Merry Christmas!

Hey everyone...sorry about yet another long delay in the blog updates...but things have been kind of busy as most of you can imagine. Not that I have a lot of time tonight...but the Mrs. wants me to put two things out there for all of you to enjoy. The first are a couple of pictures from our recent trip to see Santa! This year we caught old Chris Kringle down at the local nursery...Weston Nurseries. What a great little thing they do for the local families. They have hot cider, a fire pit to make s'mores and a free visit with Santa. They even print a couple of pictures for you right then and there for you to take home. Really a pretty amazing treat these days....we will be sure to visit again next year! Kade and Avery were a little skittish with the big man...but as usual...Payton was ready for her photo shoot!

Jen also wanted me to post the family letter for all to enjoy. Seeing as how we are just now getting together the final letters to be sent...it is highly likely you will see it here before it reaches your mailbox. Without further ado...here is the Christmas 2009 Cavagnaro family letter:

Dear Friends and Family,

Christmas really is a truly wonderful season. No matter how our year has unfolded, it provides us an opportunity for wrapping ourselves in the warmth of traditions, slowing down to enjoy our friends & family, deepening our faith, laying plans for the approaching year and reflection upon the previous year. As the Cavagnaro family enters yet another Christmas season, both Jen and I are stricken with the realization that we are continually amazed this time of the year. It is always amazing how FAST the holidays sneak up on us. It is always amazing just how much there is to do and how many people there are to see. And of course, it is always amazing how fast your credit card can add up. But most of all, it always amazes us how much can change in the span of just 365 days. So it was with no surprise that 2009 did not disappoint the Cavagnaro’s!

By far and away, the most defining moment of 2009 happened in February with the birth of Avery Grace. Beyond the fact that having a third child throws life into complete disarray, the challenge of having a baby in a foreign country is always good for a “little” excitement. Jen did a fantastic job containing her anxieties (I think she only talked about returning to the USA one time) and overall the experience went very well. We were very fortunate to have many wonderful friends in our “Costa Rica neighborhood”, all of whom pitched in to help us through the experience. Even Jen’s parents got over their foreign travel phobia and came down to lend a hand. We are pleased to see that Avery is doing very well and just like any normal 10 month old, she is literally tumbling headlong into life. She has already gotten her first two teeth, is now crawling all over our yet-to-be-baby-proofed house, starting to say the simple words (da-da, ma-ma, bye-bye, hola) and starting to seriously think about taking those first steps.

The other major change for the year was our move back to the USA! After two years in Costa Rica…it was finally time to get off the beach and turn in our margarita glasses. I think I could write a thesis paper on the strain an international move puts on a family…but the most unexpected realization of all, was just how hard leaving CR would be for the family. Despite those first long months of wandering around the supermarket aimlessly and hopelessly stumbling through Spanish with the cop you are trying to bribe, we ultimately fell into a lifestyle which worked for all of us. Jen was able to establish great friends, learn the language and with the help of Arelis was freed from the shackles of cleaning and laundry. Both Kade and Payton settled in very quickly, established friendships of their own and both excelled at their Spanish speaking Montessori school. We are very proud that they both still speak and understand Spanish around the house. In the end, all of this made the final departure from Costa Rica hard for the entire family and if you visit us…you may still catch Payton wandering around our new home muttering “I want to go back to Costa Rica”. And so it goes…along every great journey, the sad goodbyes turn into the start of a new adventure…and so off to Hopkinton Massachusetts we trekked!

