brother and sister

"Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the
people most likely to stick with you in the future" - Baz Lurman

Aiden and Sky's relationship is really blossoming...if Aiden cries, Sky gets upset and if Sky cries, Aiden is usually the first one to tend to her. Albeit Aiden is the one that makes her squeal and she's usually the one disturbing his row of perfectly parked cars or linked trains.

I have a surprise for you...

"I have a surprise for you...." Aiden's favorite new phrase. The "surprise" could be almost anything like Sky's sock that he found on the floor or a dead bug but the tone he uses brings out excitement and anticipation every time.

nothing feels better

than a hug from Aiden and Sky.

train table

Last week Aiden didn't get something he wanted so he took apart his train tracks (on his train table) and threw the pieces down on the kitchen floor. Well, that really got under my skin and I put him in timeout. A few days later he did it again and I put him in timeout again. Aiden happily sat in timeout. When I told him timeout was over, he said wanted to stay there and that he actually liked timeout (yeah right!). Two days later he did the same thing again and before I could even walk over to him, he put himself in timeout. Well, it only takes me three times before I learn something so the fourth time he did it, I took away the trains and tracks and left him with a bare train table. He couldn't believe his eyes. He didn't expect that at all. I told him he'd get the trains back in 4 days if he behaved himself. Finally after the 4th day, I put the trains back on the table (perfectly arranged) as a surprise for when he got home from school. As expected he was very to happy to get his toys back. Two days later, Aiden had yet another tantrum and threw his trains on the kitchen floor. Once again, I confiscated the toys for 4 days and returned them on the 5th day. A couple days later, I walked into the livingroom and a few trains were on the floor. Before I could even look at him he came running to me - "no, no, no, Mommy, Sky put it on the floor; not me". Since then we haven't had that problem again!

what a nice guy

Sky scratched Aiden's face pretty badly last week. She wasn't trying to hurt him, she just wanted his undivided attention. Poor Aiden cried but he never retaliated. I felt really bad for him. The scratch was pretty deep and obviously painful. When I asked him why Sky scratched him he said "she wanted me to play with her".

Aiden lands a job at S.C. Rossi Inc. (for the day)

Aiden spent time with Bobba Steve at the S.C. Rossi, Inc. equipment yard. I don't think Disney World would have been more exciting to Aiden.

Here's Aiden being trained on operating the equipment.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words -- just look at the smile on Aiden's face he enjoyed himself thoroughly. And since Bobba Steve let Aiden do the steering, Aiden was in control and proud of it.


Operating heavy equipment requires a lot of concentration and sticking your tongue out helps...

There's that tongue again!

He even gave his dad a ride.

There was a lot of work to be done and Aiden was the man for the job.

at the water company

Aiden and Sky got a tour of Bobba Steve's water company. Aiden even pitched in and "fixed something". Sky mostly toured the facility and examined the equipment.



Before we left, Aiden did a taste test of the water. Results? Excellent water.

fourteen months old today

Sky turned fourteen months old today.


So what's she like at fourteen months?

Well her vocabulary has continued to grow. She has a new word just about every other day. She is saying two and three syllable words commonly.

She never sits still. She's always on the move. She is so active that she has considerably slimmed down over the past month. She now fits in clothes that she had previously outgrown.

She's starting to play a little too rough...just ask Aiden. She has scratched Aiden pretty badly but I have to say most of the time she's been provoked.

She loves the outdoors (even in the summer heat). Sometimes she stands at the door saying "outside? outside? outside?". She loves going on trips. As soon as she sees the car door open she tries to get into the car and into her car seat. I think she's giving me a hint to take her out and about with me more often.

She's VERY affectionate. If someone is hurt or sad she offers a hug and a kiss. She also likes to give lots of hugs and kisses when she first wakes up in the morning.

