Annabella is ONE!
September 10, 2011

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Annabella had her first birthday.  Mommy made her a rainbow cheesecake.  Uncle Josh, Aunt Lisa and Evie came over.  She got a cute little outfit from them and the boys gave her a grocery basket with plastic food.  Dad and Mom gave her a pretend shopping cart.  I think Vinny likes it more than she does.  He pushed it all around so she couldn't even play with it.  I think she will like it more as she gets older.






The Zoo
August 13, 2011

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The kids love the Michigan City Zoo.  Lisa and Evie were able to come with us.  They talk about it for weeks after we go.





Snowpocolypse

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It snowed sooooo much here Tuesday and Wednesday.  Jeremy shoveled the car out and went to work anyway.  When he went to the morning meeting, there were five other men who had driven in that morning and three others who had stayed all night.  We were hoping he would get to stay home for a snow day, but he is just a dedicated worker.  The car got stuck on the on-ramp on the way home and three men in the car behind him helped shovel and push the car until it got going!


Tony Sings in Church
December 15, 2010

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Antonio sang "Away in a Manger" with his 4-year-old class in church on Wednesday night.  They did a very good job.  Tony was dressed up as a king (Wise Man).





Christmas Day
December 25, 2010

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We were privileged to be home for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day for the first time since we were married.  This is our seventh Christmas together.  I am so very glad that we could be home for this great day.  The boys woke up super excited to open their presents.  Tony kept asking, "Can I open my big present now?" and Vinny said over and over, "Cereal, Cereal, Cereal..."  He was more concerned with filling his belly than opening the presents. :)  They had several more presents to open here in addition to the ones they already opened in New York.  They received a lot presents this year.  Thank you to everyone who sent a gift or money to us for Christmas!  We really appreciate it!


New York Trip
December 16-23, 2010

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We took a trip out to New York to visit Grandpa and Grandma M and Grandpa Braungart also.  We drove to Watkins Glen to stay for a week.  On Saturday, we went to Buffalo for the Maulucci family's traditional "Wigilia" (Vigalia).  This is with Jeremy's father's sisters and their families.  Before it began, we went to visit Jeremy's Great-Aunt Marie (His Grandpa Maulucci's sister).  It was great to visit her.  We also met two of her four children and two of her grandkids.  Then on Monday we drove to Schenectedy to visit Jeremy's Grandpa for the day.  We went out to eat with him.  We really enjoyed our visit with him.  We had an early "Christmas" with Jeremy's parents and siblings on Tuesday.  There were sure a lot of presents!  The boys had fun with their aunts, uncles and grandparents.  I think we had something big to do every day we were there.


Navy Pier
December 13, 2010

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We took the kids to Navy Pier's Winter Wonderfest.  The boys had a blast!  They had so much fun running around and climbing up the tall ladders and sliding down the huge slides.  Vinny was a little nervous on the ferris wheel and the carousel, but Tony loved  them.  They both enjoyed the "snowball" throwing room.  Jeremy went in with them and pelted them with the balls.  We spent about 4 hours there, and that was just perfect.  They were nice and worn out when we left and slept the whole way home.



Vinny is TWO!!!

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Vinny turned two on December 2.  We had a small party with Josh, Lisa and Elisabeth coming over. 







Antonio is FOUR!!
October 16, 2010

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Antonio turned four on October 16.  He is just growing up soooo fast!  We had a party for him.  Josh and Lisa came over and brought Elisabeth.  Antonio also invited several friends over.  They had a fun time.






Columbus Day 2010

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We took the train from East Chicago to the Millennium Station on Columbus Day.  Jeremy took the day off of work, and Aunt Lisa was even able to come with us.  The boys LOVED riding on the train.  Antonio talked about it for DAYS before.  He asked every morning, "Is this Monday?"  We walked from the station to the parade route and Jeremy went to Giordano's and brought back a GREAT stuffed pizza.  I think the best part of the parade was the Navy Band.  They were really good.  Antonio really liked the police cars, and Vinny kept talking about the dog that walked by.  It was waving an Italian flag.  We had a fun time and rode the train back.


Apple Picking
October 7, 2010

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We went apple picking at the County Line Orchard in Hobart with Uncle Josh, Aunt Lisa and Aunt Elisabeth.  It was fun.  We rode on a tractor around the orchard.  The boys really liked riding on the tractor.  When we were done picking, we walked through the country store and Uncle Josh bought pumpkin donuts for everyone.  Thanks Uncle Josh!!!




A New Baby!!!
September 10, 2010

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Annabella Grace Maulucci was born on Friday, September 10, 2010, at 8:26 p.m.  She weighed 7 pounds 10 ounces and 20 inches long.  She came after only four hours of labor!!!  We were at the hospital less than 1/2 hour before she arrived.




Puppies

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One of the families that comes on our bus to church has a dog who recently had puppies.  The boys have enjoyed going over there to visit on Saturdays to hold the puppies.  They said we needed to take one of them home with us, but we are not quite prepared for something like that right now.




