Quad-fecta defined

The quad-fecta is defined as visiting or being visited by maternal and paternal grandparents on the same weekend without any of them having to see each other.

Gianna's baptism: Part 2

After the preparations at the house, it was time to hit the Church for the real deal. There were five other children being baptized during the same ceremony, so we felt like the community was a part of the celebration.

Despite the fact that today was all about Gianna, Enzo was very happy and cooperative. And he was mesmerized by Great Nana and Grumpy. As usual. Here, he gives a big kiss to Grumpy.

Boy, do these cousins look like they are gonna cause some trouble some day. Soon.

That's better.

Who, me?

Briana (Jeff's sister) and Scott (Jeff's cousin) will be great Godparents!

The God-family!

Deacon Jim invited all the children who were present to bless the baptismal water. He told them that without their blessing, the babies couldn't be baptized. I was afraid that Enzo would have none of it. But, he marched himself right back to the baptismal font and stood in line to bless the water with all the big kids.

He was pretty thrilled by it. Mimi was making sure he wouldn't jump in.

Enzo blesses the water.

After the near-drowning that Enzo had on his baptism day, we were better prepared this time. We had an absorbant towel nearby, a change of clothes handy, and we wore dark colors. But this baptism was gentle and calm. And although I know the Holy Spirit was moving within us all, he/she didn't beat us over the head. Deacon Jim scooped up some holy water in a seashell and peacefully baptized our baby girl in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. She leaned back, closed her eyes, and opened up her arms.













Dada and his girl.

Here, Gianna's chest was blessed with olive oil for strength and her head was anointed with chrism, sealing her with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

And when she finally drifted off to sleep, we had to pass her around like a delicate sack of potatoes as each one of us held her while receiving a blessing. Father, mother, Godmother, Godfather.

...and after each blessing and after the whole congregation had concluded in unison, we hear Enzo shout "Ahhhmen!!" Blessing for mom. All alone, "Ahhhhmen!!" Blessing for dad. All alone, "Ahhmen!!" Godmother. Godfather. "Ahhhmen!!" Ahhh-dorable, that kid.

Having some snacks with Papa.

One of my favorite pics of the day.

And now, we have wonderful memories and a new way to celebrate 9/11. Happy spiritual birthday, Baby Girl!

God bless you, Gianna: Part 1

This morning, Gianna celebrated her very first sacrament and was officially welcomed into the family of God. Below are some shots of her being dressed by her very special Godparents, Briana and Scott.

Moooving beyond milk

Gianna's first rice cereal meal.

All looks innocent enough. View the video below only if you're not prone to regurge.

I picked you. You picked me. Good choice.

Five years of marriage. Plus five years before that. Thank you, hun, for one helluva decade.

Friday, we both had the exact same idea for each other: s'mores with a fire in the backyard bowl. Since the traditional gift for a 5-year anniversary is silver and the contemporary gift for a 5-year anniversary is wood, firewood counts. Or a duraflame log, right? And the cooking forks have silver-colored tips. So there. Coupled with two baby monitors, our wedding unity candle, and s'mores supplies, it was the perfect evening together.

Today, Josie watched both the kids all day long, and Jeff and I spent the day together. Doing pretty much nothing. We roamed around the mall. Had drive thru In-N-Out. Got the car washed. Went to two, maybe three, bike shops. Talked with each other. Uninterrupted. And our evening was topped off with a delicious dinner at Dukes on the beach.

Funny story: When making our dinner reservations on opentable.com, in "special instructions" I said something like "Celebrating our anniversary. No kids. Please seat at the most romantic table you have with no kids, crayons or sippy cups in sight." We valet the car, step inside and are greated with exhuberance at the utterance of our last name. It was like, "Helllloooooo Mr. and Mrs. Luna. Weeeeelcome to Dukes." Hostess #1, #2, and the manager. They're whispering to each other, "Table 95. Table 95." Then, "right this way." I'm thinking we are sooo ballers. We weave in and out of all the tables of regular folk, on our way to the best table in the house. We approach the sunroom, with tables directly above the strand and a crystal clear view of the ocean. Then trouble. "Oops. Someone is already at table 95." Back we go to the front. "Thanks for coming," says manager #2 and #3. "Have a good evening." What? We just freakin got here, and some poser is at our table. MY table. Table 95!! "Right this way." We head to the opposite side of the restaurant. To a booth. Four rows of seating from us and the runroom. Next to a table of parents and kids. No kidding. I swear. Crayons and sippy cups.

Water. Workout. Tomatoes. Tools.

Jeff's workout for the day. Using a broken axl from Enzo's little wooden car.

Enzo's pretty proud of our tomatoes.

This kiddo is pretty handy around the house.