Christmas at Cozzas

Aaron & Noah are checking out the wildife from their bedroom window at Grandma & Grandpa Cozza's. They're hard to see but there are four deer just outside the window.



Aaron gets the mother of all Lego sets for Xmas. Some assembly required.

We ended up taking a couple of trips to the science center in Ashland. There were lots of cool exhibits for the kids including one that lets you make really big bubbles, as demonstrated here by Noah & Grandma Cozza.

Noah's First Reception

OK, all we need is ONE good picture for the Christmas card . . .

Early Xmas in Seattle

It so happened that Uncle Doug had a work trip to Seattle in early December, so we decided to make it into an early Small Xmas trip for the Small family. Sister Sheryl and cousins Sam & Sophie came over with Doug, and Grandma/Grandpa Small came up from California. We got a chance to take the cousins up to the snow for a bit of sledding.

Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

We took what's becoming an annual fall trip out to the pumpkin patch at Remlinger Farms, which has lots of rides for the kidlets.

Jam Session

We had a visit from Grandma & Grandpa Small this month. Grandpa is currently playing the cornet in a local band down in Rocklin & Aaron got a chance to try it out. This cornet interestingly was handed down from Great Grandpa Small, an accomplished musician, who played it in John Philip Sousa's band. Grandpa Small had it refurbished recently and is now putting it to use again on a regular basis.

Aaron's First Day of Kindergarten

I'm going to be doing this school thing for how long again . . . ?

Big Birthday Party

Aaron & Noah, by sheer coincidence, both have birthdays on July 11. They turned 2 and 5 this year. This year we had a visit from the Last Resort Fire Department and we all got to take a trip around the neighborhood in a couple of old fire trucks. Afterward we all got a quick lecture with some tips on how to avoid burning down the house.

Trip to the Carolinas

We went back to visit Sheryl, Doug, & cousins Sam & Sophie back in Charlotte in June along with Mom & Dad Small. We spent a couple of days in Charlotte, then headed to a house we'd rented a block from the beach just outside of Charleston. Weather was great with temps in low 90s most days & water temp about 80. The exception was one day during which the remnants of a tropical storm blew through. We spent a lot of time hanging out on the beach, exploring Charleston, or having happy hour(s) on the big screened front porch. Pictures are of the cousins taking an ice cream break, & the large hammock on the porch which was nice for taking naps to help recover from a hard day on the beach.

Has Anybody Seen Noah?

Noah Likes the Spinach Dip

Breakfast at Smallzzas

We gave Aaron & Noah their own table in a corner of the kitchen. Noah still tends to make a bit of a mess when eating, which isn't helped by his recent habit of signaling that he's done eating by throwing whatever food he has left in random directions. He throws pretty well for a two-year-old.

Lil' Kickers

Aaron was in the Lil' Kickers indoor soccer program this winter. At left is a picture of some of his teammates (leftmost is next door neighbor Andrew ) and Coach Kevin.