Christmas...etc..2008

Here are our most recent pictures.

We hope everyone had a great Christmas!! We missed seeing our families, but we really enjoyed staying home and not having to white knuckle the roads through Wyoming, SoDak, and Montana with the three meatballs this year.

Thanksgiving 2008

Not much time to write....but here are a few sets of pictures from the past month.

We had a great time with the Aberle crew over Thanksgiving -- we're so lucky that everyone traveled to Denver this year!! Click here for pictures.

ALSO, since I didn't take many pictures of the girls over Halloween, here is Laurie's Kodak album. The girls and I took our first road trip without Daddy to SD at the end of October. Stella ended up getting croup while we were there, and she was soooo miserable on Halloween. I didn't even put her costume on...poor kid. Soph and Sash had a blast trick or treating with their cousins, and I was pleasantly surprised it didn't blizzard while we were there.

Sophia's Story

Not to be outdone by little sis, here is Sophia's Voice Thread.

Mornings with Sasha

Since Sasha and I get to spend our mornings together while Soph is at school and Stella is napping, we have a lot of time to try out new things....such as new computer programs! Here is a sampling of our latest venture.

I'll have another one soon, so Sophia can tell her OWN story. :-)

School Pics 2008

Sophia's school pictures are in from her ECE 4 class!

Pumpkins!!!!!

We had a great time carving pumpkins over the weekend. As a kid, it was definitely my least favorite holiday activity (second only to having to decorate a bazillion Christmas sugar cookies for my mom every year)....the pumpkin smell and the mess grossed me out. Plus, I usually managed to screw up my pumpkin somehow before it was time to display it.

Well this year it was actually fun...the smell and mess don't hold a candle to the things I clean up on a daily basis anymore. The girls were really into it, but they also thought the pumpkins stunk and were"ewwwwwey".

Here are some more pictures.

Presenting...Sasha

Bundled Up!

Here are a couple of pics of Stella after her brisk run with Michael! She caught a little shut-eye and was toasty warm when he took her out of the stroller. Next time, I think I'll wear her outfit and have Michael push me around the neighborhood for an hour.

Fall is here....

We have some new pics and stories to share. The girls are anxiously awaiting Halloween this year. Costumes are ready and have been tried on daily, the house is decorated, and Sasha drop-kicked her trick-or-treat bucket down the stairs today after yelling "Stinky punkin!" at it. Sophia is going to be Cinderella this year, which is no surprise to us. Her princess fixation is still going strong, as is her bossy side.....she not only decided what she will be for Halloween, but also what Sasha will be: Tinkerbell. Good thing Sasha likes fairies and the color green. Stella is going to be a monkey, thanks to a hand-me-down costume from some friends. :-)

Sophia is loving school....she especially loves an enrichment class she is taking called "Nature Rangers". Today when I picked her up, the kids were watching a praying mantis devour a cricket. Aw, to be a kid again. Today she colored a picture and told me she wanted to send it to Santa Clause for his birthday on Christmas. I guess that means we need to talk a little more about the meaning of Christmas.

Sasha is a funny and happy kid. I found her swinging from a bar in our closet this morning, so I think it is time for gymnastics class. She loooooves singing to Stella, and she does a lovely rendition of "Wind the Bobbin," which we hope to get on film soon. Today when she woke up from her nap, she needed me to reassure her that there weren't "spiderwebs" in her eyes. She must have had some crusties.

Stella started sitting up by herself two days ago, and she started army crawling yesterday. Big changes for her! It means we have to dust off the baby gates and baby proof again. The big girls will be sad when I have to take away all of their Polly Pockets, too (sorry, Aunt Mary!).

Enjoy the new pictures!!!

Lazy Sunday

Michael and I are enjoying a quiet afternoon watching a little NFL....Stella is taking her 2nd nap, and the big two are downstairs having "quiet time". Sash normally naps everyday, but we're letting her skip today, so we can put them to bed at 7pm rather than 8. The early evenings are always pretty interesting on Sasha's non-nap days. She gets really surly and tries to pick fights with Sophia by chest bumping her, or she'll do belly flops on Stella, or she may put pretend food in the toilet. We call all of those things BAD CHOICES. :-)

My parents were in town last weekend for the Broncos game. We took some fun pictures of the girls....mostly of Sophia, b/c she loooooves to vamp it up for the camera. Michael and I were able to sneak away one of the nights to go to a fun party in the neighborhood with a bunch of other parents from Soph's school. That's apparently what you do when your kids are school aged....hang out with the PTA.

