Noah, the artist

So I am really amazed sometimes when I see what my kids draw. Noah seems to really have some creative drawings, and I love seeing them. I'm going to have to do a better job of posting some of his work so you can see it. Here is a pizza box that he drew on. I'm going to have to ask Amy what was going on in the photo, and post the explanation.

Valentines Day

Valentines Day Party

A few weeks back we took the kids to a valentines party at our friends house. We had a great time. The kids played games like pin the tail on the donkey, smashed a piñata full of candy, and ate cupcakes! After it was all said and done, we headed home and chilled out for a while, and I gave them some valentines I made. Noah decided that the theme for this year was going to be monsters, so when you see all the cards I made, keep that in mind. Well, thanks to Abigail for hosting a great party, and I think the kids had enough candy for the rest of the month!

Start all things new

Welcome to the blog! I hope to post all things Giove related here. To keep friends and family up to date on the many happenings of our family. I haven't been the best blogger, but as always, I hope to do better. I have also created another blog for the kids, and the silly things they say like:

One disclaimer from here on out: You may notice a post talking about a new feature to the blog, a poll, or a gallery that just doesn't exist. That's because I imported all my posts from wordpress into blogger. There will be some inconsistencies with what you find here. I have tried to weed through and explain anything that doesn't make sense in my wordpress posts. But if you read anything and are wondering where that link or photo gallery is, be aware of this.

Enjoy and God bless!

The big move

The Big Move

We just moved across town to a three bedroom house! It's right across from work so I have a commute of 5 minutes by foot. We are really blessed! And excited! I'll try to have some more posted soon.

More details on the house: Our bedroom on the second floor isn't considered a room, but we do. In essence we are using it as a fourth bedroom. I plan on setting up a darkroom in the basement bathroom. We have a gas stove, and a garage, and a shed. We're within walking distance from DQ, Mickies Gyros, ONU, and a bunch of other shops.

Grandpa Giove visits

Click here for photos of our weekend!

Papa Giove made a visit from Tennessee, and we had a great time with him. We made a trip to the Lincoln Park Zoo, to the Kankakee Farmers Market, collected candy while we watched the Bourbonnais Parade, and had a Fathers day dinner at Brickstone. It was a really great weekend!

Easter Celebration!

Easter 2009

Easter is a big time of the year for our family. This year was very exciting because Noah understood a lot of what makes Easter a holiday. With exception of understanding death completely, which I hear he won't fully grasp until much later in life. He knows that Easter is a time to remember Jesus Christ, who died on a cross for our sins and rose again! I searched for creative ways of explaining atonement to small kids, as it is no small task. I really think he understands the concepts, as best he can. And I'm very happy with the holiday. One of the cool things we did (mainly because I dressed them) was wear all red on good Friday. I explained to the kids that we wear red because today is the day Jesus died on the cross. We also read a portion of scripture each day that correlated to a day of trials, persecution, and resurrection leading into Easter.

Easter at Mom's

We also celebrated Easter in Downers Grove with my mother, sister and cousin. The kids really loved it, and nana got to take them to her church for an Easter egg hunt while Amy and I spent some time along together. My mom made a ham that was amazing, and we left very full and happy. We got to visit with the neighbor girl who Rachel was babysitting for, and you will notice her in a few photos. The kids also got some really wonderful gifts, and they were pretty excited. We have always wanted to make Easter the big holiday of the year, and this year worked out nicely. Also, you are able to order prints of any of the images you see on the Picasa site. Enjoy!

One of those days

Yesterday was one of those days for me. It started off well. On my way out from work I walked past a DVD laying in the snow, partially covered with frosty ice. I picked it up thinking the owner wasn't going to be coming back for it, and it was a full screen copy of The Bourne Ultimatum! Happy day! I brought it to my car to find that it was dead. I'm guessing the door was partially open, and with our car if the door is open enough to display door ajar on the dash, it will drain the battery. I'm not sure why, but it just does. I got out of the car and started going over in my head what I could do. First I needed to get the hood open, which was currently covered with a nice inch or so of ice.