As it turns out…MA in July is not so bad for a family of 5 coming from Costa Rica…BUT…MA in December is an entirely different beast! It is definitely going to take at least one winter to get our “Colorado skin” back. Beyond the weather, MA has been treating us well thus far. Kade has started Kindergarten. He is doing well and is starting to read which is exciting for all. He loves school and really enjoys his homework (…falling into the “we are old” category…when did kids start getting homework in KG?). He has also started playing soccer, attends Spanish lessons and attends an after school program called Hooray for Books which he greatly enjoys. The big excitement for Kade recently has been in the teeth department. Just as Avery was getting her first 2 teeth…Kade lost his first 2 teeth. The tooth fairy was generous (in inflation adjusted terms) and he cannot wait to lose another. As for Payton, she is a riot! Her little personality is shining through like a 10M candle-power spotlight (I think she gets that from Jen). She has started attending a Christian pre-school and is excelling in her A/B/Cs and 1/2/3s. The best is when she comes home and tells us that “we are not letting our light shine”. Bless her little heart! She is also in Spanish lessons and Hooray for Books but her big news is that she is now fully potty trained and has FINALLY dumped her chupeta (pacifier)!!! Amen!! As for Jen and I, we are just struggling to turn our house into a home. Seeing as this is the 7th move for us…we really should be better at this…but starting over is never easy. It is a great challenge, but so was Costa Rica…at least this time we speak the language!

What will 2010 bring for you? Well, our wish for all of you, our dearest friends and family…is…365 days of blessed madness!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,

Rob, Jen, Kade, Payton and Avery Cavagnaro

9 Month Comparison (1 photo), by Jennifer Cavagnaro

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.
Click here to view photos

Girls Weekend in MA (19 photos), by Jennifer Cavagnaro

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.
Click here to view photos

Ack...my blog is being over-run by Snapfish Adverts...I better write something...

Today - Before going to work:

Dad: "Payton, can you please help me make your bed?"

Payton: "Sure...(looking over and seeing that I am actually wearing a button up shirt)...hey dad...you look fancy today!"

Nice. For the record...I was still wearing jeans. But...I guess that makes me a fancy boy in my daughter's eyes :-(

Today - At the dinner table:

Payton: "I have a plan. Tomorrow...Mommy can stay at home with Avery. Kade, Dad and I will go to the movies"

Dad: "There is one slight problem...tomorrow you and Kade have school...and I have to go to work"

Payton: "Oh"

Dad: "How about this plan. How about you, Kade and mommy go to the movies on the weekend? I will stay at home with Avery to give mommy a break..."

Payton: "A break means sitting down and just watching TV..."

Mom: [laughing - wonder where she got that idea] "Well, mommy doesn't do the movies quite like Grandma Judy..."

Kade: "Grandma Judy always lets us play the games after watching the movies...that is awesome!" (spoken as if he had just seen Evil Knievel fly through a ring of fire)

And that about covers the day.

Building the Play Structure (50 photos), by Jennifer Cavagnaro

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.
Click here to view photos

Apple Picking (38 photos), by Jennifer Cavagnaro

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.
Click here to view photos

Soccer (13 photos), by Jennifer Cavagnaro

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.

Hiner's visit MA (31 photos), by Jennifer Cavagnaro

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.

What a week - and it is only Tuesday!

So this week has been a blur...and it is not even half over! First Payton finally decided to throw away her last pacifier so Mom took her out to do some "big girl" stuff in celebration. First she got to go to a nail place and get her nails done with mom. Then she got to go to Kohl's and pick out a new dress. She was beaming from ear to ear...especially when she got home and Skyped with both grandmas to show them her new pretty nails. So far so good...no paci regression.

Today Payton went to her new school for the first time -> Hopkinton Christian Preschool. It was just the open house....but it was a great first step. She really starts on Thursday morning...but as usual...she is ready to go!

Not to be outdone by his little sister...Kade had two exciting things happen today. First, he went to his new after "school" program called "Hooray for books". They read and then do neat activities like cooking or science projects. He had to take a different bus after school (bus J instead of bus A) which made it all the more exciting. He was really jazzed about the whole thing and apparently loved it.

But the biggest news of the day came at dinner when Kade's first front tooth decided to pop-out in the middle of eating his quesadilla. I saw him wince as if he had bit into something hard and I so I tried to get him to stop...but to no avail. The tooth ended up in his belly! He was quite distressed at first...until we explained that we could leave the tooth fairy a note and explain what happened...AND HE WOULD STILL GET HIS SURPRISE! That put the boy at ease...so we marched off to Friendly's for a 3 scoop Reece's Pieces Sundae to celebrate (just a mere 1,860 calories of celebration!!).

