Spring Break

We got back this morning from a fun-filled spring break in Sarasota, Florida! I couldn't decide which pictures to upload, so check out the slide show to see a bunch of pics! THE SLIDE SHOW ACTUALLY WORKS NOW (For those of you who checked it before and it didn't work). Jeff, Giovanni, and I drove to Sarasota and stayed at my Grandma Padden's house. Giovanni did an amazing job in the car -- he is such a big boy! It was so nice spending time with my Grandma Padden, and it was so generous of her to let us stay at her house. While in Florida, Giovanni got to meet my Uncle Bill and Aunt Alex, as well as his Great Grandma Ferrante and my Aunt Pam, Uncle Jim, and Cousin Gina. We went to Siesta Key a few times and also Lido Beach. Giovanni loves the beach life! He was very serious about his digging in the sand, and loved the waves in the ocean. We had to drag him away from the beach every time... he just didn't want to leave! It was a blast watching him take it all in! While in Sarasota we also went to the Sarasota County Fair, visited Mote Aquarium and Sarasota Jungle Gardens. Giovanni's first trip to the beach was so much fun. We're already planning our next beach excursion. I hope you're all enjoying the beautiful spring weather with your friends and family, too!

Updated Giovanni Pictures

So I realized it's January 31 and I have been TERRIBLE lately about updating Giovanni's blog! Here are some new pictures. Giovanni has been keeping us very busy. He is such a big boy! Big news this last week is that Giovanni went to the bathroom on his potty for the first time! Yeah!... He hasn't gone since :)... but it was still a big, exciting moment for us (mostly for Jeff and I -- Giovanni didn't quite get why we were so excited but he clapped with us anyway!) Giovanni is talking up a storm, running, climbing, and getting into plenty of trouble. He is mister dramatic and has a fun, happy personality, and keeps us laughing! I realized I was really bad about taking pictures the last couple months -- I'll work on that for February! Enjoy the few pictures I could find to post!

Happy Thanksgiving

I could not be more thankful for the amazing friends and family we have in our lives. We are beyond thankful for our precious Giovanni. He helps remind us every day what is really important in life. It is all the little things that take our breath away and make us laugh. Thanksgiving is a time to spend with family and loved ones. We have loved every second we have spent together, and keep in our hearts those who are not with us. Happy Thanksgiving.
Love, Lauren, Jeff, and Giovanni

Giovanni's first haircut

Giovanni smiled at the beginning and he smiled at the end. The middle (which seemed to last FOREVER) wasn't so pretty... but we all survived! His sweet little curls are all cut off but he sure looks handsome!

New Pictures

A little late for Trick-or-Treat pictures... but at least I got them posted before Thanksgiving!
Enjoy! :)

Happy Fall!

I haven't posted any new pictures lately, so here you go!
Enjoy!
Love,
Lauren, Giovanni, and Jeff :)

Apple Picking

Today Giovanni and I went apple picking at Lynd's Fruit Farm in Pataskala. We went with Jen, Casey, and Grandma Jennifer. This was a first time apple picking for Giovanni, Grandma Jennifer, and I. Casey and Jen are apple picking veterans. Giovanni bit right into the apple and loved eating it this way! I took about 50 pictures, so please enjoy some of my favorites. It was a beautiful, sunny day -- a gorgeous day to be outside! As you can see, Giovanni had a blast :).

Down on the Farm

Needless to say...the Barr's definitely are not "farm folk!" But we sure have had our share of barnyard fun this past week! Giovanni and I joined Julie and Payne to Malabar Farm this week. We had a great time seeing the horses and walking around the pretty property. Giovanni and Mommy both got to take out first visit to Cracker Barrell, too! What fun! ;)

Today, Jeff, Giovanni, and I went to the Ohio State Fair. Jeff and I have avoided the fair for the last few years but decided today that it would be fun to take Giovanni to the petting zoo. It was a HOT (yes, smelly) day at the fair, but we had a lot of fun. The greatest part was that out one of our favorite bands - Ziv - was performing! We had been waiting for them to come to Ohio, and it all just worked out today!
When Jeff and I went first stepped onto Hollywood Blvd. on our first day in Hollywood, we heard this guy playing the piano and singing. He was awesome! My first purchase in LA was Ziv's CD. We have listened to it ever since, and bought their new album, too. I put a link to some songs on here -- you'll have to check them out! Hopefully they'll be playing bigger, better venues soon. It was so much fun getting to see Ziv live with the whole band. They were great! And after the concert we got to meet them and chat for a bit. Jeff was nice and asked for a picture (cause I was too chicken to do it!), and we got an autograph! So, a good day for us groupies!
Enough about that. I know you're all here just to check out pictures of our G Man. Our little guy isn't so little any more. He is full of personality, and loving life. Enjoy the pictures!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

Today we took Giovanni to his first Clippers game. We didn't really watch much baseball at all. Giovanni enjoyed running through the fountains and getting all wet. He also enjoyed the yummy food a baseball stadium has to offer! Jeff and I enjoyed the food (a little too much!) as well!
Enjoy the pics!
Lauren :)

p.s. You should all be proud. I have now officially updated this blog 2 times in one month!!!!! ;)

Summer Fun

I can't believe it's already July 11! Summer is already half over and time has flown by. Jeff and I celebrated our 5-year anniversary yesterday. Giovanni got to have a sleep-over with his Grandma Jane one night and Grandma Jennifer and Grandpa Mark one night while Jeff and I enjoyed some summer fun in Cincinnati. We had a very nice time, but were so happy to get home this morning and wrap our arms around our big boy!

