My Two Boys

Fun with Grandma and Papa

2012-02-12T12:05:00.000-05:00

Or the post where my Dad proves that he can take more moronic pictures than any one else on a single vacation.

Last Sunday early dinner:)

We took the folks and Nonnie out to lunch at one of our favorite places in Naples. Cafe Normandie. Tiny place with excellent french bread sandwhiches.

Thank you Grandma for babysitting for us so we could go on a romantic date. Still home before the boys were asleep. That is just how we roll:)

Enjoying gelato for the 20th time. Oh Papa.

Tram bonding with Papa

Another hidden gem :Grain De Cafe. Another French cafe with excellent coffee and incredible pastries

The civilized way to enjoy your water

Some delicious macarons

Beach walks

Papa thought a table at the bar would work great for us. Not for Jack so much.

More shining examples of Papa

Jack was loving on Grandma. He wanted only her to lay down with him for his nap. Such a shame you guys decided not to stay in the condo with us. I'm sure the boys would have loved snuggling with you guys when they woke at 5 every morning:) You are too smart!

It might be hard to see what is going on here but I couldn't stop laughing. Normally when I walk the boys to the beach in the morning I also walk the stroller back when it was time to leave. This time we stayed until noon and it was really hot out and I couldn't bear the thought of walking back. So my sweet husband folded up the beast aka our big walking stroller and clung to it on the back of the tram. It was treacherous:)

A few more posts before we head home, hopefully. Though it is a brisk 60 today in FL I am not looking forward to flying home to 20 degrees and snow. We will be VERY happy to see all our loved ones though!! We are missing you all! See you soon:)

FL picture update

2012-02-11T21:01:00.000-05:00

Today was the first day we had to pull out long sleeve shirts and tomorrow is supposed to get even chillier. We still got to walk to the beach this morning and it was so much fun because it was so windy. The boys tossed a tennis ball back and forth and wore themselves out. I looked for shells for a while and then decided we should head back, during which I had a ton of Braxton Hicks contractions and got home just as Daddy did. I laid down for a while until everything calmed down and the rest of the day was about napping, walking on fifth and finding a hidden gem of a pizza place that we had heard about. All in all a very great day:)

One more quick story just so I never forget it. We decided to go on a little adventure yesterday night to find out where the most truckers would be hanging out.. Don't even ask how that came about but we ended up convincing the boys that the most truckers would be at a diner aka truck stop. We got to Mel's (which has been here forever) and after a short wait got to go inside and see all the "truckers". We totally had them believing that all the senior citizens were truck drivers. It was priceless. My favorite part was when Rob got his milkshake and gave me the cherry. He told the boys that I would always get it because I was the lady of the family. At the end of the meal the boys each got a little Sundae and Tommy scooped up his cherry and fed it to me. I could almost cry because I am sure he wanted it but he wanted to follow his Daddy's example. Jack ate his, go figure, but honestly I couldn't have loved any of them more after that:)

Now for some pool pictures

Tommy's first year without being held in the water. By yesterday he was totally comfortable using his swimmies and kicking with his feet to swim. Getting there slowly but surely:)

Morning Beach Pictures

2012-02-10T20:49:00.000-05:00

I uploaded the pictures this morning and am just getting to put them up. I am honestly so tired I may fall asleep before I hit publish but I will give my best effort to at least just share some of the pics of the boys in FL heaven:)

Tommy breathing in the ocean air for our first visit at the beach. This kid is so me sometimes:)

The first part of the trip we had a lot of cloud coverage but it still was so beautiful. Actually after the heat we had today I could have used a little overcast skies:)

The boys refer to the seagulls as "compass" because there is a pigeon named Compass on Curious George. They chase them every day. 2x they have nabbed food from us. Once it was Oma's peanut butter balls she sent along with us and I ran after it into the ocean like a moron. I did get them back so totally worth looking like a fool.

Pretending to swim on the sand

Okay Aunt Liz, if you share this picture with Oma, please assure her that I got the sand off of his face before any of it could get in his eyes:) (poor little boogie nose-every time we fly someone gets one)

Jack did not like when his trunks got wet so we stripped down to undies. We were there before eight and the beach was all ours so I didn't think it was a big deal:)

Check out my brother! Isn't he hilarious:)

Several times after a long morning at the beach Jack will fall asleep either in the van or on the stroller ride back. Rob laid him on the ground to avoid getting sand in his bed and Tommy decided to join him. So precious:)

Quickie update FL

2012-02-07T15:30:00.000-05:00

Ok so I still haven't taken the time to upload my camera photos but I figured I could at least share the Instagram photos I was able to take on Rob's phone:)

Fair warning: I just downloaded the app when we were down here so I have been playing around with it and not taking the photos too seriously. In other words, here we are looking like a terrible bunch of dorks for the most part and I don't hink I have any with Rob in them yet since they are mostly early morning beach pictures. Disclosure completed.

Dorky picture 1. Me and boys on plane. They were actually so good but from this picture you would think we were all on the verge of a breakdown (please note Tommy's fingers in his ears) I told Rob I looked like a giant white Michelin man

One of our first walks to the beach. Jack what is up with the expression?

Tommy took my 2nd belly picture of this pregnancy for me. (I am sorry little baby that I have not done more but I can assure you that I am getting equally as huge for you as I did for your brothers)

30 weeks-no joke. I am getting lots of -you must be ready to pop comments (PS it also looks like I have a black tooth)

This is how we spent superbowl time. Boys in different stages of undress playing with the decades old toys that have been acquired here over the years while I read a good book and Rob fell asleep on the couch:)

Every morning we walk to the beach while Rob takes his bike rides. Don't tell Rob because I act like he owes me for watching the boys while he is off on his adventures, but these are my favorite times of all. We are literally the first ones on the beach. I get a delicious cup of coffee and we walk and collect shells and chase the birds and make sand roads until Daddy meets us a few hours later. It is my heaven on earth.

Well Jack is sleeping and Daddy and Tommy are about to play a game of Scoops of Fun (Mom M it is a fisher price game:) ) that we found in a cabinet so I am off to join them. My goal was to get my pics up and edited this afternoon because rain was expected but it has been a gorgeous cloudless day so we will most likely be back out after Jack's nap. Give me a day or two and I will have a ton of pics. Love to all!!

Safe and Sound in FL

2012-02-04T20:26:00.000-05:00

We arrived yesterday morning and were able to travel with very minimal complications. Thank the Lord that Rob was with me this time because this is the most pregnant I have ever been coming down here and if I had to do it alone with the two boys it would have probably thrown me into labor:) Despite the fact that we woke at 4am to catch our flight the boys did so good. They were so so excited and since I brought these truck erasers from target's dollar spot they literally were completely content on the plane. It will be interesting to see how far of a setback adding a new baby will be to our smooth traveling:)

Anyways I am so pooped after today I just dont have the energy to upload the pictures we have taken so far so I will catch up with some random stuff.

I know I am going to forget something and most of you have probably heard at least one of these stories but I have to get it out here so I never forget how hilarious they are both getting:)

(Sneak peek from our valentine's pictures)

Example1 The other day Rob and I were arguing about packing or something stupid and Rob told me to zip it (harsh, I know). Jack looks at him and says "You don't talk to your Mother like that" and Rob says What did you say to me? and Jack says "You heard me." I was rolling. How could I keep a straight face after that conversation.

Ex. 2 We went out to dinner last Friday and while there we started talking about how big they were getting and the following conversation ensued:

Rob: Tommy some people might say you are a little boy but I say you are a young man

Tommy: Some people might say I am a genius.

Again I was laughing so hard that Tommy took note and now has a very good impression of his mother laughing.

Ex. 3 We were driving home last night from dinner and "celebrate good times" came on the radio. Later on Tommy started singing "Sanitation truck, come on!" to the same tune. I thought for sure he had heard that on a truck show or something but he claims it is just what people would say to a slow sanitation truck.

Ex. 4 On a Sesame street show some vegetable says something about ruby slippers. I have never paid any attention to why or what the context is but the boys think it is really funny. Now if Jack gets a pair of our shoes on his feet he kicks them up in the air and says "Here comes my Luby Lippers" because that is what he thinks they are saying.

EX. 5 A week or so ago we had Nonnie over for dinner and while I was getting things ready Tommy told me that two truckers (he and Jack ) and their wives (Erica and Becky-both my cousins) were joining us for dinner. He went on with this storyline for the afternoon about how their wives loved them and they had kids and everything. Later on in the day he came into my office and told me his wife was Erin (another cousin of mine) now. I told him that it doesn't work like that and you only get one wife. He told me that Erica had died in a car accident (?!?!?) I told him how sad that made me and how awful it was. He told me not to worry because his new wife , Erin was a very safe driver. What a relief.

I am sure that with my pregnancy brain I am forgetting other things but seriously not a day goes by that I don't crack up at them. I love these ages:)

A few more random pictures:

A few days before we left we had a beautiful snow. These little storms have been few and far between this year so we actually get a kick out of watching the beautiful fat flakes.

Rob bought 100 pounds of bird seed (which I thought was ridiculous). The worst part is that this family of squirrels attacks the feeder every day. Last Saturday Rob spent most of the day gathering up the remains of the snow and throwing snowballs at them to keep them away

There is one on the feeder and two hiding beneath it.

