September Happenings

It was a beautiful September day and we wanted to do something different. Brian had been talking to a co-worker and he suggested Edaville, a small amusement park about an hour away from home. We weren't expecting much but to our surprise it was perfect for our outing. Below is the first time the boys were on a ride by themselves. That's right...all by themselves.
Garrett even rode a couple rides all by himself. Of course, Connor wanted to go as well but can you believe he has outgrown some rides.
The whole family went on the train ride around the park and we took this picture to prove that Emily and I were actually there. We even got to meet the Bernstein Bears and as you can see the boys were in great spirits the whole day.

The carousel is always one of their personal favorites. Connor and I even went fishing at a real pond - we didn't catch anything but I did learn that he is dangerous with a fishing hook. When Connor would go to cast, you had to hit the deck quickly. A week later we headed down to Long Island to visit everyone and to go to a birthday party. Since Emily eats about every three hours, we thought it would be an efficient use of time to take the ferry. We all love the ferry since it is so convenient and a nice break in the middle of the trip.

Of course, our priority was to visit with Aunt Daph and Uncle Eric. You can always be assured that when Uncle Eric is holding a baby - there is absolutely no shot of him dropping the baby. He is so careful - look at Emily looking up at him.

Do you see a family resemblance because I certainly do. Aunt Daph did her best to hold and snuggle with Emily.

It was Nicholas' First Birthday and all the LI kids were there. They all played so nicely together it was amazing. Here is Garrett and Madison playing some soccer.

Emily slept allot at the party - I tried to wake her up but instead she just stretched and went back to sleep. Gorgeous!

Here we are!

Look at my handsome young man being so responsible and holding Emily.

The next day was a perfect fall day for the beach and we took advantage. My favorite part was when Connor threw the frisbee and asked his daddy to go fetch it from the water. Brian had brought mesh shorts but by the time he had finished playing frisbee - he was drenched. The kids loved walking along the water and then checking out all the boats on the pier. The rocky beach didn't seem to bother them as much as it bothered daddy's poor bare feet.

Papa carrying little Emily outside.

It was a fun trip but we had to return home as usual.

So many firsts...

The end of August and beginning of September has brought us so many firsts - we could barely keep up.

Garrett is not only a big brother for the first time but he also successfully potty trained at the end of August. He is a big boy now and after one mishap (let's just say hallway of balloons and no diaper) he realized using the potty is no big deal at all. Congrats Garrett - we are so proud of you.

Connor started taking Kung Fu during the summer and to see the weekly progress is amazing. By August, he was ready to take his first test given by Master Instructor Tom. Below you can see the test in progress. He was so excited to earn his yellow shirt.Now Emily is just amazing on a daily basis but has charmed us all. She is already smiling and has started cooing...the cutest sounds you have ever heard.

Now with the arrival of September you know we started school and playing sports. This is a big year for Garrett because he started school and sports for the first time. It only took him a week and a half to adjust to school life. When I met the teacher for our conference, I was told he was the most social kid in the class. She says he starts most of the conversations and will get kids talking about topics. Keep in mind he walks into school covering his eyes so no one can see him. As soon as I leave, it is a whole new ball game.

Connor is now the big man on campus at nursery school and he is so in love with school he asked if he could stay for extended day on all three school days. He really loves every aspect of school and I hope that continues.

Here is a sequence of photos from the first day of school. Never a dull moment - always on the move. A look of mischief.Another notable first, is that during our trip to Fishkill Connor swam in the pool all by himself with a little assistance from floaties. It was amazing to watch him take off with no one holding him. Great Job!
Since I am on maternity leave, I have had a blast shuttling the kids to school and sports and to whatever we decide to do that day. So of course, the kids say the darnedest things and I am just happy to be around to hear them. One day on the way home from school, Connor informs us that he is Irish and Garret is from New Mexico. Then they both agreed that mommy got them in Japan. Seriously, where do they get this stuff.

I can't believe how fast everyone is growing up and this is my attempt at trying to remember each precious moment.

August 2010

When you have a newborn at home, it is amazing how time flies by. Since we had spent a weekend at home, we thought it would be nice to get out the following weekend. We set out to go sightseeing near Newburyport but hit a traffic jam that just didn't seem to want to move. We improvised and headed towards a zoo that was just a short distance away from where we were stuck. It turned out to be a great decision. Our little Emily was at a zoo only 2 weeks old and she was just perfect. The boys had lots of fun. First, we checked out some animals and they were so excited to jump on a little train for a ride.

After visiting every animal at the zoo, we found the best exhibit. Two brother bears were on exhibit and they were in a playful mood. The boys got such a kick out of the bears climbing the trees, swimming in the water and play fighting. Look at the bear right in front of the boys. We were all fascinated. August brought us many visitors. It had been quite a while since we had seen Isobel so it was so great to see her crawling around the house. She went right for Emily to see the little one and the boys were fascinated by watching Isobel move around the house.

