Our Big Eater

Sam is working hard to make the 20 lb. mark. Dr. Davis has us feeding him lots of high calorie foods to see if he can make it to the low end of the growth chart (I wish I could just give him a few of my extra lbs.). He has been such a good eater lately. He loves biscuits with butter and jelly, ice cream, bananas, and baby yogurt. He is just a few oz. away from 20 lbs. I know Dr. Davis will be so proud of our eater when we go back in May.

First Steps

Sam is finally taking his first steps. He has been reluctant to let go and take those first steps, but each day he is getting better. He obviously has no trouble getting up our stairs! Sydney walked at 9 mo. so it been a huge change of pace having easy going crawler with little desire to walk. We realized that Sam has to be promoted at school once he's a skilled walker so we are now hoping he doesn't walk for a long time. We love his teachers at school. We are pretty sure he's the favorite. I mean, who can resist that ear to ear grin!

Ciao!

Kyle and I had the amazing opportunity to visit Rome, Italy over spring break. We had a BLAST! It is difficult to even describe because it is really a place you must see to believe. I'm just posting a few pics from our trip. The pictures just don't compare to the real thing. Kyle and I hit the streets each day roaming (no pun intended) around, seeing the sights. We wanted to see all that we could in a week's time. It's not possible to see everything in one trip. It was Holy Week (no, we didn't see the Pope) so things were busy. But it was truly unbelievable. We missed our kids dearly, but they were on their own vacation to Grandparents' houses. They had a blast, too.

The Spanish Steps - we headed to the Spanish Steps the day we arrived. They were finishing a marathon that day so the roads were blocked off. Lots of excitement going on here each time we came by. Nighttime at the Spanish Steps (with a big scoop of gelato) made for great people watching.

The Westin Excelsior - This is our hotel. WONDERFUL!

Happy Anniversary! Kyle and I spent our 7th wedding anniversary in Rome. Here we are at the Trevi Fountain. Of course we threw a few coins in the fountain to ensure a return trip to Rome.

St. Peter's - We went to St. Peter's Basilica on a tour one day and went back for a tour of the Vatican museum and Sistine Chapel another day. I honestly cannot do this place justice on my little blog. Michelangelo's dome and his "Pieta" (Mary and the dead body of Christ) were unreal. And the Sistine Chapel - like nothing I've ever seen. To say this is the grandest church on earth would be HUGE understatement. We have a million pictures, but they don't come close to the wonder of it all in person.

The Colosseum - just think Gladiators and chariots.

Happy Birthday, Sydney!

Sydney turned 4 on February 12th. I can't believe how big she is getting. She keeps us on our toes and constantly reminds us just how full of life children really are. Sydney is such a good big sister. She is such the protector when it comes to her baby brother. She cried at the dr.'s office when Sam had his shots. She just kept looking at me with tears rolling down her cheek saying, "That lady is hurting my baby brother." It was really sweet. This year, we had a low-key family celebration for Sydney's birthday. Happy Birthday, Sweet Sydney!

All for me?

One of Syd's signature dance moves

Sydney is so excited about her big girl bike

Happy Birthday to Sydney!

Look Mom...no hands!

Sam loves his new ride on toy he got from his Gidi and Grandma for his 1st birthday. The other day we caught him standing on it. He thought he was pretty cool. No X games in his future if I have anything to say about it.

Just having fun...

We've been having a lot of fun lately. The weather has been so great! We've enjoyed playing outside with our neighborhood friends. We have so many kids that live on our street. Sydney and Sam have adjusted well to their new school. They are having so much fun. Sydney turned 4 this week. I can't believe how grown up she is. She had her friends next door over for pancakes at dinner time. We are having family over Saturday to celebrate the big event. Not too much is going on with the Nayfas these days (we sort of like it that way). Enjoy the pictures!

Happy Birthday, Samuel Kyle!

This week, Sam turned 1. I cant' believe it. Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday that we got the call that our precious little one was waiting for us. We celebrated Sam's birthday with family, fun, and of course CAKE!

Sam on his real birthday, January 30th.

a Denise O'Brien original cake... YUMMY!

I'm the Birthday Boy

Sam had a lot of help opening his presents from his big sis, Sydney.

Bring on the CAKE!