Seaworld and Melbourne in April

We visted Jessica's sister to meet her new baby, Violet! Congratulations April and Julio! We went to Seaworld one day since it was so close by and the boys just loved it. The dolphin show and the little Shamu roller coaster were the big hits. There is a big climbing area (with lots of small holes) that we all went in that ended up being a little challenging for Mama and Papa. We did not cover 1/2 of the park as it is so huge with so much to do and see, so we'll need to go back.

Lowry Park Zoo in April

We visited the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa after hearing so many rave reviews from our friends. It really is a great zoo/kids park with all sorts of rides and things to do. The first picture was at the skunk exhibit (P-U). The boys enjoyed riding a camel and horse as well as the kids' rides. We finished the day with some water fountain fun.

Easter in Melbourne

Easter was very special with Jessica's family. The boys highly anticipated gettting their Easter basket from the Easter bunny. They were very curious about how big he was and why he brought and hid eggs. On Saturday we went to the beach (which had a great playgound too) with Jessica's sister and the boys' cousins. Afterward we got James and Vitali a haircut
in Melbourne Beach at a chic salon, they did a super job!


Easter morning was really fun. Within 5 minutes they ate the treats in their baskets, much like Christmas. The boys really enjoyed hunting for Easter Eggs with their cousins despite the rainy weather. After the hunt we all went to the zoo which had a special dinosaur exhibit. The spitting dinosaur was their favorite along with feeding the parakeets. This zoo also has the cutest pretend animal hospital which the boys really had fun with. Afterward we all enjoyed a great Easter dinner mde by Grandpa and Grandma.

Mini Cruise in February

We have been very slack bloggers, haven't we? In February we went on a short cruise to the Bahamas. The boys were so excited, they asked about it for weeks beforehand. When we were finally on board, they were so tickled they couldn't stop smiling. The picture of Mama and Papa was taken by James - we were impressed. The first stop was at a private island where we explored, looked at fish, and relaxed. The boys found a little hill of sand to roll down - see video on bottom of the post. The next day the ship docked at Nassau and we went to Atlantis to see the aquarium. The hammerhead sharks and sawfish were definately the highlight of the aquarium. We then walked to the beach which was the first time the boys saw real waves crashing on a beach. They played at the shore for at least an hour before digging in the loose sand. They both are adventerous eaters and liked to try all of the different foods. It's funny, but they seem to like the food we like (but less spicy of course). James said he wanted to stay on the ship when it was time to leave.

Fun in Seattle and Canada

We went to visit Paul's family in Seattle and it was great to finally introduce the boys to everyone. We had 2 days in the Seattle area and while there visited Pike Market of course and even got a few inches of snow at Uncle Dale and Aunt Katherine's house which was unusual for that area. We then made the drive (about 5.5 hours) to Whistler in British Columbia, Canada, which was a great scenic drive. Too bad Vitali got car sick both ways - it may have been a bit too hilly for his tummy. The boys loved playing in the snow and even went to ski school one day. Mama and Papa got to ski for a few hours which was very exciting and a bit scary as it has been a couple of years since we've hit the slopes. No injuries to report, thank goodness. At the end of that day all of us took the lifts up to near the top of Blackcomb Mountain and back down (the boys are not quite ready for skiing down yet although James thinks he is). We all had a fabulous time and it was great to be able to take James and Vitali on their first skiing adventure. How cool!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

December was a wonderful month for us...we went to Disney World again and all had the best Christmas of our lives at Grandma's house! We are looking forward to all of the growth, love, excitment, fun, happiness and new experiences that will come our way in 2008.

Thanksgiving and Two B-Day Parties

Wow, we have been busy!

Last week we went to a friend's daughter's birthday party. The boys had a great time in the bounce house! James likes more of a "mosh pit" style bounce house experience which the other boys also apparently enjoy. There was also a clown that the boys had some reservations about until she painted spiders and webs on their faces, then they decided they liked her OK.










The long holiday weekend was very eventful, starting with Vitali's school Thanksgiving luncheon. Vitali was dressed as an Indian and participated in his school wide presentation - very cute. The masses of people and crowded line for food was too much for both boys to endure, so we all had Wendy's for lunch.

Then off to Melbourne where we stayed at Grandma's house and visited with Jessica's sister's family. The boys had a lot of fun playing with their cousins, Sydney and Owen. The boys were fascinated with the big Thanksgiving turkey and James wanted to carve it like Grandpa. Thanksgiving dinner was wonderfully delicious as usual. We are so thankful for Grandpa and Grandma who slaved for hours in the kitchen for us. We have a lot to be Thankful for this year. Our beautiful boys are number one on the list and have added so much joy to our lives. We are also Thankful for all of our family, friends and the boys' teachers who have helped our family through this transition time.

On Friday we visited the local zoo where they have Giraffes you can feed from an elevated boardwalk. James was into it but Vitali was happy just to watch. The zoo also had parakeets that you can give a fruit treat to which was lots of fun.

Sydney's 6th Birthday Party was on Saturday at a park on the water. What a nice day it was! The children had lots of fun playing at the park for hours and our boys made some new friends.

Now we are getting ready for Christmas. The boys love the Christmas tree and James has expressed an interest in flying with Santa in his sleigh. He has decided that the whole family should go on a ride with Santa - he said he will sit on Mama's lap and Vitali will sit on Papa's lap. He is still practicing saying the word "reindeer". The holidays certainly have become much more exciting for Mama and Papa!