had this silly 80's jingle in my head this morning as I awoke to a new dawn in Gasperini-Ville.

GG was up and at 'em, getting ready for his first WORK day. Way to go, GG!!! We can't wait to hear all about it... M was down the hall, getting in his last minutes of home fun before heading off to his first day of pre-school. We were elated two weeks ago to receive news that he would be accepted off the waitlist at a school right around the corner. Yahoo! Here are a few glimpses of our precious student:

Big Bro heads to school

Little Brother's Turn

And here's a shot of the smallest brother just because he's cute. :)

Status Report Post Preschool Day One: Not much. I could hardly get the little guy to dish up after his first day--a sign of things to come in our teen years? I'm sure.  :)  I did manage to find out that his favorite part of the day was playing with a car and the toys in the room, that he likes his teachers (I think--I totally fed him the line!), and that he rode a bicycle on the playground. How cryptic it is to be a mother of boys! Oh for a girl to chatter on and on and tell me everything! :) Maybe someday... :) In the meantime, I love my little boys!

T, J, and I ventured out for T's 2-year doc's appt. this morning (nothing like packing in our first morning of routine!) T is happy and healthy and right on schedule for all of his growth and abilities. He also boasts a hemoglobin level in the 14's (like his mother), despite never choosing to eat meat. Oh well, at least he's healthy, right?!

So there's a brief synopsis of our first rather manic Monday! God bless and hope this finds you well!

Happiest of Birthdays

To our happiest of little boys!

Happy 2nd Birthday to our first August baby, T!!!!

You came into our lives two years ago and we've been so blessed since...
You light up our world with smiles and squinty eyes and sweet words.
You follow the path of your brother, yet always add your own individualized flair.
Your hugs and squeezes melt your mama; you've carved a special niche in all of our hearts!
You are our precious T and we love you so!!

We had a small little shindig to celebrate last night. What fun! Some friends of ours came over with their son along with Mimi and Papa--what a great group and just right for this recovering, postpartum mama! :) T loved his celebration, the attention, opening gifts, and most importantly, his ice cream cake! Enjoy the shots along with a few extras I just had to throw in... 

Here's a shot of T-baby at 3 weeks--what a chunk!

And here's a reminiscent pic of our newest scrunchface from last night!

The party house

The boys playing in the back

"Here, let me help you with that."

The only family shot from the party--J is under the blanket nursing!

Best part of the night--cake!

The proud big brother--mutual love!

All three "men" feeding J a bottle--Poor little guy!

God bless you on this Saturday from our Gasperini-Ville hearts to yours. Hugs! :)

Cowboys and Such

I'm happy to report an incredible date last night with my beloved. It was just what the doctor ordered--GG and I had such a nice time being together and enjoying one another's company! We went to P.F. Chang's and saw Hancock afterward. Props to Will Smith on yet another movie that is (relatively) family friendly (a few bad words thrown in) and entertaining. I think the two of us just really enjoyed getting out above all things! :) Many thanks to Mimi and Papa for taking such good care of our precious cherubs...

My little "cowboys" dragged their grandparents to Chik-Fil-A to get a free meal by dressing like cows.  Mimi picked up some cow material to whip up the cutest kerchiefs with bells.  Sadly, the get-ups only earned the bunch free entrees, but who's complaining!  I find these bovine boys to be absolutely scrumptious (albeit naughty!)  They are perched on their favorite plaything of late--the couch pillows.  Mom has nixed the previous fun game of diving off the main cushions and armrests onto the pillows on the floor.  Hello broken necks?  Now, the boys are relatively satisfied with running on the carpet and jumping into pillow swamps...  Oh Lord!  Are you now beginning to see why yesterday morning was so out-of-control???  What is a mother to do!!!

One last fun Saturday detail was the opportunity to see The Alley Family again this morning.  The kids played while the parents connected--this time both GG and Will were with us!!  Too fun...  Alas, more togetherness will have to wait until Will has finished his chaplains' course and conquers the 1st Cav and Iraq.  God speed, brother!  We send our love with the whole family as they head back to Texas!

Recovering

Hello dear friends,

I had full intentions of writing an update yesterday, only to feel a complete and overwhelming fatigue take over my body in the wake of such life change and activity! We have definitely crammed a lot of life into a small space of time... :) At one point, GG commented that we needed to continue to have big events precede a move just so that we can have family in to help.

And did I say help? Oh my goodness, they were amazing! Mimi and Papa, Gramz and Pappy, and Aunt Jessica (my sis) were all in, lending a hand in the revelry of GG's graduation. The boys were in absolute heaven as were GG and I at having our parents together and getting to spend quality time with those we love the most! What a blessing that truly was. I definitely could have enjoyed a few more days of that...

Overall, we tackled the house closing in Virginia last Thursday, the graduation on Saturday/Sunday, the packing on Monday, the move on Tuesday, and the drive east on Tuesday/Wednesday! Whew! I'm tired just thinking back to it... Yet how good our Father in heaven is for giving us AMPLE reason and praise to be making such a life shift! We cannot give enough thanks to our Lord for His overwhelming goodness.

And... now we're here, forging a new trail for our little family. Today GG is painting (like he hasn't accomplished enough in the last week!) We decided last-minute to change the color of the boys' room from a beautiful pale green to a pale blue to match their bedding better. Meanwhile, the boys and I ventured over to the YMCA down the street for the first time today and they had a ball playing in the "Child Watch" while mama got in her workout fix! Only one hang-up: a bunch of belly cramps (probably due to my recent inactivity) made me worry I was in pre-term labor! Oh Lord! Thankfully all seemed to subside once we were back at the new house with food in our tummies...

