Happy 3rd Birthday Halle!

Wow - time flies! Little baby Halle is now 3 years old! She is getting so big. She had a great 'princess' birthday party. Here are some pics from the day =)

Introducing Miley!

If any of you suddenly find yourself humming the tune to "Party in the U.S.A" by just reading the blog title...you are not alone. That aside, I'm very happy to introduce the newest member of our family. We got Miley Tuesday night from a farm outside of Earlville. The kids instantly loved her, and during the drive home came up with the name (thank you SO much Dad for the suggestion). She is 6 weeks old. I was afraid of how she would adapt to life in the Gatto household, but she is amazing! She started using the litter box right away, and has been eating great. We'll see if she still likes us after her first trip to the vet next week.



Miley's favorite spot in the house is Jay's bed. Lucky for me, because it is a great way to persuade a tired little boy to lay down for a 'rest'.

I think Joe loves her most, as he is Miley's favorite. She follows him everywhere he goes and falls asleep on his shoulders.

Halle is so proud of her little kitty. She doesn't quite understand why we don't hold Miley by the neck, but we are learning.

The Lack of Posts

I know, I know, I know!! Since my last post we have gone through the entire summer, swimming lessons, trip to Haiti, Jay's 5th birthday, numerous trips to Larchwood, a week in Branson, a Twins' game, the first day of junior kindergarten, Joe's last high school track event (at state!), and several Halle firsts that deserve a post.

Unfortunately (and fortunately) we had a power surge through our house that knocked out everything plugged into 120V, and started a great habit of a scared 2 year old sleeping in our bed. Thanks to insurance, we now have new TV's (flatscreen! apparrently they don't make CRT's anymore), new garage door openers, microwave, refridgerator, alarm clocks, phones, lights, and most important...COMPUTER! We were able to save all our pictures from our hard drive so I was not too upset to see the old computer go.

I intend on making a regular habit of updating our blog, so please check back and leave posts! And, create a blog of your own! It is so fun to read about everyone. And congrats to the next generation of relatives creating facebook pages :) We are all so proud!

Shopping at to Country Market (notice purse and baby in the cart?)

Jay and Daddy on the first day of Jr. Kindergarten!

Jay going to school. He LOVES school, and is doing great.

All About Jay! Tumbling, Preschool Graduation, Sesame Street Live, and Track Meet

This little man has been B-U-S-Y!

Gymnastics
The month of May started with his first ever tumbling recital. We watched as the 4 year old did front and back rolls, crab crawls, and some awesome tap dancing. Jay has been in the Moser School of Dance and Gymnastics for the last school year. While it definitely wasn't his favorite thing to do (Thanks Diane for dragging him kicking and screaming each week), I really think he enjoyed it. Pretty sure we won't be signing him up for next year, but the recital was adorable and I'm so happy with everything he learned.

Sesame Street Live

I brought Jay and his friend Cooper to Sesame Street Live: When Elmo Grows Up. We had really close seats this year. Several times the characters came off the stage to pat heads and give high fives.

Cotton candy: A 4-year-old's favorite food group

All the cute, fuzzy characters....minus Jay and Cooper!

Passing time before the show started - Jay got pretty good at coloring this year in preschool!

Jay and Cooper: The Dangerous Duo

Little Hawks Track Meet

Jay participated in his 2nd little hawk track meet. He got entered into the 5 and under category. He did the softball throw, long jump, 100 and 50 meter dash.

Jay placing 5th in the long jump:

Mr. Stud getting FIRST PLACE in the softball throw, beating all the 5 year olds in the competition!

Jay got 3rd in the 100 meter dash, and 4th in the 50 meter dash. Here is a video of Jay getting 1st in his heat of the 50 meter dash (there were several heats - so many kids!)

PreSchool Graduation


This was the cutest program ever! Complete with Pomp and Circumstance, Jay graduated with 7 of his classmates from Love to Learn preschool. The kids started off with some songs (Little Red Caboose, Down by the Bay, Itsy Bitsy, I'm a little Teapot), followed it up with some of their favorite puppet friends, and closed with the presentation of their diplomas. The highlight of the event was "Down by The Bay".... Jay really played the part and giggled hysterically at a 'Llama wearing Pajamas'

Getting the diploma from Mrs. Harper

The proud parents - I'm not afraid to admit that I was a little teary-eyed.



Thanks for coming, Grandpa!

Preschool Class 2009

I am so proud of this little man. He is funny, and creative, and has the biggest heart. He is a great big brother and his sister just adores him. He has learned a lot in this last year. He knows his letters - he can recognize them, write them, and pronounce them-, his colors, and he can count to 100! He is more than ready to tackle junior kindergarten next year!

(This picture I took after I caught him reading a book to his little sister before bed)

Happy Easter

We want to wish all of you a happy and safe Easter! We cannot wait! Easter egg hunt, church, good food =) Halle did a little preview of her dress for us, and we made some Easter eggs last night.

Random

The boys =)

Chef Halle


Still on the phone....

Making the most of the rainy weather

Pictures!

We finally bought new batteries for the camera! To celebrate, I have posted a couple pictures of the kids. They are doing great - Halle has learned so many new words, how to "shake her booty", and has also started using the potty. Jayden has become a Mario Kart Wii pro, and has also learned all his letters at preschool.


Halle is getting so big...

Her pretty church clothes

Up to no good...

So Handsome!

Halle, did you eat a cookie?


Where are you hiding the cookie?






There it is!