We have been having major sleep battles with Jack. If he wasn't waking at 3 am for "dinner" he was waking for the day sometime between 4 and 5. The final straw was him jumping out of his crib at 5 to find me. That next afternoon I finally turned his crib into a toddler bed (which I never even bothered with for Tommy). The agreement we have made is that as soon as he goes to sleep without coming out, doesn't call out during the night and sleeps until six him and Tommy can get bunk beds. I didn't really have any intention of putting them together until the new baby is several months old but they have been falling asleep really well together in the twin beds in FL and despite the fact that Jack is still waking up at night and early (5am) it does not seem to bother Tommy, who must be going through a major growth spurt because he has been sleeping 12 hours some nights. Knock on wood that tonight is a good night:)

My big boy:)

Tommy also started basketball lessons and is obsessed. I will save those pics for another post, but of course on the night that I stay home to pack he makes a basket during the game. No picture of that, but lets just say that Tommy came home with a huge smile on his face and I taught him to say "I'm the bomb diggity" which is just wrong on so many levels but I was super proud of him:)

OK enough for now. I am going to get some sleep before Jack decides to wake me at three:) Pics from FL soon. Love to all!

Today is the greatest day ever:)

2012-01-30T13:14:00.000-05:00

Not today, but last Saturday. It was Papa's birthday and he decided it was high time to take the boys on some of the heavy equipment. Since their obsession for trucks and construction vehicles is probably at its peak, they were pretty excited for this day to arrive:)

Checking out a mini model of some trucks in the office.

While we waited for the trucks outside to warm out, we checked out the big loader in the garage. Those things are seriously huge.

It was REALLY cold and the only extra hat in the car was one of the boys. It fit me and that was all that mattered:)

Up you go Jack:)

Papa and his protege.

3 of my favorite boys ever:)

As you will see in most of these pictures, Tommy's greatest thrill was watching for smoke coming out of the exhaust pipes:)

After they used the bulldozer to plow the front parking lot they moved onto the "big dumptruck". Jack was a little scared of it so he hung out with us instead.

The exhaust pipe

"Thanks Papa for the ride of a lifetime. Please let me know when you get your hands on a scraper with two black exhaust pipes."

Pants on backwards, of course.

Happy Birthday Papa and thank you for creating such a great memory for the boys (and their parents:) )

Indoor Activities

2012-01-24T08:16:00.000-05:00

I think knowing that this new little bundle will be here all too soon has put me into a frenzy of wanting to be an over achieving Mom because I will most likely be a pretty lousy one for the months that follow the birth. I have turned my office/studio into our "classroom" and have taken notes from dozens of blogs about Montessori and homeschooling for the pre-k bunch. (Here are a few of my fave for Mommy friends: here , here and here). I would say about 50% of the time they get really into it and the other 50% they are like "Woman who are you and why can't we watch tv". SO it is a work in progress. I get frustrated but I have to remind myself that I have never been a "teacher mom" with them really so this is a new concept for all of us. But thinking that I may be able to direct them to a work activity instead of the tv when I am nursing gives me some hope. Here are a few pics of the boys in action. I have been so busy trying to get everything set up that I have really stunk with pictures lately:( Hopefully I can start taking more throughout the day soon.

Tommy working on pouring water and Jack making a "bouquet" for fine motor.

Thanks for the nail polish Aunt Stephie!

Besides schoolwork type stuff we have been totally digging play dough and I found an awesome recipe that I tweaked by making with kool aid for color and smell. I even like playing with it. I made a chocolate one too, in honor of V-day with cocoa powder-seriously I want to eat it)

They have since realized that the play dough is also a good medium for using with their trucks so now I have dried up pieces of playdough coming off their tires all over the house.

So that is pretty much what we have been up to. I think Rob thinks pinterest has made me a crazy woman and I completely agree. But at least I am using my obsessive tendencies for good instead of bad (for now at least;) )

Just a cute picture

2012-01-09T09:51:00.001-05:00

Of my two best boys. I was working the other day and they both marched into my office with their blankies in their bellies. Too cute for words.

Happy New Year 2012

2012-01-07T09:41:00.006-05:00

This was our 3rd Annual New Year's eve open house. We make a big pot of soup, bread and apps and family and friends stop in to ring in the new year.

In the middle picture Grandma was reenacting the spiked lemonade fiasco again. (Don't worry he didn't get any, this time)

One of the best parts of the night was baby Cole pushing Tommy on the bus. Unfortunately Tommy would eventually lose his patience and try to speed off and Cole would just cling for dear life with a huge smile on his face:)

Still can't believe we have these little boys:) (Jack is sneaking Auntie Christen's awesome cookie dough dip in the bottom pic) PS Note the sparkles all over my neck which look like some kind of skin disease.

2011 was a year full of highs and lows but I will look back on it as a year for of blessings and amazing memories. Looking forward to 2012 and the new baby it will bring us:) Thank you God!!

PS Thank you to all our loved ones for the Christmas cards. I save them all every year:) I got to cover my cabinets with them this year and the boys and I giddily awaited the mailman every day to see what cards we may have gotten:)

Christmas with the M family

2012-01-06T09:32:00.000-05:00

We got on the road and frankly I was totally ready to sleep for the whole drive. But due to the excitement of the truck hunt we were awake for most of it. (Thank you Auntie Christen for laminating them for me:)

Aunt DD and Auntie Sabrina were there to greet us. Love the bottom right picture of Jack attacking D with the dinosaur.

Whenever the boys would act tired, Nina would drag out the "ball bed". They love that thing. It spent a lot of time out of the bedroom.

Loving Uncle Nick

One of my favorite gifts Jack got was this bear hat. I love it!! I don't love being able to see his tonsils:)

THe ball bed joined us for present opening

The highlights of the weekend were my mother in laws amazing dinner, my father in laws chocolate peanut brittle (and the fact that he found my earring for me which I lost as soon as we walked in the door), and the famous "auction". I look forward to what next year's holds:) We love you guys!

Christmas Morning 2011

2012-01-05T09:03:00.001-05:00

Christmas Morning started nice and early ( a shade before 6) but we didn't mind waking that early this morning:) I love walking down the steps with my boys while Rob films the excitement. We both had some special gifts we worked on for the boys so we were really excited. They got their wishes from Daddy-a fuel truck and a BIG dump truck. I made them truck scavenger hunt cards for when we are in the car. Santa surprised them with a train table:) It was worth all the efforts that go into preparing for this most special day of the year.

The boys gifts for us were awesome, as usual. I'm sure my cycling husband will love his tear off days of the year Runner calendar from Jack. And I LOVED the wooden dump trucks they painted for me:)

We woke up my family at 8:30 to start the fun at their house.

Papa loved his "Das Limpett" dvd and teaching the boys about all the different parts on Tommy's fuel truck.

We love our Nonnie:)

Two of my favorite pictures from this Christmas. Jack got an ornament from Grandma and wanted to hang it on their tree.

Just like a typical mother I have no pictures of Grandma in this post:( Or Stephie or Sarah actually either. But don't worry I will make up for that in the New Year's Eve post:)

We had an awesome breakfast and then around noon we got ready to trek out to see Nina, Grandpa and family...

Christmas Eve 2011

2012-01-04T09:00:00.001-05:00

We started off the festivities at 4:30 mass at the cathedral with Auntie Karin and Uncle Chad, then off to Oma's house we went:)

We tried for the obligatory family picture.

This is the best we came up with:)

Tommy, as usual, basked in the attention of his second cousins. Do you see how red his cheeks are in the bottom picture? The kid is nuts.

Tommy got upgraded to the big kids table this year and Jack was still stuck with us adults

Jack handed out the rosaries and they both did a wonderful job on the Hail Mary. Then they sang Happy Birthday to Jesus. I was one proud Mama:)

The whole M side of the family:)

Tommy called out Tante Wizzie and Papa for a picture he desperately wanted to have taken. Then Jack of course wanted one with his Mama:)

They opened one present ( a set of construction vehicles) and literally were the happiest boys alive for the rest of the night:)

The family all pitched in and made "Why we Love Oma/Opa" books. They were a huge hit and they will be cherished:)

We didn't get home until close to ten and we were all exhausted. We put out our milk and cookies and tucked ourselves in for a long winter's night...

2011 Header Flashback

2011-12-31T09:27:00.000-05:00

Christmas Decorations

2011-12-30T07:28:00.000-05:00

This post is mainly for me to remind me of how I decorated in 2011.

New idea this year. Hung all of our family's Christmas cards on the front door. Love watching how we ~~age~~ change over time.

Red tree. Tommy decorated the whole lower half himself this year. Here's to plastic ornaments!

Blue breakables tree

Christmas Craft #3: Peppermint hot chocolate gifts

2011-12-29T07:17:00.000-05:00

We had a little gathering at our house and we decided to make some take home favors of this awesome recipe for peppermint hot chocolate. We made a ton! They therefore also became teacher and neighbor gifts as well.

Ingredients:

Big tub of powered cocoa mix (that you only have to add water to)

mini marshmallows

mini choc. chips and regular choc. chips

crushed candy cane

Recipe courtesy of :http://itsthelittlethingsthatmakeahouseahome.blogspot.com/2010/12/gift-of-peppermint-hot-chocolate.html

Here are the little helpers all ready to go

Jack was on marshmallow duty and Tommy was everything else. Tommy established the rule that whatever fell of their spoons they got to eat. Big surprise there were lots of mistakes on the counter.

Tommy what is up with that face?

Finished product! Thank you Oma for all the mason jars!

While Jack was sleeping we decided to bedazzle the jars with some craft supplies that had been re-gifted to us.

I was perfectly happy with the finished product but Tommy had other way more awesome ideas. Festive, no?

LOVE that they actually want to participate in some crafting with me. Makes me feel like less of a nerd:)

Let it snow!

2011-12-28T07:12:00.000-05:00

With the warm temperatures we have had all December, we have only had one true day of snow. The boys have been dying to have a snowball fight with Rob so as soon as there was enough snow covering the ground , we bundled them up and sent them outside.

I of course took the pictures from the warmth of our kitchen. I am no snow baby.

