Daddy Working Hard

daddy has become very handy around the house. He stripped the windows and is now sanding them. Next week we will prime and paint them. With the rain, it has slowed down the process. It is really fun working on your home, knowing that you are trying to keep it up and make a nice home for your family.

Sunday Bike Ride

This is us riding home from breakfast with Papa and Luz.

Luca is in the trailer...sleeping!

Saturday with the Almeida Famliy

Levi had his Best Buddy over too, so we all had a very nice day:)


After the market, our good friends the Almeida's came over. We all had a great time and the kids had fun too. Koston is just adorable!!

Baking Time

Luca and her mommy love to bake. Luca is very helpful and is now able to crack eggs perfectly, stir and of course test it out. She has also learned to wash dishes which is pretty interesting to watch. Every week they try a new recipe....this week is pumpkin flan. Last week was cheesecake....yum!!

Farmers Market

We try to get to the farmers market every Saturday. We ride our bikes with the trailer for Luca.

Luca knows the routine...market then park then tree house, then nap.

Music

Luca was so excited when she saw the Avett Brothers on the TV. She was telling us and dancing/singing.

Luca's Top Five Favorite Bands

1. CMG

2. Whiskeytown

3. Avett Brothers

4. Kings of Leon (thanks to her mommy)

5. Anything from Yo Gabba Gabba Soundtracks

If you put any song on from the albums listed above, Luca will tell you who it is!

Luca is jamming with her guitar!

She can strum and can also use guitar picks. My wife got her these big picks with characters on it like spongebob. It is easy for her to hold and easy for us to keep an eye on them. She definitely prefers singing.

Day off..what to do? Shop for a new car?

Yes!! It's time we buy a family car, so let car hunting begin......

This one might be for Daddy, if he can get mommy to agree:)

Luca likes this one! It's a big purchase, so we have allowed ourselves a few months to research what will be best for our growing family.

Wee Wee!

It is very special to see the bond between my daughter and our 1 1/2 year old Beagle "Levi" aka "Wee Wee." Any parent who has a dog and kids will know how lucky they are to have that experience. Luca is learning responsibility by feeding him every day. She does it all by herself and tells him to sit and gives him treats. She opens the door to let him out and in. He comes when she calls him and I am proud that our dog is so amazingly patient with her. She really loves him and so do we!

In this shot Luca is trying to fit into Wee Wee's little bed and is clamping his mouth shut, right before she gives him a kiss.
Notice that there are pillows all around her, yet she chooses to use Levi as one....so funny!Every opportunity she gets she lays on him and cuddles, kisses and hugs. He has never objected, just lets her do whatever and for still being a puppy that is a pretty wonderful dog!

It's finally dry out and we can play outside.

We are really being creative with our backyard. This weekend we planted a ton of herbs, vegetables and fruits. We will see how our garden flourishes. My wife is really into it and says she wants to "live off our land." Pretty silly, but it looks very nice....we just have to keep Levi away from it!

This is my wife and Luca by the bonfire.

Luca is a great shopper!

She will look through clothes and pick ones that she likes. The problem is that she wants us to buy her everything:)

I can't imagine when she is older.....trouble!

Trying to stay warm with some hot cocoa

Luca is recovering from an ear infection, so we layed low, just running some errands and keeping her warm and comfortable. She now just has a lingering cough, but no other signs of the flu. Whew.....it was a close call. She fought off whatever was trying to take over. She has a really strong immune system and I can thank my wife for that-nursing for 18 months and never once giving her any formula!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Celebrating Daddy's BIG promotion!

This year is going to be our best year and now we can afford to grow our family.....baby Artiga?? Stay tuned.....

We tried to go to Claim Jumper, but can you believe they went out of business?

Happy Valentines Day!

Luca was off to be with her cousins-thanks Auntie Paula and Tio Clint- and mommy and daddy spent the weekend together! Luca had a blast! On V-day Toni made dinner and desert and I enjoyed it with my girls! We also had family from New York visiting....it was really nice to see Nancy!

Super Bowl Sunday 2011

Emily Rose and Luca sharing chocolate cake:)




BBQ'ing with friends and watching the game. More like hanging with friends if the Bills are not in the Super Bowl my wife wants nothing to do with it.

Radio Flyer Tricycle

Luca is so fast on her tricycle that it makes us nervous. We had to teach her to lean into the turns, so she doesn't flip over. Now that she "got it" she is peddling so fast around the backyard and just laughs and enjoys her new accomplishment. We do too, it is really cute!

Day of Gardening

We work on our house whenever we get a chance and Luca is very helpful. As you can see she is a great little gardner and insists on helping out Mommy & Daddy.