Balzotti Boys

Thursday, October 28, 2010

For Our Mothers

Happy Mother's Day! What better gift could I give to these beautiful women than pictures of the kids they love more than Jon and I? Here they are.

NICO TURNED 1!

Nico took advantage of our distraction while getting ready for the party by doing one of his favorite things...climbing.

Closely examining his book from Grandma and Grandpa Balzotti

All the fuss sort of stunned Nico. He didn't smile much that day. The look on his face in this picture sort of says it all.

Nico's First Cupcake. He mostly just wanted the frosting. That's my boy!

YaYa came to visit and we did lots of fun things including going to Reiman Gardens where there is a beautiful butterfly habitat. Gabe LOVED it.

Nico making his fish face on the butterfly path.

And on Yaya's lap at lunch.

If you are wondering why Nico is only wearing one shoe and sock, please see the pictures below for an explanation.

This is what always happens when we put shoes and socks on him. The kid loves to be barefoot!

YaYa Thank you for coming to see us! We love you!!

We have been taking advantage of the warmer weather to enjoy our beautiful backyard.

Gabe doesn't nap much anymore but occasionally this is how I find him when his quiet time is over.

We love you guys! Happy Mother's Day!

Saturday, October 23, 2010

In the month before we moved to Iowa, we mostly hung out with our family and friends and soaked up as much of them as we could. I cried a lot. Gabe began to refuse to say good-bye to anyone, even if we were going to see them the next day. BUT we also did some really fun things. Here are a few pictures of those fun things.

Trying to take a photo of all the Balzotti boys. These are all of Gabe's cousins on Jon's side. I stole this from Debbie's blog. I think there are better pictures out there but I haven't seen them yet, hint hint Tyfani! It was hilarious!

We went to the Annual Springville Folkfest. Again, I stole the picture from Debbie. It is the only one any of us took so I am using it but don't believe for a second these boys just sat there. They were up and dancing and running around. Fun was had by all.

Gabe got to ride Will, one of the beautiful horses belonging to our friends Ken and Jane Naylor.

We got to live at my mom's house. This is the only picture I have there but it is a lovely place and we are so grateful for her generosity. These boys are pretty cute!

And of course, one last trip out on Aimee's boat. Gabe now thinks all boats belong to Aimee and is always disappointed when he sees one and Aimee isn't on it.

We love all you Utah folk and miss you terribly.

Oh by the way...

We live in Iowa now.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Water Sports

Gabe has taken to the water like a little fish. He can't quite get enough of it. He has his "super suit" which you can see in the only pictures I got when we went to Lake Powell with some friends from our ward. My excuse is that Nico was only 6 weeks old so I was a little preoccupied. Luckily we have also been able to go boating with my good friend Aimee and once our friend Chelsea took pictures for me!

Lake Powell
Gabe enjoying the beach next to the houseboat in the aforementioned super suit. He could stay out there all day playing with sticks and throwing rocks. He seemed genuinely surprised and delighted each time he found one. Gotta love the joy of childhood.

Gabe and Jon swimming or "fimming" as Gabe calls it, after going off the slide on the back of the houseboat.

Boating

Chelsea, the photographer

Gabe watching me wakeboard

Surprisingly I actually got up. Aimee is a good teacher. Jon is much better than I am already, not surprisingly. Unfortunately we didn't get any shots of him.

A year in review - Part 1

To prove we were alive for the last year and didn't just live in a hole, here are some highlights of the fun things we did. This is a post in two parts because it just is. Anyone reading this blog should just be impressed that there are as many pictures as there are and that anything was documented at all. We really do love all of our family members and friends who are far away so for those of you who care, here's what we've been up to.

For Spring Break 2009 we went to St. George and did some hiking. We also went to Zion and hiked Angel's landing. Though Gabe and I sat out the last little bit because I had done it and Jon hadn't and making the summit with a baby in a backpack is precarious at best.

Matt, Jon, Gabe and Josh near Angel's landing. Matt and Josh are Ph.D students at the U who are friends of Jon's.

Easter egg hunt at Grandma and Grandpa Balzotti's house. Wish I had more pictures of this fun event. Gabe is just too cute in his little sweater not to share this one.

Last year we spent as much time as possible at my family's ranch because we knew its sale was imminent. In December the sale was finalized. We are still so sad about it. Gabe still asks to go frequently. Unfortunately 52% of the shareholders voted to sell. We will always love the Macfarlane Ranch.

Gabe, ready to go for a hike