Brotherly Love

Mommy grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, so she knows a little bit about "Brotherly Love".  It must be genetic because Ysabella is learning to be more social and playful with other kids. And Anthony is beginning to exhibit signs that he understands the concept as well.  

Even if only for a short time.  

Another lesson learned for the Nicastros,... cherish the time with loved ones.... while it lasts :)

Show and Tell

With Nona and Poppy in NYC this weekend, the Nicastro's had to find alternate sunday plans.  Ysabella thought it would be a great opportunity to take Mommy and Daddy around the neighborhood and point out all the sites!

"I see a stop sign, Mommy.  It's a octagon"

"This is a mailbox"

Don't worry, Anthony participated too! He showed us how you begin his new favorite activity.... raspberries!!! 

"pppsszzzzz"

We stopped to smell the flowers.

And Anthony played peek-a-boo!

After seeing all the beauty around the neighborhood we paused to point out what amazing things we have right at home. 

FAMILY!

"There's Daddy"

And "The Big Piasano" aka "My Chunky Monkey"

Summertime!

Virginia has been pretty warm for a while now, but with Daddy finishing school in a couple weeks it's really starting to feel like summer!!  The best part of summer in the "country" is the great outdoors.  Daddy has turned the big yard into an exercise opportunity for Ysabella. She may be ready for a 5k with Mommy before we know it.

  Anthony isn't left out of the excitement...

.... he only appears to have aged 70+ years (he's still only 7 months old).   Ysabella enjoys a daily stroll with Nona or Dolly.

Uncle Ahmadu taught her the finer art of "stunting" (right Uncle Dave?)

We also started learning to balance with a brand new bike.

But we still need a lot of help and a few inches.

Some may argue their favorite part of summer is swimming in a pool.

And Daddy might be the only one who enjoys splashing.

But we all can agree that happy, smiling children is best of all.

This Summer... Never Forget Your SPF, Nicastros!

(Smiling, Parties, and Family)

What's So Funny?

Anthony has really become a chatterbox these days.  We have been trying to teach him specific words and it appears that certain words are funnier than others.

Celebrations

We're Back!! The Nicastro Family has been busier than ever these past few months.  Whether we've been traveling, visiting family or taking care of business there is one thing for certain... we wouldn't miss celebrating Ysabella Sophia turning 2!!!

It takes a little bit of practice to show those fingers...

But eventually, we figured it out.

Mommy and Daddy loved doting on the birthday girl.

And Ysabella wasn't sure what she loved more, her new bike...

Or cake!!

Time to blow out the candles, "Ysabella do it".

Quickly followed by devouring her entire cupcake.

Mommy and Daddy made sure to use this opportunity to teach an important life lesson...

Sharing!!  I think Anthony liked it too.

He quickly became focused on getting his very own cupcake.

In the end we had a very happy birthday girl

And a very happy Nicastro family

(only a few cupcakes were harmed during the birthday celebration)

Zoo-rific!

Daddy enjoyed Spring Break this week, which means that Mommy and Daddy took Ysabella and Anthony to the Reston Zoo!  We got to see all kinds of animals and even pet some of them too.  Ysabella liked the rabbits.

 

And fed some goats.

Antelope? Sure, Ysabella will feed them too.

Where was Anthony?

Staring at the Ostrich, of course.

And thanks to Mommy, someone always has to pose in a photo worthy way. 

Peek-A-Boo!

Time Ticks On

Mommy and Daddy can't believe how fast time has flown and how quickly the kids seem to grow up. Ysabella has reached the "Ysabella do it" stage and loves doing things all by herself.  This has come in handy helping take care of her baby brother, Anthony.

Anthony has needed less help these days proving he can sit on his own, even if only for a short time.

Ysabella is taking her Little Gym class exercises home.

And Anthony is taking private meetings with his computer.

These kids are growing so fast, its no wonder that they are tired at the end of the day.

Or at the end of their book.