Teaching the fine art of snowball making

Crafting his own:)

Surprisingly they stayed outside for at least a half hour. They explored the yard since apparently snow adds a whole new mystique to everything. Here's hoping to maybe a couple more snowy days in January. And that's it:)

Christmas Craft # 2: Ornament gifts

2011-12-26T15:02:00.005-05:00

I always order a few extra Christmas cards to save or if I forgot someone and this year we decided to cut up a few of them to make as Christmas gifts for some loved ones.

We started with a craft store flattish clear ornament.

I cut out the picture I wanted into a circle slightly smaller than the diameter of the ornament.

Rolled up the paper, shoved it inside the ornament and then used my pinky finger and a pencil to unroll it.

Then we added some leftover glitter from the snowglobes and viola!

If you are lucky the back of the picture will have an appropriate saying or another picture.

We painted special sayings on the back and used the boys' fingerprints for the O's. I kept saying I needed to do a finger print but the boys thought I was saying finger prick. They remember how Buddy from Elf freaked out when he get his finger pricked and were afraid I was sticking them with a needle:)

Merry Christmas to all!

2011-12-25T06:11:00.000-05:00

And a few outtakes from the hour long session of trying to take our own family "hand" pictures with a tripod and a timer. Torture. But the end product was worth it. Dirty fingernails and all:)

So much love from our family to yours on this most Blessed day of the year! God is good!!

The very large Polar Express picture post

2011-12-24T14:42:00.001-05:00

I will keep this mainly pictures since there are so many but the gernal preface is that this was the first year we took the boys on the Polar Express to the North Pole. We put them to bed and then pulled them back out and told them we were going on an adventure. Hopefully I took enough pictures to share the basics of the trip and a little bit of the Christmas magic:)

Love this pic of my crazy haired Jack:)

The only snafu of the trip occurred during the pajama fashion show. The boys walked back together but then Tommy went down the runway by himself. Shortly after we saw an Elf in the background holding a crying Jack and we had big brother go back and rescue little brother.

Isn't it funny how Tommy looks so protective?

The magical bell

Saint Nicholas came!!

2011-12-23T14:33:00.001-05:00

And unfortunately he came the day that poor Jack was so sick he could care less about his special treats:( Luckily Tommy was very excited about his new boots but probably more about the dum dum suckers:) He was so funny the night before. He set out shoes for both he and Jack but then decided he should put out his soccer shoes instead of his crocs because it would be easier to fit his hand in them. Smart kid.

Here is a random totally inappropriate picture of Tommy on the pot. How could I not include it. He is reading my magazine. Just too funny. Someday when he is a teenager and has totally ticked me off I will post this on his facebook page:)

After we got back from the docs and Jack had his shot and a lot of tylenol in him the boys were able to color at the table together, which I found absolutely adorable. Jack was in pain from the shot so for a full day I had to carry him wherever he wanted to go and generally just sat in one spot and had Tommy bring him things. So glad he is back to normal!!

Christmas Tree 2011

2011-12-22T14:24:00.001-05:00

We trekked out on an unseasonably warm December day to our local tree farm to find the perfect tree. I packed hot cocoa, which in the end was only had by Rob because the boys chose the farms candy canes instead.

The boys were generally excited, except that Jack was already sick with sniffles. I think Tommy was mostly excited because we let him go in his pajama pants:)

Tommy scouted the scene. We were on the lookout for a reasonably priced frasier fir, and that is what we half got:)

The people there were so sweet and offered to take a family picture with our new deliciously scented tree:)

Couldn't decide which I liked better:)

And here is our little beauty after all is said and done:)

And since I didn't feel like setting up a tripod I trusted Tommy to take our annual picture of us putting our first ornament on the tree. Not too shabby, eh?

Chagrin Falls Day!

2011-12-21T14:11:00.000-05:00

We headed out bright and early on a Sunday morning for our annual breakfast and shopping day. Jack was a bit off (big surprise he had strep 3 days later) but otherwise the weather was nice and everyone was able to make it.

This is how I prove that I was there too.

It was Uncle Chad's first time with us and I think he enjoyed it:)

Jack and his Godfather.

We wanted to try to get a nice family picture but it is nearly impossible. First of all I didn't realize Karin and Chad had snuck in with us for the first 3 shots. And then of Course Papa had to make a cameo in half the pictures as well. On top of the boys either not looking or wearing their hats on the very tip top of their head, we didn't have any real winners.

Hanging out with all the guys at Starbucks

Didn't get much shopping done (besides the boys buying their "gifts" for each other) but we had a great time:) Love that tradition!

Christmas Craft #1 :Snowglobes

2011-12-20T13:36:00.000-05:00

Pinterest has given me a ridiculous amount of ideas for crafts this holiday season but this one was always on the top of my list. Easy, messy, fun and semi successful:)

Tommy really wanted me to take a picture of him holding his foot up.

We spent an hour at the craft store getting our supplies (distilled water, glycerin, glitter and the little pieces of scenery for inside the mason jars)

We decided to stick with trees, presents and deer.

We hot glued the scenes in and filled up the jars with the water and a drop of glycerin then they boys went town putting glitter in the jars.

Unfortunately after a few days our scenery pieces started "bleeding" into the water so the tree globes looked like it was the dark of night and the deer ones looked like the deer had been shot in the water. No worries we just switched out the water and hopefully we can go a little while longer with clear water:)

There is a very good chance that they don't make to to next Christmas but honestly it was so cheap to put together and the boys had so much fun with it I wouldn't mind making it an annual tradition.

A few random shots of holiday jolliness.

Jack and Tommy helping me (the big pregnant lady) decorate the tree.

Tommy and Daddy taking an "Elf" break:)

Hot Chocolate with Grandma

2011-12-19T14:01:00.000-05:00

So Rob took Friday and Monday off and it has been awesome. He is giving me the time to get all my December blogs done in one sitting so I will set them to come out every few days so as not to inundate you with Christmas cheer:)

Anyways, the hot chocolate station has been up since right after Thanksgiving and it is utilized on an almost daily basis. We invited Grandma over for a mid day cup during a long stint of decorating:) This was about the time that Tommy was dealing with a horrible runny nose (hence the red raw nose) and Jack was just about to come down with strep. SO this was basically the calm before the storm of 2 weeks of sickness.

Hey let's share marshmallows ! (and sickness)

This is the face Jack makes when you make him smile to long.

Thanksgiving 2011!

2011-12-11T12:26:00.000-05:00

My little Indian and Pilgrim:)

My duty was the salad this year and I think it literally took me over two hours just to make sure everything was as close to how it is normally done as possible:)

The boys had their own little table this year and they both loved their feast.

I also made the strawberry pretzel jello which was kind of a flop because I tried to force it to set in the freezer and then it refused to set once I removed it. It was still a nice change off for desserts, despite its disgusting appearance.

Jack and Uncle D

This was how the remainder of the day was spent. Watching Rudy and playing board games and eating leftovers. Heaven

Opa and one of his best pals. So precious:)

The next day we left bright and early for the weekend in Buffalo. Unfortunately my camera battery died almost immediately but I got a few shots of the boys with Great Grandma Misso:)

We basically laid around all weekend and ate up there too:) Except with less sleep because Jack is like his Mama and doesn't sleep well out of his own bed.

But Tommy did wake up Grandpa one morning just to say he loves him so I think that made up for all the night wakings from brother 2:) Love you all!

Thanks to God for another wonderful Thanksgiving! SOO much better than last year's debacle! So thankful for all the love we are surrounded by and can't wait to bring another little munchkin along to the festivities next year:)

Let's knock out November!

2011-12-09T13:49:00.000-05:00

Before I start November I fogot to put up this Halloween picture of the boys' Halloween oatmeal (died orange with raisin face). I gave it to them all excited and Tommy says " It kind of looks like throw up". That it did, but it didn't stop them form eating it and asking for seconds:)

A lot of November involved me transferring my studio into the playroom over the garage and the playroom into my office. That way the boys could play and create while I get stuff done. I wanted to make it less of a toy room and more of a craft room so I moved most of the toys to the basement and just created some shelves of craft stuff. Rob and I over a weekend installed a magnet "wall" which hasn't appealed to them in the way I had hoped but I still have my fingers crossed for it. I think it is too cool.

I also created several sensory tubs (courtesy of ideas from pinterest) and they are totally into those.

This is the construction themed one made with cream of wheat, some buried beads and their small loaders.

Yes it is a mess maker.

But it keeps them very entertained:)

Sometimes I throw some extra stuff in there for them to sort and if I'm really lucky Tommy will do just that.

The other tub that is really cool is made of these smooshy marble type things that are non toxic and are used as vase fillers. They do bounce so when they fall out they go everywhere. Now we pretty much stick to playing with it on the floor:)

Snack time with Mia:)

Thanksgiving up next:)

Baby 3 update with ultrasound pics:)

2011-12-03T10:26:00.000-05:00

For my Mother in law who has been patiently waiting to see pictures of her third grandchild:)

Rob and I went in a few weeks ago to see this little bubba. We made it very clear that we DID NOT want to know the sex. This was by far the clearest ultrasound we ever had and I kept covering my eyes because I was scared of seeing something:) Rob actually took a video of the ultrasound and I won't let anyone see it until after the baby arrives just in case any little "parts" can be seen on it:)

So with all that being said I would like to introduce Bean 3.

Profile-Seriously looks like it is smiling:)

Front view of lips/nose area

Little legs and feet that kicked the whole time.

Hand and fingers

He she was already measuring a week ahead and was in a breech position. Hopefully that will change in the months to come.

Now it is time to get back to some Christmas Decorating:) Happy Saturday!

October wrap up: AKA a mostly Halloween post

2011-12-01T15:30:00.000-05:00

I feel really bad that it is the first day of December and I am just getting the Halloween pictures up. November went by in a whirl but luckily I will still have at least a few posts for November coming up:)

A week before Halloween we had a Halloween party for Tommy's preschool: aka the costume unveiling:)

Tommy was a garbage truck.

