Fall Festival 2012

It has become a tradition in the Mangiaracina household to attend the annual Fall Festival in Fairfax City. We kind of stumbled onto it the first year after we spent the day apple picking.  Last year, we made a point of going and brought Lucy to join in on the fun. This year was extra special because we were able to share it with James (who was outside my belly this time!) and Grandma Q.

It was a perfect fall day with a shining sun and a cool breeze.  We dressed James in his new outfit that we think was quite appropriate for the outing.  I mean, doesn't every baby need a fleece vest to match his fleece pants? :)

We met Grandma by the fire station and started browsing through the many vendors' booths.  There was everything from photography to jewelry to homemade dog biscuits to crocheted hats.  The 2 political campaigns were out in full force along with a slew of local organizations.  We made our way through the crowd searching for our favorite vendor: Jack's Pup Stuff.  This is where we go each year to buy Lucy's collars.  Last year we got 2 adorable collars (bumble bees and doggy fire hydrants).  This year, we decided to get 3 - lady bugs (which she is wearing now, more bumble bees and a holiday collar with  mittens).

Another great thing about the festival is the people you run into.  This year's list included the Paynes - parents to one Miss Katie Payne and Mary Malloy - one of Aunt Suzy's good friends from elementary school along with her family.  

After catching up with some peeps and checking out the crazy hydraulic-induced cars at the mini car show, it was time to eat. Off we went to get our traditional noodles and chicken on a stick meal, kettle corn and ice cream.  :)

As per usual, James slept through most of the day and pretty much missed it all.  But you know what?  We'll take a sleep baby over a crying baby any day of the week.  Lucy was in all her glory checking out all of the smells and eating some chicken on a stick.  :)  Happy Fall everyone!

Who Needs Toys...

Did I really say that?  The girl that has an office FILLED with toys and who works for the Toy Industry Association?  Well, it seems that my son has not quite inherited my love for toys just yet.  I mean, who needs toys when you have the Sunday advertisements from the Washington Post?!

This was the scene last Sunday morning.  James was rolling around on the floor playing with his actual toys.  His favorites as of late are this puzzle that Grandma Q. bought him:

...and his See and Say that I picked up from the consignment sale a few weeks back.

I sat down next to him armed with a delicious cup of coffee and the Sunday newspaper complete with the advertisements.  I like to sit on the floor on him not only to keep an eye on him, but to join in on the fun he always seems to be having.  On this day, the pretty, shiny, colorful advertisements caught his eye.  So much so that no toy could distract him.  This is what unfolded:

He had a ball rolling around in them, crumpling them, shaking them and trying to eat them (Mommy put a stop to this as much as she could!).  He was particular to the Target ad which made me very proud. :)

Now I know that toys will play a very important role in James' life as he grows up, but it's nice to see that in a bind, we can always give him a Sunday ad to keep him occupied.  :)

True Love

For some reason, we never seem to have a camera around when the perfect moments occur.  Or if we do, we miss it by half a second.  But sometimes, we get lucky and are able to capture moments like this:

Nothing melts my heart more than seeing my son laughing like this with his sister, Lucy.  I think they are going to be best friends for life.  :)

The Nursery: Revisited

Some of you have been asking how James' nursery is working out for us so we wanted to revisit it and show you how we have settled into James' room.

Creating James' nursery was a really fun project especially for a pregnant, nesting future mom.  We wanted to make sure that it was a comfortable, serene space where our baby could rest and play.  We didn't hone in on a specific theme, but instead used color to make the space cohesive.

We were thrilled with the end result and now, 7 and a half months later, we couldn't be more happy with the choices we made.  It's a small room, but we managed to utilize the space efficiently.  The best part is that James loves it.  When on his changing table, he loves checking out his little friends on the shelves above.  He loves sitting with Mommy and Daddy in the glider to have his baba or read a book. He loves, loves, LOVES his bed which is probably the best part.

So, without further ado, here is the The Nursery: Revisited.

