The Barbato Family

A Visit with Santa and Christmas Carols

2008-12-17T19:41:00.003-05:00

We got to see Santa last weekend. Jack was pretty excited, but he accidentally left his "Christmas Wish Book" at home, so I'm not sure he remembered his whole list for Santa. Luckily, we have a house elf named "Mr. Funny" who is happy to watch over the kids and report back to Santa each night.

Jack and Santa getting to know one another

We knew that Emily wasn't going to sit in Santa's lap. That wasn't even worth trying this year! However, he did have a basket of candy canes nearby, and she was fine with going near him to get to the candy!

Emily was proud of herself for getting that candy cane!

We also have had a couple of Christmas Concerts this year. Here is a picture of Jack's class. He is in the back row, second from the right...singing his heart out!

And all of the 4-year-olds in the grand finale!

We are all ready for Santa now. Jack told me tonight that he can't wait a whole week - that's way too long! Not only are we counting down to Santa, but it is also a countdown to Frannie, Pops, and Aunt Sassy coming to visit for Christmas. We can't wait!

More Fall Fun!

2008-10-30T21:00:00.004-04:00

We have had a very busy month of October. Jack is playing soccer for the first time, which is lots of fun to watch. He had a hard time adjusting to the concept that it was o.k. for someone to take the ball from him when he had it first. The whole 'don't take what doesn't belong to you' rule that we worked so hard to instill totally had to go out the window here! But, he's learning about the game of soccer, and having to be a little bit competitive, so that's a good thing.

From Fall 2008

That's Jack with everyone coming straight for him!

From Fall 2008

And Jack taking it down the field.

We had a Fall Family Festival at our church...lots of carnival rides and games for the kids, and a fantastic concert outside with the entire band/orchestra, and all choirs from adults to preschoolers. Jack was a part of that, since he is in choir this year.

From Fall 2008

Emily is getting so big. She had her first haircut this month, and is really becoming her own little person. She loves to have story time in Jack's bed. Jack has memorized "The Napping House," so he "reads" to her.

From Fall 2008

And she loves to take care of her babies

From Fall 2008

Finally, Cullen and I got to have a relaxing getaway to the north Georgia mountains.

From Fall 2008

Fall Fun!

2008-10-04T20:23:00.003-04:00

Today we went to Uncle Shuck's pumpkin patch and corn maze. This has become a tradition for us every Fall, and it is always a great time for the family!

The Kids

From Uncle Shuck's 2008

We've gotten a picture of Jack here every year...

From Uncle Shuck's 2008

Some semi-posed shots amongst the pumpkins!

From Uncle Shuck's 2008

Happy Birthday, Emily!!

2008-09-13T16:02:00.003-04:00

Today we celebrated Emily's 2nd birthday. I can't believe how time flies! Matt and Leslie joined us to celebrate, along with Sadie Grace! We have had a great time for the past few days with Frannie & Pops, and Anne Calvert! The cousins have had a great time playing together, and Jack loves having Anne Calvert here - she actually plays with him and does what he wants her to do...something his own sister has not quite caught on to yet!

Emily on her birthday morning

The cousins playing "marching band"!

Sweet cousins!

Anne Calvert loved meeting baby Sadie!

Happy Birthday, Emily!!

Labor Day Fun

2008-09-01T15:59:00.002-04:00

We had a great time celebrating Labor Day with Matt, Leslie and Baby Sadie! The pool was very cold, but the boys were brave enough to take a swim! Here are a few photos from the fun!

The "older" cousins checking out the baby

Nana is sooooo funny!

The Girls

Racing Uncle Matt to the finish line - I think Jack won by a fingertip!!

Warren is really focusing on his kicks!

Our Two Superheroes

2008-07-30T19:14:00.003-04:00

Tonight our household was paid a little visit by two new superheroes...

Naked Boy - and his sidekick - Diaper Girl

Jack, of course, was the brains behind the operation, while Emily chased him around yelling "Diaper! Diaper!" I wish I had my video camera handy, but I think the photography tells a great story, anyway!

I can rest easy tonight knowing that I am well protected!

