A picture…..

 

Wow, so I guess I fell off the face of the earth on blogoshere. My apologies but like everyone else, we’ve been busy! And unfortunately blogging was always on the very bottom of my never ending list. So, here we are. We almost officially have two 4 1/2 year olds and a 3 1/2 month old. We can confidently say that we are feeling settled in our life as a family of five. Jake’s night are getting easy and we are all so relieved and so thrilled to have a happy baby back! Aiden and Chris’s countdown to the first day of school has started. My sister is months away from being married and we’ve had a lot to celebrate. So let’s catch up!

We have been enjoying these long days of summer and have been so thrilled to meet up with friends on most days. We are all busy bodies and love to stay in touch with our amazing friends and family. We have been enjoying some playdates with school friends, friends from town, church and old friends. We played with our friends from CA who were in visiting for a few days; we made a trip to Umass; completed two weeks of swim lessons.

Life is animated with Jake. Jake loves looking at himself in the mirror. He giggles at Cali and stuffed animals. Aiden and Chris are the best thing going. I continue to be in his good graces and for now, seem to be a favorite. He’s got strong legs and vocal cords and loves to stand with assistance and talk. After tiring himself out, he loves nothing more than curling in as close as possible to snuggle. Nights are still sleepless but I blame myself for that and cherish every time I get to see his smiling little face and shiny bald head.

Chris and Aiden are totally immersed in the world of pretend. They love to play farm, Diego, Bernstein Bears, trucks… you name it! Role playing is constant which of course goes hand in hand with playing dress up. It’s not unusual at our house to be eating breakfast with a tiger, lunch with a penguin wearing an army hat and dinner with a fluffy dog. Their curiosity has no limits as do their questions. I am kept on my toes with a minimum of at least 1000 questions a day. No joke. They laugh, they fight, they wrestle and they love to love on their little brother.

Mike’s house is finally finished and while we are a ways away from being able to sigh a breath of relief, we are at least happy to have him home and so very proud of the hardwork and dedication that he and Drew displayed. The house looks amazing and now its just of finding the right buyer and waiting patiently in the meantime…. Sometimes the hardest part! Here’s a preview of what they’ve been up to:

 

Wanna come and be our neighbor and make me a VERY happy woman to close this chapter of our lives?????  Please!

 

So while I’ve started this post and been distracted more times than I can count, I will share some fun memories and catch you up in the days to come.  After all, a picture is worth a thousand words, right????

Our special friends the Schillings and a fun play date to Sunrise Park.  Aiden and Chris adore their girls and Chris has decided that April is marriage material!

Dress up fun and some giggles that followed (Aiden, L, Chris, center and Jake, R)

We’ve completed two weeks of swim lessons and the best part is that the boys are asking for MORE!  Score!  So thrilled and I guess it will leave Aiden and Chris looking forward to next summer.  Thank you Ashley and Suffield Country Club for making lessons so much fun!

Looking for a simple, fun project?  Decorate your own T-shirts?  The boys loved this little project.  Draw with crayons (thick, heavy outlines) on sandpaper.  Heat your iron and place your sand paper face down.  Apply the heat and lift to view your master piece!  (Make sure you put card board between the laters of the t-shirt first!)  Here is Aiden posing.

Undie Kings.  I savor these moments as I know they won’t want me sharing these in the years to come!  Chris – L, Jake, Aiden - R

The boys!

I’ve been trying to hold down the fort. Last weekend I was thrilled to join my big sister and 11 other ladies for an amazing night out, honoring Laura and the journey she’s shared and taken to find love. I headed our early Saturday and met the ladies for a luncheon at Laura’s followed by a night of many giggles, a few cocktails and lots of memories!

And last but not least, we were thrilled to share Laura’s wedding shower today with wonderful family and friends.  We all had a ball and the weather, food and company were remarkable.  An amazing day for an amazing big sister.  Love you Laura!