Jack was a fire truck

They were very specific this year about what they wanted to be. While I was in the middle of staying up late making their costumes one night and I was so sick and exhausted, I was getting crabby and ready to throw in the towel. But the next morning when thehy came down to see the progress I had made and they were just so elated it made it all worth it. Thank goodness Ikea gives you such humongous cardboard boxes!

Tommy and his wonderful teacher. What is up with the smirk Tom?

The weekend before Halloween we finally decided to carve our pumpkins. Tommy helped to de-seed and Jack just poked at things with a marker.

I tried a new recipe for the seeds this year but I think I will go back to the standard roasting with salt in the oven next year.

This has nothing to do with Halloween but I thought it was too cute.

Rob was going for a run and Tommy really wanted to go. We decided to let him go on a little run with him after his real run. They ran to Grandma's then McDonalds and all the way back. Actually quite a jaunt for a little boy. Can I just say that the kid thought he was awesome?

I also made my annual apple pie. Worth the wait for a whole year, if you ask my opinion:)

We haeve been going to Oma and Opa's house for Sunday brunch for a while now. The food is always delicious and the company is priceless:)

Finally it was Halloween night. Tommy was totally into it this year, and therefore so was Jack:)

The only picture I got of Rob with the child size helmet on. After he realized what he looked like he refused to wear it anymore.

I was a sack of garbage. Very flattering don't you think? (By the end of the night I ended up "birthing" all the lower half garbage and I just looked like a moron in a white bag.)

Our whole crew that went door to door together.

The fire hydrant gave Stephie's costume from last year a run for its money:)

Our Punkies.

So ready to be done with pictures

Just one more with Oma and Opa

Despite the cold wet weather we all had a great time. And since I basically hid all the candy as soon as we got home I was able to get away with the boys only eating a mini nestle crunch bar and a couple dum dums. I can't say the same for myself:)

Apple Farm-Take 2

2011-11-18T06:43:00.001-05:00

We run to see the orchard, up and down the rows of trees,

Where treasures red and golden, hide among the leaves...

This was like a woolly bear farm. They were EVERYWHERE!

We came home with a huge bag or apples and were able to make our annual apple pie and played some math games incorporating the apples. That lasted for all of fifteen minutes, but I felt creative for those 15 minutes:)

I can't believe Fall is almost coming to an end, but I am trying very hard to savor Thanksgiving time and Fall before jumping into the excitement of Christmas. So looking forward to Thanksgiving next week!!

Over the bridge and past the barn...

2011-11-16T09:36:00.000-05:00

We're going to the apple farm! (Quote courtesy of my favorite apple hardbound book)

At Patterson's the main thrill was still the doughnuts :)

Attempt to get a cute pic of the boys.

They really got into pumpkin picking this year.

Jack made sure the baby had a pumpkin too:)

And Tommy was really into this big flat pumpkin

Needless to say we left with more pumpkins than people in our family.

But that's ok because we love roasted pumpkin seeds:)

How I told the boys...

2011-11-11T19:14:00.000-05:00

(I typed this right after it happened but wanted to wait to post it until after everyone knew. Then I forgot until now)

On September 15, 2011 Rob was coming home late from work and I had my two pj clad boys sitting in my office with me. My belly was looking pretty round from our big meal and pregnancy bloat and Jack made a comment, like he usually does, about there being a baby in there. Tommy responded to him that it was just a big belly (thanks Tom). I looked at Tommy and said "You know there is a baby growing in there" and I kid you not he jumps up, wraps his arms around my middle and says "You're pweganant! You're pweganant!" I can't believe those words came out of his mouth but honestly I was just so tickled with how excited he was:) He was jumping up and down and said he was excited for a new brother or sister. He did tell me that he hopes I "get a girl" which also surprised me:) Such a precious precious memory for me.

Fast forward to tonight, 11/11/11, both boys call the baby "him" and while I was laying down with them before bed Tommy says "Sometimes I don't know if its a baby and not a fat belly". Out of the mouths of babes:) Both of them rubbed my belly and agreed that they love the baby and that it is their best friend. Tommy also told him/her that "I will never let anything happen to you baby". My little protector:)

Baby 3 Update:)

2011-11-10T13:14:00.000-05:00

I had my 3rd appointment today at 17 weeks 5 days and things are looking right on track. Heart rate was 152 (similar to the boys if I remember correctly) and we get to have the big ultrasound in the next few weeks. I love finally getting to see our little one though I have been feeling it for a while now. The first movement I felt right around 14 weeks then nothing for 2 weeks and since then I have been feeling movement every day. Last night I actually got three kicks that I felt with my hand. Unfortunately Daddy was passed out upstairs with Tommy but I am sure this little one will be ready to perform again soon:) Honestly I feel huge and I am still really not feeling great. My midwife prescribed me something to help with the nausea/discomfort again so we will give that a try and hopefully by my next appointment (right before Christmas ) I can say that I feel better:) Here is a picture I took right before writing this since I have had no good belly pictures up to this point. (Not that this is any good since nothing was in focus but you get the point-Mama is large!) Boys are getting even more aware of baby and sometimes talk to him/her and give me belly kisses. You will be very loved little one. (And probably beaten up too, but more loved for sure:)

Land Lab with Nina, Grandpa and Aunt DD

2011-11-04T11:57:00.001-04:00

So our town has this place called land lab which is basically a bunch of walking trails, a pond and a pavillion that was put aside for shools use back in the late seventies. I think anyone that went to school here remembers at least one excursion to the awesome land lab. I have snuck in here several times because it was pretty close to my parents house and I loved the beautiful scenery. They had a Fall open house and since we had visitors we decided to take advantage.

First thing we saw was a snake as we were walking down the hill. Yikes.

We had been here a few weeks before for Tommy;s field trip so he basically acted like he owned the place and gave everyone a tour.

Jack was less than thrilled as the "skeetos" were out in full force and they love to nibble on my poor baby.

But the scenery could not be beat:)

We stopped for a photo op at the little "watching stoop"

I;m not sure bt I think Tommy might be wiping his nose on Grandpa's head.

We got to scoop up slop from the pond and dig around for living things. Jack loved holding the tadpoles and tossing them back in. Gentle Jack!

It was really muddy and Tommy lost a shoe in the mud.

You are free tadpole!

After all the excitement (and a good hand and foot washing" we headed out to the new Melt and had an awesome meal (after a 45 minute wait). Thank you for the visit you guys! We love you and know we owe you a visit soon:) Thank you for your patience with putting up the pictures too.

We're going on a Leaf hunt...

2011-11-02T04:05:00.000-04:00

I had really wonderful intentions for these leaves. I was still feeling like garbage when we went for our hunt but I was determined to wax all of these beautiful leaves. However but the time I actually felt up to doing that our beautiful bag of leaves had molded:( Alas, we still had a really fun "hunt" for leaves.

I had to save this picture for last because I still can't believe this is my child. NO IDEA where he has seen this but he has a thing for sticking straws in his mouth and pretending he is "cigaretting". He now gets in very big trouble for pretending like that. Luckily Jack still thinks smokers have a sucker in their mouth:)

Cooking up a Fall Storm

2011-10-31T15:40:00.000-04:00

As my morning sickness has slowly been easing off, my desire for food has risen. Luckily for my family cooking in the house is at an all time high. And luckily for me I have two boys who (most of the time) like to help Mama out.

Here is Jack helping me make our second batch of Zucchini Berry bread (we made a total of 17 loaves in the month of September-don't freak out we gave most away)

Mmm. The only thing that topped the smell of the kitchen after baking these was enjoying a slice with hot apple cider:) Here's the recipe if you still have any lingering zucchini: http://cookingoncloverlane.blogspot.com/2011/09/blueberry-zucchini-bread.html

Of course after one of our many trips to an apple farm we had to make the caramel apples. So good.

Think I need to clean my oven window?

THis is what the boys' apples looked like after. Poor little apple left behind.

In case you are interested in some new recipes here are a few we have been trying out. So far they have all been awesome. (PS I added chicken back to my diet. Rob couldn't be happier)

Crockpot BBQ beer Chicken

Creamy Shrimp and Mushroom Pasta

Best vegetarian lasagna ever

Really easy sticky buns These were incredible!

Chicken, Lime Avocado mexican soup Making this in the slow cooker for tonight but I can't imagine it will be anything less than awesome. Cut the chile and adobo sauce in half so the boys can still enjoy.

Soccer 101

2011-10-27T08:36:00.000-04:00

Wow-long delay. If I don't start getting some of these pictures out they are going to get lost in virtual picture world so here goes. My laziness is ruling this morning so you will be getting lots of pics and no collages. I will try to step up my game for the next post:)

Soccer

So here is how it went down.

First Practice. Chaos and confusion. He was very excited in his new socks and cleats but had no clue what to do. Can you tell?

As we all know he gets distracted easily but he still had a good time.

Jack was scratching his head too. As expected Opa showed up to every practice and game he had. I can't say I did the same as most practices I was still very ill and just stayed home. Sorry Tommy:(

Game one. Semi disaster. He was totally thrown off by all the yelling parents and the crowd. He basically walked around the field and tried to avoid the ball. Game 2 we were out of town but from the videos my Dad and Karin shared I could see that there was a lot of walking around in a "just got off a 20 hour ride on a horse" walk and again not much.

Game 3. Weather was bad and we had to go inside. We weren't expecting much but...wait for it...

GOAL!!

and then... GOAL 2!

My boy finally got into it and he was having a blast:)

Then Jack ran onto the field in the middle of the game. Soon enough Jack.

Water break with his cheering section.