At bed time, as we were having our nightly chat in his room...he asked me how the tooth fairy could get into the house. Well, naturally it is the same way that Santa does...through the chimney of course! Then he asked me how the tooth fairy can lift his heavy head to get under the pillow..."does he use a small crane dad?". Well...it is a secret. You see...if he told people how he did that...then the next thing you know the Easter Bunny or the Boogy Man would be stealing teeth...and that just won't do at all. Finally, he informed me that the tooth fairy knows when to come get a tooth because God tells him. Then he said a little prayer to God, asking God to remind the tooth fairy that he had accidentally swallowed his tooth and to still come anyway and leave his surprise. The tooth fairy is actually leaving a note-card under the pillow tonight...explaining that he understood what happened and to not worry...it happens all the time! And then the note went on to explain that "all the money" he was expecting to get had been appropriated by the government to pay for health care, subsidizing the automobile pension plans, fight global warming, all the fees associated with the making of the Obama infomercial on Capital Hill, as well as other various critical social programs such as continuing the education of ACORN "advisors". Apparently anyone who makes over $2.50 is considered a high income earner (apparently the $250K promise was a teleprompter error)...Maybe next time kid. Ouch...times are tough when Obama starts taxing your tooth fairy income!! Just wait until Taxachusetts hears about that...they will be all over that gravy train! [ok, Jen made me take the last part out...she found the term gravy train offensive to trains...the rest was fine by her]

Introducing the SKYFORT!!!

So our family had a wonderful labor day weekend. It constituted of only one thing...putting together the Skyfort! Grandma Judy bought this gynormous play structure a few months back as a gift to the kiddos...and we finally got around to putting it together. Unfortunately it did not come pre-assembled. Instead it came in 5 huge boxes weighing ~900 lbs on an 18 wheeler. That was the first bad sign ;-) Not to worry...I had Kade, Payton and Avery there to help with assembly...this should be a breeze!

'Twas the night before assembly: 3 hours spent in the garage separating all the pieces by code so I wouldn't go crazy trying to find pieces the next morning. The good news was they only forgot to send me one board. 3 hours = ended the day at step 0.

Day 1: Full of uncertainty..."This is a big fargin' playset Jen!" Kade was impressive...he was out there the entirety of all three days! 5 hours = ended the day at step 25.







Day 2: The girls started getting into the action as you can see from the pictures. Also, Kade figured out that he could help keep track of all the wood pieces we were taking out of the garage in his notebook by writing them all down...good letter/number practice...Dad: "Kade, I am taking 'K4'"...Kade: "Check". 5 more hours = ended the day at step 54.


























Day 3: Grandpa Poppy showed up to help speed up the process (so the theory goes). I am pretty sure he just smelled the cedar from home and started having withdrawals. 7 more hours = ended on step 94.














Day 3+: I came home early from work to finish the last bits and pieces. 2 more hours = completed the project on step 104. Total time = 22 hours. It could have been a LOT worse! The set is rock solid and crazy detailed as you can see. It even has 2 bay windows...someday I am going to look back on this and laugh...I just know it!

Where wree you Thursday...

First Day

As we said yesterday...today was Kade's first day at Kindergarten. It was a wild day for Jen...as any mother will tell you. The good news is that nobody cried ... at least not that I am aware of.

The day started off with a hug goodbye from sister...

To say that Kade was ready is an understatement...he walked right on off to the bus stop!

There he goes...

Payton waiting at the bus stop for Kade to return...

Avery was eagerly waiting at the bus stop also...

And there he is...with his crown and all!

Phew! One down 2 to go...

3,287 days later...

So tomorrow is the big day...Kade's first day of Kindergarten. Yesterday we went to the open house to see his classroom and meet his teacher. You be the judge...do you think Kade is going to like his new teacher? He also starts soccer in two weeks...a new life for everyone!

Not to be outdone...little miss Payton is going to start both dance school (she is already practicing in her new outfit) as well as pre-school at the local church. She is alll girl!