Just the 4 of Us

All the elements of a cozy family holiday were in place so that's exactly what we had: a Christmas at home just for the 4 of us. Santa placed the gifts underneath the tree on Christmas eve and Ayla was awake and downstairs by 7:30 the next morning. She was a very good girl all year so she was thrilled to see all the things she had on her list: a piggy bank, drum set, a baby doll, and a musicbox. (We will cherish these days of simple satisfactions for as long as we can.) Even though Izzy did not have any specific requests, she enjoyed a morning of ripping paper without consequence and showing total disregard for the Rules of Sharing. She opened all her gifts but wanted nothing but her sister's stuff. What a chick.
After gifts, we watched A Christmas Story on TV, a first for Mommy. For lunch, we braved the cold and Vegas Christmas crowds to go out for Chinese food. As a favor to Mommy, Daddy made a specialty of his for Christmas dinner and we all stuffed ourselves into the night. Thanks to Ayla's new instruments, we were even treated to a wonderous performance from the house band.

Babes in Park-land

Our munchkins love going to the playground despite the 50-degree weather. Their hands were like blocks of ice and their lips were blue but they were climbin' and jumpin' all around like they didn't each have on 4 layers of clothes. Kids are either really tough or really stupid.

Ayla and Izzy do Disney World

Paul had a gig in Orlando so we decided that the girls should tag along and do Disney. Ayla was visiting her birthplace and our little native New Yorker, Izzy, was seeing Orlando for the first time. Uncle Jay Jay, cousins Morgan and Chase, and Aunt Alicia came too, making it a Sperrazza extravaganza! They met Mickey, drank in the Disney magic, and spent about a hundred hours in line. However, the pinnacle of the girls' visit was a private meet n' greet with Cinderella! Those pictures are not included in this blog. Daddy opted to pay mucho Disney bucks for professional photos and an autograph from Cinderella #23 instead of using his own camera. Daddy's such a sucker for his little princesses.



Aw, the pains of being the youngest kid just hurt so bad. Just a few notches shy of the "you have to be this tall to ride this ride" line, Izzy stands watching from the outside as her sister and cousins enjoy the spinny teacups. Tough break, kid...maybe next year.

Ayla's 4th birthday bash was a blast!

We celebrated Ayla's birthday at Pump It Up...a private inflatable playground where she and her friends were free to lose their minds! Here's a clip of Ayla and Camme going down the giant slide.

The Picture of Sisterly Love

Sept 2007-Paul has been traveling a lot. Being away from his family tends to wear on his soul and this apparently prompts sudden urges to take many many pictures of our kids. I wasn't home during this particular photo shoot but I bet these two monkeys were trying to kill each other right before Daddy gave the "say cheese" command. Whenever I try to capture a moment on film I end up giving the "just friggin' say cheese damnit" command. Thank God Daddy's got the gift of snapping the perfect picture of sisterly love.

It's Not Easy Being Izzy

Lil' Baby is the happiest little soul we know. When she's up, she's busy jumping, laughing, dancing, annoying her sister, and basically running around like a crazy person. Anger to sorrow, her every emotion is expressed with such intensity. Then a couple minutes later, she's back to her happy self. It's hard being little.

A Good Heart

Ayla recently gave up her ragged torn-up blankie that she's had since birth. It's been in the Sperrazza family for over 30 years and was handed down to her from her Daddy. Knowing that she would ask for it back if we attempted to commemorate a piece of it, we told her that it was being sent to Heaven because Grandpa was cold. Our little sweetheart gave it up right away...for Grandpa. It's times like these when we know we're doing some things right.

Heels Over Head

Lil' Baby was practicing new and exciting ways of getting into her crib and this one won. She would yell "Ready, Set, Go!" and dive head first over the crib railing and this is what we would see. Daddy just replaced the crib with a brand new Big Girl Bed and she's slowly getting used to it.

Breakfast at Ayla and Izzy's

The girls love having breakfast at the kitchen island. This particular morning, Lil' Baby was having a bad hair day and Ayla was just being silly. Not much breakfast was getting eaten but we had a ton of laughs. I took them to McDonald's for a nice fatty lunch to make up for it. Mother of the Year.

Chicks in a Basket

The girls love to climb into anything that will fit the both of them. Bathtubs, boxes, but most of all...laundry baskets.

We're All Set

We've been busy movers and shakers but we're finally settled in our new Las Vegas home. We're a busy house of 4 and it truly is fun. Thanks for your support and interest in the girls' progress.