Just a few photos of the kids from the past couple of months.
An early snow in November.
And some fun picking out the perfect pumpkin in October.
And my girls being sweet.
Muddy Mornings
Source: Muddy Mornings
Christmas 2013 – Bringing it Back
“Lovely, glorious, beautiful Christmas… around which the entire kid year revolved.” -A Christmas Story
Yes, so true. As a kid, Christmas was everything. It was packing up the station wagon and driving our family of six from Missouri to Connecticut to be with my aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. And for some reason, my only memory of the trip is my cousin, Holly, getting a Rainbow Brite pony. I, did not.
It was getting the best Christmas present ever, my tiny Calico kitten, whose sweet patchy face popped out of a perfectly wrapped box revealing a holiday surprise I’ll never, ever forget. And it remained with us for the next 21 years.
It was dancing the night away to the golden oldies that filled our jukebox with our best family friends, the Andres’, down in our basement.
It was taking the trip downtown to St. Louis Center to see the Christmas Bear display then waiting in line to sit in Santa’s lap.
It was waiting in a line of neighborhood traffic to get a glimpse of the Minor’s house, a family in our parish who decorated their home in Griswold-like proportions.
Yep, it was pretty much everything.
But, as time went on, and I grew up, the magic of Christmas started to blur. I still enjoyed it , especially as the youngest of four, it meant that all of my older siblings would be back from college for a few weeks. This gave me a break from the suffering of an “only child.” And, when I was in college, or moved away for a couple of years in my 20’s, it was a nice reason to be home again. But, after a while, the thrill started to fade. It became a routine.
But, suddenly, it’s back.
Marco’s only two, so he’s still on the verge of really getting it. But we’re close. Having kids means the spirit of Christmas has returned. As our first Christmas as a family of four, the memories are being made.
It’s the excitement of opening a mound of presents in your PJs, underneath that twinkling tree.
It’s getting the chance to test out your cousin’s awesome gift. Sorry you didn’t get a Corvette, Marco. I know know how it feels.
It’s taking the annual grandkid shot. Ty makes it ten.
It’s breaking in Uncle Allen’s big gift – Karaoke for all.
It’s bonding with the cousins we don’t get to see nearly enough.
Having kids really does change things. And like so many other things in our lives, for the best. While I’m glad that the next Christmas is 11 months away, I look forward to knowing the excitement surrounding it is finally back.
2013 Quick-Look
So, within about two days, it seems the app called Flipagram has become all the rage. This makes complete sense, as 2013 will come to an end on Wednesday. Of course everyone wants to take quick glance at all that has been done in the past 12 months. Our year was a little rough in the beginning, with the sudden loss of Tito. But, with the welcoming of Ty in May, we had. A lot to celebrate. And so much to be thankful for, as well.
Here’s a quick look at the year, starting with the moment we finally met our new baby boy.
And, then, a look at the boys and Frankie. It really is awesome to see her connect with them. She’s so in love with Ty. More to come on that later.
Christmas Lights, Baby!
When Marco was a baby, I decided to try out the Pinterest-worthy baby + Christmas light photo shoot. Granted, he was only about 11 weeks old, so it was a lot of hoping he didn’t tip, and just giving up and shooting him on the floor images.
Regardless, he was still pretty cute.
Since Ty is 7 months, and a seasoned sitter, things were a little bit easier. The biggest challenge this time around, was keeping the lights out of this mouth — we’ve all seen the cat scene in Christmas Vacation, right? 
Yeah, let’s not go there.
I think they turned out pretty well this time around. Nice work, Baby Ty!
Alright, off to go prepare for Santa’s visit (i.e. fill up my wine glass and start wrapping). Merry Christmas!
Photos With Santa – Rewind
With Christmas just two days away, I thought there was no better time than the present to take a little glance at our Santa photos of year’s past.
First of course, would be this year’s. It’s Ty’s first Christmas, and we were pretty confident that he’d be flashing that gummy smile for the man in red. The question was, would our curious two-year old do the same? Shockingly, after nearly two hours in line to see the “best” Santa in town, he did. Love it.
That makes us 3-for-3 with happy Santa photos. Here’s hoping the tradition continues!
Now, a look back. Christmas 2012 – Marco and Santa seemed to get along pretty well.
Christmas 2011 – Marco’s first Christmas. He was about 10 weeks old. I don’t think he quite knew what he was doing up there, but he seemed content, none the less.
