Sick day

Darren pretended to be sick so he could stay home from school. As you can tell, I think he may have an acting career ahead of him.

Not to jinx anything...

but Darren really seems to love Taylor. He's been nothing but sweet and loves putting on puppet shows for her, kissing her feet and telling her he loves her.

Happy Hanukkah and 95th Birthday!

Hanukkah was extra special this year because it fell on Grandma Fannie's 95th birthday. To celebrate the event, all of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren flew in from across the country to celebrate!

Dinner!

Welcome Taylor Miranda Spano!

It's a girl!!!! We are so very excited to welcome the cutest little girl into our family. Taylor entered the world weighing 6 pounds 9 ounces and is 19 inches long. 

Watch out world, we have some shopping to do!

Still pregnant...

Just letting you know.  Come out, come out wherever you are!

Creme Play Date!

Check out some super cute pics of Darren and his school friends on a Saturday play date in the park!

Happy Halloween!

Darren had a great time celebrating Halloween with cousin Rory. They LOVE hanging out together and totally crack each other up. 

It's a....Monkey!

This morning when I asked Darren if he was going to have a brother or a sister, he said "It's a monkey!" Oy vey...this is not going well.

Cheap Date

Saturday night, Darren took Hailey out for pizza and then to The Dollar Store. Darren spent his time trying to impress his date....first, with flowers, then with a hug and finally by showing her his HUUUUGGGE muscles. Obviously a trick Gary taught him. 

Baby name suggestions

Since Gary and I decided to wait to find out what we're having until the baby's arrival, we're left with coming up with two sets of names. And it's not going so well. We're pretty set on a girl's name...which means we're probably having a boy. Darren has so far suggested:

(1) George (Curious George)

(2) Doctor (I do like the sound of Doctor Spano)

(3) Yo Gaba Gaba

Somehow, I still don't think he understands what having a little brother/sister is all about. Anyone else have suggestions that don't have to do with Disney characters or TV shows?

Summer 2009 - In Review

It was a rough summer, to say the least, but we still managed to enjoy it a bit. We just finished the summer with a family trip to Hilton Head where Darren stayed in his bathing suit from morning until night (he wouldn't even take it off for naps). He loved exploring the ocean and pool, but most of all he loved exploring grandma's cookie bin and refrigerator.  

Hickory, NC

With Gary traveling so much this summer, Darren and I decided to take a little road trip to go visit Sara, Robert and Charlotte at their beautiful new home. Darren and Charlotte were so excited to see each other again...and I was excited by how well he behaved in the car with the help of a DVD player. 

Callaway Gardens

I have very fond memories of family vacations to Callaway Gardens...so I decided to introduce Darren and Gary to the place with a day trip. Darren had a great time and the place has pretty much stayed the same over the past 30 years. One thing that Darren did not like was the butterfly exhibit...um, yeah...butterflies are super scary. 

What Darren Will Never Experience

Darren will never really get to know his beautiful Nana. He’ll never get to know how she was the kindest person I’ve ever known or how accepting she was to everyone she ever met. But we’ll remind him of her every day and how lucky he was to have had such a wonderful Nana…even if it wasn’t for nearly long enough. 

The kid has skills

Yesterday, Papa handed over his camera to Darren for the first time. Wanting to show his versatility, Darren first took a picture of nature and then a close-up of Papa. I like how he really captured the nose hair, I mean, the moment.

Happy Birthday - Again!

Darren celebrated his birthday for a 3rd time this weekend with family and friends. He had a great time playing in the park and eating the Elmo cake his grandma made for him!