Vacation Part II

2008-07-19T12:15:00.002-04:00

We have been fortunate enough to take 2 very nice vacations this year. This time around, we spent a few days in Vero Beach, FL and then a few days in Orlando - home to Mickey Mouse and the Palmer family! I couldn't decide which pictures to post, so the full albums are a bit further down this page on the right. We did manage to get a picture of the 4 of us together...that doesn't happen very often!

The kids had a great time at Disney World. It was so hot, but they all stuck it out and we were able to stay for the afternoon parade.

Now, back to reality!

Exercise Time with Jack

2008-07-10T20:09:00.002-04:00

When the weather is bad, or it is just too hot outside, we have to get our "energies" out in more creative ways. Today, it was in the way of an exercise class led by Jack.

We did some yoga

A Spiderman jump and spin move

Jumping Jacks - which Emily had to get in on, too!

and Jack's signature move...

I'll be glad when we can just play outside again!!

4th of July

2008-07-05T15:13:00.002-04:00

Our neighborhood puts on a huge fireworks show for the 4th. And, lucky for us, we have the best seats right in our own front yard. This is the 2nd year that we've had friends over to picnic and watch the fireworks. I think everyone had a good time!

Mom and Emily enjoying the party

Playing water-balloon toss

Sparklers!

They can't wait for the fireworks to start!

Vacation

2008-06-29T21:54:00.002-04:00

We just got back from a week at the Gulf. It was the annual Robinson Family reunion in Gulf Shores, AL. We spent the first part of the week in Mobile with my dad, swimming and lounging around at the pool...that was nice!

Then we moved on to Gulf Shores for the family festivities. Mainly consisting of more lounging around, but now we had options - beach or pool!

There was cousin time:

And the littlest cousin, Sadie Grace, was the hit of the party!

Meanwhile, over in Louisiana, Jack was having fun of a different sort...

He spent the week with Frannie, Pops, Aunt Lindley, and his cousin, Lee. They went to T-Gator camp in Lafayette, and saw Go, Diego, Go! on stage.

It was a fun week all around, but we are glad to be home!

Bowl - a - Rama

2008-06-07T19:30:00.000-04:00

We took Jack bowling for the first time today. I don't remember when the last time I bowled was, but it has been a while! We used a bumper lane, so the gutters were a non-issue. I was very glad for those bumpers, too...I think we will use them from now on!

She may be too small to bowl, but the girl sure can accessorize!

Jack's bowling sequence...

This shot was an accident, but I think it turned out pretty cool!

And the winner is...

Quick Update

2008-05-30T09:32:00.000-04:00

I'm doing this the cheater way because it's been so long since I've posted anything, and I have lots of pictures to share!

We took a quick trip to London in May. Cullen went for work, and I got to tag along! We also celebrated our 8th anniversary there! We hit almost all of the attractions, including the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace! And, we saw the musical Wicked on-stage there.
London Trip

And here are some recent pictures of Jack and Emily. They are starting to figure out their roles in the sibling hierarchy...Big Brother vs. Little Sister! Emily has mastered the words "no" and "mine", along with many others that are not quite as easily understood by the rest of us! Jack has just finished his year in 3-year old preschool, and can't wait to start kindergarten...but he needs an almost daily reminder that he has one more year of preschool before he gets to ride the bus with the big kids!
The Kids

Hello, Summertime!!

Extreme T-ball

2008-03-27T13:22:00.000-04:00

This was absolutely the most entertaining thing I have seen in a long time! 4-year olds playing t-ball is just hilarious! And no, Jack was not the only player to run straight for the pitcher on his way to 1st base!

Jack at the bat...

On his way to 1st base...but first he must circle the pitcher!

SAFE!!

And on to home plate...

The outfield isn't nearly as exciting...

Easter Egg Hunt

2008-03-27T13:10:00.001-04:00

We had an Easter egg hunt for the kids with our Sunday School class.

This is the crew...

We had to "hunt" indoors because of bad weather, so the finding wasn't really all that difficult!

Emily just wanted to give all of her eggs away...

Jack's take!

Is there a 4-year-old in the house??

2008-02-26T11:20:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Jack's 4th birthday last week at a fun place where the kids could jump and slide and climb around obstacle courses...and just get their energy out!

