How many birthday parties?

It is mid-December right now and I am about two months behind - so bare with me as I do a quick recap which will not be as detailed as usual. October 9th came so quickly and it left us all in amazement that our little man was turning 2 already. Garrett is a lucky boy as it seems his birthday went on for weeks. First presents arrived in the mail. (Let me also state Connor made out like a bandit as well since everyone was thoughtful enough to get him presents as well.)

Then, we took a road trip to Long Island where we were so excited because Sharon and Malcolm were visiting. Friday night we went out for a small birthday dinner which with two kids is always eventful.

Thank you Sharon!!
I don't know what it is about this picture but I love it.
Then we returned back to the house for some ice cream cake of course.

Not a drop was spared - somehow the boys become expert eaters when ice cream cake is involved. Garrett didn't look up until all his cake was gone.

Then the two birthday boys even shared some cake.

Then on Saturday night the Roedel family had us over and they were so sweet to celebrate Garrett's birthday again. The kids are so funny around each other and it was so great to see everyone having fun. Garrett took to Olivia immediately and wouldn't let her out of his sight.

TWO birthday cakes - this is every kids dream. All the kids participated in putting the candles in the cakes and were thrilled to be getting sweets.

One, two, three and blow....

Garrett didn't move a muscled and even Ava came over to see what had his attention.

This is baby RJ - at the time he was the newest addition to the group.

Alexandra and Garrett are about the same age...I love seeing them all together.

Garrett is a lucky young man considering he had two birthday parties and opened presents for three weeks straight. I think he loved having a birthday and is now trying to convince us that he has one in February along with Connor.

Mom...meeeee!

The first week in October I couldn't believe my ears. Garrett always called me "Mama" and suddenly I heard "Mommy." I had to get it on video and share.

At the very same time, Dada turned into Daddy. We love it!

Work & Play

The following weekend (the last weekend in September) we actually managed to do more by 10am on Saturday than we usually do in an entire weekend. Connor's soccer started at 8am which he was ready and excited to finally get to play after some rainy weekends. He was off and running as soon as he got to practice.

Then came game time - he started the game as goalie and squared up on his opponents like a professional. It is amazing what a difference a few months make. After being the goalie for ten minutes, he decided to play some offense. He was running around the field and trying so hard. He was the only player on his team to play the entire game and we are so proud of our superstar soccer player. While he was playing goal, he even had to tell the member of the other team to please move from inside his goal...it was classic!

We went immediately home because we had a special delivery awaiting us. A full cord of wood had been hauled from New York and we had to help Joe unload. As you can imagine, it was all hands on deck.
Connor helped get the wood out of the truck.
Garrett helped pick up all the little pieces. He even swept and picked up all the dirt out of Joe's trailer.
For all their hard work, Daddy rewarded them with some fun wheelbarrow rides around the yard. Their smiles were from ear to ear.
We then went out to breakfast to celebrate all their hard work. We are very lucky to have such hardworking young men.

Our Trip to Nantucket

It was September 18th and it was time to head to Nantucket. Brian's co-worker Suzanne was getting married so we decided to make it a family trip especially after Grandma agreed to go. After a lot of planning, we decided to take the ferry out of Hyannis to Nantucket. The ferry we took is the boat in the background of the picture below. Connor and Garrett were so excited because they love adventure. As you can see, we had to be very hands on to make sure they didn't lean too far over the dock. They were obsessed with a duck that entertained them by swimming up and down past them. Let's just say the ferry trip didn't go as planned.

We boarded the ferry and thought it would be nice to sit out back on the second level. We got up there and I put Garrett down in one of the seats. This is where I learned a very valuable lesson - always feel a seat before placing your children in them. The seats were made of mesh so they looked perfectly innocent, however, the seat was soaking wet. As soon as I sat Garrett down, he said "Mama wet, mama wet." I picked him up to see his entire back side soaked - so badly that I couldn't leave him in his jeans. So we pulled his jeans off and put them in the sun to try to dry them a little. Daddy came to the rescue by stripping off his sweater and wrapping it around Garrett's legs. Obviously, I had packed lots of clothes but they were safely stored in the ships cargo area at this time. So at this point, we have already made quite the scene but we kept a low profile so it was okay.