Antonio's Class Party
August 16, 2010

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Well, Antonio is officially done being in the nursery.  He had a party with his 3-yr old class from Sunday School.  It was at the college.  They fed the fish (the ducks have all left for some reason).  We walked around the lake;  Antonio was leading the way.  He was running ahead of all the other kids and they were chasing him.  His teachers had all the kids sit on the grass and sing some songs and say some Bible verses they learned in class this year.  They then played several games such as:  "Duck, Duck, Goose", "Potato Sack Race", and relay race with a plastic egg on a spoon.  They had some snacks and then ran around for a little while.  Antonio had a really fun time.

Lake County Fair
August 14, 2010

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We took the boys to the fair to see the animals.  They had fun.  We had pizza and soda.  We walked all around the fair.  Tony liked to watch the barrel racing.  They enjoyed seeing all of the animals.




Blueberry Picking
August 7, 2010

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We went blueberry picking on Saturday.  It was a lot of fun.  Tony was a good blueberry picker.  Vinny was doing good until he realized how good they tasted.  He probably ate a pint of blueberries while the rest of us were filling our buckets.  We picked over 5 pounds of blueberries!  We all have tons of mosquito bits too.  We have been eating lots and lots of blueberries.  They are delicious.


Cute Boys
August 1, 2010

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We took some pictures of the boys on Sunday in their church clothes.






Slip-N-Slide
July, 2010

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Mrs. Rechlicz gave the boys a slip-n-slide.  They love it!  They have been playing on it every day they can.





California Trip
May 29 - June 12, 2010

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We spent two whole weeks in California with Grandma E and Grandpa Arty.  We went swimming every day, sometimes twice a day!  We had a great time.  Karl flew down from Oregon for three days.  It was good to see him too.  You should have seen Vinny jumping into the pool over an over again!  I couldn't believe it!



Murrieta, California
June 10, 2010

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We went to see Big Grandpa H. at his apartment in Murrieta.  We went to the park and had KFC and then went swimming in his pool.  We were also able to go to Aunt Lori and Uncle Richard's beautiful, newly remodeled house.  It is really nice!  Tony was able to ride on the tractor with Aunt Lori, and we all had a tour of the firehouse in Murrieta with a ride around the block in a firetruck with Uncle Richard.  He is a fire captain in Murrieta.  It was a lot of fun.




Julian, California
June 7-9, 2010

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While we were in California, Grandma and Grandpa watched the boys so Jeremy and I could go away for a couple of days.  We went to Julian, California.  It is a neat old gold mining town in apple country.  We went to all of the little shops in town, bought some chocolate rocks for the boys.  We toured the pioneer cemetery and the old two cell jail.  We hiked in the State Park.  I was not quite up to that challenge as I found out about half-way through the shortest trail!  I was imagining a nice, leisurely stroll through the forest.  It started out that way, but then we started climbing the mountain and it became more like a desert with steep inclines!  They did have a bench about half-way which we made use of.  Jeremy wanted to go on the trail to the viewpoint, which was, like, a couple of miles of steep trail.  I was very grateful when he said we could just go back to the car after our short trail.  I probably would have been able to do the other trail if I hadn't been wearing sandals and been 6 months along!  We stayed in a nice little guest house that a couple had on their property.  I really enjoyed being able to get away and be alone with Jeremy.  I had a great time with him.  He is the best!

Lake Perris
June 8, 2010

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While we were in Julian, Grandpa and Grandma took the boys out on the boat.  Tony apparently found a fish to take a picture with while they were out there.



The Beach
June 5, 2010

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We also went to the beach for a day.  We went bike riding and then played in the sand.  It was fun.  The boys were really getting brave after a while.  Uncle Karl and Grandpa Arty took them out into the water, and they were scared at first (it didn't help that the water was freezing!), but they soon got over that and were running in.  Uncle Karl took each of the boys out really far into the water on his shoulders.  Antonio wanted to do it over and over again.  Vinny had a lot of fun throwing sand.  He started out just picking up handfuls and throwing it into the air, but then began to throw it at people.  I ended up with sand in my hair, down my shirt, and in my eyes.  He also decided to eat some of the sand, but didn't like it.  He tried to get it out, but his hands were covered in sand, so that just made it worse.  He was standing on the beach trying to spit it all out.  I helped him out even though he had just thrown sand at me.   I guess that is what a Mommy is for.  To love you and help you no matter what you do to her.  We had a lot of fun at the beach, and I'm glad we were able to go.


Candy Factory
April 22, 2010

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Aunt Lisa and Aunt Elisabeth were going to tour the candy factory and invited us to go along.  We had a neat time.  Antonio enjoyed pushing the buttons to watch the videos of how they make the candy.  He also enjoyed the free samples!  He looked at all of the candy they had there, and decided on a gummy snake to buy with the money he brought from his bank.  He bought a very large gummy snake and ate the whole thing when we got home!




Zoo Trip
April 17, 2010

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We took a trip to the Michigan City Zoo.  Mrs. Jones came with us.  We had a really nice time.  We were able to see the new baby white tiger in the nursery at the zoo too.  Antonio said the white tiger was his favorite animal there.