This face was just too funny

Game ended. FInal score 2 to 2. Tommy was pooped:) Or just being dramatic.

Little brother was proud of big brother.

Next week we were back on the field and the outdoors totally distracted him again. Plus the other little boy on the team and Tommy started goofing off together and spent most of the next game talking and standing practically offsides. However Tommy did score the only goal of the game again. Needless to say team red was not the most aggressive team but I was just so happy to see my boy enjoy his first team sport experience. The next weeks game we skipped because it was freezing and he had been under the weather that week and then the cancelled the last game of the season:( Can't wait for next year!

If I get a break this weekend I will try to get a bunch of posts done. Sorry for the long delays! (Aunt Liz)

I Heart New York

2011-10-05T13:29:00.000-04:00

Yes we do. But let me be clear, this blog post is not about all the wonderful things you can do in NYC. It is basically a documentation of good eating in the big apple. That is basically all we did, with a few side trips here and there. We picked out what was rated to be some of the best of New York and somehow never waited more than 30 minutes. Maybe because we woke hours earlier than the average New Yorker? Maybe because we decided to dine at an hour usually reserved for the over 70 crowd? Who knows. I am just glad that this constantly nauseated woman never had to wait for a meal.

So we landed, took a cab to Central Park, with bags in tow and stopped off at Sarabeth's. The funny part is Rob couldn't get a reservation for us the following morning but we only had to wait about 20 minutes for the Saturday brunch. Worth it? Totally. Overpriced? You betcha.

We split the smoked salmon Benedict and the lemon ricotta pancakes. So good.

We decided to take the subway down to our hotel in Battery Park then. It was awesome. We checked in early and they upgraded our room because obviously they could tell that we were really important people in the big city:) You couldn't ask for a cooler view.

As always we took pictures of each other looking like total dorks in our room.

Rob decided to go explore for a bit while I took a 3 hour nap. He came home with some awesome pizza. I so wish he remembered the name of the place because it was by far the best pizza on the trip.

Then it was time to get ready for our dinner at Daniel. The restaurant Chef Boloud runs. This was by far the fanciest meal of the trip. And I was wearing, by far, the shortest dress in the restaurant. I did not anticipate the extra belly girth throwing off the inner slip of the dress so badly. Now it was much worse in the picture because I was raising my arms but I still walked around pulling the dress down most of the evening.

The meal was out of this world. We told our waiter I was pregnant since we couldn't understand a lot of the menu and didn't want to order something that is a pregnancy no no. They took care of everything, right down to the pregnant lady drink-so so amazing. For anyone that would like I could go into very explicit details about each course of this meal, but since this is a long blog in the first place I will only share the pictures:)

After the dinner I seriously almost requested a gurney to be rolled out on because I was soo full. We called it a night (it was about 8pm) went back to our hotel watched a movie and passed out.

The next morning we were up bright and early for an 8AM mass but I screwed up the times and we were actually there an hour early. So what else to do but find somewhere for a snack. The cute little bakery was just opening in time for us to get a few things. This pigeon had no fear.

After mass we headed to Magnolia so I could stock up on some treats to take home. Again no line because everyone was still sleeping:)

We walked around Chelsea and West Village for a while before heading to the theater district for another fabulous meal. Karin had told me about the Shake Shack and they did not disappoint. My portobello mushroom burger was heavenly and Rob enjoyed his standard burger fare as well. PB shake was just the cherry on top.

At this point we seperated. Rob was a very good husband and let his poor sick wife go back to the hotel to relax while he went to the Yankee's game alone:( He must have missed me because he only stayed 4 innings. Then we were back out on the street to find our dinner. I generally trust the Food Network's recommendations so I was eager to try their top rated NY pizza. It was good, but I really thought the first night's pizza was better. Then we meandered around until around 9 then cabbed it home.

I was able to get some cool night shots from the cab.

And this was from our hotel room in the early hours of the morning.

Our last morning we had breakfast at the hotel which was leisurely and delicious. Just the way I like it.

Then we headed out for some site seeing. We are big 30 Rock fans so I wanted to get a Liz Lemon t-shirt at the NBC studios. I know. I am such a nerd.

No trip to NYC is complete without a stop at FAO Schwartz. We walked around until we found the perfect little trucks for the boys. A NYC police tow truck and a NYC fire truck. I am proud to say that they are still being played with almost 2 weeks later:)

Another odd site. These roller bladers were just weaving in and out of traffic. And some of them barely knew how to brake. People are weird.

For our last meal we headed to Serendipity 3 because I have ALWAYS wanted to try a Frrozen hot chocolate. The lunch food was pretty boring but the dessert did not disappoint. That is until Rob told me it reminded him of a frosty. What a joy kill:)

So all in all, despite the constant morning sickness, we had a wonderful time. It was great to get away and have some alone time! BUt let's be honest, it was just as good to eat all that awesome food:)

There is nothing like coming home to your two little wild men after missing them so much. They even made us a welcome home sign. I love these two little punks. NYC ain't got nothing on them.

But it sure is fun to look at:)

Thank you to Auntie Karin and Uncle Chad for taking such good care of our boys. Knowing they were in such good hands made the trip all the more special. We love you guys! (and Mia too)

The long awaited announcement:)

2011-09-30T08:49:00.002-04:00

Yes I think everyone who reads this has known for weeks but I am ready to announce (on the blog at least) that we are expecting a wonderful surprise: baby #3. I will be 12 weeks on Sunday and we have already seen the little bean's heart beating. As I anticipated my all day sickness has been worse this time than with both of the boys combined and while it has gotten better than it was 3 weeks ago it still starts up shortly after waking and lasts until I go to bed (about 8pm). So to say I am looking forward to some relief in the second trimester is a big understatement. As this is my first pregnancy as a photographer I had big plans for belly shots, but the sickness has put all my ideas on hold. We did manage to get our first belly pic on Rob's and my trip to NYC (post coming soon) outside of Magnolia bakery, which is appropriate because with all I have to eat to keep myself from getting sick, I fear this will be another big weight gainer. Yes I truly do have a belly already, though I think I was actually showing with this one before I even knew I was pregnant. The boys are all super excited and Jack asks to hold the baby every morning. I am really excited to add to our family, and we can't wait to find out what this little cutie will be come early spring:) Love you already little baby!!

Also want to give a big thank you to everyone who has been helping us while I have been feeling like a half a human. So many people have made us dinners, watched the boys so I could lay down, done our laundry, cleaned the house, etc. etc. We are so grateful to be loved by so many:) Especially my dear husband who has been working a double job as Daddy and Mommy:) You are the best!

Loving Oma and Opa

2011-09-20T19:39:00.000-04:00

Rob and I went to the funeral of several of my cousins' Grandmother today. Though I did know her, I never truly knew what a wonderful person she was and how she loved so many in so many different ways. I couldn't help but think about my own Grandparents and how I love them so much and how I cannot bear the thought of ever losing them. And then it struck me even deeper when I thought of how much they mean to my boys. Oma and Opa especially spend almost as much time with them as we do and love them just as much. Sometimes my Oma will lie awake at night worrying about one of my boys for some reason or another while I am fast asleep. I know how much they love me but there is no question that my boys are loved 2x as much:) I think if Opa could have his way he would play with them every day. And if Oma had her way she would be in charge of the feeding and general maintenance of my boys. So if I can do anything now in the present to make sure that they will live on forever for my boys I will just try to capture the memories. Just try to make sure that the boys will realize how much they are loved by these amazing people and how much I love them for doing that. I realized that I had a whole smattering of pictures that I forgot to edit when I tagged along with Opa and the boys on a visit to Safety Town. This is not an exaggeration that throughout the spring and summer Opa took one, if not both of the boys up there at least 3 days a week. He felt that they needed to get their energy out and letting them ride around the little "town" or play at the park accomplished that task. He was right:) Now enough talk here are the pictures of some of my favorite men:

One of my favorites-You can't see it but Jack was holding Opa's hand

The odds are good that Oma and Opa will never see this post seeing as they do not own a computer, but just in case Auntie Liz shares it with Oma at some point I will say my peace. I hope you two know how much I love you and that you are the most amazing role models, not just for me but for all human beings. You are selfless and loving and kind and I am so blessed to be a part of you. Thank you for loving us all so much. You have changed all of our lives for the better:)

Back to School is here again!

2011-09-13T18:36:00.001-04:00

And this year I was so cool calm and collected about it that I forgot the parent meeting and almost missed orientation. (Darn you Labor day for messing with my internal schedule!)

Anyways apparently my thorough dislike for starting a new school year skipped my Tommy because the kid was literally shaking with excitement the morning of the first day. I was afraid he was going to be a big ball of spazz when I droppped him off but Mrs. L assured me that he was well behaved. He had a great time and is excited about all the new 4 year olds in class this year. What can I say? The kid loves school. And I love him.

Is he too cool or what? Picked out his own outfit (complete with too small 3t fleece).

I was so glad to not be one of the first timers this year. It was so nice already knowing the ropes and what to expect. I know that will all change next year, but it was nice to just sit back and enjoy the first day this year:)

Looking forward to all you will learn this year Tommy!! And Jack you are up next! That kid is totally chomping at the bit too. It is like torture when I have to take him home with me after we drop Tommy off. Soon enough Jack:)

BIG News!!

2011-09-09T09:00:00.000-04:00

So big that I waited almost a month to share it:)

Guess who is totally awesome, loves his fire truck vest and is officially potty trained??

This guy.

Second times the charm. Started it up in the early part of August and by the end of the week we were in undies full time. Knock on wood we no longer have any accidents and only wear diapers for nap and bed. Such a relief to finally have it done:) Way to go Jack a doo!!

Summer Catch up

2011-08-29T12:26:00.000-04:00

THis post is going to be mostly pictures:) Sorry for the lag in posts!!

