A Tree To Remember

We all know the story of my birth but just in case, let me quickly recap.  After Papa brought Grandma to the hospital, he went back home and planted a dogwood tree in our front yard.  When he returned to the hospital, Grandma was holding their beautiful little girl and the best thing that ever happened to them both.  (No offense Uncle Scott but I like to embellish.)  Over the years, the dogwood tree grew and always brought back the memories of the day.

So one day Papa called to tell me that he wanted to plant a tree with the kids to be remembered and have a great memory.  Papa had planted a seedling at home and now it was the perfect size to transplant. 

Early Saturday morning, we all went outside to pick the perfect location.  The digging began.

Papa showed us all the proper way to dig up the patch of grass and then started digging the hole.  Oh, no - we hit the sprinkler system. Maybe not the perfect spot.

We went on a new mission to find another location and quickly got back to work.

Is it deep enough yet? 

All of the kids got in the hole to make sure it was the perfect depth.

Bringing the tree to the new location.

First we make sure it is standing up straight.

Start filling up the hole with new dirt.

Making sure there is a perfect ring around the tree.

We thought we would measure the tree by the height of the kids.  First day of planting, the tree is about as tall as Emily.

To complete the experience, I took a video of Garrett who described the entire process in detail.  So now we also have a video of the most priceless description to complete our memory.  Thank you Papa!

Patriots Everywhere

On May 15th we headed over to our high school for a fundraising basketball game.  The New England Patriots players were there to play some of the locals finest athletes.  It was such a fun event to watch and the boys got to see some of their favorite football stars up close and personal. 

After the third quarter, they had a raffle to win a football signed by all the players.  The first ticket was our number and Connor went out to mid-court.  Nickovich threw the ball across the gym to Connor who almost caught it.  The boys are thrilled that we have all the players autographs on a football and such a fun memory.

Happy Mother's Day

The day after the wedding we were able to spend some quality time with our cousins.  We went for a walk on the infamous Cliff Walk in Newport, RI and were amazed at the views and the houses (let's be serious Mansions). 

 

Emily was infatuated with Meaghan and the boys were mesmerized by Joseph. 

We all loved venturing down the cliff and out on the rocks. 

Relaxing and looking out at the ocean. 

Behind us is Cinderella's castle (wink, wink) and we tried very hard to get inside.  Garrett even went up and tried to open a door.  Unfortunately, we believe Cinderella was away on vacation with Prince Charming. 

It was so great to spend time with Billy, Kathy, Joseph and Meaghan.  It was sad to have to go home.

A Beautiful Newport Wedding

We spent the weekend in Newport for the big wedding in a big beautiful mansion overlooking the water.  Emily was convinced that Victoria was a princess and that cousin Danny was the prince. 

We were all dressed up and ready to party.

Emily (our princess including her tiara) and Daddy were having fun at the table.   

Connor and I took our own picture while we tried to unwrap our big Hershey bar.

Garrett was keeping Uncle Kevin busy counting shells.

I couldn't resist getting pictures of the kids all dressed up.  This is included entirely for mommy. 

 The kids were dancing machines and we really had a great time at the reception.  I think they made everyone smile.

Thanks to Cousin Kathy I have a picture of the kids and I.  YEAH!!!! 

 

Ready for the Wedding

After a little breakfast, we were ready to head out for a day of fun at the wedding.  Look at this handsome crew.

Last Day Recital

For Emily's age group in ballet, they invite spectators to come see the progress of the girls on the last day of class. Emily made us proud with her ballet moves.   First we needed a picture of our beautiful two year old heading off to class in her tutu and her ballet backpack.

All of the girls listened carefully to Ms. Christine's instructions.

The girls danced with scarves and jumped in the hoops.

This is my favorite picture - look at Emily doing exactly what Ms. Christine is instructing.  Look closely because Emily is off the ground perfectly.

Congrats to all the girls who listened well and made us all proud.  I couldn't believe two year old girls would be able to perform so unbelievably well.  Great job!!

The Great Bear Run

What a fun day. All of the kids participated in the Great Bear Run. While we were waiting for our race times, we went inside to watch a very funny magician perform. To my surprise, Emily was suddenly standing next to the magician because she had volunteered to be his assistant. She did fantastic. She answered all of his questions and was able to assist in his tricks.

Then we were off to the races. First, mommy ran with Emily and Garrett in the stroller for the family one mile fun run. Well, we started at the wrong starting line but still managed to put in a pretty good time.

We headed directly to the field for Emily's race and she was totally focused. Dressed in her pretty dress and new croc shoes, Emily took off like a shot right for Daddy on the finish line. I am pretty sure she won by a landslide. Go Ems!

Then it was Garrett's turn for the 100m race. Garrett took off like a bullet and flew down the road. We are so proud of Garrett who was a little uncertain about wanting to run.

I am standing on the finish line of the race taking this picture and Garrett was so disappointed that another young boy just edged him out for the win.  I love your competitiveness Garrett and you finished second amongst all the five year old boys.  Go G!

 Connor was up next and he didn't disappoint. Connor had to race the 400m and as he passed us near the start he had a full conversation with us about where everyone was. Connor held up strong and pushed through the finish. Awesome job!

It was off to the races and I declare all the kids were big winners. They tried so hard and really did so well.