And, the Santa photos don’t stop there. Everyone knows Marco wasn’t the first “baby” in the family. Nope his sister Frankie and their old buddy Tito had their chance to prove they’d been nice, too. One of my favorite pictures ever. I think it was 2008.
And finally, time to go way back. My guess is 1982. I’m the baby of the family, down in the bottom right. I have to give my mom credit for not dressing us in matching holiday gear. Though, Allen’s sailor shirt is definitely a classic. 
Happy Holidays!
So Close, Frankie. So Close.
Most days, she can get away with sneaking a few bites out of the compost bin…except on those rare occasions we throw out an old bag of flour.
First Real Winter Snow + My Model of the Moment
I feel like this winter got a lot colder a lot faster than years past. We hada little bit of snow last week, but it wasn’t too impressive, and it was pretty cold outside. So, we passed on making a big deal about it with the boys, and decided to wait for something better.
Well, this morning we got it!
Marco is suddenly becoming much more difficult to get in a picture. Luckily, Ty is now sitting up, and always full of smiles. He’s officially my newest model. I think he’s doing quite well.
It wouldn’t be a complete set of snow photos without Frankie. She was made for the stuff.
Marco and Dad built a very tall snowman.
Just For Tito
Posting about Tito the other day motivated me to finally order a memorial stone for his spot in the yard. I was so excited when I opened up the package, I got a little teary-eyed. 
The stone is from a store on etsy. I had actually purchased a stone for Lucas’ pumpkin garden from the same store a few years ago. I was really happy with the quality, so I went back to see what they had for pets. The dog option featured a simple paw. It was nice, but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to ask if there was any way they could replace the paw with Tito’s distinct silhouette. I sent them the link to the pictures I created for Marco’s room as an example. Tito’s was created with this image:
The store owner replied right away, telling me the special silhouette would be no problem at all.
I’m so happy with the way it turned out. It’s the perfect piece for our guy who was known for his distinct silhouette and those big, beautiful ears.
A special dog deserves a special piece.
And that’s just what he got.
The “Teeters” Playlist
A few months ago, I got a new car. A new car, with a USB hookup. Excited to try out the accessory, I plugged in my old, neglected iPod Mini, and started scrolling through the playlists. That’s when I came across “Teeters.” I, of course, stopped for a moment, gave a deep sigh, and thought about my amazing dog. The one we lost so suddenly earlier this year. Then, I tried to remember why I had a playlist named after him. Naming the playlist after Tito didn’t surprise me – it’s no secret that I’m borderline crazy for my pets. But there had to be a reason I coined this vast mix of music – from Don’t Stop Believing to Dixieland Delight – after our old buddy. Then it hit me.
Tito was originally Lucas’ dog. He adopted him as a puppy from the Columbia Humane Society (sure to be a “real” German Shepherd), and eventually made his way back to St. Louis with him. Tito was three when Lucas and I started dating. And, in all honesty, before I feel in love with my husband, I fell in love with his dog. Those loyal brown eyes and big, always-alert ears were all it took. This dog and I had a connection. So, when I was moving into a new house, and Lucas asked me if I’d consider having Tito live with me rather than go into an apartment with him, I didn’t hesitate.
Which brings me back to the playlist.
It was a party playlist.
Rather than throw the old, cliché housewarming party when I moved in, we had a “Sweet Baby Teeters Welcoming Party.” The perfect way to celebrate my new house with my new roommate. I don’t really remember anything significant from that soiree. Lucas and I had a lot of parties in that house. But, I love the fact that I’ll always have the playlist in his honor. And that I fatefully came across it just weeks after we lost him. If there was any dog who deserved a celebratory welcoming, it was Tito.
Tito was so smart, genuine, and possessed a level of empathy I’ve never seen in any other dog. He loved camping and swimming, and even outswam a pair of labs on an 11 mile float trip back in the day. He loved coming to work with me, and was so loyal he never needed the baby gate (though, I will admit, he had quite a tough-guy attitude around other dogs, so it did go up from time to time). He even joined me out at a meeting at Purina Farms one time, where he got to live it up as “performance” dog, catching a Frisbee out in the ring and attempting to “dive” off the dock for a beloved tennis ball. I beamed like a proud parent that day, knowing my little man had had the time of his life. He had a bizarre love of vegetables. I couldn’t cut up a green pepper without him showing up, begging for a slice. And peas? Forget about it. He was in heaven. One pea, and he’d run to the carpet and begin performing his back-side, wiggle, rub the floor, snort with excitement victory dance. And THEN eat the single green vegetable. He loved tennis balls. Loved them to the point that I still can’t bring myself to throw away the piles of them in both our home and at my office. He was one of Marco’s first words, “Tee-To. Tee-To.” So fun to say that Marco continued to call Frankie by his name after he was gone. He definitely wasn’t an easy guy to forget.