She has a great relationship with our two cats, Lynx and Jasper. She hugs them and kisses them all the time and they seem to love the attention.

the summer of rash

I had a rash from "fifth disease" back in June, Sky got the rash in July and now Aiden has it. You know...I'm almost looking forward to just dealing with the "common cold" in the fall/winter months.  Dealing with a runny nose seems like a walk in the park compared to a hot, itchy, three week long rash.

Hiking Signal Knob (Aiden's first hike)

Adam, Aiden and I hiked Signal Knob today...this was Aiden's first real hike. Adam carried Aiden up the mountain in a backpack carrier and I had a backpack with our food and water. The hike was awesome. The weather was ideal for a hike and the scenery was very relaxing. We had a picnic lunch at a nice overlook spot. After lunch Aiden used mother nature's potty and that was very exciting for him. On the way down we let Aiden lead the way and he loved that. After the hike we let Aiden play in the stream. We all threw rocks and soaked our tired feet in the water before getting back into our car for the one hour ride back home.

Little Sky stayed home with Grandma and Bobba...next year she'll join us on the hike!

the cub of Panjshir

Aiden dressed in traditional Afghan clothes (custum made for him in Kabul). He loved running around the house in his "pairan and tumbon". We call him the cub of Panjshir.

hello junior pre-school

Aiden started junior pre-school this week. Since it's a new school with new friends, new teachers, and new rules, I thought he'd have a rough time adjusting. Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong. The kid loves his new school. Every morning he eagerly gets dressed and looks forward to school.

David Beckham meet Aiden Rossi

Soccer practices starts early in this family. Here's Aiden practicing his soccer moves with Daddy in our backyard.

Good morning Bubbins!

I don't know why but I have a new nickname for Sky every other week. This week she's "Bubbins". Whatever nickname I call her, Aiden joins in. It's very cute. This morning when Aiden heard that Sky was awake he ran into her room saying "good morning, little Bubbins".

the artist

So this week he's really into painting. That's all he wants to do - paint, paint, paint. He would sit and paint for hours but his sister won't have that. Since Aiden won't let Sky paint with him, she retaliates and pulls his brush, throws the paint on the floor and crumbles his paper.

Aaaaaaaa DOM!

The little parrot repeats everything these days. Yesterday she started calling Adam "Aaaa DOM" with a strong emphasis on the second syllable. She also calls him "Da Da" but when she's feeling sassy, she likes to get his attention by calling Adam by his first name.

goodbye to daycare

Today was Aiden's last day in daycare. Starting next week he's going to junior pre-school just down the street. To help Aiden say goodbye to his old friends and teachers, Sky and I took cupcakes and milk for the whole class. Aiden was very happy when we arrived with the boxes of cupcakes. He and his teachers, Ms. Joy and Ms. Olga pass the cupcakes and milk to all the kids in the class.


Aiden's face lit up when the kids cheered "thank you for the cupcakes, Aiden". Aiden loves being the center of attention so he smiled and got a little shy. The cupcakes were good and the attention was great but what Aiden enjoyed the most was having his sister in the class. He must have hugged and kissed her about 20 times. That meant all the other kids also wanted to hug Sky too. Aiden graciously stood to the side and let each kid come up and give Sky one hug. If a kid took too long hugging, Aiden interuped and asked the kid to move on.


At snack time, Ms. Olga let Sky sit at the table next to Aiden and the other kids. That made Aiden so proud of his little sister.

little princess

Bobba (my dad) putting a rose in Sky's hair....as if it wasn't already obvious she's the family's little princess.

Aiden and Timur

Aiden loves it when you throw him up into the air when we're at the pool. He'll beg to be thrown over, and over, and over again. After about twenty throws, my arms feel like Jello. On Saturday I didn't get into the pool so poor Tim had to entertain him.

sky's aerobic routine

So Sky is really into the trampoline these days. She's even figured out how to work the buttons to add music to her routine. The funny thing is, she only likes one tune (the same one Aiden likes). She cycles through the various tunes until she finds the one she likes (exactly like Aiden does).

sky jumping to music

I walked in the room the other day and there's Sky sitting on the trampoline bouncing. Today, I walked in the room and she's on the trampoline again but this time she's actually bouncing. I bet tomorrow she'll be jumping and getting air.