Look at the proud Aunt and Uncle.

We decided to head to the petting farm to let the kids play with the animals and then to take advantage of the spray park. Even though it was a hot day, the kids had a blast.

Of course, the boys couldn't let a visit go by without taking everyone to the Japanese restaurant. I took advantage and dressed Emily up in the only outfit I had bought her...yes, it is black and white. She is absolutely beautiful.

A little Tummy Time - the most amazing part of having children is the completely different personalities. Every time we made the boys do tummy time, they would immediately kick and scream. Emily will do tummy time for several minutes before even making a peep. Emily - you are the most laid-back happy baby I have ever met.

Emily you must be special because look at the Falahee family who all came for a visit. It was so nice to have Uncle Kevin stay with us. The funny thing is that when I look at this picture - it is hard to believe Kevin and Meredith will soon be high powered attorneys. To our surprise, the Roedel family actually stopped by for a visit. They took advantage of toy land and after a lot of playing - we managed to get them to sit still for a minute. Thank you so much for stopping by - we realize it was so out of the way and loved seeing you

Just another day at home...

At the end of August, Daddy decided to take the boys to work with him. Here they are all dressed up and ready to go.

Before we start off a busy September, we headed off for a visit to Fishkill. This trip brought so much fun and I think Grandpa needed time to recover. The entire time we were there the boys wanted to be in the pool. Since they can't swim yet, Grandpa and daddy had to get into the pool. Grandpa can take great pride in the fact that Connor swam with him for the first time. Look at the smiles on their faces.

Both boys trying to swim.

Connor swimming by himself. Go Connor!!!!

Our little dare devil.

Apparently the first jump was not far enough...so he wanted Brian to stand even further away.

Peek a Boo!

Then it was off to the diner and the park to see our friends - the kids ran so much - it was great to see them playing.

We are so proud of our little ones - although they are getting so big, so fast.

Catching up on July 2010

July flew by, August flew by, September flew by and now it is the end of October - so it has become my mission to catch up the blog so I can continue writing all the new and exciting things going on with our family. I actually started to update this back in September but of course I barely made a dent.

First I will update you on our July. While we were patiently awaiting the arrival of Emily (well we didn't know Emily's name at that point - that was decided while walking the hospital halls), we did manage to do a few fun things. Nana came to help us celebrate the Fourth of July and we took a trip to Davis Farmland. As always, the kids love petting the animals.

Each visit they get more and more familiar with the animals and now like to take care of them. Here they are brushing a baby goat.
Now it is time to feed the big goats.

To see the sheep, you had to walk into their pen and walk quite a distance to their little barn. The boys showed no hesitation and were eager to see what exactly was going on.

When we turned the corner, a worker was holding a snake. I am petrified of snakes so I quickly veered away but the boys loved the snake. Then they teased me the rest of the afternoon about running away.

This is a two day old baby chick which Garrett is petting...he wanted to feed it as well but we had to explain that the baby chick was just too small.

Connor was first in line to milk the goat and didn't waste anytime showing the farm hand that he was an old pro.

Moo the Cow even came and gave the boys a high five.

After a couple hours with the farm animals and the heat, it was definitely time to run through the spray park.

Here they are running through the car wash.

Garrett soaking wet.

Connor taking another lap...as you can see he is soaked too.

Just in case you thought I was no fun at all, I even changed and went through the water obstacles with the kids. Don't ever think that being nine months pregnant slowed me down too much.

There is nothing like getting all wrapped up and warm after being drenched.

Apparently, Connor and Daddy didn't feel the same way - tough guys!

The boys at play.

The next day was July 3rd and we were so excited for the annual Needham fireworks. The boys took early naps while Brian and I went and staked out what we thought was a good spot. (Nana stayed with the boys, in case you thought we left them alone.) After naps, we managed to snag a great parking spot and then headed to our Italian restaurant across the street from the park. We enjoyed a nice leisurely dinner and headed to our seats once it started to get a little dark.

Red White and Blue...as you can see, we picked a spot near the baseball field. Silly us! We didn't realize everyone would use the baseball field as a place to play catch. Basically, all the kids were running over it and the place became one huge dust cloud. When we got home, we had sand and dust in every crevice and all our stuff was covered. Oh well, it was the price we pay to watch phenomenal fireworks.

The next day I woke up everyone nice and early because it was time for the Needham parade. It was blisteringly hot but we found some shade and definitely enjoyed the parade.

When we got home, we needed to cool off and the boys were game to slip and slide. Connor slid the whole way and continued on the grass.

Garrett going head first.

I can be honest and say I don't remember what happened the rest of July except that we stayed close to home anxiously awaiting our new arrival.