Here is a picture from the night. The theme was "Wear your Favorite T-shirt". There were all kinds of good ones, including one that said "Don't hit your kids....No seriously, don't....Kids carry guns these days." Don't be jealous of my rockin' bod.

Finally...a NEW post!!!

Hi!! I have a few good excuses for our long absence and one really lame one...

The good ones: school, birthdays, 3 kids age 4 and under, sleep deprivation.
The bad one: Facebook.

Things are good in Tognetti-land. Stella crossed the 6month mark last week, and we're starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel....for now at least. :-) She is sleeping better, eating solids well, and her schedule is slowly starting to resemble somewhat of a pattern. Sasha is telling stories, mimicking Sophia, and making us all laugh. Sophia is one month into her 2nd year of preschool, and she looooooooves it!

Michael and I crossed the 5 yr anniversary mark last month, too. To celebrate we had a sitter come over, and we drove the van to a quiet parking lot and took a nap. Not really, but it was tempting.

We went to a Rockies game last weekend as a family and had a great time!! Soph and Sash were singing and dancing, eating popcorn, and yelling "GO TULO!! Get a hit!" They would ask for one of everything that the vendors were selling...we told them no, and promptly gave them a good lesson about the value of a dollar and making good economic choices. Being mature 4 and 2 year olds, they seemed to understand quite well.

Here is a picture link for last month's adventures. :-)

Watch this....if you can-can

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Tres chic

Sasha Kay....Style Icon.

Owl rainboots are the must-have this season.

August pics and stories

We have a new set of pictures to share...click here.

Here are a couple of new stories from the girlies:

Yesterday, Sophia was engaging in the age old activity of nose picking. Sasha looked at her and said very matter-of-factly: "Sobia Rose....don' pick yers nose....dats grosssss." I love that our 2 yr old is disciplining her big sis.

At lunch today, Sasha and Sophia were sitting at the table conversing about a picture of Michael and me. Sophia was explaining to Sasha that "first Daddy and Mommy got married....then they went to the moon....and then they got me." The whole going to the moon bit was where she meant to say that we went on our honeymoon. Sasha believed every word. Reminded me of the days when I could tell Edie just about anything, and she'd believe it. ;-)

Stella is doing great - still trying to get those two bottom teeth in, which isn't fun for anyone. She's getting up twice a night; one time more than she was 2 months ago. The girl is H-U-N-G-R-Y. She'll be 5 months old on Friday!

Lunching with Edie

The girls and I try to meet up with Edie at least once every few weeks for lunch. We drive down to her apartment, eat some food, play with Dudley, mess her kid-free home up a bit, then drive home for naptime. Here are a few pictures from our latest lunch date with Auntie E.

PS: Edie wanted me to let everyone know that the only reason her recliner has a sheet on it, is so Adam wouldn't get dog hair on him while he is recuperating. You see...the chair is technically Dudley's, but Adam had a rib removed (yes...haha..."Adam's Rib" was literally removed from his person to correct some freak circulatory disorder he has), so he has been recovering at home for the past couple of weeks. He could only get comfortable in the recliner, so Dudley was demoted to the floor. THUS, the need for the sheet. Phew.

Sasha stories

Today Sophia went to a movie with a friend, so Sasha and I were able to spend some quality time together talking about life's issues...such as the struggling economy, the high cost of fuel, and the return of Beverly Hills 90210.

At one point, Sash climbed into Stella's carseat and said, "Mom, I be a baby." I said "Sasha, are you pretending to be a baby??" She replied, "Yaaah, I be baby Jesus."

Later on in the afternoon, I heard her say this to Michael: "Daddy....Where's Nat?" Michael said "ummm...you mean, where's Mom?" I was laughing from the other room, so she found me! :-)

Favorite pic

Our friend, Augy, snapped this one!!!! Definitely a keeper.