I can already tell she has a lot of confidence in herself in the way she tries new things. Watch out world!

sky blue crocs

Here's Sky chillin' with her new SKY BLUE crocs.

Until now, Sky's been wearing Robeez (soft shoes). Yesterday, I put her new crocs on and she did great. I thought she'd try to pull them off or walk funny in them at first but she didn't. I'm glad she has more support now that she's walking all the time and on hard surfaces like the driveway and around the pool.

How ma' do it Mommy?

Aiden has this little 4-wheeler that he likes to ride around on our driveway. He really enjoys it when it actually has some power (been charged). Unfortunately for him, Adam and I always forget to recharge it for him. I guess we've forgotten so many times that he's decided he'll take matters into his own hands. Yesterday I was in the garage when Aiden pulled up his little 4-wheeler and asks me for help.

Aiden: Mommy, Mommy, How ma' do it?
Me: Do what?
Aiden: How ma' do it?
Me: What do you want to do?
Aiden: I wanna charge my car.
Me: Oh, that's something I'll have to do for you. Okay?
Aiden: No, Mommy you forget to charge it. Remember yesterday?
Me: Oh, I'm sorry. Did I forget again? I'll do it right now.

uh oh she's tasted McDonald's shakes

Okay we never intended for our kids to even try McDonald's food but what do you do when you're stuck in traffic for hours with screaming hungry and fatigued kids?

long weekend at the beach

We went to the beach for a long weekend. It was a nice change of pace and everyone enjoyed it. Although there were a lot of chores to catch up with like tons of yard work, we had a good time. Poor Adam was busy with his "maintenance" to-do list. Its amazing how much work we used to do on this house before we had kids.


Despite the chores, mother nature treated us to perfect weather for the entire weekend. My Dad came with us to the beach to help with the kids which was awesome. Thank god for family!

sky blue

Message for Nana Beth and Bobba Steve

Here is a slightly coached message from Aiden to Nana Beth and Bobba Steve. It was only "slightly coached" because Aiden is sometimes shy of the camera.

fixing a leak

When the contractors pulled back the carpet in the extra bedroom in the basement, we realized there has been a slow and steady leak from the outside into the room. Ugh...just another thing to deal with. Instead of having the contractors fix the problem, Adam decided to do the job himself. He and his sidekick Aiden spent the day sealing the suspected crack (looked more like a gaping whole).


Aiden enjoyed himself thoroughly. If I had to take a bet right now, I'd bet that he'd grow up to be a construction worker. Adam gave him the job of moving dirt from one container to another and Aiden went to work enthusiastically. You'd think after an hour or so he'd get distracted but not a chance. He worked (and played) tirelessly. Every time I checked in on him he'd explain what he and Daddy were doing in a very serious tone and immediately go back to work.

Sky walker

Sky is walking very confidently now. She is a lot less frustrated now that she can walk. She likes walking around outside the most. The kid NEVER sits still anymore.

thirteen months old today

So what does she do at thirteen months?

She walks very well.

She's also determined to learn how to go up and downstairs. If someone forgets to close the gate at the bottom of the steps, she's the first to notice it's open and darts for the steps.

She's loves to kiss. Last night I was sitting on the floor in the playroom helping Aiden build a garage for his cars. Sky was literally walking circle around as if she was playing "duck duck goose." Occasionally she would stand behind me, hold my shoulder and lean in and around my shoulder and offer up a kiss. Of course, I love it each time and never complained. Aiden on the other hand, after the second kiss turned and look at her and said, "that's enough kisses Sky".

Some words that she says these days - momma, that, juice, pane (airplane), bobba (grandpa), tanka (thank you), bye bye, and no...actually it's more like "nooooooo".