After all, we do love a little drama here in Gasperini-Ville.
Nice to know some things haven't changed. :)

Hope you are all well and enjoying a blessed Friday.
Hugs and warmth to you from the land of Virginia. We are basking in its beauty.
Why not come and pay us a visit, why don't you?
God bless.

Gasperini-Ville Chatter

During storytime last night...

M: Mommy, what's that? (pointing to a blimp motor)

B-mama: That's a blimp motor.

M: That's a blimp butt.

B-mama: (laughter) I guess you could call it that.

**********************************************
While the family enjoys donuts after mass...

B-mama: Hey, I thought I would get some steaks to grill for next Sunday.

GG: What's happening next Sunday? (I look at him imploringly.)
To celebrate my return from the wedding in New Orleans?
It's not someone's birthday is it?

B-mama: Think real hard.

GG: Oh! It's our anniversary isn't it? (!!!!!)
What a great 7... I mean, 6 years its been. (!!!!!)

Oh my! :) God bless your Sunday! Thanks for all the prayer intentions...

Giggly Fun

Gasperini-Ville was full of giggles yesterday as we had the chance to take a roadtrip to see dear friends. What joy it was to laugh along with the oldest boys, our M and godson, C! They found each other ridiculously funny and chuckled alongside one another throughout the afternoon until dinner. Too cute! It is sad to think that we will both be "going our separate ways" as Uncle E finishes business school and their family moves south, while we head east! Oh to always be a couple hours away!!

We also had the chance to revel in their adorable 6-mos-old, M, who is the most content and happy little girl. Her chubby cheeks make me think of my baby boys and how they blossom in their early months! Thank you, T family, for a wonderful afternoon...

Blessings to you on this Monday!

Horsey

One of M's favorite things to do these days is watch video clips of our family on the computer. It is great to see his reaction as he recalls events of the recent past. We ran across this one today, which caused me to say prayers of thanks for my dad, "Pappy", and all he does for his grandsons. Yes, he's the crazy guy playing horsie/"bull" and carrying three boys, while wearing kneepads so as not to induce bursitis! We love him! How blessed we are, overall, to have such amazing families for support. Hope you are enjoying a beautiful evening. God bless!

Back to the White Stuff

From this...

to THIS

in one day's time!

Alas, the Midwest always has a pocketful of wintery surprises.

We arrived home yesterday to 11+ inches of snow. GG had to jump out and begin shoveling before we could manage the car into the driveway. Oh Lordy! Thankfully we made it and have been settling since.

And today, my sweet ones braved the snow to shovel and clear the drive and walkway! What troopers!!

Hope this finds you warm and snuggly, wherever you are.

Hot chocolate hugs sent from Gasperini-Ville to you today!!

God bless.

Christmas Round #2

Well, we made it. Again.

Here to Ohio to celebrate Christmas with my family...

I didn't mention we were driving again because I've worried you all too much with all our recent trips! Thankfully GG and I shared the driving yesterday, which made ALL the difference!No hay problema!!

Today marks a continuing Christmas for the Gasperinis--I think I even heard Gramz telling M last night that Santa was going to visit again! Now we've totally confused him. :)

My sister and her family arrive any minute before we'll share a warm "Christmas" breakfast and gift-opening. If one thing's for certain, craziness will undoubtedly ensue! Praise God for family--the crazier, the better.

Enjoy your crazy families today! God bless.

Joy to the World!

What an enjoyable day it was yesterday...

Just reveling in warm time with family was fabulous, but to also add the kids' excitement, wonderful gifts, and beautiful brunch was enough to make it a perfect day. M was Santa's helper, sure to give everyone his appropriate gifts (while simultaneously unwrapping/playing with his own!) T-baby was sweet as pie, drinking in the craziness of the morning and adding his own enthusiasm and delight. What fun to share in the joy of kids during the holidays!

An early nap was enough to hold T-baby over as we headed out to dine at The Jefferson for Christmas brunch. Oh boy--how soon can New Year's resolutions begin??? We indulged trip after trip through the line. Best part of the afternoon--the boys were extremely well-behaved and made the event so fun. They wore their new red sweaters and navy cords, Christmas compliments of Mimi and Papa. Alas, if only the family photo in front of the Jefferson tree would have turned out... But you know how Gasperini-Ville and Christmas shots go. :)

And then the day would have been truly perfect. And does that really happen anyway? Oh and if only I would have brought three diapers to brunch! M went through two, leaving me with *none* for poor, stinky T-babe. Never far from drama in Gasperini-Ville. Thankfully, all were in good spirits and willing to tolerate the "situation"!! lol. ;)

Above all, my morning run yesterday in the wee hours of Christmas revealed to me what I envision to be my future Christmas "perfect." It will be a driveway full of cars, indicating that all have "come home" to be with family for the holiday. It will be a time of warmth and togetherness; laughter and tears (the happy kind). It will be a fireplace-centered, afghan-covered, and pine-scented dream. It will be full of love, encouragement, support, and well-wishes. It will be Christ-filled. It will be perfect (or as close to it as we can get.:)

Cheers to Christmas 2007 and all joyful ones to come.

In the spirit...

Nothing says Christmas like a snowy, yummy, candy-clad gingerbread house, built with love. After all the hands that touched this creation, however, I'm not so sure it will be devoured post-holiday. Oh well, at least it looks nice... Blessings and love! :)

Ginger elves

M inspecting the beginning work--more inspired to eat than build.

T, sampling the decorations

Almost done...

COMPLETE--great work, Gasperinis!