_____________
Tito passed away this past March. He was only 9. It all happened really quickly. Within 2 weeks of finding out he had a tumor on his spleen, he was gone. It’s a unique illness, in that he’d have an episode, become sick and weak, then rebound and bounce back to the old, lively dog we all knew and loved. He had probably 3 of these episodes until one was powerful enough to take him. All I kept saying was I wanted one last day of nice weather for Tito to go out and enjoy before he died. Considering the cold, wet, unending winter we were having, that was a lot to ask. But, sure enough, we had a Sunday of beautiful, spring-like weather. Tito, Frankie and Marco ran around outside, throwing the ball and enjoying the day. Tito enjoyed bowls of peas and some wet dog food. Then, we all went to bed, and when we woke up in the morning, I went downstairs to find Frankie alone, waiting to go outside. Tito had passed away in our family room while we were sleeping. It wasn’t easy, but I took comfort in knowing it happened over night, we didn’t have to go through the additional pain of putting him down, and he got that one last day to be the amazing, energetic, passionate dog he had always been.
We miss you, buddy. Always will. Thanks for being incredible.
Welcome Ty William
I never blog anymore, but I figure there’s no better reason to dust off the old keyboard and create new post than then arrival of our adorable baby boy –
Ty William Puricelli.
May 4, 2013 2:07pm
8lbs 1 oz, 20.75 in long
Ty arrived in record time (as in 6 hours faster than his brother, Marco). From the start, he’s been a happy little guy. Now almost 10 weeks old, he’s busy showing off the sweetest big-cheeked smiles. I forgot how infectious those tiny little grins really can be.
Marco is a great big brother, adjusting well to having to share the attention. Sure, we saw a little jealously sprout up at first, but overall he thinks “baby” isn’t so bad.
All in all, life as a family of 4 is going well!
Making Room for Baby #2
One of the reasons I love finding out the baby’s gender is the chance to plan the nursery. And now that we know baby #2 is a boy, it’s time to get moving.
He’ll be in what we currently call the “computer room.” Which, in all reality, is the place we store the ever important things like Lucas’ college beer coozie collection and my rarely used knitting supplies. There’s also a nice shot glass collection, and a hand-me-down loveseat that I halfheartedly covered about a year ago, and has been doing a fine job of collecting dust ever since.
This is also the last-remaining wallpapered room in the house. Hopefully it comes down as cleanly as it did in Marco’s Room de Toile. It’s kind of like a burlap print, which isn’t the most offensive we’ve seen, but definitely isn’t something we want to keep around, either.
I’m not 100% sure what I’ll be doing in that room, but I’ve been leaning towards a navy and lime green feel. I’ve found some examples that I really, really love, and I’ve found some examples that I really don’t. So, I’m being cautious as I move ahead. I’ve found a few starter pieces for inspiration.
I love that sweater moose head. It’s made from upcycled sweaters. The only problem is, there’s no guarantee which sweater you’ll be getting. So, while that one is pretty adorable, there’s always the risk of getting some purple and tangerine argyle combo instead. Hmm. Risk worth taking?
As for the walls, I think I’ll keep them neutral. Like a soft gray. But, then again…maybe one lime green wall (or dark navy??) wouldn’t hurt? This is pretty cute:
I’m feeling good about the color combination. Now it’s just a matter of finding the motivation to clear out the room and strip that wallpaper. And figure out where we’re going to store/hide everything in there. Ugh. Did I mention that room also served as my overflow closet? Yep, a lot to do and the clock is ticking! Those moms weren’t kidding when they said pregnancy #2 flies by!
Anyway, just to finish things off, I thought I’d take a trip down memory lane and post a few before and afters of Marco’s room. Such a fun transformation. I seriously can’t believe that toile. I won’t mention names, but a few people questioned why we were taking it down…
Before (obviously)
After
Holy cow we came a long way!
Living Room 