Sky's Favorite toys: trains and train table, piano, Elmo doll, any toy that plays music, drum sticks, any ball that she can palm in her hand, knives and forks from the plastic kitchen set.


Sky's favorite activities - go to the playground, play on the deck, ride in her car, play in the driveway, go for a walk, swimming....you get the picture? She will do just about anyting as long as its OUTSIDE and not inside.


Well, there is one thing she likes to do inside and that's sit at the activity table with Aiden as he plays with play-doh, paints, colors or draws. Its the cutest thing - she totally sits and watches him with such admiration.


Sky loves to dance even more. This girl could dance to almost any beat. Sometime in midst of walking she starts dancing.

She loves to brush her hair. Don't even try to take the hair brush out of her hand if she's in the middle of styling her hair.

She likes to talk on the phone. If any phone rings in the house (including on tv0 she puts her hand up to her ear like she's talking on the phone. If she sees someone's cell phone she has to have it.

Sky's favorite foods: pears, blueberries, strawberries, bananas, bread, cheerios, soy beans, orange slices, salmon, veal, and rice.


Sky loves to say "no" and she says it all the time.

Me: Sky is it nap time?
Sky: Nooooo
Me: Sky do you want to sit in your highchair?
Sky: Nooooo
Me: Sky are you finished with the cheerios?
Sky: Nooooo

If you ask her to get a common object and give it to someone she understands and follows through.

Some things really scare her. In this way, she is very different from fearless Aiden. She's scared to death of loud fire works and some hand puppets. It's actually kind of cute.

Sky saying Momma

I don't know why but I can't get enough of Sky saying Momma. I think it's the way she says it - she enunciates each syllable.

outfits by Nana Beth

Aiden and Sky wearing the outfits Nana Beth sent them. THANK YOU, NANA BETH!!!

she learns fast

So on Friday (8/1) she started taking as many as 6 steps. Saturday (8/2) she was taking like ten or twelve steps. Today, Sunday (8/3) she was walking all over the house. Just for kicks I counted her steps when she was playing in the living room and she took 22 consecutive steps without holding or touching anything. This kid learns fast! I mean, its not that she's started walking early, it's that she started walking very suddenly. It's as if she had been practicing walking for weeks while we weren't looking...I assure you that is not the case.



This is a short video of Sky walking on Sunday (day 3 of walking). Notice she is able to keep her balance even though Aiden is doing a "choo choo train" on her back and basically annoying her.

mmm watermelon

Aiden's new favorite fruit - watermelon. He couldn't get enough of it. After the feast he looked down at the front of his shirt and couldn't believe what had happened.

Aiden: Mommy, someone spilled juice on me!
Me: What?! Someone spilled juice on you? Who?
Aiden: The watermelon (big grin on his face)

Saturday mornings in the playroom

I don't know how they do it but Aiden and Sky have somehow figured out how to consistently wake up at 6 am on Saturday mornings...and I mean 06:00:00 on the dot. Any other day of the week they both sleep in until 7:30 or 8 o'clock but Saturday mornings are extra special.

I usually let Adam sleep in and I take the kids downstairs to play in the playroom. While they play with their toys, I curl up on the couch with a pillow and blanket...hey, it is Saturday morning for god's sake! It's actually really nice to just hang out and watch them play. It seems every week they start playing together more and more. I know that in a year (or even 6 months) they will be each other's best playmate.

The clip above was taken on Saturday morning.

funny picture

While looking for a good picture of me and Adam for a work related thing, I came across this picture. I laughed out load for about 10 minutes in my office...people walking by must have thought I'm finally losing my mind.

Is that not the funniest picture? I can't believe how much Sky has changed. Also, I can't believe Aiden had chubby cheeks back then.

By the way, I got a call a few minutes ago from our nanny and she said Sky took SIX (yeah, 6!) steps independently. Yahoo! She's walking!

Picture is dated October 29th, 2007.