Had a distant family reunion from Oma and Opa's side. Weather started off bad but quickly got bery nice:)

Playing soccer with Opes

Tommy loves trying to put on Daddy's ties all by himself

Cute random shot of my Jack a doo

Summer Scurry-Tommy-no joke-ran at least 2 miles of this race. With his backpack at first, and then without it when things got more serious.

Jack preferred sitting and eating but got out for a 100 meter sprint.

A huge thanks to all that participated. The event was phenomenal and I'm hoping we were able to surpass our fundraising efforts from last year. Once again I am humbled by the generosity:)

Enjoy the last fleeting days of summer!!

Woodloch 2011

2011-08-15T15:15:00.000-04:00

7 hours there and another 7 hours back. The way there included a lot of this:

A good chunk of this:

and by the time we got there I was ready to just transplant ourselves and live there forever to avoid another drive. Out of the 99 family members (with a set of twins and at least a few other singletons due to arrive soon) 94 of us were able to make the trek. And like my cousin JT said, we may all live within 5 minutes from one another, it still took a 7 hour drive for us to all get together and have this wonderful quality time. Rob, myself and the boys were all in a house with the rest of my siblings and parents. Surprisingly we all lived together swimmingly. Especially since there was a large closet for Jack's crib in our bedroom and Tommy crashed with Karin and Chad. If we hadn't been out late most nights we would have actually gotten a lot of good sleep:)

Once we settled in things got awesome:) The place is very cool with scheduled activities every day and lots of other stuff that is up and running all the time. The families took place in a "minute to win it" contest on the second day and while we are all super competitive I don't think we even hung around to see if we had won:) (Bottom right, cousin Josh is blocking Tommy while he uses the tree as his bathroom)

Karin and I even ventured off to a scrabble competition where they wiped the floor with us. So sad.

Meanwhile Rob took the boys to ride big wheels inside a small building. This is pretty much how it went down. I honestly could not stop laughing .

We had a blast on the bumper boats though we ended up just keeping a towel over Jack's head because he cried every time he got squirted.

This was riding on the tram that brought you around the area. I truly think this was the highlight of Jack's trip, maybe his life.

I mean, have you ever seen him this giddy before?

Tommy was a little more tame about the whole tram riding experience.

My favorite activity was the rock climbing. And of course I came dressed appropriately: In a dress over leggings. Even with my dress diaper I made it to the top on all the levels without injuring myself. BIG deal for me:)

I think everybody;s favorite part of the trip was the night they shut down part of the lodge for us so the whole family could have a dinner together. After the meal people performed skits and sang and danced. I cried from happiness and sadness to the point that I could barely keep it together. I was not alone.

The boys loved being a part of this huge group of kids. I don't think they realize how truly blessed they are to have been born into this crazy, joyful and passionately loving family. I don't think I appreciated it until I was in my teens and now I cherish that fact. The memories they will acquire with their second, third and even fourth cousins is such a blessing:)

This family had been filled with a mix of wonderful blessings and true tragedies. My cousin Carrie once wrote this in an email:
It is times like these that I know God chose us to be in this family for a reason- for He knew what trials we would need to endure together, as one.

There will always be trials, there will always be struggles, but is absolutely true that we will get through whatever life hands us as one and we will support and love each other through it all.

And in so many situations in life if you don't laugh you will cry. And this family knows how to laugh. Hard. We know how to live. it. up.

My Grandma, Aunts D, C and L regaled us with their version of beer pong one night which involved no actual drinking but a lot of screaming and cheering from the crowd, which seemed to get more crowded with each passing minute.

And as Aunt C quoted " The K family knows how to party". She yelled this in her fanny pack:)

To my dear sweet boys, I hope you will retain some memories from this week and that you will always remember how much love surrounded you and always will. I know that the love will always be there and I pray that none of us will ever doubt that. Much love to my K and D relatives and a huge thanks to everyone that made the trip happen. It was worth every single penny and more:)

A little bit of this and that to wrap up July...

2011-08-11T14:00:00.001-04:00

July was full of many adventures for the boys and while I can't get to all of them here are a couple of our favorites:

Bowling (stemmed from a scavenger hunt item:)

I haven't been bowling in years but on a rainy Saturday we decided to hit up a little local place that offered bumper bowling. We all threw on our sweet bowling shoes (except Jack because they didn't have a small enough size) and hit the lanes.

Tommy got a real kick out of it. Even if his ball took about 5 minutes to get down the lane.

They both totally loved the ball return

This is a time lapse group of pictures over approximately ten minutes waiting fro the ball to get down to the pins.

Even Jack got into the action for a little bit, though in the end he preferred eating granola bars at the scoring table.

Then cosmic bowling started and things got funky. Black lights on. Music pumping. Rob actually told me to stop dancing because I was embarrassing him in front of the 5 other people that were there with us:)

They still ask to go bowling again so I would say it was a total hit. As the weather turns colder I'm sure we will make many more trips out.

Here is my Tommy flying a kite all by himself. I helped him get it started but then he would run it all the way across the yard by himself:)

A special thank you to Karin for catching me in the act of letting Tommy pee on a tree in a public area because I was afraid he was going to have an accident while we were out and about. Not the first time and probably not the last.

Rob and I hit the town for a hot date which included a stop at an awesome vintage store to get a few last minute scavenger hunt items.

And I got Bernie Kosar as my "celebrity" at a fundraiser we went to. I felt like a total fool but the rest of my family enjoyed a good laugh at my expense.

We also got to host a few impromptu dinner parties at our casa. They are never planned more than 2 hours in advance because the mood to cook a lot always strikes last minute and whoever is in town attends. We have had some scrumptious meals, thanks to the side dishes that everyone contributes. Love getting to eat food from the garden:)

My Dad is always aware of where the camera is:)

We wrapped up the last day of July with a seven hour drive to Woodloch in PA for the K Family road trip which 94 of the 99 relatives were able to attend. That little shindig will get a post all of its own:)

Summer scurry is this weekend, then a wedding immediately following and another family reunion for my Mom's side on Sunday. Trying to squeeze all the last drops out of summer while we can:) Happy August!

The Lakehouse

2011-08-08T08:08:00.000-04:00

Well these are back from fourth of July weekend but I am trying to go oldest to most recent so I better get these up before I forget:)

Tommy had gone to Buffalo to stay with Nina and Grandpa so we took Jack up to the lake house so we could meet them closer to where they were so they didn't have to drive him all the way home. Poor Jack was like a little lost puppy dog without his big bro. He was pretty much a crab the whole time but we still managed to squeeze in some fun activities (including a group nap-Papa, Jack and Mama all crammed into a queen:) ) We never made it out on the boat and by the time we met my in-laws to get Tommy we decided to just head home and avoid a night of crabby boys and bad sleep. In hindsight I think we should have just stayed because the drive home that late was hellish. Lesson learned:)

Trying to get a good picture of Jack with Grandma and Papa-I don't know who is less mature-Jack or my Dad.

My two handsome boys:)

Trying to entice Jack with a game of basketball

"I miss my brother:("

Rob and I and Stephie got to play a rousing game of scrabble, which if my memory is correct, we didn't even finish:)

Finally a smile out of my crabby boy:)

We met up with my in-laws at the Fr. Nelson Baker shrine. We have been praying to him for a miracle for my Aunt. This was my first time but Rob had taken the boys there before while on another trip to Buffalo.

We haven't lost faith yet Fr. Baker

And on the way home we were blessed with a gorgeous sunset. Took our breath away.

As I said before the drive home was miserable but we all made it home safely:) Can't wait to get back to the lake...

Summer Scurry part 3!!

2011-08-05T09:34:00.002-04:00

Please support team Tommy and Jack at this year's scurry! Join us or make a donation on their team page:) Our whole family is eternally grateful for your support. You can learn more about the cause (and see Aunt Lisa in it:) ) here:

or join/donate below.

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Please visit &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="https://friendraising.towercare.com/Markslist/campaign/viewDetails.do?campaignId=6677"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Karma411 Campaign: Team_nbsp;Tommy_nbsp;and_nbsp;Jack&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

It's a family affair

2011-07-25T12:04:00.000-04:00

So, yes, July has been dominated by the Scavenger Hunt and while I am in the last week home stretch and I am ready for it to be over, we have had a blast.

Here we are, dressed up in our hillbilly finest before heading out to get a four scoop ice cream cone and look for house #123.

I scored a ton of points at the zoo. Francie and I went with all 5 of our boys and they were all so well behaved! Luckily it was before this heat wave. I can't believe they lasted through almost 3 hours!

Checking out the tiny animal petting zoo

Francie treated Tommy to his first real face painting. I probably would have never let him but he was so excited about it and he seriously though he was so cool.

He was a little nervous that it was going to hurt, but confirmed to us that it just tickled.

Here they all are. He wouldn't lose that grin for the rest of the day:)

Trying to make a mean spider man face. I kept telling him that spider man was a good guy!

He was most excited about "scaring Daddy" when he got home. Unfortunately much of the paint had smudged, on my furniture of course, but Daddy was sufficiently scared:)

Then Jack really wanted to paint my face so I let him. And then Tommy had to join in as well. Jack kept saying "Almost done" and Tommy kept telling me how "awesome" I looked.

Awesome as a burn victim.

Firetruck items have been high on the SH list so when we saw that the historic fire house had its garage open we had to stop in to see if they would mind us poking around. Luckily I know the folks who were cleaning it and they let us have our way with the place. Tommy got to ring the very first truck of the city's bell:)

Then we got to watch a "power lifter" (like the book calls them) move an ancient plow machine. Pretty cool, if I do say so myself.

