So...guess we'll have to try some baby food now!

Since she tried a pickle figured it was only fair to start giving her some baby food. First taste of squash. Despite the face, she actually really enjoyed it.

Gedney, the Minnesota State Fair Pickle!

One of Adina's, Madison's and my favorite foods is pickles. And not just any pickle. They have to be Gedney dill pickles. Adina even includes them on her list of vegetables that shes likes and she only likes 4! And for some reason in Illinois and Indiana they are very hard to come by. My grandma has been bringing me pickles when she comes to visit me for the past 13 years! Yes 13! We had a slight reprieve when our Wal-mart here stocked them, but not anymore (this makes me very sad). Anyhow, Genevieve is becoming very grabby and curious and she was curious about my pickle on my plate so I let her grab it. She loved it! It was pretty funny until her sharp little teeth took off a big chunk (this is the kid who has only had rice cereal so far!) Anyhow the pictures are funny.
Grandma, looks like you are going to have to up your pickle deliveries!

King of the Hill!

Our dog Tommy gets himself into some predicaments at times. Last Sunday it was a pound of chocolate (obviously he lived to bark about it! Thank you Lord, for small favors). A couple of days ago Madison and I were upstairs and I was putting away laundry and I heard the dog barking like he need something, he had gotten onto our computer chair that swivels and was afraid to get down because it would...swivel. Then today he played king of the hill on the back of our couch (with a little help from Donovan). Maybe he is part cat! Although he did manage to get down from this one (once again with a little prompting from Donovan)! Isn't he sweet! (Maria, bet you wish you had 10 of these!!)

Artist in the making!

Adina has always been very creative and loved any type of art project. I was very impressed when she came home with her very own Rainbow Fish today. They had read the story in art class and then got to draw and paint their very own. The picture here may not do it justice. I like it and the colors so much we are going to frame it and hang it in our bathroom which has the blues in it. She really does have a lot of love for art, I hope we can continue to cultivate it. It was funny, the other day I was putting some photos in frames and I wasn't happy with the way one of the pictures looked in a particulare color frame and it was Adina who suggested that I swap some frames so I would like the colors better! And she was right they look good. At this point in life she has aspirations to be a Fashion Designer when she grows up, watch out Vera Wang! I think Adina DeGaetano would be a great designer name or maybe just Adina. We'll see.

Learning to crochet

One thing I like to do when I have time is crochet. I always try to make time at Christmas time and make a couple of blankets for gifts and this year Adina has been begging me to teach her, so I sat down to teach her some basics. She took the skein of yarn with her to bed and has made about a 3 foot chain so far. She is pretty proud of herself. I am very proud of her initiative and how well she took my instructions. Sometimes mom as the teacher does not go so well. But this time it seemed ok.

Covenant Kids Christmas Party!

We have been so blessed to have a new Children's Minister at our church and she has really been putting together some fun things for our kids at the church. We had a Christmas party today which was cut short by freezing rain. We, however, got to stay longer as the church parsonage is on the church property and our trip home was not nearly as hazardous as others! Adina and Madison got to make reindeer food, decorate Christmas ornaments, make Christmas ornaments for shut-ins, decorate Christmas cookies, make a Christmas wreath and Angel and make a paper chain with 25 links, so they can take one off every day. I even put Genevieve in Adina's first Christmas dress so I could get some pictures. It was a nice morning, despite the yucky weather.

5 months old

Genevieve is now five months old. It is hard to believe she is growing so quickly. A year ago at this time we were just adjusting to the idea that we were going to have another child and now I cannot imagine a life without her! She has a second tooth already is sitting pretty well on her own. She had her first taste of cereal this month too, but she is not so sure about it yet, but we'll still keep trying. She is just a happy baby, although she is starting to show a bit of a temper if she doesn't like something. I think she may be the only 5 month old who's dad tells her to use her "inside voice" and she even listens...sometimes. Here are a few of my favorite pictures this month. (November - is it December already? Yikes!!)