trimming the tree

We went yesterday to get our Christmas tree. We just wanted a smallish tree that we could put on top of a table (to keep the kitties and dogs away from it) but we had to go to three places to find a small one that wasn't potted. Anyway, we're happy with the one we found and Luca had a great time picking out the tree. He was super excited when we got home to help decorate it as well. It is so fun that he sort of "gets" the whole thing this year!

Thanksgiving program at Luca's school

Luca is on the far left, partially hidden by the edge of the curtain on the stage... This was soooo cute! Luca really got into the hand motions with the songs and he's been singing them at home often.

Chilly Days

This morning was a chilly one and we finally put Luca in his new winter jacket along with mittens and hat. The last few weeks when I picked him up at school the kids were all outside on the playground and most of them were really bundled up. Luca had been wearing only a fleece jacket and a hat but no gloves. I was starting to feel like a bad mom because my kid was underdressed compared to the others. Anyway this morning when we put on Luca's mittens he said "now I can wear gloves like my friends at school." So apparently Luca had also noticed that he was one of the only mitten-less ones!

all bundled up for the first time this year

A day at the zoo

Yesterday we had unseasonably warm weather so Luca and I spent the day at the zoo. We had a lot of fun and saw lots of animals. I think our favorite was the adorable baby gibbon who was jumping and swinging around.

Luca on the train. He was scared at first but ended up enjoying the ride.


Luca roaring on top of a tiger.


Posing with a penguin.

Luca's first trip to Canada

Last weekend we took a trip to Point Pelee National Park in Canada. It was an easy (well except for the 45-minutes it took to cross the border into Canada!) drive from here and we had a great time. We went with some friends and members of the BGSU Ornithology group. It is a good time to catch migrating birds heading south for the winter. Point Pelee is an especially good spot due to its location on Lake Erie where birds may rest up before venturing across the lake. A total of 84 bird species were spotted by members of the group, including 10 warbler species. We saw lots of other wildlife including turtles, frogs, a bat, and migrating Monarch butterflies. Here's a few photos from the trip:

Luca about to run away into the woods


the family on the southernmost point of Canada (OK so it is a few hundred feet behind us but we didn't want to disturb the gulls out there on the point)

Luca loves spaghetti!

I think the picture says it all...

Singing Luca