welcome to the world!

there's a new DiBernardo in town.

weighing in at 6 pounds, 14 ounces and an un-DiBernardo lengthiness of 21 inches, i'm pleased to announce the birth of my new niece,
Sophia Marie DiBernardo.

born on november 26 to my little brother mario & his wife adrianne.

baby, mommy and daddy are all doing fine.

don't you just love that little bow in her hair!

you say it doesn't taste like lime, eh?

"I'm ready for school, Mom!"

so, you like dressing your kids up all cute and stuff...just wait, your time is coming. eventually they'll wanna dress themselves.

huh...glasses really do make you look smarter

and really good looking!

give thanks

i recently read somewhere that it doesn't make sense to just give thanks to no one. that without a recipient for your thanks, you can't really be thankful.

thankfulness requires two things: the one who gives thanks and the one who receives them.

it's nice to know that no matter what's happening in our world today, we can rejoice that our own Thanksgiving holiday, conceived on November 1, 1782, reflects that Truth as evidenced in the Congressional Proclamation establishing said holiday.

"IT being the indispensable duty of all Nations, not only to offer up their supplications to ALMIGHTY GOD, the giver of all good, for his gracious assistance in a time of distress, but also in a solemn and public manner to give him praise for his goodness in general, and especially for great and signal interpositions of his providence in their behalf: Therefore the United States in Congress assembled, taking into their consideration the many instances of divine goodness to these States, in the course of the important conflict in which they have been so long engaged; the present happy and promising state of public affairs; and the events of the war, in the course of the year now drawing to a close; particularly the harmony of the public Councils, which is so necessary to the success of the public cause; the perfect union and good understanding which has hitherto subsisted between them and their Allies, notwithstanding the artful and unwearied attempts of the common enemy to divide them; the success of the arms of the United States, and those of their Allies, and the acknowledgment of their independence by another European power, whose friendship and commerce must be of great and lasting advantage to these States:...Do hereby recommend to the inhabitants of these States in general, to observe, and request the several States to interpose their authority in appointing and commanding the observation of THURSDAY the twenty-eight day of NOVEMBER next, as a day of solemn THANKSGIVING to GOD for all his mercies: and they do further recommend to all ranks, to testify to their gratitude to GOD for his goodness, by a cheerful obedience of his laws, and by promoting, each in his station, and by his influence, the practice of true and undefiled religion, which is the great foundation of public prosperity and national happiness."
http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=875&display_order=8&mini_id=1083

happy thanksgiving, dear reader & friend.

you can pick your friends, and you can pick your pumpkins...

...but you can't pick your friends' pumpkins.

OK, maybe you can.

here at the U-pick pumpkin patch though, it's every grammy, mommy and cousin for himself.

ella, caleb & gracie off to find the perfect pumpkins

perfect pumpkin number 1

perfect pumpkin number 2

perfect pumpkins numbers 3-5...someone's getting a little greedy

oh, wait...perfect pumpkin number 4 is for josiah. nevermind then.
and i just love this one. the girls off doing girl stuff
and faithful caleb hanging around with his grammy.

superella and her trusty sidekick dragonboy

every superhero needs a super sidekick. superella is no exception.

oh, and they also need a super pose. that is perhaps more important than the super sidekick.

Veteran's Day

I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge today's holiday and say that I am truly thankful for all of the people who choose to serve in our country's military. I know, not only from my own experience, that it's a great sacrifice to serve. You miss important days and an incalculable number of everyday moments because you feel committed to freedom and called to protect the rest of us.

So, thank you. And God bless you.

just look at those cute Veterans!
John, US Navy; Dad, US Army; Mario, US Army; Mario, USMC
baby caleb, ???

food for thought...

sorry dear reader...nothing to entertain today. just some food for thought:

"The church is safe from vicious persecution at the hands of the secularist, as educated people finished with stake burning circuses and torture racks. No martyr’s blood is shed in the secular west. So long as the church knows her place and remains quietly at peace on her modern reservation, let the babes pray and sing and read their Bibles, continuing steadfastly in their intellectual retardation: the church’s extinction will not come by sword or pillory, but by the quiet death of irrelevance [emphasis mine]. But let the church step off the reservation, let her penetrate once more the culture of the day and the face of secularism will change from a benign smile to a savage snarl."

-R.C. Sproul, John Gerstner, and Arthur Lindsley

stay tuned, i've got wagner family pics & info to share!