The ferry began its trip and this is when it gets really interesting. As we set out across the water, a mate comes around the back of the boat warning people that if you stay outside you are going to get soaked. Apparently, the seas were extremely rough but we didn't know that before getting on the ferry. So, we relocate ourselves to the bottom deck and get a perfect seat looking out at the water in the front. The ferry is rocking back and forth and I start to feel queasy. Poor Garrett is laying on the seat and suddenly looks up at Grandma and says "puke." I pick him up as fast as I can and get him to a nearby garbage can. Garrett proceeds to get sick and manages to get everything into the garbage can, while I can barely keep my footing because the boat is rocking so badly. So, let me paint you a picture - My poor baby is puking in a garbage can with no pants on but wrapped in a sweater. Not a good day! After he is done getting sick, I think the best thing for him and myself is some fresh air so I bring up to the second level. The outdoor portion looks like it is experiencing torrential downpours so we sit right inside the door that leads to the outdoors. I cradle Garrett as much as I can and I think he manages to fall asleep for a few minutes. All I can say is that land couldn't come soon enough. As soon as we set foot on land and they each had a lollipop, the boys were absolutely fine and ready to have some fun on Nantucket. On a positive note, Connor and Grandma seem to have great sea legs so I think Grandpa will try to get them both fishing with him. (By posting this story, I just want to prove that not only do I tell our high points but I am pretty open about our low points as well).

We stayed in cute little cottages along the water right in the heart of town. The boys loved the hotel and thought it was so fun to have two levels and to have a deck looking out over the water. When they woke up Saturday morning, they headed right for the deck and thought it would be fun to feed the ducks.
Before we knew what was happening, the entire duck population of Nantucket was outside our cottage. The kids loved it.

We headed off to town for some breakfast where we had some fantastic pancakes and of course, the boys were raring to go - right after they gave each other a hug.
Well, we were looking for the playground but I ended up walking us all the way to the lighthouse which turned out to be beautiful.

I don't know about you but I love this picture - I might even get it blown up and use it in our house somewhere.

As you can see the lighthouse was surrounded by rocks and we all took advantage by doing a little climbing.

Since it was really windy at the lighthouse, we decided to try to find the playground again. The boys had a blast.

There was even a stage area where the boys put on a show for Grandma, Daddy and I. They sang and danced their hearts out. We went back to the cottages and the boys were put to bed. Brian and I then went off to the wedding and the boys had pizza night with Grandma in the cottage.

We really enjoyed this trip and were so thankful we all got to spend some quality family time together. Thank you Grandma! Oh by the way, the ferry ride home was smooth sailing and uneventful.

First Day of School 2009

September 8th is finally here and it is the first day of school. Does this guy look like he is ready for school? He was up bright and early and breakfast all eaten - very anxious to get out the door to see what preschool was really like.

After getting fully dressed, complete with backpack we were off to preschool and Connor was very excited.

Garrett wanted to get in on it as well and make sure he captured the big moment.

Okay, so maybe he needed a little help from Grandma because his silly fingers kept getting in the way of the lens.

The challenge of the first day of school was saying goodbye to Mommy and trusting the teachers. It broke Mommy's heart that he was upset going into the playground but within five minutes I could see my big boy riding a bike and having a good time on the playground. (Of course, I was spying on him from behind the building...what a mother would do for her boys). Everyday he is getting better and better at saying goodbye and this morning he informed me that he only cries a very little bit which is an overstatement. He cries for a split second and then is off. He comes home so happy and loving school. They have made so many fun projects including artwork friends, bookmarks, pudding to celebrate the first week of school and so many pieces of artwork we might need a new house to store them all. He is now an old pro - just look at the picture down below.

Of course during this time frame, Garrett started some new classes as well with Grandma. I think the first week he was in shock that he wasn't with his brother but he is settling into a routine as well and loving all the attention.

After the first week of school, we went to the toy store. The boys found these baseball helmets and were so funny trying them on - especially since Garrett put his on upside down. I just love their faces.

Honestly, the hardest part of all this is accepting that they are growing up so fast but all that matters is that they are happy.

Garrett's Milestones

I need to take a minute to focus on Garrett because he has hit some major milestones in the past month. Garrett has developed physically so quickly it is unbelievable. There is nothing he can't do - he jumps, runs, rides a tricycle (at least he pushes it with his feet at mach speed) and so much more. He is totally fearless and always willing to try everything. If Connor can do something, Garrett is determined to keep up.

The one thing that continues to amaze us is Garrett's vocabulary and how clearly he speaks.

Just last month, he used to call his brother "Todo" which sounded like 'toedoe.' One day in the middle of August, he turned around to call his brother and suddenly it was "Connor." Now you can be standing in the kitchen and hear Garrett trying to get Connor's attention, "Connor, big brother, big brother, Connor." His voice is priceless.