Well that is about all the time I have before the boys come home from playing with Opa at safety town:) Will try to update more soon:)

Chicago Day 1.5 and Day 2

2011-07-21T14:15:00.001-04:00

After we checked into our hotel we tried for about 30 seconds to lay down for a nap but the boys were to excited so we decided to head to Navy Pier and avoid the heatwave that the next day would bring in. First (and basically only) stop: The Ferris Wheel. Tommy was super excited about it because we had been building it up for him on the way up. He was not disappointed:)

Rob and I have a tradition of kissing on the Ferris Wheel that goes back nine years:

Shortly after we started dating:

Had to photograph my scrapbook for this old one but you can see it on the far left:) Only on the cheek because we weren't married yet:)

The year after we were married:

And six years after that we are back with two little fellas. So I decided that since I am the only lady I need kisses from all my men:)

Jack is such a stinker!

I also got to take some fun shots of the other stuff since I brought my good camera along.

After the Pier we walked around downtown a bit more, stopped in a market and eventually looked for dinner. Since all the typical touristy spots had lines out the door we went for California Pizza Kitchen because 1. The boys like it and 2. I had no patience to wait for eating at all.

By the time we got back to the hotel it was eight wo we quickly washed the boys and all got to bed. Me and Jack in a bed and Rob and Tommy in a bed. Typically that would have been enough excitement for them to keep them up jabbering but because the day had been so long and full of adventures, we were ALL passed out in about 5 minutes.

6AM came way to soon the next morning because it was still 5AM Chicago time. We got ready for the earliest mass we could find, went to Church, where Jack was positively abysmal and then took the L back to Southport for our Julius Meinl breakfast. Oh so good and maybe the best coffee we have ever had. We walked around a bit more then took the public transportation down to Shedd Aquarium. It was a bit of a walk in the scorching sun to get there and when we arrived there was a huge line out the door, which they told us was typical. There was also about 40 or 50 steps you had to walk up to get to the ticket counter and inside the building. Since we had the stroller we decided that it all sounded like torture and were about to abandon ship when the kind folks from the water taxi told us that if you walk to the far side of the building they have a ticket booth that is handicapped accessible. We walked over to see the line there and were shocked to see that there was NONE!. Note to anyone who ever wants to go to the Shedd aquarium. Bring a stroller! I don't care if your youngest is 8. Bring one because then you can get in the building in 5 minutes flat:) I',m glad we decided to still go because it was really really cool. Rob and I enjoyed it just as much if not more than the boys.

And of course there was more scavenger hunt fun:)

After the Aquarium it was almost nap time so we got in the car swung by Gino's East for a pick up deep dish and got on the road. We got lucky again and had no stops on the way home. Fed the boys dinner in the car, let them both nap for a bit, dealt with some whining and crying, from all of us, and then got back to home sweet home safe and sound. All in all it was a weekend full of precious memories that Rob and I and I hope the boys will cherish forever:)

Chicago Day 1

2011-07-19T20:33:00.000-04:00

On Thursday morning before Rob left for work I told him how I missed Chicago and how I had a craving to go there again. He said we should be a little spontaneous and head there for the weekend. That night I found a reasonable hotel, packed up our stuff on Friday, went to bed early and set the alarm clocks.

We woke up at 4AM threw the boys in the car and were on our way. The boys only slept for another 45 minutes but I was super prepared with snacks and 2 "mighty machine" episodes on the Ipad so the drive was surprisingly awesome. It wasn't until we were about an hour outside of the city that we remembered the time change and realized our fave restaurant wouldn't be open when we got there:) We took a bit more of a scenic route so that when we finally pulled up the the curb of Southport Grocery it was just 5 minutes to open time.

NIce pic Rob:) Even if Tommy has a pouty face on:)

The breakfast there alone was worth the drive. Nothing compares (except maybe the breakfast at Julius Meinl, where we ate on Sunday)

Since none of the shops on Southport were open yet we decided to mozy on over to Armitage and found a great little playground on a side street. The boys played with all the other little city kids for an hour or so and then we strolled down Armitage for the rest of the morning. It was perfect.

Tommy actually played a little tune for us on this accordion

We walked by the restaurant where Rob and I ate on our first trip together to Chicago. I have wonderful memories of that fondue place but unfortunately it is not child friendly:)

Despite the threat of hot weather, the overcast skies made for a very comfortable day so we walked to the Lincoln Park zoo 1. Because it is free and 2. Because Jack fell asleep in his stroller and we didn't want to wake him by stopping the walk:) (Yes this was also a scavenger hunt item:child sleeping outside)

He woke up ready to roll, or actually walk, and they grabbed hands on their own. Never happens so my heart just about melted:)

We walked through the greenhouse right outside the zoo and the boys were way more interested in the plants than I thought they would be.

After the zoo we started to high tail it back to our car but we had to stop for lunch first. Everyone was getting cranky so we stopped at the first place that looked both clean and child friendly. I can't remember the name of it but they made a phenomenal omelet :)

Tommy entertained us with his new hat...

...and Jack had me practically in tears with this new thing he does where he crosses his arms over his chest and says "How are you" and How you doing? I caught the tail end of his shenanigans on video but it does not do it justice.

Then we finally got back to our car and headed to the main part of the city to find our hotel. It was right by Navy Pier and thanks to my AAA membership we got upgraded to a room with a sweet view. Despite travelling a lot Tommy has never been old enough to remember being in a hotel room. He was absolutely beyond excited when we first got into our room. He called it our "new home" and was running around like crazy. When he saw that he could watch the cars and boats below he was just fascinated. There was so much fun and excitement that Jack ran into the corner of a wall and gave himself a nice knot on his forehead.

We used the resources we had and made a cold pack out of the mini bar beer.

Poor little Bubba

OK well I still have to get to our trip to the pier but it is getting late and I still have to post today's entries for the scavenger hunt so I will finish off part 2 of day one tomorrow hopefully:)

But I will share one quick scavenger hunt story with you. One of the items I need is someone wearing a coconut bra. I figured, let's make this educational for the boys and buy a real coconut and teach them about the water inside and let them see the inside of one. Frankly I was interested too because I had never opened a real coconut before. I found out how to safely crack one open and once we drained it of the water (which Tommy said was sour and Jack said there was a bug in it) I put it in the oven to get the shell more crackable (if that is a word). Once the timer went off the boys and I excitedly ran outside with our steaming hot coconut to throw on the cement and crack in half. I whipped it on the ground and it cracked but not evenly. So tonight I will ask my sweet husband to put these two bra "cups" on and take a picture. More likely than not, though, I will end up taping them to my dress and taking a self portrait unless someone else would like to try these lopsided puppies on for size. Anyone?

2011 Scavenger Hunt

2011-07-18T13:50:00.000-04:00

Where have we been?? I can't believe I have put of blogging for so long and I will truly pay the price because I have too much to blog about now. July hit and the craziness of summer was in full swing. School picnics, wedding showers, trip to the lake, trip to Chicago, museums, fevers from the germs at the museums, visiting Nina and Grandpa, babysitting Mia, we have been busy with a capital B. I will try my darndest to do posts about most of those topics. But the center stage for July, for me at least, has been the Clickin Mom's 2011 Scavenger Hunt. This was my first year participating and when I mentioned the idea to Rob he warned me not to get overly excited because there were probably some nutty women out there that were scavenger hunting on a daily basis and how could we compete with that. What my husband did not realize is that I am one of those nutty women. Plus I have the friends and family who are willing to make fools of themselves for me and let me take pictures of it:) Here are some of my favorite "scavenger hunt finds" so far (you might have to click on the picture to see it more clearly):

Can you spy a waterfall, a popcorn ball, and a baby with a mullet?

Can you spy a man on a pogo stick, me after having my makeup done by a child, and a delorean?

Can you spy a street vendor, an airplane and a fireman?

Some extra special highlights: My Dad with a gold tooth, which in good conscience I probably won't even enter because it is not a legitimate gold tooth (so if you or someone you know has one, let me take your/their picture:)

Karin's seven layer cake. It tasted just about as good as it looked:) Karin you are a real sport!

4 scoop ice cream cone. Yes this was my personal favorite:)

Child sleeping outside:)

Group of people wearing a mask

Ferris Wheel (Navy Pier in the background)

Honestly we have a had a blast doing this and have done so many cool things. I will be sad when it is over but at least I will be able to stop looking for someone with a mis-spelled tattoo:) As of today I am in 3rd place (out of 250 women) but I'm only ahead by 3 pictures. As promised, here is my list of what I am still looking for. Feel free to peruse it and if you know where I can find something, let the nutty woman know:)

Sorted into categories:

Animals:
3 legged dog, animal with 2 different colored eyes, bunny rabbit, dog with blue eyes, elk, hermit crab, kitten, tadpole

Food/Plant:
Irn Bru soda (I think this is from Australia)
4 leaf clover, bottle of 2002 Dom, Corpse flower, icicle, VB Beer, tim tams (another Australia thing), sunflower, turkey wishbone

Rides/Games/Sports:
Croquet mallet, curling stone, golden bear golf ball, pachinko machine, tilt-a whirl, paddle boat

Coins/Money:
2011 quarter (so much harder than I thought it would be), Gold Krugerrand, "Where's George" dollar bill, winning lottery ticket

Buildings/Cars/Aviation:
No shirt, no shoes, no service sign, blimp, covered bridge, curling facility, ferrari, hot air balloon, house that is #123, log cabin, vacancy/no vacancy sign, RV restroom, Street sign with the word "click"

Random:
Shoes on a telephone wire, rotary phone, mickey mouse sticker, Didgeridoo, ball of yarn 18" in diameter, david Hasselhoff poster, Chef's hat, map of toronto, heart shaped pool, cuckoo clock

People:
Tattooed man on a pink bicycle, adult on roller skates (no blades), adult twins, man wearing a speedo, man in a powder blue tux, misspelled tattoo, person with 2 different colored eyes, person with a gold tooth, person wiht a purple cast, pie eating contest, me in a lifeguard chair, me with a celebrity, someone bench pressing 200 pounds, someone fishing, someone getting their ears pierced, someone having acupuncture, someone wearing a coconut bra, someone wearing a kilt, someone wearing a sumo werstler suit, someone with a unibrow (I almost have one right now from not waxing for a few weeks-maybe I can just use that:) ) fish on a fishing pole

Marks get set GO!! Thanks Aunt Liz for reading to the end:)

For Mom:)

2011-07-06T11:09:00.000-04:00

Take your pick:)

My favorites from the boys' summer session:)

2011-07-05T14:05:00.000-04:00

I love love this one:) My two boys: Maybe looking in different directions, but still holding hands:)

And here is the slideshow with all of them:

Happy 4th!