Giovanni has had a great summer. Take a look at some of the pictures. I have to be honest -- his babysitter, Jennifer, is much better at getting good pictures than I am. So a bunch of these pictures were taken by her at her house. Giovanni has such a wonderful time over at her house playing with all his friends.

Giovanni is growing up so fast. It seems like every day he shows us something new he has learned. He is climbing, swimming, sliding, laughing, singing, dancing, and talking up a storm! He is truly a blessing, and I can't count how many times a day I thank God for our precious little boy. We are so lucky to have him in our lives. I hope everyone had a Happy 4th of July and is enjoying every minute of the summer. I am loving having this extra time to spend with Giovanni, and just want time to slow down so the summer doesn't end too soon!

Happy Birthday Giovanni

On Friday, June 5 our precious Giovanni turned one! The day was exciting yet sentimental. Saturday was Giovanni's birthday party. As you can tell from the pictures he had a great time!!!.......until....he ate the mac and cheese and had an allergic reaction......and then rubbed the cake in his sweet little eyes...... Despite all that, Giovanni really was a trooper. He had a blast opening presents and playing. By cake time he was just a bit overwhelmed with everything going on. All in all he had a wonderful day. The weather was great and we all really enjyed ourselves. Thank you to all of you who made it to the party and thank you for all of the fun presents. We are so lucky to have such amazing friends and family in our lives. Happy Birthday Giovanni --- We love you very much!


p.s. For all of you who wanted the famous mac and cheese recipe from my friend Erin Smith, here it is (Erin---I hope it's ok I'm passing on your famous recipe to the world. It sure is a big hit! :)

Erin Smith's World Famous Mac and Cheese Recipe :)

2 cups of elbow macaroni
2 cups of mostacceoli
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
1 1/2 cups of sour cream
2 eggs
24oz. cheddar cheese
salt & pepper to taste

1. Boil your elbow mac and mostacceoli until cooked-you can put these together in a big pot
2. In a large bowl put your drained noodles
3. Add sour cream and cottage cheese
4. lightly scramble your 2 eggs in a small bowl and then add them to your noodles(you can mix as you are adding everything or mix it all at the end-you can't mess it up!)
5. Finally add your 24oz mega bag of shredded cheddar cheese and then salt and pepper . Mix all of that in the bowl first and then put into a 9x12 casserole dish.
6. Bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes(some people like the top to get all brown and crusty but I never let mine get that way. Basically you are just baking to finsh melting the cheese and cook in the egg. 20-30 minutes should be perfect!

ENJOY!!!

First pair of walking shoes!

Today Giovanni and I went to Stride Rite with Grandma Jennifer to buy Giovanni's first pair of walking shoes! Big Boy! Poor little Giovanni wasn't in the best of spirits -- he has been sick for the last 10 days, and we just found out he has yet another double ear infection! But he is now on antibiotics which will hopefully help...and hopefully he won't wake up every hour again tonight! (I can't afford grande lattes with an extra energy shot from Starbucks every morning! :)
Giovanni sure enjoyed being at the shoe store and checking out the new shoes. He knew it was a special day even if he wasn't feeling 100%. What a fun, amazing little boy! Watching that grin on his face as he walks is one of the greatest feelings in the whole world! :)

Make a Smilebox photobook

Breaking News!

So as you have probably figured out, my blog is more of a once a month "brag" update for our favorite little man :). This one is full of news! This 10th month is turning out to be huge for little (or should I say big) Giovanni!

This past Thursday evening, as our little guy was trying to get over yet another ear infection, our sweet boy took his first three steps! Yes, I realize I should have video or pictures of this but I don't. He was walking from me to Jeff... I didn't think he would keep going (because he usually doesn't), but those little feet just kept on walking all the way to his daddy's arms! I then ran around the house like a crazy person trying to find my camera. Of course Jeff and I tried to get Giovanni to repeat his big steps but he then figured out what was going on and held on with all his might when I tried to let go. There are many occasions where he is standing for like 15 seconds on his own. I'm sure it won't be long before he lets go and then we are trying for the rest of our lives to get him to hold on again!

Other new feats are that Giovanni is definitely saying "kiki" for kitty and is also saying "hi." He is saying "dada" and "mama" as well. All of those sounds have been coming for awhile, but have recently really had meaning. Jeff swears that Giovanni said "bye-bye" and waved this weekend to him. But I won't believe it until I see it! :)

Please enjoy the pictures of our little guy enjoying lots of fun time.

Also, SAVE THE DATE!!!! Giovanni's 1st Birthday Party is scheduled for Saturday, June 6th from 4:00-6:00 at our house. I will send out invitations soon!