Fun at the Park
April 9, 2010

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The boys love walking to the park by our house!  Tony rides his new bike and Vinny strolls along in the stroller.  We try to go out every day that is remotely nice.





Tony gets a new bike!
April 2010

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We found a bike for Antonio on Craig's List.  He loves having a big boy bike!






Summer had a birthday too.
March 17, 2010

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We were busy working at Pastors' School, but we still found time to run to Starbucks for a Carmel Frappuccino.  After the service was over, we went to "The Wheel" for a bite to eat with family and friends who were in town for Pastors' School.  It was a nice birthday!






JEREMY TURNS 30!
January 25, 2010

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Jeremy turned the big 3-0!  We were able to go out to eat for Jeremy's birthday.  We also had a homemade ice cream cake.








Uncle Karl came to visit.
December 18-21, 2009

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We were so excited to have Uncle Karl here for a few days at Christmas time.  The boys had so much fun playing with him.  He really is a fun uncle.  Tony got to stay up late one night and play hide and seek with Uncle Karl, Dad and Mom.  He loved it.  Thanks for coming to visit us, Uncle Karl!  We love you!






Christmas Lights
December 11, 2009

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We were able to chaperone the college Christmas Lights activity to Navy Pier in Chicago.  The boys received free wristbands to go on all of the rides and activities at the Winter Wonderfest.  They had a really great time.  Tony went on the slide at least 50 times.  He would run through the obstacle course part, climb the ladder, slide down, and come running at us saying,  "I want to do that again!"  then run back through.  He did it over and over and over again.  He went on the carousel several times.  Vinny was not a fan of the carousel.  He did love the snowball fight area though.  He had fun picking up and throwing the foam balls.  I think he would have stayed in there all night if we had let him.  The boys really enjoyed themselves.  Vinny had a short nap during the Christmas concert, then it was back to playing.

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We had a birthday party for Vinny while everyone was here.  He had a lot of help opening his presents and a lot of fun eating his cupcake.  It was all over his face!

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Everyone came to our house for Thanksgiving, and we had a wonderful time.  Grandpa and Grandma M. were here with Aunt Elisabeth, Uncle Dan, Aunt Anna and Uncle David.  Uncle Josh and Aunt Lisa came.  Uncle Al and Aunt Sarah Roe with Elizabeth and Angelina were here.  Uncle Nick and Aunt Katie were here with Tino, Rocco, Gianni, Noah, Vito, Dom, and Rapha. We played Maffia and Guesstures.  It was a fun time with family.

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We drove out to New York (Elizabeth came with us) for Josh and Lisa's wedding.  We had a great time.  It was a very nice wedding.  We enjoyed spending time with the family.

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Tony had his 3rd birthday on October 16, 2009!  He had a birthday party with four friends over.  Aunt Elisabeth was able to come too.  He had so much fun with his friends Elliot, Jimmie, Ryan and Jacob.  Mom made a firetruck cake, and the punch, plates, napkins, plasticware, tablecover and cups were all red!  He got lots and lots of cars and trucks and trains and playdough from his friends.  He got great books from Uncle Nick and Aunt Katie, a race car blanket from Grandpa and Grandma M, a great church outfit from Uncle Al and Aunt Sarah, a Patch the Pirate CD from Uncle Dan, Aunt Anna, and Uncle David, and a trampoline from Mom and Dad.  He had a really fun time at his birthday party.

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Antonio has big muscles!  He helps Daddy take out the trash every week.  He is in charge of the recycle bin.  He fills it, and takes it all the way to the curb all by himself!  He loves to help and have his own job to do.

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Grandpa and Grandma M. came to bring Aunt Elisabeth to college.  Aunt Sarah, Elizabeth Jean, and Angelina stayed at our house in Antonio's room.  He was super excited to spend time with his cousins.  We learned that he and Elizabeth are both bossy two-year-olds, but learned to get along with each other and share.  I know he would love to be able to spend a lot more time with his cousins.  Uncle Dan, Aunt Anna and Uncle David came too.  We had a good visit.

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We went to the zoo while Grandma E. was here, and saw lots of animals.  Antonio got to pet a chinchilla and a guinea pig, but wanted nothing to do with the hissing cockroach the lady was trying to get him to touch!  Tony's favorite animal was the tiger.  He talked about it all day long.  We call him Tony the Tiger which may explain it.  Antonio was also able to feed the birds in the aviary.  He wanted to do it, but was a little scared too.  We climbed all the stairs up the tower.  There were a lot of stairs!  The view from the top was great though. We had a really good time.  Thanks, Daddy, for a fun day! 

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Grandma E. came for a visit, and we had a good time.  She took the boys on a walk almost every day, sometimes twice a day.  Tony rides his trike, while Vinny strolls.  We have gone down to Lake George, and walked around the lake.  Antonio gets a good workout pedaling around the lake!  He took some good naps on those days. 








New York Trip
June 2009

California Trip
May 2009