Happy New Year!

2010...I can remember thinking about the year 2000 and how far in the future it seemed. I remember thinking how cool it would be if I were to graduate high school in the year 2000. I was a little too old for that. Now, we're ten years past Y2K!

"Time flies" is so cliche, yet I find myself thinking that a lot in the last 8 months. Since I became a mom, I can't keep up with the time! I feel so old saying how fast time is going, but wow, it really does fly by! My baby is barely a baby anymore. He's crawling (backwards) and holds himself in a plank pose for a few seconds at a time. I know that once he figures it out, I'm in a lot of trouble! Better get this house baby-proofed!

2009 was good to us. Here's to a fabulous 2010! Who knows what could be in store?!

Emerald Bowl trip

We just got home from our bowl trip to San Francisco late last night. It was a challenge for sure. A six hour flight, a three hour time change, a week in a hotel - all with a seven month old. And to top it off, JP caught a terrible cold from the plane ride out, so he was pretty miserable most of the trip. Poor little man :(

Even though he was a little more fussy than normal, he still kept his happy little personality most of the time, and enjoyed meeting his cousins, Paige and Peyton and his Uncle Vince and Aunt Monica. He also got to see his grandparents and meet his second cousin Gina and her boyfriend, Johnny and some of Jason's friends from college.

Our hotel was very nice and we had a great set up with a suite with a joined room with the grandparents. At least we had some space to walk JP around all night, since he barely slept!!!!
Unfortunately, we lost the game. (two incredibly terrible calls from the refs really changed the momentum or else we might have stood more of a chance, IMO). And it might take us a couple weeks to re-coop. But, we're glad we made the trip so we could all be together for our first Christmas as a family :)

The view from our balcony:
Peyton in her beautiful Christmas dress:
Paige snuggling with JP:
JP on the airplane, testing out daddy's headphones:
The hotel lobby:
JP loving his card more than his presents:

JP's class

JP and I just finished up a class at Isis Maternity for babies 5-7 months old. His favorite parts of the class were Storytime and Bubbles!!

Professional Pictures

We had JP's photos taken for the first time a couple weeks ago and I am very happy with the proofs! Now, I'm gonna HAVE TO order some prints and actually frame a photo of our little man. Why am I so bad at that?

Here's a sneak peak :)

Mister Social

Here's a shot of JP at his playgroup/class. While all the other babies grew tired of the balls, JP sat there picking them up, tasting them, tossing them and babbling to everyone the whole time. It was so funny!


And here's one of JP playing with Daddy at the Apple store while Mommy was waiting for her Christmas present :)

Wordless Wednesday

Tis the Season

If you are in the Boston area and looking for a great way to give back this Christmas, check this out! The Big Wishes for Little Wanderers gives you the opportunity to buy specific items for a needy child in the area OR you can "adopt" the entire family and fulfill their needs. Their wish lists are on the web site. Check it out and Merry Christmas :)

Jumperoo Fun

My Famous Niece

Check her out! On the front page of her local newspaper in Ohio!!!!

Love ya, Brooke!!!

We have a tooth!!!!

Can you see it?!

Learning to Coupon

I've had lots of emails asking me how I've been able to get the "deals" I mentioned below. I learned everything from this blog.

Read her link titled "Couponing 101" and then read under "Store Guides" about specific stores. She posts "deals" several times a day in the body of her blog, too.

Basically, start getting your Sunday paper and cutting coupons. Organize them in a way that works for you (I'm using a binder now with baseball card storage sheets). Learn the money saving programs at Rite Aid, CVS and Walgreens - they are pretty great! Check out the printable, online coupons (coupons.com) - there are more links on the blog mentioned above for online coupons.

The savings are not limited to the drug stores either. I've gotten some $50 magazine subscriptions for free or as little as $5 for a year. I got a Leapfrog Tag Junior system for $8.99 at Target. I've gotten some nice board games at Toys R Us for very little. So, get saving!

Email me with your questions - this has been a fun little "hobby" for me - when I'm not feeding, playing with or changing JP. It's a way to use my brain since quitting work! I'm excited for my friends to learn, too!
nicci_loscalzo AT hotmail DOT com

PS - I can't "comment" back to anyone's comments below for some reason...maybe it's my MAC or maybe it's Firefox. So, Kari, shoot me an email if you wanna know anymore about this! ;)

PSS - Someone asked me "Nicci, what are you going to do with all those deodorants?!" hahaha. I thought once I get my stash built up, I'll make a nice donation to a local women's shelter or some charity that could use some toiletries :) If they are free, I might as well, right?!

PSSS - I'm watching TV while I'm typing this and there's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on...uhhh, is it me or is this ridiculous?