Spring Break

So we just got back from Chattanooga about two hours ago. Giovanni is asleep...hopefully it will be a good nights sleep! Jeff, Giovanni, and I traveled to Chattanooga, TN for a little Spring Break trip. We were hoping for some warmth and sun....didn't really get that, but we did have a great time spending time together! We rented a little house up in the mountains and right on the river. The view was really nice. We did some sightseeing while in Chattanooga...We took a train ride up Lookout Mountain. That was gorgeous. We also went to the Tennessee Aquarium and then to a Children's Discovery Zone today. Out of all those Giovanni loved the discovery zone the best. There was a place for him to crawl around and play. And then there was a huge "wet zone." Giovanni sure took the words "wet zone" to heart! Pretty much everybody that walked by looked at him and laughed. The little guy was soaked from head to toe. He was splashing, laughing, and loving it! Thank goodness I brought an extra change of clothes for our little wet man. We are excited for spring and hope the warm weather is just around the corner for us all!

Tooth Number Three

Giovanni's Valentine's Day gift to mommy and daddy was his third tooth popping through! He now has two on the bottom and one on the top. What a cute smile!
This little guy is all over the place! His main goal in crawling is to get somewhere that he can pull himself up and stand. He will be the happiest little boy when he figures the walking thing out. I think he has wanted to run since the day he was born!
Jeff and I are absolutely loving this stage. Giovanni has such a personality, and we love laughing and playing with him! What fun!
Please enjoy the new snapshots of our "G man" in action! :)

Crawling, Sitting Up, and so much more!

Wow!  So I am officially bad at staying updated on this blog.  Our precious little (or should I say big) guy has grown up so much!

Giovanni is now 7 1/2 months old and so much has happened since I last blogged.  Giovanni went from army crawling a few weeks ago to now full out crawling!  Not only is he crawling and sitting up like a big boy, but he is pulling himself up, too.  Yesterday he crawled up on Jeff to his knees, and then went all the way up to his feet!  He loves being up on his feet so much that I'm sure it won't be long before he's up and running.  I have pictures and video that I will try to post soon!

People try to tell you how amazing it is to be a parent.  But I can't even explain the love and feelings I have for Giovanni Michael.  Every second I spend with him is a true miracle.  He makes me laugh and he makes me cry.  I want nothing more than for him to grow up surrounded by love. I truly think I am the luckiest person alive to have such a sweet little boy in my life.

I LOVE PEARS!

So -- after a couple weeks of unsuccessfully trying grean beans, applesauce, sweet potatoes, and other yummy foods ;) we finally found something Giovanni likes. PEARS! And now that he's eating those, he's also eating green beans, too (well....a little bit). What a big boy!

The cutest thing happened this afternoon.... something that hasn't happened since he was a newborn. Giovanni fell asleep on my chest and took a nap. It totally isn't like him to do that. But he cuddled up with his blanket and fell asleep on my belly. It was the most precious thing :).

I am officially done Christmas shopping for Giovanni. I hadn't been in Toys R Us for years. That place has way too many cool things. Laura and I went and played last night for awhile....I could have bought just about everything in the store! I didn't -- I was good! It sure is hard to make decisions, though, when there are way too many options to choose from.

Christmas is right around the corner. 5 more days of school and then a wonderful 2 week break. I can't wait!

Twas the night before Thanksgiving Eve...

School is out for 3 days!  Yeah!  What a wonderful feeling it is to know we finally get to have some family time without having to do work or grad school stuff for a few days!!!  We have decided to travel up to Chardon to spend Thanksgiving with my family.  This is one of few traditions my family still keeps, so it should be nice.  We have decided to leave late Thursday night.  Our plan is to put Giovanni to bed, then around 9ish get him up, see if he wants to eat, and then put him in the car seat, into the car, and hopefully right back to sleep.  Now, with a 6 month old, as many of you know, plans often don't go off that smooth!  But heres to hoping!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Although there is always a lot of sadness to pray for in this crazy world, we all have a lot to be thankful for.  Jeff, Giovanni, and I are lucky to be spending our first Thanksgiving together as a family.  Enjoy spending the time with your loved ones.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Lauren, Jeff, and Giovanni :) 

My First Blog

Ok... so I'm new to this whole blogging thing.  And I probably am going to be bad at keeping updated with it.  But Jen and Erin are both doing it, so it must be the cool thing to do, right?!?! Giovanni does so many amazing new things every day I would love to have a place to post all that stuff.  And then those of you who care can take a look at it when you please.  And then if you don't care, you won't have to listen to me blabber on about my little guy.  Let's start with today --- GIOVANNI GOT HIS FIRST TOOTH!!!  He's only 5 1/2 months old and already that little white tooth popped up on the bottom right.  No wonder his poor gums have been bugging him!  He just kept feeling around with his hand and tongue today, trying to figure out what that "thing" in his mouth was!  What a big guy!

Ok...so hopefully I will remember I created this blog and post things frequently.  Erin, your blog is pretty amazing, and I don't think I'll be able to measure up.  But hopefully I'll remember to at least update with pictures and some notes here and there.