Even the littlest one had a good time!

Happy Birthday, Jack!!

Winter Update

2008-01-23T13:34:00.000-05:00

We have had a great winter so far. Christmas was lots of fun this year as it was Jack's first realization of Santa. We left milk and cookies for him (and a little bit of wine for Mrs. Claus!), and sprinkled oatmeal on the lawn for the reindeer to eat.

It was so much fun to watch Jack come down the stairs and see all of his Santa goodies. His reaction was priceless! Emily slept in a little bit, and she was just glad to be a part of the fun, once she joined the rest of us.

Last week we were lucky enough to see snow twice!! It snowed Wednesday night and again on Saturday! We got out on Saturday and played a bit...Jack got to have his first snowball fight, and we played soccer in the snow.

It didn't take us very long to realize that we were not equipped for the snow (notice we don't have hats or gloves!). So, we quickly retreated into the warm house for hot cocoa and snacks!

Hope you are all enjoying the winter!

Breakfast with Santa

2007-12-15T21:35:00.000-05:00

We met Santa this morning. Jack was so excited, he was up at 6:15...ready to go! He wanted to be prepared for the meeting, so he has been drawing pictures of the items on his Christmas list (since he can't write the words out)!

Jack checking out the craft table

Emily checking out the sale at the Pro Shop

Going over The List one last time

Jack seems pleased with the outcome of the meeting

And the obligatory shot of the baby who is afraid of the big red man!

Merry Christmas!!

It's been a while...

2007-12-12T21:04:00.000-05:00

I've been lagging in the posting department, but we sure have been busy. We took a Barbato family trip to Perdido Key, FL over the week of Thanksgiving with Cullen's family.

The cousins spent a lot of time digging and filling big sand holes...

And piling up in Frannie and Pops' bed for movie time...

And having their Christmas pictures taken on the beach...

And since it is 80 degrees in December (and perfect convertible weather) Emily has decided that it is time to start learning some important life skills...

Like driving

And feeding herself with a spoon!

I hope you are all gearing up for Christmas with the ones that you love!

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T21:00:00.000-04:00

From, the Pirate and the Chicken...

Pumpkins, Pumpkins Everywhere!

2007-10-06T20:32:00.000-04:00

Here's a little update from the pumpkin patch!

The kids had fun in the corn maze, while the grown-ups got lost and just happened upon the exit!

Another highlight - the Pony Ride!!

And the Hayride..

Here is a little comparison of last year's trip to the same pumpkin patch...

Now we are officially ready for Fall!!

Our Houseguest

2007-09-17T21:10:00.000-04:00

We were entrusted with Jack's class bear for the night. "Share Bear" came home with us today in his little tote bag, and we have been entertaining him ever since!

Share Bear, Buddy and Jack

Playing on the computer

Playing on the treehouse

Having supper

And all tucked in for the night

Radar approves, but I think he will be glad to see Share Bear return to the classroom tomorrow...

Emily's 1st Birthday!

2007-09-09T20:12:00.001-04:00

We celebrated a milestone birthday this weekend.

I think Emily enjoyed her big day...I know for sure that she enjoyed her cupcake!!

And, she enjoyed having family and friends around her to celebrate!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY EMMY!!

Back to School

2007-09-07T22:08:00.000-04:00

Jack started back to school last week. He was very excited to see his friends from last year, most of whom are in his class again this year. He is also excited that he gets to do Science now. He hasn't been yet, but he can't wait to go and learn all about being a Scientist!

Emily is enjoying the peace and quiet around the house now that Jack is in school 4 mornings a week...

Summer Fun

2007-08-03T13:28:00.000-04:00

It's been a great summer so far.

Jack took a trip to Pawleys Island with Nana (and got a new sleeping bag for the trip!)

We all took a trip to Louisiana for 2 weddings and some time with Frannie and Pops

Just a few more weeks until school starts up again!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

2007-07-02T12:20:00.001-04:00

Jack loves birthdays. Even if no one is having a birthday, he wants to decorate, have cake, and sing the Happy Birthday song! Well, he finally got to celebrate yesterday for Cullen's big day...

Jack helps with the candles

Emily's first party hat

Happy Birthday, Dad!!!