Family fun runs

For the past month or so, as soon as Michael gets home from work we load up the girls in the joggers and go for a run. Michael usually pushes the double with Sash and Stella, and I push Soph in the single. Both have pros and cons: the double is heavier, but pushing Sophia requires you to engage in conversation with her the WHOLE way. Here is a conversation we had a few weeks ago...

The scene: we're running on a little trail, and we see a teenage boy put his arm around a teenage girl as they're walking in front of us.

Sophia: Mama?
N: Yes, Sophia.
S: Boys love girls.
N: Yes they do.
S: Mama?
N: Yeeeees, Sophia.
S: Boys and girls get married and then get kids.
N: That's right, honey.
S: Mama?
N: Yes?
S: I want another baby in our house.
N: Um.....don't you think we have enough for now?
S: Nope. I want another girl baby.
N: Wellll, we'll see.
S: Mama?
N: Sophia.
S: The world would be sad if it were just regular.
N: uh...by regular do you mean no colors?? (sometimes she calls "clear" things "regular" - like water, for instance.)
S: Yeah. Colors make the world good.
N: Yes they do. Is your favorite color still red, Soph?
S: Yeah. and Daddy's favorite is blue, and yours is purple, and Sasha's is orange, and Stella's is yellow...just like Mrs. Smith.
N: Sophia...see if you can count all the birds we see.
S: Okay, mom.
SILENCE. :-)

Sophia catching some zzzzz's

Sasha and Stella

Flexing for the camera

"helping" Daddy stretch

Who's who??

Check out the pictures below.... We've gotten quite a few comments regarding who Stella looks more like - Sophia or Sasha. I found some pictures that might solve the dilemma - all the photos are from around the 4 month mark. Let me know who you think Stella looks the most like in the poll to the right.

Stella Pearl

Sasha Kay

Sophia Rose

We got back to Denver on Monday from our July vacation blitz...the girls and I spent most of the trip in SDakota while Michael was on his Montana golf trip with Uncle Nic. Sophia and Sasha had a BLAST with all of their cousins. They even decided to let "Gack" (Jackson in Sasha-ese) in on some of their secrets at Grandma's house. Even though he just started walking, he kept up with them pretty well. Stella and I made a quick trip with Auntie Missy to Chicago for Marita's wedding on July 5th, then back to SDakota for a day, then home the next. Phew! Here is a picture link.

Next on the schedule is gymnastics camp, which begins for Sophia this Thursday. She can't wait. I'm also going to try to see if Sasha is at all ready to potty train. We tried a month ago, but she had no interest, other than not wanting to wear a diaper. Oh and she has also unraveled the toilet paper roll a few dozen times. Does that count as showing interest?

I'll try to get some live action footage of the girls soon to fulfill the fans' requests....any particular things you'd like to see her doing, Kelly?? ;-)

One final thing...HI, JEN!!!!!!

Summer!

Summer is off to a great start for us. We've been busy busy busy with little things around the house. The biggest thing has probably been that we've moved Sophia and Sasha into a room together. The new roomies have new bunk beds, which they love. In fact, Sophia now asks if she can take a nap even if it is a "quiet time" day. Sasha has adjusted well so far to her new big girl bed, too! We were a little nervous about the transition from her crib, but she hasn't made any middle of the night escapes yet (other than a few trips up to the top bunk to visit Sophia). I'm sure there will be some eventually!

We made a fun trip to South Dakota during the first week of June. We had a little party for Sasha's 2nd Birthday and spent lots of time with all of our relatives up there.

Here are pictures from the last few weeks.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all the wonderful dads and grandpas!!

Sasha and Stella buddy up

Here is a link to a new set of pictures.

Sasha can't stand to wear diapers anymore, yet she shows no interest in going potty like a big girl either. There seems to be a disconnect. :-) Anyway, if she ran the world, she'd be able to be naked all the time and everywhere. With a booty like that, I can't say I blame her.

Lots of new pictures to share!

First of all, look at how big Stella is getting!!