On the Move

Over the weekend, someone decided that he didn't want to sit and play anymore.  No...he wanted to MOVE!

He has been working on crawling for a few weeks now and on Sunday, something clicked.  And once he figured it out, there was no stopping him.  Here he is at Gymboree:

I guess it's time to baby proof around here. :)

Top Chef Sighting

Aunt Suzy came to town over the weekend which made James (and the rest of us) very happy.  It was an eventful visit filled with Top Chefs, baskets and lots of food - par for the course with us. :)  The food...not the Top Chef. Let me explain.

On Saturday morning we all headed west to Aldie, VA.  What's in Aldie, VA you ask?  Well, Willowsford is in Aldie, VA.  And why is that important?  Well, they were throwing a big bash to entice people to purchase their gi-NORMOUS homes and we are not the sort of people to miss a party!

None of us are in the market for a new house, but the free food, live jams and cooking demonstration with Mike Isabella of Top Chef fame brought us all on board for the trip.  And we weren't alone.  The place was packed!  I guess when you include a 2-page spread in the Washington Post announcing this party filled with free stuff people come flocking.

The neighborhood was cute filled with all kinds of amenities including their own farm stand.  Who wouldn't love their own farm stand down the street?!  But I digress...the party was great.  Good food, a blue grass band, a wine tasting and of course, the main attraction - Mike Isabella.

For those of you who don't know, Mike Isabella was on season 6 of Top Chef and was the runner-up on Top Chef Allstars.  He is a DC guy - formerly the chef of Zaytinya and recently opened Italian restaurant Graffiato.  Sue and I are big fans of the show so this B-list celebrity sighting was very exciting for us.  After a quick cooking demonstration, he took the time to sign his new cookbook "Crazy Good Italian" and take some photos. James was not as star struck as we were, but he chilled out with us while Mike made some grub.

We briefly chatted with him asking some behind the scenes questions about the show.  Apparently, they tape the show in 6 weeks and it is a HUGE pressure cooker.  Said it is about 1,000 times more intense than it looks on TV.  There are no plans for future TV, but he will appear in a few episodes of Bravo's new series "Life After Top Chef".

So, after getting over the excitement of Mike Isabella, we hit the Sinplicity ice cream truck for free ice cream (really good, btw) and headed out of dodge.

The rest of the weekend was filled with relaxing, eating and playing in baskets.  Yes - you read that correctly. The brilliant Aunt Suzy founded the MOST fun game James has EVER played - Baby in a Basket!!  While Ed and I popped out to the grocery store, Aunt Suzy was in charge and had the idea of putting James in his toy basket.  GENIUS!  He loved it - had a ball!!  Now, whenever he gets a little cranky, we put him in the basket and he calms down and actually smiles.  Thank you Aunt Suzy!!!

We had so much fun and can't wait to see Aunt Suzy again for Thanksgiving.  I'm sure she'll have some new tricks up her sleeve that will trump any toy we buy James between now and then. :)

LOVE YOU AUNT SUZY!!!!

James' Monthly Photo Project: Seven Months Old

James is 7 months old today.  I'm sad for 2 reasons:

1.  My baby is growing up WAY to fast!
2.  I'm in Dallas on business so I'm not able to give him a big birthday kiss!!!

But I am also happy because in these 7 months, James has blossomed into a sweet, loving, adorable little boy who loves to play, laugh, and cuddle.  :)

Milestones:

• We have a sitter!  He is a little bit wobbly, but overall, James is now sitting on his own.  We recently put out the new Skip Hop Zoospot Playmat and he just loves to sit on it while playing with his toys.

• James had his first haircut this month.  He was born with lots and lots of hair that just grew and grew.  It was time to clean him up so we brought him to Cartoon Cuts and now he is even more handsome than ever!

• He is about to go full time in 9 month clothing.  He has already graduated to 6-9 month jammies - the 6 month ones were jamming up his toes.  Now we are seeing that his 6 month onesies and pants are a bit too snug.  Growing boy!

Happy 7 Month Birthday James!!