2011-07-01T21:10:00.000-04:00

and a sneak peek to the boys little photo shoot with Mama:)

A couple oldies but goodies

2011-06-29T08:48:00.001-04:00

Before I try to get into any new stuff I have to clear out some of the old stuff. These are some of my favorite pics of the summer. My boys love to go for rides with their Daddy in the trailer and many times one or both of them falls asleep. When they pulled up this time Jack was using Tommy for his pillow:)

A favorite play thing has recently been my K-cup coffee holder. Tommy loves "building" with them and likes to carry the carousel around the house. Or even outside the house in this case. Needless to say they get all over the place and Jack, my little cleaner, is always at the ready to help pick up:)

But the best thing of all was when Tommy decided to give the K-cups a ride on his "sniffy bike"...

...while wearing his "basketball necklace".

As Karin quoted: "Tommy takes his shirt off to play (basketball) but not his necklace":)

Happy Father/Dad/Opa/Papa/Grandpa/Daddy's Day

2011-06-19T18:11:00.000-04:00

Doubly rich is the man still boyish enough to play, laugh and sing as he carries and emanates sunshine along a friendly road. -Charles R. Wiers

His heritage to his children wasn’t words or possessions, but an unspoken treasure, the treasure of his example as a man and a father. -Will Rogers Jr.

Life doesn’t come with an instruction book; that’s why we have fathers. -H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

The great man is he who does not lose his child’s heart. -Mencius

It is a wise father that knows his own child. -William Shakespeare

He didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it. -Clarence Budington Kelland

A man never stands as tall as when he kneels to help a child. -Knights of Phythagora

Until you have a son of your own... you will never know the joy, the love beyond feeling that resonates in the heart of a father as he looks upon his son. You will never know the sense of honor that makes a man want to be more than he is and to pass something good and hopeful into the hands of his son.- Kent Nerburn

To all of the men in our lives who represent what a Father means to us, we love you so very much and are so grateful to have you in our lives. And to the many fine men that have moved on to their eternal life, we miss you and can't wait to see you again someday:)

The Boys Big Birthday Bash

2011-06-17T09:30:00.004-04:00

So I really didn't come up with a theme for this year's party like I had in year's past (rubber ducky, the moon, balls, socks what is up with my themes?) but more stuck with a color palette of red turquoise and brown that I pulled from their birthday invites and just took it from there.

I know I shouldn't make too big a deal out of little kid birthdays but because I combine it, and probably always will, I justify that it is ok to spend a little more time planning and decorating and what not than if I had these several times a year. We'll see how things go when we are on kid ten. Just kidding:)

So anyways the day did not start out great, as evidenced by the pics below. There were bugs in my spinach, I had a broken toe and was hobbling around in my boot still and worst of all, Tommy inadvertently got his hands on the previous nights melatonin (long story for another time but lets just say we were having some sleep issues but they seem to be improving over the weeks since the party) which left him passed out on the family room floor as the guests arrived. Like I say, sometimes if you don't laugh at things you will cry, so there was a lot of laughing going on:)

Meanwhile since one of my kids was passed out I snuck out to take some pics of the decorations:)

Oh yeah I guess I did do a little bit of a theme with the car/transportation cupcakes. Forgot already:)

Though I knew the kids probably wouldn't want to sit down I did set up some crafts for them.

As the guest arrived my Tommy woke from his short lived slumber (Thank you God!!) and they were both really excited for their big day:)

Then it was just like old times. Old times in that these are the same folks who have come every year since Tommy's first birthday party. There have been several additions since that day 4 years ago and I'm sure the number will continue to grow as the years go by:)

Everyone swapped kids and just had fun spending time together. And for me, it was perfect:)

And low and behold the kids wanted to do crafts. Score for me!!

As the afternoon wore on it was finally cupcake time. Tommy stuck his fingers in his mouth to hide his delight at all the eyes on him:)

While Jack stared at everyone with an honest look of confusion.

Despite my ardent pleas the boys still opened a few gifts and had a lot of fun with them.

There was lots of kissing and cuddling going on:)

And some tom foolery:) Additional tom foolery can be seen HERE.

And once all the guests were gone my boys were happy to sit down and look at their gifts from Mommy and Daddy: their last year's blog book. I have to admit, I really like reading it too:)

Thank you to God for the beautiful weather and for bringing all our loved ones together to celebrate another year in the lives of my two boys:) Looking forward to next year's celebration!!

A Day in the Life of a 2 Year old Birthday Boy...

2011-06-15T14:32:00.000-04:00

The day started off bright and early , like usual, but we changed things up by heading out to Yours Truly with all the K ladies and the M boys to celebrate the youngest M boy's 2nd birthday!!

They even managed to find us a couple candles for his pancakes:)

Unfortunately for little Jack, his actual birthday was the day before their party. So Mommy spent most of the day in a house that looked like this:

while Auntie Stephie came over to play and after Daddy got home he took the boys to the Jump Yard!! (Sorry no pics. I figured Daddy was taking on enough by taking the boys there alone without having to worry about pictures)

When the boys got back it was time for cake and singing with all his loved ones:)

And some present opening (Tante Wizzie actually stopped by in the afternoon but I forgot and grouped it with the night pictures by mistake)

My Jack is such a sweet boy. He is always looking out for his older brother and remembers to share a toy with him so he doesn't fee left out:)

Jack loves his Oma (even if she does yell at him for picking his nose all the time:)

I got Jack one of those personalized picture books where they put your child's head in all the pages. Tommy already has one so I knew Jack would love one where he plays the main role:)

My boy does NOT like to get his hands dirty. But his face-now that is another story:)

Oh Jack we love you so much our little two year old boy. I am sorry I put some much time into party prep but I know that everyone else stepped up to the plate to make you feel like the little king for the day. Happy Birthday my little bugaboo.

Graduations

2011-06-11T10:01:00.000-04:00

Yes there have been several significant graduations this year, but none as significant to me as my own Tommy's from 3 year old preschool. I sat tearfully in the audience, not because I was sad at all but just so grateful for the wonderful experience that he had. Of course everyone that could be there was there. I love how Mom and Oma look here, just so proud of their little boy:)

Here's the rest of the gang (sorry Karin)

And then the show started. What a show. Could barely keep myself from laughing out loud. This age is the best.

What a talented performer:)

Then it came time to "cross over the bridge". He did it much the same as his first day of preschool. Maybe a little hesitant at first, but as soon as he reached Mrs. Lozar's loving hand he jumped right in with a smile on his face and never looked back.

We love you Mrs. Lozar, more than you will ever know:)

And as I waited in the audience with outstretched arms for my new grad he ran right past me and into Daddy's arms. What a punk:)

Then we all enjoyed the fine cuisine only attainable at a preschool party:)

That same weekend we also got to participate in Auntie Sabrina's college graduation!

It seems we know where the torch was passed from for awesome family pictures:)

As usual the attention managed to get back to Tommy

Tomorrow we celebrate Auntie Sarah's high school graduation. Wow, my baby sister is going to college. I remember hanging a picture of that 5 year old little girl in my freshman dorm and now she will be hanging pictures of my 2 and 4 year old little boys in her room:) Congratulations Auntie Sarah!

(Photo courtesy of ThomasAllen Photography)

A day in the life of a 4 year old birthday boy

2011-06-07T14:19:00.000-04:00

The day started out with the world's most incredible melt in your mouth cinnamon muffins, courtesy of Auntie Kim's tastefully simple business. Out of this world:)

Mommy (and Daddy a little) stayed up the night before to decorate for the big boy since he really understands it is his birthday now and gets excited. We had a lot of fun rifling through his baby pics to hang around the house:)

After breakfast we let him open his presents from Mommy and Daddy. He was really happy about his big boy booster seat. A very practical gift, yes, but he was honestly super psyched about it:)

Auntie Karin stopped over to give Tommy her awesome gift. A happy birthday banner with removable and changeable letters. If I have my way about it the banner will be selling on Etsy in the next year:)

Then it was off for his school's field trip to the Jump Yard. It just so happened to fall on his actual birthday so I played it off to him like it was a little party for him.

They both had an absolute blast and then we got all the kids popsicles and they sat down to sing to him. He was very awkwardly excited as you can see in the pictures below:)

Here are some highlight pictures from the afternoon, including the awesome footwear I had to wear since I didn't bring socks for myself:)

Then Tommy got to go spend time at Tante Wizzie's with Becky and Kevin and Mike:) (which now I can't find the picture of)

Then it was back home for some phone time with Nina and Grandpa

Then we went over to Grandma and Papa's house to take pictures with Auntie Sarah for her Senior prom:)

Then it was back to our house for some gifts from Karin and Chad-fruit snacks!!

Then some more celebrating with the relatives and of course his cake:)

There was lots of kissing and hugging:)

Once again I prove that the Mommy can still be the dumbest looking one while singing the birthday song

Happy Birthday Tommy! We love more with each passing year:)