At almost two years old, I am amazed at the full phrases and even baseball terminology that has become his everyday speech patterns. We play a little game called indoor baseball - complete with bat but using a beach ball. Garrett loves to be the pitcher and basically calls his own game. Complete with - strike one, strike two, foul ball, home run. Then even chases after us when we round the bases to tag us out. Last night as I was putting him to bed, he told me "not yet" when I tried to leave. Then, he proceeded to say "not go" meaning don't go. Of course when he is busy doing something and wants more time he puts his hand in the air and says "five minutes."

On Labor day weekend, we finally were in Needham for a bright a sunny warm day. It was off to the beach for us and the boys absolutely loved it. I forgot my camera that day otherwise I would probably have posted about 50 funny moments. Back to Garrett...at the beach he started to get tired after lunch. So Daddy was laying on a beach towel, with his head covered by another towel. Garrett kept sitting on his belly and jumping up and down. Then, he was playing peek-a-boo with the towel over Daddy's head. This actually continued for over 30 minutes to the point where I am pretty sure Daddy even fell asleep. Then, all of a sudden - thud! Garrett had picked up one of the big rocks from the beach and dropped it on Daddy's chest. Could you imagine if that was his face? Daddy immediately pulled the towel off his head and saw Garrett just sitting up with a huge grin on his face. He has such an angelic little face that he does get away with a lot. As we looked around the beach, we noticed that for that entire time frame Garrett had entertained every single person that was sitting around us. They all had huge smiles on their faces and just loved when he would show them some attention. Garrett undoubtedly has a talent of being a very social child (I can't even call him a baby anymore.) Garrett you are such a fabulous little man and I am a very blessed mommy.

The LV Cousins are Coming

For Christmas 2008, I gave Bradley a Red Sox ticket. That pretty much represented a trip to Boston to stay with us (not sure how much fun that is for a 15 year old) and hopefully a Red Sox game of his choice. I was so happy that we were able to get our schedules to work out and we were able to come through with a fun weekend, August 26-30.

The best part is that they were able to fly up to us so Anne-Marie and Robbie weren't too inconvenienced. So you are probably wondering why I am not referring to Bradley in the plural...we were ecstatic that Ian was able to come as well. So, Bradley and Ian flew up on Wednesday night and I picked them up at the airport where we grabbed a quick bite since it was late. We headed home just in time to wish my boys a good night. My boys were so excited to see them that they started running around the upstairs like race cars and it took quite a while to calm them down.

Thursday - they all hung out at home and then they drove in to Boston. It was a rare occasion because Grandma was going home for a well deserved three day weekend. Plus Brian was able to secure a few tickets for Thursday nights game against the White Sox. When they got home a little after eleven, it seems that they all enjoyed the game.

Friday was actually the night of the real game that we were going to...I managed to get us State Street Home Plate Pavilion tickets which proved to be invaluable. It rained the entire game - not torrential but just enough to get really wet without calling the game off. We first ate at the Pavilion restaurant and then enjoyed our seats directly behind home plate that were under cover...we were totally dry until we had to walk to the car at the end of the game. The game proved to be extremely exciting and one of the best games I have ever seen in person - Scutaro from the Blue Jays was hit by a pitch and the ball bounced off his helmet and went thirty feet into the air. Then, there was a play at the plate by Varitek which was absolutely amazing. I think we managed to have fun. Connor was mesmerized by the game and never wanted to leave the seats. He asked every conceivable question and understands every aspect of the game at the old age of 3. Garrett on the other hand never sat for a second. We walked the ballpark about 80 times but if there is one thing about Fenway - it is interesting. I can't complain because you can watch the game from every conceivable spot and the people are so interesting it is fun to walk around...however, a little tiring.

It continued to rain into Saturday so our plans to go to the beach were shot. We decided to try something none of us had ever done before - candle pin bowling. This really put us all on level playing fields and when I say Garrett and Connor did just as well as the rest of us...I am not exaggerating. The only problem was that Garrett and Connor didn't believe in waiting their turn so you would turn around and there would be a little one walking up to the line and throwing a ball down the lane. It was hysterical. We definitely got to see Bradley's competitive streak and Ian's patience with the boys.

That night we had some tired little boys so we ordered in some dinner and then the big guys all went to see a movie.

The next day we hung out at the house because honestly we were beat. Bradley and Ian did however improve two very important college skills while they were at the house. They managed to take advantage of Brian's man room so their dart and pool playing skill level drastically increased. Thank you guys for coming. We all loved having you and hope you can make it back here sometime soon.