We've been busy the past few weeks with 1.) Stella's baptism, 2.) Uncle Nic and Aunt Erin's wedding in Montana, and 3.) passing the flu around the house (no pics for this one).

Can't believe it is already May. Today is the one year mark since Sasha's cranial surgery. All is well, and we go in for her 1 yr post-op check-up in a couple of weeks. This is just a routine appointment to allow her surgeons to see how her head has healed and progessed over the last year. We think she looks great!!

The art of swaddling

As many of you know, Michael and I are huge fans of the swaddle as a calming method for our babies. WELL, the other day Sophia, Sasha and Stella were going a little nuts, so we thought we'd give the old "tried and true" a shot on all of them. Here are the results:

Three cute little burritos.

SURPRISINGLY, Stella is the only one who fell asleep after all was said and done.

To sum it all up

This is exactly how Michael and I feel lately.... :-)

Sophia's Class Picture

This scan doesn't do the picture justice (you can click on it to make it larger)...the faces and smiles these kiddos are flashing are sooooooo funny!!!! I'm so glad my kid isn't the only one with a silly cheese face. Sophia is in the front row, 2nd from the left. Also in her row are Alexa (next to Soph, first one on the left) and Jayla (first one on the right). Apparently the three of them have a "potty party" every morning, and they all hang out in the bathroom until each one of them poops...hehe. Kind of like water cooler talk, but in preschool terms....

Jackson does Denver

Cousin Jackson and Auntie Missy visited us from San Fran this week...AND Auntie Laurie and Papa Jim came down from SD, too.

Here are the pictures from the weekend.

Also...here is a new picture of our little Stella. She is 4 weeks old already!!

Easter Pics

We hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. My parents were in town for the NCAA tourney to watch ND, so they stayed through Easter and helped us out a ton with the girls!

Stella is doing great - she is growing and packing on weight like a champ. Sasha was Papa's little buddy while he was in town. She called him "Goooey Goose" (silly goose). Sophia is on Spring Break this week, so we've had a lot of much-needed slow mornings around the house. We're back to our fully loaded schedule next week.

Here is a link to the latest set of pictures!

Stella Pearl Tognetti

We now have some pictures uploaded of our new little princess. Stella is doing great, and we are so happy she is finally here. Sophia and Sasha are in love with baby sis.

Sophia asks us almost everyday if we get to keep Stella "for alot of days". We keep reassuring her that she's here for good. Soph also said that "Stella is so pretty, because she has polk-a-dots on her belly." She was referring to her newborn rash. So cute.

Sasha calls Stella "Studdah", and whenever someone is holding her, she puts her hands out as if to say "okay, my turn...just give her to me." This morning when Sash came downstairs after waking up, she looked at Stella in the swing and said "Hi goooey!" -- we're pretty sure that meant "Hi, cutie."

Thanks to everyone for all of your well wishes!!

Party of Five

Stella Pearl Tognetti joined our family on Saturday, March 8, 2008 @ 1:24 a.m. She is 6 lbs, 14 oz; 19.5 inches. HEALTHY!!! Michael is thrilled that the male to female ratio in this house is now 1:4.

We'll have more posts soon....just got home from the hospital, and we are all tiiiiiiiiiiired.

XOXO

Mad Dancin' Skilllllllz

Michael and the girls have been in rehearsals for weeks.....we hope you enjoy their performance.

CLICK HERE!

Cousin Weekend 2008

Laurie and the gang came to Denver over President's Day weekend, and we had a lovely time. Here is the link to the set of pics.

And the answer is...

Ok, so Edie didn't know (too young - apparently she was born AFTER the movie came out....what a baby). Missy didn't know either. Laurie guessed Dirty Dancing - WRONG. Carla, I think my "most excellent" comment threw you off. The only one who got it after a clue was everyone's favorite tv/movie buff....Kelly Rizo.

The answer is:

SPLASH!

Here is the screen shot from the scene I thought of when Sasha was wearing her outfit yesterday.

It wasn't THAT hard, was it?!?!

What movie?

This was Sasha's outfit of choice today -- isn't it perrrrrty? It reminds me of a scene from a most excellent 80's movie. Any guesses?